TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT SOLD OUT!

The Taylor Swift concert at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium in Spartanburg, South Carolina on February 28 has been sold out.

Swift, the 17-year-old country music sensation, has been taking the country by storm of late with several top radio hits and a string of sell-out concerts.

Country music fans in the upstate of South Carolina are obviously eager to see the new star perform her music in person. This should be quite a concert.

2 Kids, 65 Lbs. of Pot Removed from Home

Greenville County Sheriff's Deputies discovered 65 pounds of pot being grown in a Greenville County home. The deputies state that the marijuarna was stashed in kitchen cabinets.

When the deputies removed the pot, they also discovered that two underaged children lived at the residence. The children were placed in the custody of the Department of Social Services.

Charged with trafficking marijuana and the unlawful neglect of a child were Norma Laguna Gomez, 30, Luis Laguna Gomez, 33, and Clementa Laguna Montes, 34, who all live at the residence.

The three were also charged with the unlawful use of a firearm in the committing of a violent crime.

All three are being held without bond at the Greenville County Detention Center.

School Consolidation Opponents Gain Steam

The grassroots group that opposes school district considation in South Carolina is picking up steam. 'Support Our Local Voice in Education,' or SOLVE, met in Woodruff, Spartanburg County District Four, to rally parental support for leaving the districts as they are.

State Senator Ralph Davenport, R-Spartanburg, has proposed district consolidation which would reduce the county's districts from 7 to 4 in a supposed attempt to save money.

However, descrepancies in the dollar amounts that would supposedly be saved have raised serious questions about the proposal. Davenport stated that consolidaton would save 23 million dollars for Spartanburg County. But the Governor stated that the entire state would save only 21 million--and even that figure is disputed by the District Superintendents.

Steve Parker, who spearheaded SOLVE, maintains that in large, consolidated districts the supposed savings are gobbled up by the extra administrative costs. The mammoth Greenville County School District, for example, was forced to hire several 'duputy superintendents' with large salaries to serve under the senior District Superintendent.

In addition, Parker is adamant that larger consolidated districts are notoriously slow about responding to parental concerns.

The Parker group has seemingly hit a nerve among many parents in Spartanburg County, who have packed the two meetings held by SOLVE thus far.

In fact, many parents are outraged that such consolidations can occur by simple legislative action without any input from those effected by the change.

Beloved School Principal Dies on Treadmill

To the hundreds if not thousands of people who knew school principal John L. Henricks, his death is a tragic, devastating, and premature loss. The 45 year old Hendricks died of a heart attack while running on his treadmill at home on Sunday.

The popular principal of Laurens District 55 High School in Laurens County was loved by students, parents, teachers, and colleagues alike. Students say he always had a smile on his face and always had a word of encouragement to share with them.

Hendricks never fit the profile of the presumed 'typical' victim of heart disease. Always the athlete, Hendricks played football for Wofford College and was a letterman for the school's football team. He had also been a coach in the Laurens County School District 55.

Prior to assuming duties as principal of the high school 3 years ago, Hendricks had been principal of the Hickory Tavern Middle School in Laurens County.

Large Rocks Thrown at Vehicles on I-85

If you drive along Interstate 85 in the upstate of South Carolina, be on the lookout for rocks being thrown at your vehicle from bridges.

Anderson County Sheriff's officials state that someone has been throwing large rocks at vehicles as they travel along I-85, sometimes resulting in thousands of dollars' worth of damages to the vehicles.

So far no one has been injured or killed.

Yet such incidents can easily result in injury or death as drivers are startled or hit by the falling rocks, causing them to lose control of their vehicles.

The perpetrators have used several bridges over I-85 to conduct their mayhem, but Sheriff's officials state that most of the trouble has centered around Exit 35 in Anderson County.

Law enforcement officials further state that Deputies have increased their patrols on I-85 and that the South Carolina Highway Patrol has also been alerted to beef up their patrols in the area.

Carolina Countryside-Townhall Bulletin Board for 2/10/08

The Carolina Countryside-Townhall Bulletin Board is offered as a service to our readers and communities. To place your community or church event here, simply write to us at Carolinaconews@aol.com, and include what, when, and where. This is a FREE service.


Sunday, Feb. 10, Gospel singing featuring Bluegrass Gospel group Soldiers of the Cross, Southside Baptist Church, 445 Sunset Road, Landrum, SC, 1:30 PM. For more info visit www.southsidebaptistchurchlandrum.com.


Monday, Feb. 11, Gospel singing featuring Followers of Christ, 6 PM, Pop's Auction, Highway 357, Greer, SC.


Saturday, Feb. 16, 'Hope for the Hungry' rummage sale for children's ministry day, 8 AM - 3 PM, Mayo First Baptist Church, 190 Mayo Road, Mayo, SC. Proceeds will go to community food pantries. For info call 864-703-0322 or visit www.mayofirstbaptistchurch.com.


Saturday, Feb. 16, Gospel Singing featuring Followers of Christ, 6 PM, J.C.'s Auction Barn, Compton Bridge Road, Inman, SC.


Saturday, Feb. 16, Gospel singing featuring Jamie Tolley, Chesnee Music Center, 7 PM, Greenlake Road, Chesnee, SC. For info call 864-202-5603.


Country Music sensation Taylor Swift is coming to the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 PM. The auditorium is located on North Church Street in downtown Spartanburg.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster at 864-576-1550. Tickets can also be purchased at http://www.crowdpleaser.com/ or 864-582-8107.