Morning Answer Daily

GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – Greenville County Sheriff’s Office officials said one of the suspects in the Lavish Lounge nightclub shooting, who was arrested in Georgia on Monday, has been brought back to the Upstate to face charges.

We reported earlier that Jarquez Kezavion Cooper was arrested in Georgia Monday with assistance by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, the Secret Service and the FBI.

Cooper has been charged with two counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime...

ANDERSON CO., SC (WSPA) – The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said two people will be charged in connection with the 2015 death of baby Leonna Wright.

The sheriff’s office said one of the people who will be charged is already serving a prison sentence.

More information about the arrests is expected to be released by Sheriff Chad McBride during a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.

The arrest warrants were initially announced in a statement by Tenth Circuit Solicitor David Wagner.

Wagner released a statement saying that his office was asked to review the case prior to any decision to charge anyone but the sheriff’s office did not wait for the review to be completed before charging...

MAULDIN, SC (WSPA) – Dale Black resigned as mayor pro tem in Mauldin Monday night.

Mauldin City Mayor Terry Merritt confirmed during a news conference that Black had resigned as mayor pro tem, but said Black would remain on the city council.

Black’s resignation as mayor pro tem comes after The Concerned Citizens of Mauldin held a news conference calling for action over the city councilman’s social media post that reportedly compared the Confederate flag to the NAACP, Black History Month and a host of other organizations.

GREENVILLE CO., S.C. (WSPA) – Greenville County leaders are hoping to shut down a nightclub after a shooting there left two people dead and eight others injured.

The shooting happened early Sunday morning during a concert at Lavish Lounge on White Horse Road.

“This is a horrific situation. It’s a tragic event,” Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. “10 families have been affected right here in the Upstate, and it’s a horrible tagline to put on a place like Greenville.”

“We cannot have this type of activity going on anywhere–not just in district 25–anywhere in Greenville County,” Greenville County Councilman Ennis Fant added.

According to investigators, multiple people fired shots on and near the stage inside the club.

Now, investigators are looking for four persons of interest.

Sheriff Lewis said no guns should have been inside the club....

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested two people after they tried to destroy a monument of an avowed racist at the South Carolina Statehouse by setting it on fire with chemicals.

Investigators said they found the incendiary device around 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the foot of the “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman statue.

Authorities say the device contained thermite, a chemical mixture used in welding to melt pieces of metal to fuse them together.

SUMTER, S.C. (WSPA) – A pilot was killed Tuesday night in a plane crash at the Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter.

Shaw Air Force Base officials said the pilot was flying a F-16CM at about 11:30 p.m. during a routine training mission when the crash happened.

Officials said the pilot’s name will not be released for at least 24 hours after their family has been notified.

(AP) – In the latest move to change U.S. place names tied to racist groups and ideas, leaders of Orange County’s Democratic Party are pushing to drop film legend John Wayne’s name from the county’s airport because of his racist and bigoted comments.

The request was immediately contested by the head of the county’s Republican Party, who condemned the comments but touted Wayne’s contributions as an actor and philanthropist.

The Democratic Party of Orange County adopted a resolution last week condemning Wayne’s “racist and bigoted statements” in a 1971 interview and called on the county’s board of supervisors to drop his “name and likeness” from the airport. The resolution asked the board to restore the name to Orange County Airport...

CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) – The City of Clemson announced city council will have an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss an ordinance, which would require people to wear face masks within city limits to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

According to the ordinance, everyone would have to wear a mask or face covering in public places or settings within city limits.

The ordinance lists the following places and situations when people would be required to wear a mask:

• Inside any building open to the public, such as, but not limited to, grocery stores, pharmacies, business locations, home improvement stores, retail stores, service establishments, and medical and dental treatment facilities;
• Inside all City of Clemson buildings;

(Click on title for full article from WSPA)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Officials in the historic South Carolina city of Charleston voted unanimously Tuesday to remove a statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from a downtown square, the latest in a wave of actions arising from protests against racism and police brutality against African Americans.

Council members approved the measure 13-0 at a late-day meeting. The resolution authorizes the removal of the statue of the former U.S. vice president and senator from South Carolina from atop a 100-foot (30-meter) monument in downtown Marion Square...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WSPA) – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper ordered the removal of Confederate monuments on Capitol grounds in the interest of public safety, the governor’s office said Sunday.

In 2015, a law passed in North Carolina after the Charleston Emanuel AME Church killings, prevents the removal or relocation of objects of remembrance located on public property. While Cooper has called for the repeal of the law, it remains in effect.

The law does, however, include an exemption if the monument poses a threat to public safety.

“I have ordered the Confederate monuments on the Capitol grounds be moved to protect public safety,” Cooper stated in a news release Sunday. “I am concerned about the dangerous efforts to pull down and carry off large, heavy statues and the strong potential for violent clashes at the site. If the legislature had repealed their 2015 law that puts up legal roadblocks to removal we could have avoided the dangerous incidents of last night. Monuments to white supremacy don’t belong in places of allegiance, and it’s past time that these painful memorials be moved in a legal, safe way.” (Click on the title of this article from WSPA to continue reading)

GREENVILLE, SC (WSPA) -Greenville Police Department officials issued a statement Wednesday in regard to an incident that happened at an Upstate restaurant earlier this week.

We reported earlier that police were asking for the public’s help in identifying a driver of an SUV after an incident during Monday’s protest at Tanner’s Big Orange.

While dozens of protesters gathered outside of the restaurant, some said the driver of the SUV intentionally swerved at them while driving through the parking lot of the restaurant.

Police said earlier that they were not sure, they are investigating the incident and wanted to question the driver...

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Hear John Zeller's view of just what went on that lead to the Monday protests at his restaurant

(WSPA) – Dozens of people protested outside of a Greenville restaurant on Monday, saying the owner made some questionable comments on social media.

“I’ve always had very good relations with the black community here. People who know me know I’m not a racist,” the owner of Tanner’s Big Orange Restaurant, John Zeller, said.

John Zeller had to close his restaurant on Monday because of the demonstrators.

He said the post he made was “foolish, provocative, and inflammatory.” He then summarized it for us...

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Hear the story in John Zeller's words from his call to our very own Joey Hudson on The Morning Answer

UPDATE:SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR REST OF SCHOOL YEAR

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – First it was the hand sanitizer that was flying off shelves and now it’s a slew of other supplies like toilet paper. But some doctors 7 News talked to said it’s all a little much.

“Toilet paper, the bread wasn’t too much gone, tissue next,” Spartanburg resident and grocery delivery driver Daisha Hollis said.

Daisha Hollis is listing off what she’s seeing in area grocery stores or in some cases what’s missing.

She does a lot of shopping. In fact, it’s her job.

“People download an app on their phone, they order whatever they want. I go out, I shop it and I deliver it,” Hollis said...

From the NCAA to the NBA to NASCAR and MLB, even Disneyland, there are closures and postponements being announced seems almost every minute. Protecting each other from the coronavirus is the top priority. Here at 94.5 The Answer we are working to keep you as up to date as possible as to the status of events both here in the Upstate and around the US. Through the efforts of our host of The Morning Answer with Joey Hudson, we have been able to confirm that Greenville Triumph Soccer is postponing the start of the 2020 season. We have also received word that The Swamp Rabbits Hockey has been temporarily suspended as part of the EHL plan to help stem the spread of the virus.

Our friends at WSPA have compiled a list of Upstate events that have either been postponed or cancelled. Click the title of this post to see if your plans have been changed by COVID-19.

(AP) — South Carolina House Democrats warned their Republican colleagues who killed proposals Tuesday to give state employees an across-the-board raise that they are going to keep losing good workers.

They also hinted those remaining may decide they’ve had enough and take a page from teachers by rallying on a work day.

The $10 billion budget which was given key approval Tuesday by the full House offers $42 million in raises and bonuses, but sends that money to agency leaders to dole out as they wish.

The budget also provides a $3,000 raise for all teachers, $100 million for repairs to rural highways, $100 million to improve safety at state prisons and $128 million set aside so every South Carolina tax filer would get a $100 rebate...

Santee Cooper sale has also been a HOT topic in Columbia. Click here to listen to our conversation with Dr. Oran Smith of Palmetto Promise about the status this contentious situation.

(WSPA) – Republican Hobart Lewis has won the special election for Greenville County Sheriff in a landslide over Democrat Paul Guy.

Lewis won the race with over 75% of the vote in Tuesday’s election.

Lewis will take over the sheriff’s office from Interim Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown.

Brown was appointed to the position by Governor Henry McMaster after Sheriff Will Lewis was removed from office following a criminal conviction for statutory misconduct of a public officer...

Click this article to see the results.

(WSPA) – Greenville County Election Commission officials said they are taking precautions to protect voters heading to the polls Tuesday amid the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Greenville County Election Commission Director Conway Belangia, they will be sanitizing the voting machines before people start voting in the special election for Greenville County Sheriff, and then will sanitize again in the afternoon.

Belangia told us that they are currently working to put hand sanitizer in polling places, but said they are finding a hard time finding hand sanitizer....

(WSPA) – Health officials are investigating additional possible cases of the coronavirus in South Carolina, including one in Spartanburg County.

As of Sunday, four presumptive positive cases were identified after testing for the virus.

“DHEC received presumptive possible results for four additional people who were tested for the Coronavirus, COVID-19,” said State Epidemiologist, Dr. Linda Bell.

These cases are in addition to the two presumptive positive cases we reported earlier this week.

That brings the total number of presumptive positive cases to six in the state...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)- The City of Greenville is taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus.

No cases have been confirmed so far in South Carolina, but there are cases in all its neighboring states.

Greenville city leaders are taking steps to keep city employees healthy so they can continue to serve the community.

Greenville’s employees pick up trash, fight fires, help keep the community safe, maintain roads, drive buses, and keep parks beautiful.

“You want all those services to continue, and that starts with our employees staying healthy,” said Beth Brotherton, who is the director of communications for the city.