TheSunNews.com: Local

Infant found underneath truck seat, returned to mother

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:34 EST

A Conway woman's 2-week-old son was safely returned to her arms Tuesday, nearly an hour after she pleaded for the baby's return during a news conference.

Criche Nelson's tears of pain turned to tears of joy after her son, Sharawn Jarod Chestnut Jr., was found unharmed Tuesday afternoon and returned to her.

Police had one person in custody and were questioning another Tuesday evening in connection with the child's disappearance. Nelson's family members said they believe the child was taken by a woman who tried to claim him as her own.

Homes in Myrtle Beach area keep on selling

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:51 EST

October real estate sales on the Grand Strand continued the upward swing of the past few months with a record percentage of properties purchased by cash buyers.

Single-family home sales increased 8 percent and condominium sales were up 31 percent compared with the same month last year, according to statistics compiled Tuesday from the Multiple Listing Service.

October was the fourth month with some increases in the real estate market and the second month of consistent increases in both the condo and single-family home markets. If there is another month with similar results then Tom Maeser, a research analyst for the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors, said he could call it a trend.

Emotions run high in infant death trial

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:25 EST

A 26-year-old Portsmouth, Ohio, man, on trial for the death of his child burst into tears when his attorney described him as a "good man" Tuesday during opening statements.

Miles Ferguson is charged with homicide by child abuse in the 2007 death of his 5-week-old daughter. The courtroom was filled to capacity with people who support him, while others wearing T-shirts and carrying signs supporting Ferguson lined the walkway outside the Horry County Government and Justice Center. They declined to comment.

"The evidence will show you this is a good man," Morgan Martin said during his opening statements. "She's [Ferguson's daughter] not a victim. There was no crime. She's a precious memory."

Service molded veterans

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:54 EST

The members of VFW Post 10420 - 1,350 strong and the largest in the state - are a tight crew, and a crew dedicated to increasing understanding of and appreciation for those who have served the country.

Groups speak at public schools to help educate students about the wars and why Veterans Day is a time to honor the living and remember the dead who served.

It is not a shopping holiday, though these men realize that's what plenty of people do.

Myrtle Beach's sales tax hits mark

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:57 EST

Myrtle Beach received its first collections from the 1 percent sales tax for tourism promotion this week and got a pleasant surprise.

Budget Director Michael Shelton had estimated the tax would generate $1.98 million in August, and the check from the S.C. Department of Revenue totaled $1,987,891.84 -- which includes $400 interest and is $4,119 more than Shelton estimated.

"You're scary-accurate," Councilman Wayne Gray told Shelton when he announced the check at Tuesday morning's council workshop.

Annual S.C. poll: Leave health care system alone

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

President Obama's push to revamp the nation's health care system is getting the cold shoulder from Southerners, according to a new poll by Winthrop University.

But the president, who picked up a trio of Southern states in winning the 2008 presidential election, remains well-liked in this region, with solid majorities saying he is warm and friendly, trustworthy and concerned about people like those polled in South Carolina and 10 other Southern states.

Myrtle Beach area residents also appeared to give Obama some latitude in his first year as president, but they were critical when it came to the economy and health care reform.

Bus gets green light from Myrtle Beach to Charleston

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:52 EST

The Coast Regional Transportation Authority is moving forward with plans for a new route from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, scheduled to start a month from now.

The authority held two public information meetings in Georgetown and Myrtle Beach, Monday and Tuesday, that were sparsely attended, but authority officials said they've been getting positive feedback from businesses and residents who plan to advertise or use the route. The authority released a tentative schedule for the trial run at those meetings.

"We have a tentative schedule, and on Thursdays that route will pick up at the veterans medical center at The Market Common and would drop off at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Charleston by 9:30 a.m.," said George Osborne, planning specialist for the Coast RTA.

Vote panel defied in Atlantic Beach

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

A group of Atlantic Beach residents is calling for the resignation of two of the town's election officials, a week after a controversial election.

The Atlantic Beach Concerned Citizens wants Alice Graham, the town election commission chairwoman, and Commissioner Linda Booker to resign because they say the two women attempted to hold a "fraudulent election," said Patricia Bellamy, the group's president. On Tuesday, Bellamy turned in a letter to the Atlantic Beach Town Hall addressed to Graham with details of the group's reasoning.

Graham and Booker could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Stanko trial sorts out jury

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

Opening statements in the death penalty trial for convicted killer Stephen Stanko could begin Thursday if jury selection stays on track in the case involving the shooting death of a 74-year-old Conway man in 2005.

Out of 25 potential jurors questioned Tuesday, seven were qualified to join a panel of about 40 people from which 12 jurors and four alternates will be chosen, according to court officials. On Monday, 15 people from 25 were qualified as potential jurors.

Attorneys spent the day questioning potential jurors about their beliefs regarding the death penalty and what, if any, prior knowledge they have about the case, which captured national headlines in 2005. Stanko is charged with murder and armed robbery related to the shooting of Henry Lee Turner, who was found in his home dead from a gunshot wound the day after authorities discovered the brutal slaying of Stanko's girlfriend, Laura Ling, and the sexual assault of her daughter.

Police | Tourist arrested after hotel fight in Myrtle Beach

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:52 EST

Police

MYRTLE BEACH

Tourist arrested after hotel fight

S.C. budget loses $120 million

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

The long recession is cutting more money from state revenues and is expected to force spending cuts of nearly $120 million from South Carolina schools, colleges and prisons.

That reduction, paired with $328 million slashed from estimates this summer, means the state - just a third of the way through its budget year - already has slashed nearly a half billion from revenue estimates that are now just over $5.6 billion.

The cuts are being driven by unemployment and cautious consumers who have stopped or reduced spending on everything from cars to vacations and homes to appliances.

Not only sorry, but also grateful

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:48 EST

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry you had to witness what you witnessed, had to do what you did.

I'm sorry that you found yourselves in Iraq and Afghanistan and Korea and Vietnam and two world wars and so many others on orders from above.

Agencies closed today in observance of Veterans Day

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:54 EST

The following agencies will be closed today in observance of Veterans Day.

Town Halls

Calabash, N.C.

D.C.-area sniper put to death after seven years

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:03 EST

John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that left 10 dead, was executed Tuesday night as relatives of the victims watched, reliving the killing spree that terrorized the Washington metro area for three weeks in October 2002.

He looked calm and stoic, but was twitching and blinking as the injections began, defiant to the end, refusing to utter any final words. Victims' families sat behind glass while watching the execution, separated from the rest of the 27 witnesses.

"He died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims," said Prince William County prosecutor Paul Ebert, who witnessed Muhammad die by injection at 9:11 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center, south of Richmond. Muhammad, dressed in a blue shirt, jeans and flip-flops, had no final statement.

Prosecutor: Trio preyed on debt-ridden

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:56 EST

Three South Carolina men accused of bilking investors out of millions made anyone with ties to law enforcement or attorneys exit their seminars, and threatened investors with $1 million in fines if they told anyone about the massive returns they were making, a former bookkeeper testified Tuesday.

"If you are affiliated with any legal entities, would you please leave?" Somera Samuels said one of her bosses, Timothy McQueen, said at seminars he hosted with his two business partners.

The trio called themselves the "3 Hebrew Boys" after the biblical tale of brothers who survived an inferno because of their faith. They are on trial in federal court on nearly 60 federal charges, including mail fraud and money laundering, and face decades in prison and millions in fines if convicted.

Veterans Day events

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

Calabash VFW, 900 Carter Drive, Calabash, N.C., hosts a Veterans Day service at 11 a.m. today. Call 910-579-3577 for information.

Festive Brass of Myrtle Beach concert band gives a concert at 10:30 a.m. today in honor of Veterans Day at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The concert precedes the Veterans Day ceremonies. Visit festivebrassofmyrtlebeach.org for information.

The fifth annual Salute to American Veterans will be at 7:30 tonight in Wheelwright Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University, Conway. The free event features a tribute to veterans of all service branches, and refreshments will be served. Tickets are required. Call 349-2502 for information.

The Carolinas news | Judge: Religious license plates are out

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:52 EST

South Carolina

COLUMBIA

Judge: Religious license plates are out

Charleston County GOP censures Sen. Lindsey Graham

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

The Charleston County Republican Party's executive committee took the unusual step Monday night of censuring U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for stepping across the GOP party line.

County Chairwoman Lin Bennett said the unanimous vote "is an effort to get his attention. [Party leaders] are just fed up, and they want him to know they're fed up."

The resolution mentions Graham's cooperation with U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., on a bipartisan energy bill, as well as his support for the $700 billion Troubled Assett Relief Program and the time he called some opponents of immigration reform "bigots."

Mother tried to shield baby in shootings

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12 EST

A South Carolina mother fruitlessly tried to shield her 20-month-old toddler from a barrage of bullets in a drive-by shooting that killed the baby and two adults and injured at least five others, relatives said Tuesday.

Relatives said the victims were playing cards Monday night in the front yard of the small beige bungalow in Walterboro when a car pulled up and opened fire.

"Everybody was sitting outside. Instead of shooting at one guy, they shot at everybody," said Dominique Adams, 21, a cousin who lives nearby.

Missing baby found in trash bag under truck seat

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:34 EST

A 2-week-old boy who was reported missing early Tuesday morning was returned to his mother this afternoon, police said.

The mother, Criche Nelson, reported to police that she placed her one-year-old daughter and two-week-old son in bed at about 11 p.m. Monday. When she checked on her children again after midnight, her two-week-old son was missing.

The baby, Sharawn Jarod Chestnut Jr., was born Oct. 24 and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing navy pants, a print blue shirt with footballs and light blue socks.