DHEC says throw away food
purchased at local fundraiser

Forty people get sick after eating Faith Home meals

May 26, 2005

From staff reports

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is urging people to throw away food purchased Saturday at a Faith Home fundraiser.
DHEC’s Greenwood County Public Health Department has identified more than 40 people who became ill after eating food purchased at the event. The Faith Home sold food to about 1,400 people from throughout the state, many of whom bought in bulk for freezing and later consumption.
Georgia residents reportedly purchased some of the food.
“All of the involved people are reporting the same gastrointestinal symptoms: vomiting, nausea and diarrhea of short duration,” said DHEC’s Shirley Hollis, a registered nurse. “Tests are under way to identify the cause of the illness. While not conclusive, this fundraiser is one thread all 40 people have in common.”
Bob Bailey, public information coordinator for the Upper Savannah Public Health District, said the barbecue was prepared on-site for the weekend event.
The food forced several people to visit doctors, he said, though none of the cases required hospitalization.
Anyone who purchased any food on Saturday’s menu with the intent of freezing it for later meals should discard it immediately, he said.
“As a precaution, because of the Memorial Day weekend coming up and the potential that these foods were purchased for family events and might be the source of their illnesses, we along with Faith Home are urging residents to discard these items,” Hollis said.
“It’s devastating,” said Faith Home Executive Director Aline Barnes. “We’ve never had anything but good luck and success.”
Barnes said Faith Home has already destroyed leftover food from the event. She said the incident is the first of its kind in the 37-year history of Faith Home and puts future barbecue fundraisers in question.
“If we do another, it will certainly be in conjunction with DHEC monitoring it,” she said. “I’d never take it on without them monitoring it.
“I am so sorry,” she said. “If I could correct it, I would. The only thing I can do is see that it never happens again.”
Faith Home is a residential facility for people in recovery for substance abuse.
DHEC also is asking any person who became ill after eating food from the event to contact the Greenwood County Public Health Department at 942-3600.

Local library going ‘green’

Facility plans to adopt
environmentally friendly standards for its design

May 26, 2005

By WALLACE McBRIDE
Index-Journal senior staff writer

The new Greenwood County Library building could raise environmental design standards for South Carolina libraries.
While fundraisers continue to work toward collecting $10 million needed to construct a new facility, organizers are developing plans for a building that would conform to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, said library campaign director Brian Smith.
The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for energy efficient, water conserving, environmentally friendly buildings.
“It will be energy efficient and be designed to have a minimal environmental impact,” Smith said. “That’s something one of our contributors asked us to consider.
“From an operating standpoint it would reduce our operating costs without adding tremendously to our construction costs.”
There are presently only three LEED certified buildings in South Carolina, he said. The new Greenwood County Library would be the first “green” library in the state.
The fundraising campaign for the new library building, to be located at the former location of Winn-Dixie on Main Street, has collected about $2 million.
“We’re beginning to complete the major gift phase of the campaign,” he said. “By the time we have completed it, we hope to have about $3.5 million.”
Much of the land needed for construction has yet to be acquired, though. This is expected to be resolved in coming weeks.
“The primary lot is the Winn-Dixie block, plus contiguous properties located behind it,” Smith said. One of these lots has been donated, but the rest of the land is still being reviewed.
How much land will be needed depends on the final design of the building, Smith said.
“We should have drawings within the next two weeks,” he said. “Hopefully, we will (soon) begin closing on all the properties we need to acquire.”

Wallace McBride covers Greenwood and general assignments in the Lakelands. He can be reached at 223-1812, or: wmcbride@indexjournal.com

Pederson to coach LU women’s hoops

School to have press conference at 11 today

May 26, 2005

By MICHAEL STONE
Index-Journal sports editor

Lander University has plundered another coach from Anderson College.
Wednesday, Anderson’s Kevin Pederson confirmed he is the new women’s basketball coach at Lander.
The school will have a press conference at 11 this morning to announce the new coach.
Pederson replaces Jonathan Norton, who resigned to become the women’s basketball coach at Berry College in Georgia.
Earlier this month, Anderson’s men’s and women’s tennis coach, Brett Simpson, was hired to coach the same teams at Lander.
Pederson said he wasn’t looking to leave Anderson, a team he has coached for nearly four seasons.
But after talking with Lander Athletic Director Jeff May, the chance to remain in the Upstate and coach in the Peach Belt Conference were too good to turn down, Pederson said.
“The Peach Belt is a big draw,” Pederson said. “Night-in, night-out, you are playing against some of best athletic departments in the country.
“More than anything, Lander made me feel like I was what they were looking for, and that my family was important to them. Jeff May is a very good salesman.”
Pederson has been very successful at Anderson.
He worked five seasons for the Clemson men’s basketball program, for coaches Rick Barnes and Larry Shyatt, before going to Anderson as a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s program.
After one year as a volunteer, he was named assistant coach for the men’s program and head coach of the men’s jayvee squad.
In December 2001, he was named interim women’s coach, led the Lady Trojans to a 13-9 mark and was named head coach.
The women finished the season 15-14 overall and 12-8 in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference, their first winning overall and conference record in the history of the four-year program.
Since taking over the women’s team, the Lady Trojans have gone 88-31. The team won back-to-back CVAC titles and made two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, advancing to the East Regional Final last season for the first time ever.
The programs haven’t played each other since the 2002-03 season, when the Lady Bearcats defeated the Lady Trojans, 87-76.
Both teams were conference champion and made NCAA tournament appearances in the 2003-04 season.
But while Anderson finished last year 33-3 and ranked No. 9 in the nation, Lander went 14-15 with a team that started four seniors.
Pederson said he had kept up with Lander in part because the two schools were recruiting the same players.
Pederson said two of those players –Keunna Thomas and Lashaundra Dubose, who will be sophomores – will be key for the Lady Bearcats.
“We have some building to do next year,” he said. “Thomas is a player you build around, and Dubose is very good.
“We’re going to have to recruit. My philosophy is get best players in your state, then try and get the best players in the surrounding states.”
Of the 12 players on the Anderson roster, eight are from South Carolina and four are from Georgia.
Two of South Carolina natives are from the Lakelands area – LaShonda Chiles and Leanna Willis.
In two seasons, Chiles has scored more than 1,400 points for the Lady Trojans, been named the CVAC freshman of the year and player of the year, and was a second-team All-American selection this season.

Opinion

Politics and the pulpit: it’s sure to be divisive

May 26, 2005

In some churches in South Carolina, partisan politics is nothing new. Political messages have been handed down from some pulpits routinely. With the arguments over separation of church and state heard often these days, is it right or wrong?
There hardly seems any doubt about it. Whether it’s in black churches or white churches, it’s not good practice for ministers to take sides in political contests. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about issues supported by Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives ….. or anything else.
There’s a good reason for that, too. At least there ought to be.

ALL THE MEMBERS OF any given church don’t toe the same political line. That is, of course, if they think for themselves and refuse to be led around like sheep. Whether Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Catholic, African Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, or any other denomination, church members most of the time have differing political philosophies.
That being the case, if a minister takes a stand on a hot political topic, he’s sure to alienate some members, no matter what side of the issue the minister is on.
When that happens, it is, by its very nature, divisive.
No wonder they say there’s nothing like a a church fight.

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Jimmie Burton

WARE SHOALS — Jimmie Higgins Burton, 75, of 51 Smith St., widow of Benjamin Carlton Burton, Sr., died Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at her home. She was born in Greenville County, a daughter of the late Luther Martin Higgins and the late Della Garrett Higgins Weathers. She was a member of Turkey Creek Baptist Church.
Surviving are: one son, Ben Burton and wife, Betty, Savannah, Ga.; two daughters, Mrs. Mike “Gloria” Caughman, Piedmont and Mrs. Roger “Pat” Scoggins, Ware Shoals; one sister, Gladys H. Inman, Whitmire; ten grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and was pre-deceased by two grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted Friday at 2 PM at Turkey Creek Baptist Church with the Rev. Roderick Carver officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
The families will be at their respective homes and will receive friends Thursday, 6-8 PM at Parker-White Funeral Home and Friday, 1-2 PM at Turkey Creek Baptist Church.
PARKER-WHITE FUNERAL HOME.
PAID OBITUARY