February 10, 2012

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McDonald named interim US Attorney for SC

January 11, 2010 By

Kevin McDonald of Columbia has been named by the U.S. Department of Justice to serve as acting United States Attorney for South Carolina.

Wilkins confers with SC Attorney General Henry McMaster before recent press conference

Walt Wilkins, III resigned as U.S. Attorney on Sunday. Columbia attorney William N. Nettles has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, and is awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

McDonald has been with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Carolina for 10 years and previously served as Acting U.S. Attorney in 2008.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News

Sen. Grooms drops out of governor’s race, considers Congress

January 11, 2010 By
Larry Grooms at a 2009 gubernatorial debate

Larry Grooms at a 2009 gubernatorial debate

Republican State Senator Larry Grooms says he’s dropping out of the race for Governor and considering a run for Congress.  On his Twitter account, he was asking for the public’s feedback as to whether he should seek the District 1 seat.

Grooms plans to make a formal annoucement Tuesday, according to conservative Republican website www.Conservative.SC.

Grooms could not be reached for comment Monday night. 

If he does run for Congress, it would be for the seat which House member Henry Brown announced recently that he is vacating.  The First District includes parts of the Lowcountry and Grand Strand.   

Grooms has been known for his participation in local and national ”Tea Party” political events.

First elected in 1997, Grooms represents District 37, which includes parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties.  He serves as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and also serves on the Finance; Agriculture and Natural Resources; Fish, Game and Forestry; and Education committees.

He was a recipient of the Palmetto Leadership Award South Carolina Policy Council; he was named a Legislative Champion by the Palmetto Family Council in 2008; and received the Taxpayer Champion Award from the Club For Growth in 2008.

Read the Conservative.SC article here.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

State NAACP aims for more accurate census count

January 11, 2010 By

NAACP State Chapter president Lonnie Randolph says one of the important goals that his organization has this year is to make sure that this year’s census count in South Carolina is as accurate and fair as possible. Randolph says in past census counts in the state, African Americans have been grossly undercounted. “We want to make sure all South Carolinians are counted, it is an area in which we as a state are second to last in,” he says. “We have one of the worst census counts in the country. We want to make sure that all individuals are counted, especially those in under- represented communities.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

Boeing reveals incentive package details

January 11, 2010 By

When Boeing agreed to build its new 787 jetliner assembly line in North Charleston they received a huge incentive package. Boeing agreed to $450 million in incentives to come to South Carolina, and the company is now starting to reveal some of those incentives.

The Post and Courier reports some of those include tax breaks, in which county council will vote this week to approve. Those breaks include a 4 percent tax break on Boeing’s real and personal property for 30 years. Industrial taxes are usually targeted at 10.5 percent. Charleston Boeing spokesperson Candy Eslinger says they are not suppressing information about the incentives, but they have been working out the details. Eslinger has requested privacy to keep misinformation from spreading. Boeing’s new facility, expected to open next year, is the largest industrial single investment in state history.

Filed Under: Business, News, Taxes

Lawmaker suggests dissolving the office of Lt. Governor

January 11, 2010 By

Some state lawmakers say they would support eliminating the position of Lt. Governor in South Carolina. The office has received a lot of attention in recent months after Governor Mark Sanford went to Argentina for the better part of a week. Members of the General Assembly were critical of Sanford’s actions in part because Lt. Governor Andre Bauer was not left specifically in control during his absence. Critics accused Sanford of not letting anyone know where he was, even though Sanford said that one unnamed person did know.

Pickens County Republican Senator Larry Martin says while lawmakers continue to argue whether or not the Governor and Lt. Governor should run on the same ticket; he believes that the lower office can be done away with entirely.  “It’s worthy of consideration,” said Martin.  “A lot of states don’t have a Lt. Governor and South Carolina is not big compared to some states.  There is little historical basis for the expectations that a lot of people have for him to influence public policy, when in reality he has little power to influence anything.  It would save taxpayers $300,000 to $500,000. 

The Lt. Governor is paid as a part-time job. But Martin says constituents generally expect the Lt. Governor to be available full time. Martin added that he could remember several examples where Governors and Lt. Governors had not communicated well, even one instance when Lt. Governor Nick Theodore didn’t know that Governor Carroll Campbell was out of the country.

Martin and other lawmakers we talked with didn’t have any problems with the job that Lt. Governor Andre Bauer was doing, and even commended him on the work of the Office on Aging, which is under his office. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, News, Politics & Government
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