Andanh.com

With their wheelchairs in tow and their cares left behind, many of the hospital’s young patients embraced the joy of song as part of a new hospital outreach. Some might even say they were rockin’.

“What kid doesn’t like music?” said Diane Bagnal-Moody, manager of special programs for Children’s Hospital. “This is just another opportunity to give them an experience with music.”

Bagnal-Moody was referring to “Rockin’ Out for the Kids,” a yearlong program that will provide child-appropriate music from various local musicians on site each month. Many of the musicians scheduled to appear in the coming months are featured on the commemorative CD “A Place for Us,” which was created for the Children’s Hospital opening earlier this summer.

“We’re so excited about this,” Bagnal-Moody said.

The level dropped to 32 times the maximum by last weekend as checks continue to measure how fast bacteria is dispersing.

Results from the latest tests taken Monday are pending and could be available today.

State officials for the first time called the leak a major problem, one week after they warned people not to swim in the river.

“This is a serious spill,” said Thom Berry, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

No charges have been filed. The investigation is continuing, S.C. Highway Patrol spokesman Lance Cpl. Josef Robinson said.

Nichole Johnson Hill, 34, and Derald Kenneth Hill, 33, were passengers in the 2003 Ford Expedition and died on the scene at Hobart Road of multiple injuries, Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said. Neither was wearing a seat belt, he said.

Jason Singley, 32, was driving the sport utility vehicle, Robinson said. Singley and his wife, Natasha Singley, 37, were listed in stable condition Tuesday at Palmetto Health Richland.

The Norfolk Southern Railway train, which had four cars attached, was traveling south and struck the Expedition around 6:50 p.m., Robinson said.

During the 25th annual National Night Out event, members of seven neighborhoods gathered on Barhamville Road to strengthen partnerships with not only the city’s police officers, firefighters and political leaders, but also with its children.

For 50-year-old Kathy Adams, it was a chance for her 7-year-old daughter, Erykah Givens, to pick up one of 400 bags of school supplies handed out for free.

The bags included notebooks, paper, pens and pencils.

“We needed it real, real bad,” said Adams, who lives in the Edgewood-Read Street neighborhood and whose daughter is in the second grade. “It’s a blessing for us. I couldn’t get all this stuff, so this is really a big help.”

The state drought response committee added Anderson, Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield, Saluda, Greenwood, Newberry, Laurens and Union counties to the worst level of drought in the state classification system — extreme. They join Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg and Cherokee, which were declared in extreme drought in early July.

Five other counties remain in severe status, 21 in moderate and four in incipient. Conditions improved so much along the coast that Charleston and Georgetown counties no longer are considered in a drought.

Richland and Lexington counties remain in moderate status, while Kershaw County is in severe.

Spotty afternoon thunderstorms hit much of the state, with most counties southeast of the I-20 corridor getting near normal or above normal rainfall in July.

Shealy met with doctors in Charleston on Tuesday, and said he did not yet know how the tumor would be treated. Surgery was likely, he said.

Dr. Oscar Lovelace said Shealy came to him about three weeks ago complaining that he was struggling to find words, was mixing up the numbers 5 and 9 and had headaches. Shealy also was treated for melanoma, skin cancer, in his 20s.

“When doctors hear that, it’s always a concern in patients who have no other symptoms,” Lovelace said. “We do know that sometimes melanoma can come back late.”

Brain scans, Lovelace said, showed rapid cell division that could mean the tumor is malignant.

Developers Ron Swinson and Stan Harpe also said they are still open to discussing some form of public parking out of respect for Five Points merchants, but expressed extreme frustration with City Council.

“They need to get their act together,” Swinson said. “We stood by for two years, and it cost us a lot of money.”

Swinson and Harpe had planned to build 5 Points South, a mixed-use project with the bank, drugstore and shop on the first floor, three stories of public parking and two floors of luxury condos.

City Council signed an agreement to pay the developers $5.3 million to include the parking, which Five Points merchants have sought for years.

Their annual project? Build a different sand sculpture every day of their weeklong vacation using a yellow wagon chock full of snow shovels, mason tools and wood.

How else would a bunch of vacationing engineers and architects relax?

“It’s great; we come down here on vacation and I’m trying to relax, and they’re building a sand castle,” said James Calloway, 42, grinning in his beach chair under the group’s green sun shelter in Cherry Grove.

Calloway’s father-in-law, architect Randy Vaughan, 50, insisted that this kind of construction is relaxing.

The District 5 school board chose Berg as its interim schools chief at a special called meeting Tuesday night.

Berg, who retired in 2007, has 34 years of experience as a superintendent. He replaces Scott Andersen, who resigned Thursday.

Board chairwoman Paula Hite said she doesn’t expect that Berg will be in the job any longer than a year.

— From Staff Reports

The decades-old formulas are ridiculously complicated and give districts little leeway in how to spend the money, House committee members said Tuesday. Legislators hope to approve a revamped funding system next session.

Stephen Stanko is charged with killing Henry Lee Turner on April 8, 2005 — the same day he killed his live-in girlfriend, Laura Ling, and is accused of assaulting her then-15-year-old daughter.

Judge Michael Baxley delayed Stanko’s trial while defense attorneys appeal his 2006 conviction in Ling’s death, prosecutor Greg Hembree told The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News.

The redesigned site — www.cityofcayce-sc.gov — is being billed as the go-to place for information on city government, services, meetings and events. Utility customers also can pay their bills online.

Daniel Rector of Richmond, Ky., was sitting on a wall outside his hotel room at Hotel Blue when he leaned back and lost his balance, authorities say.

Rector fell five stories to a fifth-floor parking deck. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The state’s 10 active U.S. District Court judges elected Gossett over four other finalists Friday, U.S. District Judge Joe Anderson said Tuesday. There were 54 applicants for the Columbia position, Anderson said.

It’s part of an effort to make sure students in the Charleston County School District get to class.

Last year, 3,500 students in the district failed to show up the first day of class, The Charleston Post and Courier reports.

This year, classes start Aug. 19.

Contributing: Staff writers Clif LeBlanc and Rick Brundrett. For school board filings in Richland and Lexington counties, visit thestate.com, under Featured Links. Listings will update weekdays. Filing deadline is Aug. 15.

The cubs will be known as Johari, Chuma, Jasiri-Congaree and Lina, the zoo said Tuesday. A fifth cub, born after the litter of four, has not been named.

The zoo will sell the youngest cub’s naming rights to the highest bidder during an annual fundraiser in October. Zoo officials also said they’ve taken the cubs off public display because they’ve outgrown their nursery. All are expected to be back on display this fall.

Robert Keith Harris died at the scene Monday, York County Deputy Coroner Ev Amick said.

The boy was wearing a helmet when he drove the four-wheeler down his grandparents’ driveway and into the path of a passing pulpwood truck, Amick told The (Rock Hill) Herald. The ATV hit the trailer, killing the boy.

The Associated Press

Michael Griffin has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four counts of a lewd act on a minor.

Three of the five children Griffin abused lived with him during the assaults, and two others were friends of the foster children, police say.

Devine Street, 4000 block: Police were called to a camera store at 3 p.m. Monday after a man stole a $110 camera. An employee told officers the man came into the store and asked to see a specific kind of camera. The employee handed it to him and the man ran out with it. The incident was caught on surveillance tapes, according to a report.

Garners Ferry Road, 7000 block: Police were called to a store at 7:30 p.m. Monday after a shoplifter attacked an employee. The 61-year-old employee told officers he saw the man stuff socks in his pants and then leave the store without paying. He said he tried to detain the thief, but the man turned on him, told him he was infected with HIV and bit the employee. He was restrained by another man and police were called. The man was charged with drunkenness and taken to a hospital for evaluation, a report said.

LEXINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF

Hulon Lane, 900 block: A woman called police to her home at 1 p.m. Friday after she discovered someone had climbed a 10-year-old pear tree and cut 17 branches from it. The woman told deputies she bought and planted the tree when she moved into the home, and now she’s afraid the tree will die. She said her azalea bushes also were vandalized. Damage was estimated at $500.

The good news: They’re still affordable, when you consider what it costs to buy food at a grocery store or eat a meal out. Here, prices for the upcoming year by district:

Kershaw County: Student breakfast, $1; lunch, $1.75 for elementary, $2 for middle/high; adult breakfast, $1.80, and lunch, $3. Reduced-price breakfast and lunch, 30 cents and 40 cents, respectively

Lexington 1: Student breakfast, $1.25; lunch, $2.25. Reduced-price breakfast and lunch, 30 cents and 40 cents, respectively

Lexington 2: Student breakfast, $1; lunch, $1.75 elementary, $2 middle/high; adult breakfast, $1.93, lunch, $3.21. Reduced-price breakfast and lunch, 30 cents and 40 cents, respectively

Best Buy reported a big boost in computer sales, where buyers could save $50 to $150 over the weekend.

More than 500 shoppers at Village of Sandhill received $10 gift cards for spending more than $100 at the shopping center over the weekend, a jump of more than 200 cards from the previous year.

Area malls said that Friday and Sunday were particularly busier than in the past.

“In general terms, the mall exceeded last year,” said Tom Dornfeld, senior general manager at Columbiana Centre. “Considering the current economic conditions, the retailers I’ve talked to were pretty happy.”

Frustrated with out-of-state landlords who hide behind a myriad of limited liability corporations (LLCs) a group of community leaders and city staff is proposing that every owner of the city’s 7,200 rental properties apply for a business license, regardless of how many properties they own.

Currently, the city requires property owners to get business licenses if they own five or more properties. A business license cost $12, said Marc Mylott, director of development services for Columbia.

It is one of 17 recommendations for code changes that will be presented to City Council on Wednesday and could affect everything from how you store your junk to when and where you put out your garbage for pick up.

Volunteers should meet at 8 a.m. at the Stone Manufacturing Plant on North Main Street.

From there, volunteers will be spread out to various sites to clean up, collect trash and report code violations.

Previous cleanup efforts in the Waverly and Martin Luther King Park neighborhoods produced more than 10 tons of trash, according to Mayor Bob Coble.

“We’re hoping to exceed that,” he said.

Online today, find ideas and recipes for back-to-school snacks and easy suppers and links to school district Web sites.

• Also, win a prize for your photos in the Summer Days, School Daze prize drawing. Going back to school in style? Celebrating your last days of summer? E-mail photos of back-to-school preparations, end-of-summer vacations or get-togethers and the first day of school to family@thestate.com. We’ll post them on the Family Ties Web site and enter them in a drawing for a prize package, including a $25 Target gift card. Photo deadline is noon Aug. 27.

Trustees will move immediately into executive session, where they will discuss an employment recommendation. After the closed-door meeting, there also will be a public participation portion.

Joy L. Woodson

And, while all districts have measures in place — from school resource officers to visitor checks — some have added new features as they’ve opened new schools or renovated existing ones.

A sampling of what’s new in a few local districts:

Kershaw County: Beginning this year, the county’s three high schools will use portable metal detectors and security hand wands for sporting and other large-scale events.

Lexington 1: The district is opening two new elementary schools this year, Forts Pond and New Providence. When visitors enter the schools, they are funneled into administrative offices, where they can sign in. Doors to the common areas are locked.

Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism director Chad Prosser said the agency had no authority to ask the ads be taken down anyway, since the contract was through a third-party British vendor.

“There was nothing that could be done to pull it,” Prosser said. “The campaign was going to end before that whole chain of events could take place.”

Gov. Mark Sanford and others objected to the ad content — calling the state “So Gay” — arguing state tourism dollars were being used to make a political statement. After the ad campaign became news in S.C. — a week after Prosser found out about it — Prosser announced the state would not pay the vendor.

Prosser said he did not ask the ads be removed for three reasons: concerns the advertising and tour companies would use it for free publicity; the agency could not remove the ads; and the campaign had nearly run its course, coinciding with gay pride events in London.

Mrs. Clark graduated with honors from Batesburg-Leesville High School and was a charter member of the Beta Club. She completed post-graduate courses in business and coursework at the University of South Carolina in interior design.

She owned and operated the Leesville Cloth Shop for many years and worked extensively as a seamstress specializing in drapery design. Mrs. Clark was a licensed radio operator and also served as Office Manager of WBLR AM-FM Radio until her retirement in 1981.

Mrs. Clark was one of the most active members of the Batesburg-Leesville Womens Club (BLWC), serving 4 terms as President and numerous other offices. She was its first Lifetime Member and Poet Laureate, a recipient of the 1983 Ann Freeland Award and the 1994 Woman of the Year.

On the state level, she served in numerous leadership capacities and was named the S.C. General Federation of Womens Club (SCGFWC) 1983-84 Volunteer of the Year. Mrs. Clark served 6 years on its Board of Trustees, including 2 years as Chairperson and was named a Lifetime Member. She also served as Central District President where she was the first President to receive the Districts Presidents Award for being most helpful to the State President. She was honored by the SCGFWC when they created the Becky M. Clark Silver Award, given annually to the club having the best overall project in the Midlands District. She was named as one of ten Outstanding Women of Achievement by the Midlands Chapter March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.

Mr. Phipps was born in Horry County July 2, 1943, and passed away Sunday, August 3, 2008. He was a veteran of the United States Army. Mr. Phipps loved to play guitar and spend time with his grandchildren.

Mr. Phipps is survived by his wife, Maude Phipps of Gaston, SC; son, David Hubbard of Barnwell, SC and son, Barry Phipps of Salley, SC; daughters, Elaine Mobley of Lexington, SC and Susan Campbell of Pelion, SC; stepchildren, Adam German, Anthony German, Michael German and Allen German; 27 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren; brother, Leon Phipps; sister, Mary Grace; and sister-in-law; Georgianne Phipps, all of Columbia, SC; and many nieces and nephews.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

www.nortonfh.net

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

Mr. Lilly died Monday, August 4, 2008, at the Dorn V.A. Medical Center. Born in Guyan, West Virginia, he was a son of the late Ted Jackson and Ivy Browning Lilly. Mr. Lilly proudly served his country in the U.S. Army in the Korean and Vietnam wars before retiring after 23 ½ years. Following his service to his country, he was employed in the heating and air conditioning business. Mr. Lilly was a member of El-Bethel Faith Community Church in Lugoff, South Carolina.

Mr. Lilly is survived by his wife of 49 years, Pat “Jitterbug” Lilly; daughters, Teresa Ann (Samuel Thomas) Posey of Lugoff, Mary Ethel Fox of Lugoff and Sandra Gail Neeley of Lexington; sons, Curtis Ray Lilly Jr. of Lugoff and Bryan Keith Lilly of Lexington; 10 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; four brothers; three sisters; and his stepmother, Annie Belle Lilly of Beckley, West Virginia. The family would like to thank the nursing staff of the 5th floor of the Dorn V.A. Hospital as well as Dee and Teresa of Hospice Home Care.

www.ShivesFuneralHome.com

(803) 754-6290

Mrs. Kelley was born February 23, 1925, in Columbia, SC, and passed away August 3, 2008. She was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Hodge. Mrs. Kelley loved animals and working at Riverbanks Zoo. She enjoyed fishing and going to the mountains. She was a member of Crescent Hills Baptist Church and attended Chapin Baptist Church.

Mrs. Kelley is survived by her daughters, Kay Shirley (Randy) of Chapin and Charlotte Kelley (Tony Dillard) of Winnsboro; son, Robert Kelley (Rhonda) of Elgin; grandchildren, Patrick Shirley (Amy), Kelley Biviano (Peter) and great-grandchild, Grant Christian Shirley. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert L. Kelley and brother, Paul Hodge.

The family would like to thank Dr. Callis and Gentiva Hospice, especially; Kathy, Peggy, Eric, Shannon and Lyettia.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

Mrs. Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pa., the 18th day of May, 1907, to the late Elizabeth Hulbert Hanson and William Bancroft Mellor. During the depression, at age 22, Virginia moved to Honolulu and remained there until the bombing of Pearl Harbor whereupon she returned to Philadelphia. Once retired, she moved to Frogmore, SC, and resided there for greater than 20 years. While there, she attended St. Helena Episcopal Church (Beaufort, SC) where her membership remained, and volunteered extensively to extinguish illiteracy among the less fortunate. Virginia had a great love of her family, her dogs, and the sea. She was very independent, and attributed her longevity to having never taken any medication.

Her family appreciates all the love and care given her by Evalena Catoe, and neighbors, Ruth Ouzts and others on her hall and building at Still Hopes.

Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later date. Those who wish to send memorials may do so to Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community, Development Department, One Still Hopes Drive, West Columbia, SC 29169; to Project Pets, Post Office Box 1777, Columbia, SC 29202, or to the charity of their choice. Shives Funeral Home is assisting the family.

ShivesFuneralHome.com

Mr. Tarte died Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Born in Florence, he was the son of the late Lewis A. and Marian Floyd Tarte. Mr. Tarte had retired from the DuPont Company and was a member of Malvern Hill Baptist Church. He was a decorated World War II veteran having fought at the Battle of the Bulge and D-Day.

Surviving are daughters, Beverly T. Dykes (Cecil) of West Columbia, and Susan T. Sharp (Tommy) of Columbia; grandchildren, Stacey Fields (Jacob) of West Columbia, Thomas Ryan Sharp of Columbia; great-grandchildren, Ryker and Alivia Fields; sisters, Eva Dell Sims of Lynchburg and Janice McLeod of Sumter. He was predeceased by his wife, Sarah Hodges Tarte, sisters, Theda Player and Lucille Thornbrew, brother, Wells Tarte.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Please sign the online register book at www.kornegayfuneral.com.

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

William died Monday, August 4, 2008. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was a son of Elizabeth Cherry Livingston Snell and James Murray Snell. He attended Spring Valley High School and was an art student at the School of Visual Arts at Greenville Technical College. William was a member of St. David’s Episcopal Church.

Surviving are his parents of Columbia; two sisters, Sarah Snell Labrador and her husband, Daniel of Columbia, and Laura Elizabeth Snell of Elgin; one brother, James Mason Livingston Snell of Columbia; niece, Ryen Elizabeth Labrador; nephew, Christian Daniel Labrador; and godparents, Ron and Janine Garner of Kinston, N.C., and Ken and Tina Stigle of Virginia Beach, Va. He was predeceased by his grandparents, the Rev. William Cherry Livingston and Elizabeth Cleveland Livingston and Harrel Ray Snell and Bonnie Carolyn Snell.

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

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

Mr. Palmer was born in Morgantown, WV, December 9, 1941, and passed away Monday, August 4, 2008. He was the son of the late Ray and Mabel Palmer. Mr. Palmer served in the United States Navy and retired from Dover Elevators after 36 years of service.

Mr. Palmer is survived by his loving wife, Brenda Seymour Palmer of Leesville, SC; daughters, Katrina Parsley of Indiana, Melina Palmer of Eastover, SC, Rossa Hugar of Tallahassee, FL, Georgia McDonald of Eastover, SC, his friend and son-in-law, Archie McDonald and his loving mother-in-law, Marguerite Seymour; grandchildren, Dawnyel Ross, Selina White, Dutalinna and Archie McDonald; great-granddaughters, Angelinna and Skyler White; great-grandsons, Steven, Tyler, Terry and Bradley; sisters, Marilee Fabiano, Belvia Smith, Cinda Barton; brother, Thomas Palmer; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents; his loving first wife, Dusty Palmer, his two best friends and brothers, Ronald Lee Palmer and Ray Allen Palmer. George will truly be missed by everyone that knew him.

www.caughmanharmanfuneralhome.com

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

Brent went to be with the Lord at midnight August 4, 2008. Born in Camden, he was the son of Betty Jo Bass Lloyd and the late Purvis Lee Lloyd. He was a U.S. Army veteran. Mr. Lloyd was a certified welder and electrician and was formerly employed with Eisenback Machine Shop. Always having a tender heart, Brent was a happy-go-lucky person, loved fishing, NASCAR, music and dancing and was a talented artist. His personality made him the life of the party.

Surviving besides his mother is his son, Jonathan Lloyd of Camden; sister, Carla Parker (Herman) of Camden; children, Dray Lloyd of Camden, Robin Lloyd (Tammy) of Lugoff, Lisa Sizemore (Gregg) of Lyman, Jari Windburn of Clover and Debbie McDonald (Tim) of Auburn, Ala. He was predeceased by stepmother, Kathryn Lloyd, second nephew, Sandy Lloyd and first niece, Dana Lloyd.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge.

Please sign the on-line register book at www.kornegayfuneral.com.

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

Surviving are her daughters, Mary (Jim) Randolph, Julia (Glenn) Mitchell, Carrie (Willie) Gridine, Rosena (Thomas) Brown and Susie (Jonas) Adams; her sons, Cyrus, Jacie (Fannie), Robert (Sarah), James (Mary), and Ulysses (Julia) Weston; a brother, Harry Burden; a sister, Bessie Riley; 32 grandchildren; 54 great-grandchildren; 27 great-great-grandchildren.

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

«Obituary posted: August 6, 2008»

Mrs. Barnhill died Sunday, August 3, 2008. Born in Camden, she was the daughter of the late J.C. Land and Helen Davis McManus.

Surviving are 4 children, Mark Nielander, Tammy Brannon and Ollie L. Bell II, all of Camden, and Hope Dorsey of Elgin; 2 brothers, Richard “Dickie” Land of Camden and Dale McManus of Elgin; 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by brothers, Bobby and Jimmy Land.

Please sign the online register book at www.kornegayfuneral.com.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge.

Mr. Walsh died at his home August 2, 2008. Born in Allendale County October 19, 1954, he was the son of Harold Clifton and Allie McFadden Walsh, Sr. He was a member of Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church and worked as a painting contractor.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Walsh is survived by a brother, Thomas Roger Walsh of Winnsboro; and a sister, Valerie W. Johnston and her husband Thomas of Fort Mill, SC. He was predeceased by two brothers, James Gregory Walsh and Allen Jeffrey Walsh.

Pope Funeral Home is serving the Walsh family.

«Obituary posted: August 5, 2008»

Mrs. Burch passed away August 3, 2008. Born in Newberry County, she was the daughter of the late James A. Sweat. She was a founding member of Faith UMC.

She is survived by her mother, Ara K. Sweat of Columbia; husband of 46 years, Samuel G. Burch; sons, Phillip A. Burch (Pam) of Columbia and Samuel Bryan Burch (Susie) of Birmingham, AL; a sister, Julie Sweat Sturgis of Bell-Haven, VA; 4 grandchildren.

Online register at Barr-Price.com.

(803) 356-4411

Larry is survived by his son, Cole Ray; sisters, Linda Sjurset, Geri Stout; brothers, Gary, Jimmy, Robert, Randy and Harold; nephews, Zachary, Nicholas and Jackson. Larry was preceded in death by his brother, Dale Milam.

Interment will be held in the Florence National Cemtery at a later date.

J.P. Holley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

«Obituary posted: August 5, 2008»

I wrote in a column last week that there’s only one real city in Lexington and Richland counties, despite the many municipalities, school districts and special purpose districts in the region.

If the real Columbia had been allowed to grow without the shackles of our state’s archaic annexation laws, our region would be farther ahead economically, politically and culturally, I wrote.

Instead we’ve been stuck with years of watching local governments and communities in the two-county area struggle to find identity, affirmation and affluence. “The river wouldn’t be an artificial boundary, seen for too long as only a symbol of the division between two counties and their municipal governments. Instead, it would function as it should — as the major artery coursing through a unified body, drawing development, tourists and visitors,” I continued.

“I know. I’ve gone to meddling. It’s a pipe dream. But it’s a most pleasant dream and far better than some of the nightmares we’ve had trying to get local governments to work together to build a cohesive community that collaborates to improve services and create a bustling economy.”

I am writing as a former legislator who worked for 30 years on low-level nuclear waste issues and as a board member of the Conservation Voters of South Carolina to respond to Barnwell Councilman Keith Sloan’s op-ed July 28, “Barnwell takes ‘risk,’ deserves reward for facility.”

He states a “deal” was struck in 2000 at the “state” level against the will of the people of Barnwell, who alone understand the issue.

Actually, the Atlantic Compact negotiations included Barnwell legislators and local officials who accepted the “deal,” which included annual payments and $12 million for economic development for Barnwell — on top of $9 million granted under the first (failed) compact for the same purpose.

Mr. Sloan denies that the presence of tritium in the wells or radioactivity is a risk to Barnwell or the state, yet he cites the many facilities and infrastructure provided with compact funds over the years, which I always presumed were to compensate for the risk he denies exists.

The owner of Christmas Decor by Spectaculites enters his second season of marketing decorative outdoor lighting plans to highlight nighttime businesses.

Brown is targeting businesses such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and car dealerships that rely on nighttime traffic. But he also pitches the benefits of lights to larger entities such as neighborhood associations, shopping centers, municipalities.

“We’re trying to create a dramatic effect by accenting details on a building or the trees and shrubs,” Brown said. “It helps people notice a business.”

Marianne Bickle, a professor in USC’s retailing department, believes stores can’t afford to underestimate the importance of lighting of any kind.

A Boston real estate investment firm has a contract on the 25-floor building at 1201 Main Street in Columbia, according to tenants.

The building houses some of the most important members of the state’s economic development community, including the S.C. Department of Commerce and several state and local business groups.

“It’s kind of the economic development center of the state,” said Jim Gambrell, director of Columbia’s economic development office and one of the building’s tenants.

The building’s new owner will be U.S. Real Estate Investment Fund, which is managed by Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., tenants said.