Container hits truck, kills Edgefield man

An Edgefield man was killed Monday when the Ford truck he was driving was crushed by a tractor-trailer container unit.

The unit had been knocked aside when the tractor-trailer collided with an old train trestle entering Edgefield.

Officials said 27-year-old Jeremy Jay was killed instantly. It is the second fatality on Edgefield County roads this year.

Power outage caused by road work is brief

Road construction crews knocked out power to about 220 Georgia Power customers Monday afternoon in the area of Harper Street and Walton Way. Georgia Power spokesman Jeff Wilson said the outage lasted about 23 minutes and that it was back on at 2:30 p.m.

Pupils can brush up on math at week's events

Richmond County students will participate in math events this week.

The 2009 Arnold Ross Lecture for skilled high school math students begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the National Science Center's Fort Discovery. A "Who Wants to Be a Mathematician" contest will be at 11:15 a.m.

Gracewood Elementary will hold Get Spooky with Math and Science Night from 6-8 p.m. Thursday. On Friday, Lamar Milledge Elementary will hold Spooktacular Math Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information on the Lamar event, call (706) 737-7262.

First day of advance balloting draws 271

Monday's opening of satellite voting centers proved popular in Richmond County. The first day of advance voting saw numbers almost match the three previous weeks of turnout at the downtown Board of Elections Office.

According to the elections board, 271 voters cast ballots Monday with the opening of precincts at both the Warren Road and Henry Brigham centers.

The centers will remain open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday. They can also vote at the main office downtown.

Reserve officer killed in two-vehicle crash

A reserve officer with the New Ellenton Police Department was killed in a two-vehicle crash Monday morning.

Coroner Tim Carlton said Joseph D. Randall, 52, of Williston, S.C., died in the crash. Mr. Randall was driving north on Old Barnwell Road about 9:30 a.m. when he lost control of his 2005 Suzuki motorcycle and slid into the southbound lane, the coroner said. He was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Mr. Randall was pronounced dead at the scene at 10 a.m. The crash is being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Aiken County Coroner's Office, Mr. Carlton said. Toxicology reports are pending.

According to Mr. Carlton, this is the 32nd fatal crash in Aiken County this year.

Vandalism reported at Windsor Spring school

Windsor Spring Elementary School was vandalized over the weekend, according to a Richmond County sheriff's report.

Someone broke in through a door between 3 p.m. Friday and 6:30 a.m. Monday, according to the report. The vandal spread blue and green paint throughout the hallways and walls of the school. Several classrooms appeared to have been ransacked, but it was not known whether anything was stolen.

No alarms were activated. Damage is estimated at $1,500.

Augusta Commission candidates to debate

TalkRadio 1230 WNRR will sponsor a debate for each of the three contested Augusta Commission seats at 6:30 p.m. today at the Imperial Theatre.

There is no charge for the public event. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the debates will start with the District 5 race, followed by the District 3 race and then the District 1 race.

Richmond County Traffic

Crews will close Eisenhower Drive at the railroad crossing from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Wednesday. CSX will be rebuilding the crossing, according to a Richmond County Engineering Department news release. It will also be closing a lane on River Watch Parkway eastbound near the area of Lyndale School to allow those who work in the area to exit using a newly constructed back exit.