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Week after death of Floyd Spence, state senator takes quick steps ASSOCIATED PRESS State Sen. Joe Wilson is taking some heat for his billboards posted in the Midlands announcing his candidacy for the congressional seat vacated by the death of long time Rep. Floyd Spence. State Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian said the billboards’ timing was “impo lite at best, rude at worst.” Spence, who died Aug.'16 at a Mississippi hospital following surgery to remove a blood clot, was juried a week ago. “They could wait a week,” Harpootlian said. “What’s a week going to be?” However, the turnaround on the special election doesn’t give candidates much time. The filing period opens Aug. 31, the primary is Oct. 30 and the election is Dec. 18. “You’ve literally got a couple of weeks,” said Furman University’s Danielle Vinson, a political scien tist who specializes in congres sional politics. “You can’t sit • around waiting.” In his defense, Wilson said he had received Spence’s blessing for the campaign. Spence called Wilson at home on July 21, before he checked into, the hospital. Wilson, Spence’s longtime cam paign manager, said they talked about the 2002 campaign and Spence asked him to prepare along two tracks. “He said, one track would be for his campaign and another would be for a Wilson campaign,” Wilson said. “I was extremely honored that he would call but I was much more distressed.” Wilson said materials were be ing prepared in both names. After he announced his candidacy last Wednesday, he decided to use bill boards and some were up by Saturday. Other Republican candidates for the seat include Joe Grimaud and Tony Evans. Grimaud, a Columbia-area businessman and the organizer of the 1997 Tony Evans Crusade, announced Friday he would run. Evans is a Texas based evangelist who held a racial reconciliatioh event at Williams Brice Stadium. Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island commanding Gen. Steve Cheney, of Beaufort, has said he is almost certain he’ll run for the seat that stretches from the Midlands to the Georgia border and south to Beaufort and Jasper counties. Spence’s son, David, said last week he was considering a run and Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said Monday he also ♦ SPENCE, SEE PAGE 5 The funeral of U.S. Rep. Floyd Spence was held last Tuesday, photo by aaron hark 4 die, 13 injured in Upstate accidents GREENVILLE (AP) - Four people died and 13 others were injured, including one sheriffs deputy, in five separate accidents on Upstate roads. George B. Finley, of Liberty, died early Saturday when the vehicle he was driving went off the road in Pickens County, the coroner’s office said. Finley might have had a medical condition that caused him to become unconscious, authorities said. Jonathan Chase Hutchson, 19, of Anderson, died early Saturday after the vehicle he was driving ran off the road and flipped. He was flung from the vehicle, said Charlie Boseman, Anderson County deputy coroner. Six people, ages 16-19, were also injured in the crash, said Lance Cpl. Dan Marsceau. Only one person was wearing a seat belt, he said. Genaro Solis Belazquez, 19, and Angelica Picaso, 13, both of Marietta, died early Saturday after Belazquez crashed into a utility pole, Marsceau said. The accident occurred when a front-seat nasseneer struck Belazquez several times during a fight, causing him to lose control, said Mike Ellis, Greenville County chief deputy coroner. The driver, who was not wearing a seat belt, was carrying six people from a party. The car looked like it was cut in half, Ellis said. Rhonda M. Jones, 30, of Greenville, was critically injured Saturday after being involved in a hit-and-run accident on Interstate 385, Marsceau said. Also, a Greenville County deputy was injured when a man who had been drinking alcohol hit a squad car, causing it to hit the deputy. The deputy was investigating an auto break-in, officials said. IT HAPPENED: News you might have missed SEARCH FOR SUSPECT: Investigators are still searching for William Rush, 25, of 1004 Haverford Circle after charging him with kidnapping, assault, and battery of a high and aggravated nature. HOTEL INVESTIGATION: Fire officials in Myrtle Beach are investigating a chlorine spill that forced three ocean^ront hotels to evacuajy several hundred guests for' about four hours. STATE BRIEFS Police capture escaped murderer RIDGEVILLE (AP)-A man serving two life sentences for drowning his half sister and 2 year-old nephew was captured Sunday, two days after he escaped from a maximum security prison. Anthony Brown, 30, of Williamsburg County was caught around 6 p.m. in an abandoned house in Berkeley County, State Law Enforcement Division spokesman Hugh Munn said. Brown escaped from the prison Friday evening. But authorities at Lieber Correctional Institution didn’t realize he was missing until 12 hours later, when he failed to show up for a routine prison count early Saturday, said Charlie Sheppard, inspector general for the S.C. Corrections Department. Prison officials think Brown, who rebuilt vehicle transmissions for the prison, hid inside a 18-wheel tractor trailer while it was being loaded inside the prison. Brown then cut a 10-inch hole in the side of the trailer after it was parked outside the prison fence about 6 p.m. Friday. Brown was 17 when was convicted in 1988 of beating Andrea Beach with a wrench after she refused to give him money for drugs, then tossing her and her son, Akai, into the Black River. Police said both mother and child drowned. A Hang out. Luck up with (FREEH ] ^ uith Voice Mail and long distance It's new, it's hot and it's only at I r\ included. It's all [UPFRONT] so you Verizon Wireless. Slick phones and L M ■ |||[|fp] uhen you yant IFREEftIP] so hip stuff like Spk 'n Txt, you can keep up.