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*
Air crews expecting extra duty
Airmen deployed overseas from Charleston
Air Force Base will not be coming home any time soon, even though the U.S.-led
coalition is closer to ending Saddam Hussein's regime. Post
and Courier Fort Jackson lab makes eyeglasses for soldiers
It is the job of Master Sgt. Marc Campbell and his crew at Fort Jackson to make
sure the U.S. military has the eyewear it needs, especially during this time of
war. The
State - * Ft. Jackson soldiers return
home. WLTX-TV
Sumter
shows support for troops
Sumter has sent dozens of F-16 pilots, crew chiefs
and other personnel overseas during the past few months. WIS-TV,
* WLTX-TV 
Business leaders urge new vote for MLK holiday
Over 250 business and community leaders filled a huge room at the Palmetto Expo
Center Thursday, urging a call for seven Greenville County Council members to
reconsider their opposition to a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Greenville
News, The
State/AP, WYFF-TV,
*WHNS-TV
Investors owed millions
Carolina Investors'
20 largest unsecured creditors include Upstate citizens who are owed $18.6 million,
according to reports from US Bankruptcy Court records. Greenville
News, The
State, * Myrtle
Beach Sun News Greenville gets snow
Snow and rain
fell in the Greenville mountains on Thursday. Greenville
News Tax deadline
approaches
Deadline is April 15. The
State * Internet book purchases questioned
With
a decision that threatened the privacy of online purchases, a federal magistrate
in Charleston forced the nation's largest online bookseller on Thursday to turn
over its records of a Walterboro real estate broker's book purchases.
Spratt against budget plan
``The objective is
obvious,'' said South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, the top Democrat on the House
Budget Committee. ``It's to pass this budget as quickly as possible before people
realize the contents and, even worse, the consequences.'' NY
Times * Security chief reports progress
Homeland
Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Wednesday that while more needs to be accomplished
to keep the country safe, significant steps have been taken to better security.
Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, Thursday
Bill to aid renovations of historical
properties
Assisting local governments to entice people to renovate older
homes and buildings in decaying areas is the goal of legislation proposed by a
York County senator. Beaufort
Gazette * Charleston County faces lawsuit
The
tax system that once ran Charleston County governments went further into confusion
Thursday with a new threat of a lawsuit. Post
and Courier Dredge
bill challenged by Senator
State Sen. Scott Richardson told a Senate subcommittee
Thursday that if it approved a questionable bill that would remove state hurdles
to dumping dredge spoil from Sea Pines waterways and marinas into nearby Calibogue
Sound, he would stop the bill in its tracks. Hilton
Head Island Packet Homeowners to receive grants
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta's Affordable Housing Program gave the
Lowcountry Community Development Corp. a $447,000 grant to help struggling homeowners
in March. Hilton
Head Island Packet, * Propane problem
solved by bill
The State House approved a bill changing some technicalities
in statutes governing liquefied petroleum gas dealers that had threatened the
license of a John's Island supplier. Post
and Courier Senator wants hands off insurance fund
A Hilton Head Island senator thinks state budget writers should keep their hands
off of the state Insurance Reserve Fund. The
State/AP
Port partnership proposed
South Carolina legislators are considering
a deepwater port partnership with Georgia. Carolina
Morning News
Tourism numbers down
The Lowcountry
Visitors Center's director says flying is scarier now due to war, which vacations
close to home could become more popular. Carolina
Morning News Medical offices experience
healthy growth spurt
Economic ills have yet to slow Columbia's medical
office market. The
State * Bike week vendor permit sales
slowed
No one camped outside Horry County's government building Thursday
when vendor permits for the spring Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally went on sale.
Myrtle
Beach Sun News *
Wadmalaw tea farm purchased
R.C. Bigelow Tea purchased the Charleston
Tea Plantation at a court auction Thursday. Post
and Courier * Summerville furniture
supplier closing its doors
Wellington Home Products Inc., a Summerville
company that manufactures umbrellas and cushions for outdoor furniture, is closing
next month. Post
and Courier * Store has new owners
A
group of Swifty Serve convenience stores, which closed after the company went
bankrupt last fall, have reopened under new ownership. Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Sonoco recognized
Sonoco
was named by Business Ethics magazine as one of its "100 Best Corporate Citizens."
Florence
Morning News
Summer programs plagued by budget cuts
Summer
school classes and enrichment programs are being cut by Upstate districts as a
result of of state budget cuts. Greenville
News USC receives $1.2 million endowment
A former
University of South Carolina mathematics professor who died in 2002 is giving
back to her old department by way of a $1.2 million endowment. The
State Hootie and the Blowfish contributes to education program
Rock group Hootie and the Blowfish have donated $66,000 to a program that will
provide adults with computer skills, draws parents into schools and assists children
with reading. The
State/AP, * WCIV-TV/AP *
Lowcountry study stresses importance of preschool
Preschool programs
are essential to preparing students for school, and their importance in the Lowcountry
is being highlighted according a report released today at Trident United Way's
annual meeting. Post
and Courier Youth Court gets trial run
A mock trial conducted
by Tanglewood Middle students on Thursday was done to show students how a real
alternative court works — Youth Court, an chance for some Greenville County
students charged as first-time offenders at a school or school event. Greenville
News * Rock Hill committee looking at
reassignment
After Rock Hill school district's race-based elementary school
reassignment plan met with opposition from parents, the school board is taking
a new approach in assigning students to the district's third high school. Charlotte
Observer * Absence policy stirs controversy
Parents
of Carnesville's Franklin County High School students voiced their opinions about
a school absence policy, prompting officials to reexamination the guidelines Thursday.
Anderson
Independent-Mail Mother fights for First Steps
First
Steps could receive about $1.138 million in the next fiscal year, which is less
than half of the program's current $2.354 million budget and the mother of a kindergartner
is fighting to change that. Greenville
News Preschool classes already busting at
the seams
Although the start of the next school year isn't until August,
Beaufort County School District officials already know preschool classrooms will
be filled up come August and hundreds of children will be left out in the cold.
Beaufort
Gazette Program offers grads job skills
A grant-funded crash
course in "Life 101" for Jasper County High School students shows them
how to get a job. Beaufort
Gazette
Youth Learning Institute in Pickens
A South Carolina
National Guard Armory near Pickens will be the site for some Clemson University
Youth Learning Institute programs that will bring new jobs as well as attract
people from across the region. Greenville
News Bob Jones farm may get facelift
Horses and homes
may take the place of the cows that graze on the 609 acres in Greenville and Laurens
counties that Bob Jones University operated for over two decades as a dairy farm.
Greenville
News
*
Protect wetlands with Waccamaw Neck growth
"We want to protect
wetlands, and we want stronger zoning rules," said Jimmy Chandler of the
S.C. Environmental Law Project and a former planning commissioner. "We need
more public involvement, or the Waccamaw Neck may not control it's own destiny."
Myrtle
Beach Sun News 2,000 reports of litterbugs phoned into SC Greenville
News
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to speak at Furman as part of Earth
Day celebration
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will speak on the topic of "Our
Environmental Destiny" Wednesday at Furman University's McAlister Auditorium.
Greenville
News
Bill
aims to protect patients
The bill, called the Lewis Blackman Hospital
Patient Protection Act would ensure patients are notified of who is providing
their medical care and give them timely access to qualified, experienced physicians.
The
State *
New MUSC complex to cost $226 million
Phase one of the Medical University
of South Carolina's three-stage plan to build a new hospital complex in downtown
will cost $226 million. Post
and Courier * Anderson residents celebrate
Strom Thurmond
The "Strom and Me" storytelling contest benefited
the Cancer Association of Anderson.
| |
Obituary
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's Obituaries in each of the
following papers: | Richland County's new
water plan may cost $133 million
If Richland County wishes to provide
water to future developments and to county residents who don't currently receive
city water, it may cost as much as $133 million. The
State * Unemployment up in York, Chester
Although
rates fell in other areas across the state. The York County rate rose from 8 percent
in January to 8.4 percent in February. Charlotte
Observer Williamston police chief terminated
Police Chief
Richard Turner was notified Thursday that his 33-year run with the Williamston
Police Department had come to an end. Greenville
News
Horses causing a stink in Beaufort
Some people
in Beaufort's historic district have commented about the foul smell left behind
by some carriage tours. Beaufort
Gazette Road work may be funded by new tax district
A special tax district dubbed a multicounty business park might use revenue from
property taxes in the Buckwalter tract to complete the Bluffton Parkway and expand
the Buckwalter Parkway, according to consultants working for Beaufort County.
Hilton
Head Island Packet
| |
Letters
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's letters to the editor in
each of the following papers: | High penalty for Reedy
River spill appropriate
"The 1996 pipeline break that poured a million
gallons of diesel fuel into the Reedy River has played a crucial role in the largest
penalty ever assessed for an environmental violation. Colonial Pipeline, the company
responsible for the spill, recently was hit with a $34 million federal civil fine
for that spill and others in the South." Greenville
News Purnell fits Clemson
"Clemson University
hired former Dayton coach Oliver Purnell to take over its men's basketball program.
The 15-year head coaching veteran, who has a solid reputation for rebuilding programs,
is clear-eyed about the enormity of his new job. That speaks well to his chances
to succeed." Greenville
News
House trying to curb highway deaths
"The House
gave second- and third-reading approval to complete enforcement of the state's
seat belt law. If the bill is endorsed by the Senate and signed by the governor,
South Carolina highways will be safer, millions of private dollars will be saved
in health care and vehicle insurance expenses, and more federal dollars will flow
into the state to help enforce highway safety." Hilton
Head Island Packet Port collaboration worth a try
"The
S.C. Supreme Court on May 13 is scheduled to hear Georgia's appeal of a port condemnation
ruling, and that will go a long way toward determining whether a private port
is built in Jasper County. No matter what the decision, however, in the long run
it behooves both states to get along. That will not happen, it seems, unless someone
forces it. And that's just what Richardson and Pinckney aim to do." Carolina
Morning News * Pet projects tacked on
to war spending bill
"US senators failed to add money to secure the
nation's ports into an emergency spending measure for the war, but they made sure
they got some of their favorite pet projects into the bill." Spartanburg
Herald-Journal, Thursday * Doctor hurts
own cause in malpractice quest
"S.C. physicians want legislators to
rein in liability lawyers, whom they blame for skyrocketing malpractice-insurance
rates. But the arrogance that a Columbia physician exhibited last week in testimony
to a House Judiciary subcommittee did grievous damage to their cause." Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Hog bill rushed
"A
House proposal to limit local government authority over large-scale hog and poultry
operations already is having an effect, but not what the House intended. Horry
County Council rushed through a local ordinance this week to restrict those operations
in that county so that local control would be grandfathered under legislation
now before the Senate." Post
and Courier * Upstate responds to cancer
"The
hospital administration and oncology staff and the Cancer Association’s founders
are working closely so they won’t duplicate each other’s services. They
are also joining hands with existing groups such as Hospice of the Upstate, Easter
Seals, the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation."
Anderson
Independent-Mail * Balance education
budget
"We learned earlier this week that the Georgetown County School
District faces a possible deficit of $7.2 million for the 2003-04 school year.
This means the School Board will have to either find $7.2 million that can be
cut from next year’s budget or raise taxes to cover the shortfall before
July 1 when the new budget goes into effect. It is highly improbable that $7.2
million can be found in our operating budget to cut unless we impact the classrooms.
It is just as unlikely that a tax hike will be called for to make up the difference.
And all the while, more than $13 million is being held in reserve — money
saved for a rainy day." Georgetown
Times * Law promises quiet
"The
coming spring and summer tourist season, with its onslaught of bikers and other
activities that thrive on noise, both natural and amplified, make a review of
the processes designed to lend some sanity and “quiet enjoyment” to
resident’s lives relevant. One of those processes is the enforcement of the
Georgetown County Noise Ordinance." Georgetown
Times * Take pride in S.C.'s greenspace
"As
a celebration of spring, let's all get out Saturday to do our part to beautify
our community by helping in the Great American Cleanup Community Challenge."
Fort
Mill Times
* Hopwood: Bill is hogwash
"Last
week the South Carolina House of Representatives voted 66-43 to pass a bill that
shifts the power to control hog farm growth to the state, meaning that many localities
could lose the right to regulate hog farms further than the S.C. Department of
Health and Environmental Control already does." Darlington
News and Press
Brook: Supplement for child care workers a great
idea
"For those who would question why Richland County taxpayers
would want to supplement safe and enriching child care, consider this: Taxpayers
support all the children who attend public schools in the county's three districts.
That's a tougher and more expensive job when the children are academically or
developmentally delayed. Sue Russell, who administers the Child Care Wages program
in North Carolina, notes that research has long shown that investing $1 in early
child development saves $7 to $8 in later educational and remedial costs -- areas
where our government now spends more money." The
State Jones III: Making the right decision is often difficult
"The current Martin Luther King holiday for county workers controversy is
such an issue and is charged with emotion on both sides. I have tried to picture
myself being in the hot seat of a County Council member. What would I do? I am
not a racist, and neither are they." | 
