A group of Republican women, including about 225 GOP national leaders, are getting together in Charleston to plan for this November’s elections. Friday and Saturday, the National Federation of Republican Women have a board meeting and President Sue Lynch says it’s time to rally their leaders.

I worked on the “Hill” and I can tell you that how committee assignments, leadership are determined are the “R’s” and the “D’s,” period. So, if there are more “R’s” in the Congress and in the Senate, we will gain committee chairs and have the opportunity to put through our agenda rather than the liberal tax and spend agenda that is going on right now in Washington that’s killing us.

The meeting will take place in North Charleston. Among attendance are some prominent South Carolina GOP leaders: Senator Jim DeMint, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, and GOP Chairman Karen Floyd. So, why Charleston?

We actually move our fall meeting around the United States, so when it came time to select a location, Charleston actually bid on one of our national conventions and they didn’t get it. So, what I did is I looked at possibly bringing a fall board meetings here and that’s what brought us to the area. However, I’m so glad that we are here because of the Nikki Haley race.

If elected, Nikki Haley would become South Carolina’s first female governor. Lynch says that’s big.

She’s one of us. That’s so important in this election cycle that we are seeing as I travel across the United States is that there are many of our Republican women who are a part of our membership. We have an excessive 70,000 women across the United States and over 1,400 clubs, and it gives me great pleasure to support a great candidate like Nikki Haley.

Lynch says she is confident that Haley will win the November election against Democrat Vincent Sheheen.The National Federation of Republican Women is the largest women’s political organization in the country.

Voters in the general election in November will have a chance to vote on a referendum that would make hunting and fishing constitutional rights. South Carolina joins Arkansas, Arizona, Kentucky and Tennessee with right-to-hunt referendums on the ballot this year. Such constitutional guarantees are already in place in nine states.

Hunting advocates say right-to-hunt measures would ensure that hunting could never be outlawed without a statewide vote. Animal rights groups have pushed for hunting restrictions in several states, including Kentucky where they tried to stop bear season from opening last year and in Minnesota where there was an attempt to ban dove hunting.

President of the national animals rights group In Defense of Animals said the NRA and other pro-hunting groups are attempting a backdoor approach that would lead to more poaching and a greater incidence of non-target species being trapped.

Humane Society of the United States CEO Michael Markarian says right-to-hunt measures don’t accomplish anything.

Director of the Humane Society of Columbia Wayne Brennessel says hunting has been around a long time.

AUDIO: Brennessel says hunting is part of the culture(:44)

Brennessel says one practice he would like to see change is bear baying, where hunting dogs are encouraged to attack a chained, declawed bear. Humane Society of the United States officials released videos of the practice in August, saying that it was just a spectator sport.

Brennessel says his organization has more important focuses than hunting.

We’re looking at laws concerning animals that have been seized as part of cruelty investigation, and whose responsibility it is to care for those animals. We’re looking at cock fighting, at dog fighting.

Brennessel says there are plenty of animal welfare reforms to work on without hunting.

We’ll see what stands a good chance of getting support statewide. Banning hunting is not going to fly in South Carolina so we want to see that hunters are humane in their practices. Do we need legislation that guarantees the rights of hunters? I would rather see legislation that says here’s what is appropriate for hunting and here are endangered species that you don’t hunt.

Brennessel says he has never heard any Humane Society leaders or supporters in South Carolina talk about any attempt to do away with hunting.

Congressman John Spratt will tour several 5th District farms Wednesday, accompanied by U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota. They will meet with farmers and agribusiness representatives to discuss agriculture issues.

Spratt says the farm bill that Peterson managed to get passed in the House will do a lot:

The farm bill will apply to the USDA and the forestry program. It will bring some price supports for row crops. It will apply to conservation, and any number of things. It’s a mixed bag of different things.

Spratt says he doesn’t know if the farm bill would have passed the House without Peterson and that some lawmakers were doubtful that another farm bill could pass.

But agribusiness experts say the national budget will be a challenge to the legislation. The budget baseline for many farm bill programs has decreased since the passage of the last farm bill in 2008.

Spratt will show Peterson his district because, “I want him to see what the strawberry farmers are doing, what the cotton farmers are doing. He’ll hear firsthand the problems they’re coping with in the farm world today.”

Spratt and Peterson will visit the Player Farm in Bishopville, the Galloway Farm in Darlington and Clemson University’s Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence.

A former South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) employee has been arrested and accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced the arrest of 39-year-old Wendy Gaskins of West Columbia after she turned herself in Tuesday.

According to the arrest warrant, Gaskins is accused of stealing more than $300,000 in public funds while while she worked as a facilities manager with the SCDMV. She allegedly used the money to pay for home renovations, a mortgage and a travel camper.

Gaskins is also accused of putting stolen money into a fake construction company known as “J. Creech Construction”–money that was slated for DMV projects.

SLED continues to investigate the case at SCDMV’s request.

(by David Waterman, WVOC)

Columbia officials are expected to decide soon whether the county sheriff should oversee the city’s police department.

Richland County and Columbia have combined firefighting operations for years, but words like “merger” and “consolidation” still make many nervous.  The current proposal indicates that Sheriff Leon Lott would manage the Columbia Police Department.

There is now an interim police chief after the dismissal of Tandy Carter over his handling of a controversial investigation into an auto wreck involving Columbia’s new mayor. That episode revived past discussion about whether the city and county could benefit financially and administratively by having the sheriff oversee both law enforcement agencies.

Lott is well-liked, but some question what would happen if he is replaced by someone who is not so appreciated.

The sheriff is elected; the police chief, appointed.

County officials are also exploring whether they would be assuming any additional legal liability for city police officers.

The body of an Allendale man who disappeared while swimming has been found.

The body of 31-year-old Joseph Scott was found early Monday by members of the South Carolina State Park Service. He disappeared Saturday afternoon at Hunting Island, a state park in Beaufort County.  The Beaufort Gazette reports that Scott was swimming a few hundred yards offshore with friends when he went under.

Members of Scott’s family said that Scott was a capable swimmer. Officials say he was likely pulled under by a strong rip current. Earlier Saturday, five other people had to be saved from the waters at Hunting Island. Firefighters rescued a small boy and his father and another couple. At the same time, they saved a woman who was an acquaintance of Scott’s who saw him go under and was trying to help him.

Rescue crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and several local agencies searched for Scott until midnight Saturday and continued the search Sunday and Monday, when they finally found him. His body was sent to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for an autopsy.

This year’s procedure for getting a flu shot should be much simpler than last year’s. With the H1N1 and the seasonal flu vaccines now being combined, patients can expect to receive it as an all-in-one shot.

While the official flu season may still be a few months away, DHEC spokesman Jim Beasley says there are already private health care providers and pharmacies that are offering the vaccine.

We strongly ask that anyone who is interested in getting a flu shot to first of all contact your private health care provider, find out if it may be possible to go and get a shot there. And if not through your private health care provider, you can contact your DHEC county public Health Department and see if we can’t get you on a schedule there.

Last year the H1N1 flu was a new type of virus that health care officials were dealing with. That created concern because officials didn’t know what it was going to do. Beasley says it’s typical that the virus will change.

Flu viruses are always changing. That’s the nature of viruses in general. But flu viruses, because they’re always changing, we can’t really put our finger on where it’s going to be, so the month down the road, therefore we strongly encourage people to get vaccinated against the flu. The H1N1 component is a part of this year’s seasonal flu vaccine.

Beasley says the virus is always around and is more typical during the mid-winter months.  He says that’s all the more reason that you are encouraged to check into getting vaccinated now before the seasonal rush.

At this point, the flu is not really prevalent across South Carolina. Typically we peak around the early part of the year, around, say, February and into March. But the flu does hang around, all the way, as late as, say, May of each year. Now that’s why H1N1 was kind of special. We even saw cases throughout the summer months when flu viruses normally aren’t here.

While Beasley acknowledges that not everyone may bother or even want to get vaccinated, he says there are ways to participate in the prevention of contracting or spreading the flu virus.

Even if you’re unable to get vaccinated or are unwilling, there are always some good, preventative measures to take to avoid getting sick, or if you do get sick, to avoid making others sick. Things like washing your hands, or covering your cough with the crook of your elbow, not with your hand. Stay home if you’re sick. Stay away from somebody who appears to be sick. And also, live a good healthy lifestyle.

There’s not a large supply of the vaccine in South Carolina right now, but he says the supply is en route.

We can’t worry about what everybody else is going to do, but you can, at least take personal responsibility for your own health and go out and get a flu shot to protect yourself and those around you from getting sick.

Beasley says being prepared for the flu season is a good idea, since the one thing experts agree on is how unpredictable the influenza virus can be.

With U.S. Senator Jim DeMint enjoying a 63 percent to 19 percent lead over Alvin Greene in the latest Rasmussen Poll, Clemson University Political Science professor David Woodard says voters will not see the senator making frequent political stops in the state. Woodard says with a sizeable cushion, DeMint will likely be traveling around the country working to get more Republicans elected to Congress. Woodard says methodically DeMint has courted and gained the ear of the conservative base of the GOP nationally.

I think he is the most potent politician since I’ve lived in South Carolina in the 1980′s nationally because of the role he is playing in the Republican Party. I used to think that Strom (Thurmond) was or someone like that but really they were past their prime while Jim DeMint is in his prime right now.

Noted University of Virginia Political Science professor Larry Sabato is predicting that Republicans are likely to gain 47 seats in the U.S. House, while capturing 8 or 9 seats in the Senate.

Woodard says riding the crest of the Tea Party movement, DeMint has gained quite a bit of political clout and showed during the primary season that he has shown no qualms about wielding it.

He has taken some risk, but they have paid off. If U.S. Senate candidates Marco Rubio wins in Florida, if Ken Buck wins in Colorado and the polls are indicating that both are likely to win, DeMint would then cement for himself a strong position of leadership in the national GOP. With that position DeMint would be a force to be contended with.

Woodard says DeMint has his sights set on a powerful role in the 2012 Republican National Convention.

He will speak for the conservatives. They don’t have a voice now. He will have some clout because he would have brought some people into office with him.

Woodard says he looks for DeMint to pile up the frequent flyer miles this campaign season in an effort to get GOP congressional candidates in other states elected so they can join him in Congress. Woodard says DeMint will make sure to return to South Carolina close to Election Day. “I think we’ll probably see Jim DeMint (in South Carolina) two weeks before the election. Up until then he’ll keep going around the country.”

Port of Charleston

Last week, the State Ports Authority announced it would move forward on plans to relocate the cruise terminal at the Port of Charleston, after hearing community input. Those plans are moving ahead as the Authority works on hiring an engineering firm this week to develop a more detailed plan for the work needed and cost estimates.

The cruise terminal is set to be relocated northward on Union Pier Terminal to a converted 100,000-square foot building. The board approved for the terminal not to exceed $250,000.

Benefits include reducing traffic, removing all cargo operations and trains from Union Pier, and making the southern end of the port more available to the public.

Craigslist officially took down all “adult services” ads over the weekend, giving victory to the state and the attorney general. After campaigning against prostitution and sex trafficking on Craigslist, Attorney General Henry McMaster was thrilled to hear the advertising site removed all adds from its “erotic” section on its US servers.

This is important because this kind of stuff is killing people. It’s harmful, the material is harmful, it doesn’t do any good. It’s not free speech for someone to aid and abet criminal activity.

About a month ago, a judge threw out the Craigslist’s lawsuit on online prostitution against the state. McMaster said it was victory for the Constitution and law enforcement. WCIV in Charleston reports the website says the spot was created for only legitimate adult businesses. It is unclear if the shift is completely permanent.

What would prompt a non-partisan, write-in candidate to join an already crowded U.S. Senate race?

Snoad wants to promote discussion of the issues in the race

Mauldin High School teacher Greg Snoad says he is campaigning to improve the political discussion in a race that has gotten polarized by personalities and out of touch with addressing South Carolina’s needs or problems.

Jim DeMint leads the race substantially in the polls now and that is not a problem for Snoad’s campaign. The effort, he says,  is less about him and more about improving the dialogue.

He talked with SCRN on Labor Day when he announced his candidacy through social media and then waited to see how the message would spread. That tactic is the other key reason for his candidacy — to test the effectiveness of social media in promoting political discourse.

AUDIO: Snoad says the campaign is not about him, but the public’s chance to join in the discussion (3:00)

Snoad, a 25-year  government teacher at Mauldin High School– joins Republican Jim DeMint, Democrat Alvin Greene, Green Party’s Tom Clements and another write in – Mazie Ferguson.

A study conducted by the University of South Carolina indicates that a marketing campaign for produce grown in South Carolina would have a substantial return on investment–$132 for every dollar invested. USC researcher Doug Woodward says the state’s “SC Grown” program could generate 10,000 new jobs.

Woodward says a boosted SC Grown campaign would increase the state’s gross product by $265 million and create a variety of jobs. He says the goal for SC Grown is to increase demand to the level that exists for homegrown produce in neighboring North Carolina and Georgia.

AUDIO: Woodward on impact of SC Grown products (1:24)

Woodward says the state’s gross domestic product is approximately $140 billion and agribusiness already supports nearly a quarter of the state’s economy.

The SC Department of Agriculture has a goal to increase the impact of agriculture, forestry and allied industries by $16 billion up to $50 billion by 2020.

More than a dozen grocery chains operating in South Carolina are using the campaign but a few are not, says Woodward,

A few stores based out of state have been more reluctant. They have more traditional sources of supply. But we’re seeing a change and they’re beginning to come around. Almost all of them are coming around. It’s a good image for them. That’s what customers are looking for. And restaurants are really coming around and see this as a big attraction. Surveys show that customers will pay more for in-state products.

Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers says the state spends about $1 million a year on the marketing program and farmers spend seven times that.

AUDIO: Weathers on SC Grown products (1:35)

Weathers says there are twice the local community farmers’ markets in South Carolina as there were four years ago.

People want to know more about where their food is coming from. They want to know how it was grown. People want to personalize the process more. These markets represent that fact. The effort by grocery stores to sell local products is part of that same trend.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture paid $50,000 for the study.