Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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_Carolina News__ Patrick Rathbun Jan.1 Driving while under the influence. 1100 Greene St. An officer on routine patrol observed subject disregarding a traffic signal at the intersection of Pickens and Greene streets. The officer then tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the subject turned in at the Petigru metered lot and proceeded to drive up on a curb. The subject hit and knocked down a stop sign in the lot, and then exited east out of the lot, turning back on Greene Street (east). The subject stopped at the 1000 block of Greene Street, and the officer ap proached the car. Detecting a strong odor of alcohol, the officer asked the subject to step out of the vehicle. The subject was observed to be unsteady on his feet and the officer subsequently adminis tered two sobriety tests. The subject failed both of the tests and an arrest was made. Jan. 3 Malicious injury to personal property. Pendleton Street Garage. Victim stated unknown persons did damage by un known means to the victim’s vinyl con vertible top. A 12-inch incision was ob served on the victim’s Chrysler Lebaron. The investigation continues. Jan. 4 Grand Larceny of a computer, second floor of the Russell House Lobby. The complainant stated unknown persons removed a computer with an estimated value of $2,500. A surveillance camera and VHS cassette of the crime area were taken as evidence. The investigation con tinues. Malicious injury to personal property. Pendleton Street Garage. Victim stated unknown persons did damage to the vic tim’s Geo Tracker. A 9-inch incision was observed on the soft-top of the vic tim’s vehicle along with damage to a window. Jan. 5 Missing Inventory. Room 123 of the Byrnes Building. The complainant stat ed a spectrophotometer was missing from inventory. The investigation con tinues. King day from page A1 of Atlas Road, The Redeemers quartet and the C.B. Jackson Singers and The Voices of Faith Brookland Baptist Church. Considered USC’s gift to the com munity for the holiday, the Gospel Fest 2000 event is free to the public. Be cause of the event’s past popularity, USC will issue free tickets through the Car olina Coliseum box office beginning Jan. 3. A maximum of four free tickets per person will be given. Ticket holders are encouraged to bring two canned or non-perishable food items with their tick et for the Harvest Hope Food Bank of Co lumbia. The afternoon program, at the USC School of Law Students Association, will take place at 3 p.m. in the USC Law School auditorium. Sponsored by USC’s Black Law School Students Association, the an nual event is free and open to the pub lic. Questions about the program should be directed to the association at 777-8117. USC classes will be suspended on the MLK holiday, and students and faculty are encouraged to observe the holiday by volunteering for the community service and attending USC celebration or events. Anyone interested in volunteering should call 777-6688. For more information about USC’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, visit the MLK Web site at www.sc.edu. Support ropes might have been removed in Aggie fire by Victoria Hicks College Press Exchange DALLAS — Four of the eight ropes that stabilized the center pole of the Aggie bonfire were removed hours before the 60-foot log stack collapsed last Novem ber, killing 12 people, according to an en gineering report released Monday. The report by Rogers Engineering Ser vices of College Station, Texas, does not suggest that cutting the ropes caused the bonfire to fall. But an engineering pro fessor at Southern Methodist University said severing the ropes would have made the pole more vulnerable to snapping un der the many stresses applied to it. “That might be significant. That prob ably is getting at the source” of the Nov. 18 tragedy, said Dr. Hal Watson, a spe cialist in accident reconstruction. Leo E. Linbeck Jr., the Houston con struction executive who is overseeing the investigation into the collapse, said he is aware of the report but has not read it. He said it has been forwarded to one of the consulting firms hired to analyze data on the accident. “I’m sure it will be quite interesting to the forensic engineers,” he said, adding, however, that it is too early to know which pieces of information ultimately will hold the key to the mystery. Rogers Engineering was called in by A&M officials hours after the collapse to help dismantle the log pile and free vic tims and survivors. The firm’s president, Alton G. Rogers, submitted a report on Dec. 10 describing that grisly process and noting several possible structural anom alies based on his observations, conversa tions with others and analysis of photos taken before and after the accident. Flag from page A1 Sen. Danell Jackson, a black Democrat from Co lumbia, asked Republican Sen. Arthur Ravenel of Mount Pleasant to apologize for calling the NAACP the “Na tional Association for Retarded People” at a weekend pro-flag rally. On Monday, Ravenel apologized to retarded people for linking them with the NAACP, but said he would not apologize to the civil-rights group. Ravenel said Jackson should apologize for promot ing a print ad that juxtaposed images of the Statehouse, the Confederate flag and a hooded Klansman. He said Jackson was trying to tarnish the Confederacy. “I’m 72 years old and I’ve never seen a Klansman, not in my life,” Ravenel said. Retorted Jackson: “The reason why you haven’t seen a Klansman is because they don’t bum crosses in your yard. They don’t wear white sheets in your yard.” The stakes are high, said Ron Wilson, a board member of the pro-flag Southern Heritage Coalition. “Flag people have a very good reputation for deal ing with people who betray us,” Wilson said, citing Beasley. The former governor said the flag issue con tributed to his 1998 loss to current Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges. Senate President Pro Tern John Drummond, D-Nine ty Six, urged lawmakers to hold their fire. He said that as a child, his daddy used to make him and his siblings put on boxing gloves, duke out their differences and then kiss and make up. “But we settled it,” Drummond said. “Wfe were fam ily and we were friends. And I know we’re facing some tough' decisions this year.” Wilkins, who presides over the House where Re publicans hold a 10-seat majority, is a flag supporter — despite the billboards’ message. He would only say the billboards show the issue is becoming intense and emo tional. Other Republicans and flag supporters, however, said Democrats were behind the signs. Democrats could win the House if they can divide the GOP in an election year. House Majority Leader Rick Quinn said they were on property owned by state Democratic Chairman Dick Harpootlian. “That’s the man who basically threatened members of his own party over the issue of the flag,” said Quinn, R-Columbia. “That tells me this is entering into a new partisan level.” Keep Smiling. It’s Wednesday!! 3001 Broad River Road (formerly Hot Rods) For more information, call 551-5522 CAROLINA ALIVE Do you like to: SING? DANCE? TRAVEL? TALENTED GUYS ESPECIALLY! (Exceptional girls considered) Then come audition and be a part of USC’s finest singers and dancers! 1 Hour Credit MWF 12:20 -1:10 for more information, call Dr. Richard Conant - 777-3125 Propecta I (finasteride) | Ask your doctor about this pill ! from Merck. ; For more information, call 1-888-MERCK-74. I * o www.propeda.com TEXTBOOKS ONLINE. SAVE UP TO 40%. FREE SHIPPING! FOR $10 OFF** ENTER CODE #650913 AT PURCHASE CHECKOUT • Free shipping tor s limited time on orders over *35. ” *10 offer expiree Februery 15,2000. 0 2000 BIGWORO^, Inc.