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ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - The Orangeburg County School District has partnered with the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office creating a video message about the dangers of children mistakenly purchasing drug-infused gummies that look like candy.

School administrators said the initiative comes in the wake of a recent local drug bust where gummies were discovered. Sheriff Leroy Ravenell announced after an investigation that led to multiple weapons and narcotics charges against an Orangeburg man in the community. Ravenell added the investigation also discovered a drug operation where laced gummy bears were discovered.

Orangeburg County School District officials stressed the investigation was not connected to any of the schools, the collaboration between the Sheriff’s Office and the school district is to proactively inform parents and guardians about the risks associated with drug-infused gummies.

The campaign is to raise awareness to prevent any further issues or harm to Orangeburg County School District students.

“While this has not been an issue within our schools, we believe it is crucial to be proactive in educating parents about the dangers of drug-infused gummies. We want to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and community,” said Dr. Shawn Foster, Superintendent of Orangeburg County School District.

The school district and the Sheriff’s Office have created a comprehensive video message that will inform parents about recognizing and addressing the issue. The video also includes guidance on how to discuss the dangers of drug use with their children, recognize the deceptive packaging of these, and ensure safe storage of medications and substances within the home.

“Through this partnership, our goal is to empower parents with knowledge so they can protect their children from the potential risks posed by these deceptive products,” said Chief Deputy Chandra McPherson-Gibbs of the Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department.

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ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - Officers in Orangeburg are looking for two people who have warrants out for their arrest.

Officials said 43-year-old Lonzzta Brooks is wanted for burglary in the second degree and 31-year-old Devondre Palmer is wanted for domestic violence in the third degree.

A spokesperson for the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety put a notice on Friday asking community members for assistance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Public Safety at 803-534-2812 or send tips using Tip4211 to 847411.

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Clemson Rural Health continues to expand health care services to South Carolinians with the opening of a new clinic in Orangeburg. The Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg (CHC-O) is the third Clemson-run clinic to open and will provide life-saving services in a largely underserved part of the state, both through fixed health care facilities and mobile health units.

Elected and appointed officials who attended a May 25 ribbon-cutting hailed the partnerships that made the clinic a reality and celebrated its opening as transformative.

Clemson Rural Health is part of the Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and an extension of the University’s land-grant mission.

Clemson Rural Health has served the Lowcountry for over a decade through mobile health clinics but was restricted by travel distances from their home base in Walhalla. This new hub clinic, located at 1181 Hutto Street in Orangeburg, will allow Clemson to have a consistent and elevated impact on the health and well-being of Orangeburg, Bamberg, Barnwell and Calhoun counties.

The full-time, fully staffed primary care facility will provide in-person appointments, telehealth and remote patient monitoring along with two mobile health units for outreach into rural counties, and a highly qualified, multidisciplinary team to the community. Led by nurse practitioner, Donna Atkinson, a prominent certified diabetes care and education specialist in the region, the clinic will heavily focus on chronic disease prevention and management.

The May ribbon-cutting event included tours of the brick-and-mortar clinic and its brand-new mobile health units, free blood pressure checks, a healthy cooking demonstration and refreshments.

More information about the future of the CHC-O and Clemson Rural Health’s impact on the state of South Carolina can be found in the 2022 Fiscal Year Impact Report.

The Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 803-516-4227. Learn more at clemsonruralhealth.org.

More information about the future of the CHC-W and Clemson Rural Health’s impact on the state of South Carolina can be found in the 2022 Fiscal Year Impact Report.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - As the Midlands begins to prepare for Hurricane Idalia, Orangeburg County officials are advising people living in the area to prepare for the worst.

The First Alert Weather team says Orangeburg County can see up to three to six inches of rain along with strong wind gusts of up to 65 miles per hour between Wednesday and Thursday.

Many roads in the City of Orangeburg and the county are known to flood. Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young says that the county is putting the pieces together to be ready to go once the storm arrives.

“Orangeburg County is opening up our emergency services operations where we have our people in there staffed. We’re having calls with different groups like the school districts, the city and the county, utility providers, and things of that nature and we’re putting together to make sure that we can have things in place that we need to for the storms,” says Young.

Business Owner Rudy Bonaparte has been a local barber for 20 plus years at 2 da Bone Barbershop and is not looking to slow down once Hurricane Idalia makes impact.

“We’re gonna come in early for the hurricane but we’re not closing. Only how we’re closing is if the lights go off, cause we’re gonna cut hair in rain, sleet, or snow,” said Bonaparte.

Nearby universities such as Claflin University are also taking precautions against the storm by advising students to stay safe and be prepared.

" Here at Claflin University, we are continuously monitoring the storm, said Claflin’s Executive Director of Public Safety Melvin Williams. “We have been since Saturday. We’re participating in all of the emergency management meetings that are being held and we’re providing information to our campus community,” said Claflin University’s

Executive Director of Public Safety Melvin Williams.

Other universities such as South Carolina State University plans to dismiss classes at noon on Wednesday in preparation for the storm.

Harold Taylor also says that the town of Holly Hill is in the process of deploying sandbags for the preparation of the storm as well

People who live in the Town of Holly Hill area can pick up sandbags at the town’s wastewater treatment plant.

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Developers and city officials are planning to break ground on a new housing and entertainment development soon to create a new attraction for downtown Orangeburg.

The facility will include planned student housing for neighboring South Carolina State and Claflin universities, an art-themed restaurant, a bookstore that highlights Black authors and a new South Carolina Civil Rights Museum.

Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler said the new development will be the perfect connection between a modern city and its historic past.

“This is a way to bring everyone together,” Butler said. “With enhancements such as the pedestrian overpass, businesses and student housing, we will be able to offer something for everyone and … encourage economic development in this area.

“I want our residents to know that we have not forgotten about the promises that the City Council has made to develop Railroad Corner.”

The new development will include two, 120-bed buildings to increase student housing the local universities need immediately.

For example, South Carolina State University’s freshmen class was the largest in a decade and the school faces increased enrollment projections into the future.

The city’s release says the project will create hundreds of full-time jobs in construction, hospitality and other professions.

The project will also allow students to be directly involved in the construction and operation of the development to enhance their education and employment opportunities, the city said.

Orangeburg City Administrator Sidney Evering said he is proud to support the new development.

“The Railroad Corner Development is immensely important to the City of Orangeburg,” Evering said. “The development will not only serve to meet the needs of our community and universities, but it will also pay homage to our past and serve as a catalyst for future development.”

James McQuilla, president of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce, said the project will bring new life to downtown Orangeburg in a spot that has been critical to the Black community.

“Railroad Corner was the place where residents and students would hang out,” McQuilla said. “It was the place where people met at the soda shop and people got their hair cut. The new

development will continue that tradition and make our city a place where people can stay and make a difference.”

The project is one of many happening to create a more modern Orangeburg.

The county has demolished the old Palmetto Inn and Suites and Winn Dixie grocery store on Russell Street to build a new courthouse.

The city is renovating the old First Citizens Bank building on Russell and Broughton streets into a new city hall.

In addition, a local non-profit is raising funds to restore and reopen the historic All-Star Bowling Alley.

Mike Glenn with Luna Development and Ron Butler, CEO of HBCU CDAC (Historically Black Colleges and Universities Community Development Action Coalition), are the project developers.

Additionally, Equity Partners of Washington, D.C. will serve as economic development financial advisers to the project. They will oversee the complex financing for the project.

“Railroad Corner offered me a chance to continue my work to redevelop another African American community,” Glenn said. “I have developed similar projects in the Southeast to revitalize other communities, but I am excited about Railroad Corner because of what that site means to Orangeburg.

“It’s an opportunity to respect the past with a project for the future.”