Pickens – With low country football games being pushed back because of the effects of Hurricane Matthew, some upstate games are being pushed back as well to conform to new playoffs dates.

D.W. Daniel Head Coach Jeff Fruster confirmed on Wednesday that the final game of the year which will see the Lions traveling to Pickens to face the Blue Flame in which a 4A playoffs spot would possibly be on the line has been pushed back a week.

The game scheduled for October 28 will now be played on November 4 at Pickens Stadium, Fruster posted on SDPC’s Schoology app.

Fruster said that the Junior Varsity contest between the county rivals will be played as scheduled on October 27 at Daniel High School immediately following the Edwards Middle School game.

By Greg Oliver
Courtesy The Journal

goliver@upstatetoday.com

COUNTY — Last month, the new Violence Policy Center study dropped South Carolina from first to fifth nationally when it comes to the number of women murdered by men.

But officials want to see those numbers drop even further, and 13th Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins is doing his part to bring that about in the two counties he serves. Wilkins announced Monday that his office has formed The Domestic Violence Coordinating Council to help combat domestic violence in Pickens and Greenville counties.

The council, which will meet quarterly, will be comprised of professionals from counseling services, hospitals, law enforcement, school systems and social services. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to attend the council meetings and become a part of not only the conversation but also the programs and initiatives that are forthcoming.

“October is domestic violence awareness month,” Wilkins said in a prepared statement. “I encourage everyone to reflect on this important community issue. Wear purple with a purpose and strike up a conversation with a neighbor about the need to curb domestic violence in our community.”

Pickens County has experienced its share of domestic violence incidents in recent years, most of which involve female victims. However, in that county, two of its more high profile cases — both in the Dacusville community — involved women murdering men.

In May 2013, Suzanna Simpson was charged with killing her two small children, ages 5 and 7, and wounding her husband. Simpson was later found guilty of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison.

In January 2014, Dacusville resident Shane Williams was shot and killed in his home, and his wife, Crystal Gail Williams, and her friend, Marcus Channing Johnson, were later arrested and charged with murder and criminal conspiracy to commit murder. Williams later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole.

Wilkins said programs and initiatives from the council would include creating public service announcements, victim safety kits and an interactive information bank. The council will be self-sustaining and conduct fundraisers to cover its expenses. Fundraising events will be announced at a later date.

EASLEY — A 21-year-old Easley woman died after a collision last week.

Mary Gorman, of Sunningdale Court, died en route to Greenville Memorial Hospital after the accident, according to Pickens County Coroner Kandy Kelley.

Seniors enjoyed their third annual “Hillybilly Day” on Oct. 12 at the Pickens Senior Center, located at 29 School House St. in Pickens. Seniors came dressed in overalls, straw hats and boots.

The festivities included country music by Tony Gilespie and Wallace Anderson.

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Pictured are Bobby Trotter, Stanley Morgan, Dale Harward, Reda McDaniel, Lib Cowan, Irene Kelley, Ruby Anthony, Tony Gillespie, Carol Baker, Ethel Breazeale and Roger Breazeale.

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Clemson — A Clay in the Carolinas Pottery Sale will be held this Saturday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The ARTS Center of Clemson.

PICKENS — Harold Dodson has given his creation “Divine Inspiration” rocking chair to be raffled off by the Pickens Senior Center. Tickets are currently available in the center.

The drawing for the chair will be at the Awards Ceremony in the Amphitheater area following the Pickens Christmas Parade on Friday, Dec. 9. The cost of the raffle tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20.

COUNTY — South Carolina has released the results of end-of-course exam testing, showing Pickens County a mixture of growth and decline from the previous year.

The end-of-course examination program tests middle and high school students in Algebra 1/Math Tech 2 and English 1 classes, and it tests high school students in Biology and U.S. History. The state reports results in two ways: average score and percent passing.

The greatest gain for Pickens County was in English. SDPC’s average score and percent passing both hit five-year highs.

Pickens County students’ average scores were above state averages on Algebra, English, and Biology, but dipped below in U.S History. For the third year in a row the percentage of students passing the Algebra 1/Math Tech 2 exam was slightly below the state average, and the percentage passing the U.S. History exam dipped below state average as well. SDPC scores declined from the previous year in every subject except English.

“The gains we’ve made in English are something to be proud of, and I hope we can continue building on that going forward,” said Danny Merck, SDPC Superintendent. “In the other subjects, state-wide progress has been gradually closing the gap with Pickens County for several years, and this year we were overtaken in several subjects. It’s very important for us to continue to improve so that our students have a competitive advantage after graduation.”

PICKENS — Laura Marshall has been named a member of the 2016 executive council of New York Life Insurance Company. Members of the Executive Council are among the most successful of New York Life’s elite sales force of 12,000 licensed agents.

Marshall has been a New York Life agent since 2002 and is associated with New York Life’s South Central General Office in Greenville.

As a licensed agent of New York Life Insurance, she can offer a variety of products that can help you meet a number of insurance and financial needs, including, but not limited to college funding, retirement, managing costs for extended periods of care and lifetime income strategies.