Winthrop commencement to be streamed online

Winthrop University's undergraduate commencement will be streamed live on the Internet.

Those who can't attend the 11 a.m. ceremony at the coliseum can log on to www.winthrop.edu to access the video. The video stream will be activated at 10:45 a.m.

You must have Windows Media Player to watch the video stream, which is being used for the first time.

Nearly 570 sen iors will receive their degrees during the roughly two hour ceremony.

-- Jessica Schonberg

Clover man dies in wreck

CLOVER -- A Clover man died early Friday in a single-vehicle collision, officials said.

Andrew Bryan Crisp, 34, of 1728 Beamguard Road died from injuries he received after crashing into some trees, said Lance Cpl. Jeff Gaskin of the S.C. Highway Patrol and York County interim coroner Sabrina Gast.

A toxicology test will be conducted, Gast said. Results are expected within two to three weeks, she said.

Around 2:45 a.m. Friday, Crisp traveled north in a 1997 Chevy pickup truck along S.C. 161, about eight miles west of Clover, when the pickup truck ran off the right side of the road for unknown reasons and struck some trees, Gaskin said.

Crisp, who wore a seat belt, died at the scene.

Alcohol and speed are not believed to be factors.

Winthrop to hold sessions about new programs

Winthrop University will hold two information sessions this month about its new degree program: the Master of Arts in teaching in early childhood education.

The program is scheduled to begin in January with 20-22 students.

Information sessions will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 20 and 6:30 p.m. May 22. Both will be held in Plowden Auditorium in the Withers Building on campus.

The new program is designed to prepare highly qualified teachers for pre-kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. It will be fast-paced to meet the needs of working adults and people changing careers to enter the teaching profession.

The program is still awaiting final approval from the S.C. Department of Education.

-- Jessica Schonberg

Young Republicans host debate in Fort Mill

State Rep. Carl Gullick and challenger Kyle Boyd will face off in a debate next week hosted by the York County Young Republicans. The town hall event also features a debate between County Councilman Paul Lindemann and challenger Jeff Updike.

The public is invited to the meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at Beef O' Brady's restaurant in Fort Mill's Baxter Village. An announcement will be made about an upcoming GOPalooza event planned for June 12.

Gullick and Boyd also are scheduled to take part in a May 23 debate in River Hills hosted by the York County Republican Women's Club.

Primary registration deadline is May 10

Today is the deadline to register to vote in the June 10 Republican and Democratic primary elections.

Voter registration offices in York and Chester counties will be open today. York County residents can register from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the E.C. Black Building, 13 S. Congress St., York. Chester County residents can register between 8:30 a.m. and noon at 109 Ella St., Chester.

Mail-in applications can be downloaded at the S.C. State Election Commission Web site, www.state.sc.us/scsec/vr.html. Entries must be postmarked by today.

For information in York County, call 684-1242. In Chester County, call 803-385-2562.

-- Kimberly Dick

Sorensen to graduates: Form communities

COLUMBIA -- Retiring University of South Carolina president Andrew Sorensen says students need to bring the sense of community they shared at school to the places they will live.

Sorensen gave his final commencement address Friday as president of the school. He got a standing ovation after telling graduates about the importance of making a big school feel like a tightly knit community. He choked up near the end of the speech.

The school's Columbia campus will award more than 3,400 degrees over the weekend.

Sorensen is slated to retire at the end of July but will remain in the position until the university finds his replacement.