The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said a local resident found the body of a male Tuesday evening in Irmo.

Lt. Curtis Wilson says investigators believe the body had been there for some time. He says it’s too early to say if foul play is involved in the death.

No other details were immediately available.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A South Carolina lawyer has been given a six-month prison sentence after stashing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a shoebox as part of a scam involving a $14 million sorority house at the University of Alabama.

News outlets report that 40-year-old Jennifer Elizabeth Meehan of Sandy Springs, South Carolina, was also fined $50,000 and sentenced to 18 months of home confinement Tuesday for submitting about $375,000 in false invoices for the Gamma Phi Beta sorority house in Tuscaloosa.

Meehan, who must forfeit her law license, said she intended to use the money for a scholarship fund, not on herself. Prosecutors say that claim is hard to believe.

Meehan was a member of the sorority while attending Alabama and volunteered to help furnish its new house from 2013 to 2015.

PICKENS — A wild elk has been spotted roaming the woodlands of South Carolina for the first time in more than 200 years.

News outlets report that wildlife biologists are warning Upstate residents and tourists to stay away from a young bull elk that was seen in several places in Pickens County over the weekend.

In response to social media posts showing people feeding the animal, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologist Justin McVey warned the public that the animal can cause serious injuries.

The animals once were native to the Lowcountry but were wiped out in the Carolinas in the 1700s. The species was reintroduced to North Carolina in 2001 and officials say it’s likely the young male was pushed out of mountain territory across the state border by older males.

Trump draws attention for what he’s tweeting and retweeting, but Clinton uses the micro-blogging site more as a stiletto than a club.

Trump’s harsh words about immigrants have turned off many of the 27 million Latinos eligible to cast ballots.

Iraqi special forces have evacuated more than 1,000 people from villages near the battlefield as the offensive to retake the Islamic State-held city intensifies.

The South American nation’s standoff deepens after the opposition-led congress votes to open a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro.

Advocates accuse the booming city of violating its street people’s rights in clearing them out of gentrifying areas.

By earmarking lottery proceeds each year, students in the Pacific Northwest would spend one week learning about the state’s natural wonders.

Spurred by the fantasy movie trilogy “The Hobbit,” tourism overtakes dairy as the nation’s top earner of overseas dollars.

The “Cry Me a River” singer posted an image of himself at a voting booth in Tennessee on Instagram, drawing questions about whether he was breaking the law.

Corey Kluber got the Cleveland Indians off to a striking start and Roberto Perez’s bat put away Chicago 6-0 in the Cubs’ first World Series game since 1945.

The heated exchange came Tuesday night on Kelly’s program. Kelly responded to Gingrich’s comment with a chuckle and asked, “really?” She went on to say she’s “not fascinated by sex,” but is “fascinated by the protection of women” and added that she had a responsibility to cover the accusations.

Gingrich accused Kelly of under covering Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s remarks in paid private speeches. He also accused her of ignoring former President Bill Clinton’s sexual history.

Kelly closed the conversation by instructing Gingrich to take his “anger issues and spend some time working on them.”

Michael Dale Vance Jr., a 38-year-old man from Chandler, Oklahoma, is wanted on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. He was last seen early Monday about 30 miles from the Texas border in western Oklahoma - 165 miles from where the manhunt began Sunday night in Wellston.

“Obviously, as long as he isn’t apprehended, we’re extremely concerned about those he may have indicated that he wishes harm to,” Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel told The Oklahoman newspaper on Tuesday. “Most of those are outside of Oklahoma County.”

The FBI is coordinating the search for Vance among several federal, state and local agencies and is deliberately being tight-lipped so Vance isn’t tipped off to their efforts, spokesman Terry Weber said in a statement.

“This investigation is ongoing and any premature release of information regarding the apprehension efforts of Mr. Vance can negatively impact these efforts to safely apprehend (him),” Weber said.

Law enforcement is providing protection for the people on the alleged hit list, Whetsel said.

The search began Sunday night after two police officers were shot and wounded as they responded to shots fired in Wellston, about 35 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said one person was arrested, but Vance fled in a patrol vehicle.

Vance is suspected of later shooting a woman and stealing her vehicle at a mobile home park near Wellston, then driving about 8 miles to his relatives’ mobile home in Luther and killing them, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mark Opgrande said.

Ronald Everett Wilkson, 55, had been shot and had stab wounds to his neck “consistent with an attempt to sever his head,” an arrest affidavit said. Valerie Kay Wilkson, 54, had similar neck wounds along with defensive wounds on her arms, the affidavit stated.

Authorities also believe Vance filmed two Facebook Live videos documenting his run from police before going to the Wilksons’ home.

In one video, a man wearing a backward baseball cap and a shirt that appears to be covered in blood says he’s about to steal another vehicle and that it’s “gonna be intense.” In another, which seems to be filmed inside a second vehicle, the same man says: “Letting y’all know, look, this is real,” before panning to a long gun on the passenger seat.

He said: “If you want to know what’s up next, stay tuned to your local news.”

Investigators believe Wellston police shot Vance at least once Sunday evening, and that the bloodied shirt found at his relatives’ home is the same one he is apparently wearing in the video as he complains, “It hurts.”

Vance also is suspected of shooting a man in the leg in an attempted carjacking early Monday at a convenience store in Sayre, about 30 miles from the Texas border. Sayre Police Chief Ronnie Harrold said the man identified Vance as the man who shot him.

The arrest warrant for Vance also includes charges of an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony. Court records show Vance has been charged in the sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl in Lincoln County and has a court hearing Nov. 7.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Vance is believed to be driving a silver 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse with an Oklahoma license plate of 943LQQ. Vance is described as Native American, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 212 pounds.

Thursday: high 79, low 58, mostly cloudy skies, 20 perent chance of rain.

Friday: high 82, low 56, sunny skies, 10 percent chance of rain.

Saturday: high 84, low 57, sunny skies, 10 percent chance of rain.

Sunday: high 85, low 56, sunny skies, 10 percent chance of rain.

• Pizza Joint, 125 Richland Ave. W., hosts trivia every Wednesday night from 7 to 9 p.m.

• New player pickleball clinics will be held today from ​1:30 to 3:30​ p.m. at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center. Interested players must register at Odell Weeks and pay the $8 fee prior to the clinic. Paddles and balls are provided. Wear tennis or court shoes. Maximum of eight players per clinic. For more information, visit www.pickledillys.com.

• The 2016 Western Carolina State Fair opens its gates through Oct. 29. A detailed schedule and special prices can be found at www.westerncarolinastatefair.com.

• Aiken Technical College will kick off its new guest lecture series, Dynamic Dialogues, on Oct. 26 with a screening of “Discovering Dave: Spirit Captured in Clay” and discussion with the film’s co-producer George Wingard. The event will begin at 12:45 p.m. in the amphitheater (700 building).

Ian Matthew Beason, 26 — unlawful carrying of a pistol, driving under suspension first offense

Lawanda Michelle Sampson, 39 — violation of restraining order

James Monroe Elliott Jr., 35 — driving under the influence of alcohol/substance, driving under suspension fourth offense

William Eldridge Behling Jr., 53 — shoplifting bench warrant

Felicia Ingram, 37 — driving under suspension, driving under the influence of alcohol/substance

Eric Sherrod Hart, 29 — trespass after notice

Tyrian Jamar Stallings, 26 — possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana first offense bench warrant

Gene Donald Cook Jr., 55 — hold for probation

Terri Shaw Hoskins, 45 — family court failure to appear

Dennis Eugene Johnson, 48 — hold for Aiken Department of Public Safety, simple possession of marijuana

Sonya Denise Inabinet, 41 — driving under the influence of alcohol/substance

Brittany Leigh Hill, 18 — driving under the influence of alcohol/substance

Jay Dewayne Livingston, 52 — failure to pay child support

James Norwood Corbitt Jr., 42 — hold for general sessions court

Angalita Tuscano Stokes, 56 — simple larceny less than $2,000 two counts

Derek Heyward Bolin, 25 — hold for Aiken County Detention Center

Travis Antonio Harris, 34 — failure to pay child support two counts

Antonio Markeis Harris, 32 — failure to pay child support two counts

Billy Brian Padgett, 28 — malicious injury to animals, personal property $2,000 or less bench warrant

Skull meat and cheese tray

• Plastic skull

• Prosciutto

• Cheese

• Crackers

• Green olives

• Cocktail onions or white cheese

Cover skull head in foil, and place the prosciutto on it. If the meat doesn’t stick well, use a little cream cheese as glue.

Next is to make and apply the eyes. To make one eye, use a green olive for the center and at least two cocktail onions to surround the olive. Another idea is to attach an olive to a small mozzarella ball or round piece of white cheese.

Serve with crackers, cheese and other meat.

Submitted by Elka Garrett/Facebook Dinner Club

Super easy spiders

• Small chocolate donuts for the body

• Twist pretzels for the legs

• M&M’s for the eyes

Break the pretzel into eight curved pieces for the legs. Place four legs around one side, and the other four legs around the opposite side.

Place two M&M’s side-by-side on one of the ends that isn’t covered with the pretzels, and enjoy.

-Submitted by Renée Burton

Two ingredient Halloween punch

• Vanilla ice cream

• Orange soda. Crush is recommended.

• Plastic punch cups

Decorate punch cups with a black sharpie marker. Drawing jack-o’-lantern inspired faces is a suggestion.

Place a scoop of ice cream in bottom of each cup, and top with orange soda.

Submitted by Elizabeth Rinder/Facebook Dinner Club

Ghost pretzel rods

• White chocolate bark, melted

• Pretzel rods

• Chocolate chip morsels

Dip rods in melted white chocolate. Place the chocolate chips on the white chocolate part to make the facial features.

Let cool, and serve.

Submitted by Hope Mullins/Facebook Dinner Club

Monster eyes

• 3 cups all-purpose baking mix

• 1 pound ground hot pork sausage

• One 8-ounce block Muenster cheese, shredded

• One 7-ounce jar pimento cheese-stuffed Spanish olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the baking mix, sausage and cheese in a large bowl until blended.

Shape sausage mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Press one pimiento-stuffed Spanish olive deeply into center of each ball.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

-Submitted by Burton

Halloween bark

• 12 to 14 orange-and-black sandwich cookies broken up into large chunks

• 1 cup of pretzels broken into pieces

• 1 pound almond bark or white chocolate melts

• 1 1/2 cups candy corn

• 20 to 30 candy eyeballs

• 1 to 2 tablespoons of a various Halloween food sprinkles.

Melt almond bark according to package. One thought is to slowly melt it in a sauce pan over a low heat until it’s smooth and shiny. Make sure to stir frequently to prevent burning.

In the meantime, cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Spread broken cookies, pretzels and about one cup of the candy corn onto the cookie sheet.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, using a spatula to make the coating even.

Quickly sprinkle the remaining candy corn, candy eyeballs and food sprinkles over the almond bark while it is still wet.

Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm.

Submitted by Amanda Derico/Facebook Dinner Club

Creamy Chicken Brain Dip

• One can cream of chicken soup

• One envelope of unflavored gelatin

• 3 tablespoons water

• One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

• 3/4 cup of mayonnaise

• One onion, chopped. To avoid chunks in the dips, dice the onions very finely.

• 1/2 cup celery, minced

• One 5-ounce can of chicken chunks, drained. An alternative is to use about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of shredded rotisserie chicken.

In a small pot, heat up the chicken soup.

In a bowl combine the gelatin and water, and then stir it into the heated soup.

Blend the mayonnaise, cream cheese, onion and celery into the soup mixture.

Add the chicken, and continue mixing.

Place in a desired serving bowl or mold of your choice. Spraying the bowl with a little cooking spray before putting in the ingredients is recommended to keep the dip from sticking.

Refrigerate either overnight or for six to eight hours.

Serve with your choice of crackers or corn chips.

“Be prepared to gross some people out,” Burton said.

- Submitted by Burton

The Black Widow Martini

• Three parts vodka

• Two parts raspberry schnapps liqueur

• One part Triple Sec

• One part pomegranate juice

• One part lemon juice

• Black licorice strings

Add liquid ingredients to an ice-filled shaker, and shake. Strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with black licorice strings. 

- Submitted by The Partridge Inn Augusta

Stephanie Turner is the features reporter with the Aiken Standard, where she covers health topics, the arts, authors and restaurants. She graduated from Valdosta State University in 2012.

“Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed’” (Mark 1:41).

Kluber pitched neatly into the seventh inning, Perez hit two home runs and the Indians beat the Cubs 6-0 in the opener Tuesday night. AL Championship Series MVP Andrew Miller escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh and got out of trouble in the eighth, preserving a 3-0 lead.

In a matchup between the teams with baseball’s longest championship droughts, the Indians scored twice in the first inning off October ace Jon Lester and were on their way.

Perez drove in four runs -- he became the first No. 9 batter to homer twice in a Series game, and the first Indians player to accomplish the feat. He hit a three-run drive to put it away.

Francisco Lindor added three hits, helping Cleveland manager Terry Francona to improve to 9-0 in the Series. Francona’s success includes sweeps by his Boston teams in 2004 and ‘07.

The Game 1 winner has taken the title in the last six Series and 17 of 19.

Trevor Bauer, trying to come back from a sliced pinkie, starts Game 2 for the Indians on Wednesday night against Jake Arrieta. With rain in the forecast, the start time was moved up an hour to 7:08 p.m.

Kluber struck out eight in the first three innings. He combined with Miller and Cody Allen to fan 15.

With the Indians hoping for their first title since 1948 and the Cubs seeking their first since 1908, Lester stumbled in the opening inning. Cleveland loaded the bases with two outs, Jose Ramirez had a run-scoring swinging bunt single and Brandon Guyer was hit by a pitch.

The symposium will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the first floor conference center of the Aiken Municipal Building, 214 Park Ave.

The public meeting is a part of a yearlong comprehensive study for improvements on the roughly 9-mile corridor, which spans from Aiken to New Ellenton.

The corridor study is a concerted effort between the state, Aiken County, the City of Aiken and the Town of New Ellenton, according to County Council member Camille Furgiuele.

Stantec Consulting Service Inc. is conducting the study to help with improvements on the road, where officials have said tens of thousands of cars travel per day. The study is set to end by mid-2017.

“We’re trying to introduce the project to the public, trying to early on, get input from the public, so all of the input and feedback we get from them, it’ll help to develop a set of guiding principles for the project,” said Gerald Jefferson, transportation planner for Aiken County Planning and Development.

Jefferson described tonight’s meeting as a “community workshop” for Whiskey Road, where attendees can participate in various activities in a classroom setting.

The consultant will also ask the audience to participate in a polling exercise, and there will be an interactive board for participants, which officials will use to gauge public interest on project recommendations or design, he said.

Recently, the consultant has rolled out an online survey that also asks for public input about the corridor.

Jefferson said Tuesday more than 400 surveys have been completed.

He added some of the questions that could be asked at the public symposium are similar.

“They’re not exact but very similar,” he said. “It’ll be pretty much in line with that.”

Local elected officials from Aiken County Council and city councils in Aiken and New Ellenton have been invited to the symposium.

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon will be there to provide the welcome.

What takes place after the public symposium, Jefferson said, are stakeholder interviews probably in the next month and then, developing a storm water infrastructure plan.

Jefferson said another public meeting will be scheduled in January, which could be along the same lines as this month’s meeting but more detailed and designed related.

He agreed studies have been conducted before, but lauded efforts by Furgiuele, who spearheaded getting the study off of the ground, for being in talks with the county, city, state and other elected officials about how to begin securing funding.

“She wants to start trying to get money so the study won’t sit on the shelf and people will wonder when projects are going to happen,” Jefferson said. “I like that she’s been very proactive and she’s already trying to secure funding.”

The transportation planner said there will probably be some near-term, mid-term and long-term projects identified and predicts the public could see work as early as 2019 or by late 2018.

Christina Cleveland is the county government reporter at the Aiken Standard.

The other option, according to a memo published among Aiken City Council documents, was to keep the city’s millage set at 62 mills. Council members approved the first of two votes to keep its millage rate constant.

“It was never in the City’s plan to raise taxes,” said City Manager John Klimm. “City staff feels confident they can cover the budget shortfall through the end of the fiscal year. It was never in the City’s plans to raise property taxes, nor was it ever City Council’s plan.”

Klimm said City staff was confident they could find alternative funding sources within the 2016-17 budget to cover the millage rate shortfall through the end of the fiscal year without hitting residents in the wallets.

Good job by the City and its staff.

Prior to the vote, Klimm said the decision was not a complicated issue. A pair of options was presented for Council consideration, to either raise the millage to 63.7 mills or keep the millage at 62 mills.

Millage is nothing more than a $20 word for tax, and the City of Aiken, and Council said it was never their intention to raise taxes.

This could have been a problem for City Hall. There’s already vociferous opposition from some residents to Aiken’s plans for downtown redevelopment, plans that have been dubbed a “renaissance.” Raising taxes at this time would’ve been problematic politically for Council members.

Without cherry picking the City’s budget one line item at a time, we’re confident there are areas that can be cut.

The current Aiken budget stands at nearly $53.4 million. Aiken’s neighbor – the City of North Augusta – recently adopted an annual operating budget of $35 million. The two cities are of similar size.

Of course, there are some apples and oranges in the fruit basket. North Augusta is, after all, smaller than Aiken. Also, portions of North Augusta also lie in Edgefield County, which operates on a different reassessment cycle than Aiken County.

There are enough commonalities, though, where a closer inspection of the Aiken City budget would be warranted.

Aiken is facing a budget shortfall because of an unanticipated development occurring after reassessment. That translates into less tax revenue collected and with a reduction in tax revenue, it put Aiken in budget shortfall territory.

As it relates to property taxes, Aiken City Council nipped the issue in the bud by bumping the agenda item to the front of Monday night’s meeting list and dispensing with the vote right off the bat.

While some property values saw a hike, 40 percent of 15,031 city parcels saw a decrease in value this year.

The County didn’t fare much better.

According to Aiken County Assessor Rick Jantzen, 33 percent of property in the county declined in value, with the largest declines in the City of Aiken in the historic district, Woodside and Houndslake.

The question of the day is, where is the City going to find the money?

Hopefully, the City will look from within instead of outside in the community. There are instances where raising taxes becomes necessary, but we’re not there yet.

The new policies bring the Aiken County Public School District in line with new procedures and update out-dated and obsolete requirements.

Changes to the policy for support staff supplemental pay and overtime brings the district’s policy in line with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act, which was issued May 8, 2016. The rule will take effect Dec. 1 and will be updated every three years.

Changes to graduation requirements align the district with updated state regulations. Specifically, the exit examination is no longer required, and changes have been made to the academic honors award criteria.

Changes to the district’s test and assessment administration policy deletes references to obsolete tests.

The change for the legal status of area advisory councils and administrative area superintendents concerns the reorganization of the administrative staff to provide for executive directors for the three levels as opposed to academic officers and level bookkeepers as opposed to area bookkeepers.

Changes to the organization chart states that “within the framework established, each school will be encouraged and free to work out the educational program most appropriate for itself.”

The new policy for curriculum development, adoption and review reflects the district’s new administrative structure and explicitly provides for stakeholder review.

Concerning admission of exchange and foreign students, the previous policy restricted the maximum number of exchange students at the same school at any time to two. The new policy, endorsed by all seven high school principals, allows flexibility to accept additional students when appropriate.

The board also approved the 2017-18 budget calendar. According to the calendar, the district will present the preliminary budget to the board on April 18, 2017, and the tentative budget to the board on May 9, 2017.

A public hearing on the tentative budget will be June 13, 2017.

The board would adopt the 2017-18 budget at its meeting June 27, 2017.

The board will meet only once in November because the first scheduled meeting of the month will be on Election Day. The meeting, which will include the evaluation of district Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford, will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the district office at 1000 Brookhaven Drive.

The district will update the community on the one percent sales tax, which Aiken County voters approved in Nov. 2014, at a presentation from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 10. The meeting will be live at the district office and transmitted virtually at advisory council-hosted events throughout the district at Midand Valley, North Augusta, Ridge Spring-Monetta, Silver Bluff and Wagener-Salley high schools.

The one percent sales tax provides property tax relief and must be used only to fund construction and renovations at five schools: Leavelle McCampbell Middle School in Graniteville; Aiken High; North Augusta High; Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary and High School; and the Aiken County Career Center, if money is available.

Larry Wood covers education for the Aiken Standard.

The Jackets qualified for state after placing seventh in Lower State last weekend at West Ashley High School.

“We had a good performance but a tentative performance,” said Band Director Chuck Deen. “I do believe it was the best run of the show that we’ve had yet, and that’s what we need and what we ask for them to do.”

Deen said the solid performance came in spite of the conditions of the field and stadium at which they were performing. “We’re not big fans of that stadium. It makes you feel like you are out in the middle of a field and you feel like you are way, way, way back off the audience ... so you kind of feel like what you’re doing isn’t reaching there and you feel like (the) crowd response isn’t reaching you,” he said. “It’s a very awkward feeling there, and that affects all the bands that are performing there, but we’re used to getting a pretty good crowd response where we go, and when you don’t have that, you kind of wonder if you’re doing OK or not.”

North Augusta will take the field for its state championship performance at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Spring Valley High School.

Deen said he feels the band is in a good place as it heads into the biggest competition of the year.

“I feel like we’re peaking at the right time. Sometimes what’s hard to do is that you don’t leave your best performance on the field on the run on Thursday before you go to finals on Saturday,” said Deen. “We want to be at a certain level on Thursday, we want to have the best run that we’ve had Friday night in front of our crowd and we want for Saturday to eclipse that.”

Deen said the band’s approach this week at practice will be to fine-tune the little things in hope of coming out with its best performance of the year. He added that the group’s focus will shift Saturday from trying to beat certain schools to controlling what it can control and putting its best product on the field.

“We’re trying to change a little bit of our emphasis this week not from trying to beat someone but trying to beat ourselves, and with that then we have the likelihood of a higher score that will give us a higher placement,” said Deen.

Nick Terry is the news editor of The North Augusta Star and is a USC Aiken graduate.

The week began with the annual North Augusta Classic golf tournament at River Club on Monday. As a member of the North Augusta Forward Board of Directors, I went to help out with the tournament, which benefits a number of local charitable organization’s each year. It was a glorious day for golf, and just being at River Club was delightful.

On Tuesday, I went bright and early to University Hospital where my daughter-in-law, Joy, was scheduled for a C-section at 9:30 a.m. Maddie Rose Britt made her entrance into the world at 10:24 a.m., weighing 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. and measuring 20.42 inches. She looks like her big brother, Thomas, and they both look like their daddy. She is a beautiful baby girl. Mom and baby are now home and doing great, as are her dad, my son Mac, plus big sister Ariah and Thomas. She started out weighing nearly 6 ounces more than her brother but already looks petite compared to him. They were able to come home on Thursday and are settling in to life with a family of five. The good news is that Joy will be home with Maddie for a full three months, and Mac even gets a month of paternity leave. What a great thing for their family - getting to spend quality time with their new baby girl before having to return to the real world of jobs and such.

Wednesday I was able to go see baby Maddie at the hospital before my Greenville girls came to our house for the day. Liz was in California on business, and Vince was supposed to participate in a golf tournament with folks from Trinity Hospital - again at the River Club golf course. So while he golfed, Pearce, 3, Clarke, 1, and I played in the back yard and at a nearby park. Cade, 9, and Payton, 6, were delighted to entertain their younger cousins after they got out of school and before Clarke and Pearce made the trip back to Greenville with their papa.

We finished up the week at leisure in Isle of Palms. Last weekend was our couples bridge group’s annual trek to the beach for lots of bridge-playing, even more food and, for some of us, some serious shopping.

As has become our habit, we went out to dinner once, this time at Fleet Landing. I had eaten lunch there several times before, but not dinner. The restaurant did not disappoint. I had crab cakes (my standard fall-back position at the beach) - delicious. And the dessert was to die for. I have a weakness for good bread pudding, and this was a huge serving of white chocolate bread pudding with creme anglaise. Yum!

We also try to go out for breakfast once during the 5-day weekend. Our habit has been to go to Sea Biscuit, a small restaurant made famous largely through a review that appeared several years ago in Southern Living. This year I suggested maybe it was time to try one of the many, many other eateries. And again, we were very pleased. We were within walking distance of Acme Lowcountry Kitchen, which happens to be right next door to Sea Biscuit. Again, it did not disappoint. I had a shrimp and crab omelet, while Tom had shrimp hash. Both were delicious.

Friday night we had our annual “mystery dinner.” Each person in the group is asked to bring an ingredient, not revealed until we arrive. Then my husband and two or three others plan a meal using the ingredients. This year the contributions included persimmons, dates, pork loin, Brussels sprouts, couscous, bok choi, cabbage, oatmeal, chicken breasts, Velveta, red pepper sauce and turkey bacon. The meal was very good - a date appetizer that was incredible, chicken and rice soup for a first course, then pork loin stuffed with a mixture of onions and bok choi and glazed with red pepper sauce, marinated coleslaw, roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon with a spicy cheese sauce, couscous and a dessert of a persimmon-apple crisp. As I have reported in the past, this is a fun experiment for any group - supper clubs, bridge groups, etc. Some years we’ve had no meat among our ingredientsso we supplemented with fresh seafood - definitely not a bad thing.

My friend Joanne and I did our fair share of shopping - first in Mt. Pleasant, then at the outlets. Joanne is the champion of bargains, so I always save a ton of money when I’m with her - and with our grandchild count up to seven, that’s a good thing.

Also, for a number of years we’ve stayed in the same beach house, but this year, due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to venture into another home. This one is right across the street from the IOP Post Office. It is a lovely home with seven bedrooms and six bathrooms. Honestly, the older we get, our group of 12 has one major requirement - a bathroom with every bedroom.

In the past, the house where we stayed was in Wild Dunes, but this year’s house was on the main part of the island. While the houses along there were spared, the beach definitely received the wrath of Hurricane Matthew. The beach has been flattened (including many palmetto trees), and there is now an obvious drop from the ground level of the row of homes to the beach. But the changes didn’t make the views any less beautiful. There were surfers at sunrise, dogs running amok before people began filling up the wide open spaces, and all sorts of interesting people - including the entire Charleston Southern softball team, running practice drills in the cold morning air.

So we’re home now, rested and ready for the days ahead.

We immediately made a trip to Lynnhurst to check on our newest granddaughter. And, I’m happy to report, Maddie Rose is now a week old and still beautiful.

The Yellow Jackets have transitioned from the regular season into the postseason, where they will hit the road as the No. 3 seed to play No. 2 Blue Ridge.

Head coach Shannon Byers said the playoffs bring a fresh start for her team and a chance to erase last week’s 3-0 loss to South Aiken.

“I didn’t really say anything (about the loss). I think it was pretty self explanatory; I think they saw it,” Byers said. “We dropped it, no need to worry about it, kind of like (assistant coach) Kenneth (Grier) and I say, now, it’s a new season so it doesn’t really matter.”

Byers said the matchup with the Tigers will be an unfamiliar one for the Yellow Jackets.

“I have no clue. We’re going in completely blind. I’ve got some of my college teammates that are kind of up in that area, I‘ve asked them if they know anything about them and they have no clue,” Byers said. “I’m trying to find someone to get information on them so we have a little bit but as of right now all we know is we’re a three, they’re a two so it should be pretty evenly matched.”

While it can be beneficial to have the chance to game plan for an opponent, not having to worry about the other team could also help in its own right and allows a team to just focus on what it can control.

“Not knowing anything about them, I guess our game plan for this week is not changing anything. We’re just going to clean up the things that we do and do everything precisely and hope that’s enough,” said Byers. “We’re trying to clean up our defense, that’s the biggest thing. Getting our defense and our blocking (set), and then everything else will just kind of come with it.”

North Augusta will play at Blue Ridge at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Nick Terry is the news editor for The North Augusta Star and is a USC Aiken graduate.

The No. 3 seeded Preators will travel to No. 2 Landrum for a 6 p.m. match.

Landrum finished the year at 17-13 overall and 8-2 in Region 1-AA. The Cardinals feature three players with at least 120 kills in Ellie Ford (122), Kaylee Huntley (125) and Nichole Ford (236). Huntley also has a team-high 49 blocks on the year.

The Cardinals advanced to the Upper State finals last year.

And he didn’t.

Boynton completed 15 of 21 passes for 312 yards and six touchdowns Friday in a 70-21 wipeout of Airport, and the win helped the T-Breds claim the Region 4-AAAA championship to end a 26-year drought.

“It went pretty well for me. I couldn’t let the seniors down,” said Boynton, the Aiken Standard Player of the Week for Week 9. “We’ve been through a lot these past couple years; they went through a lot. I just want to thank (South Aiken head coach Chris Hamilton) for just giving us the opportunity and believing in us.”

It was a bounce-back effort of sorts for Boynton, who said he felt shy in the pocket and didn’t do well the week before against North Augusta. So he went to work throughout the week, and it paid off against Airport. He completed passes with precision to five different receivers and didn’t throw an interception.

Hamilton said he’s often hard on his quarterback on Fridays and feels like there are things he could do better – and then he looks at the stats after the game and typically sees a completion rate of around 70 percent and about 200 yards passing. That likely won’t be necessary this week, as Boynton reached season highs in yards passing, yards per completion, touchdowns and passer rating.

“Here lately, it’s just been him understanding what we’re trying to do,” Hamilton said. “He’s been smart and not trying to force anything; just kind of taking what people give him. He’s done a really good job of that, especially these past probably three or four weeks; really happy with that.”

That comfort within the offense has certainly shown in the last three games, during which Boynton has completed nearly 78 percent of his pass attempts. And Hamilton said he’s done it by not trying to be a play maker, but instead to get the ball to the many weapons he has in a T-Breds’ offense that has no shortage of horsepower.

“It’s hard. You’ve got to spread the ball around,” Boynton said. “(Offensive) line, obviously, you’ve got to keep happy, because they protect me. Got to hang out with them, be their buddies and play around with them. Also, with all your weapons around, you’ve got to make sure you spread the ball around to them. Let them get one ball here, one ball here, keep it around and make the defense keep guessing.”

Boynton certainly shared the wealth Friday, throwing touchdown passes to Harold Hilton, Brandon Carter and Deshun Kitchings in the first half alone to give South Aiken a commanding 42-8 lead at the break. He added touchdown passes to Carter and Kitchings in the third quarter after the T-Breds had taken their foot off the accelerator, but he still couldn’t help but marvel at the 70-point total on the scoreboard.

“It was something else, man,” he said. “To see a number like that, you don’t really know what to do with yourself.”

Kyle Dawson covers sports for the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter @ItsKyleDawson.

Aiken Standard Player of the Week

• Week 0 — DeJuan Bell, North Augusta

• Week 1 — Tyquan Williams, Wagener-Salley

• Week 2 — Tyson Bettis, Ridge Spring-Monetta

• Week 3 — Tyrece Nick, Strom Thurmond

• Week 4 — Rocky Isreal, Ridge Spring-Monetta

• Week 5 — DJ Boyd, Midland Valley

• Week 6 — Derius Gibson, North Augusta

• Week 7 — No games played

• Week 8 — Tyquan Williams, Wagener-Salley

Last time they played

North Augusta beat Aiken 19-7 last season.

Players to watch

Aiken

• Brayton Sanders, QB. Sanders is the Hornets’ leading rusher, but he can get the job done passing the ball as well.

• Devon Young, RB. Young provides a physical back who’s hard to bring down in the open field.

• Collin Flanders, LB. Flanders will play a part in trying to slow down the North Augusta running attack. He leads Aiken with 64 tackles.

North Augusta

• Derius Gibson, RB. Gibson is the area’s leading rusher and the player who makes the Yellow Jackets’ offense go.

• Landon Washington, QB. Washington provides a balanced attack for North Augusta, contributing in the run and pass.

• Tre Lawson, DL. Lawson will play a big part in trying to contain Sanders.

Keys to the game

Controlling the action up front will be key on both sides of the ball for North Augusta.

On defense, the Yellow Jackets will try to limit Aiken’s ground attack by containing Sanders and Young.

“(They’re) very athletic, very physical. They’ve got two or three folks that can run the football very well, so we’re going to have to be physical up front and try to stay in our gap responsibility and try to make sure we can maintain some of that, hopefully, and contain a little bit of it,” said North Augusta head coach Brian Thomas.

The Yellow Jackets will also look to neutralize the Hornets’ defensive line and open up holes for Gibson, who has accounted for 1,223 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. Getting Gibson going generally opens things up in the passing game for North Augusta, giving it the balanced offense Thomas desires.

What this means

With South Aiken clinching the region title last week, North Augusta is playing for the No. 2 spot in the region and a home playoff game.

The Jackets will accomplish this if they win their final two games.

“Both of these last two games are big for us, definitely,” said Thomas. “Try to get a home playoff game, if possible; if we can win both of them. It’s going to be two tough challenges; Aiken and Airport both play well and they’re well-coached, so we’re excited about the opportunity.”

Last week’s win over Midland Valley should have North Augusta in a good place as it enters the final stretch of the regular season.

What they’re saying

“We’re just trying to get better every week, that’s the biggest thing.” — North Augusta head coach Brian Thomas.

Saluda (7-1, 3-0 Region 3-AA) at Fox Creek (5-3, 3-0)

Last time they played

This is the first meeting between the two schools.

Players to watch

Saluda

• Tyrell Abney, QB. Abney provides a threat running and passing the ball that will force the Predators to stay disciplined on defense and stick to their assignments.

• Kelijiha Brown, DL. Brown, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound lineman, is a force on the Tigers’ line.

• Malik Brooks, RB. Brooks is one of the top backs in the state.

Fox Creek

• Jontae Herrin, ATH. Herrin is a threat all over the field, and the Predators will need a solid night from him to knock off one of the state’s best teams.

• Caleb Charlton, QB. Charlton’s ability to be a factor in the run and pass will be key for Fox Creek.

• Kobe Walker, LB. Walker had the game-sealing interception last week against Keenan.

Keys to the game

Limiting mistakes and playing a clean game will be key for Fox Creek to come out with a win.

Head coach Derrick Quinn said the Predators made too many mistakes last week in their 35-34 win over Keenan.

“Well, we helped them a lot to tell you the truth. We did not play a good, clean football game,” said Quinn. “I’m very proud of our kids responding at the end, but if we’re going to go forward in the playoffs we’ve got to play a whole lot better.”

On defense, the Predators will have to key in on an offense that can hurt you with the run or pass with Brooks and Abney.

“They’ve got a real good running back,” said Quinn. “They have the ability to power the football and to spread you out.”

Moving the ball with a balanced attack will also be of importance for Fox Creek. Herrin has been the top playmaker for the Predators this year and Charlton has been a threat with both his arm and legs.

“Our running game has been doing very well,” Quinn said. “We’ve got to be more consistent throwing the football, and hopefully we haven’t peaked yet, so maybe we’ll do everything right at one time.”

What this means

The winner of this game will be the Region 3-AA champion.

Quinn said coming into this season the Predators’ goal was to win the region title and now they have a chance to do just that.

“That’s a goal for us. That was always the goal going into the season, and one of the reasons why I had such a hard nonregion schedule is to put us in this position,” Quinn said. “Now, here we are so what are we going to do.”

What they’re saying

“They’re great. They’re ranked third in the state for a reason and like I said, we’re going to have to play a whole lot better to have a chance.” — Fox Creek head coach Derrick Quinn.

An officer met with a complainant on Barton Road in reference to someone taking a vehicle without paying for the repairs. The complainant said a woman came to the incident location saying she was the owner of the vehicle and wanted to test drive it. The complainant moved a car that was blocking the vehicle and went to get the key, which is when the woman got in the vehicle and drove off.

A North Augusta woman reported someone used her identity to open a Chase credit card account, an American Express account and purchased two cellphones from AT&T.

An officer responded to a business on Knox Avenue in reference to a theft, where a complainant said he sat down two gift cards on counter for the cashier to use and then began to help the cashier with the checkout process, taking his eyes off the cards. When it was time to pay, he noticed one of the cards was gone. Surveillance video of the incident shows an unknown black male take the card, place it in his pocket and quickly leave the store.

Officers to responded to a business on Knox Avenue in reference to a shoplifting, where a man filled a buggy full of groceries and left the store without paying.

Officers responded to West Hugh Street in reference to loud music. As the officers pulled into the parking lot, several subjects took off running. The officers then located an occupied vehicle in front of one of the apartnebt buildings that had a strong odor of fresh marijuana. The officers discovered 3.1 grams of marijuana.

An officer responded to Savannah Point in reference to a theft from a motor vehicle, where a man said his car was parked in his driveway over night and when he went to take his kids to school the next morning noticedhis kids two bookbags were missing and the vehicle was ransacked.

An officer responded to a business on Knox Avenue in reference to a shoplifting, where a man was observed by an employee past the registers pushing a cart with a TV and sound system. The employee asked the man if he needed help checking out and the man said he would just wait because the lines were too long. The man then left the cart and exited the store. After reviewing surveillance video, the employee learned the man was the same person who stole a different TV from the business earlier that morning.

An officer responded to Butler Avenue in reference to a disorder, where a man was in a tree stating he could fly. Upon arrival, officers located the man in the tree and told him to come down. Officers asked the man if he was under any narcotics and the man said he had taken a pain pill and snorted methamphetamine earlier in the day. After a search, officers discovered a white round tablet in his pocket that came back as methadone hydrochloride 10mg.

During a traffic stop pn Old Edgefield Road, an officer discovered a plastic coffee cup with 13.7 grams of a green, leafy substance.

An officer responded to a store on Edgefield Road in reference to a man passed out in a minivan who was believed to be intoxicated. Officers found the man in the van with his pants off and an open wine cooler on the center console. The man was arrested for public drunk.

An officer responded to Mill Branch Way in reference to a larceny of Halloween decorations, where a man said two orange decorative pots and a decorative skeleton had been stolen fro his property and another decoration had been knocked over. The man also said that on July 4 he caught someone trying to steal a flag from his property.