1.8 Million Displaced by Typhoon Haiyan

A week after Super Typhoon Haiyan killed 4,460 people and displaced over 1.8 million in the Philippines, American Christian groups working with their local partners are calling for prayers and financial support amid tragic stories of loss and a severe scarcity of food, water and medicine.

While U.S. Christian relief agencies, along with other international organizations and foreign governments, are responding to the devastation, the need "is still so great," says Indiana-based Church World Service (CWS) in a statement.

"Tragic stories of loss are emerging every day – mothers searching for their children, families torn apart," CWS adds. "The people of the Philippines and other regions damaged by the storm desperately need our prayers and financial support."

CWS is working in the central Philippine city of Tacloban, the capital of Leyte province where Haiyan destroyed about 80 percent of structures in its path.

"Thanks to our partnerships on the ground today, help is on the way to many of the more than 200,000 of the most vulnerable survivors that we are targeting with our initial relief work," CWS says.

As roads become more accessible, emergency response crews are encountering "alarming new examples of the storm's destructive forces," adds the Maryland-based International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), which is responding with partners on the ground.

S.C. Jobless Rate Drops Below 8 Percent

South Carolina's unemployment rate fell below 8 percent for the first time in five years when officials reported on Friday the jobless rate in September was 7.9 percent. Local county-by-county numbers were not available at press time.

The state's jobless rate was 8.1 percent in August, which was unchanged from the previous month.

"This is great news for South Carolinians because the last time the statewide rate was below 8.0 percent was in September 2008," said Cheryl M. Stanton, executive director of the state Department of Employment and Workforce.

DEW had been scheduled to release jobless figures Friday afternoon, three weeks after the original release date of Oct. 21. But the numbers were delayed due to the federal government shutdown, which included a temporary closure of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Late Friday afternoon, state officials said there had been another delay with the national numbers. The new figures were released shortly after 5 p.m.

"South Carolina's unemployment rate is now at a five year low but we want it even lower and will continue doing everything possible to make that happen," Gov. Nikki Haley said.

Obamacre "Fix" Has No Force of Law Behind It

President Barack Obama's so-called "fix" to the problem of Americans losing their current health insurance is more like a political stunt than an actual fix to the problem.

Obama's Thursday speech was an attempt to address the controversy over his broken promise: If you like your current health care plan you can keep it, he has said repeatedly. Insurance companies, though, have been sending cancellation notices to millions of Americans whose policies do not comply with the Affordable Care Act's, or Obamacare's, coverage mandates.

Instead of canceling those plans, Obama said, insurance companies can extend those plans through 2014, thus giving another year before Obama's promise will be broken.

There is one problem, though, with Obama's "fix" – he does not have the authority to extend any insurance plan that does not comply with current law, and current law is the ACA.

Under the U.S. Constitution, laws are made by Congress, not the president. Obama's speech was only, well, a speech. There was no force of law behind it. There is no executive order directing insurance companies or state insurance commissioners to reissue canceled plans for a year. (Obama could not do that via executive order anyway.)

Essentially, Obama is asking the insurance companies to break the law – more specifically, the law popularly known as "Obamacare." The insurance companies are, therefore, left with a choice – follow the law or follow Obama.

Cindy Wilson to Seek Another Appeal in Preston Case

Anderson County Council on Tuesday night will hear a resolution by Vice Chairman Cindy Wilson to appeal Judge Roger L. Couch's dismissal of the council's motion for reconsideration. Wilson has requested 30 minutes to make her case for such an appeal. It is unclear if Wilson has enough votes to pass such a resolution, however.

Anderson County has already spent close to $3 million dollars on legal matters and other expenses in the Preston case, a figure nearly three times the $1.1 million payout of Preston's contract. At the May council meeting where the original request for motion of dismissal was filed, Anderson County Councilman Tommy Dunn said further appeals in the Preston case would cost at least $150,000.

Some expect Judge Couch to also order Anderson County to pick up the $800,000 tab for Preston's legal fees incurred from the actions against him.

Also on Tuesday night's agenda, council will review a draft of the animal ordinance committee, consider fee-in-lieu of structures for three potential industries and funding requests for patching and paving for 2014.

Council meets at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

Full Agenda Here

T.L. Hanna Releases Football Coach; Search Under Way

Anderson School District Five announced today that it will be seeking a new Head Football Coach and Athletic Director for T.L. Hanna High School. Kenya Fouch, current Head Coach/AD, will fulfill his capacities until the end of the school year.

Principal Sheila Hilton stated “We appreciate everything that Coach Fouch has done at T.L. Hanna in the last six years. He had high expectations for all students, and has always demonstrated the highest level of character, both on and off the field.”

According to Superintendent Tom Wilson, the search for a new coach will begin soon. “I have every belief that we will attract a number of qualified coaching candidates, and I look forward to moving ahead and building superior athletic programs that will be competitive at all levels.

Boehner Wrong: U.S. Health System Pales in Comparison to Other Nations

House Speaker John Boehner trashed president Obama’s health care plan again Thursday, accusing him of wrecking the world’s best health care system.

“This is going to destroy the best health care delivery system in the world,” Boehner said Thursday morning before President Obama announced a plan to fix the fallout over canceled health insurance policies.  

But is it really? 

Two studies out this week — and studies going back 15 years or longer — show quite the opposite. Americans pay more per capita for health care than people in any other industrialized country. In return, we are sicker, die younger and are unhappier with the system.

The Commonwealth Fund, which does research on health care and health reform, has shown year after year in its regular surveys that Americans spend a lot more on health care than anyone else. Right now it’s $2.7 trillion a year — that’s $8,508 a head, compared to $5,669 per person in Norway and $5,643 in Switzerland, the next-highest-spending countries. New Zealanders spend just $3,182 per person.

And Americans aren't getting more or better care for that money. The U.S. has the eighth-lowest life expectancy in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which groups developed nations.

In the latest survey of more than 20,000 people from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the U.S., Commonwealth researchers found that 37 percent of Americans went without recommended care, did not see a doctor when sick, or failed to fill prescriptions because of costs, compared to as few as 4 percent to 6 percent in Britain and Sweden.

And 23 percent of U.S. adults either had serious problems paying medical bills or were unable to pay them, compared to fewer than 13 percent of adults in France and 6 percent or fewer in Britain, Sweden, and Norway, Commonwealth reported Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs.

More than 40 percent of U.S. adults said they spent $1,000 or more out-of-pocket for care in the past year, by far the highest rate of any country surveyed.

Most — 75 percent —of the 2,000 or so U.S. adults surveyed said the health system needs fundamental changes or to be rebuilt. Just half of Dutch and Swedish people did, while 63 percent of Britons said their system works well and only needs minor changes.  

“The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, but what we get for these significant resources falls short in terms of access to care, affordability, and quality,” said Dr. David Blumenthal, president of the Commonwealth Fund,

Americans also wait longer to see primary care doctors; 76 percent in Germany said they could get a same or next-day appointment, and 63 percent in the Netherlands, compared to 48 percent in the U.S. Only Canada scored worse, with 41 percent saying they could.

And the U.S. has more patients than anywhere else using the emergency room. A full 48 percent of Americans said they had used the ER in the past two years, compared to 31 percent in France and 22 percent in Germany and Australia.

Even the U.S. Institute of Medicine says U.S. health care is a mess, with tens of thousands of Americans dying from medical errors and drug overdoses, and with the system wasting $750 billion in 2009. 

And on Tuesday, a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at improvements in the U.S. health care system. The upshot? They’re not really keeping up with the rest of the world. 

U.S. life expectancy is getting longer, but it’s lagging behind the longer lifespans enjoyed by people in most of western Europe and Japan. And there are huge disparities across the country, with people in states like Mississippi considerably less healthy than people in Colorado or New York City. 

Clemson Employees Forced to Use Vacation for Game Day

Clemson University closed offices Thursday at noon in preparation for the Clemson-Georgia Tech football game, and not everyone was happy about it.Some employees didn't seem to mind, but others were not happy at all about being forced to use vacation time, starting at 12 p.m.

Angela Nixon, Clemson staff senate president, said the decision was mostly because employee parking spaces are used for tailgating.

Nixon said the college had no choice but to have employees utilize vacation time.

"That was basically because we have to account for that time," she said. "We can't just be given a free afternoon off.  We can't be given an extra holiday because of state labor laws and policies. So that was the best way -- the most fair way -- that the administration thought we could account for that time is that ask everybody to take vacation time."

The faculty was asked to reschedule all classes after 12:15 p.m.  Some planned to hold classes online while others we hold class on Saturday.

Read more: http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/oconee-pickens-news/clemson-employees-forced-to-use-vacation-time-for-game-day/-/9654906/22976704/-/10du4ts/-/index.html#ixzz2ki0haVhN

St. Nick's Dec. 7 Chili Cookoff to Benefit Meals on Wheels

Santa Claus is coming to town, and so is a spicy, warm bowl of chili! Make plans now to attend the Saint Nick’s Chili Fix chili cook-off Dec. 7 in downtown Anderson.

Meals on Wheels is hosting this inaugural chili cook-off as a fundraiser for the organization. This event is a sanctioned competition by the International Chili Society (ICS) and will welcome professional and amateurs to cook up their best pot of chili for the public, all the while raising much-needed funds for Meals on Wheels.

The International Chili Society (ICS) is a non-profit organization that sanctions chili cook-offs with judging and cooking rules and regulations. These events are world wide and benefit charities or non-profit organizations. All winners of ICS sanctioned cook-offs qualify to compete for cash prizes and awards at the World's Championship Chili Cook-off held each year in October. 

Amateur cooks (civic clubs, churches, local restaurateurs, youth groups, business teams, etc.) are invited to join in the fun and vie for the People’s Choice title. The winner receives $250 cash prize and a trophy for display.

This cook-off will be held in downtown Anderson in the “overlook” area adjacent to the new Carolina Wren park in downtown. The overlook area is the paved and parking area behind several businesses on Main Street, such as the back area of Johnny Angell’s, The Bombay Club and Phil’s Jewelers, for example. 

Meals on Wheels is also seeking sponsors for this event. Sponsorship opportunities begin at $500 and all sponsorships come with great benefits to the event.

All proceeds from the Saint Nick’s Chili Fix will support the mission of delivering meals to individuals in need in Anderson County. Funds raised will be used to provide hot, nutritious meals each weekday for approximately 600 homebound elderly and disabled of Anderson County who are participating in the home delivery program. Meals on Wheels-Anderson receives no federal or state funds. It operates solely on donations from individuals, churches and businesses, and through community grants and fundraising.

For more information on registering as a participant or becoming a sponsor, contact April Cameron at 864-225-6800 or april@acmow.org.

Dist. 5 Honors Top Teachers, Employees

Barbara Koch Named Teacher of the Year

Barbara Koch, a 6^th grade Science teacher at Southwood Academy of the Arts, was named 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year for Anderson School District Five at the district’s Back-to-School Celebration held in August at NewSpring.  She recently attended the Upstate Teacher Forum at Spartanburg Community College with district teachers of the year from all over the Upstate.  She will represent the district at the state conference in Myrtle Beach in February.

The other finalists for District Teacher of the Year were Patricia Bell of T.L. Hanna High School and Jenny Piel of Robert Anderson College and Career Academy. 

District Employees of the Year are as follows: Adult Education, Luci Vaughn; Custodial, Charles Martin of Southwood Academy of the Arts; Food Service, Lynn Smith of Varennes Academy of Communications and Technology; Maintenance, Steve Callaham; Instructional Support, Everette Adger of McLees Academy of Leadership; Non-Instructional Support, Dawn McCorkle of Glenview Middle School; and Transportation, James Wetterman. 

The Teachers of the Year as named by individual schools were as follows: Suzette Hart, Calhoun Academy of the Arts; Sheryl Winstead, Centerville Elementary; Lani Gray, Concord Elementary; Candace Maddox, Homeland Park Primary; Melissa Roper, McLees Elementary; Janice Smith, Midway Elementary; Leslie Meyers, Nevitt Forest Elementary; Kellie Brown, New Prospect Elementary; Anna Wentzky, North Pointe Elementary; Brittany Shirley, South Fant Early Childhood School; Gina Philyaw, Varennes Academy of Communications and Technology; Catherine Mazza, Whitehall Elementary; Whitney Moody, West Market Early Childhood School; Dave Madden, Lakeside Middle; Brain Heaton, McCants Middle; Barbara Koch, Southwood Academy of the Arts; Donna Bibb, Glenview Middle School; Jenny Piel, Robert Anderson College and Career Academy; Patricia Bell, T.L. Hanna High; Joel Gray, Westside High; and Yvonne Weston, Anderson Five Career Center.

S.C. Baptists Elect New President

The new president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention said Wednesday he wants to spread the Gospel to those who may not know the story of Southern Baptists and their work in the Christian faith and the mission field.

The Rev. D.J. Horton, pastor of Anderson Mill Baptist Church near Spartanburg, was elected Wednesday at the annual convention, which drew messengers to Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia for the two-day convention. Horton will succeed outgoing president, the Rev. Ralph Carter, for the one-year term.

A cradle Baptist from Alabama, Horton has led Anderson Mill since 2004, tripling the church's membership to about 2,000 and increasing its church budget to Southern Baptist missions. According to the Baptist Courier, Anderson Mill is set to give $100,000 to the International Mission Board, $75,000 to the state convention and $92,000 to local missions.

At a news conference, Horton, who turns 36 Thursday, said the church and the convention has to adapt to a modern technological world, and reach out to people who turn regularly to online resources. He said he wants to strengthen the convention so that it becomes a powerful source to pastors across the state.

"We have to center our efforts on a handful of biblical issues, like missions,'' he told the Baptist Courier. He said churches have to be bold in adapting to new methods to reach their mission fields.

A graduate of Auburn University, Horton earned his master of divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate of ministry in expository preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a trustee of the New Orleans seminary.

Horton was nominated by the Rev. Sonny Holmes, pastor of Northwood Baptist Church in North Charleston. He told the Baptist Courier that Horton understands the "unique pulse of our state and the many challenges of engaging a culture like ours.''

Horton and his wife, Laurel, have four children and are preparing to adopt a child from Ethiopia.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/11/14/3097466/south-carolina-baptists-elect.html#storylink=cpy

572 in S.C. Signed Up Through Healthcare.gov Site So Far

Fewer than 600 South Carolinians successfully enrolled in a health insurance plan through the federal marketplace last month, according to initial data released by the Obama administration Wednesday.

The enrollment figure — 572 in South Carolina, to be exact — is low, as predicted, and it’s not a problem unique to this state. Sign-up numbers across the country are widely considered dismal, mainly because HealthCare.gov won’t work for the vast majority of people who have been trying to use it.

About 755,000 uninsured S.C. residents must purchase insurance to comply with the Affordable Care Act next year, and about half of those won’t need to pay the full sticker price for a policy.

“Five-seventy-two is still a woefully low number, but it’s about what we expected,” said S.C. Department of Insurance Director Ray Farmer. “Numbers have been hard to come by. Just from the information we’ve been able to glean from the carriers, we knew it was pretty close to the 500 range.”

The report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offered the first peek at enrollment data through the federal marketplace since it launched Oct. 1.

It shows South Carolina residents trying to enroll in a plan fared better than residents in other parts of the country.

Fewer than 100 residents in Alaska, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming signed up for a policy last month, for instance.

On the high end, more than 35,000 residents in California, which is operating its own insurance exchange, enrolled last month.

Enrollment data was not made available for the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Massachusetts or Oregon, all of which also are operating their own health insurance exchanges.

Reacting to the report Wednesday afternoon, a spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley called the Affordable Care Act an “absolute disaster.”

“We don’t want it in South Carolina, we don’t need it in South Carolina — which is exactly why Gov. Haley made sure that South Carolina taxpayers wouldn’t be on the hook for the bill,” said spokesman Doug Mayer in an email.

South Carolina is one of 36 states that chose to participate in the federal health insurance marketplace, instead of setting up its own website. The 14 states plus the District of Columbia that established their own health insurance exchanges were able to enroll many more residents in a health plan last month, the new report shows.

Note:

11,249: Completed applications by S.C. residents to start the health insurance enrollment process

572: S.C. residents who have selected a marketplace plan

846,184: Completed applications across U.S. to start the enrollment process

106,185: Residents across the country who have selected a plan through the federal marketplace or a state-based marketplace 

County Finance Committee Meets Today

The Finance Committee of Anderson County Council will meet today at 1:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

Economic development - including Project Fleur and Project Choco - and personnel matters are included on the agenda. No word if Project Chickamauga will also be discussed.

Dec. 14 "Forgotten Carols" Play to Benefit AIM

It’s a musical about a despondent nurse, an old man who claims to be almost 2,000 years old and an assemblage of Christmas characters who don’t typically get much face time in the retelling of the nativity story. Forgotten Carols, the creation of Christian writer Michael McLean, will return to Anderson this December, much to the delight of those who raved about it last year and to those who will see it for the first time. The musical, which is a holiday tradition for families across the country, is performed by a troupe of Hollywood and Broadway actors led by Emmy Award winner Michael Young.  

On December 14 at 7:00 p.m. Forgotten Carols will come to Anderson University’s Henderson Auditorium. All proceeds from the performance will benefit Anderson Interfaith Ministries, a local Christian nonprofit organization partnering with individuals and churches of various faiths to assist the needy. Tickets for the show are on sale at $25 but can be purchased for $18 before December 2. To purchase tickets, call the AU box office at 864-231-2080, visit www.theostheatricals.com, or the Lifeway Christian Store on Clemson Boulevard in Anderson.

The Forgotten Carols musical is a way for many in the Anderson community to support the valuable work of AIM. Anderson University is contributing members of the Anderson University Concert Choir to accompany the Forgotten Carols cast.  

Young says that during the Southeast tour in 2011, a couple of communities decided to use the musical as a fundraising opportunity for a charitable organization. It was so successful that since that time, Young and his troupe have encouraged every city they perform in to do the same. 

“Not only are you going to see something that feeds the soul, but in many cases it’s feeding people,” Young says.