Personal Injury Attorneyin Newberry, SC.

NEWBERRY — In 1954, Congress approved of a bill that proclaimed November 11 as Veterans Day. The national holiday is to honor the men and women who currently serve and have served in the military, no matter the circumstances.

“Veteran’s Day is designed to honor all veterans. It doesn’t matter when they were in the service or if they were in combat. Veterans Day is set aside for veterans to be recognized for their service,” said Vietnam veteran, David Parnell.

One of the ways veterans are recognized nationwide on the holiday is through parades, which Newberry will have. The parade will be this Saturday with the lineup starting at 9 a.m. and the parade itself beginning at 10 a.m. The parade will begin on Calhoun Street, go through downtown Main Street and end on Glenn Street around 11 a.m.

South Carolina Deputy Adjutant General Major Jeff Jones will be the grand marshal of the parade and will be followed by multiple other military vehicles, old tractors and cars, including South Carolina’s only functioning halftrack, provided through the American Heritage Foundation.

After the parade, there will be a Samsung Sponsored luncheon in the parking lot of Piedmont Technical College. During last year’s luncheon, Samsung provided over 550 free meals to veterans. During the lunch, Henry Brooks and his band will be preforming and a raffle will be held. Tickets for the raffle will be five dollars and all proceeds will be going to American Legion Post 24.

Newberry Veteran’s Affairs Office would also like to thank David Parnell for his 13 years of service as the office’s director. Parnell served a total of 35 years in the military, spending six in the army during Vietnam before serving the National Guard for 29 years.

“We appreciate Dave Parnell’s service of 13 years to the Veteran’s Affairs Office in Newberry. He’s going to be missed,” said Raleigh Hickman, director of Newberry County Veteran’s Affairs.

Orion Griffin is an intern with The Newberry Observer, he is a student at Presbyterian College.

It's part of a training program for the workers, who help get the power back on in towns across the state, and Newberry was chosen to host the school.

NEWBERRY, S.C. — Newberry has become home to the first municipal lineman school in the state.

The program is through ElectriCities of North Carolina, a group that works with local utilities in three states, including South Carolina.

It's part of a training program for the workers, who help get the power back on in towns across the state, and Newberry was chosen to host the school.

"Municipalities used to train with the South Carolina Electric and Gas training program, when they were purchased by Dominion Energy that program ended so we we're wondering what to do," says Utility Director for the City of Newberry, Tim Baker.

It's a program other municipalities like Camden, Orangeburg, and Bishopville will benefit from as.

"Municipalities in the state still own their electric systems, and the workers have to be trained, some of the larger ones are Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities, and the City of Rock Hill they have over 40,000 customers so they have to have trained employees just like a large investor in utilities would have," he adds.

Having it in Newberry will help attract workers, but it's also beneficial for businesses say officials.

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"Lineman from around South Carolina will be coming here to train, and then secondly is the economic impact. You know, to have folks coming to town on a regular basis to train here and stay in our hotels, which our downtown hotel I spoke with them is full for this week with the lineman school and other things, so they are excited and overflowing into our other hotels," said Mayor of Newberry, Foster Senn.

Adding this monthly program will bring in new people each month.

For those wanting to take part in the training, you must be hired by one of the 21 city utility departments that are partnered with that group.

For others interested in the career, there are several technical colleges across the state that provide the curriculum across the state like York Technical College, Trident Technical College, and Tri-County Technical College.

NEWBERRY — The Newberry County Chamber of Commerce has begun showcasing local agriculture and artists with the kick-off of the Grow Newberry Farmer’s Market and the 2023 S.C. Ag+Art Tour.

The market, which began on Saturday, May 13, will have various dates coming up, including every Saturday in June (except June 17), every Saturday in July, August 5, August 12 and September 9.

“Newberry County has a great number of food producers, and the Grow Newberry Farmer’s Market is one way to spotlight them and put them in a central location that is convenient for folks to be able to purchase local, fresh goods,” said Michelle Long, executive director of the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce. “We know in May there is not a large number of produce items available; however, you can come and get meats, plants and a lot of baked goodies and homemade goods that people will enjoy shopping for.”

This weekend, the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting agriculture even more with the Ag+Art Tour. The tour is a grassroots-driven program coordinated by volunteers across a diverse spectrum of organizations. Hosted through the Clemson Cooperative Extension, the tour has incorporated Newberry County for many years.

This year, May 20-21, visitors can tour the following farms: Bowers Farm (279 Ringer Road, Pomaria), Carolina Pride Pastures (1416 S.C. Highway 34, Pomaria), Hi Brau Beef Co. (260 Country Club Road, Newberry), Lever Farms (5057 Highway 34, Pomaria).

The participating farms will give visitors a glimpse into livestock, alpacas, strawberries and much more.

“With Newberry County’s rich agricultural history, we are able to highlight a few of the farms that are here producing in the county. We will also showcase local artisans in the area, and the artisans are not necessarily from the county, but all over the state because they enjoy participating in Ag+Art tours,” Long said.

For more information on either program, call the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce at (803) 276-4274.

Reach Andrew Wigger @ 803-768-3122 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.

NEWBERRY, S.C. -- Newberry College will add women's wrestling as an intercollegiate sport beginning in the 2024-25 academic year. The addition was approved unanimously by the college's Board of Trustees.

"Women's wrestling is a rapidly growing sport, both regionally and nationally. Adding this program is a major step forward, part of Newberry College's commitment to growing opportunities for female student-athletes," said Newberry College Director of Athletics Sean Johnson.

The college will hire a head coach this summer to recruit a roster for competition.

There are currently 55 NCAA schools that sponsor women's wrestling, 20 of them in Division II, including Emmanuel, Emory & Henry, King, Lincoln Memorial, and the University of Mount Olive. Other participating institutions in the region include Presbyterian (D-I), Campbellsville (NAIA), Cumberlands (NAIA), Ferrum (D-III), Greensboro (D-III), Life (NAIA), Montreat (NAIA), and St. Andrews (NAIA).

High school girls' wrestling has grown exponentially, with participation growing from 35,653 participants in 2022 to 52,406 in 2023: an increase of 16,753 wrestlers in one year. In South Carolina, 190 wrestlers represented 40 schools at the state high school tournament.

"We are so very grateful for the Newberry College administration's recognition of the educational value and diversity that women's wrestling will bring to their campus," said Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association. "Newberry College proved when it added men's wrestling in 2004 that they could be nationally relevant and competitive in a very short period of time. This is just another example of Newberry College being a trailblazer in intercollegiate athletics. This announcement represents the 158th intercollegiate women's team, and the 90th NCAA-affiliated program, that will be competing across America."

"We're thrilled about Newberry College's decision to add women's wrestling as an intercollegiate sport, as it will create more opportunities for women to attend college and compete in athletics," said Sally Roberts, founder and CEO of Wrestle Like A Girl. "With nearly 40% of female wrestlers competing at the NCAA level identifying as first-generation college students, and another 45% identifying as non-white, Newberry's decision will help drive a united goal to provide more opportunities for girls and women."

Women's collegiate wrestling competes in freestyle wrestling, which differs from the folkstyle rules used in men's collegiate wrestling. Freestyle wrestling emphasizes exposure points, while folkstyle emphasizes controlling your opponent. Women's wrestling also competes in different weight classes, including 101, 109, 116, 123, 130, 136, 143, 155, 170 and 191 pounds.

Women's wrestling and women's acrobatics & tumbling, which will also launch in 2024, will become Newberry College's 23rd and 24th NCAA Division II sports.

SOUTH CAROLINA — The South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association recently announced its Hall of Fame Class for 2023. Inductees include Tim Baldwin for Goose Creek High School, Zam Frederick of Calhoun County High School, Frank Moorhead of North Myrtle Beach High School, and Eddie Raines of Winnsboro and Chapin High Schools.

These four coaches were inducted into the South Carolina Basketball Hall of Fame on March 17 in conjunction with the 74th Annual North-South All Star Game Banquet at Seawell’s Restaurant in Columbia.

Of the new coaches, Raines is a Whtimire native. He spent 32 years in education holding numerous positions as a teacher, administrator at both elementary and high school campuses, plus positions at the district office level.

However, the role he most cherished was that of coach. He coached at Wagner (1966-67), Winnsboro (two different stints 1967-76 and 1977-87) and Chapin (1976-77) posting a record of 310-144. His Winnsboro team participated in two state championship games in 1972 and 1973, plus advanced to the upper state finals on three more occasions 1974, 1979 and 1984. He also advanced to the lower state championship one time.

Over his career, Raines teams won six conference titles and finished runner-up seven times. That success led him to being voted Conference Coach of the Year on five separate seasons. In 1978, Raines was selected as the head coach for the North Squad in the Annual North-South All Star Game.

One of Raines passion was improving the quality of basketball in South Carolina, and was a charter member of South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association and served as an area representative in that inaugural year.

Continuing in his role as an ambassador for high school basketball, since retiring in the 1998, Raines served as a member of the Beach Ball Classic Committee for 28 years. His role is chairperson of the All-Tournament Team selection working with former coaches John Smith, Shay Rollins, Jim Suber, Homer Carraway, Hall of Fame Referee Jack Tiller.

As a side note, Raines is also 1-0 in his college career at Newberry College when he and his brother, Irby, filled in for Coach Neil Gordon. Raines flirted with some college opportunities, but felt a more stable lifestyle was best for his family. He also realizes that this honor would not have been possible without his former players, fellow coaches, family, and his his wife Eunice.