NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Police have arrested a man after a dog was found with electrical tape around its muzzle last week in North Charleston.

Multiple news outlets report authorities say 41-year-old William Leonard Dodson of North Charleston was arrested Monday night and charged with ill treatment of animals. It was not clear if he has an attorney.

Caitlyn, a 15-month-old chocolate Staffordshire mix and a well-known stray in the neighborhood showed up at a home with her mouth tightly bound last week.

Animal Society veterinarian Lucy Fuller initially said Caitlyn was in critical condition because the tape cut off blood flow to her tongue. But vets say the dog showed signs of progress over the weekend. Caitlyn is receiving hyperbaric and cold laser treatment to save damaged tissue in her mouth.

Una man sentenced to 40 years for abusing 2 teenage girls

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — A Spartanburg County man who authorities say filmed himself urinating and defecating on a victim as well as directing her to have sex with a dog has received a 40-year prison sentence.

Local media outlets report that 41-year-old James Dimsdale of Una was sentenced Monday. Prosecutor Barry Barnette told a judge that investigators recovered videos of Dimsdale performing sexual acts with minors. Spartanburg County sheriff's deputies arrested him in 2012.

Prosecutors say Dimsdale sexually assaulted two teenage girls over a seven-year period beginning in 2003.

Dimsdale pleaded guilty to child neglect, two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and five counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.

4 arrested in 2-month-old boy's death in Dillon

DILLON, S.C. (AP) — Officials say the parents and grandparents of a 2-month-old boy have been arrested after the infant died in a hospital.

Multiple news outlets report the infant was taken to a hospital last week for an illness and died days later at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Authorities say the child's parents, Victoria Ford and Kelly McInnis, and grandparents, John and Geraldine Ford, were arrested Sunday and charged with homicide by child abuse and unlawful neglect of a child.

Arrest warrants say the family neglected to provide adequate health care and food for the baby, resulting in his death.

All four people are being held at the Dillon County Detention Center and are awaiting a bond hearing before a circuit court judge next week.

Columbia Mobile Vet Center brings services to veterans

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Columbia Mobile Vet Center is hitting the road.

The center, operated by the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, is at the Brookland Conference Center in West Columbia at noon on Tuesday in conjunction with meeting of the local rotary club.

The customized Vet Center has VA staff members who can provide information on services for veterans.

The vehicle, which resembles a recreational vehicle, also has counseling rooms where veterans can receive confidential advice on a variety of issues.

The vehicles are also part of the VA emergency response programs.

CENTRAL — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is officially in the presidential race for the 2016 election, joining a Republican crowd that so far includes eight challengers.

Graham, a South Carolina native, chose his hometown of Central, South Carolina, to announce his candidacy Monday morning. In the downtown area, right outside the building where his parents' bar and his family's home used to sit, Graham took to the podium in front of a crowd of about 300 supporters.

According to the tenured senator, he is running for the office "to protect our nation that we all love so much from all threats, foreign and domestic."

"I want to be president to defeat the enemies trying to kill us - not just penalize them or criticize them or contain them - but defeat them," Graham said.

Graham was first elected to the U.S. House in 1994, and then was elected to the Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2008.

Leaning on his knowledge of foreign policy, defense beliefs and 33 years in the U.S. Air Force, Graham said "radical Islam is running wild," and that Iran has "more weapons and more capability to strike our homeland than anytime since 9/11."

He added that if the U.S. isn't firm in its intention to deny such weapons, Iran will trigger a nuclear arms race.

"I have more experience with our national security than any other candidate. I know the players - our friends and our enemies alike. Most importantly, they know me," he said.

In addition to international issues, Graham spoke about Social Security and Medicare and his belief that President Barack Obama has put those programs in jeopardy and made the programs unsustainable.

Graham said his answer is to fix entitlement programs to make sure people who need the benefits the most receive them.

"I know from personal experience how important those programs are to the lives of millions of Americans," he said. "I lost my parents when I was a young man and my sister was in middle school. We depended on Social Security benefits to survive."

Before Graham took the podium, he was introduced by Darlene Graham Nordone, his younger sister. Nordone told the story of how she and her brother lost their parents at an early age, and how Graham assumed the role of guardian during his collegiate years.

"When I needed Lindsey, he put my interests ahead of his own. In politics, he has done the same thing - putting the country's interests ahead of his own political interests," Nordone said. "We need that kind of leadership in the Oval Office today, and Lindsey Graham will provide that."

Graham is the latest to announce on the Republican ballot, joining other notables such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. About 15 Republicans are expected to enter the race along with five Democrats, according to recent projections listed by The New York Times. Democrats include Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, who announced her candidacy in April.

Despite his affiliation, Graham said he has built a reputation for working with both Republicans and Democrats and would continue that effort in the White House.

He added, "If you make me president, I'll fight each day harder than I fought the day before to keep this country safe, prosperous and as good as the people who made it great."

Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @Derrek Asberry.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two World War I Army heroes -- one black, one Jewish -- are finally getting the Medal of Honor they may have been denied because of discrimination, nearly 100 years after bravely rescuing comrades on the battlefields of France.

Sgt. William Shemin repeatedly dodged gunfire to pull wounded comrades to safety during three days of bloody battle. And Pvt. Henry Johnson rescued a wounded comrade from his all-black regiment while single-handedly fighting off a surprise German attack.

President Barack Obama plans to posthumously bestow the nation's highest military honor on both men for their actions in 1918 during a White House ceremony Tuesday. The award comes after tireless efforts by advocates for the two men led Congress to pass an exemption from Medal of Honor rules specifying that heroic actions have to have taken place within five years to be considered.

Shemin's daughter, Elsie Shemin-Roth of suburban St. Louis, worked for years to gather documents in support of the bid for her father and plans to accept the award from Obama on his behalf. In the early 2000s, she learned of a law that reviewed cases of Jews who may have been denied medals they earned in World War II and fought for passage of a law to provide similar review for Jewish World War I veterans.

"This was anti-Semitism, no question about it," Shemin-Roth, who is in her 80s, said in an interview in December when Congress passed the exemption for her father, who died in 1973. "Now a wrong has been made right and all is forgiven."

Johnson supporters pushed for the Medal of Honor for decades -- with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer taking up the case and initially rebuffed for lack of documentation. His staff picked up the case again years later when a trove of military records became available online, including a communique from Gen. John Pershing describing his brave acts after coming under attack by at least 12 German soldiers while on night sentry duty on May 15, 1918.

"While under intense enemy fire and despite receiving significant wounds, Johnson mounted a brave retaliation resulting in several enemy casualties," the White House said in a statement. "When his fellow soldier was badly wounded, Private Johnson prevented him from being taken prisoner by German forces. Private Johnson exposed himself to grave danger by advancing from his position to engage an enemy soldier in hand-to-hand combat. Displaying great courage, Private Johnson held back the enemy force until they retreated."

Johnson, a Virginia native who worked as a train station porter in Albany, enlisted in the 369th, a New York National Guard unit based in Manhattan. The "Harlem Hellfighters," as the unit became known, served under French command because U.S. armed forces were segregated at the time.

Hobbled by his wartime injuries, Johnson died a destitute alcoholic at age 32 at a veterans hospital in Illinois in 1929. New York National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Louis Wilson planned to accept the medal on Johnson's behalf.

Shemin was 19 when his platoon was involved in a bloody fight. "Sergeant Shemin left the cover of his platoon's trench and crossed open space, repeatedly exposing himself to heavy machine gun and rifle fire to rescue the wounded," the White House announcement said.

The young sergeant took shrapnel but survived. He led the platoon out of harm's way for the next three days, until a German bullet pierced his helmet and lodged behind his left ear. Shemin was hospitalized for three months and was left partly deaf. Shrapnel wounds eventually left him barely able to walk, although he earned a degree from Syracuse University and started a nursery business in the Bronx.

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Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina wildlife officials are investigating after five large alligators were found butchered and floating in the Ashley River outside Charleston.

Local media outlets report the bloated gators were found between Middleton and Magnolia Plantations on Sunday. Authorities say four of the gators had their tails cut off while the fifth was missing its head.

Wildlife officials say such incidents usually happen in remote areas, not along a stretch of river that is use heavily used by boaters.

Authorities say there has not been a major problem with alligator poaching in recent years.

South Carolina has issued permits for the removal of nuisance alligators for a number of years and a limited alligator hunting season was started back in 2011.

This school year was a celebration for Fox Creek High School, as it closed the chapter on a decade of school history.

The theme for this year was "Making H15tory." The Class of 2015 accomplished that - earning $1,366,416 in college scholarships and grants, earning an excellent rating on the school report card, the boys basketball team advancing to the first state championship in school history and winning the first region football championship in school history.

On Thursday night at Aiken Technical College, 98 students were awarded the rights and privileges that come with being Fox Creek graduates.

"Many valedictorians will urge their classmates to go out and change the world," Morgan Bookstaver, Fox Creek's valedictorian, said in her speech to her classmates. "I'm not going to suggest you do that. I'm going to suggest that you change your world. ... Decide that you're going to spend the rest of your life becoming a better you."

Bookstaver urged her classmates to not stand still at any point in their lives, and to continuing learning no matter where their paths take them.

"Remember that even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there," she said. "Be accepting and willing to learn from others. Minds are like parachutes - they only function when they're open."

She also told them that the paths they plan to take will come with their own hardships.

"Know that life is going to be hard," she said. "Life is going to be challenging, and it will require a lot of work. We will fail far more times than we succeed. Remember, the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. We're going to fall down. The world doesn't care how many times we fall down as long as it's one fewer than the number of times we get up."

The salutatorian, Caroline Yano, took time to thank the many individuals who shaped this year's class.

"We wouldn't be sitting here today if not for the amazing teachers, staff, parents and friends we have met through our time at Fox Creek High School," she said. "The theme for this year was making history, and now that the year is over, we can proudly say that we have, in fact, made history. ... To us, the memories we made at Fox Creek will be what we remember years from now. I will always cherish my memories at Fox Creek, as I'm sure we all will. No matter where we go, or what we end up doing after graduation, we will remember our time at Fox Creek. We set out this year to accomplish our theme of accomplishing history, and we did. From academics to athletics, we have made Fox Creek history and earned recognition from all over the area."

Scott Rodgers is the news editor at The North Augusta Star and has been with the paper since 2013.

A suspicious fire that broke out early Tuesday morning is under investigation in Graniteville, according to Aiken County Sheriff's Office Capt. Eric Abdullah.

A fire at the El Camaron Feliz Mexican restaurant, 406 Main St., was reported at around 1 a.m. and the fire was extinguished in 25 minutes, police said.

According to firefighters on the scene, the fire did not spread to any surrounding buildings, but did severely damage the restaurant, according to police.

The cause is not known at this time, but firefighters did report nobody was in the building, and no injuries occurred, police said.

The Aiken Standard will have more as this develops.

Aggressive dogs were trapped by Aiken County Animal Control and Aiken Department of Public Safety officers in Hitchcock Woods on Sunday after reports of joggers being attacked.

Officers responded to South Boundary Avenue at 7:06 p.m. where the Hitchcock Woods Superintendent stated multiple dogs in the Sand River area around the Horse Show Grounds had "aggressively chased" joggers, according to reports.

The superintendent told officers the dogs had been at the area for the past few months, but this was the first report of them chasing people.

Traps were placed and two dogs were found later, police said.

Officers said the dogs were "acting aggressively," trying to bite on the traps and trying to come toward the officer, according to reports.

Neither dog was wearing a collar or had a microchip. They were transported to the Aiken SPCA, and neither dog was tested for rabies because of no known bite cases with humans or domestic animals, police said.

A preschooler injured in a Beech Island bus wreck last Wednesday is still recovering.

Michayla Brown's condition is considered "fair," according to Arthur Takahashi, media relations coordinator for Georgia Regents University.

"Her condition is still the same," he said.

Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Judd Jones said investigators determined a tractor-trailer traveling south collided with the bus traveling north on Beech Island Avenue near Scarborough Drive last Wednesday at about 7 a.m.

The wreck killed 4-year-old Greendale student Kyrie Henry immediately, according to Jones.

The bus driver, Barbara Jones, was taken to GRU but her condition is still unknown, according to Takahashi.

According to Jones, the investigation is continuing and no new updates are available.

Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton said the cell phone record of Jones and the video footage from the bus will be pulled, but there is no exact date set to when that will be.

Will Whaley is the crime and court reporter for the Aiken Standard. He is a of Fayette, Alabama and graduated from the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama with a degree in journalism.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two days after letting a disputed post-9/11 surveillance program go dark, the Senate sped toward passage Tuesday of legislation to revive but also reshape it. GOP leaders mounted a last-ditch effort to soften some of the changes.

Republicans in the House, meanwhile, warned their Senate counterparts to back off on proposed amendments, suggesting they could kill support for the bill in the House, which passed it by a wide margin last month. But GOP senators pushed back.

"The House's bill is not holy writ," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican.

The Senate voted 83-14 during a morning session to move forward with debate on the House's USA Freedom Act, continuing an about-face after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans had declared it unacceptable just days earlier.

Congressional procedures shared the stage. If any amendments were approved, the legislation would have to go back to the House for further debate, and the counterterror programs would remain lapsed. If the House's version were approved without changes, it could go straight to President Barack Obama for his signature.

At the White House, press secretary Josh Earnest pushed for the bill to pass unchanged.

"If they will pass that piece of legislation, then the president will quickly sign it into law and give our law enforcement professionals, once again, tools that they say are critical to their efforts to keep the country safe," he said.

The Senate began a series of votes Tuesday afternoon with unusual suspense over the outcome. But the first amendment to come to a vote, which would have limited the powers of a new committee created by the House bill to advise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, failed by a wide margin, 56-42.

The House legislation would remakes the most controversial aspect of the USA Patriot Act -- the once-secret bulk collection program that allows the National Security Agency to sweep up Americans' phone records and comb through them for ties to international terrorists.

The legislation would continue other post-9/11 surveillance provisions that also lapsed Sunday night, and which are considered more effective than the phone-data collection program. These include the FBI's authority to gather business records in terrorism and espionage investigations and to more easily eavesdrop on suspects who are discarding cellphones to avoid surveillance.

Two years ago, NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed details of the NSA program. The House bill would end the federal phone-records operation, leaving the records with phone companies and giving the government the ability to seek access with a warrant.

McConnell and other Senate leaders argue this change compromises the government's anti-terror capabilities -- though it's supported by both Obama and GOP House Speaker John Boehner.

Senate Republican leaders were forced to go along with the change anyway after libertarian-minded senators led by presidential candidate Rand Paul, R-Ky., united repeatedly against extending current law unchanged. By the time McConnell capitulated Sunday evening, just hours were left before the deadline for portions of the law to expire, and Paul was able to hold off a final vote until Tuesday -- with the program lapsed.

The expiration, although brief, provoked an outcry from government officials who contended that Senate inaction put the country at risk, while civil liberties groups cheered the outcome. Paul succeeded in setting himself apart from the GOP presidential pack, while for McConnell, the whole episode raised bitter questions about his leadership six months after Republicans retook control of the Senate.

Unwilling to completely embrace a House bill he abhors, McConnell pushed some final changes Tuesday he characterized as "discrete and sensible improvements."

These included lengthening the phase-out period of the bulk records program from six months to a year, requiring the director of national intelligence to certify that the NSA can effectively search records held by the phone companies and making phone companies notify the government if they change their policy on how long they hold the records.

Most controversially, McConnell would weaken the power of a new panel of outside experts created to advise the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

If McConnell viewed the change as limited and sensible, House Republicans vehemently disagreed.

The amendments contemplated by the Senate "would bring real challenges" in the House, said Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

A senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, warned during a private GOP meeting that the changes amounted to a "poison pill" for the legislation.

In part because of those concerns from the House, Senate Democrats were preparing to vote against McConnell's amendments, and a handful of Republicans also declared their opposition.

"If you amend this bill it kills the bill. The irony of it is it puts all the hawks with Rand," said Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.

The failure of the amendments would be an embarrassment for McConnell, whose handling of the issue has led to questions about why he didn't come up with a workable plan before deadline pressure allowed presidential politics to prevail and forced a shutdown that, if not dangerous, was at least messy and unwieldy.

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AP Intelligence Writer Ken Dilanian contributed to this report.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham returned to his South Carolina hometown Monday when he announced he's running for president. But, some South Carolinians in the Aiken area aren't entirely convinced his policies and beliefs will gain much traction in the Palmetto State.

The South Carolina Republican took center stage in Central, South Carolina, to announce that he will join a host of other Republican candidates in the 2016 presidential race.

Graham's address included a very strong stance on issues, both within the nation and those that stretch internationally. Graham pledged to work with both Democrats and Republicans, stating that he'll work with Democrats "to strengthen the country we both love."

"Our differences are real, and we'll debate them. But you're not my enemy. You're my fellow countrymen," Graham said.

KT Ruthven, chairman of the Aiken GOP, said that sentiment may not serve well in the primary because the most Conservative Republicans are the most loyal voters.

Moses Mims, communications director for the Aiken Democratic Party, added that many politicians say they want to work with both parties, but they rarely follow through.

"They're nice words to hear, but I'm not sure if they'll carry much weight," Mims said.

Mims said it is possible Graham could gain support from South Carolina Democrats, but it's not likely.

"I just don't think so. Just because he's from South Carolina doesn't mean he'll enjoy any favoritism primarily because of the positions he's taken with Iran and on other international issues. It's just ridiculous," Mims said.

Ruthven added that Graham's years of service and name recognition may play well for him in the state. Graham was first elected to the U.S. House in 1994, and then was elected to the Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2008.

"He has a lot of experience and a lot to offer, so that could definitely work in his favor," Ruthven added.

About 15 Republicans are expected to enter the race along with five Democrats, according to recent projections listed by The New York Times. Graham is the latest to announce on the Republican ballot, joining other notables such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Democrats include Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, who announced her candidacy in April.

Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter with the Aiken Standard. He joined the paper in June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.

Aiken County Council members and officials agreed on Tuesday to look at cutting the 2015-16 budget's general fund by about $1 million in an effort to keep from increasing property taxes.

Council Chairman Ronnie Young and members Andrew Siders, Camille Furgiuele and Kathy Rawls met this week, attempting to outline where, if any, cuts could be made in the $62.7 million budget's general fund. The four recommended a total fund cut by about $2.8 million, but agreed to leave most of the items for now after County Administrator Clay Killian made a case for each and cleared up questions regarding some of the funding amounts.

Several Council members, including Siders and Furgiuele, stated they would rather find ways to cut part of the budget than increase property taxes in the County.

In May, officials proposed a 2.4 millage rate increase to 72.3 miles from the current 69.9 mills, an increase that officials said could bring in roughly $1.5 million to $1.6 million in revenue per year. A millage is the rate at which property taxes are charged based on property value. The increase would mean a $4 cost for every mill on a $100,000 valued home, and if approved, a homeowner would pay an additional $14.40 on a home valued at $150,000, officials said.

On Tuesday, Council members agreed to strip about $30,000 from the $100,000 budget line item for the demolition of properties.

That item is primarily used to clean up properties and demolish abandoned homes. Council also agreed to completely do away with the budget line item designated for a public information officer; a position item that Killian requested Council transfer to the Human Resources Department so the department could hire a training specialist, making the department a "true" department instead of a department simply handling benefits and processing paperwork, he said.

Most of the proposed cuts Council members did agree to keep for the time being, items that included holiday pay for employees, overtime pay for the Sheriff's Office and gasoline and light equipment for code enforcement.

Council member Chuck Smith said he believed that $1 million in "extra" revenue, plus the additional nonrecurring $1.6 million the County expects to receive from the state out of a 2015-16 budget amendment, could help offset the County's expected $3 million deficit in the 2014-15 budget year.

"We've been beating our heads against the wall, trying to save (money)," Smith said. "Every question has pretty much been answered. We've got the revenue coming in, lets apply it."

The South Carolina Senate approved the amendment last month. That amendment is part of the Senate-approved $7 billion 2015-16 state budget that includes sending $4 million to the 22 counties affected by the February 2014 ice storm. Aiken County spent roughly $33.2 million in emergency and clean up costs after the 2014 ice storm, better known as Winter Storm Pax. The County only received federal reimbursement of about $26 million out of the expected $27 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA.

In the work session, Council members, including Chairman Ronnie Young, again pointed fingers to the local government fund and questioned officials whether there was any possibility those funds would increase. The County spends about $18 million in operating expenses for state-mandated services, such as the Department of Social Services. The County, however, only collects about $8 million in revenue, leaving a $10 million net cost.

In March, the House passed Charleston Republican Rep. Jim Merrill's proposed bill, H. 3374, with the Aiken County Legislative Delegation's House member's backing, which would replace the initial formula for the local government fund, and local governments would receive an amount equal to the percentage increase in the state's general budget, capped at 5 percent. That funding would be based on budget projections, rather than the previous year's budget.

When the local government fund was initially conceived in 1991, the law required state lawmakers to provide 4.5 percent of the completed fiscal year's general fund revenue to be allocated into the fund for cities and counties. But since the recession hit in 2008, the law was suspended, causing many local governments, including Aiken County, to find funding elsewhere.

That means that Aiken County will receive $2.15 million less than required by law, even though state revenues have increased by more than $400 million, plus an additional $150 million in potential surplus revenue, Killian said in a previous work session. "To put that in perspective, the lower local government fund amount, coupled with the smaller amount for ice storm cost reimbursement, is approximately 6.3 mills of tax in Aiken County."

"These numbers that should have come from the state have put us in this position," Young said in a prepared statement. "I do not believe the General Assembly understands that we have nowhere to pass along these shortfalls, but to the citizens of Aiken County. I do not believe the General Assembly understands local government responsibility. I can only assume that most of legislators have not spent time at this level and apparently have no clue."

Council member Chuck Smith agreed, stating it's time for the General Assembly to "live up to (its) obligations," and Aiken's "Delegation needs to go up there and fight for it."

The 2015-16 operating budget still has to go through two more readings and a public hearing before Council can give its final approval. Council is expected to hold the second reading at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 16.

Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. An Atlanta native, she has a mass communications-journalism degree with the University of North Carolina Asheville. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.

The next step in addressing the "largest environmental hazard in South Carolina" was taken Tuesday when cement trucks hauling specially formulated grout to close another liquid waste tank pulled into the Savannah River Site.

After operationally closing four tanks since 2012, Savannah River Remediation is continuing the closure of Tank 16, the first that will be closed in H Area and also the first closure of a Type II tank.

Type II tanks are among the oldest at the Site, having been constructed between 1955 and 1956, according to a press release. The tank is 85 feet in diameter and has a storage capacity of about 1 million gallons.

Tank 16 underwent several removal activities, including waste material being pumped out, cleaning with specialized mechanical and chemical processes and isolating the tanks from all systems.

These activities were prerequisites and helped confirm that the tank was cleaned to the maximum extent practical and ready for closure. Waste tank closure is accomplished through the placement of the specialized grout to fill the entire tank and all tank component voids.

The primary tank sits in a nearly 3-foot thick reinforced concrete vault with a 5-foot high annulus secondary pan, much like a cup and saucer arrangement. During its use, the annulus was designed to contain any leaks that may have developed in the primary tank wall.

The Federal Facility Agreement between the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control requires that Tank 16 be operationally closed by Oct. 27.

An agreement was reached in February to extend the operational closure date of the tank by 27 days.

Tanks 16 and 12 were initially scheduled to be grouted and cleaned by Sept. 30, 2014. But on Aug. 15, the Energy Department requested a 15-month extension for the closures, giving the Department until Dec. 31, 2016.

The request was denied by SCDHEC, which led the Department to call for a dispute resolution. After two informal dispute resolution discussions in October and November 2014, the dispute was elevated to the Dispute Resolution Committee at the request of SCDHEC on Jan. 13. In the end, SCDHEC agreed to the partial extension and now, DOE is expecting the tank to be completely grouted by the end of October.

"Grouting this tank says a great deal about the partnerships necessary to close SRS waste tanks," said SRS manager Jack Craig. "This initial filling of Tank 16 with grout is the result of a strong and enduring partnerships."

Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the paper since June 2013.

He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.

The Aiken County School Board approved one new employee position for Human Resources and expanded another for middle schools during a special called meeting Tuesday.

Before the two new items were added, the general fund budget, which includes operations, totaled $176,286,167, and the overall budget totaled $270,052,847.

"No tax increases are proposed," said Tray Traxler, the District's comptroller, who presented an overview of the 2015-15 budget.

The new Human Resources coordinator position would be responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the District's plan for recruiting and staffing a diverse workforce.

The cost of the 12-month position would be $90,000 in recurring funds.

Board members also approved full-time attendance aides at middle schools, regardless of size, at a cost of $136,500 in recurring funds. All middle schools currently are allocated a half-time attendance aide who is scheduled to work three and a half hours per day.

The aides enter data into Powerschool, a Web-based system that manages student information, which affects funding.

The District funded full-time attendance aides for all high schools, regardless of size, in the 2012-14 budget.

Other items tentatively approved for the 2015-16 budget are:

- A step increase for all eligible employees

- A one percent cost-of-living adjustment for all employees, not including supplements

- Staffing each elementary school, regardless of size, with a minimum of one full-time assistant principal

- Staffing each middle school, regardless of size, with a minimum of one full-time assistant principal

- A one-time $4 increase per pupil for janitorial supplies

- A one-time $4 increase per pupil for copier supplies

- Creation of a PowerSchool assistant position for the technology department

- A one-time item of $8,375 for adult education testing materials

- A one-time item of $296,369 for technology antivirus software

- Funding for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics program at Jackson Middle and a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics program at New Ellenton Middle

- Providing any high school with funding equal to unused athletic supplements

- A one-time item of $20,000 for Board room upgrades

- Funding for a Freshman Academy at South Aiken High

- Funding for one additional electrician position for the maintenance department

- A one-time item of $100,000 to be split among the District's high school bands based on enrollment

A budget hearing is set for the next regular Board meeting at 7 p.m. June 9 at the District office at 1000 Brookhaven Drive. The final budget approval will be on June 23.

An Aiken native, Larry Wood is a general assignment reporter. He started at the Aiken Standard in September 2014.

Several senior living centers in Aiken are offering to provide housing for residents left homeless after a Tuesday morning fire destroyed the Marshall Square Retirement Community in Evans, Georgia.

Cumberland Village, Trinity on Laurens and HarborChase of Aiken can provide short-term and long-term residences for seniors in need of immediate housing.

The fire, which began after 3 a.m. Tuesday, destroyed most of the multistory complex, leaving one of the 85 residents, 91-year-old Dorothy Carpenter, dead, according to the Columbia County, Georgia, coroner.

Cumberland Village has available apartments and patio homes, some with furnishings.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this morning's fire," said Jason Stewart, executive director of Cumberland Village. "The stress and anxiety these seniors and their families are experiencing now cannot be imagined. Cumberland Village wants to relieve them of at least some of the stress they are facing by offering our services and housing options to those in immediate need."

Cumberland Village is located at 3335 Wise Creek Lane, just off SC 421 and a block south of US 1 and 78. For more information, call 803-643-0073.

Trinity on Laurens has independent-living and assisted-living residences available.

"It's a heartbreaking situation, and anything we can do to help, we're happy to," said Connie Henrich, administrator.

A nonprofit, faith-based facility, Trinity on Laurens is at 213 Laurens St. N.W. in downtown Aiken. For more information, call 803-643-4200.

HarborChase, at 1385 Silver Bluff Road, also has part-time and long-term housing.

"Our heart goes out to all of the residents, and we hope that they are all safe and that God is looking over them," said Bobbi Shufelt, executive director.

For more information, call 803-642-8444.

An Aiken native, Larry Wood is a general assignment reporter. He started at the Aiken Standard in September 2014. The Associated Press contributed to this story.

These are the bookings recorded for the Doris C. Gravat Detention Center for June 1, 2015. Some of the people listed may not have actually spent time in jail if they posted bond and were released. Although those listed have been arrested and charged, that does not mean they have been found guilty. All bookings may be viewed online by visiting www.aikenstandard.com and clicking on the "Crime" tab.

Eric Brandon Adams, 36 — malicious injury to animals or property less than $2,000

Melissa Renee Ingram, 31 — violation of conditions of probation supervision, possession of other controlled substance first offense, shoplifting less than $2,000, failure to comply, trespassing after notice

Rosevelt Carter, 61 — assault and battery third degree, malicious injury to animals or property $1,000 or less

Johnnie Dwayne Bland, 46 — operating an uninsured vehicle commitment, driving under suspension commitment

Amber Marie Bradshaw, 27 — disorderly conduct/gross intoxication

Joseph Veasey Crymes, 53 — public drunk

Tyrone Leon Morris, 30 — failure to pay child support

Bradley Dale Mason, 36 — driving under suspension fifth offense bench warrant, uninsured motor vehicle bench warrant, use of a license for vehicle other than intended bench warrant, operating an unregistered vehicle bench warrant

Demontay Markeith Payne, 25 — hold for safekeeping for Barnwell County

Reihn Dracon Jennings, 24 — criminal domestic violence first offense, false information to police/fire, driving under suspension first offense

John Edward Phillips, 35 — unlawful possession of a pistol, simple larceny, larceny affixing fraudulent product code first offense, unlawful possession of a pistol

Macy K. Johnson, 23 — shoplifting first offense

A weekend Graniteville shooting that landed one man in the hospital is still under investigation.

The victim's name is still being withheld until the condition of the man's medical status is released, according to Aiken County Sheriff's Office Capt. Eric Abdullah.

Aiken County Sheriff's deputies responded to the 100 block of Laurel Avenue in Graniteville on Saturday morning at 1:55 a.m. They found a black male who had been shot multiple times in the right shoulder, the left forearm and the abdominal area, according to reports.

The man was transported to Georgia Regents Medical Center.

The complainant told dispatch that two black males with dreadlocks and wearing dark clothing came into the victim's home through the window on the back side of the residence and shot him, police said.

Suspects are still being sought by deputies.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at 803-646-6811 or Crimestoppers at 888-274-6372.

According to Aiken County Sheriff's Office:

A Warrenville woman was arrested for disorderly conduct Monday when she was found passed out in the bushes on Augusta Road.

A Beech Island man was detained Monday for shoplifting items from a store on Sand Bar Ferry Road.

A North Augusta man reported Monday the back door to his Allway Drive house had been tampered with. No items were reported missing.

A Beech Island man reported Monday the back door of his home on Neo Drive had been broken into and items had been taken.

An Aiken woman reported Monday a log had been taken off her vehicle on Iris Lane.

A Langley man reported Monday that flowers on his mother's grave at Chaffee Street had been moved to another headstone nearby.

A North Augusta man reported Monday his spotlight was stolen off his vehicle parked on Belvedere-Clearwater Road.

A Vaucluse man reported Monday his vehicle had been stolen from his property on Lott Street.

A Batesburg man reported Monday 56 feet of fencing had been stolen from his property at Kirkland Street.

A Warrenville man reported Monday his cholesterol medication had been stolen from his home on Pine Log Road.

An Aiken man reported Monday two vehicles on his property on Vaucluse Road had been broken into and items were missing.

A North Augusta man reported Monday his utility trailer had been stolen from his property on Todd Avenue.

A North Augusta man reported Monday his vehicle on Edgefield Road had been broken into.

An Aiken man reported Monday his vehicle tag had been removed from his car on Shaws Fork Road.

A Wagener man reported Monday a trailer had been removed from his property on Buckboard Road.

According to Aiken Department of Public Safety:

A woman reported Tuesday her ex had been sending threatening messages and phone calls to her at Richland Avenue.

A man reported Monday a 42-inch LCD TV had been taken from his home on Vincent Avenue.

Officers responded to a burglar alarm Monday at a home on Dupree Place. A man on scene said he was looking after the house while the owner was on vacation in Canada. Police contacted the homeowner, who said the man was not allowed at the residence.

A man reported Monday someone broke the window to his van parked on George Street.

A juvenile reported Saturday her phone was missing on Rutland Drive.

An Aiken retirement community is reaching out to residents who lost their housing to a massive fire in Evans early this morning.

Cumberland Village is offering short and long-term housing options to residents who were displaced in the Marshall Square Retirement Resort in Columbia County, according to a press release.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this morning's fire," stated Jason Stewart, executive director of Cumberland Village. "The stress and anxiety these seniors and their families are experiencing now cannot be imagined. Cumberland Village wants to relieve them of at least some of their stress they are facing by offering our services and housing options to those in immediate need."

The Augusta Chronicle reports fire alarms went off shortly after 3 a.m. at the Marshall Square retirement community in Evans. The newspaper says the blaze had destroyed most of the central part of the multi-story complex by 5 a.m. and was spreading into the eastern wing.

Residents, many in their pajamas and using walkers or wheelchairs, were evacuated and taken to the auditorium of the nearby county government center. County emergency and operations director Pam Tucker said many residents had been picked up by family members by 8 a.m.

Two people were unaccounted for but first responders told the Augusta Chronicle that out of the 85 Marshall Square residents, one person is dead and another was rescued.

"These seniors and families have so much to deal with right now, searching for appropriate short or long-term housing should not have to be on their list today," stated Dougal Kear, director of marketing for Cumberland Village. "That is why we here at Cumberland Village are reaching out to those seniors and families to offer an easy transition. Our team is prepared to meet with seniors and their families at any time either at the temporary housing site, or here at our community. For families out-of-town, we can even meet over the phone, or face-to-face via the Internet or smart phones. We want to make the housing transition as easy as possible and at least remove one burden off those affected today."

Displaced residents or their families can call 803-643-0073 for more information or stop by Cumberland Village located at 3335 Wise Creek Lane.

Southern Souls Rescue based in Harlem, Georgia, is also offering boarding and food for any pets of Marshall Square residents. They can be contacted at 706-556-9009 or emailed at Southernsouls@aol.com.

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The Associated Press and the Augusta Chronicle contributed to this report.

Woman stabbed to death in Orangeburg

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — A woman has been stabbed to death in her home in Orangeburg and sheriff's deputies have arrested a grand-nephew.

Multiple media outlets report that officers were called to the home of 74-year-old Delores Dash around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Deputies said 25-year-old Isaiah Veazey was still on the phone with 911 operators when they arrived.

Veazey has been charged with murder. He was being held in the Orangeburg County jail. It was not clear if he has an attorney yet.

Family members said he had moved from Washington D.C. to Orangeburg to live with his great aunt last month.

Investigators said Dash's body was found in a bedroom, wrapped in sheets. She had been stabbed several times.

Sheriff Leroy Ravenell said investigators are trying to determine a motive.

Lancaster minister sentenced for sex assaults on children

LANCASTER, S.C. (AP) — A Lancaster minister of music for more than four decades has been sentenced to 25 years after pleading guilty to sex assaults on children.

The Rock Hill Herald reports 63-year-old Dennis Fred Rutledge pleaded guilty Tuesday. Prosecutors say Rutledge was scheduled for trial Tuesday afternoon on first-degree sex assault with a child under age 11, but agreed to plead guilty before the trial began.

Rutledge was arrested Dec. 31, 2013, after authorities say he had illicit contact with underage girls. Detectives say he preyed on girls he met through the ministry. Rutledge was music director at Camp Creek Baptist Church for more than 40 years until his arrest.

Rutledge's 25-year sentence will run concurrent with another 13-year sentence he received Monday for third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Beaufort County ordinance would require pit bulls be fixed

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — A proposed animal control ordinance in Beaufort County would require the owners of pit bulls and pit bull mixes to have their animals spayed or neutered.

The Beaufort Gazette reports the proposal is not a reaction to recent pit bull attacks in the county. Instead, Beaufort County Animal Services director Tallulah Trice says the local shelter is overcrowded and 90 percent of the animals euthanized at the shelter are pit bulls.

Trice told a county council committee Monday that the county is not going after the breed. She says it's just that people don't adopt pit bulls and they can't be moved because other shelters won't take them.

In the past three months there have been three attacks by pit bulls on other dogs in the county.