USC Aiken has named Mark Miller its next head women's basketball coach, effective July 1.

Miller was the former head coach at Holy Family University in Philadelphia for seven seasons, where he led the team to six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and three Central Atlantic Collegiate ConferenceTournament Championships.

"We had six outstanding candidates on campus and it was a tough decision, but Mark Miller was the best fit for USC Aiken," Warrick said.

"Mark is a proven winner every place he has been," Warrick stated. "He has reached the postseason 10 straight seasons as a head coach and has led his teams to seven NCAA Tournament berths. Mark will come in and do a great job for us. He will also be a great fit in the community."

Miller's coached in the college ranks for 19 seasons, starting as an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary's in 1991. He spent nine seasons coaching as an assistant at the Division I level, including stops at Georgia Tech and Loyola (Md.), before taking over at Division III Norwich University.

According to reports provided by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office:

A 17-year-old Aiken woman reported Monday a 20-year-old Aiken man fled the area of Milion Avenue after taking her car keys.

A Warrenville church on Augusta Road reported Sunday someone broke into the church and stole items.

A 49-year-old Warrenville man was arrested Monday after deputies received a call that the man was walking around naked and yelling obscenities at a Villa Oak Court apartment complex.

An Aiken man reported last month someone broke into a Crawford Avenue property and spray-painted parts of the home.

A North Augusta man reported Friday he received a call from someone claiming to be with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office who said he needed to purchase five PayPal cards from a store after he failed to appear for grand jury duty.

A Beech Island woman reported Monday someone broke into her Church Road home and stole electronic items.

An Aiken woman reported Saturday someone took her debit card out of her purse and used it several times. Deputies located the card user, who said he didn't remember using the card, because he blacked out from drinking alcohol and taking prescription medication.

An Aiken woman reported last month someone removed $900 and $2,300 from her bank account.

An Aiken woman reported Monday someone removed antique coins from her Beaver Dam Road property.

According to reports provided by the Aiken Department of Public Safety:

An employee with a York Street convenience store called police Monday claiming two young black males entered the store, one told her someone was asleep in the bathroom, and when she went to check they fled the store with several stolen beers.

A 53-year-old Mt. Pleasant woman reported Monday someone broke into a home she owns on Fairfield Street in Aiken and stole two lawn mowers.

A 26-year-old Aiken man reported Monday someone sliced the tires on his vehicle while it was parked outside his Croft Avenue home.

A 49-year-old Aiken woman called police Monday claiming her 56-year-old ex-boyfriend showed up at the door of her York Street residence and attempted to get inside.

As unloaded nuclear carriers left Charleston on Monday, leaving behind about 331 kilograms of plutonium at Savannah River Site, South Carolina leaders had a message for the U.S. Department of Energy - this state is not a nuclear dumping ground.

Gov. Nikki Haley said Tuesday, "Today's news is another reminder that the Department of Energy has not lived up to its promises, and we will not back down: South Carolina will not be a permanent dumping ground for nuclear waste."

Haley penned a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz on March 23, the day after plutonium was reported on board the nuclear carriers Pacific Heron and Pacific Egret leaving Japan. In the letter, Haley explained that the Energy Department's decision to accept the shipment put South Carolina at risk of becoming a permanent nuclear dumping ground.

She wrote, "It is imperative to the safety of our citizens and our environment that South Carolina not allow this to happen."

Haley ended the letter by asking Moniz to stop the shipment or re-route it. This week's acceptance of the shipment from Japan shows the Energy Department did not comply.

Within days of that letter, a record of decision was issued by the Energy Department concerning 13.1 metric tons of "surplus" plutonium the department has been trying to deal with.

According to that decision, 6 metric tons is expected to be processed at Savannah River Site in preparation for long-term disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Another state leader, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., focused on the plutonium pathway out of South Carolina.

"As the only member of Congress who has worked at the Savannah River Site, I support the mission of SRS. I appreciate that there is a clear plan for the disposition of the material so South Carolina is not a dumping ground for nuclear waste," he said.

According to Wilson's communications director, Leacy Burke, the missions at SRS in the Second Congressional District of South Carolina have always been a priority for Wilson.

The record of decision announcing that pathway out of the state excluded about 7.1 metric tons of plutonium also stored at the site.

That material is subject to a non-proliferation agreement with Russia and is set to be processed through the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication facility, or MOX, should construction be completed. With MOX funding in legislative limbo, it is unclear if that will happen.

The Department of Energy has threatened to scrap the MOX project in favor of the so-called dilute-and-dispose method, which also would send the processed materials to WIPP.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called the National Nuclear Security Administration's plan to mothball the project "lousy."

The Aiken Standard requested a response to the plutonium shipment's arrival from Graham's office, but hadn't received a statement by press time.

The MOX facility has been called years past deadline and billions over budget, and it spawned an ongoing lawsuit between South Carolina and the Department of Energy. That lawsuit began when the MOX project remained unfinished after deadline and the department failed to remove the required 1 metric ton of plutonium from the state by Jan. 1, 2016.

Haley's office said it will not back down from the lawsuit and that the plutonium currently slated to be processed and sent to New Mexico has no impact on the MOX project. A hearing for the suit is scheduled for June 30.

Thomas Gardiner is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter @TGardiner_AS.

Dr. Andrea (DeeDee) Washington soon will lead Aiken County Public Schools' Instructional Services Division as the Chief Officer of Instruction.

Washington, who has 14 years of administrative experience, currently is Greenville County Schools' associate superintendent for academics. She will begin July 5.

The Aiken County School Board approved Washington's position Tuesday at a special called meeting.

"I am very much looking forward to meeting all community stakeholders and am very grateful for the opportunity to help shape the vision to fulfill the hopes and dreams of the children of Aiken County," Washington said.

Certified as a superintendent, elementary principal and in elementary education, Washington has led districts in a variety of areas, including, most recently, in instructional programming in Greenville and Spartanburg District Five.

Before her district leadership role, Washington was a principal, teacher and director of Personnel for Spartanburg District Five.

Washington has a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education from USC, a master of education degree in educational administration from Converse and an educational specialist degree and doctorate in educational administration, both from USC.

King Laurence, the District's former Associate Superintendent of Instruction, will transition to the role of chief officer of Administration and Human Resources.

Aiken County has decided to settle with Rucker Removal Services, the transportation service that previously picked up and transported the deceased for the Coroner's Office, for work performed during the time Council had awarded a bid to another company.

Aiken County Council voted 6-2 at its Tuesday meeting on an agreement to settle with the Langley-based transportation service for $35,000.

Council members Chuck Smith and Phil Napier opposed. Council member Kathy Rawls was absent.

In 2015, Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton sued the County over what company should be able to pickup and transport the deceased.

The office had used Rucker for years and Carlton's complaint stated he and County officials had "clashed" over whether the County can "properly use the procurement process to force" him to hire deputies to assist him with removing bodies, the Aiken Standard reported last March.

County Council went through the bid process for the service, and, in 2014, awarded it to a lower-bidder, Palmetto Mortuary Transport. Carlton wanted to continue to use Rucker and allowed the company to continue to do the work.

Aiken County Administrator Clay Killian said he was not authorized to pay Rucker, and the County used the company for around a year without paying it.

The County had not paid Rucker for services since April 2014 when County Council froze a budget line item of around $50,000 dedicated to the pickup and transportation of the deceased.

The County has used Palmetto after a circuit court judge ruled last May the coroner could use the lower bidder. Part of the suit is still pending, Killian said.

The settlement with Rucker is less than what was billed, which was more than $40,000, he said.

Smith said he was not in agreement with the settlement because the County never authorized the work and the coroner also never had permission to authorize Rucker to perform the work.

"The government is the only agency that can find justification for paying somebody for work they did not authorize," Smith said.

Napier said he disapproved of both removal services and feels like the Coroner's Office has "adequate man power and equipment" to remove the deceased, which he said would save the taxpayer money.

Aiken County Council also approved on second reading the proposed fiscal year 2017 budget. Killian said a work session on the budget will be held next week, where Council will discuss how to tackle a $1.4 million deficit. The budget will take a third reading on June 21.

Christina Cleveland is the county government reporter at the Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @ChristinaNCleve.

Camp Long has a military atmosphere this week, courtesy of the Junior ROTC programs from Aiken, Silver Bluff, North Augusta and Midland Valley high schools, along with several of their counterparts.

Camp MAST, which stands for Motivation, Attitude and Skills Training, began Monday and will run through Friday, offering teens several consecutive days of exposure to military-style discipline, traditions and challenges - both mental and physical.

"They're going to be able to get respect. They're going to learn time management. They're going to learn to work as a team," said Staff Sgt. Lee Riek, an Army recruiter who serves such communities as Aiken, Barnwell, Blackville and Greenwood.

"They're also going to learn where their limits are, as young kids. Most kids think that when they get pushed to a certain level, that's it. They're done. This camp is not only designed to ensure teamwork, but also ... to push them past their limits a little bit, to show that they can still produce and still perform at a high standard even though they're being 'stressed out.'"

On board are 143 cadets, along with 31 instructors, including some who are on active duty in the military. The camp, along with being populated by students from most of Aiken County's larger high schools, also is composed of teens from Strom Thurmond, Eau Claire, (Columbia), Baldwin (Milledgeville, Georgia) and, all from the Augusta area, Greenbrier, Glenn Hills, Cross Creek and T.W. Josey.

Lessons, taking place both indoors and outdoors, are in such areas as orienteering, first aid, leadership and etiquette. Room inspections also are part of the package.

Chariesa Motin, a rising junior from North Augusta High, said her goals include improving her leadership skills and ability to work as a member of a team. This is her third year of taking part in the camp, and she is aiming for a career in the Navy, partially due to her experiences at Camp MAST, she added.

Aiken High's representatives include 1st Sgt. Harry Johnson, one of the school's two naval science instructors. Tuesday afternoon, he described the teens' reactions as "all positive" so far, even after a "pretty intense" morning session of physical training.

"They're kind of getting what they came here for, which was pushing them ... beyond their limits - at least to the limits, if nothing else."

Another goal, Johnson said, is "to give them the opportunity to lead, at least within their various roles that we have here."

Riek said another aim is to challenge teens by putting them into an environment with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. "All year, they're used to the same cadets every year, but ... with the different schools being combined, they're forced to work outside their comfort zones."

Bill Bengtson is a general assignment reporter for the Aiken Standard and The North Augusta Star.

Listening to members of City Council tell it, this is an exciting time to be calling Aiken home.

Council member Lessie Price believes a lot of good things are happening.

"In the past year, we've seen a lot of activity coming to the Northside, a lot more than we've seen in recent years, and this has been a good thing," said Price. "I am eager to see economic development coming to all sides of Aiken, and I believe the public at large will be pleased to see how their community has become more balanced with economic development than ever before."

During a special work session Monday, City Council heard presentations on proposed design plans for the Eustis Park Senior/Youth Center and Phase 1 of the Northside Park, and discussed their options.

Council members knocked around ideas and suggestions as to what should be included in the initial designs of each development. The prevailing opinion, though, is the City needs to turn some shovels on both projects.

The sooner the better

Klimm told Council early on in this year's budget process that he wanted to move forward aggressively regarding many of the long running capital improvement projects on the City's plate.

Klimm said City Council needed to get these projects done. With so many projects that need to be completed, the City could substantially change the course of action over the next year or two.

The top two projects Klimm felt the City needed to address first were Eustis and Northside parks.

"It's important to get something done on these two parks," he said.

Klimm said once construction on the Senior/Youth Center is finished, a complete face-lift of Eustis Park would be in order.

"It would be very nice after building this wonderful community center we go ahead and renovate Eustis Park," he said. "It needs a face-lift."

During the special meeting, Council saw three renditions of the proposed Senior/Youth Center at Eustis Park and a rendering of Northside Park's Phase 1.

"It is exciting to see what's going on with Eustis and Northside parks," Price said.

Exciting times for developments

Price is pleased with what she's seeing in regard to Eustis and Northside park developments.

"Based on what's being recommended for the Senior/Youth Center to start with, it is a fair compromise," she said. "I'd like to see what comes to pass with the Council on Aging. Along with Helping Hands, it would make for a strong partnership to see them included with Helping Hands."

Council member Dick Dewar also is excited to see movement finally at the two parks.

"What I really wanted at Eustis Park was more of a senior center than a youth center," he said. "This was to be a place tailored for seniors, widows and widowers who don't have much of a social life to have a place to go and socialize."

Dewar said he's not opposed to the current direction of the new Eustis Park facility.

"I'm very happy with the design they have and hope the development benefits the community," he said. "We are going to talk to the neighbors and get them involved in the layout of the facility, whether an entrance would be best served on Barnwell or Morgan streets."

Dewar said he's fine with whatever the neighborhood accepts.

"I will accept whatever the neighborhood accepts, and I will support it," he said. "I just want to give the neighbors the opportunity to weigh in on it. There's no reason not to get the neighborhood involved with the building design and layout."

Price said the forward movement on the Senior/Youth Center has been a long time coming.

"Given the long wait we've endured in the past, it's an understatement when I say it is overdue," she said.

Renditions A, B or C

Cam Scott, with Cheatham Fletcher Scott Architects of Augusta, presented Council with three proposed renderings of the $3.8 million Eustis Park Senior/Youth Center. The new designs bridge the almost $1.8 million gap in what was originally budgeted for the center, and what funds remained after the property purchase and other associated fees.

"It's a great compromise that I can be very happy with," Price said. "It's just as important to continue to move forward on the project and get something done and built."

Price prefers the Morgan Street rendering and likes the full-service kitchen.

"Given the seniors we're trying to serve, I think it would be an attractive feature and a benefit to the base we're trying to serve," she said.

Scott presented a third, smaller rendition for the Eustis Park Senior/Youth Center should the Council on Aging not become a partner at this time.

"The third rendition has a reduced square footage if the partnership didn't come to pass," Scott said.

Klimm said the City has enjoyed a nice relationship with the Council on Aging so far and hopes the project can move forward positively for all parties and partners involved.

"The Council on Aging is still up in the air at this point, but we have had a terrific relationship with them throughout this process and we look forward to working with them as this project develops," he said.

Northside Park's unlimited potential

Northside Park has the potential to be a major economic development magnet for Aiken's northside, Price said.

"We're going to see some hotels and restaurants come to the northside due to the new park," she said. "The new park would bring a development of growth on the north side of town, an equality of growth coming to all sides of town and not just the southside. We will see some development on that corridor because of the Northside Park."

Northside Park is a 112 acre complex that the City plans to develop over several phases during the next few decades. The approximate $56 million park is priced in 2016 dollars, so the total price tag once the park is completed could be significantly more expensive than the original budgeted price.

Dewar said he felt the first phase money could have been better spent.

"I felt there should be more immediate benefits for the money we're investing," he said. "I'd have been happy to see soccer fields and tennis courts included in the original design. I'm not against the amphitheater, but while it won't be used as much as the tennis courts and soccer fields, it will still be a popular venue.

"While I would have done it differently, what they're doing is good. The playground for the disabled kids is twice as large as what they have at the library. There is free space. It's the beginning of a process that will make a significant difference to the recreation provided to the northside.

"We're not throwing money away," Dewar said. "It's creating development on the northside.

Council member Philip Merry said he wanted the Phase 1 design to be more than just scheduled events and shows.

"I've said this for a long time that I'd like to see us get our biggest bang for our buck with the first phase of Northside Park," he said. "That's what I've been concerned about, that the property be used for more than just shows. As long as there is a place for people to go play, I'm fine with what we do."

Amphitheater a unique venue

Price is quick to point out that the proposed amphitheater at Northside Park should not be compared to other Aiken area venues such as the Convocation Center, the Aiken County Fairgrounds or the AECOM Center for the Performing Arts.

"Those venues are very different," she said. "This is an outdoor venue, and people enjoy the outdoors."

Price mentioned Hopelands Gardens as a great example as to how the Aiken area would embrace the amphitheater as a destination venue.

"In the evening, people bring their picnic dinners and enjoy the outdoors," she said. "People want to get outside and enjoy the outdoors and be with their families outdoors. The whole concept of life is changing and people are coming outside."

Price sees herself as an outdoorsy type and is looking forward to everything Northside Park would have to offer.

"The amphitheater is one feature of the park," she said. "The focus of this park is to bring people and visitors outdoors. I want to see that 3-mile walking trail and the dirt bike trail. This park has the potential to be a great many things to many people."

"The biggest thing is to get something moving with these projects," Price said. "John Klimm is aggressive and on the fast track."

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

Events to attend on Wednesday, June 8, 2016:

- Zumba classes with Bobbie will be held at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Burns Dance Studio, 831 Neilson Road. The cost is $5 per class or $40 for 10 classes. For more information, email bobbie5115@aol.com or visit bobbiefarmer.zumba.com.

- Yoga classes are offered at 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:45 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. Thursdays at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, 1700 Whiskey Road. The cost is $41 for 10 tickets, and out of city charges apply. Classes are led by Nancy Hansen and Denise Eisele. New students may join at any time. For more information, call 803-647-7631.

- Auggie, the Augusta GreenJackets mascot, will be at the Nancy Carson Public Library, 135 Edgefield Road, North Augusta, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 8. For more information, visit www.abbe-lib.org.

- Dorothea Benton Frank will sign copies of her book "All Summer Long" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, at Books-A-Million, 2441 Whiskey Road. For more information, call 803-642-0153.

Temperatures in Aiken County will continue to rise this week.

The high on Wednesday is expected to reach 88 degrees, with a low 63 degrees and sunny skies.

The rest of the week is as follows:

Thursday: High 87, low 65, mostly sunny, zero percent chance of rain.

Friday: High 93, low 69, sunny, zero percent chance of rain.

Saturday: High 96, low 72, sunny, 10 percent chance of rain.

Sunday: High 98, low 70, mostly sunny, zero percent chance of rain.

Fort Jackson officials hold town hall on hospital changes

COLUMBIA - Army officials are holding a town hall in Columbia to discuss turning Fort Jackson's Moncrief Army Community Hospital into a health clinic.

The reductions in services were announced last month and involve ending overnight stays for medical-surgical cases and for behavioral health patients. Complex cases would go to local hospitals or an Army hospital in Georgia.

The 24-bed hospital has about 1,045 military and civilian workers.

Wednesday's town hall is being held at 6 p.m. at the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce on Richland Street in Columbia.

Army officials say the clinic will continue to care for Fort Jackson's active duty military and their families, the 58,000 soldiers that train there annually and its community of retirees.

Police to discuss 2009 disappearance of girl in Myrtle Beach

MYRTLE BEACH - Authorities are holding a news conference to talk about the case of a New York teen who disappeared during a 2009 spring break trip to Myrtle Beach.

Representatives from the FBI, State Law Enforcement Division and local law enforcement agencies are holding a news conference on Wednesday in McClellanville to talk about Brittannee Drexel.

The Rochester, New York, woman was 17 years old when she was last seen leaving a hotel on Ocean Boulevard during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in April 2009.

Authorities have searched surrounding counties multiple times but have not found the girl. No arrests have been made in her disappearance. Drexel's cellphone transmitted its last known signal the day after she disappeared near the South Santee River, between McClellanville and Georgetown.

Be prepared: State agencies practice hurricane lane reversal

COLUMBIA - With hurricane season underway, South Carolina law enforcement agencies are testing plans to reverse lanes on major highways leading to the coast to help in storm evacuations.

The Department of Public Safety is working with other state and local agencies in the evacuation exercise set for Wednesday.

The exercise will not affect traffic flow and no lanes will be blocked.

In the event of a major storm, there are plans to reverse lanes on U.S. 278 and U.S. 21 in the Beaufort area and lanes on Interstate 26 between Charleston and Columbia.

There are also plans in place to reverse lanes on U.S. 501 and South Carolina 544 in the Myrtle Beach area.

Hurricane season started June 1, and already two tropical systems have affected the state.

Associated Press

PARRIS ISLAND - The Marines have dismissed two officials at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island in the aftermath of a recruit's death in March.

Corps spokesman Capt. Joshua Pena tells news outlets that Col. Paul D. Cucinotta was relieved of command Monday following an investigation into the death of 20-year-old Raheel Siddiqui of Taylor, Michigan.

Cucinotta was responsible for recruit training and had relieved Lt. Col. Joshua Kissoon of command on March 31.

Sgt. Maj. Nicholas A. Deabreu was also dismissed. Deabreu was the sergeant major of Siddiqui's recruit training regiment.

The Naval Criminal Investigation Service says Siddiqui was undergoing basic training when he fell nearly 40 feet in a stairwell. NCIS says its investigation is ongoing and that no foul play is suspected.

CHARLESTON - An Isle of Palms woman who said she shot her husband in self-defense will serve at least 15 years in prison.

The Post and Courier reports (http://bit.ly/1RWvH4n) that 45-year-old Doris Spann Argoe entered a plea of voluntary manslaughter in Charleston County court on Tuesday and was sentenced in the death 53-year-old Jonathan Arden Argoe.

The incident happened in March of last year.

Authorities say that Doris Argoe called 911 dispatchers and said she shot her husband after he came at her with a knife. But investigators disputed that claim and charged her with murder.

Her attorney said the victim's family agreed to the lesser plea.

The Nuclear Materials Committee of the Citizens Advisory Board convened Tuesday evening and tabled issues from Savannah River site, including K-area plutonium containers, long-term storage of spent nuclear fuels and the board's opposition to proposed acceptance of a shipment of German spent nuclear fuel.

K-area is the processing and storage area for excess plutonium at Savannah River Site, or SRS. That includes National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, monitored plutonium that is meant for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication facility. That plutonium, about 7 metric tons of the overall 13 metric tons, is planned to be processed into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors under a non-proliferation agreement with Russia.

The K-area storage includes about 5,000 containers of plutonium. According to Allen Gunter of the Department of Energy at Savannah River, each container holds about 300 grams of the nuclear material. The 6 metric tons not under the MOX agreement is planned to be downblended, beginning as early as September.

Gunter said the downblending will occur in the same glove box that the Energy Department conducts monitoring and testing of the structural integrity of the containers in storage. That surveillance program looks for corrosion or other problems by testing each layer of six storage containers annually.

According to Gunter, the down blended material will fill 20,000 of those containers planned to be transported to New Mexico for long-term interment at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP. Public comments expressing opposition to material storage, especially considering proposed shipments from Germany. The comments and concerns pushed the committee beyond its time limit. A special meeting is expected to be established and announced through the Federal Register.

Editor's note: A correction was made to this story. The story referred to 13 million tons of plutonium at K-area but the correct amount is 13 metric tons..

Thomas Gardiner is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter @TGardiner_AS.

NEW YORK - There was much more at risk for the 1996 Olympic women's basketball team than just winning the gold medal when they took the floor against Brazil in Atlanta.

An 18-month journey was coming to an end and anything less than a gold medal would have been considered a huge failure for the Americans. But a defeat also could have been a major blow to the two professional startup leagues in the U.S. looming on the horizon after the Atlanta Olympics.

"We knew what was at stake," backup guard Dawn Staley said. "We knew there was a WNBA in waiting, there was the ABL in waiting. It was all depending on how successful we were as a team. And we also wanted to show America, our nation, that women playing at the peaks of their careers was truly something special."

They didn't disappoint the 32,987 fans at the Georgia Dome.

The U.S. cruised to a 111-87 victory over Brazil, capping off an 8-0 mark in the Olympics. That was the first of five straight gold medals for the Americans. That team dominated, led by Lisa Leslie, Katrina McClain and Sheryl Swoopes. They still hold several U.S. Olympic records, including scoring average (102.4), points (819) and assists (207).

"We were on a mission. We trained for a year and half together. That was the first time USA Basketball had ever put a group of women together," said Nikki McCray, currently an assistant on Staley's coaching staff at South Carolina. "We were machines. Credit Tara VanDerveer and her staff for just getting us ready, and we were unstoppable. To go 60-0? That's never been done before, and we were not going to fall short of winning the gold medal and to win it was truly remarkable."

That team, which started training together in 1995, was the foundation for the launch of the ABL and the WNBA. The ABL lasted only two years, but the WNBA is now in its 20th season. Players earned $50,000 the year they toured with the team. They traveled around the world, flying more than 100,000 miles and winning 52 games before the Olympics.

"Those players, not only did they represent us on the court in winning a gold medal in such a huge fashion, but they were publicizing and promoting the women's game and basically got two leagues off the ground and one has withstood everything, the WNBA," said New York Liberty assistant coach Katie Smith. "So we are indebted to them, a huge 'thank you' for what they did."

Because of the 1996 team, Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker was part of a generation who grew up looking forward to playing in a pro league -- in the United States.

"I was on my couch and heard they were starting this new league, and I remember thinking how excited I was," said Parker of her 10-year-old self. "I went out to my driveway and started shooting, and I no longer had to pretend to play in the NBA, I could pretend to play in the WNBA."

Parker wasn't the only current WNBA star the 1996 team influenced. Tamika Catchings was on the USA women's junior world championship qualifying team. After a practice in Colorado, she and her teammates were told a surprise awaited them. In walked Leslie, Swoopes, Staley and the rest of the 1996 Olympic team.

"It was so cool," Catchings said. "It was the first time for me that I saw players like Lisa and Dawn and Sheryl. It was someone that I wanted to be like. A female basketball player to look up to. But watching the Olympic team, I was like, 'Oh, my God. One day I want to be there, and I want to represent my country and have that opportunity."'

Catchings has been a part of the last three Olympic gold medal winning teams for the U.S. She'll try to help the U.S. win a sixth consecutive gold medal at the Rio Games this summer.

The 1996 team didn't just leave their impact with the WNBA and Olympic success. Five players from that squad are coaching in college now -- Jennifer Azzi, McCray, Katy Steding, Staley and Swoopes.

"It was a magical year," coach VanDerveer said. "Although I don't know that our players would say that. It was really a fantastic trip. I loved the whole experience."

MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE - Two South Carolina Air National Guard F-16 fighter pilots ejected safely after an apparent midair collision in eastern Georgia, the Guard said.

The collision happened about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday during night training operations over a remote military operating area in Jefferson County, Georgia, a National Guard spokeswoman said.

The jets were assigned to the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing, which operates out of McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, South Carolina.

The base commander, Col. Nicholas Gentile, said the two pilots are among the most experienced in the unit.

Gentile said he could not yet release their names, but said they are back in South Carolina being debriefed as part of the investigation.

He said the two jets were part of a group of six that was conducting night training operations in preparation for an upcoming deployment that he could not discuss.

The pilots were wearing night-vision goggles when the collision occurred, Gentile said.

"We had planes spread out across the Southeast last night," Gentile said, adding that the bombing range is only about a 15-minute flight from the South Carolina base.

The F-16C models practice maneuvering against opponents and were involved in some of the earliest deployments in the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s.

It has been decades since South Carolina F-16s have been involved in a collision, he said, though he did not know the date of the last time it occurred. The 169th Fighter Wing has 28 of the aircraft.

U.S. F/A 18 jet fighters from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort also were flying nighttime operations and contacted officials to help locate the pilots, Gentile said.

The National Guard, Marines and Air Force all use the area, called the Townsend Bombing Range, for training, he said.

There were no injuries on the ground, Jefferson County Fire Chief Jim Anderson said Wednesday.

"We have located the debris from the first aircraft, which was located in a wooded area," Anderson said.

Crews were still searching for the second aircraft but expected to find it nearby, he said.

Gentile was heading to the crash scene Wednesday, McEntire spokeswoman Lt. Col. Cindi King said. The South Carolina Army National Guard was flying Gentile to Georgia aboard a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, King said.

"With the sun out, they will be able to see the area," she said, adding that the Blackhawk helicopters will help in their ability to fly over and assess potential damage.

King said South Carolina National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston Jr. was in Washington on Tuesday night when he got news of the crashes and was returning to Columbia to be updated.

The South Carolina Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force are dispatching teams to investigate the collision.

The collision comes after both of the military's precision flying teams suffered crashes last week.

A Blue Angels F/A-18 crashed last Thursday near Nashville, Tennessee, while taking off for a practice session. The pilot, Marine Capt. Jeff Kuss, was killed.

Also Thursday, a Thunderbirds F-16 crashed outside Colorado Springs, Colorado, but that pilot, Maj. Alex Turner, ejected safely. The Thunderbirds had just performed over the open-air graduation ceremony at the nearby Air Force Academy, where President Barack Obama spoke.

In May, two Navy jet fighters collided off the North Carolina coast. The four people on board the jets were pulled from the Atlantic Ocean by a commercial fishing ship.

COLUMBIA - Gov. Nikki Haley is ceremoniously signing a law that bans most abortions in South Carolina at 20 weeks beyond fertilization.

Supporters are celebrating the law Wednesday at a Christian school in Greenville County that caters to children with disabilities. The law took effect with the governor's signature two weeks ago.

The ban's only exceptions are if mother's life is in jeopardy or a doctor determines the fetus cannot survive outside the womb. Its definition of "fetal anomaly" makes it illegal to abort a fetus with a severe disability if the child could live. Such anomalies are generally detected around 20 weeks.

Supporters cite the disputed claim that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks. Opponents say later-term abortions usually happen with wanted pregnancies that go horribly wrong.

COLUMBIA - South Carolina's top Democrat is calling on elected Republicans to rescind their endorsements of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump over his race-based attacks on a Hispanic judge.

On Wednesday afternoon, state Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison is giving more details during a news conference at the party's Columbia headquarters.

The presumptive GOP nominee has been in damage control mode amid the controversy over his stance that U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel could not preside fairly over a case involving Trump University because of his Mexican heritage.

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk has already taken back his endorsement of Trump, and House Speaker Paul Ryan called the comments "racist." In a news release, South Carolina Democrats say elected Republicans who plan to vote for Trump "are putting our country in peril."

NEW YORK - The nation's obesity epidemic continues to grow, led by an alarming increase among women. For the first time, more than 4 in 10 U.S. women are obese, according to new government health statistics.

Obesity rates for men and women in the U.S. had been roughly the same for about a decade. But in recent years, women have surged ahead and now just over 40 percent of women are obese, compared to 35 percent of men.

The percentages were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in two articles published online Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Obesity is considered one of the nation's leading public health problems because it can trigger diabetes and lead to heart disease and other serious health problems.

WASHINGTON - The government is out with discouraging new figures on how many students are habitually missing school - and an AP analysis finds the problem is particularly acute in Washington, D.C., where nearly a third of students in the nation's capital were absent 15 days or more in a single school year.

Washington state and Alaska weren't that far behind, with absentee rates hovering around a quarter of students with that level of absences.

Florida had the lowest rate of absences: 4.5 percent of students in the state were chronically missing school in the 2013-2014 school year.

The national average in the 2013-2014 school year was 13 percent, more than 6.5 million students, a number that Bob Balfanz, a research professor at Johns Hopkins University and director of the Everyone Graduates Center, called disturbing.

"If you're not there, you don't learn, and then you fall behind, you don't pass your classes, you don't get the credits in high school and that's what leads to dropping out," Balfanz said in an interview.

Tuesday's report marked the first release of chronic absentee figures from the department.

According to AP's analysis, girls were just as likely as boys to habitually miss school. Nearly 22 percent of all American Indian students were reported as regularly absent, followed by Native Hawaiians at 21 percent and black students at 17 percent. Hispanic and white students were close to the national average of 13 percent.

Of the 100 largest school districts by enrollment, the Detroit City School District had the highest rate of chronic absenteeism. Nearly 58 percent of students were chronically absent in the 2013-2014 school year.

Students are regularly missing school for lots of reasons, Balfanz says. Many are poor and could be staying home to care for a sibling or helping with elder care. Others are avoiding school because they're being bullied or they worry it's not safe. And then, there are some students who simply skip school.

Schools should be creating welcoming environments to make students feel wanted each day, Balfanz says. They also need to build relationships with the kids who are regularly absent to figure out what's keeping them away, he said.

The Obama administration began a program last fall called Every Student, Every Day. It partners with states and local groups in 30 communities to identify mentors to help habitually absent kids get back on track.

Chronic absenteeism is one of several topics covered in the department's Civil Rights Data Collection, a biannual survey of all public schools in the country, covering over 95,000 schools and 50 million students. It also looked at school discipline and high-rigor course offerings.

Other figures:

- Black preschool children are 3.6 times as likely to get one or more out-of-school suspensions as their white counterparts.

- Black children represent 19 percent of preschoolers, yet they account for 47 percent of preschool kids getting suspended.

- White students make up 41 percent of preschoolers, and 28 percent of preschool kids with suspensions.

- Overall, across the country, 2.8 million K-12 students received one or more out-of-school suspensions - a nearly 20 percent drop from the number reported two years ago.

- Nationwide, almost half of high schools offered classes in calculus, and more than three-quarters offered Algebra II.

- Thirty-three percent of high schools with substantial black and Latino enrollment offered calculus. That compares to 56 percent of high schools with low numbers of black and Latino children that offered calculus. Similar gaps were seen for physics, chemistry and Algebra II.

LOS ANGELES - Summer travel packing list: swimsuit, sunblock, television.

In this portable TV era, there's no reason to leave small-screen entertainment at home when cable channels, streaming services and networks are eager to keep you connected online with top-notch fare from, among others, Oscar-owning filmmakers.

So hit the road with your smartphone, laptop or tablet - or, heck, stay put in front of an actual TV set - and check out this steamy-weather menu of hot picks (all times EDT).

- "BrainDead," CBS, 10 p.m. Monday, June 13. A different political show from "The Good Wife" creators Robert and Michelle King, with Washington beset by brain-eating bugs and a bipartisan coalition out to stop them. Tony Shalhoub and Broadway and TV "Grease" heartthrob Aaron Tveit are among the comic thriller's stars.

- "Animal Kingdom," TNT, 9 p.m. Monday, June 14. A teenager (Finn Cole) loses his mother to a heroin overdose and gains a violent family that includes a tough matriarch (Ellen Barkin) and her offspring in the drama series based on the Australian movie of the same name.

- "Raised by Wolves," Acorn TV streaming service, Monday, June 20. A bluntly funny take on the lives of an unconventional single mother and her six home-schooled kids from writers Caitlin and Caroline Moran, sisters who lived a version of the comedy series.

- "Queen of the South," USA, 10 p.m. Thursday, June 23. Drawn from the best-selling novel "La Reina Del Sur," which already spawned a hit telenovela, the drama stars Alice Braga ("I Am Legend") as a woman on the run in the U.S. from a drug trafficking ring after her boyfriend's murder.

- Dancing On the Edge," PBS, 8 p.m. Sunday, June 26. An eight-part drama about a black jazz band that finds success and tragedy in 1930s London. Chiwetel Ejiofor ("12 Years A Slave") and Matthew Goode (aka Lady Mary's squeeze in "Downton Abbey") are part of the cast.

- "Alexander Hamilton," History Channel, 9 p.m. Sunday, June 26. Finding tickets to the Broadway hit musical "Hamilton" too pricey? This two-hour documentary detailing his national legacy may leave you singing the founding father's praises.

- "Roadies," Showtime, 10 p.m. Sunday, June 26. Rock stars ruled in filmmaker Cameron Crowe's Oscar-winning "Almost Famous," but it's the crew members who shine in the comedy series written and directed by Crowe. Luke Wilson, Carla Gugino and Keisha Castle-Hughes are part of the ensemble cast.

- "Hello World!" Discovery Channel, 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. The family friendly series enlists the narration and tunes of Christina Aguilera, Usher, Joan Jett and others to educate us about wild animals and their habitats.

- "The Night Of," HBO, 9 p.m. Sunday, July 10. A start-to-finish murder case as created by one Oscar-winning writer, Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") and one Oscar-nominated one, Richard Price ("The Color of Money"), with an assist from Peter Moffat, whose original U.K. series it's adapted from. John Turturro, Riz Ahmed star.

- "The A Word," SundanceTV, 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. Both autism and adultery figure in this series, described as both thoughtful and humorous, about a 5-year-old boy and his extended family.

- "The Get Down," Netflix, Friday, Aug. 12. New York circa 1970s is the setting for this music-saturated drama about South Bronx teenagers in a harsh and changing world. Extravagant filmmaker Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge!") directed and produced the series with young actors (Justice Smith, Shameik Moore) and veterans (Jimmy Smits, Giancarlo Esposito).