Four arrested after fight outside Walmart

From staff reports - The Herald

Police were called to break up a fight in a Walmart parking lot after one man pointed a gun at others and another threatened to kill children in a nearby car, according to a Rock Hill police report

Around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, three men in the Walmart parking lot at the Rock Hill Galleria confronted a 27-year-old man and made derogatory comments toward his girlfriend, the report states.

The man, sitting in his vehicle, called his brother to help out as the others went back to their truck to look for “blunt objects,” according to the report.

As they started to swing bolt cutters and a claw hammer at the man and his brother, the girlfriend told them children were in the car.

According to witnesses, one of the men stated, “I'll kill them, too,” the report states. That's when the man left his vehicle, pointed a gun toward them and hit one of the others in the face with his fist, according to the report.

Four officers responded and detained all of the men for questioning. Police also watched surveillance video of the altercation to determine each man's role in the fight.

Four were arrested, including the 27-year-old, who was charged with pointing a firearm.

� Shannon Greene

Police look for suspect in Clover shooting

Police are looking for a gunman who they say shot a 21-year-old man in the leg Thursday night in Clover.

The suspect is a black man between ages 18 and 25 and goes by the name “Akeem,” a report from the York County Sheriff's Office says. He is around 5 feet, 8 inches tall, according to the report.

A grandmother reported to police around 10 p.m. that her grandson was standing in her driveway on Flatstone Drive when a man pulled up in a dark-colored SUV. The man behind the wheel asked her grandson if he “had his stuff,” then again if he had his money, the report states.

The two men know one another, according to the report.

“Akeem” began shooting and the man ran toward the house, but had already been shot, the report states.

He was transported to Gaston Memorial Hospital in Gastonia, N.C., for his injuries.

The forensics unit recovered seven 9 mm shell casings for evidence.

Later investigations showed that a bullet hit the front windshield of a car parked at the house, causing around $500 in damages, the report states.

Christy Mullins

Chocolate festival Sunday at Williams & Fudge

A Decadent Dreams chocolate festival will be from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Williams & Fudge site at the Cotton Factory at Dave Lyle Boulevard and White Street in downtown Rock Hill.

Proceeds will benefit Keystone substance abuse prevention services to individuals and families. The event will include kid-friendly activities, a chocolate fountain, demonstrations, chocolate spa treatments, eating competitions and chocolates to sample.

Participants in the event will include local chocolatiers and chocolate artisans. Tickets cost $7 in advance and $10 at the door, and children younger than 5 get in free.

Tickets are available at the Rock Hill Galleria mall office or at Keystone, 430 S. Herlong Ave., Suite 101, Rock Hill. For more information, call Keystone at 803-324-4118.

Cotton Factory wins national award

The renovated Cotton Factory in downtown Rock Hill has earned more national acclaim, this time from the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association.

The Cotton Factory took best commercial-retail-nonresidential project in the 2009 J. Timothy Anderson Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation. The Cotton Factory is one of 10 historic buildings across the country to claim an award this year.

The “Timmy” Awards were created by NH&RA in 2005 in memory of the late Boston architect and preservation advocate J. Timothy Anderson, a leader in the historic rehabilitation business.

Perched on the edge of downtown, the Cotton Factory serves as headquarters for Williams & Fudge, a locally owned college loan collection agency.

Winthrop gets stimulus money for saving energy

Winthrop University will receive $416,476 in federal stimulus assistance to replace an underground steam line that runs through the Peabody field on Alumni Drive. Construction on replacing portions of the 418-foot line started last month and is expected to last until early 2010.

Winthrop officials applied for energy efficiency funding through the S.C. Energy Office. About $312,000 will be a grant, and the remaining $100,000 is a no-interest loan.

Energy cost savings on the line are estimated at $33,000 annually so the loan will be quickly repaid, according to Walter Hardin, associate vice president for facilities management.

The line supplies steam to nine buildings on the campus. It was constructed without insulation decades ago, and by 21st century standards wastes energy, Hardin added. The construction will preserve 12 jobs for the contractor during the replacement work.