two richland county politicians are charged with not paying their taxes. richland county councilman kelvin washington is facing three counts of willful failure to file a tax return for three consecutive years. and former city councilman brian newmananis facing two counts of failure to pay taxes in 2012 and 2013. both men are out on bond. while the charges arose following an investigation by the department of revenue into the county's penny tax program... newman's attorney's says the the current charges. 33 newman received two years of probation. the time will be reduced to six months after he pays nearly 11-thousand dollars in taxes owed and court costs. in a statement richland county council chairman torrey rush says the matter is being dealt with by authorities and 'if there is any required action by richland county council, we are prepared to call a meeting and act accordingly.' those arrests are putting the richland county penny tax program back under the microscope. one county council man... seth rose says... rebuilding confidence in the penny tax pro

also out of richland county... three men are facing multiple charges this morning following a stabbing over the weekend. deputies say they responded to the incident at the title max in the three-thousand block of broad river road saturday night. they say they found the victim stabbed multiple times in the upper body. witnesses spotted the suspects in that shooting fleeing the scene in a 1999 gold saturn. when officials caught up to the vehicle and apprehend the suspects... they found one of them... 29-year-old andrew gathers with a missing pinky. emergency personnel recovered the finger at the crime scene and reattached it to gathers' hand. jail records show gathers is charged with attempted murder. 38-year-old marlon gathers is charged with assault. officials say 44-year-old jarvis hurst was also arrested. the condition of the stabbing victim is still unknown at this time. an armed robbery out of richland county remains under investigation this morning. officials say it happened in the 11-hundred block of south hi

richland county officials say the hardest hit areas were in lower richland, the gills creek watershed and stoop creek watershed. tonight's meeting is a chance for the community to voice their concerns about damage and recurrent problems they've seen since october's flooding. residents are encouraged to bring photographs and other documentation regarding damage to homes and property. the first of several flood input meetings in richland county will be tonight at st. andrews park in columbia. the address is right there on your screen and is set to start at 5:30. officials will then use all the information provided to help develop a future flood mitigation plan. i'll have more details on that the richland county councilman who was arrested just weeks ago on tax charges has been removed from an important council committee. the council chairman tells wis that councilman kelvin washington has been taken off the county's transportation ad hoc committee, which oversees projects related to the county's transportation penny. that penny program is still under the microscope after an audit by the

all were arrested and transported to the richland county jail. the indictments were sealed by court order until the defendants could be arrested.this case began with investigation by richland deputies into allegations that female victims were being trafficked for money. 3 south carolina state university interim board of trustees spent the day working on a state mandated report on their requested finances.this report is the first step school leaders must take in order to request state funds for next year budget. university officials will meet with and present the report to legislators of the house ways and means higher education budget subcommittee on tuesday. 3 the senate transportation committee has approved appointing christy hall to run the department of transportation.hall has been the interim director of the state road agencies since last year.lawmakers gave her high marks for handling the massive damage to state roads and bridges caused by october's floods.hall's nomination now moves to the full senate.hall says "morale" is increasing at kn

one man is in jail tonight accused of assaulting a richland county deputy. it happened friday afternoon on turkey oak court in blythewood. deputies say the suspect was assaulting his mother when they responded to the domestic call. when a deputy tried to intervene, the suspect reportedly started fighting him. he has been charged with assault and battery and resisting arrest. this afternoon, family and friends held a vigil in sumter for the sixth anniversary of the disappearance of brandon graves. graves was last seen on january 30, 2010 in sumter county. surveillance video shows a bouncer pushing graves away when he tried to go into a club. records show, the last call graves made from his cell phone was around 3 a.m. jann31, 2010. "we have our days especially around the holidays and his birthday -- family gatherings. it's difficult to know that one person is missing from the family circle. to call crimestoppers at 1- 888-crime-sc. a faith based effort to fight gun violence from the pulpit. tomorrow, 13-hundred churches.. synagogues and mosques across the sta

the richland county coroner says 19-year-old deanndra roach died from multiple gunshot wounds. deputies say her body was found next to her car in a field off farrow road in blythewood, late friday afternoon. a passerby discovered the victim just 2 miles away from her home. the suspect, 22-year-old andre heatley jr. went before a judge this afternoon at alvin s. glenn detention center --- that is where we find wis' mike desumma. meaghan, it was a court appearance that oy lasted minutes but it was certainly an emotional one for deanndra roach's parents. bond was neither set or denied for andre heatley jr. his case has been moved to jail. a richland county sheriff's department spokesman says deputies were able to track down heatley after he allegedly used the victim's debit card in several places moments after the shooting. today those who knew this young girl -- say they cannot make sense e this tragedy. shooting suspect caught --- columbia blythewood nat: family praying outside of the alvin s. glen detention center saturday there was time for prayer. for david and cynthia roach

he was driven to palmetto health richland hospital by an acquaintance. again, anyone with information in this case is asked to call crimestoppers. president barack obama is making moves to tackle what he's calling an "epidemic of gun violence" in america. president barrack obama will announce his executive actions to combat gun violence later his plan during a meeting with attorney general loretta lynch yesterday. the actions would expand mandatory background checks for some private sales. and would provide more funding for mental health treatment, fbi staff and a-t-f agents opponents of the initiative on gun-control measures are vowing to challenge the president's authority. republican congressman joe wilson calls the president's plan a diversion.... saying that instead the government needs to reform mental health service and focus on securing the nation's borders... in order to reduce gun violence. 33 wilson sites incidents like the san bernardino attacks... as cause to secure the nation's borders. even before the president's official announcement... t

for brian stann, daniel customerier and the rest of us, -- right now richland county deputies have a suspect, this man behind bars tonight. in the shooting of a teenager, thank you for joining us i'm dana fulton. officials believe young woman, 19-year-old yonder roach was fatally shot by her ex- boyfriend. deputies are still looking into what happened. >> he has a criminal past, he is being charged with armed robbery.>> reporter: interview lee junior is behind bars, girlfriend, ex-girlfriend dion jordan brooch. >> this dirt road leads into the wood line area.>> reporter: deputies found her lying unresponsive next to her vehicle down the stair road, deputies also found her with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. >> ems arrived and pronounced are dead at the scene, and we went into mode, had the crime scene come out, forensics. >> reporter: after speaking with family and friends, deputies led to heatley. >> he was found using the victims debit card. >> reporter: which led to his arrest, officials are still investigating, there will be bond for heatley later this afternoon. it was ne

freezing line continues to sneak into southward into richland, clarendon and sumter counties, as a cold wedge of air continues to move in from the northeast at the surface. the number of showers will start to decrease into the afternoon and evening but the possibility of freezing rain will continue overnight , and any rain left could refreeze as temperatures fall to the upper 20s and low 30s. saturday morning expect a few snow showers that will move quickly through the central midlands and even make it into the a winter weather advisory is now in effect in newberry county. chad mills is there. chad, how are conditions there? my car thermometer is reading a pretty constant 30-degrees here in whitmire for now. it appears spots are melting a bit, but there's still a good dusting of snow on the ground along with some sleet and ice on the roadways. let's get right to some video from earlier. so, but people here in whitmire tell me the snow started a few hours before that. they tell me they're enjoying the change in scenery, but of course, they're trying to be careful too. roads around whitmi

at richland northeast high school. so, trying to get the word out about different things on their mind, one thing on their mind is the weather. >> jonathan: cold weather. i think we should have pastries with everything. anytime we talk anything "p" we should have pastries. warming up to the 50s this afternoon, more of the same over the next couple days. forecast pretty constant for us, if you don't like it today, sorry, it will be that way until thursday or friday. next chance of rain saturday. a dry week, certainly cool in the morning hours but in the afternoon all in all not too bad. pretty much in the ballpark where we should be for january. >> rochelle: just getting started because we have a few months to go. let's check out what else is making headlines later today. >> jonathan: here's crysty vaughan with your "look ahead." >> crysty: community members are asking for more information about the brookland development in west columbia and the implications that might come with it. this comes after the west columbia ci

richland county, the gills creek watershed and watershed. while construction crews are rebuilding as quickly as possible.... the meeting itself will include teractive mapping stations, questionnaires and opportunities for residents to submit comments and share information about damage they've experienced from flooding. cain boozer: "what could be done different or what could they offer? the infrastructure, the dams need to be updated. you know, past that level i really don't know. i think that the community stepped up big time though." the first of several flood- input meetings will be tonight at st. andrews park in columbia. the address is right there on your screen and is set to start at 5:30. the meetings are open to richland county residents, business owners, elected officials, emergency responders and other parties affected by october's flood. if you can't make the one more you can attend. that list is on our website, wistv.com. reporting from the newsroom, wis news 10. today, firefighters are working to figure out what started an overn

voting preparations are underway in richland county ahead of those primaries. we were there this morning as richland county election officials conducted tests on voting equipment to ensure things run smoothly. richland county elections director samuel selph says there's always a possibility of a few bumps in the road, but he's confident his staff is ready. "there is a little bit of anxiousness on some of the employees and that is to be expected. i myself am a little bit anxious. you always have that adrenaline flowing right before and so all of that is a build up and so once we get into it, everything is calm, we are ready to go!" officials ran through the entire voting process today. the republican primary is set for february 20th. the democratic primary will even if you're looking to file your income taxes early -- you'll likely have to wait longer for your state to help combat potential fraud -- the state department of revenue says there will be a delay in returns to give the department time to verify wage documents with the irs and ensure that stolen. the p

in lower richland, mary king, wis news 10. elevations will host a leadership empowerment conference for all teenagers. it's the second weekend in march. if you know someone who should be honored as a community builder.nominate that person at wistv.com slash builder. a cold front will move through the area during the day, ahead of the front look for cloudy skies with scattered showers during the day. rain chance 50%. highs will max out right about where they are this morning in the lower 50s. tonight, a few scattered the middle to upper 30s. thursday, partly to mostly cloudy, a few scattered showers, highs near 50 clearing and warmer by friday break 2 a cold front will move through the area during scattered showers during the day. rain chance 50%. highs will max out right about where they are this morning in the lower 50s. tonight, a few scattered showers, colder, low in the middle to upper 30s. thursday, partly to mostly cloudy, a few scattered showers, clearing and warmer by friday paals needs you to be a pal by opening your

all were arrested and taken to the richland county jail. the indictments were sealed by court order until defendants could be arrested.this case began with an investigation by richland county sheriff department deputies into allegations that female victims were being trafficked for money. 3 awareness is one of the most important things we can do. 3 the indicments say the trafficking happened in richland, lexington, orangeburg, and aiken counties. 3 the chapin police chief will be returning to the job after being suspended for three days without pay.karen owens, a spokeswoman for the town, didn't give specifics but says chief troy crump was suspended for a personnel matter and a violation of job standards. back in november chief crump stepped down as chief and took a community policing position. the town has been in the process of searching for a new chief.in the mean time captain ray craig is stepping in during the suspension.the chief is expected to be back on the job tomorrow. 3 3 a reminder to all drivers. the department of transportatio

and remember, you can get the freezing line continues to sneak into southward into richland, surface. the number of showers will start to decrease into the afternoon fall to the upper 20s and low quickly through the central midlands and even make it into the lowcountry. and remember, you can get the and remember, you can get the latest weather information on the go by downloading the wis first alert weather app. you can get instant notifications right on your phone. it's free for android and iphone. just search wis in your app store. kershaw county has been seeing a good mix out of this storm. county officials say ice began forming in towns east and north of camden late this morning. our mike desumma joins us now live from bethune with more on how conditions are right now. mike. dawndy, charles you take a look at this tree behind me and you can see just how cold it's gotten out here. in making the drive over here from camden it was hard not to find a tree that had its branches caked in ice. county officials say they began seeing conditions like this late this morning. gene faulkenberr

the disaster recovery center at the richland maine library will close at 6 p.m. tomorrow, but survivors of the flood can still get help by calling the fema helpline from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a week. >>> if you were affected by the floods, you floods, you are invited to an input meeting that will help richland county plan for future natural disasters for the community input and recovery project is a series of six meetings. . the meetings are scheduled for january 19-23rd throughout richland county. county. the meetings will include interactive mapping stations, questionnaires and opportunities for you to submit comments and share information you are encouraged to bring photographs to document any recent, as well as recurrent flooding in your community. >>> floodwater plundered their dance studio back in october. heading back to the stage has the group of columbia artists in full swing right now. news 19 g&a shows us how they are recovering and moving forward. >>reporter:perfectly pointed toes and gracefully stretched arms. worn by members of the columbi

northeast richland county. caroline patrickis is live on killian road where people are lined up to be the first 100 through the door to win free food. the store is opening in just a few minutes and we'll have more next on sunrise. . thanks for starting your day don't even know who it is." right now on news 10 sunrise -- finally, we have a winner for the biggest lottery jackpot in the history of the world. but that 1.6 billion dollar prize, will be split at least three ways. where the winning tickets were sold. plus... a big night in south carolina as the republican presidential candidates head to north charleston for another debate. a preview coming up later this morning. plus... this thursday starts clear and cold with temperatures in the upper 20s before sunrise. as the day moves forward simply wonderful, mostly sunny and warmer, highs in the lower 60s. it's thursday, january 14th. and news 10 sunrise starts right now. good morning. thanks for waking up with sunrise. i'm mary king. i'm sam bleiweis. len kiese

the richland county fire marshall's office is investigating. what's your story of being hit by last year's floods? up next, midlands leaders want to her from you and "see" what you had to deal with. could be a tall, and expensive, order for workers in the midlands. and we start your first alert he was rated a+ by the nra. not for his promises, but for defending the second amendment... he's a man of deep faith, who fought time and again for the right to life. he laid out a plan to destroy isis months before paris. he'll strengthen our border and use conservative principles to put washington's broken fiscal house back in order. jeb bush. he's the conservative you can trust, to fight for our beliefs. right to rise usa is responsible richland county leaders want homeowners and business owners to know they're not alone in the richland county leaders want homeowners and business owners to know they're not alone in the recovery process from octobers flood. this week, michal higdon reports they're trying to pull together, and head off future problems.

the group 'hopkins and lower richland citizens united' is fiercely against the project. members have also filed a lawsuit against the county over it. their question --- why was the 9-1-1 system being used for that purpose? "we expect that system to be used for emergencies..jailbreaks... criminals on the loss..anythign to inform the community of any crimes or anything that might be going on..or any emergency flooding or something the sheriff's department says it sent out the 9-1-1 call at the request of the richland county council. officials there say the purpose was to remind people the connection deadline was approaching --- not telling people they had to connect. opponents of the sewer project say more people have signed on --- since the call went out. irmo fire crews say food left on the stove sent a home in flames this morning. firefighters battled a fire at the home on canterbury court just before 7. crews from columbia and lexington county helped out too because homes in the neighborhood are so close together. they were able to quickly contain the fire to the kitch

the richland one and two school districts will face off against each other... in a charity basketball game tonight. the nothing for net event... will take place at 6pm... at the keenananigh school gym. that's located on pisgah church road. tickets are $5. all proceeds will go to the palmetto health breast center through the palmetto health foundation walk for life/race for life. 3 and today is the last day to take part in the annual grinding of ththgreens.there are several drop off locations--- they are on our website at wltx-dot-com.then mulch will be available for pickup on saturday at seven oaks park... and the state farmers market.while supplies last. 3 the south carolina chamber of commerce announced our state's infrastructure is their top concern this year. the group outlined their 2016 agenda at the state house yesterday.it's compiled and prioritized by the board based on the concerns of chamber members.this year... the chamber is asking for lawmakers to diversify the revenue stream... and give the state transportation department $600 million dollars a y

richland hospital by an acquaintance. again, if you have any information that can help in the case, call crimestoppers. we'll switch gears and talk about the weather a little bit. sun may be shining. guess what? the wind is blowing as well. >> fortunately, our friend is back again. anothehecool start to the day. we're not out of the woods just yet. let's turn things over to meteorologist jonathan kennedy with the first forecast. the sun behind us is teasing us a little bit. it's windy and a little cooler out there today. >> that's right. sunshine again and one of those days that you're sitting at your desk, it looks like a great day and it is a nice sunny day. lots of blue skies. not a lot o o warmth t t go around. sunshine hasn't been an issue the last couple of days and our cold air has been obviously the biggest change in the forecast of late. we are going to see more sun in the afternoon. likely seeing temperatures end up well below normal for where we should be this time of year. right now we're at 39 degrees downtow

. >> two richland county politicians are charged with not paying their taxes. richland county councilman kelvin washington is facing three counts of willful failure consecutive years. and former city councilman brian dequincey newman is cited with failure to pay taxes in 2012 and 2013. the charges resulteded from the investigation of the department penny tax program, newman's attorney says the investigation is not related to the current charges. >> i think the bottom line here is that he's not involved in the penny sales tax investigation. he pled straight up to two counts of failure to file taxes and what is telling is there's no plea agreement. if he was involved in some conspiracy that they were still investigating there would be a plea agreement that would have provided for him to cooperate. >> newman received two years of probation. that time will be reduced to six months after he pays nearly $11,000 in taxes owed and court costs. >> in a statement, richland county council chairman tory rush says the matter is being dealt with by authorities and if there's

[cheers and applause] >>> a freezing rain advisory is now in effect for sumter and richland counties. the advisory is in effect until 7 p.m. tonight. freezing rain advisory also in effect until 2 p.m. tomorrow for newberry, fairfield, kershaw and lee counties. it is a mess out there. obviously it is worse in other places around the state. they queue for joining us for friends at five today, darcy strickland has a day off. that advisory means that periods of freezing rain what make trouble -- travel very difficult or other reason. >>> that is right we will need especially in the northern overnight. you can see our system is ramping up here and you can see georgia. we also saw some thunderstorms and parts of charlotte or they are having basically a thunderstorm that was producing sleep. he was him in a little bit closer to south carolina, we are still seeing freezing rain across good portions of the northern midlands. as we move in a little closer, freezing rain and parts of fairfield, kershaw and maybe even northern portions of richland county. it is not over yet. we will continue to s

them to investigate the county's use of taxpayer dollars and the subsequent charges against two richland county councilmen. >> south carolina governor nikki haley given an opportunity typically awarded to a rising star in politics. >> will the task end up as a speed bump in her career? >> already below freezing for many of us. just how cold does it get tonight? we'll go over specifics. abc columbia news at 11 starts right now. captioning provided by: caption associates, llc www.captionassociates.com one of the nation's oldest public housing es >>> one of the nation's oldest public housing complexes will soon be no more. >> alicia: i'm alicia barnes. columbia housing authority is asking the city for $1 million as a demolition budget for the gardens. >> ben: grace joyal has their story. grace? >> grace: this complex was built in 1940. thousands of families have passed through its walls. the walls show their years. the feds say it's time to knock them down. i got to meet a pair of twin sisters tonight who say this is bittersweet. they see this as an opportunity to find newer housing. they'l

over spring lake in richland county will be completed by june 1. if you were effected by the floods you are invited to share your story at meetings this week in richland county. community input is a series of six meetings. you and your neighbors. the first meeting is tonight, the next is tomorrow from noon till 2:00 p.m. . public inpupuwill compile a report that will be specific on how the county will deal with possible future flooding. to see the full list of meeting times and locations head to www.wltx.com. >>> west columbia a water line break tonight on sunset boulevard. crews are working to find where the leak is and get it fixed. customoms in the area are encouraged to boil their water for at least a minute before using it at all. >>> we have another traffic advisory to tell you about. the state transportation department closing the eastbound interstate 26 exit 115 off ramp. that is tomorrow night and thursday night to replace an over head sign. to 5:00 a.m. two right lanes will be closed. detour signs will be in place for drivers who use exit

but services will still be available through the fema helpline.disaster recovery center at the richland main library on assembly street... will close at 6pm today. survivors of the flood can get help by calling the fema helpline from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. 3 3 the undefeated mens basketball team plays today. they travel to alabama to face the crimson tide. the men moved up in the polls after a win against vanderbilt over the weekend.the team is now ranked as 15 in the usa todays coaches poll and 19 in the a-p poll.they are 15 and oh on the season and two and oh in the s-e-c.tip off for tonight's game is at 9pm. 3 meanwhile the women's team are also on the road this week. they take on kentucky both the men and women are a combined 30-0 this season.tip off for their game is at 7pm. kinds of items come their way. but for one store in houston, texas... workers were stunned by what they found. it's a highly sought after peice of clothing worn only by those who can 'master' the game of golf. 3 chat3 3 still to come... can you guess the top favorite food in south carolina? how ab

. >> grace: richland county deputies are looking for two suspects who they say were trying to cash in on a 100% off sale. if you recognize these people, please call the richland county sheriff's office or cpr. >> ben: a year long investigation in newberry led to three arrests and a carb of drugs, money and guns. sheriff lee foster says yesterday his officers served a search warrant at a home on taylor street. inside they say they found several handguns. deputies say they've made undercover drug buys from the residence over the last few months, building their case. >> ben: one person killed in an

officials in richland county are hoping to learn from october's historic flooding... and they're asking for your help. they're holding a series of six meetings to gather feedback from residents affected by october's historic flooding. it's all part of the "community input and recovery project." the information will be used to develop a flood mitigation study of lower richland... the gills creek and stoop creek watersheds. today's meetings will take place at noon at bluff road park... and at trenholm park at 5:30. for a complete list of dates and locations... be sure to visit our website... a-b-c-columbia-dot-com. time's running out for small businesses seeking help following the historic flooding. the small business administration says it's closing its business recovery centers... at the close of business today. officials with the s-b-a say they're ceasing operations because of a steady decrease in activity. the richland penny program is hoping to make moving around the midlands... a little easier... and safer. they're set to hold a public meeting on this year's sidew

breaking new, the richland county sheriff's office has arrested a suspect after a woman was found shot to death near blythewood. deputies were calald to farrow road, just south of blythewood around 5 friday. when investigators arrived they say they found an "unreponsive" woman next to her vehicle. lieutenant curtis wilson says law enforcement definitely suspects foul play. at this point, we're still waiting on the victim's identification from the coroner's office. stay tuned to wis on air and online for udpates. also new this morning -- richland county deputies have found a missing teen safe and sound. kaila stukes was found on two notch road after she went missing thursday morning. she had last been seen on harbison boulevard near hilpine road and was believed to be in the rock hill area. deputies were concerned becausese stukes has a curtis wilson tells us she has been checked out and appears to be in good health. the confessed charleston church shooter will not be making his next appearance in federal court. today dydyn roof's lawyers filed a waiver church shooter will not be making

officials in richland county want to use october's historic flooding as a learning tool. they're hoping you can help. >> that's right. it's all a part of the community input and recovery project. a series of six meetings will be residents and use that information to develop a mitigation study of lower richland, the gills creek watersheds. a complete list of locations and times are on our website at abccolumbia.com. and time is running out for small businesses seeking help following the historic flooding. the small business administration says it's closing its business recovery centers at the close of b biness today. officials with the s.b.a. say they are ceasing operations because of a steady decrease in activity. well, education also took center stage during last night's state of the state address. >> yeah, governor nikki haley focusing on issues such as crumbling facilities and a teacher retention issue in rural parts of the state. >> i have seen the disparities and i won't stand by and allow them to continue. we w wt to raise our children to know they are worthy of a g

richland county investigators are looking for leads but they need your

in northeast richland county. thanks to a hand print on a door handle--sheriff leon lott says investigators were able to track down two suspects believed to be behind the murder at the spinx gas station on lee road on december 13th. investigators say ryan alston and ibn gadson of eutawville were arrested and charged after testing through the richland county crime lab. both men face charges of murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping we're learning new details about the man accused of shooting his step-mother multiple times in orangeburg county. darrien weeks was denied bond in court yesterday. weeks is being charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of someone reported the shooting on old state road in holly hill. investigators believe there was a domestic dispute. video surveillance catches two people breaking into a sumter business. police say the two men broke into the palmetto explosion off of south pike west just after midnight last month. anyone with information is asked to cal

some into the northern parts of richland county. showers moving out of bamberg orangeburg. outside of that our mild this morning. winnsboro to lexington, down to 51 in sumter, 47 bishopville, degrees and here in columbia 49 degrees. no rain is falling yet, a lot of call coverage and the winds .com. what we've got is an area of low pressure in north carolina and a conference over the upstate. this will be making its way through and rain chances on and off throughout the day today. throughout the morning we will have some light scattered showers and then a little bit of a break by midday. as we get into the early afternoon, more rain will start coming in, light at best with a little bit of spring was overnight tomorrow morning and into tomorrow afternoon. we will not be dealing with the half. as far as afternoon into friday this afternoon, when the kids get out of school, 53 degrees, showers are likely. mild temperatures will continue throughout the midlands for highs generally in the middle to upper -- upper 50s. -- upper 30s. area of high pressure will start moving and we w

one person is dead tonight after through a home in richland county. city fire crews responded to the 1100 block of quiet lane off of decker boulevard at around 5 p- m. responders say they encountered heavy smoke but quickly got the fire under control. they say the person was found in the back of the home --- where it looks like the fire started. "apparently the fire crews went in...as they began to when the y found the body on this side." "going back to i think october of last year...i think this makes the third fatality that we've h h..uhh i think this is actually the first fatality for this calander year. uhh so three for the winter season so far and one for the calander year." county offcials can't say at this point whether the victim is a male or a female. the county fire marshal's office is looking into what caused the fire. richland county authorities are trying to figure out what killed a man found outside a home in columbia 34-year-old mario kelly was found dead this morning on the front porch of a relative's house on queen street. the coroner

richland county councilman kelvin washington turned himself in today as well. he has a court date next month. news 19's sonia gutierrez attorney today and looked into washington's background. she joins us now with more. >> reporter: that's right. we looked into his case and this is what we found. >> reporter: kelvin washington turned himself in this morning for failure to file tax returns. he was leased on a $15,000 pr bond. his attorney says washington is scheduled to appear in court in february. but he says they are planning to take action before then. and he is not ruling out a plea agreement in the case. the department of revenue says he didn't file for 2012, 2013, and 2014. that is $400,000 of income. washington tells news 19 that right now he is self-employed. he worked for the department of transportation from 1990 to 2012 as an engineer. if convicted he faces fines up to $10,000 or one year of that is a total of three years. they will not uphold any serious violation of the law or betrayal of the public trust. we will work to remove any incidence of wro

the richland county sheriff also hold a press conference today at 3:00 p.m. to address efforts in bringing those offenders to justice. >>> usc hosted the annual breakfast this morning at the one state setor was a featurur speaker at the event. he is an attorney who represents charleston and dorchester county. he was a vice chair of the state democratic party and advocated for scholarships for african american students to to the medical university of south carolina. he spoke to news19 about his message today. >> dr. kingwood want us to respond to the tragic events of last year in a proactive way. first of all, alththgh time is -- this time is very sensitive, we need to make sure that we conduct ourselves in a nonviolent manner. but more importantly, be productive. >> this morning's breakfast was the first in a number of mlk events being held this week. officials said the university began the annual celebrations of the life of dr. martin luther king jr. more than 30 years ago and was one of the first major investigating g the death h an inmate in the york count

deputies in richland county are investigating after they found a female shot dead in the road. she was found along the 10,000 block of farrow road after 5:00 p.m. tonight. news 19's chuck ringwalt is live at the scene and joins us now with the very latest. what do we know so far? >> reporter: that's right. we are out here on the 10,000 flock of farrow road in blythewood. the sheriff's department is out here. a woman was found unresponsive around 5:00 p.m. earlier this night.4 we have the sheriff's department. tell us what all went down? >> we got the call around 5:00 p.m. deputies responded. they located a vehicle and the female who was unresponsive outside the vehicle. >> reporter: you talked about the priorities, two priorities for this, first -- >> identify the victim and also, of course, find out what >> reporter: how did you know that this happened? >> got a call about the female lying in the roadway and we responded and there she was. >> reporter: we appreciate it. thank you very much. we will cover this story as it unfold. a woman foun unresponsive. -- found unresponsive

councilman who was release order bond this month for failing to file tax returns will no longer oversee richland county's penny tax funds. alicia barnes and i'm alicia barnes. >>> attorneys confirming brian dequincey newman confirming he has resigned as chairman of the central midlands transit board of directors. there were reports circulating that newman refused to step aside. >> ben: earlier this not state supreme court placed the former councilman's law license on interim suspension after a judge sentenced him to two years probation on misdemeanor charges of failing to file returns in 2012 and 2013. newman maintains it was simply a mistake. >>> traffic is back to normal along the jarvis klapman bridge, but that wasn't the case earlier this inc. >> alicia: emergency personnel closed off the bridge as well as the 12th street bridge during a possible water rescue. we don't know in was someone inside the water. abc columbia news will continue to follow this story and we'll bring you updates on "good morning columbia" beginning at 5:00 in the morning. >> ben: tonight an at-capacity shelter with a

now, richland county deputies say someone driving by on the night of the murder might be able to help the family find closure. wis' meaghan norman continues to follow this story. investigators say the driver of this dark colored sedan might have seen something or heard something that could lead to adrian silva's killer. the car is seen driving down longreen parkway past journey united methodist church around 3 o'clococsunday morning, january third. investigators say adrian silva was shot multiple times while riding his motorcycle home. silva's wife was waiting on him but later found out he died less than a half a mile from their home. "my husband and i were married almost 20 years...we probably spent 99 percent of our time together. we did everything together. i don't have anyone. my best friend is gone. my partner is gone and somebody did it and i don't know why." "the victim was targeted, we don't believe it was a random act. i don't know and we haven't been able to figure out what sort of problems he may have had with some else. so if anyone has any information about threats or a p

if you do get a call like that, the i-r-s says you should just hang up. 3 richland county council took up the penny tax issue again... this time it considered a couple motions aimed to restore trust that the money is properly being spent. news19's sonia gutierrez was there during a sometimes heated exchange. get on track and for there to be meaningful anges to restore public trust"richland councilman seth rose is the newest addition to the transportation committee that oversees projects to the penny tax. there was changing of council members we had a 5 member committee there were two that were taken out one replaced swe e got 4 members3 norman jackson is no longer on the committee and kelvin washington- who was investigated on charges he did not pay his personal taxes- is also out ***nats of meeting*** but a lot of rose's motions were met with tough questions from councilman bill malinnowski "mr rose just needs to get a copy of that if he hasn seen it because this is already a point that is being handled like you e asking for right here" "this motion is going through the proper channel

and speaking of the richland penny program... they're hoping to make moving around the midlands a little easier... and safer. they're set to hold a public meeting on this year's bikeway projects. that's going to be at the lourie center... tonight starting at six. the south carolina department of corrections is looking for information that could lead to the capture of an inmate they say escaped from a rock hill prison. officals are looking for zachary lee reaves. officials say reaves escaped last night around nine o'clock. reaves is facing burglary charges. he was last seen wearing the s-c- uniform. if you have any information... call (877) 349- 2130 we have an update this morning... on the citadel cadets... caught on camera... wearing pillowcases on their heads... similar to ku- klux-klan garb. the citadel military college s suspending 14-cadets following that incident. after the photo surfaced on social media last month... the cadets claimed they were trying to dress as ghosts of christmas past. but citadel president lieutenant

they are brand-new men and kevin washington who is currently serving on richland county council. both men turned themselves in yesterday. not decided what to play. the richland county council men turned himself in for failure to file tax returns 43 state -- straight years. he is free on bond. his attorney says he is expected to appear at the capital press desk at the courthouse in february. washington faces three counts of not filing tax returns for 2012, 2013, in 2014 on over $400,000 in income. if convicted, he faces fines up to $10,000 or one euro per prison per charge. washington has been on the richland county council since 2008. >> brand-new men was charged with not filing tax returns for two years. he was in court yesterday afternoon and admitted his guilt. remorseful and there is no excuse for his actions. >> in a timely fashion he pled guilty to both of them straight up. it is what it was. there was no break in this at all. that is what it is all about. there is not any use conspiracy. you will not see his name, up in any other investigation. in my opinion, this and that

. >>> richland county council met yesterday for a special meeting. on the agenda a motion for reforming the county's penny tax program. the recent state audit of the county state -- tax program councilman proposed motions to be taken up and discuss. council decided that the transportation committee will first look at the motions before the council discusses him during a public session. the motion included the renaming of the transportation advisory committee. the availability -- the ability to prioritize the list, and quarterly reports of presentations given to counsel . >> there has been issues raised by the department of revenue's audits and i want to correct them going forward. we need to put the public's -- the public at ease and make sure there's a lot of years left in this program. we need to make sure that every cent that is collected is done properly, used properly and it goes towards penny projects. >> during the meeting, councilman rush was reelected as the chairman and great peers was reelected as vice chairman. >>> the public is invited t

right now the rain is falling in richland county to the south of ridge way. light rainfall in lexington and little bit of light rainfall in chainen. chapin. temperatures, chilly. 43 degrees and a tad warmer when you get down to orangeburg. the bus stop, get the umbrella and a jacket. afternoon, the temperature will be about 47 degrees and dealing with the rain and clearing out tonight. 53 treegs and lots of sunshine tomorrow. going to be windy and a high of 49 degrees. checking in on the road conditions getting ready for the commute. a little bit of traffic building up on 24. right now, the traffic is picking up. no problems as well. a little bit of a delay and right now, this is going to be on broad river road. a partial block on st. andrews. and some on 277 as you're passing south of 70. speed at 37 miles per hour. if you're going to the willy b, you -- take a look at that beautiful weekend forecast and the seven-day just in a few minutes. >> thank you. look forward to it. >>> a traffic issue now. on 378 and bush river road is closed. that laep is expected

the second thing we've got to work on is a watershed mgmt plan for richland county." james smith "it is frustrating to me and many other democrats who have been for infrastructure reform for removing the flag, why does it take a crisis for this chamber to do the right thing? why does it take a 1000 year event for us to make an investment in our infrastructure? that is a we've had now billions of dollars of damage." lawmakers say they'd also like to hear the governor touch on big topics like education and jobs. the governor's speech starts at 7 o'clock. we'll carry it live right here on wis. at the state house, chad mills, wis news 10. new into the alert center: relic room will need to relocate to attract more visitors. lawmakers on a house budget-writing panel say most people don't know the relic museum is in the back of the state museum building. the museum will house the confederate flag taken off statehouse grounds last summer--and the military museum is seeking more than 3 million to expand exhibit space and 550,000 for the flag's display. no word yet on where the

in lower richland, mary king, wis news 10. elevations will host a leadership empowerment conference for all teenagers. it's the second weekend in march. if you know someone who should be honored as a community builder.nominate that person at wistv.com slash builder. paals needs you to be a pal by opening your home to pups. paals is the palmetto animal assisted life service. the group raises and trains dogs to provide therapy and intervention for disabled people. the number of dogs they can train depends on the number of volunteer families willing to care for the puppies on weekends. so, the group is asking you to consider being a "weekend paals volunteer." you'll receive training and meet trips and training exercises. three training classes are being offered starting next saturday, february 5th. you must attend all 3 before being assigned a paals puppy. the group is hosting a volunteer orientation at their facility at north grampian hill road in columbia on tuesday at 6. you can call 788-7063 to register for the orientation. s

and a domestic disturbance call in northeast richland ends in gunfire. richland county deputies say it happened on camrose court when arkeem breeland allegedly fired shots at responding deputies and fled into the woods. authorities say breeland was hypothermia and a pre-existing condition at the hospital before he was arrested and then charged with attempted murder. black history month is less than a week away now and richland library is gearing up for a conversation about race. tonight, the assembly street location will open its doors for the "i have a problem with that" black men and profiling roundtable. it's a free event and will give residents a chance to share their experience with racial profiling in cases that have garnered national attention. the conversation begins at 6:30. it is tax season and if you're looking for some help, we have you covered this afternoon. cooperative ministries providing free tax prep services. those services are available to ensure hard working families take advantage of all earned income and child tax credits. particip

by going to our website wltx dot com.also be sure to follow our weather team on twitter. 3 3 the richland county sheriff's department is taking the time to make sure you stay safe in the event of an active shooter. deputies met with parishioners at the progressive church of our lord to discuss techniques that can be used to help save lives.news 19's loren thomas reports. start thinking about what they would do if this happened." more than 80 people filled the progressive church of our lord in columbia thursday night...hearing om richland deputies on what they can do in the event of an active shooter. "just be prepared. don't think it can't happen. we saw that in charleston and who would've ever thought what happened down there could happen on a wednesday night. so it can happen any place any time. we don't want people to be in denial. it could happen at my church it could happen at my work. so we have to take steps, we have to get educated and we have to get prepared." sheriff leon lott says they have been holding these training sessions for years, but since tragic shooting at mother eman

jack kuenzie is at the richland county judicial center with the latest. dawndy and charles---the former city council member wasted no time resolving problems. a bond hearing this morning----and a guilty plea this afternoon. newman pleaded guilty to failing to file state tax returns for the years 2012 and 2013. he toto a judge he thought t 'd filed for those years. his admission involved back taxes totalling a little more than $98 hundred dollars which he has agreed to pay along with prosecution costs of an additional thousand dollars. these charges came about as the state department of revenue was looking into the backgrounds of people connected to the penny tax effort----but in to make it clear his issues were personal and have nothing to do with tax revenues. "he's not involved in the sales tax investigation. he pled straight up to two counts of failure to file taxes and what it's telling us is that there's no plea agreement that he was involved in some conspiracy that they were still investigating that there would be a plea agreement that would have pr

at a news conference just a short time ago -- sheriff leon lott was joined by richland county's human trafficking task force. they told us that human trafficking isn't just something you see in the movies. it's a real problem all over our country, and richland county is no exception. 22-year-old daytron hoefer is now behind bars charged with human trafficking and kidnapping among other charges. they say this was a very typical human trafficking case. the victim's mother reported her missing, and they soon learned hoefer had formed a relationship with the 16-year-old before selling her for sex online. human trafficking's been on the rise in large cities nearby columbia over the last few years, including atlanta and charlotte. sheriff lott says some of what's seen in richland county travels in from those like this case, originate here with local young women. the county says it's using the task for to tackle human trafficking two ways -- education and enforcement. 15:16:09 "we've got to get out to our young girls. we've got to get out to our school's through our school resource officers