The Democratic primary election in House District 41 features a battle over the Fairfield County School Board that includes racial overtones.
SC Aquarium honors Gore, Charleston Battery
May 24, 2010 By
Over the weekend, former Vice-President Al Gore and the Charleston Battery soccer team were honored for their environmental leadership. The South Carolina Aquarium held its 4th Annual Environmental Stewardship Awards on Saturday, honoring former Vice-President Al Gore, along with others. Gore was presented with the Legacy Award for raising awareness of the care of the environment. Gore’s primary focusing has been the environment, which led him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Charleston Battery soccer team also received the Leadership Award for their protection of the environment and efforts to save energy at the Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island, near Charleston.
Also honored was the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor for the Achievement Award in preserving the Gullah tradition.
Ravenel Bridge checked for salt corrosion
May 24, 2010 By
The longest cable-stayed bridge in the United States is being evaluated for salt corrosion. The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston is being looked at by South Carolina transportation officials and bridge maintenance engineers to see if there is salt corrosion below the driving surface of the bridge.
The Post and Courier reports that some of the inch-wide pieces will be removed from the road bed so these engineers can look below the driving surface for corrosion caused by the saltwater from the Cooper River. They want to know if this water is causing damage to the bridge’s concrete base because the salt could cause the steel used to reinforce the slabs to rust. The bridge is only five years old and cost more than $630 million to construct.
Public comment invited on SCE&G nuclear reactor plans
May 24, 2010 By
After a long court battle, the power utility SCE&G hopes to proceed with its plans to construct two new nuclear reactors at its plant in Jenkinsville. There is an upcoming opportunity for the public to put forward its own opinion on the project.
After a recent court ruling allowed it to move ahead, South Carolina Electric and Gas completed an environmental impact statement for its planned expansion of its nuclear plant in Jenkinsville about 25 miles northwest of Columbia.
The full 867 page report is available online at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s webpage. The Commission and the Army Corps of Engineers will discuss the report in a meeting open to the public at White Hall AME Church in Jenkinsville on Thursday, May 27 from noon until 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Commission members will be available to speak with the public for the first two hours of each meeting. Anyone who wants to present their comments in advance at the meeting must register with the NRC by the end of today.
SC Education Department receives $14.9 million grant (AUDIO)
May 24, 2010 By
The South Carolina Department of Education has been awarded a multi-million dollar federal grant.
Education officials say the grant of nearly $15 million from the Institute of Education Sciences will improve student achievement, teacher performance and school quality.
It’s the nation’s sixth-largest among 19 award winners. The funding will help in the development and implemention of a statewide system that tracks classroom progress and sends information directly to teacher and principal desks on what’s working in education, and what is not.
State Superintendent Jim Rex says the system will help educators pinpoint risk factors.
That grant award is not to be confused with the “Race to the Top” grant competition. South Carolina was not one of the two states selected in the first round of that competition, but is entered in the second round.
