Local crime, high school sports, county politics, events tonight, and business closings — the daily Midlands report from HERE Lexington.
From the HERE City National DeskCINCINNATI — Todd Benzinger, the first baseman whose catch in foul territory ended the Cincinnati Reds' four-game sweep of Oakland in the 1990 World Series, has died at age 63, the Reds announced Thursday. The club said Benzinger died Wednesday. No cause of death was…
From the HERE City National DeskPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Philadelphia 76ers fell behind by 29 points in their home opener Thursday night and still walked off the floor winners, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-106. Cleveland owned the first half, scoring 35 points in the opening quarter and 34 more in…
From the HERE City National DeskCHICAGO, Ill. — Caleb Williams outdueled Drake Maye on Thursday night, throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns as the Chicago Bears beat the New England Patriots 30-24 at Soldier Field. Williams hit on 22 of 33 throws, his second start since returning from a…
From the HERE City National DeskMILWAUKEE — Three players who will not be in uniform for the Brewers-Rays World Series will still be part of it: Major League Baseball said Thursday that Boston pitcher Payton Tolle, veteran infielder Miguel Rojas and Toronto's Ernie Clement will work as player correspondents. Tolle…
From the HERE City National DeskNEW YORK — Sarah Strong of UConn and Southern California guard Watkins, the last two national players of the year, top the preseason All-America women's basketball team released Thursday by the national media panel. Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo, Texas forward Madison Booker and Vanderbilt…
From the HERE City National DeskPHILADELPHIA, Pa. — LeBron James brushed aside President Donald Trump's latest attack Thursday night, laughing off the criticism after the Philadelphia 76ers rallied past Cleveland and suggesting it must have been a slow day for news. Earlier Thursday, Trump posted a video on social media…
From the HERE City National DeskMILWAUKEE — The Brewers and Rays open the World Series on Friday night with a labor fight hanging over the sport: if owners and players cannot agree on a new contract, these could be the final big league games for months. The current five-year collective…
From the HERE City National DeskBATON ROUGE, La. — Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, in his first season as head football coach at Southern University, has disclosed that he is living with Parkinson's disease. Faulk, 53, revealed the diagnosis as a guest on The Caring Neurologist, a podcast…
From the HERE City National DeskNEW YORK — JJ Watt is staying in the top chair. The former Houston Texans star signed a multiyear agreement Thursday that makes him the permanent lead analyst on his network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team, next to play-by-play voice Jim Nantz and sideline reporter…
From the HERE City National DeskCLEVELAND — Two right-handed relievers who spent part of 2026 in the Cleveland Guardians bullpen are heading to the open market. Minor league transaction records show Connor Brogdon and Carlos Hernández both opted for free agency this week, shortly after Tampa Bay eliminated Cleveland in…
From the HERE City National DeskKANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd believes the NCAA is content to let the fight over player eligibility stay messy, arguing the disorder helps the governing body lobby for a federal law. Speaking at Big 12 media days this week, Lloyd…
From the HERE City National DeskINDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — As a new college basketball season tips off, teams across the country are chasing a bigger prize: the NCAA's men's and women's tournaments will each grow from 68 teams to 76 in 2027, and nobody yet knows exactly which schools the extra…
Education
LEXINGTON, S.C. — Lexington County School District One has a new person lined up to run its money. Trustees voted at their Oct. 20 board meeting in Lexington to hire Shelley Sharpe Allen as chief financial officer. Allen comes over from neighboring Lexington School District Four, where she has been…
From the HERE City State Desk
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A statewide program that puts undergraduates in biomedical labs across South Carolina has secured another five years of federal money, and it is adding more campuses. The National Institutes of Health has awarded $21.3 million to renew SC INBRE, the state's branch of the federal IDeA biomedical…
Business
LEXINGTON, S.C. — First Community Corp., the Lexington company that owns First Community Bank, said Wednesday that it earned $8 million in the third quarter, beating what analysts had projected. The bank reported 85 cents per share for the period. Leaving out costs tied to mergers and acquisitions, the figure…
Crime
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A former Lexington pastor now faces federal charges after a grand jury in Columbia handed up a nine-count indictment tied to child sexual abuse material. Richard Shealy, 54, is accused of producing, distributing and possessing the material. Federal prosecutors allege that, using a peer-to-peer network in February…
Crime
LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — State agents have charged a Lexington County woman with forgery, saying she backed an insurance claim with a hospital bill that never existed. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division charged Shante Bethel, 43, on Monday with forgery involving $10,000 or more. Agents took her to the…
From the HERE City National Desk
NAGQU, Tibet — A powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked a remote, high-altitude stretch of China's Tibet region late Thursday, leaving 16 people dead and 76 others hurt, local officials said Friday. The quake hit Baqen County in the city of Nagqu at 10:33 p.m. local time. Officials with the Nagqu…
From the HERE City State Desk
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive order Thursday setting up a new statewide panel to coordinate how South Carolina protects its open land, wildlife, historic places and cultural heritage. Executive Order 2026-24 creates the Governor's Conservation Commission, an advisory group meant to get state agencies, local governments,…
From the HERE City State Desk
COLUMBIA, S.C. — More than 280,000 South Carolinians have already voted, the state's newest turnout figures show after three days of in-person early voting. Wednesday drew 88,108 voters, about 6% fewer than the 93,877 on Tuesday. The state also corrected Monday's opening-day count upward by 161, to 98,129, bringing the…
From the HERE City State Desk
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Anderson County deputies are investigating an assault complaint from President Donald Trump's campaign rally near Clemson this week, after protesters repeatedly interrupted his speech and several scuffles broke out in the crowd. The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said two incident reports came out of the Oct. 21…
From the HERE City National Desk
LYON, France — Health officials in France have confirmed the first known human infection with Shamonda, a virus that until this year had only been documented in animals, mainly cattle. The patient had a badly weakened immune system and was being treated for a serious illness at the Hospices Civils…
From the HERE City National Desk
KINSHASA, Congo — The Ebola outbreak centered in Congo keeps widening, with confirmed cases now above 9,600 and the disease reaching an eighth Congolese province as well as a new country, Nigeria. World Health Organization figures through Oct. 19 count 9,637 confirmed cases and 4,646 confirmed deaths since the outbreak…
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