Andanh.com

How will the faux conservative talk show host take this news? Viewers of the Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report" will find out Wednesday when East Carolina University biologist Jason Bond appears as a guest.

Bond specializes in spiders and millipedes. He and students study both new and known species and provide names for the new ones.

Colbert's namesake is Aptostichus (ap-TAS'-tih-kus) stephencolberti. Because Colbert doesn't pronounce the "t" in his last name, it will also be silent in the spider's name.

Colbert demanded that a spider species carry his name after learning that Bond named a spider for rocker Neil Young.

A bed tax -- also called an accommodations tax -- is a fee paid by hotel guests that is used to fund tourism-related activities. It is collected at both the local and state levels. Local bed taxes vary, but are generally about 1 to 3 percent.

The first of the lawsuits was filed by Los Angeles in 2004. There are now about 50 pending throughout the country.

The Town of Hilton Head Island is in discussions with a lawyer about filing a suit of its own.

Meanwhile, the finance department in Bluffton -- a much smaller tourism destination -- is awaiting the outcome of litigation across South Carolina before deciding what action to take.

Though history shows residents pay relatively little attention to these races, it could be a critical year for them to tune in.

• Three growing districts — Richland 2, Lexington 1 and Lexington-Richland 5 — are seeking voter approval for bond issues totaling nearly $890 million to build and renovate schools.

• Three districts — Richland 1, Lexington 2 and Lexington 4 — have new superintendents who started July 1. And, a fourth district, Lexington-Richland 5, is now looking for a new superintendent.

• Some districts have schools with performance issues, among them Richland 1, with five schools on a watch list for possible state takeover.

Not this year.

On Friday morning, he carried two large bags full of clothes out of Kohl’s on Two Notch Road and loaded them into his Dodge Caravan along with his family of four kids, who range in age from 5 to 16.

“And we just got started,” he said with a smile, noting that they were on the way to the Village at Sandhill.

The tight economy drew many shoppers to Midlands stores Friday for the kickoff of tax-free weekend, which runs through midnight Sunday. State officials predict sales this year could come close to the record set during the first tax-free weekend in 2000.

Bad idea this weekend.

A combination of high runoff pollution and a sewage leak from an upstream treatment plant have caused state health officials to continue urging people against swimming, wading or tubing at “the rocks,” as the area is known.

“Stay out of the water at that area,” said Adam Myrick, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. “And keep your pets out of the water and keep them from drinking the water.”

A variety of bacteria — particularly fecal coliform — are at very high levels, he said. Swallowing water could cause severe nausea. Contact could also cause eye, ear, nose and throat infections. Getting the water in a cut could also cause an infection.

Accompanied by this wife, Patricia, he strode from the President’s House on the Horseshoe to his new office, in the Osborne Administration Building.

It’s a walk he will take most mornings. Pastides has replaced a now semi-retired Andrew Sorensen, who served as USC president for six years.

Pastides was welcomed with gifts from employees from the Arnold School of Public Health, where Pastides was once dean.

Among them was a dart board. The names of fellow USC administrators and employees were attached to it.

Some of the numbers pertaining to South Carolina were miscalculated, said Mark Dorfman, one of the report’s authors, in an e-mail sent Thursday to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The recalculated numbers move the state several notches down the list and out of the 10 worst in the nation, according to the new information. Beaches in Horry and Georgetown counties had topped the list as the worst in the state.

City of Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea has decried the report’s numbers since their release Tuesday.

“It is unfortunate the numbers were incorrect in the first place,” Kruea said. “I’m glad that they are acknowledging the error. We take great care with our water quality only to have our good record distorted by bad statistics.”

A crowd gathered Friday at the State Farmers Market as Frank and Tina Finders of Lexington weighed their pumpkin.

The scales tipped at 897 pounds.

The state record was 737 pounds, according to the Web site considered by giant pumpkin growers to be the best source for state records, www.backyardgardener.com.

Tina Finders said officials offered to refrigerate the pumpkin for the next two months in hopes of showing it at the fair.

Teachers, principals, other staffers and district administrators drive preparations at individual schools on everything from readying classrooms to registering students.

And calls that might have gone to the superintendent’s office, whether from a school or parent, are often rerouted to appropriate district administrators, said school board chairwoman Paula Hite — the same process used before superintendent Scott Andersen’s resignation Friday.

An interim superintendent is expected to be named before Aug. 21.

“We have everybody else in place,” she said. “Everybody else is in place and doing their job.”

The New Energy Reform Act of 2008 is a bid to bridge the divide between Democrats and Republicans who spent July accusing each other of neglecting the impact of record gasoline prices on their constituents.

“There is no greater problem facing average Americans and small businesses today than high fuel costs and our nation’s dependency on foreign oil,” Graham said. “Our proposal is not perfect, but it is a bipartisan start on the road to a comprehensive energy strategy leading to independence from foreign oil.”

For Graham, a Seneca Republican running for re-election, the new initiative reprises his controversial role in the “Gang of 14” two years ago. Then, he and a baker’s dozen other senators from both parties reached a compromise on President Bush’s judicial nominations.

Many conservative activists have never forgiven Graham for moving to block a bid by some Republicans, who then controlled the Senate, to require only 51 votes to break Democratic filibusters of the Bush nominees instead of the traditional 60 votes.

Today all but forgotten, Wilberforce was the Englishman many believe was most responsible for the end of the British slave trade and for the peaceful abolition of slavery throughout most of the British Empire. In the United States, it took a civil war between North and South to end it.

His determination and spirit were remembered during a recent morning service at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. On Tuesday — the anniversary of his death in 1833 at age 73 — the U.S. House passed a resolution apologizing for slavery for the first time ever.

“He was a renewer of society, one of the great voices fighting against slavery,” said the Rev. Robert Riegel, who compared Wilberforce to Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. during Trinity’s service.

All four believed in Christ’s lesson that “just as you did it to one of the least of these, who are members of my family, you have done it unto me,” Riegel said.

Weeki Wachee mermaids have never performed outside their home venue in the troupe’s 61-year history.

This weekend, they’ll be swimming with the fish in the aquarium. Three veteran mermaids will take turns, performing in pairs.

Thursday, before she got in the water to rehearse, Stayce McConnell stared at the stingrays swimming laps in the 85,000-gallon tank.

“It looks like they’re flying,” she told fellow mermaid performer Carli Dofka.

Watts has not officially ruled the deaths as suicides but said a 15-year-old boy, who died Friday, appears to have killed himself.

The death of an 11-year-old girl who died Sunday likely was an accident, but Watts said because of the girl’s age, she might not have understood the consequences of her actions.

“What makes this so tragic is their ages,” Watts said at a Friday news conference. “What happened to these two children could happen to other children.”

In Richland County, five people ranging in age from preteens to their 50s have committed suicide in the past 10 days, Watts said, adding the number was high for such a small window of time.

Andra Byron Jamison initially faced felony DUI charges in the case after police say he hit and severely injured Jesse Miller Gamble, 19, on Thursday. Gamble died at Palmetto Health Richland hospital on Friday.

The Cayce Department of Public Safety said Jamison was behind the wheel of a Chrysler Caravan on Knox Abbott Drive near the Blossom Street bridge when the van hit a bicycle around 11:30 p.m. Thursday.

The focus of the group is still to create an independent Christian nation, Keith Humphrey told the Anderson Independent-Mail.

Cory Burnell has stepped down as leader of the group, which was supposed to move members to South Carolina to influence elections and possibly secede from the United States.

Contributing: Staff writers Lee Higgins, Dawn Hinshaw and Joy L. Woodson; staff reports; The Associated Press

The man was forced at gunpoint into the passenger seat of his car around 10 p.m. in the 1700 block of Broad River Road, Richland County sheriff’s investigators say.

The suspect drove to the dead end of Powell Road off I-77 at Hard Scrabble Road, where the victim was robbed of clothing and the car. The suspect then shot the man in the leg and fled, the department said.

Anyone with information about the incident can call Crime Stoppers at (888) CRIME-SC.

— From Staff Reports

Once largely the domain of niche bookstores, religious books have elbowed their way into mass-market bookstores like Target and Wal-Mart.

While it used to be unusual for a religious book to make a national bestseller list, it’s the rare list today that lacks at least one as they jockey for attention in multiple genres: fiction, nonfiction, advice, biography and children’s books.

Looking for a faith-related read? Here are a few to consider:

• “unChristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (Baker, $17.99). The subhead, “What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity ... And Why It Matters,” sums up this study based on the religious perceptions of people younger than 30.

Judge Thomas Cooper set a $15,000 surety bond for Sametta Heyward, 28, who faces two counts of homicide by child abuse in the deaths a year ago this week of her 4-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.

When police found Heyward at her Hanahan apartment last July, she was wailing, “Oh, my babies,” and told police she left her children in a hot car after a baby sitter canceled.

Heyward was released from jail Friday evening, according to an automated system that checks inmates’ status.

Town Council unanimously approved the measure last month, joining unincorporated Richland County in putting the issue before voters Nov. 4.

Sunday sales of beer and wine already are allowed in the city of Columbia.

The Richland County Sheriff's Department said the boy was shot in the stomach at a home in the 200 block of Auburn Leaf Drive in Lower Richland.

Additional information was not immediately available.

— From Staff Reports

DISTRICT OFFICE

Main number/superintendent’s office: (803) 476-8000 (Call will be rerouted to appropriate department.)

Lee Bollman, chief instructional officer, (803) 476-8169

Transportation: Chapin Cluster, (803) 345-7133; Dutch Fork Cluster, (803) 732-8112; Irmo Cluster, (803) 732-8045; special needs, (803) 732-8134

Though history shows residents pay relatively little attention to these races, critical issues are in play — among them, three districts seeking voter approval on bond proposals and four districts that now have or will get new superintendents.

Of seven seats, at least four and possibly five will be up in Richland 1; four each in Richland 2, Lexington 1, Lexington 2, Lexington 3 and Lexington 4; and three in Lexington-Richland 5.

The deadline to file is Aug. 15.

The Greenville News reported Friday the decision comes a day after a state senator asked the agency to investigate the immigration status of contactor employees.

Pickens Sen. Larry Martin asked for the investigation after getting complaints from constitutents about a company that appeared to employ mostly Hispanics.

Martin says he discussed the issue with Transportation Secretary Buck Limehouse this week and he agreed to put language in all new contracts requiring companies to make sure they're following state and federal immigration laws.

A new state law requires all contractors to verify the status of all new employees beginning next year. Martin says there's no reason to wait.

She leaves behind her loving mother, Lottie Waddell; her sons, Jerry “Mike” Barnett and his wife Vicki, Donald Ray Barnett; her daughters, Patricia “Patti” Piver and her husband Daniel, Sandra “Sandee” Parnell and her husband Dwayne. She is also survived by her brothers, Eddie Waddell and his wife Ann, Randy Waddell and his wife Annie; her sister, Melba Jackson and her husband Richard; her life partner and best friend, Jerry Barnett; 11 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father, Eddie Waddell Sr. and her son, Jeffery Barnett.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, August 2, 2008, at Cannon Funeral Home, 1150 North Main Street, Fountain Inn, at 3 p.m.

Memorial donations in her memory may be made to Heart Institute c/o Greenville Memorial Hospital or Mental Health America of Greenville County.

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

She was born in Saluda, daughter of the late John Henry Warren and Nettie Lois Courtney Warren. She was a member of Concord Baptist Church. She was married to the late Floyd Thurman and was a homemaker.

Surviving are her sons, Ray Hall (Debbie) of Pelion; Kenneth Hall (Dora) of Batesburg; daughter, Sandy Beverly of Batesburg; brother, Henry Freeman Warren of Batesburg; 11 grandchildren; predeceased by brothers, John and Edward Warren.

Milton Shealy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Born in Abbeville County, a daughter of the late Ballard and Violet Bosler Taylor, she was the wife of William F. Mercardo. Mrs. Mercardo was a graduate of Abbeville High School. She was formerly employed with Midlands Internal Medicine in Columbia and was a former employee with Pontiac Kroger Foods. She was a member of Saluda Presbyterian Church.

Surviving are her husband, William F. Mercardo of the home, a sister and brother-in-law, Mary Nichols Coleman and Buddy Coleman of Saluda, two nephews, Chad Nichols and Ryan Nichols, and a stepdaughter, Melissa Mercardo of New Jersey.

Two brothers, Brooks Taylor and Billy Taylor, preceded Mrs. Mercardo in death.

Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Sunday, August 3, 2008, in Ramey Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. William Tarbell officiating. Interment will follow in Little Angels Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Mrs. Corley, born in Homer, GA, April 27, 1926, passed away Thursday, July 31, 2008. She was a daughter of the late Thomas S. and Fannie Potts Cheek. Mrs. Corley was a member of Pilgrim Lutheran Church. She had retired as a nurse from the Columbia and Lexington Hospitals and volunteered with LICS and the hospitals. She was a member of the church circle at Pilgrim Lutheran Church and was an avid bridge player.

Mrs. Corley is survived by her daughter, Becky Hipp (David) of Lexington; 2 sons, James “Jim” Corley, Jr. of Lexington, Robert W. Corley (Cathy) of Chester; 6 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; brother, Tom Cheek (Kathy) of Atlanta, GA; and sister, Nelda Rabeneck (Ray) of Atlanta, GA. She was predeceased by her husband, James E. Corley.

The family will receive friends after the graveside service in the church fellowship hall.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Alvin H. “Sonny” Wham Jr.

Surviving Ms. Wilson are her daughter, Jean Wilson Overholt of Abbeville; four sons, James Allen “Cotton” Wilson and his wife Sherrie of Saluda, John Frank Wilson and his wife Jackie, Thomas Grier Wilson and his wife Lucy, and William Cole Wilson and his wife Amy, all of Abbeville; three brothers, John Wham, Jimmy Wham and George Wham, all of Greenwood; three sisters, Vida Griffin of Greenwood, Betty Williams of Waterloo, and Ina Sullivan of Abbeville; a sister-in-law, Barbara Ann Wham of Greenwood; seventeen grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, August 2, 2008, at Harris Funeral Home. Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 3, 2008, in the Harris Funeral Home Chapel, with the Rev. Dan Smythe officiating. Burial will follow in Warrenton Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

The family is at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Cole Wilson, 208 Wildwood Road, Abbeville, SC 29620.

Left to cherish her memory are her three daughters, Jean Phillips Dyson of Columbia, S.C., Verna Marie Phillips Greene and her husband, Phillip of Reston, Va., and Billye Phillips Roy of Norfolk; seven grandchildren, Jean Ashby Dyson Sanders and her husband, Steve, Colie “Trey” Livingston Dyson III and his wife, Angela, all of Columbia, S.C., Phillip Arden Greene III, William Chandler Greene and Trevor Cason Greene, all of Reston, Va., Meredith Marshall Roy and Taylor Phillips Roy of Norfolk; four great-grandchildren, Sadie Anne Sanders, Cole Preston Sanders, Kylie Elizabeth Sanders, and Sarah Louise Dyson; and her caregiver, Joyce Dean; and a host of nieces and nephews, and wonderful friends.

A celebration of her life will be conducted at 2:00 p.m Sat., Aug. 2, 2008, at Galilee Episcopal Church, 40th and Pacific Ave., Virginia Beach, Va. Burial will follow in Eastern Shore Chapel Cemetery. The family was at Cox Funeral Home, 631 Westover Ave., Norfolk, Friday evening from 7 until 8 for visitation. Memorial contributions may be made to the Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad or the American Cancer Society. Condolences may be offered to the family through www.dmvobits.com/cox.

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Mr. Brooks died at home Thursday, July 31, 2008, after a brief and difficult battle with cancer. Born in Columbia, he was the son of the late John R. Brooks, Jr. and Nellie Mae Bauknight Brooks. He was a Navy veteran and an avid Gamecock fan.

Surviving are his children, Kathi (Mike) Culbreath of Abbeville, Deana (Leon) Madray of Newberry, Joni (Aaron) Proper of Lexington, and John R. Brooks, IV, of West Columbia; 4 grandchildren, Kenton, Levi, Charlie Brooke and Kayley; sister, Patsy Olsen of Columbia; and his beloved dog, “Kenny.”

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Mr. Boone, born in Pickens, SC, November 26, 1928, went to be with his Lord Thursday, July 31, 2008.

He was the son of the late Samuel Clark and Katie Cureton Boone, Sr. Mr. Boone was a Korean War veteran and had retired from Cecil Lucas Contractors.

Mr. Boone is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jo Ann Jeffcoat Boone of Lexington; children, Jimmy Boone (Sarah), Ann Sharpe, Patricia Wingard and Clark Boone (Sandra); grandchildren, Daniel Sharpe (Rebecca), Melissa Sharpe, Jamie and Katie Boone, Benjamin Wingard and a soon-to-be great-grandchild. Also surviving are brothers, Charles Boone, Jerry Boone (Shirley), and sisters, Catherine Looper (Bill), Sarah Roof, Martha Martin and many loving cousins, nephews, nieces and friends.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

She was the widow of the late Herbert M. Smith with whom she shared over 24 years of marriage.

She was born May 23, 1922, in Columbia, S.C., to the late Moses W. and Carrie Duncan Cooper.

She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School, Columbia, S.C. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Tennessee State University and a Master of Science degree in elementary education from New York University. She taught elementary school in Columbia, S.C., and Washington, D.C. She retired from teaching after 33 years of service.

Mrs. Smith was a member of Ebenezer United Methodist Church of Lanham, Md. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She was an avid bowler, bridge player and reader. She will be deeply missed by those whose lives she touched.

Mrs. Theurer was a member of the Chinaberry Twig at Muglenberg and the Amity Club.

She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Albert W. Theurer. Surviving are her daughter, Sharon T. Bright and her husband, Kenneth, of Roswell, GA; her son, Albert W. Theurer Jr. of Fanwood; and two sisters, Frances Sherwood and Mildred Whitaker.

A memorial gathering will be held at Memorial Funeral Home, 155 South Ave., Fanwood, Saturday from 2-4 p.m. with services at 3:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Union St., Suite 301, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 (www.americanheart.org). For additional information, or to express condolences, please visit www.fanwoodmemorial.com.

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Laurie Elizabeth was born August 26, 1949, in Anderson, SC. She was the loving daughter of H. Flowe Trexler Sr. and Jimmie Kelley Trexler of Barnwell, SC. Prior to moving to Barnwell with her family, she was already winning hearts with those bright blue eyes and beautiful smile by being chosen Little Miss Clemson. This was a title that was hard to live down in later years as a loyal Gamecock.

Following her graduation from Barnwell High School in 1967, Laurie moved to Columbia to attend the University of South Carolina. She received a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education in 1972. Being selected to sing in the USC Concert Choir and Chorus directed by Dr. Arpad Daraz was a special honor during her college years. Laurie was also the former Miss Barnwell 1967. After graduation, Laurie taught various grades at Springfield, Blaney and Virginia Pack Elementary Schools before joining the staff of North Springs Elementary School in Richland School District II. She retired from teaching in 1998.

One of Laurie’s true passions was interior design, which led her back to the University of South Carolina for a second B.A. in fine arts in 1983. She was a past member of ASID. Many homes in Columbia and on Hilton Head Island were made more beautiful because of her natural instinct for space planning, color and attention to details.

Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, August 3, 2008, at Barnwell Presbyterian Church with Rev. David Turner officiating. Visitation with the family will be in the Fellowship Hall following the service.

Ms. Dean died Friday, August 1, 2008, in Providence Hospital in Columbia. She was born March 24, 1934, in Winnsboro, SC, the daughter of the late Coleman Livingston and Eunice Edenfield Dean. She was a teacher and cheerleader sponsor at McCrorey-Liston School as well as a longtime teacher for Fairfield Central High School. Ms. Dean was also an active member of Stephen Greene Baptist Church serving as a Sunday School teacher, assistant church librarian, member of the Finance Committee and chairperson of the Nominating Committee. Her many activities in Fairfield County included membership in the Fairfield Garden Club, a volunteer at Fairfield Memorial Hospital, current board member of the Fairfield County Friends of the Library, former member of the Fairfield County Historical Society and member of the Fairfield County Friends of the Museum. She was one who loved serving her community.

Ms. Dean is survived by a sister Ann D. Gann and her husband Larry of Clinton, TN; a nephew, Chris Gann and his wife Sarah of Nashville, TN; family friend, Barbara Harmon; and many cousins.

Pope Funeral Home is serving the Dean family.

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Christopher was the son of Barbara Gail Gleaton Hair of Salley, and the late Jeffery G. Hair, Sr.; the father of Kyle Hair, Preston Hair, Trevor Hair and Julia Hightower. He was the fiance’ of Stephanie Harris, the brother of Jeffery G. (Mesha) Hair, Jr. of Minot, North Dakota, Tracy Yon of Martinez, Georgia and Kimberly (Christopher) Carey of New Holland; and the grandson of Lula Bell Senn of Wagener, Mortimo Gleaton of Aiken, Carrie Bell Jeffcoat Hair of Swansea, and the late Jesse Gordon Hair. He was the uncle of Jeffery “J.J.” Hair, III, Christian Hair, Payton Yon and Paxton Yon.

Christopher was a loving son, grandson, father, brother, fiance’ and uncle. He was born in Aiken and graduated from Wagener-Salley High School with the class of 1997. He was a member of Rocky Grove Baptist Church.

Visitation will be Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Wagener Chapel of Blizzard Funeral Home, 163 Main St., South (803) 564-5333.

The funeral service will be held Sunday at 4 p.m. also in the Chapel with the Reverend Brian Thomason officiating. Burial will be in Salley Oak View Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Anthony Freeman, Ricky Gleaton, J.J. Hair, Joshua Hair, John Jeffcoat, III, Jamie Johns, and Julian Starnes. An online register is available at www.blizzardfuneralhome.com.

Mr. Holley, born in Columbia, SC, December 23, 1923, passed away Friday, August 1, 2008. He was a son of the late John Fletcher Holley and Alice Pardue Holley. Mr. Holley served during World War II in the Air Force. He was a member of Pelion United Methodist Church where he was a former choir member. He was also a Mason and retired from DuPont SRP after 31 years.

Mr. Holley is survived by his wife, Helen Cauthen Holley of Pelion; sister, Toreitha Holley of West Columbia; sister-in-law, Mary S. Holley of Lexington, and nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, James Holley.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

«Obituary posted: August 2, 2008»

Born July 21, 1927, in Ulmer (Allendale County), SC, she was the daughter of the late Charlie Franklin All, Sr. and Flossie Rebecca Shaw All. She had worked, until her retirement, with Davan Mfg. Company and Dow-Badische Co., both in Allendale County, and was a member of Sandy Run Baptist Church in Hampton. She loved being with her family and also enjoyed working in her vegetable garden.

She is survived by two daughters: Mary Benton and husband Ernest of Brunson and Janet Ulmer and husband Randy of Lodge; four sons: Arthur Earl Ayer and wife Mary of Olar, Gregory Eugene Altman of Hampton, Hugh F. Freeman and wife Linda of Brunson, and Charles Jeff Freeman and wife Carol of Hampton; one brother: Jake All of Meridan, MS; and one sister: Mable Willis of Columbia. There are 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husbands, Arthur Earl Ayer, Sr., Robbie Eugene Altman and Lewis Franklin Freeman.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, August 3, 2008, at 3 p.m. in the chapel of Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home in Hampton, conducted by Rev. Paul Reid. Burial will follow in Sandy Run Cemetery.

Friends may call at Peeples-Rhoden Funeral Home, 300 Mulberry Street West, Hampton, SC 29924 (803-943-3352) Saturday from 5 until 8 p.m. and prior to the service on Sunday.

Jerry was a veteran of the Korean War and the Vietnam War, serving in the U.S. Army for 23 years where he had been a mess sergeant and retired as a sergeant first class (E-7). Jerry had also retired from Bank of America with 10 years of service as a courier and working in the mail room.

In addition to his parents, Jerry was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Marcelli Heiss Cordell; she passed away Aug. 16, 2006, having been married 46 years.

Survivors: sons, Gary Cordell of Rockwell, Marvin Cordell and James Cordell of Winnsboro, SC; brothers, James C. Cordell of Rockwell and Robert Cordell of Columbus, GA; sister, Shirley Reilly of Winnsboro, SC; five grandchildren.

Visitation: 4:00-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008, at Powles Funeral Home, Rockwell, and the remainder of the time at the residence.

Born in Columbia, he was a son of Caroline Branham Barber and the late James Woodrow Barber. He graduated from USC with a master’s degree in audiology and worked with the S.C. Dept. of Mental Retardation for over 25 years.

Mr. Barber is survived by his mother of Columbia; son, Hart J. Barber of Columbia; brother, Richard S. Barber of Columbia, as well as a niece and a nephew.

www.ShivesFuneralHome.com

(803) 754-6290

This is one less thing for the suddenly turf-conscious council to fight about. While the focus should have been on keeping the buses rolling, some council members’ goal was to get as much money from the proposed sales tax into their districts as possible.

That’s the way the council has approached other funding streams in recent months. Council members have been licking their chops to steer whatever they can to their individual districts, which can lead to division, which can lead to not only bad decisions but indecision.

One of the reasons the council established the transportation task force was to help persuade the public to approve funding for the bus system and other projects. The task force, which considered various funding sources but determined the sales tax to be the best, proposed improving roads, sidewalks and bike paths, in addition to funding the bus system, with a higher sales tax. The hope was that voters from across the county would support the new tax because their areas would stand to gain needed roads or other infrastructure.

The panel crafted a $3.8-billion, 25-year plan to improve transportation countywide. Initially, it wanted voters to approve the penny tax for an eight-year period. The tax was expected to generate $521.5 million over that time to pay for expanded bus service, road construction, paving and maintenance, and a system of sidewalks, bike lanes and trails.

Now that the U.S. House of Representatives has apologized for slavery, no doubt its members are preparing to apologize to the American Indians for the treatment they have received.

This will ideally trigger apologies from the communist Chinese to Chiang Kai-shek, from the Russian communists to the Romanovs, from the Vikings to Northern Europe, from the Huns to the Romans, from the Romans to everybody, from the Egyptians to the tribes of Israel, and from the Cro-Magnons to the Neanderthals.

Then everybody in the world will be happy, and just the same as they are now.

History has to be considered in its context, and can’t be changed; we just must learn from it and not repeat the mistakes.

History indicates they could also return to their old habits if prices continue to drop, once again steering gas guzzlers onto highway entrance ramps as though crude oil never hit $147 a barrel.

There are already signs that getting 60 miles a gallon has become less important to consumers, but many associated with hybrid vehicles and alternative energy say the latest effort to break petroleum’s control over our daily lives will succeed despite evidence that past efforts puttered to a stop once oil became more affordable.

“In the past what we’ve seen is oil shocks based on political reasons,” said Wes Bolsen, chief marketing officer for Coskata, an ethanol refiner in Warrenville, Ill. “Now, it’s a supply and demand issue. With China and India in the market, no one is talking about $40-a-barrel oil.”

Oil is hovering just around $20 below the record, yet auto buyers have instantly responded by showing less interest in hybrids such as the Toyota Prius.

The Columbia utility said its earnings were up because of a growing customer base in the Carolinas and a January rate hike for its customers in South Carolina. The 4.4 percent retail electric rate increase was “more than offsetting higher operating and maintenance expense,” the company reported.

The company reported earnings of $57 million, 48 cents a share, for the financial period that ended June 30 versus $55 million, or 47 cents a share, a year earlier.

For the first six months of this year, SCANA — South Carolina’s largest publicly traded company and its only member of the Fortune 500 — reported earnings rose 19 percent to $166 million.

And, SCE&G, the company’s subsidiary that provides electricity and natural gas to the Midlands, reported that quarterly earnings were $2 million ahead of the same time frame last year.

Ginn Resorts, a Florida developer that bought the more than 800-lot neighborhood in early 2004, had required owners of 483 empty lots in the neighborhood to begin construction by the end of 2011.

But Bobby Ginn, an S.C. native with multiple resort communities in Florida and the Bahamas, told property owners on a conference call this week he is considering an extension for those lot owners, many of whom are investors, said Tom Graber, general manager of the development. There is no timeline for a decision, he said.

Several different development groups have tried to build-out the community in Blythewood, a boomtown about 25 minutes northeast of Columbia, since the mid-1990s. Slow sales of the $400,000 to $1.2 million homes have been blamed on a foreclosure of previous developers, the post-Sept. 11 economy and dwindling interest in golf course living nationwide.

Graber said there are about 100 homes in the 750-acre gated community on Blythewood Road with 24-hour security and a recently opened resort-style amenity center. He said several new homes are currently under construction.

Payroll cuts weren’t as deep as the 72,000 predicted by economists, however. And, job losses for both May and June were smaller than previously reported.

July’s reductions marked the seventh straight month where employers eliminated jobs. The economy has lost 463,00 jobs so far this year.

The latest snapshot, released by the Labor Department on Friday, showed a lack of credit has stunted employers’ expansion plans and willingness to hire. Fallout from the housing slump and high energy prices also are weighing on employers.

The increase in the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent, from 5.5 percent in June in part came as many young people streamed into the labor market looking for summer jobs. This year, fewer of them were able to find work, the government said. The unemployment rate for teenagers jumped to 20.3 percent, the highest since late 1992.