South Carolina Top Blogs

Feeds

9914 άρθρα από 74 πηγές

• Archaeological Society of South Carolina (ASSC) (61)
• ARTSAILS1 by Jean Bourque (30)
• Blue South Carolina - A Progressive State of Mind (25)
• Center for a Better South (25)
• Charleston Green Party (15)
• CharlestonWatch.com (46)
• Chef's Life: Catering & Photography - Charleston, SC. (34)
• Civil War Monuments of North and South Carolina (41)
• Cloudstream Rain Water Harvesting Group (16)
• Code Pink: Columbia, SC (17)
• Columbia SC Real Estate Blog (10)
• CONFERENCES of Interest to South Carolina Classicists (6)
• Daufuskie Island, South Carolina (62)
• DAVID THOMPSON ARCHITECT (58)
• FITSNews (1779)
• Flying Oskar (25)
• FoothillsOutdoors (35)
• Human Trafficking in South Carolina (18)
• J.C. PYE Electric in Charleston, SC. (25)
• Learning by Design: South Carolina (LBD:SC) (31)
• Lowcountry Boil (31)
• Lowcountry outdoors (185)
• Man Project (176)
• Mel's Columbia, SC Blog (52)
• Midlands Outdoors (25)
• Missing Persons From South Carolina (32)
• Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Real Estate (10)
• Nutritional Supplements, Fitness Products, Natural Cosmetics (9)
• Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild Charleston SC (35)
• Pressure Washing & Roof Cleaning in Columbia, SC (25)
• SC Access To Justice Weblog (16)
• SC Prog Blog (64)
• SC Senate Republican Caucus (17)
• Scapla's Weblog (3)
• Shipwrecked In South Carolina (121)
• South Carolina Agricultural Council (14)
• South Carolina Appellate Lawyer (10)
• South Carolina Artists Events & Happenings (38)
• South Carolina Bass Anglers of the Deaf (18)
• SOUTH CAROLINA CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION (25)
• South Carolina College Republicans Federation (10)
• South Carolina Competitive Fighting (13)
• South Carolina Conservative (10)
• South Carolina Green Party (25)
• South Carolina Green Party (19)
• SOUTH CAROLINA HALF Marathons (5)
• south carolina hardcore (25)
• South Carolina Historical Tidbits (45)
• South Carolina Pioneers - South Carolina Genealogy (142)
• South Carolina Probate Records (24)
• South Carolina Retail and Hospitality Law Blog (25)
• South Carolina Room (11)
• South Carolina SC News (753)
• South Carolina Senate Democratic Caucus (26)
• South Carolina Workers' Compensation Law Blog (57)
• South Carolina Writers' Workshop (71)
• STC South Carolina Foothills (11)
• SUNLIT UPLANDS (579)
• The 7-10: Palmer on Politics (25)
• The Benefit Bank of South Carolina (29)
• The Blogland of Earl Capps (183)
• The Carolina Soapbox (11)
• The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History (148)
• The Politics of Jamie Sanderson (349)
• The Redfish Chronicles (21)
• The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie "Indians" Official Athletic Blog (148)
• TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml) (769)
• TheDigitel Charleston | Feed (1470)
• TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml) (1369)
• UnConflicted (152)
• University of South Carolina Psychology Department Chair's Blog (11)
• Vierdsonian Democracy (10)
• Vivid Memories Photography - Columbia, SC (20)
• Voting Under the Influence (83)

Unread items (100)

• South Carolina blogs (US-SC), 05/19/2012
• 00:29

  Aiken SC Horse Country

   »  South Carolina Historical Tidbits

  

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• South Carolina blogs (US-SC), 05/18/2012
• 18:56

  SC island filled with monkeys, steeped in mystery | WCNC.com Charlotte

   »  South Carolina SC News
  by DAVE WAGNER/ NewsChannel 36 Staff Posted on May 18, 2012 at 3:01 PM Updated today at 3:03 PM
  MORGAN ISLAND, S.C. -- Low tide in the low country of South Carolina as we board a 20 foot cuddy to cut through the calm waters of Saint Helena Sound.  Our boat is flanked by dolphins and Egrets.
   But on this morning, our guide Kevin Benton, his girlfriend Julie Laney, and their dog "Bizzie Girl" are helping us search for something much more elusive. "Most people don't even know about it.  They think it's a joke,” says Benton. Morgan Island is steeped in mystery and, from a distance, appears to be deserted. But if you journey closer, through the unmarked waterways, you'll hear the rumble in the jungle and see the peering eyes of primates. “There they are up on the bank. I see 'em,” says Benton. Within moments of our arrival, we are greeted by hundreds of Rhesus monkeys.  With a smile Benton exclaims, "Yeh, there's a bunch of 'em.”  Fathers, mothers, teenagers and babies call this island home.
  "They think we're coming to feed em," says Benton. Julie Laney says she and Benton come here for entertainment.  “I love it.  I love to just come out here and anchor and watch the family structure of the monkeys." As we anchor about 15 feet offshore, the monkeys begin to screech and make it clear, we should not get any closer.  Signs warn visitors to stay off the island and not to feed the animals. Beyond the teenage monkey business and protective parents is a quiet secret.  These tattooed primates are being bred for lab testing and no one wants to talk about it. In fact, when their caretakers see us, we hear them tell their driver to speed by us and not slow down. As the workers from Charles River Labs arrive at the dock on Morgan Island, they quickly head on shore to avoid our camera. Lab workers feed, treat and trap the younger monkeys for research. Hundreds, each year, are taken by barge to the mainland, then shipped to research facilities across the country. The colony of monkeys on Morgan Island is owned by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH would not talk on camera, but did release a statement, saying the monkeys are given "... care in accordance with federal laws, regulations, and policies. No research is conducted on the island." In nearby Yemassee, South Carolina we discovered more monkeys being raised for research.  Five years ago, Alpha Genesis lost the federal contract to care for the monkeys on Morgan Island.   Outside the gates, we videotape monkeys in cages and quickly discover, primate research is a sensitive business.  As we videotape on public property, an Alpha Genesis employee confronts us to say, "This is private property on the other side of the street sir.  Will you please stop videotaping us sir?” Back on Morgan Island, hundreds of tattooed monkeys are still teeming on the shoreline. They aren't native to the area. In fact, they aren't native to this country.  They were shipped here from Puerto Rico in 1979 to test the oral polio vaccine.  Since then, they have flourished.  Nearly 4,000 of them make this the largest colony of free ranging primates in the United States. “Every time we come out here, there's a lot of babies. So, they're thriving," says Laney. The monkeys are being used to research bio terrorism agents and find cures for deadly and debilitating illnesses such as AIDS.  Benton has mixed emotions about the testing.  “My mom had cancer.  I don't know if they're being used for that or not, but hopefully they're being used to help humans." As we head home, it's clear, "Monkey Island" is no urban legend.  Three decades after this deserted island came alive, Laney says many locals still don’t believe it.
  
  “Well, sometimes you have to pull out a picture to prove it to some people and there's been people who've lived here all their lives and have never yet to see a monkey." The National Institutes of Health discourages visitors to the area to maintain as wild of an environment as possible.  Despite being owned by the State of South Carolina, visitors are not allowed on the island because of the danger of disease to both the monkeys and people.
  
  SC island filled with monkeys, steeped in mystery | WCNC.com Charlotte
  
  Need Help With a Manufactured Home
  
  More... »
  
  
• 18:34

  SCSO: Naked toddler left in car; mom dances in driveway - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com

   »  South Carolina SC News
  
  []
  WYFF4.com After a woman stopped in a stranger’s driveway and danced around with a cupholder from her car stuck in her hair, she was arrested when her 2-year-old child was found naked, curled in a fetal position behind the driver’s seat in the car, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to a home on Parris Bridge Road on Thursday by a resident who said she did not know a woman who was dancing around in her driveway.
  A deputy said he questioned the woman, later identified as 36-year-old Shana Bishop. The deputy said Bishop told him she thought she was at her mother-in-law’s house and she had no concept of time or how she ended up on Parris Bridge Road.
  The deputy said Bishop could not explain why her son was naked, sleeping in trash on the floor of the car. The deputy said Bishop was sweating and fidgety and could not finish sentences. Investigators said Bishop admitted to using methamphetamine in the past, and the believed she was under the influence of narcotics, so they arrested her.
  Deputies said the toddler had welts and bruises on his legs, so he was taken to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center to be checked out. The child was then released into the custody of Bishop’s parents, who said they had been raising the child until three weeks ago, when Bishop took the boy and they were unable to find her.
  Bishop is charged with child neglect. She was booked into the Spartanburg Detention Center.
  
  SCSO: Naked toddler left in car; mom dances in driveway - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com
  
  More... »
  
  
• 18:27

  Lancaster, Hickory Grove companies recall ground beef products because of potential contamination | Sports | Rock Hill Herald Online

   »  South Carolina SC News
  Lancaster Frozen Foods in Lancaster and G&W Inc. in Hickory Grove are voluntarily recalling approximately 6,908 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, the South Carolina Meat Poultry Inspection Department announced Friday.
  The following products are subject to recall:
  • Five-pound bulk packages of “Lancaster Frozen Foods Fresh Ground Beef” with “Est. # 20” inside the South Carolina inspection mark.
  • Ten-pound boxes of “Lancaster Frozen Foods Ground Beef Patties” with “Est. # 20” inside the state inspection mark.
  • Various sized tray packs of “Lancaster Frozen Foods Fresh Ground Beef”
  • Five-pound bulk packages of “G&W Brand Hamburger” with “Est. # 30” inside the state inspection mark.
  • Ten-pound boxes of “G&W Brand Hamburger Patties” with “Est. # 30” inside the state inspection mark.
  • Various size packages of “G&W Brand Hamburger”
  The products subject to recall were produced between March 2 and May 11 at Lancaster Frozen Foods and between March 2 and April 12 at G&W. Products were delivered to wholesale and retail establishments in South Carolina.
  There was also one direct delivery of source material from the wholesale warehouse distributor to a retail establishment, General IGA, in Walterboro. Company contact information is listed below for individuals that may still have these products on hand.
  The problem was discovered through lab testing by the meat poulty inspection department, which confirmed a positive result for E.coli O157:H7 in a product ground at Lancaster Frozen Foods. The company held the lot of product that was sampled, pending test results.
  However, additional unground product from the same lot of source material had been used in other production lots by establishments, resulting in this recall. Neither the inspection department nor the companies have received reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.
  The inspection department routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of a recall and to ensure that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.
  E. coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in the most severe cases, kidney failure. The very young, seniors and persons with weak immune systems are the most susceptible to foodborne illness.
  The inspection department advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.
  Consumers and media with questions regarding the recall should contact JoAnna Clayton for G&W Inc. and Lancaster Frozen Foods, 803-925-2147; or Kevin Butler for General IGA, 843-549-8585.
  Clemson University
  
  Read more here: [www.heraldonline.com]
  Lancaster, Hickory Grove companies recall ground beef products because of potential contamination | Sports | Rock Hill Herald Online
  
  More... »
  
  

• 17:01

  Two injured during crosstown shooting

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed

  Two people were shot during an altercation that took place on Thursday evening at the intersection of Rutledge Avenue and Grove Street.

  Two men were seen arguing on the corner and one of the men pulled out a gun, shooting both his intended target and a woman sitting in a passing car.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:38

  *Something special this Sunday@2 at the Greenville County Museum of Art

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
  Salsa! Sunday, May 20, 2:00 pm Join Gordon Owens as he gives a demonstration on Salsa dancing. Owens has danced on Broadway,  in movies, and on TV.  There is art for nearly every taste, too, from Andrew Wyeth: The Greenville Collection to Alfred Hutty: Woodstock to Charleston. Don’t miss a new exhibition by Asheville artist [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 15:38

  Ethics Investigation Into Nikki Haley Reopened

   »  FITSNews
  HOUSE ETHICS PANEL WANTS TO KNOW WHO PAID HALEY As we reported exclusively earlier this week, members of the S.C. House Ethics Committee have voted to reopen an investigation into whether Gov. Nikki Haley illegally lobbied on behalf of at least one former employer while serving as a member of the S.C. General Assembly. Unfortunately [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 14:58

  SC House Democrats Issue Statement On Nikki Haley Investigation

   »  FITSNews
  Columbia, SC – House Democratic Leader Harry Ott applauded the House Ethics Committee for voting to reopen the investigation into Nikki Haley on Friday. By a unanimous vote, the committee voted to request employment documents from Haley’s former employer, Lexington Medical Center, and its subsequent charity foundation. Serious allegations have been made on behalf of [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:29

  The Queen Welcomes Monarchs to Diamond Jubilee Lunch

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  The Queen and Prince Philip were joined today by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in welcoming royal families from all over the world to a lunch in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee.
  
  Read the rest of this entry >>
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:24

  Allegations Of Corruption Rock Nikki Haley Investigation

   »  FITSNews
  GOVERNOR’S “MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION” POLICY RAMPS UP The recently reopened ethics investigation into S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s shady (and potentially illegal) pre-gubernatorial employment activity has been rocked by allegations of corruption and blackmail involving members of the committee charged with conducting the probe. That’s sad … but not surprising. After all, South Carolina is one [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:34

  Deputies: Man caught on deer cam peeping in woman's window - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com

   »  South Carolina SC News
  
  WYFF4.com
  The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying a man they say has been seen on video looking through the window of a home during evening hours. Deputies believe the man had entered the property three times in the last month and looked through the window.
  The home is in the Reidville Road area.
  Only one incident has been officially reported to deputies.
  Deputies have video of the man taken from a deer camera by the victim.
  Deputies said the man has not harmed anyone at this time however, we are not sure what his motives are and we would like to identify and interview him as soon as possible.
  Investigators believe that he may live in the area of the home.
  If anyone knows who this person is or has any information that may help Investigators identify him we ask that they please call CrimeStoppers at 1.888.CRIME.SC.
  
  Deputies: Man caught on deer cam peeping in woman's window - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:33

  Race To The Bottom: Senate Republicans Propose Slashing Education, Health Care

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  
  
  This week, Senate Republicans brought to the Senate floor a series of budget proposals – each one more dangerous than the previous.  The common themes in this “race to the bottom?” – slashing funding for education and other critical priorities, letting student loan interest rates rise, ending Medicare as we know it, and  repealing the landmark Affordable Care Act – all to ensure more tax breaks for the wealthiest. 
  
  Our nation is at a crossroads, having to choose between two starkly different visions for our future.  We can ensure everyone a fair shot, make the investments necessary for economic growth, and stand up for the middle class and our most vulnerable populations.  Or, we can continue to allow those who can most afford to pay their fair share to avoid doing so. 
  
  Congress will continue to debate these issues, as deep cuts scheduled to go into effect in January 2013 approach.  We need to tell Congress that balancing the budget should not be done by slashing education and programs that serve our most vulnerable.  Tell Congress that we need a balanced approach that asks those most able to do so to pay their fair share.
  
  Take Action Today: Tell Congress to make the right choice for America’s future – protect children, working families, and seniors and ensure everyone pays his or her fair share.  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:28

  SCSO: Man caught trying to cash in stolen lottery tickets - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com

   »  South Carolina SC News
  
  WYFF4.com
  A Wellford man is accused of trying to cash in stolen lottery tickets. Spartanburg County deputies were called to a convenience store on Sibley Street on Thursday.
  The clerk told deputies a man had come into the store with a pocket full of lottery tickets. The clerk scanned one of the tickets which showed to be invalid, and the machine said to contact the lottery commission.
  Deputies said the man left the store but they found him down the street.
  The man told deputies he found the lottery tickets in the road the night before. Deputies said it rained that night and the tickets were not wet.
  Deputies were able to scan the tickets and found they had been stolen on Thursday morning in a burglary at the Lil’ Cricket on Old Spartanburg Highway.
  The man, Kenneth Wayne Rice, was arrested and charged with intent to defraud the lottery.
  He is being held at the Spartanburg County Detention Center.
  SCSO: Man caught trying to cash in stolen lottery tickets - Local News - Greenville, SC - msnbc.com
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:27

  Rep. Mia Garrick: Isn't Once Enough?

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  
  
  
  Okay…can anybody say, “ENOUGH already?”  Talk about a waste of time, energy and tax dollars…I mean, we’ve gone from late night comedy material to The Real Housewives of Lexington in what, two weeks?  Now Gov. Haley has decided to flagrantly abuse her power again by personally pleading for ballot restoration of one Lexington County GOP Senate candidate, Katrina Shealy.  Does our Governor not realize that she represents and serves at the pleasure of all South Carolinians…including the other 179 candidates whose names also won’t appear on the June Primary ballot? 
  What we’ve learned Wednesday night about Governor Haley isn’t even funny any more.  It’s sad.  It’s scary.  And it’s downright embarrassing.  I wish I could say that her actions only reflect Lexington County or the Lexington GOP.  But I live here too. I’m a native South Carolinian who happens to love my state.  And regardless of what county you’re in…the good, the bad and the ugly side of SC politics reflects and affects all of us. 
  Not that there is a precedent for this, but I can only surmise that when a Governor, who lives in Richland County, goes to a partisan political County GOP meeting in Lexington County to inject herself smack dab in the middle of a filing issue that the SC Supreme Court decided 2 weeks ago, here’s what must’ve happened:
  

  1. She and her trusted legal counsel were confused about the Supreme Court’s decision.
  2. She assumed that the Supreme Court’s decision was only applicable to the other 45 counties across South Carolina.  Not Lexington.
  3. She decided that she reigns supreme, so “trump” the Supreme Court. 

  
  Obviously, for Gov. Haley, Can’t really Is an Option.  She can’t seem to think logically.  She can’t seem to act nobly, wisely or Governor-like.  And she can’t seem to rise above the corruption and confusion that has chronicled her time in office.
  So if you’re wondering why your Governor can’t seem to “buck” the good ol’ boy system…well, it’s because she is the good ol’ boy system.  And while she’s fighting for gender equality (i.e. – the good ol’ gals) within that already corrupt system, who’s fighting for you?
  One thing’s for sure…the ballots have been printed and alas, Katrina Shealy still isn’t on them.  And while our Governor suffers yet another self-inflicted blow to her outrageously inflated ego, we have to wonder…did we really want another Nikki Haley crony at the State House?  Can you imagine having her Tea Party twin in the Senate too?  
  Now, I’ve got to agree with you.  At face value, our Governor represents change.  And like many of you, I wanted so much to believe and celebrate that.  But hindsight is 20/20 isn’t it?  And now that we know what we’ve got, we know that the good ol’ gals are just as corrupt and self-serving as the good ol’ boys they’ve replaced.  South Carolina has already been duped once.   
  Isn’t once enough?
  
  
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  
• 13:22

  GCDP Events and Important Announcements

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  
  
  GEORGETOWN OFA PHONE BANKING
  
  Saturday, May 19  10AM-4PMSteelworkers Union Hall  1515 Butts StreetCome and make calls for South Carolina and North CarolinaStop by and make calls to re-elect our PresidentFor more information call Carrie Dennison  240-5092
  ANNOUNCEMENT
  Covenant Missionary Baptist Church1414 Winyah St  Georgetown
  Covenant Missionary Baptist Church is hosting a Candidates forum May 19^, 2012 at 5PM.  We are inviting all Candidates to come out and be a part of this forum. Each candidate will be introduced and you will have 3 minutes to speak. After which community members will have an opportunity to ask questions.
  Once the forum ends candidates will have an opportunity to speak one on one with those in attendance.
  Candidates are asked to contact Sis. Lena McDonald Green at [843-359-7378] or by email at macmuffin77@aol.comto confirm your attendance.
  Where: Covenant Missionary Baptist Church When: May 19, 2012 Time: 5PM
  Refreshments will be served
  Thanking you in advanceRev. James B. Lewis Sr., Organizing Pastor
  PER GEORGETOWN COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE
  In-house voting at the Voter Registration Office is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 21.
  Absentee ballots are printed and have been mailed to the county election offices.  Ballots will be mailed to all that have requested to vote absentee.  If you wish to vote absentee and have not requested a ballot, call the voter registration office at 545-3339.
  DISTRICT 7 CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES DEBATE
  Monday, June 4, 7PM
  Bethel AME Church Glisson Center   401 Broad Street Georgetown
  Debate sponsored by the Georgetown County Democratic party, Coastal Observer and 
  The Georgetown Times newspapers.  If you want to submit questions, send to the newspaperseditor@coastalobserver.comor thoward@gtowntimes.com
  All five democratic candidates are participating.
  This an opportunity to hear all our democratic candidates for the 7th Congressional District.
  LETTER TO THE EDITOR WORKSHOP
  Saturday, June 9  11AM-12PM  Waccamaw Library   Pawleys Island
  Jim Watkins will conduct a workshop on effective points to use in writing a letterto the editor.
  To sign up for the workshop email Jim at jimsilverback@gmail.com 
  
  Calling all Georgetown County Democrats! 
  The time is now to start that journey to Victory in November!  We have an opportunity to elect a Democrat in the new 7th Congressional District to work with President Obama (a must win) and democrats are filing to run  for almost every position on the ballot.  Let's volunteer today to work for our democratic candidates so we can celebrate in November.
  COMMENTS
  "Change is made from the bottom up not from the top down.    Not in Washington but the streets of America."President Barack Obama
  
  
  To volunteer contact the party at 240-3396. 
  Questions or suggestion, contact Nancy Kolman at 240-3396
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:18

  Migratory dolphin fishing is hit and miss

   »  Lowcountry outdoors

  Bull dolphin and Ritt Ritter of Prowess

  
  

  Guy Harvey Magazine t-shirt and fighting mahi

  
  

  Weed mats and dark skies encountered on May 17

  
  
  

  Austin Crosby, Tommy Lewis and a fresh-green mahi

  Exceptional does not seem to be the best way to categorize the 2012 dolphin migration two weeks into May, with offshore anglers reporting spotty conditions. With the early onset of warm weather, many presumed that the dolphin would arrive by mid-May in full force, but only a mix of smaller mahi with a few larger fish are being tallied. Of course, this does nothing to dampen the spirits of those anglers determined to charge into the blue waters of the Gulf Stream to see what fish can be raised. On May 17 the crew of Prowess, a 37-foot Buddy Davis, ventured out under early morning thunderstorm conditions - the kind that brought 4-inches of rain to James Island overnight! Yet the climactic conditions made for a nice ocean for cruising to the fishing grounds, where sunlight and warm temps were in and out all day, but the 'fishable' conditions allowed for good trolling. The first fish over the transom was a peanut dolphin that was tagged and released for Don Hammond's Dolphinfish Research Project, but the next several went into the fish box for supper. Although flying fish were seen, and the weed mats were present, there was a lack of bird action and not many aggressive fish in the bait spread. Most of the fish were hooked well behind the boat on a deep drop line, and the mahi all averaged 20-pounds. Thanks to Ritt Ritter and Tommy Lewis for sharing all of their fishing knowledge on this day, including which songs are approved as fish-raising music, and thanks to Captain Brian Gulski who worked hard to put us on the fish.
  
  To view past blog entries about migratory dolphin click in May click here.
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:12

  Thank Senators for Protecting SC Victims

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  Thank Senators For Protecting Victims of Rape and Incest   Thank SC Senators for Protecting the rights of victims of rape and incest  Late yesterday afternoon, Senator Bright shocked the South Carolina Senate by proposing an amendment to the budget that removed rights to comprehensive healthcare services for victims of rape and incest.
  Luckily, 18 Senators stopped this harmful amendment.
  Please thank these 18 Senators and encourage them to continue to stand up for victims' rights.
  We believe this issue will come up again - show you support victims' rights to healthcare by sending your email now.
  Send a message to those Senators who stood up for victims and thank them for their efforts  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:02

  How Cindy Costa Sold Out South Carolina

   »  FITSNews
  By A. Citizen || Cindy Costa was elected to the RNC in 1996 as part of the Christian Coalition takeover. As Roberta Combs’ hand-picked candidate, she defeated incumbent National Committeewoman Marsha Eaton, a popular national committeewoman, as a result of the influx of the Christian Coalition delegates. Since then, she has enjoyed all the perks [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 12:22

  South Carolina man is dead from motorcycle accident on Kam Hwy | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader

   »  South Carolina SC News
  Hawaii---A man from South Carolina is dead following a motorcycle accident in Waiahole Valley.It happened just before 11 p.m. Thursday night on Kamehameha highway near Waiahole Valley Road.
  Police say the 46-year-old was trying to overtake cars on a motorcycle when he clipped an oncoming truck and veered into the path of an oncoming car. He then slid into a retaining wall.
  He was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other injuries. Police say speed and alcohol may have been factors.
  South Carolina man is dead from motorcycle accident on Kam Hwy | KHON2 Hawaii's News Leader
  
  More... »
  
  

• 12:07

  Rich: Barack Obama’s Jobless Rate Reality

   »  FITSNews
  RECORD NUMBERS OF WORKERS ARE GIVING UP HOPE By Howard Rich || For the third straight spring, the American economy is experiencing a “failure to launch.” Our nation’s unemployment rate continues to inch lower — from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent last month – but it’s dropping for all the wrong reasons (i.e. [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 11:51

  Bob Carter's Crispy Okra Chips featured on Oprah.com

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  Oprah.com recently shared Lowcountry chef Bob Carter’s recipe for okra chips in a roundup of one-bite appetizers.

  You can make them yourself with this easy recipe, or have them plated by the man himself at Carter's Kitchen in Mount Pleasant. Carter’s Kitchen serves up simple yet refined American cuisine at the Mount Pleasant's Inn at I'On.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 11:20

  Thank You, Nikki Haley (Says Georgia)

   »  FITSNews
  Georgia’s port system – which has no greater advocate than S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley – supported more than 350,000 jobs and had an economic impact of $67 billion in 2011. In Georgia, obviously. Not here in the Palmetto State. Those  numbers come courtesy of a new study paid for by the Georgia Ports Authority (a.k.a. [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 11:19

  DomeCandy, a revolution in music (Update: WBTW feature)

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Update May 18th: WBTW News channel 13's Rusty Ray stopped by the DomeCandy Labs yesterday, May 17th for their Positively Carolina segment.

  via WBTW

  There are a lot of old suitcases inside the house shared by Bob Williams and his friend, Seth Alcorace, in North Myrtle Beach--not to mention parts and pieces of old speakers, amplifiers, and wires.

  Hop on over to WBTW for their full write-up, we'll update when the video is available. 

  
  

  First Report May 4th: DomeCandy, a local business based out of and started by two North Myrtle Beach residents, has been in business a little over a year and is already generating a lot of buzz and positive feedback. 

  The two friends went into business building custom boomboxes out of reused materials. Most of their creations are made from old suitcases but the duo has ventured out into making pieces out of things such as guitar and makeup cases. Additionally, the two use parts from classic speakers to further the reduce, reuse, recycle mentality they share. 

  Bobby “Dr. XactO” Williams, one of the co-founders, talked with ListenUpMB.com recently and said, “Basically, what we do is we rescue vintage speakers and vintage suitcases and resurrect them to make portable sound,” 

  DomeCandy's mission is:

  To spread the love of music by offering a unique and creative alternative to portable sound. Whether your buying an already designed and assembled RockBox or our Do It Yourself Boombox Creation Kit, DomeCandy Lab wishes to provide you with all the knowledge and support necessary for your production.

  You can check out the whole story of DomeCandy by hopping over to ListenUpMB.com and reading their write-up.

  Also, make sure you 'like' them on Facebook and check out some of their available product over at DomeCandyLabs.com 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:53

  April's unemployment numbers decline nationally, Charleston sees small rise

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  According to a report released by the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, the state's jobless rate has declined for the ninth consecutive month.

  The rate fell from 8.9 percent in March to 8.8 percent in April. The number of employed dropped by 3,256 to 1,961,327, and the number of unemployed decreased by 2,799 to 189,865. The overall labor force fell 6,055 to 2,151,192 people.

  Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped from 8.2 percent in March to 8.1 percent in April, with about 340,000 people leaving the labor force in April. Despite that good news, Charleston County saw unemployment rise by 7% in April.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:32

  SC Unemployment Rate Edges Down …

   »  FITSNews
  … BUT THE PALMETTO STATE’S LABOR FORCE IS SHRINKING South Carolina’s unemployment rate slipped from 8.9 percent in March to 8.8 percent last month, although a big chunk of that reduction was attributable to people giving up their search for gainful employment. According to statistics released this week by the S.C. Department of Workforce and [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 10:05

  More Local SCGOP Drama

   »  FITSNews
  A little over a year ago, this website took notice when a purported Tea Party leader assumed control of the Horry County Republican Party. “We reached out to the grassroots and we took our party back,” newly elected party chairwoman Johnnie Bellamy (above, right) told The Sun News at the time. Really? Needless to say [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:05

  Academy Award Winner Takes on Georgetown

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  Exorcist Author Leads Alumni & Student Effort to Address Repeated Scandals and Non-Compliance at America’s Oldest Catholic University  

  William Peter Blatty also wrote the screenplay for The Exorcist, which earned 10 Academy Award nominations in 1973. His most recent novels include Elsewhere, Dimiter and Crazy.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Washington, D.C. – Academy Award winner William Peter Blatty, whose best-selling book and blockbuster film The Exorcist were situated at his alma mater, Georgetown University, announced today that he will lead alumni, students and other members of the new Father King Society to petition the Catholic Church for remedies up to and including the possible removal or suspension of top-ranked Georgetown’s right to call itself Catholic or Jesuit in its fundraising and representations to applicants.
  
  The move comes on the heels of an unprecedented rebuke of Georgetown and its first lay president by His Eminence, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington, over Georgetown’s invitation to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to be a diploma ceremony speaker today. Despite this and two petitions collecting almost 60,000 voices, Georgetown did not relent. 
  
  
  The editors of the Archdiocesan newspaper wrote in an editorial last Sunday regarding Georgetown: “When the vision guiding university choices does not clearly reflect the light of the Gospel and authentic Catholic teaching, there are, of course, disappointing results.”
  
  The Father Kings Society’s Canon Law action, based on Georgetown’s failure for more than two decades to comply with the requirements of Ex corde Ecclesiae (ECE), the 1990 Apostolic Constitution for Catholic Universities, was already being planned before the Sebelius scandal.
  
  “This is simply the last straw,” said Blatty. “The scandals that Georgetown has given to the faithful are too many to count, and too many to ignore any longer.”
  
  On the Father King Society website announcing the Canon Law action, Blatty writes: “Of course, what we truly seek is for Georgetown to have the vision and courage to be Catholic, but clearly the slow pastoral approach has not worked. …Georgetown is being dishonest. Together, we need to end that!”
  
  Linking GU’s non-compliance with Church law to GU’s regular scandals, the website tracks the Archdiocesan editorial: “Twenty two years of GU scandals, since Ex corde Ecclesiae was promulgated, are not just proof of a failed Catholic identity, they are evidence and a direct result of Georgetown’s failure to comply with ECE.”
  
  Blatty does not mince words about who is to blame for Georgetown’s slide:
  
  “Many believe that to make Georgetown truly Catholic is to turn back the clock hands and somehow limit its very nature as a university, as if the notion of ‘Catholic’ and ‘university’ are new to each other, or inherently at odds. On the contrary, to make Georgetown ‘Catholic’ is to move the clock forward; it is to make the University better than it now is! Of course, there are always those who are afraid of change—who lack vision. They may need to step aside.”
  
  “John Paul II exhorted us all to preserve for the Church the highest places of culture—our universities. Generations of alumni have long been seduced to ‘go along’ by dinners, medals, and board seats. We have all been negligent for too long: the laity, the clergy, and the bishops as well.”
  
  The Fr. King Society has enlisted the help of The Cardinal Newman Society, which for nearly two decades has been a leader in the movement to promote strong Catholic identity. The Cardinal Newman Society will provide expert advice, research assistance, and public relations support.
  
  In 1991-1992, Georgetown was the stage for a similar Canon Law action based on Ex corde Ecclesiae. Then-Dean of Student Affairs Dr. John J. DeGioia, now GU’s first lay president, authorized funding and support for a pro-abortion student advocacy group. Cardinal James Hickey rebuked Georgetown but held that the matter needed resolution in Rome, and the petitioners appealed directly to John Paul II. Georgetown’s Jesuit president was called to Rome.
  
  A few weeks later on a Friday afternoon, the support for the pro-abortion student group was reversed, and the Canon petition became moot. It was a success that reverberated as other universities announced defunding of similar clubs.
  
  The new planned Canon Law action is larger in scale and potential consequences than the 1991-1992 petition. The United States Catholic Bishops are presently evaluating the implementation of Ex corde Ecclesiae two decades later, and on May 5th His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI urged American bishops expressly to implement the constitution in the United States.
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:54

  RiverDogs return home for seven-game homestand (Series update)

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  

  Updates are at the bottom:

  First reporting: The RiverDogs return home to Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on Monday, May 14th, having played four games on the road against the West Virginia Power.

  Charleston plans to continue their strong play thus far in the season during a seven-game homestand that includes series against rivals Savannah Sand Gnats and Rome Braves.

  Be sure you take a peek at the list of upcoming promotions, which include Military Appreciation Night, Thirsty Thursday, Lowcountry Local First Go Local Saturday and more. Tickets are on sale online and at the the RiverDogs box office which may be reached by calling (843) 577-3647.

  Update May 18: Bryan Mitchell hurled seven scoreless innings for the Charleston RiverDogs as they shutout the Rome Braves 3-0 in South Atlantic League action on Thursday night.

  The first-place RiverDogs are now 26-12 and picked up ground in the Southern Division as Savannah lost to Augusta. Rome remained in the division basement, falling to 8-30.

  Charleston plays their first double-header of the year today, May 18th, against the Braves. The first game is the resumption of the game on Opening Day that was suspended due to rain. The game is scheduled to resume at 3 p.m., as RiverDogs’ RHP Scottie Allen (1-2, 3.41 ERA) faces Rome RHP Greg Ross (0-2, 9.26 ERA). The second game will start 35 minutes after the conclusion of the first game and will go seven innings, with RHP Wilton Rodriguez ( 1-1, 4.15 ERA) going for Charleston, RHP Ernesto Silva (0-3, 8.23 ERA) pitching for Rome.

  General Dynamics Red Shirt Friday is giving fans $1 off their tickets and 103.5 WEZL gives fans the chance to donate that money to support a military family in need. The Ashley View Pub will have Aluminum Pints for $3. Piggly Wiggly will let everyone at The Joe start the weekend off right with Piggly Wiggly Postgame Fireworks.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:54

  Minority Business Forum

   »  UnConflicted
  
  University of South Carolina
  Workshops & Conferences
  

  Minority Business Forum

  Date: June 5, 2012 Register Now Download Brochure

  Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Location: 8th floor, Darla Moore School of Business Cost: $95

  Driving Growth in Challenging Times This conference is designed for small- to medium-sized businesses that have made it through the start-up period and are poised to grow. The forum will feature business experts and faculty who will share growth strategies specifically for minority business owners. This is not a “tips and techniques” workshop, rather a focus on approaches that will help business owners move their businesses forward and generate additional sales. The day begins with networking at breakfast, proceeds through table topics over lunch, and concludes with a panel of experts who will answer questions about driving growth. Featured Speakers: • David Crockett, associate professor of marketing • John Stern, adjunct professor of management • Kiosha Gregg, of Kiosha Gregg Digital Media Consultancy • Jerry Ellison, of JBE, Inc. • Terris Riley, of New Venue Technologies • Succeed by using various marketing strategies designed for small businesses. • Position your company for growth by gaining strategic insights into human resources, taxation, legal and banking considerations. • Acquire and manage government contracts to give your business the necessary resources to extend your reach without exceeding your ability to deliver. • Advertising, social media, marketing and branding experts will update you on the latest trends and issues for small businesses. You will learn how to position your brand to be at the forefront of the public’s mind. You will gain insights about traditional advertising and social media, such as how to maximize low-cost campaigns to convert prospects into customers. Presenters will offer information about return on investment decisions and how to scale your business, as well as approaches for infrastructure decisions. Also covered will be human relations, information technology and “cloud computing,” as well as organizational and structural considerations for small businesses. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Marc Himes 803.206.7398 marc.himes@moore.sc.edu

  
  Top of Form
  UnConflicted is the small business advocacy blog of Frank Knapp, Jr., President & CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. Visit our website to join, subscribe to our newsletter, or follow the issues affecting small businesses in SC: [www.scsbc.org]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:52

  Divas half-marathon this weekend in North Myrtle Beach

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Sunday, May 20th will be the first ever Diva Half-Marathon and 5K race in North Myrtle Beach. 

  There are actually two races taking place, the first, the Half-marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. and the second, the Girls 5K starts at 7:20 a.m. Racers will be outfitted in "tiaras and feather boas as they run the 13.1 mile route."

  [[wysiwyg_imageupload:268:]]There is a concert tonight in North Myrtle Beach to kick-off the Divas half-marathon, the free street concert starts at 6:30 with the Lizzy Ross Band playing until 8:00 p.m. and followed by Death of Paris playing at 8:30 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.

  If you wish to participate there is still time to sign up here. The race route will basically take place ocean side between Cherry Grove and down to 25th Ave South in North Myrtle Beach, so adjust your travels.

  For more info check out the event website here. 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:48

  F-35B survives proposed budget trim

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  The F-35B has had no shortage of political challenges thanks to its many technical woes, but with planes being delivered (and even the British doing an about face) it seemed that most of the plane's political problems were behind.

  Still, we're in budget trimming times and one U.S. House member, Rep. John Conyers (D), Michigain, pitched striking the F-35B variant and reverting to the F/A-18E/F to save some $50 billion — it was a proposition that Conyers got no love for.

  I'll point you to the Air Force Times report; read it here.

  • Keep up with the F-35B on our topic page.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:41

  Shake your stuff for a good cause at 'Reggae on the Creek'

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  Feel irie this Saturday at Reggae the the Creek.

  Head out to Vickery's on Shem Creek from noon until dark to soak in the sounds of Dub Island & The Dubplates, Inner Vision Reggae band and influential Jamaican dancehall artist Tanya Stephens. In addition to some of the best reggae you'll ever find in the Lowcountry, Vickery's will be offering up $3 Red Stripe, $3 SweetWater Blue and $4 rum punch. Oh yeah, and lots of Caribbean food.

  Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. All proceeds from the show will benefit the Tanzania Education Foundation.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:18

  Contagion Is Here

   »  FITSNews
  Despite multiple bailouts – including rescue efforts funded with billions of U.S. tax dollars – the European economy is once again teetering on the brink of collapse. “The 2012 uptrend that held for so long finally appears to have broken,” one Eurozone analyst notes. “The ugly prospect of bank runs appears to be spreading over [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:10

  ESPN 100.3/FOX Sports 1050 On Air Schedule this weekend

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Coastal Carolina and USC are playing their final games of the regular season this weekend. Plus we've got coverage of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the NBA Playoffs and Major League Baseball.

  Next week we will be in the midst of post-season action in college baseball so come back to this blog for the latest updates on game times and when your favorite teams can be heard on the air in this critical time of year...

  Friday May 18
  Coastal Carolina Baseball Double Header vs. Charleston Southern. Game 1: 11:30 a.m., Pregame show begins at 11:20 a.m.
  
  Game 2 will follow 30 minutes after Game 1. ESPN 100.3 will bring you a college baseball scoreboard update in between the games. Game 2 will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m.
  
  Both games will air on ESPN Radio 100.3 The Team
  
  The Drive with Aaron Marks will NOT air today. Aaron will bring you an NCAA Baseball score board report for about 20 minutes in between games to keep you up to date on the Big South, SEC, and ACC action around the country as we get ready for conference tournament week.
  
  South Carolina Gamecocks Double Header vs. LSU. Game 1: 2:30 p.m., Pregame show begins at 2:15 p.m. Game broadcast will air on FOX Sports 1050/101.9
  
  Game 2 begins at 7:00 p.m., pregame show at 6:45. Game 2 will air on ESPN Radio 100.3 The Team. IF CCU is still playing we will join USC in progress at the conclusion of the Chanticleers match up.
  
  Myrtle Beach Pelicans play at Wilmington tonight at 7:05 p.m., pregame at 6:50 p.m. and will air on FOX Sports 1050/101.9

  Hop on over to the source for a complete list of this weekend's broadcast schedule.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 08:27

  Henri’ Thompson To Launch Candidacy

   »  FITSNews
  Henri’ Thompson, an entrepreneur and community servant, will officially launch his candidacy for the South Carolina Senate District 12 seat at two events on Tuesday, May 22nd. The district, located in Spartanburg and Greenville counties, is home to BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC., Michelin North America and other major companies and institutions. The district has the [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 08:12

  Sloan: How To Solve SC’s Financial Disclosure Dilemma

   »  FITSNews
  CANDIDATES, CHALLENGERS SHOULD DISCLOSE THEIR INCOME TAX RETURNS By E.D. Sloan Jr. || In 2010 Alan Wilson and Bob Livingston, candidates for nomination by the State GOP for elective office, allegedly failed to comply with the law that required them to timely file a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) and the GOP failed to exclude [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 06:54

  Winner list for the SC Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  Artists and artisans from across South Carolina were invited to participate in the 12th Annual South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition, the state’s only juried fine craft competition and exhibition. 

  Organized and exhibited annually by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, the show is presented as a component of the North Charleston Arts Festival. 

  Following an extensive pre-jury process, 38 applicants were asked to participate and 108 entries were submitted in the categories of clay, fiber, metal, wood, and 3D mixed media.

  Cash awards totaling $6,500 were made at the sole discretion of the juror, Clay Burnette, handweaver, basketmaker, and Director of Grants and Fellowships at the South Carolina Arts Commission.

  After making his selections, Mr. Burnette stated, “As I viewed the artwork submitted to this year’s exhibit, my goal was to identify examples of works that contained true evidence of the mark of the artist’s hand – proof that quality, individuality, and attention to detail has gone into each piece that I was selecting.” He continued, “It was obvious that individual identity - that mark of the hand - was prominent in many of the pieces presented, which made my task of selecting those that I deemed most worthy of the awards even more difficult.”

  After awarding ribbons, Mr. Burnette also selected pieces from the show to assemble a South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Traveling Exhibition, which will tour the state through the South Carolina State Museum’s 2012/2013 Traveling Exhibitions Program.  This program gives galleries, museums, and art centers across South Carolina the opportunity to request the exhibit to tour their facilities, thus providing additional exposure for the selected artists.

  In addition, two pieces were selected for City of North Charleston Purchase Awards. These pieces will be added to the City of North Charleston Permanent Public Art Collection, which is on display throughout North Charleston City Hall throughout most of the year.

  Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 SC Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition:

  Best of Show
  Handed Down (Mixed Media) by Susan Lenz (Columbia, SC) 

  Outstanding Merit
  Palmetto Sprout (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
  Capsulated Conifer (Mixed Media) by Kim Keats (Okatie, SC)

   

  Honorable Mention
  Lolly & Pop (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
  Vessel No. 359 (Metal) by Lee Sipe (Columbia, SC)
  Lidded Jar (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
  Binky (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
  Bloom (Metal) by Mackenzie King (Charleston, SC)
  Forged Simplicity (Metal) by Michael DuBois (Ladson, SC)
  Henry (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
  High Chair Driven (Mixed Media) by Dennis Vernon (Okatie, SC)
  Dream Catcher “Carolina” (Mixed Media) by Rebecca Johnson (Wedgefield, SC)
  Leaf Necklace (Mixed Media) by Rachel Weiss (Charleston, SC)
  Paradise Lost (Fiber) by Connie Lippert (Seneca, SC)
  Indigo Dyeing Under the Magnolias (Fiber) by Arianne King Comer (North Charleston, SC) 

  SC Palmetto Hands Traveling Exhibition Selections
  Handed Down (Mixed Media) by Susan Lenz (Columbia, SC)
  Indigo Dyeing Under the Magnolias (Fiber) by Arianne King Comer (North Charleston, SC)
  Brown Jug (Clay) by Pamela Steele (Gilbert, SC)
  Mark Leaving Series #3 (Mixed Media) by Fran Gardner (Heath Springs, SC)
  Lowcountry Server (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
  Count It All Joy (Mixed Media) by Georgette W. Sanders (McClellanville, SC)
  Open Segment Bowl with Foot (Wood) by Kenny Teague (Charleston, SC)
  Pearl Fryar’s Glorious Garden (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
  I Confess (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
  Untitled (Wood) by William Fournier (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
  Palmetto Sprout (Clay) by Patz Fowle (Hartsville, SC)
  Capsulated Conifer (Mixed Media) by Kim Keats (Okatie, SC)
  Large Urn (Clay) by John Johnson (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
  Binky (Fiber) by Ellen Byrd (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
  Bloom (Metal) by Mackenzie King (Charleston, SC)
  Forged Simplicity (Metal) by Michael DuBois (Ladson, SC)
  High Chair Driven (Mixed Media) by Dennis Vernon (Okatie, SC)
  Dream Catcher “Carolina” (Mixed Media) by Rebecca Johnson (Wedgefield, SC) 

  City of North Charleston Purchase Award
  Lolly & Pop (Metal) by Matt Wilson (North Charleston, SC)
  Urn (Wood) by Ben C. Pendarvis, Jr. (Orangeburg, SC)

  For more information about the South Carolina Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Competition & Exhibition, contact the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at 843-740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org. Those interested in hosting the traveling exhibition should contact Jeff Powley, South Carolina State Museum Outreach Manager, at 803-737-4159 or jeff.powley@scmuseum.org.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 06:12

  Beaufort' museum returns at Beaufort City Hall this Saturday

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  As was hoped for, the former Arsenal Museum's homeless artifact collection have found a new 3,500-foot home as the Beaufort History Museum at Beaufort City Hall.

  A May 2010 report by Dave Smoot of the Parris Island Museum described the collection as, "Leather items were moldy. Paper items were reacting negatively to the presence of acids in and around the paper. Wooden items were dry and splitting. Clothing was dried out, rotten, soiled and eaten by vermin. Ferrous items rusted some to the point where they could not be identified without them crumbling to pieces."

  But all that started to change once the stars aligned with city hall's 3,500 extra square feet of space and volunteers went to work, salvaging the collection and readying new exhibits. 

  "We have completed the task of working with the collection of artifacts that belongs to the City of Beaufort , culling objects that either have no historic merit or are beyond repair, and setting aside others for restoration", the group says on their new website. "Expert South Carolina archeologists and historians have examined the collection."

  And now the group will host a grand opening on Saturday, May 19, from 1 to 3 p.m.

  After that the museum will open for regular hours from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission will be free during the first few weeks.

  • Get more Beaufort history stories on our topic page.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 05:53

  Decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Dallas being transfered to Philippine navy

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  After 45 years of service the Coast Guard decommissioned the Charleston-based Cutter Dallas on Friday, March 30, and now in another Charleston ceremony the ship will be transferred to the Philippine navy.

  The 378-foot "High Endurance Cutter" will be transferred at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Pier Papa in North Charleston.

  The ceremony will be presided over by Rear Adm. John Korn, assistant commandant for Acquisition.

  "Since 1967, Coast Guard Cutter Dallas has served the American people well, from Vietnam and the Pacific to its final Coast Guard patrol in the Mediterranean, where the crew interdicted 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 940 pounds of marijuana," said Korn. "As Dallas returns to the Southeast Asian waters that it plied at the beginning of its Coast Guard career, I know it will serve the Philippines as faithfully and capably as it served America."

  The 378-foot cutter's main role was drug interception.

  During the final patrol, the crew of the Dallas interdicted approximately 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 940 pounds of marijuana during two separate cases while patrolling the Caribbean Sea. 

  Here's a bit of history on the cutter from the Coast Guard:

  Originally commissioned in 1967 at Avondale Shipyard in New Orleans, DALLAS is the sixth cutter to bear the name of Alexander J. Dallas, the Secretary of the Treasury under President James Madison (1814-1816). DALLAS was first home-ported at the former Coast Guard base on Governor’s Island, New York. She was relocated to her current homeport of Charleston, South Carolina on September 14, 1996.

  During seven combat patrols off the coast of Vietnam, DALLAS compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including 161 Naval gunfire support missions involving 7,665 rounds of 5-inch ammunition. This resulted in 58 sampans destroyed and 29 supply routes, bases, camps, or rest areas damaged or destroyed. Her 5-inch gun made her very valuable in support of the naval gunfire missions in the area.

  You can keep reading about the ship's history over here.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 05:35

  Bluffton High mascot statue returned along with hostage video

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Earlier this week the search was on for the missing 250-pound Bluffton High School statue of their mascot, a bobcat. 

  But now the statue has been recovered (found at the Hilton Head High football field), however the conversation has shifted toward a "hostage" video that features a masked gunman with captions that "if demands are not met, the kitten dies".

  I'll point you to WSAV 3's video report; watch it over here or up top.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 00:52

  Has the Bell Begun to Toll for the GOP?

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  By Patrick J. Buchanan
  Among the more controversial chapters in "Suicide of a Superpower," my book published last fall, was the one titled, "The End of White America."
  It dealt with the demographic decline of the white majority and what it portends for education, the U.S. economy, politics and national unity.
  That book and chapter proved the proximate cause of my departure from MSNBC, where the network president declared that subjects such as these are inappropriate for "the national dialogue."
  Apparently, the mainstream media are reassessing that. 
  For, in rare unanimity, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today all led yesterday with the same story.
  "Whites Account for Under Half of Births in U.S.," blared the Times headline. "Minority Babies Majority in U.S.," echoed the Post. "Minorities Are Now a Majority of Births," proclaimed USA Today.
  The USA Today story continued, "The nation's growing diversity has huge implications for education, economics and politics."
  Huge is right.
  Not only are whites declining as a share of the population, they are declining in real terms. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of births to white women fell 10 percent. The median age of white Americans, now 43 and rising, means that half of all white women have moved past the age that they are ever likely to bear more children.
  White America is a dying tribe.
  What do these statistics mean politically? Almost surely the end of the Republican Party as a national governing institution.
  Republicans now depend on the vanishing majority for fully 90 percent of their votes in presidential elections, while the Democratic Party wins 60 to 70 percent of the Asian and Hispanic vote and 90 to 95 percent of the black vote.
  The Democratic base is growing inexorably, while the Republican base is shriveling.
  Already, California, Illinois and New York are lost. The GOP has not carried any of the three in five presidential elections. When Texas -- where whites are a minority and a declining share of the population -- tips, how does the GOP put together an electoral majority?
  Western states like Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona, which Republican nominees like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan swept almost every time they ran, are becoming problematic for the party.
  Thus the GOP refrain: We must work harder to win over Hispanics.
  Undeniably true. But how does the GOP appeal to them?
  Fifty-three percent of all Hispanic children are born out of wedlock, with no father in the home and many of the moms themselves high school dropouts. Most Hispanic kids thus start school far behind.
  In tests of fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders, their scores are closer to those of African-American kids than whites and Asians. Their dropout rate matches that of black kids. Absent affirmative action, not only are America's colleges and universities but her professions are going to look far more Asian and white than the national population.
  Not a formula for social peace.
  Comes the reply: We must spend more to close the racial gap in test scores. Yet, according to The Washington Examiner, in the District of Columbia, the community where we have spent perhaps the most per capita to close the racial gap in test scores, the racial gap is by far the largest in the nation.
  Not only do we seem not to know how to close it after four decades of plunging trillions into public schools, the country is tapped out. We are in the fourth consecutive year of trillion-dollar deficits, and our largest and richest state, California, just discovered its deficit has exploded to $16 billion.
  And why should Hispanics vote Republican?
  The majority of Hispanics are among that half of the population that pays no income tax. Why should they vote for a party whose major plank is that it will cut income taxes?
  Hispanics benefit disproportionately from government programs.
  Government puts their kids in Head Start before pubic school and provides them with Pell grants and student loans after public school.
  From kindergarten through 12th grade, government educates their kids for free. Government provides them with free or subsidized health care through Medicaid and clinics. Government provides their families with public housing and rent supplements. Government provides the food stamps that feed the family. Government provides them with an annual earned income tax credit, a check just for working.
  Government provides all these things, and what are Republicans going to do? They promise to cut government.
  Again, why should Hispanics vote Republican?
  
  Establishment Republicans say the party should support amnesty for illegal aliens. Yet this would make millions more eligible for federal programs in a country sinking in debt and mean millions more Hispanics going to the polls, and millions more coming to America in anticipation of the next amnesty.
  
  How would that help the GOP?
  
  By endlessly expanding Great Society programs, by lopping taxpayers off tax rolls, by supporting open borders and endless immigration from the Third World, the Republican Party, out of sheer nobility of character, has probably ensured its impending departure from history.
  
  
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• South Carolina blogs (US-SC), 05/17/2012
• 21:49

  Vick's Congressional campaign crossfire

   »  The Blogland of Earl Capps
  In recent years, the Democratic path to electoral success in the northeastern (Pee Dee and Grand Strand) part of South Carolina has been simple: assume the Democratic voter base in the Pee Dee is locked in and ignore them and then focus on splitting off some of the moderate Republican voters along the coast by tacking to the center while demonizing the Republican candidate as extreme, unethical or both.
  While this strategy has generally worked well, but it's based on a lot of assumptions that sometimes get upset. Chesterfield County State Representative Ted Vick is finding this out, as his efforts to play the political center are putting him in a political crossfire that is making his bid to win the Democratic nomination for the Seventh Congressional District increasingly challenging.
  Several weeks ago, Vick resigned his membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council, a generally conservative association for state legislators, in response to rumblings by the liberal Democratic base about his membership in the group. This came after rumors floated around Columbia that he had been talking with Republican legislators about switching parties to ensure that he would survive redistricting - a move which his Congressional bid made a moot point.
  While Vick may have hoped this move would make him more palatable to his party's base, today's endorsement of Gloria Bromell Tinubu, one of his primary opponents, by the South Carolina chapter of the AFL-CIO made it clear those efforts may not be working. According to AFL-CIO President Donna Dewitt:
  

  After researching and reviewing the records of the candidates running for the new SC Congressional District 7, the SC AFL-CIO has concluded that Gloria Bromell Tinubu has a proven record which best represents the interests of the working people of the new District. The members of the SC AFL-CIO voted unanimously to endorse her candidacy.

  
  As Vick has worked to distance himself from his party's liberal political base, perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that these core Democratic constituencies are looking at other candidates in the race. Given the roles liberal organizations like AFL-CIO could play in deciding the outcome of the of low-turnout election which is expected for the Democratic primary (just thirty-three thousand Democrats voted in 7th counties in 2010, compared to nearly forty-eight thousand Republicans), distancing himself from the Democratic Party's liberal base in the hopes of winning the general election might turn out to be a costy move indeed.
  This wouldn't be the first time a revolt among Pee Dee Democrats has torpedoed the candidacy of a Democratic nominee for a major office attempting to straddle the political fence. In 1994, the candidacy of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nick Theodore when an unexpected revolt by Democratic activists from the Pee Dee, including black liberal Democrats as well as several key Democratic legislators, helped carry GOP candidate David Beasley to a close victory.
  Thus Vick wouldn't be the first Democrat in the region to try to play the center and come up short.
  
  More... »
  
  

• 20:54

  Famars fine guns adds U.S. focus

   »  Lowcountry outdoors

  Tim Ross with FamarsUSA at Bray's Island

  
  

  NEW Famars gun cases

  
  

  An example of world-class Famars shotgun engraving

  
  

  Wonderful wood accents a Famars firearm

  Famars fine Italian guns, known for master engraving work, has opened it first-ever office in the United States in Rhode Island. The new FamarsUSA will focus not only on their guns, but on a line of gentleman's knives and the accessories required for a sporting lifestyle. Tim Ross and David Rodin represented FamarsUSA at a recent shooting expo in the Lowcountry, and were skillful in sharing how the new company vision is playing out in 2012.To view my feature story on FamarsUSA visit the Internet at Charleston Mercury.
  
  More... »
  
  

• 19:28

  Obama's Literary Agent in 1991 Booklet: 'Born in Kenya and Raised in Indonesia and Hawaii'

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  Breitbart News has obtained a promotional booklet produced in 1991 by Barack Obama's then-literary agency, Acton & Dystel, which touts Obama as "born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii." 
  The booklet, which was distributed to "business colleagues" in the publishing industry, includes a brief biography of Obama among the biographies of eighty-nine other authors represented by Acton & Dystel. 
  It also promotes Obama's anticipated first book, Journeys in Black and White--which Obama abandoned, later publishing Dreams from My Father instead.
  Obama’s biography in the booklet is as follows (image and text below):
  
  
  Read the rest of this entry >>
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 18:12

  *Upcoming events at the Anderson County Museum

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
  Upcoming Civil War Programs Saturday, May 19, 10:30 a.m. Life on the Homefront Fritz Hamer, author and historian from the South Caroliniana Library at USC, examines how families in South Carolina coped with shortages and losses during the Civil War. A Civil War expert, Mr. Hamer was Curator at the SC State Museum for many [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:35

  The School Choice Leadership Vacuum

   »  FITSNews
  TIME FOR SELF-STYLED “REAGAN REPUBLICANS” TO WALK THE WALK Earlier this week S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis reiterated his support for expanded school choice in the Palmetto Sate. A Tea Party favorite, Loftis received the most votes of any candidate on the ballot in 2010 and along with U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is viewed as one [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:33

  Richland County, SC Wills

   »  South Carolina Pioneers - South Carolina Genealogy
  
  Richland County Richland County was formed in 1785 as part of Camden District. In 1791 a small portion of it went to Kershaw County. The county seat is Columbia, which is also the state capital. In 1786 the state legislature decided to move the capital from Charleston to a more central location. A site was chosen in Richland County, which is in the geographic center of the state, and a new town was laid out. During the War Between the States General William T. Sherman captured Columbia and burned the town and parts of the county on February 17, 1865. Early Settlers: Richard Adams, Casper Coon, John Belton, Benjamin Everitt, John Dodd, Christian Kinslery, Samuel Jackson, William Partride, Mathias Libecap and others
  
  Richland County Records Available to Members of South Carolina Pioneers
  
  Index to Richland County Will Book 1787-1853
  Index to Richland County Will Book C (1787 to 1805)
  Index to Richland County Will Book G (1806 to 1823)
  Index to Richland County Will Book H (1823 to 2834)
  Index to Richland County Will Book K (1834 to 1839)
  Index to Richland County Will Book L, Part 1(1840 to 1858)
  Index to Richland County Will Book L, Part 2 (1854 to 1864)
  
  Transcripts of Richland County Wills (1787 to 1796)
  

  Names are listed here : Adams, Richard; Allison, Andrew; Belton, John; Blanchard, Benjamin; Braswell, Hannah; Coon, Casper; Coosmaul, Henry; Daniel, Richard; Dodd, John; Duncan, Mathew; Everitt, Benjamin; Faust, John Henry; Gill, John; Haswell, Robert; Heath, Ethel; Hill, Robert; Hollis, Edward; House, Thomas; Howell, Arthur; Howell, Thomas;] Huggins, William; Jackson, Samuel; Kinsler, Christian; Libecap, Mathias; Mack, Conrod; McKinstra, John; McLemore, Joel; Miers, John; Partridge, William; Pembleton, John; Reese, Joseph; Ross, James; Rowan, Samuel; Shirling, James; Sledde, Seten W.; Taylor, Mary; Westcott, David; Westcott, Ebenezer; Whitaker, William Jr.; Whitaker, William Sr.; Wimberly, Mary

  Transcripts of Richland County Wills, Bk C (incomplete)
  

  Curry, Jane; Faust, Jacob; Hay, William; Hinson, William; Hunt, James Green; Kelly, Alexander; Kinsler, Daniel; Rives, Herbert; Rives, Robert; Salisbury, Pettigrew; Strange, Henry; Waggoner, Robert

  Transcripts of Richland County Wills, Book G, 1806 to 1827
  

  Baker, Jesse;Blain, Joseph;Brown, Mary;Burginer, William;Carey, Ann;Chandler, Jesse;Davis, Mary Ann;Delahunt, Robert;Delezeair, Ann;Donlevy, Francis;Egan, Thomas;Ellis, William;Fitzpatrick, William;Fox, William;Frost, Keziah;Gill, Agnes;Goodwyn,Elizabeth;Goodwyn, Sarah; Guignard, John; Hamiter, Adam Frederick;Harris, Barton;Herron, Samuel; Howell, Lucy;Howell, Malachi;Hutchinson, Thomas; Killingsworth, Jesse;Kinsler, Elizabeth;Legran, Oliver;Livingston, William; Lucas, John;McCawley, James;McClellan, James;McDonald, Alexander; McIlwain, John;Montieth, William;Mulder, Abel;Myer, William; Parker, Lucy;Phelps, Mary;Reese, James;Rivers, William; Romanstine, George;Scott, William;Smith, Edward D.;Smith, George;Smith, Richard;Souter, George;Spigner, Frederick; Stanley, Samuel;Thompson, Mary; Tucker, Wood; Turquand, Catharine;Walshe, John, Dr.;Ward, Henry D.;Watson, Effa; Watts, Thomas;White, Mary Susanna;Wood, Sampson C.

  Transcripts of Richland County Wills, Book H, 1823 to 1834
  

  Abbot, John;Adams, Joel Sr.;Barrillon, Christopher;Bell, Benjamin Ficklin;Bolton, Robert;Brevard, Alexander; Brown, John B.;Brown, John D.;Brown, William;Carey, Lemuel; Carter, Gracy;Clifton, Claiborne;Coalter, David;DeChampmanoir, John Louis Raoul;Deleon, Jacob;Diseker, Jacob;Edmunds, Thomas; Fannin, Elizabeth;Faust, Peter;Freeman, Benjamin;Gandy, Uriah; Goudy, Andrew;Green, Robert L.;Hall, Ainsley;Hall, James; Harris, Elizabeth;Heath, Thomas Jr.;Higgins, Benjamin;Hinton, Micajah;Hopkins, John;Howell, Mary, widow of Robert;Huggins, Samuel;Jamison, David;Jones, Matthew;Kinsler, Herman;Leadingham, William;Lightner, George;Martin, Francis;Martin, Joseph Sr.; Martin, William;McDowell, Alexander;McLaughlin, John;Moody, Joseph;Neal, Benjamin;Nutting, Mary;Oliver, Mary Ann;Partridge, John;Pearse, John;Polock, David;Pullig, Anthony;Purvis, William; Raynal, Mary Martha;Scott, Samuel;Seay, John;Sistrunk, Jasper; Spelling, William;Stark, Robert;Sturgeon, William Sr.;Taylor, Thomas Sr.Taylor, William;Tidwell, O. G.;Tucker, Joel A.; Turnipseed, John;Tyson, Mason;Wade, Georgia;Ward, Henry Dana; Watkins, Samuel;Weston, Robert Jr.;Whitecotton, Axton; Williams, Ely;Williamson, Chestian;Woodward, Mary;Wootan, Mark

  Transcripts of Richland County Wills, Book H, 1834 to 1839
  

  Adams, Harry;Adams, Margaret;Boyle, Cunningham; Brizna, Elizabeth;Bynum, Drury;Carroll, William;Chapman, Gersham;Chappell, Hicks;Clifton, Mary;Cline, Henry;Cooper, Thomas;Davis, James, Dr.;Dubard, William;Duggins, William; Farrow, Daniel;Faust, Daniel;Faust, Jane;Fisher, Edward;Fleming, Mary;Green, Samuel;Harrison, Benjamin;Herbemont, Caroline; Herbemont, Nicholas;Holliday, Mary;Hollis, John;Hopkins, David; Howell, Grace;Howell, Jesse Malachi;Hugg, Stephen;Hughes, John; Levy, Samuel;Marshall, Martin;McGuire, Peter;McLemore, John; McMillan, William;Munson, Maria;Myers, David;Myers, William; Nixon, Stephen Sr.;Parr, John;Patterson, Samuel;Raoul, Caroline; Reese, Timothy;Thompson, Gracy G.;Threewits, Joel; Turnipseed, George; Walsh, Thomas;Yates, Robert;Young, James;Zanony, John

  Transcripts of Richland County Wills 1840 to 1858
  

  Adams, Anna; Adams, James;Adams, Joel Belton; Adams, Robert;Adams, Robert J.; Adams, Sarah; Adams, Sarah H.; Arthur, Benjamin; Arthur, Rebecca; Bailey, Samuel; Beard, William; Black, Margaret; Bougle, Sarah; Bowers, Charlotte; Bryce, John; Bryce, Peter; Bynum, William; Caldwell, Davis; Carner, Sarah; Chanlon, John; Davis, James; Davis, Mary; Dial, James; Dubard, Katharine; Edgar, Adam; Ellison, Joseph; Ellison, Margaret; Entzminger, Peter; Faust, Jasper; Fitzsimons, Catherine; Forshaw, William; Gibson, Sarah; Girardin, Margaret; Graddick, John; Gray, Peter; Green, Henry C.; Green, Selina; Harris, Philip; Hart, Benjamin; Hayes, Lavinia; Heath, Thomas; Henry, James; Higgins, William; Hodge, Nancy; Hogan, Rosannah; Hood, Frederic; Hopkins, Amy; Hopkins, James; Hopkins, Sarah; Howell, Harriet; Howell, Martha; Howell, Matthew R.; Jones, Mathew; Kennedy, John; Kirk, Susannah; Latts, Robert; Law, William; Lightner, Jacob; Lipman, Mary; Lott, John; Lowe, Pleasant; Lykes, Frederick Sr.; Lyons, Isaac; Malone, Mary; Marks, Frances; Marshall, John; Martin, Mary; Marshall, Sarah; Maxwell, Janet; McCormick, Samuel; McCormick, William; McDonald, William; McLauchlin, B. L.; Medlin, Joel Jr.; Medlin, Robert; Morris, Mary; Morrison, Mary; Munson, Robert; Nelson, Joseph; Nerts, Mary; Neville, Clement; Nipper, Temperance; Parr, Mary; Patterson, James; Pemberton, Alton; Player, Sarah; Porcher, Augustus; Prescott, Jesse; Purvis, Mary; Quilter, Timothy; Reese, John; Reese, Sarah; Roberts, Philip; Romanstine, John; Rogers, O. B.; Rowan, James; Rowan, Robert; Sharp, John C.; Singleton, Matthew; Smiley, Dorothy; Smiley, William; Snowden, Gilbert; Solomon, Phineas; Stack, Elizabeth; Stack, William; Stanton, Joseph; Stark, Grace; Stevens, James; Suling, John; Taylor, Benjamin F.; Taylor, Margaret; Taylor, Mary; Taylor, Sarah, Mrs.; Thompson, Sarah; Trapp, John; Tucker, Sarah; Turnipseed, Nancy; Tyler, Mary; Vinson, Arthur; Wages, Dawson; Wages, Rebecca; Wages, William; Weir, Samuel; Wessinger, Penelope; Wilson, John Dubose; Wilson, Olivine; Woodward, Isom; Young, Mary
  Become a member of South Carolina Pioneers.net and read wills, genealogies, etc.

  Subscribe and view records
  
  SouthCarolinaPioneers.net
  

  • Option 1. Subscribe for 3 months. Subscription automatically terminates at the end of 3 months. - $30.00. A password will be sent to you.
  • Option 2. Subscribe for 1 year. - $75.00.

  
  Subscribe and view records
  
  SouthCarolinaPioneers.net
  

  • Option 1. Subscribe for 3 months. Subscription automatically terminates at the end of 3 months. - $30.00. A password will be sent to you.
  • Option 2. Subscribe for 1 year. - $75.00.

  

  
  

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:32

  Buffett bets on local, buys newspapers and their digital assets

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Berkshire Hathaway has scooped up Media General and now owns several local and regional newspapers. 

  Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company out of Omaha founded and owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. Buffett has always had a keen nose for companies and stocks. He's made billions over the years and now he seems to be focusing on small. 

  via the NY Times

  “In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper[...]The many locales served by the newspapers we are acquiring fall firmly in this mold and we are delighted they have found a permanent home with Berkshire Hathaway."

  Berkshire bought the stable of newspapers for $142 million in cash. The deal also includes "digital assets, including websites and mobile and tablet applications."  Media General is keeping one newspaper property– The Tampa Tribune. The details are here.

  What local and regional media is now owned by the "Oracle of Omaha"? 

  • Morning News (Florence)
  • The Messenger (Hartsville)
  • Lake City News & Post (Lake City)
  • Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise
  • The Weekly Observer (Hemingway)

  Is this a sign that newspapers aren't dead or one that hyperlocal is the way to go? Lowcountry media pundit Dan Conover has an interesting theory on how most daily newspapers are doing it wrong. You can read his take here.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:11

  Former Crestwood Middle School teacher charged with molesting student in South Carolina

   »  South Carolina SC News
  A former longtime Royal Palm Beach school teacher has been charged with molesting a middle school student in South Carolina.
  William Albert Brown, 49, was arrested by the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office on May 11 on charges of second-degree assault and battery and criminal solicitation of minor. According to a Dorchester County Sheriff's Office report and published reports, the alleged victim is a 14-year-old girl who attends DuBose Middle School in Summerville, S.C. where Brown is an eighth-grade teacher.
  Brown taught English and then language arts from 1993 until 2008 at Crestwood Middle School on Sparrow Drive in Royal Palm Beach. According to district records, Brown received satisfactory job reviews every year of his employment and voluntarily resigned in August of 2008.
  Dorchester County Sheriff's Major John Garrison said the investigation is in its early stages and they do not have any information yet suggesting any additional victims in South Carolina or Palm Beach County.
  According to the sheriff's report, DuBose Middle Assistant Principal Christie O'Rear contacted the sheriff's office claiming she had received information that Brown had made obscene statements to the student by repeatedly making comments of a sexual nature. The report says investigators also believe Brown may have had "inappropriate physical contact with the victim."
  After detectives interviewed the victim and two witnesses, Brown was removed from the DuBose campus and arrested the next day. It is unclear from the report exactly what day the incident is alleged to have occurred.
  According to sheriff's records, Brown was released on bond Saturday.
  Crestwood Principal Stephanie Nance, who was assistant principal and then principal during the last few years of Brown's tenure as a teacher there, could not be reached for comment. Brown and his wife in Summerville, Kelly Sigler, also could not be reached for comment.
  
  Former Crestwood Middle School teacher charged with molesting student in South Carolina
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:08

  Little River's Blue Crab Festival returns this weekend despite earlier uncertainty

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  After uncertainly earlier this year, Little River's Blue Crab Festival is scheduled for this weekend, featuring two days of food, activities, and entertainment.

  Activities will include arts, crafts, music, a kids area, and business and community booths.  The entertainment line-up features Jim Quick & Coastline, The Rick Strickland Band, Carolina Breakers, Ken Jordan, and the Craig Woolard Band.  You can see the full schedule here.

  The festival is on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, 2012 on Water Front Avenue in Little River.  It runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.  A one-day ticket bought in advance is $3.  A two-day ticket bought in advance is $5.  Tickets purchased the day of the event are $4.  You can click here for a coupon admitting one child or student per full-priced adult. 

  For more information about the festival, its location, parking arrangements and other details, check out their site.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:06

  Beth Bernstein Calls On Rep. Joan Brady To “Stop Protecting Nikki Haley”

   »  FITSNews
  (Columbia, SC) — Beth Bernstein, candidate for House District 78, today called on Rep. Joan Brady to stop protecting Governor Nikki Haley and do what is right for South Carolina. Representative Brady is one of five Republicans on the House Ethics Committee that controversially voted to dismiss charges against Governor Haley only minutes after finding [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:04

  Craftsmen Kitchen & Taphouse

   »  DAVID THOMPSON ARCHITECT
  We have broken ground on construction for Craftsmen Kitchen & Taphouse.  The location is the Old Johnson's Pub on Cumberland St., (Charleston SC).  The renovations include two new bars, all new finishes and fixtures, total bathroom renovations and freshening up the patio.  We are working with our long time collaborator David Willis of Southeastern Construction.
  
  Last week was an open house for the media where the Owners - Todd and Philip, myself and craftsman Michael Moran walked the press through the space.
  
  
  
  Also, shoutout to Obviouslee Marketing for our inclusion in this great piece of press -   [curbed.com]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 16:02

  SC Soap Opera Updates

   »  FITSNews
  … STAY TUNED FOR MUCH MORE ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF “AS THE PALMETTO TURNS” Two examples of “good old boy” politics in South Carolina have ended in fizzles … but the soap opera that defines the Palmetto State’s ass-backward, inbred political scene continues to produce fresh drama. First, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s successful attempt [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 15:45

  Presentation of May 17th

   »  South Carolina Agricultural Council

  <a href=" Titan Farms Presentation [slideshare id=12974559&w=425&h=355&sc=no] View more PowerPoint from scagcouncil " title="Presentation of May 17th">Presentation of May 17th

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 15:25

  Gary Johnson’s Watermelon

   »  FITSNews
  This website has made no secret of our respect for former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson … or of our contempt for the establishment that has chosen to ignore his candidacy. “Like Ron Paul, Johnson is a bona fide limited government guy – meaning he embodies everything the Republican party claims to stand for,” we [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 14:47

  True Tragedy

   »  FITSNews
  For those of you who didn’t know, our founding editor Will Folks (a.k.a. Sic Willie) has a bit of a shoe fetish. Actually that’s a colossal understatement … he has a potentially serious addiction (think Dom Woganowski in There’s Something About Mary) and needs to seek professional help immediately. We’re not kidding … While rumors [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:46

  Love beer? Welcome the Hilton Head Taste of Summer Craft Beer Festival

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  If there's one type of festival that's really blossomed in Lowcountry in recent years, it's the craft beer type.

  Evidence: Welcome the Hilton Head Taste of Summer Craft Beer Festival.

  It's happening Saturday, May 19, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina on Hilton Head Island.

  They'll be offering up some 60 different beers from 20 craft breweries offering styles from pilsners, to hefe-weizens, to American-style wheats, pale ales, fruit beers, summer ales, ciders, and more. 

   Admission is free, but tasting tickets are $25 in advance (buy them here) or $30 at the gate, and include 15 samples and a souvenir glass. Craft beer sample size are 4 ounces and international samples are 2 ounces. Additional sample tickets can be purchased for $1 each. 

  Taste of Summer will also feature summertime foods from Hilton Head Island area restaurants including: San Miguel's, Bistro 17, Ela's, New York City Pizza, Kickin Chicken, The Big Chill, and The Lodge Beer & Growler Bar. Plus live rock, surf and reggae music from "The Blue Dots" and "Patwa".

  A percentage of proceeds from the event will go to benefit two local charities: Palmetto Animal League and the Hilton Head Rotary Club.

  Here's the beer list:

  • Keep up with area beer news on our topic page.

  AMERICAN CRAFT BREWERIES  

  • ( 2 – represents a two ounce sample – high gravity beers ) 
  • Abita – Andygator(2), Restoration Pale Ale
  • Ace Cider - Apple, Joker, Perry
  • Allagash – White, Triple(2), Black(2)
  • Anchor Steam - Anchor Summer, Anchor Steam
  • Anderson Valley Brewing Company - Summer Solstice, Boont Amber Ale
  • Avery Brewing Company – White Rascal, India Pale Ale
  • Bells – Oberon, Two Hearted Ale, Lager
  • Boston Beer - Samuel Adam’s Summer Ale, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Twisted Tea, Griffins Bow(2)
  • Bottle Tree Beer Company - Blonde , The Irish Red
  • Carolina Brewery - Sky Blue Golden Ale, Flagship IPA
  • Cisco – Sankaty Light Lager, Grey Lady
  • Cottrell – Old Yankee Ale
  • Fort Collins Brewery ~ Major Toms Pomegranate Wheat
  • Geary Brewing – Summer Ale
  • Harpoon Brewery - Harpoon IPA, UFO  White, Summer Beer
  • Kona - Longboard Lager – Koko Brown
  • Leffe – Blonde
  • Lightning Brewery - Thunderweizen, Fair Weather Pale Ale
  • New Belgium Brewery - Fat Tire, Shift Pale Lager, Ranger IPA
  • New South Brewery – White Ale
  • Palmetto Brewing Company - Pale Ale, Ginger Slap
  • Piggly Wiggly’s Pig Swig - Pig Tail Ale, Pig Pen Pilsner
  • Safe Harbor - Blond Ale
  • Sierra Nevada - Kellerweis, Summerfest Lager
  • Souther Tier - Hopsun, 422, Raspberry Wheat
  • Stone Brewery - Levitation, Cali-Belgique IPA(2)
  • Steve’s Point Brewery – Nude Beach Summer Wheat, Belgian Wheat, Drop Dead Blonde
  • Victory - Summer Love Ale, Headwaters Pale Ale
  • Weyerbacher - Merry Monks Ale(2), Double Simcoe IPA(2) 

  INTERNATIONAL BEERS ( these beers will be featured in limited quantities - 2 ounce samples )

  • Holy Grail Ale
  • Kasteel Triple
  • Omer Belgian Blond
  • Orval
  • Oud Beersel Oude Geuze
  • Steenbrugge Tripel
  • Saxo Blonde
  • Three Monts – Golden Ale
  • Tripel Karmeliet
  • Westmalle Triple

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:08

  Republican Liberty Caucus Endorses Rich Bolen

   »  FITSNews
  NORTH CHARLESTON, SC – The Republican Liberty Caucus of South Carolina voted to endorse Rich Bolen for Senate District 18, which covers parts of Lexington, Newberry, and Union Counties. The RLC was influenced by Bolen’s commitment to fiscal conservatism and individual liberty and believes he will be a strong ally in promoting the ideals of [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:05

  Buffett bets on local, buys newspapers & TV afiliates

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Berkshire Hathaway scoops up Media General, now owns several local and regional newspapers and TV affiliates. 

  Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company out of Oklahoma founded and owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. Buffett has always had a keen nose for companies and stocks, he's made billions over the years and now he seems to be focusing on small. 

  via the NY Times

  “In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper[...]The many locales served by the newspapers we are acquiring fall firmly in this mold and we are delighted they have found a permanent home with Berkshire Hathaway."

  Berkshire bought the stable of newspapers for $142 million in cash. 

  What local and regional media is now owned by the "Oracle of Omaha"? 

  • WBTW News Channel 13
  • SCnow.com
  • WBTW-2 My TV
  • Morning News (Florence)
  • The Messenger (Hartsville)
  • Lake City News & Post (Lake City)
  • Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise
  • The Weekly Observer (Hemingway)

  Media General also held many properties through out the rest of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virgina. Here you'll find a complete list of all the properties Media General held; oddly, Media General decided to keep on property, The Tampa Tribune

  Is this a sign that Newspapers aren't dead or a sign that hyperlocal is the way to go?

  Read the whole story over at The New York Times. 

  
  
  More... »
  
  
• 14:05

  Buffett bets on local, buys newspapers

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Berkshire Hathaway has scooped up Media General and now owns several local and regional newspapers and TV affiliates. 

  Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company out of Oklahoma founded and owned by billionaire Warren Buffett. Buffett has always had a keen nose for companies and stocks. He's made billions over the years and now he seems to be focusing on small. 

  via the NY Times

  “In towns and cities where there is a strong sense of community, there is no more important institution than the local paper[...]The many locales served by the newspapers we are acquiring fall firmly in this mold and we are delighted they have found a permanent home with Berkshire Hathaway."

  Berkshire bought the stable of newspapers for $142 million in cash. 

  What local and regional media is now owned by the "Oracle of Omaha"? 

  • Morning News (Florence)
  • The Messenger (Hartsville)
  • Lake City News & Post (Lake City)
  • Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise
  • The Weekly Observer (Hemingway)

  Media General also held many properties throughout the rest of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virgina. Here you'll find a complete list of all the properties Media General held.  Oddly, they decided to keep one property, The Tampa Tribune

  Is this a sign that newspapers aren't dead or one that hyperlocal is the way to go?

  Read the whole story over at The New York Times. 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 14:00

  “Like” Jeff Duncan

   »  FITSNews
  Along with fellow U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, Jeff Duncan has been an absolute rock star in Washington, D.C. when it comes to watching out for your bottom line. In fact numerous scorecards released over the last two years have shown Duncan and Mulvaney leading the entire U.S. Congress when it comes to casting votes that [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:58

  A Great Fact

   »  Shipwrecked In South Carolina

  

  
  The great fact is just this, and nothing less:
  That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences
  which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life,
  toward our fellows and toward God's universe.
  The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator
  has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous.
  - Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25
  
  
  A spiritual awakening is our greatest gift.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:36

  Tell Rep. Tim Scott: We won't be fooled

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  House Republicans have voted for shameful bills to redefine rape, defund Planned Parenthood, and to let women die. Still, despite their appalling record on women's issues, you might think that Republicans in Congress would have some concern for domestic violence survivors. You'd be wrong. Just over a month ago, Rep. Tim Scott and House Republicans voted to block the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). But then, yesterday, Rep. Scott joined fellow extremist Tea Party Republicans in voting for a bill which they misleadingly called the "Violence Against Women Act," but which actually guts current protections for victims of domestic abuse. Tell Rep. Scott: Shame on you for gutting protections for victims of domestic abuse and for continuing to play politics with women's lives. Click here to automatically sign the petition. The purpose of this charade was to muddy the waters on the substance of their position, and by confusing people, to appear to care about women. It was reprehensible that Rep. Scott joined with the Tea Party majority in Congress and voted against considering renewal of the real Violence Against Women Act, an incredibly popular, successful, and (until now) bipartisan bill that has reduced domestic violence rates by 58% since it was first passed in 1994. In fact the last time the program was reauthorized, it passed nearly unanimously through both the House and the Senate. But the political climate in Washington, DC is much different now than it was just a few years ago, and Republicans are voting in lockstep with the Tea Party instead of standing up for their constituents on key bills like the Violence Against Women Act. Still it's astonishing that after an incredible backlash from appalled constituents, Rep. Scott and other Republicans thought they could hoodwink people by voting for a sham version of the bill. Rep. Scott needs to know we will not be fooled by his vote for the fake VAWA. At a moment like this, we need to make sure our elected representatives, no matter how hostile to women's health and women's rights, know we are going to hold them accountable for their shameful votes. Tell Rep. Scott: Shame on you for gutting protections for victims of domestic abuse and for continuing to play politics with women's lives. Click here to automatically sign the petition. Thank you for standing up for women. Becky Bond, Political Director
  CREDO Action from Working Assets
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:16

  Slow going in the 7th CD race

   »  The Blogland of Earl Capps
  According to the first outside polling to hit the press in the race for the GOP nomination for the Seventh Congressional District, the race is still taking a while to develop, showing high numbers of undecided voters (35 percent of respondents) remain and former Lt. Governor Andre Bauer and Horry County Council Chair Tom Rice in a tight race for first place among those who already hold opinions.
  Much of what the data showed wasn't a surprise. Internal numbers we've seen from various camps had pegged Bauer and Rice as the leading contenders for the seat, with the others far back in the pack, as well as high numbers for undecided voters. Here are some other notable trends we saw in this survey which might give us some idea of what to watch out for during the race:
  
  

  • Bauer's performance was better in rural areas, including Florence, where he edged out the favorite local candidate, attorney Jay Jordan (22 to 19 percent), while finishing second in Horry and third place in Georgetown. This is similar to a pattern seen in his successful bid for the 2002 GOP nomination for Lieutenant Governor, where he margins won in rural counties allowed him offset losing many of the metro counties (inc. Anderson, Berkeley, Dorchester, Greenville, Horry and Pickens and Spartanburg Counties),  as well as in his come-from-behind re-election victory in the 2006 GOP run-off.
    
  • Rice continues to make progress in the race, getting into a competitive position with Andre Bauer. Most polling showed Rice in second place but moving forward once his campaign's TV spots began airing, a trend reflected in this poll as well.
    
  • Florence County, the lesser of the two population centers in the district, struggles to be relevant in the race, on the heels of a near shut-out at the recent Seventh District GOP convention (all but one candidate who won offices lived in Georgetown or Horry Counties). With Jay Jordan, the favored local candidate struggling to get out of the teens in his backyard and almost a no-show elsewhere (again consistent with numbers we've seen), not only is he trending towards not making the run-off, but his present support is so low as to give him and his backers very little ability to use his endorsement to influence the outcome of the likely run-off.

  
  
  With campaigns ramping up late, a trend attributed largely to depressed fund-raising in a slow economic time, these numbers are bound to change in the next few weeks.
  
  More... »
  
  

• 13:00

  Lee Bright Releases Pro-Life Video

   »  FITSNews
  (Editor’s Note: The above communication is a video release from an elected official. It does not necessarily reflect the editorial position of FITSNews.com. To submit your letter, news release, email blast, media advisory or issues statement for publication, click here). ***
  
  More... »
  
  

• 12:55

  *New book on Spartanburg’s history

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
  Dr. Doyle Boggs with Brad Steinecke and Mark Olencki Historic Spartanburg County: 225 Years of History Spartanburg County Historical Association, HPN Books, 2012 “Don’t celebrate the past – use it to understand the present and impact the future!”  Dr. Lewis P. Jones communicated this and other truths of history during his distinguished career.  For more [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 12:43

  SCGOP Demands Resignation Of Staffer For “Sikh Jesus” Tweet

   »  FITSNews
  Senator John C. Land, III 513 Gressette Building Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Dear Senator Land, Last evening, the Executive Director of your Senate Democratic Caucus, Phil Bailey, made one of the most offensive, bigoted remarks I’ve ever heard. [www.buzzfeed.com] In calling Governor Nikki Haley a “Sikh Jesus,” Mr. Bailey has brought shame on our state [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 12:25

  “Sikh Jesus” Is Trending

   »  FITSNews
  … AND THAT’S GOOD FOR NIKKI HALEY S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus executive director Phil Bailey is catching heat for referring to S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley as a “Sikh Jesus” following her efforts to get one of her political cronies restored to the 2012 GOP primary ballot. Bailey made the comment after Haley was successful in [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 12:00

  Chamber lobbyist sues The Sun News for libel

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Just yesterday we mentioned how the politics and controversy surrounding the tourism development tax has polarized the community. Today The Sun News reports that Mark Kelley, a former SC representative and lobbyist for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber, is suing The Sun News for their investigative reporting, which Kelley believes has damaged his reputation.

  The Sun News has a few more details here. We've covered the confrontation between The Sun News and the Chamber of Commerce in the past. There's been connections made between the tourism development fee and a series of question campaign donations made by people associated with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Many of the connections were highlighted by several investigative reports by journalist David Wren, who is also named in the lawsuit.  As a result, the relationship between the Chamber and The Sun News has been strained. The most notable examples were the Chamber's unusual response to a FOIA request and a few months later their public meeting refuting The Sun News coverage.

  We are interested to see how this shakes out. Kelley's history as a politician makes his case more difficult. According to ExpertLaw.com...

  Under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, as set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1964 Case, New York Times v Sullivan, where a public figure attempts to bring an action for defamation, the public figure must prove an additional element: That the statement was made with "actual malice". In translation, that means that the person making the statement knew the statement to be false, or issued the statement with reckless disregard as to its truth. 

  The Sun News is not the only media outlet that has covered Mark Kelley's political involvement. A 2010 posting from FITSNews refers to a Myrtle Beach Herald story that specifically mentions Kelley as involved with a questionable political contribution. That FITS coverage is here but the original Herald story seems to have been lost in their website transition. A search on FTISNews reveals several less than favorable mentions of Kelley. Neither FITSNews.com nor Waccamaw Publishers have been named in the lawsuit by Kelley. 

  Kelley is a Principal Partner in a government relations firm Kelley, McCain, & Smith Owens.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 11:42

  Embattled SCGOP Leader May Have Broken The Law

   »  FITSNews
  One of the S.C. Republican Party’s top officials may have violated more than just a “neutrality oath” in  … she may have also broken state election law. Lin Bennett – the first vice chairwoman of the S.C. Republican Party and chairwoman of the Charleston County GOP – is in hot water for attempting to intimidate [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 11:13

  Andre Bauer’s Lead Evaporates

   »  FITSNews
  When we last checked in on the GOP primary race for South Carolina’s newly drawn seventh congressional district, former Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer enjoyed a double digit lead over his rivals. We observed at the time, however, that Bauer’s early lead was due exclusively to the fact that he’s the only candidate with district-wide name [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 11:11

  Beaufort to upgrade marina, add mooring field with $100,000 grant

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Thanks to a $100,000 federal grant, the City of Beaufort plans to add an improved mooring area in the Beaufort River and upgraded electrical connections to the marina.

  The idea is to make Beaufort more appealing to would-be visiting boaters.

  "For boaters who travel up and down the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Beaufort will be a much more appealing place to stop for a night or two or three," Beaufort City Manager Scott Dadson said of the marina upgrades and new mooring field. 

  Work is expected to run from July 1 through December.

  The U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Services are the federal funding agency for this Boating Infrastructure Grant.

  (Update: The Island Packet has a report that adds a few details, namely that downtown merchants are hoping for more grants to push for a short-term daydock and that mooring fees will likely be in the $20 per day range; read the paper's report here.)

  Below are more details about the project from the city:

  Key elements in the project include:

  • Installing two step-up transformers to increase the electrical voltage from 208 to 240 volts on the marina's outermost dock which serves visiting vessels. The improvement will provide better customer service and make the marina more attractive to larger vessels traveling the Intracoastal Waterway
  • Installing 16 professionally-managed moorings for transient boats in an approved area of the Beaufort River, in the area already used as the city's "harbor." Such mooring space isn't available between Charleston and St. Augustine, FL. The new moorings will replace the approximately 12 randomly placed anchoring and also will involve removal of dilapidated boats which will improve water quality
  • Replacing two existing but rusting electrical disconnect systems at the marina and installing new disconnects in stainless steel housings.

  The mooring buoys will either be fabricated by a marine contractor or purchased through a vendor. The most cost effective approach will be the one selected. The buoys will be installed by a licensed marine contractor under the supervision of an engineer, said Libby Anderson, Beaufort's planning director.

  The project is part of the capitalization of the Downtown Marina, which is City-owned but managed by Griffin Enterprises. Capital costs are part of the lease agreement with Griffin Enterprises.

  The mooring field and electrical upgrade project received endorsements from the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, Beaufort Sail & Power Squadron and local boaters.

  Because of its location within the historic downtown area and proximity to historic and tourism amenities, the Downtown Marina attracts a significant number of transient boaters. During the spring and fall, the major seasons for transient boaters in South Carolina, the marina typically hosts 10 to 20 boats per night, according to the marina management company.

  The Downtown Marina has approximately 1,140 feet of pier devoted to transient boats and can accommodate 38-40 boats of 26' in length. Currently, there are no mooring facilities in the Beaufort area.

  Transient boats desiring a mooring must either dock at the Marina's transient piers, if room is available, or continue to 65 miles north to Charleston, or 240 miles south to St. Augustine, Florida. A mooring field with associated professional management will increase the opportunities for boaters moving through the area.

  While some boaters prefer moorings, many desire the conveniences offered by dockage at the transient pier. The Downtown Marina falls short is satisfying the electrical needs of large, modern, well-equipped vessels – largely because the electrical service at the marina was installed in the 1970s.

  "This grant will help make our marina, and downtown Beaufort, a better choice for boaters as they travel the Intracoastal Waterway. They are a tight-knit community and word spreads fast about marinas with good, or bad, service," Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said.

  "When these boaters enjoy our restaurants and shops, when they enjoy our Waterfront Park, we want them to share their experience and to come back frequently. Some of them may even decide to relocate here. This is another investment in our future," he said. 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:53

  Tell GM: Dump ALEC!

   »  The Politics of Jamie Sanderson
  Every Michigander should be proud of GM's dramatic turnaround.
  
  But that doesn’t mean GM workers, drivers and shareholders should be underwriting GM’s membership to a controversial lobbying group like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
  
  It’s time for GM to do the right thing. Click here to tell GM to cut ties with ALEC.
  
  
  
  Big corporations like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Kraft are fleeing ALEC in droves over its support for controversial “Stand Your Ground” gun laws and voter suppression legislation.
  
  We support GM and the hard-working men and women who are leading the company’s turnaround, but it’s time for GM to drop its ALEC membership and focus on what it does best – building great cars and trucks.
  
  Click here to tell GM to do the right thing and cut ties with ALEC.
  
  Thanks for all you do,
  
  Zack Pohl and the entire Progress Michigan team
  
  P.S. Neither Ford nor Chrysler are current members of ALEC. Click here to tell GM to do the right thing and cut ties with ALEC right now!
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:52

  #MYRsports: Top games on the NCAA football schedule: North

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Every week for five weeks I will write a column on my top games on the NCAA Schedule. For four weeks we will go region by region (1. Southeast, 2. North, 3. Midwest, 4. West Coast, 5. Top 10 games in the nation). These are the games I am most looking forward to as a broadcaster and fan this fall.

  Part II. One week late. Sorry about that. In week one we looked at the top games in the southeast for college football season. If you are a fan of Big Ten Football, Notre Dame, or some intriguing match-ups with ACC teams in the northeast then this column is for you.

  I’ll do my best to find a game or two in the Big East… but not sure that’s going to happen. The intrigue lies mostly within the Big Ten, and everyone is always curious about what Notre Dame is doing. Especially fans in Myrtle Beach because it looks like former Seahawk standout Everett Golson may get his chance to lead the Irish.

  So let’s take a look at the ten games I am most excited about in the northern part of the country (Once again these are in no particular order. Check out my top 10 games in the nation next month to see which of these games fall into serious national championship implications):

  Maryland @ West Virginia, Sat September 22, Morgantown, WV:

  West Virginia will make a couple appearances in this series of columns. This is the one we’ll put in the North since the states of West Virginia and Maryland are not Southeast or Midwest. But we’ll also look at some Mountaineer match-ups when we go through the Midwest, since, according to some college presidents, West Virginia miraculously is now part of Big 12 country. Who cares if WVU’s closest conference road trip to Ames, IA is 869 miles away. Oh wait, if you take I-30 it’s more direct and only 847 miles. Far more reasonable.

  So back to this match-up. West Virginia is flat out loaded this year. Coach Dana Holgorson and his high flying offense that put 70 points on the board against Clemson, return SENIOR QB Geno Smith, SENIOR WR Tavon Austin, SENIOR Center  Joe Madsen. A total of nine offensive starters return along with six on the defensive side. So this match-up with Maryland is their first test, after warm-ups against in-state foe Marshall, and cross-state FCS opponent JMU. Who at JMU thought it’d be a good idea to play WVU at Fed Ex Field following an open date for the Mountaineers?! So the question becomes, will Maryland be a test? Randy Edsall certainly has a lot to prove after a disastrous first year with the program. A win over a top 10 ranked WVU squad would be huge for Maryland, and the ACC. But if we’re being honest, check in next week for the Midwest top games of the year when we talk about WVU’s first road trip of the season two weeks later…to Austin, TX.

  Michigan @ Notre Dame, Saturday Sep 22, South Bend, IN (7:30 p.m. on NBC):

  Did you watch this match-up last year? Under the lights at the Big House, three TD’s were scored in the final 1:12. The final was Denard Robinson’s 16-yard TD pass with :02 left. This year the match-up moves to under the lights in South Bend. Robinson returns for his senior season and this game could decide whether or not he is a Heisman candidate. Coach Brady Hoke also returns five additional starters on offense (including Senior Roy Roundtree who caught the game winning TD over the Irish last year), plus nine starters return on defense. Michigan will face Alabama and Notre Dame 21 days apart in the month of September before their first open date. We’ll know very quickly if Hoke can go from Sugar Bowl Champ to national title contender. The bad news… the Wolverines have to navigate the rest of the Big 10 including…

  Michigan @ Ohio State, Saturday November 24, Columbus, OH:

  Let me count the storylines that will lead up to this game, even if there are not Big Ten Championship or National Championship implications for the Wolverines. The game is Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship, Bowl Game, National Championship, and rivalry all wrapped into one. Ohio State is banned from the post-season thanks to the antics of former players and coaches, but Head Coach Urban Meyer could be playing for a perfect season (don’t tell THE Ohio State they aren’t the best team in America if they go 12-0) and this will be the last time the Buckeyes take the field for the season, and it’s at home.

  PLUS we had Schembechler vs. Hayes in the ‘70s, Cooper vs. Carr in the late 90’s, Tressel vs. Rodriquez in the late 2000’s… ok, bad example. Is there anyone who thinks Hoke vs. Meyer will not be the greatest match-up of Michigan vs. Ohio State Coaches, ever? How long could it last? Meyer did retire once, but he’s still got a lot of years ahead of him if he wants to and he’s landed his dream job. Hoke is one of the youngest coaches in NCAA Football. This may last a while. So mark the date, first meeting: November 24, 2012.

  Penn State @ Virginia, Saturday September 8, Charlottesville, VA:

  Games like this are why I love to read these articles in the pre-season, and this year I am writing them. I love the non-conference power match-ups the BCS has created that we don’t get year in and year out. The color schemes in this match-up won’t quite compare to a Boise State Nike Pro Combat Electric Blue vs. Oregon Fighting Highlight yellow, but a lot of people love the colors of Navy Blue and White. It’s traditional. So traditional that a lot of ties will be worn at this game too. Can ESPN put it on in black and white for us?

  All kidding aside, why I love this game… UVA is coming on very quickly and will be competing for ACC titles by 2013. Head Coach Mike London had an outstanding first year with Al Groh’s recruits who were told they’d play in the NFL, but had no promise of ever coming together as a real team until London showed up. UVA doesn’t return a lot of starters but that may be just fine for London who is building his own legacy and bringing in his own recruits for the second year. Plus UVA landed a huge coup by bringing in former Alabama back up QB Philip Sims. UVA was actually excited about returning quarterback Michael Rocco, but Rocco’s role as the starter will be short-lived when Sims begins working with the team this summer. Sims set the all-time state record for passing yards and TD’s at Oscar Smith H.S. and his return to the state is a scary thought for anyone who wears orange and maroon. So I love this match-up because we’ll learn a lot about the Cavaliers, but Penn State begins a new era with Head Coach Bill O’Brien. After what will be an emotional season opener at Beaver Stadium in week one against Ohio, this will be a difficult test for the Nittany Lions in what should be a ruckus atmosphere in Charlottesville.

  Michigan State @ Wisconsin, Saturday October 27, Madison, WI:

  Last year this was one of the games of the year. Everybody loves a Hail Mary for victory as time expires and that’s exactly what Kirk Cousins and Michigan State experienced last year in a heart stopping finish. The bad news for the Spartans, Wisconsin didn’t allow that to happen in the Inaugural Big Ten Championship and won the conference. The worse news? Kirk Cousins is gone to the Washington Redskins. Keith Nichol who caught that 44 yard pass is gone too. So is the rest of the offense. And the really bad news for this particular week? 2011 Heisman Finalist Montee Ball returns for his senior season and will be in action. Also returning is the former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Linebacker Chris Borland along with fellow all conference defender Mike Taylor. Michigan State is in for a rough ride this season as well. They start the year with another top game, and the Legends Division is quickly looking similar to the SEC West with three to four top notch teams in the nation. This game should be fun, but we’ll see how important it actually is after the Spartans have already seen Boise State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Iowa and Michigan prior to the 27^th of October. Yikes. 

  Michigan @ Nebraska, Saturday October 27, Lincoln, NE:

  This is one I wasn’t sure went in the North or Midwest, but definitely a critical game for the conference and the winner will have an inside track with less than a month to go to get to Indy for the Big Ten Championship. We’ve talked a lot about Michigan in this column, and the Southeast games with their match-up against ‘Bama. They will be very good and have an incredibly difficult schedule. Nebraska is a big part of that. They return eight starters on offense, eight starters on defense, and they have a guy who will rival Montee Ball to be the best running back in the Big Ten, Senior Rex Burkhead. Taylor Martinez needs to learn how to stretch the offense and successfully throw the ball if Nebraska wants to give Burkhead some room to work. Both teams have a lot of critical match-ups before and after this one, but this will go a long way in determining the winner of the Legends Division.

  Wisconsin @ Penn State, Saturday November 24, State College, PA:

  Penn State was a good football team last year and it's truly unfortunate the way the season ended since the players in the program had nothing to do with the mess going on. The Nittany Lions actually finished 6-2, same record as Wisconsin. The two played in the finale last year at Camp Randall and Wisconsin convincingly blew out a Penn State team that was reeling from child sex abuse scandals around the university. The score was 45-7. A new coaching staff and possible renewed excitement for Penn State could put them right back in the same position again this year, and this time they get an incredibly talented Badger squad at home. The question with this game is can Penn State keep up with Wisonsin throughout the year so a win here gives them the Division? It may already be decided before kickoff. Wisconsin could be unbeaten in conference play on November 16, but they finish the 17^th and 24^th with Ohio State and Penn State. So long as Penn State does not have more than two losses in conference throughout the year, then this game will matter. And outside of match-ups with Nebraska and Ohio State, Penn State will be favored in every other game until this one. My prediction: winner goes to the championship to take on the winner of Michigan and Nebraska. But through all that Ohio State might finish 12-0. It’s going to be a wild year in the Big Ten.

  Notre Dame vs. Miami, Saturday October 6, Soldier Field in Chicago, IL (7:30 p.m. on NBC):

  Ok I’m a traditionalist so maybe this game is wishful thinking. You see this game on paper and you think about all the great teams these two schools have produced, and put it under the lights at Soldier Field in October. Nothing says college football more than that, right? How important will this game be, though? Not sure. Notre Dame is still trying to figure things out and after a down year they go right back to one of the most intense schedules in college football. Miami has yet to play for an ACC Championship and we’re all still waiting to see how the NCAA will penalize them for some of the worst infractions ever seen in NCAA sports. Will I flip to this game to watch for a little bit? You bet.

  Cincinnati @ Louisville, Friday October 26, Louisville, LY (8:00 on ESPN or ESPN 2, depending on what HS Football Match ups are available):

  Ahhh Big East Footall. It’s kind of like Pac 12 Basketball. You know it’s there and its treated the same as the other power conferences but you know they don’t deserve it. So this year now that WVU is out of the picture that should open the door for Cincinatti and Louisville to duke it out on a Friday night typically reserved for high school football and decide who has the inside track to get pummeled in the Fiesta Bowl. Cincinatti was actually pretty good last year. They played WVU to a three point loss and had they not slipped up against Rutgers they would’ve won the Big East title outright and Clemson may not have hired a new defensive coordinator in the of-season. Keep your eye on the Bearcats this year. They could quietly move up in the rankings in a weak conference and a win at Louisville will probably secure the BCS bid in late October.

  Army vs. Navy, Saturday December 8, Pittsburgh PA:

  Navy has dominated the series, but once again both teams will have three weeks to prepare for this one. The game is played the week after the conference championships so it’s either this, or early episodes of The Christmas Story on TBS. And it’s just un-American to not tune in for a few minutes of the Army vs. Navy game.

  Aaron Marks is the host of “The Drive” which airs daily from 4-6 p.m. on Myrtle Beach’s ESPN Radio 100.3 ‘The Team’. For comments on his weekly column e-mail thedrive@teammyrtlebeach.com. Follow Aaron on Twitter @AMonFM 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:49

  Whole Foods and GrowFood Carolina team up for a 'Giving Grill' event

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  To celebrate 8 years of serving the Lowcountry, Whole Foods Market Mount Pleasant is hosting a 'Giving Grill' from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 19th.

  Whole Foods has chosen GrowFood Carolinaas the recipient of the Giving Grill on this special day, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to their cause. Unfamiliar with the great service that GrowFood Carolina provides? Check out their mission statement below:

  GrowFood Carolina’s mission is to help link local farmers to local and regional markets by providing adequate infrastructure and coordination so that fresh produce can move seamlessly from local farmers’ land to consumers’ hands.

  GrowFood Carolina provides marketing, warehousing, and distribution functions for local farmers, in addition to liability insurance, regulatory compliance and sales coordination. Providing meaningful opportunities to rural farmers strengthens and secures the future of our regional food supply and ensures that local rural lands remain in agricultural use. The added benefit of reinvigorating our farmers is that you get the freshest and most sustainably farmed produce on the market. When you buy produce with the GrowFood Carolina label on it, you know that you are getting a product that was hand-picked by a local farmer within days of your purchase.

  So, come on out to get some grilled local sweet corn from Hudson Family Farm, burgers and more!

  Whole Foods Mount Pleasant is located at 923 Houston Northcutt Boulevard.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:34

  Beware of Fake Doctor Excuses

   »  South Carolina Workers' Compensation Law Blog

  Post by Stan Lacy

  One of the advantages to having a former police officer and private investigator as a paralegal in your office is you learn tidbits of very useful information you would not look up yourself.  Example:  Larry Nelson in our office told us about a website that sells false doctors' excuses.  What?!?  Fake doctors' excuses?!?  This is information we need to share with our readers!  Especially employers, investigators and adjusters!
  The website is http://www.alibinetwork.com/printabledoctorsexcuses.jsp#signup and it is part of the Alibi Network.  For a mere $75 per year, a person can receive unlimited printable doctor's excuses for being absent, such as a doctor's note or out of work letter. For an additional charge, the person can get a virtual doctor's office with phone number and fax. That means that if the employer calls to confirm the excuse, they get an extension to a doctor or nurse. Talk about sophisticated operations!  Does practicing medicine without a license sound familiar???
  Most employees are honest and present legitimate excuses.  Only a few would go to the trouble of paying $75 to a website for a single excuse, so this website isn't for the occasional offender.  However, if the employee is chronically out, needs multiple excuses, or is providing excuses to others, this is a useful site.  Every employer and carrier needs to be aware of it.
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:33

  New burger spot Fat Patties to host a job fair

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  The Fat Patties burger spot on Parris Island Gateway is getting closer to completion and they'll be hosting a mini "job fair".

  On Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 831 Parris Island Gateway they'll be looking to fill all staffing positions, bring resume highlighting previous experience to turn in with an on-site job application.

  The restaurant is set to open mid-June and owners aim to have all positions filled and training complete by early June.

  A second job fair is also set for Friday, June 1, from 4 to 5 p.m.

  What is Fat Patties, in their words: "a hand-crafted American burger joint offering innovative and creative burger concoctions with the option of 5 different patties: grass feed beef, B&B (ground beef and ground bacon), local shrimp, turkey, or a vegetarian black bean patty served on homemade buttery buns. Fat Patties is also serving bratwursts, simmered in American ale and topped with the same extravagant toppings as the burgers. Fat Patties is also producing its own ice cream and is home to the soon-to-be-famous 'Sweet Pattie Ice Cream Sandwich' - homemade cookies, with homemade ice cream as filling, dipped in a chocolate sauce and rolled in a crunchy salty topping."

  • Keep up with Beaufort area food and restaurant news on our topic page.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:29

  Local nonprofit donates $75K to MUSC's pediatric oncology lab

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  

  Chase After a Cure, a local nonprofit corporation dedicated to children's cancer research, has donated $75,000 to MUSC Children’s Hospital.

  Funds will be used in ongoing research in the only pediatric oncology lab in the state.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:19

  *Benefit concert for the Belton Area Partnership

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
  We hope you will join us for a free outdoor concert featuring J. Max McKee and the Bluegrass Gentlemen on Friday evening May 18, 2012, at 6:30 PM, in the downtown square of Belton, SC.  There will be barbecue plates sold by Glenn’s Homemade Goodness and slushes for sale by the BBB committee.  Also, there [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:19

  Exclusive: Nikki Haley Ethics Investigation Will Be Reopened

   »  FITSNews
  PANEL COULD CALL WITNESSES AS EARLY AS NEXT WEEK The rumors are true … the S.C. House Ethics Committee will vote this week to reopen its investigation of Gov. Nikki Haley. In fact, the panel could call witnesses to testify in the matter as early as next week. Not only that, thanks to a recent [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:19

  Haley vouches for candidate; Dem tweets 'Sikh Jesus' (Update: SC EC denies request)

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Update: Well that didn't last long. The South Carolina Election Commission has issued a statement that denies Shealy a spot on the ballot.

  Most of the statement is below with the important parts in bold...

  Prior to noon on May 4, both the State Election Commission and the Lexington County Election Commission received certifications from the Republican Party State Executive Committee and the Lexington County Republican Party Executive Commission. Katrina Shealy was not certified as a candidate for Senate District 23. As an agency of the State of South Carolina, the State Election Commission has no authority to accept additional candidates after the May 4, 2012 noon deadline set by the Supreme Court in the Anderson decision. 

  The June Primary ballots are set, ballots have been printed, voting machines have been prepared, and voters are voting. 

  First Report: Governor Nikki Haley pleaded with the SCGOP executive committee Wednesday evening to allow one of her supporters, Katrina Shealy back on the primary ballot. 

  The SCGOP agreed and will let Shealy on the ballot, even though she was one of the approximately 200 names yanked off the ballot due to improper paperwork. Questionably Haley told the SCGOP that she, "was not trying to influence their decision," but did so.

  Shealy just so happens to be running against State Senator Jake Knotts, a man who is not a supporter of the Governor and who got himself into some hot water when he said of Haley in 2010, "We got a raghead in Washington. We don't need a raghead in the state house." FITS news seems to emply that Knott's is partly responsible for the whole pulled from ballots mess candidates now find themselves in. 

  Shealy said of the decision, 

  “All of these election ballot shenanigans have just been distractions put forward by our liberal opponent to hide from what this race is really about.  This campaign is about giving the voters a choice between a conservative, common sense, proven businesswoman and an out-of-touch politician who says he is a conservative, but votes like a liberal.”

  Wednesday, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill to help clear up confusion in the matter of filing. The Sun News Reports that, "The measure would remove the Democratic and Republican parties from the filing process and sync the deadlines for incumbents and challengers to turn in financial paperwork." However, the measure is not retroactive and does not fix the woes some candidates are facing. 

  The bigger news that has emerged from this questionable use of power is that the political director of the South Carolina Democrats, Phil Bailey Tweeted:

  [[wysiwyg_imageupload:265:]]

  Read another Tweet and more about Bailey's Tweetgate over at BuzzFeed. Additionally over at BuzzFeed you can see the video of State Senator Knotts' own inflamitory comments.

  And read the full story of the SCGOP clearing Shealy to run for Knotts' seat over at The State newspaper.

   

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:17

  *Springtime nature classes at Hagood Mill

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
     Check your calendar, select one or more of these remaining spring classes, and register today. Pre-registration is required and you may register in person or by calling the Pickens County Museum at (864) 898-5963. Saturday May 26 – “Learn that Fern,” 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Hagood Mill.  This class will be [...]
  
  More... »
  
  
• 10:13

  *Watercolor basics workshop at the Pickens County Museum

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
      Expand your repertoire and unleash your creativity by experimenting with watercolor. “Exploring Watercolor – the Basics” on June 21 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the LaVonne Nalley Piper Auditorium and June 23 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the Liz Smith-Cox Educational Studio at the Pickens County Museum of Art & History, [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:07

  Couple relocates to Charleston, open successful ComForcare Senior Services

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  After almost 4 years in South Carolina, Richard and Helene Glassman, owners of ComForcare Senior Services— a private-duty, non-medical home care service for seniors and others in need of assistance— have made an impact on their community. The husband and wife team moved to Charleston from Michigan in 2008 to open ComForcare to help care for people who don’t have family available or nearby.

  The Glassmans felt drawn to open ComForcare after using the home care services for Helene’s aunt when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s several years earlier. With Richard’s past business experience and Helene’s background in physical therapy and care giving, ComForcare seemed like a natural fit.

  ComForcare’s Transition of Care (TOC) program offers the services of caregivers who help ease the transition from hospital to home after patients are discharged. These caregivers are in direct communication with the discharge planners, social workers and doctors to ensure a smooth adjustment and give patients the rest and care they need to prevent hospital readmission.

  TOC also allows ‘adult children’ to take care of their parents through the home care services, even though they may be far from home. These ‘adult children’ say the experience, guidance, compassion, respect, communication and integrity of the Glassmans and ComForcare put their worries to rest knowing their parents are in good hands.

  “Living in Charleston, it is often that we work with ‘adult children’ who no longer live in the region,” said Helene. “I am extremely pleased and proud to share that on more than one occasion we have been told that they now have peace of mind and confidence knowing that their loved one is in good capable hands with ComForcare and our team of fantastic caregivers.”

  Now serving Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, the Glassmans said it took about one and a half years to develop the relationships they needed to build their business in the Charleston community. Though doing business in South Carolina was vastly different than they anticipated, the Glassmans now have a thriving home care service in Charleston built from their hard work and “whatever it takes” mantra.

  For further information please call (843) 573-7354 or CharlestonComForcare.com.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 10:05

  *Book signing at the Pickens County Museum

   »  The Consortium for Upstate South Carolina History
     The public is invited Thursday, May 24, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for a book signing by local author Elbert L. Watson (Dacusville, SC) of his book Heroes All: Amazing Stories of World War II, in the LaVonne Nalley Piper Auditorium of the Pickens County Museum.    This book is especially suited to the general [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:40

  Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series kicks off May 20

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  The first wave of the 22nd Annual Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series kicks off May 20 at the James Island County Park.

  The 2012 series will be held on May 20, June 17, July 8, and July 29, with the Championship Race set for August 12. Competitors will have to swim 600 yards through a freshwater late, bike 12 miles and run a 5K through the park.

  Nearly 25,000 athletes have raced in this swim-bike-run at James Island County Park series since it began in 1991. Now in its 22nd year, the Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series was recently named one of the Top Ten Charleston Signature Sport Events by the Charleston Metro Sports Council, placing it in good company with other Charleston favorites like the Family Circle Tennis Cup and the Cooper River Bridge Run.

  For additional information and registration forms, visit the official race page.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:30

  More “Good Ole Gal” Politics From Nikki Haley

   »  FITSNews
  GOVERNER GOES TO BAT FOR HER ALLY, NOT OTHER CANDIDATES S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley strong-armed the SCGOP executive committee into putting one of her close friends back on the 2012 GOP primary ballot – effectively ignoring a S.C. Supreme Court ruling and setting the stage for another round of lawsuits related to the Palmetto State’s [...]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:21

  More calls for tougher regs on big banks

   »  UnConflicted
  JPMorphing.  NYT editorial:  “JPMorgan Chase's whopping multibillion-dollar trading loss has revived calls for a tougher version of the Volcker Rule, but Jamie Dimon isn't dropping his campaign against regulation.”
  Banking needs more than the Volcker rule, it needs more Volckers, argues W. Post's Harold Meyerson: "Rumpled and unglamorous, Volcker personified banking before big money gave it glitz. He implicitly threatened to drag it back to the days when Wall Streeters occasionally had to hail their own cabs ... if Dimon’s bank and others like it are not to periodically blow themselves up — taking the economy down with them — they’ll have to be made smaller, safer and less dashing."UnConflicted is the small business advocacy blog of Frank Knapp, Jr., President & CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. Visit our website to join, subscribe to our newsletter, or follow the issues affecting small businesses in SC: [www.scsbc.org]
  
  More... »
  
  

• 09:13

  Haley gets friend cleared to run, Dem Tweets 'Sikh Jesus'

   »  TheDigitel Myrtle Beach | Feed (main rss.xml)
  Governor Nikki Haley pleaded with the SCGOP executive committee Wednesday evening to allow one of her supporters, Katrina Shealy back on the primary ballot. 

  The SCGOP agreed and will let Shealy on the ballot, even though she was one of the approximately 200 names yanked off the ballot due to improper paperwork. Questionably Haley told the SCGOP that she, "was not trying to influence their decision," but did so.

  Shealy just so happens to be running against State Senator Jake Knotts, a man who is not a supporter of the Governor and who got himself into some hot water when he said of Haley in 2010, "We got a raghead in Washington. We don't need a raghead in the state house." FITS news seems to emply that Knott's is partly responsible for the whole pulled from ballots mess candidates now find themselves in. 

  Shealy said of the decision, 

  “All of these election ballot shenanigans have just been distractions put forward by our liberal opponent to hide from what this race is really about.  This campaign is about giving the voters a choice between a conservative, common sense, proven businesswoman and an out-of-touch politician who says he is a conservative, but votes like a liberal.”

  Wednesday, the South Carolina Senate passed a bill to help clear up confusion in the matter of filing. The Sun News Reports that, "The measure would remove the Democratic and Republican parties from the filing process and sync the deadlines for incumbents and challengers to turn in financial paperwork." However, the measure is not retroactive and does not fix the woes some candidates are facing. 

  The bigger news that has emerged from this questionable use of power is that the political director of the South Carolina Democrats, Phil Bailey Tweeted:

  [[wysiwyg_imageupload:265:]]

  Read another Tweet and more about Bailey's Tweetgate over at BuzzFeed. Additionally over at BuzzFeed you can see the video of State Senator Knotts' own inflamitory comments.

  And read the full story of the SCGOP clearing Shealy to run for Knotts' seat over at The State newspaper.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 07:51

  Yes, yes: Chipotle is now open in Charleston

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  Haven't you heard? Chipotle has brought it's much beloved burritos and derivative "Mexican grill" items to the Lowcountry.

  Yes, the chain has opened a North Charleston spot at 7398 Rivers Road near the Target saving fanatics a drive to one of the next closest spots (two in Columbia.)

  But if North Charleston is just too far for any local fair-weather fans, rest easy knowing that a Mount Pleasant location is also likely in the works for October.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 07:16

  Ridgeland man sentenced to 45 years after shooting

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)
  A 23-year-old Ridgeland man was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Wednesday for the 2009 slaying of a man at a Jasper County nightclub.

  At the conclusion of a three-day trial, jurors convicted Brett Howard of murder and possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime for the December 11, 2009 shooting of 54-year-old Woodrow Brantley at Missy's Place, 149 Grove Park Lane, near Ridgeland.

  It took less than 30 minutes for the jury to render its verdict.

  According to witnesses, Brantley was shooting pool with a friend at the club, when Howard misunderstood the conversation and pulled out a pistol. He attempted to fire the gun several times while walking toward Brantley and the gun finally went off, striking Brantley in the face.

  The married father died at the scene.

  Multiple witnesses identified Howard as the shooter. He turned himself in the following day.

  "I am pleased that Brett Howard received 45 years in prison," said Deputy Solicitor Sean Thornton, who prosecuted the case. "He deserves every day of that sentence. This was a completely senseless, cold-blooded killing. A man's life was taken just because of something Howard thought he heard, and for that, two families will never be the same."

  Judge Perry M. Buckner handed down the sentence. 

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 06:21

  Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
   Viri Galilaei by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  
  Palestrina's Viri Galilaei Mass for 6 voices, performed by La Chapelle Royalle. The painting is by Botticelli ("Lamentation over the Dead Christ")
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  
• 06:03

  An Ascension Thursday Eucharistic Flash Mob in Preston, England

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  
  A Eucharistic flash mob in the center of Preston, organized by the Capuchin Franciscans on Ascension Thursday 2011.
  
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  
• 05:39

  Religious Liberty: A Commentary by Father Robert Barron

   »  SUNLIT UPLANDS
  
  Father Robert Barron comments on the history of the Church in England, its vitality today, and the growing threats to religious liberty from secular tyrants.
  
  
  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 05:29

  Haley will leave ethics complaint against her closed (Update: Not so fast?)

   »  TheDigitel Charleston | Feed
  

  (Updates at the bottom.)

  An ethics complaint brought against Gov. Nikki Haley will remain closed after she refused to waive confidentiality — something that is prompting calls for the governor that ran on transparency to be more open.

  The complaint is likely with regard to alleged misuse of Statehouse resource and non-disclosure of employment when Haley was still a state representative.

  Update May 2: Dismissed

  The House Ethics Committee voted 5-1 this morning to clear charges against the governor, following an investigation into charges that she violated ethics laws while a member of the South Carolina House; The State has information on the development. 

  Update May 17: Not so fast?

   After the quick dismissal of complaints, State Rep. James Smith (D), Richland, has filed a resolution to have the House Ethics Committee reopen the investigation that was first voted in by the commission as having probable cause of an ethics violation and then dismissed the case as needing no further investigation.

  The State has a rundown on the development; read it here.

  Meanwhile, The Island Packet of Hilton Head has penned an editorial saying that the renewed challenge, gives the "House Ethics Committee has an opportunity to restore its credibility", and that, "A full investigation, conducted in the open, is the only way to establish whether Haley acted appropriately and within the law. It would also provide important guidance for lawmakers."

  Read the Packet's editorial here.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 05:14

  In indecent exposure streak, one Beaufort man arrested

   »  TheDigitel Beaufort | Feed (main rss.xml)

  Been hearing stories about a man exposing himself around town? Well, Ellison Ryan Dilsaver, 36, of Beaufort man has been arrested in one alleged in incident, and police are exploring any connection the man might have to other incidents.

  
  
  More... »
  
  

• 00:21

  How much for these Sketchers?

   »  The Blogland of Earl Capps
  Being a communication professional and professor, false advertising doesn't sit well with me.
  So when Attorney General Alan Wilson, along with forty-three other states, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Trade Commission, making Sketchers USA pay $40 million to settlement to settle complaints about claims made by advertising regarding the health benefits of its Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups, and Resistance Runner athletic shoes, I was pleased.
  The complaints made by Wilson and others alleged that Skechers made deceptive advertising claims which led customers to believe that "Shape-ups" would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles. Wilson said (and we agree) that "Advertising claims must walk the walk, not just talk the talk", warning that if "a product sounds too good to be true, often times it is." 
  While under the terms of the settlement, Skechers does not admit any wrongdoing and denies the factual allegations in the states' complaint, consumers who bought Skechers' Shape-Ups, Tone-Ups, or Resistance Runners will be eligible for refunds either directly from the FTC at www.FTC.gov/sketchers or by submitting a claim at www.skecherssettlement.com.
  We have it on good authority that Wilson keeps in good shape, in part by wearing U.S. Army-issued combat boots.
  
  More... »
  
  

• South Carolina blogs (US-SC), 05/16/2012
• 22:22

  Stoughton police accuse South Carolina man of cashing fake checks

   »  South Carolina SC News
  Duane Beckett, 44, of Orangeburg, S.C., was being held in the Dane County Jail on a warrant for fraud and forgery from Bedford County, Va., according to a search warrant filed Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court.
  Stoughton police arrested a South Carolina man Tuesday after he allegedly cashed fake local business checks at two area banks before another bank teller recognized his name, refused to cash his check and called police.
  Duane Beckett, 44, of Orangeburg, S.C., was being held in the Dane County Jail on a warrant for fraud and forgery from Bedford County, Va., according to a search warrant filed Wednesday in Dane County Circuit Court.
  Two other men were with Beckett when he was arrested, the warrant states.
  According to the warrant:
  The Brooklyn Community Bank told the Dane County Sheriff's Office that on May 10, a man who identified himself with a South Carolina identification as Beckett cashed a check from Tri-State Aluminum Products in Belleville for $1,873, then left in a car with North Carolina plates. The check was later found to be fraudulent.
  That same day, Beckett cashed another check, also from Tri-State Aluminum, at the Sauk Prairie branch of the Middleton Community Bank.
  But on Tuesday, a teller at the McFarland State Bank in Pleasant Springs saw that Beckett's check, from Heartland Litho in Madison, appeared to be fraudulent and refused to cash it. The teller had also seen financial crimes bulletins about recent cases involving Beckett.
  A Stoughton police officer spotted Beckett's rented car in a business parking lot and arrested him on the Virginia warrant. Among the items found in the car were the Heartland Litho check and a Willy Street Co-op check, both torn and stuffed into a cup and a Mountain Dew can.
  
  Stoughton police accuse South Carolina man of cashing fake checks
  
  More... »
  
  
• 20:38

  Asheville police charge South Carolina residents in purse snatchings | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com

   »  South Carolina SC News
  ASHEVILLE — City police charged two South Carolina residents in connection with a series of recent purse snatchings here.Claude Lee Turnage, 27, was charged with three counts of common-law robbery. Melissa Colon, 32, was charged with three counts of aid and abet common-law robbery. Additional charges from other jurisdictions are pending, police said.
  The robberies happened between 11:42 a.m.-4:35 p.m. Friday at Walmart on Bleachery Boulevard, Walmart on Hendersonville Road and Ross on Airport Road. Turnage forcibly took purses from three women, including one who was injured, according to police.
  City detectives acted on a tip and contacted law enforcement in Laurens, S.C., about two suspects captured after they allegedly robbed a woman at knifepoint at a rest area off Interstate 385. Police traveled to Laurens and interviewed Turnage and Colon, which resulted in the charges here and recovery of some of the victims’ property.
  Asheville police charge South Carolina residents in purse snatchings | The Asheville Citizen-Times | citizen-times.com
  
  More... »
  
  
• 20:35

  South Carolina lawmakers advance bill specifying a fetus that survives abortion is a person | The Republic

   »  South Carolina SC News
  COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina House has unanimously approved a bill ensuring that a fetus which survives an abortion attempt is not treated as medical waste.
  Abortion opponents applauded the measure's swift passage after years of failed efforts, praising the Senate where it usually stalls. The 107-0 vote Wednesday followed the Senate's 27-3 approval last month. Another perfunctory vote sends it to the governor.
  The proposal defines a person as anyone who is breathing and has a beating heart after birth, whether by labor, cesarean section, or abortion. A fetus which survives an abortion attempt would be entitled to treatment. Both abortion rights activists and foes concede such an event is rare.
  The bill copies the federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act of 2002 that applies to federal property and facilities.
  
  South Carolina lawmakers advance bill specifying a fetus that survives abortion is a person | The Republic
  
  More... »