Two Richland County men were sentenced in federal court Monday on charges of passing counterfeit commercial checks. 34-year-old Keith Letrell Johnson of Irmo and Columbia native 32-year-old Saleem Edward Webb were sentenced in U.S. District Court in Columbia. John received 27 months in prison. Webb got eight months. Investigators say the men cashed the bogus checks at a number of businesses in Columbia, Hartsville, and Lamar. The businesses were bilked of more than $6,000.
Harrell: We cut the budget to keep balance (Audio)
February 23, 2010 By
It’s been a little more than a year since the Obama Administration delivered the stimulus package to each individual state. In South Carolina, House Speaker Bobby Harrell says the stimulus package was a budget stop-gap and he was in no means in favor of it to begin with.
“My position on the thing was if Congress voted to borrow all that money and we divide it out through the states, and our taxpayers are going to have to pay it back, whether we took it or not, then we ought to include it in the budget. If there had been any requirement that our taxpayers had to pay something additional in order to access the money, or if there had been an ability to opt out and say no thanks, give it out to the states, but reduce our taxes accordingly, I would have opted for that instead,” says Harrell.
Some critics have attacked Harrell and other Republicans in the Statehouse, saying their conservative credentials have been ruined. [Read more...]
Extended benefits available for the unemployed
February 23, 2010 By
Unemployed persons who have exhausted their emergency unemployed compensation benefits under a previously implemented EUC program, may be eligible for one to six weeks of benefits under a new tier of the program.
The South Carolina Employment Security Commission announced Tuesday that additional Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation may be available to unemployed individuals now as a part of the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 passed by Congress. The ESC says claimants who need to report to their local workforce centers will receive notification from the Employment Security Commission by mail. Claimants who do not receive a notice in the mail are asked to continue filing their claims as usual. Those individuals will receive two monetary determinations by mail during the next two weeks. One will be for the extra week of benefits designated as EUC-Tier 2 and another for six extra weeks of benefits designated as EUC-Tier 4.
Bill would ban alcohol sale on holidays (Audio)
February 23, 2010 By
A bill that would ban alcohol sales on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day will be heard by a subcommittee of the South Carolina House this week. Bans are already in effect on package sales for Sunday and election day.
The bill is the creation of Cherokee County Republican Dennis Moss. He says the legislation is sponsored by a few dozen House members.
Moss says governors in past years had declared prior to the holidays that there would be no A-B-C sales on the holidays, but that didn’t happen this year.
(Moss on ABC sales MP3 1:31)
Moss on ABC sales
Legislation would change rabies clinic law
February 23, 2010 By
Since the 1973 pet owners in South Carolina have been able to get rabies shots for their pets during spring and summer rabies clinics for only $3 a shot. The South Carolina House is considering a bill that would change that, leaving it up to local veterinarians to charge what they deem is reasonable.
Bill sponsor Dennis Moss, a Republican from Cherokee County, says it’s time for a change.
It started off at $1 and in 1973 was raised to $3. There was concern that some vets were losing money. Some didn’t want to participate. The number of shots given under DHEC have been going down the last few years. If veterinarians are allowed to increase the price, more vets would be likely to participate.
Moss says if the proposal passes, they will take a look at the clinics later this year, and cap the fee if necessary.
State law requires that dogs, cats and ferrets receive rabies shots once a year.
Moss says currently veterinarians are required to give rabies shots themselves during the clinics, sponsored by the Department of Health and Environmental control. Moss says the legislation would allow someone other than the vets to give the shots.
There are backlogs for the clinics in some places, and vets were bombarded with people bringing in their pets. So another person in the vet’s office, a tech, will be able to administer the shot.
