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The Crayton Middle School greeting echoed through the school auditorium and across the galaxy as students and faculty welcomed some special guest speakers to their campus Wednesday.

“Houston Space Station, this is Crayton Middle School. Can you hear me?” seventh-grade teacher Ann Carbone called out to astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

“This is the space station. We can hear you loud and clear,” the reply came – from thousands of miles away.

The Richland 1 school is one of three nationwide selected to take part in a downlink video with the space station. During an often lively question-and-answer session, students inquired about a range of subjects related to space travel including the obstacles to becoming an astronaut, how crew members stay in contact with their families and the special exercise regiments astronauts have to undergo.

In recent months students in Crayton’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme have participated in a comprehensive study of space. Those lessons were conducted in various subject areas and included such things as the biographies of astronauts, the use of math in problem-solving in space and the science of space exercise.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2154802/lesson-is-out-of-this-world.html#RSS=local

In life, Wayne Cook, Sharon Ward and Jacquelyn Hall shared no friendship or family ties.

In death, their remains rest side by side in the Richland County Cemetery, forever linked by lives controlled by addictions that left them estranged from family or with no money for a funeral.

On Wednesday, they were buried in the public cemetery with seven other people during a 30-minute ceremony led by a Baptist minister.

Jean Westmoreland, Sue Dockery and Jody Dockery arrived early to place three photographs in a white box containing Cook’s ashes. The three cared for Cook during his final years, patiently dealing with his drinking binges and growing to love his sense of humor and storytelling.

They held no family obligations. Westmoreland had met Cook more than 20 years ago when he was a student at Midlands Tech. Sue Dockery was his home health aide, and her husband, Jody Dockery, sometimes visited Cook just so the two could have “man talk.”

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2154795/troubled-in-life-dignified-in.html#RSS=local

Richland County deputies were shot at while trying to execute a search warrant on Broad River Road Thursday afternoon.

Richland County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Curtis Wilson said that narcotics agents were shot at when they tried to seach an apartment in the Brook Pine apartment complex in the 7000 block of Broad River Road about 6 p.m. They knocked on the door three times, Wilson said, and went into the apartment when no one answered. A suspect inside shot at the deputies, who fired back, Wilson said. Wilson said Frederick Withers II. 25, was arrested in the incident and is charged with attempted murder and drug charges. He was shot in the lowere body, but no one else was injured in the incident. He is being treated at Palmetto Health Richland.

―R. Darren Price

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2156237/deputies-involved-in-shootout.html#RSS=local

In life, Wayne Cook, Sharon Ward and Jacquelyn Hall shared no friendship or family ties.

In death, their remains rest side by side in the Richland County Cemetery, forever linked by lives controlled by addictions that left them estranged from family or with no money for a funeral.

On Wednesday, they were buried in the public cemetery with seven other people during a 30-minute ceremony led by a Baptist minister.

Jean Westmoreland, Sue Dockery and Jody Dockery arrived early to place three photographs in a white box containing Cook’s ashes. The three cared for Cook during his final years, patiently dealing with his drinking binges and growing to love his sense of humor and storytelling.

They held no family obligations. Westmoreland had met Cook more than 20 years ago when he was a student at Midlands Tech. Sue Dockery was his home health aide, and her husband, Jody Dockery, sometimes visited Cook just so the two could have “man talk.”

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2154795/troubled-in-life-dignified-in.html#RSS=local

A second juvenile wanted in connection with the string of pit bull thefts from the Columbia Animal Shelter was taken into custody today.

The 13-year-old male turned himself in to investigators at police headquarters, according to the Columbia Police Department.

The teen and three others have been charged in connection with the investigation.

Two of the four charged are adults.

Acting on information provided by the suspects, police found 17 dogs at a rural residence in Bamberg County, about 50 miles south of Columbia. Not all of the dogs were those missing from the shelter. The dogs were tied to trees with heavy chains, but police reported only minor injuries to most.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2155967/4th-suspect-charged-in-thefts.html#RSS=local

A second juvenile wanted in connection with the string of pit bull thefts from the Columbia Animal Shelter was taken into custody today.

The 13-year-old male turned himself in to investigators at police headquarters, according to the Columbia Police Department.

The teen and three others have been charged in connection with the investigation.

Two of the four charged are adults.

Acting on information provided by the suspects, police found 17 dogs at a rural residence in Bamberg County, about 50 miles south of Columbia. Not all of the dogs were those missing from the shelter. The dogs were tied to trees with heavy chains, but police reported only minor injuries to most.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2155967/4th-suspect-charged-in-thefts.html#RSS=local

In 2003, Salvatore Giunta graduated from basic combat training at Fort Benning, Ga.

Thursday, Giunta addressed the graduating soldiers of the 193rd Infantry Brigade at Columbia’s Fort Jackson as the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

“Yesterday, you were the future of the United States Army. Today, you are the United States Army,” he said. “Today, you will pick up the torch.”

Graduations are held almost weekly at the Army’s largest training base. Thursday was special because five Medal of Honor recipients visited with the new soldiers, one for each company of the 193rd. There are only 83 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Two Medal of Honor recipients who lived in the Midlands recently passed away:

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2156216/first-living-medal-of-honor-recipient.html#RSS=local

The Crayton Middle School greeting echoed through the school auditorium and across the galaxy as students and faculty welcomed some special guest speakers to their campus Wednesday.

“Houston Space Station, this is Crayton Middle School. Can you hear me?” seventh-grade teacher Ann Carbone called out to astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

“This is the space station. We can hear you loud and clear,” the reply came – from thousands of miles away.

The Richland 1 school is one of three nationwide selected to take part in a downlink video with the space station. During an often lively question-and-answer session, students inquired about a range of subjects related to space travel including the obstacles to becoming an astronaut, how crew members stay in contact with their families and the special exercise regiments astronauts have to undergo.

In recent months students in Crayton’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme have participated in a comprehensive study of space. Those lessons were conducted in various subject areas and included such things as the biographies of astronauts, the use of math in problem-solving in space and the science of space exercise.

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2154802/lesson-is-out-of-this-world.html#RSS=local

A bill introduced in the S.C. House would give police, prosecutors and sheriffs broad freedom to keep secret any and all crimes and arrests from the public, critics say.

“This goes a long way in creating a secret police operation in South Carolina,” said Jay Bender, a Columbia lawyer and USC media law professor who has for decades argued open government cases in courts. He represents numerous media organizations, including The State Media Company.

Supporters of the bill, including sponsor Rep. Chris Murphy, R-Dorchester, say Bender exaggerates the impact of the measure, which if passed would amend the state’s existing Freedom of Information law.

“For him to say this will cause a police state, that is a stretch,” Murphy said. He described his bill as “narrowly tailored” to allow law enforcement to more easily deny an FOI request to make public sensitive pretrial information about crime victims, witnesses and ongoing investigations.

The specific language in Murphy’s bill says law officials would be able to withhold any “information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action or criminal prosecution.”

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2154788/should-crime-details-be-kept-from.html#RSS=local

In 2003, Salvatore Giunta graduated from basic combat training at Fort Benning, Ga.

Thursday, Giunta addressed the graduating soldiers of the 193rd Infantry Brigade at Columbia’s Fort Jackson as the first living recipient of the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.

“Yesterday, you were the future of the United States Army. Today, you are the United States Army,” he said. “Today, you will pick up the torch.”

Graduations are held almost weekly at the Army’s largest training base. Thursday was special because five Medal of Honor recipients visited with the new soldiers, one for each company of the 193rd. There are only 83 living Medal of Honor recipients.

Two Medal of Honor recipients who lived in the Midlands recently passed away:

http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/16/2156216/first-living-medal-of-honor-recipient.html#RSS=local