COUNTY — Three separate investigations led to the arrest of four people last Thursday for distribution of methamphetamine.

On Thursday morning, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team was called to serve search and arrest warrants on Kenneth Michael Cartee, 36, of 116 Onyx Lane in Easley. Following execution of the warrants, Cartee was arrested for two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, a second offense of trafficking between 10-28 grams of methamphetamine and two charges of possession of controlled substances.

By Nicole Daughhetee
Staff Reporter

PICKENS — After five years of application processes, the city of Pickens was finally awarded two federally funded grants recently: a $100,000 grant from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism and a $400,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

“These grants are extremely competitive,” said Pickens city administrator Katherine Brackett. “The PRT grant is a state-wide grant and the ARC grant covers the entire Appalachian region, which encompasses several states.”

Brackett says the city is honored and excited to be the recipients of these funds. Using additional funds from the city’s hospitality tax, approximately $800,000 of funding will be used toward implementing the initial phases of the Town Creek Park Master Plan. The master plan and other information is available through the city of Pickens website at www.cityofpickens.net.

By Nicole Daughhetee
Staff Reporter

COUNTY — Funding for “non-revenue” sports has been a topic of discussion in the School District of Pickens County for the past few months.

A request from school board trustee Judy Edwards put non-revenue sports back on the agenda at Monday night’s meeting, where the board voted unanimously to modify a prior motion that stipulated high schools had to spend their $15,000 allotment of funds before they could receive a dollar-for-dollar match from the district.

The motion, amended by SDPC board chair Alex Saitta, and unanimously voted through, states that that the high schools have the option to spend up to $15,000 in non-revenue sports equipment in 2012-2013. It is no longer a mandate that they have to spend the entire $15,000. They can spend any part of it and still receive a dollar-for-dollar match from the district.

Precinct changes expected to alleviate wait times for Nov. 6 election

COUNTY — The Pickens County Registration and Elections Commission has mailed every registered voter in Pickens County a new voter registration card due to recent precinct changes.

This means residents may be voting at a different location than they have in the past for the Nov. 6 General Election.

According to county election commissioner Rodney Allen, it is extremely important that all registered voters look at their new card to see which precinct they are assigned to and where their voting location is. All voters must vote in their assigned precincts.

The commission is expecting a voter turnout between 70 and
80 percent for this year’s election.

By Nicole Daughhetee
Staff Reporter

October, as most of us know, is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Breast Cancer continues to be plague women (and men) despite increased awareness and the organization of institutions committed to finding cures.

The most up-to-date statistics estimate that in 2012, among U.S. women there will be 226,870 new cases of invasive breast cancer (includes new cases of primary breast cancer among survivors, but not recurrence of original breast cancer among survivors).

Sadly, 39,510 women and men will lose their personal battles with breast cancer.

LIBERTY — With apples and pumpkins everywhere and leaves changing colors, autumn is definitely in the air in Pickens County.

In celebration, the city of Liberty will host its first-ever Fall For Liberty festival this Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The event will feature an old-fashioned cake walk, history tours, an amateur chili cook-off and many food options. All kinds of arts and crafts will also be available, including hand-made scarves, jewelry of all kinds, seasonal decorations and more. For kids (and kids at heart) there will be balloon art, inflatables, face painting, hayrides and games. Live music will include bluegrass from Scrapiron in the morning and more traditional tunes from Sound Factory in the afternoon.

Sponsored by the city of Liberty, Senator Larry Martin and Liberty Festivals and Events, the event will be fun for the entire family.

For more information about the event and the city’s upcoming Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 17, visit www.libertyscevents.com.

On The Way
By Olivia Fowler

I heard some good news in the grocery store that gave me hope for the future of Pickens County. There are reading intervention teachers back in Pickens County Schools. We should celebrate.

In the darkest days when the school board was forced to cut the education budget back to the funding levels of 1996, it was a dismal state of affairs.
I saw doom and gloom in our future, because if children don’t learn to read they soon fall by the wayside and their future is predetermined.

They will never be able to excel academically, nor will they be candidates for a living wage.

If they can’t read on grade level in first grade, it’s a sure thing they will not be reading at grade level after that. They won’t do well in other subjects, because the content of textbooks will be a mystery to them.

All About Ben
By Ben Robinson

It’s close to Halloween, so your friends at the Easley Foothills Playhouse have put together a scary production of “The Haunting,” adapted by Hugh Janes from five Charles Dickens ghost stories.

The play was apparently put together from the original Dickens stories, but the entire production flows effortlessly without any indication of the combination of the storylines.

The two main characters are David Filde, portrayed by Bobby Francis, and Lord Gray, portrayed by Gary Gentry. These two characters provide almost all of the dialogue, and the action revolves around them.

Filde has been hired by Lord Gentry to prepare the final items in his house for auction, as he is in the process of selling his inherited belongings to pay debts. The bickering between Filde and Lord Gentry reveals the plot of the play, and much about the history of the two men and the estate they are in.

Life As I Know It
By Nicole Daughhetee

I’ve been asked how I can be a Christian and support Obama. As an aside, I would like to take a brief moment here to say how impressed I have been that our pastor has said, twice now, that Obama is not the anti-Christ — that whoever our president might be, we, as a people, need to pray for that individual. I thought it very well said.

The question posed to me hinges primarily on two key issues: abortion and gay marriage. The Bible, in my opinion, is not open to personal interpretation. God’s word is distinct and clear when it comes to issues regarding murder, homosexuality, drunkenness, tithing, and so on.

The Bible is also clear in messages regarding judgment of others and loving the sinner even though we do not condone the sin.

I am far from being perfect, and I am the first person to admit my own flaws and foibles. Figuratively speaking, I live in a glass house. If I am making it up, I’d like it to be some old gothic castle pictured in a photographic calendar of romantic haunts along the Irish countryside. (I would also have the luxury of affording a full-time staff of people who love to wash windows, one of my least favorite chores, right up there with dusting!) Back to the glass house…
Because I “live” in one, I choose not to throw stones at others.