Solar Industry Skeptical of S.C. Expansion Plans

West Coast solar energy companies remain critical about a plan that is projected to expand sun power in South Carolina after years of reticence from utilities toward renewable energy in the Palmetto State.

While no longer opposing the solar bill as they had earlier this spring, The Alliance for Solar Choice and TUSK organizations said Thursday the legislation still favors utilities over private sun energy companies.

The alliance said the bill, which awaits only Gov. Nikki Haley’s approval, isn’t strong enough to bring national solar companies into South Carolina to help people install more affordable sun energy systems. Both groups represent some of the nation’s most prominent solar companies, which provide lower-cost solar energy systems to individual homeowners and businesses.

“It doesn’t necessarily increase choice and competition for the average Joe,” said Bryan Miller, who heads the California-headquartered alliance.

TUSK, short for Tell Utilities Solar won’t be Killed, said the bill is not model legislation for other states looking to increase more rooftop solar. TUSK is from Arizona.

“The final legislation is far from where it should be to truly grow the market in South Carolina,” TUSK said in a news release Thursday.

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S.C. Lawmakers Clear Way for Expanding Breweries

South Carolina lawmakers are hoping a bill they just passed will mean Stone Brewing Co. will choose the state for its East Coast expansion, which could mean 400 jobs and an investment of $31 million.

The bill loosens restrictions on craft breweries, allowing them to open restaurants on site and to sell more beer to visitors. They could also sell beer and wine made by other companies. The bill would apply to any craft brewery, not just Stone.

"In terms of economic development, it puts us on a level playing field and a more competitive playing field with other states in attracting these out-of-state projects, which would be a benefit for everyone," says Rep. Derham Cole, R-Spartanburg, one of the co-sponsors of the bill. "Having the ability to have the on-site restaurant just gives them a lot more latitude in promoting their product and attracting people from across the state and from outside the state."  

Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Summerville, who helped push the bill through the Senate, says, "North Carolina, our sister states in North Carolina and Georgia have already really capitalized on that industry. It makes us now, I think, the epicenter, puts us in a really good position. We know we have a couple of large projects looking at us right now, different locations through the state. I think that will only increase as time goes by, the word gets out that this bill has passed."

Stone Brewing Co. spokesperson Sabrina Lopiccolo says, “We have not made a decision as to where our East Coast brewery will be located.  While we applaud the legislation in South Carolina and any like it, this necessary element is but one of many factored into our decision making laid out in our request for proposal.”

The numbers show that South Carolina is behind its neighboring states in attracting craft brewers. 

In 2012, South Carolina had 15 craft breweries, with 2,909 jobs and an economic impact of $254 million.

That same year, Georgia had more than 30 breweries, 6,832 jobs and an economic impact of $671 million.

North Carolina has 120 craft breweries, about 10,000 people employed by them, and an economic impact of $791 million.

Tetramer Technologies Expands, Adds 25 Jobs in Anderson

Tetramer Technologies, an innovation company that manufactures advanced materials and performs research and development for new materials, announced the expansion of its Anderson County location, with an additiona $1 million investment which is expected to create an additional 25 new jobs over the next five years.  

The company previously occupied 50 percent of the incubator space in the Griffith Building at 657 South Mechanic Street in Pendleton but has since expanded into all available space in the incubator.

Tetramer's expansion is the result of the newly formed South Mechanic Street Group purchase of the property, which provided the needed space for Tetramer's rapid growth. As a result of this expansion into additional laboratory space, Tetramer has been able to hire an additional eight full-time and 10 part-time employees. The building has an additional 2,000 square feet of warehouse space which will be used as flex space for further expansions in both manufacturing and research and development over the next five years.

South Mechanic Street Group was formed by members of Tetramer Technologies in order to aid new companies in transitioning from an early stage idea into a business and to provide space for high-growth companies to grow.

"We have spent the last three years looking for locations that would accommodate Tetramer's growth while providing the necessary infrastructure for materials development. Working with Anderson County, the City of Pendleton, and Clemson University Research Foundation, Tetramer was able to stay in our current location through this expansion. This is a win-win and a great example of how government, academics and industry can work together to grow the economy and keep jobs in the state. Our employees are thrilled to be able to stay in the Pendleton community." -Jeffrey DiMaio, Ph.D., Tetramer co-owner and COO.

"The greatest evidence of a business-friendly climate is the growth and success of our existing industries. Tetramer Technologies is certainly confirmation of the value of having incubator space which allows entrepreneurial industry to build a healthy foundation, and flourish. Congratulations to Tetramer Industries on their expansion. Anderson County is proud that you chose to remain a member of our advanced materials community." -Anderson County Councilman Tom Allen.

A materials science company based in South Carolina, Tetramer focuses on the development of new, market driven materials for a global customer base. With a focus on polymeric, oligomeric, and nanocomposite materials, our highly skilled team of physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers focus on providing customers with solutions to their technical challenges through the development of new materials. Teaming with device manufactures and downstream users, Tetramer takes early stage ideas and transitions them to value added materials which can be incorporated into commercial products. Development projects at Tetramer range from high temperature fiber laser coatings to low caloric fats for chocolate.

S.C. May Lift Election Day Liquor Ban

South Carolina’s Election Day liquor law, the last blanket ban in the country, could finally go the way of bathtub gin and the Anti-Saloon League. On Wednesday evening, the South Carolina Senate, following the lead of the lower house, approved a bill to rescind the ban. If the bill is signed by the Republican governor, Nikki R. Haley, South Carolina will join six other states that have rescinded similar laws since 2008, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, an industry group.

That would leave only Alaska and Massachusetts with Election Day alcohol bans, the council noted, although in these states, local governments may choose to be exempt from the prohibition. And it is another step in the nation’s long, slow coming to terms with demon rum and other once-maligned spirits.

Election Day alcohol bans were common throughout the United States in decades past, when politicians’ promises of free drinks played an essential role in many a get-out-the-vote strategy. South Carolina is a state known as much for its political chicanery as it is for its deeply held religious sentiment, and the fear that a crooked politician might buy votes with free drinks is the reason the state government here has clung to its ban for so long. But in the age of the robocall and the “super PAC,” the alarm over the possibility of a ham-handed votes-for-drinks scheme has come to seem downright quaint.

State Representative Bakari T. Sellers, a Democrat who favored overturning the ban, said he was among those exasperated to be wasting 21st-century time on a debate that seems more suited for the age of Woodrow Wilson. “It’s 2014, dude,” he said.

The ban did have its modern-day supporters, however. J. Todd Rutherford, a Democratic state representative who co-sponsored the House bill, said he had introduced similar legislation in previous years, only to have it scuttled by conservative lawmakers.

Mike Burns, a Republican state representative from Travelers Rest, S.C., was one of 20 legislators who voted against a bill in April that proposed lifting the ban. He said that he and the others were “making a statement” about the steady erosion, nationwide, of the state and local “blue laws” that once strictly limited the sale of alcohol for religious reasons.

The Distilled Spirits Council noted that since 2002, 16 states had rescinded bans on the Sunday sale of hard liquor, in whole or in part, with 38 states now allowing it.

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Lawmakers Close in on Statewide Ban on Texting

S.C. lawmakers are getting closer to banning texting while driving statewide. But they face a deadline – Thursday of next week – if they are going to accomplish that goal.

The problem? Senators and state representatives disagree on what a ban should look like.

The Senate’s texting-while-driving ban would apply only to drivers with beginner’s or restricted licenses. The House wants the ban to apply to all drivers.

About 20 S.C. cities, towns and counties have their own bans, including Columbia, Charleston and Greenville, according to the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Advocates say a statewide policy is needed to ease the confusion of drivers traveling from one part of the state – with no ban – to the next – with a ban.

“We need continuity and uniformity across the cities and the counties,” said state Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, a sponsor of the bill.

A texting-while-driving ban has been debated for years, and 43 other states ban all drivers from text messaging, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. 

In the version of the ban that would apply to all S.C. drivers, the law would not apply to drivers parked or stopped legally, using a hands-free device or seeking emergency assistance. The law also would not apply to those using a global-positioning-system device, or GPS feature, on a phone.

But state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, raised concerns about how a statewide ban would be enforced and about racial profiling.

Senators who support the ban say their concern is safety.

Studies have shown that texting while driving is just as dangerous as drunken driving, said state Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, a sponsor of the statewide ban. 

If passed into law, violators could be fined between $25 and $50 for one or more violations.

The fines are not heavy because, like the state’s seat-belt law, they are not designed to raise money, Alexander said. Instead, the law is intended as a deterrent, to get drivers to change their habits. 

The Senate voted Wednesday to send the differing texting-ban proposals to a joint House-Senate conference committee.

“We have a great chance of passing a statewide ban,” Lourie said, despite the fact the Legislature is racing against its adjournment next Thursday.

Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, said he expects to get the conference committee’s report back to the Senate by early next week. Then, senators and representatives would vote on its recommendation. 

If either the House or Senate does not get to the bill next week, lawmakers could pick the proposal up when they come back for an extended veto session on June 17.

Martin said Thursday’s Senate vote was a move toward making it unlawful to text while driving. 

“This moves the ball forward,” he said.

Bill Would Give Tax Breaks to Beach Home Owners

South Carolina lawmakers appear likely to approve a tax break benefitting the owners of about 470 homes, primarily on barrier islands, who rent out their residences more than two weeks each year.

Supporters say the change is warranted because some people need to rent their homes in order to afford soaring hurricane and flood insurance costs.

"People will go and rent a home inland so that they can rent their (beach) homes for two or three months, so that they can afford to pay the insurance," said bill sponsor Sen. Ray Cleary, R-Georgetown. "It's really an inconvenience for them because it's the only home they have."

The legislation sailed through the Senate and House without a single "no" vote and awaits a final Senate vote, due to a minor House amendment. The bill would resolve a property tax issue that's been litigated up through the court system; the question of how long a homeowner should be allowed to rent their residence before the home is taxed as a commercial property.

Rental properties in South Carolina can pay triple the property tax of an owner-occupied home because rental properties are assessed at a higher rate, and are subject to taxes that fund public school operations.

People can now rent their homes for 14 days without losing their preferential property tax treatment, but the bill awaiting final action would extend that to 72 days - roughly the length of summer vacation.

The state Board of Economic Advisors spoke to county assessors, and estimated that 470 properties would benefit from the tax change, at a cost to local governments of just over $1 million yearly.

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Senate Considers "Back to Basics" Education Bill

The Senate Education Committee met on Wednesday with a list of bills that could make big changes to the South Carolina school system.

A bill creating a school safety task force passed through the committee. This bill would create a special group made up of law enforcement, counselors and educators to be a resource for students and make schools safer.

Sex education has been a topic of discussion in the legislature this year and Wednesday a bill passed adding medically accurate reproduction education to the curriculum. It will be a more comprehensive approach to sex education. However, two senators placed a minority report on this bill making it harder to pass on the floor.

Cursive writing and multiplication table memorization by the fifth grade could become mandated. This bill is called ‘Back to Basics’ and it also passed favorable.

Sexual abuse and prevention instruction designed for all age groups could also be added to South Carolina school districts. This bill would design courses for each grade to inform students about sexual abuse and provide resources for the students.

The last bill that passed is one that creates alternatives to the high school diploma or GED test.

Two bills did not pass through the committee. The bill authorizing school personnel to give a special medicine to students having seizures had several concerns.

The Traditional Winter Holidays bill also had concerns about mixing religion and public education. That bill did not pass the committee.

Sex Ed Bill Blocked in S.C. Senate

A bill which would require South Carolina schools to teach medically-accurate information in sex education has been blocked in the state Senate.

The measure, which seeks to update the state’s 26-year-old sex education curriculum, passed the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday by a 9-2 vote, only to have Republican Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville place a procedural hold on its advancement to the Senate floor.

With only days left before the legislature adjourns, the bill is effectively dead despite having passed the House.

Sponsoring Rep. B.R. Skelton of Pickens says the bill seeks to lower the state’s nationally high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases.

Fair opposes the bill over concerns of the definition of ‘medically-accurate information’ and says change is not needed as teen pregnancies have decreased.

United Way to Expand Tax Preparation Services

This tax season, United Way of Anderson County partnered with local communities to expand the availability of free tax preparation services in Anderson County.

VITA—which stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance—is sponsored by the IRS and run by local communities wishing to provide the service to local residents. United Way trained VITA volunteers to help prepare IRS forms for residents with an annual family income of $52,000 or less. 

This year, VITA assisted with 397 tax returns, for a total refund of $333,000 and $59,000 saved in filing fees. This is a huge success compared to 2013, totaling 265 returns and $239,000 in total refunds.  

These results show approximately a 50% increase in the number of returns compared to last year, and a 40% increase in the amount of dollars coming back directly into the pockets of Anderson County residents. 

Tax preparation sites were set up at the Anderson Main Library, Belton Library, Iva Town Hall, Williamston City Hall, and Pendleton Town Hall.

School District Five Shifts Administrators, Principals

Anderson County School District Five announced the shuffling of administrators, resulting in new principals at five schools beginning in the 2014-15 school year.

The moves include:

Gary Bruhjell, current Principal at Southwood Academy of the Arts, will become Principal at Midway Elementary School

Brenda Kelley, current Principal at Midway Elementary School, will become Director of Early Childhood/Elementary Education 

Jamie Smith, current Assistant Principal at Calhoun Academy of the Arts, will become Principal at Southwood Academy of the Arts

Cindy Martin, current Director of Early Childhood/Elementary Education, will become Instructional Facilitator at Nevitt Forest Elementary School

Jerome Hudson, current Principal at New Prospect Elementary School, will become Director of Personnel

Sabrina McCall, current Director of Personnel, will become Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Effectiveness

Layne Putnam, current Assistant Principal at New Prospect Elementary School, will become Principal at New Prospect Elementary School

Lesia Patterson, current Director of Support Programs, will become Instructional Facilitator at Glenview Middle School 

Tiffany Osbourne, current Instructional Facilitator at Glenview Middle School, will become Instructional Facilitator at Lakeside Middle School

The moves leave the current administrative vacancies:

Assistant Principal – New Prospect Elementary

Assistant Principal – Calhoun Academy of the Arts

Director – Anderson 5 Career Campus

Payday Loans Topped 1 Million in S.C. in 2013

A new report shows that nearly 128,000 people took out more than 1 million payday loans in South Carolina last year. The chairman of the House Labor Commerce and Industry Committee says the report released Wednesday shows a 2009 state law has stopped the rampant abuse and misuse of the two-week loans.

But critics contend the restrictions didn't go far enough, and the industry still traps poor people in a cycle of debt. The law limited the number of loans to one at a time, up to $550 each, and created an online database to track the loans.

Reports based on that database show borrowers took out 9 percent fewer loans in 2013, compared with 2010. Before the law, the number of loans taken out exceeded 4 million a year.

Maya Angelou Dies at 86

Maya Angelou was a woman of many identities — poet foremost among them — but those who knew her well made sure to address her as Dr. Angelou, out of respect for all the honorary degrees she received.

Titles mattered to Angelou, who never graduated from college, as they would to anybody who grew up with nothing, achieved everything and were determined never to give it back.

Angelou, a renaissance woman and cultural pioneer, died Wednesday at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86.

A childhood victim of rape, she broke through silence and shame to tell her tale in one of the most widely read memoirs of the 20th century. A black woman born into poverty and segregation, she recited the most popular presidential inaugural poem in history.

Tall and regal, with a deep, majestic voice, she was unforgettable whether encountered in person, through sound or the printed word. She was an actress, singer and dancer in the 1950s and 1960s and made a brave and sensational debut as an author in 1969 with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which became standard (and occasionally censored) reading and made Angelou one of the first black women to enjoy mainstream literary success.

"Caged Bird" was the start of a multipart autobiography that continued through the decades and captured a life of hopeless obscurity and triumphant, kaleidoscopic fame.

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State: Atwater, Spearman Lead Race for Top Education Post

In the Republican race to be South Carolina’s next superintendent of education, Sally Atwater has out-fundraised the seven other candidates. However in the last 15 days of the primary race, Molly Spearman leads in individual contributions and cash on hand.

Pre-election disclosures filed Monday show Atwater, a special needs teacher and widow of the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater, has $37,200 still available after having spent $48,000 on two statewide TV ads. So far, Atwater has raised a total of $152,400, with $56,000 coming from contributions and $95,000 from a loan.

Spearman, director of the state Association of School Administrators, has more than $57,600 still available out of a total $128,500 in contributions raised so far.

Former deputy superintendent Meka Childs had nearly $39,100 on hand before joining the airwaves with the launch of her first statewide TV ad on Monday.

As for the cash on hand for the other Republican candidates, attorney Amy Cofield has over $12,100, Charleston County School Board member Elizabeth Moffly has just over $2,700 and math professor at the University of South Carolina Don Jordan has almost $1,800.

Two Republican candidates, Gary Burgess and Sheri Few, have yet to file pre-election disclosures as of Tuesday. State law requires candidates with a primary opponent to file a report by Monday, 15 days before the election, but a grace period essentially extends that deadline to Saturday.

Anti-Common Core activist Few had almost $17,600 available at the start of April while Anderson County School Board member Burgess had $2,000.

As of Tuesday, none of the four Democratic candidates for the post had filed pre-election disclosures.

Previous first-quarter filings showed former state Education Department director of school transformation Montrio Belton having the most money among Democrats with $29,250 available after taking out a $30,600 loan.

State Rep. Jerry Govan of Orangeburg likewise had self-financed the $19,680 he has available.

Former S.C. State University Dean Tom Thompson disclosed he has no cash on hand while former S.C. Education Association president Sheila Gallagher did not report her finances.

The primary is June 10.