NewSpring Pastor Perry Noble wrote this about the incident:

"At the 11:15 service at our Anderson campus the engine to a Ford F-150 caught on fire…and, because it was windy this afternoon, the fire spread to other cars.  Long story short…five cars were pretty much destroyed and six others were damaged. 

Several things to note…

#1 – No one was injured!  The fire took place in the back section of one of our parking lots while the service was going on.

#2 – The local fire department was AWESOME…these guys responded in a matter of minutes and were able to quickly get the situation under control.

#3 – Our staff and volunteers were awesome as well and made sure everyone whose car had been destroyed and damaged were informed and taken care of.

#4 – Everyone I spoke to after the service whose car had been messed up had an amazing attitude!  One lady literally told me, “Well, I have been asking God for a new car…He sure does answer in unique ways!”

#5 – It was one guys FIRST visit to NewSpring Church…wow…I hope he comes back!

Seriously…I am SO GLAD no one was hurt!!!

Realignment rumors. An NCAA investigation into agent involvement with players at one of its marquee institutions.

No wonder the ACC is ready for the offseason to end and the football games to begin.

"I guess this is our year to experience those problems and all that," Wake Forest running back Josh Adams said Sunday during the league's preseason media day.

There surely hasn't been any shortage of news around the ACC over the past few months. And not all of it was bad: the league recently announced a new broadcast package for football and men's basketball that will be worth $1.86 billion from ESPN over 12 years, doubling the conference's TV revenue.

But most of the attention lately has focused on the NCAA investigation at North Carolina into whether two players received improper benefits from agents. With similar probes popping up at several Southeastern Conference schools, the issue of athletes' involvement with agents quickly turned into the hot-button topic du jour in college sports.

"It is kind of a distraction, but we kind of look at it as we've already taken our adversity for the season," Tar Heels quarterback T.J. Yates said. "So once we get over this little speed bump, we'll be able to put it behind us and go forward through the season."

ACC commissioner John Swofford — the former athletic director at North Carolina — dedicated nearly one-quarter of his hour-long question-and-answer session to the issue, voicing his support for the North Carolina Secretary of State's investigation about potential misconduct involving agents and saying "we probably need to look at strengthening the law in this area."

The state requires sports agents to register in North Carolina and prohibits them from offering gifts before a contract is signed, with violators possibly facing criminal or civil penalties.

"I suspect (the problem) has (worsened) some because of the dollars at the next level, in the NFL and the NBA," Swofford said. "I think it's also being paid more attention at this given point in time. While uncomfortable, I think that's good. Having been an AD for 17 years ... the problem's been there, and believe me, as an AD, you feel, or as a coach, you feel vulnerable ... because it's not an easy situation to control from an institutional standpoint.

"You have to educate, educate, educate the athletes that are on campus," he added. "And I think our schools do that."

A month earlier, all the talk in college circles centered around the possibility of another round of conference realignment, with concerns that uncertainty in the Big 12 and expansion by the Pac-10 and Big Ten would set off a chain reaction that would reshape the Football Championship Subdivision.

There were lingering questions about whether another conference would make a play for one or more ACC schools before the league ultimately stood pat.

"There were a lot of conferences that certainly were more active in terms of what was done or potentially being done than we were," Swofford said. "But rest assured, we were quietly evaluating that landscape and our internal discussions to determine what's in our best interests moving forward, and what ramifications on the (ACC), if any, might come from expansion by other conferences.

"Without question, at the presidential level of this league, there continues to be a strong commitment to each other, a strong commitment to the ACC, the belief that 12 is the right number for us, but a willingness, if the world changes around us, to take a look at what those changes mean. ... We're very comfortable with, not only 12, but the 12 that we have."

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

There will be awards for the best decorated bike, fastest rider and most money raised, and of course your charity keeps all the dough raised by your rider. Last year a bunch of local “celebrities” did this and had a blast!

For details, please contact Cindy Hopkins at the Chamber of Commerce. Her email is chopkins@andersonscchamber.com.

Late Wednesday (July 21, 2010) afternoon narcotics agents responded to 3605 Highway 29 north, after investigating complaints and tips about drug activity at the residence.  Narcotics confirmed the scene as an active meth lab after locating and identifying numerous materials that would be consistent with manufacturing methamphetamines. 

At the residence agents identified Julius Andrew Simpson (53 YOA) of 705 H.I. Taylor Rd. Williamston, and both Marvin Eugene Wright (41YOA) and Mary Annette Simmons of 3605 Hwy 29 north.  

Simpson, Wright, and Simmons are currently housed at the Anderson County Detention Center and awaiting bond hearings on charges of Manufacturing Methamphetamines.

The new elementary school planned for a location on S.C. Highway 81 near the Sullivan-King Mortuary will be named North Pointe Elementary. The name was chosen from more than 30 names suggested by District Five residents. Trustees said they preferred a name that helps define the location of the school.

The Hanna-Westside Extension Campus also received a new name Tuesday night. Trustees voted to rename the school the Anderson V Career Campus. More than 40 suggested names were received from District Five residents as the board sought to find a name that did a better job of explaining the purpose of the school. 

Site development for North Pointe Elementary is continuing. The new school is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. It will be the 11^th elementary school in the district. 

Mr. Mayfield, who is about to begin his seventh year at assistant principal at Southwood, will continue his duties there as he oversees plans for the opening of the new Glenview school, which is currently under construction.

A graduate of Clemson University, Mr. Mayfield has spent his entire 23-year education career in Anderson School District Five. He came to the district in 1987 as a math teacher at Lakeside Middle School. After serving in that position for eight years, he moved to T.L. Hanna High School, where he taught math for nine years. 

“Walter has been deeply involved in advancing our district’s curriculum and instructional practices, and shares the credit for Southwood’s exemplary academic performance with the rest of the school’s administrative team,” said District Five Superintendent Betty Bagley. “I am confident that he will bring the same enthusiasm and focus on academic achievement to Glenview.” 

Last year, Southwood was named a national AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Demonstration School, one of only two schools in South Carolina and only 118 nationwide to earn this prestigious honor. Also, Southwood was one of two schools in the state to be named a “School to Watch” by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. This national honor recognizes a school’s academic excellence, its responsiveness to the needs and interests of young adolescents, and its commitment to helping all students achieve at high levels. 

“Walter’s focus on curriculum and achievement has been an integral part of our success,” said Southwood Principal Evelyn Murphy. “His commitment to the success of every student will make him a wonderful principal.”

Two new middle schools are currently under construction as part of District Five’s $140 million bond issuance, which was approved by more than 60 percent of voters in an April 2007 referendum.  Glenview Middle School is under construction at a site on Old Williamston Road and Robert Anderson Middle School is being built at a site on Dobbins Bridge Road. 

Glenview will relieve overcrowding at the current McCants Middle School. Robert Anderson will replace the current Southwood Middle School and will draw students from both Southwood and Lakeside middle schools. The current Southwood school will retain its name, however, as it transitions to a 6-12 grade arts magnet school.

The scholarships in the amount of $1,500 yearly are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate studies at in-state and out-of-state colleges and universities. In addition to 2010’s new recipients, the program is funding 304 continuing scholarship students.

The program is administered by the State Department of Education, using an annual allocation from the U.S. Department of Education.  Federal funds amounted to $594,000 including both new and continuing stipends. 

There were more than 360 Byrd scholarship applications in South Carolina.  Eligibility requirements include: 

● Students must be enrolled in the 12th grade (senior class) in a public, private or home school in South Carolina and become a high school graduate during the 2009-10 academic year (by June 2010). 

● Students must have a minimum of 1300 on the SAT (combined verbal and math score only) or a minimum of 29 on the ACT. 

● Students must have a minimum of a 3.5 GPR computed on the Uniform Grading Scale. 

● A school or home-school association screens and selects applicants.

The scholarship program is named for the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia and is designed to recognize exceptionally able high school seniors who show promise of continued excellence in postsecondary education. Federal officials estimate that over 7,300 new scholarships will be awarded this year, with total new scholarship funding amounting to $11,022,000.

On Monday, LifeFlight’s 206-L4 helicopter was replaced by a Bell 407. The new helicopter is faster than the 206-L4 and has a more powerful engine, giving the crew more flexibility when transporting patients long distances.  With the new helicopter, LifeFlight can carry 750 pounds of fuel, a full crew and up to 600 additional pounds of weight.

“The 206-L4 served us well, but we knew when we started that this day would come,” said Paul Hubbard, special projects coordinator and director of the LifeFlight program. “We now have the same flight capabilities as our sister programs in Greenville and Spartanburg, and we’re excited to be able to provide even faster service to residents in our area.” 

LifeFlight is operated through an agreement with Med-Trans Corp. LifeFlight aims to improve the timeliness of care for heart attack, stroke and trauma patients in the Upstate and northeast Georgia. Since beginning service in January 2010, LifeFlight has received 243 requests for service. 

Med-Trans operates two other Upstate helicopters – Med-Trans One in Greenville and Regional One in Spartanburg.  To learn more about LifeFlight, go online to www.AnMedHealth.org.