News

Sunday, Jan. 20, South Carolinians will get a rare treat from the sky, as three events come together to form what some are calling a Super-Wolf-Blood moon.  A wolf moon is simply a traditional name for the full moon in January, and happens, obviously, every year.  However, this year it's occurring at the same time as a super moon, which S.C.

Work is underway at the Statehouse on next year’s $9 Billion state budget which is expected to pump money into reforming the state’s public education system.

Gov. McMaster sent his budget recommendations to the legislature this week.  He calls for a 5 percent pay raise for teachers at a cost of about $155 Million, $36 Million for colleges aimed at holding down tuition,  and over $48 Million to put more trained police officers and mental health counselors  in schools.

After the first week of this year’s session,  it’s clear that the top priority for the South Carolina General Assembly is improving the state’s public school system, something that education advocates have been seeking for years.

In his Inaugural Address, Gov. Henry McMaster (R) joined legislative leaders in calling for what he termed a “bold" game plan to boost the state’s education system.

South Carolina lost one of its heroes Jan. 4 when World War II veteran Moffatt Burris died at age 99.  He was one of many heroes who helped save the world from tyranny in the 1940s.  He fought to liberate Sicily and at Anzio to free Italy.  But perhaps his most memorable exploits, described in his memoir "Strike and Hold," came as  paratrooper who participated in Operation Market Garden, a failed attempt to hasten the end of the war with a massive troop jump into Holland. 

Gov. Henry McMaster often talks about how great South Carolina is for business. He often talks about the importance of attracting new businesses and building the private sector to create new businesses and jobs. 

But in his address, during the state's 97th inaugration ceremony, the 71-year old Republican also talked about the importance of a quality education and protecting the state's enviroment- connecting them back to ensuring South Carolina continues  to experience economic prosperity.

West Columbia teenager Ella Thomas is somewhat of a whiz with a violin in her hand. Whether she's playing classical with the South Carolina Youth Philharmonic, bluegrass with the band Palmetto Blue or gospel with her family band, her skill with a fiddle and bow last year earned her the title South Carolina Junior Old-Time Fiddle Champion.

From her Camden home, Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker can monitor the goings-on around the world by flipping through the TV news channels and keeping an eye glued to her Post, which she reads daily along with the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.  Parker is one of the most widely-syndicated columnists in America, read in more than 400 media outlets twice a week.  Like her colleagues, she started as a newspaper reporter – in her case, in Charleston – and moved through the ranks of various papers until an editor realized she had a voice “and I have difficulty keeping my voice

David Jones and his son Brantley are baseball fans.  Brantley played as a youngster, and was so enthusiastic about batting practice that his older brother, who didn’t like the game, was forced by circumstance to invent a pitching machine so he wouldn’t have to pitch to his brother for hours every day.  That machine, created as a school science project when he was only 11, and Brantley just 9, became the foundation for a business. 

Where the old image of the chimney sweep is a skinny guy with a big brush covered with grime and soot, the modern chimney sweep is much cleaner and uses high tech equipment in the 21st century, according to two Columbia sweeps.  There are about 30 chimney sweeps in the state, and they keep busy.   Sweep Drew Stein says dense plastic rods with brushes now are inserted into chimneys and spun with a drill to clean soot and creosote – a flammable byproduct of burning wood – from chimneys, which prevents dangerous chimney fires. 

Candystore.com keeps an eye on the candy tastes of America, producing an interactive map of each state's favorite candies at various seasons of the year.  At Christmas, many states' favorite is candy canes, others prefer reindeer corn or Hershey Kisses.  According to the website, South Carolina's favorite Christmas candy is a classic:  M & Ms.  

Trivia games have been popular at South Carolina bars and restaurants for years, and the taste for trivia shows no sign of slowing down.  Nearly every night, teams of friends can be found competing for prizes by conjuring often-useless bits of little-known information from their memories.

Data from a new report indicates the number of uninsured children in the United States has increased for the first time in nearly a decade. According to the Georgetown University Center for Children and Family, between 2016 and 2017, the number of uninsured children increased by about 276,000. In South Carolina, that number is 10,000. Joan Alker is Executive Director of the Georgetown center, she spoke with South Carolina Public Radio about why these numbers are important.