Allen Christopher Poteat, 42, of 219 Ware Rd., Chesnee, has been identified as the suspect in both robberies. According to Spartanburg County Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Ivey, Poteat should be considered armed and dangerous.

The crimes began at the MM Food Mart and Gas at 106 Sha Ln., where deputies were told a white male wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans approached the counter. The clerk reported he had his hand in his pocket and pointed it at the clerk, seemingly indicating he had a weapon.
When the subject demanded money, the clerk refused and demanded to see the weapon. The subject demanded money once more before fleeing the scene. The subject was seen leaving the scene in a white 1995 Oldsmobile 88.

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

Dr. Quincie Moore then introduced Jennifer Evins, representing the Spartanburg County Foundation. Evins presented information concerning the 40/30 challenge project in Spartanburg County,  which aims to have 40 percent of persons over the age of 25 have at least a BA degree by the year 2030. Evins emphasized that this degree level will be necessary to attract and meet the employee needs of companies considering working in Spartanburg County.

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

Members of the Suzuki Strings Ensemble from Hendrix Elementary School perform prior to the March school board meeting.

Perhaps, however, the Education department headed by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Quincie Moore, has the most face-to-face impact on the district students. Dr. Moore is responsible for classroom curriculum and  monitoring, professional development of principals and teachers, technology, scheduling, testing, and an all - encompassing category known as “special programs.”

While the job is not simple,  in a layman’s terms its description would be that Dr. Moore guides what is taught and how it is taught in the classrooms of all thirteen District Two schools. Dr.  Moore is in her third year with District Two after teaching at Northwestern High School for nine years, serving for two years as assistant principal at Gaffney Ewing Junior High School and six years as the principal at Gaffney High School. In her career she has also coached girl’s softball and basketball. Moore is a graduate of Gaffney High School and received her Bachelor of Science degree at USC-Spartanburg (now Upstate), a Masters degree at Winthrop University, and her Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina.

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.

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.