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SC gets reading
grant
South Carolina public schools will soon receive the first two installments
of $88.6 million in federal aid to underwrite intense reading instruction over
the next 5½ years. The
State, WIS-TV Committee OKs
mandatory MLK holiday
A closely divided House Judiciary Committee passed
a bill Tuesday that would force Greenville County and two other counties to observe
a paid Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Greenville
News, WYFF-TV
*
Hollings, Graham debate war, taxes
The S.C. senators along with all
six U.S. members attended the two-hour panel sponsored by the S.C. Chamber of
Commerce. They all praised American troops, but they differed on the cost and
method of rebuilding Iraq. The
State Sanford's education
ideas hit stalled in House
Gov. Mark Sanford's proposals to install
enrollment limits for all public schools and give conduct grades to students who
attend them did not receive warm reception Tuesday from a House education subcommittee.
The
State Antiabortion monument
approved
A House subcommittee has passed a bill to build a monument outside
the State House that will memorial aborted fetuses. WIS-TV/AP *
Thurmond to make his way around state
Former U.S. Sen. Strom
Thurmond will launch an Horry County GOP tradition in May with his first public
appearance, May 4 in Conway, since retiring as the longest-serving U.S. Senator.
Myrtle
Beach Sun News
Teacher protection bill progresses
Testimony
by a Charleston teacher recuperating from a brutal student assault urged members
of the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve a teacher protection bill on Tuesday.
Beaufort
Gazette Tenenbaum to endorse Erwin
State Superintendent
Inez Tenenbaum has announced her endorsement for Greenville advertising executive
Joe Erwin to become the state Democratic Party chairman. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Airman raised in SC laid to rest at Arlington
Jason Hicks, a newlywed who was raised in South Carolina, was flying a Pave
Hawk helicopter when it crashed in Afghanistan last month, killing all six aboard.
He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The
State
Air war secured quick victory in Iraq
The campaign,
led by Shaw's Lt. Gen. T. Michael "Buzz" Moseley of the 9th Air Force,
kept enemy off balance and on the run. The
State * Residents decorate Orangeburg
with yellow ribbons. Times
and Democrat
For protesters, end of Iraq war isn't end of work
The director of the SC Progressive Network remains skeptical of U.S. motives,
say victory doesn't necessarily mean success. The
State SC Air National Guard to return Thursday
Some members
of the South Carolina Air National Guard are set to return to their home base
at McEntire Air National Guard Station this week. WIS-TV,
* WLTX-TV
BMW uses satellite technology to speed transactions
Utilizing satellite
networking technology to speed transactions and provide back-up communications,
a procedure that BMW is very familiar with, is an increasing trend among automotive,
retail and other businesses with far-flung facilities. Greenville
News * Airport plans prove turbulent
A
company that stores and refuels corporate jets and other privately owned aircraft
at Charleston International Airport has halted plans for a $3.5 million hangar
after its financing fell through. Post
and Courier * Sunoco purchases Australian
paper tube company. Florence
Morning News Firm refuses to hand over site to Ports Authority
Charleston International Ports LLC said Tuesday it will not turn over a 100-acre
cargo terminal to the State Ports Authority. The
State -
Hair
supports Jasper port Jasper County's proposed port has acquired another
supporter: the chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. Carolina
Morning News - * Cargo company
defending its docks in Charleston. Post
and Courier
State Farm home
rates to increase Months after a considerable homeowners rate increase,
State Farm customers may soon have to swallow another hike -- this one, a result
of weather concerns, is among the largest in South Carolina history. The
State, WIS-TV/AP,
* Myrtle
Beach Sun News
Failure to obtain business license could result in fine
City Council
Tuesday passed first reading of an ordinance amendment that would allow city officials
to double the penalty if they find a businessperson operating without a license.
Greenville
News * CCB announces electronic bank
statements
Central Carolina Bank now offers an optional e.Statement service
that delivers monthly bank statements directly to its Internet banking customers’
personal computer. Anderson
Independent-Mail BCBS names new president
Blue Cross Blue
Shield of South Carolina has announced Harvey Galloway to be president and chief
operating officer of its Companion Technologies subsidiary. The
State R.R. Donnelley plans expansion
On Monday the printing
company officially announced its plans to invest an additional $75 million into
its site in Spartanburg. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Clemson changes entry rules
Clemson has gotten rid of its rolling admissions
process for incoming freshmen starting with the 2003-04 school year, said Robert
Barkley, Clemson admissions director. The
State/AP
State to put an
end to fake degrees
State officials are worried that questionable online
businesses are making it easier to defraud the public with fake college degrees,
a few bearing the names of colleges and universities in South Carolina. The
State Construction of school moving forward
The Greenville
County School District will purchase close to 30 acres of land across the street
from Wade Hampton High School. The move will allow construction of a new school
to move forward. Greenville
News -
Greenville County to
buy land for ball field, tennis courts. Greenville
News
Richland
teacher accused of PACT cheating
A Richland 1 math teacher turned herself
in Tuesday on charges she assisted Southeast Middle School students with cheating
on the state's standardized test during last school year. The
State
Budget approved
by Beaufort School Board
Beaufort County Board of Education members approved
a budget draft for next school year that includes three different spending plans
Tuesday night. Beaufort
Gazette
*
Solvent contaminated Mt. Pleasant water
Dry cleaning solvent has been
identified in groundwater underneath about 30 residential and commercial properties
near Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, a state health official said Tuesday. Post
and Courier * AAA plans Earth Day battery
collection
Over 40 AAA Carolinas affiliated facilities throughout North
and South Carolina will offer a free battery check and pay motorists $1 for each
potentially poisonous dead or unused vehicle battery they bring into the facility
during the week of April 21. Anderson
Independent-Mail Erosion plagues Beaufort-area beach
Erosion, which has plagued Lana Beach on Hunting Island for hundreds of years,
continues to threaten the park's future. Beaufort
Gazette
Flowers, mosquitoes blooming due to rain
The lush pink and white azaleas and dogwoods, among other things, usually
seen in the South are back in their splendor this season, as are lake levels,
after four years of punishing drought. Greenville
News
EPA to test air in Greer neighborhood
Since
the EPA found chemicals last May in below-ground air that could cause health problems
if inhaled over a period of seven to 30 years, the agency returned to test the
air in crawl spaces beneath houses. Greenville
News Rain stalls dam repair
Rain is stalling construction
of a backup dam at Lake Murray and increasing chances of delay in refilling it
afterward, SCE&G officials said Tuesday. The
State, WIS-TV,
* WLTX-TV
 *
S.C. to get nearly $2 million in settlement
South Carolina will get
$1.9 million of the government's proposed $344 million Medicaid fraud settlement
with drug companies GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer AG. Post
and Courier * Joint hospital would require
millions
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it needs 85 million dollars
to construct a joint hospital with the MUSC in Charleston. WCIV-TV/AP *
Cancer center a first for Georgetown County
A cancer treatment center
scheduled to be completed in March will be the first facility in Georgetown County
to feature radiation treatment. Myrtle
Beach Sun News, Georgetown
Times SARS discouraging travelers
Anxiety over severe acute
respiratory syndrome is spreading faster than the disease and people are canceling
vacations, business and missionary trips. Greenville
News
Greer hospital expansion continues
Work continues
on the Greenville Hospital System's planned $100 million development in Greer.
Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
| |
Obituary
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's Obituaries in each of the
following papers: | 
* York County wants to end the party at 2 a.m.
York
County Council members Monday took the first step toward outlawing beer and wine
sales after 2 a.m. in an effort to end all-night parties common at some area bars.
Charlotte
Observer *
Attack on Charleston politician backfires
State Rep. Shirley Hinson
said on the House floor Tuesday that a lobbying group connected to the South Carolina
Chamber of Commerce offered her a "bribe" to endorse its version of
tort reform legislation. Post
and Courier * Clemson contemplates
second rail crossing
Clemson officials are reconsidering pricey plans for
providing an alternate route across the railroad tracks that currently divide
the city. Anderson
Independent-Mail * York animal
shelter stirs controversy
Plans to construct a new $2.5 million animal
shelter in York will move ahead despite arguments from three County Council members,
who think the shelter is too expensive and should be built in Rock Hill. Charlotte
Observer
* Rally officials report no
problems
Charleston-area law enforcement officials said there was no crime
associated with the first annual Heritage Motorcycle Rally held Ladson Exchange
Park from Wednesday through Sunday. Summerville
Journal
Columbia OKs food tax increase
Today Columbia
City Council might adopt a two percentage point increase in the sales tax on prepared
food and beverages today in an effort to raise money for cultural and tourism-related
entities. The
State * Myrtle
Beach reorganization plan stalled
The proposal to reorganize county government
that seemingly had strong support when first proposed in March crumbled Tuesday
when most of it was tabled indefinitely. Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Sumter proposes new
fees
Sumter County Council gave initial approval to new fees and taxes
Tuesday. The fees would cultivate more than a half-million dollars to help balance
the county budget. The
Item * Sumter
weighs revenue increases. The
Item
Laurens festival will not return
Economic problems have forced organizers of the annual Pride of the Piedmont Jubilee,
which has run for two decades, to cancel this year's event traditionally held
on the third weekend in May. Greenville
News Lexington worries about fees
Estimates of proposed new
fees on residents led Lexington County Council members Tuesday to return the ideas
back to the drawing board. The
State
| |
Letters
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's letters to the editor in
each of the following papers: | Democratic party enjoying
national attention
"Even as their numbers diminish statewide, South
Carolina Democrats are enjoying a more powerful voice in presidential politics
than ever before. The reason is simple: The state Democratic Party, copying the
state GOP, last year moved its 2004 presidential primary to Feb. 3 — the
first in the South. Only Iowa and New Hampshire have earlier primaries."
Greenville
News Lawmakers can put an end to legal loan-sharking
"The
legislation being considered would not prevent lenders from charging higher interest
rates to higher-risk borrowers. It would, however, reduce unscrupulous lenders'
ability to prey on borrowers. In South Carolina, such lenders rip borrowers off
to the tune of $107 million a year, according to a study released last year by
the Coalition for Responsible Lending in Durham, N.C." The
State Increased security should not equal growth
"Increasing
the security at the Spartanburg County Courthouse is a worthwhile idea, but it
should be done with the current manpower available to county law enforcement."
Spartanburg
Herald-Journal Senate bill would tackle domestic abuse
"In
2001, 46 women were killed in SC domestic attacks, making this the third worst
state in the nation for domestic homicides. South Carolina also has the fifth-highest
percentage of domestic violence in the United States." Beaufort
Gazette
Lowcountry journalist to be missed
"Jim
Littlejohn was the heart and soul of the Carolina Morning News, and the Hilton
Head News before that. He will be missed." Carolina
Morning News
Richland 1 must work with community
"Residents
in the Melrose Heights community were upset by the way the district set out to
buy property secretly. Some argued the district should not use tax dollars granted
it by voters to pay high prices for land in a residential area. Also, they said
the district would destroy the integrity of their neighborhood. Although Superintendent
Ronald Epps has stressed the district doesn't yet know what the land will be used
for, the overwhelming belief is that the district is going to build a parking
lot on the property." The
State * Feds should be involved with
insurance regulation
"Called the Alliance for Sound State Uniform
Regulatory Efficiency (ASSURE, get it?), this "grass-roots campaign"
actually is an initiative of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
The NAIC is the not-for-profit corporation that speaks for the men and women who
run state insurance departments. Our man at NAIC is S.C. Department of Insurance
Director Ernst Csiszar, whom Gov. Mark Sanford recently reappointed." Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Hodges causes problems
Anyone
who doubts the sheer absurdity of the NCAA's rules should consider the problems
former Gov. Jim Hodges inadvertently may have triggered for his alma mater, the
University of South Carolina. Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Strengthen state's
research universities
"A bill before the S.C. General Assembly outlines
a plan for the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the Medical
University of South Carolina to strengthen our state's research and economic development
agendas. The bill also allows these institutions to break away from oversight
of the S.C. Commission on Higher Education and creates a new state agency to govern
only these three universities. This new agency, the S.C. Research Oversight Council,
would consist primarily of university trustees now serving at these three institutions."
Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Nonpartisan votes have
support
"Do partisan school boards provide the best way to run a local
school district? Most school trustees across the state would disagree, if the
overwhelming preponderance of nonpartisan school boards is an indication. Of South
Carolina's 85 school districts, only four have partisan elections." Post
and Courier * Public to have role in
choosing SCSU president
"South Carolina's Freedom of Information Act
requires that the names of no fewer than three finalists in the search for a chief
executive be made public. Materials related to the three are to be made available
for public inspection and copying, with documents such as income tax records,
medical records and Social Security numbers being specifically exempt from disclosure."
Times
and Democrat
* Rock Hill church
back on the market
"The collapse of a deal to sell downtown Rock Hill's
First Baptist Church undoubtedly was a disappointment for both prospective seller
and buyer. But they may ultimately be grateful that the arrangement fell through
now rather than farther down the road." Rock
Hill Herald * Look to California for
warnings
"Here in South Carolina, GOP legislative idealogues continue
to resist tax hikes on tobacco and possibly gas. They pledged not to do so, regardless
of the impact the current budget crisis is having on public education, among many
vital services." The
Item * Kobrovsky: Debate will redefine
U.S. citizenship
"Are we individual citizens in a nation based on
the concept of equality of opportunity, where your success or failure in life
is to be determined by your own individual efforts? Or are we a nation made up
of competing racial and ethnic groups in which your entitlement to a job or education
is to be determined by how numerous or politically powerful the ethnic or racial
group you are born into is?" The
State Carter: State cannot afford Medicaid cuts
"South
Carolina leads the nation in deaths from stroke. Stroke not only kills, it also
disables and is one of the leading reasons that adults end up in nursing homes.
South Carolinians also tend to have strokes at younger ages than in other parts
of the country, in many cases leading to years of nursing home care and loss of
productivity." Greenville
News | 
