MyrtleBeachOnline.com: South Carolina & Regional - Wire

Fort Jackson gets fewer soldiers for summer surge

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:28 EDT

Fort Jackson's usual summer "surge" of Army recruits who enter basic training after high school graduation will slip by about 3,000 soldiers this summer, but the reduction isn't worrying officials at the service's largest training installation.

The cut is due to a simple lack of beds: Fort Jackson is three years into a $1billion, eight-year barracks renovation.

Other basic training installations are picking up the slack for a time, and there will be no slide in the overall number of recruits entering the service, according to Fort Jackson's chief operating officer.

State health officials to test wells near reactors

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:03 EDT

State health officials plan to retest two residential wells where radioactive materials were found near the Oconee Nuclear Station.

But Mary Nguyen (Win) Bright with the Department of Health and Environmental Control says the radioactive materials are probably naturally occurring in the mountainous terrain.

Nguyen Bright told The Greenville News earlier testing found uranium, radon or radium close to or above the allowable levels in two of 10 wells tested.

Man kicked by state trooper sues

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:58 EDT

The attorney for a New York man suing a state trooper for kicking him repeatedly during an arrest says his client has been hospitalized for mental health issues since the 2006 incident.

Attorney James McBratney said Wednesday Sergio Caridi has been hospitalized for treatment of psychological problems and suffered "significant physical injuries" since his arrest on various traffic-related issues.

Video from a trooper's dashboard camera shows former Cpl. John B. Sawyer kicking Caridi repeatedly while he was on the ground. Sawyer resigned during an investigation.

Teen to spend 5 years behind bars after shooting

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:51 EDT

A 16-year-old boy has been ordered to remain in a juvenile jail until he is 21 after admitting he had a gun when a man was killed two months ago.

The boy pleaded guilty last month to being a minor in possession of a handgun.

The teen apologized to 20-year-old Corey Brooks' family Tuesday before being sentenced to the maximum punishment allowed as a juvenile.

Plan says cleaning old SC base to take 12 years

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:51 EDT

It will take another 12 years to clean cancer-causing pesticides and other contaminates from groundwater at the old Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, environmental officials and the military say .

It will cost about $723,000 to clean contamination from a shop where pesticides were stored for 15 years at the base which closed in 1993, the military said. The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported the contamination has also moved to four acres of private land next to the base.

The project would involve cleaning up cancer-causing pesticides and solvents including trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride.

Immigrant's arrest strands children on NC highway

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:41 EDT

An advocacy group is questioning whether police acted properly when they left three children in a car with a family acquaintance after arresting their mother along Interstate 85.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday that an Alamance County deputy sheriff stopped Maria Chavira Ventura about 2 a.m. on June 14. She was traveling from her home in western North Carolina to Maryland to visit the children's father.

She was jailed on charges of driving without a license and displaying a false license plate. Authorities also put her under a federal deportation order.

NC studio says it will build huge production stage

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:51 EDT

A studio said it plans to build a huge new production stage at its North Carolina facility that will include an indoor tank for underwater filming.

EUE Screen Gems Studios announced the stage project Tuesday, although some information had been reported two months ago, the Wilmington Star-News reported Wednesday.

"This is our dream stage," said company President Chris Cooney. He said plans have been submitted and crews have begun preliminary clearing work and ordered building material.

VCU administrators resign from leadership posts

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:46 EDT

Several Virginia Commonwealth University administrators are stepping down following an investigation into the improper awarding of a bachelor's degree to Richmond's former police chief.

University officials confirmed the resignations but aren't linking them to the diploma investigation. One administrator was dean of the college that awarded the degree and two others criticized how VCU officials conducted the probe.

Robert D. Holsworth is resigning as interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences. The noted political analyst will continue as political science professor and special assistant to the provost. A telephone message and e-mail left for Holsworth on Wednesday wasn't immediately returned.

Embattled York County coroner to step down

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:41 EDT

York County Coroner Doug McKown said he is resigning less than two months after returning to the job following his acquittal on three felony drug charges because his heart is no longer in it.

McKown told The Herald of Rock Hill on Tuesday that his last day will be Aug. 13. He expects chief deputy coroner David Chambers will take over.

The governor suspended McKown for nearly two years after he was arrested on drug charges. A jury found him not guilty of the most serious charges in May, but did convict him of a misdemeanor drug count. He was placed on probation for a year.

Teen to spend 5 years behind bars after shooting

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:26 EDT

A 16-year-old boy has been ordered to remain in a juvenile jail until he is 21 after admitting he had a gun when a man was killed two months ago.

The boy pleaded guilty last month to being a minor in possession of a handgun.

The teen apologized to 20-year-old Corey Brooks' family Tuesday before being sentenced to the maximum punishment allowed as a juvenile.

SC Motor Vehicles using local firm to handle calls

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:16 EDT

Callers to the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles get a soft, familiar Southern drawl, rather than an Indian accent or an Irish brogue.

Many companies now use overseas call centers, but the D-M-V is using a Columbia firm to help answer customer calls.

The agency says it brought in workers from M-V Solutions as part of a pilot program to reduce the time and cost of calls.

Assistant Charleston SC fire chief retires

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:51 EDT

The assistant Charleston fire chief who was the initial incident commander at a blaze last year which killed nine firefighters has retired.

Larry Garvin was the first commander at the Sofa Super Store fire in June of last year.

Garvin told The Charleston Post and Courier he wanted to retire next year but the acting chief asked him step down now. Mayor Joe Riley says the retirement now had nothing to do with the fire.

Marlboro County plant closes, 30 workers lose jobs

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:46 EDT

A dump truck manufacturer in Marlboro County is closing, leaving 30 workers without a job.

Ox Bodies President Dale Pilger told the Morning News of Florence the company is closing the plant in Bennettsville immediately as it consolidates operations because of a downturn in the trucking industry.

County Administrator Cecil Kimrey says the closing is a big blow for a county whose unemployment rate was 10.8 percent in June, the fifth highest rate in the state.

Former SC students sentenced in store heist

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:31 EDT

Seven former students at Wando High School have now been sentenced to prison for their part in the holdup of a Mount Pleasant grocery store two years ago.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports the youths were sentenced under the Youthful Offenders Act.

While the youths could be held for up to five years, they are eligible to take part in a correctional boot camp which would shorten their sentences to a few months. Those who do not qualify will likely serve between a year and 18 months in prison.

Tourism travails: summer fun faces uncertain times

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:01 EDT

The sign outside the Aquarius motel reads: "Spend a night, Not a paycheck," but some Midwest travelers have canceled reservations and other visitors stay fewer nights. On the nation's opposite coast, vacationers in Oregon worried about $4 gas splurge less on meals and skip the frills on getaways.

Record gas prices have people talking about joining car pools and trading in gas-guzzling SUVs. Now, as many Americans hit the open road, an uncertain economy is putting a crimp in summer vacation plans as well.

"For Americans, summer travel is almost a birthright," said Brad Dean, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "People are still traveling but we are seeing a consistent trend of shorter stays and reduced spending."

Home Depot plans warehouse in central SC

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:26 EDT

Home Depot plans to add a big depot in central South Carolina that will employ up to 300 workers.

Company and Lexington County officials said Tuesday the home building supplier will build a $25 million regional warehouse near Dixiana.

Home Depot spokesman Craig Fishel said the warehouse will be built in the next three years.

Man kicked by state trooper sues

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:56 EDT

A New York man kicked repeatedly by a state trooper during his arrest is suing him and the Public Safety Department.

The State newspaper of Columbia reported Wednesday the lawsuit filed by Sergio Caridi in Florence states he suffered "significant physical injuries" in his arrest on various traffic-related offenses in 2006. He's awaiting trial.

Caridi says former Cpl. John Sawyer used excessive force. Sawyer resigned during an investigation.

Residents question regulators about mercury

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:01 EDT

The 100 people who met here Tuesday were equally passionate but evenly split in their opinions of a proposed coal-fired, $1.25 billion power plant on the banks of the Great Pee Dee River.

Whether the company can further limit mercury emissions from the two 600-megawatt generators has been debated. State-owned utility Santee Cooper hopes to build the generators to meet increasing demands for electricity, especially along the South Carolina coast.

The plant would be located in a rural community along the Great Pee Dee River, which many worried would be further polluted with mercury from the plant. Residents who would live near the plant attended Tuesday's informal meeting, which was sponsored by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. Utility representatives also attended to help answer questions.

Blackwater looks to rebuild name on other fronts

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:26 EDT

The world over, guns for hire are known as "Blackwater guys" - and that's the reason Blackwater Worldwide wants to move beyond the business of private security contracting.

But Blackwater's breakneck growth in the past decade has come largely from successfully protecting the nation's top diplomats on the world's most volatile streets. The company has earned more than $1 billion since 2001 in government contracts, much of it providing security and protective services for U.S. diplomats working in Iraq.

There's no guarantee a change in focus to more conventional contracting, including the privately held company's roots in combat training, will allow Blackwater to reach its revenue target of $1 billion a year by 2010. Meanwhile, the company faces federal investigations and civil lawsuits that could disrupt its work and the money it needs to expand.

SC fire chief favors Sunday beer sales

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:36 EDT

Support your local firefighters and buy some beer on Sunday.

That's the thought of the fire chief of the Old Fort Fire Company. Chief Ed Genthert says if Dorchester County allowed Sunday alcohol sales, it would help local fire departments.

Genthert says unincorporated parts of the county are losing because people go into towns such as Summerville to buy beer on Sunday. Genthert says that costs the county tax revenue and costs the fire department money to operate.