Annette Hunter and her husband are proud parents of four very talented young people. All four of their children are musicians, and all of them are part of the band program at the school. The youngest one, Yaunna, is in her first year of band, and her oldest brother Tanoy has been in the band program for 7 years. The other two siblings, Shimia and Kylin have also been in the program for several years. Shimia is an eighth - grader and Kylin is a sophomore.
The four siblings got their love of music from their parents. When they were little, their mother would play classical music, instrumental music, and jazz and they would dance to it. Annette also loves music; she plays the piano. Dad loves music and has always wanted to learn the guitar, and says he might do just that so he and his sons can play together; both sons  will be taking guitar lessons soon.
Tanoy plays the tenor and alto saxophone. He would like to someday play in a jazz band, and he plans to explore the opportunities at college to play in jazz ensembles. Tanoy’s outside interests include riding four-wheelers, deer hunting, archery, building models from kits, and paint-ball. He is in the chess club at school and is a member of the instrumental band and marching band.
Younger brother Kylin saw what his brother was able to do with the saxophone, and he chose to be in the band as well. He also plays the alto saxophone. His outside interests include reading, playing video games, singing, and riding his four-wheeler. At school, he enjoys writing news articles, band, and baseball. He, too, is a member of the chess club. He is also a member of the Beta Club.
Thirteen-year-old Shimia playes the flute, but she is also interested in playing the clarinet and percussion drum. She joined the band because she saw how much her brothers liked it and she wanted to play, too.  Like her brother, she enjoys reading and singing. She also enjoys dancing and practicing her gymnastic moves. She is a member of the Jr. Beta Club, plays softball, and is a chess player.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire Times.

Relay for Life is an annual community outreach project for the students, faculty, staff, and administration of Whitmire Community School. The Student Council begins early in February promoting the project and raising money to fight cancer through research and other means.

Relay for life is more than a fundraiser - it is a community-owned, volunteer-driven activity that benefits the survivors of cancer and their families, as well as others who can fondly remember those who lost their battle to cancer.

The students held a talent show at the gym last Thursday to raise money for their project by charging a minimal amount for admission and selling homemade goodies to those who came to watch them perform.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

A joint investigation by the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office and Newberry Police Department has left investigators searching for a Newberry man who has been illegally giving tattoos to minors.

Jesus Lopez Lopez, 25, of 1146 U.S. Highway 176, Little Mountain, SC has been giving tattoos to people at different homes in Newberry County.  Lopez has his tattooing equipment with him and his whereabouts are currently unknown.

Officers say that Lopez is not licensed in South Carolina to give tattoos and he is not using a licensed facility.  Worse yet, they allege that Lopez has been giving tattoos to people under 21 years old without parental consent.  All of these actions are in violation of South Carolina law.

Those who have received tattoos from Lopez may have a bigger problem. At least two of the people who have received tattoos from Lopez have developed staph infections.  Staph infections can develop into a serious medical condition and medical attention should be sought immediately.
Investigators say that anyone who has received a tattoo from Lopez should consult with their family physician as a cautionary measure.  

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

Chad Taylor, Vice-President of the company, said, “We are excited to open this new facility in Whitmire. It will allow us to meet growing customer demand for our products and better position us to serve our clients in the region. Newberry County will be an excellent fit for our company and we appreciate all the support from the county and town officials. We looked at several towns outside Newberry County but Teresa Powers, NCED , was instrumental in our locating to the Whitmire area. Her contacts and assistance made the transition effortless and she extended us true Southern Hospitality!”

The company’s investment in Whitmire is limited right now, and it will only employ 3 to 5 employees, but the company is hopeful that they will be able to expand by attracting additional OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers in South Carolina and hire more employees.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

Whitmire Community School recently held its first  school-wide Geography Bee for Grades 4 - 8.. The event was coordinated by Coach McGlohorn, a social studies teacher for grades 6 to 8. He worked with the fourth and fifth grade elementary teachers in promoting the bee and conducted classroom bees in his social studies classes.

Principal Joey Haney stated in his welcome statement that all of the students were already winners and challenged them to “answer what you know and do your best.” Coach Mc Glohorn reiterated this statement several times throughout the bee and thanked the classroom winners for participating.  To both of these  men, the students are winners just for trying.

The Geography Bee sponsored by National Geographic was the first for Whitmire Community School, but hopefully not the last. McGlohorn, a school winner while he was in the middle school grades,  said that his teacher, Mrs. Shealy,  instilled in him a love of history and geography. He said, “I remember how much fun it was and I wanted to make it fun for the students.”

Michaela Knox won the elementary competition and Amanda Crisp won the school competition. Both of them, as well as the classroom winners, will be recognized at the Success Assemblies later in the week. Amanda will take a test administered by McGlohorn, which will be sent to National Geographic. If she qualifies, she will win a free trip to the state competition and free scholarship money. If she goes on to the national level, she will win additional scholarship funds.

It takes a lot to succeed in the business word in the best of times, but it takes even more in hard economic times like the ones we are facing in our world, our nation, our state, and our town.

Many small businesses have declared bankruptcy, and others have been forced to cut back drastically. Yet even in this harsh business climate - and in a world in which  men were once the only ones running businesses -  today’s women are standing up to the task before them and successfully running independent businesses. Two of our local businesses are independently owned and run by women. Kathy Crumpton and Rebecca Brandon are both successful beauticians.

Kathy and Rebecca both balance their family life with their careers. They have to maintain both a business and a household, which means balancing work with cooking, cleaning, children, and personal time. Kathy admits that it is difficult. She says, “It’s very rough.”

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

The PTSO of Whitmire Community School depends on its fundraisers to make money for the school’s special activities, and the children work hard to win the prizes provided by the PTSO. However, some of them get more of prize than they think they are going to get. The top sellers get to go for a limousine ride to eat pizza at the Pizza Hut in Newberry during the school lunch period.

On January 14th, two groups of students went out for a pizza lunch and arrived in style. They rode to Newberry in a Hummer limousine. They were so excited. As one little boy said, “It’s my first time riding in a big one like this.”

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

Friendship Baptist Church at 503 Duckett Street is having a Southern Gospel program on January 17th at 6:00 p.m. They would like for you to join them as Naomi and the Segos shares their Southern Gospel music filled with Biblical lyrics.

Naomi and the Segos is a group that has spanned 50 years of Southern Gospel music. They were originally known as The Sego Brothers and Naomi, and they began their musical career in the late 50s.

Following the program, there will be a time of fellowship and good food. Finger foods will be served.

Please bring a covered dish and come join the members of Friendship Baptist Church as they worship. You will be truly blessed!

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.

A man who is suspected of  carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint in Prosperity just before 9:00 p.m. on December 31 was taken into custody last Friday after being pursued across three counties in South Carolina.

The suspect, Christopher Marquel Brown aka Christopher Marquel Wise, 21, approached the driver of a Green Ford Explorer at a gas station in Prosperity.  The suspect pointed a gun at the victim, demanded the driver exit the vehicle, and then drove away in the victim’s vehicle.

Law Enforcement officers across Newberry County immediately began a massive search for the suspect and vehicle. 

Officers say that they immediately issued a statewide and nationwide BOLO (Be On the Look Out) for the vehicle and the suspect, who they listed as armed and dangerous.

For the rest of the story, see this week’s Whitmire News.