Plastics Company to Bring 43 Jobs to Anderson

Engineered Plastic Components, Inc., a provider of plastic injection molded products, has selected Anderson County for the company’s new site of operations. The $5.3 million investment is expected to create 43 new jobs.

“EPC, Inc. is a 22-year-old plastic injection molded products manufacturer with 15 facilities across the United States and Mexico that offers our citizens an average salary of $17.93 an hour," said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. "EPC selected Anderson County as their newest venture with a $5.3 million investment in its first facility in South Carolina.”

The company will be moving its new operations into an existing building, which is located at 105 Clemson Research Boulevard, just off S.C. 187 near Pendleton. For more information on the company or the new positions, visit the company’s career page online. 

Founded in 1994, EPC designs, engineers and manufactures world-class thermoplastic products utilizing innovative engineering capabilities. Originally operating with only four injection molding presses, the company has expanded to include more than 200 injection molding machines across 15 manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico. 

“We are very excited about the opportunity that exists in South Carolina," said EPC CEO Reza Kargarzadeh. "Anderson is well-positioned to assist us in achieving the growth goals we have for our company.”  

“Our county is committed to nurturing a climate that encourages a bright future for its businesses and residents," said Anderson County Councilman Tom Allen, whose district will house EPC. "We are thrilled to welcome EPC to the historic Town of Pendleton where history, community and civic pride offers the distinction of a small town with great economic impact for all South Carolinians.” 

EPC is a one-stop shop for plastic injection molded products. Currently the company has plants in nine states, including Alabama, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. EPC also has one operation in Reynosa, Mexico.

EPC was founded in 1994 by Reza Kargarzadeh, its current president and owner, with 4 injection molding presses, and has grown since to over 200 injection molding machines ranging from 30 to 3,300 tons.

Southern Baptist Convention Welcomes Refugees

Amid calls to restrict Muslim immigration, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution encouraging member churches and families to welcome refugees coming to the United States.

Messengers at the SBC's annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri approved Resolution 12, titled "On Refugee Ministry," as part of a block vote taken Wednesday on the five remaining resolutions from Tuesday.

"That we affirm that refugees are people loved by God, made in His image, and that Christian love should be extended to them as special objects of God's mercy in a world that has displaced them from their homelands," reads Resolution 12.

"That we encourage Southern Baptist churches and families to welcome and adopt refugees into their churches and homes as a means to demonstrate to the nations that our God longs for every tribe, tongue, and nation to be welcomed at His Throne …"

Resolution 12 also called for "governing authorities to implement the strictest security measures possible in the refugee screening and selection process, guarding against anyone intent on doing harm …"

Recently, refugee resettlement has been a lightning rod for political controversy, especially regarding displaced individuals from the Middle East.

Many state governors have officially refused to allow the resettlement of Syrian refugees, citing national security concerns over proper vetting.

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Haley's Veto of Moped Rules Kills Legislation

A moped safety bill is dead after the House failed to override Gov. Nikki Haley's veto.

The 65-47 vote Wednesday fell far short of the necessary two-thirds.

The Republican governor said requiring reflective vests for nighttime driving and helmets for drivers under 21 represents government overreach.

The most vocal backer of Haley's position was House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, normally a Haley foe.

The bill's supporters contend moped drivers are dying because people can't see them, especially at night, and the requirements will save lives.

Republican Rep. Derham Cole of Spartanburg says the bill closed a dangerous drunken driving loophole. Currently, moped drivers can't be charged with DUI because state law exempts mopeds from the definition of motor vehicle.

Cole has tried since 2010 to close that loophole.

Keebler, Other Cookies, Snacks Recalled in U.S.

Kellogg announced a recall of cookies and snacks distributed to stores in the United States and Puerto Rico because of the possibility they may contain peanut residue.

The company said customers with peanut allergies should avoid the voluntarily recalled products, although it noted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the amount of the peanut exposure is low.

The recall comes after a supplier, Wheat Craft, recalled wheat flour that may contain low levels of peanuts.

Kellogg said it has received no reports of adverse peanut reactions or related illnesses.

The products involved are: Keebler Gripz Variety On the Go Pack, 14 count, with a sell-by date of Dec. 9 through Dec. 16; Keebler Gripz Grahams Cinnamon, 0.9 oz., Jan. 7, 2017; Keebler Chips Deluxe Gripz Mighty Tiny Chocolate Chip Cookies, 0.9 oz., Jan. 8, 2017; Keebler Animals Crackers, 2.4 oz. Cup, Dec. 19, 2016, 2017; Keebler E.L. Fudge Double Stuffed Sandwich Cookies, 12.2 oz., Jan. 6 through Jan. 8, 2017; Keebler Mini Sandies Shortbread Cookies, one oz., Dec. 30, 2016; Keebler® Cookie Dough Minis, 2.5 oz., Jan. 2, 2017, and Keebler Disney Frozen Graham Snacks Cinnamon On the Go Caddy, 12 count, Jan. 5, 2017 and Jan. 20 through Jan. 21, 2017; Keebler Disney Frozen Graham Snacks Cinnamon, 2.2 oz. cup, Jan. 6, 2017.

Also, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies, 2.7 oz. cup, Dec. 11 through Dec. 15; Famous Amos Chocolate Chip cookies , 12.4 oz., Jan. 11 through Jan. 13, 2017; Famous Amos Double Chocolate Chip cookies, 12.4 oz., Jan. 4, 2017 to Jan. 5, 2017; Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Pecan cookies, 12.4 oz., Jan. 14, 2017; Kellogg's Special K Mini Brownies Blondie, six count, Jan. 1, 2017 through Jan. 2, 2017; Kellogg's Special K Mini Brownies Fudge, six count, Jan. 3, 2017; Mother's Double Chocolate Chip Minis cookies, 12 oz., Jan. 5, 2017; Murray Ginger Snaps Old Fashioned Ginger cookies, 16 oz., Jan. 1 through Jan. 4, 2017.

Kellogg has asked that customers discard affected packages in their homes. Full refunds are available by calling 1-800-962-1413 or visiting www.kelloggs.com/en_US/contact-us.html

S.C. Lawmakers Return for Special Session

The South Carolina General Assembly returns for a special session to wrap up work on the state budget and take up Gov. Nikki Haley's remaining vetoes.
   
Haley's 51 budget vetoes will first go to the House, which gavels in at noon Wednesday. The Senate starts several hours later. Haley's line-item vetoes struck $41 million in spending from the Legislature's $7.5 billion plan for state taxes, which takes effect July 1. They include earmarks for state museums, historic sites and local parks.
   
Bills Haley has vetoed since the regular session ended June 2 include one imposing safety restrictions on moped drivers. Overturning her vetoes takes two-thirds approval by both chambers.
   
Haley wants legislators to also reach a compromise on two ethics-related bills she wants to become law. But those seem likely to die.

Turnout Low; Incumbents Struggle in Tuesday Elections

Anderson County will have a new sheriff, a new solicitor, and  at least one new council member as the result of Tuesday night’s primary elections.

Anderson County saw a 22.5 perent turnout of registred voters.

Of Anderson County's 103,751 registered voters, 23,392 turned out to choose their representatives.

In a night of surprises, Anderson County voters sent two incumbents home, and nearly ousted a third, and sent two other races to runoff June 28. 

First the winners: 

New Anderson County Sheriff-elect Chad McBride easily won his race Tuesday, taking 58 percent of the vote and getting more than double the votes of incumbent Anderson County Sheriff John Skipper who took just 25 percent of the vote. 

In the closest race, South Carolina Senator Kevin Bryant edged challenger Carol Burdette by 372 votes, out of 15,372 cast in the race. 

In the race to fill the S.C. Senate seat left vacant by the late Billy O’Dell, Mike Grambrell won 65 percent of the vote. 

Dist. 2 Anderson County Councilwoman Gracie Floyd won 90 percent of the vote in her reelection bid.

Two races will be decided in the June 28 runoff. 

David Wagner narrowly missed avoiding the runoff, almost took 50 percent of the vote, falling 111 votes short of an outright victory. Wagner will face Rame Campbell who garnered almost 36 percent of the vote.  

Anderson County Council Dist. 3 will have a new representative next year. In a tight race, Ray Graham had the most votes, followed closely by former councilman Eddie Moore, who was only 55 votes behind. Incumbent Mitchell Cole missed the runoff by 184 votes.  

Jay West and Blake Parker will compete for the South Carolina House of Representatives District 7 seat, which includes part of Anderson County.

Based on national statistics, runoff election participation drops 40 percent in local election runoffs. 

President: Trump a Threat to Fabric of America

President Barack Obama lit into Donald Trump Tuesday, turning the tables to make the impassioned case that Trump is the one who's un-American.

Obama's extraordinary denunciation of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee was about far more than a personal intervention on behalf of Hillary Clinton in the ugly general election campaign.

The commander in chief's fury, which seethed out of him in a stunning soliloquy on live television, amounted to a moment of historic significance: a president castigating one of the two people who could succeed him as beyond the constitutional and political norms of the nation itself. Obama's remarks, motivated by his disgust over Trump's response to the worst terror attack since 9/11, were also deeply ironic, given that Trump has hounded him for years with insinuations that he's not a real American.

The real estate mogul had returned to that theme on Monday, hinting that in some way the President was complicit or approved of Islamic terror attacks, saying on Fox News, "There is something going on."

Trump has based his attacks on conspiracy theories that Obama was born outside the country or a closeted Muslim. Obama's charge, in contrast, was based on his perception that the billionaire Republican's views are so extreme that he threatens the fabric of America itself.

And Obama sought to shame Republican leaders, many of whom were left squirming by Trump's views. Though they differ with many of his views -- House Speaker Paul Ryan again on Tuesday rejected the GOP presumptive nominee's stance on Muslims -- they are trapped by his millions of primary voters, who made it clear to the party leadership that the billionaire businessman should be heeded.

"That's not the America we want," he said. "It doesn't reflect our democratic ideals. It will make us less safe."

Obama also drew an implicit analogy between Trump's call for a ban on Muslim travel and the most "shameful" moments in American history when the government had mistreated its people, adding that then Constitution prohibited religious tests.

"If we ever abandon those values, we would not only make it a lot easier to radicalize people here and around the world, but we would have betrayed the very things we are trying to protect," Obama warned.

Southern Baptists Resolution: Confederate Flag "Hindrance" to Unity

Messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution declaring displays of the Confederate flag a hindrance to the unity of the Body of Christ and a stumbling block to Christian witness.

Over 90 percent of messengers at SBC's annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, approved Resolution 7, with loud applause preceding the official announcement of passage.

Titled "On Sensitivity and Unity Regarding the Confederate Battle Flag," Resolution 7 called on all SBC members to effectively retire the Confederate flag.

"That, with full respect of the autonomy of the local church, we call brothers and sisters in Christ who display the Confederate battle flag as a memorial … to consider prayerfully whether to limit, or even more so, discontinue its display," resolved Resolution 7.

"We urge fellow Christians to exercise sensitivity so that nothing brings division or hinders the unity of the Body of Christ to be a bold witness to the transforming power of Jesus."

Stephen Rummage, senior pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Florida, and chairman of the SBC Committee on Resolutions, said: "From the time that our committee first met together last Thursday, God has put it on our hearts to move forward with our own revision of this resolution.

"The Committee on Resolutions presents this to you unanimously and urgently. We ask you to join us in calling Southern Baptists to take a further step in the right direction concerning racial unity for the sake of our witness to Jesus Christ."

Messengers spoke both in favor and against the resolution. One critic who spoke against Resolution 7 argued that it would lead to a slippery slope of censorship.

"To incorrectly link a historic symbol based on the Saint Andrews cross would raise further questions. Number one, would we further challenge United States symbols?" he asked. "For instance, the United States flag that flew over slave ships. Or George Washington, who owned slaves. I would hope we wouldn't make that move to political correctness."

James Merritt, lead pastor of Cross Pointe Church who was descended from two Confederate veterans, explained that he supported Resolution 7 for the sake of the Gospel.

"This is not a matter of political correctness. It is a matter of spiritual conviction and biblical compassion," said Merritt. "Southern Baptists are not a people of any flag. We march under the banner of the Cross of Jesus and the Grace of God.

"This flag is a stumbling block to many African-American souls to our witness. And I rise to say that all the Confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race."

For several years, periodic debates have surfaced over Confederate flags, monuments, and other imagery made to commemorate ancestors who fought for Southern secession.

Debate over Confederate flag displays became especially contentious in the summer of 2015 when Dylann Roof committed a racially-charged massacre at a historic African-American church.

On June 17, 2015, Roof entered Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and shot nine people dead with the expressed intention of starting a race war.

Roof's highly publicized flying of the Confederate flag in personal photos contributed to South Carolina voting to remove a Confederate battle flag from their capitol grounds.

"It's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds," said South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at a press conference held last June.

"One hundred fifty years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come … [the flag] does not represent the future of our great state."

Report: Voter Turnout Low in Upstate

Officials say voter turnout throughout the state of South Carolina is low. 

Officials said on Tuesday that turnout in the state was between low and moderate.

Upstate counties, including Anderson, Spartanburg, Laurens Greenville, Newberry, Abbeville, Greenwood, Oconee, Union, Cherokee, and Pickens County, had between very low and low voter turnout. 

More on the election here. 

FCC Upholds Net Neutrality Rules

An appeals court upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules on Tuesday, requiring internet providers to treat all web traffic equally.

The three-judge panel’s 2-1 decision is another victory for consumer advocates, the regulator and the Obama administration who have campaigned for years to protect an open internet.

While it is a major setback for the cable companies and other internet service providers that lined up to oppose the rule-making, it is unlikely to be the last time the rules are challenged; both sides expect the case to eventually land before the supreme court.

The rules, which change the FCC’s classification of internet service providers by treating them like a public utility, attempt to prevent companies that provide internet connections from privileging traffic from one source over another.

An army of internet activists fought for the net neutrality rules passed by the FCC in 2015. Before the ruling, more than 4m comments were sent to the regulator. The legal challenge from the cable industry was almost immediate.

Eating Whole Grains Could Lead to Longer Life

Health experts have long urged people to swap their processed white grains for the whole-grain variety, and new research suggests that advice might help you live longer.

Researchers found that people who ate three or more servings of whole grains a day had a 20 percent reduced risk of premature death during the study period, compared to those who ate fewer or no servings of whole grains.

"The higher the whole grain intake, the lower the death rate, especially deaths from cardiovascular disease," said study author Dr. Qi Sun. He is an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

Whole grains are so named because they contain the entire grain kernel, including bran (outer husk), germ (nutrient-rich core) and endosperm (middle layer). Whole-grain foods include whole-wheat flour, oatmeal, brown rice and whole cornmeal.

When grains are refined, they have been milled and that process removes the bran and the germ, as well as fiber, iron and many of the B vitamins. White breads, white rice and white flour are all refined grains, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Sun and his colleagues reviewed the findings of 12 published studies as well as data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The studies included nearly 800,000 men and women. The study populations were from the United States, the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries. The studies covered 1971 to 2010. Over the study periods, there were almost 98,000 deaths recorded.

The study couldn't show a direct cause-and-effect relationship. But the review suggests that the risk of dying prematurely from heart disease and stroke dropped approximately 25 percent when people had three servings of whole grains (48 grams total) daily, compared to those who ate fewer or no servings of whole grains. The risk of death from cancer appeared to decrease about 15 percent, the study authors said.

Sun said many possibilities can help explain why whole-grain consumption seemed to affect death risk. Whole grains are high in fiber, so they can help regulate blood sugar and improve blood cholesterol levels, which can lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Fiber also makes you feel full longer, so you may eat fewer calories, maintain a healthy weight, and lower heart disease risk, he added.

Based on the study findings, Sun said that low-carbohydrate diets that neglect the health benefits of whole grains "should be adopted with caution," due to a possible higher risk of heart disease.

To get 48 grams of whole grains, Sun said, people could eat three slices of whole-grain bread, for instance.

Haley Vetoes Moped Bill

Gov. Nikki Haley has vetoed a moped safety bill because it requires reflective vests for nighttime driving and helmets for drivers under 21.

Haley says the mandates on adults represent government overreach.

Sen. Greg Hembree of North Myrtle Beach says mopeds are the most dangerous vehicles on the highway. The former prosecutor has been pushing for safety regulations for four years.

The bill would close a loophole that prevents intoxicated moped drivers from being charged with drunken driving.

People who lose their license due to a DUI conviction could still drive a moped, but they must get a special moped license the bill creates.

The Department of Public Safety says 50 people died in moped crashes last year, up from 32 in 2014. At least 16 have died this year.

Dabo Sweeney Remembers Father's Legacy

By Butch Blume

When Father's Day rolls around this year, Dabo Swinney won't be able to pick up the phone and call his dad. 

But Clemson's head football coach still has a few voicemail messages from the man he calls "Big Erv," who passed away last August. Maybe he'll listen to them again, as he does from time to time. 

Last summer, in the months before he died, Ervil Swinney had been receiving treatments in Greenville for a recurrence of lung cancer. Still, he seemed to be doing pretty well. By August, he was back at his appliance shop at the M&M Hardware in Alabaster, Ala., where he enjoyed "holding court" with his buddies. He felt tired and sat down to take a nap. He never woke up. 

Ervil Swinney, father of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, joins in the crowd's cheers for the Tigers. "Big Erv" died of lung cancer last August. 

Photo courtesy of Dabo Swinney 

He was going to return to South Carolina the next day for a checkup and a week's stay with his son and his family. He was 70.

"I think about him every day," Swinney said, pointing to a framed photograph among the scores of pictures covering the walls, shelves and desktop of his office. The photo shows his dad watching a game at Clemson's Death Valley, both arms raised in the air, celebrating a big play by the team coached by his youngest son. 

"I look at that picture all the time," Swinney said. "It makes me smile." 

Swinney admits to a "strangeness" he feels because his dad is not here anymore. "Anybody who's lost a parent understands," he said. "I just want to call him." 

And if he could call Big Erv, Swinney might talk about the "little bit of nostalgic sadness" he's experiencing these days over how quickly his own sons are growing up. Will, 17, is an upcoming high school senior. Drew is 16, and Clay is 12.

"My oldest will be leaving the nest soon," Swinney said. "It's hard for me to get my mind around that. To me, they're all three still my little baby boys." 

He turns again toward the photos on his desk. They show his sons growing up, transitioning from toddlers to teenagers -- smiling, vibrant, the passing moments of their lives "frozen in time," he says.

He's proud of how his boys have turned out. "It's special to see them now and the young men they've grown into," Swinney said, "and to see where they are and how they handle themselves in all areas of their lives -- spiritually, academically, socially and athletically, because they all love sports."

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