February 10, 2012

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Secret ballot guarantee for union votes prompts filibuster (Audio)

March 4, 2010 By

In the state Senate Thursday, a bill moved forward to make it Constitutional that workers must get to vote by secret ballot on union issues.

The issue moved to third reading but not without Senator Brad Hutto spending days in a filibuster against the bill. He says he’s not against secret ballots –at all– but he has been told by legal scholars that the bill is unconstitutional.

(Senator Hutto explains his argument MP3 4:55)
Senator Hutto explains his argument MP3

Hutto, an Orangeburg Democrat, says the bill is a waste of time and that it will be a waste of time and money in the state’s future. If  this House bill passes the Senate by a 2/3vote, SC voters will get to decide.

Filed Under: Business, Legislature, News

SC advances in Race to the Top education funding

March 4, 2010 By

South Carolina has gained ground in the Race to the Top competition. That is for a part of $4 billion of stimulus money to be awarded to states for education reform.

Thursday, the Department of Education announced that 15 states and the District of Columbia will advance as finalists for phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition. One of those is South Carolina.

According to the Department of Education, Race to the Top competitors had to document past education reform successes, as well as outline plans to extend reforms using college and career-ready standards and assessments; build a workforce of highly effective educators; create educational data systems to support student achievement; and turn around their lowest-performing schools. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, News, Politics & Government

Tourism officials promoting SC in east coast malls

March 4, 2010 By

In an effort to boost tourism in South Carolina, tourism officials are setting up displays in malls along the east coast. Tourism displays are being set up in malls around Philadelphia, Atlanta and Washington D.C. strictly to promote how “South Carolina is Made for Vacation.”

The promotion is an attempt to attract more visitors to the state, as tourism makes up more than $18 million of the state economy. The display set-ups will have brochures, tourist information, and also interactive computer technology that allows viewers to get a better understanding of what South Carolina has to offer. People who stop by the vacation stations will also get a chance to win a free trip to the state by posing in front of a banner, like they were water-skiing.

Filed Under: News, Recreation & Entertainment

Lawmakers look to repeal old SC anti-communism law (Audio)

March 4, 2010 By

South Carolina still has laws in the books that are antiquated and the Legislature is trying to clear those out. One law, from the 1951 McCarthy-era, still stands in South Carolina. This “subversive activities registration act” was created to deter communists, but some lawmakers, like Pickens Senator Larry Martin, says the law is outdated. Secretary of State Mark Hammond explains how a citizen could still register: “If you’ve got $5 you can fill out the registration and send it to the Secretary of State’s office. If your intention is to overthrow the government then we have a form for you,” says Hammond.

It wasn’t until recently when people began signing up. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, News, Politics & Government, Uncategorized

Blue Cross, Blue Shield SC subsidiary defrauded of $487,000

March 4, 2010 By

A New Jersey man pled guilty in federal court Wednesday of fraud in a scheme that bilked a Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina subsidiary of nearly half a million dollars. Federal prosecutors presented evidence that established 47 year old Garry Lewis Walker of Patterson, New Jersey as one of seven co-conspirators who defrauded Companion Property and Casualty Insurance of $487,000. Investigators say several employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield South Carolina changed federal ID numbers of legitimate Blue Cross Blue Shield health care providers to individuals who were not health care providers including Walker. Walker and the co-conspirators would receive workers’ compensation checks in the mail, cash the checks at banks using bogus accounts they set up, and then distribute the proceeds among the charged participants. Walker could receive a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News
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