Wedding & Event Venue Near Edgefield, SC.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia gas prices have gone down while South Carolina and national gas prices increase.

The average price in Georgia is $3.14 per gallon, only decreasing by 1 cent in the past week, according to AAA.

Augusta’s gas price average as of Monday is $3.13, down 4 cents in a week, according to AAA.

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Georgia’s average gas price is 27 cents below the national average, according to AAA.

According to a study from HiRoad, Georgia is amongst some of the most affordable states for gas in the whole of the U.S., relative to localized salary data.

Residents can expect 16.7% of their average hourly salary to cover the cost of a single gallon of gas. This makes Georgia the 10th most affordable state to buy gas, relative to local salaries, according to the study.

Georgia is one of only two states which saw the relative affordability of gas improve over the course of 2022. On average, Georgian residents could expect to spend $1,435 annually on refueling their vehicles in 2022, according to the study.

Meanwhile, the average in South Carolina is $3.07, up 6 cents from last week.

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According to AAA, Aiken and Edgefield counties’ gas prices are at the average of $3.09, down by 4 cents in the past week.

In the HiRoad study, South Carolina’s ranking went from 17.6% in 2021 to 18.1% in 2022 for the average hourly salary per gallon of gas.

According to AAA, the national average gas price has gone up 4 cents to $3.41.

“Some nine out of 10 states saw declines over the last week, so the drops are showing up for most across the country,” GasBuddy chief petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said. “For the weeks ahead, tradition tells us to expect prices to move up eventually, but that could be at least partially offset by inflationary data that continues to be hotter than expected, leading to anxiety that the Fed will boost interest rates and cooling the economy and oil demand considerably.”

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EDGEFIELD, S.C.—The NWTF presented Steve Adams, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks wildlife biologist, with the Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of Year Award for decades of outstanding wild turkey and wildlife habitat management.

“Over the past 28 years with KDWP, I have been fortunate to be able to work on turkey habitat development, research projects and youth hunts to pass on the hunting heritage to the next generation,” Adams said. “Being recognized by NWTF with the Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of the Year Award is the honor of my career as a biologist. All my work with the wild turkey has been a collaboration with many co-workers and the partnership we have with the National Wild Turkey Federation. When I started work with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, I was fortunate to be in an area with a very high turkey population. Through our trap-and-transfer program, we were able to move birds to western Kansas, Texas and Utah. It was so rewarding to see how these birds flourished in their new habitats.”

Adams received the Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of the Year Award at the NWTF’s 50th anniversary celebration during its 47th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show, sponsored by Mossy Oak.

The NWTF named the Joe Kurz Wildlife Manager of the Year Award after the former Georgia Department of Natural Resources wildlife chief for his leadership and the vital role he played in improving wildlife management efforts. Kurz also was a principal figure in wild turkey trap-and-transfer programs across North America.

Adams began his career with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in 1995 as a biological technician at Wilson Wildlife Area through the Wildlife Management Institute. He is now an area wildlife biologist north of Wichita, a cooperative position between KDWP and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. In this capacity, Adams works with landowners to deliver habitat management programs in south-central Kansas. He is active in all KDWP population monitoring surveys, including prairie chickens, pheasant, quail and deer surveys. However, it is in his work with wild turkeys that Adams’ expertise and passion shines.

Adams has spent many cold mornings in a blind overlooking a field, waiting for turkeys to enter a drop zone for capture. He was an integral part of the turkey restoration process in Kansas, identifying winter flocks to utilize as source populations for restoration efforts in other parts of the state. He led the effort on trapping flocks of wild turkeys from 1998 through 2004 for restoration efforts in Utah and providing turkeys to Texas in 2013.

Adams has participated in KDWP’s Turkey Committee since 2007, providing vital perspective and important leadership. He has been a consistent leader on the committee, continually advocating for hunter opportunities while balancing the population status of the species.

Additionally, he has been a mentor to many younger members of the committee and has provided important and impactful perspective to several statewide biologists and KDWP leadership.

Adams has led a sustained effort to develop, coordinate, and lead youth-mentored turkey hunts in central Kansas for almost 20 years.

“Throughout his incredible career, Steve has been a champion for the wild turkey and our hunting heritage in Kansas,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “His 28 years of dedicated service speaks for itself. We are proud to honor his work with the NWTF Wildlife Manager of the Year Award.”

About the National Wild Turkey Federation

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has conserved or enhanced over 22 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The organization continues to drive wildlife conservation, forest resiliency and robust recreational opportunities throughout the U.S. by working across boundaries on a landscape scale.

2023 is the NWTF’s 50th anniversary and an opportunity to propel the organization’s mission into the future while honoring its rich history. For its 50th anniversary, the NWTF has set six ambitious goals: positively impact 1 million acres of wildlife habitat; raise $500,000 for wild turkey research; increase membership to 250,000 members; dedicate $1 million to education and outreach programs; raise $5 million to invest in technology and NWTF’s people; and raise $5 million to build toward a $50 million endowment for the future.

COLUMBIA — The South Carolina State Fair announced the first increase to its statewide college scholarship fund in a decade, upping it from $300,000 to $500,000, on March 7.

Each year the State Fair awards scholarships to 50 students across the state. Starting this year, the scholars will receive $10,000 over four years, a $4,000 per student increase from last year, about a 67 percent boost.

“Our commitment has always been to education and making an impact on future generations. We are honored to expand this program and create more opportunities for each of our scholarship recipients,” State Fair board President Cantey Heath Jr. said.

The hike in scholarship funds came on the heels of the State Fair’s return and bounce-back year following the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith attributed the $200,000 bump partly to new attractions separate from the annual fair, which started after the main event’s return from the two-year slump.

“Some of our newer events, such as the Spring Fair Food Drive Through and Carolina Lights, are enabling us to bring in additional revenue, which ultimately reflects in how much we are able to invest back in our community,” Smith said.

Any high school senior in the state can apply for the scholarship, dubbed the “Ride of Your Life Scholarship” by the State Fair. With nearly $5 million awarded over the past 25 years, the scholarship is partly need-based and partly based on academic and extracurricular achievement. Students must have a 3.0 GPA and enroll in at least 30 credit hours each academic year.

The 50 recipients will each be paid $2,500 per year for tuition, housing, computers or textbooks at a South Carolina college or university.

“Although I had exemplary grades ... I still had some funds missing,” said Chelsea Gourdine, a 2022 recipient of the scholarship and Keenan High School graduate. “The Ride of Your Life Scholarship has really given me the opportunity fulfill my education dreams.”

“I always dreamed of going to college, escaping my hometown and furthering my education. With the Ride of Your Life Scholarship, I’m able to do that,” said Sheridan Carpenter, a Lander University student out of Edgefield County who also received the scholarship last year.”

The application deadline for the S.C. State Fair scholarship is March 15.

COLUMBIA — Richland County will consider a $90 million proposal for apartments in downtown Columbia near the South Carolina State Museum.

The development, known for the time by code name Project Wichita, would be built on nearly 6 acres at 1409 Huger St. owned by South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., according to documents filed with Richland County.

The document does not say how many units the development will have but the proposal does call for a 643-space parking garage and 42 surface-parking spaces for downtown visitors.

Environmental remediation on the site, which once housed a gas plant, is part of the proposal, as is a small park. There are also road, water, sewer and electric improvements planned.

To help cover the cost of these improvements to public infrastructure, valued at $21.6 million, the developer is seeking a 10-year, 50 percent tax credit.

The project marks the third multifamily development proposed around The Vista entertainment district on downtown Columbia’s west side.

Developer Ben Arnold wants to build a 183-unit apartment complex on property he owns near the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The University of South Carolina Development Foundation has plans for a 938-bed student apartment complex called Gadsden + Greene near Colonial Life Arena. And where Huger and Blossom streets meet, a St. Louis-based developer is gathering approvals for a 960-bed college apartment complex called VERVE Columbia.

Richland County Council is expected to take the first of three required votes on the proposal on March 7.

The city of Columbia will also have to sign off on the deal.

EDGEFIELD, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A tank full of bad gas left a woman in Edgefield County stuck with a $1,600 bill after her car broke down.

Some Edgefield residents stopped by a local gas station for their normal fill-up but didn’t realize the gas they put in their cars was bad.

“I was getting a traction control light. I was getting a check engine light. I could push the pedal all the way down to the floor, and RPMs just kind of stayed in right under 1000 and wouldn’t give it any more power than that,” said Brittany Jolicoeur, Edgefield resident.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture tested it and showed the gas had water or sediment.

She says it caused her new truck to break down.

“It was kind of scary. I had both of my kids in the car. They were freaking out. They didn’t know what was going on. Obviously, I was upset,” she said.

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She works in an auto parts store, and she found out her car wasn’t the only one.

“Several of my mechanics were coming in telling me they’re replacing fuel pumps. They’re having to flush systems. They’re dropping gas tanks. They are doing all of these things due to the bad fuel that everybody got from the same fuel station,” said Jolicoeur.

She says insurance told her they wouldn’t cover the costs.

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She says the station bagged the pump, and she saw changes being made. The gas station owner is paying for her damage.

After a three-week battle with pumping bad gas, it makes her question every time she fills up.

“I’m scared to get gas anywhere because I even said to the insurance company, you know, I was quite upset. This is my main means of transportation and when they started speaking on negligence I said, ‘what am I supposed to do? Test the gas before I put it on my vehicle,” she asked.

We spoke with the owner of this gas station, and he says he recently bought this station, and once he heard of the problem, he fixed it. The Department of Agriculture was on site Tuesday and they confirmed fixes have been made.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office are pleased to announce the first successful contact of DHEC’s new Community Opioid Paramedic Education (COPE) program.

Begun at DHEC in 2019, seven counties currently participate in the program, which is a post-overdose outreach program in which people who experienced an opioid overdose and were treated with Narcan® are provided access to substance use treatment. The program uses referrals from EMS, law enforcement or hospitals to identify survivors for follow-up visits during a critical window for successful intervention to help treat substance use disorder and reduce harmful health outcomes for survivors, their family members and communities.

Typically, within 72 hours of a person’s overdose, a COPE team – which consists of a paramedic; law enforcement officer; and peer-support specialist, mental health counselor or social worker – will visit a survivor at their residence for a wellness check and provide educational drug treatment materials and resources.

Edgefield County Sheriff Jody Rowland was an eager partner for DHEC’s COPE program and began helping the agency make connections in Edgefield County. That effort led to a candidate being selected by Garrett Lynn, EMS director for Edgefield County.

The overdose survivor, who previously had a significant period of sobriety, was visited by DHEC COPE Provider Richard Naugler, along with members of the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Department and EMS, and was given wellness tools and harm reduction information and offered a variety of treatment services.

“This is the only state-led initiative of its kind,” said Kenny Polson, DHEC COPE Program Coordinator. “We still have a long road ahead, but we are working hard to be able to provide the best possible options for treatment and forge partnerships with law enforcement and EMS across the state.”

Polson also said the agency is planning to hire two additional part-time personnel to be able to reach all corners of the state.

For first responders such as Sheriff Rowland, a program like COPE provides crucial hope after an overdose contact that can be particularly stressful for responders.

“With increasing numbers of drug overdose calls in Edgefield County and statewide, the traditional first response and use of Narcan® for an overdose is simply not enough,” Rowland said. “Over the last two years, I have witnessed multiple deaths due to repeated overdoses.”

“Until the COPE program, no coordinated paramedic effort to connect overdose survivors to services and resources existed. When EMS Director Garrett Lynn introduced me to Richard Naugler and the COPE program, the Sheriff’s Office immediately joined the effort. We will work together to bring timely support to reach those citizens in our community that there is a path to recovery following an overdose.”

Any EMS agency in South Carolina is eligible for the COPE program. To learn more about the program or to enroll, contact [provide number and/or website]. Current EMS partners include Bowers EMS in Pickens County, Greenville County EMS, Lancaster County EMS, Lexington County EMS, Fairfield County EMS, Clarendon Fire & Rescue, and the Myrtle Beach Fire Department.

For more information about Narcan resources and instructional material, visit scdhec.gov/opioid-epidemic. Click here for an instructional video from COPE about the proper administration of Narcan during an overdose.

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