The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page 54

2D Fkiimy, "March 22. 1U06 Thk (Ikf knvuii: Ntws Senior Action director quits to take private-sector job Traffic delays loom Friday Travelers in) Vrlliam Kad brUrrn Queens Way anil Old Boiling Spunks Road can rxpeit irattic delays Friday while woikm install i' runs line diamage pip' and relocate utilities. There also will be Mime minor delas on I'elliain Kad between Maud Court and State 14 while utilities art relocated. In the ongoing repairs lo Laurens Road, drivers on Friday can expect the east bound right lane to be closed from Parkins Mill Road to Haywood Road. If you have road construction to report, call Vanita Washington at 2l.H-427ti, "We have a piojiosal that we intern! to put up for discussion and hoefutly the board will vote and my prayer is that it will pass and this matter will be behuid us," Knause said.

The full board will vote on the fees Tuesday, "I really hate the timing of this because knew people would rumor that it was related to that and it absolutely has nothing to do with that." Reece said of the fees. "If they need to claim a win, if that's going to make it go away, I would love for them to do that." By Felicia Thomas-Lynn St.UF Wkitm The executive director of Sen ior Actum Inc. is resigning and said the recent controversy over higher activity fees had no bear-ing on his decision, After 10 years of serving the agency. Tom Keece's last day will be April 6, Senior Action is a resource for older adults that offers enrich ment and activity programs in Greenville, Keece has accepted a jib with Rock Hill-based Saber Corp. as vice president for marketing in the Greenville office, "It's a wonderful opiortunity, I'm jut real excited," he said, The agency recently has tome under fire after official said funding shortfalls made it necessary to impose higher activity fees.

Seniors at one facility, Sears Shelter, have not paid the fees and have boycotted the center since the fees were enacted in January. Meetings on the issue have been heated, and last month the board of director stepped in to try to reach a compromise, 'J think our walkout had something to do with htm leaving," said Jo lavis. Ml, who hasn't returned to Sears Shelter. "He will never convince anybody of that, Nobody expected this. I think something had to hap.

prn." A new committee, under the leadership of Terry Knause, first vice president of the board of directors, has to work out an agreement. Deputy, neighbor rescue man from fire Fulton announces she'll oppose Loftis need to start Iixiking at how we are funding and fund with additional money the programs that are working and cut back those that aren't." Mem i i a I iti KM tit Ur -v fjt? i Loftis, a Republican, carried slightly more than 51 percent of the vote over Fulton in January, although District 19 has voted staunchly Republican in past elections. Fulton handily carried the Pans 1 Johnni Fulton By Bryan Cilmer Staff Wkitkk A Greenville County sheriffs deputy Thursday noticed smoke coming out of a house, broke down the front door and with the help of a neighbor, rescued a man who had fallen asleep on the sofa. Deputy Jim Gross and neighbor Tony Smith pulled -year-old Luther Woods from "a life-threatening situation." said Battalion Chief Richard Carver of the Parker Fire IVpartment. Smoke inhalation is often fatal, he said.

Paramedics gave all the men oxygen, and firefighters extinguished a smoldering jacket that was lying on the sofa. The Pelzer Street house wasn't damaged. Carver said he asn't sure what started the fire, but a sheriffs report says a cigarette may have. Gross' supervisors are recommending him for the Medal of Valor, given for exceptional bravery in the line of duty. "I think he deserves one," said Lt.

W.M. Ilitchins. "It was certainly beyond the call of duty." After Gross noticed smoke coming from the house and started kicking the front door, Smith ran across the street to help. "I wouldn't have gotten him out without (Smith)," Gross said. Woods, ho works third shift at Iff" OAVt EKRCN Staff Loftis narrowly beat Fulton in special vote By Scott Wytnan Staff Writer Greenville lawyer Johnnie Fulton charged Thursday that state Rep.

Dwight Loftis has repeatedly voted against improving education over the past two months as she announced plans to challenge his reelection effort in District 19. Loftis narrowly defeated Fulton in a special election in January to represent northwestern Greenville suburbs in the state House this year after Mike Fair moved to the state Senate. Fulton said she decided to try again because Loftis had opposed setting up a statewide all-day kindergarten program and voted against more money for vocational education, adult education and higher education. She also said his decision not to resign his scat on the county school board until after the special election has left the area with no representation at a time when the school district is looking for a new superintendent. "Clearly, this is not someone who cares about the education of our children, and without education, these children will never have a chance to compete in our changing world," she said.

Loftis said he wants to improve education but do so responsibly." "We have funded, funded, funded, and the grades are going down, down, down," he said. "We Rescuer Greenville County sheriffs Deputy Jim Cross describes how he and another man pulled a man from a house on Pelzer Street where a small fire had started Thursday. Mountain and Furtnan areas. Fulton. 39, of 1489 Altamont Road, has practiced law in Greenville since 1984.

She is a graduate of Furman University and the University of South Carolina and is a member of Christ Church Episco-pal. Fulton said she would fight to expand economic development to the Westside and to bring the area's schools up to par with the rest of the county. She questioned why only two schools in the district could meet academic standards proposed by state education officials. "For too long, the western part of Greenville County has been left out of the prosperity and growth that the rest of our county has experienced," she said. "Our schools are dilapidated, our roads are in poor condition, we fall well behind the rest of the in medical and health services, and economic growth and development in District 19 are practically and ran over to help.

When the door burst open, the men could barely see Woods through the thick smoke, Gross and Smith said. They crawled into the living room, found Woods on the sofa and helped him walk outside just as firefighters and paramedics arrived. "Then we coughed our heads off." Smith said. home across the street for Meals on Wheels when he smelled the smoke, then saw it pouring from the back of the house. He heard a man's voice inside the house.

He called for the firefighters on his radio, but "I didn't think I had a whole lot of time for the fire department to get there," he said. He kicked at the deadbolted door. Smith said he heard the banging a mill and moved into the neighborhood just a week ago, said he was grateful Gross and Smith hel)cd him. Gross, who patrols City View and surrounding neighborhoods, said it was a lucky coincidence that he was near Woods' house soon after the fire started about 12:50 p.m. He was delivering food to a NEWS IN BRIEF Fountain Inn fire department honored for work with kids Hitchins; and news anchor Carol Goldsmith, said Chip Selvy, a research producer for the show.

Anyone with any information about Wodke should call CrimeStoppers at 467-5357 or "Unsolved Mysteries" at 1-800-876-5353. Student charged after gun is found in parked car ANDERSON A 16-year-old Westside sophomore was arrested Thursday and could face expulsion because of an unloaded gun found in a locked car in the high school parking lot. There was ammunition in the car, but it did not fit the pistol that school principal Henry Adair found in the glove compartment of the car, said Bill Dillard, District 5 assistant superintendent of administration. Dillard said that around 12:30 p.m. Adair received "a tip" from another student.

The 16-year-old was taken to the car and told to unlock it. The boy said the gun that was found in the car belongs to his mother. The student will be suspended from school pending a decision on expulsion, Dillard said. District policy calls for a student who brings a firearm on campus to be expelled for a minimum of one year. Six other guns have turned up on District 5 campuses since September and the district has expelled 13 students for at least one year each because of those guns.

Legislators, school trustees discuss issues Greenville County legislators and school trustees met Thursday for barbecue and a discussion of education issues. The trustees and legislators discussed a variety of issues being considered on the state level, including full-day kindergarten, education accountability, textb(X)k adoption and a referendum on deconsolidation. Trustees have sent resolutions to legislators expressing their support of full-day kindergarten and their concerns about deconsolidation. Several trustees who voted against those resolutions made their objections clear to legislators Thursday night. Eight school board members and nine legislators attended the dinner meeting at the school district office.

Motorist, 68, dies after crash; heart problems suspected A 68-year-old Slater man apparently had heart problems while driving on East North Street in Greenville Thursday night, wrecked into two other vehicles and died. Jacob Martin Lyerly of 12 Whitney St. Extension was pronounced dead at Greenville Memorial Hospital shortly after the 6:10 p.m. wreck, said Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans. The heart problems apparently caused his death, Evans said.

The other motorists were not injured. Lyerly was traveling toward Greenville on East North when he crossed the center line near the Pelham Road intersection, sideswiping a car and then an over-the-road tractor with no trailer, said Trooper Steve Sulligan, a spokesman for the Highway Patrol. Lyerly's car overturned, and another car hit it afterward. Cold snap to continue; low temps may set record Residents so inclined will have another chance to store their frozen food outside safely Friday night. Temperatures dropped to the mid-20s Thursday night, approaching the record of 24 degrees set March 22, 1986, said meteorologist Jeff Zol-towski of the National Weather Service at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport.

Saturday's record is also 24, and the thermometer may read as low as 20 then, he said. Highs in the 60s over the weekend will provide some relief, but another possible blast of arctic air could help this persistent winter continue. TV show to feature escaped Greenville killer The television show "Unsolved Mysteries" will air a segment at 8 p.m. Friday on the escape of a convicted murderer from a Columbia prison. Samuel Leroy Wodke was serving a life sentence for the 1985 robbery of an Eastside supermarket and the slaying of state constable Valdon Keith.

He escaped from Kirkland Correctional Institution in January 1994 and was last seen in Florida. The eight- to 10-minute clip on WYFF Channel 4 includes interviews with Greenville County Coroner Parks Evans, who was a sheriffs deputy at the time; prosecutor Joe Watson; Lt. Bill "We go to these schools and work with the children and teach them things like 'stop, drop and 911 and don't play with matches," Mahy said. "We work with them to get the children to come down to the station and give them a tour of the trucks and the equipment." Mahy said learning about fire prevention at an early age is important. "We feel like if we can start with the children at an early age, we can try to help cut the fire death rate in South Carolina," he said.

"South Carolina is usually one of the worst in the nation as far as fire deaths." According to the state Fire Mar- shal's Office, 38 fire-related deaths occurred in January and February this year in South Carolina. By Cheryl Allen Staff Writer FOUNTAIN INN The city's fire department was recently recognized for working with schools on fire prevention. The National Fire Safety Council, a non-profit organization, awarded a plaque to the department for its five-year participation in the council's Pup program, which promotes fire prevention education. "It's a real good organization," Fire Chief Allen Mahy said. "Other fire departments in the Golden Strip also work with this organization." The department works with Fountain Inn Elementary School on Main Street in Fountain Inn and Bryson Elementary School on Bry-son Drive in Simpsonville.

AGENCY FROM PAGE 1D Spartanburg bill could affect Upstate hospital alliance officers, are classified as working directly with juvenile offenders. Those include community counselors, medical staff, teachers and social workers. The remaining 30 percent are administrators. The Budget and Control Board recently said DJJ would be better served if 41 administrators were moved into giv-ing direct services to youths. Boyd says she doesn't know yet i how many additional police officers will be needed to transport inmates.

The number of guards fell as low as 293 in 1994 before the hiring push began. While the number of guards dropped, the total number of youths imprisoned in any one year grew steadily, rising 9 percent from in 1991 to 3,197 last year. About 70 percent of the agency's 1,166 employees, including the 344 guards and the 22 police alliance between hospital systems in Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson counties might deprive employees of their retirement benefits. As written, the bill only requires a review of mergers with for-profit, hospital companies, but Davenport said he will amend it to include not-for-profit hospitals so that it would apply to the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson plan. The three hospitals agreed in principle last month to form an alliance in an effort to reduce By Bryan Gilmer and Jim Hammond Staff Writers Rep.

Ralph Davenport, R-Spartanburg, introduced legislation Thursday that would give the Spartanburg County legislative delegation the power to veto any merger or alliance involving Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Davenport said he's concerned that a planned costs and improve services. Spartanburg County Councilman David Britt said Davenport's proposal would inappropriately transfer power from local to state government. "If Washington tried to do the same thing to Columbia that he's trying to do with local government, it would be war," Britt said. Davenport said his wife works at the hospital as an analyst, but he said that didn't influence him to introduce the legislation.

MARKETS FROM PAGE 1D ing with mist rising into the warming air, people such as Melvin Ledbetter make a "hump day" pilgrimage to the flea markets of Pickens. "I come every Wednesday if it ain't too bad," he tells you, joining friends and shopping for hours to "see where there's a deal." Ledbetter, like many, is a senior citizen. Doris Whitner, who operates a booth, says, "The flea market is a hangout for senior citizens. They love it and they can get their exercise." As you mingle among the multitudes gathering each Wednesday, you might hear "This is more like a family," he says, adding that if you come regularly, as he and his wife, Betty, do, "You get to know the people." The retired Dooleys come each Wednesday to shop for deals they will take to other area flea markets and sell. He says the two markets in Pickens are more like yard sales than other flea markets not as much new merchandise.

"If you've got some junk or whatever you want to get shed of, this is the place to come," Dooley remarks. And so it goes each Wednesday. The pilgrims arrive with the sun, and the flood conversations reflecting this demographic. Health is a common topic with older people, but in this friendly atmosphere, the issues are not always serious. Discussing eyesight, one person was overheard to say, "I don't really need glasses unless I want to see something." Another stated, "You want to know what kind of medicine I'm taking? Pain pills." He then doubles over laughing.

The crowd is not geriatric, simply older than you might see at other large flea markets in the region, and this may account in part for the way Bobby Dooley describes the Wednesday happening. plain of Twelve Mile River fills with people. Oddly, says Sloan, by 1:30 p.m. you "could shoot a gun through there and not hit a soul." The place empties shortly after lunch. People depart with treasures discovered, proceeds from items sold and a warm feeling from seeing an old friend or having a nice conversation with a perfect stranger.

Then another day is done at this social center of the Upstate, the twin flea markets of Pickens. Jimmy Cornelison's column runs Fridays. He can be reached at (864) 298-4279. 1 sheds and tables. "We get a lot of retired people and people who may have some kind of disability.

They come out to shop, sell something or just have something to do," Sloan says, pausing before jokingly adding, "If they did away with these flea markets they'd have to build more senior citizens centers around here." So it is that on a frosty morn, or a morn-.