Homeless shelters reach capacity during storm
Local homeless shelters exceeded capacity as temperatures plunged below freezing this week, The State reported.
Columbia warming centers opened on Tuesday at Martin Luther King Park and Hyatt Park and could potentially stay open if the winter weather persists.
The Transitions homeless shelter on Main Street already reached full capacity, with 255 beds taken and some homeless staying in daytime-only areas. Those who could not be accommodated were sent to Oliver Gospel Mission, which provides sleeping space for 130 men.
The mission’s executive director told the newspaper that the shelter’s food stores are in good shape despite the added meals, thanks to help from the public, who provided food, water and other supplies.
Haley rescinds emergency order after storm
Gov. Nikki Haley rescinded her executive order declaring a state of emergency after a winter storm affected much of South Carolina, the state Emergency Management Division said in a release.
Haley voided the order at noon Thursday as state operations scaled back. The state National Guard and state and county emergency offices have also gone back to normal operations.
The division also said that the state Department of Transportation had more than 2,000 employees working during the storm, spreading thousands of tons of salt and sand on state roads.
The S.C. Department of Public Safety reported that officers answered over 3,500 calls for service throughout the storm, including nearly 2,000 collisions and 368 abandoned vehicles.
Knockoff Super Bowl merchandise seized
A crackdown on Super Bowl counterfeiters by federal agents, including some from Charleston, has led to dozens of arrests and the seizure of more than $21.6 million in knockoff merchandise, The Associated Press reported.
Authorities announced the seizures and arrests at a news conference and displayed the counterfeit goods, including Broncos and Seahawks hats and Super Bowl T-shirts. The knockoffs were made to look like official NFL gear and have Adidas labeling.
The operation, which lasted for eight months, resulted in the seizure of more than 202,000 Super Bowl-related items that would be worth more than $21.6 million if they were legitimate. Authorities say most of the merchandise was manufactured in China and then smuggled into the United States overnight.
New York authorities also announced the arrest of two men on charges that they sold high-quality counterfeit Super Bowl tickets online.