Hundreds
Attend Local Ceremony for Troops Heading to Afghanistan
Hundreds
of family members and supporters attended a departure ceremony Jan. 6 at Williams-Brice
Stadium in Columbia for a S.C. Army National Guard contingent heading to Afghanistan.
Comprising about 1,800 soldiers, the 218th Infantry Brigade will help train
the Afghan army and police forces as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Several
of the state's top elected officials also were on hand for the ceremony, which
concluded with two Apache helicopters flying past. Speakers encouraged the
troops to remember why they are going overseas and to stay in close contact
with their families. Like the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the nation's military
action in Afghanistan has lasted longer than America's involvement in World
War II. ‹ EKW
Northeast
Richland Resident Fights the (Ticket) Power
Northeast
Richland resident William Goodwin didn't just take it when he got an unlicensed
vehicle ticket Nov. 29. It was more than the cost of the ticket, a whopping
$1,087.50, that irked Goodwin. He was warned in a Nov. 21 letter to correct
a faded monthly sticker on his license plate, but he thought he was legal
and rolled on. Then county code enforcement officer Sheila Aull wrote him
up, so Goodwin went to court. A judge threw out the ticket Jan. 5. "These
law enforcement officials, they don't like it when you tell them hell no,
especially when you're legal," Goodwin says. Aull says the serial number on
the yearly sticker on Goodwin's plate also was not properly displayed, but
admits, "I actually charged him with the wrong charge on that." It should
have been a license plate violation, she says, adding that all county ordinance
violations carry a $1,087.50 fine. ‹ EKW
Inaugural
Events Cost Pretty Penny
Running
for political office is increasingly expensive, but enjoying a candidate's
electoral victory isn't exactly cheap, either. On both sides of the aisle,
this week's inaugural events were enough to make average schmos dig rather
deep into their pockets. Newly minted state Education Superintendent Jim Rex,
a Democrat, held a gala Tuesday for which tickets ranged from $50 for a guest
to $3,500 for a headline sponsor. As for the Republicans, Gov. Mark Sanford
was to hold a barbecue early Wednesday evening (the cost: $60 a person, with
children younger than 12 free) and the state GOP planned to throw a black
tie bash later that night at a pricey $150 for individuals, $250 for couples.
‹ EKW
Blue
Cross/Blue Shield Donates to MIRCI; City Shelters Fill Up
Blue
Cross/Blue Shield of South Carolina has boosted local efforts to help the
homeless with a $100,000 donation to the Mental Illness Recovery Center Inc.
(MIRCI) of Columbia. The nonprofit center announced the charity from the insurance
giant Jan. 3. MIRCI says it will use the money to provide counseling, housing
and other services to people suffering from mental illness, many of whom are
homeless. Such outreach is sorely needed. The city of Columbia says two temporary
homeless shelters it is operating this winter reached capacity Jan. 7, and
with freezing temperatures expected the night of Jan. 9 the city planned to
open an overflow shelter that evening at Earlewood Park. "The overflow shelter
is not just for the homeless," says Harold Reaves, city deputy director of
homeland security. "It's also for those if their heat goes out or something
like that." ‹ EKW
DNA
Samples, Minimum Wage Among Bills Facing Legislators
Dozens
of bills ‹ some malevolent, others benevolent ‹ competed for lawmakers' attention
as the General Assembly went back into session Tuesday. The American Civil
Liberties Union of South Carolina is fighting legislation to require people
who get arrested to give up a sample of their DNA. Currently a sample is required
upon sentencing. On the other side of the spectrum, freshman Rep. Bakari Sellers,
D-Bamberg, is sponsoring a bill to increase the state's minimum wage from
$5.15 an hour to $7. At 22, Sellers is the youngest member of the General
Assembly. For more about the legislative session, please see this week's cover
story starting on page 14. ‹ EKW
After
Football, Coble Focuseson Economic Impact of Sports
Mayor
Bob Coble says he wants to move forward on an economic impact study of sports
in Columbia now that USC's football season has concluded. "If you can't measure
something it's hard to fund it and see how successful you are," Coble says.
The idea is USC's Moore School of Business would conduct a study. Coble first
proposed it early in the Gamecocks' season. But with the gridiron consuming
so much attention, he decided to wait until Williams-Brice Stadium went quiet
again before advancing the idea. Meanwhile, during a U.S. Conference of Mayors
meeting later this month, Coble says he plans to ask mayors from other cities
in the Southeast to cooperate on increasing sports tourism. ‹ EKW
State
Gets Mixed Reviews in Education Week Report
South
Carolina's education system topped the list nationally in accountability and
standards, but the Palmetto State did not fare so well in overall student
performance and a child's "chance of success." That was the gist of Education
Week's annual Quality Counts report released Jan. 3. South Carolina ranked
No. 1 in standards, assessment and accountability, up from No. 3 last year.
However, according to the findings of one new index in this year's report,
South Carolina ranked 41st in a child's "chance of success" or the ability
to achieve success throughout life. The index is based on such indicators
as the number of children living in families that earn a decent wage and the
percentage of children with at least one parent who has a postsecondary degree.
‹ ML
Two New Faces Joining Richland County Council
Two new faces were set to be sworn-in as members of Richland County Council on Jan. 9.
The swearing-in was scheduled for after Free Times went to press.
Norman Jackson, a planner with the S.C. Department of Transportation, has plenty of experience working with the council in his capacity as an eight-year member of the county Planning Commission.
In a close race, Jackson defeated council Chairman Tony Mizzell in the June primaries and was uncontested in the November elections. Jackson won the District 11 seat, which represents Lower Richland and southeast Columbia.
With Mizzell's departure, council members planned to elect a new chair Jan. 9. Democrats Joe McEachern and Paul Livingston were vying for the position.
Bill Malinowski, a retired FBI agent who won the vacant District 1 seat representing the Dutch Fork-Irmo area, says his No. 1 issue is growth.
"We need quality growth here, not just growth in general," Malinowski says. "I'm hoping to be able to bring together developers and the citizens who want to protect their rural lifestyle.
"I'm excited about serving for the next four years."
Incumbents Kit Smith (District 5) and Paul Livingston (District 4) also were to be sworn in.
Jackson says he watched from the sidelines for years as time after time county leadership failed its constituents.
"I was on a panel made up of citizens from eight county regions charged by council to develop a comprehensive plan to help their communities grow efficiently," Jackson says. "We worked on it for two years and were proud of what we accomplished.
"It was a legal document to be incorporated into the county's comprehensive land-use plan, and then council decides to do what they want and make changes without consulting the people who they asked to do it. They basically ignored it, and it was very, very frustrating to those of us who worked on it. That's why I ran, to see that there is accountability from council members. There's just a lot of things that happen I don't understand, such as why a road can get moved from No. 161 to No. 1 on the road-paving list just because a council member [Bernice Scott, whose home is near the road] wants it. That's poor leadership."
Jackson says he has been equally disappointed in Columbia City Council's diffidence at maintaining a forthright working relationship with the county.
"City Council's reluctance to follow through on promises has been mind boggling," he says. "The city spent six years trying to make its mind up about the joint planning recommendations. The citizens deserve better than that." ‹ RA
Let us know what you think: Email news@free-times.com.
Growth
& Development
By
Eric K. Ward & Julie Jarema
Local Coalition Opposes Delta-US Airways Merger
A local coalition is fighting a potential merger of Delta Airlines and America West/US Airways, charging that it would lead to higher rates and fewer options at Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
Consisting of Delta employees, elected officials and business interests, the coalition gathered at the airport Dec. 19 to publicly express opposition to a hostile takeover bid of Delta by America West/US Airways, which themselves joined forces only last year.
A merger faces numerous federal regulatory hurdles, and it is anybody's guess whether it will come to pass.
"We have a long history of a good partnership with Delta," says state Rep. Bill Cotty, R-Richland. Cotty says America West/US Airways buying out Delta would hurt that partnership, resulting in pricier tickets and reduced flight choices for Columbia-area passengers. "All of that is bad for business, and business is what grows the Midlands and the quality of life here," he says.
Cotty and a few other state lawmakers attended the airport gathering last month as did Hunter Howard, president of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
Lynne Douglas, spokeswoman for the Columbia airport, says a merger is an airline issue. "It's certainly a wait and see, but we don't take a position on that," Douglas says.
Regarding the economic impact, she says, "It's hard to say."
Delta employs about 350 people in South Carolina, according to Wesley Donehue, a spokesman for the local Tompkins Thompson Sullivan consulting firm. Delta hired the firm to drum up opposition in the Palmetto State to America West/US Airways' takeover bid.
"I think it's pretty evenly split between the big three," Donehue says of where Delta's South Carolina employees work, referring to the state's main urban areas of Columbia, Charleston and Greenville-Spartanburg.
Delta also has workers at the Florence and Hilton Head airports, he says.
As to the status of a merger, Donehue says, "It's still on the fence." ‹ EKW
Commission Tweaks Richland Land-Use Plan
Richland County will experience major changes by the year 2020.
The county's comprehensive land-use plan to manage growth and curtail sprawl was brought before the county Planning Commission on Jan. 8 for review and the most notable changes were in the Northeast.
On the basis of a commissioner's recommendation, a Northeast suburban boundary was tentatively drawn with a patch of Blythewood set aside for suburban development.
In the northwest part of the county, meanwhile, Irmo has annexed properties out to Lake Murray. Negotiations between Irmo officials and leaders of the neighboring Ballentine community are in the works over who will control the growth of that area.
On the southeast side, a Decker Boulevard master plan has not been voted on, pending public input.
The commission plans to meet Jan. 25 to receive comments on the Decker plan. The input session is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the county Administration Building at 2020 Hampton St. in Columbia.
Then on Feb. 5, the commission plans to take up the Decker blueprint for public discussion and vote on it. ‹ JJ
Dunbar Funeral Home Plans Northeast Expansion
Dunbar Funeral Home aims to expand in Northeast Richland. Plans were brought before the county Planning Commission on Jan. 8 to re-zone a 2.52-acre parcel from residential to general commercial. Because the surrounding properties in that area are commercial, the commission unanimously recommended that County Council approve Dunbar's request. However, several commissioners noted that the owners of the funeral home did not ask for office industrial zoning, which would have been the least intrusive. ‹ JJ
Let us know what you think: Email news@free-times.com.
USC
& Higher Education
By
Dan Cook
Applications Rise at USC
Think it's a cakewalk to get into USC?
Think again. On a campus where some students once joked that going to USC was like four years of high school all over again, both the quantity and quality of applicants is continuing a years-long rise.
USC reported Jan. 3 that applications for the fall are up 10 percent from the same time last year. As of Dec. 15, the university had received 12,187 applications. Tentative plans call for enrolling approximately 3,500 to 3,600 students, or about 30 percent of those who have applied.
Undergraduate admissions director Scott Verzyl attributes part of the increase to online applications. "It is easier than ever to apply to USC electronically, so we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of online applications this year," Verzyl says in a news release.
About 90 percent of applicants submitted online, up from 60 percent last year.
In addition to rising numbers, applicants to USC are rising in quality. Average SAT scores for entering freshmen have increased 70 points since 2001. In 2006, the average freshman had an SAT score of 1171. Nationally, the average SAT score in 2005 was 1028.
SAT scores are now based on a 2,400-point scale, reflecting the addition of a writing section. However, USC includes just the math and reading sections in its calculations, so its scores reflect the traditional 1,600-point scale. Veryzl says the school plans to begin using and reporting the writing scores in a couple of years.
Students who applied to USC by Dec. 1 should have a response by mid-March, according to Verzyl. Those who applied later, however, might have to sit tight while the university processes its growing pile of applicants. Verzyl says that despite the current backlog, students and parents should be aware that USC accepts applications past its Dec. 1 priority-admission date.
New Benedict Coach Inherits Troubled Program
After going 3-7 in 2006, the Benedict College Tigers have their work cut out for them this year. On Dec. 19, the college introduced the man it hopes can put the football program back on track.
Stan Conner comes to the Tigers from the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, where he served most recently as offensive coordinator. Conner was the team's secondary coach from 1994 to 1996, left briefly for a head-coaching job at a high school and returned to Alabama A&M in 1998 as assistant head coach. The Bulldogs had a 9-3 record in 2006 and won the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship.
"I am excited and eager to get started at Benedict," Conner says in a news release. Referring to Benedict President David Swinton and Athletic Director Willie Washington, Conner says, "They have provided me with the opportunity to win football games. It's my task to win football games."
No one would argue with that, but Conner will inherit a troubled program. In addition to its poor record last year, in 2005 the NCAA Division II placed the program on three years' probation, citing several violations of "transfer eligibility, full-time enrollment status and the recording of athletically related activities."
Overall, "The scope and nature of the violations and the lack of an adequate compliance system led to a finding of lack of institutional control," according to the NCAA. Swinton disputed the findings.
Benedict joined the NCAA in 2002, the same year it parted ways with former head coach Willie Felder, who joined the program in 1998.
The violations cited in the 2005 report date to the Felder era, but involve more than just the athletics department. One finding, for example, was that an administrative assistant in the school's business and economics department changed a student-athlete's grades to make him eligible to play. The school remains on probation until April 11, 2008.
For his part, Conner just wants to win games. After helping lead the Bulldogs to win Southwestern Conference Eastern Division titles in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2006, he might be able to do just that.
Let us know what you think: Email news@free-times.com.