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STATE SCE&G offers new mid-sized rate class COLUMBIA (AP) - South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. wants to create a new rate cate gory for medium-sized busi nesses like supermarkets, a spokesman for the utility says. The utility has applied to the state Public Service Commission for the new rate. SCE&G is seeking to increase electricity charges and wants to develop the rate based on the amount of power used, the size of the user and the ability to shift energy use to off-peak hours, spokesman Robin Montgomery said. In November, the Public Service Commission — which regulates utilities — heard tes timony about the company’s plan to raise rates 14 percent for small businesses, 12 percent for medium-sized firms, 5 percent for large businesses and 7 per cent for residential customers. The new classification would cut rates by about 4 percent for medium-sized businesses, Montgomery said. Tim Wilkes, chairman of the state Small Business Chamber of Commerce, says he’s unhap- „ py the medium-sized businesses have cut a deal with SCE&G, leaving out consumers and small businesses. Man acquitted of 2001 murder charge COLUMBIA (AP) - A Richland County man has been acquitted of murder in the 2001 shooting death of a Columbia man. After deliberating about five hours Thursday, a jury acquit ted Anthony Reese, 32; in the shooting death of Jimmy Mark Singleton, 31. Reese had been in jail await ing trial since his April 12,2001, arrest, the county’s assistant public defender Sheila Mims said. The soft-spoken Reese showed little emotion as the ver dict was read. Singleton was shot in the head during a party April 6,2001, at a home. NATION Crash investigation to leave Charlotte ' CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Field investigators were packing up debris and heading home Sunday for more detective work into the cause of a fatal com muter airline crash that killed all 21 people aboard. US Airways Express Flight 5481 crashed 37 seconds into its flight Wednesday, preliminary data show. A final conclusion about what happened could take months or even years after in vestigators finish reviewing maintenance records, testing the charred debris and running computer simulations. In four days, investigators looked at factors such as the plane’s weight and balance, re cent maintenance and whether a larger jet could have buffeted it with enough turbulence to cause the crash. They scrutinized a West Virginia facility that serviced the aircraft Monday night and interviewed baggage handlers about a pre-takeoff discussion of how much baggage could go on board. Espionage case headed for trial ALEXANDRIA, VA. (AP) - It’s the first U.S. espionage trial in nearly 50 years that could end in a death sentence: A retired Air Force master sergeant, deeply in debt, is accused of offering satel lite secrets to Saddam Hussein and others for more than $13 million in Swiss currency. Barring a last-minute plea agreement, jury selection was to begin Monday in the case against Brian Patrick Regan in U.S. District Court. His lawyers waged a late, un successful fight to delay the trial because of a possible U.S. inva sion of Iraq, one of the countries to whom Regan was accused of offering to sell secrets. Legal experts said a plea avoiding trial this late was un likely. WORLD "Turkey allows base inspections ANKARA,TURKEY(AP) - As tensions grow with the United States, its most crucial ally, the Turkish government has finally agreed to allow the U.S. military , to inspect Turkish bases for use in a possible war with Iraq. But the decision to allow in spections to start on Monday leaves open whether Turkey will give in to U.S. pressure to allow tens of thousands of American soldiers to invade Iraq from Turkish soil — a move that U.S. and Turkish generals agree would likely shorten any war. The issue is causing friction between Washington and the new government of Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, which must balance its ally’s desires against a Turkish public that is overwhelmingly opposed to a war. U.S. military leaders have been pushing for a final decision on U.S. troops using the bases, concerned that delays are com plicating war plans. Afghan warlord lets 50 prisoners go KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (AP) - After appeals from tribal elders, northern Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum has released 50 members of the Taliban militia captured during fighting more than a year ago, Dostum’s deputy said Sunday. The men were freed from prison in the northern city of Kunduz on Saturday and hand ed over to Pashtun tribal elders, said Gen. Abdul Majid Rozi, con tacted by satellite phone at Dostum’s headquarters in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. Most of the prisoners were captured in late 2001 as forces al lied with the northern alliance of opposition groups that op posed Taliban rule swept the country with U.S. assistance. The advance followed a U.S. aerial bombardment campaign — aimed at unseating the Taliban — that was prompted by the Sept. 11 attacks. BRIEFLY Exchange accepts study applications USC’s Warwick Exchange Committee will accept applica tions through Jan. 13 for par ticipation in the history de partment’s Warwick Exchange, a program that gives Carolina students a chance to study at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, for the 2003-2004 school year. Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who are history majors, minors or doing a cog nate in the department are eli gible. Selected students would pay their regular tuition, fees and housing costs to Carolina; part of the round-trip travel ex pense for each student will be defrayed from the history de partment Applications are available in Gambrell Hall, Room 245. Forms must be turned in by Jan. 13. Embezzlement CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 October. The Center for Colon Cancer Research was founded after the university’s selection for an $11 million grant from the National Institute of Health. McKinney said Sturkie’s job was one of many that allowed access to university credit cards for the purpose of departmental supply purchasing, a privilege she abused. “There are a number of indi viduals throughout the univer sity that have authority to pur chase for their particular of fice,” McKinney said. Although the purchases be gan in April of 2002 and contin ued unnoticed until November, McKinney said the university would have ultiniately discov ered the scheme. “We feel that eventually our own university systems would have caught it,” he said. However, McKinney said the university’s accounting pro cesses will be looked over in wake of the crime. “Any time we find any kind of abuse in a system, we take a look at that system,” he said. A similar crime was commit ted at USC about 10 years ago, “but that time, (university) con trols did catch it,” McKinney said. Pathel said he didn’t know of any previous cases of credit card misuse at USC that equaled $50,000. Despite Sturkie’s position at the Center for Colon Cancer Research, McKinney empha sized that the embezzled funds were unrelated to the research grant. “None of these purchases had ^ anything to do with the colon cancer research center,” he said. According to Pathel, investi gations “indicated that none of the monies used to purchase the computer equipment came from the coion cancer research grant.” Comments on this story? 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