Study: Obesity Alone Does not Contribute to Early Death

July 12 (UPI) -- People who are obese but otherwise healthy do not have an increased rate of mortality, according to a study in Toronto -- conflicting with results of a major study in Europe.

Researchers at York University's Faculty of Health followed 54,089 men and women from five cohort studies through 2017. Participants who were otherwise healthy were compared with those with elevated glucose, blood pressure or lipids alone or another metabolic factor, including smoking status, ethnicity, age and lifestyle. Their findings were published Thursday in the journal Clinical Obesity. 

"This is in contrast with most of the literature and we think this is because most studies have defined metabolic healthy obesity as having up to one metabolic risk factor," said study leader Dr. Jennifer Kuk, associate professor at the School of Kinesiology and Health Science at York University. "This is clearly problematic, as hypertension alone increases your mortality risk and past literature would have called these patients with obesity and hypertension, 'healthy.' This is likely why most studies have reported that 'healthy' obesity is still related with higher mortality risk."

In March, a study was published of 296,535 adults of white European descent between 2006 and 2010. It showed the risk of heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure increase as body mass index increases beyond 22-23 kg/m.

The study in Canada showed that dyslipidemia, hypertension or diabetes are related with a high mortality risk, but obesity alone doesn't fit into this situation.

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Samsung Brings 200 Jobs to Greenville

GREENVILLE, SC (AP) -Samsung Electronics America is expanding its presence in South Carolina, with 200 new jobs. The company announced Thursday the opening of a new customer care center in Greenville. Officials say the facility includes training centers, a showcase of the latest Samsung products and a lab for testing real-life consumer experiences. Officials say it will help Samsung identify ways consumers can keep their devices connected to one another and make sure they get the most out of them.

Samsung says the facility will bring 200 new jobs this year and a total of 400 jobs to the region by 2020.

Clemson Offers Chance to Make Signature Ice Cream Flavor

CLEMSON – Clemson ice cream has been around for 100 years and on July 28 the public will have an opportunity to become a part of this deliciously sweet tradition.

The first-ever Clemson Ice Cream Makers Day is slated for July 28 in the only place where Clemson ice cream is made — the Ice Cream Innovation Laboratory in Newman Hall and the Class of ’55 Exchange on campus. Groups of family, friends, or both are invited to come and make their very own signature flavor of Clemson ice cream during one of three timeslots – 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Pre-registration and pre-payment are required. Cost is $40 per group, limit 10 people per group. Registration must be done in person at the Class of ’55 Exchange ice cream shop during normal store hours. No phone-in or online registration allowed. Store hours are 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The Class of ’55 Exchange is located in the Clemson University Hendrix Student Center, 720 McMillan Road, Clemson, S.C. 29631.

Participants in the July 28 event will be led by Clemson food science students Marianna Painter, a master’s student from Myrtle Beach, Kelly Polte, a junior from Elmhurst, Illinois, and Jonathan Dillard, a senior from Conway.

“We are very excited to be holding this event,” Polte said. “It will be so cool to show people how we make Clemson ice cream. We want to give people a chance to have a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to make original Clemson ice cream.”

This event will be the first time customers will be allowed to make their own signature Clemson ice cream, Painter said.

“Everyone who participates will learn the entire process of how Clemson ice cream is made right here on campus,” Painter said. “We will begin at the Class of ’55 Exchange for a brief lesson on Clemson’s historic ice cream and then move to the Ice Cream Innovation Lab where participants will learn some of the science behind creating the perfect ice cream. Then, we will show them where and how we make the ice cream sold in the Class of ‘55 Exchange and give them a chance to design, formulate and make their very own signature Clemson ice cream.”

Each group will create its own ice cream from start to finish with help from food science students who work for the Class of ‘55 Exchange. The groups will receive a list of all of bases, flavorings, mix-ins and variegates. Ice cream variegates are used to add extra texture or dimension to any ice cream. From the list they are given, each group will create a recipe for their new flavor of ice cream.

“Group members will be involved in every step of the process,” Dillard said. “They will measure the ingredients and add them, along with our ice cream mix made from a 100-year-old recipe, into the ice cream freezing machine. Once it is finished, they will be able to package the ice cream into pint containers and take home their new creation.”

Food science students will be available to give suggestions and demonstrations but the majority of the work will be done by participants.

Tuition Rising at University of South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The University of South Carolina is raising undergraduate tuition costs for the coming year nearly 3 percent.

The school's board of trustees approved the increase Wednesday. The school said in a news release that in addition to the 2.9 percent tuition increase, there will also be a 3.5 percent increase in food service and about a 4 percent increase in housing costs, depending on the dorm.

The combined impact will be about $784 per year for in-state, undergraduate residents.

Tuition is also going up at USC branch campuses and for graduate students.

The tuition increase will bring in $11 million in additional revenue. The money will be spent upgrading information technology infrastructure, improving the in-demand programs such as health sciences and data design, and increasing money for USC's police department.

County Has High Hopes for Property Behind Courthouse

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The vacant lot behind the historic Anderson County Courthouse may not be empty much longer. 

The purchase of the land and demolition of the old Balles/Woolworth buildings in 2016, means Anderson County owns the original plot of land - the blocks borders on the North and South by Whitner and Market Streets and on the East and West by McDuffie Street and Murray Ave. - for the first time since shortly after the county was founded in 1833. 

After failing to find the right fit for the property, Anderson County is now exploring a partnership with Peach Properties of Columbia to help find the perfect fit for this valuable real estate which formerly served as home to the Bailes/Woolworth businesses. 

The goal has long been to build a public/private partnership facility on the site, one which will bring more people downtown and provide both retail, office and potentially residential space. 

Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns would even like to see an observation deck on top of the new structure, offering a panoramic view of Anderson from downtown.

The plan for for 2-3 buildings behind the current historic courthouse for mixed use. Between 67-100 condominiums, office space for Anderson County’s economic development department and retail businesses are all part of the plan. There are even tentative plans to move the historic downtown fountain, which now resides on the Anderson County Museum property to the site to create a park/green space between the historic courthouse and new buildings.

Burns said he would like whatever is constructed to be the most significant building downtown.

Lawsuit Claims S.C. Voting Process Not Secure

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina election officials are accused in a new lawsuit of failing to keep the state's voting processes secure.

The State newspaper reports the suit filed Tuesday says the South Carolina Election Commission has deprived voters of their constitutional right to vote by failing to provide a reliable voting system.

The suit filed by a businessman and a former state lawmaker says the state's thousands of digital voting machines are antiquated, leave no paper trail and have "deep security flaws" making them vulnerable to hacking.

Commission executive director Marci Andino told the newspaper she hadn't seen the lawsuit and had no comment. Andino says the commission knows its voting machines are near the end of their 15-year life cycle and wants to replace them before the 2020 presidential election.

S.C. Sales Tax Holiday Set for Aug. 3-5

South Carolina's annual Sales Tax Holiday – the state’s popular three-day sales and use tax break on traditional back-to-school purchases - is set for Aug. 3-5 this year.
 
The annual sales tax Holiday, which was implemented in 2000, provides taxpayers with an exemption on the 6% statewide sales tax as well as any applicable local taxes, the tax-free weekend also benefits in-state businesses by urging taxpayers to do their back-to-school shopping in South Carolina.
 
During this time, taxes will not be imposed on clothing, shoes, school supplies, book bags, computers, printers, bedspreads and linens, and more. Nonexempt items during the weekend include the sales of jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, furniture, or items placed on layaway. Portable devices whose function is primarily used for telephone calls, listening or downloading music, watching videos, or reading books, are not exempt during the tax-free weekend. However, with the growing popularity of computer tablets, portable devices that have computing functions and allow users to access multiple software applications are considered computers and are therefore tax-exempt, provided they do not allow users to make telephone calls.

The popularity of the tax-free weekend has made it the third busiest shopping period of the year, surpassed only by the weekends after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, as South Carolina shoppers save an average $3 million on taxes during the tax-free weekend.
 
For more information about this year’s Sales Tax Holiday, including an example list of exempt and nonexempt items as well as a listing of frequently asked questions, visit the S.C. Department of Revenue website, www.sctax.org, under the “What’s New” section.

McMaster Campaign Raises $1.28M Between May 23-June 6

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster raised more than a million dollars in the most recent filing period as he seeks his first full term in office.

Online records show the Republican raised $1.28 million from May 23 to June 30. He finished the period with about $221,000 cash on hand.

Democratic nominee James Smith raised about $316,000 during the period. The state representative from Columbia had around $128,000 cash on hand.

Smith won his June 12 primary outright, defeating Florence attorney Marguerite Willis and Charleston consultant Phil Noble. McMaster was forced into a runoff with Greenville businessman John Warren, ultimately winning that contest on June 26 with about 54 percent of votes cast.

Ozone Advisory for Upstate; Some Urged to Stay Indoors

It's not just the heat, it's the ozone.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has issued an air quality advisory for Anderson and other Upstate counties until Thursday morning.

The Air Quality Index is expected to be between 101 and 150, creating conditions unhealthy for sensitive groups and it will be declared an "ozone action day."

People with lung disease including asthma, children, older adults and people who are active outdoors should limit prolonged outdoor exertion on Wednesday.

BMW Says S.C. Expansion Plans Still in the Works

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) - BMW says it still plans to add 1,000 workers in South Carolina, even as the company starts production of a new vehicle in China.

Spokesman Ken Sparks told the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg that BMW's new electric iX3 SUV will be produced only in China, and that effort won't affect production of the new X7 model in South Carolina.

But BMW's U.S. manufacturing remains vulnerable to a trade war. China imposed another 25 percent charge on imports from the U.S., prompting BMW this week to announce higher Chinese sticker prices. The South Carolina plant exports more than two thirds of the 400,000 vehicles it has produced annually, mostly to China.

Small Business Chamber President Frank Knapp says BMW's suppliers need more details, so they can know how many people to employ.

Council Finalizing Raises, Looking and Health Care, EMS Plans

Anderson County is working to finalize the raises for county employees.

During Tuesday night’s county council meeting, Anderson County Councilman Tom Allen said the first round of raises went into effect for most of the county’s 9000 employees July 1. These employees will receive and additional salary boost next year. (Allen discussed these issues in this video interview).

Four other employees not covered by the raise - the Clerk of Court, Coroner, Treasure and Auditor - will receive a one-time two-percent raise under the plan. 

Allen said council is also considering moving employee health benefits to a self-pay program, to reduce the increasing costs of the state health plan.  

Council asked for a proposal from the local Palmetto Insurance Agency, and working with them to evaluate the efficacy of moving to a self-insured county program. 

“It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, once we see that entire picture we’ll be able to make a decision,” Allen said. “We still have a few more meetings to get this ironed out, but it’s under way.” 

“This is exploratory, but in long run could provide better health care for all our employees,” said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. 

Also on Tuesday night, Anderson County Councilman Ray Graham reported on the Public Safety Committee’s efforts to improve safety and build standardized policies for county-owned vehicles, with a focus first on law enforcement vehicles. 

A video of Graham discussing this issue is here. 

Graham also told the full council that the county is still tweaking EMS provider contracts to make sure the county is protected with a unified program. 

County Hopes to Address Dispatch Needs Soon

Despite increasing salaries, which has helped in recruitment, Anderson County hopes to find new ways to retain 911-Emergency Dispatch workers.

"Every county in the state is having a big problem with getting qualified dispatch help," said Anderson County Councilman Ray Graham Tuesday night. 

Graham said dispatch communications is crucial.

"We're struggling trying to cover the whole system," Graham said.

Graham said Anderson County Emergency Management Director Lt. David Baker has put a program in place to address the concerns.

"Hopefully in the next three-to-six months we'll have this up to where it needs to be," Graham said.

In the past few years, the call center has averaged 10 open positions, but currently 14 positions are unfilled. Officials told WSPA-TV part of the issue is the short duration of those who fill these positions, which currently averages two to four years due to other growing opportunities in the first responder field.

Better scheduling to increase staff during peak hours is among the primary goals of the county. Anderson County Councilman Ray Graham said improved training now under way should also make a difference.

"It could be four to six months down the road before you even knew if the candidates would make it as a dispatcher and now they have some programs in place that they can kind of put them in the hot seat on a training atmosphere right off the top of the program," Graham said. Graham said the call center should be close to fully staffed within six months.

S.C. Leaders Ask Graham to Educate Trump on Tariffs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina's business community wants U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham to help educate the Trump administration about effects its trade policies could have on the state's economy.

South Carolina Chamber of Commerce President Ted Pitts on Tuesday sent a letter asking Graham "to do whatever it takes to inform the administration about the jobs at risk when it takes a narrower view of trade."

Last Friday, the United States slapped 25 percent taxes on $34 billion in Chinese imports, mostly industrial goods the Trump administration says receive subsidies or other unfair support from Beijing. China quickly lashed back with tariffs on $34 billion in U.S. products.

BMW employs 10,000 in its South Carolina plant. On Monday, BMW said it would raise prices on U.S.-built SUVs exported to China due to tariffs.