BLYTHEWOOD – On Monday, Aug. 28, construction was suspended on the Scout Motors site in the Blythewood Industrial Park. Richland County Economic Development officials told The Voice that the work stoppage is only temporary as the company awaits the issuance of a wetlands permit, and it is not known how long the work stoppage will […]
Fairfield County Council to raise taxes, borrow $3.5M, spend $100K more on RW rec center
August 31, 2023 By
WINNSBORO – Fairfield County Council is one vote away from enacting a tax increase – two months after approving the county’s annual budget. In a 5-2 vote, council members voted to approve an eight-mill increase, increasing the tax rate from 182.3 to 190.3 mills. Council members Shirley Greene and Tim Roseborough voted in opposition. The […]
Black gives partial legal update
August 31, 2023 By
Judge Allows MPA to Depose Burnett and Franklin BLYTHEWOOD – During Monday night’s town council meeting, the Town’s outside attorney David Black, with Maynard Nexsen law firm, came before council to give an update on a motions hearing that occurred on Aug 9, concerning the 2-1/2 year legal wrangling between the Town and MPA Strategies. […]
Operation Christmas Child needs volunteers
August 31, 2023 By
WINNSBORO – Just as young children in Blythewood, Ridgeway and Winnsboro look forward to opening Christmas presents and finding a soccer ball, a cuddly stuffed animal, or game, children in developing countries around the world have the same dreams. For many of those children, however there will be no Christmas joy, no soccer ball or […]
Blair Highway dedicated in memory of Johnny Peoples
August 31, 2023 By
BLAIR – The many friends and family members of the late Deacon Johnny Peoples gathered near the intersection of Highway 34 West and Pearson Rd. on Saturday to dedicate a section of Highway 34 as the Johnny Peoples Memorial Highway. It was a special way that the Blair community and beyond continue to remember and […]
Ridgeway public defender wins stand your ground case
August 30, 2023 By
Whitaker Fired After He Fired Chief Following Wrongful Murder Charge CHESTER – It’s been a tumultuous week in Fairfield County’s neighbor to the north, where a man wrongfully jailed for murder has been freed and two high-ranking city leaders have been dismissed from their posts. The city shakeup was set into motion at an August […]
City of Chester fires Whitaker, former Fairfield County Administrator
August 29, 2023 By
CHESTER – Following a lengthy executive session Monday night, Chester City council voted 5-4 to fire Administrator Malik Whitaker. The firing came five days after Whitaker fired Police Chief Curtis Singleton and only eight months after he (Whitaker) was hired as Chester City administrator. At the beginning of Monday night’s council meeting, Councilwoman Robbie King-Boyd […]
Watson gets 25 years for sex trafficking
August 24, 2023 By
BLYTHEWOOD – A Blythewood man accused of sex trafficking and drug dealing will spend 25 years behind bars, according to federal court documents. Brian Leroy Watson, 51, formerly of Blythewood, was sentenced last week to 300 months in prison and ordered to repay $45,000 in restitution divided evenly among nine victims, documents state. Watson had […]
News Analysis: Is County imposing employee/media censorship via PIO?
August 24, 2023 By
County Posts for Full-Time $60-$65K Public Information Officer (PIO) WINNSBORO – It was in February, 2022, that former County Administrator Malik Whitaker first imposed restrictions on Fairfield County employees’ First Amendment rights, forbidding them to talk to the media without approval from county administration. In an email, Whitaker instructed employees, “If you are contacted by […]
