2011 January

Arts Commission Needs Citizen Support To Survive

January 21, 2011 by Aiken News Wire · Leave a Comment

The South Carolina Arts Commission has a big problem with it’s budget. The budget problem gives it an additional problem.

The budget is nowhere near what is needed to run the programs and the Governor, Nikki Haley, has asked legislators to eliminate state funding for the arts and for public television and radio broadcasting.

Ken May, the executive director of the South Carolina Arts Commission expects the Governor will not be able to eliminate their funding because there is massive support for the arts in South Carolina communities.

The PostandCourier has more on this story, including a poll conducted in fall 2009, which showed that 92 % of South Carolina adults want the state to fund the arts.

Although this is a state organization, it also affects Aiken.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature, South Carolina · Tagged: arts, call, Commission, grassroots, quietly, support, survive

Noise Pollution, Taxes to Be Discussed at Aiken City Council

January 18, 2011 by johnd · Leave a Comment

Residents with opinions on the engine noise ordinance amendment are asked to come to Aiken County’s Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting. Aiken County Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at 736 Richland Ave.

The amendment would allow loud, often times annoying noises coming from a racetrack and other venues until midnight if Aiken County Schools aren’t in session the next day. If classes are in session the next day, the noises must cease by 10 p.m. Popular Carolina Dragway and their familiar cacophony of noises are primarily targeted in the ordinance.

The main complaint is inability to sleep through all of the noise emanating from the track late at night.

Also being discussed are the tax incentives that the county are offering Owens Corning. The company is going ahead with its $36 million investment to add a new production line at their facility, and Council is in the waning stages of approving a fee agreement for the company, which includes a $200,000 infrastructure credit and a payment of fee in lieu of taxes.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature · Tagged: aiken county council, aiken county schools, cacophony, carolina dragway, committee meeting, engine noise, infrastructure, noise emanating from, noise ordinance, noise pollution, ordinance amendment, owens corning, pollution taxes, public safety committee, racetrack, richland ave, sleep, tax incentives

Extreme Makeover Gets Help From Aiken Women

January 15, 2011 by johnd · 1 Comment

The “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” crew came to Augusta in December to build a deserving family a new home over the course of one week, and you can catch it on TV fairly soon.

The episode, which enlisted the help of some Aiken female bodybuilders for the demolition process, will air January 23 at 8 p.m.

The demolition process, as usual, was quite interesting. Softball players from ASU batted softballs through the windows; bodybuilders launched 45 lb. weights through the walls, and roller derby teams slammed into each other on the inside. The show has a theme this time around of “Girl Power.”

Hundreds of local volunteers, along with Bill Beazley Homes, helped build the better than 2,000 square foot home in a week’s time and revealed the home to the Graham family on December 8.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature · Tagged: bill beazley homes, december 8, Demolition, deserving family, extreme makeover, extreme makeover home, extreme makeover home edition, female bodybuilders, girl power, roller derby, softball players, volunteers, weights

Winter Weather Slams South Carolina

January 11, 2011 by johnd · Leave a Comment

South Carolina got an ugly stare from Old Man Winter Tuesday, and he left his calling card – causing numerous power outages, dangerous road conditions and all around headaches.

Some parts of the state saw up to nine inches of snow and ice, which prompts authorities to state the obvious: Stay home unless you absolutely must leave for something. The National Weather Service kept winter weather advisories in effect until about noon Wednesday due to the slick conditions on roadways, and for the possibility of more freezing rain.

Another obvious fact is that the road can be a dangerous place in winter weather, in fact so much that supporting this claim are the more then 2,500 accidents reported by the SC Highway Patrol. They kept delays down by teaming up with the Department of Natural Resources and the State Law Division.

Governor Sanford put forth the order to close state offices in 24 counties due to the hazardous conditions, with some openings delayed two hours.

The weather took a toll on power lines as well – 7,500 SC residents with Progress Energy are without power today, with the biggest trouble spots from Cheraw to Lake City and Sumter – they’re dealing with 4,000 outages. South Carolina Electric & Gas reports 400 without service, and Duke Energy boasts 2,400 customers sans electricity.

If you must be on the roadways during the freezing periods, take great caution – drive slowly, be defensive and look out for trouble spots. Helping you with that are around 1,250 workers working to melt the ice off the roadways with salt and brine to keep things clear. Temperatures will warm up by the end of the week and retun things to about as normal as they can be.

Filed Under: Aiken · Tagged: cheraw, dangerous place, dangerous road, department of natural resources, division governor, duke energy, freezing rain, hazardous conditions, national weather service, natural resources and the state, old man winter, power outages, progress energy, roadways, sc residents, slick conditions, snow and ice, state offices, trouble spots, winter weather advisories

Driver That Caused Fatal Crash Charged With DUI

January 9, 2011 by johnd · Leave a Comment

The driver of the SUV that slammed into another and killed the occupying couple in late December has been arrested and charged with felony DUI.

Stephen Corley, 38, was released from the hospital Friday and was promptly arrested. He was driving erratically and reaching speeds in excess of 80 mph when he swerved to pass a motorist in front of him and lost control in the eastbound lane where he slammed into another car. That car was carrying 22 year old Katie Scott and Alex Bush, who both died from their injuries.

His blood was taken at MCG Health and tested over the .08 blood alcohol limit. If convicted, Corley faces a mandatory fine of $10,000 to $25,000 and imprisonment for one to 25 years.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature · Tagged: alex, blood alcohol limit, bush, corley, eastbound lane, fatal crash, felony, Health, imprisonment, katie scott

Another Victim Dead From Wednesday’s Head-On Collision

January 7, 2011 by johnd · Leave a Comment

Another person has perished as a result of the brutal crash on S.C. Highway 302 in Aiken Wednesday.

The victim was 22 year old Katie Scott of Couchton, who was in the same vehicle as 24 year old Alex Bush, a Charleston law student who also died in the wreck.

They were killed when their car was slammed head-on by an erratically-maneuvering Nissan Pathfinder SUV just before 6:30 p.m. The oncoming SUV was swerving around at speeds in excess of 80 mph upon impact, according to witnesses.

The parents of Katie Scott, who were with the pair at a local restaurant, were only three cars behind when the crash occurred.

The preliminary assessment is that the Pathfinder, driven by Steve Corley of Salley, was trying to pass someone in the westbound lane at insane speeds when he wound up in the eastbound lane. He was taken to MCG and escaped any life threatening injuries.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature · Tagged: Aiken, alex, bush, c highway, Cars, corley, crash, eastbound lane, head on collision, katie scott, life threatening injuries, local restaurant, nissan, nissan pathfinder, Parents, salley, south carolina, westbound lane

SC Lawmakers Mull Over Anti-Sexting Bill

January 3, 2011 by johnd · Leave a Comment

Sexting, the latest technological craze in which sexually explicit messages are sent between two parties via text message, is being eyed by state lawmakers. Some of the child safety proposals to be debated this year include the insidious act, more specifically, banning teens from partaking in sexting.

The proposals will be scoured by a child safety committee made up of members of the House, Senate and agency leaders from education, social services and juvenile justice agencies.

The goal of the sexting bill is to educate parents on the dangers of the act and let then in on the bad emotional consequences, as sexting so often leads to cyberbullying, another technological and sociological issue.

The new bill would make sexting a misdemeanor for kids aged 12 to 17 who consciously send naked photos of themselves to others. The penalty would be a $100 fine and they’d be forced to attend an educational sexting program. Failure to attend the program would result in their driving privileges being revoked for three months.

Another bill on the list being eyed is an extension of Kendra’s Law, a law requiring more training for day care operators. It states that spanking is allowed only with parental permission. The bill is named for a one year old girl who was slapped in day care and ended up with brain and retinal hemorrhaging, consistent with a shaken child.

Filed Under: Aiken, Feature · Tagged: agency leaders, child safety, day care operators, driving privileges, emotional consequences, explicit messages, juvenile justice agencies, misdemeanor, naked photos, old girl, parental permission, program failure, proposals, retinal hemorrhaging, safety committee, Senate, sexting, social services, state lawmakers, three months