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Archives for December 2009

I-385 repairs to begin January 4

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The South Carolina Department of Transportation will begin an eight-month project to repair and widen a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 385 starting just past midnight on Monday, January 4.

The project consists of milling some of the existing asphalt interstate and replacing it with approximately 10 inches of high-strength concrete.

An average of 8,000 cars a day that normally pass through Laurens County will have to use another northbound route, according to the transportation department. [Read more…]

McMaster, 12 state attorneys general threaten lawsuit

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South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster and 12 other state attorneys general sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatening legal action over a health care bill provision which would exempt Nebraska from paying its regular share of the proposed Medicaid expansion.

The provisions has been called the “cornhusker kickback.” This is what Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had to say about it.  “It’s not a gift to Nebraska,” says Senator Nelson.  “I take exception to that.  It’s not a bribe as some have said.  There were two things that were required in the vote.  One was the abortion language, that I was satisfied with, and the second was that there was no public option in the plan.”

In response, McMaster says, “Well it certainly looks like it.  From what we gather from every report it is a gift to Nebraska.  The Governor out there has come out against it, as has the other senator.  And I understand many of the citizens out there have come out against it.  They don’t want an advantage over other states, for other states to be paying their share of the Medicaid expansion.”  [Read more…]

Rep. Rutherford recommends raising speed limit

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Richland County’s Representative Todd Rutherford says law enforcement spends too much time trying to enforce a speed limit law that he calls “artificial”. Rutherford says law enforcement could better spend their time on more important safety issues, therefore, he has filed a request that the speed limit in designated areas be raised from 70 to 80 mph.

Rep. Todd Rutherford

“On SC highways, with the exception of those that are under construction, the average speed driven on every single one of those highways is greater than the 70 mph speed limit that is currently set.” Rutherford said. “So, we need to seek to get rid of the contempt for law enforcement that goes along with artificially low speed limits. This bill will make sure that people are traveling at speeds at which they feel comfortable and not simply driving and looking down at their speedometer and worrying about getting a speeding ticket.”

Rutherford says he’s been getting varied opinions and feedback from constituents. “It’s been mixed. People feel like if you raise the speed limit that people are just going to drive faster. That doesn’t bear out in the facts. There was a study done several years ago on the Audobon with no speed limit at all. The average speed was still 79 mph, “says Rutherford. He added, “People drive the speed with which they feel comfortable.”

Rutherford says that other states already have an 80 mile per hour speed limit. “I get a lot of e-mail from people out-of-state applauding the efforts. States like Texas already have an 80 mph speed limit and Colorado’s speed limit is 75.” In regards to the purpose of the bill, he said, “It seeks to bring some common sense to our speed limit laws.”

Rutherford says that the contempt for law enforcement is the bigger issue. “I believe that at the end of the day it will allow our law enforcement to focus on those issues that I believe they should be focused on: things like wreckless driving and DUI’s, rather than just trying to catch speeders.”

Chamber partners with Drug Council to reduce workplace drug use

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The Council on Alcohol and Drugs is partnering with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to increase the number of drug-free workplaces in South Carolina. State certified drug-free workplaces will receive a state-mandated five percent discount on workers’ compensation insurance premiums. In addition, South Carolina Chamber members receive a $25 discount on the Drug Council’s $150 membership fee.

Council on Alcohol and Drugs Coordinator for South Carolina Shelly Davis says a drug-free program increases productivity.  “When you set up a drug-free program, you have a policy that your employees have to adhere to,” says Davis.  “You have drug testing, and you have education for the employees and supervisors.  And you have an employee assistance program, so that if they turn up positive on a test, there’s a way for them to get help.”

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs is a 40-year-old national organization which has assisted more than 9,700 companies in 12 states in achieving certification as drug-free workplaces. [Read more…]

DHEC: Overwhelming evidence connecting radon and cancer

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Americans have long been aware of the relationship between smoking and lung cancer. The second leading cause of lung cancer can be found in their own homes and is harder to detect.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency to educate South Carolinians on the potential danger of radon. Radon is an invisible gas that naturally exists in the environment. However, when it’s accumulated, radon exposure can have serious side effects, including the increased risk of lung cancer. Usually such levels often occur when radons become trapped in basements.

Sandra Flemming of DHEC says there has never before been such overwhelming evidence of the link between radon exposure and cancer. As a result, DHEC and the EPA are educating the public on the need to inspect residences,

Flemming says test kits are usually available at hardware stores and DHEC offers free test kits as well. DHEC’s website has more information.

USC Economist: Consider recession an opportunity

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Don’t expect recovery from the deep recession to come quickly. University of South Carolina economist Dr. Paulo Guimaraes says recovery is going to be a very slow process.

He says the recession may be considered an opportunity, not a burden. “Make the best of it,”  Guimaraes says.  “Unless you’re in a dire situation, and if you are stable in your job, take advantage of it now with your purchasing power because six months from now it may not be there.”  But Dr. Guimaraes says that does not mean filling up a high-interest credit card with debt that you have to pay back. 

Guimaraes co-authored the Moore School of Business’ annual economic forecast this year. The forecast calls for a slight .2 percent increase in South Carolina’s job base next year, and a 3.3 percent climb in the personal income of state residents.

Guimaraes says this is definitely a buyers’ market, from small items all the way up to houses. He says buy now if you can, because prices will go up.  He says the interest rate on loans is really low now so it’s a good time to go home shopping.  And he says most retailers, of all types, are desperate to sell. [Read more…]

DeMint defends position on security, union involvement

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Senator Jim DeMint has held up the appointment of the nominee for the Transportation Safety Administration, saying Erroll Southers may allow baggage checkers to seek union membership. After a foiled terrorist bombing on Christmas, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to get airline safety in order. Some officials are pointing fingers at Demint for delaying change at the Transportation Safety Administration.  He appeared on CNN Tuesday, responding to accusations that he is delaying change at the T.S.A., which serves under Homeland Security.

“The President has been downplaying the threat of terrorism since he took office,” says Demint.  “He waited eight months to even nominate someone for this position and then he wanted him approved with no debate and no vote. The only thing I asked for was limited debate and a recorded vote. Senator (Harry) Reid of Nevada (Senate Majority Leader) could have done that months ago. But that fact is they’ve been working on other things and have not seen airport security as a priority.” [Read more…]

Lawmakers prepare for session, demands high

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State lawmakers are preparing to return back to the Statehouse with various demands on their minds for the new legislative session. State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell told WCSC in Charleston there are many needs, with little funds.

“We got excessive demand and a short supply of money, and we’re not going to raise taxes, so we’ve got to reduce the size of government,” says McConnell.

McConnell says there are other issues, besides budget. One example is deciding whether there should be a state constitutional amendment that would allow voters to decide if they want the governor and lieutenant governor to run on the same ticket. McConnell says he would like the state police to decide the level of security the governor should have. [Read more…]

Bill requires background checks for substitute teachers

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A bill submitted in the South Carolina Senate would require school districts to do background checks on substitute teachers. Current law requires FBI and SLED checks on full-time certified teachers but not on substitutes. The legislation would prohibit the employment of substitutes who don’t pass the test.

Bill sponsor Senator Paul Campbell, a Berkeley County republican, says most districts already require the checks, sometimes at the substitute’s expense.

“We do background checks on regular teachers and on school staff,” said Campbell. “We need to do them on substitutes as well to assure that we are giving students the safest education we can provide. This measure just looks for bad actors trying to get a job in a school system, everything from violent criminals to pedophiles to anything else. If there has been rehabilitation, I guess a school district can make a choice. But it means that a district has to look carefully at a person who wants to be alone with a classroom full of young people.” [Read more…]

Director: Wilderness schools help DJJ survive

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The latest round of state budget cuts are deeper than some projected. With 5 percent across-the-board reductions looming, the Department of Juvenile Justice Director Bill Byars is worried that they may lose progress his agency has made in keeping youth from returing to detention centers.

One of those lower-cost solutions has been contracting the services of wilderness schoolsalso called camps, run by the Associated Marine Institute, called AMIkids, based in Florida. These supervised centers teach life skills and school for youth deferred from DJJ. There are AMIkids single-gender facilities throughout South Carolina.

Rickie Hardy is executive director of Piedmont Wilderness Institute near Clinton, SC. “It’s on the outskirts, in a wilderness type of environment. our campus consists of an education building, an office building, dormitories, kitchen facility and a ropes course throughout the acreage on the campus,” says Hardy.

Outdoor exercise and skills are a part of the curriculum, along with counseling. Hardy says he has a variety of staff: “We have highly-qualified teachers, same that would be in the public school system. We have a treatment team which consists of a master counselor and a human service professional. We have teams, evening shifts run by a team leader and behavior modification specialist. We have night staff and a ropes course instructor, among other things.”

Judge Bill Byars, the Director of DJJ, recently told SCRN that he is a fan of the wilderness schools:”We know that kids are in a wilderness camp do better than kids who are behind a razor wire. There are probably two reasons for that. One, we don’t send the worst kids to wilderness camps and two, they just do a better job.”

DJJ still has to adhere to a federal court standard for youth prisons after SC was found to be overcrowding and underserving juvenile offenders. Judge Byars says the rural wilderness camps are a cost effective solution.

“There’s not as much bad influence [at the camps] that is going on. That is why we need to reduce the numbers behind the razor wire, get more kids into the wilderness camps where we know we’ll get a better result for them. Also, wilderness camps are cheaper,” Byars says.

DJJ now faces another round of across-the-board cuts which could amount up to more than $4.6 million.