Taken advantage

All of the politicians have been talking about is the middle class. Have they given any consideration to the reason we don't have middle-class income anymore? It's because those in the middle class pay through the nose to the IRS so the politicians can live excessively. Those who don't work are also supported by our money. The middle class has been taken advantage of by everyone.

Can't find it

Where is Old Joe's on Highway 19 North? I've driven through there and can't find it.

Ignoring needs

Only in Aiken can we find so many politicians with their heads in the sand, ignoring the needs of the people and willingly accepting their reimbursements for mileage and whatever the job pays.

Just an accident

I don't think the bus driver should be charged in the accident. That road is too narrow for a bus and an 18-wheeler. It was just an accident.

Lots of flies

Salley residents, my parents lived by one of those fancy chicken farms and said the increase in the number of flies was unbelievable. Check it out thoroughly.

Wonderful beer

Kudos to the organizers of the Hops & Hogs in downtown Aiken. Wonderful beer, wonderful food, wonderful time. Can't wait until next year.

Demons

Someone needs to get the facts for the Fair Tax and educate the public. The Fair Tax is misunderstood and lied about by demons who don't want it.

Surviving adversity

After reading the article in Tuesday's newspaper about Ms. Leanne Summers, with all the ugliness and bad things we read in the paper, it's really inspiring and encouraging to see a young lady who survived her adversity as well as she has.

Exceptional outing

There was wonderful weather and a wonderful day for an exceptionally arranged outing in downtown Aiken. Kudos to all involved. There was great beer and great food. I look forward to more events like that.

Dishonest Clinton

I read the letter to the editor "Clinton's email use spurs distrust," and I completely agree, but what we really need to say is Hillary Clinton is a crook and dishonest, just like her husband.

Assessing fines

Water companies are unregulated and exempt from state rules. How can they assess fines to those who don't pay on time?

A committee that monitors waste management issues at the Savannah River Site is concerned that heightened levels of mercury in one of the site's liquid waste tanks may become a recurring issue in other tanks.

The Waste Management Committee of the SRS Citizens Advisory Board received a briefing on the issue Tuesday from Richard Edwards, an employee with Savannah River Remediation, the site's liquid waste contractor.

Last month, Department of Energy officials reported that tests conducted by the Savannah River National Laboratory showed unexpected trace levels of an organic mercury compound, monomethyl mercury, in Tank 50. The compound is a potential worker hazard if it comes in contact with the skin, but based on medical testing results, there has been no mercury exposure so far.

Edwards said the mercury issue originated from decades of nuclear-waste processing at the site and that there are 60 metric tons of mercury in tanks throughout the liquid waste system.

To remove the mercury presence, the contractor will need to remove at least one 55-gallon drum of mercury from the liquid waste system every year for the remainder of the liquid waste program.

Edwards explained that the chemical form of the mercury may be changing, posing challenges to waste processing that could impact equipment, flammability and performance.

Tank waste is comprised of sludge waste and salt waste. Savannah River Remediation is accustomed to higher mercury levels in the sludge, but recent discoveries have shown that the mercury levels in the salt waste have increased.

Edwards said they are trying to understand the cause of the increase, and said the contractor is trying to figure out if it could be a recurring problem in other waste tanks.

"We don't expect it to continue, but we need to understand where it's being made," he said.

A long-term plan to deal with heightened mercury levels likely won't be available until the fall of this year, according to Edwards. Dean Campbell, a spokesperson for Savannah River Remediation, added that the mercury issues are being handled with the current funding and resources allocated for liquid waste remediation.

"A long-term action plan is in development and additional funding, if necessary to execute the plan, will be addressed at that time," Campbell said.

Susan Corbett, a member of the waste committee, said the contractor seems to be doing everything right, but that the mercury issue is just one more problem that slows down the task of ridding the state of the liquid waste.

"It's very disconcerting to know that there's still a lot of mercury out there in the system that's yet to come out," Corbett said. "It's one difficult challenge to gathering up this toxic material and keeping it from getting released."

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.

A $4.1 million appropriation in disaster relief funding in the S.C. Senate's version of the state budget was rejected last week by the S.C. House, leaving those aid dollars in question for local governments, including Aiken County.

The relief dollars are associated with the ice storm known as Pax that hit Aiken County and other counties in the state in February 2014.

Aiken County would be set to gain about $1.6 million, the City of Aiken about $100,000, and North Augusta roughly $38,000 if the Senate's version of the budget is moved forward.

Since the House didn't concur with the Senate's bill last week, the budget is now being considered in conference committee, which involves legislators from both chambers of the General Assembly being tasked with resolving disagreements over the bill.

S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken, said he is hoping the conference committee will adopt the Senate's version of the budget to insure those reimbursement dollars are provided to local governments impacted by the storm.

"The non-federal state local match reimbursement from the state to the local governments impacted by the ice storm is very important to not only Aiken County, but several other local governments within Aiken County," Young said. "Our delegation strongly believes and supports the inclusion of those reimbursement monies in the final version of the budget."

The legislative session is set to adjourn today at 5 p.m., creating a short time frame for legislators to work out the details of the budget.

However, according to S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, measures that have moved as far along in the legislative process to be in conference committee are still "alive and well" and can be considered after the session adjourns.

After the February 2014 ice storm took down trees and cut power to thousands of homes in the county, Aiken County officials spent a total of about $33.2 million to pick up more than 1 million cubic yards of debris and enact recovery and emergency services. The City of Aiken spent about $2 million.

Aiken County has received federal reimbursement of about $26 million out of the expected $27 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said County Administrator Clay Killian. That left the County paying about $6.1 million out of pocket without the state's match, he said.

The amount of funding appropriated by the state has been one of the cornerstones of the debate concerning Aiken County Council's budget.

Council member Chuck Smith indicated Tuesday at a budget work session that the nonrecurring $1.6 million the County expected to receive from the state for reimbursement could help offset the County's expected $3 million deficit in the County's budget.

Council is currently considering budget options for the County's 2015-16 budget to make up for the deficit that may include a proposed 2.4 millage rate increase, which would increase property taxes and raise additional revenue for the County.

Michael Ulmer is the opinions page editor.

An ongoing dispute between Aiken County Council and Coroner Tim Carlton still has not been resolved, and the Coroner's Office still is using borrowed equipment from a funeral home and working with Aiken County EMS to continue picking up and transporting the deceased in Aiken County.

Aiken County officials did not recommend any funding in the 2015-16 $62.7 million operating budget for services related to the transportation and removal of the deceased in Aiken County, even though the Coroner's Office requested $52,000 be allocated for the service.

The Coroner's Office utilizes a transportation and removal service in the case of a sudden, unexpected death, suicide, homicide or fatal accident.

County Administrator Clay Killian told County Council just last week that the $50,000 designated for the Coroner Office's transport service was instead placed into the County's administrative contingency fund, bringing it to a total of $450,000. That fund covers unexpected expenses that the County can't budget for, he said.

The issue of whether the County "interfered" with Carlton's office has now stretched into its second year, leaving the County without a permanent solution of what company will be tasked with the pickup and transport of the deceased in Aiken County.

County Council passed a resolution in mid-January 2014 to award a contract for transportation and removal services to low-bidder Palmetto Mortuary Transport.

But that contract was never executed, and instead, Carlton continued to use Langley-based company Rucker Removal Services, who came in with a $175 bid to Palmetto's $160 per each local body removal.

Council decided to then freeze the budget line item for about $50,000 dedicated to those services, affecting Rucker, the company who for years was tasked with the specific service in Aiken County.

The bid for services and freeze of funds led Carlton to file a complaint against Aiken County last year, alleging the County "interfered" with the operation of his office.

Carlton's Charleston-based attorney Sandy Senn asked Circuit Court Judge James Barber in May for an emergency ruling compelling the County to pay Rucker for its services and allow Carlton to continue to use Rucker until a formal hearing is scheduled.

Barber ruled that there would be no need to hand down an emergency injunction requiring the County to pay a transport and removal service for the Coroner's Office, stating the coroner could use Palmetto Mortuary Transport to continue transportation services.

Barber also denied a request from Carlton to order Council to appropriate funds to be placed in a contingency account to pay the outstanding balance to Rucker.The judge denied this request, citing the South Carolina Constitution that "money shall be drawn from the treasury of the State or the treasury of any of its political subdivisions only in pursuance of appropriations made by law."

Rucker, who hired Aiken attorney Kris Anderson, has still not been paid for about $40,000 worth of services since April 2014, and discontinued their services with the County on May 15.

Calls made to Anderson were not returned by deadline.

Responding to Barber's ruling, Carlton released a statement that he would contact County Administrator Clay Killian to make a determination as to when the contract with Palmetto Transport will be signed.

"It is our intention to work cooperatively with Palmetto Transport and to continue to serve the citizens of Aiken County with the care and compassion that has been the hallmark of this office," Carlton said in the statement.

Carlton and Killian did sit down last week to discuss a contract to utilize Palmetto's services. Killian said the County did prepare a contract, but Carlton said since his statement, his office is still borrowing equipment from a local funeral home and working with Aiken County EMS to continue services.

"We're poking at some specs and have also looked at guidelines for the transport, but as of right now, no contract has been signed," Carlton said.

On the legal side, County Attorney Jim Holly, who is representing the County in Carlton's complaint, said there have not been "any developments."

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 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.

EDGEFIELD — Willowbrook Cemetery, which is near Edgefield First Baptist Church on Church Street, is considered to be one of the most historic graveyards in South Carolina.

Tonya Guy will talk about the burial ground's importance in the Palmetto State's past during the Cemetery Centennial Celebration from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 20 at the Tompkins Memorial Library.

"Four of our governors are buried there, and approximately 150 Confederate soldiers are buried there," said Guy, who is the library's director.

Willowbrook also is the final resting place for Preston Smith Brooks and Chancellor Francis Hugh Wardlaw.

Brooks was a United States representative from South Carolina who beat Charles Sumner, a United States senator from Massachusetts, with a cane in 1856 after Sumner attacked one of Brooks' relatives in an anti-slavery speech.

Wardlaw wrote and signed the Ordinance of Secession that South Carolina adopted during a convention in 1860.

The celebration's other speaker will be Kim Poovey, of Beaufort.

Poovey will discuss Victorian mourning rituals and burial practices. During that era, people used hair from their deceased loved ones to make bracelets, necklaces and rings.

The cost to attend the celebration is $5 per person, and a light lunch will be served.

The proceeds will be used to preserve Willowbrook, where the oldest marked grave dates back to 1820.

The celebration is being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the decision by representatives of the Edgefield Civic League and the Edgefield Cemetery League to join forces and work together for the common good of Edgefield. That happened on June 23, 1915.

"The Civic League has been greatly involved with beautification efforts in town, and the Cemetery Association maintains Willowbrook and Eastview Cemetery," Guy said. "Both organizations have done so much for the community over the years."

For more information about the celebration, call 803-637-4010.

The Tompkins Memorial Library is at 104 Courthouse Square, Edgefield.

Dede Biles is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and has been with the newspaper since January 2013. A native of Concord, N.C., she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The decision didn't come easy for USC Aiken head men's basketball coach Vince Alexander, but the venerable leader of the Pacers for a decade is now leaving the program to take over the head coaching duties at Saint Leo University, a Division II school located in Saint Leo, Florida.

"The biggest thing for me was that my wife has family that's close by," Alexander said. "Also, they're an institution that is growing and they share a common vision for winning national championships. I'm very grateful to the Aiken community and this university to allow me the opportunity to grow as a coach. Aiken has really been great to me and my family."

USCA athletic director Randy Warrick said the feeling of gratitude is mutual, noting that the city and the university loved the time Alexander spent roaming the sidelines for the Pacers.

Ten years ago to the month, when he was also looking to be closer to family, Alexander arrived in Aiken as the Pacers' new coach. At the time, he was met with the task of transforming the USCA basketball program from a team that had become accustomed to losing records into a contender. Alexander did one better; he turned the Pacers into a regional powerhouse. The national prominence of the program is why Alexander said he can walk away proud of the work he did at USCA. Alexander took the program to a level of success it had never seen.

During his tenure, the Pacers claimed four Peach Belt regular season titles, three PBC tournament crowns, two appearances in the Elite Eight as Southeast Region champions and a Final Four appearance in 2014. Alexander also earned top coaching honors in the PBC four times and twice in the Southeast District. That track record of success is what attracted Saint Leo to Alexander.

"I've learned in other hires that it makes sense if you know where you want to go, you hire someone who knows how to get you there. I would like our basketball program to get to the Elite Eight. I hired Vince because he knows how to get to the Elite Eight," Saint Leo director of athletics Francis Reidy said.

"He knows how to win his conference in the regular season and the tournament. There were guys in the pool that looked like they might be able to do that, but Vince has actually done that, and that was the deciding factor."

Alexander will replace Lance Randall, who resigned as Saint Leo's head coach on May 11 to take a job at Lindenwood University in Missouri. The Lions were one of only four teams to beat the Pacers during USCA's historic 2013-14 season in an 84-40 upset early in the year. Alexander visited the school last week, as did the other finalist for the job.

Alexander compiled a 196-113 overall record at USCA - the highest winning percentage of any Pacer coach. His departure will leave USCA looking for a new head coach just a month before the recruiting window starts back up. Alexander's prowess on the recruiting trail is another one of the attributes Warrick will be looking to replace. During his tenure, Alexander routinely found the right balance of high school recruits he could mold into stars on the hardwood and transfers who could make an immediate impact on the program. Warrick also praised the coach's calmness in the face of pressure, leading him to half jokingly suggest that he'd hire a clone of coach Alexander, given the opportunity.

"To be honest, I think he's exceeded all of our expectations," Warrick said of the coach he hired in June of 2005. "I think he's a complete coach, he's a classy person and he's a good family man. You cannot go wrong if you get someone very close to Coach Alexander."

Warrick hopes to swiftly find a replacement for Alexander. He said the plan is to have the position advertised by the end of the week on coaching sites. Ideally, he wants to have Alexander's successor in place by the end of July. At this point, Alexander would like to take his current coaching staff with him, "if everything works out."

Warrick noted that Alexander's handling of the program over the past decade is going to help speed up the process of finding a replacement.

"It's much easier to keep a program toward the top than to take one from the bottom and move it to the top, which is what Coach Alexander did," Warrick said. "I think the past success will help tremendously with our future success."

The coach's departure also shocked some of his PBC coaching foes. Alexander's fiercest rival, GRU Augusta head coach Dip Metress said he was somewhat surprised by the move. Metress was on the opposing sideline for some of Alexander's hardest-fought wins and losses during his tenure. Metress said under the leadership of Alexander, USCA became part of one of the best rivalries in the southeastern part of the United States with his Jaguars.

"We've had a lot of good memories and bad memories when facing Coach Alexander and USCA. It's obviously been a great rivalry," Metress said. "Our programs were teams that people paid attention to. It was an atmosphere of great basketball with a high level of talent, and it was enjoyable for the common basketball fan. It'll obviously be different not seeing Vince on the sidelines."

Metress, who attended Belmont Abbey (a Benedictine school), went on to add that he felt Alexander would be a great fit for the school and the mission of Saint Leo, also a Benedictine university.

While he's looking forward to the new challenge, Alexander admitted that he's going to miss walking out onto the floor of the Convocation Center on big game nights preparing for tough competitors like GRU and Montevallo. Alexander may have owned the conference in recent years, but he said he owes his strong coaching to the level of competition he faced.

"I'm just going to miss competing with those guys," Alexander said. "There were some great coaches and some great games. It's been a lot of fun. I'll miss it, just like the people and the university, I'll miss it."

Eric Russell is a sports reporter for the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter @EricJ_Russell.

Woman with Alzheimer's killed in hit-and-run; man arrested

ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) — Police say a man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that killed a 73-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease.

Multiple media outlets report that 55-year-old Jerry Floyd was arrested Wednesday after an Anderson police officer noticed his silver GMC Terrain matched the type of car involved in the incident and had front end damage. A police spokesman says there was additional evidence at the intersection tying Floyd to the collision.

Mattie Sue Dixon's body was found around 4 a.m. Authorities say Dixon left her home early Wednesday and was struck and killed between 3:15 a.m. and 4 a.m. Dixon had a history of leaving the apartment she shared with her son, which is about a half-mile from the intersection.

York coroner holding inquest in newborn's death

FORT MILL, S.C. (AP) — The York County coroner is holding an inquest to determine how a newborn died at a birthing center in Fort Mill earlier this year.

Coroner Sabrina Gast told local media that a jury of six people will be chosen Thursday to consider the evidence.

Daxton Lee Green died shortly after being born Jan. 20 at the Carolina Community Maternity Center in Fort Mill. Gast said a preliminary autopsy showed no signs of trauma.

She said the jury will consider witness testimony and documents. She says it's just the second inquest she's held in her 10 years as coroner.

Few details on the newborn's death have been released.

Gast said the child's manner of death could be ruled as undetermined, natural, suicide, homicide and accidental.

No charges have been filed.

Senate approves Uber bill, keeping its chances alive

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Senate has approved a bill allowing Uber to continue operating in South Carolina, keeping alive the measure's chances this year.

Wednesday's vote returned the amended bill to the House, which approved its version 10 weeks ago. The House could vote Thursday to either send the bill to Gov. Nikki Haley's desk or to a group of legislators who could work toward a compromise during a special session later this month.

The regular session ends Thursday.

Last week, Haley urged senators to act, saying Uber's departure from South Carolina would deprive residents of safe, reliable transportation.

In January, the Public Service Commission issued a cease-and-desist order stopping the app-based service. Following criticism from lawmakers, the commission reversed course two weeks later and granted a temporary license through June 30.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Surgery on Caitlyn, the South Carolina dog who was severely injured after her muzzle was taped shut, took a little longer than expected but the surgeon is optimistic about her recovery.

Local media outlets report the surgery was performed at Veterinary Specialty Care in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday. A spokeswoman says Caitlyn had her lip and cheek reconstructed, but only lost minimal function of her tongue.

Caitlyn, a stray 15-month-old chocolate Staffordshire mix, showed up at a home last Wednesday with her mouth tightly bound with black electrical tape.

Authorities say 41-year-old William Leonard Dodson of North Charleston was arrested Monday and charged with ill treatment of animals. He remains in Charleston County Jail. It wasn't clear if he has an attorney.

A Beech Island man was arrested after a fight on Pine Log Road Wednesday.

Michael Fulmer, 43, is facing charges for trespassing and possession of methamphetamine after Aiken County Sheriff's deputies responded to a domestic call at 8:06 a.m.

The victim told deputies Fulmer had started fighting with her about his bag in her possession, police said.

She told deputies Fulmer was on trespass notice to the property, according to reports.

The fight escalated, and they went inside the residence when 911 was called by a witness, according to reports.

When deputies talked with Fulmer, they noticed his speech was slurred and he was staggering while walking, police said.

Fulmer was arrested on scene for trespassing and was searched at the Aiken County detention center where a bag containing "small, white, crystal-like substances believed to be meth," was found, according to reports.

A warrant was served for possession of controlled substance against Fulmer who remained in jail Thursday morning, police said.

BOSTON (AP) -- A knife-wielding man killed by terror investigators had planned to behead an unidentified victim, then changed his mind and said he wanted to kill police officers, the FBI said.

Usaama Rahim plotted for at least a week, the FBI said in a complaint against a family member who was arrested Tuesday, hours after Rahim was shot to death. The relative, David Wright, was ordered held Wednesday on a charge of conspiracy with intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

The FBI said Rahim bought three fighting knives and a sharpener on or before May 26. On Tuesday, he told Wright he planned to begin trying to randomly kill police officers, the FBI said.

An anti-terror task force of FBI agents and Boston police, faced with an imminent threat, confronted Rahim on a sidewalk and fatally shot him when he refused to drop his knife, authorities said.

Rahim and Wright were heard in a recorded conversation talking about "thinking with your head on your chest," a reference to Islamic State propaganda videos showing severed heads on the chests of beheading victims, the FBI said in an affidavit written by an agent assigned to Boston's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Rahim initially told Wright about a plan to behead an unidentified victim outside Massachusetts, and on Sunday, Rahim, Wright and an unidentified man met on a beach in Rhode Island to "discuss their plans," the FBI affidavit said.

"Wright indicated that he agreed with Rahim's plan and supported it," the affidavit states.

Authorities searched a home in Warwick, Rhode Island, on Tuesday and Wednesday but wouldn't confirm the search was related to the investigation. They also wouldn't confirm how Rahim, 26, and Wright, 24, are related.

Early Tuesday morning, Rahim called Wright and told him he had changed his plans and no longer planned to kill someone in another state, the affidavit says. Instead, he said he was going to "go after" the "boys in blue," it says, an apparent reference to police officers.

During the recorded conversation, Rahim told Wright, "Yeah, I'm going to be on vacation right here in Massachusetts. ... I'm just going to, ah, go after them, those boys in blue," the affidavit says.

The FBI said the phrase "going on vacation" refers to committing violent jihad.

Authorities allege that during that conversation, Wright advised Rahim to destroy his smartphone, wipe his laptop computer and prepare his will.

On Wednesday, authorities moved swiftly to manage perceptions of the shooting, which killed a black man whose family is well known among Muslims and African-Americans in Boston.

Rahim's mother is a nurse at Boston University. His older brother, Ibrahim Rahim, is a scholar known for preaching after the Boston marathon bombings that violence is anti-Islamic.

Ibrahim Rahim initially posted a message on Facebook alleging police repeatedly shot his brother in the back while he was on a cellphone calling their father for help. But his version unraveled Wednesday after police showed their video of the confrontation to community leaders.

Darnell Williams, president of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, said he could "150 percent corroborate" the police account. The images clearly show that Usaama Rahim "was not on a cellphone and was not shot in the back," Williams said.

Police Commissioner William Evans said officers confronted Rahim because "military and law enforcement lives were at threat."

The video, which police did not make available publicly, shows that Rahim menaced the officers with a large military-style knife and they initially backed away before shooting him when he refused to drop it, police said.

Williams said he's not ready to call the shooting justifiable, and a Boston Muslim leader, Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, said it was unclear from the "inconclusive" video whether police had to use deadly force.

"They might have approached him in a different way," Faaruuq said.

Ibrahim Rahim could not be reached for comment Wednesday as he traveled to Boston to bury his brother.

Usaama Rahim was under investigation after spreading Islamic State propaganda online and communicating with other people about it, said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee.

"These cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized through social media," the Texas Republican said.

Prosecutor Stephanie Siegmann said Wright posed a serious risk of fleeing or obstructing justice if not held pending a June 19 hearing. Wright's attorney, Jessica Hedges, denied that, saying he has deep roots in the Boston area and an "incredibly loving and supportive family."

Hedges urged the government to be "as transparent as possible" and "abide by the law" as it investigates this case, saying "we have serious concerns about that already."

Boston voter registration records describe Usaama Rahim as a student. A spokeswoman said Rahim had worked for CVS since March.

Members of the South Carolina legislature representing Aiken and Edgefield counties filed a bill on Wednesday attempting to clarify the state's eminent domain laws in response to a proposed petroleum pipeline that would run through both counties.

The pipeline, a project of energy company Kinder Morgan, has created confusion among some residents in both counties as far as the company's right to possess the land of private property owners. This lack of clarity has also lead lawmakers to request an opinion from the state's attorney general to find a better understanding of the rights of the company and the rights of residents.

Lawmakers have indicated that the existing law related to the power of eminent domain - the right to seize private property for public use - is decades old and deals more prominently with the rights of utility and power companies rather than the construction of oil pipelines.

S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-S.C., said companion bills - ones with similar language - were filed in both the S.C. House and S.C. Senate dealing with the issue. The bills seek to establish a clearer framework by which a private company, particularly one seeking a gas pipeline, would have certain requirements to meet before they can have the power to exercise eminent domain.

The bills would require such companies to obtain a permit from the state's Public Service Commission, a state agency that already carries some oversight of utility projects, as well as the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control. Young said that in the process of those two agencies considering the issuing of permits, the legislation would also necessitate these agencies garnering some form of public input.

He noted that the push for such legislation was, at least in part, also in response to the requirements that the state of Georgia already has in place for such oil pipeline projects. The Georgia Department of Transportation recently denied Kinder Morgan's certificate of need request related to moving forward with the project, which would have allowed the company to use eminent domain in the state.

Georgia law allows private companies to use eminent domain, but only if the certificate is issued. Representatives of Kinder Morgan have said the company plans to appeal the decision.

The Palmetto Project pipeline would carry up to 167,000 barrels of refined petroleum a day from Belton, S.C., to Jacksonville. It would cross the Savannah River and work its way down the Georgia coast.

Young said that in drafting the legislation for South Carolina, he believed Georgia lawmakers had updated their laws less than a decade ago that apply to such a project, but South Carolina's laws are more than a half century old.

"There is some question as to which laws that we have would apply," Young said. "By filing this legislation, our goal is to update our laws in our state that would apply in a situation involving a private company wanting to install a petroleum pipeline and have the power to exercise eminent domain."

If passed by the South Carolina General Assembly, the legislation would stipulate that companies meet a number of marks before moving forward. These would include that the installation of a petroleum pipeline in the state would have to show public necessity, which is defined in the legislation as being vital to the welfare of state residents after the weighing of any potential environmental harm.

Michael Ulmer, a North Augusta native and University of South Carolina graduate, is the opinions page editor.

The Aiken Standard is suing the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division and the City of North Augusta over a 2014 police dash-cam video they refuse to release.

S.C. Press Association attorney Jay Bender, who is representing the Aiken Standard, filed the four-page complaint Thursday afternoon at the Aiken County Court of Common Pleas.

On the evening of Feb. 9, 2014, then North Augusta Department Public Safety officer Justin Craven shot and killed 68-year-old Edgefield County resident Earnest Satterwhite Sr., who was unarmed and sitting in his car. The incident occurred after Satterwhite led Craven on a 13-mile police chase that began in North Augusta and ended on Satterwhite's driveway in Edgefield County.

The entirety of the incident was reportedly captured on dash-cam video, all of which, the Aiken Standard is seeking from the defendants in the complaint.

In April, both SLED and the City of North Augusta denied the Aiken Standard's Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests and refused to release any dash-cam video. The City of North Augusta stated that "the City is not the proper party to make a determination as to whether your request is subject to this exemption."

Although the City deferred the decision on releasing the video to SLED, the state's top law enforcement division said it would not release the video because it was part of an ongoing investigation and because Craven's attorney, Jack Swerling, had filed a motion in April asking the judge to suppress the release of the video.

According to the suit filed Thursday, the newspaper believes SLED and the City of North Augusta have "improperly sought to claim exemptions from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the (Freedom of Information) Act which do not exist in law or which do not have application to this defendant."

In addition, the complaint states that the denial by both parties of the newspaper's request for access to public records is a "violation of the (Freedom of Information) Act," and that the South Carolina General Assembly has "determined that a violation of the Act is an irreparable injury for which no adequate remedy exists in law."

The Aiken Standard is also asking for a judgment declaring that both defendants must not continue to violate FOIA law by "failing or refusing to provide access to public records;" claim "exemptions from the mandatory disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act that neither exist in law nor have application to either defendant" and that both parties cover the plaintiff's attorney fees and costs.

Aiken Standard Editor Tim O'Briant said although taking the City of North Augusta to court is "pretty extreme," the City's "stubborn refusal" to release the dash-cam video is a "pretty extreme violation of the Freedom of Information Act."

"The reasons they have given just don't hold water as far as the legal exceptions they're allowed to claim," O'Briant said. "In the end, I think it boils down to this video makes them look bad and they don't want it out there. No matter what charges Craven faces, if this video proved he did nothing wrong, they would have released it (the dash-cam video) a year ago."

The defendants have 30 days to respond to the complaint.

Craven on trial

Justin Craven was indicted last month on the felony charge of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle, following the 2014 shooting death of Satterwhite.

An Edgefield County jury in August indicted Craven on one count of official misconduct in office - a misdemeanor - but no-billed a charge of voluntary manslaughter. Because Craven was indicted, he will face both charges of felony and official misconduct, said 11th Circuit Solicitor Donnie Myers.

Craven's trial could come as soon as September or November, Myers said.

The felony charge against Craven, brought by the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

Although the indictments, Craven's attorney maintains Craven's innocence, stating his client "feared for his life" after Satterwhite allegedly grabbed Craven's gun.

Craven has since been suspended as an officer, but remains a North Augusta City employee in the building standards department.

The City of North Augusta agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million in March to Satterwhite's estate to settle a wrongful-death suit filed by his brother.

In a separate, but related legal action in May, the Aiken Standard and television station WRDW News-12 filed a court motion in an attempt to get the dash-cam video released, following Swerling's request that the trial judge suppress the release of the video until the video has been viewed in court.

Swerling's motion asked a South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Thomas Russo to prohibit the release of any dash-cam video on the grounds that the video should only be viewed in a courtroom setting "so as not to influence any prospective jurors before Craven's trial."

Russo has given no indication when he will hear arguments on the motions in the criminal case.

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

The South Carolina General Assembly's failure to pass a budget before the last day of the legislative session Thursday brought little closure to questions surrounding relief funding for local governments, including Aiken County, hit hard by an ice storm in February 2014.

The Legislature's adjournment without approving a budget leaves the relief funding up for debate in legislative conference committee after the S.C. House last week rejected $4.1 million in funding proposed and passed by the S.C. Senate last month. The conference committee includes three legislators from each chamber of the General Assembly being tasked with resolving disagreements over the bill.

Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian said the ice storm relief funding should be a "no-brainer" for lawmakers, particularly in a year when the state has more than a $300 million budget surplus.

"The General Assembly should be helping local governments handle that massive amount of a cleanup," Killian said, referring to the absence of relief funding in the state's budget. He added the Aiken County delegation has "worked pretty hard" for the relief money, but the difficulty of getting the dollars appropriated shows how little the General Assembly, as a whole, seems to care about local governments.

S.C. Rep. Bill Clyburn, D-Aiken, who serves on the committee considering the relief funding as part of the larger budget bill, said early Wednesday afternoon that "there's a lot of work to be done" concerning the budget, but "there have also been a lot of agreements worked out."

Clyburn added that if the funding doesn't stay in the state budget bill, members of the Aiken County Legislative Delegation will "fight hard" to insure the money is appropriated through a different means.

He noted that another avenue is the state's supplemental appropriations bill, which covers surplus dollars outside of the funding already provided in the Legislature's general budget bill.

"It's going to come out of this conference committee, or it's going to come out of there," Clyburn said, referring to the supplemental appropriations bill. "I'm very confident that we're going to get the money."

S.C. Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he feels the earliest the budget could be finalized would be the fourth week in June - to account for the actual passage of the budget bill, any vetoes by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and the Legislature's response to the governor's vetoes.

He added that any relief funding related to the winter storm cleanup would make more sense to be passed in the state budget bill, noting that the surplus appropriations bill doesn't necessarily need to be passed this year since it's surplus revenue.

Lawmakers will return to the Statehouse for a special, three-day session June 16, but their work is limited to the state budget and bills that have already passed both chambers.

The relief funding is of particular importance to Aiken County, which spent a total of about $33.2 million to pick up more than 1 million cubic yards of debris and enact recovery and emergency services following the aftermath of a winter storm known as Pax that hit in February 2014.

The City of Aiken also spent about $2 million on cleanup efforts.

Aiken County would be set to gain about $1.6 million, the City of Aiken about $100,000, and North Augusta roughly $38,000 if the Senate's version of the budget is moved forward.

The amount of funding appropriated by the state has been one of the centerpieces of the debate concerning Aiken County Council's 2015-16 budget.

Council member Chuck Smith indicated Tuesday at a budget work session that the nonrecurring $1.6 million the County expected to receive from the state for reimbursement could help offset the County's expected $3 million deficit in the County's budget.

This deficit has prompted Council to explore ways to increase revenue, including a possible millage rate hike, which could increase property taxes for county residents.

Michael Ulmer is a North Augusta native and the opinions editor for the Aiken Standard.

Redirect money

We don't have to raise taxes to fix the infrastructure, we just need to redirect the wasted money that's being spent on idiotic things.

Gas prices

The price of gas has been increasing for a month.

Memorial Day

What would you think of a church that, on Memorial Day, there is no mention of veterans whatsoever. We should speak about the veterans who gave their lives so we can worship in any church that we want to. It's hard to believe, but it's happening now.

Lindsey Graham

I saw Lindsey Graham wants to be president. I didn't even want him to be senator.

Sen. Lindsey Graham can't become president. He's got to stay a senator and die in office like Strom Thurmond did.

Hospitality tax

The hospitality tax began June 1. Do you think it's a coincidence that all of these restaurants are closing down on Laurens Street?

Aiken festival

Did everyone enjoy the "Aiken stand in a line" festival Friday night? Good idea, great music, first time - just needs a little revision.

Tax situation

If you are upset with the current tax situation, you have no one to blame but yourself. You elected people to the council who are transplants from New York, New Jersey and other Northern states where it's normal to have higher taxes. Re-elect them next time, and you'll get more tax increases.

Median woes

The medians in the City of Aiken are awful. They look like they've been neglected for 15 years and have become overgrown. If nothing else, City Council needs to get out there with their pruning shears; they should have a council meeting out there while they're at it. That would be a unique thing for the City Council to do since they can't seem to handle the other business of the City.

Road conditions

I am just crossing the Savannah River from Georgia back into Aiken County. It's amazing that the road was so smooth until I crossed over into South Carolina. Are we going to fix the roads or what?

Business closing

Another business is closing in downtown Aiken. Us regular people should wake up and realize what's going on.

Perfect attendance runs in Alexis Norris' family.

The Midland Valley High School senior, who graduated Thursday, is the second of her siblings never to miss a day of school while attending Jefferson Elementary, Langley-Bath-Clearwater Middle and Midland Valley High. Norris now shares a perfect attendance record with her 21-year-old sister, Jordan, a recent Aiken Technical College graduate.

She is the only student among this year's graduating seniors in the Aiken County Public School District with a perfect attendance record. At 180 school days each year from kindergarten to 12th grade, that's more than 2,300 days without a single absence.

"We don't really get sick," Norris said.

Clearly, general wellness runs in the Norris family as does luck. Typical ailments - strep throat or a one and only bout of stomach virus - that cause students to miss the occasional day of school happened to Alexis and her sister during the summer.

However, there's more to never missing a day of school than luck. It also takes determination, especially with Norris' busy schedule.

Norris, who graduated with honors on the A/B Honor Roll, took Advanced Placement classes and completed five majors, a first for Midland Valley. She also was captain of the varsity cheerleaders, the homecoming queen, a competitive dancer, a member of the BETA Club and a buddy to a special needs student.

"Sometimes, like after a dance competition, I'm super, super tired, but I come to school anyway because I don't like getting behind in my work and I really enjoy learning," she said. "I like being with my friends every day, and Midland Valley is a comfortable place to be. I know I'm a little biased, but it's the best high school in Aiken County."

She will attend college in the fall, along with her twin brother, Jagger, who, because of surgery in elementary school, missed his sisters' perfect attendance records by just three days.

The annual Juilliard in Aiken Performing Arts Festival and Outreach Program is undergoing some changes - including its name.

The festival, which began in 2009 and demonstrates the relationship between The Juilliard School and Aiken, will be now known as Joye in Aiken.

This name change "honors Joye Cottage, which has played such a central role in our history," said Dr. Sandra Field, festival co-founder and newly re-elected president.

At the same time, this change allows for the festival "to invite world-class artists to Aiken who may not be students or alumni of the school," said Steve Naifeh, board of trustees chairman, in a press release.

Elizabeth Joy Roe, of the Anderson and Roe piano duo, a festival regular, also has been named the festival curator for the 2015-16 season.

Her new role requires her to "establish the overall plan for the festival," according to a press release. "Roe brings a wealth of experience to the festival and outreach program. An internationally successful musician and a Juilliard alumna, she will be able to call on her contacts in the arts all over the world."

The festival is expected to run from March 5 to 12, 2016.

Under the 2016 theme "New Horizons," the festival is welcoming returning artists such as organist Paul Jacobs and Juilliard pre-college students, cellist Noah Lee and violinist Qing Yu Chen.

"As successful as the festival and outreach program continues to be, we're always working to make it even better," Field said in a press release.

A new website is being developed, but for the time being, more information can be found at www.juilliardinaiken.com.

Stephanie Turner graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012.

She then signed on with the Aiken Standard, where she is now the arts and entertainment reporter.

The Savannah River Site is expected to receive a liquid form of highly enriched uranium from Canada for processing next fiscal year, but a Canadian council is expected to release a motion denouncing the shipment due to safety and health concerns.

More than 6,000 gallons of highly-enriched uranium are expected to leave Ontario, Canada, and land at SRS. The material would travel, via railcar, across the Peace Bridge - an international bridge that connects the U.S. and Canada - through western New York, and down to South Carolina.

But Bill Hodgson, a former mayor in the Niagara area and a current regional counselor, presented a motion denouncing the transport that was passed by the public works committee of the Niagara Regional Council. The issue will now go to the full council next week.

"We disagree with the decision to transport the liquid material through truck and rail," Hodgson said. "We want a risk analysis so we can understand what could potentially happen and so the public can understand, as well."

The transaction between the two countries is part of an agreement between President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The two agreed to expand efforts to return the uranium materials stored at the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario to facilities in the United States.

The uranium would be reprocessed at the site's H Canyon, the nation's only hardened nuclear chemical-separations plant still in operation.

Concerns over the shipment of the liquid material have been voiced by U.S. environmentalists as well as congressmen. During a July hearing, Rep. Brian Higgins, R-N.Y., said the liquid form of the uranium is more radioactive and complicated to transfer.

"A major contamination in the Buffalo-Niagara region could potentially result, exacting dire consequences on the Great Lakes, the Niagara Power Project and greater Buffalo-Niagara population," Higgins said.

Higgins also requested an analysis of the transfer.

"A plan that carries this level of risk should not be done without a thorough review," he said.

If the Canadian group approves the motion, it would then be passed on to federal government bodies in both states.

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.

These are the bookings recorded for the Barnwell County Detention Center for May 28 through June 3. 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.

Andrew Cecil Creech, 20 — malicious injury to personal property

Shelton Shannard Hammonds, 41 — malicious injury to property, burglary second degree two counts

Fabian Lofton, 26 — disorderly conduct

Bennie Lamont Wiggins III, 40 — fraudulent check

George Terry Bowen Jr., 39 — driving under suspension, open container of beer or wine, driving under the influence

Jaqvan Quindrel Mingo, 20 — general sessions court bench warrant

Corey Dale Thornton, 22 — larceny - purse snatching two counts

Rontay Antwan Caldwell, 32 — driving under suspension third degree

Dwayne R. Clark, 31 — driving under the influence, open container of beer or wine

Anthony Felder, 57 — disorderly conduct

Wiley Jefferson Kneece III, 33 — magistrate court bench warrant, possession of drug paraphernalia, giving false information, burglary second degree, petit larceny

Lateefah Robertson, 31 — public disorderly conduct

Ashlyn Brook Soles, 20 — hold for Orangeburg

Myrtis Boatwright, 49 — assault and battery third degree

Ricky Creech, 43 — public drunk

Evelyn Priester, 53 — simple assault and battery third degree

Jeffrey Wayne Taylor, 27 — petit larceny, possession of drug paraphernalia

Danny Lee Wall, 31 — driving under suspension

Kenny Abney Jr., 29 — family court common

Dennis Demetress Berry, 37 — family court bench warrant

Ruben Diaz Calva, 24 — no South Carolina driver's license

Anthony Felder, 57 — disorderly conduct

Michael Hammond, 59 — public disorderly conduct

Ronnie Livingston, 47 — family court common

Frank Owens Jr., 32 — criminal domestic violence, family court bench warrant

Jonathan Smalls, 30 — family court common law

Johnathan Bryce Beach, 20 — strong armed robbery, attempted armed robbery

Larry Dennis Craddock Jr., 20 — attempted armed robbery, attempted strong arm robbery

Christopher Mendez Johnson, 40 — failure to appear

Sandra Lee Wood, 49 — failure to appear family court

Arthur Julius Kelly, 68 — disorderly conduct

An Aiken man is facing drug charges after Aiken Department of Public Safety officers responded to a disturbance call Tuesday afternoon.

Orlando Hatcher, 33, was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana within a half-mile of a school or park, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine within a half-mile of a school or park after officers responded to Columbia Avenue at 2:15 p.m.

Officers arrived on scene and saw Hatcher fighting with a female on the side of the road by a blue Honda, police said.

Hatcher fled on foot when officers confronted him, but officers found him hiding in the woods nearby, according to reports.

Officers searched Hatcher and found three baggies of white powder believed to be cocaine, three baggies of a green, leafy substance believed to be marijuana, one box of Great Value sandwich bags, a scale weight and $572. Hatcher was transported to the Aiken County detention center where he remained Thursday morning.

A North Augusta man learned his fate last week as he was sentenced to prison in a federal child exploitation case.

Russell Benjamin, 46, was sentenced to 90 months in prison and 25 years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender.

Benjamin was sentenced by United States Southern Georgia District Judge J. Randal Hall, according to a press release.

Benjamin was charged with interstate travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual misconduct in April 2014 during a child porn sting arrest conducted by local law enforcement and the FBI's Cyber Crime/Child Exploitation Task Force. Benjamin pleaded guilty to posting a Craigslist ad that stated he was looking for "a daddy's girl," according to reports.

Law enforcement responded to the ad in an undercover mission, and Benjamin eventually traveled from Aiken County to Richmond County, Georgia, to meet what he thought was a teenage female.

In October 2014, Benjamin was set to appear in court to plead guilty when he removed his GPS ankle-monitor from his leg and fled his home, according to reports.

Authorities found Benjamin in the Graniteville area, which prompted Byrd Elementary School to go on a soft lockdown, according to past Aiken Standard reports.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office assisted in the search, and turned Benjamin over to federal authorities after he was detained in Graniteville by officers.

Hall credited his sentence decision to Benjamin's attempted escape and failure to appear just before his scheduled hearing, according to reports.

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