Dye eligible to play for Byrnes

October 23, 2006

From staff and wire reports


COLUMBIA — Former Greenwood High School football player Xavier Dye, who has spent much of the 2006 football season entangled in a battle with the South Carolina High School League to gain athletic eligibility to join the Byrnes High School football team, might have taken the penultimate step.
Dye’s transfer request was approved Monday by SCHSL director Jerome Singleton.
According to previous Index-Journal reports, Dye had been denied four times in his attempts to play for the nationally ranked Rebels before Monday’s ruling.
Singleton said the ruling was based on the latest facts, which included Dye’s mother, Althea Wells, moving from Greenwood to Duncan earlier this month, and was his final decision.
The wide receiver had been living with his uncle, A.J. Rogers.
“Based on what has been established, a player must have a bonafide change of residence to be able to play,” Singleton said. “I found that he met the requirements for a change of residence.”
Singleton added that although he approved Dye’s transfer request, it is up to school administrators whether to allow him to play for the Rebels.
Dye has been enrolled at Byrnes since the school year started but has missed the Rebels’ first nine games, including Oct. 19’s nationally televised loss against the Gaffney Indians. Dye has been practicing with the Rebels since summer workouts began in June.
He is verbally committed to play college football at Clemson, where he will team with Byrnes quarterback Willy Korn.
“It’s been hard,” Dye told the (Spartanburg) Herald-Journal. “It’s taught me some life lessons about being patient. I was just so happy when I found out.”
In related news, Greenwood High School football coach Shell Dula, who was served a subpoena on Oct. 6 before the Eagles’ game at Westside, is scheduled to give a deposition today to Dye’s attorney, Chuck Allen, at the Greenwood County Courthouse.
In an interview on Monday, Dula said he doesn’t know if Singleton’s ruling will change the circumstances surrounding the deposition.
“I have not been privy to any conversation with the high school league so I don’t know what their thinking is, so as far as I know I’m going to show up at 3:00 unless I’m told not to.” Dula said. “I’m supposed to do it at 3:00 and right now I’m assuming I will.”

What a grand opening!

S.C. 72 wreck injures 3, damages popular carnival ride

October 24, 2006

By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer

WATERLOO — A tractor-trailer carrying a popular carnival ride overturned Monday morning on S.C. 72/U.S. 221 in Laurens County, shutting down the roadway for about five hours while crews worked to clear the scene.
The ride, known as The Orbiter, was on its way to the Greenwood County Agricultural Fair, which starts today.
The feature received enough damage that it won’t appear in this year’s fair, said Darrell Wade, executive director with the Greenwood fair.
“We’ll be one ride short this year,” Wade said of The Orbiter, which spins riders around. “It was one of the major rides.”
He said the ride’s owners will have to examine The Orbiter to see how extensive the damage is and whether the popular ride is totaled.
Early morning crash
The accident occurred about 3:05 a.m., about four miles south of Waterloo, near where S.C. 72 crosses Lake Greenwood.
The tractor-trailer’s driver, Bernard Kolbus, 64, of Coral Springs, Fla., was traveling south on S.C. 72 when the vehicle went off the right shoulder of the roadway, over-corrected and lost control, said Lance Cpl. Scot Edgeworth, with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The truck then overturned in the roadway.
Kolbus was wearing a seat belt and was injured, Edgeworth said, and the man was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Two passengers in the truck also were injured and taken to the hospital following the wreck, Edgeworth said. Paul Melder, 36, also of Florida, was wearing a seat belt, Edgeworth said, and a 7-year-old passenger was riding in the sleeper cab of the truck when the wreck occurred.
Traffic on the roadway was blocked for hours following the wreck, and Edgeworth said troopers had to reroute drivers until the road was reopened about 9 a.m.
Kolbus was cited for driving too fast for conditions, Edgeworth said.
About the fair
Wade said the fair, which is set up on the fairgrounds at U.S. 221 and S.C. 225 Bypass in southern Greenwood, will still have about 26 rides.
The fair runs through Sunday and will feature a variety of activities for children and adults, including games, food, a petting zoo, stage entertainment and daily helicopter rides.
Gates open at 5 p.m. today, with free admission and parking on opening day. Attendees also can purchase a $10 pass good for all rides.
For information about the Greenwood County Agricultural Fair, call 227-0533.

Dist. 50 reacts to FOIA request

October 24, 2006

By BOBBY HARRELL
Index-Journal staff writer

Greenwood School District 50 officials on Monday confirmed that they’ve received a Freedom of Information Act request issued Friday by a Greenwood County Council member accusing the district’s new bond issue of being unconstitutional.
But they haven’t responded to the FOIA request yet.
Also, The Index-Journal has learned a state representative has concerns about the bond issue’s legality and that he has asked the state attorney general’s office for an opinion on the matter.
Dee Compton, R-Greenwood, vice-chairman of the Greenwood County Council, announced an investigation Friday into District 50’s installment purchase revenue bond program.
Compton said he faxed the request Friday afternoon.
Bonds are typically sold by government agencies to the public and investors to fund large projects. The money derived from the bond sale is given to the issuing agency and paid back over an established period of time.
Compton accused the board’s actions of being a violation of South Carolina’s constitution.
Dru James, District 50’s board of trustees chairwoman, replied to the allegations by e-mail Monday afternoon. The FOIA request was received by fax at District 50’s administrative offices on Saturday at 6:55 a.m., James said.
Superintendent Darrell Johnson said he received the request by fax on Monday and it will be “addressed appropriately.”
Johnson echoed James’ statements.
Compton said he hasn’t heard a response to the FOIA request from the district, but added he wasn’t surprised considering school officials have 15 days from the time they received the request to answer.
He claims the district is attempting to circumvent the 8 percent spending cap on construction illustrated in the constitution. That comes to about $9 million, or 8 percent of the assessed value of their real property, that the district can spend each year on construction.
Gary Johnson, assistant superintendent of business, said he hasn’t had the time to consider Compton’s request yet.
Johnson said the district might not be able to give Compton all the information he requested.
“Some of the things he asked for do not exist,” Johnson said.
Collecting the information might cost the district very little or it could cost a lot.
If all the information Compton asked for is readily available, then the cost will be low, Johnson said. The cost will be higher if a great deal of work has to be put into gathering the information. Pitts concerned
Rep. Mike Pitts, R-District 4, has asked the attorney general’s office to weigh in on District 50’s bond issue.
Pitts sent a letter to the attorney general’s office earlier this month asking about how much bonded indebtedness school districts can take on. The legislator wrote that he believed many of the school bonds in South Carolina recently were outside of the intent of laws passed by the General Assembly.
“My concern is that they may exceed the bonding limits according to South Carolina law and, in most cases, are being authorized without referendum,” Pitts wrote.
He focused on District 50’s bond issue, mentioning the $145 million the district is planning to spend on construction thanks to the new bond issue.
Pitts said the district’s total assessed value is $153 million.
The attorney general’s office answered by saying it wasn’t in a position to investigate District 50’s actions and assumed the bond attorneys working with the district considered whether a referendum is required.
The office did affirm that a school district must conduct a referendum if it exceeds 8 percent.
The attorney general’s office also warned that if the district does spend more than 8 percent, “a majority of the qualified electors of that school district must authorize such an issuance.”
The city of Walterboro has a pending lawsuit involving its installment purchase bond plan.

Jeanette Alford

NINETY SIX — Jeanette Calhoun Alford, 54, resident of 109 Mitchum Drive, wife of Donald Dean Alford, died Oct. 23, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Greenwood County, Nov. 25, 1951, she was a daughter of the late R. Chiles and Pauline Jones Calhoun. She was a graduate of Ninety Six High School and was a patient care sitter.
A devoted member of Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church, she was also a member of the Adult 3 Sunday School Class, president of the Women’s Ministry, director of Christian Education, a Sunday School teacher and was a member of the church choir. She was also actively involved in the Ninety Six Wildcats Football ministry.
Surviving in addition to her husband of the home are two daughters, Angela A. Owens of Ninety Six and Denise A. Livingston of Greenwood; a son, Tony D. Alford of Ninety Six; three brothers, R. Donnie Calhoun, Josh T. Calhoun and Julius P. Calhoun, all of Ninety Six; ten grandchildren.
Funeral services will be conducted at 4:30 p.m.Wednesday at Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church with Revs. Chris Stansell, Terry Carpenter, Ben Edwards, Sherrill Green and Randy Goff officiating.
Burial will be in Bethlehem Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Josh McDonald, Jason Gonce, Brad Alford, Todd Calhoun, Scott Calhoun, Randall Jay, Dennis Kelly, Roy Horne and Chad Calhoun.
Honorary escort will be members of the Women’s Ministry of the church.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon.
The family is at the home of Tony and Beverly Alford, 104 Sherard Avenue and will receive friends at the funeral home from 7 to 9 Tuesday evening.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to the Jeanette Alford Memorial Fund, c/o Ninety Six Pentecostal Holiness Church, 206 State Street, Ninety Six, SC 29666.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Alford family.

Florence Finley

WARE SHOALS — Florence F. Richey Finley, 78, resident of 50 Mt. Bethel Road, widow of Forrest Finley, died Oct. 23, 2006 at Self Regional Medical Center.
Born in Anderson, June 13, 1928, she was a daughter of the late Henry and Floree Turner Freeman. She was a homemaker and was a member of Lowell Street United Methodist Church in Greenwood.
Mrs. Finley was a dedicated wife and loving mother. She was twice married, first to the late Capt. Ralph Richey.
Surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Joe (Brenda) Wood of Ware Shoals; a son, Franklin “Frankie” Manning and wife, Deborah of Greenwood; a granddaughter, Mrs. Matthew (Buffie) Davies of Charleston. Graveside services will be conducted 3 p.m. Tuesday at Greenwood Memorial Gardens with Rev. Carol Peppers-Wray officiating.
The body is at Blyth Funeral Home.
The families are at their respective homes and will receive friends at the graveside immediately following the service.
Memorials may be made to Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, c/o Dot Sullivan, 1081 Dairy Road, Ware Shoals, 29621.
For online condolences please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is assisting the Finley family.

James C. Prince

ABBEVILLE — James C. Prince, 92, of Abbeville, husband of the late Katherine Prince, died Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006. He was born in Abbeville to the late Claude B. and Cora Ferguson Prince. He was a member of Main Street Methodist Church.
He is survived by his two granddaughters, Michelle L. Bailey of Seminole, FL and Pam Prince of Ohio, several nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006 in Long Cane Cemetery.
Harris Funeral Home of Abbeville assisting the Prince family.

Frank Scott, Sr.

Frank Scott, Sr., age 90, of 132 Sample St., Greenwood, died Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006 in the HospiceCare of the Piedmont House in Greenwood. A son of the late John Scott and Cassie Harris Scott, he was a member of the Good Hope Baptist Church, Hodges, The Men’s Aide Society, a retiree of the Greenwood Humane Society and U.S. Navy Veteran. He is survived by his wife, Alma Hill Scott of the home; one son, Frank (Fronia) Scott, Jr. of Cross Hill; three brothers, Roosevelt Scott of Anderson, Oscar Scott of Philadelphia, PA, John Ben Scott of New York City, NY; one sister, Winnie Mae Lane of Philadelphia; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Funeral service will be held Wednesday 11 a.m. at the Good Hope Baptist Church with Rev. Stanley Haltiwanger, Dr. George M. Hill and Rev. Edna Beasley Murrell officiating. Burial will be in the Evening Star Cemetery, Greenwood, with Military Rites. The remains will be placed in the church at 10 a.m. The family is at the home.
Beasley Funeral Home, Laurens, is in charge of arrangements.

An easy first win

Ninety Six starts tournament with victory over Pelion

October 24, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports editor

NINETY SIX — The Ninety Six High School volleyball team wasted little time putting to rest the ill feelings of last year’s first-round playoff loss.
The three-time defending Region III-AA champion Lady Wildcats opened the 2006 playoffs by dispatching Pelion, 3-0, in a match that lasted less than an hour.
“I always like to get past the first one,” said Miller, whose Lady Wildcats lost in the first round to fourth-seeded Gilbert last season. “So, I’m pleased and excited for the girls. I’m just glad to get the first one out of the way.
“At this time of year, they should be appreciative of being here and be positive and enjoy everybody and everything. Don’t take anything for granted because you don’t know when it’s going to be your last.”
And from this point on, the Lady Wildcats’ next loss will be Miller’s last, as the coach, who guided the team to back-to-back state titles (2002-03), will retire at season’s end.
The team showed early in the match of their intention to give Miller at least one more, closing out the first game 25-8 before jumping out to a 13-4 lead in game two.
Pelion closed to within five, but Ninety Six regained control behind the serving of Kaitlin Rexrode. Kristen Smith blasted one of her five kills to give the Lady Wildcats a 20-9 advantage.
Senior Brooke Cooley nailed one of her three aces to cap the game at 25-18.
The Lady Wildcats trailed early in the third game, but only by a margin of two, 9-7. But Ninety Six quickly recovered. A set to the baseline by Erica Patterson, followed by four straight points off kills — two by Smith, one from Denise Pope and another from Patterson — gave the team a 13-9 lead. The Lady Wildcats stretched the lead to double digits, 22-12, before winning 25-17 on another ace from Cooley.
Ninety Six hosts the Chapman-Liberty winner at 6 Wednesday night.

Lander, Erskine head into playoffs in good condition

October 24, 2006

By JIM JOYCE
Special projects editor

Two area college soccer teams have qualified for conference tournaments that begin today at the site of the highest-seeded team.
Lander University men’s soccer team earned the top seed in the Peach Belt Conference and hosts No. 8-seeded Georgia Southwestern at 7 tonight in the first round of the tournament.
The Erskine’s women earned the No. 7 seed in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference and travels to No. 2 Belmont Abbey for the first round.
Lander and coach Van Taylor have won the PBC regular-season title three times and the conference tournament title twice, so moving into the conference tournament isn’t exactly new. They also have been to the tournament finals at least six times, and advanced to the national tournament once while a member of NAIA, and three times since joining NCAA Division II.
This year, however, the Bearcats had to share the regular season title with Clayton State after USC Upstate blanked Clayton State 1-0 Saturday. That, coupled with Lander’s win over North Georgia, forced the two into a tie with 15 points each. Both were 5-2 in the PBC.
By having the No. 1 seed, Lander has a chance at hosting the semifinals and finals of the tournament. A win over Georgia Southwestern would put the Bearcats in that position.
A Lander win puts the Bearcats in a noon game with the UNC Pembroke-USC Upstate winner Friday, with the second game at 2:30 p.m. The championship game is at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Georgia Southwestern, a team Lander recently beat on the Bearcats’ home field, is in its first year in the PBC.
“We beat them 3-0 here,” Taylor said. “It was a competitive game and we’re expecting the same.
We’re not looking past that game.
“The main thing now is Georgia Southwestern and we’ll focus on that right now.”
The Bearcats enter the tournament about as healthy as possible, Taylor added.
“We have a few bumps, but by and large we’re pretty healthy,” Taylor said. “We need to stay healthy and continue to play the way we’re playing. We’re starting to peak at the right time.”
Heading into the tournament, the Bearcats are at the top of several PBC statistical categories — goals, goals per game, points, points per game, shots, shots per game and shutout percentage. The Bearcats also are second in goals against.
Those statistics could prove advantageous for Lander, if the play is consistent.
“The team is very well balanced and we’re creating a lot of changes,” he said. “If we can put those changes in, it makes it a lot easier on defense.
“Good defense is one reason why we are leading in those categories.”
Individually, freshman Adam Arthur, junior Nick Cooke and junior Garrett Daum are big reasons for the success.
“We have a one-two scoring punch in Arthur and Cooke and that’s good,” Taylor said. “Daum, a goalkeeper, is second in the league with goals against average and is tied for the lead for shutouts.”
The Lady Fleet are going to the CVAC tournament for the second straight year, having lost to Mount Olive in the quarterfinals last year.
“We’ve had a roller-coaster season,” coach Serge Lipovetsky said. “At preseason, it looked pretty good for us, but we had a long run of injuries that kept our starters out at different times.
“We could never get a starting lineup that meshed well together like we had last year.”
The non-conference schedule, he said, was tough, but he thinks it helped in the long run.
“Being able to handle the tough competition paid off, because playing against stronger competition makes you better,” he added.
Cited for their play were sophomore Casey Cash, freshman Kasie Sears (former Emerald High School standout), senior Anna Winters, senior Katy Jackson, and senior Jodie Locke, who played a strong roles.
“We feel pretty confident about playing any team in the conference,” Lipovetsky said. “We’ve shown, with our results, that we can compete with anybody. Right now, the team is confident and think we can step on the field and compete with anyone.”
Belmont Abbey defeated Erskine 3-1 earlier at Due West, but Lipovetsky said the girls are ready to try and redeem themselves.
“We’ve been playing very well in the last four conference games, and we’re looking forward to a rematch,” he said.
“The last time we played we were hurt by lightning delays. That totally disrupted the whole flow of the game. We went back and fourth from the field to the locker room, so I think we’ll be better prepared this time.
“We’ll just have to make sure we stay organized and stick to our game plan.”

Serving up excitement

Greenwood, Emerald set for region tennis playoffs

October 24, 2006

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports editor

The Emerald High School girls tennis team mixes in a new set of ingredients with its solid batch of leftovers each season, but it always seems to come out with the same outcome: success.
The Lady Vikings had five additions this season, including freshman Sarah Siegler, who transferred from Cambridge Academy and has spent time at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, but the team still came away with its seventh straight Region III-AA title.
The Lady Vikings open the first round of the Class AA playoffs at home, hosting Gilbert at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Greenwood Country Club.
“I really think we’ve built a strong program here,” Emerald coach Susan Timmerman said. “It’s given us confidence going into the playoffs. We feel like we’re a stronger team going into the playoffs this year, stronger than we’ve been over the past few years.”
The Lady Vikings will be joined in postseason play with city rival Greenwood, which also qualified for the playoffs after finishing third in Region I-AAAA. The Lady Eagles travel for a 4:30 p.m. match today at former region rival Mauldin.
Timmerman said what it could takefor the Lady Vikings to challenge for their first state title in 10 years is the strength of their middle players: seniors Catherine Talbert and Meredith Martin, at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, and eighth-grader Claire Gillespie at No. 5.
“The seniors are a pivotal places for us, at (Nos.) 3 and 4 singles and Claire has been great for us at 5,” Timmerman said. “Claire’s match record is 12-1 and my seniors are 9-4. They consistently win at their spots.
“Our 1 and 2 are strong, but that’s usually where most teams’ tournament players are.”
The Lady Eagles face somewhat of a familiar opponent in Mauldin; however, the two haven’t squared off much since the Lady Mavericks left Region I-AAAA.
“All I know is they beat (Region I-AAAA champion) Hanna earlier this season,” Greenwood coach Jim Still said. “There region is pretty strong. They’ll be a strong team. We just have to go out there and play hard, play with composure, and we’ll see what happens.”
Like Emerald, Greenwood’s middle tennis players will be important if the team is to pull the upset over Mauldin. But unlike the Lady Vikings, the Lady Eagles’ middle is young, with seventh-grader Taylor Poznick at No. 2 singles and eighth-graders Lori Flick and Emily Moore at Nos. 3 and 5 singles, respectively.
“The bottom of our lineup has been strong all year,” Still said. “You don’t realize just how important the bottom and the middle is until you get to the playoffs. We’ve depended on them all year.”

When all’s said and done, optimism will always win

October 24, 2006

Pessimists have a ball these days. It’s a crazy, mixed up world made for their prophesies of doom. Let ‘em rave. Let ‘em prognosticate all they want about the end of time. Don’t worry. They’ll lose every time.
There’s a very good reason for that, too, and what the pessimists haven’t figured out in all these years will always be their undoing. It’s the hope that springs eternal. Said another way, it’s the soul of mankind, the eternal part of our being that cannot and will not be denied.
It’s not all that difficult, really. It’s because we believe. We pull for the underdog. At least, it seems most South Carolinians do. We have that little voice inside that tells us that fairy tales are real because we want to believe.
No, it’s not the world of black and white and shades of gray. It’s all in glorious Technicolor, with all the bells and whistles that our imaginations can manufacture for our subconsciousness.