Union Daily Times - Local News, Sports, Classifieds & Businesses in the Union, South Carolina area.

News

A theatrical trip through Union’s history
UNION — An upcoming play will offer theatre goers an opportunity to journey through the rich history of Union. Boogaloo Folklife Productions — in partnership with Union County Historical Society — will present “Whisperings: Mostly True Tales from the Voices of Union’s Historic Past” May 31-June 2. The show will take place at four separate venues — The Inn at Merridun, the USC Union Gazebo, the Dawkins House and the Episcopal Church of the...
full story

Photo courtesy of the Union County Arts Council

“Daddy’s Love” by Lisbeth Kelly. Union portrait artist Lisbeth Kelly was a judge for UCAC’s 2013 Photography Contest and Exhibition.

Photography exhibit now showing at Arts Council
UNION — The walls of the Union County Arts Council’s gallery are filled with photographs depicting the themes people, places and things. The exhibit is being held in conjunction with UCAC’s 2013 Photography Contest in which photographers had the chance to win cash prizes ranging from $200 to $25. The winners will be announced at an awards reception to be held at the gallery. Judging was done by a panel of three local photographers, each spe...
full story

Library Notes
Library Hours Monday – Friday 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday – 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Upcoming Events Book Signing Tori Woody, author of Smiles & Sorrows (a book of poems), will be at the library, Saturday, May 18 from 12-2 p.m. to sign her book. Tori is a 14-year-old student in Union. Trustees Meeting The Union County Carnegie Library Board of Trustees will meet May 21, 2013 6 p.m. at the library. The meeting is open to the pu...
full story

Community Calendar
Saturday, May 18 • The Carlisle Finishing Retirement Group meets at 9 a.m. for breakfast at Midway. Guest speaker will be Andrena Powell-Baker, executive director of the Union County Development Board, who will make a presentation on proposals to upgrade the Trakas Industrial Site and Union Commerce Park. All retirees and former employees are welcome. For more information call 466-5276. Monday, May 20 • “Monday Night Music” is at th...
full story

Charles Warner|Daily Times
Matthew Fain, center, stands listens with his attorney, Chris Mills, as Deputy Solicitor John Anthony addresses the court Wednesday afternoon.

Fain sentenced to 12 years in prison
UNION — Matthew Fain will spend the next 12 years in prison for a 2011 collision that killed two men. Fain, 27, of 620 Evans St. in Whitmire, was sentenced Wednesday in General Sessions Court by Judge Eugene Griffith of Newberry to 15 years in prison on each of two counts of felony DUI resulting in death. The sentence was suspended to 12 years in prison, 36 months probation and 200 hours of public service. Fain pleaded guilty in March to ...
full story

Charles Warner|Daily Times
Belk associates plant flowers as part of the landscaping segment of their volunteer service project at Foster Park Elementary School Wednesday morning.

Belk personnel do service project at Foster Park Elementary School
UNION — Thirty-five Belk employees spent part of Wednesday morning making improvements at Foster Park Elementary School in honor of their company’s 125th birthday. Belk was founded in 1888 and the company is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a “125 Days of Service” program. During the course of the program, which runs from March 10-July 12, Belk employees undertake service projects at local schools in their communities. The service pro...
full story

Texaco Country Showdown this Friday
UNION — An event slated for tomorrow night will offer local vocalists a pathway to country music stardom. The 32nd-annual Texaco Country Showdown — sponsored locally by WBCU for the third straight year — will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17 in the USC Union Auditorium. The Country Showdown begins each spring with more than 450 local contests throughout the U.S. sponsored by country music radio stations. Local winners advance to their res...
full story

Ordinance_governing_boards_and_commissions_questioned0_1368744411.jpg

Ordinance governing boards and commissions questioned
UNION COUNTY — An ordinance placing all county boards and commissions under the same umbrella of policies and procedures has received final approval from Union County Council, but not without controversy. Supervisor Tommy Sinclair said the ordinance, which received third and final approval from council Tuesday night, evolved after four separate council discussions that took place over a period of six months. The ordinance was questioned b...
full story

Crime Report
The Union County Sheriff’s Office reported the following arrests : — Christopher Dennis Lawson, 31, of 1055 Mt. Lebanon Road, Buffalo, was charged with driving under the influence, possession of controlled substance (Schedule II, III, and IV), and simple possession of marijuana around 9:25 p.m. on May 14. — Christopher Gene Moss, 32, of 1055 Main Street, Buffalo, was charged with possession of controlled substance (Schedule II, III, and ...
full story

Sixth suspect now in custody
UNION — The last of six suspects named in the stabbing death of a Union man is now in custody. Sheriff David Taylor announced that Marcos Antonio Ramirez, 22, 5018 Cross Keys Highway, Union, had surrendered to officers of the Rock Hill Police Department Thursday afternoon. Ramirez turned himself in after seeing himself as a wanted person on a Facebook social network site. Later in the afternoon, Taylor said Ramirez had been returned to Unio...
full story

Photo courtesy of the Union County Carnegie Library
The Union County Family & Community Leaders recently gave a $200 check to the Friends of the Library for the Library’s Summer Reading program. Pictured are UCCL Director Ben Loftis and UCFC member Myrtis Rainwater.

Library receives $200 for Summer Reading Program
UNION — The Union County Carnegie Library will use a $200 donation to help children and adults “Dig Into Reading” this summer. The Union County Family & Community Leaders group recently presented the Friends of the Library with a check for $200 for the library’s Summer Reading Program. “We just really appreciate the funding that was provided to the library,” Library Director Ben Loftis said. “It will help us provide a quality summer readi...
full story

Photo courtesy of Union County High School

The American Legion Auxiliary and The General Harry M. Arthur American Legion Post 22 has appointed a total of 10 Union County High School students to serve as delegates and alternates to the Palmetto Girls State and Palmetto Boys State in June. They are (front row) Chasmyn Smith, Hannah Hartley, Kanani Lodge, Tatiana Ferguson, Madison Gardin and (back row) Michael Leigh, James Fore, Detric Means, and Mark Freeman. Not pictured is Alana Wright.

Palmetto Girls State, Boys State delegates selected
UNION COUNTY — Ten Union County High School students have been selected to attend the upcoming Palmetto Girls State and Palmetto Boys State in June. Palmetto Girls State The American Legion Auxiliary has selected six outstanding rising seniors to represent Union County as delegates and alternates to the 67th session of Palmetto Girls State. Palmetto Girls State brings together 500 of the most outstanding female rising high school seni...
full story

Church to host annual KICK Sports Camp
UNION — An upcoming summer sports camp will allow local children an opportunity to play a sport of their choice while also participating in sports-oriented devotions from the Bible. New Life Baptist Church will host its annual KICK (Kids in Christ Kingdom) Sports Camp from Monday, June 17-Friday, June 21 at Union County Stadium. The registration deadline is Saturday, June 1, and a registration event will take place that day at 2 p.m. in the...
full story

Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

City of Union Public Service Director Perry Harmon tosses one of the tagged catfish into the lake.

J.A.K.E.S. to be held this Saturday at Foster Park Lake
UNION — The Union County Parks and Recreation, the City of Union, the U.S. Forest Service, the Piedmont Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, and South Carolina DNR will again join forces to host two of Union County’s biggest events of the year. Last Wednesday, approximately 2,400 pounds of fish were added to the lake at Foster Park in preparation for the J.A.K.E.S. (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) Public Sa...
full story

Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

Kevin Brackett, Solicitor for the 16th Judicial Circuit, speaks to council, echoing sentiments from Public Defender Harry Dest.

Additional attorney sought for public defender’s office
UNION — Both the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit Public Defender and Solicitor spoke to the Union County Council Tuesday evening regarding a need for an additional attorney in the public defender’s office. Sixteenth Circuit Public Defender Harry Dest — who has served in that position since 2008 and has been a public defender for 23 years — explained to council that there is one attorney — Erik Delaney — in the public defender’s office who works ...
full story

Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

Suzanne Byrd registers Hunter Jordan for Spartanburg Community College courses at the Union County Advanced Technology Center earlier this week.

Technology center registers 65 for summer classes
UNION COUNTY — Nearly two-thirds of the students who signed up this week for summer classes at Spartanburg Community College will take them at the Union County Advanced Technology Center. Kathy Jo Lancaster, technology center site coordinator, said that a total of 65 Union County residents signed up for summer classes during on-site registration conducted by SCC at the center on Monday. Of those, Lancaster said approximately 40 will take th...
full story

No_tax_increase_in_school_district_budget0_1368651875.jpg

No tax increase in school district budget
UNION — The first draft of the Union County School District’s 2013-2014 operating budget is balanced without raising taxes despite increased expenditures. District Finance Director Lynn Lawson presented the balanced budget of $26,128,725 — an increase of $79,830 over the Fiscal Year 2013 budget. “This plan is very tight and leaves very little room for error over the next year,” Lawson said at Monday’s board of trustees meeting. Lawson s...
full story

Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

August Garrett, accounts coordinator for The Blood Connection, poses with members of the Spartanburg Shrine Club during Monday's blood drive in the Walmart parking lot.

Blood drive collects 56 pints of blood
UNION — The Union County stop on this year’s Memorial Week Blood Drive by The Blood Connection resulted in the collection of enough blood to save as many as 168 lives. The blood drive, which runs through Friday and will be conducted throughout The Blood Connection’s service area, is designed to collect blood for the 22 hospitals supplied by the organization. The hospitals are located in northeastern Georgia, western North Carolina, and nort...
full story

Charles Warner|Daily Times
The Dollar General at 821 Main St., Buffalo, will be the site of a career fair the company will conduct Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. as part of its efforts to hire 10,000 new employees in May.

Dollar General to hold career fair this Saturday
BUFFALO — In its effort to hire 10,000 new employees in May, Dollar General will host a career fair at the Dollar General located at 821 Main St. in Buffalo, S.C. on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. to attract new store candidates to join its thriving and growing organization. This event will be one of approximately 170 nationwide career fairs held on Saturday throughout the 40 states the retailer serves. Dollar General representatives ...
full story

Crime Report
The Union Public Safety Department reported the following arrests : — Joseph David Bradley, 62, of 132 Sinclair Road, Union, was charged with disorderly conduct around 10:24 p.m. on May 13. — Jimmy Decarlos Henderson, 32, of 108 Columbus St., Union, was charged with disorderly conduct around 11 p.m. on May 13. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reported the following incidents : — A resident of King Kennedy Street in Carlisle reporte...
full story

Church Calendar
Wednesday, May 15 7 p.m.: Monarch Baptist Church, 212 Richards St., Union, holds revival. Saturday, May 18 10 a.m.: Corinth Baptist Church holds Health Watch. Gary NeSmith, physical therapist and owner of Austin Rehab, will be the guest speaker. All are welcome. Lois A. Lyles and Amelia Glenn, Facilitators. Rev. J. Archie Calhoun, Pastor. Sunday, May 19 10 a.m.: New Hope Baptist Church, Linersville Road, Buffalo, holds H...
full story

Community Calendar
Thursday, May 16 • Vietnam Veterans Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 644 meets at the Legion Hut at 120 Scenic Drive in Foster Park in Union. The business meeting starts at 7 p.m. Business includes filling the two vacancies of Vice-President, and Secretary. The VVA meets on the third Thursday of the month, and Vietnam Era veterans interested in becoming members are always welcome as guests. Saturday, May 18 • The Carlisle Finishi...
full story

Fain to be sentenced this afternoon
UNION — A Whitmire man who pleaded guilty in March to a 2011 collision that left two men dead will learn his punishment this afternoon. The Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office announced Tuesday that sentencing for Matthew Olin Fain will be held this afternoon at 2 p.m. in General Sessions Court. Fain pleaded in March to two counts of felony DUI in March but his attorney requested that his sentencing be delayed until May and Judge Lee S. Al...
full story

Derik Vanderford|Daily Times

Team Leroy was the top fund raising team with $15,000, which was more than any other first-time team had raised in the history of Union County Relay for Life.

Relay For Life raises nearly $100,000
UNION COUNTY — The people of Union County have now contributed nearly $1.8 million to the fight against cancer with more donations on the way. The first Union County Relay For Life was held in 1996 and since then the annual event has raised an average of $100,000 for a total of $1.7 million as of 2012. The organizers of the 2013 Relay For Life had hoped that this year’s effort would raise at least another $100,000 and bring the total contri...
full story

Photos submitted

Brandon Trammell is pictured with his dog T-Bone, who won Best in Show at the 2013 Be Kind to Animals Week Dog Show.

Dog show draws 30 contestants
UNION — Dogs brought their owners to the Union County Carnegie Library Saturday for a morning of awards, refreshments and lots of fun. In honor of national Be Kind to Animals Week, the Union County Humane Society sponsored its annual dog show on the library’s front lawn. After a brief promenade for judges, each contestant was awarded a blue ribbon and a certificate describing the pet’s best characteristic. This year’s contest included 30 ...
full story