S.C. Law Now Requires Schools have Shooter/Intruder Drills

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina schools are now required to have an active shooter and an intruder drill each semester.

The drills are required under a law passed last spring. The guidelines were sent to all South Carolina schools last month.

The school safety law is one of several reforms passed after 17 students and teachers were shot and killed at Parkland High School in Florida by a former student on Feb. 14.

Some school systems are doing even more for safety. The State newspaper in Columbia reports Beaufort County Schools are holding three active-shooter drills a year, including one during what they call an "inconvenient time," like during lunch or as students are going between classes.

In Lexington School District 2, officials are installing a key-card entry system for teachers and staff.

School District Two Superintendent Discusses School Year

Why We Celebrate Labor Day

from Forbes.com

Today is Labor Day. But what exactly is Labor Day and why do we celebrate the holiday?

Generally speaking, Labor Day, the U.S. federal holiday observed annually on the first Monday in September celebrates the American labor movement and offers workers a long weekend off from work—with plenty of time to go shopping and take advantage of big Labor Day sales.

Labor Day is the result of proposals by two 19th century union men with a similar last name, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire. What began as an excuse for union tradesmen to have a parade honoring their work became a somber day to honor working people following Chicago’s Haymarket riot in May 1886, when a labor demonstration was bombed, killing at least four people.

Labor Day in the United States should not be confused with International Workers’ Day, or May Day, observed annually on May 1. Though the days of observance stem from the same Haymarket bombing incident, they were officially made separate by President Grover Cleveland. Cleveland feared the Americanized holiday would seem too radical and supported a campaign to separate Labor Day from International Workers’ Day. What we now know as Labor Day was adopted as a federal holiday in 1894.

In the more than 100 years since then, Labor Day has shifted with the times. For example, some workers—mostly hourly retail employees—now work longer hours than on any other business day. For many others, though, Labor Day means a little less work, and a bit of extra time to travel and enjoy summer’s waning days. And, of course, many communities also still celebrate the whole reason we have Labor Day: those patriotic community parades.

Divers Discover Important Coral Reef Off S.C. Coast

From WRAL Reports

A major discovery this month could significantly change the currently dire status of the world’s coral reefs. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discovered a huge series of coral reefs that spanFlickr | USFWS Headquarters nearly the length of Delaware and are in deep water 160 miles off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. The giant reefs, which are located half a mile below the ocean surface, were initially discovered through sonar mapping.

It’s a big deal to scientists who believe that the discovery could be just the beginning of uncovering new reefs filled with live coral. According to WWF Global, the world has already lost 27 percent of our coral reefs. If nothing changes, an estimated 60 percent of the world’s reefs will be destroyed over the next 30 years.

“This finding changes where we thought corals could exist off the East Coast,” Erik Cordes, a Temple University biology professor and the expedition’s chief scientist, told The Washington Post. “This discovery is already changing our predictive models for coral. This will undoubtedly lead to new discoveries in the region once we can digest all of the information. That will take months to years.”

The discovery of this 85-mile-long deep water reef was all thanks to DEEP SEARCH, a five-year project whose goal is to explore “the deep sea offshore of Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia,” according to the Post. Ultimately the project hopes to uncover the vast diversity of habitats in this region.

Full Story at WRAL.COM

Bush, Obama Praise McCain, Rebuke Trump at Memorial Service

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, once rivals of the late Senator John McCain, praised him in eulogies on Saturday and joined his daughter at a memorial service in subtle and not-so-subtle rebukes of President Donald Trump.

Without naming Trump, who did not attend the service, Meghan McCain condemned the president in remarks that at times drew applause and came after she said her dad told her to “show them how tough you are” with her eulogy. 

“We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness, the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who live lives of comfort and privilege while he suffered and served,” she said, speaking forcefully and, at times, through tears. 

Taking aim at Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” she said McCain’s America was always great. 

For years Trump feuded publicly with McCain and mocked his military service, continuing to knock him even after he grew ill. The former Republican senator from Arizona died on Aug. 25 from brain cancer, days shy of his 82nd birthday. 

Trump, also a Republican, spent Saturday tweeting on other subjects and went to one of his private golf clubs in Virginia. 

Nearly every major U.S. political leader attended the memorial service, and while Trump himself was absent, his presence was felt through the content of the tributes. 

And by design, McCain asked Obama and Bush to deliver eulogies while the family made clear that Trump was not welcome. 

Obama, who beat McCain in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, hailed the one-time prisoner of war for his commitment to truth and core democratic values, qualities that some critics see lacking in Trump, a former reality television star and New York City real estate mogul. 

An Honor Guard carries the casket of the late Senator John McCain from the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, U.S. September 1, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

“So much of our politics, our public life, our public discourse can seem small and mean and petty, trafficking in bombast and insult, and phony controversies, and manufactured outrage,” Obama said. “It’s a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but in fact is born in fear. John called on us to be bigger than that. He called on us to be better than that.” 

Obama also noted McCain’s support for a free press. Trump has repeatedly called the media the enemy of the American people. 

Bush, in his eulogy, described McCain as a man with a code. 

“He loved freedom with a passion of a man who knew its absence. He respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators,” Bush said. “Perhaps above all, John detested the abuse of power. He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots.” 

Federal Judge Overrules States Seeking to Ignore DACA

HOUSTON (AP) - A federal judge in Texas has declined to order the U.S. government to stop an Obama-era program shielding young immigrants from deportation.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen's ruling Friday is a blow to opponents of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Hanen questioned the legality of DACA. But he also said opponents couldn't prove that allowing the program to continue was causing irreparable harm. He said more harm would be done if the program ended.

Texas led a group of states in filing the lawsuit in hopes Hanen would rule DACA unconstitutional. That would have triggered a conflict with three other federal orders and likely drawn the attention of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Texas was joined in filing the lawsuit by Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia.

High School Football Scores

Greer 48, Westside 14

T.L. Hanna 41, Royal Imperial 7

Belton-Honea Path 25, Greenville 24

Ninety Six 45, Crescent 33

Palmetto 31, Pendleton 21

Wren 69, Powdersville 7

Anderson to Celebrate with Sunday Concerts, Fireworks

Celebrate Anderson, the county's annual event featuring music, fireworks food and activities, is set for Sunday. Admission is free and the public is invited.

The event celebrates the county's 11cities and towns for a day of festivities that concludes with an evening of concert featuring Country Music Star Josh Turner, followed by a patriotic fireworks celebration.

The Celebrate-Fun-Zone, which includes large inflatables and activities for the kids and youth.

The 'Celebrate-Fun-Zone' gives our families and visitors a fun afternoon prior to the concerts," said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns. This area will be open from 1-5 p.m. to allow everyone time to gather in the amphitheater for a music filled evening.

The entertainment lineup begins with two local bands, TL Hanna Jazz Band sets the stage for the Combo Kings, who will open for Turner.

“Celebrate Anderson is a way of thanking our community, military and first-responders for making Anderson County the best place to live in South Carolina," said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. "We are very appreciative to the local businesses and industries for joining Anderson County in funding and hosting this free community event.” 

Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and a picnic for the event.

Safety Experts Change Rules Use of Rear-Facing Car Seats

The American Academy of Pediatrics has changed its recommendations on how long children should remain in a rear-facing car seat. 

In a new policy statement “Child Passenger Safety,” and a technical report that will be published in the November issue of Pediatrics, the AAP recommended that children remain in a rear-facing car seat “as long as possible,” until they reach the highest weight and height allowed by the seat.

“Fortunately, car seat manufacturers have created seats that allow children to remain rear-facing until they weigh 40 pounds or more, which means most children can remain rear-facing past their second birthday,” said Benjamin Hoffman, co-author of the policy statement and chairman of the AAP Council on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention. “It’s best to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. This is still the safest way for children to ride.”

That is a departure from previous policy, when the AAP recommended that children remain in the rear-facing seat at least until age 2.

Other recommendations:

• Once they are facing forward, children should use a forward-facing car safety seat with a harness for as long as possible. Many seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds or more.

• When children exceed these limits, they should use a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s lap and shoulder seat belt fits properly. The AAP said this is common for children between 8 and 12 years old who are at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

• When children are old enough and large enough to use the vehicle seat belt alone, they should always use lap and shoulder seat belts for optimal protection.

• All children younger than 13 years should be restrained in the rear seats of vehicles.

“Car crashes remain a leading cause of death for children. Over the last 10 years, 4 children under 14 and younger died each day,” Hoffman wrote. “We hope that by helping parents and caregivers use the right car safety seat for each and every ride that we can better protect kids, and prevent tragedies.” 

School Dist. 3 Superintendent Talks about New School Year

Global Warming Means More Bugs Destroying Crops

NYT Reports

Ever since humans learned to wrest food from soil, creatures like the corn earworm, the grain weevil and the bean fly have dined on our agricultural bounty. Worldwide, insect pests consume up to 20 percent of the plants that humans grow for food, and that amount will increase as global warming makes bugs hungrier, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science.

That could encourage farmers to use more pesticides, which could cause further environmental harm, scientists said.

For every degree Celsius (two degrees Fahrenheit) that temperatures rise above the global historical average, the amount of wheat, corn, and rice lost to insects will increase by 10 to 25 percent, the study says. Temperate agricultural regions, like those in the United States and Western Europe, would be particularly hard hit.

The international Paris Agreement is designed to keep warming below two degrees Celsius, but the world’s countries are far off track from meeting that goal.

By eating such a large amount of crops in the field, “insects have consumed something like one out of every eight loaves of bread before it even gets made,” said Curtis Deutsch, a professor of chemical oceanography at the University of Washington and an author of the study. “If we warmed four degrees, which is what climate models typically predict for the end of this century, then that amounts to insects eating two of our eight loaves of bread instead of one.”

Higher temperatures speed many insects’ metabolisms, making them eat more. Their life cycles also get faster, causing them to reproduce more quickly. Both effects would diminish crop yields even as the human population continues to increase, putting additional strains on the global food supply, the study says.

Full Story Here

Michelin Ready to Reopen Earthmover Plant near Starr

By Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Michelin formally announced plans to reopen their Earthmover tire plant on Tuesday, and officials suggested expansion could also be in the works.

The plant has already hired 44 new employees and moved 60 other employees to the facility to prepare to resume manufacturing in the near future.

The US10 Plant near Starr was "put to sleep" in 2015, when the company found jobs for all the workers at the facilty with Michelin. Since then a maintenance crew has kept the building ready for a reboot.

The plant, Michelin's 19th in the United States, will produce tires which can stand up to 13.5 feet tall and weigh more than five tons which will be used in the international mining industry. These Earthmover tires will be used in the more than 1,300 mining operations around the world. At least 80 pecent of the tires manufactured at US10 will be exported, most of it through the Port of Charleston.

The US10 project code name, "Sleeping Beauty," was particularly apt. 

"Someone asked who kissed sleeping beauty to wake her up," said Bruce Brackett, senior vice president, Michelin Earthmover & Industrial Tires Worldwide. "We like to say our customers did."

'Brackett said the mining industry was booming around the globe, and that Michelin was already considering the possibility of expansion at the Anderson County plant.

"The outlook (for global mining) is very positive over the next five years," Brackett said. "That's good news for Michelin, Upstate S.C., the country and the world."

He also said groups from around the world have been relocating to the Upstate and they love the people, the area and the barbecue.

"Michelin has been important to Anderson County more many years," said Anderson County Councilman Tommy Dunn. "They helped change the standard of living in Anderson, have been a leader in job training and community involvement, and we are thankful for all they had done here. We look forward to this partnership continuing for many years to come."

Ben Boulware to Speak at Anderson TD Club

Former Clemson and T.L. Hanna linebacker Ben Boulware is scheduled to speak Friday at the Anderson Area Touchdown Club.Boulware was awarded the Jack Lambert Award for best linebacker in December 2016 and was named Defensive MVP of the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship. He currently is owner/operator of Junkyard Gym in Anderson.

Players and Coach will be also honored on Friday from their play from the previous Friday night games.

The meal lines opens at 11:30 am with the program beginning at 12:10 pm. Visitors are welcome.  Meal cost for members is $10 and $15 for visitors.