South Carolina

STATE NEWS IN BRIEF

COLUMBIA

Sanford defends raises for 3 staff members

Gov. Mark Sanford, a self-described penny pincher, stands by his decision to give three members of his staff sizable pay raises in a tight budget year.

"They work long hours, make less than their predecessors, and I consider each one of them a bargain for the taxpayers of this state," Sanford said.

The Republican governor increased spokesman Will Folks' pay to $60,000 from $42,500 in the past year, according to salary data provided this month by the State Budget and Control Board.

Communications Director Chris Drummond's salary increased to $80,000 from $70,000.

Neither position's job description changed in the past year, nor did either take on new duties.

Sanford has criticized his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges, for leaving him to handle big expenses in the governor's office.

Sanford's Washington, D.C., representative, Scott English, also got a raise when he took on extra duties. English's salary went to $75,000 from $67,500 when he added policy adviser to his job description, Folks said.

State workers have not received a pay raise for the past two years because of the budget crunch.

House Democratic Party Leader James Smith, D-Columbia, said the pay raises in the governor's communications office show the governor emphasizes his image over substance.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

Waterway needs repair, boat operators say

The Intracoastal Waterway is in need of serious repair and maintenance, some professional boat operators say.

Bryan Pahl, a port captain for Stevens Towing Co. on Younges Island, says unless something is done, operators might lose their livelihoods and their safety could be jeopardized.

Without maintenance, Pahl says companies could turn to trains, trucks or other offshore methods to move goods and materials.

Recreational boaters who travel along the East Coast waterway could run aground in the channel's shallower depths, he also said.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the waterway's maintenance.

Corps officials say a lack of money has left some areas impassible and others several feet shallower than required by federal law.

Federal guidelines call for the channel to be 12 feet deep throughout most of its length, including the 210 miles in South Carolina.

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway goes from Norfolk, Va., to Miami.

Alicia Gregory, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Charleston district, says there is $1.3 million in the fiscal year 2003-04 budget to deepen the shallow areas in the waterway within the district, which extends from the N.C. border to the center of the Port Royal Sound.

Next year's budget proposal does not include funds for the waterway.

COLUMBIA

FA-18 Hornet crashes off coast in training

An FA-18 Hornet on a training mission crashed off the S.C. coast Wednesday, and the pilot was rescued and taken to a hospital, said a spokesman for the Naval Air Force.

The crash happened about 12:30 p.m. near Tybee Island, Ga., which is close to the Georgia-S.C. border, said Mike Maus, spokesman for the Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet.

"I'm sure he ejected, and his parachute operated fine, and the Marine search and rescue ... got him out of the water," Maus said.

The pilot was taken to a Savannah, Ga., hospital as a precaution, Maus said.

The aircraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 82, which is based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort.

The cause of the crash in under investigation.

LAURENS

Near theft causes anhydrous ammonia leak

Someone trying to steal anhydrous ammonia from a ceramics plant near Gray Court caused a leak that forced the evacuation of a nearby restaurant and closed nearby S.C. 14, Laurens County deputies say.

CeramTec North America said it noticed someone was taking ammonia from its tank more than a week ago during an inspection and planned to have the tank removed.

Before the tank could be taken away, employees on Monday saw someone trying to steal ammonia and tried to stop the thief, officials said.

The person ran off but damaged the tank's valve and caused it to leak, authorities said.

Laurens County fire officials evacuated a nearby business, told residents to stay inside and closed the highway in front of the plant while the ammonia dissipated.

Anhydrous ammonia can be used in making drugs such as methamphetamine, sheriff's Capt. Chris Hudson said.

ANDERSON

Team will educate community about syphilis

Anderson County officials have created a special team to educate people about syphilis after the area saw a sharp increase in the number of cases of the sexually transmitted disease.

Twenty-five syphilis cases have been reported in the county so far this year, compared with 35 cases in all of 2003, health officials said.

An increase in people trading sex for drugs has led to more cases of sexually transmitted diseases over the past few years, said Susie Makison, district disease response surveillance coordinator at the Anderson County Health Department.

Health officials have created the Syphilis Outbreak Response Team to educate people on how to protect themselves against syphilis and to investigate how this outbreak has spread through the community.