Saturday, May 18, 2013
Cuts will affect thousands throughout the state receiving federal unemployment pay.
Thanks to federal budget cuts created by sequestration, South Carolinians receiving unemployment assistance will see a cut in their benefits beginning next week. According to the SC Department of Employment and Workforce, approximately 16,000 people receiving benefits through the federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program will not be getting checks for claim weeks ending May 18, as well as July 13 and Aug. 31. In other words, aid recipients will not see a benefit payment on May 20, July 15 and Sept. 2.. Sequestration, which imposed automatic, across-the-board cuts to the federal budget from March 1 through Sept. 30, required South Carolina to trim $14 million in benefits for the remainder of the fiscal year, according to DEW. …
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
The volunteers will be trained to be the voice of an abused or neglected child in court.
From the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program: Sixteen volunteer guardians ad litem were sworn in by Judge Kellum Allen Wednesday in a ceremony at the Lexington County Courthouse, officially signaling the volunteers’ commitment to advocating for children in court. “We could not function without volunteers,” Judge Kellum Allen told the group. “It really does take a village.” A child advocate, or guardian ad litem as it's called in South Carolina, is a volunteer trained to become the voice of a child in court. The guardian ad litem program pairs the trained volunteer with children involved in neglect and abuse cases in order to give family court judges a more complete picture of the children’s needs. “You are not only providing a …
Video has group's leader explaining the dealings with IRS.
The IRS scandal that has rocked Washington, DC and the Obama Administration has also affected groups in South Carolina. Reports last week revealed that the IRS had specifically targeted conservative groups for more rigorous vetting of non-profit status than usual. Subsequently, the IRS confirmed that right-leaning groups seeking 501(c)4 status were in fact put under greater scrutiny. The temporary director of the IRS resigned yesterday in the wake of the revelations. At least two conservative groups in South Carolina were among those targeted, one in Myrtle Beach and one in Laurens County. Joe Dugan of the Myrtle Beach Tea Party spoke about his experience at a press conference this morning in Washington, DC. Yesterday, Dianne Belsom, the …
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
The Richland County Election and Voter Registration Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday to hire Howard Jackson to lead the elections office.
Howard Jackson, director of Voter Registration and Elections in Orangeburg County, has been hired to head Richland County's elections office. The Richland County Election and Voter Registration Commission voted 3-1 Wednesday after meeting with Jackson in a closed-door session, The State reports. Commission member Elaine Dubose voted against hiring Jackson for the job. Jackson replaces Lillian McBride who resigned after the November election was plagued with long lines and a shortage of voting machines. Jackson was one of three candidates for the position, but two of them withdrew their names.
Funding had been in question since March.
On Wednesday Congress approved the funding requested by the Department of Energy (DOE) for use at the Savannah River Site (SRS). As a result of sequestration more than 2,500 workers had been furloughed at SRS. Had Congress not approved the DOE's request for $79 million, 900 of those workers would have been permanently furloughed. Upon news of the funding Rep. Joe Wilson, released the following statement: “The Congressional approval of SRS’s reprogramming request is a tremendous victory for the people of Aiken County, Barnwell County, the Palmetto State, and our Nation. Throughout this entire process, I served as SRS’s positive proponent by encouraging the appropriate government channels to take immediate action. However, the true …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Would have made an elected official accountable for election problems and grew out of Richland County troubles.
A bill that would have given the Secretary of State authority over elections failed to make it out of committee on Tuesday, stalled by a 12-12 vote. The bill was an offshoot of the controversy surrounding the elections in Richland County last November. A pair of Richland Republicans, Nathan Ballentine and Kirkman Finlay sponsored the bill along with Alan Clemmons (R-Horry). But only Clemmons serves on the Judiciary Committee, which debated the bill today. Thousands of voters in Richland County were plagued by lines of up to six hours last Election Day. A subsequent investigation found that Director of Elections Lillian McBride had not sufficiently prepared for the election. McBride resigned in January after accepting full responsibility. …
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 …
Dr. John
7:32 pm on Sunday, May 19, 2013
I can't believe this happened under a democratic controled senate and white house. more ›