Viva Recycling to Build Facility in Anderson

Viva Recycling of South Carolina, a tire recycler and rubber manufacturer, announced today its decision to establish a new facility in Anderson County. The $6.9 million investment is expected to create 14 new jobs in the area over the next five years.   

Established in 2011 and headquartered in Moncks Corner, Viva Recycling of South Carolina processes scrap tires to produce environmentally responsible recycled rubber products for home, business and recreation. These tires are collected from a variety of sources throughout the Southeast, including cars, light and heavy trucks, landfills, municipalities and tire retailers.  

Utilizing state-of-the-art recycling processes, the company separates the scrap tires and other selected industrial rubber scrap into their component parts - rubber, steel and fiber. While the steel and fiber are recycled, the rubber is sized, shaped, colored and molded into a wide range of sustainable products for various industrial, commercial and residential applications.

Viva Recycling of South Carolina's products include landscape mulch, playground safety flooring, artificial field in-fill, rubber sidewalks, rubber pavers, equestrian flooring, rubberized asphalt and many more items.

The company's new facility, located at 3520 Abbeville Highway in Anderson, is expected to be operational by December 2014 and will implement the same recycling model used at the Moncks Corner operation, where it has recycled over four million tires per year.  

Viva Recycling of South Carolina will start hiring for new positions in September 2014. Those interested in applying should contact Toni Everett at 843-761-7955.  

FAST FACTS

•     Viva Recycling of South Carolina will establish a new facility in Anderson County.
•     $6.9 million investment to create 14 jobs.
•     The company processes scrap tires to produce environmentally responsible recycled rubber products for home, business and recreation.
•     Viva Recycling of South Carolina products include landscape mulch, playground safety flooring, artificial field in-fill, rubber sidewalks, rubber pavers, equestrian flooring, rubberized asphalt and many more items.
•     Operations are expected to begin in December 2014 with hiring for the new positions starting in September 2014.

Meals on Wheels in Serious Need of Drivers

Meals on Wheels-Anderson needs drivers immediately to help deliver hot, nutritious meals to our elderly neighbors. Due to a shortage of drivers, there are elderly, homebound and disabled seniors that the organization is unable to serve because there is simply no one available to deliver a meal to them.
 
There are now waiting lists in some outlying areas where the organization provides service. Specifically, the Belton and Pelzer areas face the greatest challenge at this time. However, the city of Anderson also has delivery routes that also need regular drivers.
 
Meals on Wheels-Anderson typically serves more than 600 people each weekday. Meals are prepared and packaged at the Meals on Wheels center at 105 S. Fant Street, and volunteer drivers pick up the meals from either the center or a specified location closer to the delivery area. The drivers are given a route to follow which guides them to each home in a certain area. Delivery of meals usually takes one to two hours of time.
 
Volunteer drivers not only provide one-third of the daily nutrition required for the program’s recipients, but they are also a source of human contact and compassion that many of them may not otherwise receive each day.
 
Please consider helping the hungry senior citizens of Anderson County. To volunteer, please call 864-225-6800 or email jcampbell@acmow.org.

State Trooper Slams "Violent Agitators" in Missouri

The Missouri state trooper in charge of directing the law enforcement response to protests that have rocked a St. Louis suburb slammed "violent agitators" who he said were using largely peaceful protests as "cover" to commit criminal acts. 

Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson told reporters in Ferguson early Tuesday that 31 people had been arrested during a night of unrest that followed a day of largely peaceful protest. As Johnson spoke, two handguns and a Molotov cocktail that he said had been confiscated during the night by authorities lay on a table in front of him. 

The majority-black town of approximately 21,000 has been roiled by unrest since the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by a white police officer following a confrontation of some kind on the afternoon of August 9. Local authorities have fired tear gas and smoke canisters on an almost daily basis at protesters upset with the response to the shootings by Ferguson Police.

A visibly angry Johnson said that officers had come under heavy gunfire from protesters and at least two people had been shot. Johnson said he did not know the condition of the shooting victims. Four officers had been injured when they were struck by rocks or bottles, though Johnson claimed that police had not fired a single shot.  

Citing what he called a "dangerous dynamic in the night," Johnson requested that protests take place during the daylight hours, so that officers could effectively isolate any troublemakers. However, Johnson said that his forces could not make protesters leave the streets after sunset if they did not want to. 

"This nation is watching each and every one of us," said Johnson. "I am not going to let the criminals that have come here from across this country, or live in this neighborhood, define this community." Johnson added that some of those who had been arrested overnight had come from as far afield as New York and California. The trooper also directed his wrath at the assembled media, saying that they had put themselves and officers in danger by failing to clear areas when asked before imploring them to "not glamorize the acts of criminals."

"We do not want to lose another life in this community," Johnson added.

Full Story Here

S.C. Schools to Consider Conduct Grades

South Caro­lina Board of Education members are weighing whether grades for students’ conduct should be included on report cards.

Board member Larry Ko­brov­sky recently proposed requiring all districts to give students a letter grade for their effort, punctuality and neatness. Such skills are necessary for success in life, and the only way to stress expectations of personal responsibility is to put a grade on it, he said.

“This is the missing element,” said Kobrovsky, a former Charleston County school board member. “No matter how much we spend, we won’t be successful unless we mold students to work hard. The only way we can do that is to grade that.”

Chairwoman-elect Traci Young Cooper said she’s adamantly opposed. The former state teacher of the year noted that report cards include a place for teachers to provide information on students’ conduct. If state standards set high expectations, then students’ classroom grades already reflect their personal character skills, she said.

“It’s already embedded in the way we assess our students,” she said.

Department of Education officials told board members that conduct might be difficult to assess for students with physical and emotional disabilities. If their conduct is a function of their disability, grading them on it could interfere with the law, said John Payne, the director of the Office of Special Edu­cation Services.

The subcommittee postponed further discussion until next month’s meeting.

Some questioned whether such a policy would require legislative action.

Currently, districts can choose to grade students’ conduct. It’s unclear how many do. Agency officials were asked to compile that information.

Report: Heart Disease, Strokes in Decline

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the US. But a new study finds that hospitalizations and deaths from the condition - as well as from stroke - have declined in the last decade.

The research team - led by Dr. Harlan Krumholz, director of the Center of Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT - recently published their findings in the journal Circulation.

To reach their findings, Dr. Krumholz and colleagues analyzed data of almost 34 million people who received Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) between 1999 and 2011.

Using this information, the researchers assessed trends in hospitalization rates, death rates within a month of hospital admission, rates of readmission within a month of hospital discharge, and risk of death within 12 months of visiting the hospital.

Results of their analysis revealed that hospitalization rates for heart attack declined by 38% during the 12-year period, while risk of death from heart attack within 12 months of visiting the hospital reduced by 23%.

Cost to Raise a Child to 18 Almost $250,000

A child born in 2013 will cost a middle-income American family an average of $245,340 until he or she becomes an adult, with families living in the north-east taking on a greater burden, according to a report out Monday.

Those costs – food, housing, childcare and education – rose 1.8% over the previous year, the Agriculture Department’s new “Expenditures on Children and Families” report said. As in the past, families in the urban north-east will spend more than families in the urban South and rural parts of the US, or roughly $282,480.

When adjusting for projected inflation, the report found that a child born last year could cost a middle-income family an average of about $304,480.

The USDA’s annual report, based on the government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey, found families were consistent in how they spent their money across all categories from 2012 to 2013. The costs associated with pregnancy or expenses accumulated after a child becomes an adult, such as college tuition, were not included.

In 1960, the first year the report was issued, a middle-income family could spend about $25,230, equivalent to $198,560 in 2013 dollars, to raise a child until the age of 18. Housing costs remain the greatest child-rearing expense, as they did in the 1960s, although current-day costs like childcare were negligible back then.

For middle-income families, the USDA found, housing expenses made up roughly 30% of the total cost of raising a child. Child care and education were the second-largest expenses, at 18%, followed by food at 16%.

Expenses per child decrease as a family has more children, the report found, as families with three or more children spend 22% less per child than families with two children. That’s because more children share bedrooms, clothing and toys, and food can be purchased in larger, bulk quantities.

Anderson, S.C., See Increases in July Jobless Rate

In July, South Carolina’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 5.7 percent
from 5.3 percent in June, marking a shift upward after little change during the second quarter of the year.

Anderson County’s unemployment rate reflected the statewide trend, rising from 5.2 percent in June to 5.7 percent in July. While Anderson remains among the counties with the lowest reported unemployment numbers, 5,010 citizens were listed as unemployed in July.

Every county in the state reported increases in their jobless rate in July.

The number of unemployed persons grew by 9,124 to 124,670. Working South Carolinians dropped by 6,442 people to 2,043,602. From June to July, the labor force noted an increase of 2,682 to a level of 2,168,272.

Since July 2013, about 28,740 people have found work, and the labor force decreased by 15,142. Additionally, over the year, the state’s unemployment rate has declined by approximately 2 percentage points. Nationally, the unemployment rate increased to 6.2 percent in July from 6.1 percent in June.

The jump in South Carolina was among the largest month-to-month increases in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Two other states - Georgia and Wyoming also - had jobless rate increases of four-tenths of a percentage point. Tennessee's rate went up by half a percentage point, BLS officials said.

Monthly unemployment went up in 30 states, according to federal officials. National unemployment went up slightly in July, from 6.1 percent to 6.2 percent.

S.C. in National GOP Spotlight this Week

This week, South Carolina gets a piece of the action.

While Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential caucus and primary calendar, and New Hampshire, which holds the nation's first primary, have seen numerous visits this summer by many of the potential 2016 candidates, things have been quiet in South Carolina.

But that changes today in the state that holds the first southern nominating contest.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida headlines a major fundraiser for Rep. Jeff Duncan in Anderson tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Anderson Civic Center. Duncan's fourth annual Faith and Freedom barbeque is a big draw with many of the Palmetto State's top Republicans expected to attend. This is Rubio's first visit to South Carolina in the 2016 presidential cycle.

Last year, another potential GOP White House contender, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, was the main attraction at Duncan's "Upstate" event. It was one of two trips Paul made to South Carolina last year.

Paul's also back in the state on Monday, about 120 miles to the east of Rubio. He'll headline a fundraiser in Rock Hill for Nick Mulvaney, another Republican congressman up for re-election this November.

On Wednesday, Rick Perry pays a visit to South Carolina. The longtime Texas governor, who made a bid for the 2012 Republican nomination and is flirting with another run in 2016, will help raise money in Columbia for the state GOP. The next day Perry will attend the SEC's college football opener, pitting his beloved Texas A&M Aggies vs. the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.

This is Perry's second swing through South Carolina this year. He joined Gov. Nikki Haley, who's up for re-election in November, on the campaign trail in early July.

This week's trio of visits is putting 2016 spotlight back on South Carolina.

"These are three folks with solid conservative records who should have some built-in appeal in South Carolina. So they all have an opportunity to succeed here. The question is who is going to the best job over the next couple of years in convincing South Carolinians they're the best person for the job, and a couple of years is an eternity in presidential politics," longtime South Carolina GOP consultant Joel Sawyer told CNN.

While the state has seen some GOP traffic over the past 18 months, visits by potential Democratic presidential candidates have been very rare.

Zoning, Economic Development on Council Agenda

Anderson County Council will give final vote to a series of zoning changes and look at potential tax incentives for new business as part of Tuesday's meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

The business, code-named "Project Bridge," would bring a $16 million investment and 10 jobs with salaries of $16 per hour.

The public is invited to the meeting.

Full Agenda Here

Immigration Debate Threatens S.C. Peach Picking

The heated tempers of the nation’s border states are driving the debate over immigration policy. States such as South Carolina, though, are reckoning with a different set of challenges: a skimpy agriculture labor market and cumbersome immigrant worker programs that go unfixed amid partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill.

Over 20,000 U.S. farms employ more than 435,000 immigrant workers legally every year, according to 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture census data. Thousands – probably tens of thousands – more are employed illegally. In the fruit orchards of the Carolinas, farmers confront a blue-collar labor vacuum.

“Because we’re not a border state, it’s definitely harder to get people over this far from the border to work,” said Chalmers Carr, the owner of the East Coast’s largest peach grower, South Carolina’s Titan Farms. “2006, 2007, even 2008, we had a very robust economy and there were not enough farmworkers then. And there’s truly not enough farmworkers now, legal or illegal.”

South Carolina in particular has a unique view, having seen the greatest percentage increase in Hispanic population in the country from 2000 to 2010 – nearly 150 percent, according to the most recently available census data. Although its Hispanic population sits at a comparatively low 5.1 percent, the increase reflects decisions by immigrants to make the trek deeper into the U.S. And while many are taking temporary seasonal work, the labor shortage has become a permanent issue for growers and workers alike.

“It’s not a temporary situation,” said Lynn Tramonte, the deputy director of America’s Voice, which focuses on changing immigration policy. “It might be a seasonal job, but we’re going to keep having grapes that need to be picked and cows that need to be milked, and immigrants are coming to do that sort of labor.”

Immigrant workers who slipped over the borders years ago are aging out of the workforce, and their younger, more able-bodied counterparts are being kept from the fields because of the bureaucratic clutter. But the crops and the growing season don’t wait.

“We’re losing that aging population, but we’re also not getting anybody replacing them because of the mess we have at the border and no immigration law,” said Manuel Cunha Jr., the president of California’s Nisei Farmers League, which represents over 180 types of farms, including those that produce raisins, vegetables and flowers.

The trend certainly isn’t limited to the southern edges of the country either.

Those realities may be what’s shifting the debate in states that traditionally opposed any immigration restructuring. The support of South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham for a less-restrictive immigration policy has prompted much criticism from other more conservative Republicans. Such reaction forced him to back off a push to overhaul immigration law in 2008. Even those conservative attitudes are changing now, however.

Despite the shift in perception, lawmakers left Washington for the August recess with immigration plans in limbo and little expected to come of them once they return in September and turn their focus to November’s elections.

Away from the partisan politics inside the Beltway, it’s a delay that could wreak havoc for seasonal growers who are limited by complicated federal programs such as the H-2A and I-9 temporary immigrant visas.

Both programs provide passes for immigrants looking to cross the border for seasonal work. But minimum wage and identity requirements make the programs difficult for growers to adhere to, and they can be incentives either to buck the system or to move farms overseas.

“When we need those workers we have to have them, because Mother Nature doesn’t hold up and wait for us to get workers,” said Cunha. “When it’s time to harvest, it’s time to harvest.”

On top of that, South Carolina’s Carr says the recent influx of children slipping across the U.S. border has clogged the bureaucratic process further.

“I don’t know how many problems go on this long without being fixed. . . . I don’t think businesses such as mine can continue to wait and operate based on what may happen six years from now,” he said.

Delays in Nuke Plants Could Cost S.C., Ga.

Expensive delays are piling up for the companies building new nuclear power plants, raising fresh questions about whether they can control the construction costs that crippled the industry years ago.

The latest announcement came this week from executives at SCANA Corp., which has been warned by its builders the startup of the first of two new reactors in South Carolina could be delayed two years or more. SCANA Corp. and plant co-owner Santee Cooper have not accepted that timeline from the companies designing and building the reactors, nor have they accepted responsibility for additional costs.

That announcement may well foreshadow more delays for a sister project in eastern Georgia, and they have caught the attention of regulators and Wall Street.

"Delays generally cause cost increases, and the question becomes who's going to bear the costs?" said C. Dukes Scott, executive director of the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, a watchdog agency that monitors SCANA Corp.'s spending.

None of this is helpful for the nuclear power industry, which had hoped its newest generation of plants in Georgia and South Carolina would prove it could build without the delays and cost overruns so endemic years ago. When construction slows down, it costs more money to employ the thousands of workers needed to build a nuclear plant. Meanwhile, interest charges add up on the money borrowed to finance construction.

A single day of delay in Georgia could cost $2 million, according to an analysis by utility regulators.

Utility consumers often end up paying for these extra charges in the form of pricier electricity bills, unless the government intervenes and forces shareholders to absorb all or some of the losses. Despite previous delays and problems, regulators in both states have previously said finishing the nuclear plants is cheaper than stopping and building gas-fired power plants.

"People take it seriously because really the operative word is uncertainty," said Paul Patterson, an analyst for Glenrock Associates. "This is a large and complicated project and any significant delay has the potential to raise expenses."

Originally, the first of SCANA Corp.'s two new reactors was supposed to start commercial operation in April 2016. The company later moved that target startup date to early 2017.

Full Story Here

Gun Sales Slowing in S.C.

South Carolinians may still fear crime and federal regulation but their rush to stockpile guns and ammo appears to be waning, some Greenville County firearms dealers say.

Firearms are not as hard to find as they were earlier in the year, and gun owners can find ammunition, even if their purchases are limited or they cannot find the brand they want, dealers told The Greenville News.

"It's still an interesting time period but it is slowing down some and getting back to a little bit more maintainable area," said Brad Reece, a co-owner of James Firearm and Palmetto State Defense in Greer.

Mike Jones, a manager of The Gun Shop and Indoor Range in Simpsonville, said he thinks firearms are now readily available except for newer models, which he said is typical.

"I think the only thing you really see a shortage of is .22 ammo," he said. "It's not for self-defense. But for some reason people have just bought it up and really scalped the prices on them."

The run on guns and ammo began in 2008, dealers said, after the election of President Barack Obama spurred fears of gun and ammunition restrictions or regulation.

Harrell Cleared in Ethics Investigation

A grand jury investigation into alleged ethics violations against House Speaker Bobby Harrell is over, Harrell confirmed in a statement issued Saturday morning.

In the statement, Harrell said his attorneys were "recently informed" he was no longer the subject of the investigation. 

"The state Grand Jury expired June 30 and there is no longer any state Grand Jury investigation of me," Harrell said in the statement.

Harrell and his chief of staff, Greg Foster, confirmed that Attorney General Alan Wilson appointed Solicitor David Pascoe to handle any further investigations after Wilson removed himself from the case.

"The Attorney General made the decision to take these actions without any consultation or communication with my attorneys or me," Harrell's statement read.

"It is important for everyone to understand that we did not know about these events until about a month after they occurred. The Attorney General's office notified us of his decisions on July 29 during a call between my attorney and a representative of the Attorney General," Harrell said.

"I have said from the beginning that I violated no law and have only sought an independent prosecutor free of political motives and influence. I hope these events accomplish that," Harrell's statement concluded.