The two men - a Hardeeville teen and his 20-year-old cousin - wanted in connection to Wednesday’s home invasion in the Windy Lakes subdivision were arrested Thursday night in Jasper County.

Seventeen year old Marion Berry Bowen, 17, of Hardeeville and Kenneth Craig “KC” Bowen of Bluffton, were arrested Thursday night in Jasper County, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Marion Bowen turned himself in to Jasper County Sheriff’s Office investigators. Kenneth Bowen was arrested after investigators located him at a girlfriend’s house in Ridgeland.

By: Erinn McGuire
Hardeeville Today

HARDEEVILLE – A toxicology report shows that the driver of a car carrying three people – including a 12-year-old Hardeeville girl – who pulled in front of a speeding Amtrak train in November had cocaine and marijuana in her system, the Hardeeville police said.

The investigation surrounding the Nov. 16 death of the driver, Nancy Ratliff, 27, has been closed, said Hardeeville Chief Richard Nagy.

“We’ve reviewed the toxicology report and it reveals the driver had cocaine and marijuana in her system,” he said.

The Jasper County Board of Education has hired a second interim superintendent for the 3,300 student school district.

Larry B. Heath, of Lugoff, is expected to begin Jan. 20 and expected to stay through the end of the school year, according to school district spokesman Robert Huff.

He will replace interim superintendent John S. Taylor, who was hired last summer on a month-to-month bases following the resignation of then-superintendent Delacy Sanford.

The Jasper County Delegation will hold a Public Meeting at the Hardeeville City Chambers in Hardeeville at 7 p.m. tonight (Jan. 14). The purpose of this meeting is to inform the citizens of what took place in the last 2009 State Legislative Session and what may be expected to take place in the 2010 session. All citizens are encouraged to attend.

By: Anthony Garzilli
Hardeeville Today

Greg Cox’s stint as Hardeeville High’s varsity girls’ basketball coach has ended.

Jasper County School District interim superintendent John Taylor said on Friday afternoon that Cox will no longer be the Hurricanes’ coach.

“Given the facts, I don’t think I had much choice,” said Taylor, who noted he sent Cox a formal letter on Wednesday notifying him of his decision.

COLUMBIA (AP) — The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that South Carolina added nearly 58,000 people in the past year.

The Census Bureau 2009 population estimate shows South Carolina with about 4,561,000 people. That's up from about 4,503,000 in last year's estimate.

The estimate is the last before the official census which takes place in April. In the 2000 Census, South Carolina had a population of just over 4,000,000.

By: Anthony Garzilli
Hardeeville Today

Ridgeland High varsity girls’ basketball coach Frederick Toomer’s indefinite suspension has been lifted. Hardeeville High varsity girls’ basketball coach Greg Cox’s suspension remains indefinite through the holiday period, according to Jasper County School District interim superintendent John Taylor.

The coaches were suspended Dec. 8, following a verbal altercation during a Dec. 4 basketball game between the two teams.

RIDGELAND – A 54-year-old Ridgeland man was shot and killed Friday at a pool hall, according to the Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls.

Woodrow Brantley of Bees Creek Road was shot in the head at close range following an argument over a billiards game, he said.

The shooting occurred around midnight, Sauls said.
Brantley died at the scene.

No other information was available.

By: Frank Morris
Hardeeville Today

HARDEEVILLE – An Anniston, Ala., man was apparently electrocuted Wednesday morning while working on display wiring at the future visitors center for the Savannah Wildlife Refuge, Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls said.

William Edward Spilman Jr., 42, was pronounced dead at the scene. He and several other employees of Southern Custom Exhibits of Anniston were working on displays for exhibits at the center on Beech Hill Road south of Hardeeville, Sauls said.

RIDGELAND – Chelsea Brendlen’s yard just outside of Ridgeland will be brightly lit with 80,000 holiday lights each night until the end of the year.

While it’s free to drive through the spectacle, she hopes you’ll make a donation, drop off a gift card or cut a check to “Christmas Wish.”

All of the money will be donated to Backus Children’s Hospital, which supports local families coping with cancer, Brendlen said.