An early morning house fire has claimed the lives of a 38-year-old mom and her 5-year-old son.
Shirley Leannetta Hill, 38, and her son Vashone Lijuane Hill, 5, were found dead at the scene of 1243 Nazareth Road where the house they were inside of burned to the ground early Sunday morning.
Hill’s 16-year-old son Rajee (who is a student at Byrnes High) was also inside the house when it caught fire but was able to escape and ran to his uncle’s house, which was only several hundred feet away, to call for help.
However, when he and his uncle returned to the home it was already engulfed in flames.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

Carrying on a family tradition of taking up lamp repair after retirement, Greer’s Butch Austin continues to practice a type of mechanical medicine for lights that have gone dim.
He cautions anyone in need of lighting repair to bring the lamp with them but to take one time-saving precaution before you come: check the bulb.
“You’d be surprised how many we get in that all they needed was a new bulb,” said Austin’s wife, Sandra. “We had two in just this week.”
The couple runs the lighting repair business out of a shop behind their Beechwood Drive home. He does the delicate work of coaxing new life out of light fixtures old and new while she keeps the books and orders the various and sundry parts such a varied occupation requires.
Austin took over the business upon his retirement from a career as a U.S. Army chaplain from the previous “Lamp Doctor,” Austin’s uncle, Richard Wall. Wall ran the business, which he started in 1950 with his brother, Alvin Wall, in the Old Red Barn on Wade Hampton Boulevard where the Lowe’s is now located.
Austin assumed the lamp repair mantle full time in 2004 and has been repairing just about every type of lighting fixture imaginable amid a growing trend of manufacturers designing their products to be disposed of and replaced rather than maintained and repaired. Fixing lamps and the like has become something of a lost art with Austin, being one of only a handful of specialists who can breathe new life into old lamps.
For the rest of the story, read the Middle Tyger Times.

Photo by Mandy Ferguson
Carrying on a family tradition dating back more than 60 years, Greer’s Butch Austin is one of the few people in the Upstate who specializes in lamp and lighting repairs and is known as the “Lamp Doctor.”
Here he is working on repairing a crystal chandelier that fell more than 25 feet onto a foyer’s floor.

By Jay King
Staff writer
As the state legislature reconvenes this week the two main items on the agenda are likely to be reforming the state’s retirement system and tackling tax reform.
Two previews of the upcoming session last week – one in Columbia Thursday hosted by the South Carolina Press Association and one Friday hosted by the Greer Chamber of Commerce – gave local legislators a chance to speak about the issues facing them as they return to Columbia.
In Columbia Thursday state budget director Les Boles briefed reporters on the anticipated $913 million budget surplus legislators will be deciding how to handle. He said the final figure after backing out constitutionally or statutorily mandated funding for programs totaling about $520 million, the probable amount the General Assembly will be looking at is more like $393 million.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

Woodruff resident Tony Kennedy was arrested by deputies on Dec. 28 and charged with criminal domestic violence - first offense, according to the deputy’s report.
Kennedy represents Ward 5 on the Woodruff City Council.
The 50-year-old Woodruff man had been taking "a lot of pills and drinking a lot," according to his wife, the report stated. He also had been crying often and not sleeping any, according to the report.
An argument between Kennedy and his wife started when she tried to leave their 151 Irby St. home to go to Laurens. Kennedy tried to stop his wife from leaving and told her he "would strong her" and asked her to pay attention to him.
According to the report, the couple was arguing over a cell phone.
Kennedy then grabbed his wife by the arm and raised his fist to seemingly punch her before retreating, the wife told deputies, according to the report.
Deputies also spoke with the couple’s son, who arrived home while his parents were arguing.
The son only heard parts of the argument and said Kennedy came into his room, asked the boy where his phone was and searched the clothes his son was wearing looking for the phone.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

January
With Trey Gowdy’s election to Congress the previous November, Gov. Mark Sanford named Principal Assistant Seventh Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette interim solicitor early this month, a move that was later formalized by the General Assembly.

Also this month, a 65-year-old Pacolet woman was arrested for felony animal cruelty after she supposedly hanged a pit bull with an electrical cord and subsequently set it on fire.

February
The embattled Holly Springs fire commission garnered headlines again when its most recent addition, Marvin Naftzger, died early this month. He had yet to be confirmed by the governor and with a positive referendum in November to elect fire commissioners, the county legislative delegation decided to leave the seat vacant.

County council also gave final approval to a new ordinance restricting flea markets and regulating what structures and parking accommodations are required.

March
On March 19, the miniature train “Sparkles” derailed at Cleveland Park, injuring dozens and taking the life of six-year-old Benji Easler. An intensive months-long investigation would eventually determine speed was the greatest contributing factor in the crash, but no charges were filed against the operator.

In the Middle Tyger area, Byrnes High teaching fixture Jo Lynn Allen retired after 46 years of teaching and influencing students. Current and former students bid her a warm farewell during a special ceremony at the District Five Fine Arts Center.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

By Jay King
Staff writer
Two of the men honored at this year’s annual Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office awards banquet this past Friday know what it’s like to be shot at by a suspect and were recognized in part out of gladness that they did not join the ranks of fallen officers.
Sheriff Chuck Wright singled out deputy Brad James for his dedication to duty and thanked God that he was still among the living despite being shot by a suspect early in November.
The sheriff said James “loved catching bad guys” and cited a foot chase James was involved in his first night back on duty as an example of his commitment to protecting the citizens of Spartanburg County.
The Officer of the Year Award went to Gregg Satterfield, a seasoned officer who not only serves as a road deputy but also serves on the department’s dive team and SWAT team.
In describing Satterfield’s characteristics, the sheriff was again thankful that his deputy was not injured during a drug bust with the narcotics unit when Satterfield and other members of the SWAT team were fired on.
The sheriff said in comments before the awards were presented that despite it being a tough year with officers injured and several vicious crimes, he remained grateful for the dedication of everyone in the department. He said the people of Spartanburg County saw that commitment and appreciated it.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

<B>For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.</b>

By Joel FitzPatrick
For Hometown News
Byrnes used a 28-point second half to defeat Blythewood in the third round of the state playoffs last Friday, 31-0.
The Rebels (12-2) will next play undefeated Gaffney for the Class AAAA Division I state title on Saturday in Clemson. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
Byrnes used a 48-yard field goal by Kaleb Patterson with 45 seconds remaining in the first half to take a 3-0 lead.
“I got upset with them at halftime, and challenged them,” coach Chris Miller said. “I told them a championship team had to go out there and respond.”
Sophomore quarterback Shuler Bentley led the response. On the third play of the second half, Bentley hooked up with Akia Booker on a 59-yard touchdown pass. Patterson added the extra point to make the score 10-0.
“At halftime, we weren’t worried about what Blythewood was doing,” Bentley said. “We knew that we weren’t moving the ball in the first half because of what we were doing, and had to change some things up.
“We ran the hitch, and the defender flew up on it. I knew right when he flew up that I had him, and that I just needed to get the ball to Akia.”

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

Photo by Preston Burch
Byrnes’ Marcus Mohrman and Shakeem Wharton try to corner assistant coach Tony Gillespie for a Gatorade shower after last week’s State semifinal win over the Blythewood Bengals.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.

The Duncan Town Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the fire department to obtain new high-pressure air bags for use in rescue operations during the council’s monthly meeting Monday.
The resolution specifically approves financing through BB&T bank for $18,439 to purchase a set of rescue air bags from Maxiforce. The term is for three years at an interest rate of 2.4 percent.
Fire Chief Barry Frost explained at last month’s council meeting that the bags currently in the department’s inventory are older than their recommended 10-year lifespan. The bags are routinely used in vehicle accidents to lift heavy objects and use high-pressure air to inflate.

For the rest of the story, read this week’s Middle Tyger Times.