The Index-Journal from Greenwood, South Carolina • Page 2

I li I 2A Greenwood, Lakelands SC August 13, 2003 Abbeville council approves franchise agreement By SHAVONNE POTTS Index-Journal staff writer ABBEVILLE City Council approved first reading of an ordinance Tuesday to enter a nonexclusive franchise aereement with West Carolina Unanimously agreed to reappoint Steve Davis and Kevin Hughes to the Housing Board of Adjustments and Appeals for four-year terms. Their current terms expire in September. Shavonne Potts covers general assignments in Greenwood and the Lakelands. She can be reached at 223-1811, ext. 3306, or: miums paid by employees for 2004.

The new rates go into effect Jan. 1, 2004. There will be no rate increase in 2004 for the portion paid by the Wiggins said, reading from a memo to council There will be several other changes in the plan, including an increase in an annual deductible and an increase in the co-payment for prescription drugs in 2004. Council also: Approved second and final reading of an ordinance authorizing the city manager to enter into a leasepurchase agreement for new city equipment and vehicles. The amount to be funded will be $405,490, but council allowed for up to $430,000 to be spent Received information- from Assistant City Manager Nolan Wiggins that the State Health Plan will increase pre installing, maintaining, repairing and operating digital entertainment facilities.

City Manager David Krumwiede informed council that West Carolina wants to run a test site at about 30 homes to ensure things are working as they should. Council will further discuss the matter during a work session next Tuesday. Second reading consideration is planned for the September council meeting. Communications to provide digital entertainment services. The agreement would allow West Carolina to use the city's streets and public places for the purpose of Saluda County Council maizes board appointments siSV s4 sgf win i yt.

i I 4 i mother, Minnie Complex near the By SHAVONNE POTTS Index-Journal staff writer SALUDA County Council made appointments to various boards and committees during a meeting this week. Council appointed: Obie Combs of Saluda to be a representative on the board of directors for the Upper Savannah Council of Governments. Saluda resident Wilbur Scurry to the building and Mobile Home Appeals Board. Dewey Brown of Leesville to the Economic Development board. Donny Black of Circle Fire Department, Robbie Hatcher of Hollywood Fire Department Tony Riddle of Mayson Fire Department, Benjamin Merchant of Midlands Fire Department, G.W.

Berry from Old Town Fire Time with grandma Chad Lawson, 5, and sister Brittney Symmes, 11, spend Tuesday afternoon with their grand- transfers teachers to cope with enrollment equipment operator position if a position becomes available," county clerk Karen Riddle said. Council agreed to change the title of purchasing agent to financial specialist First reading of an ordinance was approved by council to establish criteria to accept roads into the county maintenance system. Council approved a request to have the Upper Savannah Council of Governments write a letter of intent to explore the possibility of seeking a Community Development Block Grant to renovate the old health department building. Shavonne Potts covers general assignments in Greenwood and the Lakelands. She can be reached at 223-1811, ext.

3306, or: spottsindexjournal.com imbalance Emerald's enrollment also increased because of the addition of two neighborhoods to its attendanceizone. Enrfltytnejtti projecUonare, based on student population data from previous years, but factors such as families moving, going to or from a private school and students being granted transfers to attend out of zone can affect the actual count. Steed said the district approved fewer transfers this year than in the past. were then taken out of handcuffs and allowed to leave with a warning, Ford said. Williams was charged with aggravated assault because he struck the men while they were handcuffed and did it with "the purposeful infliction of shame and disgrace," according to the statement.

TUESDAY'S LOTTERY NUMBERS District 50 By MISTY EBEL Index-Journal staff writer Five Greenwood District, 50 eleifteptary "teachers have "been reassigned to different schools to balance classroom enrollments, Superintendent Bill Steed said. "We allot teaching positions based on projected enrollments," Steed said. But enrollments at some of the elementary schools are different than projected. "We have no idea who's going grade teacher from East End to Mathews, a fifth-grade teacher from East End to Springfield, a first-grade teacher at Woodfields who will teach third grade at Springfield and a second-grade teacher at Woodfields who will teach fourth grade at Springfield. Principals are in contact with parents of affected students about the change, Steed said.

So far, the district has only looked at class sizes at the elementary level, so officials still have to examine class sizes for Staff photo by Shavonne Potts Marse, at the Wilbanks Sports Greenwood Civic Center. schools, so teachers don't have to change schools. "Teachers understand they have to make these adjustments, but it's hard, particularly with teachers already having their classrooms set up," Steed said. "We didn't want to do this," he said. "But we had no choice." The change came on the third dayof school.

"We felt like we needed to do it soon, because of students adjusting," Steed said. Also moving were a fourth- S.C. trooper COLUMBIA (AP) A trooper has been arrested after a State Law Enforcement Division agent said he struck two handcuffed men during a traffic stop. Former Lance Cpl. Chad Williams was arrested around 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday in Orangeburg County and charged with two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, SLED said, Williams, 28, resigned from the Highway Patrol last week. He was a seven-year veteran' of the force and made the news last month when he survived being charged with assaulting two men Department (chairman), Gerry Grenier of Ridge Spring Fire Department and Edwin Riley of Saluda Fire Department (vice chairman) to be representatives on the 2003-04 Fire Board. Brenda Teague to the County Employee Grievance Committee. Glenn Corley of Batesburg to the Saluda County Library Board. J.D.

Patton II to the Upper Savannah Workforce Development Board. In other business: An ordinance died for lack of a motion that would have created a recreation advisory committee that would assist the recreation director. "During executive session council approved to allow Superintendent. Billie Corley to follow the normal procedure to fill an the middle and high schools. Northside Middle started school with 850 students, many more than anticipated, while Brewer Middle had fewer students than projected.

Westview Middle was close to projected numbers. Enrollment at both Emerald and Greenwood high schools were the highest to date. That may be in part because of an influx of students from Cambridge Academy, which closed its high school this year. some cocaine and ran into the woods, Ford said. While Williams chased the passenger, another trooper backing Williams up handcuffed Johnson and another man, according to the statement.

Williams couldn't catch the man who fled and returned to the car, Ford said. Williams then hit Johnson in the chest with his forearm and struck the other man with his fist before slapping him in the face several times, according to the statement. Johnson and the other man to Florida Loranzatti said. Rowe expects to complete the trip Sept. 15 and will return for his senior year at Lander in January.

To follow Rowe on his journey, visitVAvw.johnnywalking.com Misty Ebel covers education issues and general assignments in Greenwood and the Lake lands. She can be reached at -223-1811 ext.3308, or: mebelindexjoumal.com officially closes the books," Sanford spokesman Will Folks said. "I know the governor is very unhappy about it," said Eckstrom, who has spoken to Sanford about the deficit. Eckstrom said he expects to tap state's general deposit account to cover the remaining shortfall. www.indexjournal.com vvww.greenwoodtoclay.com Woman dies six days after crash From staff reports A motorcycle passenger injured in a wreck Aug.

2 has died, Greenwood Coroner Jim Coursey said. Diane N. Smith, 42, of West Columbia, suffered blunt force trauma to her chest and head during a collision with a vehicle on S.C. 34, Coursey said. She died Friday.

Her husband, the motorcycle's driver, Warren S. Smith, 40, of West Columbia, died at the scene of the wreck, which took place about a mile east of Greenwood. Smith's motorcycle hit a car attempting to turn left in front of him. Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Sluder said. Smith's bike hit the right front fender of the car and he struck the car's windshield.

Diane Smith was wearing a helmet at the time of the wreck, Coursey said, but her husband was not. struck by lightning on the Interstate 95 bridge over Lake Marion. Williams was arrested after SLED agents reviewed a videotape of a July 20 traffic stop on U.S. 301 in Orangeburg County made by cameras inside two patrol cruisers. On those tapes, Williams is seen pulling over a car with three people inside that was driven by Travis Johnson, according to a sworn statement by SLED agent Matt Ford.

Williams ordered a passenger out of the car and the man dropped what appeared to be Rowe has kept in contact with Loranzatti through phone calls and e-mails, sent via his laptop computer. Rowe spent Monday night at an Episcopalian church retreat for youths. Rowe spoke Tuesday to those at the retreat about the trail project. "He said a couple hundred teenagers lined the street and gave him a rousing send-off for the next leg of his when he left the camp Tuesday, to show up and who isn't," Steed said. "Where we had imbalances, we adjusted and balanced Tjctf example a teacher moved from Lakeview, which had an average of 13 students per class at that grade level, to Mathews, helping bring the average class size in the first grade down from 28 students.

Adjustments such as these are typical, Steed said, though generally they are able to balance classes within the individual Trail hiker The funds will go to the Margarita Tejada Foundation for Down syndrome in Guatemala, where his mother Nancy spends several months each year volunteering. Jonathan, Nancy and Jonathan's brother Michael, 13, who has Down syndrome, plan to fly to Guatemala in September, after Jonathan has completed his bike trip, for a two-day conference on Down syndrome, -where Jonathan will present the Preliminary calculations show that the state will exhaust its $38.8 million general reserve fund and still have a deficit of under $30 million, Eckstrom said. Detailed numbers will be released Wednesday afternoon, Eckstrom said. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman said he expects the deficit to hit $25 million after emptying the state's rainy day account. Still, that's good news because "it does indicate that finally we're turning around with the revenue coming into state government," continues journey home S.C.

DAY DAY Pick 3: 4-6-0 Cash 4: 7-0-7-1 Pick 4: 2-1-1-0 NIGHT NIGHT Cash 3: 8-0-6 Pick 3: 2-4-1 Change Game: Pick 4: 9-1-5-3 S-9-8-2-0-F Carolina 5: N-5-6-3-8-P 4-13-22-35-11 W-8-0-4-9-D FLORIDA VIRGINIA Cash 3: 6-3-4 Pick 3: 5-0-9 Play 4: 6-5-7-6 Pick 4: 4-5-4-0 Cash 5: GEORGIA 4-10-16-19-29 Appalachian Du MICTV CPPI Index-Journal staff writer A Lander University student who hiked 2,173 miles along the Appalachian Trail to raise money for Down syndrome is now cycling his way from Maine to his Florida home. Jonathan Rowe, 21, expects to reach Wakefield, R.I., today. Rowe raised more than $16,000 ttirrtnoYl cnnncnrchinc fnr hie lias kij.wii.iu. i Appalachian Trail Project. South Carolina finished 2003 with deficit of less than $70 million LATE NUMBERS FROM MONDAY FLORIDA Fantasy 5: 32-27-33-6-22 GEORGIA NIGHT Cash 4: 8-2-4-0 Fantasy 5: 3-13-22-26-33 VIRGINIA NIGHT Pick 3: 8-0-6 Pick 4: 7-7-9-9 Cash 5: 1-4-11-23-26 CALLUS On Saturdays and Sunday, tai-' ohonad reoort of mlaaira annam ara recorded and monitored from am.untM1p.rn.

call 223-1411. proceeds from his travels. After hiking from Georgia to Maine, Rowe left Aug. 6 from Portland, Maine, on bike to return home to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Rowe is traveling the East Coast Greenway, a trail that runs through 15 states. Despite the amount of rain that has hit the east coast, Rowe hasn't run into any severe weather, only a few showers, according to Lander spokesman Dave Loranzatti. he said. In a $5 billion budget, coming up $25 million short is not that large of a problem because it is such a small percentage of the overall budget that there is no way to forecast it, Leatherman said. The 2003 deficit looks to be smaller than some expected.

For instance, the National Conference of State Legislators said in a report last month that information South Carolina provided suggested a 3.6 percent deficit That works out to more than $150 million." COLUMBIA (AP) South Carolina finished its 2003 fiscal year with a deficit of less than $70 million, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom said Tuesday. The $68.8 million shortfall would be less than 1.5 percent of the state's $5 billion budget and a fraction of the $248.8 million deficit at the end of fiscal 2002. "It's not as bad as the situation was last year," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, said. "It's still something that we'll have to deal with." The same report said South Carolina and Wisconsin were the only states in the nation expected to report year-end deficits. Eckstrom, Harrell, Leather-man and the other two members of state Budget and Control Board will meet next week to approve a plan to deal with the shortfall.

Gov. Mark Sanford is the budget board's chairman, but would not comment on the deficit "It would be irresponsible for this office to comment until the comptroller general 1 Advartlalnq 229-1411 cianid 223-1411 Now i 223-1811 Sport 223-1813 Aocant 823-1611 Hava I atory or photo idea? atnKprevfiMwaodflyuafa.