Events 

NAACP annual Freedom Fund dinner
The Barnwell-Blackville Branch of the NAACP will host its local annual Freedom Fund dinner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Blackville Community Center located at 19464 Solomon Blatt Avenue, Blackville. The speaker for the occasion will be the Rev. Brendolyn Jenkins, President of the Aiken County Branch of the NAACP.  For more information you may contact the Rev. Harris T. Barker at (803)259-5135 or any member of the branch.

The Barnwell Airport Commission has established a designated aerobatics box over the airport.
The invisible box provides a no-fly space for pilots to practice their stunts, Commissioner Cal Hoffman said, while allowing planes to take-off and land as usual.
“It enhances safety,” he said.
Commissioner P.F. Beck said aerobatic pilots have different levels of experience. To get from one level to the next, they need a safe place to practice.
“It’s a goodwill gesture,” he said of establishing the box.

The Williston School Board learned more about Robert’s Rules of Order this week during special meeting held Monday, August 30.
Dr. Paul Krohne of the S.C. School Board Association gave a workshop for the board on the basics of procedure.
“It’s a tool to get to an endpoint,’ said Krohne in presenting effective methods of using Robert’s Rules of Order. He said the rules “are a means to make sure that even if there is disagreement, it is handled fairly.”

Winners for the 3rd Annual Longest Yard Tournament
5 Years Old and Under: 1st Place    Bryce Tucker- 25 yards, 2nd Place   Jarel Sweat- 5 yards; Junior Boys 14 and Under: 1st Place   Christopher Ray-190 yards, 2nd Place  Joseph Staley-130 yards, 3rd Place   Matthew Staley-75 yards;  Junior Girls 14 and Under: 1st Place  Trica Birt- 125 yards, 2nd Place  Tyniah James- 65 yards, 3rd Place  Kia’Janiyah Bloome – 30 yards; Women 20 and Over: 1st Place   Lynn Fail-105 yards, 2nd Place  Shelley Brooker- 105 yards, 3rd Place  Valarie Walker – 100 yards:

Babysitters Unite - not to strike but for more work.
A new business has opened in the area and is asking babysitters to unite under one agency.
Julie Stapleton said she got the idea to start the agency, Barnwell Babysitter Service, because mothers are always asking for sitter referrals. Stapleton also owns a daycare outside of Williston.
All of the sitters who work through the agency are CPR and first aid certified, random drug tested and have had criminal background checks by local law enforcement, she said.

During its regular meeting, Barnwell School District 45 board members honored Lindsey Hallingquest, a sophomore at Barnwell High School for being recognized by the National Society of High School Scholars.
BHS Principal, Jon Burdge said, “He (Lindsey) has shown a strong commitment to academic excellence.”
Hallingquest has maintained a 4.77 GPA and is currently in the top five of the sophomore class, Burdge said.
He is a member of the student council and was selected as a Duke Scholar in the TIP program in seventh grade, Burdge said.

Barnwell County’s unemployment rate inched up in July according to information recently released by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
The local jobless rate rose from 16.5 percent in June to 16.9 percent in July. Barnwell County is ranked sixth highest in unemployment amongst South Carolina’s 46 counties.
In Allendale County the rate rose from 19 to 19.3 percent for the same time period. Allendale County is ranked third highest in joblessness.

A new board member was sworn in Thursday night at the Barnwell County Hospital trustee meeting.
Kiffany Perlote will represent Blackville on the board. She was sworn in by attorney J. D. Mosteller. Barnwell County Councilman David Kenner appointed Perlotte.
Board chairman Don Alexander welcomed Perlote saying, “David Kenner has a track record of making great appointments to the board. I am sure you will do the same.”
To start the meeting the board learned that the hospital has been recovering from a lightning strike.

It was a ribbon cutting on a grand scale.
From the white air conditioned tent to the guest list, not a detail was missed.
Horsehead held their official ribbon cutting Aug. 25.
Horsehead is the leading manufacturer of value-added zinc products including zinc oxide and zinc powder, as well as the world’s largest producer of zinc from recycled sources.  Horsehead Corporation was formed in 2003, but its predecessor companies, the New Jersey Zinc Company and St. Joe Resources Company, each having been in the zinc production business, date back to the mid-1800s.

Kronotex USA Holdings, Inc. announced Monday, Aug. 30 the expansion of its Kronotex Flooring, LLC manufacturing facility in Barnwell.
The construction project, expected to start immediately, will enhance clean energy development and increase production capacity by 60 percent with the installation of a third set of high speed laminating and profiling lines.