U.S. Sunday Airstrikes Point to Expanded ISIS Strategy

The U.S. military's first series of airstrikes in Western Iraq targeting ISIS early Sunday to protect a major dam points to the expansion of the Obama administration's strategy in Iraq, which until recently was limited to protecting U.S. offices and humanitarian responses.

"If that dam would fall into ISIL's hands or if that dam would be destroyed, the damage that that would cause would be very significant and it would put an additional and big risk into the mix in Iraq," U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters during a trip to Georgia's capital Tbilisi, according to Reuters.

Hagel, who was referring to the Haditha Dam in Iraq's Anbar Province, added that the airstrikes were launched at the request of the Iraqi government.

"They (the airstrikes) were very accurate. There was no collateral damage. ... If the Islamic State had gained control of the dam, many areas of Iraq would have been seriously threatened, even Baghdad," Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha, the leader of a pro-Iraqi government paramilitary force in west Iraq, was quoted as saying.

ISIS, which is also known as the Islamic State, is an al-Qaeda offshoot that has gained control over large parts of Syria and Iraq. The group wants to form an Islamic emirate in the Levant region through "jihad."

"We conducted these strikes to prevent terrorists from further threatening the security of the dam," Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement. "The strikes were conducted under authority to protect U.S. personnel and facilities, support humanitarian efforts, and support Iraqi forces that are acting in furtherance of these objectives."

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Study: Dropout Rates Could Double Under Common Core

A study released last year by a pro-Common Core group predicted that under Common Core's stricter set of state education standards, six-year high school dropout rates will likely double for states adhering to the federally incentivized nationally-based testing.

The finding was not well publicized and was only recently picked up on by Common Core critics.

The report released by the Carnegie Corporation in collaboration with McKinsey & Company found that teachers will not "meet the demand" of Common Core's expected student achievement levels for those students already behind more than one grade level unless there is broader change in school designs.

The study found that under Common Core's set of state standards the four-year graduation rate would fall from 75 percent to just 53 percent, while the six-year graduation rate would fall from 85 percent down to just 70 percent. The study also predicted that the four-year dropout rate would rise from eight percent to 14 percent, while the six-year dropout rate would climb from 15 percent to 30 percent.

The study stated that it would not be possible to avoid decreases in high school graduation rates by simply using "human capital strategies." Even if every teacher was able to increase sub-proficient children's proficiency by 1.25 grade levels per year for four years, those students who enter high school more than one grade level behind the standard would still be below standard level by the end of four years, the study found.

"McKinsey & Company used available estimates of what can be accomplished by top-quartile teachers (those able to 'move' student performance at the rate of 1.25 grade levels per year … ) to test whether or not it might be possible to avoid large drops in graduation rates using human capital strategies alone," The Carnegie report stated. "The short answer is no: even coordinated, rapid, and highly effective efforts to improve high school teaching would leave millions of students achieving below the level needed for graduation and college success as defined by the Common Core."

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Advisory Committees to Meet This Week

The advisory committees for Broadway Lake and the Accommodations Tax are set to meet this week in Anderson.

The Broadway Lake meeting is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. at McFalls Landing and will discuss the drawdown on the lake.

The Accommodations Tax meeting is scheduled for Wendesday at 6 p.m. and is set to review tax grant requests.

Hispanic Leaders Slam Obama on Immigration Bill Delays

Hispanic lawmakers and immigration advocates harshly criticised President Barack Obama’s decision to delay executive action on immigration and vowed to keep pressuring him to make bold changes.

Democratic representatives Luis Gutierrez and Tony Cardenas on Sunday accused Obama of playing politics the day after the president said he would wait until after November’s congressional elections to change policy on immigration.

The announcement marked a reversal for Obama, who publicly promised to act by the end of summer.

“Playing it safe might win an election,” Gutierrez said on ABC’s This Week programme. “But it almost never leads to fairness, to justice and to good public policy that you can be proud of.”

Senate Democrats at risk of losing their seats in the November elections pressed the White House to hold off an executive order.

Though many immigration advocates have been pushing hard for the White House to ease up on deportations of undocumented immigrations, wariness among the broader public began to build this summer, fuelled by Republican accusations that executive actions would mark an overstepping of Obama’s authority.

Democrats worry that an executive action could cause them to lose control of the Senate in November.

UK Struggles in Fight Against Scottish Independence

ast-minute all-party plan to devolve further powers to Scotland over tax, spending, welfare and a host of other areas will be unveiled in the next few days, George Osborne has said.

The announcement came after a YouGov poll showed the yes side taking a narrow lead, spreading fears at Westminster of a constitutional crisis.

The chancellor detailed the plans – the product of backroom talks – saying they would be unveiled in the next few days with a clear timetable for implementation in the event of a no vote. The offer is similar to the last-minute package offered to Quebec by the Canadian government in 1995, that staved off a vote for separation.

All the major political parties have presented different offers of further devolution, but there has been no agreement between them on far they should extend.

The announcement of the package also represents a shift away from the negative tone of the previous no campaign to a positive offer of the benefits of staying inside a United Kingdom. Many polls show support for wider devolution but there has been a lack of clarity about what it represents in practice.

The political parties said it was unlikely the joint statement would set out detailed new powers beyond those already promised, but focus on a credible timetable and process for the transfer to come about. The three parties have already issued a joint statement of further transfer of powers in June but, judging by the latest polls, this may have had little effect.

Fox: Witnesses, Relative Recalls Chiquola Mill Shootings

For Mae Knox, 95, the memory of Sep. 6, 1934 is still clear as a bell. 

"It was a very frightening time," she said.

Knox was 15 years old at the time of the Chiquola Mill massacre, where Depression-era union workers were protesting low pay and poor working conditions at the mill near downtown Honea Path. She said deputized citizens showed up to the strike, armed with shotguns and pistols, and fired into the crowd of protestors, killing seven and wounding 30.

"I was standing at the foot of mama's bed when I heard the shots," recalled Knox. "Just 'pow pow pow' like that, and I knew what had happened. The folks that lived right above us though, they had two of their family to get killed ... they were in that strike. I knew all of them ... I knew all of them that got killed."

A memorial sits in Dogwood Park for the seven killed which says "They died defending the rights of theThe funeral for the workers in Honea Path. More than 10,000 people attended. working man."

Knox said people in Honea Path do not talk much about the events of that day. A local journalist claims his grandfather, who was superintendent of the mills, organized the deputization of local anti-union citizens, leading to the killings.

There are no commemorative events scheduled for Saturday on the 80th anniversary in Honea Path.

Eighty years ago—on September 6, 1934—seven workers were shot and killed and 30 others wounded at the Chiquola Mill in my hometown of Honea Path, South Carolina. It was an act that has shaped the town’s history and attitudes in ways that few could have imagined.

Yet, sadly, the old Chiquola Mill today stands in a seemingly unending state of demolition—now being torn down almost brick by brick. Not only have Honea Path’s founding fathers done little to preserve the town’s rich legacy, but it seems that some genuinely want to forget.

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Anderson Touchdown Club Winners Announced

Anderson Area Touchdown club announced week one winners during their weekly Friday lunch meeting at the Anderson County Library/

Coach:             Scott Earley, Westside

Lineman:         Kyle McAlister, BHP

Co-Offensive:  Cal King, Westside

                         Kelly Bryant, Wren

Co-Defensive:  Antonio Freeman, Pendleton

                          Bryce O'Neill, Powdersville

Jobs Drop Surprises Economists

A surprising drop in hiring and in the number of people seeking work in August sent a reminder that the U.S. economic recovery is still prone to temporary slowdowns.

Employers added just 142,000 jobs last month, well below the 212,000 average of the previous 12 months. The unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent from 6.2 percent. But that was because more people without jobs stopped looking for one and were no longer counted as unemployed.

Analysts took Friday's Labor Department report in stride. They noted that other gauges of the economy - from manufacturing and construction to auto sales - remain solid. Layoffs have dwindled, too. Analysts also noted that month-to-month volatility in hiring is common even in a healthy economy.

But the dip in hiring also suggests that, though the Great Recession officially ended more than five years ago, the economy has yet to shed some of its lingering weaknesses. Held back by sluggish pay growth, for example, consumers continue to spend cautiously.

Report: S.C. Dropping in Adult Obesity List

South Carolina is dropping in a national poll, and this time it’s a positive thing.

The state dropped from No. 7 to No. 10 in adult obesity in the latest annual report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. That’s still a lousy ranking, but at least it isn’t getting worse –which is similar to the rest of the country.

South Carolina has been fixture in the top 10, rising as high as No. 5 in 2007-2009, in the annual statistics on adult obesity. The report, previously known as “F as in Fat” was rechristened “The State of Obesity” this year because the authors have seen enough progress to quit calling the anti-obesity efforts a failure.

South Carolina’s adult obesity rate actually edged up slightly, from 31.6 percent to 31.7 percent, in 2013, but the study’s authors don’t consider that a statistically significant increase because of the margin of error in the data. Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee all moved ahead of South Carolina in 2013 in terms of adult obesity.

The groups that put together the study said the fact that only six states this year – and only one last year – had a statistically significant increase in adult obesity is an indication the growth of the health problem has slowed. But no states have statistically significant improvements, and adult obesity rates nationally remain much too high at nearly one-third in 2013 compared to less than 15 percent 30 years ago. 

“It’s significant that we can talk about progress,” said Ginny Ehrlich, director of the childhood obesity team at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “After 10 years of concrete efforts, we’re starting to see rates plateau.”

In South Carolina, adult obesity rates shot from 12 percent in 1990 to 29.2 percent in 2007. Since then, the increase has been more incremental, going up just 2.5 percent in the next six years.

Independent Mail: Clemson Efforts to Clean Up Anderson Water Under Way

Nikie Mayo of the Anderson Independent-Mail is reporting that researchers from Clemson University and environmental engineering company SynTerra Corp. will treat up to 160 acres of Hartwell Lake with algae-killing compounds to try to improve the taste of Upstate customer’s drinking water.

The researchers have been contracted by the Anderson Regional Joint Water System to apply compounds with copper and hydrogen peroxide into the lake to break down the algae that is causing taste and odor problems for the approximately 200,000 customers of the system.

The application of the algae-killing compound has already started this week and will continue over the next several days. Once the applications are complete, system officials expect to see some algae-killing results, with the loss of the specific algae affecting taste and odor, in a week or so.

Even though the results are expected within a week, it may take longer for the taste to improve because there is already water in the system.

Full Story at Anderson Independent-Mail

Ervin, Haley First to Accept Invitation to Debates

Gov. Nikki Haley and independent Republican candidate for governor Tom Ervin accepted an offer from ABC News 4, The Post and Courier, WPDE, WACH, and WLOS to appear at a pair of gubernatorial debates.

Ervin's camp issued the first acceptance Thursday. Ervin's campaign adviser Matt David said in a release Thursday Ervin was accepting the offer to appear because the voters of the state should hear each candidate's vision for the state.

Ervin is trailing Haley and Sen. Vincent Sheheen in the polls. A recent ABC News 4/Post and Courier poll shows Ervin with 3 percent of the vote.

"We fully anticipate that each candidate will follow Tom's lead and accept this invitation because rejecting this opportunity would deny voters this fundamental component of the democratic process and send the message that they have something to hide. Tom looks forward to discussing his common sense vision to repair our crumbling roads, provide every child a world class education, and implement tough ethics reform to clean-up Columbia," David said.

The first debate will be held in the Charleston area on Oct. 14 and focus on jobs, economy, and state growth. The second debate will be held a week later in the Greenville area and focus on education and health care.

The Post and Courier and ABC News 4 are partnering with WACH in Columbia, WPDE in Myrtle Beach, and WLOS in Greenville to reach most of the state's voters through broadcast and print.

Both of the debates will be streamed live on ABCNews4.com.

There will be two debates hosted by The Post and Courier, WCIV-TV in Charleston, WACH-TV in Columbia, WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach and WLOS-TV/WMYA-TV in the Greenville market. 

The first debate will be in the Charleston media market on Tuesday, Oct. 14 and it will focus on jobs, the economy and growth.

The second debate will be held in the Greenville/Spartanburg media market on Tuesday, Oct. 21. and it will focus on education and healthcare.

Each debate will be hosted by a panel of journalists and broadcast by the event's media partners and live streamed online.

More Rain Expected Today

After more than 2 inches of rain fell in many spots across the Upstate and mountains through Wednesday, more rain is forecasted for Thursday as our weather pattern remains unsettled.

Today is expected to bring more hot temperatures and high humidity, leading to strong storms by late afternoon, with the main threats being lightning and heavy downpours.  Any storm that forms could produce torrential rain and frequent lightning. Friday should be slightly drier, but a few storms will still be possible. A cold front moves in this weekend, and it will bring the best chance of rain on Sunday.

All Home Depot Stores May Have Been Hacked

Customer data could have been stolen from nearly all of Home Depot Inc’s stores in the United States, according to new information released on Wednesday by security website Krebs on Security.

Brian Krebs, who runs the website, had said on Tuesday that the problem could affect all of Home Depot’s 2,200 stores in the United States. On Wednesday, he said he found new evidence that the breach first surfaced on the website Rescator, where customer credit cards were listed according to store Zip code.

These codes showed a 99.4% overlap with Home Depot stores, he said.

In all, there were 1,939 codes corresponding to Home Depot store locations, Krebs’ website said. It is not yet clear how many customers were impacted.

Home Depot has not confirmed that a breach occurred. It has said it is investigating “unusual activity” and is working with its banking partners and law enforcement to investigate.

The FBI declined to comment on Wednesday.

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