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S.C. Lawmakers Send Bill to Governor

The South Carolina Legislature sent the governor a budget Thursday that gives public workers a pay raise, fully funds a crucial port-deepening project and provides tax relief to businesses.

The House voted 89-10 for the budget compromise and the Senate, 26-8.

But the $6.7 billion spending plan for state taxes won't take effect when the fiscal year starts Sunday. By law, Gov. Nikki Haley has five days to issue her line-item vetoes, and she's said she shouldn't have to shorten her allowed time just because the Legislature couldn't get its work done on time. The regular session ended June 7.

The budget includes $1.3 billion in additional one-time and recurring revenue but remains below pre-recession spending levels.

Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, called it a "sound, conservative budget that addresses the state's needs and ensures out ability to compete globally for jobs in the future."

The weeks-long stalemate on the budget broke within days of a state government shutdown. Legislators in office for more than 30 years can't remember ever starting a fiscal year without a budget in place.

To keep government running, the Legislature also gave final approval Thursday morning to a continuing resolution that bridges the gap. The Senate first amended the resolution with the details of a tax cut for small business owners — the source of the stalemate — which budget negotiators agreed to late Tuesday.

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AnMed Responds to Obama Health Care Ruling

AndMed issued the following response to the Supreme Court upholding President Barak Obama's Health Care legislation:

"The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is encouraging news for the thousands of Upstate residents who were considered “uninsurable” and the many workers who feared losing their health insurance when they needed it most.  The law is not perfect, and we fully expect the health care debate to continue in the months leading up to the presidential election.  No matter what happens in Washington, AnMed Health is committed to continuing to do our part to reform the health care delivery system. As we have for many years, we will continue looking for new ways to provide better, more efficient health care in the Upstate and northeast Georgia."

Council to Hold Meeting on Budget Tonight

Anderson County Council will hold a special called meeting to vote on the 2013 budget tonight at 6 p.m. at the hisotric courthouse downtown.

NYT: Haley Ethics Hearing Today

Gov. Nikki R. Haley of South Carolina has drawn political fire from both major political parties since the moment she took office in 2011.

Thursday, she faces a State House ethics hearing over whether she blurred the lines between her work as a legislator and her work as a hospital fund-raiser and a business development consultant with an engineering firm.

From the Republican governor’s perspective, the hearing is just more of the same: attacks by Democrats and the Republican Party old guard who resent her Tea Party-style efforts to change government and the fact that she is a woman and a minority in a state that has had relatively few of either in positions of power.

For those who pushed for the hearing — most notably John Rainey, one of the most powerful Republican fund-raisers in South Carolina — it is a step in a long-fought battle to prove that the governor has been less than transparent and improperly mixed her governing duties and her business enterprises.

For many voters in South Carolina, however, the hearing is not much more than another twist in the state’s bare-knuckled brand of politics based on personal grudges and its history of conflict between governors and legislators.

“Unfortunately, it is being perceived as politics as usual,” said Robert W. Oldendick, a professor at the University of South Carolina who is director of the Institute for Public Service and Policy Research. “Unless there’s a smoking gun that hasn’t been revealed, a week from now we’ll say there was a little damage done to the governor.”

Full Story Here

CP: Egyptian Christians Face Uncertain Future

As Egypt's torrential state of instability continues, the country's Christians continue to fear their fate in the North African country that they have called home since biblical times.

The country, in its quest for democracy, has seen a wave of positive and negative outcomes of the 2012 presidential election, which, in itself, is a large step from the dictatorial rule of former President Hosni Mubarak, who was removed during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011.

Currently, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood is the president of the country, although critics are weary of the interim military government's willingness to turn presidential power over to Morsi.

Even if Morsi were given enough presidential power to rule the country, he may not be keen on free Christian worship in the country, allegedly telling a journalist in a private meeting in May that Christians should "convert, pay tribute, or leave."

Additionally, the ruling military council has recently deconstructed Egypt's parliament, as well as the country's 100-person constitution council, making hope for a true democracy, as opposed to a continued military dictatorship, seem dismal.

In spite of these seemingly bleak circumstances, Brian Stiller, ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), argues that Christians need to stay in the country in spite of its continued instability.

"The obstacle is fear. That's what will inhibit the Christian presence. If people can believe that religious liberty will be a part of the future, and trusting that the Lord will enable them to be a witness, I think that mitigates fear," Stiller told The Christian Post.

Full Story Here

Anderson Academy Wins National United Way Competition

United Way of Anderson County is proud to announce the local winner of the United Way Healthy Teens national competition. The winning team is from New Foundations Academy in Anderson, South Carolina.
The team explored strategies for improving personal and community health, devised a plan for advancing their community’s health and created a PowerPoint presentation showcasing the results of their plan.

New Foundations Academy will receive $500 to advance youth health causes and an exclusive trophy from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to celebrate their team’s achievement. Their teacher, Rhonda Arnold, will receive $500 as well.

“We were thrilled to hear that New Foundations Academy was receiving this national recognition for the Healthy Teens competition in its inaugural year”, says, Carol Burdette, Chief Professional Officer of United Way of Anderson County.  Burdette also says, “We would be happy to see other schools in the Healthy Teens program in the upcoming school year”.

The Healthy Teens Program supports the United Way goal to get 1.9 million more young people healthy and active by the year 2018. Healthy Teens promotes good nutrition and physical activity, increases reading and comprehension skills through the exploration of relevant information on health and well-being in USA TODAY, encourages critical thinking and problem-solving and cultivates an informed generation of young people empowered to make healthy choices and inspired to give back to their communities.

More information about United Way Healthy Teens can be found at http://usatodayeducate.com/healthyteens.

S.C. House, Senate OK Small Business Tax Break

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina House and Senate budget negotiators agreed late Tuesday to phase in a tax cut for small business owners over three years, breaking a weeks-long stalemate on the issue that had blocked a budget compromise.

But the conference committee has yet to sign a budget deal. The leaders of the House and Senate budget-writing committees expect to hash out the details line-by-line Wednesday.

That guarantees that the fiscal year will start Sunday without a budget in place. However, the chambers expect to send Gov. Nikki Haley both a budget and a continuing resolution on Thursday.

The resolution will continue to fund government at current levels, bridging the gap until Haley issues her vetoes. By law, she has five days to do so, excluding Sunday and the holiday, meaning she could have until midnight July 5. When the Legislature comes back to deal with them depends on what line items she vetoes, committee members said.

Other parts agreed to in the $6.7 billion spending plan for state taxes include a 3 percent pay raise for most state employees, $33 million in long-deferred maintenance at public colleges statewide, and roughly $20 million for a Commerce fund for infrastructure that helps close economic development deals.

The proposal adds state law enforcement officers, while giving them a 5 percent pay raise, and provides 2 percent raises for public school teachers.

The tentative deal contains $300 million to fully fund the Charleston harbor dredging project, including reserving $120 million to cover the federal government's share if necessary.

It also includes $36 million for special needs students to cover a reduction in federal funds which serve as a penalty for not spending enough on disabled students during the economic downturn.

Full Story Here

McCants Teacher Finalist for Presidential Award

Jennifer Wilson, a sixth grade math teacher at McCants Middle School, an IB Candidate School, is a state finalist for a prestigious national award.

Ms. Wilson is one of three South Carolina finalists for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching for grades K–6. Finalist applications will be evaluated in Washington, and one will be selected as the S.C. Presidential Awardee for Elementary Mathematics for 2012-13.

Ms. Wilson and the other finalists will be recognized at the South Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics (SCCTM) annual conference on October 11 in Myrtle Beach.

SCDOT Matching Grant Program Seeking Applications

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is announcing the FY 2013 Federal Match Program and is seeking applications for federal-aid eligible resurfacing and system upgrade projects with a 50-50 federal/local match participation.   Applications will be accepted from August 1 to September 14, 2012.
 
A mandatory pre-application meeting will be held on Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 10 a.m. in the 5th Floor Auditorium of the SCDOT Headquarters located at 955 Park Street, Columbia, South Carolina.  Representatives planning to attend the pre-proposal meeting must RSVP by July 6, 2012 by contacting Mark Pleasant, Statewide Planning Chief, at (803) 737-1444 or by email at pleasantmd@scdot.org .

Okra Fritters, a Grits and Groceries Favorite

GRITS and GROCERIES: Real food, done real good

Okra Fritters

½ cup cornmeal
½ cup All Purpose Flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp Creole Seasoning (available at Grits and Groceries)
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup grated onion
2 cups sliced okra
Oil for frying

Sift together the dry ingredients. Mix together the egg, buttermilk and onion. Stir in dry ingredients until well combined. Fold in okra. Heat a lightly greased skillet over medium heat and drop batter by the tablespoon full. Cook like pancakes until golden brown on both sides.  Serve with sour cream.

NHC Anderson Receives National Award

NHC HealthCare, Anderson has been recognized as a 2012 recipient of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality award for its dedication to improving quality care. The award is one of three distinctions possible through the National Quality Award program, presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The program honors facilities across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to the quality improvement journey.

“Each one of the award recipients has proven its dedication to improving lives through quality care, and it is a privilege to honor them with this year’s award,” said Governor Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “We congratulate NHC Anderson on this achievement.”

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program assists providers of long term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance excellence goals.

The program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Facilities begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision and mission statements and an assessment of customers’ expectations. Bronze applicants must demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system. A team of trained Examiners reviews each Bronze application to determine if the facility has met the demands of the criteria. As a recipient of the Bronze - Commitment to Quality award, NHC Anderson may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria required for the Silver - Achievement in Quality award.

“The commitment these facilities have made to quality care does not stop with this benchmark award” says Chick Stepahin, Chair, AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers. “The journey to quality care requires dedication, and NHC Anderson has risen to the challenge."

Anderson University Volleyball Announces 2012 Schedule

Anderson University head volleyball coach Craig Mosqueda has released the Trojans’ 2012 schedule, which features a challenging non-conference slate and a balanced home and away lineup with 15 home contests and more than two dozen road matches.
 
“This is a good, challenging schedule,” said Mosqueda. “We are still relatively young but I expect us to be competitive. We had a very good spring and the team displayed a lot of growth. I’m looking for that success in the spring to carry over into the fall.”
 
Mosqueda’s young squad – with eight sophomores, one junior and just two seniors returning - opens the regular season on the road at Limestone’s College Classic in the Timken Center, where the Trojans will square off against first-year head coach Julia Reininga’s Southern Wesleyan Warriors, who are coming off back-to-back appearances in the NCCAA National Tournament, and the host Saints. Limestone closed out last season by dropping a five-set decision to Queens in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Conference Carolinas Tournament.
 
After a one-year hiatus, the Trojans will again host the AU Invitational, with Anderson opening the two-day event by facing future South Atlantic Conference-member Coker and Conference Carolinas’-foe Belmont Abbey on Friday, Sept. 7, then meeting Limestone for the second time and Shaw on Saturday, Sept. 8.

See the full schedule at www.autrojans.com