Photos by Jed Blackwell
An angry citizen has words for Carrol Bradley, who spoke in support of the Holly Springs Fire Commissioners last Friday. Many citizens were angry about not being given the opportunity to be put on the agenda to speak at Friday’s meeting, which ended with the termination of Chief Lee Jeffcoat.

Even before the termination of Holly Springs Fire Chief Lee Jeffcoat at the end of last week’s called meeting of the Holly Springs Commission Board of Fire Control, the timing of the meeting, the notice of the meeting provided to the public and the meeting’s agenda were all called into question by several concerned citizens and at least one commission member.
The meeting, which took place Friday, July 23 at 2:45 p.m., was not set at the end of the commission’s work session on Monday, July 19. Hometown News received notification of the meeting on Thursday, July 22 at 2:15 p.m. by way of a faxed agenda. Citizens and commission members acknowledged that the agenda was also posted at the fire station at approximately the same time.
While notification was received in accordance with South Carolina Freedom of Information Act laws, which stipulate a 24-hour notice for called meetings, many citizens questioned the agenda itself.
At issue is the last line-item on the agenda, entitled “Citizens Agenda”. The names of five citizens who wished to speak to the board were listed, along with a notice that a request to speak must be made at least 24 hours in advance and is subject to approval.
The question on the mind of many citizens, and Commissioner Hugh Jackson, seemed to be how that procedure could be followed when notice of the meeting was given only minutes before the 24-hour deadline would expire?
Jackson voiced his concerns at the beginning of Friday’s meeting. After leading the invocation, Jackson asked to speak and was given the floor by Chairman Ryan Phillips.
“I was not aware of this meeting until 2:30 yesterday,” he said. “I was sent a one-line email about the meeting, with no agenda, nothing. I was just told to come to a meeting. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I’ve been left out of a lot of things, and I’m concerned.”
Jackson said that he drove to the fire department, saw the posted agenda, and immediately questioned how five people had requested to speak at a meeting that he, as a commissioner, had no prior knowledge of.
“In my opinion, that’s not a proper way to do a meeting,” Jackson said. “I sincerely question the legality of this meeting. I’ll bet I was the only commissioner who didn’t know about it.”
At that point, Jackson stated that he wished to excuse himself from the proceedings and walked out of the meeting. After his departure, Jackson wouldn’t speculate as to how the five citizens got onto the agenda.
“I don’t want to go there,” Jackson said. “I think everybody has an idea, but I don’t want to go there.”
When asked directly after the meeting how he came to be on the agenda to speak, citizen Carrol Bradley told a Hometown News reporter “I don’t feel the need to answer that”. When pressed further, Bradley told the reporter that he should look into the issue himself.
Jackson was at a loss for what to do in the face of his exclusion by the rest of the commissioners.
“Apparently, they made an agenda,” he said. “I’ve just got one vote…I don’t know.”
Jackson feels that the agenda driving the rest commissioners is not the one in question from Friday’s meeting, but a personal one.
“In my opinion, it’s just hate,” he said. “It’s sad.”
When the floor was open to the citizens whose names appeared on the agenda, about half the crowd walked out of the meeting in protest of not being given an equal chance to speak. Many of those who left are members of a group of residents who have been meeting together since the controversy surrounding this issue first started. That group, Concerned Citizens of the Holly Springs Community,  issued a statement via email.
“We all have the freedom of speech and should exercise it,” the statement said. “We are just letting them know that we want to play fair. In the past meetings, there were quite a few people that were there for the commissioners. They had the chance to speak as well. Instead, they choose to ambush our freedom of speech in order to get their point across. They like to argue and we aren’t going to give them the benefit of an argument. This needs to be handled civilly and honorably. They are more than welcome to speak at a meeting where we are all given equal chances to do the same.”
The hard feelings between both sides and between the public and the commissioners is something that hurts Jackson
“I want this community together,” he said. “I’ve been here 73 years in another week, but I’ve never seen nothing like this before. The fire department’s been here since ‘72, and we’ve had no problems. Everything’s run smooth and all of a sudden this happens.”
Jackson has a simple solution, one that will cost him his seat on the commission but one he hopes will bring an end to the issue.
“I want the Governor - and I told one of his aides this yesterday - I want him to wipe the commission clean,” Jackson said. “I want him to appoint five more and go at it. I want to see this community come together.”

For more on this story, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry and The Middle Tyger Times.

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH by Theron Willis
HOMETOWN NEWS

Pam Whitehead looks through the letters that she hasn’t read in over 40 years that were sent to her from a special someone who fought in the Vietnam War.

Sometimes the opening of an old dusty envelope hidden away in a corner can have an effect similar to time travel.
When Pam Whitehead of Lyman recently went through a 41-year-old stack of letters she was transported back to a time long ago. To a time before she was a mother and a grandmother,  back when she was a sixteen-year-old girl in Cowpens and a fragile and fateful love was budding between her and a soldier she hardly knew who was writing to her from the foxholes in Vietnam.
Whitehead, then with the maiden name Bolton, started correspondence with twenty-year-old Army Private First Class Paul Martinez while he was stationed at Fort Lewis in the state of Washington. Martinez was buddies with a guy named Ricky who was from Cowpens and dating Pam’s sister,  Gerri at the time.
Pam says that Martinez was Puerto Rican and worked in the shipyards in San Francisco with his family before joining the Army, but she knows very little else about his life. When Ricky went back home to Cowpens on leave,  Martinez went as well to see the sixteen-year-old young lady who had become his pen pal.
That two-week leave was the first and only time Pam ever saw Martinez in person. A shy and awkward attraction developed over the course of the two weeks and hinted at when he went back to Fort Lewis, but when Martinez was deployed in Vietnam in April 3, 1969,  he began to express feelings to Pam in his letters that might have otherwise lain dormant - feelings of his love for Pam and his hope of reuniting with her once his time was through in the dreaded war.
“We can have so much together when I get out,  I know it. It’s just a matter of time…Before you know it I will be in your arms and telling you I will never let go know (now) that I have you so close to me,” he wrote in one of his letters to Pam.
Martinez was stationed in the Quang Nam Province in South Vietnam with the first squad of the 101st Airborne Division and served as a rifleman.
Pam says Martinez had poor grammar and spelling but despite that his letters brought out a romantic and eloquent side. “Pam the way love moves is the way to (two) persons meet, may it be by thought or touch,” he wrote on the back of a picture he sent to her from Vietnam.
Pam also thinks Martinez could express things in letters that he would find hard to say in person. “He was kind of shy at first (in person) but I think he was more comfortable when he started writing letters,” Pam explains.
The affection and romance that Martinez expressed to Pam made her feel in ways she had never felt before in her young life.
“I dated and had boyfriends before but he made me feel like the most wonderful person in the world, like I was an angel and that I was so precious to him,” Pam says. She was reluctant and shy to reciprocate the same intense romanticism and passion that Martinez communicated to her through his letters.
“I was only sixteen and it was all just so new and strange to read what he was saying to me,” Pam recounts. “I just wasn’t sure how to respond.”
Martinez tried not to be forceful in his letters but also asked her to grant one simple wish. “Guess what Pam, you own part of my heart… I don’t mine you owning part of me at all…it’s not even costing you a thing except a genione I Love You once in a wy’ll in your letters. is it a deal? my heart for an I Love You in your letter’s.”
Pam finally started ending her letters to Martinez with an “I love you” and other affectionate sentiments but a few weeks later she realized it was too late. On May 23, 1969 she came home from school to find an ominous package from the US Army waiting for her. Inside the package was her recent batch of letters to Martinez as well as a note informing her that Martinez was killed on May 7, 1969 while his unit was trying to take Hamburger Hill. He spent only a little more than a month in Vietnam.
The heartbreaking thing with journeys back through time is knowing the outcome of events but being powerless to change it. As Pam read back over letters from Martinez for the first time in 41 years,  she realized that the dates on the letters were a countdown till his untimely death.
“This (letter) is 26th of April,  ‘69 so how long did he have to live?” Pam asked her voice breaking with emotion.
What was also painful was realizing that the promises made by Martinez to Pam of the times they would share once his time was up in Vietnam were fated to never happen.
“We can go driving all over the place with the car windows down and the radio soft and you sitting next to me,” Martinez writes to Pam as he envisioned a peaceful place away from the foxholes and bombs.
Looking back at the letters stirred up a cauldron of mixed emotions in Pam,  making her wonder what would have happened if Martinez would have made it back from Vietnam. Would their love have survived? Would they still be together today? How would her life have been different?
But soon enough it was time to leave the past and return to the present, to carefully put away the old and yellowed letters back in a shadowy corner of her house and likewise put the thoughts of Martinez and the long - gone possibility of a different life away as well. 

Photo Submitted
New Boiling Springs Elementary School principal Luann Cartee.

When school opens in August at Boiling Springs Elementary School,  new principal Luann Cartee will find  herself at a different school, but she is certainly no stranger to District Two having been in the district since 1985. She was at Mayo Elementary from 1985 until 1989 and at Boiling Springs Elementary as a teacher from 1989 until 2000. Cartee then served the last ten years as the assistant principal at Carlisle-Foster’s Grove Elementary School.
Cartee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Education degree in educational administration from the University of South Carolina and a Master of Education degree from Converse College.
Cartee is originally from the Inman area,  where she still resides,  and was first educated in District 1 schools. Recently, Cartee talked to Hometown News about her career in education and her new opportunity as BSES principal.
Cartee said, “I really like the people in District Two. The parents, teachers, administration, and of course, the children always provide the greatest support. The PTA is very active and there are a lot of after school clubs for the students to get involved with.”
Asked about becoming a principal Cartee said, “It maybe was not the goal initially, but over my career I began to feel it was what I wanted to do. When I taught at BSES under Dr. Ledford it solidified it. He was and is a great mentor and led me in that direction.”
For the rest of the story, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry.

By Leon G. Russ
HOMETOWN NEWS

Photo by Leon G. Russ
The most recent addition to Va-Du-Mar Park is this new building that offers storage units, public restroom facilities and a meeting room on the second floor.  Future plans for the park include tennis courts, additional parking and new ball fields.

The Spartanburg Parks and Recreation Commission just reported work has been completed on a new facility at Va-Du-Mar Park in Boiling Springs.
The new facility has four storage areas along with public restrooms on the first floor and a carpeted, air conditioned meeting room on the second floor.
The cost of the facility totaled $250,000 with $150,000 coming from a grant plus $38,000 in matching funds along with $50,000 in funds from Hospitality taxes, said Chris Bever, Administrative Services Coordinator for the Spartanburg Parks Commission.
The entire sum, said Stan Tillotson, Director of Facilities for the Spartanburg Parks Commission, covered the new building along with fencing, lighting, signage and new entryway to the park.
The building is just the latest addition to the nine-year old park that boasts the best Frisbee golf course in the south, two soccer fields, a football field, children’s playground and walking paths.
Looking to the future of Va-Du-Mar Park, tennis courts and an additional parking area are in the works with construction set to begin in about two months, said Tillotson.
For the rest of the story, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry.

A routine traffic stop along I-85 last Thursday led to the seizure of about 257 pounds of marijuana, shown here during a press conference at the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Friday. The Georgia suspect was charged with trafficking marijuana more than 100 pounds and being a fugitive from justice.

A routine traffic stop last Thursday along I-85 ended with the seizure of more than 250 pounds of marijuana and the arrest of a Georgia man following a two-hour search after he fled from deputies attempting to question him.
Livingston Sylvester Roach, 42, of 627 Lakewater Estates Ln., Stone Mountain, GA, has been charged with trafficking in marijuana more than 100 pounds and being a fugitive from justice following the July 8 traffic stop. As of press time Monday, he remained in the Spartanburg County Detention Center.
Sheriff Chuck Wright said during a press conference Friday that a stop for weaving in a traffic lane and the presence of certain indicators that aroused deputies’ suspicions led to the discovery of 257 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle’s trunk. That amount of marijuana has an estimated street value of $1.5 million.
“That’s a big deal because that didn’t make it to our streets,” Wright said. “That’s a lot of poison there and I’m glad we’ll be able to destroy it.”
The sheriff said that as deputies’ suspicions were aroused, they used a K9 unit to inspect the vehicle. In short order the dog alerted on the car’s trunk. The suspect gave permission to search the car and deputies quickly found the large packages of marijuana nestled in the trunk covered only with a blanket.

FOR THE REST O THE STORY SEE THIS WEEK’S BOILING SPRINGS SENTRY.

Marvin Rogers at a recent book signing at The Bookstore and More in Boiling Springs, SC.

Marvin Rogers, author of the new book Silence Makes the Loudest Sound, grew up in the Springfield area and graduated from Boiling Springs High School in 1994. His book,  which has been a five year process,  traces the political history of African-Americans, how the GOP lost their vote and what they can do to regain it.
The book contains much more however, touching on many subjects that impact daily life.
At a recent book signing at The Bookstore and More in Boiling Springs, Hometown News interviewed Marvin Rogers about some of those other topics. Rogers believes that many schools in the country are failing and said, “While funding is an issue and always is, the real pandemic is a lack of active parental involvement and positive reinforcement. The whole family unit needs to work together to stimulate motivation and that drive to succeed in school.”
Addressing South Carolina specifically, Rogers believes that ACT 388 “needs to be repealed.” About the fight against terrorism Rogers said, “The terrorists see the war they are waging as necessary and that makes the politics of diplomacy very difficult. I think we need to be more strategic and focused in our efforts. For instance, less than one percent of the United States intelligence community speaks Arabic and that is the language of one of the world’s hotspots. We need to make a stronger diplomatic thrust to seek solutions.”
To that end, Rogers said he himself is considering learning Arabic to be able someday to maybe “play some part in reaching a diplomatic solution.”
On the subject of voting, Rogers believes it is an important part of a democratic society and said, “Voting is the language of democracy and is the most fundamental political act that a person can do.”
Asked what advice he would give to young black voters,  Rogers said, “I would never tell anyone to vote one way or the other or for one party or another. I would advise them to move away from the “cult” of American politics and study platforms, not people. Then you should align your own views and policy beliefs with a platform. I would stress that you should not judge personalities, but instead judge principles.”

 For the rest of the story and more local news and events, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry.

School District Two Trustees vote to approve the budget for 2010/2011.

District Two School Board Chairperson Connie Smith convened trustees in a special called meeting n June 29, 2010,  with Superintendent Dr. Scott Mercer and all trustees except Craig Sims in attendance.
During the meeting Dr. Mercer and Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, Don Denton, presented a proposed budget for instruction, support, civic services, and non-programmed charges totaling $61, 442,428.00 dollars which is a decrease of 5.44 percent or $3, 537,144.00 dollars less than last year. Administration had proposed a 5.03 mills tax increase, but the board of trustees unanimously rejected that proposal and approved the budget with no tax increase.
Funds from the district reserve fund will be used to balance the budget,  leaving the reserve fund balance at approximately $10.4 million. To deal with decreased funding several measures were implemented to meet budget demands including furloughs, pay cuts for working retirees, a scaling back in maintenance and a $300,000 dollar cut in the technology budget.
The district will also operate with 38 fewer positions for a savings of approximately $1.3 million. Those position cuts were mostly through attrition, but some working retirees were not offered renewal contracts.
Commenting on the budget, Superintendent Mercer said, “This budget process has been difficult and unprecedented in my 32 years in education. Never have districts had to deal with such shortfalls in funding over a period of years. I am proud of our Board of Trustees for looking carefully and thoughtfully at the situation. They have made some decisions that were rather painful in terms of the impact they have on the lives of our employees while doing all they can to protect what we do for our children. My hope and confidence is that we will weather this fiscal storm in the coming year, our student outcomes will continue to improve, and we will maintain our position as one of the premier school districts in South Carolina.”
Board Chairperson Connie Smith said, “This budget allows us to continue providing our children with quality education. I think we are sound and I am glad we were able to forgo the tax increase considering the current economic situation. This budget also allows us to pay off the new Rainbow Lake Middle School next year and be debt free. There were some hard choices and some of our most experienced, knowledgeable, and dedicated working retirees took a blow with the pay decrease, but in no way does that reflect how much we value them and what they provide in the school district.”

FOR  THE REST OF THE STORY AND MORE LOCAL NEWS AND EVENTS, SEE THIS WEEK’S BOILING SPRINGS SENTRY.

Raising Old Glory
Ron Taylor played Call to Colors and Jana Curry sang the National Anthem as members of the DAV and American Legion raised the United States Flag at the Grapevine Restaurant in Boiling Springs.

Of the ten declared federal holidays,  none would seem to have as much significance to the history of the United States as does the Fourth of July. That day marks the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1774 the 13 colonies had first sent delegates to Philadelphia to form the First Continental Congress and while the delegates were unhappy with England,  they were not yet ready to declare war for their independence. Actual hostilities began in April of 1775 when British troops advanced on Concord, Massachusetts and the “shot heard round the world” was fired.
So by June 1776,  the colonies had already been at war with England for over a year and working out their differences was hopeless. Thus, a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson which included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman chose Jefferson to write the first draft of the Declaration of Independence.
When presented to the Continental Congress only nine colonies initially approved it. South Carolina and Pennsylvania voted no, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained.
To make it official, John Hancock,  who was the only delegate to actually sign the document on July 4,  did so “with a great flourish” so “King George can read that without spectacles.”
The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. Twice that day it was also read aloud in Philadelphia’s Independence Square,  much to the delight of large cheering crowds and the sound of pealing church bells. Of course, after that the Declaration became the rallying point for all fighters for independence.
As with most historical events,  there are always some little publicized facts surrounding them. The Fourth of July is no different.
•  The signing of the Declaration of Independence was not completed until August, 1776. 55 individuals eventually signed the document.
•   The first Indepen-dence Day celebration took place on July 4, 1777.
•  By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established ways of celebrating.
•  At the time of signing the Declaration of Independence,  there were approximately 2.5 million people living in the 13 colonies. Today there are over 304 million in the United States.
•  At the request of the Continental Congress, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag in May of 1777.
•  America’s second president John Adams was the first to light fireworks on Independence Day when he said the day “ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.”
•  On a distressing note, in 2007 Americans bought $4.7 million dollars worth of flags. $4.3 million dollars worth of those flags were made in China.
•  The Fourth of July was not officially declared a federal holiday until 1941. Before it became a holiday it was known by many people as Americanization Day.
•  Two American Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same Fourth of July. The two men, though both prominent founding fathers and Presidents, did not get along for many years before reconciling. Adam’s last words are reported to be “Jefferson lives,” as he did not know that Jefferson had died earlier that day.
•  James Monroe, the fifth President also died on the Fourth of July and President Calvin Coolidge was born on the Fourth of July in 1872.
Whether you celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade, fireworks, or maybe taking in a ball game, keep in mind the true significance of the day and what it meant to America as we know it today.

For more local news and events, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry.

Boiling Springs ninth - grade student Esther Karpets shows the 74 books she read during the just -  completed school year in the READissance program.

When Sally Hursey was a media specialist at Boiling Springs High School in 2002 she became concerned that high school students were not reading very much so she did something about it. Hursey began a voluntary reading program called READissance that took off and achieved some of the results she wanted to see in increasing students reading. When Hursey took over the media specialist position for the 2008-2009 school years at the ninth grade campus she brought her innovative program with her.
After putting the program in place that school year the program exploded with success in the just completed 2009-2010 year. For the term 508 ninth - graders read 2,204 books and 549,798 pages. 107 students read nine books or more. Three teachers had 100 percent participation in their classes including one class that read an average of 5.7 books per student for a total of 617 books.
The top reader was student Esther Karpets with 74 books. Karpets,  who is of Russian heritage,  said, “I have loved to read since I was very young. My mother taught me how to read in Russian and I learned English in school. Reading teaches me about life and it is relaxing entertainment. I enjoy most Christian fiction and mystery and suspense. READissance is a great program because reading will affect everyone’s future.”
Founder of the READissance program,  Sally Hursey said, “I get excited and passionate about literacy. I am thrilled to see what the program is accomplishing.”
Another part of the program instituted by the school is that every day 15 minutes is set aside for reading by everyone from administrators all the way down to students. Incentives are also given to classes that reach the “Radical Readers” level.
Assistant Principal Joyce Smith said, “We have a school full of role models who continually stress the importance of reading to students. It used to be “not cool” to have a book in your hand, but that is gone now. Reading is the thing to be doing.”
Proud Principal Eddie Cole said, “This program has been a great thing for our school. There are always those that read, but Sally and READissance has drawn in non-readers including athletes. It is fun to walk around the school and see kids during breaks and lunchtime with a book in their hand. Sally has worked wonders with the students.”
As to the future of READissance,  Sally Hursey said, “We will strive to get better and better each year. We have already begun preparing our incoming class by sending them information on the program and a summer reading list. The program works. Library circulation is up and kids are reading. Our goal is to raise the student achievement level across the board through reading and literacy.”

For more local news and events, see this week’s Boiling Springs Sentry.

By Theron Willis
HOMETOWN NEWS

Terry Glenn Lanford was scheduled to appear in federal court on Wednesday, June 23 in Greenville to answer for a drug charge stemming from a narcotics conspiracy with former Spartanburg Clerk of Court Marcus Kitchens  but was not present due to his current medical state. His attorney Johnny Gasser informed U.S. District Judge Henry Herlong Jr. that Lanford suffered a heart attack and stroke during a medical procedure on May 27 and that his physician Dr. Robert E. Jackson believes that Lanford is fit neither mentally nor physically to appear in court.
Gasser submitted a letter from Dr. Jackson stating he does not believe that Lanford would be able to undergo any court proceedings for at least six months or until he is released medically. It was also stated that Lanford is now under home medical care.
The continuance was granted but Herlong requested to receive monthly updates about Lanford’s condition.
In an unrelated case, Lanford was arrested two weeks ago on June 17 by Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office due to a fraudulent check written to the City of Woodruff and was released on bond after spending about eight hours in jail.
Lanford is facing the charge of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail and a $1 million fine.
The charge stems from a conspiracy with former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Marcus Woodrow Kitchens in which Lanford sold drugs provided by Kitchens from the Spartanburg County Courthouse evidence room to a dealer in Florida.
Kitchens was present at the Wednesday hearing and pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine and another count of theft from a federally funded organization by an agent of said organization.
The plea was accepted and Herlong will pass down sentencing after reviewing the pre-sentence report.
The drug conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, and a three-year term of supervised release. The maximum sentence for the second charge is a 10-year imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a three-year term of supervised release. 
Evidence presented at the hearing stated that in mid-2009 an individual was apprehended by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) in Orlando, Florida and agreed to become a confidential source (CS). He informed investigators that the cocaine he  in his possession when  he was arrested  was bought from Terry Glenn Lanford of Woodruff, SC.   He also told investigators that he learned from Lanford that the narcotics were taken directly from the evidence locker of the Spartanburg County Courthouse.
Lanford was then interviewed by the DEA and confirmed this information saying that the DEA informant agreed to pay $8,000 for the drugs that Lanford obtained from then Clerk of Court Marcus Kitchens.
Lanford then agreed to wear an electronic recording device during his next meeting with Kitchens.
Kitchens and Lanford met on the morning of February 2, 2010 at a Spartanburg restaurant in which money from a past drug deal was exchanged and discussion followed about removing and selling more drugs from the evidence room. 
Kitchens was arrested as he left the restaurant.

For more local news and events, see this week’s Local Hometown News.

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