Criminal Defense Lawyer Near Me Abbeville, SC

ABBEVILLE — Who needs bragging rights when people are hungry? Thanks to staff at Abbeville County and the City of Abbeville, a lot of people will have full bellies, but one group reigns victorious.

A competition between the two Abbeville municipalities came to a head Wednesday morning when food donations from both entities were weighed at the Abbeville County Landfill. County employees won the food drive contest soundly, raking in 1,140 pounds of nonperishable food items to the city’s 280 pounds.

The numbers are skewed, organizers said. The county has 236 employees, while the city has about 115 employees.

“We all got bragging rights because we all gave,” said Teela Chapman, who heads the county’s recycling program. She and other organizers congratulated each other and noted the generosity of the community.

People don’t have to give a lot, they agreed. Giving just a few dollars or donating half of a buy one, get one free deal can go a long way.

The food drive kicked off in early August and ended Aug. 31. The Family First Alliance (FFA) is the beneficiary of the drive and the food was delivered to the main office after the weigh-in. When no one showed up to store the food in the office, Dana Pendry, clerk to Abbeville County Council, put out a call for help. In a few minutes, she had all the help she needed.

All that help is a sign of residents’ generosity, said Patrice Steinway, the food pantry coordinator with FFA, adding that it shows what a wonderful community Abbeville is. The food donations alone will help 60 to 70 families once the food pantry opens on Tuesday, Sept. 8, she said.

“This is amazing,” Steinway said as bags and boxes food were moved into the office, the legs of tables carrying the food items visibly bent from the load. “This will double the size of the food pantry. I got a lot of work to do, but it’s good work.”

The pantry is scheduled to be open from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, she said. It will operate on an appointment basis, and people who sign up will be able to select food items to receive, rather than just get a box of items.

The food drive isn’t the only way FFA is helping. Steinway said farmers have delivered fresh produce and the FFA staff organized a distribution on Tuesday to residents at Hickory Heights Apartments.

The goal of FFA is to find out what people’s needs are, she said. Sometimes a minor stumbling block can become a major one. FFA staffers’ hope is to make the office “a hub of health.”

ABBEVILLE, S.C. —

For more than a year, WYFF 4 has investigated water problems, mounting debt, a state-ordered audit, and unanswered questions in Calhoun Falls. Now, the city of Abbeville, the town's water supplier, wants to take ownership of Calhoun Falls' water and sewer system.

The city is already suing Calhoun Falls for more than $400,000 in unpaid water costs. For over a year, WYFF 4 has taken you inside homes to show the many people dealing with brown water and low water pressure.

For the first time, Abbeville leaders are explaining to WYFF 4 why they are considering a new route.

The city of Abbeville said while Calhoun Falls has made some payments on its water debt since the lawsuit, the debt has increased to more than $500,000. Abbeville leaders say they are prepared to forgive it all if Calhoun Falls enters a partnership.

Calhoun Falls is also dealing with a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation and a $1.7 million debt that includes the $400,000 owed to Abbeville.

Recently Abbeville passed this joint resolution. City Deputy Administrative Officer Michael Clary said the city would own and operate the Calhoun Falls water and sewer system.

"The city would read meters, we would bill, we would collect all payments," Clary said.

However, Calhoun Falls has many issues with its water infrastructure, and many water meters need replacing. According to Clary, Abbeville would work to develop a comprehensive capital improvement fund. He also addressed what would happen with the $400,000 debt.

"In the current framework, the city would forgive the town of Calhoun Falls as an organization," Clary said. "That debt now would be billed to Calhoun Falls customers over a period of years."

WYFF 4 asked why the city did not offer the partnership before filing a lawsuit.

"Before things got to the lawsuit level, there were numerous meetings to try and resolve this," Clary said.

"This will be the death of Calhoun Falls," Calhoun Falls Mayor Viggo Lassen said.

Lassen is not on board and doesn't believe it is in the town's best interest.

"If the council decides to do this, then they're selling out the town," Viggo said. "And Calhoun Falls will never have anything."

Keep up with what's happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.

Clary disagrees; he referred to the state-ordered audit. It's an audit that found Calhoun Falls as a high risk for fraud.

"The audit that was done by the state, it would appear to me that general fund dollars are going into the utility revenue system or into the utility system," Clary said.

He says Calhoun Falls could stand to gain through a franchise fee that could go up to 10% if they accept the resolution.

While Lassen is not on board, he says other councilmembers have expressed interest.

Clary says there is no rush on a decision, but if Calhoun Falls says no, then they will continue to follow the lawsuit path.