Irmo police chief suspended 4 days
Taking one day off without permission earned the Irmo police chief a four-weekday suspension last week, The State reported.
Chief Brian Buck was suspended without pay from Wednesday to Monday, town administrator Bob Brown told The State.
Brown would not reveal the exact reason Buck was suspended, saying it was not for any serious offense, but Irmo Mayor Hardy King said the suspension was given in part for taking a day off without approval, The State reported.
“Everybody has to have permission to take off,” King told The State. “He forgot to notify people he was taking it.”
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
City to buy Palmetto Compress Building
The Palmetto Compress Building will not be turned into student housing, but the city now plans to repurpose it on its own.
The historic warehouse building on Blossom Street will be purchased by the city, after a 6-1 vote by City Council Tuesday, WLTX reported.
The building has been the subject of much discussion recently after a developer’s plans to demolish the structure and build new student housing were heavily opposed by community members and rejected by the city’s Design/Development Review Commission.
The current owner still has a permit to demolish the building, even though it wouldn’t be developed as previously planned, according to WLTX. But Mayor Steve Benjamin said the space could be used by the city as a hotel or for entertainment space, WLTX reported.
---— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Colbert Busch wins District 1 primary
Elizabeth Colbert Busch won outright the 1st Congressional District Democratic nomination Tuesday night, and former Gov. Mark Sanford will be in a runoff for the district’s Republican nomination.
Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, was the overwhelming victor in Tuesday’s primary election, winning nearly 97 percent of the votes counted by 8:30 p.m., the Post and Courier reported.
Sanford led his party’s primary with 37 percent of the votes counted as of 9 p.m., according to the Post and Courier. His opponents were in a tight race to claim the remaining spot in the April 2 runoff, with Curtis Bostic holding nearly 12 percent of the vote, Andy Patrick 10 percent and Teddy Turner 9 percent, the Post and Courier reported.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor