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A June 24 runoff will settle which hand is raised to represent Lexington County’s largest Senate district.

Former Lexington County GOP chairwoman Katrina Shealy nearly matched Sen. Jake Knotts’ votes on a day with low turnout, blistering heat and evening thunderstorms.

The weather pattern reflected a mantra from Shealy backers: “Rock ’em like a hurricane.”

Early tabulations show more than half of Tuesday’s votes went against Knotts in a three-way Republican primary.

Graham has drawn the ire of party and anti-immigrant activists for his role in pushing an immigration reform bill last summer. Opponents said the proposal amounted to amnesty, spurring the start of a number of anti-Graham Web sites.

But Graham is among the state’s most well-known politicians, having helped shepherd presumptive GOP nominee John McCain to an S.C. victory in January. Graham played up his conservative credentials during the campaign, from his support for the Iraq War to his efforts in the Senate to appoint conservative judges.

“The victory tonight represents a victory for mainstream, traditional conservatism,” Graham said. “If you’re a political leader, and you will take on the hard, challenging issues,you will get rewarded, not punished.”

Witherspoon, among others, said Graham was too willing to compromise with Democrats.

“And that’s the kind of people we run up on in the Sam’s Club, Kroger or Wal-Mart,” said Richland County Chief Magistrate William H. Womble.

That’s largely why 27 percent of the state’s magistrates — 85 out of 314 — have permits to carry concealed weapons, according to information kept by the State Law Enforcement Division.

On Monday, one of them — Aiken County Magistrate Donna Hutto Williamson — was at the Sam’s Club on Harbison Boulevard when her 4-year-old granddaughter accidentally shot herself with a small-caliber gun she found in Williamson’s purse.

The girl, whom police have not identified, was recovering and in stable condition Tuesday in the intensive care unit at Palmetto Health Richland, Columbia police spokesman Brick Lewis said.

The weather system that generated storms across the Southeast on Tuesday is expected to break the early-summer heat wave. High temperatures will drop into the low 90s today and the upper 80s for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Even though the official Columbia temperature hit 101 on Sunday and 99 on three other days, no daily records were set here during the past week.

— Joey Holleman

And prosecutors indicated he likely won’t be the only trooper to face charges stemming from similar incidents, which preceded the forced resignations of two top officials at the Department of Public Safety.

If convicted, Lance Cpl. Steve C. Garren, 39, of Greenwood, could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Walt Wilkins, the newly confirmed U.S. attorney for South Carolina, said Tuesday.

“Allegations of law enforcement abuse are serious and must be considered carefully,” Wilkins said in a prepared statement.

Wilkins also expects “additional presentations to the federal grand jury” stemming from an ongoing joint federal-state investigation into allegations of misconduct by troopers.

SCE&G reported about 5,000 customers without service late in the evening, mostly in the Columbia area. Crews were working to restore service.

The state Supreme Court has set James Earl Reed’s execution date as June 20, Corrections spokesman Josh Gelinas said.

No one has been put to death in South Carolina’s electric chair since 2004, when James Neil Tucker was put to death for killing two women 12 years earlier. Under South Carolina law, anyone sentenced to death may choose the electric chair or lethal injection.

Reed, 49, acted as his own lawyer during his 1996 trial. He denied the killings, despite his confession to police and three witnesses who said they saw him come out of the couple’s home after the shooting.

Prosecutors said Reed killed Joseph and Barbara Lafayette in their Adams Run home in 1994 while he was looking for his ex-girlfriend. Reed denied the killings and argued that no physical evidence placed him at the scene.

EnergySolutions Inc. is seeking to import the low-level radioactive waste through the ports of Charleston or New Orleans. If approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, it would be the largest amount of nuclear waste ever allowed into the country.

After processing in Tennessee, about 1,600 tons would be shipped to Utah, home of the country’s largest and only privately owned low-level radioactive waste dump.

The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah submitted 1,300 comments in opposition Tuesday, the last day to send comments to the NRC. The commission isn’t expected to rule on the import license until at least September, spokesman Dave McIntyre said.

The environment alliance contends if any foreign waste is allowed in, the company will ask for more in the future. EnergySolutions has publicly said it intends to seek more foreign business and that its Utah disposal site is one of its competitive strengths.

Duane E. Mills is charged with unlawful conduct toward a child, said Brick Lewis, Columbia police spokesman. He was in custody Tuesday at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

The girl was left in a locked bus in the sun outside the Conyers Early Learning Center from about 8:30 a.m. until about noon. A city employee working on the side of the road discovered the girl inside, police said.

The girl was uninjured.

Rachel would have been 17. Tom would have been 50. Both died in vehicle-bike crashes.

Cycling advocates believe the new law could mean fewer of those “would have beens” by putting teeth in the “Share The Road” signs.

Motorists now legally must leave a safe passing distance when passing cyclists, a provision that makes it easier to charge a driver who hits a cyclist. No charges were filed in the accident that led to Giblin’s death near Society Hill in September 2006. Reckless homicide charges are pending in the collision that killed Hoskins, of Columbia, and Lee Anne Barry of Waxhaw, N.C., in Lancaster County in October.

Also, a motorist who harasses cyclists — by honking at them, screaming at them or throwing something at them — now faces misdemeanor charges. The bill (H.3006) also clarifies rules on how cyclists can use the roads.

The 44-year-old was driving a 2005 Freightliner truck and trailer and lost control, striking a John Deere combine and several trees before the truck caught fire, the S.C. Highway Patrol said. The accident is being investigated, authorities said.

Police are investigating numerous reports of thefts from people who are visiting the beaches for the day, Capt. David Knipes said.

“I think they’ve started earlier than I remember,” Knipes said.

Authorities from Horry County, Surfside Beach and North Myrtle Beach police departments said they did not notice an increase in thefts in May compared with past years. But several visitors to the beach have said they didn’t realize how often cars were broken into and items were taken from people at the beach along the Grand Strand.

“We don’t have this problem up home,” said Gayle Radnor of Wheeling, W.Va. “We usually try to keep an eye on our stuff while we’re at the beach, but it’s impossible to watch our blankets every second we’re there.”

Ryan Schallenberger, his hands shackled at the waist, did not speak at the brief hearing.

Instead, public defender Bill Nettles told the judge the 18-year-old student waived his right to have the indictments read to him and pleaded not guilty to receiving an explosive, attempting to destroy property by explosive and possessing an unregistered destructive device.

“He understands the nature of the charges,” Nettles said. “He understands the penalties.”

If convicted on all charges, Schallenberger would face a maximum of 40 years in prison.

The Robert E. McNair Center for Government and History initially will be funded by a $500,000 grant from the Columbia-based PSARAS Foundation. It will conduct policy research focused on the Pee Dee and the state and propose solutions, said FMU president Fred Carter.

The gift will help institutionalize McNair’s legacy of providing better education to more people in South Carolina, said PSARAS Foundation board chairman Jim Konduros, who was McNair’s law partner.

The foundation plans to provide additional annual gifts to the McNair Center, perhaps $100,000 for the first such gift, Konduros said. And he plans to help raise an additional $1.5 million from other sources to support the center.

The McNair Center’s advisory board will be chaired by former Gov. Jim Hodges, who Carter said often has helped the university.

Seven people were arrested Saturday by Rock Hill police and charged with public disorderly conduct after being accused of cheering during graduations. Six were at Fort Mill High School.

Police began patrolling graduations several years ago, Rock Hill police spokesman Lt. Jerry Waldrop said. He said district officials requested the patrols to end disruptions, including standing, yelling and clapping.

Trustees at the liberal arts school in Charleston voted Monday to raise tuition for instate undergraduate students by 8 percent. That raises the cost of tuition to $8,400 from $7,778.

Out-of-state undergraduate students will pay 9 percent more this fall. That increases tuition to $20,418 from $18,732.

Contributing: Staff writers Ishmael Tate, Lee Higgins, Joey Holleman and Dawn Hinshaw; The Associated Press

Donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Red Cross will have staff in room 303 for employees, too. Call (803) 737-1318.

Garden Place, 1500 block: A woman called police at 5:30 p.m. Friday and said another woman was harassing her by phone. The 29-year-old woman told officers a woman she didn’t know was calling her home and using vulgar and obscene language to threaten her and her daughter. The woman said the caller seems to think she is seeing the caller’s husband, but she doesn’t know the man. She said the caller’s threats are getting more and more graphic, and she is becoming worried for her daughter and for her own safety.

Assembly Street, 1200 block: Police were called to a business at 3 p.m. Friday after an employee said someone had broken into a company vehicle. The employee told officers the driver’s side window was smashed and roughly $2 worth of change in the center console was stolen. Although other valuables were in the vehicle, only the change was stolen. The window replacement was estimated at about $100.

LEXINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF

Westpoint Court, 100 block: A woman called police at 5 p.m. Saturday after she got home from work to discover that her son’s bicycle had been stolen. The $120 bike was chained to her back porch, so the thief or thieves had to go into her yard to steal it, she said.

Tevon M. Jackson, 17, of Aiken, also is charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime, Sheriff Michael Hunt said Tuesday.

An Aiken County employee trimming trees found the body of 21-year-old Marcus L. Finklin in a car. An autopsy determined Finklin died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Jackson is being held at the Aiken County jail.

More than 320 items will go up for bid, a spokeswoman for Christie’s auction house said. Christie’s will post a list of the items on its Web site next week.

Items up for sale include a blue denim jumpsuit and a red ‘Sex’ jumpsuit — each estimated to be worth between $5,000 and $7,000. A black cape worth at least $15,000 also will be auctioned.

Brown died in Atlanta on Christmas Day 2006.

It is the third time in two years the University of South Carolina has experienced a major breach of student and faculty privacy — due in part to its decades-old computer system.

A major overhaul of the campus-wide system is under way, but will take another four years to accomplish, said Bill Hogue, USC’s chief information officer.

Lawmakers this year ordered state agencies and businesses to notify potential victims when their personal information has been breached or stolen. The law won’t take effect until July 1, 2009.

Several items were stolen from the Moore School of Business over the Memorial Day weekend, USC spokesman Russ McKinney said.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

Surviving are her son, Larry Brown Jr.; sisters, Tina Cunningham and Sylvia Counts.

www.leevy.com

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

Surviving are his mother, Frances Caldwell Mention; sisters, Joann (Clayton) Thomas, Toynua (Joseph) Felder; nieces, Siretta T. Bell, LaShell A. Bell; nephew, DeJarous M. Bell; great-niece, Ashley A. White; great-nephew, Philip T. Bell.

www.leevy.com

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

He was born November 11, 1941, to the late Howard Jay Noble and Anna Knapp Zampacorta. He had retired from International Paper Company.

Mr. Noble was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and was an avid model train and train tracks builder.

Surviving are his spouse, Terry Russo Noble of Newberry; a daughter and son-in-law, Jamie and Ivory Green of Newberry; sons and daughter-in-law, Charles and Flora Noble of Virginia Beach, VA, and Thomas Noble of Newberry; a grandson, Logan Noble of Virginia Beach. He was predeceased by a son, John Patrick Noble and infant sister, Mary Noble.

A memorial service will be conducted at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church by the Rev. Eric Fink.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

Mr. Cochell was born May 1, 1923, in Detroit, Michigan, to the late Hudson and Mildred Beutel Cochell. He had retired from Detroit Edison Company after 44 years of service. He was a first lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, having served for three and a half years during World War II.

He had been a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church since 1985. Prior to joining St. Paul, he was a member of Iroquois Avenue Christ Lutheran Church in Detroit where he had been a member since birth. He attended Southeastern High School in Detroit. Mr. Cochell coached Little League and middle age baseball for 20 years. He was involved in vestry at Christ Church and was a Sunday school teacher for 25 years. He served on church council at St. Paul. He was a member of Lutheran Men in Mission, becoming a lifetime member in April, 2007. He served on the Newberry City Planning Commission for 18 years and helped with the Meals on Wheels with the Council on Aging for 20 years. He was a member of the Newberry Dance Club and a former member of the Newberry Country Club.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Dorothy Berly Cochell of Newberry; three sons and daughters-in-law, Robert D. and Renee Cochell of Brandon, FL, Richard B. and Ann Cochell of Alpharetta, GA, and John H. and Tracy Cochell of Alpharetta, GA; a sister, Shirley Durance of Midland, MI; four grandchildren, Ryan Cochell and his wife Lauren, Patrick Cochell, Burke Cochell and Claire Cochell. He was predeceased by his brothers Calvin, Charles and Robert Cochell.

Funeral services will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church by the Rev. Brent Nichols. Burial will be in the church cemetery. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service.

Surviving are his parents; a fiancee, Jennifer Miller; sister, Monica and 7 brothers.

Burial will be in Mexico. Milton Shealy Funeral Home is in charge.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

He had early assignments to Nouasseur AB, Morocco; Donaldson AFB, SC; King Salmon, Alaska and the Pentagon. His first assignment as a Judge Advocate was to the legal office at Lowry AFB in March, 1968. Subsequent positions he held in JAG included Office of the Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C.; Royal Air Force Mildenhall as Staff Judge Advocate; Royal Air Force Lakenheath as Staff Judge Advocate of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing; Staff Judge Advocate at the Air Force Accounting and Finance Center in Denver where he was chosen Denver Federal Attorney of the Year in 1982 and finally as Staff Judge Advocate of Headquarters Air Training Command at Randolph AFB, Texas. He retired from the Air Force in 1985.

Colonel Beckham’s military decorations and awards include the Air Force Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and Air Force Commendation Medal.

After his retirement from the Air Force, Colonel Beckham joined the John P. Nanney Law firm.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Fran; children, JP (Dana) Beckham of Ashburn, VA, and Robin (Peter) Braidman of Aurora; grandchildren, Christine and Collin Beckham and Sarah Nobe; and sister, Anne Beckham of Columbia, SC. Preceeded in death by grandson, Zachery Nobe in 2004.

Mr. Prince was born on Assembly Street in Columbia, S.C., December 23, 1911. He was the second son of John Bert Prince and Lessie Rowell Prince, both natives of Horry County. Prince spent his childhood in the Fair Bluff community and graduated from Fair Bluff High School in 1930. He attended Wake Forest College, graduating with a B.A. degree in 1933. Prince taught in Bladen County, N.C., schools in 1933 and 1934, but left teaching to enter the automobile business. In 1935, he founded Prince Chevrolet Company in Loris with brother, J.B. Prince, Jr. In 1944 the brothers founded Prince Motor Company, a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile franchise in Tabor City, N.C. He served as president of the Horry County Auto Dealers Association.

With the coming of World War II, Prince accepted a commission in the U.S. Navy. He served in the Pacific for much of the war, returning in 1944 as an instructor of Naval Aviation cadets in Massachusetts. Prince was discharged in 1946 as a lieutenant.

Prince was a founder, the charter president and a member for 70 years of the Loris Civitan Club. He was a former commander of American Legion Post 41. Mr. Prince was a member of Loris First Baptist Church for 73 years, serving in numerous capacities including deacon and Sunday School teacher.

In the post-war years, Prince led the efforts to establish a hospital in Loris. He served on the Loris Community Hospital Board of Commissioners for 38 years and was Chairman for 36 years (1948 - 1984). The hospital has ultimately become the town’s largest employer and has substantially improved the region’s health and quality of life. He was also a trustee of the Horry County Library.

Mr. Camp died Monday, June 9, 2008. Born in Richmond, Va., he was a son of Henry and Julie Camp. Mr. Camp graduated from Glenforest School and Southeastern Illinois College with a degree in Wildlife Management. He owned Camp Lawn Services, LLC.

He is survived by his parents; a sister and brother-in-law, Audra and Steve Davidson of Blythewood; a niece, Martha Davidson; and a nephew, Andrew Davidson.

Please sign the online guest book at www.dunbarfunerals.com.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

His family will hold a memorial service Thursday, June 12 at 3 p.m. at Barr-Price Funeral Home and Crematorium, Historic B&L Chapel, with the Rev. Kathleen Panning and the Rev. Gary Brandenburg officiating. Visitation will follow the service.

The family is at the home of his mother.

Born in Columbia December 31, 1964, he was the son of Brenda Dennis Friendly and Edward Friendly Sr.

Mr. Friendly graduated from Gilbert High School in 1984 and was a lifetime member of Cedar Grove Lutheran Church. In 1985 he began working at The State. At the time of his death, he held the position of USA Today supervisor working in The State’s production department.

Memorial services will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2008, at State Full Gospel Church with Rev. Dallas Goff officiating.

Mr. Higginbotham was born in Dallas, TX, a son of Darlene McGinnis Higginbotham Stallings and the late Billy Joe Higginbotham. Survivors include his wife, Wendy Elaine Higginbotham of the home; a son, Billy Dane Higginbotham; his mother of Gaston; a stepfather, Bubba Moody of Gaston; three brothers, Ronnie Joe Higginbotham and Randy Wayne Higginbotham, both of Texas and Ricky Lane Higginbotham of Fort Mill; and a sister, Cynthia Gail Watts of Texas.

Friends may call at the home of his mother, Mrs. Darlene Stallings, 232 Stagecoach Road, Gaston. Culler-McAlhany Funeral Home in North is in charge of arrangements.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

Ms. Critz, 76, of Florence, died Sunday, June 8, 2008, in a local hospital. She was born December 29, 1931, in Roanoke, VA, to the late James Houston and Bernice Krantz Custer.

She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church, Joy Sunday School Class, Tutoring Ministry and served as a Sunday School teacher. She was an executive secretary for Marlowe Manufacturing and Florence Health Department, and was a member and officer of Jr. Cosmos Literary Club. She was a dedicated and involved mother and loved her God, children, grandchildren and the beach.

Surviving, are: sons, Ronald C. (Patricia) Critz of Martinez, GA, and David (Sheila) Critz of Cornelius, NC; daughter, Karen (Braxton) C. Smith of Raleigh, NC; and grandchildren, Braxton W. Smith, Jr., Cameron G. Smith, R. Corbin Critz, Taylor R. Critz and Carson J. Capps.

An online guest register is available on the obituaries page at www.cainfuneralhome.com.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

She was born in Winnsboro to the late Ransom Samuel and Ophelia Gray Bush. She was a member of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and had retired as an employee of Newberry Mills.

Mrs. Stevens is survived by four sisters, Brenda Calvitt, Annie Amick, Betty Gresham and Mary McJunkins; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Ransom “Randy” Bush and John “Buddy” and Bobbie Bush; sister-in-law and husband, Shirley and Clarence Livingston; sisters-in-law, Cedalia Stevens, Toby Bush and Alice Bush. She was predeceased by two sisters, Margaret Markee and Gladys Wilson; two brothers, Curtis Bush and Richard Bush; and a sister-in-law, Jean Bush.

Funeral services will be conducted at 4:00 p.m. Thursday at Whitaker Funeral Home. Interment will be in Rosemont Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday at Whitaker Funeral Home, Newberry.

«Obituary posted: June 11, 2008»

The first is the action-packed final few weeks of the legislative session, when all the important efforts of the session are either coming together or falling apart, when if you blink you miss that major new initiative that someone just slipped into an unrelated bill that’s only a step away from the governor’s desk.

On top of that, election years bring endorsement interviews with the candidates in primaries. This year we started early — our first local House candidate came in on April 9 — but still it was a mad dash by the end to squeeze in meetings with 49 of the 54 candidates whose names were to appear on the ballots in Richland and Lexington counties.

By contrast, the fall is a stroll through the mall. The Legislature’s long gone, and the general election ballot is much roomier. This year, it looks like we’ll have fewer than half as many major-party candidates — 22 — to talk to in the run-up to the November election. And even in several legislative contests, the challenger really has no chance of winning.

If only those numbers could be reversed.

I was in the Sam’s wholesale store on Harbison Boulevard Monday when a young girl shot herself with her grandmother’s gun. I was in the aisle adjacent to the grandmother when the incident occurred and, like other customers and employees, I was shocked to hear the gunfire.

As a retired executive with the DuPont facility here in Camden responsible for emergency preparedness, I was impressed with the response of the Sam’s management team and all their employees. They reacted quickly, efficiently and very professionally. I commend them for their actions and how they handled themselves and the customers.

As I drove home, I realized that they had been very thoroughly trained on what to do in such emergencies.

Later, as I heard reports of the incident on television, I also began to think about our state and our country. What sort of society do we live in where a grandmother feels she has to carry a concealed weapon to a local store to shop?

The key word in Brian Helmuth’s May 27 column, “Tackling climate change, while we still can,” is “change.” That’s what climate does: It “changes.”

Joining the global-warming bandwagon, Helmuth forecasts that global warming will continue for years to come with “catastrophic consequences.” He may be correct, but there is reason for some skepticism.

Thousands of scientists have recently expressed doubt about the certainty of a long period of global warming. Certainly, this past winter in North America and the increases in Antarctic ice might give one pause.

The fact is, climate change is more often cyclical than ongoing. From 1940 to about 1974, we experienced a period of global cooling. Then we began a period of global warming. Based on decades of observing climate change, we should soon begin (or may already be in) a period of global cooling.

“Do you still call it ‘Juneteenth?’ Is it still celebrated?”

“Why, I should say we do. Because we have not forgotten what it means.”

“Juneteenth.... Words of Emancipation didn’t arrive until the middle of June so they called it Juneteenth.”

The foregoing is an exchange between Sen. Adam Sunraider (a.k.a. Bliss) and the Rev. Alonzo Hickman, the main characters in Ralph Ellison’s Juneteenth.

Dallas-based Vought Aircraft Industries and Rome-based Alenia Aeronautica announced plans in 2004 for a supplier complex that would employ 645 people by 2006. The companies now employ 690 people at the site, plus have more than 400 contract workers from engineers to aircraft mechanics, who are teaching the S.C.-hired workers how to make planes.

And now Boeing is on the verge of taking control of a part of the plant from Vought in its effort to fix problems among a chain of 43 suppliers at 135 sites around the world — one of the most ambitious outsourcing efforts in the aircraft industry.

The aircraft is important to Boeing and South Carolina.

For Chicago-based Boeing, the 787 is its first all-new plane in 30 years, and the company has invested billions of dollars in its development. The jet will be a pioneer in the use of carbon-fiber composites, a lightweight, high-strength replacement for aluminum in the jet’s skin and frame.

The stores are offering refunds to customers who bought red plum, red Roma or round red tomatoes before they were removed.

The grocers join several major restaurant chains nationwide to pull the tomatoes after at least 167 people have been infected with salmonella in 17 states.

The restaurant chains pulling the tomatoes include McDonald’s, Burger King, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, KFC and Taco Bell.

No one in South Carolina has been infected, and tomatoes grown in the state have been cleared in the outbreak.

President Bush has said one answer is to increase oil drilling in Alaska and offshore. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s chief economic adviser renewed McCain’s call to suspend the 18.4 cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax. Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama called for a windfall profits tax on oil companies.

Independent experts, however, said that government could take at least three other steps that could force oil and gasoline prices down immediately.

Bush, McCain and Obama have not endorsed any of them.

1. Curb financial speculation

Consumers also are having a tough time finding converter boxes, which are sold out in some stores, and should be given more time to buy them even after the coupons expire, several lawmakers said during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing.

“If you can’t get a box within the 90 days, what good is this?” said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who held up one of the coupons that resemble plastic gift cards.

The government established a $1.5 billion coupon program to help millions of consumers buy the converter boxes before the nationwide transition to digital programming in February.

Households are eligible for two $40 coupons, which are aimed primarily at up to 21 million owners of the older-model sets that rely on antennas to watch TV. If they don’t get a converter box when the country’s broadcasters complete the switch-over, they will wind up staring at a blank screen. Cable and satellite TV subscribers do not need the boxes.

This spring, an employee intending to order a special CD-DVD edition of R.E.M.’s latest release “Accelerate” inadvertently entered the “LP” code instead. Soon, boxes of the big, vinyl discs showed up at several stores.

Some sent them back. But a handful put them on the shelves, and 20 LPs sold the first day.

The Portland, Ore.-based company, owned by The Kroger Co., realized the error might not be so bad after all. Fred Meyer is now testing vinyl sales at 60 of its stores in Oregon, California, Washington and Alaska.

Other mainstream retailers are giving vinyl a spin too. Best Buy is testing sales at some stores. And online music giant Amazon.com, which has sold vinyl for most of the 13 years it has been in business online, created a special vinyl-only section last fall.

• Task force to examine oil markets: The interagency task force is composed of staff members from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the departments of Treasury, Energy and Agriculture. It will examine oil supply and demand factors, investor practices and the role of new players in the markets, such as speculators and index traders.

• No new tax for oil companies: Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic energy package that would have imposed a tax on any “unreasonable” profits of the five largest U.S. oil companies and given the federal government more power to address oil market speculation. Republicans argued the Democratic proposal focusing on new oil industry taxes would raise taxes and increase imports.

• Oil prices fall $3.04 to $131.31: The dollar’s rise, lowered demand forecasts and a slight increase in Saudi oil supplies eased oil prices for a second day.

Bisphenol A has been used to package food and make shatterproof bottles for decades. But in recent years the plastic hardener has come under attack from consumer groups, who point to animal studies showing it can cause developmental problems and precancerous growths.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said he would introduce a bill to ban the chemical in all food and drink containers. Senate lawmakers already have drafted a proposal that would go further, banning the substance from all food containers and children’s products.

Government scientists from various agencies gave mixed assessments of the chemical’s risks at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing. The committee’s top Democrats have been investigating the government’s handling of bisphenol and a related chemical family, phthalates, which are used to soften plastic.

The levels of bisphenol “from food contact materials, including exposures for infants and children, are well below the levels that may cause health effects,” said Norris Alderson, the Food and Drug Administration’s associate director for science.