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*
Crackdown on litter begins today. WLTX-TV,
Florence
Morning News S.C. prepared to spread information about missing children
President Bush signed a bill creating a nationwide Amber Alert system on Wednesday,
which would l help law enforcement spread information about abducted children.
SLED Chief Robert Stewart, at a Wednesday morning press conference in Columbia,
says South Carolina is ready. WIS-TV Group
wearing armbands to symbolize MLK holiday protest
Leaders of Greenville's
Not in Our Town project said they are urging those who disagree with Greenville
County Council's decision to not create an annual holiday observance to wear black
armbands to symbolize the disagreement. WYFF-TV Officials
may expand S.C. highway
Transportation officials in North Carolina are
considering extending a South Carolina highway in an effort to relieve traffic
along the Grand Strand into Brunswick County. The
State/AP
Dixie
Chicks take the heat in Greenville
The singers' anti-Bush remarks have
not sat well with many, who are now fueling support for an alternative concert.
The
State
* Poll
shows Democrats undecided
A recent poll shows a number South Carolina Democrats
have yet to decide who to support for president. WCIV-TV/AP *
Little chance of Hollings noting political plans
U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings
will address state Democrats in Columbia.
Post and Courier
Edwards inserting foot in mouth
A presidential
campaign letter written by Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., that criticizes of Sen.
Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., drew notable bipartisan rebuke
Wednesday for portraying Thurmond as a "divisive vestige of a bygone era."
* Augusta
Chronicle, The
State, Greenville
News
Legislature
not working hard to save teachers' jobs
The act of the Senate agreeing
on a budget in an effort to avoid laying off 6,000 teachers and increasing class
sizes made little progress in the Legislature Wednesday. Greenville
News, Bauer
requests an additional $50,000
As Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer demands that schools,
prisons and health care agencies tighten their belts, he asked for 17 percent
more money next year. The
State * Minibottle bill still alive
"We
are in year one of a two-year legislative cycle," said Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock
Hill. "A bill is only dead if doesn't make it through by the end of the second
year." Rock
Hill Herald
Budget talks underway at State House
Also
tackling other issues, House members worked to alter the manner in which counties
reassess improved property on Wednesday. WIS-TV Some
bills may not pass in 2003
Bills that haven't received approval by either
the state House or Senate by May 1 have little chance of passage in the current
legislative term. Beaufort
Gazette Graham signs letter to end partisan battles
The 10
most recently elected US senators -- nine Republicans, including Lindsay Graham,
and one Democrat-- urged senior colleagues on Wednesday to stop the bickering
and find a way to end partisan battles over judicial nominations. NY
Times
Candidates urged to lay flag issue to rest
Rep. James
Clyburn, an influential South Carolina Democrat is asking the party's presidential
candidates to focus on issues beside the Confederate battle flag, but the controversial
matter will likely linger through this weekend's first debate in the state. NY
Times/AP
Senate
says yes to new district lines
By a 39-6 vote, and after two days of filibustering,
the Senate obliged to new districts for all 46 senators that will take effect
with the 2004 elections. The
State, Myrtle
Beach Sun News, *WCIV-TV/AP,
* Orangeburg
Times and Democrat/AP USC may get bigger political debate
USC is being considered to host a prestigious political event, a 2004 presidential
or vice presidential debate. The
State
Air war planners come home
Nearly 125
members of the Central Command Air Force staff, the group that planned the Air
Force's role in the war, returned to the base to cheering and flag-waving family
members, said Shaw officials. Greenville
News, WIS-TV,
WBTW-TV Upstate
Iraqis view war as success
Upstate immigrants from Iraq said they are pleased
with the outcome of the thus far, and although President Bush is expected to announce
the end of the major fighting today, they hope American forces stay in the country
until order is restored. Greenville
News
* SPA
eviction notice ignored
The State Ports Authority and a private cargo handler
are involved in a legal dispute over who operates the pier and the surrounding
100 acres. Post
and Courier * Nonprofit agencies struggling
Despite
the fact that many nonprofit agencies have seen their revenues decrease in the
down economy, attendance at the sixth annual South Carolina Association of Nonprofit
Organizations' conference that begins today isn't expected to reflect that. Post
and Courier * Water company billboards
get attention
Outhouse Springs, a purported bottled-water company, is advertising
itself with a trickle of nontraditional billboards in Charleston that are leaving
motorists thirsty for knowledge. Post
and Courier BMW teams up to launch $12 million methane gas-to-energy
project. Greenville
News
Upstate
charities to benefit from golf tournament
Proceeds from the BMW Charity
Pro-Am at the Cliffs, which tees of this weekend, will help 48 charities in Greenville,
Anderson, Spartanburg and North Carolina. Greenville
News - BMW, EPA fend off allegations. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Irmo to get new conference center
A
53-year-old businessman is opening the Columbia Conference Center, which will
cost $5 million. The
State
Company
to bring 100 jobs to Chester County
A Portland, Ore.-based company that
will set up shop in Richburg plans to hire 100 people to make stationary components
for jet aircraft engines, industrial gas turbines and airframe applications. The
State
AVX reports $14 million loss. The
State Myrtle
Beach time share auction to be held Friday.
Attendees will have the opportunity
to purchase inexpensive vacation packages. Myrtle
Beach Sun News
*
S.C. students concentrate on PACT
Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests
are the source of a lot of stress for parents, teachers and the students who take
the test. Anderson
Independent-Mail
* Rock Hill
settles reassignment suit
The Rock Hill schools, along with the plaintiffs
who filed a litigation against the district announced Wednesday the terms of a
decision reached in the elementary school reassignment plan lawsuit.
Rock Hill Herald School leaders criticize council's study
The
instruction percentage in some Upstate classrooms is misleading, according to
educators. WYFF-TV Questions
arise over Governor's plan to cap school enrollment
The first time Governor
Mark Sanford mentioned shrinking the size of schools was during his state of the
state address. The plan asks schools across the state to limit student enrollment.
WIS-TV
Three candidates remain in SCSU's search for new president.
The
State, WIS-TV,
*WCIV-TV/AP,
* Orangeburg
Time and Democrat
K-12
may benefit from lottery
Some politicians argue that lottery proceeds
money should go more to K-12 education, since so many South Carolina school districts
are in financial trouble. WBTW-TV Coastal
Carolina reports 30 percent increase in applications. The
State/AP, Myrtle
Beach Sun News
Exchange students need hosts
The Future
Leaders Exchange (FLEX) is searching for four South Carolina families to host
exchange students from the former Soviet Union. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
* Reactor to
make its way to S.C.
A barge, expected to arrive on Maine's Back River
by the end of the week, will ship the a the large vessel from the town of Wiscasset
to the Chem-Nuclear low-level radioactive waste site located in Barnwell, S.C.
Augusta
Chronicle Additional waste storage needed
Progress Energy
is looking to store more atomic waste in above-ground, outdoor containers at a
Hartsville nuclear plant, and the S.C. Sierra Club expressed reservations about
the idea. The
State * Bill would expand beaver permits
A
bill expanding the valid period of permits to trap destructive beavers to a year
passed the state House on Wednesday. Anderson
Independent-Journal * Rain brings bugs
to Pee Dee. Florence
Morning News
Volunteers search for spat on oyster shells
Several
people spent Wednesday afternoon slogging through muck along Mackays Creek to
collect muddy oysters in the name of research. Hilton
Head Island Packet Park renovations making progress
Improvements
to parking spaces at Folly Field Beach Park and Shelter Cove Community Park will
make them more attractive and ecologically friendly while at the same time bringing
long-range maintenance savings, according to the project's overseer. Carolina
Morning News Smoking
cessation class to be held at Gibbs Regional Cancer Center. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal * Alternative health
proving beneficial
A bill that changes how alternative therapies are dispensed
in South Carolina is proving to be a bitter pill for some health-food store operators
in the Midlands. Columbia Free Times
*
East Cooper Regional Medical Center names news CEO
Tenet Healthcare
on Wednesday announced Andrea Wozniak, a former registered nurse, as the new chief
executive of East Cooper Regional Medical Center. Post
and Courier * Union hospital makes changes
according to privacy act
Wallace Thomson Hospital is taking steps to protect
its patients privacy, according to marketing and public relations director Caroll
Sailors. The hospital will begin providing patients with a copy of its Notice
of Privacy Practices. Union
Daily Times * Clarendon Memorial construction
poses minor inconveniences. Manning
Times
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Obituary
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's Obituaries in each of the
following papers: | 
* Last call coming for Charleston bar closing
time
Charleston bars fighting to stay open late are pursuing what might
be their last legal chance against the city's 2 a.m. bar closing ordinance. Post
and Courier * Charleston County tax
vote waiting on court ruling
Charleston County Council members want to
postpone a controversial reassessment cap this year, which would reverse a decision
on how tens of thousands of property owners should be taxed. Post
and Courier * Charleston's riverwalk
closer to connecting waterfront. Charleston
City Paper
* Anderson property taxes
to increase
Some property owners whose property values rise below the average
of 22.5 percent might pay more because of a tax shift resulting from the car tax
rollback. Anderson
Independent-Mail
* Hilton Head chosen
as top vacation destination by Southern Living. WTOC-TV *
Richland County Council Looks to to change the way the Rec Commission spends
Richland
County Council members don’t have much clout concerning how the county Recreation
Commission spends tax dollars, but a proposed ordinance could change that. Columbia
Free Times
Bluffton Town Council discusses embezzling
Public opinion concerning a once municipal court clerk's punishment and the town's
actions ranged from frustration to outrage Wednesday at a special Town Council
meeting. Hilton
Head Island Packet DOT raises issues concerning Greer Parkway
Noise and air quality issues should be studied in depth before the third phase
of the J. Verne Smith Parkway connecting Greer and the Eastside begins, said the
state Department of Transportation. Greenville
News Laurens County Council considers tax
hike
County officials are contemplating a three- to four-mill property
tax increase in the coming budget year to support a spending plan that includes
a 2 percent cost of living increase for employees in addition to the purchase
of five additional county vehicles and five new deputies. Greenville
News Beaufort County employees plea for pay increase
The
cry for more money to retain county employees was again heard through Beaufort
County Council chambers for the third consecutive night Wednesday. Beaufort
Gazette
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Letters
engine
You
can click on the links below and easily view today's letters to the editor in
each of the following papers: | 
Clemson raising tuition again
"Inadequate state funding has
forced Clemson into the least desirable of limited choices: Barring a late infusion
of new money, it will raise tuition to offset what is likely an $18.6 million
cut in public support." Greenville
News SARS leaving unanswered questions
"State officials
are being unreasonably secretive about suspected SARS cases in South Carolina.
The state will only release vague information about its two suspected cases of
severe acute respiratory syndrome — male children in the Upstate. But a compelling
public interest in SARS demands that health officials provide more details —
specifying, at the very least, the patients' county of residence." Greenville
News House cleaning shows strength of cabinet
"To the
extent that anyone paid attention when Lee Catoe told a recent Cabinet meeting
about changes he has put in place since being named director of the state Department
of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, they probably noticed his comments about
mismanagement under the previous administration. After all, that's attention-grabbing
-- and this is an agency that came under criminal investigation last year over
questions about the former director's political and business activities on government
time." The
State Existing laws should protect teachers
"In an effort
to protect school teachers who are threatened or attacked by violent students,
legislators in Columbia are considering a measure they believe will put more bite
into laws dealing with classroom hoodlums." Hilton
Head Island Packet
Horry County to gain higher profile
"In
America, growing population equals growing political influence, thanks to the
constitutional principle that each person's vote should have the same weight.
That principle is working well for Horry County, as evidenced by the redistricting
plan the S.C. Senate approved on second reading Wednesday." Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Judicial reform should
be left alone
"With virtually no debate, the state House of Representatives
recently agreed to remove the restraint on sitting legislators running for judgeships.
The one-year waiting period now in effect was one of the major planks in the 1996
judicial reform package. The Senate should kill the bill. If enacted, it would
be an astonishing reform setback." Post
and Courier * School tax is serious
issue
"It gets down to one basic question: Do enough taxpayers trust
school trustees enough to give them the power to levy taxes? This is obvious.
Like everything else, there are mixed emotions about this local issue. There are
proponents and opponents, and there are some who don’t care. And the latter
may control what happens by their apathy." Greenwood
Index-Journal * Law, prayer separates
cultures
"May 1. Law Day. National Day of Prayer. With American forces
a world away and still in a warlike and hostile environment, May begins as a time
of reflection about our foundations. A system of laws and a commitment to prayer
are pillars." Orangeburg
Times and Democrat * Plutonium headed
to S.C.
"Federal officials announced last week that shipments of weapons-grade
plutonium from Colorado to South Carolina should be completed by the end of the
summer, well ahead of schedule. While that undoubtedly is welcome news to the
citizens of Colorado, South Carolinians have no reason to rejoice." Rock
Hill Herald * Hartsville Messenger city
editor headed to Greenwood Index-Journal
"Wallace [McBride] started
here during the memorable week of Sept. 11, 2001, and he has done a lot of good
work in the time since. Among those highlights: He designed the superb cover of
The Messenger's World War II Freedom section and wrote a number of the stories
in it; he has done an excellent job on movie reviews and on a wide range of feature
stories; and he has taken some great pictures and provided countless good ideas
for The Messenger." Hartsville
Messenger * Moredock: Racial tensions
on the rise
"Sen. Robert Ford’s pique was understandable. After
an ugly fight and a party-line vote, the state Senate passed a bill recently to
introduce partisan politics to the Charleston County School Board. (The bill has
subsequently passed the House.) Candidates for school board now must declare their
party affiliation and run in party primaries." Charleston
City Paper
* Graham: Welcome Democrats
"That’s
a joke, y’all — though it is true that we haven’t had much cause
for Democratic primaries lately. There have only been four statewide ones here
since 1996, and there were five statewide GOP primaries just last year. And the
Republicans average more than 300,000 voters in theirs, compared to about 100,000
for the Democrats." Charleston
City Paper
* Walker: Myrtle Beach
and Charleston fight over tourists
"I find it tacky that Charleston
and Myrtle Beach should exchange raunchy rhetoric over tourism. What if Hemingway
Mayor Grady Richardson was quoted in The Weekly Observer as saying, "We like
Johnsonville money, but we don't like the people who have it. I just wish the
people in Johnsonville would send us a money order and stay in Johnsonville."
Of course, that might be a problem since so many of the people who live in Johnsonville
work in Hemingway." Kingstree
News
Moore: S.C. has potential
"The clear, compelling
message that I took from this work is that South Carolina has a chance, a window
of opportunity, to share in the type of progress that neighboring states have
enjoyed and to realize for ourselves the many benefits their citizens have received.
Equally clear to me is that this window will not be open long, and it may not
come again if we miss it." The
State Brook: Cutting education funds a bad idea
"We
can do that and transform our great nation of opportunity into one of haves and
desperate have-nots. We can leave so many children behind they'll be impossible
to count. We can dismantle all the potential our public education system offers
for an educated population meeting the challenges of a modern democracy that its
framers never could have envisioned." The
State
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