February 10, 2012

Landmark grant will spur cancer research

South Carolina’s Sea Island population may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of why African-Americans develop and die from certain cancers at a rate higher than Caucasians.

Researchers from the Medical University of South Carolina Hollings Cancer Center and South Carolina State University will be working to find the answers thanks to a landmark grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute.

The four-year grant of more than $800,000 will be used to establish the South Carolina Disparities Research Center, which will investigate cancer disparities. “The people in the Sea Islands are the most genetically homogenous group of blacks in the Unised States,” principal investigator Dr. Marvella Ford told South Carolina Radio Network, “Genetically, they’re actually more similar to blacks in Africa than to other African-Americans.”

Ford says it is easier to find genetic markers associated with cancer risks in a more homogeneous population like the Sea Island population than it is in a more heterogeneous population.

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New grads face better job market than previous years

It’s the end of the 2011 fall semester for universities, which means thousands of recent grads will be flooding the job market.  Studies show that many graduates worry about finding a job in today’s tough market.

Director of the University of South Carolina’s Career Center Tom Halasz says recent graduates are in luck because the current job market is better than it has been in recent years. Halasz says ,while some industries are hiring more than others, “There is not a field where there are no jobs available.”

USCs Career Center is an organization within the university that helps students determine what kind of career path they want to take, what college major they should choose, and what kind of job they are looking to have in the future.

According to Halasz, health, retail, information technology, accounting, and engineering fields are some of the job areas that have the most opportunities available for recent grads, but many grads just have the wrong mindset.

“You’d think students would be clamoring for these positions, but sometimes have internalized this idea that’s it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be so tough that maybe they don’t want to exert the effort,” says Halasz.

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Governor uses book proceeds to launch new charity

Gov. Haley speaks at Jubilee Academy in Forest Acres Tuesday

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said Tuesday she plans to use money from her new book– scheduled to come out next year– to start up a new nonprofit that will try to help slow the cycle of poverty in the state’s poorest counties.

The Original Six Foundation will be set up to assist struggling, low-income families in rural parts of South Carolina. Haley said the organization’s name is based off her own childhood in Bamberg, when her Indian Sikh family referred to themselves as the “original six” in the rural town.

The governor announced the new program at the Jubilee Academy– a small private, faith-based school in Forest Acres.

“We can’t just pay attention to those counties that have all the high population and the wealth,” Haley said, “We’ve got to look at every part of South Carolina.”

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Coastal Carolina University trustee charged with DUI

A trustee at Coastal Carolina University is facing DUI charges.

Larry Biddle (Courtesy: Coastal Carolina University)

Conway police charged Larry Lee Biddle with with driving under the influence around midnight Sunday. A caller had told police that a car was driving recklessly late that night, including crossing over the center line several times and almost hitting another car. A police report said officers spotted a car matching the vehicle’s description and tag number pulling into a driveway.

Once Biddle got out, the officer said he noticed the smell of alcohol on Biddle’s breath and performed a field sobriety test. The officer arrested him when he had difficulty following instructions and keeping his balance.

Biddle is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Coastal Carolina Board of Trustees. He was named to the board in 2009 and his term will end in 2013.

According to his bio, he is also a former educator who helped create the Jostens Rennaisance educational programs in 1987. He was an assistant director at Coastal Carolina College until 1974. He and his wife helped establish the Biddle Center for Teaching and Learning at the university in 2005.

Florence library, museum awarded grant for virtual tour

The Florence County Library system has received a $37,000 grant to create a new virtual museum. The Florence library’s new virtual museum will include an online tour of objects from the nearby Florence Museum.

The Morning News of Florence reports the Library Services and Technology Act awarded the Florence County Library with the grant–that will also go to the Florence Museum and the Florence County Geographic Information Systems. The goal of the new virtual tour is to add to the library’s online digital catalog and create the museum’s first virtual tour.

The museum has been collecting distinct historical items since 1924.