Storm damages MAMAS...no money for repairs

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

The line of severe thunder storms that struck Bamberg County early Tuesday morning knocking down numerous trees, bringing down power lines which resulted in several traffic accidents. Bamberg County Emergency Services personnel received several calls about a possible tornado touching down in the county, but couldn’t verify that one did. “Just a real bad storm,” Quincy Wright an official with the Bamberg County Emergency Services Office said Tuesday morning.

Joey Sutton and Amy Buist Co-managers of the Mary Ann Morris Animal Shelter (MAMAS) are convinced that something close to a tornado struck their agency Tuesday morning. Upon arriving to work they found: tree limbs down, a whole section of the fence and gate surrounding the compound off, a large section of the tin roof over the dog pens blown off, dogs out of their pens, the ceiling in the office falling down, pens open, wires exposed, two dogs missing, one dog hurt and another bunch of scared animals.

Sutton and Buist thanked the students from the Bamberg Job Corps Center for helping remove the tree limbs that fell in the animal compound. “They (Bamberg Job Corps Center students) really helped, they made us operational again, they did an excellent job with the clean up,” Sutton said. They also thanked MAMAS board member Joey Guess for helping cut down limbs.

As for repairing the roof to the office at MAMAS given the present budget situation; the co-managers noted: “We can’t afford to fix it, we’re making do with what we have.”

B-E JV and Varsity baseball teams pick up wins

Jerry E. Halmon, Sports Editor

The B-E varsity baseball team (7-3, 7-0) started last week off by defeating the Estill Gators 24-0. Sumner Cooler was the winning pitcher for the Red Raiders.

The JV baseball team also defeated Branchville 12-2. The winning pitcher was Anthony Chandler.

In Region 5-A varsity baseball action last week, the Red Raiders defeated the Branchville Yellow Jackets 21-1. Mitch Whetstone (2-1) was the winning pitcher for B-E.

The Red Raiders also defeated Region 5-A foe Whale Branch 23-1. Randon Sandifer (3-0) was the winning pitcher, allowing 1-run on 2-hits and striking out 12-batters.

Elections April 12th

Joyce M. Searson, Publisher

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday, April 12th to vote for the candidate of their choice in Bamberg School District One and District Two elections.

In the Bamberg School District One Board of Trustee members, two incumbents will face opposition in the school board elections while two political newcomers will contest for another open seat on the board.

There is an almost unprecedented roll of candidates to fill seats for the next four years in Bamberg School District Two this year.

Eight candidates have filed for Bamberg School Board Two seats in the election. Incumbent Alvin Maynor, Leila C. Brown, and Beverly Frazier are seeking a place on Seat 5. Incumbent Loretta Goodman, Anthony Carter, Victor Billinghurst, and Rev. Jimmie Jackson, Sr. are campaigning for Seat 4, and unopposed Blossom Thompson is running for reelection for Seat 3.

Polling places for the Bamberg School District One and Two elections open at 7:00 a.m. on April 12th and close at 7:00 p.m.

Goody’s assumes Peebles

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

March 31 was ribbon cutting day as Bamberg Mayor Alton McCollum cut the pink ribbon to officially open the new Goody’s store in Bamberg. Goody’s is one of five different retail outlets of Stage Stores, Inc., including Beales, Goody’s, Peebles, Stage, and Palais Royal.

Stage Stores, Inc., with its corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas and buying offices in South Hill, Virginia, has over 780 stores in 39 states across the U.S. The average store size for Stage Stores is 18,500 selling square feet with a fiscal year 2010 projected sales of $1.5 Billion. They employ approximately 13,000 employees and anticipate opening 35-40 new stores in 2011.