The A State COLUMBIA SOUTH CAROLINA Extra WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2007 NEWSROOM 771-8415 PAGE B3 BACKYARD BOUNTY METRO Briefly Day care investigated after girl is injured The Richland County Sheriff's Department and the state Department of Social Services are investigating whether a Columbia day-care center is responsible for injuries suffered by a 1-year-old girl Thursday. The toddler's mother told police the girl's feet were burned while at The Sunshine House, 3001 Broad River Road, according to a Richland County incident report. Officers took photos of blisters on the girl's feet while at Lexington Medical Center, the report said. The day care violated rules by not informing DSS about the injury, said Rita Paul, the agency's director of child-care licensing. The agency's Out of Agency Abuse and Neglect Unit is investigating whether the staff was at fault.
Efforts to reach representatives from The Sunshine House on Tuesday were unsuccessful. Man sentenced for threatening sheriff A man charged with threatening to kill Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott on April 1 was sentenced Tuesday in Richland County Court to 30 days in jail suspended for time served, according to a Sheriff's department news release. Brandon Dimmry, 20, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a telephone, the release said. Dimmry, who has been at Richland County jail since September 2006, made the threat in a recorded telephone call to a family member, the release said. He also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, suspended on three years' probation, the release said.
Miami man wanted in Richland burglary A Miami man is wanted on charges in connection with the Sunday burglary at Reeds Jewelers at 6307 Promenade Place at the Village at Sandhill, according to a Richland County Sheriff's Department news release. Omar Plasencia, 29, of NW 51st is wanted on a warrant charging him with second-degree burglary. He and six others are accused of smashing the store's front window, going inside and stealing jewelry, deputies said. Anyone with information can call Crime Stoppers at (888) 559-TIPS. Council, sheriff discuss program Richland County Council members and Sheriff Leon Lott met Monday to discuss the funding and future of the Victims Assistance Program, which helps victims and witnesses of crime who have questions or problems with their cases.
Lott said he and other officials "will continue to make sure that our citizens get the services that they deserve while also being cognizant of the funding restrictions." The sheriff and council members said they want to find ways to fund the program that don't include increasing taxes or cutting services. They also are seeking ways to streamline the program and to find more funding sources. Contributing: Staff writers Ishmael Tate and Lee Higgins; staff reports opens office A nonprofit environmental law group has opened a South Carolina office after years of work in the state. The Southern Environmental Law Center, based in Chapel Hill, N.C., opened the office in Charleston recently to make it easier to conduct business in the Palmetto State, officials said. Chris DeScherer, a law center attorney who previously worked in the Atlanta office, will head the Charleston venture.
The center does legal work for environmental groups. It has brought legal challenges to stop a bridge over upper Lake Marion; the Green Diamond flood plain development in Columbia; and to save Sandy Island near Georgetown from development. The center is challenging parts of the expansion of the port of Charleston. THE STATE Briefly Environmental law group Treasurer's staff warned on computer use PHOTOGRAPHS BY NISSA THE (MYRTLE BEACH) SUN NEWS Bud Chestnut tends the garden behind his home in Socastee on Tuesday morning. Farmer's daughter inspires Growing vegetables was a necessity in childhood; now it's a cherished habit By JOHANNA D.
WILSON s.com SOCASTEE A bespectacled woman confident in her power to persuade is bragging about how she inspired her man to garden. "I made a farmer out of him," said Virginia Chestnut, 78, as she stared at their backyard garden, planted a stone's throw away from the Waccamaw River. "I've been a farmer's daughter all of my life." Bud Chestnut, 83, chuckles because he is indeed an astute gardener because of his sweetheart. Her love, in part, inspired him to garden. He recalls her gardening an acre off of S.C.
707 back when they were just friends, long before they were husband and wife. What a wonderful garden it was. The farmer's daughter, from Aberdeen, N.C., had been taught well by her "We had big gardens, and we grew some of the same things we grow now, except corn, peas, beets, squash and asparagus," Virginia Chestnut said. J.A. Lawrence made certain his daughter knew the basics of gardening.
He would tell his little girl three or four times, if he had to, exactly what needed to be done in order for a garden to grow. "I was the only girl who took interest in what my daddy did in the garden and what my mother did in the kitchen," she said. "My three sisters didn't care." Meanwhile, in the other Carolina, her future husband watched as his parents grew a big garden of their own in Conway. Times were tough back then, and gardens were a necessity, not the diversions or hobbies they are now. "If you wanted to eat, you had to grow some vegetables," said Bud Chestnut.
Southern society was mostly agrarian during his time, and folks made gardener grows cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions. Chestnut credits his wife with encouraging his gardening. He sure whatever they grew and raised benefited them. "I remember we had a chicken, but she wouldn't lay eggs," he said. "So we ate her." His memory is full of occasions when he realized the importance of farming, even on the smallest scale, to families.
"I remember there was a time, when we were coming out of the Great Depression, that my daddy got sick," said Bud Chestnut as he sat next to his wife on their back porch. "I came down with pneumonia, and my mama got sick. I remember people from our church and family coming in to feed us. I remember people bringing us groceries. Somebody gave us cornflakes, and we ate the cereal with sugar water because we didn't have any milk." Oh, how times have changed.
Yet much remains the same. What is constant is this: This man and woman cherish gardening. They enjoy seeing how much vegetables love their soil. Their Armenian cucumbers grow as long as 2 feet. Their mountain tomatoes are the distant cousins of those from the movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes." Their grape and cherry tomatoes are juicy and sweet.
"You can't beat eating from a garden," said Bud Chestnut before he walked through it to check on the plants. "Be- The state treasurer's office staff is being reminded they can't use agency computers for outside interests, including work on presidential campaigns, interim Treasurer Ken Wingate said Tuesday. E-mails obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request recently showed the agency's spokesman, Scott Malyerck, and thenTreasurer Thomas Ravenel exchanged e-mails promoting former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. Ravenel was indicted last month on a charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. Gov.
Mark Sanford suspended him and tapped Wingate as interim treasurer. Wingate said Malyerck was not disciplined and other staff members will get the same refresher. SUMTER Flight training will make for noisy skies F-16 pilots at Shaw Air Force Base will be flying during evening hours through Thursday to train with their night vision equipment. Residents should expect to hear increased noise in the evenings because of the training schedule, Shaw officials said. NORTH CHARLESTON Mother, 2 children found shot to death sides that, gardening is physical and mental therapy, and it's gratifying to share what I grow with family and friends." Dressed in blue denims, a straw hat, brown shoes and a maroon shirt, he looked the part of a country farmer instead of a beloved husband tending to what will eventually become a meal for two.
use the tomatoes to make tomato gravy," Virginia Chestnut said. "I ain't never seen no recipe for it, but it cooks up good just the same." To make her tomato gravy, she minces tomatoes before placing them into a pan with a little water. She lets them boil before adding two or three chopped eggs. They eat the tomato gravy over grits. Thus far, nothing in their garden has disappointed them.
All vegetables including the zucchini, white onions, Kentucky wonder beans and yellow squash have grown up to their expectations. Virginia Chestnut believes her husband's dedication to their garden is the main reason it flourishes. "Bud keeps that garden grass-free, and I love watching the garden grow," she said. "You plant it and then see it come up. It's like giving birth to children all over again." Wilson is a reporter for The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News, a McClatchy newspaper.
A mother and her two children were shot to death early Tuesday at an apartment complex, authorities said. Two of the bodies were discovered in an apartment where two young children were found unharmed, Dorchester County sheriff's Sgt. Michael Miller said. They were identified as Diane R. Grant, 44, and her 20-year-old son, Jatavius Lee Devore, Dorchester County Coroner Chris Nisbet said.
The third body, that of 15-year-old De-Anna Devore, was discovered about four hours later outside, in front of another apartment at Archdale Forest Apartments, authorities said. Authorities said they did not have suspects. FLORENCE Wife dead, husband hurt after stabbings A man stabbed his wife to death Friday, but she was able to stab him several times in the chest and neck in self-defense before she died, police said. Investigators will charge Rafael Sosa Sanchez, 54, with murder if he survives, Pageland Assistant Police Chief Larry Brown said. Sanchez stabbed his wife, 42-year-old Maria Hernandez, eight to 10 times before she bled to death in her Pageland home, Brown said.
Sanchez was stabbed several times in the chest and neck and was at a Charlotte hospital on a ventilator, authorities said. Contributing: Staff writers Sammy Fretwell and Noelle Phillips; The Associated Press POLICE BLOTTER Here are some highlights from police blotters in Richland and Lexington counties. COLUMBIA POLICE alcohol, a report said. LEXINGTON COUNTY night before and decided to break RICHLAND COUNTY USC POLICE SHERIFF up, but they went to sleep at the SHERIFF Greene Street, 2000 block: Two Pavilion Street, 700 block: Po- residence. He said he left to use a Greene Street, 1200 block: Police men were arrested at 9:30 p.m.
lice arrested a man at midnight 3000 phone that morning and when he North Lake Point Drive, 10th were called to a student lounge at 8 him Fish Hatchery Road, officers pulled them Sunday after they spotted block: Police were called to a res- returned, woman was tossing block: Police were called to a a.m. Monday after an employee found the The dri- walking away from a vandalized his clothes Saturday after for broken taillight. into the yard. He said home after Thurs- several vandalized vending machines. over a the idential care facility at 7 a.m.
Sun- he tried to kick in the door to just midnight ver had no driver's license, and the day after a woman reported her day after a woman foiled a car car. Officers saw man leaving get The locks had been broken or seadmitted to having an a vehicle that had a broken pas- the rest of his things, but the theft. The said she verely damaged, but it was unclear passenger car had been damaged with a key. then attacked him with woman saw illegal knife in his pants. senger window and tried to ap- Scratches ran from the rear to the woman a lights on in her car and went out- whether any money was missing.
proach him for questioning, but he front fenders and in some places pot and a knife. The woman said side to investigate. She found a began to run. He was caught after were so deep they penetrated the the man attacked her. But there man sitting in her car and began Pickens Street bridge: An officer Oak Street, 1000 block: A man was arrested at 2 a.m.
Sunday af- a brief foot chase, and officers sheet metal, a report said. Repairs were no injuries on her body to to yell at him to get out. He did, was on patrol at 3 p.m. Saturday ter neighbors called police to com- found tools on him that are com- estimated $500. up her accusations, and but he shoved her to the ground when he noticed the bridge that conback there were at plain about a domestic monly used for burglary.
He was was sufficient evidence to confirm in the She told him she nects the humanities building and disturbance. When officers arrived, charged with possession of those Busbee Road, 1500 block: Po- the man's version. The woman was going to call police, and he Le Conte classroom on Pickens process. they didn't see anyone with in- tools, failure to stop on a police lice called to trailer at was charged with assault and ar- then stole her cell phone and fled, Street had been spray-painted. Pojuries, but the man who witnesses command and auto breaking.
8:30 after and she said. lice determined the painting had no were a park rested. a.m. Sunday a man said was causing the problem was a woman got into a fight. When gang affiliation, but it will cost $100 obviously intoxicated.
He could deputies arrived, the man said he or more to clean it up, a report said. barely walk or talk and reeked of and the woman had argued the Julia Rogers Hook.
