A Northside recreation park is one step closer to coming to fruition in the City of Aiken.

On Monday, the Aiken City Council will vote whether to authorize the purchase of roughly 118 acres for the proposed Northside recreation park.

The 7 p.m. meeting is open to the public and will be held in the Municipal Building's Council Chambers, 214 Park Ave.

For several years, City officials have discussed expanding recreational opportunities to residents on Aiken's Northside. The Northside park would be an addition to the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center and Citizens Park.

The City has more than $4 million under two rounds of Capital Project Sales Tax to both purchase land and build a Northside recreation center.

Glenn Parker, the City's Capital Project Sales Tax manager, has been working with a real estate agent to find a property appropriate for the park's development.

Several properties on Aiken's Northside were reviewed by Council; but, ultimately, staff recommended the purchase of approximately 118.35 acres off Columbia Highway/U.S. 1 North.

According to the agenda, a site feasibility study has been developed on the recommended property; and once the land is purchased, the next step would be to determine the estimated cost for the park's development.

The City, at one time, thought about putting the proposed park on top of a former landfill. But that idea was quickly squashed by City Council members who were concerned about putting a center on a location without knowing the full environmental impacts.

In other business, Council will vote on second reading whether to approve the fiscal year 2015-16 budget and the budget's millage, or property tax rate, at 62 mills.

City officials also will discuss how the City's adopted 1 percent hospitality tax will be implemented, after the tax went into effect June 1.

The hospitality tax is a tax on the gross proceeds from the sale of prepared meals, food and beverages, which includes meals prepared in restaurants, fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and nursing homes.

City officials estimate more than 50 percent of this tax will be paid by people who live outside the City limits, bringing at least $1.2 million per year into the City.

Annually, City officials plan to present a report of projected revenues and a proposed spending plan, and monthly, a report of how much hospitality tax funds have come into the City.

"We will provide you with a monthly report of hospitality tax revenues and expenditures," City Manager John Klimm stated in the agenda. "Once the receipts are properly accounted by our Finance Department, we will issue reports with the second meeting agenda packet each month."

In other business, Council will meet in a 6:15 p.m. executive session in room 204, regarding a "receipt of legal advice related to a pending claim."

Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.

The 41st annual Hopelands Gardens summer concert series continues Monday with a performance by the Kelley family, also known as The Band Kelley.

The free concert, held by the City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department, will last around an hour in Hopelands Gardens, 135 Dupree Place. The performance is sponsored by the Aiken Bluegrass Festival and starts at 7 p.m.

The Band Kelley, made up of siblings Daniel, Victoria, Bethany and Timothy, blend together musical genres of bluegrass, country and gospel.

Timothy, the band leader, taught each of his siblings how to fiddle when they were 4; down the road, those lessons led to a now multi-award-winning traveling band.

From Appling, Georgia, the Kelleys are Southern born and raised, "where hospitality, love for God, family and country is a way of life and evident in the songs they write and play," according to the group's website.

The band's first self-titled debut album was just released in May, and is now available on iTunes, Amazon and digital download.

For more information about The Band Kelley, visit www.thebandkelley.com.

Alcohol and wine are prohibited on the grounds of Hopelands Gardens, and pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Those in attendance can bring a lawn chair or blanket, and picnic dinners are permitted.

Public parking will be available at the Green Boundary Club, 780 Whiskey Road, across from Hopelands Gardens. Handicapped parking also is available at the Hopelands Gardens parking lot, 135 Dupree Place, and at The Rye Patch, 100 Berrie Road.

In the event of inclement weather, the concerts will be moved to Gym 2 in the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road.

For more information if there is a threat of rain the night of the concert, call the City Parks, Recreation and Tourism rain-out hotline at 803-643-4661. If accommodations for people with disabilities are needed, call 803-642-7631 no less than 72 hours in advance.

For more information, call 803-642-7631 or visit www.facebook.com/Experience Aiken.

Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard.

Aiken High graduates Devantae Gaiters and Antwan Bryant got into a "fight" early Saturday morning - not that inflatable boxing gloves could do any damage.

They had received their diplomas at a commencement program Friday morning. Without any formal plans that night, Gaiters and Bryant decided to try out the annual, all-night Project Graduation party. They agreed they made the right decision.

For nearly 20 years, volunteers have organized the event to attract Aiken and South Aiken High School seniors to have fun in a way that is alcohol-free and can keep them safe and off the highway.

The students had their choice of competitive inflatables, as well a casino with card games and a roulette wheel with lots of fake money. They also could enjoy lots of food and a Zumba marathon later in the night. About 250 students participated this year - about 40 percent of the graduates from both schools.

Two other Aiken High graduates, Madison Sutton and Alisha Smith, heard about Project Graduation during a school assembly.

"We thought we could do this and have one last hurrah," Sutton said.

The program's roots began in 1995, when Aiken resident Becky Lock lost her son, David, in a traffic accident. That led her to establish Project Graduation. Since moving to Beaufort, she has returned at times to visit a program far larger than the early years.

In a previous interview, Lock said, "I'm overwhelmed and so appreciative of how Aiken has supported Project Vision. I get teary about it."

Bethanne Farrell and Lodonna Jantzen coordinate the overall program. Farrell got involved when her oldest daughter, Caryn Farrell Butler, was in high school.

Caryn and her sisters, Courtney and Shannon, have graduated, but all three former South Aiken students joined their mother as volunteers.

Caryn, a 2009 graduate, still enjoys the event, remembering her own experiences as a senior. Still, it's startling for her to see a lot of seniors she used to know as little kids.

Sherri Thomas spent about 60 hours at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center before the event, coordinating all the extensive decorations set up for the students.

UPS is a sponsor and provided a number of employees to help collect the reused decorations and put them up. Aiken Sunrise Rotarians were joined by City of Aiken staffers and Aiken Sertoma Club members to help, as well.

Rotarian Det Haislip has worked with Project Graduation since its start. He and other volunteers helped take the decorations to a storage facility, where they'll stay for another year.

"It's been my pet project with Rotary," Haislip said. "It's a worthwhile thing, helping keep the kids safe."

NORTH AUGUSTA - Alison Nelson was on the verge of running out of bibs for the runners.

Nelson, the communications director for the Run for the Hills 5K Trail Run/Walk, said the turnout for the race was at capacity - of the 120 or so bibs they had, each had been spoken for. Runners gathered at the starting line, ranging in age, skill and even technology, with some running with a GoPro camera.

All of them were there to take part in the run, which showcased a piece of the 262-acre Greystone Preserve, located off Martintown Road.

"We wanted to showcase this to the public," Nelson said. "This is actually our first time doing so. This is a preserve, so there are rare, endangered flowers on this property. We wanted people to be able to see the beauty of this property, and running seems to be a good way to get people out on it and to view it."

The preserve is a part of a local nonprofit, the Central Savannah River Land Trust. The land was donated by the Knox family, and is home to relict trillium, a flower under the threat of extinction. Runners and walkers alike were able to see the beautiful backdrop as they headed into the woods as part of the event.

Not only was the event a success from participants, but Nelson also had plenty of help.

"We had so much support from Fort (Gordon) and the personal volunteers who reached out," she said. "For them to support this, and to support myself - it has been awesome. For people to understand what the land trust is all about, I couldn't be happier. That was our goal - to get the word out and show people a little bit of what we do."

All proceeds from the event go to preserving more lands around the CSRA such as Greystone.

For more information, visit www.csrlt.org.

When Dr. Maggie Riedell arrived at USC Aiken's School of Education in 1986, she brought a passion for reading and literacy - teaching college students how to bring that excitement to their future classrooms.

Riedell, 65, died Thursday after battling health issues for the past decade. Her 20 years at the university included service as the School of Education dean.

Her devotion to her craft accomplished her goal many times over. Her former students are quick to describe her contributions to their careers.

Five years ago, the School of Education established an annual 5K Riedell Run. Friends and colleagues were inspired to establish the Margaret Riedell Children's Literature Scholarship. The funds are awarded in part to a deserving education major each year.

In one of the early races, Byrd Elementary School teacher Andrea Rexroad participated in the event. She is one of Riedell's former students.

"She is an amazing person and teacher," Rexroad said then. "Everybody loved her class, and a lot of the group work I'm doing in third grade came from things we did with her."

In an interview several years ago, Riedell described how much she enjoyed working with student teachers. She said they kept her young and gave her the opportunity to see their growth.

Riedell chose to leave the dean's position in 2001 so she could return full-time to the classroom. Diagnosed with cancer four years later, she underwent brain surgery and lost motor skills on the right side of her body.

"It's so ironic," she said in 2010. "When I had my brain injury, I lost the ability to read. But it was insightful too. It was like being a child all over again and going through the reading process."

Through hard work, she did learn to read again. Remarkably, she read as many as 100 books in the past year on a wide range of topics, said USCA Professor Dr. Allen Dennis, a close friend of Riedell and her husband, Jim Yates.

"Maggie was a gentle, gracious, caring person," Dennis said. "She was a great school dean and was very committed to the development of new faculty."

Actually, Riedell was reading about 140 books every year, Yates said - often reading simultaneously a paperback, another on her Kindle and a third as an audiobook.

He said he has long been grateful for all the warmth so many people returned to her in admiration of her professionalism and her generous spirit.

"That was Maggie," Yates said, "her natural state of affairs. People were drawn to her."

Dr. Jeff Priest, currently USCA's executive chancellor for academic affairs, succeeded Riedell as the School of Education dean in 2001.

"She had a huge impact on a lot of our students," Priest said Friday. "During that time, she was advocate for them, making sure they were the very best teachers."

Senior writer Rob Novit is the Aiken Standard's education reporter and has been with the newspaper since 2001.

CENTRAL — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., didn't shy away from his humble beginnings during Monday's presidential announcement when he said grew up in a liquor store.

Richard Perry, Graham's chief-of-staff, can relate.

Perry grew up in a liquor store - owned by his father, Skipper Perry - on Park Avenue in Aiken, right across from the courthouse.

"I guess Lindsey likes people who grew up in liquor stores," Perry said, laughing.

Born in an Augusta hospital, Perry was raised in Aiken and attended the former Eustis Park Elementary, St. Mary's Catholic School and Aiken High.

After graduating high school, he attended the University of Virginia; from there, he spent two years traveling the world. After his return, Perry was in need of a job and Graham needed someone from Aiken on his team to help him get elected to the U.S. House.

"Aiken's like a second home to (Graham), and he knew the way to Congress was through Aiken when he ran back in 1994," Perry said. "So he invited me to work on his campaign; and when he won, he said, 'We won. Let's go to Washington.'"

Perry started out writing letters and answering phone calls, and he eventually moved up to become Graham's chief-of-staff. He has been with Graham through his transition to the Senate in 2002. Now, Perry is helping lead the charge on Graham's presidential campaign.

Thinking back to Graham's days in the House when he represented Aiken, North Augusta and surrounding areas, Perry said he stayed with him because Graham has the nerve to say what he means.

He also has been impressed with Graham's humility, including his decision to announce his 2016 presidential candidacy in his hometown of Central.

"There was talk about doing it in Columbia. But Central is where he was raised, and Central is where his home is, and so Central is where (it was) going to be," Perry said.

Moving forward, Perry said the campaign strategy is to perform well in New Hampshire and Iowa, and try to finish in the top five in both states. From there, Graham hopes to secure a convincing win in his home state.

If those pieces fall into place, "it's off to the races," Perry said.

"But (Graham) will not compromise his values or positions just because he's in the presidential race," Perry said. "He's taken very unpopular positions on very important issues, and he knows they may not serve well in the primary. But he's true to his beliefs, and that takes a lot of courage."

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.

An Edgefield man is dead after a shooting on Morange Street in Edgefield County.

Edgefield County Coroner David Burnett confirmed that Leric Merriweather, 29, died last night after he was shot in the chest. Merriweather died at 9:39 p.m. at the Edgefield County Hospital, police said.

Another victim was injured, and that victim's condition is unknown, according to Burnett.

According to Edgefield County Sheriff's deputies, the suspect, Montreal Troutman, 35, of Edgefield, turned himself into police after fleeing the scene.

Two professional golfers who live in Aiken are taking a swing at the Sport of Kings.

Kevin Kisner and Scott Brown, who both play on the PGA Tour, are among the partners in a 2-year-old Thoroughbred named Hiyo.

The chestnut colt is being prepared for racing by trainer Cary Frommer at the Aiken Training Track.

"He's a big, strapping, good-looking horse, and he is still growing," Frommer said of Hiyo. "He's got a lot of maturing to do, but he's done everything we've asked of him very easily and nicely."

The Club Racing LLC put together the group of about 20 people who own Hiyo.

"He is a really attractive horse, and he's doing really well," said Sean Feld, a Kentucky bloodstock agent who is one of The Club Racing's managers.

Kisner's friendship with Willie and Katy Harnett led to him becoming a partner in Hiyo.

"They are our neighbors, and they were getting involved," Kisner said. "My wife (Brittany) and I hang out with them when I'm home."

Hiyo was a weanling at the time and one of several horses in a pinhooking partnership put together by Feld, who bought the colt at the 2013 Keeneland November breeding stock sale in Kentucky for $7,000.

"We put him in the (2014) Keeneland September yearling sale and set a reserve, but he didn't reach it, so we bought him back," Feld said. "Then The Club Racing purchased him from the pinhooking group for $18,000 and started syndicating him to race."

Kisner decided he wanted to be part of that venture as well.

"It's been cool to have him in Aiken and be able take my daughter, Kate, to see him," Kisner said. "We've watched him breeze, and it's been a cool experience. She'll be a year old Tuesday (June 9). I just stand there and let her point at him. I'm not well versed in racing, but I've been to steeplechases and been around horses because I'm from Aiken. I let my friend Katy (Hartnett) explain it to me."

Hiyo is scheduled to leave Aiken soon and go to trainer Mark Hennig in New York. Kisner is looking forward to seeing the colt race.

"It's going to be the best part of the whole deal," Kisner said. "I heard one of the riders say the other day that he is starting to wake up. If I hit a home run with him, I guess I'll have to keep doing stuff like this as long as it's not financially painful."

Brown didn't become a partner in Hiyo until early this year.

"I got into it because my daughter, Elly, who is 3, loves horses," he said. "It was a way for me to get her close to a horse. She and my wife travel with me, but when we're home, Britney will take our golf cart and they'll go see him (Hiyo) and feed him carrots. I haven't been to see him as much as they have."

Frommer, meanwhile, is becoming more interested in golf.

"I've met them (Kisner and Brown) both, and they couldn't be nicer," she said. "I wouldn't say that I'm an avid golf fan yet, but I love any sport at the top level. When they're playing, it's more interesting because I have somebody to root for."

Other local residents who are partners in Hiyo are Rick Hartnett, Alice Knowles, Jason Rabun, Kendall Wheeler and Chad Ingram.

An Aiken woman was arrested and charged with assaulting her husband and destroying parts of their home Monday.

India Maxey, 28, was charged with domestic violence after Aiken Department of Public Safety officers responded to a call on Palm Drive.

Officers spoke with the husband who told them Maxey was angry with him and assaulted him numerous times, police said.

The incident started when an unidentified male FaceTimed Maxey's cellphone, making her husband upset, according to reports.

During the argument, the husband hid Maxey's prescription medication because he thought she abused the prescription, according to reports.

He stated Maxey became violent and starting slapping and scratching him and destroying parts of their home, police said.

The husband attempted to leave the residence on his motorcycle when Maxey drove her car into the bike causing it to fall under the vehicle, police said.

Officers located Maxey who told officers she had been slapped in the face, but officers observed no sign of injuries, according to the report.

Maxey was transported to the Aiken County detention center where she remained Tuesday morning.

Police: Aiken woman assaults husband, destroys property

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House briefing room was briefly evacuated Tuesday after a bomb threat was called into police, the Secret Service said.

Secret Service officers interrupted a live, televised press briefing with White House press secretary Josh Earnest and evacuated the James S. Brady Briefing Room shortly after 2 p.m.

Roughly 20 minutes after being evacuated, journalists were allowed back into the White House. Uniformed Secret Service officers on the scene said an all-clear had been issued.

In a statement, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said a "telephonic bomb threat concerning the White House Briefing Room was called into the Metropolitan Police Department."

As a precaution, he said, the White House Press Briefing Room was evacuated. The evacuation was limited to the White House Press Briefing Room and did not affect any other sections of the White House.

About 15 minutes after the evacuation, Earnest wrote on Twitter that the briefing would resume shortly after the briefing room was cleared. "Hopefully won't be long," he wrote.

Although parts of the White House have been evacuated before, including after a fence-jumper made it inside the White House last year, this was the first time that an evacuation occurred during a televised press briefing.

Many television networks have permanent cameras installed in the briefing room. Journalists from some of those networks said that following the evacuation, the cameras were pointed up to the ceiling such that the briefing room was no longer visible.

The National Weather Service in Columbia has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Aiken County until 4:45 p.m.

A line of storms were spotted on the radar extending from Clearwater to Jackson and is moving northeast about 15 miles per hour. These storms are capable of producing quarter-sized hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 miles per hour, according to NWS.

Severe weather conditions can be reported to NWS by emailing caewx@NOAA.GOV.

S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley said she remembers 2008 - when small businesses were hurting, the economy had taken a huge slump, and there was no construction in the state.

Now, seven years later, South Carolina is one of the fastest-growing economies in the country, she told attendees of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce's Business Power Lunch on Tuesday.

She said unemployment has dropped at rapid rates, and the state was named the friendliest state, as well as the most patriotic state in the country.

A combination of those things has made South Carolina the No. 2 state in the country people are moving to, Haley said.

"We don't relax, we don't celebrate, because now we have to work twice as hard to make sure we can keep it up," she said. "Every other state is on our heels. They want what we've got, and they're going to fight for it."

One issue that Haley has focused heavily on is education reform. She said education has been at the bottom of the totem pole for a long time, especially in rural areas.

Haley told the audience that when she went to her hometown of Bamberg to speak, the school didn't have equipment on which she could show video.

"That's immoral," she said. "We funded education based on grade - seniors got more than third-graders. We changed the way we do education. Now, we will fund education based on poverty. ... This is the second year of education reform - we have doubled down on our reading budgets and technology. We have continued a focus on tablets and instruction. Then, we said we have to focus on those areas that don't get seen - the rural areas of South Carolina."

Haley said many rural areas aren't able to keep teachers. One way to keep them, pending a passing of the budget, is through teacher recruitment, she said.

Students graduating high school can have their tuition paid for if they commit to teaching in a rural area for six to eight years, she said. Recent college graduates can have their student loans paid if they commit to the same time frame in a rural area; and, if a teacher wants to move, the state will pay for his or her master's degree and give a pay bump to satisfy living in a rural area, she said. All of the reform, Haley said, has been done without raising taxes.

Haley said this session was "one of the hardest working, most frustrating" ones she had seen. In particular, she focused on lawmakers not passing a budget.

"There is no reason they should not finish June 30," she said. "This is going to be the second time in 25 or 30 years that they haven't passed a budget. It's another growing trend of a problem we've got in Columbia. The mentality is all off."

According to the Aiken County Sheriff's Office:

A Bath woman reported Monday she let a man borrow her vehicle on Railroad Street to run errands. The man never returned it.

An Aiken woman reported Tuesday her home on Baldwin Road had been broken into and items were missing.

A Beech Island woman reported Monday bikes had been stolen from her yard on Audey Drive.

Police responded Monday to a business on Country Living Road where the owner reported a utility trailer had been stolen.

A Graniteville man reported Monday items were stolen from his work truck on Whaley Pond Road.

An Aiken man reported Monday items stolen from his business on Charleston Highway.

According to Aiken Department of Public Safety:

A woman reported Monday her mother threatened to harm her after the victim had her baby.

A woman reported Monday her vehicle parked on Atlas Drive was missing its license plate.

A woman reported Monday her car on Medical Park Drive had been damaged and her vehicle tag was missing.

EDGEFIELD — Helene Fitch and Dave Engelman, the stars of Edgefield County Theatre Company's February "Marriage is Murder" play, are moving backstage for the theater's upcoming "Deathtrap: A Thriller in Two Acts."

Directed by Engelman, the Ira Levin drama will open at 8 p.m. Friday and run June 19 and 20, and at 3 p.m. Sunday and June 21 at the Joanne T. Rainsford Discovery Center, Discovery Center, 405 Main St., Edgefield.

Tickets are $18. In the show, Broadway thriller playwright Sidney Bruhl (Bob Fitch) hasn't written a successful play in many years and is determined to do whatever it takes to create that one, sure-fire show, when a very promising script lands right on his doorstep.

Helene Fitch, who also directed "Murder," is Engelman's assistant director.

For more information, call 803-336-8726 or visit www.edgefieldcountytheatre.org.

Stephanie Turner graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012. She then signed on with the Aiken Standard. the arts and entertainment reporter.

These are the bookings recorded for the Doris C. Gravat Detention Center for June 8, 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.

Ricardo Gil Amador — no driver's license, hold for Immigration Customs Enforcement

Jacqueline Elaine Mims, 46 — simple assault

Marguerite Delores Ross, 58 — assault and battery third degree, disorderly conduct/gross intoxication

Yolanda Catina Taylor, 41 — disorderly conduct/gross intoxication

Jamie Allen Curtis, 29 — manufacture, distribution etc. of cocaine base first offense, entering premises after warning or refusing to leave upon request

Diana Carter, 57 — disorderly conduct/gross intoxication

Bobby Eugene Strickland, 55 — malicious injury to animals or property two counts

Kyana Sharee Adams, 20 — shoplifting bench warrant

Juanita Lorraine Stokes, 28 — shoplifting bench warrant, driving under suspension bench warrant

Gena Marie Ellis, 29 — fraudulent check or stop payment $500 or less first offense

India Larnea Maxey, 28 — criminal domestic violence second degree

Anthony Tashawn Perry, 30 — burglary second degree, South Carolina Department of Corrections maxout date 4/3/19

Karen James, 31 — criminal domestic violence third degree

Kaelin Avente Kearse, 20 — criminal domestic violence commitment

Jamaris Tyvaughn Coleman, 22 — hold for Richland County

Johnnie Williams Jr., 36 — failure to appear general sessions court bench warrant three counts

Nathan Wayne Tyler, 27 — assault and battery first degree sentenced

Phillip Devon Leach, 30 — pointing and presenting firearms at a person, assault and battery second degree

Charles Lee Welcher Jr., 47 — failure to appear general sessions court bench warrant two counts

Byron Earl Wright Jr., 29 — indecent exposure

Joseph W. Rodgers, 36 — unlawful carrying of a pistol commitment, possession of other controlled substance commitment

Tyler Zane Castricone, 19 — burglary (non-violent) second degree

Anthony Cedric Pope, 51 — criminal domestic violence third degree

An increase to downtown Aiken's building height limit will go to City Council for a vote.

On Tuesday, the Aiken Planning Commission voted 6-to-1 to recommended increasing the height limit to 75 feet, with Kent Cubbage voting in opposition.

City officials started the conversation over whether to increase the downtown building height limit earlier this year, after local hotel owner Neel Shah presented his proposal to gut and revitalize Hotel Aiken on Richland Avenue. The City of Aiken has used its current height limit rule since the 1970s that no building be constructed higher than about 50 feet.

But Shah, who was in attendance Tuesday, plans to build a six-floor addition adjacent to Hotel Aiken, meaning downtown Aiken's height limit must be increased. That addition will include queen- and king-size rooms, a dining area and a possible exercise room on the bottom floor.

Four residents, two in person and two through letters, spoke against increasing the height limit. Aiken resident Randy Wolcott, also a member of the Hitchcock Woods Foundation's board of trustees, spoke in opposition to changing the building height limit as it would "change the character of this town."

"I've lived here for 25 years, I love this town, I love the history and the tradition of this town and the work that's been done to keep the downtown a wonderful place to be," he said. " ... I think it's a mistake to increase the height over the tree height."

In the work session, Commission Chair Liz Stewart acknowledged that increasing the building height in downtown Aiken has its "pros and cons," but asked the Commission to focus on finding a balance for Aiken by maintaining downtown's "ambiance" and making sure the downtown is both resident and business-friendly.

In other business, the Planning Commission:

- Unanimously recommended a request to rezone 1139 York St. from industrial to general business. The request is for a proposed Waffle House restaurant to be located to the right of McDonald's in the former auto sales lot.

- Voted 6-to-1 not to recommend to City Council to request sharrows, or shared lane markings, for vehicles and bicyclists on a portion of Silver Bluff Road. Commission member Susan DeBruhl was the only vote in favor of the markings.

- The Aiken County Urbanized Area Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, an advisory committee to the South Carolina subcommittee of the Augusta Regional Transportation Study, asked for the markings to be installed on both travel lanes of Silver Bluff Road between Richardsons Lake Road and Indian Creek Trail.

All recommendations will go to City Council for the first of two votes 7 p.m., Monday, June 22.

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.

Aiken County Council tabled their second vote on the 2015-16 budget Tuesday night, leaving the County without a complete budget with three weeks until the next fiscal year begins on July 1.

The $62.7 million budget has already been mulled through several times in budget work sessions, but on Tuesday, Council members solicited comments from the public and proposed even more cuts to the budget's general fund, so as to avoid raising property taxes.

Only two residents stood to speak out against raising property taxes in the County; that included former County Council member Gary Bunker, who said he applauds Council's efforts to avoid a millage increase.

Although it appears unlikely Council will have a majority to favor a millage rate increase, officials are proposing a 2.4 millage rate increase to 72.3 mills from the current 69.9 mills, hoping to both bring more revenue into the County and cover the County's roughly $3 million deficit from the 2014-15 budget.

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 home valued at $100,000; if approved, a homeowner would pay an additional $14.40 on a home valued at $150,000, officials said.

Council agreed last week to make cuts to several budget line items that included $400,000 out of the budget designated for the old Aiken County government complex and $100,000 toward the Aiken County Library for a ramp. Council also previously agreed to cut $25,000 out of a $100,000 budget line item designated for demolition costs. On Tuesday, Council members, with the exception of Chuck Smith and LaWana McKenzie, who was out sick, agreed to cut another $25,000 from the line item, leaving only $50,000 to demolish abandoned and vacant structures. Council did agree, however to put items back into the budget previously cut out, including $20,000 for vests for the Sheriff's Office.

Those cuts will come to nearly $2 million, but County Council member Kathy Rawls said she believes there is still more to be cut.

"I still think there's excess," she said. "What I see as unnecessary, someone else doesn't. When percentages are off, it perks my interest, maybe because I am a math teacher. But also when you see inefficiencies like in the Tax Collector's Office where you have people collecting delinquent taxes, I don't see why the treasurer can't complete all of them. ... Anybody can collect taxes, and you've got the same checks and balances that you do in the normal ones in the Treasurer's Office. I just think that department could be reduced by two, maybe three people."

Rawls also added she would not be in favor of a millage increase, "period."

The County is still waiting on word whether $1.6 million in disaster relief from the state's 2015-16 budget amendment will come their way, following the 2014 February ice storm, or Winter Storm Pax. That $1.6 million is now stalled in a conference committee after the S.C. House rejected the S.C. Senate's approved $7 billion budget that included an amendment to allocate $4.1 million in disaster relief to 22 counties.

County Administrator Clay Killian said Council is expected to hold the budget's second vote 7 p.m., Tuesday, but without a public hearing.

Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard.

The Aiken County School Board tentatively approved a $337,961 increase for the District's Technology Department in the 2015-16 budget at its regular meeting Tuesday.

With the recurring funds, the District will buy computer equipment to meet the state's mandate that all testing should be online in two years.

"This particular item is for technology for online testing," said Dr. Randy Stowe, the District's director for Administrative Services. "The state's expectation is that next year all of our tests have the option of going online and, in two years from now, virtually all of our statewide testing being online."

Currently, schools use computers in business labs and in libraries for online testing, displacing students for several days, Stowe said.

"At one high school, computers were unavailable to students unless they were training for the test or taking the test during the entire month of May," he said. "That's because of the number of tests and the number of students we have."

For taxpayers, online testing is less expensive than paper-and-pencil exams, Stowe said. For educators, online testing raises the level of the questions asked to a higher level.

Now, tests are almost always multiple choice, Stowe said, asking students only to recognize the correct answer.

With online testing, students can generate answers and manipulate data.

Two items, a human resources employee position to help with teacher recruiting and full-time attendance clerks for middle schools, the Board tentatively approved at a special called meeting June 2 brought the operations budget to $176.5 million and the overall budget to $270 million.

"We've been able to address most of our Level 1 priority items in this [budget] cycle and some Level 2 and 3 items as well," said Tray Traxler, the District's comptroller.

The Board will approve the final 2015-16 budget at its meeting June 23.

The Board also approved an additional $25 to be added to the $250 check the state has budgeted to each teacher for supplies, increasing the total to $275. The additional funding will cost the District approximately $41,000.

The state had increased the budget for teachers supplies to $275 a few years ago, but "the money was not in the state budget for next year," Traxler said.

The Board approved the same $25 increase for supplies in the 2014-15 budget.

An Aiken native, Larry Wood is a general assignment reporter.

Six rising fourth-graders and teacher Tracy Holsenback walked around Warrenville Elementary School on Tuesday - not so much as a tour, but as an exercise to map the school.

About 80 children so far are attending a six-week summer reading camp at four elementary schools in Aiken County - a program to improve their reading skills before they move on to fourth grade.

The kids clearly enjoyed the chance to explore the large, complicated school site - recording how any visitor could find the art room, the cafeteria, the outdoor playground and even a custodian's closet.

The project ties in with informational text - how real maps work and how students can use them to make connections with the real world around them.

That can include research on a state or perhaps the symbols representing Native Americans.

For three weeks, the children will focus on social studies and then switch to science books and materials after the Fourth of July.

Other reading camps are located at Jefferson Elementary School, Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary School and Busbee-Corbett Elementary School.

"Reading is my passion," said Breanne Creswell, the Aiken Elementary School reading coach and the lead teacher at the Warrenville site. "I want to help the children grow and become lifelong learners. ... This is an amazing opportunity for them."

Holsenback is a teacher of 4-year-olds at East Aiken School of the Arts. She wanted to get more experience in teaching outside her own instructional area, helping these students and her own move to the next grade.

In 2014, the S.C. General Assembly approved and funded a "Read to Succeed," initiative, said Jeanie Glover, the Aiken County School District's federal funds director.

"Our primary goal is to get kids reading on grade level by the end of their third-grade year," she said.

By 2017-18, however, children not yet proficient will be retained in the third grade, although with some limited exemptions.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure," Glover said.

That's why schools must introduce reading to 4-year-old kindergarten students and keep the process going as they get older, she said.

Glover is disappointed that more parents have yet to take advantage of the summer camp thus far. A total 150 children are signed up, but barely half have shown up, she said.

Glover does expect some could arrive later this week.

Those who don't make it will miss some field trips.

Teachers at all four schools will bring their children to North Augusta later this month to visit the Living History Park and the historic brickyard ruins.

Senior writer Rob Novit is the education reporter.

Editor's note: The Aiken Standard will continue updates on Aiken's road projects throughout the week. Today's article is about University Parkway. Thursday's edition will highlight Christee Place.

Proposed aesthetic and physical changes to University Parkway appear to have gained traction with S.C. Department of Transportation representatives, according to the City of Aiken's hired engineering firm.

That sentiment was shared by Rick Toole, of Augusta-based company Toole Engineering, during Aiken City Council's Monday meeting.

Toole shared updates with Council members and staff about the various road projects in which the City was currently engaged; assisting Toole were Glenn Parker, the City's Capital Projects Sales Tax manager, and George Grinton, the City's Engineering and Utilities Director.

Toole said staff met with SCDOT in May to review the University Parkway project.

He said the project was "well received" by SCDOT representatives, who asked the City to provide all environmental studies and plans on the parkway.

Several months ago, City officials shared plans to widen University Parkway from the intersection at Richland Avenue to the intersection at Robert M. Bell Parkway.

University Parkway now stands between a two-lane and three-lane roadway; some parts do widen to four lanes.

Improvements include widening the parkway to be more consistent with traffic to and from USC Aiken and Aiken Regional Medical Centers, which would include a five-lane section from Richland Avenue to Physicians Drive.

The road will then transition to a divided four-lane section to Medical Park Drive.

The remainder of the road to the Parkway would include a divided three-lane section, which includes the addition of sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

One of the more visible changes will occur at the entrance into the Trolley Run subdivision.

City officials are proposing to put a stoplight at the entrance of the large subdivision; and instead of drivers turning left or right to make their way to University Parkway, a road would be constructed at the light, allowing drivers a straight shot through to the area of USCA and Aiken Regional.

The City also is proposing that instead of a stoplight connecting Trolley Line Road and University Parkway, a roundabout be put in, alleviating traffic congestion.

Because of this construction, the road to the left of the Trolley Run subdivision would be removed, and instead allowed to be turned into green space. Most of that property is owned by USCA, who reportedly has plans to "beautify" the space.

In May, the subcommittee of the Augusta Regional Transportation Study approved amending the Transportation Improvement Program to include the proposed widening of University Parkway, by adding funding of $4.6 million provided by the state and $6 million provided by the City of Aiken and Aiken County.

Toole said SCDOT should be finished with its internal review likely by late July, and the City's next step is to follow up with SCDOT to review its comments.

Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter.