The Carolinas | Report: Trooper was driving 110 mph before fatal wreck

South Carolina

LANCASTER

Report: Trooper was driving 110 mph

Authorities have determined a 45-year-old S.C. trooper was driving around 110 mph when he lost control of his patrol car on a rural two-lane road.

Cpl. D. Kevin Cusack died instantly in the March 27 one-vehicle crash on state Highway 200 about six miles south of Lancaster near a curve where a side road intersects the highway at an odd angle.

Lancaster County deputies said Tuesday that Cusack didn't have his blue lights on and had not called in a traffic stop to dispatchers.

Authorities say he might have been trying to catch up to another vehicle but not reported it yet.

Deputies say tests determined Cusack was driving 104 mph to 111 mph at the time of the crash.

Cusack was a 21-year veteran of the Highway Patrol.

COLUMBIA

Six House members are tax scofflaws

The state Revenue Department says one S.C. legislator has not filed income taxes, and five more owe the agency money.

GOP Sen. Greg Ryberg of Aiken released a report Tuesday showing one House member did not file an income tax return for 2008. It also said five House members owe a combined $4,284 in taxes, penalties and interest. The agency wouldn't give specifics or release names.

The agency noted it can't yet report on 2009 because taxpayers have until October with extensions. Ryberg says he will give an update in January.

He notes it's an improvement over last year, when the agency reported a dozen House members did not file returns between 1999 and 2007.

His three proposals to bar tax scofflaws from public office went nowhere.

GREENVILLE

2nd electric car maker announces plans

An electric car maker from South Korea plans to hire 370 people in Spartanburg County for its first U.S. assembly operation in another sign that the Upstate's automotive cluster is growing with help from the International Center for Automotive Research in Greenville.

CT&T executives from Korea are scheduled to join Gov. Mark Sanford for an announcement in Columbia on Thursday, said Curt Westlake, senior marketing director for the company's U.S. organization.

The company also is considering the Upstate for a planned North American headquarters and research and development center, though that won't be part of Thursday's announcement.

CT&T will be the second electric vehicle maker since February to announce a presence in the Upstate.

North Carolina

WILMINGTON

McIntyre, lawmakers oppose terminal

An N.C. congressman has voiced opposition to a proposed massive cargo terminal along North Carolina's coast.

Congressman Mike McIntyre said in a statement issued Tuesday that he is opposed to the planned N.C. International Terminal in Brunswick County because of concerns over the environment, national security and its several billion dollar price tag.

McIntyre's statement comes a day after N.C. lawmakers declined to include money in the state budget for a federal feasibility study, the next step in the port development process. It is unclear whether plans for the port will continue.

Construction is slated to begin in 2017, and the port is projected to reach full capacity in 2030.

RALEIGH

Brockovich lends support to water bill

Erin Brockovich, an environmental activist made famous by a movie of the same name, is lending her support to a bill that would create a public trust responsible for managing the Yadkin River and its dams, as the battle for control of the waterway continued Tuesday.

Brockovich was the guest at a luncheon and news conference in Raleigh, where she spoke about the environmental impact of an aluminum smelter plant once operated by Alcoa Inc.

Brockovich said companies like Alcoa need to be held accountable for pollution. A study by a Clemson University researcher shows there are environmental problems involving Badin Lake, a 5,300-acre reservoir that empties into the Yadkin.

RALEIGH

Ex-lottery chief may be freed

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that a former N.C. lottery commissioner convicted in 2006 for hiding his financial ties to a company should be released from prison.

Prosecutors revisited the conviction of Kevin Geddings following last week's U.S. Supreme Court that struck down part of a federal law on "honest services," which was used to convict Geddings. The law does not cover Geddings' dealings, prosecutors said.

"Thus, the Government concedes that Geddings is entitled to have his conviction vacated," they wrote in a court filing.

Geddings was convicted in 2006 on five counts of honest services mail fraud for hiding his financial ties to a company that was expected to bid for the state's lottery business. In May 2007, he was sentenced to four years in federal prison.

The former lottery commissioner is at a federal prison in Jesup, Ga. He currently has a December release date, although he is scheduled to move to a halfway house in September.