Wal-Mart progressing Posted - 01-26-2012 Marlboro County’s Wal-Mart Supercenter is taking shape on Highway 9 West, with some of the walls being erected. A company spokesman says the store should open for business in late summer 2012. It will be a 90,000 square foot supercenter with a grocery component, including fresh produce and a deli, as well as a pharmacy and a small garden center. Information about hiring for the new store should be announced in the spring. (Photo by Lynn McQueen) Click here for more

Men convicted in 2008 farm seed, chemical thefts Posted - 01-26-2012 A trial this week in federal court ended with the conviction of a Bennettsville man on charges related to the theft of nearly $200,000 in farm equipment, seed and chemicals a few years ago. The trial took place in federal court in Florence. Daniel David, 49, of 101 Light Street, had been charged with two counts of possession of stolen goods and unlawfully transporting interstate commerce, according to the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office. A co-defendant, 57-year-old W.R. Douglas, of 1288... Click here for more

Kinney Foundation awards $47,500 in grants to 10 organizations Posted - 01-26-2012 The Kinney Foundation presented 10 grants totaling $47,500 at its annual awards luncheon Monday at The Skye. The Kinney Foundation was established in 1972 by the late Dr. P.M. Kinney and his brother, Dr. C.A. Kinney, Bennettsville natives, who had no children. They created The Kinney Foundation to make lasting contributions to the lives of citizens of Marlboro County and established a self-perpetuating board of trustees to determine how the funds from the trust are spent annually. Click here for more

Jobless rate up in December Posted - 01-26-2012 An increase in Marlboro County’s unemployment rate last month was most likely caused by holiday plant closures. The county’s December unemployment rate was 17.3 percent, up from an adjusted rate of 16.6 percent in November, according to statistics released this week by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. Click here for more

Gingrich wins in county and state Posted - 01-26-2012 Marlboro County voters contributed to Newt Gingrich’s win in South Carolina’s Republican Presidential Preference Primary last weekend. Gingrich was the overall winner of the “First in the South” primary on Saturday, receiving about 40.4 percent of South Carolina’s votes. Mitt Romney came in second with 27.8 percent, followed by Rick Santorum with 17 percent and Ron Paul with 13 percent. Click here for more

Arrest made in 2009 church arson in Bennettsville Posted - 01-12-2012 Yesterday, the Bennettsville Police Department made an arrest in a 2-1/2-year-old case involving a church arson. The fire happened at Word of Life Christian Center Ministries’ gymnasium/activities building, located at 1300 West Main Street, on June 30, 2009. Investigators determined at the time that the fire had been set in the back area of the building, and the church itself had been vandalized. Fire damage was estimated between $500,000 and $1 million. Click here for more

School Board Appreciation Posted - 01-12-2012 Fourth graders from Bennettsville Elementary School perform a song they wrote to honor members of the Marlboro County Board of Education during Monday’s board meeting. January is School Board Recognition Month. Click here for more

School board hears Blenheim septic system update Posted - 01-12-2012 Testing is expected to take place at the end of this week at two sites on which a septic system potentially could be built to serve the new Blenheim school. Project Manager Tim Brown gave that report to members of the Marlboro County Board of Education during their regular monthly meeting Monday. He said two possible sites have been identified and reviewed by both a soil scientist and an engineer, and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will test Click here for more

City to interview 3 finance director hopefuls Posted - 01-12-2012 Bennettsville City Council agreed to narrow the list of applicants for its City Finance Director position to three. City Administrator Max Alderman presented a list of seven applicants who responded to the city’s ads last year at a Tuesday night workshop. Council members agreed to interview three of these applicants Click here for more

Bennettsville Council holds budget workshop Posted - 01-12-2012 Bennettsville City Council began its 2012-13 fiscal budget process Tuesday night. At its first budget workshop, City Administrator Max Alderman presented a balanced budget proposal totaling $24,359,100, with a net increase of $380,900 over this year’s budget. Click here for more