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News

Photo courtesy of Monarch Elementary School

Supporting summer enrichment programs

The Parent/Teacher Organizations from the elementary schools in Union County have donated a total of $1,000 to the Carnegie Library to use for summer enrichment programs. This money will be used for Porkchop Productions, The Critter Keeper, and other educational programs this summer. Pictured making the presentation to Ben Loftis, the Carnegie Librarian, are principals Rene Pryor, Jonesville Elementary/Middle; Betsy Trakas, Lockhart Elementary/Middle; Melissa Inman, Buffalo Elementary; Barbara Palmer, Foster Park Elementary; and Anita Maness, Carnegie Board member and Monarch Elementary principal.

Community Calendar
Saturday, April 27 • Fairforest Baptist Church, 1917 Jonesville Highway, hosts a yard sale from 8 a.m-2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Proceeds will benefit the House of Choice Ministry. • The Friends of the Union County Carnegie Library holds its annual book sale fundraiser on April 25-27 at the Lions Club building on Main Street. The sale will run Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. If you are a memb...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Ann Angermeier, executive director of the Upstate Workforce Investment Board, held a press conference Thursday morning at the SCWorks in Union to address rumors that the center is closing. Angermeier said that while the center will experience reductions in staffing positions due to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce's regionalization program, it will remain open.

SCWorks to remain open despite staffing reductions
UNION — The SCWorks Center in Union will remain open even though nearly two-thirds of its staff positions are being eliminated due to the reorganization and consolidation of employment services by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. In February, the SCDEW announced that, as a result of a loss of federal funding, it would regionalize unemployment services by shifting them from lower volume centers to higher volume centers. As a ...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Savannah Williams decides to push her car for a while instead of ride it during the Bethel United Methodist Child Care's Trike-A-Thon in the Bethel United Methodist Church parking lot Thursday morning.

Trike-A-Thon raises $900 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital
MONARCH — More than two dozen children pedaled their way around the parking lot of Bethel United Methodist Church on Thursday morning to raise money for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Since 2003, Bethel United Methodist Child Care has held an annual Trike-A-Thon to raise money for the pediatric treatment and research facility which focuses on cancer and other catastrophic diseases in children. The hospital, which is located in Memphis, T...
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Church raising funds for a ‘House of Choice’
UNION — A local church is raising funds to purchase a house that will be part of its plans to help restore needy families to the community. Fairforest Baptist Church, 1917 Jonesville Highway, Union, is holding a yard sale from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. today and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Rev. Allen Gregory said Thursday that the goal of the yard sale is to raise funds to enable the church to realize its vision of a “House of Choice” that will be the center...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
The students of Christie Hayes' fourth grade class carry the dog food they collected for the Union County Animal Shelter through the halls of Foster Park Elementary School Thursday afternoon.

Students collect more than 200 pounds of dog food for shelter
UNION — The dogs at the Union County Animal shelter got a present Thursday in the form of more than 200 pounds of dog food collected by some students at Foster Park Elementary School. The students in Christie Hayes’ fourth grade class presented Union County Animal Control Officer Heather Sealy with 239.9 pounds of dog food Thursday afternoon. The students collected the food as part of an educational and community service program Hayes initi...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Teri Donahoo, Community Manager for the American Cancer Society, addresses the Union Community Input Forum Thursday afternoon.

American Cancer Society described as local organization
UNION — How the American Cancer Society is local and its need for local volunteers for a generational study of the link between waist size and cancer were the subjects of an address by a society official Thursday afternoon. Teri Donahoo, Community Manager for the American Cancer Society, was the featured speaker at Thursday’s meeting of the Union Community Input Forum. Donahoo said that even if it does not have a physical presence in the co...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Wanda Littlejohn and Kathy Harris scramble the eggs that will be served during the Wandering Friends Relay For Life team's fundraiser at Bethlehem United Methodist Church Tuesday evening.

Relay For Life team pancake supper raises $600
UNION— Pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs were part of a winning combination for the Wandering Friends Relay For Life Team earlier this week. “We raised over $600,” Team Captain Wanda Littlejohn said Thursday. “We had fun and it was for a good cause. We enjoyed fellowship with everyone that came out.” The team held a pancake supper at Bethlehem United Methodist Church, 1622 Kelly Road, Union, Tuesday evening. Littlejohn said team members,...
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Crime Report
The Union Public Safety Department reported the following arrest : — Timothy Tyrone Jeter, 39, of 175 Industrial Park Road, Union, was charged with disorderly conduct around 9:05 p.m. on April 23. According to the arrest warrant, Jeter became “loud and boisterous, using profane language” while at a neighbor’s apartment. The Union Public Safety Department reported the following incident : — A resident of Drugstore Street, Buffalo, re...
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Photos by Deb Belk

Mrs. Sherri Williams presents FCA Vice Chairman Mike Stalnaker with a check to help sponsor the Annual FCA Golf Tournament, which will be held on May 31, 2013.

Civitan News
UNION — The Union Civitan Club made presentations to the Annual FCA Golf Tournament and the Special Olympics this month.
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Father establishes scholarship to honor late alumna, educator
ROCK HILL — Elizabeth “Betsy” Thomson ’05 was an avid supporter of children, especially those with special needs. Her father, Jim Thomson, has established the Elizabeth Ann Thomson Scholarship to memorialize his late daughter, a former educator, and support future teachers. Established in fall 2012, the Elizabeth Ann Thomson Scholarship offers financial assistance to nontraditional Winthrop students, including those majoring in early childh...
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Photos courtesy of Union County Carnegie Library
Three classes visit the library
Ms. Brown, Ms. Mincey, and Ms. Glenn’s first grade classes from Buffalo Elementary visited the library on April 11.

Library Notes
Library Hours Monday – Friday 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday – 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Upcoming Events Book Sale Another fantastic book sale by the Friends of the Library will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 25-26 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 27 at the Lions Club building, Main Street, Union. (Book donations will NOT be accepted during this sale.) Ceramic Plate Painting A Ceramic Plate Painting will be held from 4...
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Photo courtesy of Monarch Elementary School

Donating birthday money

Emma Garner, a first-grader at Monarch Elementary School, wanted to donate money she received from her birthday to the Union County Carnegie Library to buy children’s books. She is shown presenting her money to Mrs. Sally Palmer and Mrs. Anita Maness, Carnegie Library board members.

Community Calendar
Friday, April 26 • The Blue Ridge Hospice RFL team holds a hot dog sale from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Blue Ridge Hospice facility. They will deliver for orders of at least 10 plates. Plates are $5 each. For information, contact Amanda Gallman 466-1024. Friday, April 26-Saturday, April 27 • Fairforest Baptist Church, 1917 Jonesville Highway, hosts a yard sale from 8 a.m-2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Proceeds will benefit the House of Ch...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Jane Bell-Russo, the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study-3 Event Manager for South Carolina, speaks with Pam Smith during Saturday's Health Fair/Wellness Workshop at McBeth Baptist Church. The society is seeking at least 111 Union County residents to participate in Cancer Prevention Study-3, the society's third generational study of factors that can increase or decrease a person's risk of developing cancer.

Volunteers sought for Cancer Prevention Study-3
UNION — Some Union County residents who have never had cancer have the opportunity to participate in a study that could help prevent their children and grandchildren from getting the disease. The American Cancer Society is preparing to conduct Cancer Prevention Study-3, the latest in a series of generational studies the organization has conducted since the 1950s. Jane Bell-Russo, Cancer Prevent Study-3 Event Manager for South Carolina, said...
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Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

The Arthur State Bank Junior Board of Directors presents The Miracle League of Union County with a donation of $10,040 Wednesday morning at Union County High School.

ASB Junior Board of Directors donated $10,040 to Miracle League
UNION — They surpassed their fund raising goal and on Wednesday the Arthur State Bank Junior Board of Directors presented the Miracle League of Union County with the results of that achievement During the board’s final meeting for the 2012-2013 school year, students presented the MLUC with a donation of $10,040. The donation was $2,500 over the goal the board set at the beginning of the school year. “I’m ecstatic!” said MLUC Board Chair A...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
The Cross Keys House will be the site of this weekend's Living History Event VI. The event is sponsored by the Union County Historical Society which recently received $2,000 from the Timken Charitable Trust to help the cost of the event.

Timken Company Charitable Trust donates $2,000 to Historical Society
CROSS KEYS — This weekend’s Living History Event VI is being funded by a donation from the Timken Company Charitable Trust. Union County Museum Director Ola Jean Kelly announced that Bob Hart, plant manager for the Timken Tyger River plant, had presented the Union County Historical Society with a check for $2,000. Kelly said the funds, which come from the Timken Company Charitable Trust, will be used to help sponsor the Historical Society’s...
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Creating awareness of Autism
UNION — A local fundraiser will raise money to fight autism on both local and worldwide levels. The fundraiser — featuring a chicken stew/hot dog/bake sale and a silent auction — will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Union National Guard Armory. Union County Supervisor Tommy Sinclair will prepare his famous chicken stew for the event, and quarts of stew can be pre-ordered at the county supervisor’s office, WBCU or Tu...
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City making donations to radio competition, senior citizens event
UNION — The City of Union will make donations to a country music competition and an event honoring senior citizens. In a special session Wednesday afternoon, Union City Council voted unanimously to make donations to the 32nd Annual Texaco Country Showdown and the 15th Annual WBCU Senior Citizen’s Expo. The events, which are sponsored by WBCU Radio, will be held May 17 and May 23, respectively. Texaco Country Showdown In presenting WBC...
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A.L. Solutions Inc. locating manufacturing operations in Spartanburg County
COLUMBIA — A.L. Solutions Inc., a distributor of filtration products for the automotive aftermarket, will locate its new manufacturing facility, A.L. Industries Inc., in Spartanburg County. The $3.6 million investment is expected to generate 80 new jobs. Both A.L. Solutions and A.L. Industries are part of the A.L. Group, which is headquartered in Israel. “We are excited to move forward with plans for our new location in Spartanburg County. ...
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ACS establishing facility in Greenville County
COLUMBIA — ACS, a global supplier which specializes in the integration of engine and vehicle test operations into clients’ production and development facilities, will establish a regional office in Greenville, generating 10 new jobs. “Our goal is to provide a single source for complete project responsibility that customers the world over turn to and count on when undertaking complex projects,” said Lee Cockrum, managing director of ACS Sout...
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Montgomery appointed as adviser to FSA County Committee
SPARTANBURG — Charles E. Montgomery has been appointed to serve as County Committee Adviser to the Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee for one year effective March 1, 2013. Mr. Montgomery was born and raised on a farm in the Lyman community of Spartanburg County and has been farming for approximately 40 years. Mr. Montgomery is both a row crop (small grains and soybeans) and livestock producer. Mr. M...
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Foreign persons must report U.S. agricultural land holdings
SPARTANBURG — Glenn Thomas, County Executive Director, of the Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), reminds foreign persons with an interest in agricultural lands in the United States that they are required to report their holdings and any transactions to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. “Any foreign person who acquires, transfers or holds any interest, other than a security interest, including leaseholds ...
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Photo courtesy of Monarch Elementary School

Students of the Quarter

Monarch Elementary School Students of the Quarter for the fourth nine weeks are (5K) Eva Jolly, Emma Hart, Brayden Dowis, Ireyanna Jeter; (first grade) Sha’Niiyah Beaty, Jakob Clark, Aniya Roninson, Emma Garner; (second grade) Jacob Gregory, Peyton Ochiltree, and Jamiyah Jones. Congratulations to these star students!

Community Calendar
Thursday, April 25 • The Union County Arts Council holds an awards reception for the 2013 Youth Art Show Grades K-5 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the UCAC gallery on Main Street in Union. Call UCAC at 864-429-2817 for more information. • The Team Leroy RFL Team holds a fundraiser at Pizza Hut from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. The team will receive 10 percent of all proceeds during that time. For more information, contact Reba Vinson at (864) 674-2651. ...
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Charles Warner|Daily Times
Yates Giles speaks on the phone following his victory in Tuesday's special election for the District 3 Union City Council seat. Unofficial results have Giles winning with 94 votes to 86 votes for Vicki Morgan and 14 votes for Robin Price.

Giles wins District 3 city council seat
UNION — According to the unofficial results of Tuesday’s special election, Yates Giles is the newest member of Union’s City Council. The District 3 seat on city council has been vacant since the death of councilman Keith Henderson on January 27. Henderson was serving his third term on city council at the time of his death. Tuesday’s special election was held to elect a council member to fill Henderson’s unexpired term. Three candidates — ...
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Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

Union County High School 12th graders who received a 2013 Palmetto Fellow Award were, left to right, Joseph Beavans, Louis Mercado, Morgan Morris, Brandon Stone, Gray Ransom and Lee Dobson.

Students recognized for academic achievement
UNION — Union County High School hosted the Union County School District 2012-2013 Student Recognition Awards Ceremony this week. The event included a message of motivation and encouragement from 2013-2014 District Teacher of the Year Matthew Carroll. Music for the event was provided by the Union County Schools Concert Orchestra, which was directed by John Kvasnicka. Orchestra members were Allison Hart, Bridgette Sumner, Brittany Pierce, Gi...
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Unemployment rate falls to 12.8 percent in March
UNION — The combination of an increase in the number of residents with jobs and a decrease in the size of its workforce caused Union County’s unemployment rate to fall a full percentage point in March. The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce announced that South Carolina’s unemployment rate decreased from 8.6 percent in February to 8.4 percent in March. In March 2012 the state’s unemployment rate was 9.3 percent. Nationa...
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