YOU CANNOT BUY A DRINK AT WILLIE’S BAR AND GRILL IN ST. HELENA NOW, OR MAYBE EVER. IN COURT HEARINGS IN COLUMBIA, STATE REGULATORS GOT A TEMPORARY BAN ON ALCOHOL SALES AT THE SITE OF THAT MASS SHOOTING MORE THAN A MONTH AGO, LEARNING THAT WILLIE’S DID NOT HAVE A LICENSE TO SELL LIQUOR DURING THE HOURS THAT THE SHOOTING OCCURRED AND ALSO LIKELY EXCEEDED OCCUPANCY RESTRICTIONS. AN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW COURT JUDGE IS DECIDING ON A PERMANENT LIQUOR BAN AFTER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS DEEMED IT A ‘NUISANCE LOCATION’. WILLIE’S OWNER WILLIE TURRAL DID NOT ATTEND THE HEARING BUT SPOKE TO THE JUDGE BY PHONE, SAYING HE’D ACCEPT WHATEVER RULING IS HANDED DOWN. HE HAS TOLD THE MEDIA THAT HE PLANS TO SHUT DOWN THE BAR ANYWAY AND RE-OPEN IT AS A DIGITAL CORRIDOR.
THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL IS NOW THE EMPLOYER OF ONE VERY GOOD BOY, A YEAR-AND-A-HALF OLD GERMAN SHEPHERD NAMED ‘ROCKY’ WHO IS THE FIRST CANINE OFFICER ON THE POLICE FORCE. ROCKY MIGHT BE AN APPROPRIATE NAME. HIS PARTNER, CORPORAL KARINA GALINDO, SAYS THE TWO GOT OFF TO A ROCKY START, GALINDO SAYING THAT THEIR SIX WEEKS OF TRAINING IN PENNSYLVANIA WERE ‘CHALLENGING’ AND SHE’D BEEN TROUGH MARINE CORPS BOOTCAMP. ROCKY HAS BEEN TRAINED IN APPREHENSION, DRUG LOCATION AND TRACKING. FUNDS TO START-UP THE CANINE PROGRAM CAME FROM NARCOTICS SEIZURE FUNDS AND THE PORT ROYAL POLICE ARE SETTING UP A PROCESS FOR RESIDENTS TO DONATE TO CONTINUE TO FUND THE PROGRAM.
YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME TO REMEMBER THIS MURDER CASE. MARGIT SCHULLER WAS 34-YEARS-OLD AT THE TIME SHE WAS SHOT TO DEATH WHILE DOING HER LAUNDRY AT A BEAUFORT APARTMENT COMPLEX, NOVEMBER FIRST, 1987- MORE THAN 38 YEARS AGO. THE INVESTIGATION WENT COLD IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS, BUT SHERIFF P-J TANNER AND COLD CASE INVESTIGATOR BOB BROMAGE SAY THEY’VE GOT NEW DETAILS AND THE BEAUFORT COUNTY JAIL HAS A BOOKING OF A SUSPECT FOR MURDER IN THE LAST 24 HOURS.
THE IDEA TO CRIMINALLY PUNISH WOMEN WHO GET ABORTIONS IN SOUTH CAROLINA DOES NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT TO BECOME A BILL IN NEXT YEAR’S LEGISLATURE, AT LEAST NOT YET. A STATE SENATE SUB-COMMITTEE MEETING THIS WEEK COULD NOT AGREE ON NEW LANGUAGE THAT SUPPORTERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE SAY WENT TOO FAR. SOME SENATORS ON THE COMMITTEE HAD HOPED TO MAKE NEARLY ALL ABORTIONS ILLEGAL AND NOT ONLY SEND ABORTION-SEEKING WOMEN TO JAIL, BUT ALSO PUNISH ANYONE HELPING THE WOMEN, WITH CRIMINAL PENALTIES OF UP TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON. THAT BILL WOULD ONLY ALLOW ABORTIONS WHEN THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER WAS AT STAKE. THE CURRENT LAW BANS ABORTIONS AFTER A FETAL HEARTBEAT IS DETECTED EXCEPT IN CASES OF THE MOTHER’S HEALTH, RAPE, INCEST OR FETAL ANOMALY. SOME ON THE COMMITTEE WANTED THE CRIMINALITY OF ABORTIONS STRIPPED FROM THE BILL. NEITHER SIDE HAD ENOUGH VOTES TO ADVANCE IT OUT OF COMMITTEE.