1. AMANDA HARRIS
for Carolina Gateway
In her 100 years, Louise Vincent has
seen many changes, but one thing has been
constant.
“I have a wonderful family,” she said.
Vincent, who lives in New York City
near her daughter, Marjorie Vincent, but
often stays with her daughter, Carol Cook,
in Sun City Carolina Lakes, is marking her
100th birthday today, March 9.
“I’m very thankful,” she said. “I’ve had a
very nice life.”
Vincent, born in 1916 in Meriden,
Conn., spent 60 years married to Arthur
Vincent, whom she met in dancing school
as a teenager. The two danced to “Life is
photo above courtesy of LOUISE VINCENT; photo below by AMANDA HARRIS/for Carolina Gateway
ABOVE: Louise Vincent, center, parasails in Hawaii on her 94th birthday with her daughters, Carol Cook, left,
and Marjorie Vincent, right. Vincent turns 100 today, March 9. BELOW: Vincent at home with Cook in Sun City
Carolina Lakes. She splits her time between her children.
CHRISTOPHER SARDELLI
csardelli@thelancasternews.com
With less than three weeks left until voters head to the
polls to decide on a $199 million school bond referen-
dum, campaigning on either side of the issue has been
sparce.
If approved during a special election March 22, the
bond would help fund a long list of projects for the Lan-
caster County School District, from new Indian Land
schools to multipurpose centers in the southern end of
the county to technology upgrades countywide.
A Vote YES! volunteer committee has emerged to urge
residents to approve the bond. Using an informational
website, stacks of fliers and a series of speaking engage-
ments, the committee is advocating for the bond as a way
to address the student growth explosion in the Panhandle,
as well as a lack of updated technology and security
throughout the district.
As vice chairman of the committee, Indian Land resi-
dent Melvin Stroble said the committee’s goal is to get the
word out to as many people as possible.
“We organized to inform residents of Lancaster County
to know about the bond, get facts and encourage people
to support it,” Stroble said. “So far, we haven’t put our
signs up yet. We’re being kind of strategic. But we have
been speaking to various communities and organizations
and businesses about the bond over the last few weeks.”
So far, Stroble hasn’t seen any organized opposition to
the measure akin to the “Vote No” campaigners who are
rallying against the current Indian Land incorporation
initiative this year.
“Across the county I’ve heard a lot of people who are
positive about this. People understand this bond will be a
See BOND, Page 3
Adventurous Aging
Vincent 100 years young today
Little campaigning yet
on March 22 referendum
All quiet on
the school
bond front
AMANDA HARRIS
for Carolina Gateway
VAN WYCK – With
unanimous consent from
more than 70 residents, the
Van Wyck community is
moving forward with its
incorporation.
The Incorporate Van
Wyck Committee (IVWC)
revived a fight that began in
2014, but died due to lack
of support, said committee
member Jack “J.R.” Wilt.
The push for incorpora-
tion now is due to the Voters
for a Town of Indian Land
group looking to incorporate
Indian Land, including all of
Van Wyck down to S.C. 5,
which Van Wyck residents
have opposed.
Due to state law, the only
way for Van Wyck to defend
itself against being incorpo-
rated into Indian Land is to
become a town itself, Wilt
said.
On Monday, March 7, the
Incorporate Van Wyck Com-
mittee submitted its 15-day
notice of intent to file its
incorporation proposal.
The Van Wyck incorpora-
tion proposal will be filed
with the Secretary of State’s
Office on March 22.
Another group, the Citi-
zens for the Protection of
Van Wyck (CPVW), headed
by Roy and Rosa Sansbury,
arranged a community
meeting on the Van Wyck
incorporation effort Satur-
day, March 5, and distribut-
ed fliers about the meeting.
The Incorporate Van
Wyck Committee presented
its proposed incorporation
plan to a packed house of
community members during
the town hall-style meeting
in the Van Wyck Communi-
ty Center. Many of those
attending have called the
small area home for more
than 20 years.
The committee wanted
Van Wyck members’ approv-
See VAN WYCK, Page 2
Van Wyck files incorporation notice
Community to fend off IL encroachment by becoming town itself
ILHSProm
Showcase 7
OBITUARY, PAGE 12
Mike Hoffman, 58
WHAT’S INSIDE
Business....................................6
Classifieds...............................15
Education.................................7
Entertainment.........................13
Lifechanges.............................12
Opinion....................................14
Religion...................................11
Sports........................................8
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Wednesday, March 9, 2016 u Volume 13, Issue 10
A weekly newspaper covering northern Lancaster County
Indian Land u Fort Mill u Sun City Carolina Lakes u Van Wyck
8-year-old boy killed in bicycle/car accident
Flurry of
Filings
Mitchell files for
Long’s House seat
Tyler Mitchell is the latest
candidate to jump into the
race to fill
the S.C.
House
District
45 seat.
Mitchell,
23, a
Democrat,
will
oppose
Brandon
Newton,
21, who announced his can-
didacy in December.
Two file for Dist. 1
council seat
Two Panhandle residents
plan to run for the District 1
seat on
Lancaster
County
Council.
Melvin
Stroble,
an Indian
Land resi-
dent and
project
manager
with a
Charlotte
engineer-
ing firm,
will com-
pete for
the seat
against
retired
educator
and Van
Wyck res-
ident J.R.
Wilt. Both are running as
Republicans.
Person challenges
Mulvaney
Fran Person, a former aide
to Vice President Joe Biden
who once
played on
the
Game-
cocks’
offensive
line, will
challenge
Rep. Mick
Mulvaney
for the
5th Dis-
trict congressional seat. The
33-year-old Tega Cay Demo-
crat announced his candida-
cy last week
– See page 5 for stories
about these candidates.
Person
REECE MURPHY
rmurphy@thelancasternews.com
An Indian Land boy was fatally
injured March 1 when he rode a
bicycle into a moving car in the Glen
Laurel subdivision.
Bryson McSweeney, 7, died about
12:30 a.m. March 2 at Carolinas
Medical Center in Charlotte, where
he was flown after the accident,
according to Karla Knight Deese,
the county’s chief deputy coroner.
Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Bill
Rhyne said Bryson was riding a
bicycle on Mercer Street when he
rode through the stop sign at Glen
Laurel Drive and into the front right
side of a passing Honda Accord.
He was not wearing a helmet.
Though an autopsy was not sched-
uled until Thursday, March 3, Deese
said March 2 she suspected the child
died of complications from severe
head injuries.
The driver of the Honda, Marina
Morales, 31, of Fort Mill, was not
injured in the accident. The case
remains under investigation, Rhyne
said.
Bryson, the son of Brian and Kim-
berly McSweeney, was a second-
grader at nearby Harrisburg Elemen-
tary School.
Community grieves
for second-grader
Bryson McSweeney
See BOY, Page 2
Stroble
Mitchell
Wilt
See 100, Page 2
REECE MURPHY/reporter
Deputies retrieve Bryson McSweeney’s bike
from the sidewalk following the March 1
accident that killed him.