Portland teen dies after OD, arrests made in SC

Hazmat crews were seen at the South Ridge Apartments in Greenville, SC during a synthetic drug bust, April 26, 2017 (WSPA)

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Federal prosecutors in South Carolina have charged two people with drug possession with the intent to distribute ‘U-47700,’ a deadly synthetic drug, after an Oregon teen died.

The investigation began Feb. 16 when police in Portland found an 18-year-old dead in her apartment from an apparent drug overdose, WSPA-TV & WYCW-TV reports. Evidence of U-47700 — also known as Pink — was found inside the residence and a parcel with a Greenville, South Carolina address.

An investigation involving the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Service and the Drugs and Vice Division from the Portland Police Bureau was launched.

Theodore Vitaliy Khleborod, 28, and and Ana Milena Barrero, 24, were arrested in South Carolina, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Moorman.

WSPA-TV & WYCW-TV reports that Khleboro has been under 24-hour surveillance for at least one week and was arrested Wednesday. Barrero was arrested walking from the post office back to her residence. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said she had 20 to 30 parcels on her at the time of her arrest.

During a federal search warrant, which was executed on Wednesday, officials found 9 kilograms of what is believed to be U-47700 and at least $25,000.

Khleborod and Barrero are facing charges of possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of U-47700, a Schedule I controlled substance, conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute U-47700, and using the U.S. Mail to facilitate a drug trafficking crime.

In November 2016, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration labeled U-47700 an “imminent threat to public health and safety.”

KOIN 6 News is working to learn more about this developing story.

WSPA-TV & WYCW-TV are sister stations with KOIN 6 News.

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Charleston officials push for affordable housing bill in the Statehouse, call situation a ‘crisis’

Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, has sponsored a bill that would allow local governments to pass ordinances requiring developers to include a percentage of affordable housing units in new projects or pay an additional development fee. File

COLUMBIA — As Charleston and other regions of the state continue to witness a boom in population and development, a new Statehouse bill aims to make it easier for local governments to prompt apartment developers into providing affordable housing.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and representatives from other South Carolina cities were at the Statehouse on Wednesday lobbying for the legislation that would allow local governments to require housing developers to either include a percentage of affordable units in new building projects, or pay an additional fee.

State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, D-Charleston, said he sponsored the bill because of what he calls an "affordable housing crisis" in the state.

With the Charleston peninsula and surrounding communities undergoing significant development, Kimpson said it can be difficult for public school teachers and medical school students, among others, to afford housing in Charleston County. The median price of a home in the county in March was $315,000.

There is nowhere to live for the average working-class person," Kimpson said.

After listening to Tecklenburg and officials from Greenville discuss the need for more affordable housing in their cities, a Senate subcommittee voted to move the legislation forward.

"They’ve recognizing the need, not only in Charleston, but around the state," Tecklenburg said after the vote. "This is the first step."

But with only a few weeks left on this year’s legislative calendar, the bill has very little chance of passing before state lawmakers leave for the year on May 11.

If the legislation receives enough traction to pass in 2018, it would give local governments the ability to enact zoning ordinances or permitting requirements mandating up to 25 percent of new housing units be priced as affordable housing. Statehouse sessions run for two years in South Carolina.

The bill also allows local governments that pass such ordinances to offer tax and permitting incentives for the housing developers that comply with the affordable housing goals, including jumping to the front of the line for zoning and permit review.

For developers not interested in pricing a percentage of their units so they can be purchased or rented by low- or moderate-income families, they can pay an additional development fee that would be put toward future affordable housing efforts.

Charleston has an opt-in zone that gives apartment developers more height and density in the upper peninsula if they choose to price 15 percent of their units below market rates for 10 years. Changes to the ordinance now under review aim to increase the number of units to 20 percent, which would remain affordable for 25 years.

Kimpson’s bill would allow the city to pass stronger regulations requiring apartment developers to include affordable units in their floor plans, rather than merely giving them that as an option.

Under the proposed bill, any individual or family making less than 80 percent of the local median income would be able to qualify for that affordable housing. On average statewide, that would include a family of four making up to $46,650 a year.

In Charleston County, where the median income is $68,800, it would include even more people.

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Firefighters: No fire at Greenville Co. apartments

Finding Apartments In Greenville SC That You Can Rent Right Away

A trip to Greenville in South Carolina should be one that you always remember. However, if you are living there, your main goal might be to find a new place of residence. If you are focused on finding an apartment for your very first place to live, or if you are trying to find something that is much larger, you can find apartments in Greenville SC using the following strategies that will help you find one that is affordable and spacious enough for all of your belongings.

How Do Most People Find Apartments In Greenville?

For most people, looking in the classifieds is the easiest thing to do area you will find many listings that come on from time to time. However, you may want to consider looking on websites that showcase all of the latest listings. They may also have special offers that are online only. This information can be obtained very quickly, plus additional information such as what other prior renters have had to say. There are going to be those that come with high recommendations, and the should be at the top of your list as you are determining which ones to apply for in the Greenville area.

Start Applying For Apartments In Greenville Today

The only way that you will ever be able to get an apartment in Greenville is to start searching for all of the available listings today. In a matter of a few hours, you will have submitted several applications, and you may hear back from these apartment complex managers in one or two days. Once you have at least one of them approve you, you will be able to relax. You will finally have a place to live in Greenville South Carolina that will be spacious and also affordable.

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