Searson wins ‘Manager of the Year’

Robert Tribble, CEO of Trib Publications, announced that Joyce Searson of the Advertizer- Herald Publishing Company, was the 2009 General Manager of the year at the Annual Advertising Seminar in Georgia this past weekend.

Trib Publications owns 11 companies that produce 30 newspapers throughout Georgia, South Carolina , North Carolina and Alabama.

Searson has been Publisher and General Manager of the Advertizer-Herald Publishing Company since May of 2006.

"I am very pleased to announce that this year's winner, Joyce Searson, is very deserving of this award and is doing a great job of managing the company and has been a great asset to the newspapers. She has worked very hard to stabilize and get the papers back where they need to be. I am very proud of her," said Tribble.

Searson has been in the newspaper business since 1992, starting out as a sales representative and then moved into the position as Advertising Manager in 1996. After leaving the company in 2003, she returned as Publisher and General Manager in 2006.

"I love newspapers and I love the fact that we are small community newspapers. We are able to give back to the communities every week by providing them with local news and keeping them informed about what is happening in their areas. Even with the economy as bad as it has been, our papers are still strong and will be around for a long time," said Searson.

The Advertizer- Herald Publishing Company produces four weekly newspapers- The Advertizer-Herald, The North Trade Journal, The Santee Striper and The Holly Hill Observer, along with The Lake Community Buyers Guide, and still offers web printing.

Ehrhardt to borrow balance on water project

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

In an effort to keep construction of the town’s proposed water project on deadline and to save money, Ehrhardt Town Council members agreed in a special meeting January 15 that it was in the town’s best interest to borrow the balance needed on the project rather than go through the Office of USDA Rural Development Bond Council.

Ehrhardt Town Council members gave approval on first reading to an ordinance approving a loan from Enterprise Bank of South Carolina in an amount not to exceed $70,000 to provide the funding necessary for the town’s planned water system improvement project. Mayor Bill Stanley, Bill Edinger and Freddie Copeland attended the meeting and voted to approve the loan.

The mayor noted in the meeting that the town of Ehrhardt, after securing grants totaling $3,180,758 for the towns’ water system project had a shortfall of $66,504.38. He stated that he had spoken with officials at USDA Rural Development about securing the balance needed and was informed that it would cost the town between $8,000 and $9,000 to have the Bond Council issue bonds for security. “They said the best thing to do is borrow the money,” Stanley said.

With a preconstruction conference scheduled in Columbia in a week with the contractor it was urgent that the town have all their funds in place to proceed with the project. The town is looking to do a closing on the project at the end of January.

“We’re not to the end of the line yet, but we’re closer than we ever were,” Mayor Stanley said.

Blood Drive

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

The American Red Cross held a Community Blood Drive on Tuesday January 19 in the fellowship hall at Trinity United Methodist Church in Bamberg. “Things are going wonderful, we’ve got a steady flow of donors coming in and, we’d like everyone to come in no matter what,” Sandra Thomas, American Red Cross Supervisor said. Danny McAlhaney, of Bamberg who was having his blood drawn on one of the new ALYX machines said that he gives blood every six months, “whenever the blood drive comes to town,” McAlhaney said.

Bamberg Woman Dies

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

A Bamberg woman died in a two-car collision early Friday morning January 15 at the intersection of Bill Salley Road and Hickory Hill Road about three miles west of Cordova. According to the Orangeburg Coroner’s office 26 year-old Kristi Manigault of Bamberg, a passenger in a 2000 Mercury Mountaineer, died from blunt force trauma she received when a 1994 Ford Ranger, driven by Quincy Ryant, 32, of 307 Carter Hill Dr., West Columbia, slammed into her door. Ryant was the lone occupant of his vehicle. He was airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland. Lakeia Polite, 36, of 147 Leslie Circle, Orangeburg, was the driver of the 2000 Mercury Mountaineer. Polite was also airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland Hospital. All occupants of both vehicles were believed to have been wearing seat belts.