County Green Infrastructure Open House May 24

The Anderson County Planning & Community Development Department is hosting an open house on May 24 from from 1-7 p.m. in Ballroom B of the Anderson Civic Center. The event is aimed at garnering input from the community regarding the Green Infrastructure maps. Comments will be compiled to finalize our maps and set priorities for the upcoming Green Infrastructure Plan. 

Green infrastructure refers to natural resources/nature, such as trees, waterways, soils and species habitat. 

For more information, please call 864-260-4720.

County Council to Vote on FY2017 Budget Tuesday

Anderson County Council will take another look at the $159,733,420 fiscal year 2017 budget as part of Tuesday night's council meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

Council approved first reading of the budget on May 3, and will vote on second reading of the ordinance Tuesday. 

Clemson Research NSF Grant to Help Medical Implant Patients

Patients could be less likely to reject artificial hips, knees and other medical implants thanks to the research that Andy Tennyson and his group are doing at Clemson University.

Tennyson, an assistant professor of inorganic chemistry, is the fourth Clemson faculty member this year to secure research funding through the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program.

Andy Tennyson works with a member of his team in Hunter Chemistry Laboratory.

His $500,000 award will cover five years of research into modifying the artificial materials that go into the body as implants. The research could help prevent revision surgeries that are performed to repair or replace failing implants and are potentially life-threatening, particularly for elderly and infirm patients.

The immune system reacts to implants, such as replacement hips or knees, by attacking and chemically degrading them.

Tennyson’s long-term goal is to develop implants that resist failure by preventing chemical degradation. He hopes to have the technology ready for animal testing in five years.

The need is immense.

More than 1 million Americans get hip or knee joint replacement surgery every year, according to a National Hospital Discharge Survey. About 10 percent of surgeries are performed to repair or replace implants that have failed.

Tennyson said he was happy to tell the students in his research group that their hard work has paid off, helping win what is often called a NSF CAREER award.

“I feel it’s not so much that I won this CAREER award, but that we won it,” he said. “My group won this award for the hard work we are doing together.”

“This prestigious award is reserved for some of the nation’s top junior faculty members,” said Karl Dieter, chair of the chemistry department. “Dr. Tennyson is highly deserving. He exemplifies the role of teacher scholar through his research, excellent education and integration of research and education.”

Rather than invent a new material, Tennyson wants to modify the materials that are commonly used for implants. The materials include stainless steel, titanium, polyethylene and polypropylene.

“There is already a medical device infrastructure that has been built up around making devices around those materials, so we don’t want to say, ‘Throw that out. We’ve got to start from scratch,’” he said.  “We want to come up with a way to take what is already made and do some minor functionalization on the surface of it so that a new infrastructure doesn’t have to be designed from the ground up.”

The group’s research could apply to any device that goes in the body, ranging from artificial hips and knees to sutures, Tennyson said.

He expects the research to help extend the functional lifetimes of implants, reduce morbidity and mortality risks and decrease pain and inflammation after devices are implanted.

It could be particularly helpful to elderly and infirm patients, who are most likely to need implants and are most at risk in revision surgeries.

“One of the things that’s tragic is that somebody will get a joint replacement to reduce pain and swelling, which may be discomforting but not deadly,” Tennyson said. “But when the patient gets a revision surgery, it could be fatal. Then that person will have died from a medical complication linked to a condition that was not life threatening.

“We want to help prevent that.”

With Tennyson’s award, Clemson researchers this year have won six high-profile awards reserved for faculty members early in their careers. Feng Ding, Rachel Getman and Brandon Ross also won NSF CAREER awards, while Joseph Scott and Yue “Sophie” Wang have won awards through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program.

All the researchers are working on separate projects.

In addition, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education earlier this year included Clemson in its R1 category for doctoral universities. The category is reserved for universities with the highest research activity.

“Congratulations to Dr. Tennyson and all of our award winners,” said Anand Gramopadhye, dean of the College of Engineering and Science. “Their awards, coupled with the R1 classification, underscores that Clemson is fostering an environment that encourages excellence in research.”

Tennyson credited Yamin Htet, a graduate student in his research group who recently completed work on her Ph.D., with doing the experiments that laid the groundwork for the grant proposal. Anshuman Mangalum, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University, did some of the initial compound synthesis and characterization.

District Five Extends Superintendent Contract

The Anderson School District Five Board of Trustees has extended Superintendent Tom Wilson’s contract through June 30, 2020.

“I am thankful to continue having the opportunity of leading a great school system forward,” Wilson said. Wilson said he will continue to focus on his goal of ensuring the district stays on the path of being a leader not only in the Upstate, but across the country in academics, arts, and athletics.

“The Board appreciates all of the hard work from Mr. Wilson, and are looking forward to his continued leadership as we complete many important educational projects over the next several years," said Anderson School Distrct Five Board Chairman Rick Bradshaw.

April Temperatures Hottest on Record

April 2016 was the hottest April on record and the seventh consecutive month of this year to be among the hottest on record.

New NASA data, released over the weekend, showed April broke the previous record for the month and increases the likelihood that 2016 will also be easily the hottest year on record.

The data also showed that April was the third month in a row that record temperatures were reached by the largest increases yet, in fact, it was the seventh consecutive month that was at least 1 full degree Centigrade over the 1951 to 1980 mean for April.

Since February, climate scientists have begun referring to the trends as a "climate emergency," being given an extra boost by the current large El Nino system over the Pacific Ocean.

Official Says Adult Education Critical for S.C.

The director of South Carolina’s education oversight agency says the state must ramp up efforts to educate and retrain adults, or jobs will vanish.

A new report shows just 40 percent of South Carolina’s adults ages 25 to 64 have an industry certification or degree beyond high school. Twelve percent lack even a high school diploma.\

Education Oversight Committee Director Melanie Barton says it’s getting harder for businesses to hire people because the workforce isn’t adequately trained. She fears businesses will move or cancel expansion plans if the numbers don’t improve. According to the Department of Employment and Workforce, about 131,500 South Carolinian’s remained out of work in March, despite 63,000 job openings. Legislation that aims to match training with businesses’ workforce needs is headed to the Senate Education Committee.

Charleston Post & Courier: Brian White Lived in Donor's Half-Million Dollar House

During the worst recession in generations, South Carolina state Rep. Brian White and his wife sold their modest ranch home in Anderson for $150,000 and moved to a nearly 3,900-square-foot house on 7.7 acres with a pool.

The half-million-dollar property was owned by Bradley and Brian Moorhouse, brothers who are both nursing home administrators for National Healthcare Corp. — White’s largest corporate source of campaign donations, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. 

Full Story at The Post & Courier

Sullivan's Brookstone to Close Sunday

Sullivan’s at Brookstone will serve it’s last Sunday lunch tomorrow. 

““We had a wonderful year at Brookstone Meadows and we earned not only some new customers, but some new friends,” said owner Bill Nickas.  

The restaurant, the smaller sister of Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill, opened its doors April 1, 2015, and will be serving its last meal Sunday at the location as a result of a change in ownership at the Brookstone Meadows Golf Club. 

A reception is scheduled for Saturday night to thank residents of Brookstone Meadows for their support and friendship.

Meanwhile Nickas said the restaurant’s flagship restaurant Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill downtown, continues to grow and has recently added a number of new menu items. 

“We are excited about the future of downtown, with our new menu items and our catering,” Nickas said.  

Former Clemson University Basketball Coach Rick Barnes, one of the original investors in Brookstone Meadows, recently sold his $1.6 million investment in the organization, which will be undergoing substantial renovations over the next few months.

Nickas founded Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill downtown nearly 20 years ago in the historic Sullivan Hardware building helping kick off the revitalization of downtown Anderson. 

S.C. Voter Registration Tops 3 Million

More than 3 million people are now registered to vote in South Carolina with the deadline to get on the books looming.

Saturday is the deadline to register for next month's state primaries.

The South Carolina Election Commission reports that, as of May 5, there were just over 3 million registered voters in the state. That's almost 77 percent of the voting-age population. In 1990 only about 53 percent of the voting age population registered.

There's still time to register for next month's primaries. Prospective voters can download a voter registration form at www.scVOTES.org .

Completed forms should be returned to the county voter registration office. If sent by mail, it must be postmarked May 14. If sent by fax or email, it must be received on Saturday.

Critics Push Back on Fed School Bathroom Orders

Several critics across the nation revolted Friday to the Obama administration's directive to allow all transgender students at schools nationwide to choose whichever bathroom they are most comfortable with.

The new guidelines, issued by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, come after a law passed in North Carolina required all transgender people to use the bathroom of the gender they were assigned at birth -- not the gender they presently identify with.

In addition to the bathroom directive, the government said public schools should also protect such students from bullying.

It didn't take long Friday for opponents to respond with criticism -- and even defiance.

"He says he's going to withhold funding if schools do not follow the policy," Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in response Friday. "Well, in Texas, he can keep his 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States.

"I believe it is the biggest issue facing families and schools in America since prayer was taken out of public schools."

"I spoke about how we are taking a stand against liberals' attempts to let boys into girls' restrooms," he added in a post to his Facebook page. "Less than 24 hours later, President Obama 'urged' schools across the country to support this outrageous policy under threat of losing federal funds."

Hours earlier, Patrick linked to an online petition with the message, "Join thousands of Texans in standing up against Obama's attack on Texas values."

Friday's critics, though, are not just conservative politicians.

"Saying that students are allowed to use the locker room that aligns with their gender identity changes the way schools do business," Jeanne Allen, founder of the Center for Education Reform, said. "Schools have to spend time, money, resources and people working on something that has absolutely nothing to do with the purpose of school."

Kid Venture 2.0 Expected to Open in June

Crews will beginning taking down the volcano play area at Kid Venture on Monday, May 16, 2016. The playground will be closed most of the week for the removal. 

The new playground equipment is tentatively scheduled for June.

Sugar Substitute Xylitol Dangerous to Dogs

Here's an alert for all dog lovers: Sugarless chewing gum isn't good for your pooch. In fact, it could be deadly.

Xylitol, the substance that gives sugar-free gum its sweetness, is dangerous to dogs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. The FDA has received multiple reports in recent years of dogs being poisoned by xylitol, which is used in various consumer products, such as sugar-free candy, breath mints, baked goods, chewable vitamins, mouthwash and toothpaste.

"If you're concerned about your dog eating a food or product with xylitol in it, check the label of ingredients," Martine Hartogensis, an FDA veterinarian, said in a statement from the agency. "If it does, indeed, say that it contains xylitol, make sure your pet can't get to it."

Xylitol isn't dangerous to people, but dogs process it differently than humans. They absorb it quickly, and it can spike their insulin levels, causing dangerously low blood sugar. This can be life-threatening if it's not treated, Hartogensis said.

Anderson Boy Birthday Party to Help PAWS

On Sunday, for the fourth year in a row, an Anderson boy will celebrate his birthday by collecting donations for animals at the county animal shelter.

Braxton Louch is turning 12 this year and has a big bash planned, according to his family. Braxton will host the Cars for a Cause classic car show and pet supply donation drive from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Anderson Civic Center Balloon Launch Field.

Back in 2013, family members said Braxton decided he would rather have his birthday party guests bring pet supplies for Anderson County’s PAWS shelter instead of presents for him.

The boy ended up donating more than 500-pounds of pet food and supplies after that first year, and the haul-in has grown exponentially each year since. In 2015, Braxton donated more than 1,500 pounds of food, toys, and supplies. In 2015, Braxton added a public car show as part of his birthday bash, which has become an annual tradition.

This year’s birthday party and car show is expected to be the largest yet.

The event is free but partygoers are encouraged to donate dog food, cat food, toys, blankets, treats or cleaning supplies. Shirts will also be for sale and family says all proceeds will go to PAWS.