Friday, May 17, 2013
Biggest month-to-month drop in 25 years.
The unemployment rate in South Carolina fell from 8.4 percent in March to 8.0 in April, according to the latest report from the Department of Employment and Workforce. The month-to-month decrease is the largest since May of 1987 and the overall unemployment rate is now the lowest it's been since October 2008. Since April 2012 more than 26,000 jobs have been added to South Carolina's economy. All 46 counties added jobs in the last month and three counties--Charleston, Greenville and Lexington--now have unemployment rates below 6 percent. Four counties saw their rates drop a full point since March--Marion, Horry, Barnwell and York. "This drop in unemployment is yet another piece of great news for South Carolina," said Governor Nikki Haley…
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Crews are about half finished with a beach renourishment and stabilization project at the Folly Beach County Park
A huge barge slowly powers back and forth in the Folly River dumping tons of sand back onto the beach at the southwest tip of Folly Beach. The barge has been sucking sand from a large sand bar in the river since May 5 and pumping it back onto the beach. When it's finished it will have shifted as much as 415,000 cubic yards of sand from the riverbed to the beach. "It was sand that came from the beach and into the river," Assistant Director of Capital Projects for Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission Andy Hammill said. "We'll be pumping sand until the end of May." Meanwhile crews with TIC (The Industrial Company) are busy building a 745-foot long terminal groin (so named because there is no more beach beyond the groin) to keep …
Palmetto State ranks last along with five others.
The Center for Public Integrity, a government watchdog group that monitors, among other things, transparency in campaign financing, has given South Carolina an “F” on its latest report card. The states were asked the five questions below and given grades on their responses: South Carolina received the lowest possible score, a zero. Only five other states were as low—Alabama, Indiana, New Mexico, New York and North Dakota. The report notes that most states have less stringent campaign finance reporting rules and they often receive less media coverage. View the full report here. In the Palmetto State, groups not linked to a candidate are not required to disclose how much was given to them or by whom. Nor are they required to disclose how …
But Haley said the charges are baseless and use of plane was approved by State Ethics Commission.
UPDATED: 4:45 p.m. The state planes are once again a source of controversy. After Democrats accused Gov. Nikki Haley of using a state plane to transport a videographer for political purposes, the spokesman for the governor said she violated no ethics laws. Rob Godfrey, citing Cathy Hazlewood of the State Ethics Commission in a February email, said, “A videographer is a legitimate expense for the Governor’s office, so it is also a legitimate expense to be paid from her campaign funds pursuant to 8-13-1348(A).” Sen. Joel Lourie (D-Richland) who was one of four Democrats at a Statehouse press conference on Thursday morning, said that though Haley may not be in violation of the letter of the law, she was breaking the spirit of it. Lourie …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Oath administered by House Speaker John Boehner.
The journey back to public life for Mark Sanford was made complete today when he was sworn into Congress Sanford was sworn in by House Speaker John Boehner in the Capital Building in Washington, DC. He spoke briefly after the ceremony and was joined on the House floor by members of the Congressional delegation. "I stand before you with a whole new appreciation, indeed for a god of second chances and how in the events of our life, up our down, how we can be redefined as human beings," Sanford said, in part. View the entire speech HERE. Sanford previously served three terms in the House from 1995-2001 and will pick up his tenure, putting him in the top half of lawmakers in terms of seniority. However, Sanford is not expected to land a seat …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Say bi-partisan effort should be an example for the House.
In a press conference at the Statehouse on Tuesday, Treasurer Curtis Loftis and Sen. Vincent Sheheen (D-Kershaw) announced the need to establish a special fund that would compensate victims of the Department of Revenue’s cybersecurity breach last September. Loftis and Sheheen made the announcement as the House begins deliberations over the budget. The measure they called for would require an amendment to the existing budget bill. In order to be reimbursed from the fund, a South Carolina taxpayer would have to submit a claim to the Treasurer’s office and proof that a financial loss occurred as a result of the breach. More than six million people may have been affected by the hack. Read Patch's coverage of it HERE. Last month, Sheheen …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Suggests November election results might have been different.
Lindsey Graham learned a long time ago that a politician who tries to please everyone doesn’t stay a politician for long. He’s the rare elected official who can infuriate and pander to the same group of people within a matter of minutes. Considering he is up for re-election next year, it might seem prudent for Graham to dial back the rhetoric, but if Monday is any indication that won’t be happening any time soon. That Graham, the one who sounds ready to impeach Barack Obama as quickly as he would talk fiscal policy with the President over dinner, was on full display during a session with the media in Greenville. On Benghazi “We still don’t know who changed the talking points, but they were unconnected to reality on the ground,” Graham …
The targeted groups (numbering in excess of 100) received greater scrutiny than others with different political views.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Newly elected Congressman faces personal and policy questions.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, newly elected congressman Mark Sanford had a sometimes testy exchange with host Chris Wallace. After asking him a series of qestions about policy, Wallace then asked Sanford about his fiancee Maria Belen Chapur, which Sanford refused to answer, wondering if he was being interviewed by the National Enquirer. Wallace then asked Sanford about his relatioship with other Republicans, given that the NRCC had abandoned him during the general election portion of the race. Sanford said he's eager to move on and, "the past is past." When Wallace inquired about any future offices Sanford might pursue the former governor said, in part, "My focus is to be the best possible congressman I can be for the First Congressional …
The SC Department of Transportation is holding a drop-in Tuesday at C.E. Williams to provide information and solicit comments on proposed improvements for the intersection of Hwy. 17 and Main Road.
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Sunday, May 12
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has scheduled a public information meeting on Tuesday, May 14, in Charleston County concerning the proposed US Hwy. 17 and Main Road intersection improvement. The meeting will run 6 - 8 p.m., at C.E. Williams Middle School cafeteria, at 640 Butte St., Charleston. The meeting will have a drop-in format with project displays available for viewing. Informal, written, and verbal comments will be collected during the meeting. The intersection has a high rate of vehicular collisions and experiences congestion. The proposed project is intended to improve safety and reduce travel delays through the intersection. The purpose of this meeting is to give attendees an opportunity to review and comment on …
stanley seigler
3:53 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
@treresa dillon re: the deficit is dropping rapidly from $1T to $775B thanks for the link...some clips: 'For four years, during and in the wake of the recession, the federal budget deficit ballooned to more than $1 trillion. But because of belt-tightening in Washington and a strengthening economy, it has started shrinking — and fast. 'Analysts started the year projecting that the deficit in the … more ›