CLIO  — Since being sworn in as mayor of Clio in July, Ben Petrone has worked hard to get a hand on the town’s state of affairs.
“The situation was worse than I thought,” he said.
With the town behind on several fiscal year audits, Petrone thought initially he could get the state to release some funds they had been holding but he was told no.
The only things those funds could be released to pay for were the health insurance and pension for town employees.
The town is in a catch-22. The town needs the audits to be completed but can’t afford to pay for them out of the general fund.
“If we can’t pay for them, and they are not going to get done, then we are going further and further in the hole.

S.C. Law Enforcement Division officials arrested a former deputy with the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office on Thursday for illegally selling his agency-issued taser weapon.
Phillip Ryan Gardner, 38, was charged with misconduct in office.
SLED investigated the case at the request of the Marlboro County Sheriff's Office.
On Sept. 22, Gardner pawned the taser for $180 at Carolina Jewelry and Pawn in Laurinburg, N.C. 
According to the warrant, Gardner did not have authorization from any Marlboro County official to pawn the TASER.
Gardner was booked at the Marlboro County Detention Center.
The case will be prosecuted by the Fourth Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Marlboro County High's season opener at Manning has been postponed until 1 p.m. on Saturday due to weather conditions.  Thunderstorms are predicted throughout the area through the evening.  

Students at Marlboro Academy gathered at the flag poles during the See You At The Pole event held Wednesday. Reid Edwards planned the event and led the school in prayer. Edwards also gave a message about having faith in Jesus. See You at the Pole began in 1990 as a grass roots movement with ten students praying at their school. Twenty years later, millions pray on their campuses nationwide on the fourth Wednesday in September.
Photos by Jacqueline Hough

For the nine women and children staying at New Beginnings Transitional Shelter, the Manna Boxes Service Project from the nonprofit Our Children-Their Future has been a godsend.
In its first month in August, the project served  200  homes.
The goals of the project are to supplement the food shortfalls of children, their families, and seniors, disabled, sick, shut-in, veterans, and food-insecure individuals in the isolated rural communities severely impacted by this pandemic. 
Desiree Tolson of New Beginnings Transitional Shelter said it has been very helpful to the shelter by providing the women and children with food, fresh fruit, and vegetables. 
“They are very thankful and very blessed to receive it,” Tolson said.