U.S. Household Food Insecurity Stuck at 2008 Level

The number of American households with access to enough food for a healthy, active life has remained largely unchanged since it spiked during the 2008 economic recession, according to the US department of agriculture’s annual report on food security released on Wednesday.

Eighty-five point seven percent of US households had access to enough food for the entirety of 2013, the report found. The number of households that for at least part of the year did not have access to safe, available foods has hovered in the 14% range since 2008 when it jumped from the the 2007 figure of 11.1% because of the economic recession.

“At this rate it would take decades to get back to the rate before the recession,” Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, told the Guardian. “So the progress that is being made is far, far too slow. The rate was far too high before the recession and we’re not moving very fast at getting back towards that rate.”

Of the 14.3% of households that fall into the food insecurity category, 5.6% are in the lowest threshold of “very low food security.” This checks out to an estimated 6.8m households across the US that had to adjust their eating patterns because of lack of money or other resources to get food. A majority of that group said they had skipped meals or cut down the size of meals because they didn’t have enough money for food.

“The cure for all this isn’t a mystery,” said Weill. “We know how to do it: it’s a political problem, not a scientific problem. We know that the cure is better employment rates, higher wages and better income nutrition and support programs.”

For 75% of the food insecure group, the conditions were experienced in three or more months of the year. Of the households with children, 19.5% were food insecure, with 9.9% of households having food insecure adults and children.

Dr David Holben, acting associate dean at Ohio University’s college of health and sciences and professions, said food insecurity causes illness, psychological issues and social disturbances.

“You probably have a neighbor that you don’t realize doesn’t have access to food and there are probably some negative things happening because of that,” said Holben.

He said federal and non-federal food and nutrition programs are needed to address this disparity. As are community-based actions like increasing job and economic security and helping individuals and households to be self-sufficient.

Full Story Here

Joint Committee Discusses Medical Pot in S.C.

South Carolina still has a lot to do before implementing a law allowing residents to use oil derived from marijuana for medicinal purposes.

A legislative committee created to guide the General Assembly through the medical marijuana issue met for the first time Wednesday. The panel was created after the state passed a law this year allowing residents suffering from severe epilepsy to use cannabidiol, also known as CBD oil, to control seizures if approved by a doctor.

The State Law Enforcement Division says it is still illegal to grow marijuana or hemp for any reason in South Carolina, including to extract the oil. Federal law prohibits sending the oil across state lines.

Ervin Tells Anderson Town Hall He'll be Next Governor

Former South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell was the last leader of the state who exhibited the proper leadership, Tom Ervin, the independent Republican challenging South Carolina Governor Nikkie Haley, told a crowd of more than 100 who attended a town hall meeting at Mama Penn's in Anderson Wednesday morning. 

Ervin said under Haley's tenure as governor, the state continued to lag behind the rest of the nation in a number of categories including maintaining the states roads and education. He also favors ending the state income tax.

Ervin is in the middle of a barnstorming of the state, with town halls scheduled statewide over the next two weeks as part of his return to "common sense" government.

The former judge and state representative says he can unseat Haley in November by offering a fresh vision for reforming government in the state.

For more information visit Trustintom.com

Study: Low Carb Diet of Unprocessed Foods Best

A new study has found that a low-carbohydrate diet helped participants drop weight faster over 12 months than a low-fat one, but let's not toss the rye bread and start frying up the eggs just yet.

Look past the headlines that the study, led by Tulane University's Dr. Lydia Bazzano and published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, has generated, and you will find that the message is not, in fact, about the importance of really cutting back on carbohydrates — it's yet another heads up to be more careful about what we're eating.

The study found that a group following a low-carb diet lost more weight — an average of 7.7 pounds worth — and their levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol had increased "significantly more" than a group following a low-fat diet over a year's time. Their triglycerides also fell sharply, and their Framingham scores, which predict how likely a patient is to have a heart attack within 10 years, also dropped.

Many see the results as an endorsement of an Atkins-like high-protein, high-fat diet, but Sharon R. Akabas, Ph.D., director of the M.S. in nutrition program at the Institute of Human Nutrition for Columbia University, said that we may be missing the point.

"The message that may be lost in translation is that eating unprocessed foods is very important," she said.

America has made a "big mistake" in making fat out to be villainous, she said, and the foods we developed in the wake of the "low-fat" craze may be low in fat but high in sugar and really low in nutrients. So while there's nothing inherently wrong with using a low-fat diet to keep your weight down, it's difficult to do without eventually eating processed foods. The reason? We've got to get our calories somehow. Low-carb diets, on the other hand, may not be as difficult to maintain; dieters may eat more fat, but if it's healthy fat – from nuts and olive oil, for example – that's OK.

"The higher-fat diet seems to allow us to select less processed foods, and that allows people to manage their weight better," Akabas said. "That ultimately affects their health in a positive way." In other words, she noted, this study reinforces what scores of previous studies have found: "People should reduce their simple sugars and processed foods while moving to a more plant-based diet."

Full Story Here

Adkins link here

State Investigating if Disabled Overcharged for Care

South Carolina’s inspector general says he is launching an investigation into whether disabled residents are being overcharged for their care.

Patrick Maley told The Associated Press on Tuesday he has no timeline on his investigation but aims to report his findings as soon as possible for the sake of potential victims.

His inquiry comes after a former commissioner for the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs went public with allegations that several of the agency’s providers were incorrectly charging disabled clients for rent in group homes. Deborah McPherson says providers are not properly crediting federal housing subsidies to clients’ accounts.

Special Needs spokeswoman Lois Park Mole says the agency is hiring an outside accounting firm to review local disability boards’ billing. She says residents will be reimbursed for any overpayments.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/09/02/3655578/sc-politics-inspector-general.html#storylink=cpy

Council Votes to Drop Burns' "Interim" Title; Oks Walmart Grocer at Reed Road/S.C. 81

Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn proposed opening up the job of administrator in house for five working days, at which time council would meet and remove the word "Interim" from the title of Anderson County Interim Administrator Rusty Burns.

The current Anderson County ordinace states that positions may be opened up for in-house applicants for five working days. Dunn said that there would be no new contract, or change in the duties for which Burns is currently responsible.

"I want to make sure this will not potentially hurt us where they can come back and tack onto this (Preston) appeal," said Anderson County Councilman Eddie Moore. Moore suggested opening the position up to all candidates, internal and external, adding that he thinks Burns will still be the best candidate.

The proposal passed 4-3, with Dunn, Allen, Floyd and Waters favoring the move, and Crowder, Wilson and Moore opposing.

Council then gave final approval to rezoning property near the corner of S.C. 81 and Reed Road, including access to Reed Road, for the construction of a Walmart Neighborhood Market grocery store. Crowder read a list of chances amending the final ordinance, including: a narrower access road from Reed Road and landscaping to county standards.

Walmart Neighborhood Markets debuted in 1998, and now have more than 300 stores across the country. The stores feature a full grocery department, including organic and natural selections, prepared food options, fresh-baked breads, a self-serve deli, a bakery and a pharmacy.

On Tuesday night, Council also:

Approved on second reading tax incentives for the business, code-named "Project Bridge," which would bring a $16 million investment and 10 jobs to the county, with an average salary of $16 per hour.

Approved on frist reading tax incentives for Project Wolf, and existing Anderson company which will 14 jobs, average salary of $14.50 per hour, and a $2.5 million investment, to the existing business which employs 16.

Approved an ordinance moving the Anderson County Civic Center back into County Council District 1. 

Haley Supports Off-Shore Drilling, Despite Tourism Fears

When Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling scans the horizon of his city, he doesn't see a place for oil rigs.

He fears the impact offshore drilling operations could have on South Carolina's coastal tourism.

He doesn't understand why the state would threaten an actual moneymaker -- tourism -- to prospect for oil and natural gas riches that might never pan out.

Keyserling is not alone, but he is in the minority.

Most of South Carolina's political leadership favors offshore energy production. And a poll, paid for by oil lobbyists, says 77 percent of South Carolinians support offshore drilling.

But what concerns Keyserling and others involved in South Carolina energy policy is that South Carolina won't have a say in whether oil rigs set up off the coast.

Ultimately, the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will make that decision based on the results of seismic testing that could begin as early as next year. If the government decides there is enough accessible oil and natural gas off the coast to warrant drilling, it will lease the waters to oil companies.

South Carolina's huge coastal tourism and fishing industries could be put at risk by a decision that's out of the state's hands, drilling opponents say.

"South Carolina policymakers, the public, won't get to see the data collected from the seismic testing, so we're completely left out of any cost-benefit analysis, any type of open dialogue about 'OK, this is what's out there, should we go and allow for oil and gas development?'" said Hamilton Davis, energy and climate director for the Coastal Conservation League.

U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-Charleston, said the federal government should balance energy needs with regulation and input from state and local governments. Sanford said he opposes offshore drilling for oil along South Carolina's coast, preferring natural gas production to oil.

Other key policymakers in South Carolina have thrown their support behind the industry. Gov. Nikki Haley has joined a coalition of coastal-state governors in favor of offshore drilling. And U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott have authored pro-drilling bills in Congress. All are Republicans.

With the government opening up Atlantic coastal waters for testing for the first time since the 1980s, advocates say now is the time to find out once and for all whether readily accessible oil exists there.

"How do we know, because we're relying on 30-year-old technology?" U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, asked. "Until we actually do some 21st century technology seismic work out there, how do we know?

"I want to take that next step to see what might be out there."

Full Story Here

S.C. Politicians Barking Up an Old Tree

In some ways, political campaigning has gone to the dogs in South Carolina.

Boots McMaster, a bulldog with no chance of being elected, is a well-known political face this campaign season. Then there are the miniature schnauzers Ace and Angel Ervin and a yellow lab with the iconic South Carolina political name of Strom.

With almost half of American households owning dogs, a number of South Carolina politicians are featuring their dogs – but nary a cat – in ads, on websites and on Facebook pages.

The best-known seems to be Boots, the bulldog who appears with Republican Henry McMaster in his television ads as he runs for lieutenant governor. McMaster introduces Boots as the family watchdog while adding, “I’m proud of my record as South Carolina’s watchdog.”

On his campaign website, there’s a link directly to the Boots ad in the shape of a dog tag. And for a $100 contribution one can get a picture of the candidate and Boots “signed” by both.

When independent gubernatorial candidate Tom Ervin ran his first newspaper ads last month, they featured a picture of Ervin and his wife, Kathryn, holding their schnauzers Ace and Angel. Republican Hugh Weathers, seeking another term as agriculture commissioner, is on his website in a photo with his wife, Blanche, holding their springer spaniels, Hub and Baby Girl.

And a cursory check shows a number candidates for the state House of Representatives have pictures of their pet dogs on web or Facebook sites. They include Charleston state Rep. Chip Limehouse with a family picture with their pet dog, Strom.

Americans have long been fascinated by the dogs of political leaders. It was news last year when President Obama’s family adopted their second Portuguese water dog, Sunny. In George W. Bush’s administration, First Dog Barney bit a reporter.

There was Richard Nixon’s cocker spaniel Checkers and, of course, Fala, the black Scottish terrier who was Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s companion in the final years life and who is immortalized in sculpture at the FDR Memorial in Washington.

The Humane Society of the United States reports that pet ownership has tripled in the past four decades and now 47 percent of American households have at least one dog.

Full Story Here

Council to Decide on Walmart Grocer at Reed Road/S.C. 81

Anderson County Council will decide on Tuesday night whether to give final approval to a Walmart Neighborhood Grocery store near the corner of S.C. 81 and Reed Road. Council delayed final vote at the last August meeting to make sure S.C. Department of Transportation issues had been cleared up.

As part of Tuesday night's 6:30 p.m. council meeting in the historic courthouser downtown, a pair of tax incentives will also be considered for businesses expanding in the county.

Full Agenda Here

Anderson Democrats to Host Sheheen Event Saturday

The Anderson County Democratic Party will hold a Fish Fry and campaign appearance by Vincent Sheheen, candidate for Governor, at the Bethel AME Church, 810 South Fant St., on Saturday. The public is invited.

The county democratic party will also hold its regular First Saturday Meeting onr Saturday at 9 a.m. at the party headquarters at 115 North Main St., Anderson.  Plans for activities leading up to the election on November 4 will be discussed, including voter registration, calling and canvassing to encourage all voters to participate. All those interested in helping are invited to attend the Saturday meeting and to visit the headquarters during the week between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. 

For more information call Anderson County Democratic Party Charman Stuart Sprague at 864-314-5640.

Why Do Americans Celebrate Labor Day?

After months of enjoying the pleasures of summer, for many one holiday marks the end of that time of leisure and the beginning of a new season of obligation.

Across the United States of America, each year the first Monday of September marks the observance of Labor Day.

A date known for its picnics, parades, block parties, and the dreadful reminder that the school year is about to begin, Labor Day has a history going back to the nineteenth century.

It is a history entangled in the debate over unions and workers' rights, bearing with it a more political implication than many federally recognized holidays.

Below are some interesting facts about the holiday that forms the mental barrier between summer and autumn.

A Canadian Heritage

Although a nationally observed holiday in the United States of America, what has become Labor Day might actually have its roots in the Great White North.

During the 1870s, labor unions protested the lengthy work week in Toronto and held a parade in the city in 1872.

Rather than be a cause for celebration, the demonstration led to a mass arrest of labor leadership by the then anti-union Canadian government.

It was not until the 1880s that similar demonstrations and observances came to the American labor movement, which helped to usher in the holiday.

A Disputed Heritage

As with other national holidays, Labor Day began as a series of isolated local celebrations and observances rather than one nationwide date.

Throughout the 1880s, with the formation of unions and socialist organizations, various states passed legislation making the holiday official.

Regarding the specific founder of the national Labor Day holiday, an entry on the History Channel website noted that there is no consensus on the matter.

"Many credit Peter J. McGuire, cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, while others have suggested that Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, first proposed the holiday," noted History.com.

The first official Labor Day is widely believed to be the observance held in New York City on Sept. 5, 1882, which involved a parade. Ironically it was a Tuesday.

"The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union," noted the U.S. Department of Labor.

"The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883."

A Political Heritage

While Americans of all ideological stripes celebrate Labor Day today, the observance has roots in the labor movement and thus has a more partisan aspect.

Labor Day came from the increased strikes demanding an eight-hour work day and better working conditions overall for factories.

The immediate cause for the creation of a federal Labor Day was the fallout from the violent breakup of a strike held in June of 1894 in Chicago, according to History.com.

"To break the strike, the federal government dispatched troops to Chicago, unleashing a wave of riots that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen workers," noted the site.

"In the wake of this massive unrest and in an attempt to repair ties with American workers, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories."

As time passed, changes emerged in how people celebrated and thought of the first Monday in September, which is widely observed even as union membership in the United States is hitting record lows.

An American Heritage

While the labor movement is international, Labor Day in the United States falls at a time different from most of the rest of the world.

Among the international labor movement, May 1, also called May Day, is International Workers' Day. Over 80 countries celebrate the observance during the spring rather than September.

International Workers' Day tends to be celebrated the way America's Labor Day was generations ago, with unions holding widespread demonstrations.

According to Officeholidays.com, the United States' selection of a different day to observe Labor Day rather than May 1 may have had its roots in anti-socialist sentiments among the political establishment.

"There is some suggestion that the reason for this was to avoid the commemoration of riots that had occurred in 1886,"noted the site.

"The adoption of May Day by communists and socialists as their primary holiday [might] have been … another reason as they further [increased] official resistance to May Day labor celebrations in America."

State: Labor Day Heats Up S.C. Governor's Race

Labor Day usually kicks off the traditional election season, though South Carolina’s governor’s race this year seemed to get going around Easter.

Perhaps that’s because the foes – Republican Gov. Nikki Haley and Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen – are so familiar with each other. They are the first gubernatorial candidates meeting in a rematch in state history.

Polls suggest a repeat of 2010, when Haley won by 4.5 percentage points. The governor leads Sheheen by 3 to 17 percentage points, according to voter surveys this summer.

But even as Haley enjoys rising approval ratings and a large fundraising edge, she faces a challenge from a petition candidate with a heavily self-financed campaign who jumped out of the GOP primary to spend more time and money against the governor. Greenville attorney Tom Ervin has already put out just as many TV ads as Haley before Labor Day.

Ads started airing in March and April. Election season’s earlier start – or “election creep” – means voters are engaged earlier and people are paying attention longer, Sheheen campaign manager Andrew Whalen said.

And voters have had a hard time not paying attention to the race with all the ads – including some from Sheheen – that have appeared during morning shows, evening news and even on social media, websites and YouTube.

“Our campaign’s digital presence has been robust for a long time, but we have found that ... digital space is particularly well-suited for videos that tell the stories of the difference Gov. Haley makes for all South Carolinians – and there will be more of that,” Haley campaign spokesman Rob Godfrey said.

While the candidates might have bucked a little tradition with early ads, they have well-established habits of griping about each other’s pitches to voters.

Haley, a former state representative from Lexington, says in an ad that she helped move 20,000 S.C. residents from welfare-to-work, a figure that Sheheen believes is smaller.

Sheheen, a Camden attorney, ran an ad saying Haley hid theDepartment of Revenue hackingfor more than two weeks. The governor’s camp said the ad was misleading for failing to say law enforcement officials asked her to not reveal the breach at first.

A wild card in the race is Ervin, who spent $2 million for a month of TV ads to run through Labor Day. He produced four spots running statewide.

But the former state lawmaker and judge has a lot of ground to make up since entering the race in March.

Ervin received just 3 percent of support in a July poll of 650 likely voters, commissioned by four S.C. media outlets. Libertarian candidate Steve French, who has spent a fraction of Ervin’s outlay, received 2 percent. No other polls that include Ervin by name have been released since his TV ad blitz started.

Haley received 46 percent in the poll, while Sheheen netted 42 percent.

The Sheheen campaign says Ervin, who calls himself an “independent Republican,” will take away votes from Haley.

“Nikki Haley would be much happier if he weren’t running,” Whalen said.

Full Story at The State

Common Core Standards Still in Force for Fall

Common Core education standards are opposed by conservatives across the country. Here's a look at what they are and what's happening in South Carolina:

WHAT IS COMMON CORE?

Common Core standards are math and English benchmarks describing what students should know after completing each grade, so they're ready for college and careers after high school.

They replace standards and proficiency definitions that varied state-to-state. More than 40 states, including South Carolina, have adopted them, allowing for accurate comparisons of students' performance.

Opponents view Common Core as a nationalization of public education, though it's not federal. The initiative was led by governors and superintendents, through the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. However, the Obama administration encouraged states to sign on through its Race to the Top grant program.

WHAT'S ITS STATUS HERE?

Full implementation of Common Core, to include testing aligned to the standards, continues as planned this school year.

But a South Carolina law signed May 30 requires new standards to replace Common Core when students walk into classrooms in August 2015. Opponents of Common Core had pushed to immediately toss them out. Instead, the compromise language required new standards in 2015-16 following a review of the current ones. Any changes must be approved by both the state Board of Education and the independent Education Oversight Committee — the two boards that adopted Common Core in 2010.

HOW MUCH WILL CHANGE?

Two definite additions will be requiring elementary students to learn how to write in cursive and memorize multiplication tables, as mandated in a separate law signed in June. Another expected change is adding standards for a high school calculus course, which Common Core lacks.

Beyond that, many legislators expected a tweaking of Common Core. Leaders of the state board and oversight committee said there's no time to start from scratch. However, Superintendent Mick Zais insists there is and that there will be no simple editing of Common Core. Zais has no vote on either deciding board, but he has influence over the process, as his agency put together the educator panels it instructed to write, not review, standards. Zais initially said the panels wouldn't even have access to Common Core, but he later backed off that to say Common Core standards are among those on the table for consideration.

WHAT'S THE TIMELINE?

The math and reading writing panels first met July 21 and Aug. 6, respectively. The state Board of Education approved Aug. 13 a timeline that calls for giving a final OK to the new standards in March, allowing time for teacher training on the changes. That relies on the writing panels turning in drafts by mid-October and the state's university and technical college boards certifying the panels' standards are "college and career ready." If not, the boards will have a real mess about the time Zais, who's not seeking a second term, leaves office in January.

The panels are scheduled to meet 19 times before mid-October, then reconvene in December.

The process normally takes a couple of years, and this is the first time South Carolina educators are tasked with writing standards that meet the "college and career ready" definition that any student who scores proficient won't need remedial course work. Currently, 41 percent of students who graduate from a public high school require math and reading remediation in South Carolina's two-year colleges.

WILL THE PUBLIC HAVE INPUT?

The Education Oversight Committee invites the public to comment on Common Core standards in a survey available at http://scstandards.org , which is open through Sept. 30. The oversight agency is appointing review panels that will include educators, parents, and business and community leaders to review the survey results and the writing panels' drafted standards.