South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster is asking some of his campaign contributors for permission to use their donations in his run for governor. But an Ethics Commission official warns that any money connected to a gubernatorial campaign needs to come from a separate campaign account, even money spent innitially to organize the process of asking contributors their permission for the switch. A spokesman for McMaster says opening the new account would be the same as announcing for the race and McMaster isn’t ready for that. Law allows a candidate or incumbent to have only one campaign account at a time. [Read more...]
NC prison officials defend release of Burris
July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Suspected killer Patrick Burris was a career criminal paroled in Lincoln County North Carolina in late April. On Monday authorities said ballistic tests proved the 41-year-old was the man who shot five people to death and terrorized the Gaffney Community.
SLED chief Reggie Lloyd says the criminal justice system must answer why Patrick Burris was paroled in April.
George Dudley, a spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Correction, says when Burris completed an almost 8-year sentence, they had no reason to hold him because his behavior wasn’t violent.
But Dudley acknowledges that Burris’ parole officer had trouble keeping-up with him after his release, and he says what happened was most unfortunate.
“His infractions in prison were things like misuse of tobacco, not violent behavior,” said Dudley .
Dudley says they do their best to correct an inmate’s behavior before they are released. “We do our best to release inmates who will not be a problem. Unfortunately sometimes, as we all know, that is not the case.”
Dudley adds that the North Carolina Department of Correction is relieved that South Carolina residents can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Siblings with killer had known him two weeks
July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
According to police a brother and sister with the suspected Gaffney serial killer Patrick Tracy Burris when he was killed by authorities Monday had met him only weeks ago and didn’t know anything about his chain of murders. The brother and sister met the suspected killer at a hotel and then were at a vacant house in Gastonia owned by one of their parents, when police were called to investigate a possible burglary. Police reports indicated that when authorities arrived, Burris pulled a gun and officers shot him. Mark and Sharon Stamey were not charged and police are not sure of their whereabouts since questioning them following the shooting.
According to police records, Mark Stamey was arrested in June of last year in Gaston County and charged with possession of stolen property and false pretense. He was released on the same day on an unsecured $50,000 bond. His sister, Sharon, was arrested on June 17, just a few weeks ago, in Gaston County, charged with conspiracy to sell cocaine and conspiracy to deliver. She was released on $5,000 bond.
EPA grant to help school bus fleet reduce emissions
July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The state’s public school bus fleet is getting some assistance in helping the environment thanks to a $554,000 grant from the U.S. Evironmental Protection Agency. The grant will help the school bus fleet to further reduce the amount of pollution created by the diesel powered buses. State Department of Education Transportation Director Donald Tudor says a portion of the funds will go to the Department of Health and Environmental Control to help provide training for school districts in school bus idle control in an effort to reduce emissions and the wasting of fuel. Tudor says the grant will also enable the D.O.E. to install equipment on 500 1995 model buses that will significantly reduce emissions.”A retrofit piece of equipment that will be added to approximately 500 school buses will help eliminate some of the emissions now being generated by those buses. This device is called a crankcase ventilation filtration system.”
EPA officials say that upgrade will result in an estimated 4.7 ton reduction in diesel emmissions.
As part of the grant program, the South Carolina Department of Education will replace four of the older model 65-passenger school buses with four hybrid electric buses. Tudor says hybrids are more expensive than standard diesel buses, but have lower fuel costs and greatly reduced emissions.
“It starts off with electricity and when it gets to a certain speed or the driver has to accelerate beyond what the electric engine will provide, the diesel engine trips in and provides the acceleration. These four will actually regenerate themselves. By driving down the highway and applying brakes, you literally regenerate and recharge the batteries in the vehicle.”
Tudor says education officials will work with DHEC to decide where the four new hybrid electric buses will be put into service. Tudor says the buses will likely be placed in areas DHEC identifies as having an “air quality concern.”
Tudor says the grant comes at a good time what with the state of the economy. Because of earlier cuts in state appropriations the D.O.E.’s 15 year school replacement cycle has been put on hold for the past two years.
“This past year the rotation would have meant we would have replaced at least 380 buses and we didn’t have funding to replace any. THis coming year we would be looking to replace another 380 and other than the funding that we have associated with this grant, we don’t expect to have any.”
Tudor says the 15 year replacement cycle has been put on hold until the state’s economy can get in a better position to allow the General Assembly to provide adequate funding.
SC GOP party issues censure to governor
July 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The South Carolina GOP party has issued a censure to Governor Mark Sanford after his announcement of an extramarital affair with Maria Chapur of Argentina.
State GOP Chairwoman Karen Floyd says they had four options: “The Republican party could do nothing, they could issue a letter or resolution of support, they could issue a letter or and offer of resignation, or they could admonish him for whatever they choose to admonish him for, and that’s what a censure is,” says Floyd.
Floyd explains what the censure means: “Basically says we’re disappointed and it’s with great regret that we are offering this, but you could have gone one step further and asked for his resignation and then perhaps he would do nothing, and where does that put you? This is a way of drawing a line in the sand saying we don’t agree with it, we don’t accept it, but we as a party are moving on,” says Floyd. [Read more...]
