In brief: October 31, 2009

From staff reports

COLUMBIA -- $190 worth of cigarettes stolen in Lake Wylie

Thieves busted the glass door of Fred's in Lake Wylie, grabbed $190 worth of cigarettes and then fled as the alarm sounded Friday morning.

Around 1 a.m., officers were called out to the shop at 4084 Charlotte Highway. They found the front glass door was broken by a piece of concrete, according to a report by the York County Sheriff's Office.

A manager provided surveillance video, which showed two men, both about 6 feet tall, walking in front of the store just before 1 a.m. The tape shows the glass breaking and one of the suspects running through the store to the cigarette area. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt, jeans and dark shoes, according to the report.

He grabbed five cartons valued at $38 each and ran back through the same door, the report states.

This is the second time in three weeks that someone has busted the door, the manager told authorities.

Shannon Greene

Job forum to be held today at York Tech

The S.C. Employment Security Commission will hold the Catawba Area Job Forum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today in Building A next to the library on the campus of York Technical College in Rock Hill.

The job forum will offer help to residents of Chester, Lancaster and York counties in their search for jobs and new careers.

ESC employees will meet individually with anyone seeking work to assess their needs. The forum is intended to connect jobless residents with local employers that are hiring and to give job seekers a chance to receive free advice on their careers or educational and training opportunities that may be available to them to enhance their chances of getting a job.

Information about jobs listed through the Employment Security Commission's statewide Job Link Internet job site will be shared with job seekers, who can go online or do manual job searches on their own or with the assistance of ESC personnel.

For more information, contact the S.C. Employment Security Commission at 803-737-0072 or visit the Web site at www.sces.org.

Barbara Barkley

Scout Troop 133 holds

Halloween carnival today

Boy Scout Troop 133 at Mount Holly United Methodist Church near Rock Hill will host a Halloween carnival from 6 to 8:30 p.m. today at the church on Mount Holly Road.

The carnival will feature a costume contest, games, a cake walk, hot dog plates and more. Admission is free and open to the community.

Proceeds from food sales will go to the Scout troop.

Sanford appointsUnion County supervisor

Gov. Mark Sanford on Friday named educator and Brig.Gen. Thomas L. Sinclair as the supervisor for Union County. The previous supervisor, Donnie Betenbaugh, was suspended earlier this month after being indicted on corruption charges.

Sinclair, 62, has been a teacher, principal and assistant superintendent in the Union County schools, as well as a co-owner of a construction company. For 38 years, he served in the armed forces, first as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. From 1978 until his retirement in 2008, Sinclair was a brigadier general in the S.C. National Guard.

Sanford cited Sinclair's management skills, track record and service in the armed forces as reasons why he was chosen. Sinclair will not be paid a full salary, Sanford said. Instead, he will earn a dollar-per-year.

S.C. unveils online tracking sex offenders

Tracking sex offenders in South Carolina has become a little easier.

The State Law Enforcement Division said Friday it's introducing an online program of map of registered offenders.

The program, called Offender Watch, brings up a map showing color photographs of registered offenders, along with the details of their offenses and any previous addresses. All 46 sheriff's departments in the state will be part of the system by the end of November.