City of Denmark Municipal Election Tuesday, February 12th

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

With a filing date of January 12, 2013 having passed, only one member of Denmark City Council will face opposition in the Tuesday, February 12, 2013 City of Denmark nonpartisan municipal election. Incumbent Denmark Mayor Gerald E. Wright will face Patricia Anduze in a race for a four (4) year term as Mayor of the City of Denmark.

Incumbent Denmark City Council members; Jake N. Bookard Sr., James Robinson and Bonnie Love have filed for reelection and face no opposition. (Gerald E. Wright and Patricia Anduze are the only names that will appear on the February 12, ballot.) It was also noted that (Charles Bailey did not complete his paperwork to become a candidate for the election.) Polling precincts for the February 12 election are the following: East Denmark: The Brooker Center and West Denmark: The Old Train Depot. Polling places will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Certification of the election will be held hold on Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at the J. Carl Kearse Agriculture Building on Calhoun Street in Bamberg.

A new Voter ID law that came into effect on January 1, 2013 requires that voters going to the polls in Bamberg County will be asked to show one of the following Photo IDs at your polling place: S.C. Driver’s License; ID Card issued by S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles; S.C. Voter Registration Card with Photo; Federal Military ID or U.S. Passport.

If you do not currently have one of the Photo IDs listed about you can get one free of charge through the following ways: Voters can get a voter registration card with a photo from your county voter registration and elections office by simply providing your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number; By obtaining a DMV card at a local DMV office or by (checking with DMV or scdmvonline.com for required documents).

Not having a voter ID on Election Day however will not prohibit a voter from voting! If a voter has a “reasonable impediment” to obtaining a Photo ID, he or she may vote a “provisional ballot” after showing a non-photo voter registration card. A “reasonable impediment” is any valid reason, beyond a voters’ control, which creates an obstacle to obtaining a Photo ID. Some examples include: Religious objection to being photographed; Disability or illness; Work schedule; Lack of transportation; Lack of birth certificate; Family responsibilities; Election within short time frame of implementation of Photo ID law (January 1, 2013) or “Any other obstacle” you find reasonable.

Searson named ‘General Manager of the Year’

Mallory D. Biering, Staff Reporter

Joyce Searson, Publisher of The Advertizer- Herald Publishing Company, was named 2012 'General Manager of the Year' of Trib Publications Friday, January 18th,in Warm Springs, Georgia, at the annual Advertising Seminar.

Bob Tribble, Owner and CEO of Trib Publications, Incorporated in Manchester, Georgia, owns 13 companies which publishes 38 newspapers throughout Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama.

In order to win this prestigious award, a person must successfully lead, grow, and sustain their company in the most profitable and proficient manner throughout the year. Searson along with general managers from 12 other companies competed for the award.

Through all of the ups and downs of this business and the stiff competition at hand, Searson managed to come out on top one more time, after also winning the award in 2009 and 2010.

Searson said she could not have done it alone or without the help of her staff. "I feel very honored to win this award and I thank my employees for all their hard work during the year. I could not have done it without them," said Searson.

She has been in the newspaper business for over twenty years, first starting at The Advertizer-Herald as an advertising sales representative, promoted in 1996 to advertising manager, and in 2006 Searson was then named publisher.

Searson added, "I would also like to thank Bob Tribble for allowing me the opportunity to be publisher of The Advertizer-Herald Publishing Company.

This is a very rewarding job and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day, knowing I have done my best."

As time moves on and another year begins, Searson, with the help of her staff, will be accepting new challenges and making sure they accomplish what each community needs--its weekly newspaper.

The Advertizer-Herald Production Manager Kyle Jones, also won second place for the Best Classified Section.

The judges stated, "the bold use of category headings make the page stand out. It's easy to follow and the use of color is a nice touch."

The Advertizer Herald Publishing Company publishes four community newspapers: The Advertizer-Herald, The North Trade Journal, The Holly Hill Observer, The Santee Striper and is also a printing company.

Scouting Guru Tom Lemming visits Bamberg

Jerry E. Halmon, Sports Editor

After producing big time college football talent like Ricky Sapp, Da’Quan Bowers, A. J. Cann and now rising senior K.C. Crosby, Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School is a name college coaches from around the nation are very familiar with. With the 2013 college football recruiting season drawing quickly to a close MaxPreps CBS College Sports recruiting analyst Tom Lemming paid a visit to Bamberg last week.

Along with his recruiting expertise, Lemming played himself in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side” which was based on the life story of 2013 Super Bowl bound Baltimore Ravens offensive right tackle Michael Oher. Lemming scouted Oher when he played at Wingate in high school and got the word out about Oher’s athletic skills.

On a football recruiting note, Bamberg- Ehrhardt High School senior defensive back/line backer Nick Halmon (6- 0,185) who verbally committed to UNC Charlotte last fall made an official visit to the school this past weekend. Halmon, a 2012 North-South selection was one of 15 recruits from North Carolina and South Carolina that visited the school Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other South Carolina recruits making their official visit to UNCC were; line backer Justin Bridges-Thompson from Spartanburg High school and (6’-8”) Dutch Fork defensive end and South Carolina Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas selection Jamar Winston, whom Halmon roomed with.

Bamberg City League Basketball

Craig B. Walker II, BEHS Journalism Class

As the popcorn was popping the shots were dropping. Unfortunately not for The City of Bamberg's Jr. Red Raiders. Bamberg played host to Aiken, Blackville, and Columbia this past weekend winning one out of eight games. Many of these teams have been playing together for five years or more. “Although our kids fought to the end, their (Aiken, Blackville and Columbia) experience and team chemistry was simply too much to overcome,” according to Coach Rickey Nimmons of Bamberg. Listed below is a recap of this past Saturday's games:

Game One (6-8 year olds Co-Ed): Coach Corey Crosby's team opened by defeating Russell Rumph's team 39 to 35 in a contest that saw many lead changes. Gage Boykin led the way with 16 points in the win as Nigel Myers scorched the nets for 23 in a losing effort.

Game Two: Coach Trent Kinard’s team notched another win by defeating Coach Chris Wilson's team 40 to 17. Carson Carter led the way with 20 points followed by 4 points from Emma Bridges. Coach Chris Wilson's team was led by a host of players that scored two points each.

Game Three (9-10 year old Boys): Coach Trent Kinard’s team continued its winning ways by defeating a well coached Aiken team 24-22. Leading the way for Bamberg was Hunter Bridges with 14 points followed by Treyton Still with 6 points.

Game Four (9-13 year old Girls): Next up was Coach Trena Crosby's undefeated girls team who took the floor against an Aiken team that appeared more than ready as they defeated Bamberg 27-4. This is one of the most experienced teams they will face this year.

Game Five (9-10 Year Old Boys): The Bamberg boys led by Coach Jason Peek met on center court against Aiken. When the final buzzer sounded the Aiken team was up 21-18. Quintel Brabham continued to shine by pouring in 9 points in the loss.

Game Six (9-13 year old Boys): Coach Cody Jamison's boys took a bruising loss 33-12 to a well prepared Aiken team. The leading scorer for Bamberg was DaShawn Gray.

Game Seven (9-13 year old Girls): The Bamberg girl’s team took the court against Blackville and loss 11 to 10. This was a tight game throughout. Emoni Grant led the way for the Bamberg girls’, mustering up six points against a spirited Blackville team.

Game Eight (9-10 year old Boys): Coach Corey Crosby's boys’ put up a valiant effort, however when the final buzzer sounded the team from West Columbia was leading 11-5. Bryce Chandler scored two points.

Game Nine (11-13 year old Boys): Coach Carl Henderson' s team lost 40-23 to West Columbia, a team that's been together for six years and it showed. DeAndre Vanzego scored 12 points in the loss.

Game Ten: The final game of the day left Coach Rickey Nimmon's team standing in the loser circle with a 34 to 18 loss against a very stout West Columbia team. The leading scorer was Trent Raysor with 16 points in the loss.