PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE WEEKLY: DAILY: DAILY: Daily Over 45,000 – The Post and Courier DailyNews 18,000-45,000 – The Sun News 2-3 Times Weekly – The Lancaster Over 4,500 – Greenville Journal Daily Under 18,000 – Index-Journal Under 4,500 – Coastal Observer Over 45, 000 – The Post and Courier 18,000-45,000 – The Island Packet Under 18,000 – Aiken Standard GENERAL EXCELLENCE 2-3 TIMES WEEKLY WEEKLY OVER 4,500 WEEKLY UNDER 4,500 DAILY OVER 45,000 DAILY 16,000-45,000 DAILY UNDER 16,000 FIRST PLACE: The Lancaster News Judges’ Comments: Quality writing with good mix of local topics. Eyecatching layouts and good use of fonts and visuals. Interesting headlines. Great organization. Quality editorial page. FIRST PLACE: Greenville Journal Judges’ Comments: Easy to navigate layouts pop off the page - good use of photographs and graphics. This is really a fun and informative read. Love the Upstate Business Journal. Kudos to staff for a wellthought out and compelling product. Suspect the readers feel the same. FIRST PLACE: Coastal Observer Judges’ Comments: Project planning and lovely design add to solid writing and a variety of stories. I especially liked the thorough reporting and perspective in “Making Tourism Work.” FIRST PLACE ONLY: The Post and Courier Judges’ Comments: An excellent newspaper produced with great care and consistency. This newspaper does an excellent job of serving its marketplace. Coverage was outstanding with an excellent mix of subjects, styles of presentations and approaches to the writing. FIRST PLACE: The Island Packet Judges’ Comments: Two fantastic enterprise pieces that covered all angles with relevant sidebars and timelines. Entire newspaper well designed with engaging headlines. Great graphics in all sections. An all-around solid newspaper. FIRST PLACE: The Journal, Seneca Judges’ Comments: Great amount of local content, without too heavy a focus on any one area. Good use of photos and quality sports coverage. SECOND PLACE: Georgetown Times THIRD PLACE: The News & Reporter SECOND PLACE: The Greer Citizen THIRD PLACE: Free Times INSIDE TODAY: Money-saving coupons valued at more than $238 The Lancaster News Lancaster County’s triweekly newspaper << County teams face off in season openers Lancaster – 48 Andrew Jackson – 0 Indian Land – 39 Buford – 38 SPORTS, 6A www.thelancasternews.com SECOND PLACE: Union County News THIRD PLACE: The Clinton Chronicle COASTAL OBSERVER Vol. XXXIII No. 34 Pawleys Island, South Carolina ~ February 12, 2015 WACCAMAW LIBRARY >> A Walk in the Woods: Appalachian Trail speaks to nature walkers, serious hikers, soul-searchers and adventurers INSIDE SAFETY Murrells Inlet fire district improves rating 75 CENTS SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2015 Sheriff’s office investigates home invasions Reece Murphy rmurphy@thelancasternews.com Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office is investigating two unrelated early morning home invasions near Lancaster in less than a week, one of which resulted in a man suffering serious injuries from a beating. The Aug. 15 and Aug. 20 incidents occurred during a week in which LCSO detectives were also busy investigating armed robberies at three area businesses. The Aug. 15 incident occurred at a home in the 2000 block of Pacer Drive south of Lancaster. According to the incident report, deputies responded to the home about 2:07 a.m., where they met two women on the front porch, one of them distraught and covered in her husband’s blood. The women said about 10 minutes before, “five or six” men dressed in dark clothes busted through a side door, ordered them to the floor in the bathroom and told them not to move. The men then moved through the house to the back room where they found and began beating the woman’s 26-year-old husband, demanding money and valuables. The second woman said she and her friend kept their heads down and didn’t look up, but could hear the men drag her friend’s husband to the living room, where the beating continued. The suspects left a few minutes later with $1,400 in cash. The women said the man got up and stumbled his way to the bathroom, where he told them to shut the side door, then ran out of the house, despite his wife’s efforts to tend to his wounds. City council funds study Reece Murphy Margaret Sands gets an early look at the library during a tour with Dwight McInvaill this week. A new chapter Christopher Sardelli csardelli@thelancasternews.com photos by ANNA HENSON/For The Lancaster News From left, Billie Snipes, Sadie Catoe, Cecilia Estridge and Beth Winn rehearse with the Moriah Mass Choir on Wednesday, Aug. 26, for tonight’s concert at Second Baptist Church. Moriah Mass Choir to perform at First Baptist Church for association’s 200th anniversary See WRECK | Page 2A See story on page 2B. At right, Will Gerrald, minister of music at First Baptist Church, directs the choir through rehearsals Wednesday night. No Santa Train this year Due to workload, L&C can no longer provide railcars Gregory A. Summers gsummers@thelancasternews.com Rudolph has ridden the rails in Lancaster County for the last time. Teresa Meeks, director of support services for the city of Lancaster, told the municipality’s council at its Tuesday, Aug. 25, meeting the Santa Train will no longer be pulling out of the L&C Railway Depot on South Main Street each yuletide season. “We just wanted you to know so you wouldn’t be surprised,” Meeks said. Meeks said there had been some worries over FILE PHOTO The Santa Train, a holiday tradition for many, will no longer herald the start of Funding to continue a critical operational study of the city of Lancaster’s wastewater treatment plant was approved by city officials earlier this month. During Lancaster City Council’s Aug. 11 meeting, council members approved funding $12,500 to continue a contract with W.K. Dickson, a community infrastructure consulting firm. Council’s vote to continue the study at least through September came minutes after a report from City Administrator Helen Sowell and Brian Tripp, an engineer with W.K. Dickson. Sowell said the firm has been engaged in a study of the city’s wastewater treatment facilities since March 24, a study originally designed to address S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reporting issues due to the absence of the plant testing lab’s director during an extended illness. The consulting firm’s main goals during the last few months, she said, have been to evaluate and propose operational and process changes, while also making capital investment proposals and reviewing the plant’s lab. The firm has also looked at ways to reduce operational costs associated with energy usage, chemical usage, sludge management and labor. “We’re trying to get an idea about what was operational, what’s not operational. The goal is always to save money,” Sowell said. Tripp asked council to approve extending the study, which he said will give his firm ample time to address all of the monitoring and control issues detailed in their contract. “That will allow us to spend more time with the city,” Tripp said. “Whatever we put into writing will be the action we take.” Having reviewed the scope of work, City Councilman John Howard asked Tripp if his firm See STUDY | Page 5A See TRAIN | Page 3A the Christmas season in Lancaster. 163rd year, No. 105 2 sections 18 pages Subscriber services (803) 283-1145 Photos by Tanya Ackerman/Coastal Observer Third-party lab testing for wastewater also approved rmurphy@thelancasternews.com A Rock Hill man died Friday, Aug. 28, following a head-on accident with a logging truck on the Rock Hill Highway (S.C. 5) bridge over the Catawba River. York County Coroner Sabrina Gast confirmed Friday that Brian Stokes, 30, died shortly after the accident. The accident closed the highway for two hours as emergency crews cleared wreckage and contended with a hazardous materials situation created by leaking fuel. S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Gary Miller said the accident happened about 9 a.m. as Stokes was traveling east on S.C. 5 in a 1996 Honda sedan and crossed the center line into the path of the fully loaded westbound Kenworth log truck. Stokes, who was wearing a seat belt, was entrapped and had to be cut from the vehicle. Miller said he was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, where he died of his injuries. The driver of the truck, Francis Edwards, 60, of Rockingham, N.C., was taken by ambulance to Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill for treatment of his injuries. The accident closed both lanes over the bridge, bringing Deputies found the man, who’d called 911 as he left the house, “several blocks away from the residence.” The report didn’t elaborate on why the man left the house. At the house, the reporting deputy described a ransacked scene with blood scattered throughout the house. The report said the couple has two children who were not home during the incident. See INVASIONS | Page 2A A Joyful noise Man dies in logging truck accident Weather Index Scattered thunderstorms possible Highs: 85-87 Lows: 69-71 Church News....................... 6B Classifieds............................8B Coming Events.................... 7B Education .......................... 3B Deaths, 4A Entertainment .................. 5B Home & Garden ............. 1B Opinion .............................8A Sports .................................6A 50 cents Inside this issue William Anderson Timothy Wayne Faile Mike Cook Chris Hinson Lorraine Jane Roberts Griffin Earley Charline Lee Pinyan Pillsbury By the numbers 60,919 Circulation of books last year. The peak was 73,847 in 2000. 14,017 Number of times computers were used last year. They were used 860 times the first year in 2000. Branch? Center? What’s in a name? The wooden sign that’s stood for 25 years still reads “Waccamaw Neck Branch Library.” The library has moved on, but its new sign reads the same. People who use the facility, and the group that supports its programs, have always thought of it as the Waccamaw Library. But when the Friends of the Waccamaw Library set out to raise private funds to supplement the county budget for the new building, they adopted the name The Library Center Waccamaw. The idea was that the new facility would be both a library and a community center. That label was just for fundraising, said Dwight McInvaill, the county library director. The official name is still the Waccamaw Neck Branch Library. When it opened in 1990, it was the only branch. Now there are branches in Carvers Bay and Andrews. Branch has more of everything, and more to come BY JASON LESLEY COASTAL OBSERVER Dwight McInvaill says the new Waccamaw Library scheduled to open its doors Saturday at 8:30 a.m. will become the cultural and civic heart of the community. “This library is to enrich and embrace,” the Georgetown County Library director told a group during a sneak preview of the branch this week. The $3.5 million building at Willbrook Boulevard and St. Paul’s Place will include 40 percent more shelving for books, room for $20,000 worth of art books McInvaill got for free when the state library didn’t have space for them. The new branch has 17,000 square feet — 10,000 more than the old branch at Pawleys Island — and more of everything. The main auditorium will accommodate over 200, and two smaller meeting rooms hold 20 each. The Friends of the Waccamaw Library will have their own retail space right up front, and there will be room for teen technology, young children’s offerings, community programming and adult services to expand. Trudy Bazemore, assistant library director, said the new building will attract more people to the library than ever and make it a community center. “People riding down Willbrook at night will look in with the lights on and say, ‘That’s interesting. I want to go see that.’ I rode by here and saw that and said mission accomplished.” READ MORE, PAGE 4 17,000 Friends group expands role in new space Total square footage of the new building. Old library was 7,000 square feet. 5,113 Attendance at library programs last year. The highest ever was 8,007 in 2011. 12,504 Turnout at meetings last year. The new facility has three meeting rooms, the largest seating over 200. $3.5 The cost of the library, in millions. The Friends Center is front and center at the new Waccamaw branch library. The home of an ongoing book sale to benefit the library will be the first thing visitors see after entering the new facility at Willbrook Boulevard and St. Paul’s Place. Volunteers will staff the store, which will sell used books and hard-to-find-items of interest to library patrons. But it will not open with the library’s “soft opening” on Saturday. The Friends Center will open Feb. 20 and be operating fully by the time of the grand opening March 19, according to Deborah Thomas, the group’s publicity chairman. The Friends Center will be located outside the main library space so it can be open any time, even when the library is closed. Thomas said the store will carry the best of the Friends’ used books. “We used to save the best for the July book sale,” she said, “but especially this first year we are expecting a tremendous influx of visitors. That’s how we continue to raise money and buy books for the library.” Those big book sales in July and at Christmas will be a lot less work in the new library. The Friends have a workroom in back of the retail space to organize the used books and prepare for the sale. St. Paul’s Waccamaw United Methodist Church has hosted the book Nathalie Matthews looks through books in the Friends room. sales for the past 24 years, and using the church fellowship hall involved hauling some 7,000 books from a storage facility before they could be sorted as non-fiction by subject and fiction alphabetically by author. The big summer sale traditionally brings in $10,000 to $12,000 a year. The Friends contributed $217,000 for technology and other upgrades to the new branch. The “5 B’s” fundraising effort reached 114 percent of its goal by selling 205 bricks. Two areas of the new library will be named for groups who made sizable contributions. The children’s room will be named for Pawleys Pediatrics and Adult Medicine and the 200-seat public meeting room will be called DeBordieu Auditorium. The new branch is the culmination of 15 years of work by the Friends to get a new library for the community. “The organization has spent years to persuade, assist and facilitate the creation of this new library,” Thomas said. “They recognized years ago that the old one was too small and didn’t have the space. The dream was to have a larger library, not only to serve as a book repository but also a media center and a learning center.” Thomas said the Waccamaw branch will become a community center, a place for groups from Girl Scouts to cancer survivors to hold meetings along with teens to gather and play video games and older folks to learn how to use their electronic devices. “A community meeting center is what we envisioned,” she said. “That’s what this new lovely space will be.” Just 2 points kept the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District from earning the top rating issued by the Insurance Services Office. The district imp r o v e d from a Class 3 to a Class 2 rating in a review completed last year and Knight announced this week. The result comes a little more than a month before voters in the fire district will go to the polls in a referendum to decide whether to raise the tax rate from 10 to 14 mills. Fire Chief Norman Knight said the tax increase is vital in order for the district to keep its current rating and advance to a Class 1. PAGE 3 LEGISLATURE Goldfinch backs Haley on tax plan State Rep. Stephen Goldfinch says he’s been convinced that Gov. Nikki Haley’s plan to raise the tax on gasoline and cut state income tax will be good for South Carolina after meeting with her staff. Goldfinch said he had doubts about cutting more than a billion dollars in yearly income tax revenue without a plan to either replace the money or cut the budget. He said he wanted to see more detail from the governor, and her staff moved quickly to win his support. PAGE 8 ENVIRONMENT WMS students get plastics lesson from peers Olivia and Carter Ries, founders of an environmental group called One More Generation, told students at Waccamaw Middle School last week about ways they could help eliminate plastic pollution. Olivia and Carter, accompanied by their father Jim Ries from their home near Atlanta, were invited to the school by Goffinet McLaren of Litchfield. PAGE 17 SECOND PLACE: The Sun News THIRD PLACE: The Herald INSIDE: MORE THAN $220 IN COUPONS AND SAVINGS IN TODAY’S ISSUE! )JMUPO )FBE *TMBOE t #MVGGUPO -*(ĕ.' 1 ĕ/*ĕ *)"- ..( )Y ĕ/ ' ĕ*!ĕ ĕ'$! ĕ'$1 ĕ' -" 655Ý3 ,-Ý . ,Ý"#-Ý ."SÝ Ý &))%Ý %Ý .Ý ) ,.Ý ' &&-Ý -")1-Ý"#-Ý (),')/-Ý & ! 3 :Ý1 3-Ý ) ,.Ý ' &&-Ý " (! 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Whodunnit? “Café Murder” shows crime does pay. Second Front Crime ................................. 9 Opinion ........................... 10 Crossword ...................... 14 What’s On ....................... 15 Property transfers ........ 16 Classifieds ...................... 18 Sports .............................. 21 On the Internet coastalobserver.com # Ĵ + -/( )/Ĵ*!Ĵ / - ).Ĵ !! $-.Ĵ./ -/ Ĵ( $'$)"Ĵ*0/Ĵ?Y=Ĵ($''$*)Ĵ K_\ eldY\i `j jf jdXcc# ZfdgXi\[ kf `k e\\[j kf [f X Y\kk\i afY gifdfkè^ d #*$ Ĵ - .eĴ$)Ĵ *1 ( -ZĴ 0/Ĵ*)'4Ĵ8>Z666Ĵ1 / - ).Ĵ# 1 Ĵ0. 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During the busy season, the bakery turns out 60-70 cakes a week with its small, family-like staff. To read more, turn to page B1. CAITLIN HERRINGTON | THE JOURNAL MIGRANT CRISIS: 0DVV GHDWKV DFFRPSDQ\LQJ LQÁX[ RI UHIXJHHV WR (XURSH D1 7KUHDW FDOO WR 6HQHFD 35 ÀUP XQGHU LQYHVWLJDWLRQ BY CARLOS GALARZA-VEVE THE JOURNAL SENECA — The Greenville-based public relations firm hired by the city of Seneca to handle mounting inquiries over the fatal police shooting of a teen has turned over to authorities an apparently threatening anonymous phone call. Tim Brett, CEO of Complete Public Relations, issued a statement Friday indicating the call was likely prompted by “fear-mongering” he claims is being promulgated by Eric Bland, who is representing the family of 19-year-old Zachary Hammond. Seneca Police Lt. Mark Tiller shot Hammond during a police with Seneca police to cover up, you have 24 hours to stop your business with them, otherwise you will be held guilty as they are of murder and will face the consequences,” the caller is heard saying. Brett released the recording after members of the media relayed to him an email from Bland with a laundry list of questions the attorney said should be answered immediately by the city of Seneca and its police department related to the shooting and Tiller. “We find it offensive and insulting that Mr. Bland, an attorney and an officer of the court, is attempting to order the SEE CALL, PAGE A7 2 Oconee VFKRROV SXW RQ ORFNGRZQ BY GREG OLIVER THE JOURNAL WESTMINSTER — Two Westminster-area schools were put on lockdown briefly early Friday morning. “There was a domestic incident in a family with students at Orchard Park Elementary and West-Oak Middle School, and a parent from that family did seek help at the school,” School District of Oconee County assistant superintendent Steve Hanvey said. “The sheriff’s office was on site to ensure student and staff safety. Deputies handled the situation with the family, and the code yellow was lifted.” DAWSON POWERS | THE JOURNAL T he high school football season kicked off at Seneca High School and all across the area on Friday, as the Bobcats blew past Greenville, Walhalla topped rival West-Oak in the Apple Bowl, and Daniel lost in bizarre fashion at home against Easley. For complete coverage from all three games, turn to page C1. Oconee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jimmy Watt said officers were sent to the school to separate both parties. “There was a verbal altercation where comments were made,” Watt said. “Officers checked the possibility of weapons but couldn’t find anything, so nobody was taken into custody.” District superintendent Michael Thorsland said a code yellow is described as a situation of moderate potential danger. Thorsland said there is a need for a perimeter lockdown due to a situation whereby school police or city SEE LOCKDOWN, PAGE A7 :HVWPLQVWHU URDG VWLOO FORVHG GXH WR VDIHW\ FRQFHUQV BY STEPHANIE JADRNICEK THE JOURNAL WESTMINSTER — Residents on Dr. Johns Road in Westminster have been getting the runaround — literally. About a month ago, the South Carolina Department of Transportation closed the road and set up a detour. Kelly Morehead, a resident and business owner on Dr. Johns Road, feels frustrated about the nine additional miles the detour has added to her drive. “This issue has been going on for two years now,” Morehead told The Journal recently. “The road was temporarily repaired by a contractor about a year and half ago. It was shut down for about three weeks for those repairs. Now we have to take a detour to get home from our business or just to go into town for groceries. That adds nine miles onto our regular travel.” Stephanie Jackson-Amell recently inherited the project when she became a district engineering administrator for SCDOT. Although she has limited knowledge of the previous work performed on Dr. Johns Road, she’s knows it’s all been related to drainage. A culvert that runs under the road catches runoff and redirects its flow. But the aged piping, JESSICA NELMS | THE JOURNAL Drainage issues have caused a road closure and a nine-mile detour on Dr. Johns Road in Westminster. SEE ROAD, PAGE A7 | INSIDE | CALENDAR CLASSIFIEDS COLUMNISTS COMICS WILLIE SAYS: /HW·V WU\ EHLQJ OHVV YDJXH IRU RQFH B8 | INFO | A2 D3 B2 B2 ENTERTAINMENT LIFESTYLE OBITUARY OPINION :H6HOO.HRZHH#JPDLO FRP ²;g ÒQS \SSRa \] a^SQWOZ RS TS\aS T]` bVS Ôab VWab]`g ]T bVS[ W\ bVWa Q]c\b`g ^`]dSa bVS[ b] PS Oa U]]R Oa O\g ^S]^ZS O\geVS`S /ZZ bVSg \SSR Wa O\ S_cOZ QVO\QS W\ bVS PObbZS ]T ZWTS ³ B_RUbd C]Q\\c drug sting in the parking lot of the Hardee’s restaurant on U.S. Highway 123 on July 26. Brett said the anonymous call was made to his office after hours, and he asked the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. Brett released the call to the media Friday. “So, if this is the public relations department working The boys are back :H6HOO.HRZHH FRP 50%": 4 2605& August 29-30, 2015 $1.25 3DWWL &DVRQ²Assoc. Broker, ALHS *DU\ &DVRQ²Realtor B3 B1 B6 A4 SPORTS STOCK REPORTS TV LISTINGS WORLD | NATION C1 D2 C7 D1 DELIVERY NEWS CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING (864) 882-2375 (864) 882-6397 (864) 882-2375 (864) 973-6305 0/6 5LYHUVWRQH 'ULYH /RYHO\ ZDWHUIURQW KRPH ZLWK JUHDW YLHZV RI /DNH .HRZHH 2SHQ IORRU SODQ EHDXWLIXO KDUGZRRG IORRUV VHDVRQV SRUFK EUHDNIDVW URRP H[HUFLVH URRP FRYHUHG SDWLR ODUJH GHFN EHGURRPV DQG EDWKURRPV &RYHUHG ERDW GRFN ZLWK OLIW 212373