Bill could spell trouble for county landfills
A handful of national trash companies could take a monopoly on South Carolina’s waste disposal market if proposed legislation becomes law, The State reported.
A Senate bill would ban counties from requiring trash created within their borders to be taken to the county landfill, and that causes concern for the South Carolina Association of Counties, which says the ban could drive prices up, according to The State.
Already, half of the state’s landfills are owned by a few large companies like Republic Services and Waste Management, but the legislation could reduce the amount of trash going into public dumps — and those counties’ revenue.
But a lobbyist for the garbage industry told The State the speculation about what the bill would do is exaggerated, calling it “extreme hyperbole.”
The bill was sent to the Senate floor last month, and it could be taken up with a special vote April 9.
—Thad Moore, News Editor
Man pawns wedding ring to pay prostitute
When a Greenwood man found himself with a prostitute but without enough money, he gave her his wedding ring to pawn for payment, according to police.
Police stopped a car Friday with Marvin Holmes III, 33, and Rhonda Kelley, 41, inside, FOX Carolina reported. The officer who stopped them said he recognized Kelley.
Holmes told police he picked Kelley up at a grocery store and told her he knew what she did and that he was having problems with his wife.
He did not have any cash, so he went with Kelley to a pawn shop. He gave Kelley his wedding ring, which she pawned for $20, according to a police report.
Holmes then took Kelley to a crack house to buy drugs, which they smoked in the car, the report said.
Holmes told police they “messed around” but left because Kelley “wasn’t acting right.”
Police found marijuana and a pipe in the car. Kelley denied being paid to have sex with Holmes but was arrested for prostitution and possession of marijuana. Holmes was arrested for solicitation of prostitution and driving under suspension.
— Amanda Coyne, Assistant News Editor
Sanford advances in GOP runoff election
Former Gov. Mark Sanford passed the second test in his bid to return to Congress Tuesday, defeating primary runoff challenger Curtis Bostic.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sanford won 56.6 percent of the vote to Bostic’s 43.4 percent in preliminary results, according to Politico.
Turnout through the 1st Congressional District was relatively low, with 10.2 percent of registered voters showing up at the polls, according to state Elections Commission data.
Sanford will now face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a May 7 general election for the seat vacated by Sen. Tim Scott.
According to The Post and Courier, Colbert Busch is relatively moderate and has a background in business, making her particularly competitive for a Democratic candidate in the traditionally conservative district.
Area Republicans acknowledged the challenge ahead of the candidate in the coming month.
“The toughest race out of all these is coming up,” said Berkeley County Republican Party Chair Tim Callanan, according to the Charleston newspaper.
—Thad Moore, News Editor