http://www.gtowntimes.com/ en-us http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/parades2008-12-02T20-47-01 Georgetown’s Christmas parade — with the theme “A Small Town Christmas” — will be held this Saturday.The grand marshal will be Minnie Kennedy, a Georgetonian who, coincidentally, was born on Christmas Day.Kennedy, who turns 92 on Dec. 25, is known for her countless work throughout her lifetime that has helped improve the area.Kennedy, who was in the forefront of the civil rights movement, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.She has also volunteered in voter registration movements in the South. She spent four days in a Louisiana jail for her “uppity” ways and stood shoulder to shoulder with a quarter-million others on a hot August day in Washington, D.C., when King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.“She has ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/parades2008-12-02T20-47-01 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Mitney-Project-grant Residents of Georgetown’s West End will benefit greatly from a $1 million Community Development grant awarded to the Mitney Project.“It’s a big deal. It’s absolutely stupendous,” said Mitney Project Chairman Barbara Huell. The Mitney Project is made up of a group of women who are on a mission to revitalize the West End and bring about a comprehensive youth initiative to the area.Huell said her group went before City Council earlier this year asking that the city apply for the state grant. They did, and Huell was informed Tuesday the grant was awarded.She said after the application was made, some state officials visited the West End to see how the money would be used.Huell said the money will be used in two different ways.One, the streetscap ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Mitney-Project-grant http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/memorial-service-is-Thursday A memorial service will be held Thursday at Andrews High School for a student who died in an automobile accident over the Thanksgiving weekend.Robert Johnson, 16, died at about 9 a.m. Sunday from injuries he received in the accident that occurred early Saturday on U.S. 17-A in Berkeley County, said Berkeley County Deputy Coroner Bill Salisbury.Johnson was riding in a 2000 Mazda van. Neither Johnson nor the driver wore seat belts, police said. The driver was not seriously injured.AHS Assistant Principal Leonard Nelson said Johnson was a sophomore and played defense on the school’s junior varsity football team.“A lot of the students knew he was a quiet and reserved young man,” Nelson said. “His demeanor was somewhat business-like. He was well ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/memorial-service-is-Thursday http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/hammock-shops-weekend The Hammock Shops Village in Pawleys Island welcomes the public to celebrate the holiday season all month long. This landmark in the area features 20 diverse specialty stores and Roz’s Rice Mill Cafe and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.All of the shops are participating in the Toys for Tots campaign throughout the holiday season, so bring a new toy to add to the collection.On Friday evenings in December, (Dec. 5, 12, 19), the shops will be open until 8 p.m. for everyone’s shopping convenience.Enjoy the festive holiday lights, refreshments and discounts.The Waccamaw High School Brass Ensemble will perform Christmas music on Friday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 7 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 6, the shops will ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/hammock-shops-weekend http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/new-belle-isle-yacht-club The new Yacht Club at Belle Isle will open Saturday, Dec. 6, to celebrate the holiday season. Owners of this $2 million clubhouse welcomes members of the bayfront community.Events will include an afternoon ribbon cutting and evening member grand opening celebration. Ribbon-cutting will be held on the new Belle Isle Yacht Club grand verandah and building tours will be conducted until 4 p.m. Refreshments will be served.At 6:30 p.m., the new clubhouse will welcome members and guests with a Lowcountry reception catered by Carefree Catering, with live music provided by the Clay Brown and the Legends band of Florence.Commodore Audrey Cooke of the Belle Isle Yacht Club Board of Stewards and Belle Isle Partners are hosting the event. Opening remark ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/new-belle-isle-yacht-club http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/second-pope-murder-arrest-expected Georgetown police say they are confident Keri Pope did not act alone in the 2003 shooting death of her husband.Police Capt. Nelson Brown said a second person is expected to be charged soon with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the slaying of County Detention Center guard Joey Pope.Keri Pope was arrested last week for the murder which occurred inside their Highmarket Street home.Warrants, he said, are expected to be issued against one other person. He said he will not release that person’s name until an arrest has been made.“As a result of Keri Pope’s arrest, additional information has been obtained that will lead to other arrests,” Brown said. He said the arrest will be made “as soon as practical” after the warrants ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/second-pope-murder-arrest-expected http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/wedgefield-course-closes Yellow caution tape and a no trespassing sign greeted golfers arriving at Wedgefield Plantation golf course Tuesday. A sign saying the course was closed until further notice was placed over the golf course logo on Club Drive.The course’s golf carts were removed from the cart shed by the leasing company and there were no employees at the course Tuesday. A call placed to owner Baldy Privette was not returned. Wedgefield Golf Club was designed and built in 1973 by Porter Gibson. Bermuda fairways wound through magnolias, dogwoods, century-old moss draped oaks, camellias, azaleas and a wide variety of wild flowers. The par 72 layout measures 7,072 yards from the championship tees and was ranked as one of the top 50 golf courses in South Carolina ... 12/2/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/wedgefield-course-closes http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/two-die-in-accidents Traffic accidents within the past five days in Berkeley County claimed the lives of two Andrews residents.According to the Berkeley County Coroner’s Office, 54-year-old Julian Tanner of Andrews died in a two-car crash that occurred at about 5:40 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 17A near Moncks Corner.S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Bob Beres said Tanner was northbound in his Mitsubishi when a Ford Crown Victoria driven by Jeremy Schaffer of Bonneau crossed the center line and hit his car.Schaffer was still hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries Thursday night, Beres said.He is charged with felony driving under the influence. No information about his blood alcohol content was available.The second accident occurred at about 2 a.m. Saturday, ... 12/1/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/two-die-in-accidents http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/three-sets-of-twins2008-12-01T08-07-40 By Clayton Stairscstairs@gtowntimes.comThis has already been a very special holiday season for three sets of new parents delivering at Waccamaw Community Hospital.Each of the couples recently welcomed a pair of twins into the world, and in an unprecedented turn of events at the hospital, all three sets of twins were in the maternity ward at the same time.Feeling doubly blessed are Matthew and Susanne, with their twin girls Grace and Ruby (born prematurely on Wednesday, Nov. 12); Daniel and Natasha, with their son Caleb and their daughter Kylee (born full-term on Thursday, Nov. 27); and Stacy and Alan, with their twin daughters Taylor and Brooklynn (born full-term on Friday, Nov. 28).“In all three families, these are their first births,” Che ... 12/1/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/three-sets-of-twins2008-12-01T08-07-40 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/missing-man By Scott Harpersharper@gtowntimes.comThanksgiving weekends are supposed to be a time of family fun and good cheer. But for Joseph Hughes and his family, the holiday has not been the same since 2003.That’s the year — on Thanksgiving Day — his brother, Garrett (Gary) Hughes, disappeared after walking away from the Manor House, a now defunct nursing home that was in the Kensington community.The five years that have passed since Garrett Hughes vanished have allowed his brother to accept the fact that he is probably no longer alive but it does not lessen the pain.Garrett Hughes, who was 44 years old in 2003, reportedly left the Manor House at around 11 a.m. that day. According to Joe, Gary suffered a mental disability and short-term memory loss. ... 12/1/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/missing-man http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Salters-man-shot-to-death-in-Trio One man died as a result of a shooting in the Trio community in Williamsburg County.John Lockliear, 33, of Salters, was pronounced dead at Georgetown Memorial Hospital early Sunday, said Williamsburg County Coroner Harrison McKnight.He said the shooting occurred at a home at 589 Sutton Road. Andrews Police Chief Harvey Knox said Lockliear was driven to the Andrews Police Department and EMS then transported him to GMH.“He was deceased before he got to Georgetown County,” Knox said.The shooting occurred at about 2 a.m. Sunday, McKnight said.Information about a suspect in the shooting was not available Sunday evening. ... 11/30/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Salters-man-shot-to-death-in-Trio http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Carvers-Bay-Defeated ORANGEBURG -- Chesterfield High jumped to an early lead and defeated Carvers Bay 21-0 in the state Class A Division 1 football championship game today at S.C. State University. Read a complete wrapup in Monday's Georgetown Times. ... 11/28/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Carvers-Bay-Defeated http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/man-dies-from-fire-injuries A Georgetown man who has been hospitalized because of injuries he suffered in a fire in his Dekalb Street home last week died Friday morning.Carleston Thompson Jr., had been at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Ga., since his mobile home on Dekalb Street was destroyed by fire Nov. 18.County Coroner Kenny Johnson said Thompson died at 7:45 a.m. Friday. He had sustained burns on over 75 percent of his body.Fire was reported at the mobile home at about 5 a.m. Nov. 18.Georgetown Assistant Fire Chief Bill Johnson said when crews arrived on the scene, the home was engulfed in flames.Thompson’s daughter, C.J. Thompson, said her father suffered severe burns when he ran back in the home thinking his wife was still inside.His son, Carleston ... 11/28/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/man-dies-from-fire-injuries http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Sanderson-stepping-down-as-Democratic-Party-chair2008-11-28T00-23-05 The Georgetown County Democratic Party is searching for a new chairman.Current chairman Jamie Sanderson announced Thursday he is stepping down from that post, effective today, “to concentrate on his family and his health.” Sanderson said it was a decision he has been dealing with for several months.“My health and family are top priorities. I need to shift focus right now from the leadership of the Party to spend time with my family. I have lit both ends of the candle during this 2-year political season and feel it is necessary to step down right now because I cannot dedicate or promise 100 percent of my time needed to be effective as chairman of the GCDP,” he said.Sanderson said he was diagnosed with diabetes earlier this year.“It is true t ... 11/28/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/Sanderson-stepping-down-as-Democratic-Party-chair2008-11-28T00-23-05 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/festival-of-trees-kicks-off-friday Now in its 18th year, the Festival of Trees, Tidelands Community Hospice’s major fund-raiser, will be held from Friday, Dec. 5, through Tuesday, Dec. 9, at the Litchfield Exchange in Pawleys Island.A local holiday favorite, the Festival of Trees will kick off on Friday at 6:30 p.m. with the opening celebration. Many events are slated for the five-day celebration including shopping, games, Santa, table-top tree decorating, entertainment, and, of course, bidding on the trees decorated by local individuals or businesses. The Festival will close on Tuesday, Dec. 9, with the Festival Finale Event, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.A $5 per person donation is requested for general festival admission and is good for unlimited visits to the Festival. All proceeds w ... 11/28/2008 http://www.gtowntimes.com/story/festival-of-trees-kicks-off-friday