Cruz, Sanders Win Two States in Saturday Caucuses

Sen. Ted Cruz’s bid to become the chief alternative to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump gained steam Saturday, as he secured commanding victories in the Kansas and Maine caucuses while Sen. Marco Rubio withered with a string of third-place finishes.

At the same time, Trump was projected by the Associated Press to win the Louisiana primary, although Cruz was closing the gap. Trump was also leading in the Kentucky caucuses late Saturday, underscoring the extent to which the Republican nomination race has become a contest between him and Cruz.

Taken together, the results marked a devastating rebuke of the Republican establishment, which has settled on Rubio as its standard-bearer. But he not only failed to win any states Saturday, but he also finished in third place in every state that voted Saturday except Maine, where he was projected to finish fourth behind Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Trump called on Rubio to drop out of the race Saturday during a speech in West Palm Beach, where he mocked the senator’s recent losses.

“Marco Rubio had a very, very bad night and personally I’d call for him to drop out of the race,” Trump said. “I think it’s probably time.”

“As a party we should come together and stop this foolishness,” he added later.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton spoke at a reception held by the Michigan Democratic Party in Detroit after winning the Louisiana primary and losing the Kansas and Nebraska Democratic caucuses to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). (Associated Press)

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Kansas and Nebraska caucuses. But Clinton’s forceful projected win in delegate-rich Louisiana keeps her vast delegate lead for the Democratic party’s nomination intact.

Red Cross Teaches Fire Safety in Anderson

The American Red Cross, local fire departments, and volunteers visited homes in Anderson County on Saturday to teach people how to prepare for home fires and install smoke alarms.

Each year, South Carolina ranks in the top 10 states for home fire deaths per capita.

The Red Cross helps more than 7,100 people a year who are victims of disasters, primarily home fires, in South Carolina. 

Teams of Red Cross volunteers, firefighters, and volunteers from Clemson University's Gamma Gamma sorority went door-to-door in the Abney Mill area of Anderson and in the Homeland Park community.

Volunteers and firefighters met with families to test and install smoke alarms, create a home fire escape plan and discussed the importance of having everyone in the household know what to do in case of a fire.  

Pat Conroy Dies at 70

Pat Conroy, the beloved author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides" and other best-sellers who drew upon his bruising childhood and the vistas of South Carolina and became one of the country's most compelling and popular storytellers, died Friday evening. He was 70.

Conroy, who announced last month that he had pancreatic cancer, died at home among family and loved ones in Beaufort, South Carolina, according to his publisher. The heavy-set author had battled other health problems in recent years, including diabetes, high blood pressure and a failing liver.

"The water is wide and he has now passed over," his wife, novelist Cassandra Conroy, said in a statement from publisher Doubleday.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tweeted: "We can find comfort knowing his words and love for SC will live on."

Funeral arrangements were still being made.

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S.C. Ag Museum Open House to Feature Bagpipers

The South Carolina Agricultural Museum will host an open house Saturday, with a tip of the hat to the area's heritage music concert beginning at 1 p.m.

Who doesn’t love bagpipe music? Bring your lawn chair and come join in the fun. On Saturday, the museum will celebrate the area’s rich Scots-Irish history and their influence on farming, the Pendleton District Commission will host a bagpipe concert and open house at the Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina.

Beginning at 1p.m., the one-hour concert will be held at 120 History Lane, Pendleton. Following the concert, the Agricultural Museum will be open for self-guided tours from 2 PM – 4 PM. Admission to the entire event is $5 per car. 

For more information, visit www.bgamsc.org., or call 864-646-7271.

FLW Pro Fishing Tourney at Green Pond March 17-20

The most competitive circuit in professional bass fishing is coming to Greenpond Landing March 17-20, as more than 170 anglers will take to the lake as part of the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour at Lake Hartwell presented by Evinrude.

Hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tournament will many of the world’s best bass-fishing professionals and co-anglers casting for top awards of up to $125,000 cash in the pro division and up to $25,000 cash in the co-angler division.

The Lake Hartwell event will mark the organization’s 150^th FLW Tour event, dating back to 1996.

“With the warming trend we’ve had, Lake Hartwell is going to fish really well for this tournament,” said Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, South Carolina, the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup Champion. “Fish will be feeding heavily in preparation for the spawn which means there’ll be a lot of opportunities for anglers to fish to their strengths.”“

In FLW Tour competition, anglers are also vying for valuable points in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The 2016 Forrest Wood Cup will be on Wheeler Lake in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 4-7 and is hosted by the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

Anglers will take off and weigh-in on all four days of competition at Green Pond Landing located at 470 Green Pond Road in Anderson at 7:30 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins on Thursday and Friday will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s final weigh-ins will begin at 4 p.m.

Fans will also be treated to the FLW Expo on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. at Green Pond Landing prior to the final weigh-ins. The Expo includes interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and the opportunity to interact with professional anglers to learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public.

As part of the FLW Tour’s community outreach initiative, FLW Tour anglers will visit students at Lakeside Middle School in Anderson on Wednesday, March 16, from 8-9:30 a.m. to introduce students to fishing and outdoor activities in their community. During the presentations the pro anglers will reinforce how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) relate to outdoor activities as well as boating safety. The presentation will promote the sport of fishing and outdoor recreation and give youth the information they need to “Get Outdoors. Go Fish!” 

Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at Chris Taylor Memorial Park located at 5 Jim Ed Rice Circle in Anderson on Saturday, March 19, from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to area youth 15 years of age and younger and Special Olympics athletes. Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. All bait is provided by the DMF Bait Company. 

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

Another GOP Debated Filled with Personal Attacks

It did not take long for the Republican candidates to devolve into a shouting match and talk of Donald Trump's manhood during their debate in Detroit Thursday night.

One of the first questions from the Fox News moderators went to Sen. Marco Rubio over his harsh insults directed at Trump leading up to Super Tuesday.

"Donald Trump has basically mocked everybody with personal attacks," Rubio said, rattling off a list of groups who Trump has targeted, including women, the disabled and minorities. "If there's anyone who's ever deserved to be attacked that way, it's Donald Trump."

While Rubio spoke, Trump held up his hands, referencing Rubio's taunt that they were small. Asked to respond, Trump called out the "small hands" remark -- and its implication.

"He hit my hands," Trump said. "I've never heard of this. He referred to my hands [meaning] if they're small something else has to be small. I guarantee you there's no problem. I guarantee it."

From there, the event quickly slipped into a three-way shouting match until the Fox moderators regained control.

At one point, Fox anchor Chris Wallace admonished the candidates, saying they "have got to do better than this."

When they did finally listen, Wallace went after Trump on statements he has made about reducing the federal deficit. Wallace pointed out Trump has said he will eliminate the federal deficit, which stood last year at $557 billion, by ending the federal Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency and allowing the federal government to buy drugs for Medicaid through a competitive bidding process. The total savings under Trump's plan, Wallace pointed out, would only save about half of one year's deficit spending.

Trump disagreed, saying he would save more by opening up other federal programs to competitive bidding to help make up the difference.

A recurring theme through the debate saw Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz needling Trump on his changing stances on issues. Trump repeatedly called on his experience as a businessman who understands the need for give-and-take in negotiations.

"I've never seen a successful person who is not flexible, who doesn't have a certain degree of flexibility," Trump said.

Rubio shot back: "There is a difference between flexibility and telling people anything to get them to do what you want them to do. And that is what Donald has done in his entire career."

Cruz hammered Trump on his donations toward Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign, and repeated his call for Trump to allow The New York Times to release an off-the-record conversation on the topic of illegal immigration. Cruz and Rubio have both hinted the conversation includes Trump softening his position against illegal immigrants.

"Sometimes there needs to be some flexibility, some negotiation," Trump said, when pressed on the Times tapes. "Now sometimes, you ask for more than you want and you negotiate down to the point."

Asked point blank how flexible he is on immigration he said, "not very flexible."

He called on all candidates to keep their promise to journalists when both sides agree a conversation will be kept confidential and pointed out all the candidates have gone off the record with journalists to have a more frank conversation without the threat it will harm their campaigns.

Trump also faced stiff criticism from Rubio, and questions from moderator Megyn Kelly, over Trump University, the entrepreneurial school he founded that is now the subject of a class-action lawsuit from students who say they were bilked out of tuition. Trump defended the for-profit endeavor and promised he will prevail in the lawsuit.

Cruz and Rubio avoided making attacks against one another during the event, with both men training their fire on Trump instead.

Cruz hit the front-runner on judicial nominees, returning to the Clinton donation issue, which Trump has said he did because of his business interests, not his political beliefs.

"I will never compromise away your religious liberty," Cruz said, referencing his own promise to nominate pro-life judges.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich largely avoided entering the fray during the raucous exchanges between the other three men on stage. He offered a strong answer on foreign policy with a 60 second "trip around the world" where he called on the United States to do more to fend off Russian aggression in eastern Europe, bring together moderate Arab states to fight the Islamic State and confront China over its muscle-flexing in the South China Sea.

Kasich was also challenged by the moderators over an answer he gave in a previous debate, where he said a baker or photographer should not have the right to turn away gay couples seeking to have them work their weddings.

This time, Kasich said he would support a business owner's religious beliefs. He said gay couples should "come together" with religious people and "find another photographer, don't sue them in court."

The debate comes at a pivotal time in the race. Trump's insurgent campaign has roused GOP voters and he is the clear front-runner ahead of Michigan's primary on Tuesday.

Latest Senate Roads Plan Avoids Gas Tax Hike

The state Senate has a new plan for fixing SC roads, but did not debate or vote on that plan Thursday. Senate president pro tem Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, said since they came up with the plan Wednesday night, senators need time over the weekend to think about it and come up with any amendments they want to make to it. They plan to start debating those amendments and the plan next Tuesday.

The Senate had been stuck since last year on a roads bill that would have raised the gas tax, cut the income tax, and restructured the DOT Commission. But the new plan would not raise the gas tax or cut any taxes. Instead, it would take $400 million from the state’s General Fund and send that to the SCDOT to use for roads.

Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, is one of the senators who had filibustered to block the previous bill because it included a gas tax increase. “The $400 million extra money we’re putting for roads and bridges are coming from existing taxes already being collected from the people of South Carolina,” he says. “We’ve got $1.3 billion more this year being collected from South Carolinians than last year, and if you’re going to address the problem you start with the money you have in hand before you go back to the taxpayers and say we’re going to raise your taxes.”

But opponents say $400 million won’t do anything to ease congestion and won’t even bring all roads up to good condition. DOT Secretary Christy Hall says $400 million would bring 95 percent of Interstate pavement up to good condition, but only 35 percent of primary and secondary roads.

Study: Broccoli Could Reduce Liver Damage, Cancer

Eating broccoli three to five times per week has been shown in experiments to reduce the risk for liver cancer, in addition to reducing damage to the liver that increases risk for cancer, according to new research with mice.

Researchers at the University of Illinois found eating broccoli a few times a week can counter the development of fat in the liver, which causes it to malfunction and increases the risk for liver cancer.

The vegetable is known to reduce the risk for other types of cancer, including breast, prostate and colon, so researchers were less surprised by its link to decreased risk for cancer than its effects on diseased livers.

The researchers said they worked specifically with mice that were not genetically predisposed to obesity, opting instead for rodents that became obese because of diet and activity. Their reasoning was most people are not genetically likely to become obese, focusing instead on the effects of the Western diet that has led to three-quarters of Americans being overweight or obese.

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March 3 Podcast: Real Estate Booms, Barking at County Council, CAA to Celebrate 13

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Flu Season Mild in S.C.

Flu season in South Carolina is reaching its peak and it has not been as severe as last season.

Department of Health and Environmental Control figures show there have been 12 lab-confirmed flu deaths in the state as of Feb. 20. Last season 101 people died of the flu.

Since the current season began in early October, slightly more than 2,400 influenza cases have been reported in 35 counties. Charleston County has had the most with about 990.

S.C. Senate Dist. 4 Candidates Speak at Forum

Four of the five candidates seeking to fill the South Carolina Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Billy O'Dell made a case for their candidacies before members of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce this morning at Tucker's.

The four candidates, Reitired City of Anderson Neighborhood and Transit Director Willie Day, Williamston City Councilman Rock Burgess, S.C. Rep. Mike Gambrell and Greenwood City Attorney Tripp Padgett, were asked about how to fund road maintence, expanding Medicaid in the state, the importance of water resources, and if it is possible to reduce taxation on second homes.

The group was in general agreement on most the issues in the questions, with the exception of Day's willness to consider expanding medicaid in the state.

Candidate Mark Powell was out of town and unavailable for the event.

Here are the opening and closing statements of each candidate, in alphabetical order:

Don't Forget: Clean Start Scoop Some Soup Lunch Today

Clean Start, a hygiene and resource center for those in need in Anderson, is hosting their nineth annual “Scoop Some Soup Day” today at the organizatiion's location at 219 Townsend Street.  This event is dine-in or carry-out and will run from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  Chili or Vegetable soup will be available along with cornbread or crackers, dessert and tea.  Price for this event will be $7 per meal.  All proceeds go to benefit Clean Start.  Please call 716-0766 for details and/or tickets.

Clean Start serves between 95 and 120 people each week, offering showers, laundry service, and referrals to other service in the Anderson community for their clients.  This is the only fundraiser held each year. 

For more information, visit their Facebook page.

S.C. Senate to Debate $400 Million Roads Bill

South Carolina senators are coming into work early and this time they should be debating a roads bill.

The Senate is scheduled to meet starting 10 a.m. Thursday, about 12 hours after Republicans and Democrats reached a deal to debate a GOP plan to send an additional $400 million to South Carolina roads without raising gas taxes.

The deal came after Democrats became angry when Republicans limited the time to debate any changes to the bill. Republicans later agreed to allow Democrats to put up some amendments and have a longer debate.

The House passed its own roads bill last year, which raised the sales tax on gasoline, but also cut income taxes. The Republican Senate plan has no tax cut.