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| Heroic Scouts hailed for bravery Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT BLENCOE, Iowa — When the howling winds finally died down, the Boy Scouts — true to their motto, “Be prepared” — sprang into action.Putting their first-aid training to use, they applied tourniquets and gauze to the injured. Some began digging victims from the rubble of a collapsed chimney. And others broke into an equipment shed, seized chain saws and other tools, and started clearing fallen trees from a road.Dozens of the Scouts, ages 13 to 18, were hailed for their bravery and resourcefulness Thursday, the morning after a twister flattened their camp in Iowa and killed four boys.“There were some real heroes at this Scout camp,” Gov. Chet Culver said, adding that he believes the Scouts saved lives while they waited for paramedics to cut through the trees and reach the camp a mile into the woods.The 93 boys, all elite Scouts attending a weeklong leadership training session, had taken part in a mock emergency drill with staff members the day before. |
| Lexington County OKs budget Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:18 EDT A last-minute effort Thursday to cut next year’s Lexington County budget prompted an angry outcry from Sheriff James Metts.Yet the heated exchange ended with County Council approving an overall $164 million 2008-09 budget that will raise property taxes $19.40 on a home with a taxable value of $100,000.“Damn right I’ll take the podium,” a red-faced Metts said from his seat in the audience in council chambers. “I am upset about it.”Metts stood to challenge a proposal by Councilman Jim Kinnard for a $1.5 million cut in the overall budget.Councilman Todd Cullum asked Metts why he was angry. |
| Sanford rejects tax breaks: Fire chief to fight sprinkler bill veto Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT Gov. Mark Sanford has vetoed legislation providing tax breaks to home and business owners who install fire sprinklers — a move Columbia’s fire chief says he plans to fight.In a letter late Wednesday to S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Sanford said although “we applaud the bill’s intent to reduce fire deaths and damage, it should come as no surprise that we are vetoing this legislation.”The veto comes as firefighters statewide are preparing to commemorate the one-year anniversary of a Charleston furniture-store blaze that killed nine firefighters.“We were under the impression that he was going to sign this,” Columbia Fire Chief Bradley Anderson said Thursday. “It is a big setback, but we are certainly going to work at achieving an override (of the veto).”Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, who first proposed mandating sprinklers in all hotels after a 2004 Greenville hotel fire that killed six guests, called Sanford’s reasoning for the veto “flawed.” |
| $1 million extortion case: Details emerge in bizarre family feud Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:10 EDT In some ways, the convoluted back-story that led to a Columbia couple and their daughter being jailed earlier this week reads like an over-the-top soap opera — but it’s so much more pathetic.That’s because Connie Strickland — with help from her husband, Clyde Strickland, and their daughter, Samantha Strickland — accused her millionaire brother of molesting Samantha Strickland and fathering her 6-year-old daughter in what police say was a plot to extort more than $1 million.Florida authorities charged each of the Stricklands with extortion. They were arrested last week in Richland County and are now free on bond from the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.The Richland County Sheriff’s Department also charged Samantha Strickland, 26, with filing a false police report detailing allegations of sexual abuse by her uncle, Don Wallace — a 59-year-old philanthropist and owner of Lazydays RV SuperCenter near Tampa, Fla.“He’s very hurt over this thing, because it’s his sister,” said Barry Cohen, Wallace’s attorney. |
| 228 sickened by tomatoes Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT WASHINGTON — The toll from salmonella-tainted tomatoes jumped to 228 illnesses Thursday as the government learned of five dozen previously unknown cases and said it is possible the food poisoning contributed to a cancer patient’s death.Six more states — Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Vermont — reported illnesses related to the outbreak, bringing the number of affected states to 23.The Food and Drug Administration has not pinpointed the source of the outbreak. With the latest known illness striking on June 1, officials also are not sure if all the tainted tomatoes are off the market.“As long as we are continuing to see new cases come on board, it is a concern that there are still contaminated tomatoes out there,” said the agency’s food safety chief, Dr. David Acheson.Government officials have said all week they were close to cracking the case, but “maybe we were being too optimistic,” Acheson acknowledged. |
| Midlands Scouts are prepared for emergencies at camp Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:45 EDT The American flag is flying at half-staff at Camp Barstow today — just hours after more than 100 Midlands Cub Scouts stood silently around a campfire to remember four of their Iowa brethren killed by a tornado.The four Iowa Boy Scouts — and the dozens who were injured when the storm destroyed their campsite — were doing much of what these Scouts will do over the next few days at the 300-plus-acre camp near Lake Murray in Saluda County.Jonna Howell and her husband, John, were setting up camp Thursday afternoon with their sons — 9-year-old Harrison and 7-year-old Hayden, from Pack 307 in Lexington.“I can’t help but feel sorry for those families and can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Jonna Howell said.But she’s not worried. |
| High court gives rights to terror suspects Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT WASHINGTON — A dejected Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blasted the Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday on Guantanamo Bay detainees, calling it “dangerous and irresponsible.”Graham, a military lawyer and a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, helped craft the 2006 Military Commissions Act and had confidently predicted it would pass high court muster.The Supreme Court repudiated Graham in a 5-4 decision, ruling that the 270 alleged terrorists being held at the U.S. military prison in Cuba have a constitutional right to challenge their detentions in federal courts.“The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority.In a stinging dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: “The nation will live to regret what the court has done today.” |
| Lawsuit seeks to stop some Bikefest practices Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT ATLANTIC BEACH — An Atlantic Beach resident is suing the town over three Bikefest-related practices he said are illegal in a move the town manager decried as an act of harassment.Paul Curry is seeking to stop the town from three activities during Bikefest: allowing alcohol to be consumed in public; allowing an amplified street party to go on through the night; and using a fleet of golf carts he said are improperly licensed.“The noise and the public consumption — I think it would go a long way toward addressing a number of concerns citizens have (about) public behavior,” said Curry’s attorney, Jim Bain of North Myrtle Beach.Curry filed the lawsuit two days before the start of this year’s Bikefest.Interim town manager Charles Williams said Curry is wrong about many of the activities he describes. The golf carts used by the town, for example, are to help move police officers around, Williams said. |
| Change in state HIV law vetoed Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT Legislation would eliminate requirement to tell schools students are HIV positiveThe Department of Health and Environmental Control will continue to notify schools when a student tests positive for HIV/AIDS unless lawmakers override a veto by Gov. Mark Sanford.Sanford vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have eliminated a state requirement that DHEC notify a school superintendent and school nurse when a student tests positive for HIV at any private doctor’s office or health clinic in the state.“In the interest of health and safety for all children, DHEC should continue to notify the proper school officials if a child has AIDS/HIV,” the governor wrote in his veto message. “If anything, we would take this law a step further by adding two other highly contagious bloodborne diseases — Hepatitis B as well as Hepatitis C.”The bill’s sponsors say they will try to override the governor’s veto when the General Assembly reconvenes later this month. Two-thirds of both the House and Senate would have to agree to override the governor. |
| Crumbs deploy 1 million cookies Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT HILTON HEAD ISLAND — It’s a good thing Jeanette Cram prefers boiled peanuts to chocolate chips.Otherwise, it might have taken the Hilton Head Island resident and her cookie-baking nonprofit organization much longer to reach the milestone it did last month.Since 1990, with the help of a nationwide network of volunteers she calls “Crumbs,” Cram has baked and mailed more than 1 million homemade cookies to deployed military men and women in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.She started her nonprofit, Treat the Troops, after hearing President George H.W. Bush read a letter from a soldier to his mom on television. “All he wanted was cookies and letters from home,” Cram said. “So I thought, ‘I can do that.’”She’s been in the kitchen — baking or packing boxes — ever since. |
| S.C. children fare worse in annual report Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT Since 2000, South Carolina has seen worsening rates of children living in poverty, in single-parent homes and with unemployed parents, according to an annual report released Thursday.The findings were part of the 19th annual Kids Count, which examines the health and well-being of America’s youth on the basis of several indicators.South Carolina continues to rank near the bottom — 46th nationally — in children’s ability to succeed, unchanged from last year, and ahead of only Alabama, New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi. The highest-ranking state was New Hampshire.Among other findings, South Carolina’s rate of locked-up youths is substantially higher than the national average. For every 100,000 young people ages 10-15, the state detains 185, compared with 125 nationwide. That averages 1,320 youths in custody on a daily basis — 68 percent of them for nonviolent offenses.Young people put behind bars have the worst odds at long-term success, with disturbing and costly consequences, the report said. |
| Scotts primary win in Senate race certified Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT The 77-vote win by Rep. John Scott over Richland 1 trustee Vince Ford in the Senate District 19 race was certified Thursday by the Richland County Election Commission, according to Mike Cinnamon, the county’s director of elections. There were 8,045 votes cast, according to the certified final tally. Scott earned 4,061 votes to Ford’s 3,984.Because the vote was decided by less than 1 percent of the ballots cast, it qualified for an automatic recount.Scott will vacate his District 77 House seat and assume the Senate seat held for three decades by Sen. Kay Patterson, who is retiring. Scott does not face a Republican challenger in the fall.— Leroy Chapman Jr. |
| Hue goes there? A wandering peacock Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:20 EDT When Jeff Watson arrived at work earlier this week, he was greeted by a feathery, blue visitor.“I don’t know where he came from,” said Watson, who works at Qual Serve Corp. in a Bluff Road business park. “He just showed up.”Normally, brightly colored peacocks are more at home in zoos.But since Monday, this peacock has taken up residence — quite comfortably, it seems — at the Columbia Industrial Park.No one knows where he came from. No one has reported a missing peacock. And, at this point, no one has plans to relocate him. |
| Lott recovering after appendectomy Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott is recovering after doctors at Lexington Medical Center removed his appendix Thursday afternoon, a Sheriff’s Department news release said.He was taken to the hospital for pain in his abdomen, the release said.— Lee Higgins |
| Police Blotters Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT LEXINGTON COUNTY SHERIFFBush River Road, 1700 block: Police were called to a motel at 8 a.m. Wednesday after several guests had discovered their cars had been vandalized during the night. All of the cars had broken windows, but only one had anything stolen from it, a report said. The burglarized car had two suitcases and a tool box stolen from the trunk. The items were worth several hundred dollars, according to the owner. Total losses and damage were estimated at almost $3,000.RICHLANDCOUNTY SHERIFFDecker Boulevard, 1900 block: A woman called police at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday and said her ex-boyfriend had threatened to destroy her business and take their daughter from her. The 24-year-old woman told deputies she thought the man was drunk, but he told her he was going to take the daughter and “shoot up” her business. She declined to prosecute but wanted to document the threats, she said.Misty Glen Circle, 400 block: A woman called police at noon Tuesday after she said her step-son was harassing her by phone. The 37-year-old woman told deputies her husband died some time ago and had left his home to her and the stepson. The stepson wants to sell the property, but the woman doesn’t want to. She said the stepson calls her several times a day to try to convince her to sell, and lately he has become more agitated and angry. In his last message, she said, the 39-year-old man told her if she didn’t sell the property, he was going to bulldoze it. She is worried about her safety, she said. |
| Few, Herndon race is Kershaw vs. Richland Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:55 EDT The runoff in House District 79 between Republicans Sheri Few and David Herndon might be determined by which candidate turns out the county that favors them.The district takes in parts of Northeast Richland and Kershaw County.Few, who led the way in Tuesday’s three-candidate primary with 44 percent of the vote, performed best in Kershaw County. Few, who lives in Lugoff, received 934 votes from Kershaw County, followed by 649 votes for second-place finisher Herndon and 333 votes for Tony Lamm.Herndon, an Elgin small-business owner and former chairman of the Kershaw County GOP, narrowly edged Few in Richland County.He received 529 votes in Richland to Few’s 483. |
| Ohio man dies after 6-floor fall from Myrtle Beach hotel Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT Police are investigating the death Wednesday night of a man who authorities said fell or jumped from the sixth floor of an Ocean Boulevard hotel. Cory Kissling, 18, of Logan, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene, Horry County Coroner Robert Edge said. |
| Recount may be held for cousins’ race Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:55 EDT A recount tentatively will be held Monday by the Kershaw County Voter Registration and Election Office for County Council District 1.Newcomer Robert “Bobby” Gary leads John Lee, a 12-year incumbent, by eight votes. The two are cousins, and both are Democrats. The winner faces no opposition in November.The recount is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday at the County Government Center, 515 Walnut St., Camden. |
| Exemptions sought for noise ordinance Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:55 EDT About 100 supporters showed up Thursday for a proposal to exempt tractor pulls, dirt-bike racing and other loud events from Lexington County’s noise ordinance.Eight people signed up to oppose a plan that would lift noise limits for activities that also include school athletics events, band competitions, outdoor concerts and historic re-enactments.County Council took no action, and the earliest it could reach a final vote is at its July 22 meeting. |
| 6-foot crocodile sent to Florida attraction Thu, 12 Jun 2008 21:55 EDT The vacation is over for a wayward American crocodile.The 6-foot reptile captured last week in the surf at the Isle of Palms has been crated and was shipped back to Florida on Wednesday. There, it will begin a new life at Gatorama, a wildlife attraction near Palmdale.It’s not clear how the male croc, normally found in South Florida, got to South Carolina.Contributing: Staff writers Lee Higgins, Clif LeBlanc and Marjorie Riddle; The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News; The Associated Press |
| Crime & Safety: Target tracking Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT Richland County Sheriff’s pilots zeroed in last week on a 12-year-old boy accused of starting a fire in the Founders Ridge community.They were using the Forward Looking Infrared System (FLIR), the newest addition to the aviation unit’s repertoire.The system — featuring a thermal and color digital camera — is loaded on the department’s OH58A+ helicopter. It allows the helicopter to search while it records operations.Air operations, and accompanying technology with them, have proven to be successful for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department in tracking suspects.Sheriff Leon Lott said last week’s search was the first time FLIR has been fully operational and assisted in finding someone. |
| Radium cleanup on hold Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT A new method of removing radium from drinking water in the Gilbert area is in limbo.Use of bauxite-based filters at one of the water district’s wells is on hold, after an unexpected problem stopped disposal of used filters there.The filter — first used a year ago — unexpectedly turned into mud as it did its job.That made it ineligible to be thrown way in ordinary trash at a landfill as planned, state health physicist Mark Yeager said.Now, it must be solidified and possibly sent to a landfill for low-level radioactive waste, steps that could increase the cost of disposal significantly, he said.Gilbert, which was one of the first in the nation to try the method. |
| Water Restrictions Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT For the second summer in a row, the city of Columbia is requiring some 29,000 residential and commercial water customers in Northeast Richland to follow a lawn watering schedule linked to their street addresses.The restrictions were announced last week.What residents need to know:Watering is only allowed from midnight to 4 a.m. Violations could result in a fine of up to $100 and a loss of water service.City officials are asking other city residents outside the Northeast to follow the same schedule, in a show of spirit of conservation: |
| Camden Archives gets facelift, attracts more researchers Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT Researchers from as far away as Great Britain, Vancouver, Nevada and Maine go to the Camden Archives & Museum to look up family and general history.With a new wing and other renovations, the city-run Archives is drawing even more visitors these days, said director Howard Branham.“We’ve always had a lot of researchers,” he said, “but now we’re providing a better facility for more use.”The nonprofit Friends of the Camden Archives & Museum began renovations to the facility in 2004 and just completed them last month.A new 4,000-square-foot, two-level wing joins a library originally built in 1915 and an addition built in 1963. |
| City Year members leave their mark with mural face-lift Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT For the better part of a month, members of City Year scraped, primed and painted new life into an 8-year-old mural near the Drew Wellness Center.The mural, with its message of life, love and a fight against drug abuse, was fading.“It didn’t look as powerful as City Year would have wanted it to be,” said 22-year-old City Year member Aleshia Ellingson.So participants in City Year — a member of AmeriCorps, a national service program that unites 17- through 24-year-olds for a year of full-time community service — made it a mission to repaint.Columbia participants have spent the past 10 months working in and around Richland and Lexington counties, taking on projects such as pitching in at Richland 1 schools and beautifying communities. |
| Milestones Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT CommunityPAMELA J. THOMAS of Columbia, state soil scientist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service, has been presented the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award for the Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences by Virginia Tech’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The Virginia Tech Alumni Association honors graduates for career achivements as well as service to the community and the university. Thomas received a bachelor of science degree in 1983, a master’s degree in 1987 and a doctorate in agronomy, crop and soil environmental sciences in 1998.LEXINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTY R.D. LONGSHORE has been nominated by the Lake Murray Jaycees for the 2008 South Carolina Outstanding Public Servant award. Longshore, of Chapin, has worked with the department for five years, currently serving as a K-9 officer with his partner, Deuce. The deputy organized a charity dog wash that raised more than $500 for a local animal shelter and participates in Jaycees Camp Hope for disadvantaged youth.THE REV. BARBARA FISHBURNE, pastor of Good Shepherd’s Faith Assembly, has been presented an Icon Award by Grace Magazine. The magazine salutes some of the most influential pastors in the Southeast; Icon Award recipients have demonstrated a high level of excellence and accomplishment by way of Kingdom Building.CENTRAL CAROLINA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION has awarded grants to the following community organizations: Carolina Children’s Home, $7,382 for computer network upgrade; the Women’s Shelter, $9,692 for brochures and development of an interactive Web site for volunteer applications and online donations; Fast Forward Technology Center, $10,000 for its Nonprofit Training Program; and Lutheran Family Services, $10,000 toward construction and furnishing of Angels House, a transitional residence for homeless women veterans. |
| Community needs Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:22 EDT SENIORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM, sponsored by the S.C. Department of Social Services, offers nutrition assistance to ages 60 and older by providing coupons for free produce at local farmers’ markets. Eligibility is based on household income; in order to receive the coupons, applicants must be residents of Richland County, apply in person and provide proof of identity and residence. Coupons will be issued on a first come, first served basis while supplies last at the following times and locations: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at St. John Baptist Church, Farrow Road and West Beltline Boulevard; 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Delta Life Center, 5307 Fairfield Road; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, June 20, at Martin Luther King Park, 230 Greene St.WEST COLUMBIA RESIDENTS in need of a fan or air conditioning unit to cope with the summer heat are encouraged to call (803) 794-0721, ext. 221 or 222. The West Columbia Police Officers Foundation is sponsoring the program for the elderly and others who have no way to stay cool during the summer; last year, 120 residents received fans or air conditioners.VOLUNTEERSLEXINGTON COUNTY GUARDIAN AD LITEM program will hold training sessions beginning Monday. Volunteers serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in family court proceedings. Call (803) 957-6484 or go to www.lexington.scgal.org to sign up.SEXUAL TRAUMA SERVICES OF THE MIDLANDS will hold volunteer advocate training Tuesday through Monday, June 23. Sessions will meet 6-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, June 19 and June 23; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 21 and 1:30-6 p.m. Sunday, June 22 (attendance at all sessions is required) at 3700 Forest Drive, Suite 300. Volunteers must be 18 or older; complete the training program, available during required times (on-call at least two shifts per month); and have reliable transportation. (803) 790-8208; www.stsm.org |
| Meetings Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:21 EDT Community OrganizationsCOLUMBIA MIDLANDS AUBURN CLUB: Quarterly dinner, 6:30 tonight at Bower Bistro (formerly Foxfire Grill), 1220 Bower Parkway. Auburn University alumni and fans of all ages welcome. www.midlandsauclub.com, (803) 338-7657LOWER RICHLAND CLASS OF 1988: Reunion planning meeting, 9 a.m. Saturday at Ryan’s on Garners Ferry Road. (803) 351-9602PALMETTO PERSONAL COMPUTER CLUB: 6-8:30 tonight at the Capital Senior Center, 1650 Park Circle, Maxcy Gregg Park. Guest speaker will be Jeremy Hill, district sales manager for Hewlett-Packard. SIGs meet before the main meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. www.palmettopc.orgWOODFIELD PARK HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION: 7:30 tonight at Woodfield Park Baptist Church, 1834 Morninglo Lane. |
| Vital Zips Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:34 EDT ZIP CODE 29006LEXINGTON SHERIFFBeecliff Lane, 100 block, between 11 p.m. May 29 and 7 a.m. May 30. Someone stole a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup truck worth $12,000 from outside a home.ZIP CODE 29033CAYCE PUBLIC SAFETY |
| In memory of a Marine Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:57 EDT The sign will be like any other, posted on a roadway for passers-by to see. But it will bear the name of Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua L. Torrence, a 2003 White Knoll High graduate killed in 2005 while serving in Iraq. Wednesday, his parents, Vernon and Regina Torrence; politicians; state Department of Transportation representatives; and school and district officials gathered to dedicate a stretch of Platt Springs Road in front of the school, from Kyzer Road to S. Lake Drive, in his honor. Last year, the school also named the new football stadium field house in his memory. But naming the road after Torrence is “a more defined symbol of the desire that the community had to remember Josh,” said 1st Sgt. David Pelley, who leads White Knoll’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. “Most people don’t see the field house, but you can’t miss the road,” he said. |
| USC Law School names associate dean Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:24 EDT The USC School of Law has named Susan Palmer its associate dean for student affairs. Palmer, associate dean for admissions at the University of Virginia School of Law, will begin by Aug. 1. |
| Dual licensing considered for saltwater fishermen Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:48 EDT BLUFFTON — Beaufort County saltwater anglers may soon need two licenses — one state and one federal — in order to fish in South Carolina.Under a proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service, all saltwater anglers will need a federal fishing license by 2009 unless certain states gain an exemption. Currently, South Carolina anglers only need a state saltwater license if they're on a boat.If exempted from federal rules, recreational anglers would only need to buy the annual $10 state license. Without the exemption, anglers would also need the $25 federal license.The federal licensing would create a registry of fishermen who could be surveyed on the health of fisheries nationwide, NOAA officials said.For 28 years, NOAA has conducted surveys by randomly calling coastal residents about their fishing habits. |
| Lexington 3 will begin random drug testing Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:43 EDT The Lexington 3 school board Tuesday approved hiring a company to administer random drug testing to students involved in athletics and extracurricular activities.Midlands Exams & Drug Screening Inc. in West Columbia will get about $7,900 from the district for the school year.The district will test at least 25 percent of students, or about 1,000 students in grades seven through 12. The company will focus on alcohol and drug use, including marijuana, cocaine and others. A district spokeswoman also mentioned a basic steroid test as an option. |
| USC to close sessions for presidential search Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:43 EDT USC’s presidential search committee plans to hold behind-closed-doors meetings in Atlanta and Columbia to interview candidates for president.The meeting notice, required by state law, did not say how many candidates are to be interviewed or who they are.The committee will meet at 1 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta. It will reconvene at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at 1600 Hampton St. in Columbia. |
| Knotts, Shealy seek defeated candidates vote Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:21 EDT South Congaree businessman Mike Sturkie is meeting today with the surviving candidates for Lexington County’s contested Senate seat to decide whether he will endorse either.“I have not made a decision,” Sturkie said Wednesday, saying he had received phone calls from Sen. Jake Knotts and challenger Katrina Shealy.Sturkie said he has agreed to meet Knotts early this morning and Shealy by midday.He said he wants to hear what they want from him — an endorsement, television or radio spots or active campaigning .“I just want to remain neutral, but they want me to make a decision. I’m going to make a decision tomorrow at noon.” |
| Black Republican’s historic win changes the face of S.C. House Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:09 EDT As Tim Scott slides into his chair in the House chambers in January, he’ll become the first black Republican to do so since Reconstruction ended in 1877.Scott outmuscled two fellow Republicans in Tuesday’s primary to earn the right to represent the people of House District 117, which includes Berkeley and Charleston counties. He faces no Democratic opposition in the fall.His ascension puts South Carolina on par with Georgia, the only other Deep South state with black Republicans in the state legislature. And Scott could be joined by two more black GOP members in the fall if candidates Naomi Adams of Green Pond and Marvin Rogers of Rock Hill beat their Democratic challengers in November.Some say Scott’s win Tuesday represents a new era for the GOP in South Carolina, where pro-business, low-tax, limited-government black conservatives are finding a home.Scott’s “to-do” list includes new initiatives to grow small businesses. |
| Sanford warns of pre-hurricane run on gas stations Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:57 EDT High gas prices already have made it difficult for South Carolinians to keep their cars fully gassed and could cause an even bigger run on the state’s gas stations in the days before a hurricane, Gov. Mark Sanford says.Sanford and other state and local emergency-management officials held news conferences Wednesday in coastal S.C. counties to remind residents to plan for hurricane season, which began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.The governor made appearances in Conway, Beaufort and North Charleston.With gasoline prices near $4 a gallon, Sanford said lines at area gas stations could be longer than usual before an evacuation.“One of the dangers that everyone needs to be aware of is that if we get five days out from a storm, there’s a lot of people operating on a quarter-tank as opposed to a full tank,” Sanford said Wednesday in Beaufort. “That means that there is a danger, obviously, of a run on gas stations because people are waiting until the last minute.” |
| Columbia council wary on health expenses Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:57 EDT A new $227.7 million spending plan for Columbia received initial City Council approval Wednesday amid agreement that parts of it will be altered by fall.The changes are expected to shift more of the rising costs of health insurance to city workers and retirees, some council members said.Those revisions are unlikely to increase the property tax and utility fee hikes included in the spending plan that would take effect July 1.Final approval of the package is expected June 18.Council members are waiting for the latest audit of city finances and updated projections on future health care costs before tackling politically sensitive changes in health care coverage. |
| Audit reveals phone misuse Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:57 EDT South Carolina could save up to $800,000 a year by keeping better track of mobile phones and pagers given to state employees and using more efficient calling plans, according to an audit released Wednesday.About a quarter of state employees have agency-issued cell phones, and the state spends more than $7 million a year on communication devices, but there is no statewide policy governing their use, according to the report from the Legislative Audit Council.In all, state agencies use more than 15,000 cell phones, 7,000 pagers and 170 satellite phones.The report, which looked at use of communication devices for fiscal year 2005-06, pointed out instances of improper downloads, such as games, ring tones and sweepstakes, charged to employee phones. Two agencies — the departments of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services and Natural Resources — paid for 86 downloads of “Deal or No Deal” at 99 cents each on employee phones.Probation, Parole and Pardon employees also downloaded Funmobile Alerts 36 times at $5.99 each and NASCAR.com wallpaper 11 times at $5.49 each. In all, state agencies incurred almost $2,000 in charges from inappropriate downloads, the report said. |
| Sanford wins some, loses others in election Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:13 EDT The dominant subtext of Tuesday’s State House elections was how effective Gov. Mark Sanford and like-minded third-party allies were in electing new lawmakers.The S.C. Club for Growth declared victory Tuesday night, and Sanford followed Wednesday.So how well did Sanford do? It was a mixed bag.Sanford scored a clear victory in Tom Davis’ defeat of incumbent Catherine Ceips for a Beaufort County Senate seat. That will give Sanford two former staffers in the Legislature, with Rita Allison running unopposed for a Spartanburg House seat. Tim Scott’s Charleston House win also is a victory.But Sanford endorsee Ed Rumsey lost to Bill Sandifer for an Oconee House seat, and Katrina Shealy and Jake Knotts are heading to a runoff. |
| Suburbs want slice of meal-tax pie Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:13 EDT Plan would change where Richland revenue goesEvery time folks in Richland County eat at a restaurant, they help fund a $5.2 million-a-year budget to promote tourism.While the money is collected at restaurants in the suburbs, much of it goes to groups located in the city of Columbia.That might change, though, with a tenuous alliance of rural and suburban members of Richland County Council who argue that their districts deserve more attention — and money.This year’s budget debate has pointed to a shift in philosophy on the 11-member County Council. A majority of its members are serving their first terms in office. |
| W. Neill Youmans Jr. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT WILLISTON — A graveside funeral service for William Neill Youmans Jr., 56, of Williston, SC, will be held four p.m. Saturday, June 14, 2008, in Williston Cemetery with the Rev. Floyd Dukes officiating. The family will receive friends from six to eight p.m. Friday, June 13, at Folk Funeral Home, Williston. Neill died Wednesday, June 11, 2008.Neill was born in Augusta, GA, the son of June Buford Youmans and the late William Neill Youmans Sr. He worked in construction and was a member of Williston First Baptist Church.Survivors include his mother, daughters, Jamie Youmans and Morgan Youmans, son, William Neill Youmans III, all of Williston, sister, Janis Youmans Dempsey of Augusta, GA, former spouse, Faith Zeigler of Williston, a number of nieces and nephews, Nanci Collins, Pete Collins Jr., Jeremy, David and Mark Dempsey and Aimee Elwell. He was preceded in death by his sister, Betsilee Youmans.Visit our online registry at www.folkfuneralhome.com.«Obituary posted: June 13, 2008» |
| Larry Thurmon Simpson Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT WINNSBORO — Services for Larry Thurmon Simpson will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Smalls Chapel AME Zion Church with burial in the church cemetery. O.E. Manigault and Sons Funeral Home is in charge. Born to Thurman and Mary Lee Simpson, he died June 10, 2008. Surviving are children, Larry Young, Francesina Young; 2 brothers, 4 sisters; grandmother, Lucille Neal; and 1 grandson.«Obituary posted: June 13, 2008» |
| Darnell Stevens Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT SALUDA — Services for Darnell Stevens, 51, will be held at 1 p.m. (noon viewing) Saturday at Lockbart Baptist Church with burial in the church cemetery. Butler and Sons Funeral Home is in charge. Born in Saluda Cty. to Henry Bell and Ethel Mae McKinney Stevens, he died June 11, 2008. Surviving: parents; daughters, Tanisha, Tracee; fiancee’, Sandra; siblings, Kelvin, Darlene, Sherry, Rena, Mary; 3 grandchildren.«Obituary posted: June 13, 2008» |
| Anne Borden Peacock Taylor Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Anne Borden Peacock Taylor of Jacksonville, FL, died peacefully June 6, 2008, in Santa Barbara, CA. A descendant of pioneer Florida families, Mrs. Taylor was born September 17, 1920, in Jacksonville at the home of her great-grandmother, Mrs. William Osborne Jeffreys. She was the daughter of the late Joseph Elbert Peacock, Jr. and Annie Byrn Borden Peacock. Mrs. Taylor attended Florida State University where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and the Sophomore Council. A member of the 1940-41 Debutante Coterie of Jacksonville, she was presented at the Florida Yacht Club Thanksgiving Ball. She was also a maid in the Court of Ye Mystic Revellers in 1941. On January 23, 1943, she married Goodwyn Rhett Taylor of Columbia at St. John’s Cathedral in Jacksonville. They celebrated 60 years of marriage before his death in 2003.Mrs. Taylor’s community service included Bundles for Britain, the Motor Corps and Air Raid Warning System during World War II; working with the Travellers’ Aid Society, the Jr. League Children’s Theater, the Children’s Radio Hour, the Children’s Speech Therapy Clinic, and the Children’s Museum of Science and History. She was area chairman for the American Cancer Society; a Gray Lady for the American Red Cross at St. Vincent’s Hospital, and served as a volunteer for the Leukemia Society and the American Heart Association.Mrs. Taylor was a member of Christ Church Anglican. She was a communicant of St. Marks’s Episcopal Church for over 50 years where she served on the Altar Guild from 1954 to 1998 and taught Sunday School for a number of years.She was also a member of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, the Junior League of Jacksonville, the Cummer Gallery of Art, and the Women’s Auxiliary of the Salvation Army.Mrs. Taylor is survived by her daughter, Anne Rhett Taylor Merrill and son-in-law, Hugh Anthony Merrill of Santa Barbara, CA; two grandsons, Charles Rhett Merrill, New York, NY, and Ensign Alexander Heyward Merrill, Pensacola, FL; and several nieces and nephews. |
| Patrick V. Sexstone Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT BRISTOL, England — Patrick Vaughn Sexstone died May 27 at age 62 in his native city of Bristol, England, days after traveling from the U.S. to attend a play-off soccer match between Bristol City and Hull, held in Wembly Stadium. His brother Colin, Bristol City’s chief executive, said that “Everyone who knew him recognized in him a larger than life character. He attracted many friends and was amazingly funny. He was the type of man that once met, not forgotten.” Above all, Pat was an entrepreneur who viewed most challenges as opportunities. Within a few years after emigrating to the U.S., he began Tri-State Trading, a wholesale grocery business, as its sole employee. Initially, he targeted a three-state area, but the business quickly grew and twenty years later it is a thriving enterprise that does business in thirty-one states and that now includes a wholesale meat division, Southern Grocery Distributors.Pat was the first child born to Phyllis and Leslie Sexstone on August 11, 1945, in Kendal, England, where his father was serving in the Royal Air Force. He grew up in Bristol and attended Colston’s Collegiate School before deciding to leave school at age 16. At first he worked for the Bristol City Council and the textile warehouse of Bell and Nicholson. But in 1966, he began what would become a lifelong career in the grocery trade by joining Spillers Ltd., a leading manufacturer of flour and bread, as a sales trainee in the Southwest of England. By 1973 he had been promoted to District Sales Manager for Leeds, Yorkshire, and shortly thereafter was named a national account executive working in Spiller’s London office. Chiltonian Biscuits then recruited Pat as its general sales manager in 1976 and two years later he accepted a position as the U.K. sales manager for Consumer Products for Bayer AG, based in Leverkusen, Germany. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1982 to become a junior partner in 3 Guys Ltd., a discount grocery chain, located in Salisbury, NC. When the company decided to leave the U.S. market, Pat stayed and formed Tri-State Trading in 1987 and devoted himself to succeeding in America.Pat’s enthusiasm for business was matched by his love of sports, good company and good fun. In England, he loved cricket and rugby and played Rugby Union for three years in Roundhay, Leeds. In the U.S., he followed all sports, absorbed all statistics, played golf for fun, and avidly and passionately believed in the Carolina Panthers -- he never missed a home game. He loved his adopted city of Charlotte and all things that represented the best of North Carolina. Pat became its best ambassador here and abroad.He is survived by his wife and business partner, Theodora, his daughter, Rebecca Clevett and husband Steve and grandson, Louis Max of Thornbury, England; his son, Benjamin and fiancee Suzie Drake of Bristol; stepson, Matthew Thompson of Huntersville, NC; brother, Colin Sexstone and wife Wendy of Bristol; sister, Janie Cheesman and husband Mike of Medmenham, England; sister, Gill Chapman and husband Paul of Cheltenham, England; brother, Andrew Sexstone and wife Joan also of Cheltenham; by nieces and nephews to whom he was legendary -- by a devoted staff who appreciated his expertise and leadership -- by business associates who admired his integrity and by so many other lovely family members and friends on both sides of the Atlantic.A memorial service will be held in his honor at noon Saturday, June 21 at St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church at 5108 Kuykendall Road, Charlotte, NC 28270. His funeral was held Friday, May 30 at St. Aldhelm’s Church in Bedminster, Bristol. Memorials may be made to National Public Radio/WFAE Charlotte or to the St. Nektarios Building Fund. |
| Rev. Clifton L. Stancel Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT NORTH AUGUSTA — Reverend Clifton L. Stancel, North Augusta, SC, entered into rest Thursday, June 12, 2008. Rev. Clifton L. Stancel was the husband of Mrs. Lois B. Stancel of 110 Deerwood Drive, North Augusta, SC. He was preceded in death by a son, James Stancel. Surviving with his wife, Lois B. Stancel, are two sons, Mike Stancel, Saluda, SC, and Roger Stancel (Nancy), Graniteville, SC; a brother, Ray Deaton, Lawrenceville, GA; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Rev. Stancel was born in Transylvania City, NC, to the late Julius Butler Stancel and Gladys Breedlove Stancel. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and he was the founding pastor of Faith Independent Baptist Church where he served for over forty-six years. Rev. Stancel was a great husband, father and grandfather and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. He loved the Lord, his Bible, missionaries and his family. Funeral services will be Saturday, June 14th, 2008, at 3 o’clock at Faith Independent Baptist Church with Pastors Tom Hayes, Jimmy Rose, Bill Wingard and James Cook officiating. Interment will follow in Sunset Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be John McDaniel, Robert Gartman, Gurney Wiggins, Leon “Bubba” McGee, Dave Dubose and Leonard Harris. Memorials may be made to Faith Independent Baptist Church Missions, P.O. Box A, Bath, SC 29816. The family will receive friends Friday, June 13th, 2008, from 5 until 8 o’clock at Hatcher Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Langley, SC.«Obituary posted: June 13, 2008» |
| Harrison Rollins Roberts Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT EASTOVER — H.R. “Rolly” Roberts passed away Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at the age of 95, A native of Monticello, S.C., he had a long and distinguished military career, including four years in the U.S. Marines (1931-1935) and twenty years in the U.S. Army including WW II. He had honorably retired in 1952. Rolly Roberts began a second career with the State of S.C. as a bank examiner in the Small Loan Division of the State Office of Consumer Finance, Board of Bank Control, from which he retired in 1975.He had been a member of the Richland Presbyterian Church of Eastover since 1955 where he served as deacon and ruling elder.He is survived by daughters, Patricia R. and her husband, Carroll E. “Gene” Lindler and Pamela G. Roberts, all of Eastover; grandsons, James R., Adam K. and Daniel C. Lindler, David D. and Charles H. Becknell; and great-grandchildren, Jessica and JoAnna Lindler, Noah and Luke Lindler, Chase and Brycen Lindler, Audrey Becknell, Stephen and Alex Becknell.Visitation will be Friday 6-8 p.m. at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, Columbia. Funeral services will be conducted in the Chapel of Greenlawn Memorial Park Mausoleum Saturday at 1 p.m. Rites will be performed by Rev. Dr. Lamar Potts, minister of Richland Presbyterian Church. Serving as pallbearers will be his five grandsons. Honorary pallbearers will be Cliff Smith and Barry Hicks as well as his great-grandchildren.Memorials may be made to Richland Presbyterian Church, noted as Old Church Preservation Fund, P.O. Box 857, Eastover, SC 29044. |
| Tena Manning Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT LEESVILLE — Funeral services for Tena Dowey Manning, age 50, will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 14, 2008, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Ridgeway Ward, Centerville Road, Ridgeway, SC 29130, conducted by Brother Carl Reynolds. Burial will follow in Centerville Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Friday, June 13, at Pope Funeral Home in Winnsboro.Mrs. Manning departed this world Tuesday, June 10, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. Daughter of Ellen Branham Downs and the late Glenn Melvin Dowey, she was born February 14, 1958, at F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was a teacher and licensed practical nurse and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.The wife of Col. Robert Lee Manning, Mrs. Manning was a longtime Army spouse and traveled to many locations throughout the United States and Korea. She supported her husband while he was on operational and combat deployments to Haiti, Korea and Iraq. She was also a strong advocate for junior soldiers and their families, often representing them on Family Advocacy Boards. Soldiers and families throughout the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states were the beneficiaries of her passion and commitment while her husband commanded a recruiting brigade for that region.Mrs. Manning continued to support soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, members of the Coast Guard, and civilians alike during her husband’s recent deployment to Iraq. She was personally recognized by the Multi-National Force Commander, Gen. David Petraeus, for her remarkable contributions to the war effort despite her illness. Later this summer Col. Manning will assume responsibilities as Commandant of the Adjutant Generals Corps School at Fort Jackson.In addition to her mother and husband, Mrs. Manning is survived by three children, daughter, Kimberly Shackleford and her husband Michael, son, Alex Manning, and daughter, Melissa Manning; two sisters, Debbie Sosa and Sherry Carroll and her husband Dean; her stepfather, Jouett Downs; and two loving companions, dogs Pele and Murray. She was predeceased by a son, Brandon Boyd. |
| Clara Dreher Morgan Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:15 EDT COLUMBIA — Services for Clara Dreher Morgan will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Greenview First Baptist Church with burial in Piney Grove Church Cemetery. Palmer Memorial Chapel is in charge. Born in Gaston to John and Merlene Lites Dreher, she died June 6, 2008. Surviving are daughter, Sheila; siblings, Juanita, Sandra, Murse, Raymond, Wilbert, Dennis; 3 grandchildren.«Obituary posted: June 13, 2008» |
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