‘A good place to talk and reminisce’ Posted - 03-05-2010 If you happen to find yourself on South Liberty Street in Bennettsville some weekday morning, you can follow the rich smell of coffee and the sound of raucous laughter to Third Base. Part debate club and part comedy club, Third Base is an informal gathering spot for mostly retired men who come together most days for a run-down of current events, local happenings and walks down memory lane. “We talk, and tell lies, and settle the world’s problems,” said founder Gordon Quick. Click here for more

School board acts on bond financing, hears reports Posted - 03-05-2010 The Marlboro County Board of Education received several reports and acted on several requests during its regular monthly meeting Monday night at Marlboro County High School. Bond financing The board authorized the engagement of the McNair Law Firm and Ross, Sinclaire & Associates (RSA) to complete the bond financing transaction for the new Blenheim Elementary/ Middle School. The total fee for this work will be $107,640 and will come from available funding. The school district has been... Click here for more

AMIkids honored for earthquake relief efforts Posted - 03-05-2010 An AMIkids Infinity student has been invited to participate in a press conference this Friday in Tampa, FL, during which a check will be presented to the American Red Cross for Haiti earthquake relief. Student Dayone Scofield will participate in the event along with Infinity Principal Lori Heslewood and Bennettsville Police Chief Larry McNeil. Click here for more

Wallace School pursuing magnet programs Posted - 03-05-2010 Wallace Elementary/ Middle School hopes to be a magnet for environmental awareness and healthy living, beginning in the 2010-11 school year. The school plans to implement The Academy of Fitness and Healthy Living, a two-prong magnet program that will reach out to both elementary and middle school students. The first magnet will be offered to students in kindergarten through fifth grade and will focus on environmental sciences, including ecology, agriculture and conservation. It will... Click here for more

Marian Wright Edelman Library opens Posted - 02-25-2010 Monday, February 22, was a dreary day by all accounts, with grey skies and bouts of sometimes heavy rain. But inside the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library, it was a different story: bright and warm, with an air of excitement that anyone could feel. Monday was opening day for the new library. When the doors opened at 9 a.m., it was the culmination of years of planning and hard work. And those who saw it through, including Library Board Chair Pat Henegan, weren’t about to let a little... Click here for more

Man shoots Cheraw police officer, himself Posted - 02-25-2010 The man whom Cheraw police say shot one of their own and then killed himself Monday was from Bennettsville and had previously served time for his role in a shooting death here. The suspect was 26-year-old Travis Keyone Quick of 110 Court Street. He allegedly shot Cheraw police officer Maurice Merritt about 5:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, during what started as a routine traffic stop. According to Cheraw Police Chief Jay Brooks, Merritt tried to stop a 2010 Chevrolet Impala that Quick was... Click here for more

Marlboro Park using Wii-hab for physical therapy patients Posted - 02-25-2010 When Leigh Branch had knee surgery last fall to repair a torn ligament, she never dreamed her recovery would involve downhill skiing, snowboarding and the occasional round of bowling. But that’s exactly what happened, thanks to an innovative new physical therapy called Wii-hab. Click here for more

State director leads BDDA board through planning and orientation Posted - 02-25-2010 Directors of Bennettsville Downtown Development Association (BDDA) met Monday at the Municipal Courtroom for their annual orientation session. Beppie Legrand of Columbia, Main Street South Carolina manager, came to lead the discussion. She explained that BDDA is part of Main Street South Carolina, which is part of the National Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, headquartered in Washington, DC. As a national Main Street program, BDDA operates on four... Click here for more

Making a snowman Posted - 02-18-2010 A winter storm passed through Marlboro County last weekend, depositing several inches of snow overnight Friday, Feb. 12, and luring children of all ages outside to play on Saturday morning. Pictured above, Haley Green, 9, and Aubrey Green, 6, use flowers to decorate their snowman on Fayetteville Avenue in Bennettsville. See page 3-A for more snow pictures. (Photo by Lynn McQueen) Click here for more

Local man charged in NC hospital shooting Posted - 02-18-2010 Both the victim and the perpetrator of a shooting inside Scotland Memorial Hospital earlier this week are from Bennettsville, and the incident apparently stemmed from a brawl at a nightclub in McColl, according to a Laurinburg, NC, police detective. The shooting happened in the early morning hours of Monday, February 15, in the hospital’s emergency department, where 31-year-old Demario Covington of Bennettsville was being treated for cuts he had received in a fight several hours before... Click here for more