The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • 4

Index-Journal, Greenwood, S.C. Saturday, February 21, 2015 4A commander in charge of the Investigations Division, said two confidential informants verified where the two men spent a lot of agents executed a search warrant shortly after 1 p.m. Friday at a residence at 145 Independence Way in Greenwood they found a man asleep in a bedroom and another man about to take a shower. Investigators used a battering ram to knock the front door down. Investigators searched the residence and found 725 grams of marijuana, 27 grams of cocaine, 17 grams of meth amphetamine, three firearms, $1,145 in counterfeit money, $2,855 in cash, ammunition, digital scales and other items.

The weapons will be run through the National Crime Information Center database. expecting the amount of drugs we Reeder said. knew (one of the men) was a substantial Reeder said the cocaine and ice could be from the Atlanta or Greenville areas. The marijuana could be from the same cities or from as far away as Mexico. Investigators had been tracking ties to county break- ins the past six months, Reeder said.

One of the techniques used was tracking the times of break-ins with cellular telephone of the stolen equipment investigators recovered from the residence from past burglaries included a video gaming system and a video surveillance system. Reeder said a group of people has been using stolen property from the break- ins and exchanging them for drug money. The Independence Way residence is in proximity to the Greenwood Early Childhood Center on East Cambridge Avenue. Reeder said other arrests could happen as early as next week. Obituaries 864-223-1413 U.S.P.S.

261-540 Greenwood Journal, established Aug. 1, 1895; Greenwood Index established Nov. 7, 1897; The Journal and Index Consolidated Feb. 6, 1919 Published Daily THE INDEX-JOURNAL GREENWOOD Periodicals Postage Paid at Greenwood, S.C. and at additional mailing offices.

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13 Wks. 26 Wks. 52 Wks 16.00 48.00 96.00 172.80 Saturday Sunday Only By Carrier 25.00 50.00 100.00 Roxanne Akers HODGES Roxanne Turner Akers, 55, of 604 Johns Creek Road, wife of Jeffery Akers, died Friday, February 20, 2015 at her home. Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Panola United Methodist Church, with the Reverend Jonathan Payne officiating.

Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at Harley Funeral Home on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. The family is at the home of her sister, Mary Frances Anderson, 312 Chinquapin Road, Greenwood. Messages of condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneral home.com. Britt H.

Bergman DECATUR, Ga. Britt H. Bergman, 43, of Decatur, GA, passed away Monday, February 16, 2015 at his home. Born in Greensboro, NC, he was the son of Don and Audine Bergman. Britt graduated from Irmo High School and attended USC and Perimeter College.

He survived by a daughter, Phoebe Jane Bergman; a son, Baxter Clark Bergman of Atlanta, GA; and his parents of Greenwood, SC. His ashes will be scattered at Lake Wateree. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Academy at North Fulton, 11660 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell, GA 30076, a nonprofit school where Britt was employed or to any charity of your choice. Messages of condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneral home.com. Robert Coleman ABBEVILLE Robert Coleman, 68, died Friday, Feb.

20, 2015 at HospiceCare of the Piedmont, Greenwood. The family is at the home of a sister, Josephine Martin, 107 Clark St. Arrangements will be announced by Richie Funeral Home. Dorothy C. Riser NINETY SIX Dot was born March 28, 1929, the daughter of the Lee and Sallie Carithers; she was the wife of the late Joel E.

Matthews and W. Riser. She died Feb. 20, 2015. She was preceded in death by two brothers and two sisters.

Dot was retired from Greenwood Mills after 42 years of service. She was a member of the Ninety Six Church of God for 49 years, where she served in many capacities from the music department, Sunday School Teacher, facility director and a multitude of secretarial duties. She leaves behind two sons and two daughters-in-law, 7 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great- grandchildren. A special invitation is offered to all who were impacted by her life to attend a Celebration of Life service, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015.

Family will receive visitors at the Ninety Six Church of God Family Life Center on Sunday from 2-3. The Celebration Service will follow at the Ninety Six Church of God. Rev. Walter D. Mitchum Jr.

and Rev. Bobby R. Davis will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in her honor to the charity or church of your choosing. George H.

Smith Sr. SURFSIDE BEACH Henry Smith, age 76, died Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center. Born in Abbeville, SC, he was the son of the late Charles J. and Isabelle C.

Smith. Mr. Smith was a retired Master Sergeant from the US Air Force. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and a Shriner. Mr.

Smith had worked at both Whispering Pines and Wachesaw Golf Courses. His daughter, Kimberley Smith preceded him in death. Surviving are his wife, Richardine Smith; daughter, Wendy Smith Kirkpatrick; son, George Smith, grandchildren, Ryan Kelley and Katelyn Eve all of Myrtle Beach; brother, Charles J. (Carol) Smith, Jr. of Greenwood, SC; and several nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23, 2015 at Main Street United Methodist Church in Abbeville, SC. Sign a guestbook at www. goldfinchfuneralhome.com.

Gracie Smith The Rev. Gracie Smith, wife of James Smith, died Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015, at her home. The family is at the home, 602 Ron McNair Promised Land Community. Services will be announced by Robinson and Son Mortuary Pauline Wilson Pauline Quarles Wilson, 87, widow of Paul Brooks Wilson, died February 19, 2015, at NHC of Greenwood.

Born August 19, 1927, in Edgefield, she was a daughter of Clifford Jonas Quarles and Julia Eubanks Quarles. She was a graduate of Edgefield High School and the Greenwood College of Commerce. Mrs. Wilson retired from Wilson Brothers Sand Company as vice president, after more than fifty years of service. She was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church and the Hut Sunday School Class of the church.

She was also a member of the Mary Pinckney Ouzts Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Greenwood Club and the Four Seasons Garden Club. For many years, she enjoyed annually coordinating and being CFO of equally as much as her grandchildren enjoyed attending. Surviving are three daughters, Judy and husband Frankie Connell of Greenwood, Linda Edwards of Greenwood and Patti and husband Jay Scott of Lake Wylie; seven grandchildren, Alyson and husband Glenn Perrin and Lauren Austin and husband Justin, all of Greenwood, Kevin Dodgen and wife Meagan of Cross Hill, Chelsea Williams and Savannah Williams, both of Myrtle Beach, Adam Scott and Eric Scott, both of Lake Wylie; and great- grandchildren, Noah and Wiley Perrin and Molly Austin of Greenwood. She was predeceased by a daughter, Paula Wilson Williams; son-in-law, David Edwards; and two sisters, Janice Wilson and Maxine Cooley. Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m.

Saturday from the Blyth Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Phil Thrailkill and Rev. Karen Radcliffe officiating and Keith Polatty musician. Private burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be Jay Scott, Glenn Perrin, Frankie Connell, Wayne Wilson, Randy Rouse, Kevin Dodgen, Adam Scott and Eric Scott.

The family is at the home of Judy and Frankie Connell, 2110 Old Laurens Road, and will receive friends at the funeral home from 1 to 2 Saturday afternoon. Memorials may be made to the Association, SC Chapter, 4124 Clemson Suite Anderson, SC 29621; or to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, 6520 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. The family would like to express their thanks and appreciation to Dr. Bryan Ellenberg and the staff at NHC, Station 1, for their kind and loving care. For online condolences visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.

Blyth Funeral Home Cremation Services is assisting the Wilson family. GREENWOOD COUNTY Roxanne Acres, 604 Johns Creek Road, Hodges. Dorothy C. Riser, Ninety Six. Gracie Smith, 602 Ron McNair Greenwood.

Pauline Wilson, Greenwood. ABBEVILLE COUNTY Robert Coleman, Abbeville. INSIDE SOUTH CAROLINA George H. Smith Surfside Beach. OUTSIDE S.C.

Britt H. Bergman, Decatur, Ga. VISITATIONS TODAY AKERS, Roxanne, 5-7, Harley Funeral Home. DUVALL, Frankie, Harley Funeral Home. PARKS-MAY, Edna, Harris Funeral Home, Abbeville.

WILSON, Pauline, 1-2, Blyth Funeral Home. SERVICES TODAY BATES, Dr. Phillips, 2, memorial, First Presbyterian Church. Visitation after service. BROWNLEE, Johnnie, 1, Mount Lebanon AME Church, Due West.

CARTER, George Noon, Mount Zion AME Church, Promised Land. COLEMAN, Howard 3, Robinson Son Mortuary. DUVALL, Frankie, 2, Harley Funeral Home. HENLEY, Sheila, 1, Brown and Walker Funeral Home, Abbeville. PARKS-MAY, Edna, 3, Harris Funeral Home, Abbeville.

SHARPE, Ruth, 2, First Baptist Church, Cross Hill. Visitation after service. WILSON, Pauline, 2, Blyth Funeral Home. WISE, Warren, 1, Union UMC Cemetery, Franklin, N.C. OBITUARY POLICY Short death notices are published at no charge.

They consist of name, age, address of deceased, or of, date of death, place of death, home where family members are gathered and funeral home in charge of arrangements. Visitations and services may be included on the Deaths and Funerals list only, on the appropriate day. Obituaries including other information are charged $14.75 per column inch, plus a $35 Legacy fee. Pictures and flags will increase the length and be charged accordingly. All obituaries are handled through the newsroom obituary desk: 223-1811; email, PAULINE WILSON JUSTIN SPENCER KENNETH SPENCER CHARGES Continued from 1A and the third-lowest motor fuel user fee in the country with below-average road conditions and a growing economy with growing infrastructure demands, according to the alliance.

In a report with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, pavement conditions were 15 percent in good condition with the majority (47 percent) being in poor condition. SCDOT would need $1.4 billion in additional funding each year to bring roads to a good level of service. Without that funding, they would only be able to manage the continued decline of the system. biggest problem we have is a funding Dickey said. a dollar and cents Poor roads contribute to two things, according to Jerry Timmons, chief executive officer emeritus for Davis Floyd and advocacy director for the Greenwood Chamber board: traffic fatalities and car repair.

have some of the deadliest roads in South Timmons said, adding the state averages three fatalities a day on roadways. Timmons said the average car owner will spend $1,200 a year on maintaining their vehicle due to poor road conditions. A report published by TRIP about the rural roads stated that South Carolina has the most dangerous roads of any state in the country at a rate of 3.99 deaths for every 100 million miles of vehicle travel. state revenues are 90 percent from the motor fuel user fee, which has not been changed since 1987. The 16.8 cents per gallon is significantly lower then 28.5 cents and North 37.8 cents.

The Fix The alliance presented several funding options for the state DOT, including an increase to the motor fuel user fee, transferring motor vehicle-related feeds, removing or reducing the sales tax exemption on motor fuel, institute a petroleum franchise fee at wholesale level, dedicate general or capital reserve fund money to highways and tax alternative fuel vehicles. Dickey said the state DOT does not need to be restructured, as many residents and lobbied for, and was already restructured in 2007 to rid the department of any bias-based decisions regarding road improvement projects. The transfer of motor vehicle-related fees to road funding could include increases to motor vehicle sales tax, license fees or vehicle registration fees. Timmons said increased funding will generate more money for improvements at the local level road projects that could include Northside Drive or completing Bypass 72 to encircle the city. The Proposal The House Transportation Infrastructure and Management Ad Hoc Committee has proposed a plan that involves raising revenues and turning over state roads and highways.

The proposal includes returning ownership of state- owned roads and highways to counties by 2020, which is about 45.5 percent of state roads, according to the alliance. The committee recommends restructuring SCDOT and the South Carolina Transportation Infrastructure Bank Board with the governor appointing DOT and commissioners, House and Senate appointing the bank board. The proposal would have the motor fuel user fee reduced to 10.75 cents in order to add a 6-percent wholesale tax on fuel purchases. Fuel is currently exempt from the sales tax. An increase in the vehicle sales tax cap would also occur under the plan to $500.

The state currently has a 5-percent vehicle sales tax with a $300 cap. they do it is up to them, but up to us to provide ideas and what we think Dickey said. ROADS Continued from 1A The Talent Hunt was judged by Tracy Goldman, a music teacher at Lakeview and Woodfields elementary schools; Louise Robinson, a minister of music at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church; and Taylor Searles, a teacher at Piedmont Technical College. Jasmine Shabazz, a junior at Greenwood High School who played second Rhapsody on the piano, was the winner.

piece that I was doing was for an audition, and I find out about this (competition) until a few weeks ago, and so to prepare for it I practiced an average of four hours a Shabazz said. Shabazz won $150. Junior Tyan Smith from Emerald High School placed second and won $100 for singing With My by Luther Vandross. Seventh-grader Christian Whatley from Westview Middle School won $50 for third place, playing the Can-Can on the violin. Shabazz will go on to participate in the Mighty Six District Talent Hunt on April 24 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where other Omega fraternity chapters in the same district will bring their winners as well.

The prize for first place in the district competition is $2,500, second place is $1,500 and third place is Mighty Six District is South Carolina and North Car olina. Every chapter in Omega as far as South Carolina, will have students that won their talent hunts in the different said Willie Forrest head of the talent competition ceremony. Forrest said there will be at least 50 students at the Mighty Six competition and possibly more depending on which chapters decided to have talent competitions. TALENT Continued from 1A MADDY JONES INDEX-JOURNAL Emerald junior Tyan Emil Smith, a vocalist, accepts the second-place trophy at Epsilon Gamma Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt at Greenwood on Friday night. is more equitable and will make budgeting easier to predict.

But it also would match what counties are getting paid now instead of what they are supposed to get under the old law. another fight in the long running battle between South Carolina and its 46 counties. County leaders trust the Legislature to keep its promises after seven years of failing to fully pay for the local government fund. House leaders are unhappy that what they think have been good faith efforts to fix the problem. can only work with people who want to be worked said White, R-Anderson.

Meanwhile, a second bill that would restore funding for counties and cities to the lev els required under the 1991 law over three-year period remains in a House committee. The Local Government intention 25 years ago was to help counties that struggled to collect taxes on a number of things like alcohol sold by minibottles. The state agreed to turn over 4.5 percent of the money collected from parts of dozens of different fees and taxes. FUNDING Continued from 1A Happy Birthday in Heaven I wish you were here today even for just a little while so I could say Happy Birthday and see your beautiful smile. The only gifts today will be the gifts you left behind; The laughter, joy and precious best kind.

Today do my very best to try and find a happy struggling to hide my heavy heart and the tears on my face. sit quietly and look at your picture thinking of you with love; hoping doing ok in Heaven up above. May the angels hold you close and sing you a happy and be sending wishes to you today and all year long. Happy Birthday John! I love you and miss you dearly Love, Mom 02-18-2015.