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THIS FIRST — “About 6,900 out-of-work South Carolinians will lose some extended benefits after this week,” The State reports. “The workers were receiving an extra 13 weeks of unemployment checks after exhausting the 59 weeks of benefits from other state and federal programs. Under a state law, the extension was triggered in March by the high percentage of South Carolina workers getting unemployment checks. But that number has fallen just enough in recent weeks to end the payments on Saturday, the S.C. Employment Security Commission said Tuesday.”
TREADMILLS COWER — SC State Fair Begins Today
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NATIONAL LENS — JOBLESS BENEFITS — “The Senate appears ready to drop about $20 billion for two pieces of economic stimulus that no one wants to label ‘stimulus,’ in the form of additional jobless benefits for unemployed workers and an extended, expanded tax credit for homebuyers. Weighing in at $16.7 billion … makes up the bulk of that total.”
MORE GUV CASH — Democrat Jim Rex “has raised nearly $82,000 since he announced his candidacy at the end of September. With about $44,000 cash on hand, Rex trails Democratic front-runner Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden who raised more than $229,000 this quarter as well as Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod and Columbia attorney and former lobbyist Dwight Drake.” Republican Nikki Haley “raised nearly $148,000 this quarter and now has about $273,000 on hand. She’s badly trailing both U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett and state Attorney General Henry McMaster who each have more than $1 million in their war chests.”
WATER FIGHT FINALLY HEARD — For all those wondering what this water fight with North Carolina is about, The State’s Sammy Fretwell gives a fantastic explanation. “The nation’s most powerful judges plowed into a bitter dispute Tuesday over water use between South Carolina and North Carolina, asking pointed questions of lawyers for both states. Attorney General Henry McMaster said after the U.S. Supreme Court hearing that he was pleased by the justices’ lively questioning in his 2007 lawsuit, which claims North Carolina wants to take too much water from the Catawba River before it reaches South Carolina. McMaster, who is running for governor, didn’t argue before the justices, saying it would have been too time-consuming for him to prepare for the case. While it is difficult to predict the high court’s rulings based on questioning during oral arguments, Chief Justice John Roberts was clearly the most skeptical of the three smaller entities’ [in NC] claims they should be made full parties to the suit.”
AD BUYING — “Nestled between an advertisement for mental health services and an ad for carpet cleaners, Gary Stephens is planning on making his mark in less than 70 characters. ‘VOTE Gary Stephens US Senator 6-8-10 Democrat primary,’ read a four-line classified ad.” The Myrtle Beach Sun-News writes that “at first the messages seemed simple in Stephens’ ads — he’s also running classifieds for his bid for North Myrtle Beach mayor in November. This is the race he’s running for, his contact information, and when you need to remember to cast your vote. Political analysts said campaigning in the classifieds might be an ingenuous move because of the number of people reading the classifieds these days looking for work and because it may be an economical way to gain name recognition in tight economic times.”
UNAPOLOGETIC BROWN BOOSTER — “U.S. Rep. Henry Brown, R-S.C., brought in a friend in a high place to help his re-election campaign, one that already is catching fire from both the left and the right,” reports the Post & Courier. “U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican who chairs the House Republican Caucus and is mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2012, visited Charleston on Tuesday to attend a fundraising event for Brown. ‘I’m an unapologetic Henry Brown booster, supporter, friend,’ Pence said. … Brown’s first challenge for re-election will be to beat back primary challengers, including Carroll ‘Tumpy’ Campbell. On Thursday, Campbell issued a statement criticizing Brown for his vote last year for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).”
DEFINITIONS — The Charleston City Paper’s Chris Haire clarifies for everyone Tumpy Campbell’s status is a non-lobbyist.
TOWN HALLS — Wilson lines some up.
POWER — No one from SC makes this year’s “GQ 50 most powerful people in DC list”
POWER TO THE PEOPLE — Former Rep. Catherine Ceips writes on the Opinion Pages of The State, “If it were up to the people instead of the politicians, Mark Sanford already would be out of the governor’s office. Unfortunately, it is up to the politicians, and Sanford’s fate is controlled by a very few politicians, against the wishes of many and against the best interest of our state.”
PRESIDENT’S PASTOR — The Washington Post notes “the president has been pastorless for quite a while now. Well, sort of. Seventy miles from Washington’s prying eyes, Barack Obama has been attending church from time to time at Camp David, where services are led by a 39-year-old Navy chaplain with a famous last name, a compelling life story and a fervent belief in a God who works miracles. Carey Cash, the great-nephew of singer Johnny Cash and the younger brother of a former Miss America [and former Citadel football player], sees the hand of God in every part of his journey.”
THE GOOGLES — New RNC website stumbles out of gate
REMOVE THE CHOICE — “It seems fairly obvious that Attorney General Henry McMaster was right when he said it was legal for him to accept campaign donations from attorneys he had authorized to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the state,” editorializes The State. “Lawyers – especially lawyers of the caliber who generally are retained to bring suits on behalf of the state – would not agree to [contingency] terms if they didn’t believe the potential benefits were enormous. And so the temptation to ‘reward’ an elected official for that opportunity is just as great as it is for someone who wants to sell the state gasoline, or build roads or renovate state office buildings. … Mr. McMaster eventually decided to return the donation, as he should have. The Legislature should waste no time changing the law so future attorney generals don’t face that same choice.”
Editor and Columnist Cindi Ross Scoppe takes it a step further referring to the incident as a “scandalette”
HEALTHCARE’S DEEP END — “A South Carolina pediatrician is about to jump into the deep end in the health care reform debate. Dr. Marion Burton will be installed next week as president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics, one of the nation’s largest and most influential physician groups. For the next three years – one as president-elect, one as president, one as immediate past president – Burton will have an important voice in the health care debate. The associate dean for clinical affairs and director of community pediatrics at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Burton won election with a platform that stressed the academy’s role in advocating for the health of children during the law-making process.”
JOBS — “On Tuesday, [Scientific Research Corp.] announced a $4 million expansion that could create 300 local jobs during the next five years. The new employees, most of whom will have engineering backgrounds and technical skills, will report to the company’s office building on Remount Road” in North Charleston. Gov. Mark Sanford welcomed the addition of more highly skilled jobs but pointed out the importance of another recent economic development effort involving Florida-based tire importer TBC Corp., which will create about 100 distribution-related jobs at a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center to be built near Summerville.”
HHI — Peeples to seek fifth term as mayor
UNION — Citizens fill first council meeting since arrests
REORGANIZATION — “A slight majority of people commenting on proposed changes at the Department of Health and Environmental Control favor revamping the agency to make it more effective as a public watchdog. Of 54 public comments sent to a Senate committee considering proposed changes in DHEC’s management, 29 favored dissolving the department’s part-time, seven-member board and putting the governor directly in charge. Another 25 commenters, including those from the state’s powerful business community, were against the plan. This morning, a Senate subcommittee will consider these comments when it begins work on the bill that would make DHEC a governor’s cabinet agency. The governor now appoints agency board members but has no direct authority once they are seated.”
GI BILL LIMBO — The Upstate’s News Channel 7 reports that “more than 100,000 veterans are taking advantage of a new post-9/11 GI bill which helps veterans and military families earn undergraduate or advanced degrees; but several months into the school year, about half are still waiting for that money. A young Upstate veteran says it almost cost him everything. So what’s the hold-up? After Zach Pitts graduates from Spartanburg Community College, he hopes to earn a degree in landscape architecture from Clemson. … Ten of thousands of students like Zach are in limbo, waiting on money from the federal government, because when the new GI bill went into effect. … After not getting results from his local VA benefits representative, Pitts says he contacted Senator Lindsey Graham’s office. Pitts says, “Within a week and a half of sending that paperwork to Senator Graham’s paperwork in Columbia, amazingly, my benefits just started coming in.“
FINALLY THIS — MIRACLE GIRL — “For 9-year-old Hannah Bilton, the last few years have been a whirlwind. At the age of five, she was diagnosed with leukemia and, for the next several months, the bright-eyed girl underwent grueling tests and treatments. The story of her battles and successes have touched the hearts of many, and she’s received state and national attention. On Monday, Hannah’s story and smiling face were released on 17-ounce Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes cereal boxes distributed to Food Lion and its sister stores, including Reid’s, Blooms and Bottom Dollar. About 175,000 boxes featuring Hannah were released. The cereal boxes featuring Hannah were nearly sold out at Reid’s in Orangeburg on Monday. The family purchased the final two boxes and were promised more would be on the way. ‘I am sold out?’ Hannah asked with some surprise. ‘How am I sold out?’ For every four boxes sold, Kellogg’s will donate $1 – up to $100,000 – to the Children’s Miracle Network, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals.”
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