Personal Injury Attorney in Aiken, SC

Dr. Jeffrey Boswell, director of anesthesia services for Aiken Physicians Alliance and an assistant clinical professor at the USC School of Medicine, was named USC Aiken's Alumnus of the Year at the university’s inaugural All Schools Gala on Nov. 8.

“It’s an unbelievable honor to have been considered among such a great company of highly qualified nominees. I’m overwhelmed that I happened to be selected,” said Boswell, who holds two degrees in nursing from USC Aiken.

Tim Behling, founder and chief executive officer of Successteam Foundation for Youth Development, was named Outstanding Recent Alumnus.

“Receiving an alumni award as a first-generation college graduate, growing up in a household where college wasn’t necessarily preached or advocated for, is amazing. Receiving this honor means a lot to me. To go from first-gen to alumni award recipient means a lot,” said Behling, who graduated with a degree in business administration in 2018.

“If you can graduate from college, pretty much you can do anything. Any challenge that you take on that isn’t familiar to you, it really just sets you up for success,” Behling said.

Awards also were presented to an outstanding alumnus from each of the university’s two colleges and three professional schools.

Jenny Gilmore, an instructor, PhD student and research assistant at North Carolina State University, was named Alumnus of the Year for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

A 2014 graduate with a degree in English, she now studies public administration at the doctoral level. She teaches an introductory class about nonprofits and researches nonprofit service delivery to vulnerable populations, particularly survivors of intimate partner violence.

“Aiken’s vast network of nonprofits helped me survive a lot of things and become resilient and become a public servant,” Gilmore said.

“It feels surreal,” she said about receiving the award. “I cried when I was walking to the stage.”

“We drove all the way down from Raleigh yesterday to come celebrate with the community,” said Gilmore, who previously served on the university’s Alumni Board.

Theodius Oates III was named Alumnus of the Year for the College of Sciences and Engineering. A doctor of physical therapy for Veterans Affairs, he graduated in 2008 with a degree in exercise science.

“When you’re doing things in life, you kind of just do it because you want to help people, and to know that people are noticing that, it’s always a blessing,” Oates said.

He said it was gratifying to see “how great people can do in their careers… even from a small school.”

“As long as you have the drive and the will, you can pretty much accomplish anything,” Oates said.

Briana Aaron was named Alumnus of the Year for the School of Nursing. A 2014 graduate, she is a nursing instructor at USCA and is pursuing a PhD in nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina.

“It feels great to be recognized for all the hard work,” Aaron said. “I think as a faculty member and as a nurse, too, it’s really good always to give back.”

Bridget Coleman was named Alumnus of the Year for the School of Education. Coleman is a professor at USC Aiken and a dual graduate, receiving a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1991 and a master's in elementary education in 1999.

As president of the National Association of Professors of Middle Education, she was attending a conference in Nashville, Tenn., and was unable to be at the awards ceremony but provided a statement that was read to the audience.

“I take pride in being a double-legacy USCA alumna. Thank you for honoring me and the accomplishments of my career. It all started right here at USC Aiken,” she said.

Allison Lanier was named Alumnus of the Year for the School of Business. She is director of client engagement for GMB, which provides marketing, branding, architectural, engineering and consulting services to educational institutions. She is a 2010 graduate of USCA.

Catherine Fanchette, president of the USCA alumni board, presented scholarship to two students, freshman Jovie Grace Brown and senior Jazavia Peeples.

“In the past five years we have grown exponentially in the opportunities that we afford students as well as the events including our alumni and recognizing them. I’m very happy to be a part of it,” said Fanchette, who is coordinator for educator effectiveness, recruitment and retention for the Colleton Country School District.

Dr. Dan Heimmermann, chancellor of USCA, said alumni support is a crucial component of the university’s success.

“There are so many ways that our alumni can give back," he said. "Whether you’re interested in making financial contributions, mentoring students, or offering a few words of encouragement, every bit of support helps the future of our university, and the future of our community, state and nation.”

Tired of looking at downed trees and piles of debris?

If your answer is yes, the latest news isn’t good.

Based on what S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken, told the Rotary Club of Aiken on Dec. 2, the reminders of Tropical Storm Helene are going to be around long past the holidays in some areas because the cleanup is “a slow process.”

One reason is the large size of the trees Helene knocked down while passing to the west of Aiken County in late September.

Aiken Area News

They “can’t be removed without special equipment,” and “there is a limited pool of contractors who are out there who have this type of equipment,” Young said.

The contractors also need to “know what FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) requires,” according to Young.

In addition, this limited pool of contractors is spread among five states that suffered major damage from Helene, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida.

Then Milton made landfall in the Sunshine State as a Category 3 hurricane Oct. 9, providing contractors with even more work to do in the Southeast.

“All of those factors are influencing the rate that this debris is picked up,” Young said.

In a Nov. 21 letter to state legislators, S.C. Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell wrote that debris removal “will not be a problem that will be completely solved by the end of the year.”

According to an initial estimate by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, there was 2 million cubic feet of debris that had to be cleaned up in South Carolina following Helene.

Powell wrote that 1.1 million cubic feet had been removed as of Nov. 21.

“At present, we have 98 SCDOT (S.C. Department of Transportation) crews and 214 contractor units working on this issue,” Powell told legislators.

“We have been encouraged by more subcontractors with larger equipment becoming available in the last couple of weeks,” he also wrote.

During the upcoming session of the South Carolina legislature, which is scheduled to begin next year on Jan. 14, “there will probably be some type of financial package that will have to be passed to assist local governments with hurricane recovery,” said Young during his Dec. 2 speech to the Rotary Club.

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Aiken County continues to go back and forth on a burn ban.

Late last month, Belvedere firefighters called on the Aiken County Council to enact an emergency burn ban after a weeks-long drought and debris piles stacked high.

The council agreed, and last week, they implemented a county-wide burn ban that was supposed to be in effect until November 19.

But over the weekend, emails and Facebook posts saying otherwise caused some confusion.

It’s now still in effect, but we explain why some firefighters say it’s still needed.

Belvedere firefighters received nearly 60 calls in October — all from debris-related fires.

Local group helps clean up biking trails after Helene

If you mountain bike around the CSRA, you know about SORBA — the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.

That’s why Chief Chad Hyler asked the Aiken County Council for the emergency burn ban.

“We have neighbors who don’t want to go to sleep at night because they’re worried about people burning 24 hours a day,” said Hyler.

Aiken County Department of Emergency Management and the Aiken County government shared a Facebook post over the weekend saying the ban was lifted even though the council had not voted on it.

Gary Bunker is the Aiken County council chairman, and he says there was confusion among senior management.

Hyler and the Forestry Commission say bans are implemented based on rain, wind and other weather conditions.

“Now, we’ve got all this rain, people are wanting to burn. Some are still scared of it because stuff does dry out,” said Hyler.

But Hyler says rain, or lack of rain, isn’t necessarily their main problem.

Nonprofits work to regroup after Helene

Local non-profit organizations are left figuring out what’s next after having to cancel large fundraisers because of Hurricane Helene.

Their main issue is not being able to access resources.

He also says for many of them, this isn’t their only job.

“Most folks are working eight to five shift jobs. Without having those volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Hyler.

Bunker says he wasn’t aware of the Facebook posts saying the ban was lifted.

After we spoke with him and the EMS director, the post on Facebook was deleted.

Belvedere isn’t the only fire station battling this issue.

Wagener Fire Chief Tillman Rushton said: “Was riding down the road and just saw a bunch of smoke behind the house, and then when speaking to the homeowner, he let us know that he was cleaning up storm debris and burning it, and when he came back home today his whole backyard was back on fire.”

Hyler says some streets are still hard for them to get to because of the debris.

They’ve also seen nearly $50,000 worth of property damage since October, which is why he wants to make sure you know the ban is still in place.

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The founder of Prime Steakhouse is no longer at the helm of the downtown Aiken business

Randy Stamm recently sold the popular restaurant, which has been serving local diners and visitors to the city for 15 years and is still going strong at 316 Richland Ave. West.

“It really boils down to something pretty simple,” said Stamm in a telephone interview. “I’m 65 years old, and there comes a time when you have to walk away. At my age, how many hours a day can I [continue to] work? I would go to work at 5 o’clock in the morning, and I would get done at 8 o’clock at night. There’s a limit to what one person can do.”

Stamm began helping out at his family’s New York City steakhouses when he was a teenager. In the early 1980s, he went out on his own.

Aiken Area Business

During his long career, Stamm has operated nearly 40 eateries.

“When I came to Aiken, I had no intention of opening another restaurant,” Stamm said. “I was here to take care of my mother. But I figured if I’m going to be in a small town, what’s one more? And I have had two since I’ve been here.”

In July 2009, Stamm launched Prime Steakhouse in the former home of the Sugar Magnolia Cafe.

Back then, when the business was known as Prime Steak & Lobster, Stamm described the restaurant as a “classic big-city steakhouse.”

The beef “is prime grade and has been aged at least 28 days,” he told the Aiken Standard. “All the lobster is flown in fresh daily from New England.”

Other items on the menu included creamed spinach, homemade onion rings and family-style salads.

In 2016, Stamm opened Nonna’s in Edgefield. The focus there was on Northern Italian cuisine, and baked lasagna, grilled sausage giambotta and three types of parmigiana — eggplant, chicken and veal — were among the entrees.

Aiken Area Business

Nonna’s no longer is in business.

“I went out on top,” said Stamm of his decision to sell Prime Steakhouse. “Somebody made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Stamm told the Aiken Standard that the buyer was an “Aiken restaurant group.”

According to multiple sources, however, the new owners are entrepreneur Norman Dunagan and undisclosed partners.

Dunagan did not respond to requests for comment prior to the deadline for this story’s publication.

Aiken County land records show that Heritage Aiken Properties LLC purchased Prime Steakhouse’s real estate from Stamm for $850,000 on Oct. 15.

The registered agent for Heritage Aiken Properties is Aiken attorney Christopher Austin, who is Austin and Pethick law firm’s CEO and principal shareholder.

“We did this thing with a handshake back in June and we negotiated all summer long because I wanted to make sure my employees were taken care of,” Stamm said. “It was important to me that they would still have jobs in this economy.”

Stamm has been enjoying himself since he sold Prime Steakhouse.

“All the wonderful people who supported me in Aiken for 15 years, them I miss,” he said. “But to be honest with you, in the last week or so, I don’t miss it (Prime Steakhouse) at all. I don’t miss getting up at 5 o’clock every morning to go and meet trucks, you know. It’s the toughest business out there. You’ve got to be married to it.”

Stamm told the Aiken Standard that he has plans to “do something else in the restaurant business, but not owning a restaurant for right now. “It will be on my own terms and my own time,” he added.

Stamm, who has a beach house in the Beaufort area, didn’t rule out someday opening an eatery on the South Carolina coast.

For more information about Prime Steakhouse, call 803-642-4488 or visit primesteakhouseaiken.com.