2008: The year in review part II

By Jim Faile

Published: January 2, 2009

Today features part two of The Messenger’s review of the events that made local headlines in 2008.

JULY
The State Department of Education announced plans to end the PACT (Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test) and replace it with a new standardized test for public school students. Hilex Poly announced that it received court approval of its reorganization plan under Chapter 11 to allow it to emerge from bankruptcy. Thousands from throughout the Pee Dee gathered on the campus of Emmanuel Baptist Church for the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce’s July 4 Fireworks Festival.

Hartsville saw a rise in the number of incidents of vandalism in the downtown area as the summer progressed. Butler Heritage Week got under way with a variety of activities. County council took up a recommendation to close one of the three runways at the Darlington County Jetport despite objections to the proposal. Hartsville city officials and the Butler Heritage Foundation met with representatives of Clemson University to discuss Clemson’s involvement in the planned renovation of the old administration building on the campus of the old Butler High School for use as a community center.

Society Hill voters elected two new town council members. Planning continued on the launch of the Selling Hartsville initiative scheduled for October. A Darlington man, Robert L. Edwards, 64, shot and killed his wife, Miriam H. Edwards at her workplace in Florence before taking his own life. Police said the couple had been having marital problems. The town of Lamar received a $13,405 grant to assist victims of crime.

Work continued on Hartsville’s Vista project. Mayor Michael Holt argued for revamping the state’s annexation laws to better enable municipalities to grow. The Darlington County Economic Development Partnership narrowed its search for a full-time director. Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center donated $2,500 to the Butler Heritage Foundation toward the renovation of the old Butler High School administration building. County council gave preliminary approval to an ordinance requiring all members of county government boards and commissions to be Darlington County residents.

Sonoco issued its first-ever sustainability report outlining the company’s mission to remain an industry leader in creating, maintaining and enhancing a sustainable future for all of its stakeholders. Hartsville City Council and the mayor held their first coffee and chat with citizens.

AUGUST
Hartsville police arrested one man, Delonta Cannon, and searched for two others, Darryl Wendall Graham and Darenzo Tevon Graham, in a shooting that left 26-year-old Shelton Ketter seriously wounded. The two at-large suspects turned themselves in within a few days. The Red Cross announced plans for a concert at Byerly Park to benefit area victims of fire. County council decided to remove runway 10/34 at the Darlington County Jetport, following a private consulting firm’s recommendation and despite objections from the county jetport commission.

All five members of the Darlington County Jetport Commission resigned over an ongoing disagreement with county council about the removal of a runway at the county jetport and the powers of the commission. Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men and seized $26,500 worth of illegal drugs and $10,000 in cash following a search at two locations in the Darlington area. Former long-time Society Hill Mayor B.G. Griggs died.

Kenneth Hinson, acquitted in 2007 of charges that he kidnapped two teenage girls, raped them and held them captive in an underground bunker, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison following his conviction on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The Darlington County Economic Development Partnership selected Robert Long of the Aiken/Edgefield Economic Development Partnership to be its new executive director. Darlington Police Chief Jay Cox was cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation into complaints lodged against him.
Darlington County high school students improved their performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Hartsville City Council members and city administrative officials held a day-long planning retreat at Lawton Park. U.S. News & World Report again named Coker College among its Best Baccalaureate Colleges for 2009.

SEPTEMBER
Superintendent of Education Dr. Rainey Knight announced plans for the Darlington County School District to use year-end fund balances to absorb a $1.4 million mid-year cut in state funding to the district. Dr. Avie Rainewater of Florence asked Darlington County Council to consider a moratorium on large poultry farms in the county in response to residents’ concerns about plans to build a large turkey farm near Darlington. Wellman announced plans to close its Palmetto Plant in Darlington and its Johnsonville plant, eliminating 550 jobs in the area.

Students and professors from Clemson University met with Hartsville city officials, the Butler Heritage Foundation and citizens to get input on plans for the renovation of the former Butler High School administrative building. The South Hartsville Neighborhood Association focused more attention on bringing improvements to the neighborhood.

The August unemployment figures for the state released in September showed Darlington County’s jobless rate climbing to 9.5 percent. Hartsville police charged a teen with making bomb threats to Hartsville High School and Hartsville Middle School. Organizers with the Selling Hartsville initiative took their message to members of the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce as they prepared for the initiative’s launch in October. And Robert Long, the new executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership said he wanted to begin marketing the Wellman plant in Darlington to potential buyers in the wake of the announcement that the plant would close in November.

OCTOBER
The murder of Hartsville business owner Keith Hancock at Gardner’s Fertilizer and Farm Supplies shocked the community. Police said Hancock was beaten to death with an axe handle in his store during an apparent robbery attempt. Within days police identified 36-year-old Eddie Anthony Huggins as the suspect. Authorities arrested Huggins in Pittsburgh, Pa., and later returned to Darlington County. His sister, Christy Donnell Huggins, 37, of Darlington, and his niece, Antranette Huggins, 23, of Florence, were both charged as accessories after the fact.

Hartsville city officials dedicated Burry Park in Cargill Way, named for business owner and civic leader the late Charlie Burry. The dedication ceremony was followed by the official launch of the Selling Hartsville marketing and branding initiative, also in the new park. The Darlington County School District won prestigious national accreditation status from AdvanceEd. Plans moved forward to adopt a stormwater utility ordinance for the city of Hartsville that would carry with it a new set of fees for water and sewer customers. Rental property owners went to Hartsville City Council to protest plans to adopt a rental housing ordinance city officials said was needed to address problems with some rental properties in the city.

Family Court Judge Jamie Lee Murdock Jr. of Hartsville told Darlington County Council that conditions at the Family Court facility in the Darlington County Courthouse were unsafe for the public and court personnel due to overcrowding and asked council to find a solution to the problem. Darlington County Habitat for Humanity dedicated its 13th new home in the county. A shooting at a Darlington nightclub left two men, Andre “Ju Ju” Berry and James Elliott Muldrow dead and Travis Lavance James facing two murder charges.

Sheriff’s deputies charged a 14-year-old boy with murder in the shooting death of his 35-year-old mother and her unborn child. The boy’s 12-year-old sister was wounded in the shooting. The Red Fox Oyster Roast proved to be another successful effort for Hartsville High School athletics. Plans for the Butler administrative building renovation continued to move forward. And Darlington City Council cleared the way for work to begin on the renovation of the old Carnegie Library to use as a historical and fine arts museum. The city accepted a bid of $316,792 for exterior renovation work on the historic building.

NOVEMBER
Darlington County Council agreed to provide $2,500 to help keep the Players Championship junior golf tournament in Hartsville. U.S. Rep. John Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee, discussed the nation’s deepening financial crisis with members of civic clubs in Darlington. Hartsville City Council considered changes in residency requirements for members of city boards and commissions. Town officials in McBee heard a grievance appeal from a town employee who claimed he was wrongfully terminated.

Voters in Darlington County joined millions around the nation turning out in record numbers for the U.S. presidential election. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois won a historic victory, becoming the first African American to be elected president. Obama defeated Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain. On the local level, Republican Billy Baldwin won another term on Darlington County Council, defeating Democrat Brenda Broach. The race was the only contested local race on the ballot. Darlington City Council gave final approval to a 2 percent hospitality tax on prepared foods and beverages sold in the city despite vocal opposition from several restaurant owners who said the tax would hurt their businesses.

Sonoco Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Harris E. DeLoach Jr. was named S.C. Business Leader of the Year by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce. Hartsville city officials met in a planning retreat to discuss financial issues in the face of dwindling state funds, including the possibility of higher rates for water and sewer service. Walgreen’s opened a new drug store in Hartsville. And Darlington County School District officials asked the county’s state lawmakers to consider giving local school districts greater flexibility in how they use state funds for certain purposes as they seek to deal with mid-year state funding cuts.

Hartsville City Planner Rodney Tucker resigned. City officials said they had no plans to fill the vacancy. City council also considered bids for the possible sale of the vacant old National Guard Armory, which previously housed the Hartsville Area Recreation Department offices. Darlington real estate businessman Roy Peavey received the Order of the Silver Crescent from Gov. Mark Sanford for his years of community and business leadership.

Nucor announced a $45 million expansion at its Darlington steel mill. The five-year project will consist of facility and equipment upgrades but will not create any new jobs, officials said. Bristow Oil Co. of Darlington won a $3 million verdict against Exxon Mobile Corp., claiming Exxon tried to illegally force it out of business. The Hartsville Kiwanis Club $5,200 to Carolina Elementary School for a science lab. And Bright Beginnings, an early childhood center, faced the prospect of closing due to state funding cuts.

DECEMBER
Darlington County Council heard more about a planned turkey farm as Scott and Marifaye Haselden went before council to discuss their plans for the facility. Hartsville kicked off the Christmas season with its largest Christmas parade ever and a tree lighting ceremony at Burry Park featuring a 27-foot tall Christmas tree. The monthly Good Living Marketplace in downtown continued to gain in popularity. Darlington City Council agreed to issue a $1 million bond to be paid for from revenues from the city’s new hospitality tax to finance several downtown projects. The projected price tag for renovations at Brockington Elementary Magnet School reached $4.8 million, $1.6 million more than originally expected.

The United Way of Hartsville kicked off its annual campaign. Carolina Elementary School was nominated for a National Blue Ribbon School. Sonoco announced plans to eliminate 40 non manufacturing positions at its Hartsville operations as part of a broader global restructuring effort aimed at saving $28 million annually. Hartsville City Council voted down the sale of the old National Guard Armory and agreed to solicit proposals for the property all over again.

Darlington police Capt. Wayne Byrd prepared to take over as Darlington County Sheriff as outgoing Sheriff Glenn Campbell readied for retirement. Darlington County Habitat for Humanity dedicated its 14th home. A collision between a car and a train in McBee sent two people to the hospital, one with critical injuries. And more armed robbers struck in the Hartsville area.