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Legislation would require schools to offer HPV vaccine

December 31, 2011 by

State Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-Bamberg)

A bill that could come up in the South Carolina General Assembly next year would give seventh-grade girls the option of getting vaccinated against human papilloma virus, or HPV.

HPV is the most common sexually-transmitted disease and does not by itself cause health problems for most people. However, it severely increases the risk of cervical cancer in women.

“In South Carolina we have very, very high instances of cervical cancer,” said State Rep. Bakari Sellers (D-Orangeburg), who is sponsoring the bill, “All I want to do is ensure that young ladies have the opportunity to get the vaccine.”

A similar bill came up in the Legislature in 2007. However, that bill eventually failed because it would have required students to get the vaccine, rather than simply offering it as an option.

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

AAA Carolinas drops designated driver program

December 30, 2011 by

AAA Carolinas says it will no longer offer its designated driver program this weekend because too many people were abusing it.

Launched last year, the Tow To Go program was meant to help those who accidentally had too much to drink and did not have a safe way to get home. A bartender at a participating restaurant or bar would call AAA, who would then call a tow truck company to pick up the person and their car and take them home.

However, spokesman Tom Crosby said people abused a service meant for emergencies, “What a lot of people did is they planned to go out and drink a lot and have us take them home afterwards,” he told South Carolina Radio Network, “It was predetermined that we were going to be their transportation home.”

He said some people were using the service to travel from party to party to get as drunk as possible without having to drive, “The abuse of the program basically led us to a point where we felt we were maybe encouraging people to drink too much because they would then count on us getting them home.”

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Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Human Interest, News, Transportation

Governor bets shrimp & grits on USC, Clemson bowl games

December 30, 2011 by

Gov. Nikki Haley

Governor Nikki Haley has made friendly wagers with her counterparts in Nebraska and West Virginia, whose flagship universities are playing South Carolina and Clemson in bowl games next week.

“We couldn’t be more confident to put Lowcountry shrimp and grits on the line because we know the Tigers and Gamecocks are going to make us proud,” Haley said in a statement Friday.

Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman has put Omaha steaks on the line for the Cornhuskers’ game against South Carolina in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. West Virginia’s Earl Ray Tomblin has bet a “basket of goodies ” that the Mountaineers will beat Clemson at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

“The only thing I look forward to more than the excitement of cheering the Mountaineers on to victory… will be enjoying the fine South Carolina culinary treats I will receive, courtesy of Gov. Haley,” Tomblin said.

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Filed Under: Human Interest, News

Sofa Superstores closing in Charleston

December 30, 2011 by

The sofa superstore put out a statement Thursday that it is closing its doors for good. The struggling housing market is getting much of the blame for that decision.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports the last two remaining stores will shut down next week and their inventories liquidated.

The Charleston-based chain operated in the Lowcountry for 20 years. But in the last four years it has become known for the devastating fire that destroyed its flagship store and where nine Charleston firefighters died battling that blaze in June of 2007.

It is said to have been the greatest loss of firefighter lives since 9/11.

Earlier this year, the sofa superstore agreed to pay 1.9 million dollars to finally settle all the claims brought by the families of those firefighters.

Compiled by Sheree Benardi, WTMA

Filed Under: Business, News

New Year’s holiday weekend weather

December 30, 2011 by

Look for plenty of sunshine for Friday with highs in the low 60s for the Upstate to the mid 60s for the Midlands and Lowcountry. Overnight lows will fall into the low to upper 40s. New Year’s Eve and New Years Day will see a return mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 60s for the Upstate to the mid to upper 60s for the Midlands and the Lowcountry. Overnight lows in the low to mid 40s.

 Weather reports are provided by South Carolina Radio Network staff meteorologist, Tom Crawford (from WCIV-TV, Charleston).

Filed Under: Weather
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