Aiken City Council will hold a special meeting and work session to consider the first reading of the 2016-17 budget, and to get the City's ducks in a row on how to proceed with Phase I of Northside Park.

Council will consider setting a new millage rate for 2016-17 and will consider the first of two votes on the 2016-17 budget in its special meeting.

According to City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Jessica Campbell, Council will decide on its final list of amenities to be included in the first phase of the park.

"We are in the process of moving forward the Northside Park Phase I design plans and we're currently conducting a traffic study for Phase I and build-out," she said.

Phase I of the park, proposed for 112 acres off Columbia Highway, includes infrastructure and site work, such as storm drainage, septic system, water lines and electrical service.

Proposed amenities include an amphitheater, walking trails, a large playground, large picnic pavilion with restrooms, two smaller picnic pavilions, a splash pad and a 4,000-seat football field, according to city documents.

The total project cost for Phase 1 of the park is estimated at $2.8 million.

The special meeting is scheduled to convene at 5 p.m. Monday in the City Council Chambers in the City Municipal Building, 214 Park Ave.

Council will also discuss the Eustis Park Senior/Youth Center in the post-meeting work session.

New amphitheater a first

The amphitheater is not included in Aiken's other park designs.

"The amphitheater will be a nice place for families to come and enjoy a movie, or a performance," said Council member Gail Diggs. "If we had the amphitheater in Northside Park, we could schedule something for almost every weekend of the year, at least once or twice a month for sure, and people would come."

Once Council returns what it wants included in Phase I, which should occur sometime over the summer, the design portion of Phase I should be completed in November or December of this year.

Campbell said the goal of the Monday night work session will be to finalize its Phase I wish list.

Once construction begins, Campbell said Phase I should be completed in six months.

Council member Lessie Price said Aiken needs a quality northside park.

"This is a good plan and it offers something for everybody," she said. "We need this park. Aiken needs this park. It could become a showcase facility for Aiken showing visitors what we have to offer on the northside."

The City could save a significant amount of money with Phase I by installing septic systems and wells instead of laying water and sewer pipe immediately throughout the park, Graham said.

"Well water would save on the $200,000 Phase I cost to provide piped water into the complex," he said.

In that scenario, it would cost about $50,000 to build expanded walking trails. The septic system to accommodate the three restrooms would cost about $10,000.

It would cost about $340,000 to run sewer pipes across the complex to attach to the lines in the back of the park.

Sidewalks desperately needed

Mayor Rick Osbon said one of the park's initial priorities would be to include sidewalks down Columbia Highway to the park. Presently, the sidewalks stop at Crosland Park.

The S.C. Department of Transportation determines road priorities according to tiers. Tier 1 is a top priority road while Tier 4 roads are lower priority.

"Columbia Highway is a DOT road and it would have to be integrated into the DOT program," Osbon said. "Initially the project would start as a Tier 4 program. We had to move to get the Dougherty Road Corridor upgraded from Tier 4 to Tier 2, so it's something we would have to present to the DOT."

Osbon said with the amphitheater included in Phase I, many visitors to the park would walk down Columbia Highway to the park from the northside neighborhoods.

"We need to provide a safe means for visitors to access the park," he said.

The next step for Council is to convene a workshop and decide what it wants for Phase I and return any design requests to CHS.

"We need to move forward with this," Diggs said. "It gets frustrating to have to wait so long for something we so desperately need."

Dan Brown is the city government reporter for the Aiken Standard.

Within 30 days, residents who use two unpaved roads in the Windsor area will know if portions of the roads will be permanently closed and abandoned, Aiken County Master in Equity Anderson Griffith said Tuesday.

Road abandonment cases typically take around a month, the judge said at a Tuesday hearing, but because of the public interest in the case, he said he could make a decision sooner.

The plaintiffs, Canadian River Farms Ltd., Colt Farms Inc., B C Farms Inc., now known as B C Farms of South Carolina Inc., and Outback Farms Ltd., have proposed portions of Old Bell Road and Oak Ridge Club Road to be closed and abandoned in a civil action filed in March.

They have petitioned that an approximately 2-mile long section of Oak Ridge Club and about a 1-mile section of Old Bell Road be abandoned by the court, attorney Mary Guynn said at the hearing. The roads are maintained by the county but are not county owned, according to court documents.

The farmers, Brandon and Truman Woody, who farm corn for Amick Farms in Monetta, said they are experiencing vandalism and motorists are speeding on the dirt roads along their property, which is around 1,900 acres.

Defendants in the case are Aiken County, the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Becky Gonshorowski.

Counsel for SCDOT was not present on Tuesday but in an April response to the action, the agency responded it lacks sufficient information either to admit or deny the allegations of the complaint. The agency later stated it does not "claim any interest in the subject road and interposes no objection to this road closure action."

Guynn said Tuesday that Gonshorowski is the only property owner along the roads proposed to be closed other than the plaintiffs and has consented to the closure. Gonshorowski was not present at the hearing.

Aiken County has responded saying it has no objection to the road closing. County Attorney Jim Holly made no objections to testimonies or evidence presented at Tuesday's hearing.

In road abandonment cases, notice of intention to file must be published once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in the county where the road, street or highway is situated, according to state law.

Notice also has to be sent by mail requiring a return receipt to all abutting property owners that would be affected by the change and pending road closure signs also must be put up, the law says.

Court records show these in the plaintiff's complaint.

Guynn called Brandon Woody and Tyler Stone, an independent contractor for the Woody family, to testify Tuesday. They answered in testimony that before the property was developed into a working farm, traffic was normal on the dirt roads with low visibility in some places.

Now that the property has been completely cleared and is a working farm, Stone said, the rates of speed have increased and, in his opinion, at an unsafe speed at times. He said he believes they have increased because of increased visibility.

"Even with the increased visibility, is the road any safer for fast traffic?" Guynn asked.

"No. It is not," Stone said.

The contractor said farm equipment uses the roads and travels at 1 to 2 mph. He said he's witnessed dangerous situations and Woody, a corn farmer who moved to the area from New Mexico, said during testimony he is concerned for his and his employees' safety.

During the testimony, Guynn introduced police reports and a series of pictures of reported vandalism at the property. The attorney also introduced police reports Woody and Stone said were from the vandalism and a reported arson at the property. In many of the incidences, Stone said they occurred by someone traveling on or off Oak Ridge Club Road. The plaintiffs said they have called the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and litter control on several occasions.

The judge also allowed interested parties to give testimony during the hearing. Three residents - Dr. Vicki Long, Michael Cave and Carolyn Barrett - spoke at the hearing.

Long and Barrett, both residents on Oak Ridge Club Road, said their primary concern was how emergency vehicles would be able to get to nearby residents. The alternate route would be U.S. 78.

Barrett said all fire calls are answered from the Windsor Fire Station. If Old Bell Road is left open, she said the fire department would travel 5.1 miles and if part of it was closed, vehicles would travel 7.5 miles.

Long, who has a doctorate in nursing and teaches at USC Aiken, said one thing about 911 access is that even though calls may come in for one station, they may be monitored and pushed onto another.

The Sheriff's Office also may be coming from any place in the County, which she said makes it unpredictable how 911 may enter to access the residents.

During cross-examination, Guynn pointed out the different speed limits on the road and the alternate route, which would be U.S. 78 to Cedar Branch Road.

Guynn said the alternate route is around 2.5 miles at 55 mph versus 2 miles at 40 mph, asking if Long had done the math to calculate the difference.

"No, I haven't, but I'm not an emergency vehicle and I can't say what speed an emergency vehicle drives at," Long said.

Cave said during testimony when he tries to drive to his home, there are tractor trailers, cement trucks and other equipment blocking him from accessing his property. He also said workers are also constantly working during the day and night. Barrett said following a rebuttal testimony, though she has yet to see a fire during the time the farm has been there, she has also not heard of a farming accident either.

The judge said typically, rulings are not made when evidence is brought before the court. When the court prepares a decision, there will be a written order for the parties, he said.

Christina Cleveland is the county government reporter at the Aiken Standard.

Follow her on Twitter @ChristinaNCleve.

NORTH AUGUSTA - Lt. Tim Thornton, of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, answered questions for more than an hour on May 27, ranging from calming fears about IRS phone call scams to clarifying body camera policies and regulations.

Thornton and members of the North Augusta Democratic Club met at Hammond Grove Baptist Church to openly discuss the roles of the North Augusta Department of Public Safety within the community.

A seasoned officer, Thornton has worked in the office of professional standards since 2012 after working for nearly 20 years in criminal investigations, and 5 years in uniform patrol before that. During the forum, he stressed his eagerness to do right by the people in the community.

"Every morning I go to work and try to do what I can to make North Augusta a better place to live," Thornton said.

Body cameras, he said, can help him and all other North Augusta officers achieve that goal. Acknowledging that the cameras could shed light on unfavorable actions by officers just as easily as the actions of a criminal, he said they were a great investment for the City of North Augusta.

"The few officers that are causing problems for us in uniform, they need to be weeded out. They need to be disciplined, taken care of and punished for what they're doing - there's no question about that," Thornton said. "The 99 officers out of 100 that wake up every morning and put their uniforms on and who are doing it right are having to work extra hard for that one officer who screws it up. That's not just in law enforcement - that's in school teaching, that's in the medical profession or any career. Our officers welcome (the cameras) because so many times they can be accused of saying or doing the wrong things. It's good to be able to play it back for both sides to see and being able to have someone else make that determination."

Many of the members at the meeting wanted to better understand if officers could access the body cam footage and how it goes about being released.

Thornton explained that at the end of each day, officers put their cameras into a charging cradle, where all of the data is downloaded and sent to computers in the municipal building where it will remain for 120 days. If the video is not requested by someone within that time frame, it will be deleted to create more storage room.

One member of the group expressed disappointment that footage isn't made readily available to the general public.

"Most citizens are probably thinking 'go ahead, spend the tax money to buy the body cameras so now we'll know because we can finally see what happened.' But that's not really the truth of that matter," Hammond Grove Pastor Bobby G. Hankerson said, suggesting that they rarely get to see what happened as the footage isn't made available to the public.

Hankerson went on to suggest that a sort of advisory board or class be created to help citizens better understand the law and law enforcement.

"It would help bridge the gap because they would leave the class understanding both views," he said.

Thornton agreed and mentioned the department is currently putting the final touches on a class that will be announced later this year, which would aim to teach citizens about police methods and reasonings.

Some of the members expressed a desire to see more officers be physically involved in their community, suggesting that interacting with each other is the only way to bridge the gap and help relieve fear on both sides of the fence.

"One of the things that I think both sides of the fence need to work on is empathy, not sympathy, empathy," Thornton said. "Try and understand from the other's point of view."

Amy Hunter is the news editor for the North Augusta Star.

GRANITEVILLE - The fashion design program at the Aiken County Career and Technology Center sewed up a first at the school's annual Completer Ceremony on Wednesday evening at Aiken Technical College.

Garyel Tranece Jackson, Mana Nicole Pham and Shandrea Nicole Tanksley are the fashion program's first three graduates. Tanksley was named to the National Technical Honor Society.

"The students learn everything from how to identify fibers in fabrics to designing clothes, sketching, using industrial sewing machines and, finally, how to sell them," said Jean Pesce, the program's instructor. "We're getting going and getting good community support. Lionel Smith, Charlotte's Bridal and Aiken industries are involved with us and are really helpful."

Teresa Hayden, who teaches the health technology program, also had a first: the first two male graduates, Ramon Hill and Michael Knight, both students at North Augusta High.

Hayden said students in the health science program study basic fundamentals of nursing, including anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, medical terminology and basic patient care skills.

"My students each have about 30 plus skills that they have been signed off on to practice in a hospital," Hayden said.

For two years in a row, Hayden's students, Abby Williams this year and Elizabeth Molina last year, have been named the Career Center Student of the Year.

Williams, a student at Silver Bluff High, also received a $2,500 scholarship from Glaxo Smith Kline.

"It's exciting to represent the Career and Technology Education program at the Career Center," Williams said.

She said she will use her scholarship to study nursing at USC Aiken, adding her career plan is to become a nurse practitioner.

Molina helped present Williams her award, calling her "motivated, passionate, determined and always looking to help out the community."

Molina, who is a student at ATC and will apply to the nursing program in the fall, told all the graduates to "always keep your focus on your career goals, as they can be achieved."

William Hudson, director of the Career Center, ended the program by thanking the members of this year's class for their work.

"Now is your time. Now is your opportunity. We wish you the best," he said.

Larry Wood covers education for the Aiken Standard.

tgirardeau@aikenstandard.com

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office has an active warrant out for an Aiken man in connection with a sexual incident involving a minor.

The Sheriff's Office added Marcus Smith, 36, of Nautilus Street, to its most wanted list for criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

A 37-year-old Aiken woman called police in February claiming she overheard her daughter say she was touched inappropriately by the suspect while staying at his home around Dec. 26, 2015, according to a report provided by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

The victim claimed she was laying on the couch when the suspect came in and started touching her, the report said.

The victim said she told the suspect to stop and asked what his wife would think, to which he replied, "She is sleeping," the report said.

The suspect left the victim alone after that, according to the report.

Investigators are still looking for the suspect.

Tripp Girardeau is the crime and courts reporter with the Aiken Standard.

Aiken man wanted for child sex charges

Aiken County Sheriff's Office deputies charged a Graniteville man Tuesday in connection with a domestic incident involving a 22-year-old woman at her Ascauga Lake Road residence.

Brandon Musgrove, 31, is charged with first-degree domestic violence and kidnapping, according to jail records.

Deputies responded to the residence Tuesday afternoon after the victim called claiming the suspect assaulted her and refused to let her leave, according to a report provided by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

The victim said they were getting ready to go to court regarding the eviction of Musgrove from the residence, when he started to argue with her as to why he had to leave, the report said.

According to the report, the suspect grabbed the victim by the throat and shoved her to the ground, repeating the phrase, "Are you ready for me to do 10 years?"

The victim claimed the suspect took her cellphone to prevent her from calling the police. She then attempted to leave the house by going through the front door, but the suspect picked her up and carried her back to the bedroom, according to the report.

The victim told police she started to scream and the suspect sat on top of her, covering her mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet, the report said.

The suspect finally let the victim up after she stopped screaming, and she hit a button on her keychain to make her car alarm go off, according to the report.

The alarm scared the suspect and he left the house, allowing the victim time to call authorities, the report said.

Deputies reported finding Musgrove walking down Ascauga Lake Road, at which point he told them there was an argument between him and the victim, but he had not assaulted her or refused to let her leave.

Musgrove was taken to court and then to the Aiken County detention center, where he was still being held as of Wednesday afternoon.

No bond information was available at the time.

Tripp Girardeau is the crime and courts reporter with the Aiken Standard.

Aiken Department of Public Safety officers obtained arrest warrants Tuesday for an Aiken man following a domestic incident, which ended with him getting shot in the leg by his wife.

Officers responded to Taylor Street around 5:30 a.m. after a 49-year-old Aiken woman called claiming her 50-year-old husband assaulted her while their 12-year-old daughter was present, a report provided by the Aiken Department of Public Safety said.

According to the report, the suspect had a gunshot wound to his leg and he claimed his wife had shot him.

Officers spoke with the victim who claimed the suspect hit her in the face before putting both hands around her neck and choking her in their bedroom, the report said.

The victim told officers she pulled her .22 caliber pistol out and shot the suspect out of fear for her life, according to the report.

Investigators reported finding the firearm on top of the refrigerator.

The suspect told police his wife "came after him" during an argument over money and he pushed her against the wall to get her off him, according to the report.

He claimed she went to their bedroom, came out with the firearm and shot him, the report said.

The couple's daughter told police she had witnessed her father choke her mother and saw her mother shoot her father, according to the report.

Officers reported obtaining arrest warrants against the suspect for first-degree domestic violence and unlawful conduct toward a child.

The victim will not be charged for shooting the suspect at this time, because she was acting in self-defense, the report said.

No arrest has been made as of yet, according to the Aiken County detention center.

Tripp Girardeau is the crime and courts reporter with the Aiken Standard.

Events to attend on Thursday, June 2, 2016:

- A Digital 201 class will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at Chris' Camera Center, 200 Park Ave. S.W. The course will teach participants how to use Canon Digital EOS T5i, Nikon D5300, Sony A58 or similar cameras. The cost is $59 per person, bring a spouse for $20. For more information or to register, call 803-641-0501.

- The Stephen James CSRA Coin Club will meet at the Aiken County Public Library, 314 Chesterfield St. S.W., on Thursday, June 2. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. and the business meeting will be held at 6:45 p.m. The meeting will also feature a Show & Tell numismatic presentation by club members, a door prize drawing and updates on the latest numismatic happenings in and around the area. Arno Safran will be the guest speaker. His topic will be The Coins My Grandfather Used, followed by an auction. For more information, call 803-645-1769 or email sjcsracoinclub.gmail.com.

- The Aiken Community Playhouse will perform "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" at 7:30 p.m. May 27 and 28, and June 2, 4, 10 and 11, and at 3 p.m. May 29 and June 5. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors age 60 and older, $15 for students and $10 for children age 12 and younger. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.aikenplayhouse.us.

Isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast today in Aiken County, according to the National Weather Service.

Highs today are expected to hold at 91 degrees, with a low of 69 degrees.

The rest of the week is as follows:

Friday: High 92, 71, partly cloudy, 20 percent chance of rain.

Saturday: High 93, low 71, PM thunderstorms, 80 percent chance of rain.

Sunday: High 86, low 69, thunderstorms, 80 percent chance of rain.

COLUMBIA - A bill aimed at making it easier for South Carolinians with concealed weapon permits to travel back and forth to Georgia received final approval Wednesday after senators ended a filibuster.

The Senate's 35-3 vote came after Sen. Marlon Kimpson agreed to pull roughly 80 amendments he had proposed to block the bill, which passed the House in April 2015.

Kimpson, D-Charleston, was protesting legislators not taking up measures designed to close a background check loophole that allowed Dylann Roof to buy the gun police say he used to kill nine parishioners at a historic black church in Charleston a year ago.

In exchange for allowing the vote, Kimpson has been guaranteed a hearing about the loophole this summer in Charleston, where he'll play a central role as a panelist, and at least one in Columbia next year on the re-introduced bill.

"We consider today a win," he said. "The goal is to play chess."

Senate Judiciary Chairman Larry Martin said he's giving no promises on the bill's chances next year, except to pledge he'll go to the hearing "with an open mind."

"I get it that I was probably too negative," Martin, R-Pickens, said about previously denying Kimpson's request for a hearing.

The reciprocity bill was being pushed mainly by residents in Aiken County, who travel daily into Augusta, Georgia.

South Carolina recognizes concealed weapon permits from 22 states, including most in the Southeast. Advocates argue that not having reciprocity with the state's western neighbor is a real inconvenience.

"For those of us who live along the Georgia border, this has become a very big issue. ... There are lots of folks over there multiple times per day," Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said about the Augusta area.

South Carolina's concealed weapon law requires states given reciprocity to have at least the same requirements to carry a concealed gun as South Carolina. But Georgia doesn't require training for a permit, so opponents of the exception, including Kimpson, argued that allowing Georgians with permits to bring their guns into South Carolina would be unsafe.

"Georgia's not the Wild West," said Massey, R-Edgefield.

Martin said it's a frequent request from constituents.

"People ask, 'Why can't you fix that?' It is the most sought-after change in our law for CWP (concealed weapon permit) holders," he said.

Kimpson has opposed the measure since senators voted three weeks ago to give it priority debate status.

He was fighting for legislation that would extend the time allowed for reviewing criminal records before approving a gun purchase.

Roof's drug arrest in February 2015 should have prevented him from buying a gun, but data entry errors meant a background check didn't produce the pertinent details in time. Federal law gives the FBI three business days to tell a gun dealer if someone can't legally buy a firearm. Once that window expires, as in Roof's case, the sale can proceed by default.

Kimpson said he recognizes the loophole legislation will face plenty of opposition next year.

"I have proven my ability to stop legislation. If we do a song and dance, I'll go back to work to stop every gun bill that expands rights," he said. "My goal is to craft something people can live with."

Other bills proposed by Kimpson that will die when the session ends Thursday would require people to register their guns and acquire a permit before buying a gun. Those two will not be given a hearing.

Swimming caution issued for section of Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH - The state has cautioned against swimming at a section of beach near Myrtle Beach State Park because of pollution in stormwater runoff from Tropical Storm Bonnie.

The Post and Courier of Charleston (http://bit.ly/1ZeCTid) reports that the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control on Wednesday advised people not to put their heads in the water in a 400-foot swath of beach in front of Lands End Resort until bacteria levels drop in the coming days. Still, officials say it is safe to wade, collect shells or fish, as long as no open wounds are exposed to the water.

The state also on Wednesday closed shellfish harvesting beds in Charleston County, although harvesting oysters or clams has already been closed for the season.

Simpsonville police chief resigns following April suspension

SIMPSONVILLE - Simpsonville's police chief has resigned two months after he was suspended without pay for 30 days.

The city said in a news release that Police Chief Keith Grounsell submitted his resignation Wednesday to City Administrator David Dyrhaug, prior to a city council meeting that was about to held to discuss Grounsell's future.

The city says Deputy Chief Steve Moore will serve as acting chief until a permanent replacement can be found.

Officials say Grounsell was suspended April 2 for being "unprofessional to employees or customers" and for "violation of company policies or procedures."

Mayor Janice Curtis held a news conference after the resignation, but didn't identify what issues led to the suspension and subsequent resignation.

It is unclear whether Grounsell was given a severance package as part of his resignation.

Woman sues ex-Horry County police chief and other officers

CONWAY - A woman has sued former Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes and several officers saying they knew about a detective's inappropriate behavior and took no action.

The amended lawsuit filed Tuesday contends the former detective sexually assaulted a rape victim.

Rhodes retired last month. A termination letter obtained by the Sun News of Myrtle Beach (http://bit.ly/1UhgvRh) shows Rhodes fired the detective last July. Rhodes has said she cannot talk about the matter because she'll be called to testify in the lawsuit.

The Horry County Police Department and the former detective are also being sued by the woman and another woman.

Horry County spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier says it is county policy not to talk about pending litigation.

The State Law Enforcement Division has been investigating the department since November.

CHICAGO - A law-enforcement official tells The Associated Press that tests show Prince died of an opioid overdose.

The 57-year-old singer was found dead April 21 at his Minneapolis-area estate.

The official, who is close to the investigation, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Investigators have been reviewing whether Prince died of an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death.

COLUMBIA - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says she wishes Donald Trump communicated differently because bad things result from divisive rhetoric, as evidenced by last June's massacre in Charleston.

The Republican governor said Thursday that divisive speech motivated Dylann Roof to gun down nine black parishioners at historic Emanuel AME Church. Police have said the white 22-year-old charged with their murders wanted to start a race war.

Haley endorsed then-candidate Marco Rubio ahead of South Carolina's primary. She said she has vocally criticized Trump because "I know what that rhetoric can do. I saw it happen."

She says she doesn't think people who support Trump are racist or haters; she says they're angry nothing gets done in Washington. But she says Trump has a responsibility for the country's well-being to use a civil, respectful tone.

COLUMBIA - A bill reducing fees and setting specific deadlines for when South Carolina governments must release documents requested by the public appears dead for this year.

Pickens Sen. Larry Martin said that other senators want to debate the Freedom of Information Act overhaul and there is no time left with the session ending Thursday.

The bill has been on hold since Walterboro Sen. Margie Bright Matthews objected to the bill after it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee in March. Bluffton Rep. Weston Newton pointed out senators would have had plenty of time to debate it without that protest.

The decision also likely kills Martin's bill making dashboard camera video available under a public records request. It was combined with the overhaul bill to try to get around Bright Matthews' objection.

COLUMBIA - Lawmakers say they are close to finding a compromise on a bill allowing independent investigations of ethics violations by legislators, but its main enemy now may be time.

Sen. Larry Martin said Thursday he likely needs an agreement to take to senators before Thursday's legislative session ends at 5 p.m. to save the bill.

The bill sets up an independent Ethics Commission to investigate ethics violations for all public officials. If the commission finds a violation likely occurred, it would be sent to the House or Senate Ethics Committee for discussion and possible punishment.

The House and Senate are trying to work out technical differences including whether the legislative committee could send an allegation back if they disagree with how the commission interpreted a rule.

COLUMBIA - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Thursday she wishes Donald Trump communicated differently because bad things result from divisive rhetoric, as evidenced by last June's massacre in Charleston.

The Republican governor said divisive speech motivated Dylann Roof to gun down nine black parishioners at historic Emanuel AME Church. Police have said the white 22-year-old charged with their killings wanted to start a race war.

The Confederate flag that Roof was seen brandishing in photos had to be removed from the Statehouse grounds, she said, and she supports sending the rebel flag in The Citadel's chapel to a museum too. But she opposes renaming buildings or monuments associated with the state's racist past.

Haley, who endorsed then-candidate Marco Rubio ahead of South Carolina's primary, said she has vocally criticized Trump because "I know what that rhetoric can do. I saw it happen."

She said she doesn't think people who support Trump are racist or haters.

"That's a different kind of anger. They're upset with Washington, D.C. They're upset nothing's got done," she said. "The way he communicates that, I wish were different."

Trump has a responsibility for the country's well-being to use a civil, respectful tone, she told reporters two weeks ahead of the anniversary of the Emanuel shooting.

Less than a month after the shooting, the Legislature - at Haley's urging - voted to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse's front lawn and send it to a museum.

The flag "hijacked by that murderer" had to go, she said, recognizing that some pro-flag people are still upset by her public prompting.

"I don't think they're bad people. I think they really were focused on heritage and sacrifice, but I think when that murderer kidnapped their flag and held it with hate and killed those people, there was just no other option," she said.

The flag flying in The Citadel's Summerall Chapel in Charleston should be sent to a museum too, she said.

"You've got the museum right next door, so just take it from the chapel and put it in a museum and move on," she said.

But that's up to the Legislature, she said, noting she's told cadets to contact their legislators.

The state's Heritage Act bars altering any public monument that honors historic figures or events without overwhelming approval by the Legislature. The law was part of the 2000 compromise that brought the Confederate flag off the Statehouse dome and put it on the lawn.

Last year, House Speaker Jay Lucas said that as long as he's speaker, the House will not consider any other proposed change to the law. His spokesman did not respond Thursday to Haley's statements.

The governor said she asked the Legislature last summer to keep the Heritage Act intact and not let the debate extend to changes beyond the Statehouse flag.

"The state would've been torn apart if we'd started doing that," she said. "We'd have disputes in every county and community and divide people. ... Our goal was to hold everything together. Let's be kind and accepting and understand history is just that - it's history."

She still opposes exceptions beyond the chapel's flag, including renaming Tillman Hall at her alma mater, Clemson University, as many students have requested. The building is named for a Clemson founder - a former governor and U.S. senator who bragged about killing black people.

"We can't go and start changing everything. ... The difference with the flag was it was a flying, living, breathing representative symbol," Haley said. "I don't see that in buildings and street signs."

NEW YORK - It was a startling scientific finding: Children who eat candy tend to weigh less than those who don't.

Less startling was how it came about. The paper, it turns out, was funded by a trade association representing the makers of Butterfingers, Hershey and Skittles. And its findings were touted by the group even though one of its authors didn't seem to think much of it.

"We're hoping they can do something with it - it's thin and clearly padded," a professor of nutrition at Louisiana State University wrote to her co-author in early 2011, with an abstract for the paper attached.

The paper nevertheless served the interests of the candy industry - and that's not unusual. The comment was found in thousands of pages of emails obtained by The Associated Press through records requests with public universities as part of an investigation into how food companies influence thinking about healthy eating.

One of the industry's most powerful tactics is the funding of nutrition research. It carries the weight of academic authority, becomes a part of scientific literature and generates headlines.

"Hot oatmeal breakfast keeps you fuller for longer," declared a Daily Mail article on a study funded by Quaker Oats.

"Study: Diet beverages better for losing weight than water," said a CBS Denver story about research funded by Coke and Pepsi's lobbying group.

The studies have their defenders.

Food companies say they follow guidelines to ensure scientific integrity, and that academics have the right to publish no matter what they find. Many in the research world also see industry funding as critical for advancing science as competition for government funding has intensified.

It's not surprising that companies would pay for research likely to show the benefits of their products. But critics say the worry is that they're hijacking science for marketing purposes, and that they cherry-pick or hype findings.

The thinner-children-ate-candy research is an example. It was drawn from a government database of surveys that asks people to recall what they ate in the past 24 hours. The data "may not reflect usual intake" and "cause and effect associations cannot be drawn," the candy paper authors wrote in a section about the study's limitations.

The candy association's press release did not mention that and declared, "New study shows children and adolescents who eat candy are less overweight or obese."

The headline at cbsnews.com: "Does candy keep kids from getting fat?"

Carol O'Neil, the LSU professor who made the "thin and clearly padded" remark, told The Associated Press through a university representative that data can be "publishable" even if it's thin. In a phone interview a week later, she said she did not recall why she made the remark, but that it was a reference to the abstract she had attached for her co-author to provide feedback on. She said she believed the full paper was "robust."

The flood of industry money in nutrition science partly reflects the field's challenges. Isolating the effect of any single food on a person's health can be difficult, as evidenced by the sea of conflicting findings.

The ambiguity and confusion has left the door open for marketers.

Since 2009, the authors of the candy paper have written more than two dozen papers funded by parties including Kellogg and industry groups for beef, milk and fruit juice.

Two are professors: O'Neil of LSU and Theresa Nicklas at the Baylor College of Medicine. The third is Victor Fulgoni, a former Kellogg executive and consultant whose website says he helps companies develop "aggressive, science-based claims about their products."

Their studies regularly delivered favorable conclusions for funders - or as they call them, "clients."

In a phone interview, Fulgoni said industry-funded studies show favorable results because companies invest in projects with the "best chance of success." He said any type of funding creates bias or pressure to deliver results.

"The same kind of questions you're asking me, you should be asking (National Institutes of Health) researchers," Fulgoni said.

It's true that industry-funded studies don't have a monopoly on the problems in scientific research. Still, Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University (and no relation to the food company) said unlike other research, industry-funded studies "are designed and produced to be useful in marketing. The hypotheses are market driven."

In the past year, 156 of the 168 industry-funded studies Nestle reviewed showed favorable results for sponsors. She said playing up nutritional perks has become a critical marketing tool in the competitive food industry.

"The only thing that moves sales," she said, "is health claims."

"TROLLS"

The documents show how researchers can be motivated by financial concerns. In 2010, Nicklas said in an email she decided against attending a General Mills health summit because she didn't want to "jeopardize" a proposal the group planned to submit to Kellogg. For another project, Fulgoni advised O'Neil against adding data.

"I suggest we focus on these first and 'hook' Kellogg for more funding before conducting more analyses," he wrote.

For the paper on candy-eating children, a disclosure says the funders had no role in the "design, analysis or writing of this manuscript." But emails obtained from LSU show the National Confectioners Association made a number of suggestions.

"You'll note I took most but not (all) their comments," Fulgoni wrote to O'Neil about the paper in 2010.

"I have finally waded through the comments from NCA. Attached is my attempt to edit based on their feedback," he wrote about a similar paper on candy consumption among adults.

The trumpeting of their research was also carefully timed. In June 2011, a candy association representative emailed O'Neil a critical article about a professor with industry ties.

"I'd like to monitor the fallout from this story, and give a little bit of distance to our research piece. I do not want to put you in the crossfire of a media on a rampage," wrote Laura Muma of FoodMinds, an agency that represented the candy association.

Fulgoni said the group runs manuscripts by clients to check for errors or omissions.

"It's more using them as a set of eyes to make sure we haven't forgotten something," he said.

O'Neil said she takes only "grammatical corrections from the clients - I can't speak for the others."

For the paper about candy and children, Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the National Confectioners Association, said the group was given "the courtesy of reviewing the manuscript" and that its suggestions did not change results. He said other research not funded by industry came to the same conclusion, citing a paper that analyzed multiple studies.

O'Neil said she believed it was important to research foods such as nuts and milk to know whether they're good for you, and that it is difficult to get government funding for such studies. She said Fulgoni's consulting business, Nutrition Impact, gets most of the funding for their projects and that she receives reimbursements for costs such as travel, but no salary compensation. As research faculty, O'Neil is expected to publish.

A Baylor College of Medicine representative, Lori Williams, said all research funding goes through the college. She said the college did not receive payment from the candy association or Nutrition Impact for the paper on children and candy co-authored by Nicklas.

The records obtained by the AP show Nicklas sent Nutrition Impact an invoice for $11,500 for three manuscripts in 2011, including $2,500 for "candy." After being provided a copy of the invoice, Williams said the school began a review "surrounding funding and disclosures on this research."

"We take this very seriously, and your information is of significant concern to our leadership at the College," Williams wrote.

Papers co-authored by O'Neil and Nicklas also list support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - general funding the two professors receive from the department through their respective universities for research work.

- Another paper by the co-authors found a link between chickpeas and hummus and better nutrient intake. It was funded by Sabra Dipping Co. and a disclosure says funders had no input in drafting the manuscript.

But Sabra provided feedback that was incorporated. For a line on the benefits of "recipes made from chickpeas," for instance, it suggested tacking on, "such as hummus."

Sabra said it received a courtesy review for "providing clarifying notes and ensuring accuracy of product data."

The International Life Sciences Institute, which is funded by companies including McDonald's, Red Bull and Unilever, encourages scientific collaboration with industry. Eric Hentges, its executive director, said sponsors have long been able to provide comments to ensure excellency, but that authors have the final say.

Hentges said the goal is to improve quality - not change the results.

-For a study comparing breakfasts for children, the American Egg Board asked a University of Arkansas researcher to explain in a progress report the implications of her study for the egg industry.

"This could lead to increase(d) sales and profits," wrote Jamie Baum, an assistant professor of nutrition.

In a statement, Baum said it is standard for funders to ask about industry implications. She said she applies the same scientific rigor regardless of the funder.

An egg board representative, Mitch Kanter, said opinions about industry implications are irrelevant to the integrity of the research.

- Coca-Cola's former chief science officer, Rhona Applebaum, referred to industry critics as "trolls" in one of her regular emails with company-backed researchers, according to documents obtained from West Virginia University, where one of the researchers is the dean of the school of public health.

The roles of scientists and marketers sometimes blurred.

In 2013, a University of South Carolina professor, Steven Blair, asked Coca-Cola to fund a "Research & Message Management Strategic Plan."

"We must prepare and publicize 'our message' rather than let the media and other forces control the perception of our work," the plan said. It noted an upcoming study that would "generate enormous press" because of its findings about mothers and obesity.

"In other words, if you're fat, blame your mother's inactivity," the plan explained.

The media strategy included online videos responding to critics, magazine articles and "a series of bylines (instead of op-eds)."

Blair has been criticized for emphasizing the role of physical activity in preventing obesity and shifting blame away from food and drinks. A university representative, Wes Hickman, said the school stands behind Blair's research and that any suggestion that Blair ignored diet implications "is simply false."

In a statement, Coca-Cola said it is evaluating how it approaches health projects so that it can be a more "helpful and credible partner."

OATS AND STANDARDS

In addition to studies that crunch data, companies pay for clinical trials that test the effects of food in humans. PepsiCo has funded and co-authored studies showing the benefits of oats as its Quaker empire has expanded to include oat-based treats like biscuits and "breakfast cookies."

In 2011, the company tested the hypothesis that its Quaker oatmeal and cold cereal would each be more filling than Honey Nut Cheerios, which is made by rival General Mills.

The oatmeal was more filling among the trial's 48 participants, but results were mixed for the cereal, Quaker Oatmeal Squares.

"I am sorry that the oat squares did not perform as well as hoped, but your hypotheses were validated with the oatmeal," wrote Frank Greenway, chief medical officer at Louisiana State University's Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

PepsiCo decided to publish only the results about its oatmeal. In statements, PepsiCo and the LSU researchers said the other half of the trial's results were not significant enough to merit publication.

Not everyone sees it that way.

Many researchers fear that the body of scientific literature is being distorted by withheld results. On its registry for clinical trials, the National Institutes of Health explains that reporting results reduces publication bias and facilitates systemic reviews.

"That's part of science. You publish the result you get. You don't just publish the results you want," said Deborah Zarin, who oversees the registry at NIH.

COLUMBIA - More than $3.5 million in federal funding is being made available to victims of a brutal shooting at a historic black church in Charleston last summer.

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn announced on Thursday that that U.S. Department of Justice had awarded more than $3.6 million available through the Office for Victims of Crime Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program.

Clyburn says the funds are going to the Medical University of South Carolina's National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, to help support the survivors of the shooting and victims' relatives.

Nine people were shot and killed last June 17 at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Dylann Roof faces state and federal charges in the shootings.

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Donald Trump on Thursday, ending an extraordinary public split between the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee and the nation's highest-ranking Republican office holder.

Ryan outlined his support for the New York billionaire in a column published in his hometown newspaper, declaring his goal to "unite the party so we can win in the fall."

"It's no secret that he and I have our differences. I won't pretend otherwise," Ryan wrote. "And when I feel the need to, I'll continue to speak my mind. But the reality is, on the issues that make up our agenda, we have more common ground than disagreement."

Trump, Ryan said, "would help us turn the ideas in this agenda into laws to help improve people's lives. That's why I'll be voting for him this fall."

While Ryan did not explicitly say he was endorsing Trump, spokesman Brendan Buck wrote on Twitter that the column marked a formal endorsement.

Ryan shocked the political world last month by refusing to endorse Trump once the real estate mogul became the last major Republican presidential contender still in the race. The pair spoke privately in a series of Washington meetings last month and their campaigns have maintained contact.

The endorsement comes despite major differences on policy between the high-profile Republicans.

Ryan has embraced reforms to Medicare and Social Security as his signature policy fight on Capitol Hill. Most Republicans in Congress have followed Ryan's lead to reduce the cost of the popular programs that are contributing to the national debt.

Trump has repeatedly promised not to cut the popular programs, echoing a position more commonly adopted by Democrats.

Ryan's announcement was released as Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton was delivering a foreign policy speech excoriating Trump's foreign policy.

COLUMBIA - Rep. Mike Pitts is encouraging South Carolina's attorney general to sue the federal government over the Obama administration's directive that public schools allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice.

Pitts said Thursday his complaint is not specifically about bathrooms. The Laurens Republican says the directive is an example of the administration's assault on states' rights under the Tenth Amendment.

In a letter, Pitts asked Attorney General Alan Wilson to join a lawsuit from Texas and 10 other states. A similar letter went to Gov. Nikki Haley. Pitts says 54 House Republicans co-signed both.

Haley has said school boards, not state or federal politicians, should make such decisions.

Wilson spokeswoman Hayley Thrift says he's working with many states on the issue, but it's inappropriate to discuss legal strategy.