July
• The Jenkinsville Water Company failed to properly notify the public of a boil water advisory, resulting in fines being levied by DHEC against the company. The presence of E.Coli and fecal coliform was noted in a routine sampling of water, something water company president Gregory Ginyard later attributed to a false positive lab report. DHEC found the company to be in violation of State Primary Drinking Water Regulations.
• FCHS held its second annual golf tournament benefit.
• Former Chesterfield County assistant superintendent J.R. Green began his tenure as superintendent of Fairfield County Schools.
•The Fairfield County School District continued its summer feeding program at seven sites around the county.
• Winnsboro Town Council decided to open the public pool for residents’ recreation despite water restrictions, reasoning that having one area open for many would be more efficient than many private pool owners having pools filled for the benefit of just a few.
• Town Council, local water companies and chamber of commerce officials, as well as legal counsel met to discuss the creation of a regional water authority for Fairfield County.
• Christ Central Ministries expanded its operations, taking over the Country Club in Winnsboro with hopes that ministry outreach at the facility can spearhead downtown development while offering life skills training, clothing and food outreach ministry and transitional housing.
• Anthony Robert Russell, 26, of 448 Fairfield St., Antonio Hollins, 18, of 405 Russell St., Winnsboro; Trenton Deandre Sampson, 21, of 647 U.S. Highway 321 Bypass, Winnsboro; Travantia Markell Cole, 17, of 514 Garden St., Winnsboro; and Leeaaron Craig Scott, 19, of 800 West College St., Winnsboro; were each arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Gregory Gadsden, 20, of 807 West College St., Winnsboro, also was arrested at the scene and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of narcotics equipment.
• Over 3,500 marijuana plants were found in Fairfield County last week during a multi-agency drug operation I-77 and Highway 200.
• A male teen pleaded no contest to an alleged sexual assault that occurred at Fairfield Central High School during summer school.
August
• Fairfield County Schools received a B overall rating with its school’s total performance exceeding state expectations. Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science received an A rating as did Kelly Miller Elementary and Fairfield Middle School.
• A SLED helicopter discovered several large fields of marijuana plants off Cowhorn Road, with 631 plants being destroyed.
• A rash of copper thefts hits Fairfield County with thieves targeting churches, schools and isolated homes and stealing from air conditioning units.
• The Fairfield County School Board voted to file an appeal in its lawsuit with the Chester County School District over funding the education of students in the Mitford community. The board released the disputed tax dollars to Chester while the case was being resolved.
• Educator Joe Seibles retired after 36 years with Fairfield County as a teacher, coach and administrator.
• Christopher Shavone Williams, 19, of Newberry, was sentenced to 30 years in the S.C. Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to several charges arising from the shooting death of Leon Wright, 64, in his home on Dave Cole Road in the Blair community on July 23, 2011.
• The Town of Winnsboro approved a resolution allowing it to participate in the creation of a regional water authority.
• Missing teen Lauren Grace Dixon was located in Orangeburg County and safely returned to her family. Edward Bryan Proveaux, 29, of 270 Carpenter Street, Branchville was arrested in the case.
• The No. 44 locomotive from the South Carolina Railroad Museum put Winnsboro on the map as it was used in NBC’s hit television series “Revolution.” Staff from the museum accompanied the locomotive to N.C. for the filming.
• Winnsboro held a nationwide scouting extravaganza with 130 scouts in attendance in addition to four Girl Scouts and one venture scout. Participants chose from 23 different merit badge areas to work.
September
• Winnsboro’s Tim Wilkes appears on the television show “American Pickers.”
• Winnsboro teens Corey Davis, Reid Johnson, Sidney Edenfield and Zelick Levy formed Team Lily to participate in a walk in honor of Lily Baggott, a Richard Winn Academy student recovering from leukemia.
• Chambers of Commerce in Blythewood and Fairfield County partnered to host the Big Grab Yard Sale, a 25 mile event that organizers say will become an annual event. Shoppers attended from Greenville, Charlotte, Asheville and Charleston in addition to nearby counties.
• Dr. David Koon joined the orthopedic staff at Fairfield Memorial Hospital.
• Ridgeway chose to join the joint water authority being proposed for Fairfield County.
• County council approved Fairfield’s participation in a pilot program for workforce readiness. South Carolina was one of four states in the nation who participated in the initiative.
• Virginia Lacy was chosen Citizen of the Year by Ridgeway.
• Fairfield Central High School students saw SAT scores decrease from the previous year by 13 points in mathematics, six points in writing and eight points in critical thinking. Superintendent Green said targeted SAT preparation will be used to improve student performance.
• The Army Corps of Engineers held collaborative work sessions with county leaders as they kicked off an 18-month water supply study in Fairfield County. The study will aid in discussions of creating a county-wide water authority and help address economic issues related to an ongoing water shortage in Fairfield County.
• The county’s new wood chipping site off of Old Airport Road became operational, starting with an estimated 4,000 tons of wood chip material that saves the county approximately $200,000 in landfill costs.
October
• Winnsboro continued its Rock Around the Clock festival with good crowds both days. A food ticket booth was among the Chamber of Commerce’s additions for the event in 2012.
• End-of-Course Examination (EOCEP) results including tests in biology, algebra, U.S. history and English showed that 97.7 percent of middle school students who took Algebra I and English I passed successfully.
• Superintendent J.R. Green began to expand the Extraordinary Kings Club mentoring program in hopes of serving 50 students in the 2012-13 year.
• Over 111 students and parents from Richard Winn Academy turned out to walk in the Light the Night walk in honor of Lily Baggott. The group from Fairfield County raised $5,400, more than two times its initial goal.
• Greg Watkins, 51, of 649 Flora Circle, a County Public Works employee was arrested for credit card fraud against the county.
• The Town of Winnsboro cut the ribbon on the new Town Hall Annex building.
• The Fairfield Central High School football team wrapped up a region title by defeating Pelion High 56-0 on the Pink Out breast cancer awareness night. Cancer survivors Martha Cloud, April Thomas, Beth Reid and Andrea Harrison served as honorary captains for the game.
• Fairfield County law enforcement joined in the search for missing North Carolina teens Raymond Pierce and Jake Ziegler. The teens bodies eventually were recovered of I-20 at mile marker 96.
• Winnsboro Department of Public Safety officer Michael Roseboro shot his estranged wife Kiesha and then fled the scene in his patrol car, which started a manhunt lasting from Sunday through Thursday when Roseboro was captured on Camp Welfare in Great Falls. Roseboro suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the time of his November arrest.
November
• Voter turnout increased in Fairfield County up from 61.02 percent of registered voters in 2010 to 76.75 percent of voters in 2012. Democrat Creighton Coleman defeated Republican Bob Carrison in the race for State Senate District 17 while Democrat MaryGail Douglas defeated Republican William Gray for the House of Representatives seat for District 41.
• Fairfield Central High dominated Crescent High 50-0 in a playoff victory. The junior varsity Griffin team finished its season undefeated as well.
• The Fairfield Central High School Tennis team was defeated by Christ Church High School in its first ever playoff match.
• The Shaw group and Fairfield County worked to expand their relationship with Shaw planning to open a job applications center in December in Fairfield County.
• Fairfield County’s on-time graduation rate was shown as ahead of the state average score. School report cards showed improvement overall for district schools as well, according to the State Department of Education.
• Repairs were made to welds on the nuclear plant reactor in Jenkinsville, a repair SCANA assured residents was not uncommon over the life of a nuclear reactor.
• Human remains were discovered off of I-77 and eventually determined to be those of William Pound Jr., who wrecked in the area two years prior but whose body had not been located.
• Citing financial concerns, the county chose to close the Blair Community Road Park but did so in hopes that another park site in that area of the county could be procured in the future.
• Fairfield Central High defeated Newberry High School in overtime 28-21 to win the AA Division II Upper State Championship.
• The Blue cousins from Dillon High School left the Griffins feeling blue after they dominated FCHS 21-6 to win the AA Division II State Championship at Benedict College. Fans from Fairfield filled the sideline to cheer on their Griffins, a team who believed and once again was the pride of the town.
December
• Children climbed aboard at the S.C. Railroad Museum for a ride with Santa in the first ever Santa on the Train event.
• Fairfield County’s tax assessor Wendell Irby, 56, of 3253 Kincaid Bridge Road, was arrested in a Richland County Sheriff’s Department sting operation and charged with solicitation of prostitution. He was among the individuals the Richland County Sheriff’s Department Narcotics Unit focused on who used Backpage.com for prostitution purposes.
• Kimberly Camelia Jones, 27, of 532 Honeybee Circle was arrested after allegedly hitting her child with her car as she fled someone trying to repossess the vehicle. Two other children were in the vehicle with Jones at the time of the incident.
• The Richard Winn Academy Lady Eagles remained undefeated through the first 14 games of their basketball season, a far cry from what many predicted after the graduation of star center Alex Maas.
• Fairfield County Schools announced they are the first in the state to partner with a technical college and offer an associate’s degree program. Students who enter the program in seventh grade can graduate with a high school diploma and technical school science associate’s degree.
• Fairfield County grieved along with the rest of the nation following a horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
• Mt. Zion School faces an uncertain fate with Winnsboro Town Council voting to terminate its agreement with the Red Clay group. It is hoped the Friends of Mt. Zion group can help get the project going in the new year in some capacity.
• The Town of Winnsboro launched a revamped website at www.townofwinnsboro.com.
• Students at the Fairfield County Career Center gave back to the less fortunate with an Angel Tree as part of their service learning requirements.
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