S.C. has 1,000+ vacant public school teaching positions
A new survey reveals an 88 percent increase in the number of vacant teaching positions across South Carolina. That's more than 1,000 teacher vacancies that are impacting up to 20,000 students, one organization said. The survey also showed 6,900 educators from last year didn't return to jobs in their districts, with 18 percent retiring, 34 percent leaving for "external reasons" and 27 percent for “personal reasons.”
Meanwhile, state health officials reported 485 total cases of COVID-19 Nov. 30, with 358 confirmed. One new death was also confirmed. With 6,971 tests reported Monday, 7.3% were confirmed positive. Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 63%.
Go back to drawing board on redistricting
"Anyone who has crammed for an exam or rushed to complete a forgotten project knows last-minute work probably isn’t a best effort. But that’s exactly what the proposed state Senate version of a new map for South Carolina’s congressional districts appears to be — a thrown-together jumble to protect incumbents and thwart competitiveness. And the House version? Who knows? It hasn’t yet provided a draft of a congressional map, even though it is meeting for the next few days to talk about redistricting."
MURDAUGH: SLED releases 911 call of longtime housekeeper's 2018 fall
Investigators with the State Law Enforcement Division released 911 audio and a dispatch report from the day Gloria Satterfield, the Murdaugh family’s housekeeper, fell at their hunting lodge. She died three weeks later. Prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh is involved in a series of sensational investigations related to fraud and deaths.
911 call released from housekeeper's fall at Murdaugh home
SLED releases Murdaugh 911 call from Satterfield fall in 2018
SLED releases 911 call from Murdaugh Housekeeper's fatal fall
Maggie, Paul Murdaugh heard on 911 call about housekeeper death
S.C. has most vacant teacher positions since 2001
A report released by the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement shows more than 1,000 vacant teacher positions, the most since 2001.
Number of unfilled teaching jobs rising drastically in S.C.
Spearman addresses teacher shortage crisis
New report is 'stark reminder' of teacher shortage, PSTA says
S.C. lacks over 1,000 teachers, biggest gap in at least 20 years
MICHIGAN: 3 killed, 8 wounded in year's deadliest school shooting
A sophomore at a Michigan high school shot 11 people at Oxford High School, killing three students and wounding 8 others, officials said.
15-year old sophomore kills 3, wounds 8 at Detroit suburb high school
15-year old in custody after Michigan school shooting
PANDEMIC: DHEC reports 358 new cases, 1 death; 7.3% positive
South Carolina health officials reported 485 total cases of COVID-19 Nov. 30, with 358 confirmed. One new death was also confirmed. With 6,971 tests reported Monday, 7.3% were confirmed positive. Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 63%.
Judge blocks Biden vaccine mandate in suit joined by S.C.
S.C.'s major universities requiring vaccines to meet federal rule
DHEC encourages vaccines, boosters in light of omicron
Judge temporarily blocks Biden vaccine mandate
FDA advisers narrowly recommend authorization of first antiviral pill for COVID-19
Stricter virus testing being weighed for U.S. travelers
FDA panel endorses Merck's COVID pill for high-risk adults
U.S. considers tougher rules for travelers amid growing omicron concerns
S.C. House GOP lawmaker launches bid for S.C. Senate seat held by Leatherman
South Carolina state Rep. Jay Jordan announced Tuesday that he is in the race for the state Senate to fill the Florence County District 31 seat left open after the death of Hugh Leatherman in early November.
S.C. Libertarian Party calls another secession for S.C. 'OK'
It may not have worked out so well in 1861, but a group of anti-big government South Carolinians says it supports the right of the state and its citizens to secede from the Union in 2021.
Former S.C. gubernatorial candidate to pay $33k to end ethics case
Charleston Democrat Phil Noble has agreed to pay more than $30,000 in fines and refunds for violating state ethics laws during his failed bid for governor in 2018.
S.C. Democrat repeatedly broke ethics law, paid for streaming with campaign money
S.C-1: Greene feuds with Mace on Islamophobia, launches personal attack over abortion
U.S. Reps Nancy Mace, R-S.C, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, are in a public and highly personal feud over abortion and religion, amid fallout from Islamophobic remarks by some GOP lawmakers.
Mace, Green feud continues despite McCarthy intervention
Greene, Mace descend into Twitter chaos
Georgia's Greene slams S.C.'s Mace as 'trash' in Twitter feud
NATIONAL: Dems' bill to move toward 'patching the holds' in health coverage
Provisions in the social policy bill represent the biggest steps toward universal coverage since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Appeals court weighs Trump arguments to withhold records
GOP resistance to preschool plan imperils key Biden proposal
Obama makes surprise visit to D.C. vaccination site amid virus debate
House GOP leaders face calls to confront Islamophobia among their ranks
U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments today in abortion case
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday in an abortion case that challenges a Mississippi law that bars most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which directly opposes Roe v. Wade.
3 lawyers readying arguments in high-profile abortion case
U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments in landmark abortion case
Future of abortion rights at stake as Supreme Court considers Mississippi case
A look into previous statements by Supreme Court on abortion, Roe v. Wade
One argument to tackle the idea of women 'having it all'
Greenville investor takes stake in protein bar brand
A Greenville-based business investor and management company is putting its money down on a local snack brand born from a mother's desire to give her son more nut-free meal replacement options.
Supply chain woes creating crunch on land and sea
Attracting more workers to a potentially lucrative trucking industry is one solution industry insiders see to helping alleviate supply chain snags that have created backups at ports and on roads.
BMW Charity Pro-Am adds Spartanburg course to 2022 schedule
South Carolina Charities announced Nov. 30 the tournament will return to the Thornblade Club in Greer and add Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg. Play will alternate between the two courses.
Fountain Inn manufacturer invests; Greenville financial company sold for $360M
A manufacturer of advanced electronic components headquartered in Fountain Inn has invested in an early stage venture capital firm to complement its research and development programs.
Logistics center penned for former cleanup site near Leatherman terminal
A former Superfund site in North Charleston is primed to become a 135-acre logistics center with warehouses and other facilities supporting the Port of Charleston’s adjacent Leatherman Terminal.
Global inflation set to be higher for longer, OECD says
The pickup in inflation rates around the world will be longer-lasting and sharper than previously anticipated, with a growing risk that households and businesses grow accustomed to faster price rises.
Stock futures rise as omicron fuels more volatility
Oil prices jumped and stock futures gained, suggesting markets would claw back some losses sparked by worries over the new coronavirus variant and the unwinding of Federal Reserve stimulus.
Consumer confidence slips while home prices soar
Pandemic-favorite stocks are suffering as new variant gains foothold
U.S. to miss EV targets without semiconductor investments
Electric cars require 2,000 chips each, but chips are already in short supply globally, adding urgency for Congress to endorse subsidies for semiconductor production.
Some professional degrees leave students with high debt, not salary
Degrees in dentistry and veterinary medicine are increasingly leaving many students with ruinous debt, threatening the industries in which they hoped to provide a public service.
New crisis festers behind politically charged school board meetings
In nearly two dozen interviews, school workers in a wealthy suburban district describe shortages everywhere, from bus drivers to milk.
S.C. emergency officials urge all S.C. residents to prep for winter weather
State officials said they’ll be ready for any severe winter weather. They are urging all South Carolinians to make preparations as well.
Climate change flooding roads; states moving to guard infrastructure
Responding to increasingly common extreme weather is a vast undertaking that many state transportation departments are only beginning to tackle.
Northern Beaufort Co. worries about political district impacts
Residents are concerned that Beaufort County’s proposed political districts, drawn based on the 2020 Census, will shortchange Black communities north of the Broad River.
Lowcountry Food Bank matches thousands in Giving Tuesday event
Just in time for Giving Tuesday, the Lowcountry Food Bank is asking for and matching donations up to $100,000 during their Hope for the Holidays event on Tuesday.
Lowcountry churches prepare to reopen warming shelters
After a few days of colder weather and winter months quickly approaching, Lowcountry churches are preparing to reopen their warming shelters.
S.C. Aquarium expansion to cost $5M
The South Carolina Aquarium is looking to expand its classroom space to the Maritime Center downtown, and they plan to invest $5 million to make it happen.
Affordable housing community opens in Greenville
A partnership of developers and investors celebrated the grand opening of Renaissance Place, an affordable housing community for seniors, today in Greenville.
Lowcountry Food Bank creates new fundraising branches
The Lowcountry Food Bank recently established the Lowcountry Food Bank Foundation and the Patricia S. Walker Endowment to provide stable sources of income for the food bank throughout the calendar year.
Charleston Housing Authority offers county $1M for acre of peninsula land
The city of Charleston’s housing authority is hoping to build affordable housing for people with low to moderate incomes on the upper peninsula plot.
Charleston quashes entrepreneur's house plan to buy land for waterfront park
Entrepreneur Martin Sprock has twice attempted to get plans approved for a waterfront house south of Broad, but the city of Charleston plans to step in and buy his land instead.
Horry Co. buys $2M Carolina Forest property for offices, police precinct
Horry County officials have purchased a $2 million property in Carolina Forest to build a new government facility, including the county’s fifth police precinct.
Mauldin property owner wants zoning change ahead of project
A Mauldin landowner wants to rezone the tract in a move that would expand the commercial real estate along one of the city’s main arteries.
Mauldin's Butler Road project would reduce displaced residents
Lexington Co. program helps mentally ill people avoid jail, hospital
More than 30 organizations in the Midlands are launching a program to help people with mental illnesses avoid emergency rooms visits and potentially dangerous interactions with law enforcement.
Youth theater poised for Charleston return after pandemic pause
In the eyes of many Charleston theaters, theater for youth, and the opportunity for kids to perform onstage, is a vital tool in carrying Charleston’s theater scene into the future.
Charleston District 1 candidates gear up for special election
A special election to fill the Charleston City Council District 1 seat vacated by Marie Delcioppo, who stepped down in October, is set for Jan. 11.
Charleston's High Water Fest 2022 lineup revealed
High Water Fest will make its return in 2022 after two years off due to the pandemic — and the highly anticipated lineup is out now.
Private home on Beaufort Co. private island OK'd after resort denied
A part owner of a private island in South Carolina was given permission to build his own home on the island after Beaufort County last year denied a request to build an ecotourism resort.
Don't wait for a third variant
"No, we are not surprised any more than anyone else is or might be. We harbored no thought that the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus would be the last."
Gilliard, Mitchell, Kimpson: Designate land at 995 Morrison Drive for affordable housing
"Gentrification has driven African Americans out of their neighborhoods, and there is an urgent, if not dire, need for affordable and workforce housing."
S.C.'s apprenticeship success gives students and business a boost
"Post-high school education in the United States has been moving for more than a decade toward helping students acquire skills needed by employers, a direction pioneered by the South Carolina Technical College System over the past half-century."
Hicks: King Street has multiple reasons to celebrate this season
"Charleston will light the Christmas tree in Marion Square on Thursday, but King Street is already celebrating."
Barbados, Charleston get yet another link a few centuries later
"Those less familiar with Charleston’s history might not understand our strong links with the Caribbean’s easternmost island, a small nation that marked a major milestone Tuesday."
CARTOONS: Ariail: Plastic Food Chain
Go back to the drawing board on the S.C. congressional map
"Anyone who has crammed for an exam or rushed to complete a forgotten project knows last-minute work probably isn’t a best effort."
Brack: We know better, but we don't act appropriately
"There’s a big difference between knowing something, understanding it and doing something about it."
Abortion crossroads at the Supreme Court
"Will the Court ... settle for an incremental ruling that upholds a Mississippi ban on abortion after 15 weeks, or will it overturn its misguided precedents and return the regulation of abortion to legislatures in the states?"
Bump: Will America ever see a wildly popular president again?
"President Biden’s approval ratings are not good. According to FiveThirtyEight’s averages of recent polls, Biden is less popular at this point in his presidency than any modern president, save one: Donald Trump."
Eviscerating Roe v. Wade would upend lives
"But the court must also consider the severe practical consequences of overruling its precedents. Mississippi’s lawyers hit peak absurdity when they argue that women no longer have a compelling practical interest in abortion access."
Parker: I hope we are overreacting to omicron
"It’s just a guess, but I’m willing to bet the kit and caboodle that most Americans aren’t shedding tears over President Biden’s ban on travelers from nations affected by COVID-19’s latest variant."
Bokat-Lindell: Omicron is a mystery. How do we prepare?
"For every Greek-lettered incarnation of the coronavirus that alters the course of the pandemic, like the Ddlta variant, there is another that falls into epidemiological obscurity."
Littlefield: Where the pro-choice movement went wrong
"The stakes couldn’t be higher right now. In addition to two cases regarding the Texas law, which remains in place as the Supreme Court considers its decision, the justices agreed this term to hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy."
Manjoo: Do newer, smarter cars have to look so boring
"A product manager at Mercedes once told me that he expected to see more changes in cars and the car business in the next 20 years than we’ve seen in the past 75."
Stephens: End the COVID blame game
"Over the summer, as COVID cases started rising from their midyear lows, it became popular to blame Republicans for fueling the pandemic."