Highway cleanup asks for volunteers today

A second south Augusta highway cleanup will be held this morning along both Gordon Highway and Deans Bridge Road, and Greater Augusta Progress is seeking volunteers.

The group will meet at 6:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Southgate Shopping Center. The Augusta Commission is providing orange vests and trash bags, and Krispy Kreme will provide doughnuts and coffee. Chef Red's Bar B Que will sell food, with part of its proceeds going to the cleanup project.

For more information, contact Greater Augusta Progress Chairman Henry Frischknecht at (706) 833-5079, or at henry@empiretree.com.

Bond was denied Friday for a man suspected of raping and trying to kill a woman in September.

Willie Lee Cuyler, 41, was arrested in connection with a Sept. 9 attack on a woman who allegedly escaped by jumping out of a moving car.

She told detectives that after she was raped her assailant bound her, beat her and told her he was going to throw her in the river.

Assistant District Attorney Anthony Nicastro said Friday that officers found blood and women's clothing at Mr. Cuyler's home after the woman reported the attack.

A 14-year-old boy charged with murder in his stepsister's shooting death pleaded not guilty Friday in Richmond County court.

Eric L. Whitehead faces murder and weapon charges as an adult. He has been held in a juvenile facility since his arrest in August.

Investigators contend Mr. Whitehead shot 22-year-old Patricia Troglen in the head Aug. 7 as she slept on a couch in the family's Neely Road home.

Deputies are searching for a man who robbed the Wachovia Bank on Wheeler Road on Friday afternoon.

According to police, the man entered the bank shortly before 1 p.m., showed a handgun and demanded money from the bank teller. Richmond County sheriff's Lt. Scott Gay said a dye pack hidden in the money exploded in the parking lot.

The robber is described as a 6-foot, 200-pound black man in his 40s with short dark hair and a slight beard that had gray in it. He fled in an older model, tan Chevrolet Suburban.

The body of a 54-year-old man was discovered near Warrenville on Friday morning.

According to a news release from Aiken Coroner Tim Carlton, Phillip Pennington, of Warrenville, died of natural causes. He was found by a passer-by near the intersection of Howlandville Road and South Carolina Highway 421 about 7 a.m.

Edgefield County Historical Society has published The Story of Edgefield , a 128-page, full-color visitor's guide.

The book includes a timeline of events in the county's history, histories of historical sites and biographical sketches of important people from Edgefield.

The book goes on sale Monday and will be sold in local outlets or can be ordered for $20 plus $3 shipping and handling from Edgefield County Historical Society, P.O. Box 174, Edgefield, SC 29824. Checks should be made payable to Edgefield County Historical Society.

Cooler weather is pushing Georgia whitetails toward the peak mating season, making them more active, more visible and more likely to become traffic hazards.

Columbia County's animal care and control office has -- as of this week -- recorded 480 such accidents for the year. There were 604 deer strikes in 2008, 366 in 2007 and 387 in 2006.

A Martinez teen was arrested Thursday and charged with bringing a knife to Evans High School.

Police charged Kendrick Dixon, 18, of the 600 block of Spencer Street, with having a weapon on school property.

Just after 8 a.m., a school media specialist confronted Mr. Dixon about possibly having electronics, which he denied. The specialist sent Mr. Dixon to the office, where the school safety officer found a 7-inch knife that fell from Mr. Dixon's pants, according to a Columbia County Sheriff's Office incident report.

He was released from the Columbia County Detention Center after posting a $2,600 bond, according to jail personnel.