Aiken Standard (Newspaper) - February 14, 2005, Aiken, South Carolina LOCAL none BIRD siow Birds of a feather flock together and many bird lovers flocked to the Aiken Jaycees Fairgrounds REVIVING PACERS USC Aiken rallies from 10 runs behind to upend USC Upstate in a Peach Belt Conference game STATE TAX TALK Small businesses retirees split on Sanfords plan for income tax reduction Men Vol 139 No 45 Your Local Source Since 1867 Monday February 14 2005 Bigger cities urge greater train safety Graniteville disaster shines light on industrys issues Associated Press CHARLOTTE NC A handful of deadly freight train accidents such as last months in Graniteville are fueling a crosscountry push to improve safety and security in an industry that has been largely overlooked More than 60 freight trains a day roll through the Charlotte region past schools skyscrapers and Bank of Ameri ca Stadium carrying deadly chemicals that can burn lungs melt skin and cor rode steel While nearly all arrive safely experts say more still needs to be done to protect the volatile industry and the public Im sorry to say since 911 we have essentially done nothing in this area Richard Falkenrath a former White House homeland security adviser told Congress last month Fines have increased against railroads but a federal audit released last week said significant safety problems persist that raise questions about regulators over sight In the Charlotte region nearly 800000 people live within a mile of a major rail line 90000 more than a decade ago At the same time rail shipments of gases such as chlorine which killed nine people and injured 250 in the Graniteville crash have risen significantly in recent years Two deadly chemicals shipped by rail chlorine and ammonia are widely See TRAIN SAFETY Page 10A Charles pop hits dominate Grammys By MOODY Associated Press LOS Charles whose musical legacy erased boundaries between genres and generations received a fitting musical eulo gy Sunday night as his final album Genius Loves Compa ny won a leading eight Gram mys Charles album of duets recorded in the final months of his life was the clear sentimen tal favorita It won album of the year and best pop album the song Here We Go Again with Norah Jones won record of the year and best pop oration with vocals Im going to cry actually Jones said as she accepted the trophy for record of the year I think it just shows how won music can be Its at a hundred percent with Ray Charles Other winners included Ali cia Keys and Usher each nomi for eight Grammys Keys won four while Usher had three They shared one award for best performance by a duo or group with vocals for their No 1 duet My Boo U2 won three awards includ ing best rock performance by a duo or group Green Daj the most nominated rock act with six for their politically charged punk opera American Idiot won best rock album Rock n roll can be danger ous and fun at the same time so thanks a lot Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Arm strong Staff photo by Ginny Southworth KICKING UP DIRT Kurt Martin on Woodwork jumps into the water during the cross country phase of the Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials Sunday morning Sporting Days allows riders to jump for joy Horse trials conclude Sunday AP photo WINNER Norah Jones accepts the award she won with the late Ray Charles for best pop oration with vocals for Here We Go Again at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards Staff photo by Ginny Southworth COMBINED EFFORT Coren Morgan on Early Achiever clears a fence By BEN BAUGH Staff writer It was a reason to jump for joy The Sporting Day Farms Horse Trials provided a weekend of excite ment for horsemen and spectators alike to benefit the Aiken County Chapter of the American Red Cross The horse trials are far bigger than me said Joannah Glass event organizer Its so wonderful to see the community volunteers make the event happen The teamwork has been fantastic and I cant begin to thank event secretary Mary Col dren and her mother Judy enough for their efforts I couldnt have done this without them Theyve made the horse trials a wonderful event for the competitors There was a lot of hard work but because of help theyve made it so much easier People from ail over the community banded together to work toward making the event run smoothly Judy Cast and the Aiken Equine Alliance have really changed the complexion of the vol checkin Glass said Weve had such a positive response and its made life so much eas See SPORTING DAYS Page 10A TRAINS NEARBY Sonny Macon right and Jerryl Gulp deliver a bed to a neighbors house in Charlotte NC just a few yards from the CSX Yard AP photo Man delves into religious history By BENGTSON North Augusta bureau NORTH AUGUSTA Histo ry is anything but a dry aca demic exercise for Wayne OBryant This Charleston native is not only an expert in biblical history from Eden and Canaan to Ephesus and Crete but can trace his own roots back to colonial times The he said can be fer tile ground for such research This is a great area OBryant said I didnt know when I was growing up in Charleston that my family actually came from this area Specifically he has found separate sets of ancestors who lived in the 1870s in Augusta Hamburg the future site of North Augusta and Clarks Hill As the generations tick back the names and locations are harder to pin down but he has had plenty of success across the centuries The Clarks Hill connection was particularly valuable Through those three they listed their brothers and sis ters and parents names on Staff photo by Bengtson DELVING INTO THE PAST Wayne OBryant writes about history and religion and his work can be seen in countless ven ues across the different documents so we were able to piece together the entire history I got a pic ture of my father and his wife and my mother He pointed out that the first See OBRYANT Page 9A shoppers dont despair gifts still available By SUZANNE R STONE Staff writer Yes you read that date on the front page of the per correctly February 14 Valentines Day If that little fact makes you pound your head against the wall dont despair There are options out there for last minute Valentine treats Competition may be fierce but flowers arent out of the question yet according to Charles Staples coowner of Dogwood Normally Valentines Day is our biggest day so were prepared he said People who come in or call us on Valentines Day well have flowers balloons and plush toys Stuffed animals are also the of seasonal kiosks at Aiken Mall Balloons Inc of Charlotte NC has a booth outside Dillards with stuffed toys balloons gift bas kets and other small trinkets priced between and 850 which will be open until the See VALENTINES DAY Page 10A Staff photo by Suzanne Stone GIFTS GALORE Temporary booths of Valentines Day gifts will be open at Aiken Mall until the close of business today to help shoppers Inside This IBM Bridge 9B Calendar 4A Classifieds 6B Crossword 10B Dear Abby 7A For the Record 3A Horoscope 98 Movie Listings 3B Opinions Sports TV Listings 11A 1B 3B Low Ruth Mack Full details 12B
