A Graniteville man was arrested after a narcotics investigation spanning two weeks yielded a list of drug charges and crimes related to unlawful conduct toward a child.

The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office requested a search warrant for the home of 37 year old Scott White after undercover cops purchased methamphetamine multiple times during the investigation. The kids that were living in the home were placed in protective services.

The man is being held in the Aiken County jail on charges of possession of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine near a school, six counts of unlawful conduct toward a child and six counts of unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine in the presence of a minor.

Popularity: 8% [?]

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.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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.

Popularity: 3% [?]

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.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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.

Popularity: 5% [?]

According to a report in the postandcourier,  The FBI says violent crime in Charleston dropped dramatically in  the first half of the year. The preliminary FBI report shows crime continued to decline across the country.

Only burglaries did not decline in the first six months of 2010. The 19 percent drop in violent crime was significant. Unfortunately, there were 54 more burglaries than in 2009, and property crime was down almost seven percent in the first six month.

After three years of decreasing violent crime rates, this is a very good thing.

The FBI report only shows cities with more than 100,000 people, so only Charleston and Columbia were listed. Crime in Columbia increased in just about every category, including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary, according to the story in the Postandcourier.

Popularity: 11% [?]

An adolescent boy has his first taste of the criminal life today.

An unidentified 14 year old kid has been charged with malicious injury to real property and disturbing schools based on accusations of sparking a fire in an Aiken High restroom last week. He was arrested and sent to a juvenile hall in Columbia.

At 2:45 pm last Wednesday, a fire was set in the men’s bathroom in the C wing of the school. The school was evacuated and firefighters were called in to stifle the small blaze. In the process, they found that the fire was set on purpose.

Upon reviewing tape from a security camera, school officials had sufficient evidence to finger the young pyromaniac. No one was injured and damage estimates to the bathroom are unknown.

Popularity: 13% [?]