The Hampton Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred in the Town of Hampton early Friday morning.
Police say that two unknown armed black males robbed 40-year-old Charles Williams around 3:40 a.m. as he was returning from work to his 413 Wade Hampton Road residence. Police say the suspects stole about $600 in cash and fled into a nearby wooded area.
More details will be posted as they become available, and read more on this story in Thursday's Guardian.

The town of Estill identified three priorities for its Community Development Block Grant at the public meeting held March 3. Barbara Johnson from Lowcountry Council of Governments was there to facilitate the meeting.
Although she opened up the floor to the public, only the council participated in the discussion. Council identified the following project priorities: infrastructure including water, sewer and roads; housing rehabilitation, and neighborhood revitalization.

A local group of women is reaching out to help girls in crisis. Philanthropic Empowerment Among Rural Lowcountry Sisters, or PEARLS, has been established to help women pool their financial resources together so they can support local nonprofit causes. This year PEARLS is focusing on girls in crisis and will award grants that address things such as teen pregnancy, mental health issues, education or gang issues as it relates to girls.

YEMASSEE - The depot project is full steam ahead. The Yemassee Town Council approved two train station agreements on March 9 that will finally make the renovation of the train depot a reality.

How healthy are we here in Hampton County? While our slow Southern lifestyle might seem to be just what the doctor ordered, according to a national study, Hampton County folks are in poorer health and more likely to die a premature death than many across the state and nation.

After recent budget cuts and the certain threat of future budget cuts expected from the state, the Hampton School District Two board decided to cut 50 positions after meeting with Superintendent Dr. Deonia Simmons to hear his recommendations last Monday. These cuts will be for the 2010-11 school year.
"We are looking at reducing 50 staff persons from the district office all the way down to the school," said Simmons in an interview on Tuesday.
This is after a March 9 budget workshop with the board where it became evident that the cuts would have to come from somewhere.

HAMPTON - After a recent hearing, 14th Circuit Judge Carmen T. Mullen dismissed a lawsuit filed on behalf of former Hampton School District Two administrator Fayette Nick, but this case may be far from over.
A civil complaint in the case of Fayette Nick vs. Hampton County School District Two was dismissed by Mullen without prejudice in a Feb. 17 order, citing that Nick "failed to exhaust her administrative remedies" before turning to the court for relief.

HAMPTON - If folks want to use our county courthouse square, there will be a few rules to abide by.
Monday night the Hampton County Council approved a Courthouse Grounds Usage Policy for the Hampton County Watermelon Festival and other organizations that wish to stage events at the county courthouse.
Among the requirements listed in the policy is that the front parking lot of the courthouse could no longer be used for bleachers or trailers of any kind, which includes many of the food vendors who traditionally set up shop at the festival.

Officers with the Hampton County Sheriff's Office were involved in two separate vehicle pursuits which led to three total arrests during Operation Everywhere on March 15, according to a HCSO press release.

Two people were arrested following the first pursuit, including Kevin Pierce, 29, of 13 River Road, Yemassee, and Antwoine M. Crosson, 28, of 7 Ocelet Trail, Columbia, S.C.

This past weekend on March 13, the Hampton County Sheriff's Office implemented its initial program called "Operation Everywhere." This operation was conducted throughout the county and included multiple license checkpoints and saturated patrol. The operation netted 47 written citations and three served warrants. The following is a breakdown of the violations and the numbers included within the operation:
1) Speeding: 8 citations
2) Beginner Permit Violations: 2
3) Simple Possession of Marijuana: 3 citations
4) No S.C. Driver's License: 2 citations