Published Date : September 14, 2012
Author : admin
Members of the staffs of U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint and Congressman Trey Gowdy worked on a Habitat for Humanity home as a part of the Congressional Build Day event this morning.
“Volunteers are essential to our organization, and these congressional staff members set a great example for the community by donating their time and energy,” Monroe Free, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, said.
The congressional staff members worked in the Abigail Springs subdivision in Greenville County, which will consist of 32 homes that will be geared for families making between 30 percent and 120 percent of the area median income. Habitat for Humanity is building 24, and Homes of Hope will build eight. The idea is that a mixed income community will be more successful in the future.
Community volunteers can provide labor as well as resources to purchase materials for the builds. Volunteer construction labor significantly lowers the cost of Habitat homes, making it possible to provide affordable, sustainable homeownership to low-income families.
Published Date : September 13, 2012
Author : admin
South Carolina Charities, Inc. officials announced that The Reserve at Lake Keowee will join Thornblade Club and Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer course in a new course rotation for the 2013 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, which will take place May 16-19, 2013.
The Reserve at Lake Keowee is a 7,112-yard, 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that includes undulating hills, beautiful scenery of the Blue Ridge mountains and picturesque lake views. The Reserve at Lake Keowee replaces The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, which has been in the course rotation since 2008.
“Adding The Reserve at Lake Keowee to the tournament lineup offers many new opportunities for our event,” explained Executive Director Darin MacDonald. “The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation tournament reaches a global audience through the Golf Channel and the majority of our participants come from other parts of the nation and world. The Reserve at Lake Keowee not only gives the amateurs and pros a new and challenging course to play, it really captures the beauty of the Upstate and provides a picturesque backdrop for our tournament.”
“The Reserve is honored to be selected as one of the host courses for this prestigious event,” said Chuck Pigg, Community Manager for The Reserve at Lake Keowee. “The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation has contributed greatly to the Upstate over the last 12 years and The Reserve community and our members are delighted to join such a worthy cause.”
“While this is an exciting time for the tournament, we’d be remiss not to thank The Carolina Country Club for all that they have done to take this tournament to the next level,” said Bob Nitto, president of South Carolina Charities, Inc., the non-profit organization that manages the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. “We’ve shared a great partnership over the past five years, and SCCI is very appreciative of the effort that The Carolina Country Club has put forth for our event.
This tournament will continue to support the Spartanburg community through the tournament’s charity beneficiaries and by increasing our support of the annual International Challenge Cup golf tournament that benefits Mobile Meals of Spartanburg.”
Since 2001, the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation has raised more than $9.25 million for 150+ charities. The tournament is a leading charity event on the Web.com Tour.
The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation is the only tournament on the PGA TOUR’s Web.com Tour where amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Web.com Tour professionals in a four-day better-ball competition over three courses.
Amateurs, celebrities and pros rotate between three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the 16 lowest scoring pro-amateur/pro-celebrity teams advancing to play Sunday’s final round.
Celebrities play once at each course on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Published Date : September 13, 2012
Author : admin
The 2012 shrimp-baiting season will open at noon tomorrow (Friday, September 14) in South Carolina waters. Mild winter weather allowed good numbers of overwintering white shrimp to spawn in the spring, producing at least average numbers of shrimp available for fall harvest.
Recreational shrimpers who purchase a shrimp-baiting license can legally cast their nets for shrimp over bait during this season. Shrimp-baiting season will remain open until noon Tuesday, Nov. 13. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) opens the shrimp-baiting season annually on the last Friday on or before Sept. 15 each year.
The shrimp baiting season lasts 60 days, resident licenses cost $25 and non-residents licenses cost $500. The catch limit is 48 quarts of shrimp measured heads-on (29 quarts heads-off) per boat or set of poles per day, and each boat is limited to a set of 10 poles. When taking shrimp over bait, no cast net may be used having a mesh smaller than one-half inch square measure or one inch stretch measure.
Post-season mail surveys conducted every year since 1988 indicate that recent total catches have been less than 1 million pounds per season (heads on) after peaking at more than 3.6 million pounds in 1997. Despite the decline in total catch, catch per trip has remained relatively stable, averaging about 20-22 quarts per trip since 2001. The stable catch-per-trip suggests that shrimp abundance has remained relatively good, but fewer licenses and shrimping trips are resulting in a lower overall harvest. Recent sampling by DNR’s Crustacean Monitoring Program caught fair numbers of shrimp along the southern coast and average quantities near Charleston, according to Larry DeLancey, program supervisor. Areas around Port Royal and St. Helena Sounds produced the largest shrimp.
DNR Law Enforcement Division in Charleston advises baiters not to have bait or poles in a boat that is in the water before noon on Friday, Sept. 14. The public is asked to report violations of saltwater recreational and commercial fishing laws by calling the Coast Watch hotline number (1-800-922-5431) toll-free, 24 hours a day.
Published Date : September 10, 2012
Author : admin
Mt. Pleasant’s Boone Hall Plantation is no stranger to weddings. It’s a frequent venue for young couples in love to pledge their undying love for each other and their promise to spend the rest of their lives together. Last night was no exception — except that the young couple was a Hollywood power couple.
Reps confirmed that Boone Hall served as the backdrop for “Gossip Girl” star Blake Lively (25) and “Green Lantern” Ryan Reynolds (35) to exchange vows. The guest list was limited to primarily close friends, but Hollywood insiders, including Lively’s manager also attended the Lowcountry celebration.
Charleston radio’s 95sx was the first to break the news of the super secret affair about 5:40 yesterday afternoon, tweeting, “Hold up, there’s another story that it’s Ryan Reynolds and he married Blake Lively at the Cotton Docks today!”
PHOTO CREDITS: WSSX-FM on Facebook.
Published Date : September 10, 2012
Author : admin
When we say that Congressman Mulvaney understands “The Elements of Style,” we don’t mean he’s a fashion icon on the catwalks of Paris and Milan.
Mick Mulvaney is a smart guy. He’s a REALLY smart guy. He’s also smart enough to know not to speak above people when he wants to get his points across, so when he was chastised for receiving the lowest grade-level score among congressional members’ speaking styles, he wore it as a badge of honor. “I’m extraordinarily proud of the fact that I was last on that list,” he told CRESCENT.
We conclude our feature on Congressman Mick Mulvaney by discussing the Sunlight Foundation, Flesch-Kincaid tests, Strunk & White, and the most important classes you can take in school.
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Let’s talk about the folks at the Sunlight Foundation.
Yeah.
A few months ago, they published results of their study of congressional speaking styles and named you as having the lowest score — saying that your floor speeches were roughly at an eight-grade level because you don’t use $.50 words when a $.05 word will work just as well. With your undergraduate degree from Georgetown, your JD from Chapel Hill, and a little bit of time at the Harvard Business School, what do you say to your critics?
I will send you the formal response that we created in this office…I created, I wrote it myself. It is a 102-word sentence and it grades out at the 30th grade level under the Flesch-Kincaid test that the Sunlight Foundation ran through it. What I told people generally is that nobody seriously equates long sentence length and big words with intelligence. It is much more important to actually listen to what people have to say, and I think it’s been a fun study. It’s been a little discouraging how much attention we get over that when we don’t nearly the same amount of attention, for example, over the “Cut, Cap and Balance” legislation that I wrote to balance the budget. And it’s something like this that really does represent the triumph of form over substance, but it’s been fun and a great opportunity for me to remind folks that…and I tell this to the… Kids ask me this when I go speak at schools…”What’s the most important class?” I always tell them “English.” English grammar and possibly public speaking are the most important classes you can take in your whole life because if you cannot read, write, understand, and speak the language, it’ll never make any difference how smart you are because no one will ever know. You have to be able to articulate your thoughts, to put your thoughts in a form that you can explain and talk about with other people. I’m extraordinarily proud of the fact that I was last on that list. I consider it to be first on that list, and I’ve been overwhelmed with the number of people who have written me and said… By the way, that test is actually designed to try and get that number down. The goal is to try and have that number be as low as possible so that you are easily understandable. It’s (the Flesch-Kincaid test) actually offered, by the way, on Microsoft Word. You can go home today, type something up on your Microsoft Word. Drop down under Tools is a thing called “Readability” for the Flesch-Kincaid test depending on which format, what version of Microsoft Word you have and you can filter your work through that same test that they use at the Sunlight Foundation. The reason they do that is just as fascinating. Microsoft, as a corporation, makes their lawyers put their contracts through the test in order to keep the number as low as possible because they say lawyers, especially, tend to write in sentences that only other lawyers can understand. And that a good contract is a contract that everybody can understand so that’s why it is hardwired into the Microsoft Word program because the Microsoft attorneys have to use it all the time. I know that because my roommate from college is one of the Microsoft lawyers who wrote me a great essay about that article when it came out. But I will send you the 102…it’s great. But again, you know it goes back…we started the conversation…we’ll end it where we started it. I got in politics through writing. I got in through writing and I was the son of a grammar teacher. My dad used to teach high school English. My favorite class, the one teacher that…everyone always has a teacher they always remember, was my eighth grade grammar teacher. My wife and I still diagram sentences at the dinner table at night and my children will confirm that for you. I love the English language and I’ve always prided myself on my writing and you know, as a journalist, writing a short sentence and a short paragraph and short column is much harder than writing a long sentence.
Twitter is one of the best things to happen to writing in a long time. To have to put a thought in 140 characters and no more…
I’m going to misattribute this, but there is a Founding Father, might have been John Adams, who closed one of his famous letters…it might have made into the movie or the book…he closed a letter…it may have been to Jefferson, he says, “I apologize for writing such a long letter. I didn’t have time to write a shorter one.
———————
AFTERWORD: Congressman Mulvaney shared his official statement about the Sunlight Foundation rating with us. We wanted to pass it along to you.
“In an analytical algorithmic system, such as the Flesch-Kincaid Test employed by the Sunlight Foundation in the current study and as originally reported by NPR, which attempts to establish a correlation between intellect and such simplistic metrics as length of sentence and polysyllabic word choice, it should not strike one as unanticipated that it is the person who has a thesaurus within easy reach, is afforded an unlimited supply of commas, possesses a surplusage of time, and is somehow granted unfettered access to a microphone, who invariably will be acknowledged as the smartest person in the room.
It seems that a better measure may well be whether the person actually has something intelligent to say.”
For anybody keeping score, that comment scores at a 29th grade level. (For fun: http://www.standards-schmandards.com/exhibits/rix/index.php).
Hope all is well.
MM
P.S. Feel free to forward to other people whom you believe may know what a “Strunk & White” is.
For Part 1, Click HERE. For Part 2, Click HERE. For Part 3, Click HERE.
Published Date : September 3, 2012
Author : admin
While the CRESCENT team is on the way to Chapin (if you’re reading this before 8:30) for the town’s annual Labor Day parade, we hope you’ll take advantage of this last unofficial day of summer and spend it with family and friends.
We hope your day includes a lake, a pool, a river, a beach, or a mountain, and we hope it ends with something on the grill.
Enjoy your linen, seersucker, and white pants today, because tomorrow they go in hibernation for the next several months.
With that said, we’ll have new content a little later in the week, but until we do, please take a look at some of what we brought you recently.
As always, THANK YOU for continuing to let CRESCENT be a part of your life as we work to share “South Carolina life, politics, and a little bit in between.” Oh, and happy Labor Day.
Published Date : August 30, 2012
Author : admin
The Council of American States in Europe (CASE) is announcing the recent election of Ford Graham as president of the council.
CASE includes 15 U.S. states with full time offices in Europe. The council provides information and identifies potential partners for companies planning to establish or expand their business in the U.S. CASE also helps European companies find ideal production sites and research facilities free of charge, and is funded by the economic development operations of individual state governments.
Graham currently leads South Carolina’s Europe office in Munich. South Carolina is home to approximately 800 European-owned operations, and the Munich office assists companies in establishing, relocating and expanding business operations in the Palmetto State.
“Having Ford Graham in this leadership role with the council will further increase South Carolina’s visibility and will continue solidifying our presence in Europe,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.
Graham has been with the agency since 2008, and is responsible for over 60 projects statewide, resulting in commitments of more than 6,500 new jobs and $2.6 billion in new investment.
Published Date : August 30, 2012
Author : admin
Elections matter. They matter for our prosperity, they matter for our freedom, and they matter for our future. On November 6, our nation will make a critical choice. Through their visions and voices, American presidents set the course for our great republic.
In 2008, our nation chose a candidate for president who offered hope and change and bold promises that his policies would lead us out of the economic doldrums and build a stronger economy. Now, almost four years later, we are still waiting for those promises to be fulfilled. The American dream is fading fast for too many.
President Barack Obama’s prescriptions of more taxes, more debt, more burdensome regulations, and a federal takeover of health care have not helped to fix our economy. They have made it much, much worse. In fact, Barack Obama’s policies have resulted in record unemployment, lower take-home pay for families, record deficits and debt, and the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression. America and her citizens deserve better, and we cannot allow this downward spiral to continue.
In my conversations with South Carolinians from across the political spectrum, it is clear we must change directions to get our country back on track and restore the American dream. Whether it is the cashier in the Newberry grocery store, my neighbor who stopped me while cutting the grass, or my good friend who came up to me at church just last week, South Carolinians know that Barack Obama has not delivered on his promises. They all told me, “We must defeat Barack Obama in November.”
The last few years under President Barack Obama have been trying and troubling for our entire nation. His tired, big government policies have failed us. We cannot afford more broken promises. We need a new direction. We need a new president.
Mitt Romney is the president our nation needs. He is a family man and a businessman. He spent his career saving failing businesses and creating jobs in the private sector. Then, he saved the 2002 Olympics and brought pride to America. As governor, he balanced his state’s budget, cut taxes, and fostered job creation. Mitt Romney is uniquely qualified to be president at this critical hour in our nation’s history. On November 6, Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan will present the American people with a clear choice between Barack Obama’s failed policies and the ideals of free enterprise, individual opportunity, and limited government.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will encourage job creation and help American families get back on their feet. Their policies will increase domestic energy production and eliminate job-killing regulations, so that energy will be both affordable and more reliable. They will work to ensure that every family has access to great schools, quality teachers, and affordable, effective higher-education options.
Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan will repeal and replace Obamacare with real reforms that control costs and improve care, instead of increasing premiums and adding to our national debt. They will immediately cut spending and stop waste, making government smaller, simpler, and smarter – and less costly for taxpayers.
Americans are a determined, hard-working and proud people, but we are now a nation struggling under the weight of unemployment, poverty, and debt caused by President Barack Obama’s policies. While we are disappointed in the president, we have never lost faith in each other, and we know that with capable and courageous leadership, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will restore America’s greatness.
Just like my parents wanted the best for me, I also want the best for my four children. I serve as Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party because I want them to know the same American dream that I knew and my parents knew. Today, our country is at a crossroads and the existence of that American dream is threatened like never before. We can do better. We can change. It starts with making Mitt Romney our next President of the United States of America.
Chad Connelly is the chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the author are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CRESCENT: The Magazine.
To submit an op-ed for CRESCENT’s “Your Turn” section, please email it to input@crescentmag.com.
Published Date : August 29, 2012
Author : admin
The recreational annual catch limit for black sea bass has been reached for the Atlantic Ocean off the southeastern states and the recreational fishery will close in federal and state waters throughout the region including the South Carolina coast effective 12:01 am Sept. 4, 2012. The fishery is scheduled to remain closed until June 1, 2013.
In 2006, black sea bass in the southeastern region were determined to be overfished (spawning population is too low) and have continued to experience overfishing (rate of removal is too high). In response, a plan was implemented to end overfishing, allowing black sea bass population to begin rebuilding. This 10-year plan to rebuild the black sea bass fishery established annual catch limits of 309,000 pounds for the commercial sector and 409,000 pounds for recreational anglers.
Mel Bell, Director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Office of Fisheries Management commented on the status of black sea bass, “Black sea bass is in better shape today because of the measures taken to rebuild stocks and the sacrifice of fishermen. Six years into the rebuilding plan we see significant evidence that black sea bass is on the rebound. It is a difficult time, but we are well on our way to a sustainable fishery that will ultimately support the best possible access for fishermen.”
PHOTO CREDIT: All Fishing Buy Guide
Published Date : August 29, 2012
Author : admin
Polls show that many voters are tired of the polarizing political partisanship, negative campaign ads and government gridlock. To compound the frustration is a perceived voter inability to learn more about elected officials or to find other voters to have a real discussion or debate with about policy. Five Greenville natives decided to do something about these concerns and founded Solitical.com to do something about it.
Solitical is social political network that wants to engage users in the political process by increasing their access to political information and sharing their views directly with other voters and to their elected leaders. The site is non-partisan and does not push its own content, believing citizens and voters are the best possible messengers to convey what is important.
“The election process is still driven by the individual vote,” said Steven Whitworth, a co-founder and CEO. “Although each of the founders have different political viewpoints, we have much in common regarding our hopes and needs for our families, and we don’t see these common views being promoted in today’s political environment. That’s why we’ve been so driven to get this platform up and running.”
Some of Solitical’s layout and features are staples for those who have used social networks in the past. For example, Solitical allows you to find friends and contacts, upload pictures and video, send messages, and create groups or events.
There are a few important differences for Solitical users, though. For example, you do not have to be a registered member to access the site or its content. Visitors to the site have access to the broad elected officials database Solitical compiled that includes biographical and contact information for local, state, and federal officeholders from all 50 states. They also have access to the site’s educational information and news, forums, polls, and petition content. Users are encouraged to create smaller groups for an even freer sharing of viewpoints.
Only when visitors decide to engage in a political discussion on Solitical will they need to register. The though, according to Solitical officials, is that registration makes discussion more productive. Jonathan Rath Hoffman, a co-founder and the company’s COO, contends, “Content from a registered member, versus from an anonymous visitor, generally will be more respectful and constructive.” He adds, “We felt anonymous content probably wouldn’t help the discussion in the long run, as anyone who has been on an anonymous message board can tell you.”
The site does offer a limited outlet for members to anonymously blow off steam on given topics, though. In the “Boiler Room” area, the hope is that sometimes frank and forceful comments can create more dialogue on important issues.
Solitical also offers some innovative new features for users. The “Solitical Pulse” filters millions of tweets each day for politically relevant content tied to politicians and trending political topics. It then displays those in terms of person, topic, geography, volume, and sentiment.
For members, Solitical implemented a “Debate It” feature that allows members to schedule live video debates with one another, with other members watching, commenting, and voting in real time.
The site’s local politician database is a core feature. The company believes this local level data is a game changing resource for visitors and members. Hoffman says, “The ability of a member to easily identify, track and communicate with their local elected officials is a big step forward for democracy. We are growing the ability of voters to directly manage their own elected officials in real time.”
The founders also believe Solitical could ultimately be a place for voters, without the resources of political parties or financial backers to launch and direct populist campaigns in the future. Whitworth noted, “Candidates are sometimes chosen in non-representative ways, and then voters have to choose from a limited field. Solitical can help level that playing field by bringing the voters together with each other and with their candidates to cultivate a base that could win an election.”
Whitworth points out that there is more to come. “In the future there are incredible things we have planned as the site continues to grow.””
Given the focus on active local politics, it is no surprise that the start-up has its roots firmly in Greenville rather than California. Time will tell, but Solitical’s founders are betting that people are ready for a different kind of politics and are prepared to take the reins.
Published Date : August 28, 2012
Author : admin
Conservation groups say that South Carolina coastal residents’ support needs to increase to raise awareness and educate visitors to “Keep Lights Out for Loggerheads.”
Nesting season for the state reptile is May through October – occurring on the beaches of South Carolina’s barrier islands. From May through August, loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) come ashore to deposit approximately 120 eggs in a nest cavity in the dry sand dune system. Sixty days later, loggerhead hatchlings emerge from the nest at night and head to the ocean. Nests hatch from July through the end of October. During the nesting season, loggerheads may be disoriented by artificial lights. Disorientation happens when artificial light from man-made sources leads turtles away from the ocean.
To date in South Carolina, 34 disorientation events of loggerhead hatchlings have been reported to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Marine Turtle Conservation Program.
DNR officials say that these disorientation events may have affected as many as 4,080 hatchlings (based on the average of 120 eggs in a nest). The causes of these disorientations include streetlights, gas station hood lights, city sky glow, exterior lights on commercial establishments, high density dwellings and beach front homes, including pool lights. People on or near the beach carrying flashlights or lanterns, bonfires, and landscape lighting can also disorient loggerhead hatchlings.
When loggerhead hatchlings emerge from their shells, they are attracted to the blue and green wavelengths of light which are naturally reflected off the ocean. They use this natural light cue to navigate from the nest to the ocean. This same mechanism is used by adult females when nesting. If an artificial light source on the beach is brighter than the natural light, the hatchlings will head towards this artificial source. These artificial lights can be a direct source such as a beach front home’s exterior flood light or a street light. The artificial light can also be indirect, light pollution that creates a sky glow effect.
When a hatchling sea turtle is attracted away from the ocean towards a direct or indirect source of light, biologists describe this as a disorientation event. Hatchlings become disoriented and crawl away from the ocean towards the brightest light. During this disorientation event, hatchlings are more susceptible to nocturnal predators. While crawling the wrong way on the beach, hatchlings exhaust valuable, limited energy stores needed to swim offshore. Hatchlings need energy once they reach the ocean to swim towards floating Sargassum seaweed found as far as 60 miles offshore. They use the seaweed as camouflage to protect them from predators. The seaweed is also home to small crustaceans that loggerhead hatchlings eat to replenish their energy.
Loggerheads are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and are protected by federal and state laws. The loggerhead nesting population in the southeastern United States is continuing to decline, and it has been recommended that this species be reclassified from threatened to endangered. If a sea turtle hatchling is disoriented by artificial light, the maximum federal fine for harming a threatened species is $25,000. County and local lighting ordinances exist to protect sea turtles. South Carolina’s lighting ordinances can be downloaded from http://www.dnr.sc.gov/seaturtle/volres/ordinances.pdf. Violating local or county lighting ordinances carry fines up to $500. As coastal development continues to increase, the number of disorientation events will also rise. If sea turtle friendly light fixtures and bulbs are used, this increasing trend can be reversed. Sustainable development allows for sea turtles and people to coexist in the beachfront communities.
What You Can Do to Help Sea turtles in South Carolina
If you encounter sea turtle hatchlings on the beach or an emerging nest, it is unlawful to disturb them and it can be harmful.
PHOTO CREDIT: Joseph Fritsch
Published Date : August 27, 2012
Author : admin
Gearing up for 2012’s “Red Ribbon Week” which encourages young people to avoid drugs, alcohol, tobacco and the pitfalls associated with their abuse, Greenville Family Partnership (GFP) is inviting principals, teachers, PTA presidents, Red Ribbon coordinators, and others who work with youth to attend its “Red Ribbon Workshop” on August 28-29 at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church in Downtown Greenville.
Facilitated this year by “Leading to Change,” a group that teaches how to effectively reach youth, GFP’s workshop will also offer materials regarding “Red Ribbon Week” and other key dates throughout the year to help plan activities surrounding youth substance abuse prevention and youth safety.
“Leading to Change” president and CEO Eric Rowles, considered a national expert on youth culture and substance abuse prevention, will provide specific activities and tools to get attendees involved in year-round youth prevention and awareness activities, programs, and events. GFP says that these strategies can also be used to deal with adults.
Milton Creagh, a popular teen motivational speaker, will speak on tough subjects like bullying, gangs, and drugs and will conduct an evening parent session during his visit.
“The Red Ribbon Workshop will help schools ‘Get Ready. Get Moving. Get Motivated’ for Red Ribbon Week,” according to Carol Reeves, Executive Director of Greenville Family Partnership. “Leading to Change will provide something new, something different, something exciting to help those who work with youth to change students’ lives.” For more information on Greenville Family Partnership’s Red Ribbon Workshop, visit www.gfpdrugfree.org.
Published Date : August 27, 2012
Author : admin
By: Taft Matney
Much like the winds from Tropical Storm Isaac now making its way to the Gulf, network television news blows.
NBC dedicated each of its affiliated networks to 17 days of live Olympic coverage – even a streaming web site and mobile apps – so we could watch the trampoline finals and hear about swimmer Ryan Lochte using a 50 meter pool as his personal toilet.
TLC, which used to serve as an abbreviation for “The Learning Channel,” now gives us such gems as “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.”
MTV, which once stood for “Music Television,” is now the home of Snooki. By the way, both mom and new baby Lorenzo Dominic LaValle are resting comfortably at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J.
As Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Texas asked in 1977, “What the h___ is the world coming to?”
Political conventions used to be big TV. It used to be that the “Big Three” covered them in primetime. It was the time that political parties put themselves on display for the nation and the world to see. It was the time when Republicans and Democrats alike put their best and brightest on the stage and in the spotlight so they could tell voters why each party’s ideas were better than the other, why each party’s candidates were better than the other, and this all built to the introduction of each party’s ticket hoping to lead the free world for at least the next four years.
It was three hours each night of the convention, and it was a heckuva show. I still have the 1988 Republican National Convention on VHS. It was political theater at its finest and gave us some riveting entertainment.
I remember being at the GOP convention in San Diego with the wife (who was then just the girlfriend) in 1996 as we watched then Oklahoma Congressman J. C. Watts and we listened to his speech about “The American Dream” and how he “never thought that the fifth of six children born to Helen and Buddy Watts– in a poor black neighborhood, in the poor rural community of Eufaula, Oklahoma– would someday be called Congressman.” Sure, we were watching it live from the convention floor, but when I returned home to Mauldin, friends who knew I went and strangers who noticed my convention shirt came up to me one after another and told me about how they watched the convention on TV and how motivating it was for them.
That was ’96. That was three hours a night of coverage. That was the relative infancy of 24-hour news channels who even then realized that political conventions were something special.
Fast-forward to 2012.
Unless you have cable or satellite television, and more and more American homes are cutting the cable cord every day, you’ll be largely shut out of this year’s convention coverage. As networks shift their air talent to subscription-based channels to talk about the events in Tampa and Charlotte, they’re leaving ONE HOUR each night for coverage by their over-the-air broadcast partners at ABC, CBS, and NBC.
ONE HOUR EACH NIGHT.
We complain about voter apathy. We complain about low voter turnout. We complain that the political process isn’t open enough for “average Americans.” We allow talking heads with personal agendas to color the nation’s political discourse without being able to hear political positions firsthand.
For some reason, we don’t complain to the networks about their lack of airtime that we could use to educate ourselves on issues, facts, and the politicians who spout them.
Why? Because we’re too busy fist-pumping at the Jersey Shore, saying “Yes,” to the dress, and deciding who in America has talent.
As NBC, CBS, and ABC made gazillions of dollars from advertising, they used to find a way to use their powers for good, too. Why can’t they do that now? Why can’t they make a concerted effort to reengage Americans in the political process instead or perpetuating the bad side of it? After all, the Fall television season doesn’t event begin for two more weeks.
Network execs say that political conventions have become nothing more than infomercials. So what? Isn’t that what we want and need, to some extent?
Instead of political ads telling you that “Candidate X” wants to kill your family pet and take away Gramdma’s medication, there’s nothing wrong with political parties, their representatives, and their candidates standing up on national television once every four years and saying, “Here’s our vision for America. Here’s our vision for our nation’s future. Here’s why you should vote FOR us.”
We’ve gotten to the point where political communication is about why you should vote AGAINST someone instead of FOR someone. Abbreviated network coverage has forced political messaging play to people’s fears. Expanding it would allow that messaging again to make the case to the people to support people and ideas. Isn’t that what we deserve?
Yes. Yes. A million times, yes. Like Honey Boo Boo says, “You better redneckognize!”
UPDATE: With the start of the Republican convention being delayed a day due to potential safety issues arising from Tropical Storm Isaac, four days of convention are being rescheduled in to three. Monday night’s network-broadcasted speech by Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina will now be Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. — missing coverage from the over-the-air networks because of their limited time.
Published Date : August 27, 2012
Author : admin
Congressman Mulvaney says and does things you might not expect. For example, you don’t expect a leader in the Republican Party to say things like, “I hate the Republican Party talking points. They make me sick and tired.” Okay, then.
It’s just another example of being an independent thinker. Sure. He very frequently votes with his South Carolina Republican delegation members and has become somewhat famous for it, but he is still is own man.
This week, Congressman Mick Mulvaney talks with CRESCENT about working as a team, how he views his obligation to his district, and life as a husband and father.
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Well, working as a team and bouncing ideas off each other and supporting each other and voting as a block, we’ve talked about the kind of reputation that that’s earned on The Hill and it’s kind of earned the state. How do you see it translating back home? How is that benefiting the district and the state?
Well, it’s benefiting us in that we punch way above our weight. We have a disproportionally large input into the process because we function as a team. Leadership knows when Jeff Duncan goes in to them and talks to them on an energy issue that Jeff Duncan isn’t one vote out of 435 or, more importantly, out of 240-something Republicans. He’s five votes because we tend to speak as one voice. It does not mean that we vote exactly the same, in fact, we often do not. It doesn’t get as widely reported, but every single day there are issues where I’m on one side of the issue, Trey is on the other, and there is good reason for that. Reasonable people can disagree. But on the really big stuff, they know that it’s not just Jeff or just me or just Joe Wilson, for that matter, that we will tend to vote together. And not only the five of us, there are people who really do watch how South Carolina votes. It’s largely a group of conservatives, largely out of the South, the Southeast, and to a certain extent, the desert Southwest, but if a congressman, I don’t want to give any names because I don’t want to put anybody in a bad light in terms of…it’s not a lack of independent thinking but there’d be guys sitting there who’d go, “OK, I’m voting this way, yet every single one of those South Carolinians has voted the other way. Why is that? Let me go find Mulvaney and find out if it’s a budget issue. Let me go find Gowdy if it’s a legal issue. Let me go find Tim Scott if it’s a leadership thing. Let me find out if I really am off the reservation when it comes to good conservative voting.” I think that helps us as a state, as well, because everybody knows it’s not just me, it’s not just Joe Wilson, it’s not just Tim Scott, it’s a group of us who tend to move in the same direction at that same time.
You’ve got the four of you. Joe Wilson seems to kind of float in and out…
The Scoutmaster.
And now there’s going to be, chances are, a new Republican in a new district.
Yep.
What’s that going to bring to the table?
I have no clue. I don’t want to…that is a great question and I don’t know. I hope…let me spin it this way… I hope that Tom (Tom Rice, the Republican nominee for the new 7th Congressional District that covers the Pee Dee and Grand Strand), finds a place on this team, and there are areas where we are still weak. There is no question about it. The federal government is so big that, with me handling budget issues and Trey handling his and everybody else handling theirs and Joe handling military personnel, there’s still fifteen other areas where we don’t have as good a coverage as we want. I want somebody who will be additive to that effort. I want a fifth horseman or a sixth horseman, so that we can grow exponentially — somebody who not only brings one vote but figures out a way to work hard in a particular area to pick up five or six other votes so that they earn respect in their chosen area so that we grow this team of conservatives. We want somebody who’s interested in being a representative for the state of South Carolina and can help further what I think the five of us have accomplished this year.
When you were elected to the South Carolina House, you were the first Republican to ever hold the seat, you beat John Spratt who’d held the seat since ’83, you were the first Republican to hold this seat since 1883…
A runaway slave, I think it was who held this seat.
Being the first at something is never easy. What kind of pressure have you felt, or have you felt any, being these big firsts?
That’s a great question. I try really hard not to be…let me see if I can figure out a way to say this…I am cognizant of the fact that I am the first Republican for whom many of my constituents have ever voted, other than maybe Ronald Reagan. And I respect that and I think those folks especially, but everybody deserves representation that is focused more on principle than on party. Folks didn’t vote for me because I was a Republican. They voted for me because my ideas were different than my Democrat predecessor. They didn’t vote for him for years and years because he was a Democrat. They voted for him because he was a conservative Southern Democrat. And when I go down into Camden, like I was down there this week, my message is one that is based on principles that I think and hope we share as South Carolinians, as conservatives and is not necessarily the Republican party line. I hate the Republican Party talking points. They make me sick and tired. One of the people asked me “What are you most surprised of in Washington?” I was surprised at…
When you say you hate the talking points, are you talking state or are you talking federal?
I’m sick of them.
Or both?
Both, talking points are talking points. It’s not…”President Obama’s failed policies are damaging job creators.” What the hell does that mean? That is a talking point. That is rhetoric — hollow words that might have meant something at one point, but when you repeat them a thousand times, they become part of that echo chamber of Washington, part of the problem with Washington. My folks back home deserve better than that, generally, because so many of them are looking to me as the first Republican they ever voted for. I have to give them more than that. If I were to deliver just the Republican talking points to my folks in Camden or Chesterfield County or Newberry County, they’d run me out of that town on a rail and rightly so. They deserve better than empty rhetoric. They deserve ideas. They deserve explanations. They deserve real details about what’s broken in Washington and how we can fix Washington. And I come down here and start spewing Republican talking points that come straight from the Speaker’s office in a memo that we get every single week and the talking points haven’t changed for the last eighteen months, I’d be a laughing stock down here. That’s what I’m cognizant of as the first Republican here is that folks here deserve better than just another Republican member of Congress. They deserve something more substantial and substantive than that and that’s what I’ve been trying to give them for the last eighteen months.
When you beat John Spratt, it’s not like you beat some schlub who stumbled into the job. He was chair of the House Budget Committee and the number two ranking Democrat on Armed Services. There are a lot of Republicans who tried to beat him over the years but couldn’t do it. When you realized that you won, what ran through your mind?
Nothing along the lines with any relationship with what you just said. I was not…it never occurred to me that everyone else tried and failed, that never occurred to me. And still doesn’t occur to me. There was a reason. There was a reason Ralph Norman lost. The reason that we couldn’t beat the guy in ’92 and ’94 had nothing to do with the quality of our candidates. We’ve had really, really good candidates. We’ve probably had candidates better than myself run against Mr. Spratt over the course of the last 28 years. It was Mr. Spratt that beat Mr. Spratt this time. It was his voting record, especially in the last four years. The message that we delivered that resonated with people was just that their Congressman had changed. That’s not about me. That’s about him. I recognize the fact that I’m in his seat mostly because a lot of people voted against the guy who preceded me, not because they necessarily voted for me. That was a lot of pressure on me to convince people that they were right to do so but I never got up there and said, “I was the guy who finally beat John Spratt.” I just happened to be the right guy at the right place at the right time, which I look at as a special opportunity to prove to people that they were right to vote against that guy but I never thought that I accomplished something that nobody else was able to do.
Your wife, Pam, who, by your admission, “is, has been and shall remain for many years, 29,” and the kids who are now twelve, have been there by your side through this whole journey. How important has that been?
The kids are getting older, the wife stays the same age. And actually, in the house, she’s not 29, she’s “Plenty-Nine.” There was a time when the children were very young when my wife was 39 years old and they asked how old she was and she told them, “I’m thirty-nine” and they just misheard it and pronounced it “plenty nine” because the kids were born when Pam was 37 or 38 years old and so she just like that so she’s always told people now she’s plenty-nine. They’ve been great. My wife tells me we have something that I never heard of, which is a “commuter marriage,” and evidently it is working well. The one…the couple of things you look to…are you still happy to see you wife when you get home and the answer is, “Absolutely.” Is she still happy to see you? Absolutely. So that’s working out great. And the other thing to sort of keep an eye on is how the kids are doing in school. Are the kids happy? Are their grades up? And the kids’ grades have either stayed the same or gone up since I’ve left. I don’t know what that says about me as a parent, it says a lot about my wife, so it’s been really, really good. It’ll be interesting to see how the kids, as they get older, because now they’re becoming teenagers, how they deal with the fact their dad is on TV and people now know who their dad is. When the kids were little, they went to Catholic school in Charlotte, NC, just across the border from where I live. I’m Roman Catholic, and I wanted them to go to Catholic school, and nobody knew who I was. Now the boys go to the public school down the road, and most people, the teachers, know who I am. I will be curious to see how they deal with having a semi-famous dad, for lack of a better word, as they get older. That’ll be a challenge. I think for us as parents to try and continue to raise normal kids, but if anybody can do it, it’s my wife. I do know this, I’ve joked that sooner or later she might actually want to come to visit me in Washington, DC, and she assured me that I’m still welcome to come home on the weekends but she likes her horses too much to come and spend time inside the beltway.
She’s smart.
Yep.
For Part 1, Click HERE. For Part 2, Click HERE. Stay tuned for Part 4.
PHOTO CREDIT: Mulvaney for Congress on Facebook
Published Date : August 27, 2012
Author : admin
With school starting back and summer days shortening, the Edisto Island and Edisto Beach communities await the seasonal shift with a lineup of events for the fall season. On Labor Day weekend, Edisto will savor the last few “official” days of summer with the Edisto Music & Shag Fest, loaded with music, dancing, shopping and plenty of good eating. Later in September, the Edisto Shrimp Fest returns for a second year, following a successful inaugural event in 2011.
On August 31 and September 1, the Edisto Music & Shag Fest will be held at Bay Creek Park, located next to the Edisto Marina. The festival will begin at Noon on Friday with arts and crafts and food vendors. Entertainment from the Hollow Point Band starts at 3:00 p.m., and the East Coast Party Band is on from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Saturday’s events, start at 10:00 a.m. and include arts and crafts, food vendors, and a full line-up of entertainment. During the afternoon hours, DJ Jim Bowers will be providing music. The Urban Roots Reggae Band will play from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., the Headliners will take the stage until 11:00 p.m. The annual shag competition begins at 9:00 p.m with shag clubs from around the southeast on hand to participate. For more information, please call 843-869-3867 or visit www.edistochamber.com.
In preparation for the fall season, EdistoPride will sponsor a Beach & River Sweep on September 15. The sweep will begin at Edisto Beach State Park. Those interested in participating should contact EdistoPride by phone at 843-869-4422 or by email at edistopride@aol.com.
The newly popular Edisto Shrimp Fest will be held Saturday, September 29, from 12 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Bay Creek Park to celebrate the fishing industry and its contributions to Edisto. Local seafood is center stage and will be prepared using celebrated Edisto recipes. Arts and crafts vendors will offer some great shopping opportunities for island and other treasures. For more information, please call 843-869-2505 or visit www.townofedistobeach.com.
The picturesque Bay Creek Park is also the setting for the weekly Arts and Crafts Market, featuring many local artisans. The market is held every Wednesday through November 14 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
October brings in more blustery temps and another busy month, marked by yearly favorites, including the Edisto & Beyond Tour, the Edisto Art Guild’s fall show, and the Edisto Fall Festival.
The Edisto & Beyond Tour, sponsored by the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society, will be held on Saturday, October 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The annual tour of plantations, churches, graveyards, and historic sites will feature Prospect Hill Plantation, Woodruff Cottage, Brick House Ruins, Grove Plantation, Willtown Bluff, Trinity Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church of Edisto Island, Old First Baptist Church, and Zion Reformed Episcopal Church. The tour will begin at the Edisto Island Museum, located at 8123 Chisolm Plantation Road. Tickets for this event sell out quickly each year, with a limited number being offered. For more information or to check ticket availability, contact the Edisto Museum at 843-869-1954 or visit www.edistomuseum.org.
The Edisto Art Guild will hold its fall show and sale on Saturday, October 13. The show will be held at the Edistonian, which is located on the island at 406 Highway 174. For more information, contact the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867 or visit www.edistochamber.com.
The Edisto Chamber of Commerce will sponsor its annual Edisto Fall Festival the following weekend. This street fair, featuring art, local culinary treats, and activities for the kids, will take place on October 20 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Jungle Road. Following the festival, local restaurants will be sponsoring evening events. For more information, contact the Edisto Chamber of Commerce at 843-869-3867 or visit www.edistochamber.com.
The Town of Edisto Beach will host Trick or Treat at the Creek at Bay Creek Park on Friday, October 26. For the kids, there will be a costume contest, games and prizes, plus table-to-table trick-or-treating. For more information contact Town Hall at (843) 869-2505 or visit www.townofedistobeach.com.
Meanwhile, nature lovers may want to consider any of the numerous tours that focus on birds and other wildlife on Edisto, including dolphins and migratory birds that pass through the area, such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons, along with thousands of shorebirds, such as the dunlin, whimbrel, and godwit.
Published Date : August 20, 2012
Author : admin
Politics isn’t filled only with grumpy old guys who sit around muttering, “Harrumph.” At least that’s according to The Hill — the Washington, DC-based congressional newspaper that reports daily on “the inner-workings of Congress, as well as the nexus between politics and business.”
In its annual list of “The Hill’s 50 Most Beautiful People,” two of South Carolina’s own cracked the top ten — one from Charleston, the other from Greenville.
Coming in at #4, the American Chemistry Council’s 28 year old Julian Malasi moved with his family to Charleston from Fier, Albania when he and his twin brother were teenagers.
Since his brother didn’t make the move to DC with him after school, the Spanish and international-relations graduate from the University of South Carolina doesn’t normally have to worry about uncomfortable, confusing conversations with girls who mistake him for the identical Euclid like he did during college. The brothers do still love to compete with each other, though.
Two spots later, #6 on the list spotlights 25 year old Marian White. If you’re wondering if a girl from Greenville named White might be related to anyone you’ve heard of, the answer is, “Yes.” The former staff assistant for the House Judiciary Committee’s GOP members is the daughter of Greenville mayor Knox White.
A graduate of Furman University, White came to The Hill to be staff assistant and scheduler to former 3rd Congressional District Representative Gresham Barrett, but her time inside the Beltway recently ended when she moved to Boston to begin her graduate studies in marketing and advertising.
See. Politics doesn’t have to be ugly…especially when South Carolina’s involved.
PHOTO CREDIT: Microsoft (Capitol)/The Hill (Marian White, Julian Malasi)
Published Date : August 20, 2012
Author : admin
You want to order a glass of wine but aren’t sure about food pairing or vintage or how you should expect it to taste. You could ask a sommelier, but that assumes there is one at the restaurant. Chances are, you won’t see one. What do you do then?
Greenville restaurateur Rick Erwin (Rick Erwin’s West End Grille and Rick Erwin’s Nantucket Seafood) may have the answer.
He calls it TopCellar. When CRESCENT talked with Erwin, who also serves as the chairman of the South Carolina Hospitality Association, he wasn’t reading product bullet points. This is something he views as revolutionizing the restaurant industry and sensory dining experiences for customers.
TopCellar has been used in Erwin’s restaurants for a while, but with additional development and customer feedback, Erwin’s tablet-based dining assistant is expected to be available via iTunes this fall.
The iPad app is designed to help you learn everything you want to know about what you’re about to order.
Erwin didn’t set out to create the dining industry’s next big innovation, though. “I tried to buy something like this off the shelf a couple of years ago when I was in Chicago at the National Restaurant Association convention, looking at what iPad technology was out there for the wine list,” he said. Erwin heard through the grapevine (SEE: “Pun”) that other restaurants in the Southeast already implemented iPad use and saw immediate sales growth.
“What’s the difference between a paper wine list and one that’s on the iPad? Basically, it’s information. Customers that are looking to purchase wine are often intimidated.” He said that the paper wine list can provide the customer information about a wine’s vintage, appellation, and price, but not much else. An interactive wine list through a tablet device such as an iPad allows the customer to get more information, and that, Erwin said, “is what customers really thirst for.”
Erwin’s app also allows customers to find a wine tailored to their wants. “The customer, let’s say, wants to buy a $50 bottle of wine, and he or she wants a Pinot Noir, and that customer wants it to be from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, California. This allows a customer to find that wine,” and filters by the guidelines entered by the customer.
He said that not only is it important to put “your information to your customer in a format that’s easy to navigate, easy to go and look at what is available,” but that for the restaurant, it should be easy to update. With the app, restaurant staff can update lists almost immediately. If the restaurant runs out of a wine, the staff simply removes it from the list until it’s restocked. Updating a paper list requires time and the expense of reprinting the entire list.
Erwin believes the reason sales increase as a result of an app like TopCellar is because customers are able to make better quality decisions. “With this, they’re almost able to experience the wine before they get it because they know what it’s gonna taste like, they know what it’s gonna go well with, and they know where it came from.”
TopCellar is being designed to be made available for download through iTunes in two separate configurations: TopCellar and TopCellar PRO. The TopCellar app, to be priced at a one-time download fee of $99.00, will offer the comprehensive point-of-table experience for beer, wine, and spirit sales. TopCellar PRO will extend include those features as well as covering full, customized menu options for restaurants and will be offered at a one-time download fee of $599.00.
Erwin said that while TopCellar will be available on the iPad only in the initial launch, the app should be available in other operating platforms at some point in 2013. A private beta version available now by invitation
More information about TopCellar is available at www.TopCellarApp.com. TopCellar can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/TopCellar and Twitter at @TopCellarApp.
PHOTO CREDIT: Rick Erwin/TopCellar
Published Date : August 20, 2012
Author : admin
The much-anticipated start of the 2012 deer season is underway in some parts of the state. South Carolina’s deer population is healthy, and the season outlook is good. Although the deer harvest has been on a downward trend the last few years, indicating that population levels have moderated, hunter success and deer harvest rates remain good according to Charles Ruth, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Deer and Wild Turkey Program Coordinator.
Top counties for harvest in 2011 included Bamberg, Union, Calhoun, and Orangeburg with each of these counties exhibiting harvest rates in excess of 15 deer per square mile. Very few areas in the United States consistently yield comparable harvest figures. On the other hand, top counties for quality deer in 2011 included Aiken, Orangeburg, and Kershaw in the coastal plain and Anderson, Pickens, and Saluda counties in the piedmont. These results come as no surprise as these counties have historically produced good numbers of record entries.
Find out more about the 2011 deer harvest and 2012 antler records at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/deer/index.html.
Although there were no substantive changes made to deer hunting laws by the General Assembly this year, hunters should always consult the annual Hunting and Fishing Rules and Regulation brochure that DNR publishes each summer, said Ruth. This is particularly the case for hunters that use the various Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the state.
For more information on hunting seasons, rules and regulations check http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regulations.html.
South Carolina’s deer population expanded rapidly in the 1980’s and early 1990’s and it peaked in the late 1990’s at about 1,000,000 animals. However, since 2002 the population has trended down with current figures being about 725,000 deer, a 25 percent decline from peak figures 10 years ago. The reduction can likely be attributable to a number of factors including habitat change. Although timber management activities stimulated significant growth in South Carolina’s deer population beginning in the 1970’s, considerable acreage is currently in even-aged pine stands that are greater than 10 years old, a situation that does not support deer densities at the same level as younger stands in which food and cover is more available.
Also, coyotes are a recent addition to the landscape. DNR is currently involved in a major study with researchers at the Savannah River Site investigating the affects coyotes are having on the survival of deer fawns. Cumulative data throughout the study indicates approximately 70 percent total fawn mortality with coyotes being responsible for approximately 80 percent of these mortalities. If these findings even moderately represent a statewide situation, this “new mortality factor” is clearly involved in the reduction in deer numbers. This is especially true when combined with extremely liberal deer harvests that have been the norm in South Carolina. The study is currently in the process of determining if coyote control (trap/kill) leads to increased fawn survival on the area.
Hunters should not be overly concerned if the deer population is down compared to several years ago when the population reached its peak. Most hunters, to their credit, have recognized the fact that having fewer deer leads to better quality deer. Results of DNR’s antler scoring program indicate that this may indeed be the case as the last 5 years have seen approximately 1,000 bucks successfully entered into the state records program. On the other hand, said Ruth, we don’t want to see the population decline such that hunter success and the interest in deer hunting deteriorate. Earlier this year, DNR made recommendations related to future deer management needs in South Carolina, however, these recommendations have not met with any legislative action at this point.
Deer hunting generates approximately $200 million in retail sales for South Carolina’s economy annually.
Published Date : August 17, 2012
Author : admin
Our friends The Lee Brothers rose to fame because of the love we have in South Carolina for boiling the raw legume (Remember, peanuts are actually beans.), and the South Carolina Peanut Board and Department of Agriculture are going to share that love.
You may not know it, but August 25 is “Boiled Peanut Day,” and from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (or while supplies last), anyone can come by the farmers’ sheds on Wholesale Lane at the State Farmers Market (3483 Charleston Hwy. in West Columbia) for free taste of boiled peanuts.
The free treat is being offered as part of the celebrations for “Farmers’ Market Month” in South Carolina and the 5th anniversary of the ”Certified South Carolina Grown Summer Celebrations.”
As South Carolinians continue enjoying boiled peanuts, our state is fast becoming a major peanut producer – now raking fifth in the nation for peanut production.
Brad Boozer, with the South Carolina Peanut Board, says, “In 2002 the state had about 9,000 acres of peanuts, but 95,000 acres of peanuts were planted this year.” Boozer also says that number could reach 120, 000 acres within five years.
Published Date : August 14, 2012
Author : admin
The Reserve at Lake Keowee’s Community Foundation was recently named Volunteer Civic Organization of the Year by the South Carolina Department of Education. This statewide award recognizes outstanding volunteers in four categories – individual, business, civic organization, and school improvement council. Foundation Executive Director Kathryn Gravely accepted the award.
“This award demonstrates that volunteers in Pickens County make a difference in the lives of our children. We thank the residents at The Reserve at Lake Keowee for sharing their time, their energy, and their wisdom with our children at A.R. Lewis Elementary. They are a perfect example of what we can achieve when the community and the school district work together,” said Pickens County education chief Dr. Kelly Pew.
Dr. Tom Polidor, principal of A.R. Lewis Elementary School in Pickens County, nominated the foundation for the honor saying, “The mentors from The Reserve community have become an integral part of the daily life at A.R. Lewis Elementary. They have touched the lives of our students and their families through their generous donation of time and funding.”
The Foundation’s volunteers assist the elementary school by:
According to foundation officials, one of the most important contributions they make is through the school’s Mentor Program that pairs resident volunteers with at-risk students to assist them in reaching academic and social goals. After one year, 82% of mentored students reached their reading or math goals. The Foundation logged more than 500 documented hours at A.R. Lewis Elementary this past year, making what Dr. Polidor calls a “priceless impact” on students’ lives. In keeping with its mission, the Foundation will continue to provide outreach activities at A.R. Lewis Elementary School.
State Representative Davey Hiott added, “The volunteers from The Reserve at Lake Keowee are to be congratulated and thanked for the outstanding effort they have given to the children at A.R. Lewis Elementary school. Many young people are looking for a role model in life, and I believe that these volunteers are true role models. Pickens County is blessed with many wonderful people and the volunteers from The Reserve at Lake Keowee are at the top.”