Drill helps agencies hone their emergency preparedness skills Posted - 05-09-2013 Local agencies came together Wednesday morning at Marlboro County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to deal with a major disaster: floodwaters from dam failures in North Carolina that threatened the homes and lives of thousands of residents here in Bennettsville. Fortunately, the scene wasn’t real, but you would not have known that if you’d been at the EOC, where nearly 40 people representing key agencies gave their attention to the matter at hand. Click here for more

County Council tackles 2013-14 budget in work session Posted - 05-09-2013 Members of Marlboro County Council took a look at preliminary budget figures for the 2013-14 fiscal year during a work session Monday. No action was taken at that time, but the second of three required readings on the budget will take place at the council’s regular monthly meeting next week. First reading was by title only in April. The budget document that was presented Monday is a work in progress that is subject to change as items are clarified and more information comes in. Click here for more

Board oks press box at MCHS field, Head Start relocation Posted - 05-09-2013 Marlboro County Board of Education approved adding a press box to the concession /restroom facility to be built at the Marlboro County High School baseball/softball complex. This action came at the regular monthly meeting of the board Monday night at the MCHS Media Center. Robert Goff brought the matter to the attention of the board, saying this should not add substantially to the cost of the project, which is estimated to cost between $123,000 and $155,000 and was approved at a special... Click here for more

School board hears report on implementation of salary study recommendations, budget Posted - 05-02-2013 Members of the Marlboro County Board of Education heard an update Monday on the school district’s implementation of salary study recommendations the board approved last month. The recommendations came from a comprehensive study conducted by the Student-Centered Education Consulting Group, LLC. This group evaluated all of the district’s employee salary scales, comparing them to other school districts of comparable size. They found that Marlboro’s salary scales were below average, many... Click here for more

Council members take oath of office Posted - 05-02-2013 The city of Bennettsville held a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday morning, May 1, for three city council members. New to the council is Waldo Pearson, who won the District 5 seat in an election last month. The previous District 5 representative, Freddie Hodges, did not seek re-election. Returning for new terms are Sandy Donaldson in District 1 and Larry Pelham in District 3, neither of whom faced competition in their re-election bids. Pictured above, left to right, are Melinda Pelham, Larry... Click here for more

Drainage issues at MCHS football field to be addressed Posted - 05-02-2013 This week, the Marlboro County Board of Education voted to proceed with improvements to the MCHS football field and the construction of a concession/restroom facility at the school’s baseball/softball complex. The unanimous vote came during a special called meeting Monday. The football field improvements will address serious drainage issues and will involve grading, a drainage system, irrigation and sod. The project is estimated to cost $200,000 and will not begin until after the end of... Click here for more

County council approves service agreement with city Posted - 05-02-2013 Marlboro County Council approved a shared services agreement between the county and the city of Bennettsville at a special called meeting on Tuesday. This agreement has been in effect for many years and is routinely renewed by both councils. What county council authorized this week was a one-year renewal, effective May 9 when the old agreement expires. The agreement does not require the exchange of money, only services. Specifically, the city provides the county with fire protection in a... Click here for more

Library’s ‘Ready to Read’ project provides bookcases to Marlboro County children Posted - 04-25-2013 More than 100 pre-K children received handmade bookcases and the starts of their very own personal libraries at a celebration Thursday night, April 18, at the Bennettsville Community Center. The event was sponsored by the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library and the Friends of the Library. Guests of honor were four- and five-year old Marlboro County Head Start children and their parents. According to Library Director Virginia McCraw, the “Ready to Read” project got its start with a grant... Click here for more

Korean War veterans take part in Honor Flight to Washington, DC Posted - 04-25-2013 Two Bennettsville men took the trip of a lifetime last week as they participated in an Honor Flight to Washington, DC - the first such flight that was open not just to World War II veterans but to Korean War veterans as well. Jamie Lee and Jerry Kendall were two of 90 veterans who boarded a plane in Columbia on the morning of April 17 and returned that evening after visiting the World War II and Korean War monuments and other points of interest in the nation’s capital. Click here for more

Ainsley Atkinson joins county as finance director Posted - 04-25-2013 Marlboro County’s Image Campaign slogan is, “It’s Good to Be Home,” and no one could agree with that more than the county’s new finance director. Ainsley Atkinson, a McColl native and graduate of Marlboro Academy, is thrilled with her new job and the opportunities it gives her to be an active part of the community she has always called home. Click here for more