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DEW appelate panel selected

May 19, 2010 By

A Joint Assembly of the South Carolina House and Senate on Wednesday afternoon selected the appellate panel for the newly created Department of Employment and Workforce, formerly the Employment Security Commission.

The vote was as follows: Tim Dangerfield 116 votes; Steve Kelly 115; and Evelyn Aires 114.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer presided over the vote. Bauer said innitially that the first vote taken was invalid because he was informed that too many votes were cast electronically by House members. Senators always take a voice vote. Lawmakers were only allowed to vote for three candidates. So a second vote was taken. But after a long pause Bauer revealed that there had been nothing wrong with the first vote, even though it appeared that too many votes had been cast.

Bauer counted the first vote. Democratic Representatives Walt McLeod and James Smith objected.

Filed Under: Legislature, News

Adidas opens company’s largest distribution center in Spartanburg (AUDIO)

May 19, 2010 By

Wednesday was the grand opening for the Adidas Distribution Center off Interstate-85 in Spartanburg county. Glenn Bennett, the head of Global Operations was on hand (MP3)
Glenn Bennett on Adidas expansion

The 1.9 million foot distribution center was announced in 2007 and will be the company’s largest nationwide. More than 1500 people are employed at the facility. The company is also in the process of hiring an additional 130 workers.

Gov. Mark Sanford was there to celebrate the grand opening. He says:

The Spartanburg operation is the end result of a consolidation effort involving seven centers in three different states. The fact that Adidas chose South Carolina speaks volumes about our competitiveness as a state, and I’d simply say thank you to the leadership at Adidas for placing that level of confidence in our workforce.

According to the SC Department of Commerce,  Adidas’ new complex includes a 1.1-million-square-foot facility for footwear and an 800,000-square-foot building for apparel, and will house jobs in customer service, credit, distribution and accounting.

Filed Under: Business, News

Charleston Port Container Volume up 28.5 percent in April

May 19, 2010 By

Container activity at the Port of Charleston

The SC State Ports Authority reports that April container shipments through the Port of Charleston jumped 28.5 percent from last year. April was the fourth straight month of year-over-year container volume increases for the port. In a release, Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SCSPA states,

Exports have been leading the way lately, and now imports are coming back as well. Loaded export containers were up 38.1 percent in April from the same month in 2009, and loaded imports increased 25.1 percent. “Import growth is a very positive indicator and one that we’ll watch very closely in the coming months. 

Ships can actually sail from Charleston drawing up to 48 feet, a huge advantage for ocean carriers and U.S. exporters. Now, with an expanding distribution and warehousing base, Charleston’s powerful role in the import network is being discovered.

Ports officials say April was Charleston’s strongest month for container volume in nearly a year and a half. In addition to the increase when compared to last year, April container volume was up 3.8 percent from the month prior.

Filed Under: Business, News

Sen. Graham meets with Supreme Court nominee Kagan

May 19, 2010 By

Following his Tuesday meeting with Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, Senator Lindsey Graham issued a statement saying, “Ms. Kagan is not someone a Republican president would have chosen for a position on the Supreme Court.”

But, he says  the questions the country and Senate will be required to answer are whether she is qualified for the job, whether she possesses the appropriate temperament, and whether her judicial philosophy is within the mainstream of American jurisprudence.

Graham says, “It’s very important for a nominee to understand the difference between the role of a judge who interprets the law and an elected official who writes the law.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

Wilson: TRICARE is at risk

May 19, 2010 By

TRICARE is the military healthcare system that supplies 9.2 million people on active-duty or reserve with employee benefits for healthcare. Congressman Joe Wilson says the Obama Administration claims they “accidentally” swept TRICARE in with the federal reform healthcare bill, and that affected his amendment.

“I introduced an amendment previously which passed in committee that would preserve TRICARE as being the military system, but unfortunately they have made it under the secretary of the HHS, Health and Human Services, and I have an amendment that would put it back under the Department of Defense,” says Wilson.

Wilson has some stiff criticism for the administration: “They really don’t respect persons who serve in the military or veterans. This is a way to show their insensitivity that they would just simply sweep it away from where the Department of Defense has full control to another government agency as if these were just not people who truly are heroic in protecting the American people,” says Wilson. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Military, News, Politics & Government
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