Local

HEATH SPRINGS –Firefighters from two volunteer fire departments and the state forestry commission contained a grass fire on Cauthen Street on Sunday, Dec. 23 that burned through two yards and threatened the woods near a home.

Though damage was relatively minimal, Heath Springs Volunteer Fire Department Chief Patrick Helms said the fire illustrates the importance of local fire ordinances and is a reminder to stay vigilant when burning trash.

Brooklyn Springs Elementary School welcomed a special guest to celebrate International Reading Day.

Meredith Lewellen, niece of Brooklyn Springs Elementary principal Tonya Hunter, was crowned Miss North Greenville 2013. 

The 21-year-old Lancaster native is a resident of Landrum and attends North Greenville University. 

Lewellen’s platform as Miss North Greenville focuses on children with special educational needs, and her goal is to raise awareness of that cause.

Christopher Sardelli
csardelli@thelancasternews.com  
A York County man was sentenced to more than a decade in prison last week, a year after he was arrested for a series of armed robberies in pharmacies across several counties, including Lancaster.
Ronald Carl Sims, 29, of Rock Hill, was sentenced to 11 years in the S.C. Department of Corrections after he pleaded guilty Thursday, Dec. 20, to charges from a string of robberies in Lancaster and York counties in fall 2011, according to a press release from 6th Circuit Solicitor Doug Barfield.

The county took another step toward revitalizing Lancaster’s Brooklyn neighborhood during its last meeting of the year on Dec. 10.
During the meeting, Council approved a demolition plan for several Brooklyn properties by a vote of 6-0. Councilman Larry Honeycutt was absent from the vote.
County Administrator Steve Willis presented to council the original demolition plan for several buildings in the neighborhood, to be funded by a Community Development Block Grant.