Lexington High School student Camila Rivera de Jesús received a $40,000 scholarship from Amazon to study computer science or engineering in the fall.

She will also have a paid internship opportunity at Amazon that she can do after her freshman year of college.

She is one of 400 students nationwide and one of two South Carolina students to receive this award.

Rivera will be attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a member of the Commonwealth Honor College and will be studying computer science starting in fall 2024.

Her future plans include completing the Amazon internship and then specializing in Machine Learning and conducting research at the collegiate level. Her goal is to continue to mentor and improve accessibility in the stem field.

“We are so proud of Camila. She is a fabulous student and we know she will go far in life," Lexington High School Interim Principal Ann O’Cain said in the press release.

Wire Road fatality identity revealed

Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher has identified Christopher Lee Wingard as the victim of a motorcycle fatality that occured on Juniper Springs Road on the evening of April 26.

Wingard, 39, a resident of Leesville, S.C., was riding his motorcycle going southbound when he stopped in the roadway. An SUV traveling in the same direction struck the back of the motorcycle, according to the press release.

Wingard was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to injuries sustained from the collision.

Special needs patients receive aid from oral health grants

More than 800 patients with special-needs have been able to receive important dental care this past year through Prisma Health-Midlands after multiple oral health grants from Delta Dental of South Carolina.

Prisma Health’s Department of Dentistry was able to purchase three procedure chairs with tilt and lift capabilities, a lift system for one of the procedure rooms, a mobile x-ray machine and intraoral sensors for digital imaging using the provided funding.

These purchases were able to better patient care as well as increase the dental department’s patient capacity.

One parent whose son received treatment said in the press release that they  “appreciate everything that Prisma dentistry did to help my disabled son.”

Cindy Nichols, chair of the dentistry department at Prisma Health said that they were grateful to Delta Dental for the funding.

“We are incredibly thankful to Delta Dental of South Carolina for this grant opportunity to help us serve the high volume of special needs patients we treat annually,” Nichols was quoted saying in the press release.

Deputies seeking tips on deadly Swansea shooting

Lexington County sheriff deputies are seeking tips from the public after a deadly shooting on April 28 at Amici Tavern in Swansea.

Deputies responded to a call at 3:20 a.m. on April 28 after two men were reported to be arguing in the bar before moving outside.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said that after reviewing footage and interviewing witnesses, they still are missing information.

“Based on what we’ve gathered, one man shot another man in the parking lot,” Koon said in the press release. “The shooter drove away in an unknown car while the victim was driven by friends down the road a short distance where they met EMS.”

Anyone who has information can use the Midlands Crimestoppers mobile app and those who provide information that leads to an arrest could potentially be eligible for a cash reward, according to the press release.

The Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fischer has announced the name of the man killed at the tavern.

Rodney McKensey James Jr., 23, of Wagener, S.C., was transported to an area hospital after the shooting where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds, the press release read.

RoCATS team competing in national rocket competition

Student rocket engineers from the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) in Lexington and Richland Counties School District Five have qualified to compete in a national rocket competition.

The American Rocket Competition is one of the largest and most prestigious rocketry competitions in the country. Only the top 100 teams out of a field of over 5,000 are invited to compete.

The team, known as the RoCATS, received a score of 18 from their two qualifying flights and also achieved perfect timing scores from the judges.

“Meeting the precise requirements of altitude and flight duration with our handmade rockets while ensuring the safety of our egg payload was exhilarating,” Ethan Ellis, a senior member of the RocCATS, said in the press release.

The RoCats will compete on May 18, 2024 in Great Plains, Va. If the team wins the national competition, they will be invited to compete this summer at the International Rocketry Challenge in London as representatives of the United States.

Irmo man arrested on multiple drug charges

Lexington County narcotics agents arrested an Irmo resident on multiple drug charges during a traffic stop on Interstate 20.

Stewart Jamal Stroman was pulled over on April 24 for a routine traffic stop and was detained after the deputy learned his identity due to multiple arrest warrants being out for him.

Stroman was charged with multiple counts of trafficking meth greater than 400 grams, trafficking fentanyl and criminal conspiracy among other drug charges, the press release and arrest warrants read.

Stroman was denied bond by a magistrate judge.