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25
years 1992 - 2017
Chronicle L e x i n gto n C o u n t y
and
Sweet, sweet revenge? Page B1
The Dispatch-News
‘Franksgiving,’ Page A5
since 1870
Thursday, November 23, 2017 | Vol. 147, 5th Edition | Three Sections, 38 pages
Early arrival Your Chronicle should have arrived a day early this week. That gives you, other readers and our advertisers a head start on Thanksgiving.
Breaking news at lexingtonchronicle.com
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SCANA wasted up to $9 billion Unlicensed workers planned its failure
13 times a champion
Here at the Lexington County Chronicle and the Lake Murray Fish Wrapper, we have a lot to be thankful for. We are especially grateful for your encouragement and support over these 25 years.
By Jerry Bellune jerrybellune@yahoo.com
We hope you and yours enjoy a memorable Thanksgiving. — MacLeod & Jerry Bellune
Turkey day stories • Readers, staff writers share Thanksgiving memories, Page A3.
chronicle poll Is Corley Mill Road too congested for more development?
Vote at lexingtonchronicle.com
Last poll: Are you eager to read the confidential SCANA documents being released to the public? You said: 66% Yes, 34% No Photo Courtesy of goflashwin.com
Corrections
• In an election story in the Nov. 9 edition of the Chronicle, Al Koon was misidentified as the second winner in a three-way race for two Chapin Town Council seats. • The Chronicle reported that Chapin Mayor Skip Wilson lost re-election by 100 votes. He actually lost by 73 votes. We regret these errors.
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Business .....................A2 Calendar ...................B12 Church .......................A5 Classifieds .............B4-10 Columnists ..............A8-9 Crime .........................A6 Delinquent Tax ......C1-13 Down South ...............A7 Front Porch ...............A10 Holy Cow! History ......A5 News.......................A1-6 Obituaries ...................A4 Opinion .....................A11 Parents & Kids ..........C14 Sports............ B1-3; B11 Accuracy and credibility are our major concerns. If you see an error, please email lexingtonchronicle@gmail.com or call 803-359-7633. Copyright 2017, Lexington Publishing Company, Inc.
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The Chapin High School cheer team performs during the S.C. High School League Class 4A final this past Saturday at Colonial Life
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record to 13 titles won in three different classications. See the championship photos on Page B1.
PrayforWay: Sandy Run toddler battles cancer said the chemo has been hard on him. She said it has made him sick and weak at times, but when he recovers he is like any other 2-year-old. Only 2-and-a-half years old, WayHe runs and he plays like normal. land Whitten was diagnosed with “You would not know he is sick, exneuroblastoma on Sept. 22. cept that he lost his hair,” Cobb said. The cancer manifested in a tumor She also said in his last treatments, in his abdomen and has invaded his Wayland was given two types of bone marrow. “very aggressive” chemotherapy. Wayland and his parents, Tyler and Because of their son’s illness, Tracy Whitten, live in Sandy Run. Wayland’s parents have had to There is a Facebook page set up for miss a lot of work. him titled: "Pray4Way." Cobb said the money from the Wayland is scheduled to have a bone marrow transplant in early Wayland Whitten, 2, sits in his fundraisers would go to help pay Aunt Rebecca’s lap. Wayland was 2018, in addition to the challenges medical costs and expenses. recently diagnosed with neuroblashe’s already facing. Wayland will have to stay in toma, a very rare form of cancer. “He just finished his third cycle of Charleston up to 60 days when he chemotherapy,” said Rebecca Whitten undergoes the process of the bone Cobb, Wayland’s aunt. conducted for Wayland by the San- marrow transplant, said Cobb. Cobb said more funds are beCobb was part of a fundraiser ear- dy Run Fire Department. ing raised because of the amount of lier in November to help the Whitten “We realized we’d need more food treatment Wayland needs. family. Freedom Spradley helped or- for the Nov. 11 dinner,” she said. The Sandy Run Volunteer Fire Deganize the event. The House of Raeford plant in partment is holding a raffle that ends “At the Pray4Way fundraiser, 400 West Columbia, through Chuck UnDec. 23. barbecue chicken plates sold in derhill, ended up donating 400 Cobb and her brother, Tyler (Wayless than two hours and ultimately pounds of chicken leg quarters for land’s dad), are members of the fire helped raise $15,000 for the family,” the barbecue event. department. said Spradley. “It was so amazing to see the comIf you’d like to buy a raffle ticket or Her initial request for a donamunity come together in support of donate to help Wayland’s family, call tion of chicken had to be expanded this awesome little boy,” said Spradley. Cobb at 803-664-1647. based on the success of a fish fry As for Wayland, his Aunt Rebecca
By Terry Ward lexchront@yahoo.com
Chapin VFW Post 193 sees to interment of veteran’s remains By Rob Cottingham cottinghamrob@yahoo.com
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Arena. The Lady Eagles ran away with the title, outdistancing runnerup St. James by 44 points to repeat as champion and extend their state
None of Gregory Politte’s relatives could help when he passed away. “His brother claimed him, but couldn’t be present for his interment,” said Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 193 Commander Steven Goulet. “We saw to it that (Politte) got the honor, respect and dignity he deserved as a veteran of the U.S. armed forces.” Politte, a former U.S. Air Force sergeant, was escorted by dozens of motorcycles from Chapin to his resting place at Fort Jack-
son National Cemetery off Percival Road in Columbia Nov. 17. Each year, many VFW and other veterans’ associations seek out unclaimed veterans’ remains and provide a proper funeral. Politte’s brother could not be there for the honors, which included a 21-gun salute, a rendition of taps and a flag-folding ceremony. Goulet said Politte was one of the VFW family as he was laid to rest. “This cemetery is full of brothers and sisters of mine,” said Goulet, who served in the U.S. Army from 1976-2005. “Most of the people
An Air Force Honor Guard escorts the remains of Sgt. Gregory Politte to his burial ceremony on Nov. 17.
here served their country, portant that we provide and they all feel the same these final honors for our way that I do. It’s imveterans.”
The math is simple. Over the 10 years SCANA and S.C. Electric & Gas executives planned and oversaw construction of two V.C. Summer nuclear reactors, they wasted $9 billion, by conservative estimates. That’s more than the state’s $8 billion budget. The Lexington Countybased executives charged 700,000 commercial and residential customers almost $2 billion in rate increases and pocketed almost $11 of every $100 they charged. Part of that money went to pay million dollar bonuses to the mismanagers. Much of the problem lies at the feet of bankrupt Westinghouse Electric. It hired unlicensed designers for the two abandoned reactors – with SCANA’s knowledge – according to findings of the Charleston Post and Courier. Other SCANA contractors used unlicensed people to design _ reactor parts, too. • Critics: Rate The cut an ‘insult newspaper to customers, called this Page A3. a poten• SCANA holds tially crimsecretive inal shortnews cut. It may conference, have been Page A11. the main reason the multi-billion-dollar project failed. The Post and Courier, which prints the Chronicle, obtained documents that show no professional engineers checked or approved construction plans. In this state, licensed engineers must stamp and sign large building project plans. That’s required as mismanaged construction, as in SCANA’s case, can affect public health and safety. Not following the law can lead to criminal penalties. State and federal officials were unaware unlicensed contractors were crafting blueprints and conducting engineering calculations. Professional engineers question the entire project. The result was thousands of plan revisions, construction setbacks, cost overruns, and the ultimate project failure, the engineers said. One V.C. Summer engineer, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said, “You literally can’t make up the errors that were propagated. I’ve never seen anything like this. “It was beyond comprehension. They enshrined incompetence.”
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