Leventis said Friday that he will not run for reelection in November. He has spent 32 years in the Capitol.

He is an Air Force and Air National Guard veteran who flew combat missions in the Persian Gulf in 1991 while still a member of the General Assembly. He also served as a Brigadier General in the National Guard at McEntire Air Force Base. He currently works as an aviation consultant.

Leventis told The State newspaper that his proudest accomplishments include stopping large hog farms from building in South Carolina, improving aid for military families, and working to spur redevelopment in Sumter and Lee counties.

He ran for lieutenant governor in 2002, but was defeated in the general election by Andre Bauer.

The Southern Environmental Law Center, which filed the challenge on behalf of the Coastal Conservation League, the Savannah Riverkeeper, and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, cited a recent South Carolina Supreme Court decision that expands pollution regulations.

The lawsuit states the Army Corps of Engineers– which will oversee the dredging– cannot move any further unless it gets the permit.

“This situation is a once in a century, or maybe once in a millennium, project,” SELC senior attorney Frank Holleman told South Carolina Radio Network, “This is one of the most significant environmental projects to occur in South Carolina in our lifetime.”

“The important thing is that the permit process allows the public of the state… to comment and offer their expert knowledge and perspectives on the impact,” he added. 

The Corps of Engineers says it does not comment on pending legal action.

As part of the deepening, the Army Corps will dump the river’s spoil on the South Carolina side of the river. Holleman said environmental groups are concerned because the mud will include cadmium, a toxic material.

The Corps may not have applied for the permit last year because it did not think it was required at the time. Last July, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the state’s environmental agency had jurisdiction over “isolated wetlands.” Prior to that, the Department of Health and Environmental Control was only regulating coastal wetlands. However that could change again, as some state legislators say they want to move the law back to its previous interpretation.

Holleman argued the court interpreted the law properly. He addied the permitting process would give the public a chance to comment on the project.

While DHEC’s board recently signed off on the dredging in a controversial decision last year, Holleman said the pollution control permits are an entirely separate issue.

Cocky’s Super Ad Poll ranks the commercials based on likeability, persuasiveness and brand identification.

USC Professor Bonnie Drewniany teaches a class of 100 students devoted to Super Bowl advertising.

“The Super Bowl is really such a part of our popular culture and in the course we actually look at the evolution of the ads and how they reflect society,” she said.

Drewniany said the course is one of the most popular in the School of Journalism.

“I think they gain a greater appreciation of the advertising process and really understand how it really is a part of our culture.”

The winning commercial will receive the Cocky Award, which Drewniany said is well-known in the advertising industry.

“If you were to pay a surprise visit to any of these ad agencies (that won), you actually see the Cocky Award front and center.”

Drewniany said people enjoy the Super Bowl commercials because they’re the best ads of the year.

“The average person knows that they’re going to be entertained in the evening by watching the ads,” she said. “People are expecting to laugh and cry as they watch the commercials.

“They’re often new product introductions or new campaign introductions. A lot of money is put behind them to make sure that they stand out from the regular commercials.”

Interest in the commercials increased after Apple released its Orwellian themed ad for the Macintosh Computer during the 1984 Super Bowl.

“This was the first time the media treated it as a news item,” she said. “All three networks at that time in 1984 stopped what they were doing and covered the commercial because it was so different.”

The public can also vote in Cocky’s Super Ad Poll on the USC Website.

Board members at the school in Orangeburg were stunned to learn Thursday about the budget shortfall.

The Charleston Post and Courier reports that university leaders had hoped to have a $2.5 million surplus by the end of the fiscal year June 30.

Instead South Carolina State is facing a $4 million deficit that officials attribute to a decline in enrollment. The school has about 500 fewer students than expected.

Trustee Maurice Washington says the university is “on life support.” Washington says the school should consider opting out of the expensive Division I athletic program.

University President George Cooper will meet with the Finance Committee Monday to discuss the school’s options.

Rep. Mike Pitts (R-Laurens)

Rep. Mike Pitts (R-Laurens) says, if the Senate agrees and the measure becomes law, it would change the way child custody cases are conducted in family court by putting a greater emphasis on the well-being of children. In a recent interview with Greenwood affiliate WLMA, Pitts said the legislation would help relieve some of the congestion in the family court system.

He says the measure would compel parents involved in a marital dispute or divorce to compose a comprehensive plan for raising children. Pitts emphasizes that he wants to make sure that steps are taken to make it feasible for a child or children caught in the middle of a marriage dispute or divorce to ultimately experience quality time with both parents.

Pitts says he feels good about the legislation because he made sure to get the input of people from many walks of life and of varying expertise as he was composing the bill. He says he considers his bill landmark legislation because the last time the state made a change in the way things are done in family court was over 50 years ago.

The bill passed the House unanimously on Wednesday.

AUDIO: Pitts says his primary concern is the welfare of the child (2:42)

Anne Eller, WLMA Greenwood, contributed to the story.

40-year-old Brenda Poston faces a five-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Poston worked as a customer service representative at the Florence DMV office when proseuctors say she admitted falsely entering information into a state database saying that a certain person had passed the written and driving skills tests required for the license when, in fact, they had not taken the test at all. She also admitted giving the person a fraudulent social security number in order for them to get the license.

Although Thursday’s plea was only for one license, a grand jury had originally indicted her on fraudulently obtaining five licenses. The DMV says it has since revoked those licenses.

Transportation Secretary Robert St. Onge (File)

–On Thursday, Governor Nikki Haley signed into law legislation that formally creates the Office of the State Inspector General. While senators were debating the new office last year, Haley created the position by an executive order. However, director James Martin was only able to look for waste, fraud, and abuse in Cabinet agencies. The new law expands that oversight to all of state government.

–Legislators in both houses took up the issue of reforming the Department of Transportation (DOT). A House panel advanced legislation that would dissolve the commission which approves road construction projects and instead put DOT under control of the Transportation Secretary… Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Robert St. Onge told senators he would okay with keeping with the commission, so long as they stopped “micromanaging” the agency.

–The Senate unanimously passed a bill that allows SLED to use “Blue Alerts” to warn the public about an at-large suspect who shot a police officer. It would be similar to the “Amber Alerts” that SLED uses for abducted children. The Senate altered the bill slightly, so it requires another vote by the House before heading to the governor’s desk.

–By a vote of 34-3, the Senate also passed a bill by Rep. Dwight Loftis (R-Greenville) that would extend job tax credits to biotechnology research firms, as well as companies that do “infrastructure improvements.” The Senate made the qualifications to receive the credits slightly tougher than the original House version. The bill now heads back to the House for their approval.

–The House Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee sent several bills to the House floor Thursday, including one by Sen. Harvey Peeler (R-Gaffney) that would add some new regulations for “kiddie trains” in South Carolina. The legislation is known as “Benji’s Law” after a six-year-old boy who was killed when a Spartanburg amusement train crashed last year.

–Senate Medical Affairs committee members got heated during debate over a bill by Rep. Greg Delleney (R-Chester) that would not allow those on the state health plan to get an elective abortion, even in the case of rape and incest. Supporters say their tax dollars should not pay for a practice they abhor. Opponents call the bill insensitive to rape victims. No action was taken on the bill Thursday.

The Medical Affairs committee did pass a bill by Sen. Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) that loosens some regulations against home bakeries. It now heads to the Senate floor… Meanwhile, a Senate Judiciary panel advanced legislation by Sen. Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) that would add two additional seats to the state Judicial Council. It now heads to the full Judiciary Committee.

–At least one candidate has announced for the House seat currently held by Rep. Boyd Brown (D-Winnsboro), who is not seeking re-election. Republican William Gray said Wednesday he would try to win the Democratic stronghold. Gray is a retired state employee who also taught a criminal justice course at the University of South Carolina. He has the distinction of being the first African-American page to work at the Statehouse– doing so in 1969.

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

Rep. Jay Lucas (R-Hartsville) is pushing for major changes at DOT

A House panel advanced a bill Thursday that would shift more of the agency under the governor’s control. The legislation sponsored by Rep. Jay Lucas (R-Hartsville) would eliminate the seven-member Transportation Commission that currently approves new highway projects.

Lucas has previously tried to push for the governor’s appointed Secretary of Transportation to run the agency, instead of overseeing administrative functions while answering to the commission. However, Lucas says he’s had trouble getting other members to support the move. “It’s not a good process,” Lucas said, “But the problem is no one can come up with a better idea.”

The Department of Transportation had several problems over the summer paying its contractors in a timely matter– eventually having to ask for an advance payment of $52 million from its federal appropriations. DOT officials say the problems were caused by too many projects that started before the agency balanced its cash flow.

Transportation Secretary Robert St. Onge told senators in a separate hearing Thursday that his agency has since made a point to change how it pays contractors. Current law requires the payments to be made within 30 business days. St. Onge said the DOT is now using a 30 calendar day window.

Lucas wants the legislature to get more involved in highway funding, saying that lawmakers don’t have any say in the billions of dollars that flow from the federal government to the commission.

“What is the best way that we can do our job… without using one line item to send $5 billion to a commission that we have no control over?” Lucas asked his fellow House members.

However, the lone Democrat on the panel, Rep. Walt McLeod (D-Little Mountain), said Lucas’s proposal would lead to “micromanaging” by the legislature of even small projects. “That flies straight in the face of Cabinet government,” he argued.

McLeod said legislative involvement would bring even more politics into a process already embroiled by it. ”I appreciate your idealism, but I wish I could convince you that your idealism is misplaced,” he told Lucas in one exchange.

St. Onge was not able to address the House representatives Thursday, but said he was neutral about eliminating the commission. During a Senate hearing Thursday, he said he was open to serving two bosses– the governor and the commission– but added one of those bosses was micromanaging.

“(Some commission members) want to see everything we do to the gory detail,” St. Onge said. “They’re way down in the weeds.” He added he would be open to legislative oversight, as long as it was not too intrusive into the agency’s day-to-day operations.

The Senate Transportation Committee is also taking up a similar bill, but they did not act on it in Thursday’s hearing.

St. Onge said DOT has put $44 million in new projects on hold as the agency tries to regain control over its finances.

The $9.5 million investment by Highland Baking Company is expected to create 196 new jobs over the next five years. Highland says it will locate its new bread production and distribution facility to an existing building in the county.

The Illinois-based company specializes in producing custom bread products for national restaurant chains. Highland officials say the new facility will allow them to have some additional capacity.

The state Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved the company for unspecified job development credits, which the Commerce Department says will be available once Highland meets its hiring targets.

The company says it will begin hiring for the new positions in June.

Shawn McManus was arrested after he tried to flee from his vehicle after the high-speed chase from Mount Pleasant to Awendaw.  Cannon said the chase started after McManus committed a traffic violation. Deputies say they reached speeds of 120 miles per hour during their pursuit.

In a written statement, Cannon said he walked up to the handcuffed McManus after the latter had been arrested. Cannon said he angrily asked, “What the (expletive) is wrong with you?!” to which McManus replied “Ain’t nothing wrong with me, man.” The sheriff said he then slapped McManus and said “You could have killed a lot of people.”

Cannon said he has reported his actions to the State Law Enforcement Division. SLED was already investigating the incident because deputies shot at McManus’s tires during the chase. State law requires the agency to step in any time an officer fires a gun.

Cannon said he is prepared to accept the consequences of his actions.

Inspector Gen. James Martin

The mission of the office is to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse in state government. Haley created the position of Inspector General by executive order back in March. Jim Martin, who was appointed to the post in June, says the law gives the office more clout by granting the use of subpoena power. 

The law puts the duties and authority of the Inspector General into state law. The first inspector general, George Schroeder, left seven weeks after being named to the position after expressing concerns about the operation’s independence. At the time, he said a law would clear up staffing and administrative questions.

Martin says, during the eight months he has been at the post, his office has successfully handled 101 cases with a staff of four people, including himself. The additional personnel are two auditor investigators and an administrative assistant. Martin says the new, expanded power will translate into a larger caseload and adds he expects that the number of staff in his office will grow as the caseload expands.

AUDIO: Martin says the law will make the office more effective (2:44)

Haley says she does not expect the staff will grow into another large governmental agency. She says the key is saving taxpayer money by reducing government waste, fraud and abuse. She says the key to that is not in numbers of persons on staff, but gaining the cooperation, confidence and trust of those who work in government and concerned citizens.

Haley says one important aspect of the office’s investigative power is the input of contentious government workers and concerned citizens who can call into the inspector general’s office anonymously and point out problems and concerns.

AUDIO: Haley says the office has already proven its effectiveness (1:44)