COLUMBIA - Gov. Nikki Haley has until midnight to act on legislation designed to jump-start improvements to South Carolina's deteriorating roads through borrowing.

If the governor neither signs nor vetoes the bill by midnight Wednesday, it becomes law without her signature.

The Legislature's approval last week of the compromise followed nearly two years of senators blocking any proposal that increased the state's 16-cents-per-gallon gas tax.

The bill allows for $2.2 billion in borrowing over 10 years for infrastructure, funded with $200 million annually in existing fees and vehicle sales taxes.

Opponents of hiking gas taxes, including Haley, insisted on first restructuring the Department of Transportation. The compromise makes leadership changes. But they aren't what the governor wanted.

Commissioners would still oversee the agency, and legislators would have final say over who's appointed.

Some WWE Superstars are returning to Augusta for WWE Live's Summerslam Heatwave Tour.

Tickets of $17, $27, $37, $52, $67, $97 and $102 go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

The event will be held 7 p.m. July 31 at James Brown Arena, 601 Seventh St. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Currently on the card are WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns; "The Phenomenal One" AJ Styles; Seth Rollins; Sami Zayn; Kevin Owens; Tag Team Champions New Day; The Vaudevillians; Women's Champion Charlotte; Natalya; the USOS; Gallows and Anderson; Apollo Crews; The Celtic Warrior; and Sheamus.

The card is subject to change.

For more information, visit www.augustaentertainmentcomplex.com or call 877-428-4849.

Stephanie Turner graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012. She then signed on with the Aiken Standard, where she is now the features reporter. She primarily covers health topics, arts and entertainment, authors and restaurants.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office is warning residents against scammers posing as an agency lieutenant.

Capt. Eric Abdullah with the Sheriff's Office said alerts have been posted about callers attempting to obtain funds from residents by telling them they have missed jury duty or have outstanding fines that need to be paid immediately, because of a pending warrant.

Abdullah said the callers are claiming to be Lt. Clay Adams with the Sheriff's Office, who is also a candidate for Aiken County Coroner.

Since Adams is seeking an elected office, which is not associated with the Sheriff's Office, Abdullah said residents should be aware that "no member with the Aiken County Sheriff's Office will call you and seek funds from you in (lieu) of going to jail."

Abdullah added any individual who is identifying themselves as a law enforcement officer, or as a representative with a government agency, over the phone with the intention to collect money, people should request all contact information from the person who is calling.

The Sheriff's Office offered tips if individuals do call with this claim. The agency said law enforcement or government agencies will never contact people demanding payment, be cautious of giving out personal information over the phone and do not agree to any payment over the phone if someone is not familiar with the caller or agency.

Individuals with any information about possible suspects, or who want to report calls of this type or any case, are encouraged to call the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at 803-648-6811; the Aiken Department of Public Safety at 803-642-7620; the North Augusta Department of Public Safety at 803-279-2121; or Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIME-SC (888- 274-6372).

Maayan Schechter is the digital news editor with the Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.

The S.C. Attorney General announced Wednesday the arrest of a New York man on charges connected to the sexual exploitation of minors.

Adam Wheeler, of Fulton, New York, is charged with three counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of promoting prostitution of a minor, seven counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of dissemination of obscene material to a minor 18 years or younger, according to a news release.

The offense of sexual exploitation of a minor and promoting prostitution of a minor both carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The offense of sexual exploitation of a minor and dissemination of obscene material to a minor 18 years or younger both carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail.

Wheeler was arrested May 3 by the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, a member of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a news release said. The FBI assisted in the investigation and arrest.

Investigators said Wheeler had minors send nude photos to him, where he then asked for additional photos after threatening to post their pictures on social media, the release said.

The case will be prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

In the news release, Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

Maayan Schechter is the digital news editor with the Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.

A drive-by shooting early Tuesday in Jackson turned into a net of approximately $300,000 worth of fresh-cut marijuana plants.

"This investigation has developed into a multi-jurisdiction drug case spanning across two states," Sheriff Michael Hunt said in a news release. "As a result of this ongoing investigation we have disrupted a major marijuana trafficking ring and we will hold the violent suspects involved accountable for this disruption in our community."

Around 6:43 a.m. Tuesday, the Aiken County Sheriff's Office, the Jackson Police Department and EMS responded to the 18000 block of Atomic Road in Jackson for a shooting incident, where two male victims were transported to the hospital for gunshot wounds.

Officers found a dark in color Chevrolet Equinox located in the woods off Atomic Road, with multiple bullet holes and white paint, believed to be transferred from the suspect's vehicle, a news release said.

One deputy observed at least one male victim, from Miami Lakes, Florida, to have numerous injuries to the head, according to an Aiken County Sheriff's Office incident report. The victim was taken to GRU in Augusta, the report said.

The deputy also saw at least three bullet holes in the driver's side front door and rear passenger doors, and the glass was broken out of the left rear door, the report said.

The deputy reported that in plain view through the window, the deputy could see what appeared to be a large amount of marijuana, the report said.

A news release issued Wednesday said investigators discovered a large amount of fresh-cut marijuana in the rear of the victim's vehicle.

Through leads and evidence, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for a home located on the 18000 block of Atomic Road, where the shooting happened, the release said.

There, investigators found the house was protected by multiple booby traps, dangerous obstacles and hazards, the release said. Several marijuana plants and cultivating equipment were also seized, with an approximate street value of $300,000, the release said.

Multiple suspects have been identified by law enforcement as being involved with the incident. However, their identifies are being withheld pending the outcome of the investigation and issuance of warrants, the release said.

The investigation was assisted by the Jackson Police Department, the Aiken Department of Public Safety, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force and Code Enforcement.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Individuals with information are asked to call the Aiken County Sheriff's Office at 803-648-6811, or Crimestoppers of the Midlands at 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372).

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward up to $,1000.

Maayan Schechter is the digital news editor with the Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.

When New York Times best-selling author Dorothea Benton Frank took questions from the audience Wednesday night during her appearance in Aiken, she got tears in her eyes after someone asked her about her friendship with another prominent writer, the late Pat Conroy.

Frank dedicated her new book, "All Summer Long," to Conroy, who died in March.

"He was such a dear friend, and he had an enormous impact on me as a writer," Frank said. "He is the one who gave me permission to go be. He said, 'You are a writer, and you're funny on the page.' I loved him, and I miss him every day."

"All Summer Long," which is Frank's 17th book, is about a New York couple relocating to Charleston. The man is looking forward to a more peaceful life, but the woman has reservations about the promise she made to retire in the Lowcountry.

"I will always write books that have ties to the Lowcountry because that is where I want to be when one of my books goes on sale," said Frank, who was raised on Sullivan's Island and divides her time between South Carolina and New Jersey. "I don't want to go to Montana. I'm sure it is gorgeous, but I would rather be in the Lowcountry."

Books-A-Million in the Aiken Mall was one of the stops on Frank's 'All Summer Long' Tour. More than 100 people - mostly women - showed up to see her. The crowd filled the folding chairs that had been set up in rows in front of Books-A-Million's indoor mall entrance.

Responding to another question, Frank discussed the process involved in writing her books.

"They come together in fragments in my mind," she said. "I write an overview for each one of my books, so I know basically what they are going to be like. I have one year from the time I think it up until I have to turn it in. Every Presidents Day weekend, my editor knocks on my door in Montclair, New Jersey, and asks me, 'How many pages do you have?' I always try to get to at least 300 pages by Presidents Day."

When asked if writer's block was ever a problem, Frank replied: "We don't have writer's block at our house. You put any kind of junk you can think of on a page and then fix it. You can fix a mess. I might get up and go walk around the block or I might get up and go get a glass of water or something and then come back."

Katie Hutto is a Frank fan, and she was eager to see and listen to the author.

"A friend got me started reading her books," Hutto said. "She is originally from South Carolina, which is awesome. I enjoy her books; they make me laugh. There usually is a little bit of romance and a little bit of mystery in them."

Babs DePalermo, who also was in the audience, described Frank as funny, a "giving" person and a "good author."

Irene Hawley sat on one side of DePalermo and Dee Brittain sat on the other.

"I love Dorothea's characters," Hawley said. "The plots in her books are easy to follow."

Frank's novels provide Brittain an escape from the real world.

"When I read her, I just go wherever she's at and I experience what she is writing," Brittain said.

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

Even though Birds & Butterflies has been offering a program on owls during its annual Nature Series for years, the presentation's popularity hasn't waned.

"It always fills up," said Ron Brenneman, who owns the downtown Aiken store with his wife, Dori.

More than 50 people showed up for the latest owl program Tuesday night, and "we turned probably turned away 40 who wanted to come," Brenneman said.

Mark Lloyd attended the owl presentation last year and liked it so much that he returned for the 2016 edition. Accompanying him were his nephew, Wesley Hallback, and 4-year-old great-niece, Kailey Hallback.

Lloyd said he thought Kailey would be interested in the owl program because "she loves to catch animals. She catches little lizards in the yard and butterflies, crickets and snails. Then she releases them."

When asked if she had enjoyed learning about owls, Kailey nodded shyly.

Larry and Carol Eldridge, who have been involved in raptor rehabilitation for nearly 40 years, brought three live birds with them to Birds & Butterflies - a great horned owl named Bear, a barred owl named Raleigh and a screech owl named Charlotte.

Bear lives at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory on the Savannah River Site, and Raleigh and Charlotte reside at USC Aiken's Ruth Patrick Science Education Center.

All three had suffered injuries in the past that were so severe that they weren't able to survive in the wild after being treated.

"They are non-releasable animals that are used in licensed education programs," Carol said.

Bear, the largest of the three birds, sat quietly on a perch on a table while Carol talked about great horned owls.

"They are the largest owls we have in this area," Carol said. They eat tiger salamanders, mice and rats, flying squirrels and snakes, both venomous and nonvenomous. They even will eat other owls. They eat screech owls, and they will eat barred owls with no problem whatsoever."

Bear and other great horned owls don't really have horns.

"Those are tufts of feathers on top of his head," Carol said. "They don't have anything to do with his ears. He can control them voluntarily, and when he is resting in his aviary and everything is great in his world, they stand straight up. What's their purpose? We don't have any idea. Are they part of helping him blend in with his environment? We don't know."

Larry talked about barred owls while Raleigh sat on one of his hands. Larry wore a leather glove that provided protection from the bird's sharp talons.

"This one is a much smaller bird than a great horned owl," Larry said. "He eats small rats, mice, small snakes and lizards. He really likes frogs, and he really likes crawdads."

Then Larry got Charlotte out of her travel cage and showed the tiny brown bird to the audience.

"This is the smallest owl we brought with us tonight," Carol said. "This is an adult. This is not a baby. It's probably a good thing that screech owls are as small as they are because they are ferocious predators."

Carol then told a story about a screech owl that she had read in a book.

"Screech owls are cavity nesters, and they will investigate chimneys, thinking they are hollow trees," Carol said. "One day, a screech owl came down a chimney into a room, and in that room was a canary in a cage. The screech owl went and pulled the canary out of the cage and ate it."

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

Aiken County Public Schools has named a new principal for Greendale Elementary School in New Ellenton and a new administrator for the District.

Robin Hill-Davidson will be the new principal at Greendale. Kate Olin will be the director of Accountability and Assessment for the District. The Board of Education approved the appointments Tuesday at a special called meeting.

Hill-Davidson currently is an assistant principal at W.A. Perry Middle School in Columbia.

She began her career in education in 1998 as an English, history and mathematics teacher at Durham High School in Durham, North Carolina. Over the next 18 years, she also was a special education instructor and intervention coordinator.

Hill-Davidson earned a master's degree in education with an emphasis in special education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, California, in 2000, and a Bachelor of Science degree in special education from the College of Charleston.

She earned additional degrees in administration from Chapman University in Orange, California, in 2003, and as an educational specialist in 2011 from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also holds multiple professional certifications.

District Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford said he is "excited" that Hill-Davidson is joining the Greendale team, "which is already doing well, and will continue to expand the school's influence throughout the New Ellenton area."

"I say everywhere I go in public that Greendale Elementary is probably the best kept secret in Aiken County," Alford said "They have a school culture and an academic program that is very hard to beat. We're excited that Robin Hill-Davidson is going to have an opportunity to lend a hand and move the school forward."

Hill-Davidson will follow Sonya Colvin, who was named the new principal at Busbee Corbett Elementary/Middle School in Wagener. Colvin became principal of Greendale Elementary in 2011.

Olin will help the District, schools and teachers separate data into a "consumable format," Alford said.

Last year, Olin was named the assistant principal of Bridges Preparatory School, a public charter school with 520 students in Beaufort.

Previously, Olin was the director of Planning and Assessment for the University of Louisville's College of Business and Public Administration.

Following her work at the collegiate level, Olin worked as the director of The Evaluation Network and provided senior level consultation and services to K-12 and postsecondary educational organizations.

Olin gained most of her educational administration experience in the instructional services department with the Beaufort County School District, a role she began in 2009.

Olin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and political science from the State University of New York in Fredonia, New York, in 1983, and studied comparative British politics at Richmond College in London, England, before her undergraduate work. She completed coursework toward a doctorate in educational leadership and organizational development from the University of Louisville in 2005 and a master's degree in administration from the University of Louisville in 1997.

"We are pleased to welcome Olin to Aiken County," Alford commented. "She'll help us develop and sustain a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement that will advance our District and community's goals."

Olin will begin her new position with the District in July.

Larry Wood covers education for the Aiken Standard.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday that the Savannah River Site's Salt Waste Processing Facility construction is complete, bringing the facility one step closer to full operation planned for late 2018.

"Completing construction safely and eight months ahead of the contractual requirement is a tremendous accomplishment and this achievement is truly a reflection of the skilled workforce we have here at SRS and across the complex," said Jack Craig, SRS Manager for DOE.

"While construction work is now complete, we are pushing forward to reach our shared goal of getting this facility into operation by 2018," he said.

Parsons, the construction company contracted to build the project, notified DOE on April 22 that it had met its contractual requirements for declaring construction complete, kicking off a formal process under which the Energy Department spent 30 days documenting and validating that construction was finished.

The review was finished on May 26, 2016, confirming Parsons' declaration. The milestone comes eight months ahead of the target schedule and more than $60 million under the target cost for construction activities from Dec. 31, 2012, through the end of construction.

"This is a key milestone for the project and for our workforce, which has performed admirably by safely and efficiently completing construction activities on this facility," said Frank Sheppard, Parsons' senior vice president and SWPF project manager. "But more important, we are one step closer to our ultimate goal of beginning operations and accelerating the tank waste cleanup mission at the Savannah River Site."

Now that construction is complete, the Energy Department and Parsons are focusing on testing the plant's systems and training the workforce to operate the plant in preparation for the start of operations. Once operational, the SWPF will significantly increase processing rates at SRS tank farms in an effort to empty the site's high-level radioactive waste tanks.

The SWPF will be the key liquid waste facility for processing approximately 90 percent of the 36 million gallons of radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at SRS. It will separate the "salt" waste into a low-volume, highly radioactive solution that will be turned into glass in the Defense Waste Processing Facility and a high-volume, decontaminated salt solution for disposal as low-level waste in the Saltstone Facility.

It's all in the numbers.

If you want to see the success or failure of any program, take a look at the numbers.

Numbers don't lie.

East Aiken Elementary School Principal Lisa Fallaw presented the success of her school's Rotary Readers program to the Aiken Rotary Club on Monday and she tossed out a few numbers to illustrate her point.

"It works," she told Rotary members. "If you want to see the true success of your efforts, look at the numbers."

The goal for this year's Rotary Readers "Reading is Amazing" program was for students to read 31,000 books.

"Our students read a total of 31,300 books," Fallaw said. "This truly is amazing."

The ability to read is the cornerstone on which a successful education is built. A student must be able to read, and read comprehensively, Fallaw said.

"You all are angels to be a part of this program," she said. "This year we had our highest participation ever. It's so important that we have community members participate in Rotary Readers."

This is the third year of the Rotary Club's partnership with East Aiken Elementary School and this year the school enjoyed its largest participation group ever. A total of 101 readers in grades Pre-4K to fifth grade took part in the Rotary Readers project, meeting once a week for 30 minutes to read and work on developing vocabulary skills.

The ability to read is a priceless gift given by participating Rotarians, their spouses and other volunteers who stepped in to help young people share in the joy of reading.

"When we started the school year, none of our Pre-K4 students were meeting expectations," Fallaw said. "By the spring, 100 percent of the kids were meeting expectations, a total of 19 students, 13 were at grade level, and six were above grade level."

That's 31.6 percent if you're doing the math, and these numbers don't lie.

Fallaw is passionate about her reading program, and she's equally passionate in her appreciation of any and all of those who volunteer to mentor these young people.

"And we can always use more volunteers," Fallaw said. "These children have mentors. We have lawyers, retired judges, the clergy, every career field is represented, and these kids get to see how these adults are invested in them. These Rotarians care. This means more to our kids than anything. They're sincere and our kids see this. It's important to the kids that these adults are sincere."

This year's Rotary Readers program included 101 students with 67 volunteer readers plus three faculty members divided among them - an almost one-on-one ratio.

"We are so thankful for the partnership with the Rotary club," Fallaw said. "It's so much more than just reading. It's adults spending positive time with our students. It's had a positive impact on our school."

One story Fallaw recounted was the student who did not have money to buy a book at the book fair.

"He was very quiet when we were setting up the Book Fair because normally this boy is so excited about reading," she said. "When we asked what was wrong he finally said he did not have any money to buy a book at the Book Fair. That's when one of our Book Fairies came by and gave him a book, free, and just for him. The look on that little boy's face was priceless, and for the rest of the day, you could not pry that book out of his hands. Even when he was standing in line for the bus at the end of the day, he held on to that book."

It was this kind of reward and satisfaction, Fallaw said, that went beyond just earning a paycheck.

"We make this amazing," she said. "We asked ourselves at the beginning of the year, what we could all do to make this school year amazing. Making it good was hard enough, but to make it amazing, required a special dedication and commitment. You ask yourself, what can you do to make this day amazing? That's what we strive to do every day, to make today amazing.

"It's never too early to teach someone to read," she said. "It is never too soon to be a positive influence on a child's life."

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

WASHINGTON - On the verge of endorsing Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama will pay tribute to Bernie Sanders' historic candidacy for presidency with an Oval Office meeting aimed at unifying the Democratic Party for a general election brawl with Donald Trump.

Sanders, the runner-up for the Democratic nomination, was heading Thursday to the White House under intense pressure to drop out and clear the way for Clinton. Though he showed signs he understood the end was near - he was laying off about half his team - he vowed to keep fighting for his movement, which Democratic leaders hope will evolve into a new base of support for Clinton.

Obama, who was expected to formally endorse Clinton following his midday meeting with Sanders, has sought to give the Vermont senator the courtesy of exiting the race on his own terms. On "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Wednesday night, he praised the Sanders campaign.

"It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary. I thought that Bernie Sanders brought enormous energy and new ideas," Obama said during a taped appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." "And he pushed the party and challenged them. I thought it made Hillary a better candidate."

Obama planned to use the meeting, requested by Sanders, to discuss how to build on the enthusiasm Sanders brought to the primary and advance issues like income inequality and campaign finance reform that Sanders championed, the White House said. That's a diplomatic way of saying it's time for Sanders to pass the baton to Clinton, who declared victory over Sanders on Tuesday.

Now head to head in the presidential race, Clinton and Trump have one thing in common: Both are working to woo Sanders supporters once his campaign fully sputters. Trump has said he welcomes Sanders' voters "with open arms" while Clinton vowed to reach out proactively to voters who backed her opponent in the Democratic primary.

"He has said that he's certainly going to do everything he can to defeat Trump," Clinton said of Sanders in an Associated Press interview. "I'm very much looking forward to working with him to do that."

Trump, despite a string of victories this week that reaffirmed his place as the GOP nominee, was still working to convince wary Republicans that he's presidential material. Looking ahead to an upcoming speech attacking Clinton and her husband, Trump tried to turn the page following a dust-up over his comments about a Hispanic judge's ethnicity

That controversy and others before it have led prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, to open chastise their party's nominee. Yet Trump's dominance in the GOP race was hard to overstate: He now has 1,542 delegates, including 1,447 required by party rules to vote for him at the convention. It takes just 1,237 delegates to win the Republican nomination.

For Sanders, any rationale for staying in the race grew murkier as even some of his staunchest supporters started looking to Clinton. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, the one Senate Democrat to endorse Sanders, said Clinton was the nominee and offered his congratulations. And Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Sanders backer from Arizona, suggested the time to rally behind Clinton would come next week when the primary season concludes with the final contest in the District of Columbia.

"Bernie's going to do the right thing," Grijalva said Wednesday on the sidelines of discussions about the official Democratic Party platform.

Sanders, who also planned to meet Thursday with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, promised to continue his campaign through Tuesday's contest. But about half his campaign staff was being laid off, two people familiar with the plans said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the layoffs.

The task of persuading Sanders' supporters to fall in line falls largely to Obama, still one of the Democratic Party's most popular figures. Obama's aides have said he's itching to get off the sidelines and take on Trump, but the key question was whether voters who helped elected him twice would follow his lead now that he's not on the ballot.

There was little reason for overconfidence among Democrats, who've never seen that powerful coalition of minorities, young people and women reliably show up for candidates not named Obama.

"It's going to be hard to get African-American turnout as high as Obama got it, and to get youth turnout as high as Obama got it," said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster. "We have to work really hard."

AUGUSTA - Local audiences can spend "An Evening with Jason Mraz and his Guitar" later this month.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter is performing for the Friends with Benefits Fund's annual The Riverwalk Revival concert.

The concert will be June 18 at the Jessye Norman Amphitheater, 15 Eighth St., Augusta.

The event is rain or shine and will be at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The show is $40 in advance and $50 on the day of the show.

Foods and concessions will be available.

"Since getting his start in coffeehouses in his adopted city of San Diego, Mraz has brought his positive message and soulful, folk-pop sound to rapt audiences around the world through his recordings, vibrant live performances and philanthropic efforts," his biography states.

Among his accolades have been scoring numerous diamond, platinum and multiplatinum certifications around the world for his various releases and snagging two Grammy Awards and a Hal David Songwriter Hall of Fame Award.

Among his sellout concerts have been ones at The Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden and London's O2 Arena.

For more information, visit www.theriverwalkrevival.com.

Stephanie Turner graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012. She then signed on with the Aiken Standard, where she is now the features reporter. She primarily covers health topics, arts and entertainment, authors and restaurants.

Events to attend on Thursday, June 9, 2016:

- An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens St. S.W. The works of Ruth Larkin and USC Aiken faculty artists Al Beyer, Michael Fowler, Eric Miller and Ginny Southworth will be on exhibit through July 9. For more information, call 803-641-9094 or email Cathy.Rumble@aikencenterforthearts.org.

- The Aiken Newcomers' Club, a club for women, will meet Tuesday, June 14, at Newberry Hall, 117 Newberry St. Registration will be held at 10:45 a.m., and the business meeting, program and lunch will begin at 11:30 a.m. The cost of the luncheon is $15. Reservations and cancellations are due by Thursday, June 9. To make a reservation, call 803-514-2762 or email newcomers29803@gmail.com.

- The Mike Frost Band will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at The Red Pepper, 752 Silver Bluff Road. For more information, call 803-649-9915.

- The Lower Savannah Council of Governments will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at Buck Ridge Plantation, 231 Gun Dog Trail, Neeses. For more information, call 803-649-7981 or visit www.lscog.org.

Lake Wylie searched for missing boater near SC-NC state line

LAKE WYLIE - Fire department officials are searching for a missing boater in Lake Wylie near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.

Charlotte, North Carolina, Fire Department Capt. Dennis Gist told local media outlets that a 30-year-old man was reported missing in the water shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The search was called off around 9 p.m. Wednesday because of darkness. The search is being conducted near a bridge on state Highway 49.

The man's name has not been released.

Gist says someone on a boat went into the water. Gist said searchers don't know if the man fell or jumped into the water.

He says the man was on the boat with family and friends when he disappeared in the water.

Double Trouble: Turtle released 2 years ago back at hospital

CHARLESTON - Briar the sea turtle is in the hospital again.

The female loggerhead turtle treated and released two years ago from the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston was readmitted Wednesday.

The aquarium said the turtle was found in North Myrtle Beach having suffered a strike from a boat propeller.

Briar was first admitted to the hospital back in 2013 after being found washed up in North Myrtle Beach. She was emaciated and covered in barnacles and became the first turtle to receive cataract surgery at the hospital.

After more than a year of treatment, Briar was released on the Isle of Palms.

Veterinarians say the new wound from the boat strike does not appear to be recent.

Firefighters extinguish flames after 3 cars catch fire

BLUFFTON - Firefighters extinguished vehicles after they caught fire in the parking lot of a Beaufort County home improvement store.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head (http://bit.ly/1TXmsTR) reports that firefighters received a call Wednesday afternoon that one car was on fire in the Lowe's parking lot in Bluffton.

Bluffton Township Fire District Capt. Pete Reid says firefighters got the flames under control quickly, even though three cars were ablaze by the time authorities arrived at the scene.

No injuries were reported. The investigation into the cause of the fires is ongoing.

CHARLESTON - Charleston police say nine people have been arrested and about $350,000 worth of drugs and cash seized in a sweep tied to the shooting death earlier this year of a Charleston man.

Police held a news conference Wednesday where they announced the haul included 43,000 Xanax and synthetic marijuana pills, cocaine, LSD, military-style rifles and four cars.

Police Chief Greg Mullen says there has been an increase in violence in Charleston as well as in other communities and that the violence is connected to drugs and weapons.

Police would not say specifically how the arrests are connected to the shooting death of 23-year-old Patrick Moffly in March.

One man is charged with murder in the death that police say took place during a drug deal.

NORTH CHARLESTON - North Charleston police are looking for clues and the family is offering a $36,000 reward for information in the Memorial Day shooting death of an Ohio banker in South Carolina.

Police spokesman Spencer Pryor tells local media outlets that 35-year-old Barri Shank, who is from the Cleveland area, was shot early May 30 outside his hotel near the Charleston Area Convention Center.

Shank had dropped his wife off at the hotel and was walking back from parking lot when he was shot.

Family members say the couple, who lived in Bay Village, Ohio, had just arrived at the nearby Charleston International Airport and were spending the night before renting a car and driving to Hilton Head Island for a vacation.

Hilton Head is about 100 miles southwest of North Charleston.

In-person absentee voting for the June 14 statewide primary is still open, according to the Aiken County Board of Voter Registration and Elections.

In-person absentee voting is open at the Aiken County Registration and Election office at Aiken County Government Center, 1930 University Parkway.

The election office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m and will also open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For voting in person, absentee voters can visit the county elections office, complete an application and cast their ballot, according to the State Election Commission. Voters may vote absentee in person up until 5 p.m. Monday.

For more information on absentee voting or to know if you are qualified to vote by absentee ballot, visit scvotes.org.

To contact the Aiken County Registration and Election Office, call 803-642-2028.

COLUMBIA - Republican Gov. Nikki Haley has struck $41 million worth of spending from the Legislature's $7.5 billion budget that takes effect July 1.

Haley's 51 line-item vetoes include $8.7 million of what she calls "old-fashioned pork," such as $3 million for sports marketing and $100,000 for a Richland County swimming pool.

Legislators will return to Columbia next week to consider overriding her vetoes.

She struck several earmarks for museums, including $3 million toward a new Medal of Honor museum - currently located on the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor - $1 million on the Children's Museum of the Upstate, $380,000 for the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia and $350,000 for the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston.

Historic sites, museums and cultural centers should be funded by "selling memberships, collecting admissions fees and soliciting philanthropic support," Haley wrote in her veto message. "The wrong way to do it is by earmarking state funds to choose one site over another to support."

However, Haley's pen did not touch $4 million for the planned International African-American Museum in Charleston.

Fifteen of her vetoes strike mandates, not money.

She vetoed a budget clause calling for an evaluation of moving the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum to Charleston.

Legislators opted for the study instead of spending anything to display the Confederate flag removed from Statehouse grounds and sent to the museum last summer. House members, who balked at a proposed $3.6 million price tag for the flag display and museum expansion, argued its current location in Columbia - through a separate door at the back of the State Museum building - doesn't attract enough visitors and needs to be more self-sufficient.

But Haley argued the study is a "veiled attempt to justify" combining the Relic Room and the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley and is "nothing more than a legislative pet project." In her veto message, Haley said the potential relocation will be examined as part of a larger study of state-owned buildings.

Other struck budget clauses say grass mowing at welcome centers must be "uniform in appearance" and a golf cart entrance to Myrtle Beach State Park must be created at a specific intersection along U.S. Highway 17.

Haley calls those examples of legislators micromanaging government.

She also dislikes the idea of a catch-tag-and-release coyote program that's designed to encourage hunters to kill the predators. Under the program, hunters who kill one of the 16 coyotes tagged by the Department of Natural Resources would receive a lifetime hunting license.

That "is not the answer to our deer population problems," Haley wrote. She asks legislators to sustain the veto "in the interest of common sense and public safety."

WASHINGTON - After wrapping up his meeting at the White House, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says he looks forward to meeting with Hillary Clinton in the future to see how they can work together to defeat Donald Trump in November's election.

Sanders spoke to reporters after meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.

Sanders did not endorse Clinton. He says he plans to remain in the race through next week's primary in the District of Columbia, and will focus on the need for statehood for the district.

Sanders also said he will do everything in his power to make sure Trump does not become the next president of the United States

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has endorsed Hillary Clinton to succeed him as president.

The move came after Obama met with her rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Sanders said he would work with Clinton to stop Donald Trump.

In his endorsement, Obama said: "I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office."

This story will be updated.