– In an effort to make the Fourth of July holiday safe for motorists, the Department of Public Safety and South Carolina Highway Patrol have unveiled a new enforcement strategy for the holiday period. Troopers will be positioned approximately every ten miles of the 800 miles of South Carolina interstate and major arteries. This highway safety strategy was conducted on June 29 and will be conducted on July 3, and July 6 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. “These three days are the most heavily travelled days during the Fourth of July period,” said William E. Gunn, Interim Director of the Department of Public Safety.
– Neighbors of East Main Street Extension, including Karen Circle, Arthur Smith Street and Cannady Street, spearheaded by Hennie Buie, have come together to “Take Back Our Neighborhood” and stop the increasing crime that has been occurring in the neighborhood. Complaints of gunshots, house break-ins, uncontrolled dogs, young people hanging out on corners, and drug activities in the area have brought much concern throughout the neighborhood.
– Construction is underway on a 500,000-gallon elevated water storage tank located off of International Drive (formerly Hanes Road). The elevated tank is part of a water system improvement project by the City of Bennettsville, and it should be complete in the next 8-9 months. Brown Steel is the contractor for the project.
– Marlboro County’s unemployment rate rose slightly in May, according to statistics just released by the S. C. Employment Security Commission. The county remained second highest in the state in unemployment, trailing only Williamsburg County. Marlboro’s jobless rate rose from 11.2 percent in April to 11.6 percent in May. Other nearby counties also experienced slight increases, as did the state as a whole, rising from 4.6 to 4.8 percent.