The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 5

THE TIMES AND DEMOCRAT WWW.THETANDD.COM THURSDAY, MARCH 6. 2014 -A5 LOCAL STATE MILITARY NEWS Hampton completes basic training Airman 1st Class Eriq R. Abdu-Jaziz In Afghanistan Maj. Saadiq Abdu-laziz, son of Mary and the late Leroy McDonald, currently is serving in Afghanistan. He is scheduled to return home in late March.

Young graduates from basic Air Force Airman Michael H. Young graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San San Antonio. Hampton has been from basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San An- tnnin. Zj 1 Texas. I The airman an intensive, program that Aril f'- 1 I Young training in mili Texas.

Hampton Hampton attended Nix kindergarten and Wihttaker Elementary schools in Orangeburg tefore traveling with his parents to various military installations. He graduated from Fort Meade High School, where he was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program and received an ROTC scholarship to Morgan State University, which he attended for a semester before joining the U.S. Air Force. Hampton currently is attending technical school at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, where he is completing his associate degree in munition systems. Hampton is the son of Eric Hampton and Sherrie Fludd-Pruitt, and the grandson of Ella and 1st Sgt.

Leon Fludd, who retired in 2009 as a JROTC instructor at Bethune-Bowman MiddleHigh School. CORRESPONDENT MINNIE MILLER The quartet, from left, of Mark "Rock Steady" Sobus, Anthony Charles, Michael "Jazzy Mike" Ellison and John "Big Hartness perform during the second part of the Julius Daniels' Memorial Blues Festival at the Dane Theater in Denmark. tary discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Young, the son of Laura Young of North and Mike Young of Orangeburg, is a 2012 graduate of Orangeburg Preparatory School.

Making music Performers pay tribute to Julius Daniels song '99 Year Blues' PEOPLE IN THE NEWS Sojourner-Slmmons named Distinguished Citizen of the Year Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Nu Tau Omega Chapter, has named Mrs. Carrie Sojoumer-Simmons as the 2014 Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Simmons received a plaque last month for her community services, with a i reception held in her honor after worship services. Mrs. Sojourner-Simmons married Samuel Sojourner in 1951 and they had Stomp" which was written about the devastation and trying times during and after Super Storm Sandy.

The evening culminated with the crowd gathering down in front of the stage clapping and dancing to the spirited music of the blues. "This is a great evening," Charles said. "American blues is an African-American music, and we are standing on the shoulders of giants and paying tribute." six children. She is the daughter of the late Florrie and Rosa Brabham Hightower. Simmons was graduated with honors in 1982, receiving a degree in sociology from Voorhees College in Denmark.

She retired as an administrator of the Bamberg County Special Needs Board. She served r.i... ninn-i aojoumer- By MINNIE MILLER Correspondent DENMARK Opening act Warren Peay wanned up the crowd at the 5th Annual Julius Daniels Memorial Blues Festival with his rendition of "Wagon Wheel," a song that has been sung by country, southern rock and blues artists alike. studying acoustic guitar and singing for just two years, said he was honored to open for the nationally performing artists who entertained the audience for nearly three hours on Feb. 22 at the Dane Theater.

Jerry Bell of the Bamberg County Chamber of Commerce introduced the performers and reiterated the purpose of the festival. "This is our fifth year to come together to honor our own Julius Daniels, a Denmark native, whose music was a little bit of country and gospel and a lot of blues," Bell said. "The proceeds from the festival go toward establishing a Bamberg County museum, and donations are accepted year-round toward this effort." The two mainperformances for the evening were by The Front Porch Three (formerly known as the Hartness and Charles Project) and Anthony Charles and the Blues Dolphins. Charles is a member of both groups. "Jerry (Bell) saw us at the Drink Small 80th Birthday Celebration in Winnsboro last year and asked us to come do the festival," Charles said.

"We will even be doing one of Julius Daniels' songs, "99 Year Blues." Charles, who has been singing since 1964, also performed on harmonica and keyboard. His style, he said, has been influenced by jazz and blues alike. "We've been really pleased with the quality of the sound here in the theater," Charles said. "It's what we call a 'hot You don't need to extent a lot of energy to get the sound going." From "Matchbox Blues" to "Midnight Special" and "Fol-som Prison Blues," the audience had plenty of reason not to sit still in their seats. John "Big Hartness was on guitar and Laurence 'Luckysaman" Beall was on stand-up base.

All three added their lyrical voices to the mix. Charles and the Blues Dolphins took to the stage. The group consisted of Charles on keyboard and vocals, Hartness on guitar, Michael "Jazzy Mike" Ellison on drums and Mark "Rock Steady" Sobus on bass. Their set included one of their own songs, "High Water uii uciuiuuK i.uy lAiiuiLii iiyvi-iuui) oiiu Simmons as mayor of Denmark (2002-2009). Simmons is a member of Franklin United Methodist Church; the Guiding Light Chapter 16 (OES); Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority NuTau Omega Chapter; NAACP; Voorhees College Alumni Chapter; United Way officer and morethan 30 years of service to the Girl Scouts of America.

Contact the writer: 138 Nature's Trail, Bamberg, SC 29003. Family Health Center, Inc. Welcomes you to COFFEE cay r1 mw'ii Pi'rT'Wt'W -rTyw-vT-y Need affordable health coverage? i Join us Saturday, March 8th from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm at The Family Health Center in Orangeburg for "Sign-Up SC Continued from Al was arrested. You didn't have to actually sit down with an officer. Some received their counter order and asked a quick question on their way out.

But if you had time, you could sit down with officers for the entire two hours of the event. Questions about patrols and case progression were brought up by residents. Cpl. Mitch Jackson said many times residents aren't sure what to do, for example, if they are victims of crime or want more police presence around their property. "The easiest thing to do is call and ask," he said.

Some folks did turn around at the door at the sight of so many officers. But that was only a few, and most others joined in. Peter Lee of Orangeburg said he'd read about the Coffee with a Cop initiative. He likes the idea of partnering with law enforcement to address community issues. Residents live in it, police protect it, so Lee feels residents should do their part to help.

"We should support them like they support us," he said. Orangeburg resident William Johnson said the idea of sitting down with an officer is a posi -tive step toward building relationships. Many times the public perception of law enforcement is negative because of a traffic stop or other contact with police. But the Coffee program shows the community that police are here to listen to what concerns the community most, Johnson said. "It let's the community know the public safety officers are attainable," he said.

"All you have to do is reach out." Officers say Johnson hit the nail on the head. The program is designed to bring residents and law enforcement together in a setting other than a traffic stop or an investigation during which police may seem too focused to listen. Capt. Ed Conner said the program removes those work-related obstacles that may prevent an officer's approachability. "One of the most important things about this is we don't have any barriers, (like) taking an incident report or statement," he said, "as opposed to talking about important issues in the community." The program started a few years ago in Hawthorne, where officers were trying to come up with a way to better address community concerns.

It's since spread across the United States, with events going on just about daily. Coffee with a Cup was introduced to Orangeburg after a training class last month by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Community Policing Services. The one-day class in Charleston informed attending agen-cies from around the country about the benefits for both the officers and residents in their jurisdictions. Davis said the coffee shop conversations are to show a resident that his or her concern isn't too small or too large to address.

are in the works for another in a few months. "While we believe we have a really good connection, we always want to improve it," Davis said. "Even if you try to maintain some level, in a sense, you're going backward. We want to go forward." Contact the writer: 803-533-5516 and rwalkertimesanddemocrat. Follow Walker on Twitter at rwalkertandd for insight on the cops beat.

The Health Insurance Marketplace is the new way to find affordable health coverage that meets your needs and your budget. Let Family Health Centers assist you, your family, friends and co-workers in getting affordable health insurance. Call (803) 53 1 -6900 to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome. For the Sign-Up Event, consumers will need to bring identification such as Social Security card, birth certificate, state driver's license andor state ID card.

Join us this Saturday, March 8th for a live broadcast, food and give-aways for "Sign-Up SC" day at Family Health Center in Orangeburg! Legislature approves bill forgiving snow days COLUMBIA (AP) Legislation allowing South Carolina school boards to forgive up to five days of classes missed during recent snow and ice storms is heading to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk. The House voted 98-0 on Wednesday to agree to the Senate's changes, providing final legislative approval before Haley receives it. The measure would waive state law requiring schools to make up all days missed due to extreme weather. Before excusing any, schools must first use up their scheduled makeup days, if any are left in their remaining school year.

By law, districts are supposed to build three makeup days Into their calendar in case they're needed. The measure will become law unless I laky vetoes it. But she has indicated she'd support it since it provides districts an option, not a mandate. 3 dead In shooting PELZER(AP)-Anderson County deputies say three people have been killed and a fourth person hurt in a shooting in Pelzer on Wednesday. Deputies started chasing a suspect in a pickup truck and he fired at them.

The driver steered through fields as animals and people scattered, and on sidewalks before losing control of the truck on state Highway 86 in Piedmont. It went airborne and slammed into a house. No one was injured in the chase and the suspect was taken into custody. No charges have been Jed. Leon A.

Brunson, Sr. Chief Executive Officer.