A Spartanburg County Sheriff’s deputy was arrested and charged with one count of criminal domestic violence Sunday night and was terminated Monday from the department for conduct unbecoming an officer.

David Bryan Lawson, 51, of 1271 Hanging Rock Rd., Boiling Springs, was arrested after deputies responded to a domestic call at the residence of Lawson’s estranged wife. Deputies were told the suspect hit his wife several times on her head and neck and they noted bruising on one of her arms.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune and Spartanburg County News.

What started out with a Chesnee citizen calling in a suspected drunk driver  on February 16 quickly ended with an arrest by Chesnee Police of a major drug dealer and the seizure of over 5 pounds of marijuana and $10,000 dollars in cash.

After receiving the call Sgt Kip Teal quickly located the described vehicle and began following. With Sgt Teal observing from directly behind, the driver of the vehicle disregarded and ran through a stop sign, failed to signal for a turn, and was weaving across the lane lines. Sgt Teal initiated a traffic stop and when he approached the vehicle he detected a strong odor of marijuana.

Teal also observed that the driver, Johnny Willis Alexander Jr. 40, of 227 Lake Drive, Gaffney,  and the passenger, 40 - year - old Tammy Smith of the same address, were extremely nervous and had slurred speech. Alexander was taken out of the car, read his rights, and administered a field sobriety test which he failed. Smith was also taken out of the car. Both suspects were seated on the sidewalk as they were unsteady.

During a search of the car Sgt Teal found a large trash bag. He then called Chief Scott Smith who arrived on the scene to provide back-up. A further search of the bag then revealed six 1-gallon zip-lock bags packed with marijuana,  containing just over 5 pounds total weight. A body search of Johnny Alexander produced $10,066 dollars mostly in 100 hundred - dollar bills.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

The joy of a blowout win was followed by panic as gunshots rang out just outside the doors to the Broome High School gym following the completion of the Broome Chesnee basketball game on Thursday night, February 11.

Panicked students ran down the hallway, screaming,  “he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun” and “someone’s been shot.”

Broome High School head basketball coach Hal McManus shepherded his players into the locker room and then took off on a run down the hallway located  behind the Broome stands shouting, “Where’s my daughter, where’s my daughter?”

Reaching the end of that hall,  he made the right turn into the hall through which the public enters the gym and discovered 21 - year - old Robert Lee Moore of 11 Thurgood Marshall Road, Spartanburg lying  just outside the gym’s inside double doors.  Moore was stating he’d been shot although there was no blood to be found.  Moore picked himself off the floor and went to the men’s room with some friends to examine his left leg and found no blood or bullet lodged in him.

Moore was hit in his upper left thigh and the only visible trace was a knot that had formed on his thigh where he had been hit.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Spartanburg County News and Chesnee Tribune.

Over Christmas break, most students go home to spend the holiday with their families.

A group of NGU students sacrificed time at home with their friends and families to spend their break proclaiming Jesus Christ in other parts of our world.

One of these groups traveled to China from December 18 until January 2.

Another group, including  Katie Potter,  of Chesnee,  traveled to Uganda from December 9 through December 22. Along with the students, Jody Jennings, Baptist Student Union (BSU) director, went down to help.

“The major part of the trip was to encourage the church there and help it to be ongoing,” Jennings said, “We are building a partnership with the people and helped with the construction of the church building.”

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

The Chesnee Lions Club recognized Chesnee Police Officer Ricky Blanton on January 25 with a plaque naming him the 2009 Chesnee Policeman of the Year. He was presented the plaque by Police Chief Scott Smith who said, “Officer Blanton meets all five points and goals I have set for the department and always goes above and beyond. He is a credit to the department.”

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright was guest speaker for the event. Officer Blanton was also named Police Department Officer of the Year for Chesnee at their annual dinner banquet in December 2009.

The Chesnee Lions Club was organized in June 2009 with current membership of twenty-six Lions. During this meeting four new members were also sworn in by Lions District Governor Joe Lark. who said, “Chesnee should be proud to have such a fine group as these Lions serving the community.”

They meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Turner’s Family Restaurant in Chesnee. For information contact Jan Moffitt at 864-461-2913 or email to gospel.singers@yahoo.com.

Area veterans in need of medical services no longer have to travel to Greenville to a Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic, as a new facility has opened near Boiling Springs to serve their needs.

Located in the North Grove Medical Park, the Spartanburg VA Community Outpatient Clinic has been in service since November 23. The facility officially celebrated its grand opening on Monday.

Priscilla Creamer, Public Affairs Officer with the Veterans Administration, said the new facility was opened to better serve veterans.

“This is one of seven community outpatient clinics around the state,” Creamer explained. “This facility can provide primary and mental health care, with any necessary specialty care being provided in Columbia or Charleston.”

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Spartanburg County News and Chesnee Tribune.

Broadcast journalist Ed Gordon was the keynote speaker at the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Celebration at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium Monday night.  Gordon’s address to the nearly 2,000 in attendance stressed the importance of  being prepared.  He constantly stated, “Greatness follows success, success is borne of preparation, and preparation is initiated by a dream.”

Attendees were also treated to the music of the Sounds of Diversity Choir and Orchestra, witnessed the presentation of the MLK Award for Excellence to Spartanburg Water and The Spartanburg County Regional History Musuem and heard the Unity Statements by Rev. Walter Belton, pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church and Dr. Randall Langley, lead pastor at Evangel Cathedral.

The Charles Lea Center held a Legislative Luncheon at the Spartanburg Public Library’s Headquarters in the Barrett Room on Friday, January 8 to ensure legislators knew that upcoming budget cuts weren’t just numbers on a page but something that would seriously impact real people and real clients the center serves.

The Charles Lea Center’s Executive Director Jerry Bernard said, “The best case scenario (from the luncheon) would be that the legislators are able to have some impact on the budgetary decisions being made on folks with disabilities.

“We’d like it done in a way that is more equitable.  We are thrown in with other departments but we deal in human lives and I believe there should be some difference in that.”

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune and Spartanburg County News.

On Nov. 30, Chesnee native Stephen Twitty was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. Twitty is the Chief of Staff of  Third Army U.S. Army Central. Although he hasn’t lived in Chesnee since 1981, when he graduated high school, he still considers the small town his home.

“Make no mistake about it,” Twitty said. “Chesnee is still my home. That’s where my roots are and where I made some of my fondest memories.”      

  
Twitty was a multi-sports athlete in high school, running track and playing both football and basketball.  He said playing football in high school was one of the best times of his life and that he loved eating at the Bantam Chef after practice, which was the only restaurant in town at the time.

Twitty said he still has a deep connection to his hometown with his parents, Bobby and Belinder Twitty, still living there as well as many other family and friends.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Chesnee Tribune.

The marking of a new year began in ancient Babylon over 4000 years ago. Because of a different calendar system used then, the actual New Year started with the New Moon, which was followed by the first day of spring in March. In that time New Year’s celebrations transpired over 11 days with each day being a different type of celebration.

The calendar changed so much over the years every time a new emperor took charge that it eventually did not match the Sun’s patterns. The Roman Senate then dictated that January 1 would be the beginning of a new year. As with all holidays, many facts surround New Year’s and even New Year’s Eve.

…  Initially, the Catholic Church denounced New Year’s celebrations as paganism.

… It is thought by some that the first visitor, friend or enemy that you see at the New Year would bring good or bad luck. Most surround themselves with family and friends for this reason.

… Food that is ring-shaped is said to be good luck so some cultures eat ring like food throughout the evening. For instance, the Dutch eat donuts. The ring is to symbolize coming full circle.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Spartanburg County News and Chesnee Tribune.