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MB denies claim that city is biased against black
bikers
Mayor Mark McBride says the city does not discriminate against
the black bikers. He insists that the city patrols the black event more heavily
than the white one because it draws a larger and younger crowd that parties until
late. Greenville
News Number of troopers down
The number
of state troopers policing the roads is decreasing and local governments are starting
to feel the pinch. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal DMV closed today for training.
Every DMV office
in South Carolina will be closed today as agency employees attend a mandatory
customer service seminar at the Koger Center in Columbia. The
State, WYFF-TV,
WSPA-TV
* Number of residents decreasing in
rural counties
From 1979 to 1999 the gap in real median household income
between rural communities and urban areas increased from $11 to $3,124, and also
during that same period, the difference between suburban and rural median household
incomes increased from $13,771 to $15,984. Union
Daily Times * U.S.S. Yorktown repaired
The
$7.92 million budget for 2003-04, which the authority's board approved Tuesday,
includes $820,000 to begin replacing the flight deck, $400,000 to paint the hull,
$600,000 to install an elevator for disabled visitors, $180,000 to update exhibits
and $350,000 for dredging around the ship. Post
and Courier
Cigarette
tax receives Senate support despite facing hurdles
Supporters of a 53-cent
per pack increase in cigarette taxes won a strong 32-13 vote, but with House leaders
strongly opposed to any tax increase, the proposed tax faces an uphill battle
for passage. Greenville
News, The
State, WIS-TV,
WSPA-TV,
WCIV-TV/AP College restructuring plan
loses steam
With less than five days left in the legislative season, the
proposal to deregulate South Carolina's colleges and universities through a major
restructuring appears dead. The
State Hog farm bill heads to Senate
A bill restricting counties
from strictly regulating poultry and cattle farms, but still allowing them to
pass tough hog farm rules, is headed to the S.C. Senate for consideration. The
State, Myrtle
Beach Sun News
House passes redistricting plan
Then House
members gave second reading to a Senate bill that makes alterations in both House
and Senate lines. The
State/AP
Lt. Governor gets behind the wheel
Lieutenant
Governor Andre Bauer took part in a graduation night event for high schoolers
that had him racing students on a go-kart track on Tuesday just three weeks after
he was cited for speeding and running red lights in downtown Columbia. WIS-TV
Bill
creates volunteer naval militia
A bill near passage in the General Assembly
would create a naval militia comprising retired Navy officers and Merchant Marines
to increase Coast Guard security around the state's ports. Beaufort
Gazette, * Rock
Hill Herald Lawmakers want protester cleared
Eleven members
of Congress sent a letter Tuesday asking U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to
drop the federal case against antiwar protester Brett Bursey, who was arrested
during President Bush's visit to Columbia last year. The
State Bill could protect domestic violence victims
The Palmetto
state currently ranks third in the nation in Criminal Domestic Violence cases.
Experts say difficulty prosecuting the cases is the problem, but that may soon
change with proposed legislation. WLTX-TV
 April
home sales up
South Carolina home sales edged higher in April, despite
the weak economy and fallout from the war with Iraq. The
State * Ad agency sold
Advertising
Service Agency, the oldest advertising agency in South Carolina, founded in 1931,
is being acquired by Wertimer Jones Marketing Group, formed in 2001 as the result
of the expansion of a smaller ad firm run by Peter Wertimer. Post
and Courier Extended Stay expanding
Extended Stay America
might not be growing as fast as officials would like, but the Spartanburg-based
lodging company is prepared to build as soon as the economy bounces back. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Unitrend
to expand
Unitrends, a Myrtle Beach-based software data protection company,
has received a $1 million investment from a venture capital firm focused on helping
South Carolina's high-growth companies expand. Myrtle
Beach Sun News Lowcountry shrimpers launch marketing campaign
"Shrimp--it's what's for dinner." Something along those lines might
not be out of the question, with a marketing campaign by the Southeast Shrimping
Association set to begin. WTOC-TV
School board, principals lobby lawmakers
Greenville-area school
board members and principals rode a yellow school bus to Columbia Tuesday morning
to make one last plea for more money for education. Greenville
News Pickens school budget raises taxes 3
mills
The revised 2004 Pickens School budget approved at $70.7 million
Tuesday contains a 3-mill tax increase, which shouldn't result in any teachers
losing their jobs. Greenville
News, Anderson
Independent-Mail Pettis
to lead USCS project
Dr. Bob Pettis will spearhead the Adventure of the
American Mind Project at the University of South Carolina Spartanburg. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Distance prevents students' SOAR usage
Just one of the 67 students who participated in the Beaufort County School District's
out-of-school suspension program during the 2002-03 school year came from southern
Beaufort County. Beaufort
Gazette * Rock Hill, Winthrop form partnership
As
growth in Rock Hill progresses, city and Winthrop officials want nearby development
to benefit the school and be in line with the city's long-term development goals.
Rock
Hill Herald
*
DHEC to meet concerning Georgetown's red stain
Georgetown Steel and
the red stain plaguing homes and vehicles around town are once again in the forefront.
Georgetown
Times Dredge project can resume
Town of Hilton Head Island
officials said Tuesday that a South Beach nourishment project could continue only
if the project meets certain requirements to ensure the material is "beach
quality." Hilton
Head Island Packet Myrtle Beach to control
mosquitoes
U.S. Rep. Henry Brown wants to make it easier for Horry County
to purchase surplus military helicopters to increase the county's defense against
mosquitoes. Myrtle
Beach Sun News Rock Hill to clean up stream
The city of Rock
Hill will use federal dollars to investigate and reduce pollution in a small stream
near Cherry Road that runs past apartment complexes and a playground. Charlotte
Observer Woman
demands court overturn fetus killing
Regina McKnight, convicted of killing
her fetus by using cocaine, filed a petition Tuesday with the US Supreme Court
that asks the nine justices to overturn a January ruling by the S.C. Supreme Court.
The
State
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Obituary
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Lighthouse gets support
A group working to save the Charleston-area
Morris Island Lighthouse from the sea has devised a plan to reinforce the structure.
WCIV-TV/AP
* Charleston County jails to share costs
When
Charleston County Council considered Sheriff Al Cannon's proposal to take over
county jails last week, the council passed a resolution of sorts Tuesday, as both
sides together came up with almost $750,000 to hire 20 more adult jail employees.
Post
and Courier * Isle of Palms OKs small
tax hike
On Tuesday, Isle of Palms City Council approved its 2003-04 budget
for the fiscal year beginning July 1 of $5.46 million, which is about 5 percent
above 2004's budget. Post
and Courier Greer allocates funds
Greer City Council opened
its ears Tuesday to pitches from community organizations and allocated $40,150
in federal block grant funds. Greenville
News Beaufort avoids tax hike
There will be no tax increase,
according to Interim City Manager Miles Hadley. Instead, the tax rate will remain
at 73.4 mills on each dollar of taxable property. Beaufort
Gazette * Florence hospitality tax delayed
The
newly approved 2 percent hospitality tax will not be implemented in the City of
Florence until Jan. 1. Florence
Morning News * Air Force plane moved
U.S.
Air Force officials say that while a bird was grounded in a temporary nest in
North last month may be out of sight, it's not out of mind. Orangeburg
Times and Democrat
Grant request confuses Greer leaders
Greer leaders were confused after hearing a local agency's grant request concerning
the Cannon Street gymnasium at Tuesday's city council meeting. Spartanburg
Herald-Journal
Simpsonville expands sewers
The Western
Carolina Regional Sewer Authority will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m.
today to celebrate the construction of its $43 million Phase II Gilder Creek Regional
Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion. Greenville
News * Old jail reintroduced
City
officials and employees congregated Tuesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate
the opening of the newly renovated Public Works Complex and DORA office building,
the city of Orangeburg's latest addition to a revamped downtown. Orangeburg
Times and Democrat Lancaster County may have violated laws
The S.C. State Law Enforcement Division is investigating whether the Lancaster
County Council violated any laws when it said yes to paying $637,000 to entice
a multimedia company to locate there without holding a public vote. Charlotte
Observer
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Letters
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Overpopulated
prisons costly
"The state Legislature has blown an opportunity this
year to begin seriously exploring alternatives to South Carolina's preference
to lock up such a large proportion of its citizens. An effort to study the issue
over the summer — with an eye toward proposing reforms next session —
is encouraging. This state desperately needs to match the size of its prison population
with its means and do so without compromising public safety." Greenville
News Lockheed lands big contract
"Lockheed Martin's
Greenville operation has landed a Navy contract that could be worth $434 million
over five years. While it's not likely to create new jobs, it will stabilize work
at an operation that is sensitive to the cyclical nature of contract work. And
in a job climate where announcements of layoffs have far outpaced those of new
jobs, this is good news." Greenville
News Toughen driver's license renewal process
If we want
to make our highways a little less dangerous (they're now the third most dangerous
in the nation), we need to toughen the license renewal process. We could require
a written test, either one that's difficult enough to send some people back to
the Driver's Manual (available at www.scdps.org/dmv/) or else one in which the
questions are designed in such a way as to teach people, to remind people of the
laws, and of their responsibilities, behind the wheel. The
State Transportation bill demonstrates Congress losing its focus
"The transportation bill working its way through Congress demonstrates how
federal lawmakers have lost their constitutional perspective." Spartanburg
Herald-Journal Veto a wise move
"Comments from the director
of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources reinforced a bad decision by the State
House last week to override Gov. Mark Sanford's veto of money for a memorial for
law enforcement officers." Beaufort
Gazette Listening will improve Hilton Head park
"Hilton
Head Island's Hispanic community has shown its voice in a suggestion to improve
a town park. Such input has been rare to date, and the town was wise to listen."
Hilton
Head Island Packet S.C. should buckle down on drunk drivers
"The South Carolina Legislature confronts a lot of tough problems, so it
would seem that when an issue with only one logical answer comes along, legislators
would be only too quick to address it. That is not necessarily the case, as is
exemplified by their foot-dragging on a bill to lower the legal blood-alcohol
limit for DUI from the current 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent." Carolina
Morning News
Focus on humanity
"Some plaintiffs in the discrimination lawsuits filed last week against two
local governments, a police department and a Myrtle Beach hotel want more than
relief from the federal court. They also want our community to engage in a dialogue
about the treatment of black visitors to the Grand Strand." Myrtle
Beach Sun News * Oconee schools get
new superintendent
"Oconee County’s first hired administrator
for the county school system, Valerie Truesdale, will be coming home, in a way,
when she and her family relocate from the Midlands." Anderson
Independent-Mail * Where was Sanford?
"Gov.
Mark Sanford managed to persuade at least some South Carolinians that it was necessary
for him to take time away from his gubernatorial duties while he attended Air
Force National Guard training earlier this year. But we doubt he can make much
of a case for being missing in action while attending a yacht race in Bermuda."
Rock
Hill Herald * West Ashley's title should
stay
"To play by the rules, you must know the rules. And ignorance
of the rules is no excuse for breaking them. But that doesn't mean the West Ashley
High School girls' soccer team should be forced to forfeit a state championship
won fairly on the field." Post
and Courier * Memorial day pays tribute
"Memorial
Day observance this past Monday represented not only a long weekend with family
but the gateway to the summer vacation season. It is the long-awaited break from
the winter blahs and school. For many others, however, Memorial Day is that and
much more. It’s the day set aside to pay tribute to the men and women in
our nation’s military who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives in
defense of this nation and the protection of our freedoms." Chester
News and Reporter * Video gambling unnecessary
"A
research study reports that South Carolina’s outlawing of video gambling
in 2000 was followed by a steep decline in active gambling addicts in this state.
That’s welcome, albeit predictable, news." Georgetown
Times * Bors: Combining fire and police
a bad idea
"Combining the police and fire departments into a PSO is
not the answer. The council wants to eliminate the volunteer firefighter roster,
not hire more full-time firefighters, and provide minimal fire training for patrol
officers to assist firefighters." Simpsonville
Tribune-Times Pabst: Visit South Carolina museums
"This
year, the Horry County Museum will celebrate its 23rd birthday. May 18 has been
proclaimed Museum Day by Gov. Mark Sanford for the state of South Carolina. May
18 is, as well, International Museum Day. On May 18, we officially recognized
the significant contributions that museums make to our quality of life, providing
unique educational and cultural opportunities as well as preserving our rich heritage."
Myrtle
Beach Sun News
Scoppe: Open eyes to how state is spending
"We write and talk a lot about the five-point-something billion-dollar budget.
That's only a fraction of the funding. There's also federal funding (a category
that, strangely enough, doesn't include federal highway funding or federal Medicaid
money). Beyond that there's the truly mysterious "other" funds."
The
State Henson: Genuine science education should not include evolution
"Merely
because the group is in formation does not mean the group is on the right course
(Gadarene Swine Law). Having read, with varying degrees of interest, the current
expressions of the squabble between evolutionists and creationists I have noted
an understandable misconception that whoever can muster the largest group of adherents
or the most authorities is right." Greenville
News | 
