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New company a good sign for Aiken

May 6, 2010 By

There are signs of business growth in Aiken County. MCA Sign Company, an Ohio signage and graphics company, will locate its new company headquarters in Aiken County and will operate the new facility under MCA Media. The company is investing more than $12 million and creating 125 new jobs.

The company’s president says they were able to find an existing building that suits their needs now and with room to grow.

MCA Sign Company has purchased a building from a closed Avondale textile plant in Graniteville, and will move its entire operations, including its headquarters, into the building. MCA Sign Company is currently installing equipment in the building and expects to be fully operational by August.

The company plans to begin hiring immediately. That is being handled by the Aiken County Workforce Center.

Filed Under: Business, Economy, News

Council meeting on Columbia mayor-elect’s crash canceled

May 6, 2010 By

The Columbia City Council that was scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the mayor-elect’s car accident investigation has now been canceled. Spokesman Mark Plowden says Thursday that Attorney General Henry McMaster has received a request from Columbia Police Chief Tandy Carter.

The Columbia City Council was scheduled to meet Friday to discuss whether an outside law enforcement agency should investigate the April 21 crash that happened hours after Steve Benjamin was elected as the city’s first black mayor. That meeting has now been canceled.

Carter had been asked to brief the council on his investigation. He wants McMaster to decide if he can be called to discuss an ongoing case.

Filed Under: Accidents & Disasters, Crime & Courts, News, Politics & Government

SCDOT chief: Industry calls for infrastructure upgrades

May 6, 2010 By

As more new industry prepares to move into the state,  South Carolina is scrambling to keep up its infrastructure. State Transportation Secretary Buck Limehouse says the continued recession makes the job more difficult to secure the funds for a number of road projects. However, Limehouse says the work has to be done for the future growth of the state.

 ”Actually we’ve been given a shopping list for Boeing that’s about $150 million that we have to deal with with the infrastructure down there (North Charleston). But of the plants that will be coming in to support Boeing, they’re not just going to be in the Charleston area, they’re going to be all over the state. One has already been announced in Marion County (ACAS Landing Gear Services). The growth of industry in the state is going to benefit all of our citizens.”

South Carolina’s transportation infrastructure system is the fourth largest state-maintained system in the U.S.

Limehouse says as the economy continues to recover and industries increase in numbers and production, the state’s infrastructure improvements must be able to keep up with the inevitable demand. “That’s going to require that we do more, because our interstate system, our airports, and our ports are how goods ans services are going to be moved. There are a lot of important decisions that are going to have to be made, and they all unfortunately revert back to funding.”

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Filed Under: Business, Economy, News, Transportation

“Thunder over the Midlands” to be heard by 150,000

May 6, 2010 By

USAF Thunderbirds Aerial Demonstration Team

Officials at Shaw Air Force Base are expecting approximately 150,000 people during Shawfest 2010 being held this weekend in Sumter. The event will feature the Thunderbirds, the US Air Force aerial demonstration team and the US Army’s Golden Knights parachute demonstration team. On display will be modern day military crafts from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force .

Shaw will be showing off vintage equipment as well, says 2nd Lt. Emily Chilson, Public Affairs:

We’re going to have some vintage warbirds as well. And we’ve also got some neat other things like the virtual army experience is a simulator where you can actually get into a Humvee – life-size , and do a virtual reality experience with a convoy in Iraq. We’ve got some other displays of vintage army equipment on the ground, the kids zone for the kids with inflatables and a rock wall. So, things for everybody.

Chilson says security is one of their major priorities at an event like this. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Military, News, Recreation & Entertainment

Senate debates fire sprinklers (AUDIO)

May 6, 2010 By

The South Carolina Senate has begun debate on a bill that would override a regulation to require fire sprinkler systems in all newly constructed homes.

The South Carolina Association of Fire Fighters says the requirement would save lives. Home builders argue that it would price new homes out of the reach of lower income home buyers.

Late Wednesday, Georgetown County Republican Raymond Cleary wants to postpone the initial impact of the regulation, allowing it to apply to homes of 5000 square feet or more in July of next year, and then would apply to smaller homes the following years.  Cleary says his gradual implementation would require sprinklers in 2012 for houses of 3500 square feet or larger, and in 2013 for houses of 2500 square feet or larger. In July of 2014, the regulation will apply to all new homes.

(Cleary on sprinklers  MP3  3:20)
Cleary on sprinklers

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Filed Under: Business, Legislature, News