Lightning is an ideal worker. He comes in early, stays late, and never asks for overtime. In fact, from the moment he begins a day at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, all he wants to do is work.

Loyalty like that is hard to come by, said Captain Roy Allen.

A six-year-old Belgian Malinois, Lightning is no ordinary dog. His nose, 200 times more sensitive than a human’s, is trained to aid in crime-fighting and search procedures.

This Monday, Robert Elmore, president of the Bynum Ruritan Club, handed over a check for $2,100 to the Sheriff’s Office. The money was given to help the department purchase another dog, something they are eager to do.

"We really believe we need it now," said Allen. "I’m hoping we’ll have it by April, and immediately, that will take half the pressure off Lightning."

Elmore heard about the sheriff’s need for a new canine when Sheriff Richard Webster made a presentation to his club some time ago. Both Webster and Major Gary Blankenship are Ruritans as well. The club feels strongly about helping out the Sheriff’s Office, said Elmore.

"As a Ruritan club, we serve the community and we figured this was a good way to help," he said.

A fish-fry held November 8 was what the Bynum club planned. Sheriff’s Office officials attended and helped out, and the $2,100 raised at the event will go right to the canine fund.

These highly-trained dogs are expensive, said Allen. They are normally bred in Europe for temperament. Handlers from the U.S.A. travel overseas to pick out a dog.

A dog’s cost can vary, but average cost is at least $6,000, said Allen.

The Chatham County Library Board has proposed a $10 million library bond, which would fund renovations and new construction of badly-needed additional library space.

Library board members initially presented the bond proposal to the Chatham County Board of Commissioners in October.

Last week, they followed up with a meeting with commissioners, where they again proposed the bond and also asked that the county consider reinstating a children’s librarian position once shared by all three county library branches but which has been frozen for the past two years.

The bond, if approved, would be used to pay for work on all three existing libraries and a new library, which library board members say is sorely needed in north Chatham to serve the growing population there.

Jeff Davis photo