TheState.com: Local / Metro

1 killed, 8 injured in bus-car collision

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:35 EST

One person was killed and eight people were taken to a hospital after a Monday-afternoon collision involving a Richland 1 school bus.

The accident happened about 4:30 p.m. on Atlas Road, near the intersection of Veterans Road and railroad tracks, an EMS official said.

Five students on a 35-passenger school bus were taken to a hospital as a precaution, said Karen York, Richland 1’s spokeswoman. The bus driver and an aide also were transported to the hospital. No one had visible signs of injury but several complained of head and neck pain after the crash, York said.

The children were special-needs students from A.C. Moore Elementary School and Crayton Middle School, York said.

A passenger in a Mercedes that collided with the bus was killed, said Jennifer Timmons, Columbia Police Department spokeswoman. The Mercedes driver was taken to a hospital but his condition was unknown, she said.

Slight chance of sleet, snow in Midlands Tuesday

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:27 EST

Moisture moving through the state on the heels of the first wintry blast of cold in weeks will bring a slight chance of snow or sleet early Tuesday.

The wintry mix is most likely to hit from the I-85 corridor north, according to Mark Malsick, severe weather liaison at the State Climate Office. The farther south and east, the greater the chance that whatever falls will be in the form of rain. A few rogue pellets of sleet could make it to the Midlands before 9 a.m., he said.

The National Weather Service included the possibility of snow or sleet in local forecasts for Greenville, Spartanburg, Greenwood and Aiken. No accumulation is expected, with temperatures slightly above freezing at daybreak and rising to the 50s during the day.

Columbia’s official temperature dipped to 20 early today, falling short of the 19 on Jan. 4 for the coldest of the winter.

Joey Holleman

Community service worth smiling about

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:20 EST

Some Midlands dentists and practitioners will be offering bigger smiles to those in need Friday.

Vista Smiles of Columbia will join other area medical professionals for the second Heart of Dentistry day, when they’ll provide a range of basic dental care to residents at no charge.

“Everyday in our hustle and bustle of life we fail to see people around us who are less fortunate,” said Dr. Benetta Bell. “This is an opportunity for us to contribute our services to our community and put a smile on the faces of others.”

The free services will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at Vista Smiles, 515 Richland St., near the Governor’s Mansion.

Patients can choose from a dental cleaning, routine filling or extraction. They will be seen on a first come, first served basis, and tickets will be given out between 7-7:30 a.m.

West Columbia looks at face-lift

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:57 EST

West Columbia is looking at a face-lift for its oldest commercial corridor.

City officials are preparing a redevelopment plan for Meeting Street and surrounding neighborhoods, an area they call a gateway from the Congaree River.

The 129.5-acre area contains about 150 stores and offices and about 50 homes, many of them up to a century old.

It needs “some sprucing up,” Mayor Joe Owens said.

The T-shaped area extends along Meeting Street west from the river for a mile, with arms along State Street and Sunset Boulevard.

Midlands Most Wanted

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:42 EST

Each Monday, The State newspaper will run information on a suspect wanted by authorities.

NAME: Jason Boulware

DATE OF BIRTH: April 17, 1980

DESCRIPTION: Boulware is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds.

WANTED BY: Richland County Sheriff’s Department

Navy veteran is glad for help

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:01 EST

As a Navy cook for 21 years, Rubin Taylor had been all over the world, crossed the equator multiple times and faced many challenging situations.

But the situation that would prove to be the most challenging would come well after Taylor, now 51, had left the Navy.

“I had a hard time adjusting to civilian life,” said Taylor, who landed in Jacksonville, Fla., after retiring from a career at sea in 1999. “I found myself being swallowed up, but God is turning that around.”

In 2010, after years of struggling in Florida, Taylor and his wife, Ada, decided to move to Columbia in hopes of finding a better opportunity. A 1984 graduate of Jacksonville University’s culinary arts program, Taylor turned to the one thing he knew best: food.

“I can cook anything,” he said. “So I wanted a change and I had hope of working in a restaurant.”

Community Calendar, Feb. 13

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:35 EST

TODAY

LOVE YOURSELF HEALTH FAIR: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. today at the Richland County Recreation Commission Adult Activity Center, 7494 Parklane Road. Vendors, health screenings, informational booths; free and open to ages 21 and older. (803) 462-9995

TUESDAY

ALLEN UNIVERSITY FOUNDER’S DAY COMMEMORATION: 10 a.m. Tuesday in the J.H. Adams Gymnatorium, 1530 Harden St. Speaker will be the Rev. William Watley. (803) 376-5728; www.allenuniversity.edu

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING: 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 3200 Trenholm Road. Free. (803) 345-0158 or email billmac85@yahoo.com

This week in local government

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:37 EST

Richland County

Government

Columbia City Council: 2 p.m. Tuesday , the Arts & Historic Preservation Committee, 2nd-floor conference room, City Hall, 1737 Main St.

Schools

2 held in thefts of pit bulls at Columbia shelter

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:24 EST

Columbia police announced Monday the arrests of two teens in the ongoing pit bull thefts from the city’s animal shelter, with more arrests expected.

Chief Randy Scott also said 17 pit bulls had been recovered from a rural site in Bamberg County, about 50 miles south of Columbia. Though the dogs were tied to trees with heavy chains, police reported only minor injuries to some of them.

Not all of the recovered dogs are from the Columbia shelter, city officials said Monday night, and efforts to find the others are continuing.

Taken into custody at the shelter’s fence Sunday were a 13-year-old, unidentified because of his age, and Raven Perry, 17, of Blackville.

They are charged with three counts of second-degree burglary and petit larceny, as well as one count of unlawful entry into a building. At least two others, including a juvenile, are being sought, Scott said.

Scorned Lancaster reclaims passion, pride

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:09 EST

Educators call it the “teachable moment,” the time when students not only learn but also act.

For the young and old of Lancaster, a brush with the national limelight has given them that moment, a time to respond with passion and authority to shout pridefully, “We are Lancaster.”

It was CNN that turned its spotlight on Lancaster, arriving in the city just days before the state’s first-in-the-South GOP primary. CNN crews traveled the town and talked with residents, spending at least five hours recording interviews at Ken Killingsworth’s downtown restaurant, Charley’s Cafe.

CNN’s report, in many locals’ opinion, was too negative with too much hyperbole, painting Lancaster as a one-stoplight town with nothing shining.

Lines about “Southern drawls so strong they might need subtitling,” or about the parking lots at the Dollar General and the credit union repo lot “brimming with cars” because the town is struggling in the wake of a bad economy and the closing the major employer – Springs Industries in 2007 – upset residents.

Midlands couples share their stories

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:18 EST

19 years and counting

In 1993, I purchased a Valentine Card for my husband, Lyn, and paid $3.75, which was somewhat expensive for that time.

It was such a perfect card to express to him how much I love him and how great a husband he is that I have just added a message to the card and have given it to him again every year since.

It has become a tradition and we both have enjoyed reviewing the messages these past 19 years. The card has reminded us of our trials and blessings, including moving several times (including one to Spain), the weddings of our five children, the births of 10 grandchildren, retirement, health challenges, the passing of parents, and the other events that couples share.

Louise Burkholder

Chocolate is flavorful way to show special someone you care

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:32 EST

The old adage, “There’s nothing like lovin’ that comes from the oven,” is perhaps never more true than on Valentine’s Day.

Homemade baked goods always tell someone how much you care, and when the sweet happens to be of the chocolate variety, the sentiment is even clearer.

Here, a few recipes sure to satisfy any chocolate lover’s sweet tooth.

Cocoa Shortcakes With Semisweet Chocolate Whipped Cream

For the biscuits:

Love gone wrong this Valentine’s Day? Go digital to get over an ex

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:05 EST

You thought you found your one true love online, but now you’ve been dumped by text or defriended on Facebook without a peep of explanation. Hours of bad TV in your bathrobe haven’t helped. Your friends are tired of your whining.

Forget a pampering makeover to help heal your broken heart this Valentine’s Day. Go for a “digital breakover” instead, using a growing number of tech tools to save you from yourself or to sob on a safe shoulder in the ether.

Online dating sites and apps for hooking up on the go are abundant. Only one of the Apple app store’s recent top 12 downloads for the iPhone was about something other than romantic love, but breakup tech hasn’t kept pace.

Melissa McGlone, 46, in Alexandria, Va., turned to The Ex-App after a three-year relationship ended recently with an unceremonious text. After a weak moment or three of electronically stalking her dumper, she used the text, call and email blocker to hold his digits at bay until she could resist temptation on her own.

“I no longer humiliate myself by trying to contact him,” said McGlone, a divorced mother who was 18 years out of the dating scene when the two first met.

Woodyard fund contributions

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:01 EST

For the week ending Feb. 10

Lewis F. Knudsen Jr, $50

Kenneth and Gail Kinard, $75

In honor of Brenda P. Turner, $300

Timothy T. Hawks, $25

Accounting hiccup cuts $1.4 million from Columbia’s surplus

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:03 EST

The city of Columbia’s surplus took a $1.4 million hit last week because of problems in accounting procedures.

But the net effect is that, overall, city books still have a $14 million surplus rather than $15.4 million, said Bill Ellis, Columbia’s chief financial officer.

“This really is, on a scale of one to 10, this is about a two,” Ellis said. “It didn’t really hurt anybody ... fiscally.”

City Council learned last week that the city’s general fund had to be drawn down by $7 million because some expenses had not been processed in the proper accounts. The general fund is the primary account from which Columbia’s government pays its bills as tax revenues and other income flow into city coffers.

The news comes as City Council begins deciding the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Traffic stop helps Pelion officer nab hit-and-run suspect

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:56 EST

A tip from a Pelion police officer apparently gave the South Carolina Highway Patrol the lucky break they needed to make an arrest in a Lexington County hit-and-run case last week.

Romeo Romero Jr. surrendered to the SC Highway Patrol Sunday morning at the Lexington County Detention Center. He is charged with leaving the scene of a collision involving a death. More charges may be filed.

When Irma Hudson, 59, stepped out of her truck Wednesday night to pick up some trash that had flown out of the vehicle’s cargo area, she was struck and killed by a pickup truck on SC 302 a few miles west of Pelion. A child was in her truck at the time but not physically injured.

Within minutes, a Pelion police officer stopped Romero for an unrelated traffic violation, according to the Highway Patrol. The Pelion officer wrote a ticket, then, having no reason to detain him, let Romero go.

Within an hour, that officer heard over the radio about the hit-and-run and drove out to the death scene. He told troopers at the site that he may have just ticketed a person of interest.