February 10, 2012

Richland Co. man charged with beating child into critical condition

The man who authorities say critically injured a two-year-old child was denied bond Monday. The child is now on life support with no signs of brain activity. Twenty-two-year-old Dannie Floyd Nichols is charged with causing great bodily injury to a child.

Lt. Chris Cowan with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department says Nichols injured the girl Sunday while babysitting her, while her mother was at work. Relatives took the child to the Hopkins fire station and she was then taken to a hospital.

Cowan says the girl had visible injuries.  “This is an extreme child abuse case,” he says, “a horrific incident, where a two-year-old female child was abused.  The doctors tell us it was abuse.  It’s a horrible situation and our hearts and prayers go out to the little girl who is fighting for her life.”    [Read more...]

SRS Lab receives grant for energy research

The US Department of Energy has announced the awarding of a grant to support solar energy research at Savannah River National Lab, at the Savannah River Site.   Grants totaling $87 million will be distributed to facilities nationwide including the SRS Lab.  The lab will partner with the University of South Carolina and the University of Notre Dame.

The work will lead to the development of high temperature heat transfer fluids which will increase the efficiency of solar power plants.

Savannah River Lab spokesperson Angie French says the research will focus on what scientists call “solar concentration.”  “That means capturing the sun’s heat on a receiver tube that has a liquid in it,” says French.  “That liquid absorbs the heat and concentrates it and uses it to make steam at a turbine.”  [Read more...]

DeMint officially announces his reelection campaign

Continuing his campaign for his conservative agenda, South Carolina junior U.S. Senator Jim DeMint today announced that he will seek reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2010. Going high-tech, DeMint emailed his video announcement to 250,000 of his online supporters. In his announcement, the Greenville Republican is asking for support for his campaign while attacking President Barack Obama as a tax-and-spend liberal.

“The Obama ground troops are already in South Carolina, organizing the supporters of more government handouts, bailouts and sellouts,”  DeMint says in his YouTube announcement.

The senator says he has raised more than $2.8 million.

Rock Hill Attorney Chad McGowan declared his candidacy for DeMint’s seat. The Democrat filed with the state Election Commission last week.

Missing SC woman’s remains found

The search for a missing 28-year-old South Carolina woman is now over after authorities found her skeletal remains over the weekend. Investigators have searched for Katherine Waring’s body since she was first reported missing in June.

“We were able to identify the skeletal remains found on Saturday as those of Katherine Waring. This identification was done through dental identification means involving dental records obtained from her personal dentist and comparing those to the remains,” says Charleston County Coroner Rae Wooten.

The body was found in a gated community off of Wadmalaw Island in Charleston.

Two people were already in custody on obstruction of justice charges. The Index-Journal of Greenwood announced the arrests on Friday of  Heather Kamp and Ethan Mack,  accused of lying to police.

The investigation continues on Waring’s cause of death.

Economic development accelerates I-385 improvements

Compiled by Jacob Levy, SCRN

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is planning to close a 15-mile stretch of northbound Interstate 385 for repairs.  With the anticipated economic growth, engineering analysis says the roads in place would not be adequate to handle the expected increase in traffic over the next 20 to 30 years.

The repairs are expected to start January 2010, and take place from mile marker zero, the Interstate 26 split, to Exit 16 on Highway 101.  The building process will take place in three phases, and is promised to be finished by August 2010. See the full details of the project, including alternate routes.

The first phase is already underway.  Bridge jacking has been taking place since May on bridges in Laurens County that overpass I-385. [Read more...]