Laurens City Council delayed votes for one week on budget items, including an ordinance
that would charge the CPW and other utilities 5% of gross revenues generated
inside the city limits. Some council members said they wanted to have a chance
to read the ordinances before voting on them. There was one ordinance Council
voted on. Director of Building and Zoning Clay Rykard presented a new Flood
Plain and Storm Water Disposal ordinance. Rykard explained the ordinance would
bring the city in compliance with state law. It was approved as a formality.

City Council also approved new expenditures by the Special Projects Director. Tommy
Burns asked for $7,500 to demolish the old swimming pool at the Ceramtec Park.
Burns noted the pool cannot be rehabilitated for public use, and is a safety
hazard. He said a bath building also needs to come down.

At Burns’ request, council approved spending another $2,500 to $3,000 to clear out
the old tennis court area at the Ceramtec Park. That includes taking out old
stumps in the same area.

Money
for the work is to come from the city’s hospitality tax funds.

Fire ant bites are painful, and their mounds can mar the look of
any lawn. But there are other things to be concerned about. It seems they love
to get near electricity, and sometimes can damage electrical equipment, such as
heating and air units mounted outside on the ground. Fire ants also get into pad-mounted
electrical transformers. Laurens CPW General Manager Dale Satterfield told the
Commissioners earlier this week that Laurens City electrical crews are now
going through their annual inspection of these electrical transformers. Each
spring, utility workers inspect and apply fire ant treatment to reduce the
amount of trouble they cause to the city’s electrical system.

Satterfield noted electrical crews have also been busy upgrading
the lighting in the Jersey Street neighborhood. He said they’ve completed the
first LED street-lighting project in the Green Street area. This is part of the
benefits from a large grant the city received a couple of years back.

In other maintenance news, Satterfield said the CPW Natural Gas
Department has now completed its 2012 leak survey. He indicated the results
look good, with all leaks that were found being very small. Natural Gas
Department crews are now in the process of making repairs on the leaks that
were located.

Five new natural gas services were connected by the CPW in April.
Meanwhile, Dale Satterfield reported that the number of water and sewer taps
have increased recently; a sign of new homes being constructed in Laurens.

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Flymm Smith Road, Waterloo late Wednesday night when they received a call from an anonymous person giving the location of a wanted subject.  Officers checked the information on the subject and noted he did have warrants on him for receiving stolen goods and was also wanted by Probation Pardon and Parole.  Officers went to the alleged location of the subject, saw him leave a residence and go into a wooded area. Officers followed behind and advised the subject to place his hands behind his head because he was under arrest.  The subject made an attempt to run but fell after a short distance.  After a pat down of the subject was made officers reportedly found 16 oz of an off-white liquid substance and a bottle of liquid fire which is commonly used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Also located on the subject were two pieces of a hose and a silver spoon.  The subject was then transported to Johnson Detention Center for booking.
Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and South Carolina Probation Pardon and Parole arrested 26 year-old Billy Eugene Gleaton Jr. of 111 Robin Lane, Waterloo yesterday morning.
He was charged with violation of probation, receiving stolen goods, drug manufacturing, and drug disposal.
Bond was set at over $85,000 and he remained in Johnson Detention Center this morning.

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office arrested 23 year-old
Antonio Dontee Watts of 23 Helen Street, Clinton Tuesday night.

He was charged with Burglary 1^st Degree, Armed Robbery, 3 Counts Attempted murder and Assault and Battery of A High and Aggravated Nature.

Warrants state that Antonio Watts did enter a dwelling without consent and with intent to commit a crime
therein. Antonio Watts entered the dwelling at night and was armed with a
deadly weapon and caused physical injury to a person who is not a participant
in the crime.

Separate warrants also state that Watts did take drugs, money and 2 handguns from the victim with the intent
to deprive the victim, Did attempt to murder two victims by shooting them in
the lower body with a handgun, did attempt to murder a victim by shooting him
numerous times when he tried to flee the scene of the burglary and did hit a
victim on the head with a handgun causing serious injury.

Also arrested was 26 year-old Kyle Lamont Johnson of The Octagon Apartments, Apartment #102 Clinton.

He was charged with Possession of a weapon during a violent crime, Burglary First Degree, Armed
Robbery and Three counts attempted Murder.

Separate warrants state that Kyle Johnson did, along with Antonio Watts, did attempt to murder three
victims, did knowingly and willfully possess and display what appeared to be a
firearm during the commission of a violent crime, did take drugs, money and 2
handguns from a victim and did enter a dwelling
without consent with the intent to commit a crime therein.

Watts was denied bond and remained in Johnson Detention Center this morning, while Johnson remained in Johnson Detention Center this morning,
pending a bond hearing.

Larry Finney, a partner with the Greene, Finney and Horton accounting firm, told the
commissioners that the utility company’s financial condition is good. He noted
that the commission’s net assets increased by $530,000 from the prior year, and
that total net assets as of December 31^st, 2011 was $25.5 million.
However, unrestricted NET assets at the end of this past year was $80,000 below
the figure from one year ago, at $3.9 million.

Noting this is his firm’s first time to conduct an audit for the CPW, Finney went over
several matters regarding the way his company conducts the audit. He also
presented ideas about preventing fraud. He said that most fraud in such
situations is detected by internal means, and said there are some procedures
he’s suggesting to management to improve the likelihood of detecting fraud,
should any ever exist.

In other information reviewed for the Commissioners Monday morning, Finney said
the $3.9 million unrestricted fund balance on hand represents 16% of annual
expense, and is a good figure to have on hand to be able to handle
contingencies that come up.

Highway Patrol Lance Cpl Scott Edgeworth said the one-car wreck occurred at 2:53
yesterday afternoon, 4.7 miles west of Whitmire. He said a woman driving a 2007
Chevrolet Impala was traveling Eastbound, toward Whitmire, when she ran off the
right side of the road in a curve, then over-corrected, causing her to cross
the road and run off the left side, where she struck an embankment then some
trees.

Cpl Edgeworth said a 7-year-old child, who was a passenger in the right rear seat
of the car, was ejected from the vehicle. The child was airlifted to
Spartanburg Regional Hospital. The driver of the car was trapped inside the
wreck. EMS from Clinton and the Whitmire Fire Department reportedly worked over
2 hours to free her body from inside the destroyed car.

Laurens County Coroner Nick Nichols identified the driver as 28-year-old Princess Ariel
Furgess of 112 North Church Street, Whitmire. Nichols said Ms. Furgess died of
blunt force trauma on impact.

Reports from the scene indicate the car was demolished in the crash, with parts
separated from the main portion of the vehicle.

Laurens Police Department was dispatched to
Cadillac Apartments, Laurens early yesterday morning in reference to an assault. Upon
arrival officers made contact with the complainant, who was part owner of
apartment complex, who stated the subject had reportedly assault the victim and
broken her living room table. Officers walked inside the apartment and observed
the subject with what appeared to be a laceration on his left wrist, and also a
great deal of glass and blood on the floor. The victim was sitting in a
recliner and did appear to have been assaulted. The subject allegedly began to
curse at officers and the apartment manager. He was then told to calm down and
to allow officers to investigate the situation but he reportedly continued to
insult the apartment manager using racial slurs. The subject was advised to
step outside to talk with another officer but he allegedly continued yelling
the racial slurs, causing other residents of the apartment to come outside and
curse at the subject.  The subject was
then transported to the police department where an investigation could
effectively be conducted. Upon talking with the victim she state that she and
the subject dated years ago but he left town without calling. She stated the
subject came over today to visit and they began drinking which allegedly lead
to the subject becoming intoxicate, causing him to assault her by punching her
in the face and then striking her coffee table causing it to shatter. After the
subject was treated for his wounds, he was arrested and transported to Johnson Detention Center.

Laurens Police Department arrested 44 year-old
Jeffery Wayne Wardell of 505 Owens St, Joanna yesterday morning.

He was charged with Assault and Battery 3^rd Degree, Malicious Injury to Personal Property and
Breach of Peace.

Bond was set at $3,000 and he remained in Johnson Detention Center this morning.

It was almost three years ago when a Newberry taxi driver was shot and left in a
ditch. Now, the Newberry County Sheriff’s office says they have made an arrest
in the case.

The cab driver had reportedly picked up two men on Smith road near Newberry Academy
the night of July 27^th, 2009 at about 11 pm. When the driver didn’t
report in, the Sheriff’s Office was notified. A Deputy found the victim in a
ditch suffering from gunshot wounds. Another deputy then located the cab in a
ditch near the intersection of Belfast Road and Belmont Church Road.

The investigation continued to follow leads until a suspect was reportedly
identified by the victim from a line-up.

A news release now states that the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office arrested a
suspect on April 20^th. 19-year-old James Ojore Tribble of 625 Dixie
Drive, Newberry has been charged with Attempted Murder and Armed Robbery.

Newberry County Investigators say that they are still seeking the identity of the second
suspect involved with the shooting and are still asking anyone with any
information to contact the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 321-2222
or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

Several members of the Laurens Commission of Public Works and upper management at the
city utility were on hand last evening as Laurens City Council had a proposal
to change the way the city collects fees from it’s utility system. The proposal
was to charge the CPW, Duke Energy and any other utility 5% of its total
revenues from inside the city limits.

Sources indicate that the new measure could actually make it easier for Duke Energy to
take over additional service areas inside the city limits.

When council came to the agenda items dealing with city finance, Council Member
Sylvia Douglas made a motion to table the measure, until council members could
read the ordinance. She was joined by council members Marion Miller and Richard
Griffin, noting they had just received the ordinance, and wanted the chance to
read it before voting. Councilman Frank Richardson joined them in voting in
favor of the delay.

Mayor Brownlee then suggested the vote of the budget would also need to be delayed.
All were moved to a special meeting of City Council in one week, next Tuesday
afternoon at 5:30

The current five-year contract between City Council and the CPW was based on a
formula devised by former CPW General Manager Coleman Smoak. It provides a
formula of sharing percentages of revenues generated by the Commission, in
addition to a “franchise fee.”

There appears to be a concern on the city’s side of the issue that this formula has
resulted in a decrease of revenues the CPW has paid to the City, even though
overall gross revenues have increased.

The City budget under consideration appears to require an increase of some
$200,000, bringing the annual income up to over $900,000; for the city to be
able to provide its proposed 3% salary increase.

The measure tabled by City Council last night would have the CPW and any other
utility pay 5% of all gross sales inside the city limits as a franchise fee to
the city coffers.

City Council meets again on the matter on Tuesday, May 22^nd.

LDHS Seniors recently met as a class to begin preparing for the commencement
ceremony, set for 7:30 pm May 31^st. Student Council officers provided
their classmates with a number of important guidelines to help make graduation
a positive experience for the class and their guests. They began by discussing
the significance of each graduate’s moment on stage and the importance of that
moment to each senior’s guests on graduation night. The student leaders asked
their classmates to talk to their guests about the dignity of the ceremony. The
class emphasized that it desires to be recognized as a class, not as
individuals, so applauding or shouting for individual students simply detracts
from the next graduate’s moment on stage.

Each LDHS senior will receive six tickets for the ceremony in the Gymnasium.
Students were offered the opportunity to request tickets for the live-feed
video broadcast in the school’s Lecture Theater. The video and sound, streamed
live from the Gym, are shown on a large screen. Students saw moments from past
ceremonies to give them a sense of how the live feed looked and sounded.

Class leaders went over important dates for seniors and gave each senior a list of
tips for graduation night. Important dates include graduation rehearsal
Wednesday, May 30^th fro 9am until approximately noon, then Senior
Awards Ceremony, beginning at 1:00 p.m. that same day in the school’s Lecture
Theater. All seniors must attend rehearsal in order to participate in the
commencement exercises on May 31. In addition to practicing the ceremony,
seniors will also receive their tickets for graduation itself at rehearsal.

Senior Awards Ceremony is an event to honor those seniors who have achieved
outstanding recognition at LDHS. The ceremony recognizes the school’s
Valedictorian and Salutatorian as well as Departmental Award winners and other
scholarship awards and recognitions that have not yet been announced. Senior
Awards is open to seniors’ parents and guests.

The “Tips” for graduation serves as a reminder to graduates and their guests about
the evening’s serious nature and sad yet celebratory tone. Faculty members
reminded seniors that while graduation is an incredibly happy time, it is the
school’s final chance to say goodbye and to give seniors a dignified send-off.
Seniors were asked to help ensure that the evening gives each senior a moment
in the spotlight before the class celebrates as a group.