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SC unemployment rate drops to 10.7 percent, labor force down (AUDIO)

July 20, 2010 By

South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.7 percent in June, a drop of 0.4 of a percentage point from the previous month and 1.2 percentage points below the June 2009 rate.

This marks the fifth straight month of decline in the unemployment rate. But Department of Employment and Workforce analyst Steve McLaughlin says in reality, that has been largely driven, not by more people getting jobs, but by the unemployed dropping out of the labor force–for the fourth straight month.

AUDIO: McLaughlin on job stats (1:16)

Over the month, there was a decrease in the labor force of 9,618 to 2,149,605. That includes the number of employed persons, which dropped 1,009 (or 0.1 percent), and the number of unemployed, which decreased 8,609 (or 3.6 percent).

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Economy, News

Gun battle leaves Goose Creek officer in critical condition

July 20, 2010 By

Officer Robert Edwards Jr.

A Goose Creek police officer is listed in critical but stable condition at the Medical University of South Carolina after being shot during a domestic violence call Monday night.

Lt. Karen Nix, with the Goose Creek Police’s Office of Professional Standards, says Officer Robert Edwards Jr. is a 20-year police veteran and has been employed with the Goose Creek Police Department for three years.

Police say that as officers arrived, the suspect, 33-year-old Codrick Bass, came out of the house, firing a shotgun. Authorities originally said Edwards was hit in the upper torso multiple times but later would not confirm that, saying that the case is under investigation by SLED.  More officers arrived, and Bass was eventually injured and taken into custody.

A neighbor said when Edwards hit the ground another officer ran up and covered him.

The amount of gunfire was extensive, even hitting neighboring houses and cars. Police say a third person had superficial wounds.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News

Project to recruit women for government gets Sheheen’s endorsement, not Haley’s (AUDIO)

July 20, 2010 By

A non-partisan women’s group would like to see more women in political leadership, so they are asking the candidates for the state’s next governor to sign a pledge to consider and appoint more women to boards and commissions.

Yet, the woman who is the leading candidate for governor will not sign the pledge.

Republican Nikki Haley says she “will always choose the highest qualified person for the job without regard to race or gender.”

Democrat Vincent Sheheen has signed the pledge.

Waites, SE Institute for Women in Politics, holds press Statehouse press conference, inviting candidates for governor to appoint more women to office

Former state legislator Candy Waites, a Democrat,  is leading the South Carolina Gubernatorial Appointments project (GAP), along with Greenville’s Public Works Commissioner Deb Sofield, a Republican. The project is through the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics.

Waites points out that neither GAP nor the institute will endorse any candidate, and while they would like Haley to agree to include more women, their effort is to “remove the excuse that the governor is unable to find women qualified to serve in high-level positions.”

South Carolina ranks 50th in the nation for the number of women in the legislature. Waites says it has been difficult to recruit women to run for office in South Carolina.

AUDIO: Rep. Waites on GAP goals (1:40)

Haley spokesman Rob Godfrey told SCRN:

We appreciate the merits of what the GAP is trying to accomplish and believe it goes without saying that Nikki loves the idea of getting more women involved in public service. That said, Nikki is not going to make any pledges in reference to appointments, other than this one–she will always choose the highest qualified person for the job without regard to race or gender.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government

Tax Realignment Commission to recommend gas tax increase (AUDIO)

July 20, 2010 By

The South Carolina Department of Transportation would welcome more revenue in order to maintain the state’s roads and bridges.  However SCDOT Executive Director Buck Limehouse says given the condition of the state budget during this recession he doesn’t think there is much appetite in the state legislature for an increase in the gasoline tax, which funds road construction and maintenance.  

The state gasoline tax is currently 16 cents a gallon. The Tax Realignment Commission is set to recommend this fall a state gas tax increase of 10 cents a gallon that would be phased in over three years. Limehouse says the arguments for an increase are compelling, the most important being that many of the roads and bridges in the state are in dire need of repair.

Limehouse says he has seen indications that people are concerned about infrastructure improvements and are willing to help foot the bill for these improvements if the money is spent wisely. Limehouse says South Carolina is a donor state which means that the state pays more into the federal Highway Trust Fund than it receives. But he says the state has been successful in arguing for a fairer share of money from the trust fund, because the system is not as equitable as it should be.

AUDIO: Limehouse on possible gasoline tax increase 4:54

Filed Under: Economy, News, Politics & Government, Taxes

It’s a peach of a crop (AUDIO)

July 20, 2010 By

Growers say this year’s South Carolina peach crop is the biggest the region has had in several years, and although peach growers say this year’s harvest has smaller fruit, it’s sweeter fruit.

Amy London, executive director of the SC Peach Council says that the mild winter produced a large crop.

We’re having a wonderful crop this year. We’re anticipating a larger volume than we’ve had in quite some time. We’ve had a great winter. We didn’t have any late freezes, and we’ve got an abundance of peaches for everyone this year. There shouldn’t be a short hand anywhere. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agriculture, Economy, News
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