Laurens County Council received an update on grants approved for new equipment at three rural fire departments. At last night’s council meeting, County Fire Director Greg Lindley advised council that he has already received three of the 18 federal grants applied for this year.

The three grants received total $74,240 now received. They require only a 5% match by the county, which Council unanimously approved. That totals $3,534, which is coming from the fire contingency fund.

The money is to be used for purchase of equipment needed at rural fire stations. $39,000 goes to the Youngs Department, $23,240 is going to the Hickory Tavern Fire Department and $12,000 is earmarked for the Waterloo Fire Department.

Director Lindley also announced to County Council last night that all is on track for the new Thompson Road Fire Station to be operating by December.

The post New Equipment for 3 Fire Departments appeared first on WLBG.

There is a continued increase of interest in Laurens County from industrial site hunters. Laurens County Development Corporation Director Jonathan Coleman yesterday told his board that we’ve had 37 requests for information so far this year. He noted that the past two years combined had 49 at this point of the year. He said we did not have property to submit for ten of the requests.

Jon Coleman pointed out that since the LCDC’s meeting in May, Laurens County has had two big announcements, the Bird’s Eye solar farm between Clinton and Joanna and the GE announcement of the Wind Energy Research facility, which is being located in the “Spec” building that was just constructed in Clinton’s I-26 Corporate Park. He said with these two announcements, Laurens County has had $125.5 million in capital investments and 122 new jobs announced so far this year.

Jon Coleman pointed out that acquiring the GE investment in Clinton means Laurens Count y needs another “Spec Building” to offer others interested in locating here.

He had some bad news, as well, saying he had learned late Monday afternoon that the Fisher Barton plant outside Fountain Inn will be closing in mid September. He said “We’ll be working with them, setting up job fairs for their current employees.”  Noting Fisher Barton has 100 employees, Jon pointed out that the ZF Transmission plant has 200 job openings now.

The post Economic Development Continues appeared first on WLBG.

Laurens LL Majors Eliminated From State Tournament

• Tega Cay – Fort Mill 4 – Laurens 3… The Laurens LL Majors All-Star team was eliminated from the state tournament up in Taylors last night as they lost to TCFM by a score of 4-3… As you may recall Laurens defeated TCFM 12-5 back on Sunday and most coaches will tell you that In tournament play that is hard to do a second time though Laurens never quit right down to the final out… Laurens got on the board first with in the top of the 2^nd inning on a solo homer by Alex L. (sorry roster did not have complete last names)… The score stayed that way until the bottom of the 4^th inning where TCFM took the led by plating 2 runs…. TCFM struck again for 2 runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning putting them up 4-1 going into the 6^th and final inning… TCFM was able to get the first two Laurens batters out in the top of the 6^th inning then Laurens used a walk, a triple and a single to score 2 runs making it 4-3… However Laurens could get no closer and thus picked up their second loss and were eliminated from the tournament… Congratulations to the team for winning the district and for their effort in the tournament!

Laurens County Speedway results from the main events last Saturday night (first, second & third)

• Limited… Frank Coates, Michael Smith & Jim Blackwell… Frank Coates started on the inside of row 1 in the Limited main event and used that position to take a lead he would not relinquish though second place finisher Michael Smith tried hard to take it away but could not.
• SECA 604 Crates… Dylan Brown, Brad Rachels & hank Taylor… After a couple of “false starts” Dylan Brown took the win by just 1.24 second over Brad Rachels.
• FWD… Travis Jamieson, Mason Mack & Grant Burton… Travis Jamieson too his second straight win in the FWD with points leader Mason Mack finishing second.
• Monster Minis… Larry Teal, Phillip Wilson & Randy Staton… Larry Teal edged out Phillip Wilson by less than a second in the Monster Minis which was a caution free race.
• 602 Crates… Josh Hellams, Chris Patterson and Mart Patterson… Josh Hellams took his first ever win at the LCS in the 602 Crates… He started on the pole and held off the field with division leader Chris Patterson finishing second.
• Thunder Bombers… Dan Lawson, Scott Pulley & Casey Lawson… Dan Lawson took the lead early in this race and was never really challenged finishing over 2.5 seconds ahead of second place Scott Pulley..

Countdown to Kickoff… The numbers of days left to the first football games are as follows;

• Clinton at Laurens (8-25-17): 29
• Laurens Academy at Holly Hill (8-25-17): 29
• PC at Wake Forest (Thursday, 8-31-17): 35
• PC home opener vs. Campbell (9-18-17): 51 

Pro Sports    For more information on any of the following games, click on their score.

• D-backs 10 – Braves 3… The Braves ended their 3-game series with the D-backs in Arizona yesterday afternoon on a sour note as the D-backs took a 10-3 win to take the series 2 games to 1… The game was tied 1-1 going into the bottom of the 3^rd inning when Arizona struck for 4 runs and never surrendered the lead after that… The D-backs only outhit the Braves 12-11 but 3 of their hits were homers which accounted for 6 of their 10 runs… The Braves will be off today and will start a 4-game series in Philadelphia with the Phillies tomorrow night.
• Drive… The Greenville Drive were off last night but will start a home stand tonight with the Charleston RiverDogs being the first team into Flour Field… The Drive who won the first half of the SAL Southern Division are 15-16 in the second half of the season which puts them in third place 6 games behind the RiverDogs who are 21-10 in the second half of the season.
• Panthers Training Camp … The Panthers once again are at Wofford College this year to conduct their very popular preseason training camp… The first practice will start at 6:30 on 7-26-17 at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College… Today the Panthers will practice from 3:10 pm – 5:10 pm… To go to the Panthers website where you can get all your questions as to dates, times, parking directions and what you can bring or not bring, click here.

This & That:

• Raider Softball Clinics… Coach Haley Register Satterfield the new head coach of the of the Laurens Raider varsity softball team will be holding FREE softball clinics at LDHS this summer… The clinics are open to all young ladies between the ages of 8 and 13 who are interested in learning to play softball and depending on participation they may lead to a travel team being formed this summer… The clinics will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between the hours of 7:00 – 8:15 pm… The clinics will end July 31^st and there will not be any clinics during the July 4^th week.… Each young lady needs to bring a glove, bat, tennis shoes and cleats to practice… If you have any questions about this, contact coach Satterfield at hmregister@laurens55.org..
• CHS Athletic Booster Golf Tournament… Athletic Director Nickie Templeton and Booster Club President Buddy Bridges have released information about the 2107 CHS Booster Club Golf Tournament… This year, the tournament will be held at Musgrove Mill, on July 27…  Registration begins at 8:30…  For more information: CHS Golf Tourney Brochure 2017… This is a major fundraiser for our Red Devil student-athletes, and it is also a lot of fun… GO BIG RED!
• Laurens Family YMCA Kids Splash & Dash… Once again this year the Laurens Family YMCA in cooperation with the Laurens County Memorial Hospital / Greenville Health System are having the popular Kids Splash and dash on Saturday August 4^th… This is a good way for kids 3-11 to get a taste of multi-sport competition without the pressure of as full triathlon…. There will be 3 different age groupings; 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11… Each group will have different lengths of swimming and running tailored to their age grouping… The event will start at 10 am and end by 11 am after which lunch will be served…. Following that they will have their awards ceremony… The cost is only $15 if you register at the YMCA and family members are invited to root on the competitors… You can register online by clicking here….
• Clinton YMCA Fall Flag Football and Cheerleading… Registration is now open for flag football and cheerleading at the Clinton Family YMCA… For flag football there will be 3 age groupings 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12…. Cheerleading is open to youth in grades K-6…. For more information including cost, fall-out dates, click here… The last day to register is Friday, August 18^th… Of course you can call the Clinton YMCA at 833-1555.
• Laurens Parks & Recreation Tackle Football & Cheerleading… Registration is now open at the City of Laurens Parks and Recreation offices at The Ridge on Exchange Drive for tackle football & cheerleading… Tackle football is open to ages 7-12 and the cost is $50… Uniforms are included Helmet and shoulder pad rental is available… Cheerleading is open to ages 5-12 and the cost is also $50…. You can register during business hours at The Ridge and if you have questions call them at 681-7275 or email them at LaurensPRD@yahoo.com. … Deadline to register is 7-31-17…
• Clinton YMCA Better Together 50^th Anniversary Celebration… The Clinton YMCA will be celebrating their 50^th year in operation this June… To help celebrate this milestone the YMCA is offering a way that current members can get 20% off their membership for a year by  referring a new member who also gets the same 20% off for a year… This special celebration offer can be taken advantage of for the remainder of the calendar year… For complete details call the Clinton YMCA at 833-1555 or simply click on the following which has all the details, click here … Don’t let this opportunity to save on Y memberships pass you by and help celebrate the YMCA’s 50^th year! !

Sport and Specialty Camps at the Clinton & Laurens YMCA as well as Presbyterian College and the City of Laurens Parks and Recreation Department. 

The Family YMCAs of Clinton and Laurens want to remind you that they have a full summer of specialty camps and activities available for the youth of our area… If you go to the WLBG home page and look down in the Featured Sports section on the right side toward the bottom of the page, you will find a posting that has information about these camps at both YMCAs or simply click here to go to that posting…

• Clinton YMCA: No further summer camps… See above for flag football and cheerleading information.
• Laurens YMCA: The next camp at the Laurens YMCA is a soccer camp for youth ages 7-15 that will take place from Tuesday, August 8 to Thursday, August 10^th…The camp will be conducted by the Lakeland Toros a Greenwood based soccer team… The camp will be in the mornings from 9-11 am and with the experience of the Toros should be an excellent camp!… Click here for more information.

City of Laurens Parks and Recreation Sports… For more information on any of the following camps call 681-7275 and go The Ridge to register… You can also email them at laurensprd@yahoo.com.

• Basketball Camp… This camp will be July 31 – August 2 and is open to youth ages 9-13… The cost of this camp will be $40 and will be held at The Ridge from 9:00 am – noon each day.

2017 PC Sports Camps… PC has different sports camps throughout the summer… Below are the next couple of camps that I know of being held at PC.

• Boys Evening Day Soccer Camp… August 4-6…Boys 5-15… This camp is designed to help young men improve their skills at any level through teaching fundamentals and game play… For more information on how to register and what to bring, click here.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or want to reports scores, please contact me via email at: sports@wlbg.com or text me at 864-981-3470.

The post Sports Report for Thursday, 7-27-2017 appeared first on WLBG.

The Laurens County Sheriff’s Office yesterday arrested a Union County resident on charges of a domestic assault in Laurens County Tuesday.

53-year-old Steven Lamar Burkhalter of 118 Kissey Creek Circle, Union was charged with Domestic Violence 3rd Degree. A warrant states that an investigation by Deputy Howard indicates that on July 24th the defendant assaulted the victim by throwing a phone at her and hitting her on the arm, and that he had the apparent present ability to cause physical harm or injury under circumstances that reasonably caused fear of imminent peril to her.

Steven Lamar Burkhalter was being held overnight in the Laurens County Detention Center, pending a bond hearing today.

The post Union Man Charged in Laurens County Assault appeared first on WLBG.

Laurens City Police arrested a man yesterday following an alleged domestic assault in t own. 34-year-old Rico Lewa Pulley was booked in the Laurens County Detention Center with an address on Magnolia Street, Joanna . A warrant charging him with Domestic Violence 2nd Degree give a Watts Street, Laurens address. It cites an investigation by Sgt. Sellers as indicating that Mr. Pulley strangulated the victim in the midst of a physical assault which occurred in the presence of a small child he and the victim share in common. It also states that the victim is the legal spouse of the subject and that the incident occurred at a Watts Street residence where they live together.

With a cash or surety bond set at $5,000 during arraignment yesterday, Rico Pulley remained in the Laurens County Detention Center this morning,

The post Arrest Alleges Domestic Assault appeared first on WLBG.

Clinton City Council has approved the wording on advertising for a new City Manager. The decision was made at Monday’s meeting of Council. They had several choices before them, but eventually approved the wording provided by the South Carolina Municipal Association.

Councilman Danny Cook suggested that an application deadline to apply be set as August 31st. By consensus, council agreed with that change. The ad also stipulates that someone holding the position of Assistant City Manager with at least three years of experience would be eligible to apply.

The post Clinton City Manager Applications thru August 31st appeared first on WLBG.

The United Way of Laurens County (UWLC) has announced the addition of two new staff members. Ramsie Day joined UWLC in June as the Community Impact Coordinator, a brand-new, part-time position, and Allison Seibert will begin Monday, July 31st, as the Resource Development Manager.

Formerly staffed by an office of just two, the UWLC Board of Directors recently approved the addition of a new, part-time position to the organization, to help grow and advance the mission and work of UWLC.

Almost two full months into her new position, Ramsie Day brings marketing, customer service, event planning, and a love for helping people to her role as Community Impact Coordinator. Ramsie will graduate from Savannah College of Art & Design this December with a degree in Visual Communications with a concentration in Advertising. Her hands-on event planning and design background through internships with Greenbrier Farms and RedHype have provided her with the experience needed to even further help the community.

A life-long resident of Laurens County, Allison Seibert is the former Development Specialist with March of Dimes for Laurens, Greenwood and Union Counties. During her time with March of Dimes, she has worked closely with many businesses and community leaders, and brings valuable non-profit, marketing, fundraising, and event planning experience to her new role as Resource Development Manager.

“It has certainly been a time of transition but, thanks to Ramsie and her ability to hit the ground running, as well as my history with United Way, it’s been a rather smooth one,” said Whitney Robertson, Executive Director. “We look forward to having Allison on board and, for the first time in many years, having a staff of more than two. This will truly help us do more in the community, especially where campaign is concerned. When we have the staff available to build on and increase campaign, we can help even more people through the vital programs that depend on funding from United Way.”

The Executive Director and Board of Directors are excited to have Ramsie and Allison join UWLC, to help further strengthen the organization and serve our great community.

United Way of Laurens County supports 30 programs among 24 local non-profit agencies within the areas of education, health, financial stability and emergency relief.

The post Two New Employees for United Way appeared first on WLBG.

School District 55 Superintendent Dr. Stephen Peters addressed the Laurens County Development Corporation this week with his thoughts on Education.

He noted his two basic beliefs about education. The first is “Poverty is not a disability, but it can become disabling if ignored.” The second belief is “No one rises to low expectations.”

Peters said he and his staff area now very busy preparing for another school year – his second as a Superintendent. He also gave his perspective on highlights from the just completed year. Dr. Peters talked of improved kindergarten scores, and particularly noted Ford Elementary. Saying it was an “F” school for eight straight years, but this (past) year, “they have the highest kindergarten reading scores in our district.” He added that across District 55 all but one of the schools this past year had gains in reading and math. Steven Peters added “we’ve done in one year what usually takes three to five.”

The District 55 Superintendent said that other than safety, academic performance is his #1 goal for schools. He told the business leaders on the Laurens County Development Corporation’s Board Tuesday, said “We’re training students for jobs that have not been created yet.”

Peters also said that Literacy is #1 priority for students, noting that if you can read, you are then able to learn. He reminded his listeners about the 30-30 plan which encouraged students to read in school, but also at home. He said parents were encouraged to get involved in the home reading.

Steven Peters also referred to the controversial position he’s found himself in regarding the school board’s call for a referendum, asking the voters to approve a $109 million school bond. He said “Not only are we preparing to open a new school year, we’re going up against an onslaught of personal attacks.” Dr. Peters said he has many calls from people who tell him “we’re behind you,” but he wishes they would say this in public.

Of opponents to the referendum, Steven Peters said some opponents are using inaccurate information in their opposition, and he expressed concern that the focus of many of those objecting to the proposed project is personal criticism of him, rather than discussing the issues of what is needed to teach our students. He suggested we should put what our students need as a priority.

He said that a steering committee promoting a “Yes” vote in the September 5th referendum is holding a Kickoff event at 6:00 next Tuesday evening, August 1st, to provide the information on the total plans for the referendum funds.

The post Dr. Peters Wants Focus on School Needs appeared first on WLBG.

Following recent criticism from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office regarding emergency treatment of a rape victim, GHS Laurens County Memorial Hospital has released a statement addressing their dedication to serving Laurens County, and GHS plans to expand the number of nurses specifically trained to administer a “rape kit” and gather evidence for prosecuting rape cases. Here is the statement:

Laurens County Memorial’s commitment to the community

There has been much reported in the news recently about how a sexual assault case was handled at Greenville Health System’s (GHS) Laurens County Memorial Hospital. We understand and respect the concerns expressed across the community, and we want to assure everyone that we are committed to providing the best care possible to all of our patients.

No patient will ever be denied treatment at our hospital. Laurens County Memorial Hospital serves as the safety-net hospital for Laurens County. This means we provide care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.

In the case of a sexual assault patient, it is general practice at all GHS facilities to have a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) perform the sexual assault evidentiary exam because these nurses have special training in medical forensics and often provide expert testimony if a case goes to trial. If a SANE-trained nurse is not present, we offer patients the opportunity to be immediately transported to a facility where a SANE-trained nurses is available. If a patient doesn’t want to be transported, an emergency room doctor can perform the exam with the assistance of a nurse. However, in all cases, a patient must consent for the exam to occur. If a patient does not consent or says they want to leave, we must respect their wishes.

Over the past year, GHS has been working on a plan to expand its SANE-program. GHS currently has 15 SANE-trained nurses who provide care across the entire health system and another 10 nurses undergoing training. The plan calls for an on-call system to be developed so that these 25 SANE-trained nurses can be dispatched to any GHS facility at any hour of the day. The plan also calls for the hiring of a SANE coordinator. This coordinator will not only oversee policies and procedures across the health system but work closely with local agencies and law enforcement to ensure the needs of sexual assault victims are being met.

Sexual assault is a very real issue for our community. According to the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network, sexual assaults increased 12 percent between 2014 and 2015. And, according to the Julie Valentine Center, the state’s rape rate has exceeded the national rate since 1982.

Our goal at Laurens County Memorial Hospital is to provide the right care at the right time and the right place and to be a source of help and healing for all of our patients. We take sexual assault cases very seriously and understand how difficult it can be for a victim to seek treatment.

We welcome the opportunity to work with the community and local law enforcement to ensure sexual assault victims get the care they need where and when they need it.

Justin Benfield is the chief operating officer; Kay Swisher, RN, is the chief nursing officer; and David Williams, MD, is the chief clinical officer of Laurens County Memorial Hospital.

The post GHS Pledge to Service appeared first on WLBG.

Laurens County Council this week approved a contract with a company  that has been looking for ways the county can save money on its telephone bill. A company representative who previously worked with AT&T  appeared before council two weeks ago.

At this week’s meeting, Laurens County Administrator Jon Caime told council that initial research by this company has already found a service that was installed in 1996 that is now unused and completely unnecessary. He said the county has been spending $3,300 a month on this  item. Under the terms of the contract, the company will receive 100% of the $3,300 for one year as payment. After the year, the county will begin to realize the savings.

“We should have found this out ourselves years ago,” said Caime. Councilman Stewart Jones said it will be great to have another set of eyes watching out for this kind of wasted spending.

The contract will work the same way if other wasted spending is discovered. The contract was approved in spite of objections from Councilman David Pitts and Chairman Joe Wood. Pitts suggested the county should discover such overpayments in house.

The post Council Approves Contract to Look for Savings appeared first on WLBG.

District 55 Athletic Director Ed Murray today announced an agreement between the school district and Greenville Health Systems (GHS), whereby GHS will provide athletic training services to Laurens District 55 High School. Murray indicated that, as part of the agreement, some athletic training services will extend to all four middle school athletic programs. “Upon arriving in the district last year, one of the things that I heard from my middle school athletic directors was the need for some access to athletic training services,” said Murray. Under the old system, athletic training services focused strictly on the high school sports program. Murray said this new agreement with GHS represents a significant cost savings to the district and extends services far beyond the former reach of the program.

He indicated that the district is making other provisions to insure that the level of athletic training services provided to District 55 student-athletes will continue to represent the gold standard in the industry.

Ed Murray said that GHS athletic trainers will be on-site beginning immediately. They will provide services throughout the practice period leading up to the start of school on August 17, 2017. Once school starts, athletic trainers will be on hand from 1:00 PM until the end of the sports day for all programs. GHS will continue to support the sports medicine program at Laurens District High School and work with student athletic trainers in the provision of services. Dr. Stephen Peters, LCSD 55 Superintendent, said, “I want to commend Chris Moore (LDHS Principal) and Ed Murray on their management of what could have been a very difficult transition. LDHS has always had one of the best athletic training programs in the state. They made sure that tradition will continue.”

The post Expanded Athletic Services for District 55 appeared first on WLBG.

PC Notes:

Football Practice Starts Today

• The Blue Hose football team opens their season just 34 days from today which will mark the 105^th season of football at PC… PC will open its season on the road on Thursday night August 31^st when they travel to Winston–Salem to take on the wake forest Demon Deacons… No in order to get ready for that game PC will start football practice today…. The will be in shorts & helmets today and tomorrow, add shoulder pads on Sunday and Monday and then go to full pads and really start to make things “pop” on Tuesday… As true Blue Hose fans know, Coach Tommy Spangler is back for his second tour of duty as head coach of the Blue Hose… He previously served as head coach from 2001-2006 and had a record of 42-24… Now to go to the PC press release about the start of football practice which also has a link to the PC Media Guide, click here.

Local Notes: 

High School Football Practice Starts Today

• Would you believe that it is only 28 days until the local high schools kick off their seasons on Friday, 8-25-17… Clinton will kick their season off at Laurens and Laurens Academy will hit the road to Holly Hill… Now the ware Shoals Hornets do kick things off one week earlier as they travel to Due West to take on the Green Hornets of Dixie HS… Well the high schools also kick off their preseason practice today as both Clinton and Laurens will hit the practice field today and tomorrow at 9 am and go to about noon… It will be shorts and helmets only for them the first couple of days… Now Laurens Academy was able to start practice yesterday but does not expect to have all the players out until Monday… I’m sure all these teams would not mind a little encouragement from the fans as they head toward opening night. 

LCSD 55 Secures Athletic Training Services for the District

• Yesterday District 55 Athletic Director Ed Murray announced yesterday that the school district had entered into an agreement with Greenville Health System for athletic training services in the entire district… Of course this came about after LDHS lost the services of all three athletic trainers at the school since last school year…. Now Emil Finley has more about that in the Local News at WLBG.com and if you would like to see the press release about this, click here.

Laurens Little League 9-11 All-Stars in Tournament of State Champions This Weekend

• I want to take a moment to wish the Laurens LL 9-11 All-Star team good luck as they travel to Greenville, NC this weekend to play in the Tournament of State Champions… As you may recall they won the SC Championship a couple of weeks ago up in Taylors… They will be one of teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Norths Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia… The opening ceremonies are tonight and random pool play begins tomorrow and goes through Monday with the top teams advancing to single elimination play starting next Tuesday… Laurens will play Tennessee tomorrow at 10 am, Florida at 6:15 pm on Sunday and Georgia on Monday at 12:45 pm… To go to the tournament home page click here … From there you can go to several other pages including schedule, live scores, standings, and other information (if you click on the first three it will carry you to those pages.)… Again good luck to the team!

Pro Sports    For more information on any of the following games, click on their score.

• Braves… The Braves were off yesterday but return to action tonight as they start a series in Philadelphia with the Phillies…. The Braves enter the series with a 48-52 season record and find themselves in second place in the NL East 13 games behind the division leading Washington Nationals and just half a game ahead of the third place Mets.
• RiverDogs 5 – Drive 3…. The Greenville Drive started a 4-game series at Flor Field last night wit the Charleston RiverDogs and it started on a sour note as the RiverDogs took a 5-4 win.
• Panthers Training Camp … The Panthers once again are at Wofford College conducting their very popular preseason training camp… To go to the Panthers website where you can get all your questions as to dates, times, parking directions and what you can bring or not bring, click here…. The Panthers will be on the practice field today, tomorrow and Sunday from 9:25-am – 11:30 am. each day.

This & That:

• Raider Softball Clinics… Coach Haley Register Satterfield the new head coach of the of the Laurens Raider varsity softball team will be holding FREE softball clinics at LDHS this summer… The clinics are open to all young ladies between the ages of 8 and 13 who are interested in learning to play softball and depending on participation they may lead to a travel team being formed this summer… The clinics will be on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between the hours of 7:00 – 8:15 pm… The clinics will end July 31^st and there will not be any clinics during the July 4^th week.… Each young lady needs to bring a glove, bat, tennis shoes and cleats to practice… If you have any questions about this, contact coach Satterfield at hmregister@laurens55.org..
• Laurens Family YMCA Kids Splash & Dash… Once again this year the Laurens Family YMCA in cooperation with the Laurens County Memorial Hospital / Greenville Health System are having the popular Kids Splash and dash on Saturday August 4^th… This is a good way for kids 3-11 to get a taste of multi-sport competition without the pressure of as full triathlon…. There will be 3 different age groupings; 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11… Each group will have different lengths of swimming and running tailored to their age grouping… The event will start at 10 am and end by 11 am after which lunch will be served…. Following that they will have their awards ceremony… The cost is only $15 if you register at the YMCA and family members are invited to root on the competitors… You can register online by clicking here….
• Clinton YMCA Fall Flag Football and Cheerleading… Registration is now open for flag football and cheerleading at the Clinton Family YMCA… For flag football there will be 3 age groupings 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12…. Cheerleading is open to youth in grades K-6…. For more information including cost, fall-out dates, click here… The last day to register is Friday, August 18^th… Of course you can call the Clinton YMCA at 833-1555.
• Laurens Parks & Recreation Tackle Football & Cheerleading… Registration is now open at the City of Laurens Parks and Recreation offices at The Ridge on Exchange Drive for tackle football & cheerleading… Tackle football is open to ages 7-12 and the cost is $50… Uniforms are included Helmet and shoulder pad rental is available… Cheerleading is open to ages 5-12 and the cost is also $50…. You can register during business hours at The Ridge and if you have questions call them at 681-7275 or email them at LaurensPRD@yahoo.com. … Deadline to register is 7-31-17.
• Red Devil Season Football Tickets on Sale …. Season football tickets for Red Devil football are now on sale at CHS. .  During the summer dates we will sell season tickets Monday through Thursday from 8:30-1:30 in the athletics office located in the main gym…  When school starts back on August 17^th tickets will be sold 8:30-1:30 Monday through Friday…  Please enter through the main entrance of the gym, and Kathy Schumpert’s office is to the left and first office on the left (beside the men’s restroom in the gym lobby).  Kathy will also have membership forms for you to sign up with the CHS Booster Club as well…  Season Tickets will be $45 for one season ticket and one parking pass…  It will be $90 for two season tickets and one parking pass…  If you are a senior pass holder, you may purchase a parking pass for $20…  Parking spaces are limited, so they will be issued on a first come first serve basis… All senior pass holders must come to pick up a new senior pass this year!!!!  Senior passes will be printed each year starting with this up and coming school year…  All seniors may pick up their new senior pass in the athletics office and may come during the hours listed above…  All seniors must be prepared to show an ID to Kathy Schumpert…  In order to receive a senior pass, an individual must be at least 65 years old or older… If you need to make arrangements for an alternate time to pick up season tickets or senior passes, please call Kathy Schumpert at 864-938-1981 or Nickie Templeton at 864-938-1982.
• Clinton YMCA Better Together 50^th Anniversary Celebration… The Clinton YMCA will be celebrating their 50^th year in operation this June… To help celebrate this milestone the YMCA is offering a way that current members can get 20% off their membership for a year by  referring a new member who also gets the same 20% off for a year… This special celebration offer can be taken advantage of for the remainder of the calendar year… For complete details call the Clinton YMCA at 833-1555 or simply click on the following which has all the details, click here … Don’t let this opportunity to save on Y memberships pass you by and help celebrate the YMCA’s 50^th year!

Sport and Specialty Camps at the Clinton & Laurens YMCA as well as Presbyterian College and the City of Laurens Parks and Recreation Department. 

The Family YMCAs of Clinton and Laurens want to remind you that they have a full summer of specialty camps and activities available for the youth of our area… If you go to the WLBG home page and look down in the Featured Sports section on the right side toward the bottom of the page, you will find a posting that has information about these camps at both YMCAs or simply click here to go to that posting…

• Clinton YMCA: No further summer camps… See above for flag football and cheerleading information.
• Laurens YMCA: The next camp at the Laurens YMCA is a soccer camp for youth ages 7-15 that will take place from Tuesday, August 8 to Thursday, August 10^th…The camp will be conducted by the Lakeland Toros a Greenwood based soccer team… The camp will be in the mornings from 9-11 am and with the experience of the Toros should be an excellent camp!… Click here for more information.

City of Laurens Parks and Recreation Sports… For more information on any of the following camps call 681-7275 and go The Ridge to register… You can also email them at laurensprd@yahoo.com.

• Basketball Camp… This camp will be July 31 – August 2 and is open to youth ages 9-13… The cost of this camp will be $40 and will be held at The Ridge from 9:00 am – noon each day.

2017 PC Sports Camps… PC has different sports camps throughout the summer… Below are the next couple of camps that I know of being held at PC.

• Boys Evening Day Soccer Camp… August 4-6…Boys 5-15… This camp is designed to help young men improve their skills at any level through teaching fundamentals and game play… For more information on how to register and what to bring, click here.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or want to reports scores, please contact me via email at: sports@wlbg.com or text me at 864-981-3470.

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Among folks booked in the Laurens County Detention Center yesterday was a 40-year-old Laurens man. He was being held for charges from Laurens City Police.

A 37-year-old Fountain Inn man was being held for General Sessions Court.

A 42-year-old Waterloo man was being held for 8th Judicial Circuit Family Court on orders from Judge McGowan regarding a failure to make support payments issue. A 52-year-old Greenville man was also booked in Laurens County yesterday for Family Court regarding a non-support charge. Both these men were being held pending court appearance or otherwise being discharged by due course of law.

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A man returned from New York State and arrived yesterday at the Laurens County Detention Center, where he faces a charge of being out of South Carolina without permission. 31-year-old Joseph Paul Gregory was booked with an address in Adam Center, New York and charged with Violation of Probation. Mr. Gregory is accused of not following the advice and instructions of his agent. Specifics alleged included failing to report as instructed to in July of 2014, of not making required payments including supervision fees and restitution; and of not returning to South Carolina as instructed, thereby being out-of-state without permission from his agent.

Joseph Paul Gregory was being held overnight, pending a bond hearing today.

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Jarred Brown, a junior biochemistry major from St. Stephen, is working with his advisor Dr. Evelyn Swain, assistant professor of chemistry to expand her research on type 2 diabetes. This is part of the PC Summer Fellows program.

Brown is using the yeast, saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a model for type 2 diabetes because the proteins that transport glucose in human cells are similar to those in yeast. Brown explained that it is known that glucose transporters internalize glucose, however, whether glucose transporters are involved in glucose signaling has not been established.The goal of Brown’s research is to help elucidate how diabetes develops and how pathways can be influenced as an alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes.

“This is my first research experience,” Brown said. “I became interested in research because I have always loved looking under the microscope. I also want everyone to live long healthy lives.”

“I love the research process, and how it challenges me to think critically,” Brown added. “In the future, I plan to do research with infectious disease, understanding new diseases, and developing treatments, vaccines, and maybe a cure or two.”

Brown is a part of the wind ensemble, jazz band, and pep band on campus. He has played the alto saxophone for 10 years. He has been a part of student government association as sophomore class secretary. He is also a member of Delta Omicron, the music honor society on campus, as well as racket stringer for both men and women’s tennis teams.

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This summer, the Laurens Farmer’s Market has been able to distribute Vouchers to help senior citizens buy fresh fruits and vegetables from authorized farmers at the Farmer’s Market. Laurens Main Street Director Jonathan Irick said that since DSS requires these vouchers be distributed by August 1st, tomorrow will be the final time for this summer that these vouchers can be distributed.

To qualify for these vouchers, you must be 60 or older with a low-income. You must provide proof if identity and a driver’s license or ID card, and prove that you live in Laurens County. Seniors must apply in person.

This final distribution of vouchers in the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program will be tomorrow from 8:00 am until 12 Noon. Jonathan Irick said that the vouchers can be used at any certified market and/or approved farmer through October of this year.

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Laurens County Council this week approved issuing procurement credit cards to permanent part-time employees. The request came from Finance Director Lisa Kirk. These procurement credit cards have been only given to full timers. Ms. Kirk told council Tuesday that there are now department heads, and longtime employees who are now only working limited hours, but are still doing the same job.

Councilmen Pitts and Jones objected. Stewart Jones said “We’re in a financial mess as it is.” David Pitts suggested using Purchase Orders, as they do in School District 56.

The change was approved, in spite of their objections.

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Clinton City Council this week discussed concerns about exhibits that have been reported as missing from the Clinton Museum. In a meeting Monday evening, Mayor Bob McLean brought up issues related to the museum.  He pointed out that the Clinton Museum has been closed for “about a year” and he thought it was time to resolve the issues so that the city can move on.  McLean suggested that perhaps a SLED investigation, to include a forensic audit, was needed in order for the city to avoid the appearance that the city was investigating itself in this matter.

Interim City Manager Dale Satterfield responded that an outside firm was currently conducting an audit of the museum to determine what the museum has on hand, whether or not it belongs to the museum or is on loan and if on loan, who is the actual owner of the item.  The Mayor questioned whether this audit would address items that are not at the museum but should be. He was advised that the current audit will not address that.

Director of Community Development, Jerre Threatt, addressed council to explain the details of the audit that is now underway. He said some of the museum’s records are electronic, some are paper and at times the two overlap. Threatt predicted that the audit should be complete by the end of this year and that at that time the city will at least know the disposition of items currently in the possession of the museum.  Dale Satterfield interjected that work on the audit had been hampered because the air conditioning for the second floor of the museum had failed. He said a replacement unit was on order.

Satterfield and Threatt told City Council that they will keep them informed on the progress of the audit and that if it appears that law enforcement investigation is needed, council will be informed immediately.

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A Fountain Inn resident was booked in the Laurens County Detention Center Saturday on a Bench Warrant from General Sessions Criminal Court. 29-year-old Taylon Dale Fleming of 6 Sophia Court was cited for failure to appear this past May 22nd for a docket appearance on a charge of  Breach of Trust with Fraudulent Intent.

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A former Clinton resident was placed in the Laurens County Detention Center Friday regarding six drug charges. 38-year-old Willie Billy Sims Jr. was booked with an Atlanta address and served with Bench Warrants citing him with Failure to Attend for an Initial Appearance on June 24th of 2016 regarding charges including Manufacture or Distribution of… Read More »

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