Criminal Defense Lawyer in Walterboro, SC

WALTERBORO, S.C. (WCSC) - State regulators recently signed off on Santee Cooper’s long-term plan, including the approval of a new gas-fired power plant that would sit on the Edisto River.

The rumored plant location would be at the retired coal-fired plant Canadys Station between Walterboro and St. George.

The proposed power plant would be jointly financed and owned by both Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper.

It would also require a new natural gas pipeline, which is raising some concerns about how it could impact the nearby river and homeowners.

Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Frank Holleman says the plant would have a tremendous impact on communities, waterways and clean water on the ground.

“What really is at stake here is the property, the claim water and the power bills of the people of South Carolina. It’s really our air, our clean water and our land are all at risk,” Holleman says.

South Carolina Public Service Commission approved the project on Feb. 15 as part of Santee Cooper’s integrated resource plan.

The approval of the plant ties into the recently introduced House Bill 5118, also introduced on Feb. 15, which is an economic development and utility monitor modernization bill.

Dozens of state representatives are behind the bill, including Rep. Marvin Pendarvis (D-Charleston).

“It’s a bill that’s going to get South Carolina to a place where we’re going to be able to fulfill the energy needs of our state, especially with all the manufacturers that are coming here,” Pendarvis says.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one organization opposing the plant and bill.

“One big impact is this large industrial pipeline will come barreling through the Edisto watershed. That will have impacts on the streams, wetlands, swamps, the waterways that flow into the Edisto and secure its health,” Holleman says. “We will not have the normal protections in place to minimize those impacts.”

Holleman says many of the nearby residents do not even know about the need for a pipeline and the impact it could have on them.

“What’s going to happen when these pipelines come through in this big plan, which is going to be five times the size of the prior one. When that gets put right there beside the Edisto River?” Holleman says.

They say the bill would rush the environmental review process and make it easier for utilities to influence the Public Service Commission.

“Normally when you have impact on wetlands, there’s a thorough review by the state and by the environmental agencies to be sure the water impacts are minimized, and that they are avoided, when at all possible,” Holleman says. “Those kinds of protections are weakened.”

Addressing environmental concerns, Pendarvis says he is continuing to have conversations and listen to environmental groups.

“What I will tell you is, it’s certainly a work in progress,” Pendarvis says. “A lot of those concerns have been heard, and those are things that I am taking with me as we go throughout the committee process and certainly debate this bill on the floor to make sure that it is as good a bill as possible.”

Pendarvis adds he signed on to the bill because it is important to look at the long-term impact of the state of South Carolina from an economic development perspective.

“In order for us to fully realize the potential where we can be, it’s going to be important for us to be able to attract the kind of industry, and to support the kind of industry that wants to come here,” Pendarvis says.

“In order for us to do that, we have to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can from an energy standpoint, to provide them with enough energy to actually operate here in the state,” he says.

It’s important to note that the proposed power plant would need permits and approvals before being finalized.

A spokesperson for Santee Cooper provided the following statement:

Santee Cooper submitted an IRP for review that includes a balanced portfolio shown by our analysis to be the least-cost, least-risk option for meeting customer energy needs. Its combination of proven natural gas technology (1,020 MW) and solar power (2,100 MW) will provide strong reliability and flexibility, allow integration of more solar power, and allow us to reduce emissions by over 50%, all while meeting continued customer growth and supporting economic development across South Carolina. And as an additional benefit to customers, we are planning to jointly build a natural gas unit with Dominion Energy SC, which will provide economies of scale that we would not get if we each built units separately.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Remains of a human skull were reportedly located in rural Colleton County, South Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, prompting an investigation by the Colleton County sheriff’s office and the local coroner’s office.

The skull was reportedly found at approximately 1:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday (January 31, 2024) by a woman whose dog dug it up near Round O – an unincorporated community of 2,000 people located approximately seven-and-a-half miles northeast of Walterboro, S.C.

The woman called 9-1-1 to report the discovery, sources familiar with the situation told our outlet.

It’s not immediately clear whether authorities have located any other remains associated with the skull. As of this writing, no positive identification of the remains has been made.

Sources familiar with the situation say the skull was found near the residence of Gregory Donell Bodison, a man in his early sixties from Round O who disappeared seventeen months ago. Bodison was last seen at his home on September 11, 2022. Early last year, Colleton County deputies enlisted the support of the public in their efforts to find him – deeming his disappearance “suspicious.”

Searches of the area using drones turned up nothing – and efforts to locate Bodison via financial transaction data or cell phone data also came up empty.

Bodison is 5-foot-8, 140 pounds. He is black, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black and brown shirt.

Anyone with information related to Bodison’s whereabouts – or information related to the remains discovered in Round O – is encouraged to call the Colleton sheriff’s office at 843-549-2211.

Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.

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COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office said some cattle may still be unaccounted for after an early morning crash that closed Interstate 95 early Tuesday morning.

A tractor-trailer hauling cattle crashed near mile marker 55 on the southbound side of I-95 around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, deputies said.

The crash closed all lanes on the interstate for more than nine hours while crews worked the crash and attempted to wrangle up the animals that got loose.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol said the crash was cleared around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, around nine hours after the crash closed all lanes on the interstate.

Earlier in the morning, the South Carolina Highway Patrol posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that all lanes were closed near mile marker 55 for a collision. Trooper Nick Pye said the livestock got free as a result of the collision and lanes were closed as they tried to catch the loose animals.

Colleton County Fire-Rescue officials said the tractor-trailer hit a bridge near mile marker 55 and caught on fire. Its cattle trailer went off the bridge and into the river.

Arriving crews found the cab of the truck fully involved in flames but the driver had managed to escape with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The driver told firefighters that more than 35 cows were onboard the trailer at the time of the crash. Some of the cattle were found in and along the river while others had made their way to the northbound side of the interstate leading to those lanes being closed.

Area veterinarians and ranchers volunteered to assist emergency crews as they tried to collect the loose cattle. Riders on horseback used lassos to catch some of the cattle and put them on trailers.

Some of the cattle had made its way into neighborhoods near the interstate and firefighters and deputies used drones with thermal imaging to locate them.

The sheriff’s office warned motorists to be on the lookout for cattle while traveling on Beach Road, Ulmer Lake Road, Cypress Pond Road, Doctor’s Creek Road, Sniders Highway, Bells Highway, Ivanhoe Road, Hiers Corner Road and Hilton Hall Lane.

Residents are asked to report sightings to the Colleton County non-emergency line at 843-549-2211.

Once the truck was cleared from the roadway, Department of Transportation officials sanded the bridge as diesel fuel had spilled from the truck as a result of the crash. Officials also inspected the bridge because of the damage.

Deputies ask that anyone who comes in contact with loose cattle not to approach as the animal may be scared or injured.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

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Genesis Healthcare is excited to break ground on the new Walterboro Family Care Center today. This new facility will serve as a pillar of healthcare and provide much-needed community health improvements for Colleton, Allendale, and Hampton County citizens.

This facility will not only allow Genesis the opportunity to better serve current patients but will also provide the space to continue expanding our services to more friends and neighbors.

While they are relatively new to the Walterboro area (having been here since 2016) Genesis is not new to healthcare. Long before they became Genesis, they were Pee Dee Health Care which was originally founded in Darlington, SC in 1974 by Dr. Josiah Matthews. They became Genesis Health Care, Inc., a nonprofit community health center, in 2010 when Dr. Matthews and Dr. Alexander Cohen donated the practices to the community. Since that time, Genesis, under the guidance of its board of directors, has maintained its commitment to provide superior care to all members of its communities regardless of their ability to pay and now have seven locations (two full pharmacies) and are located in four counties. Dr. Cohen states, “This groundbreaking is not only an investment for Genesis Healthcare but also for community members as they expand upon the services offered to the region. Residents seeking access to vital services including medical, dental, optometry and pharmacy will soon have another option close to home. This groundbreaking is a significant step toward exceptional health services for generations to come. Genesis is beyond proud of its staff, board of directors, and community partners and their hard work in paving the way for opportunities like these. Genesis would also like to give a huge thank you to the Colleton County Chamber of Commerce for their continued support. They are excited to work together with leaders in each town and county for the betterment of the entire region”.

Former United States Representative for South Carolina, Joe Cunningham who attended the groundbreaking commented “in the beginning we shape our buildings, and, in the end, they shape us”, and Genesis will provide exceptional healthcare for generations to come.

Welcome, Genesis Healthcare, to Colleton County. Thank you for providing our community with opportunities to better our health, mind, body, and soul.

For more information visit about Genesis Healthcare visit genesisfqhc.org.

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