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Sheheen on Haley’s national exposure: I want to concentrate on SC

July 8, 2010 By

Haley

Sheheen

While GOP gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley is being featured in national media, Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen continues to battle for votes  by appearing in weekend parades and talking to local media outlets.  Latest polling shows Haley well in the lead among likely voters in the state, but the Sheheen campaign says he has something new to offer South Carolinians than the Sanford-style of governing that they say would continue with Haley.

Last week’s Newsweek magazine said about Haley, “If she wins in November, becoming the state’s first female and first nonwhite governor, she’ll likely rocket to national prominence and secure a spot in the GOP firmament.”

Sheheen is talking less about firmaments and more about gaining terra firma  as he travels the rural areas of South Carolina.  About the attention given to Haley, he says:

We’ve seen politicians in South Carolina get a lot of national press before, most notably Mark Sanford, and that did not work out so well for us. I think that if you’re running for state office, you’re really, as least I really want to concentrate on South Carolina. So, I have spent my time touring the state, and talking to local media, local people. I think in the end, that’s what South Carolinians really want. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

IRS extends closing deadline for home buyers

July 8, 2010 By

Eligible taxpayers who contracted to buy a home, qualifying for the first-time home buyer credit before the end of April now have until the end of September if this year to close the deal, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). On July 2,  the Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act of 2010  extended the closing deadline from June 30 to September 30, 2010. IRS spokesman, Mark Hanson:

Keep in mind that this extension is only for taxpayers who previously qualified for either the first time home buyer credit, or the longtime resident’s credit, and those taxpayers would have had to enter into a binding contract on a home on or before April 30 of this year. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy, News, Taxes

AARP applauds House passage of financial reform (AUDIO)

July 8, 2010 By

The U.S.House has passed financial reform legislation containing consumer and investor protections. South Carolina’s two Democratic representatives voted for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The state’s four Republicans opposed it.

AARP South Carolina applauds the passage. Spokesman Jim Love says the legisation will establish a watchdog organization to protect Americans from getting a mortgage or credit card that has hidden fees that cause their bills to skyrocket, and also crackdown on investment scams targeting older Americans.

AUDIO: Love on financial reform bill (:48)

The conference committee compromise now awaits final passage by the Senate. Rebublicans have been concerned over the enforcement powers that would be given to the newly-created watchdog group.

Love says the law would protect the public from abusive practices now allowed, and reduce the vulnerability of the financial system.  He says the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau watchdog group will curb scams that commony prey on senior citizens.  And Love says the AARP membership has been strongly behind calling for the reform.

AUDIO: Love on financial reform bill (:44)

Love says his organization expects the legislation to pass the Senate within a few weeks.

Love says the new laws would make the credit card industry more honest, putting the responsibility on businesses for more communication with the consumer.

Filed Under: Business, News, Politics & Government

Medical expert: youngsters, summer heat, and sports drinks not a good mix (AUDIO)

July 8, 2010 By

As the summer heats up, many children and teens are reaching more and more for those colorful energy drinks to quench their thirsts. But health professionals say those drinks are not the best option for developing young bodies. Dr. Elizabeth Mack is a pediatric critical care intensivist at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia. Dr. Mack says sports drinks are largely unregulated by the FDA and it’s hard tell how much caffeine is in those drinks, although they do contain much more than a cup of coffee or soft drinks and those levels can be harmful for youngsters.

Dr. Mack says the ingestion of caffeine coupled with the summer heat and activity can lead to rapid dehydration and that can be very dangerous especially for young children. She says it’s important for adults to monitor children’s outdoor activity in the summer heat. She adds that young children should not be exposed to prolonged activity in the heat or even exposure to the heat because it could lead to deadly complications.

AUDIO: Dr. Elizabeth Mack, Palmetto Health Children’s Hosptal (1:47)

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, News
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