Augusta Chronicle, The

Athlete Spotlight Zack Baker Evans High School

Before the baseball season began, most Evans followers said Hank McCladdie or Brad Freeman would be the Knights' ace. But the most consistent pitcher in 2005 has been Zack Baker.

Four New Fire Trucks Drive Into County

Sirens wailed and red lights flashed as four shiny new fire trucks traveled down Ronald Reagan Drive to the Evans Government Complex on May 23 to a waiting and eager crowd. As the trucks lined up in the parking lot, Pam Tucker, Columbia County's Emergency Services Division director, couldn't stop smiling.

Chairman Leaves Authority and County Development Group Will Vote On Successor

It was a true bon voyage for Bill Coleman on May 24. Just hours after a special gathering at the Evans Government Complex to recognize Coleman's final meeting as Columbia County's Development Authority chairman, he boarded a plane headed to Paris for a long vacation.

Committee Oks Pizza Joint's Request Alcohol Application Goes for Vote

An alcohol application for Columbia County's newest pizza restaurant was approved at a Planning and Engineering Committee meeting May 23 and will be voted on by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its Thursday meeting. The Pizza Joint filed the application for its second location, which will be on the site of the former Fat Man's West building on Washington Road in Evans. Restaurant owner Michael Schepis opened his first location on Broad Street in December 1996.

Merriweather Awaits New Challenges at Citadel Greenbrier Athlete Drew Heavy Notice

Not even a pulled hamstring could keep Wesley Merriweather from running at the regional track meet. The Greenbrier senior who pulled his hamstring at Lakeside's meet in mid-April remained out for the season until he came through in the clutch for his Wolfpack teammates.

Training Aids Eating Habits Researchers Say Nutrition Lessons Pay Off for Young

WASHINGTON - Simple child-friendly training in good nutrition got 8- to 10-year-olds to eat healthier for three years, although snacks, desserts and pizza still make up an astonishing third of the youngsters' diets, researchers reported Wednesday. It's the biggest study ever to track the impact of childhood nutrition education, and it backs a major new government campaign that aims to keep preteens from getting fat by using some of the same tactics - through training programs and real-world t...

Slave Work On Capitol Draws Study

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol was built with the labor of slaves who cut the logs, laid the stones and baked the bricks. Two centuries later, Congress has decided the world should know. Congressional leaders on Tuesday announced the creation of a task force to study the history of slave labor in the construction of the Capitol and suggest how it can best be commemorated.

School's Out of Business Privatization Experiment Fails in Pennsylvania Town

CHESTER, Pa. - Pennsylvania's first major experiment in school privatization is coming to an ugly end in Chester, a poverty- stricken city of abandoned buildings, vacant lots and closed-down shipyards on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Edison Schools, a for-profit company hired four years ago to run eight of the city's nine schools, is pulling out in June, partly because it has not been paid about $4 million in fees.

`Mr. Israel' Condemns Policy On Settlements

JERUSALEM - Israel's Walter Cronkite, a respected TV journalist who has delivered the main evening news since 1968, has stepped out from behind the shield of measured neutrality with an angry indictment of Israel's settlement policy and occupation of the Palestinians. Haim Yavin's five-part documentary - part one was broadcast Tuesday - prompted calls from settlers for his dismissal, but it could also mark a watershed in how the nation views its four-decade rule over Palestinians.

Iraqi Governor's Body Is Found

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The kidnapped governor of volatile Anbar province was found dead after a fierce battle between U.S. forces and foreign fighters, a government spokesman said Tuesday. The insurgency, which is believed to be strongly backed by radical Sunni extremists, has killed more than 760 people in the past month.

Rejection in Dutch Vote Could Doom Constitution

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Dutch voters could deliver a death blow to the European constitution if they reject the charter in a referendum today, and polls suggest they will do so by a larger margin than the stunning "no" from the French. A resounding "nee" by the Dutch would leave European leaders scrambling to explain where they went wrong when they gather in two weeks to assess the votes.

Your Health

Tobacco companies sought to hook women BOSTON - Tobacco companies did elaborate research on women to figure out how to hook them on smoking - even toying with the idea of chocolate-flavored cigarettes that would curb appetite, according to a new analysis.

Night Sessions End Backlog in Magistrate Court Scheduling Conflicts Delayed Civil Cases

When Columbia County Chief Magistrate Judge Wade Padgett took over in January, there was a backlog of civil cases with ongoing scheduling conflicts. With the start of night court, though, officials say such problems are gone.

Dogs Return to Family Neighbor Helps Find Woman's Best Friends

Amanda Anderson never expected to see her two dogs again after discovering them missing from her Harlem back yard May 16. "Honestly, what I was thinking is that they dug out or slipped through a hole or crack or something and got loose and somebody saw them and said, `There's two dogs,' and took them," Anderson said.

Cooling Center Prepare Lounge Area, Tv Ready for Summer

With summer almost here, Pam Tucker, the director of the county's Emergency Services Division, says there's help for Columbia County residents to beat the heat. Beginning today, three cooling centers will be set up in the county to offer the public refuge from the sun's scorching rays. The centers, which are handicapped accessible, will operate until Sept. 30.