Ridge Spring News

By ROB NOVIT Senior writer With the filing deadline for Aiken County Board of Education candidates ending today at noon, the upcoming contests for three of the four vacant seats have heated up.

By ROB NOVIT Senior writer John Bass, a Barnwell County principal from Aiken County, will be a candidate for the District 1 seat on the Aiken County Board of Education.

Graveside services for Ernest Robert Jordan will be conducted at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, at Ridge Spring Cemetery with the Rev.

By ROB NOVIT Senior writer The Aiken County Board of Education races will be completely wide open this fall, as all four incumbents up for re-election chose not to run this year.

Cellist slaying suspect denies guilt in robbery An Augusta teen facing murder charges in the death of Augusta Symphony cellist David Reader pleaded not guilty Thursday in an unrelated robbery.

Clara Elaine Sawyer Scott, 71, of Aiken, passed away Monday, June 30, 2008, in Carriage Hills Living Center.

South Carolina produces about 18,000 acres of peaches every year. A lot of them coming from Edgefield, Ridge Spring and Trenton.

Mr. Willie Lee Harris died Wednesday, June 18, 2008, at Five West Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

Mother Nature has not been kind to area peach growers the past couple of years. An Easter freeze last year wiped out the peach crop, devastating local and state growers.

Bonnie Claire Sawyer and Zachary Hutson Matthews were united in marriage Saturday, May 31, 2008, at Ridge Spring Baptist Church.

“It's all about supporting the local economy and giving customers what they want.”

By DELAWESE FULTON - ddfulton@thestate.com Wal-Mart meeting worried customers' demands Have you ever eaten a peach from a Wal-Mart store? If you have, chances are it was grown by Titan Farms in Ridge Spring in ... via The State

William E. "Tiny" Derrick, of Ridge Spring, died Monday, April 28, 2008, at his home. via The State - South Carolina

Police say fake cop carried loaded gun Authorities arrested a man who they say impersonated a police officer, complete with a loaded handgun, at the Mayor's Master Reception on Monday. via Augusta Chronicle Online

RIDGE SPRING -- Deacon Jimmy M. Martin died April 3, 2008, at his home. Funeral services will be held Sunday, April 6, 2008, at 1:30 p.m. at Mount Alpha Baptist Church, Ward. Viewing will be from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday and 9-11 a.m. Sunday at Davis Funeral Home, and from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sunday at the church. A memorial service will be held at Mt. Alpha Baptist Church from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

Jimmy retired from Edgefield County School Bus Maintenance, and as owner and operator of Martin Enterprise (Barber Shop and Restuarant). He served in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam veteran. Read more

“If you'd been farming last year without crop insurance, you would not be in business today”

Last April, Chalmers Carr had 197 migrant workers standing by at the Mexican border, ready to come pick peaches. via Augusta Chronicle

Ridge Spring restaurant worth the drive for dinner, or lunch Who knew? Over in Ridge Spring, there's a little gem that operates as a great sandwich shop by day and transforms into a moderately upscale bistro by ... via The State

Funeral Services for Mary Elizabeth "Tiz" Shealy Watson, 85, will be held Monday, March 24, 2008, at 3:00 p.m. at Batesburg-Leesville Presbyterian Church with Rev. via The State - South Carolina

“You gave these children a life sentence. I'm tempted to give you a life sentence”

A man who authorities say collected child pornography on his government computer and sent copies out on the Internet was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday. via Augusta Chronicle

“Both of the letters gave symptoms, what the parents should look for, and what to do as far as just making sure they knew what symptoms to look for in their own child, and what services were available to them through DHEC and the school district.”

Students from Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary and Middle School were sent home Monday with a letter telling parents one of their students has bacterial meningitis. via WJBF-TV Augusta

Worker has TB; 2 test positive An employee of the streets and drains division of Augusta Public Works Department has been diagnosed with tuberculosis, and two other employees in that division have tested ... via Augusta Chronicle