- County Council Resolution Opposing the proposed Travelers Rest Annexation for ‘The Inn at Altamont’
- Paris Mountain Hotel Developer Wants to Circumvent Greenville County’s Land Use Protection Laws
- USAID Funded Beginning of Ukraine War in 2014
- Proposed Hotel Complex on Paris Mountain
- Nice hotel, but the Wrong Place and the Wrong Way of Doing Things
- Why Conservative Republicans Aren’t Participating in the Greenville ReOrg
- An American Black Man’s Interpretation of the 14th Amendment
- PARIS MOUNTAIN HOTEL: The Divine Group's Traffic Study, Water Jurisdiction and Protected Species Impact Reports Dissected
- Greenville Housing Fund Representatives Address Affordable Housing at First Monday
- Record Number of Organizations Recognized for Excellence as Certified Best Christian Workplaces in 2024
- South Carolina's Hootie and the Blowfish Darius Rucker
- Birth-Right Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment
- Trump’s Terrific Agenda Impaired by Mistaken Ukraine Info
- Confederate Navy Commerce Raiders
- Cautionary Tales of American Tariff History
Stanton Healthcare Applauds the Idaho Legislature for Passing Texas-inspired Heartbeat Bill to Ban Abortions After Six Weeks
- Details
- By Stanton Healthcare
BOISE, Idaho -- Stanton Healthcare has been part of the core team that is leading the way in passing legislation to ban abortions in the state of Idaho. Senate Bill 1309, which was just passed by the Idaho legislature, is extremely significant as it is modeled after the Texas law and has already withstood several federal court challenges, including not being blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court or the state of Texas' Supreme Court.
Stanton's Physician Assistant, Samantha Doty, testified before the Senate State Affairs Committee, and said the following:
"At Stanton we believe that abortion is wrong at any point in the pregnancy because from the moment of conception a uniquely distinct human being is created. Although our desire is to see abortions completely outlawed in the state of Idaho, we believe enacting SB 1309 would a huge step in the right direction."
Current, Former Lawyer-Legislators’ Firms to Share Fees in $300M Settlement
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
In announcing last month that the state is expected to receive more than $300 million from a national opioid settlement, S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson said the money will provide “much-needed financial resources which will help combat South Carolina’s opioid epidemic.”
What wasn’t mentioned then is that part of the proceeds will go to at least six law firms with ties to current or former state lawmakers, according to information provided to The Nerve by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).
Of South Carolina’s $300 million-plus share of the total $26 billion national settlement, to be paid out over 18 years starting this year, at least $24 million, or 8% of the state’s proceeds, would be split among law firms representing the state, all 46 counties and 43 municipalities.
Judicial Department Releases Staff Salaries After Legal Pressure
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
More than three months after ignoring The Nerve’s written requests, the S.C. Judicial Department has released an updated salary list of state judges and other higher-paid court staff, which shows 141 employees making at least $100,000.
The third branch of state government responded to The Nerve only after the South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – hired a law firm to press for the release of the records.
Under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the exact compensation of a public employee earning $50,000 or more year is a matter of public record. But unlike most other state agencies, the Judicial Department doesn’t provide salary information for its $50,000-plus workers to the online state salary database maintained by the S.C. Department of Administration.
Gas-Tax-Hike Surplus Swells Over Past Year
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As South Carolina motorists over the past year have been paying more in state gasoline taxes – on top of skyrocketing gas prices – the surplus from revenues generated under the 2017 gas-tax-hike law jumped by nearly $300 million, records show.
As of Jan. 31, the cash balance of a special fund created with the law stood at $1.05 billion – $297.9 million, or about 40%, more than the total surplus a year earlier, according to state Department of Transportation and comptroller general records. The increase was $46 million greater compared to the previous annual growth in the reserves.
Looking at it another way, the current surplus equals about $260 for every driver with a regular South Carolina license.
Years Later, State Lawmaker Owes Tens of Thousands in Ethics Fines
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As of 2015, state Rep. Cezar McKnight owed a total of $60,190 in civil fines to the state Senate Ethics Committee after being publicly reprimanded for campaign reporting violations when he was a Senate candidate.
To date, only $1,039.12 of his debt has been collected, according to committee records.
In a recent interview with The Nerve, McKnight, D-Williamsburg, an attorney who has been a House member since 2014, said he doesn’t know exactly how much he still owes.
“I’m working on trying to find a way to get this resolved because I think it’s unfair,” he said. “I’m actively trying to get redress of my grievances.”
Google Project Could Get Part of $150M in State Surplus Money
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The S.C. Department of Commerce hasn’t committed to any projects with most of the $150 million in state surplus funds that the agency wants to spend next fiscal year for a new “infrastructure” program, the department’s director told budget writers recently.
Yet Commerce secretary Harry Lightsey, whom Gov. Henry McMaster appointed last June, disclosed to a state House Ways and Means panel that approximately $80 million of the proposed $150 million could be used in part for a Myrtle Beach project tied to internet search giant Google, and another project involving an automotive test track at a publicly owned business park near Greenville.
He also discussed two other projects totaling about $70 million that would benefit corporate giants Boeing and Volvo, the details of which were revealed by The Nerve before the Feb. 1 Ways and Means Economic Development Subcommittee hearing.
The Thin Viability Line
- Details
- By Dr. John Seago - Eagle Forum
This year promises to hold seismic shifts in the cultural, spiritual, and legal battles over abortion, so let us prepare to face these challenges with prudence, courage, and faith.
The most consequential Pro-Life development of last year was the Supreme Court of the United States agreeing to hear arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson case. This case could be the vehicle to overturn or drastically reign in the two most deadly rulings in our country’s history: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The second development is the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which has saved thousands of preborn lives already, and has served as a beacon of light for how our country can move into a post-Roe era.
Is Roe Finally Over?
U.S. Rep. Mace Owes $11.5K in S.C. House Ethics Fines
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is an ex-S.C. House member, owes a total of $11,500 in civil fines to the state House Ethics Committee for campaign reporting violations related to her former position, according to the committee’s top lawyer.
The total includes a $600 fine for the late filing of a campaign report due last month, Jane Shuler, the committee’s chief legal counsel, said in a written response this week to The Nerve’s questions about Mace’s fines.
An online list of House Ethics Committee fines, which was last updated in December, shows that Mace was separately fined $5,100 last year for the late filing of campaign reports due in January and April, plus another $700 for the late filing of a report due in July.
Lawmakers Secretly Nominate Ex-Legislator for Judge's Seat
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
As expected, the Horry County legislative delegation last week nominated former House member Alan Clemmons as the county’s master-in-equity judge.
But House and Senate members who make up the delegation didn’t nominate Clemmons – who had been a longtime delegation member – during a public meeting in Horry County as initially scheduled. Instead, they did it secretly while in session in Columbia, with most of them signing a circulated letter that was sent to Gov. Henry McMaster, who will decide whether to appoint Clemmons to the six-year, six-figure seat.
Clemmons’ predecessor made $188,873 annually.
BIG NEWS for Election Integrity in SC!
- Details
- By SCGOP
The South Carolina House of Representatives made some key amendments to Speaker Lucas's bill H.3444 and sent it back to the South Carolina Senate.
Here's the big points:
- Require all county election commissions fall under the State Election Commission. This is important because it requires all counties execute elections the same way. So voters in Lancaster County know their votes are being handled the same way was votes in Beaufort County.
- Bans "drop boxes" for ballots
- Continues to require the State Election Commission to conduct post-election audits and expand the different audit methods (including but not limited to: risk-limiting; hand-counts; third party vendor & ballot reconciliation) for all elections in the state. The conduct and result of ANY audit must be published on the Commission’s website upon completion.
- Requires that State Election Commission to report to the S.C. Attorney General or other appropriate law enforcement agency, any violation of state election laws
- Prohibits any county board of elections from accepting or expending private funds to conduct elections–like Facebook or the ACLU.
- Requires that a person may only vote in the last place that they registered to vote and that the act of registering or voting in a new location is evidence of intent to change domicile for purposes of voting.
SC Still Has Hundreds of Bad Bridges Despite Gas-tax-hike Law
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Last Friday, President Joe Biden visited Pittsburgh to tout his $1 trillion infrastructure law – just hours after a 50-year-old bridge there collapsed while a municipal bus and several cars were on it, resulting in injuries though no deaths.
In South Carolina, the S.C. Department of Transportation has identified 465 out of 750 “structurally deficient” bridges statewide to be replaced. But through December, DOT had completed only three bridge projects with more than $2.3 billion in revenues collected under the 2017 gas-tax-hike law, recently released agency records show.
And the number of finished projects, as well as the total number of bridge projects (16) identified by DOT to be completed with gas-tax-hike revenues, hasn’t changed since last May 31, as The Nerve first revealed in July. Of the $2.32 billion in collected revenues through Dec. 31, just $18.1 million, or less than 1% of the total, was designated for “additional” bridge projects.
SC Upstate Legislators Layout Their 2022 Agenda at A Well-Packed Local GOP Meeting
- Details
- By James Spurck, Publisher
Legislator Says Upstate Delegation Now Controls the SC Senate
On Monday, January 31st, the Fourth District Republican Club and South Carolina’s State GOP Club held a community-wide legislative forum at the newly renovated Historic Greer Depot in Greer, SC.
The meeting began with Fourth District Republican Club Chairman Nate Leupp and SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick who gave open remarks and thanked the crowd for the great attendance.
WYFF’s Taggart Houck, WGTK 94.5 The Answer’s Joey Hudson, and First Monday’s Deb Sofield moderated the questions and answer portion of the forum.
US 4th District Congressman William Timmons started the meeting with a quick update of legislation in Washington, DC. Timmons highlighted three issues: high inflation, out-of-control prices of energy felt at the gas pump, and the shameful exit out of Afghanistan. As he points out the great news from the newly elected Virginia Governor, he informs the crowd that Columbia elected their first Republican Mayor in his lifetime. He says the American people are starting to see it and change is coming.
Records: Boeing, Volvo to Benefit from Secretive ‘Infrastructure’ Program
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
The S.C. Department of Commerce wants to spend nearly half of $150 million in state surplus money it’s seeking for next fiscal year on projects that would benefit corporate giants Boeing and Volvo – contradicting what the agency said in its official budget request, according to an internal document obtained by The Nerve.
Commerce released the two-page document to The Nerve on Friday evening, just several hours after The Nerve reported that the agency was continuing to be secretive about its “Strategic Economic Development Infrastructure” program – even after a request was submitted under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act for all records related to the program.
The Nerve first revealed in December that Commerce was seeking $100 million for the program – its listed No. 1 budget priority for fiscal 2022-23, which begins July 1. Last month, The Nerve reported that Gov. Henry McMaster proposed $150 million for the program, though, as with his Cabinet agency, he gave no specifics in his state budget version about how the money would be spend.
Commerce Still Silent on Specifics of $150M ‘Infrastructure’ Program
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
S.C. Department of Commerce officials remain tight-lipped about details of a proposed $150 million “infrastructure” program, which Gov. Henry McMaster included in his state budget version for next fiscal year.
On Thursday, Commerce released records to The Nerve under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act, but the relatively few documents gave no specifics about how the money would be spent.
The Nerve on Dec. 10 first revealed that Commerce was seeking $100 million out of state surplus funds for the “Strategic Economic Development Infrastructure” program – listing it as its top budget priority for the fiscal year that starts July 1, according to the agency’s initial budget request submitted to the state Department of Administration.
At the time, Commerce didn’t respond to written questions about the program, so The Nerve submitted a formal records request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Earlier this month, The Nerve revealed that McMaster was seeking $50 million more for the program than what Commerce initially requested as part of his proposed $36 billion total state budget for fiscal 2022-23. But, as with his Cabinet agency’s initial request, the governor’s state spending plan contained no details on the program, and following Commerce’s practice, his office didn’t respond to The Nerve’s written questions.
Judicial Panel Hiding Behind Secrecy Law
- Details
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
A legislatively controlled committee isn’t saying publicly why it found a longtime circuit court judge unqualified – and state law requires the secrecy.
The six-legislator, 10-member Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC) on Dec. 1 voted 9-0 not to qualify Horry County circuit judge Steven John, who has been on the bench since 2001, for another six-year term – a rare action involving a sitting, veteran judge.
In a December Nerve story, Erin Crawford, the JMSC’s chief lawyer, wouldn’t say why John was found unqualified for the 15th Circuit Court seat, though she said a formal screening report to be released by the commission would “state forth the findings of the Commission on each of the 9 evaluative criteria and will set forth any areas of concern as well as commission comments.”
Natural Gas Provider Threatens to Cut Off Fuel for Texas Power Plants
- Details
- By WFAA.com
Dallas-based Energy Transfer says the gas will continue to flow to Luminant's power plants but did not say for how long. Meanwhile, winter weather approaches.
A fight is unfolding between two Texas energy giants, and power to 400,000 homes is being used as leverage.
One of Texas’ largest power providers on Wednesday asked state regulators to intervene and stop Dallas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer from halting natural gas service to its power plants.
MORE: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/loc...
- Ports Authority Execs Got Big Bonuses, Other Perks In ‘21
- Idaho and West Virginia Name January 22 as Day of Tears
- Custody Chain Analysis Finds 106,000+ Suspect Ballots, Uselessness of Drop Box Videos
- Register Today for the Jan 31 LEGISLATIVE FORUM!
- Mark Meckler's COS Board Member Has Written New Constitution Which Transfers Massive Powers to New Fed Gov't & Imposes Gun Control
Browse by the Top Tags ...
