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Greenville chicken processor named in illegal alien indictment

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

U.S. Attorney Walter Wilkins announced today that Columbia Farms, Inc., has been named in a 50-count Indictment charging federal violations involving the hiring of illegal aliens at its Greenville processing plant.

Wilkins says the evidence is there.   “The charges are knowingly hiring illegal aliens and continuing to maintain employment of illegal aliens.  We think there is sufficient evidence to support those charges.” 

The company joins two of its employees, Human Resources Manager Elaine Crump and Complex Manager Barry Cronic, who were previously indicted by the federal grand jury. The 29 charges naming Columbia Farms allege that through Crump and Cronic, Columbia Farms “did knowingly continue to employ the aliens in the United States.”

Filed Under: Business, Crime & Courts, News

Lifeguard presence may increase on Charleston beaches

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Beachgoers may see a dramatic increase in the number of lifeguards patrolling on Charleston beaches soon. Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commissions Director Tom O’Rourke told Charleston affiliate WTMA’s “Morning Buzz”  he hopes to spend about $300,000 next summer for more lifeguards.

“There’s a study that was just done by the tourism council state wide, and it basically stated that there’s five reasons that people come to the beach. One is the beaches, and then second was the safety at those beaches. So, that is something that tourists are looking for, it’s not just to go somewhere, but it’s to go somewhere safe,” says O’Rourke.

On top of that, there have been recent drownings and rescues on Charleston beaches. A Lowcountry woman’s body was washed up on the Folly Beach shore last week, another woman disappeared off of Sullivan’s Island, and three swimmers were rescued from Sullivan’s Island. O’Rourke says some of these incidents could have possibly been prevented with more lifeguards.

“This is serious, serious business out there. It’s not just sitting on a chair and looking. I would challenge anyone in the public to look at our lifeguards, not only there, but in our water parks, you’ll see a professionalism that’s not matched anywhere,” says O’Rourke. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Environment & Conservation, News, Recreation & Entertainment

South Carolina native confirmed as NASA Chief

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Retired astronaut and Columbia native Charles Bolden has been confirmed by the full Senate to become the new Chief Administrator of NASA. A Marine Corps General, Bolden was tapped for the position earlier this summer by President Barack Obama. Bolden has flown in space four times and served earlier as an assistant deputy administrator for the agency. Bolden will be the first African-American to head NASA. The confirmation allows Bolden to be sworn in by July 20, 2009, which marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

During Senate confirmation hearings last week, Bolden said that NASA can’t just depend on the federal government for the funds the agency needs to carry out its large number of research and development programs. Bolden says NASA must inspire and open the door for commercial entrepreneural entities to become partners with NASA and invest in NASA. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Human Interest, Military, News, Politics & Government

Coble wooing Chinese business

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble has been in China the last week in an attempt to bring more business to Columbia and the Midlands. He has visited several cities including an expo for businesses in Shanghai.

Coble has emphasized Columbia’s commitment to cleaner, more efficient energies as well as its international business programs. With the development of the Innovista District in the Capital City, Coble says a Chinese inclusion would benefit their nation as the demand for alternative fuels increases.

Coble is touting Columbia as a U.P.S. regional hub. He has also spoken of its proximity to the Charleston port where nearly $2 billion in Chinese exports were received a year ago.  Coble returns from China on the July 21. His trip was paid for by the U.S.-China Exchange Assocation, a non-profit organizition based out of New Jersey.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

NIST to release findings of Sofa Super Store fire study

July 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

It’s been over two years since the Sofa Super Store fire that killed nine Charleston firefighters. Since then, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, has been studying the specifics of the fire, including what went wrong, and how it can be used as a learning tool for future fires.

“We were interested in looking at the Charleston fire because of the fact that nine firefighters died as a result of this fire and that’s a large number. Obviously, something happened in this fire where these professionals were not able to get out, and that’s very unusual and we wanted to see what we could learn from this tragedy so that hopefully in the future we can help other firefighters not have this same situation happen to them,” says NIST spokesperson Michael Newman.

Newman says the study has taken over two years because it is done mostly through computer modeling.

“It’s looking at various aspects of the tragedy. The movement of the fire, the impact on the building, the movement of smoke, also considering the movement of the people who were there in the fire, and trying to put all of those pieces together in the model that can be looked at, studied, to determine what might have happened or to what things could have been done differently,” says Newman. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Education, News
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