TheState.com: Local / Metro

Airport gateway faces hurdles

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:55 EST

Big plans to upgrade Columbia's airport corridor into a welcoming entry to the metropolitan area are heavy on hope but light on funds.

Local officials have been talking up the beautification proposal for months among themselves and stakeholders, including the airport commission and chambers of commerce.

Renovation of the 4 1/2-mile corridor, they say, will benefit the capital city area, creating a good first impression to travelers, university students, their parents and Fort Jackson soldiers who arrive from the airport.

"That's the gateway to our capital city and to all three of our cities," West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton said. "That's why it's important."

Supporters envision transforming the corridor with 800 trees, 320 street lights and redesigned signs - already part of a development plan approved this spring for Cayce.

Swift to bring country's hottest show to Columbia

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:03 EST

There's only one person who could possibly steal the thunder from Miley Cyrus this week - Taylor Swift.

Swift, who surprised few by winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year award, will bring her "Fearless" tour to the Colonial Life Arena on April 30.

Happy Birthday, Miley! (Yes, today is really Cyrus' birthday. She turns 17.)

Tickets for Swift's concert, which will feature Kellie Pickler and Gloriana, go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 4.

How big has Swift gotten since she opened for Rascal Flatts at the arena in October 2008?

Black Friday doorbuster sales: Retailers hope to bring order before chaos

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:38 EST

Days before the busiest and most heavily promoted shopping day of the year, the retail industry is going out of its way to make sure this year's holiday shopping season doesn't spin out of control.

Financial pressures are compelling retailers to get more aggressive with promotions - and shoppers are getting more aggressive about finding deals.

Despite retailers' attempts to get consumers to start their holiday shopping early, 16 percent of consumers expect to begin on Black Friday, up from 10 percent in 2008, according to an International Council of Shopping Centers survey.

After a Walmart store worker in New York was trampled to death in a day-after-Thanksgiving doorbuster stampede last year, the National Retail Federation, the retail industry trade group, issued for the first time crowd control guidelines. The recommendations include placing barriers to manage traffic, announcing the availability and locations of products over the intercom and spreading sale items throughout the store.

In another first, Walmart will keep almost all of its stores open on Thanksgiving and through the night into Friday. The doorbuster deals will still begin at 5 a.m., but the measure will allow the discount chain to avoid long lines of shoppers waiting outside.

The Citadel grad becomes space dad

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:14 EST

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Astronaut Randolph Bresnik jubilantly welcomed his new daughter into the world Sunday as he floated 220 miles above it.

Abigail Mae Bresnik was born as her father circled Earth on his first space shuttle mission, just hours after his first spacewalk. It was only the second time in history that a NASA astronaut was in orbit instead of the delivery room.

"At 11:04 last night, Abigail Mae Bresnik joined the NASA family," Bresnik announced Sunday morning from the linked space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station. "Mama and baby are doing very well." It was the second child for Randolph and Rebecca Bresnik, who adopted a boy from Ukraine a year ago. Big brother Wyatt is now 3 1/2.

Rebecca Bresnik was due to give birth Friday in Houston. But Saturday morning came without any news as Bresnik ventured out on a six-hour spacewalk, installing antennas and other equipment at the space station. He asked that he receive no baby updates during the spacewalk, so he could focus on the inherently risky job. When he was safely back inside, he learned his wife had yet to give birth.

Bresnik is a graduate of The Citadel in Charleston.

Senate stepping into a health-care minefield

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:28 EST

WASHINGTON - The Senate is ready to begin a volatile, high-stakes health care debate that's sure to be punctuated by tense and unpredictable battles over some of the most incendiary issues in American politics today.

Debate on the $848 billion bill to overhaul the nation's health care system is expected to start next week, after the Senate returns from its Thanksgiving recess, and many lawmakers already consider it a golden opportunity to win long-sought projects and local aid for their constituents.

The flashpoints will be familiar - abortion, federal deficits, government involvement in health care decisions and other hot topics - and many Democrats already have said they want to see, and are well-positioned to seek, changes in the bill.

In fact, the legislation is moving ahead only because it got 60 votes Saturday night to proceed - the minimum needed - two weeks after the House of Representatives' version squeaked through by five votes.

"I, along with others, expect to have legitimate opportunities to influence the health care reform legislation that is voted on by the Senate later this year or early next year," said Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., who was Saturday's 60th vote to break a Republican filibuster and start debating the bill.

The Rivalry: USC vs. Clemson

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:19 EST

Beginning today and daily through Saturday's big football game, we'll share a fun fact comparing the University of South Carolina to Clemson.

Today: Home-grown students

So which school has more South Carolinians enrolled? The edge, predictably, goes to the larger University of South Carolina. USC has nearly 7,000 more S.C. students than Clemson, according to the S.C. Commission on Higher Education.

Measured by proportion, however, USC and Clemson have a nearly equal percentage of S.C. students on campus.

Total enrollment		S.C. enrollment	Percent S.C.

Lexington County derailment 'minor'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:03 EST

Authorities are investigating what caused the derailment of eight railroad cars Sunday morning in rural Lexington County, including one tanker car loaded with tens of thousands of gallons of poisonous sulfuric acid.

Two families who live near the sparsely populated derailment site between the towns of Gilbert and Lexington voluntarily evacuated their homes after the 5 a.m. incident.

No injuries were reported.

"We don't know what caused it," said Robin Chapman, spokesman for Norfolk Southern, whose trains spilled off the rail near the intersection of Isiah Hall and Hayes Crossing roads in the cold pre-dawn.

Officials said there was no immediate danger from the sulfuric acid because, as of late afternoon Sunday, there had been no leaks from the tank car containing the acid. The corrosive acid can burn skin and eyes. It is used in car batteries and to process ores and make fertilizer.

Familiar road ahead for S.C. State

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:55 EST

Buddy Pough was thrilled last season when his S.C. State football team got the opportunity to travel to Boone, N.C., to play three-time national champion Appalachian State in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

After receiving the same draw Sunday, Pough was less than thrilled.

“I am a little surprised,” Pough said.

His Bulldogs, who finished the regular season 10-1 and won another MEAC title with a perfect 8-0 conference record, were hoping for a home playoff game after earning a No. 7 national ranking in the final FCS poll and averaging 17,000 fans per game over five home dates.

S.C. State was the only team ranked in the top eight of the poll that did not receive a home game in the 16-team field, which features eight conference champions and eight at-large teams. The eighth home game went to No. 12 Stephen F. Austin. The Bulldogs, whose only loss came to FBS foe South Carolina, ended the season with seven consecutive wins, but it wasn’t enough to avoid a matchup with perennial national power ASU, which won consecutive national titles from 2005-07.

Rock Hill case reopened, 8 years after woman's death

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:59 EST

ROCK HILL - Everyone agrees Melissa Huntley Motz was shot and killed in the passenger seat of her husband's blue Thunderbird eight years ago.

But police, prosecutors and the woman's family still cannot agree on who pulled the trigger in the parking lot of the couple's Rock Hill apartment Feb. 16, 2001, barely an hour after the two had argued at a Charlotte strip club.

Then-York County Coroner Doug McKown initially ruled the case a suicide. But he later changed his mind, saying he couldn't determine why the 35-year-old woman was shot.

Larry and Patsy Huntley believe their daughter was killed by her husband of two months, James Motz, who had a history of violence, including with a former wife, court records show.

The Huntleys also say their daughter, a former teacher and debutante, hated guns and never showed signs of depression.

Rantin: Gift will help psychiatric patients

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:43 EST

THE FUTURE OF PSYCHIATRIC care has received a significant financial shot in the arm at Palmetto Health.

Columbia philanthropists Bob and Joyce Hampton recently presented $800,000 to the Palmetto Health Foundation to establish the Joyce Martin Hampton Behavioral Health Services Center.

The center will be at 10 Medical Park on the Palmetto Health Richland campus but will serve psychiatric patients from the Palmetto Health Richland and Palmetto Health Baptist emergency departments.

The newly remodeled facility will provide more space, with specially trained staffers and physicians who will be available 24 hours a day.

The Hamptons' gift was prompted by Joyce Hampton's personal mission to improve the delivery of emergency services in the Midlands.

Feeding the hungry

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:42 EST

This week, we're celebrating Thanksgiving, from the spirit of giving to the traditions of school and family.

One of the holiday's time-honored events is a food drive to help families in need. Here, Ulyses Hampton, left, receives a Thanksgiving basket from BB&T bank employee Debbie Gunter and West Columbia Police Sgt. John Norman on Thursday.

Four BB&T branches in the West Columbia area were involved in handing out the baskets along with the police department. The baskets went to needy families in the area.West Columbia police officers and employees from BB&T bank hand out Thanksgiving baskets to families.

Let's Talk: Growing enthusiasm

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:33 EST

Jake Moore is widely known as a sharp-tongued, tough courtroom adversary as he defends politicians, judges or local governments.

But the 58-year-old attorney's soft side shows in his dedication to community beautification, especially the green thumb variety.

The Irmo resident has organized neighbors and businesses to establish and finance Arbor Day committees or beautification groups in four Lexington County cities - Irmo, South Congaree, Lexington and West Columbia. The result has been thousands of trees, shrubs and landmarks that decorate each municipality.

What motivated you to give up your time for such hands-on work?

"I have always been a big believer that everyone who is able-bodied has an obligation to give back to your community," Moore said.

Unpaid dues drive homeowner association foreclosures

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:19 EST

John Fritzsch knew he was behind on his payments to his homeowners association, but he was still floored when he learned those late payments had led the association to foreclose on his condominium in Myrtle Beach.

"It wasn't something that I expected," he said, adding that he didn't know the association had the power to foreclose on him.

Fritzsch, of Brick, N.J., was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after buying the condo in 2005, a setback that forced him to stop working and that brought mounds of medical bills - which made him fall behind on his HOA payments.

The number of foreclosures by homeowners associations has jumped in the past few years - another byproduct of the recession. Some of those who have been foreclosed on say they had no idea a HOA had that kind of power, while HOA representatives say the foreclosures are a last resort that must be taken to be fair to the community, especially the property owners who pay their dues.

Last year, there were 461 foreclosures filed by homeowners or property owners associations along the Grand Strand, more than double the 181 in 2007, according to SiteTech Systems, a local company that tracks the real estate market. From January to September, there were 260 foreclosures by HOAs, according to the company.

Teacher-recruit program cuts worry education observers

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:28 EST

ROCK HILL - A small organization housed on Winthrop University's campus is responsible for sending thousands of South Carolinians into the teaching profession.

Through a bevy of programs intended to spark interest in the field among teenagers and to support working teachers, the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement focuses on creating and keeping a "home-grown" teaching force.

But amid the recession in which state tax revenue has dropped sharply, CERRA has been hard hit. Supporters worry that continuing budget cuts are hampering the center's ability to support educators and to get new, qualified teachers to places they're needed.

Since 2007, CERRA's budget, funded entirely by the state, has been cut by about 25 percent, to $4 million from $5.4 million. In scaling back, the organization has suspended one program, sent employees on unpaid leave and trimmed the number of students who get college scholarships to pursue education careers.

"It's becoming more challenging to do the same thing we've always done," spokesman Mychal Frost said.

Lexington senior center to get bigger

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:28 EST

Senior citizens who get meals through the Lexington Senior Center will have about twice as much space for dining as well as updated recreational facilities by mid 2010.

By combining a state grant with funds from the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission, the center at 108 Park Road will get a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot addition so it can better meet the increasing demand from an aging population, said commision director Lynda Christison.

"We have some people eating at tables out in the lobby," Christison said.

A groundbreaking ceremony and a Thanksgiving lunch are scheduled for today to celebrate the improvements.

But construction will begin in mid-winter because a contractor has not been selected, Christison said. Completion is set tentatively for summer.

Evangelist Graham meets with Palin

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:28 EST

CHARLOTTE - Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who will sign books today at Fort Bragg, N.C., was invited to Montreat, N.C., Sunday to have dinner with 91-year-old Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham, who issued the invitation.

"He just saw that she was going to be in the area and he said to come by," said Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for Franklin Graham.

Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, was met at the Asheville, N.C., airport by Franklin Graham on Sunday afternoon. Then, after meeting with some fans, Palin headed for Billy Graham's mountaintop home in Montreat for dinner.

The Charlotte-born evangelist had never met Palin. But Graham's oldest daughter, Gigi, told McClatchy Newspapers last year that he commented to her that Palin, whom he watched on TV during the election campaign, was "mighty pretty."