South Carolina Gets Federal Funding to Fight Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted South Carolina $1.73 million in stimulus funds to fight air pollution from diesel engines.
Part of the money will be used to install pollution control equipment on more than 100 vehicles owned by the cities of Columbia, Charleston and the state Forestry Commission, an EPA news release said Thursday. Funds also will be available for other projects that were not announced.
The money is expected to reduce pollution from carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter, all of which can be hazardous to people’s health. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the money will help create jobs, as well.
• Teach-in to focus on global warming effects
University of South Carolina professors and an energy expert today will discuss how rising global temperatures are affecting South Carolina and what the state can expect in the future.
The breakfast will be from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Learning Center of the university’s Green Quad residence complex, located at the corner of Wheat and Sumter streets. It is open to the public and free for the first 100 people.
The “teach-in” is part of a national call to action for university and community leaders to address the topic. USC president Harris Pastides and Columbia Mayor Bob Coble will be part of the discussion.
• Meters will monitor motorcycle noise
CONWAY – Horry County has bought six sound meters for its police officers to use during motorcycle rallies on the South Carolina coast next month.
Public Safety Director Paul Whitten told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that the decibel readings taken by the meters will make it easier for noise complaints to stick in court.
The county also plans to use the meters to check noise coming from bars, businesses and vehicles.
County Councilman Howard Barnard says the law may be tweaked if the noise meters find the upper level for decibels is too low.
Noise ordinance violators may face a $200 fine or 30 days in jail.
• Ceremonial room will honor fallen soldier
The military is honoring a fallen South Carolina Army soldier today by dedicating the hall where he took his first military oath in his name.
“Our son was chosen because of his service record. We are very proud and very honored that they are recognizing him,” said Toni Stack, the mother of Sgt. Maj. Michael Stack of Lake City.
Stack, 48, died in Iraq on Easter Sunday in 2004 when his 12-member Special Forces team was ambushed. Stack fended off attackers with a machine gun on a Humvee, saving all his men.
He earned the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest honor for heroism in combat. He also was awarded other honors such as the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, his mother said Wednesday in a telephone interview.
“He drew fire and he was the only one hit,” she said.
She said she and her husband, Cecil, plan to attend the event with two of Stack’s daughters. Stack was survived by his wife and six children.
Sgt. Erica Knight, a spokeswoman for the Military Entry Processing Station at Fort Jackson, said the ceremony is planned for Friday morning.
The room being dedicated is the site in South Carolina where those joining the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard take their entry oaths. There are 65 such stations around the country.
Stack took his entry oath in that room in 1975 and went on to basic training at Fort Jackson, Knight said. It is the only room in the station that will be dedicated to the memory of an individual soldier, she said.
Commanders from Stack’s Special Forces command, dozens of friends and family members are expected to attend, she said.
“It is a special thing to dedicate that ceremonial room to a man who was upholding his enlistment oath by saving the lives of others,” Knight said.
Via The State
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