November 29, 2016

Georgia Mosque Gets Same Hateful Letter Also Sent to California Locations

The letter addressed to the "children of Satan" says there is a new sheriff in town who will do to Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews.

SAVANNAH, GA — A hateful letter threatening Muslims that was sent to at least five mosques in California has also been sent to the Islamic Center of Savannah, the Georgia chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations said in a statement.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, executive director of CAIR Georgia, said his office found out about the letter sent to the Savannah mosque on Saturday. Mitchell told Patch it was disconcerting that the letter was sent to several mosques in California and to a mosque in Savannah.

"I can't make sense of it," he said.

A man who runs the mosque told a responding police officer he received a threatening letter in the mail, according to a Nov. 27 Savannah-Chatham Police Department report. The letter stated that there was a new sheriff in town (in reference to President-elect Donald Trump) and he was going to get rid of all Muslims in America and clean the country like Hitler did to the Jews, according to the report.

The letter appeared to be a copy and had a return address of Savannah but was mailed from California, the report said.

Read more: http://patch.com/georgia/atlanta/georgia-mosque-gets-same-hateful-letter-also-sent-california-locations

November 29, 2016

South Carolina agencies say budget cuts would eliminate hundreds of state jobs, effect schools

It’s unlikely to happen, but if there is a shortfall in revenues, S.C. agencies propose roughly $200 million in budget cuts that would eliminate hundreds of state workers’ jobs.

In August, Gov. Nikki Haley directed state agencies paid for through the general fund budget – largely tax dollars that come from sales taxes and business and personal income taxes – to include a plan for 3 percent cuts in their spending requests for next year.

Haley ordered the plans for cuts in case of an economic downturn.

The likelihood of a recession is low, economists say, particularly since the Nov. 8 election of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who is promising an economic stimulus package including tax cuts and spending on infrastructure.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article117302148.html

November 29, 2016

Chinese fiberglass products firm to break ground on 300 million plant in Richland County

Richland County and fiberglass products manufacturer China Jushi will break ground Dec. 8 for a $300 million plant expected to create 400 jobs. The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m.

The company, headquartered in Zhejiang, China, announced in May that it would establish its first U.S. fiberglass manufacturing operation in the county’s Pineview Industrial Park near I-77. The firm in 2012 established a distribution center in Columbia, at 901 Idlewilde Blvd.

The company plans an 80,000-ton production line in its new facility. The factory should be completed within two years.

Jushi Group Chairman Yang Guoming said in May that South Carolina’s business climate “offers us the best support for our investment.”

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/business/article117576048.html

November 29, 2016

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney slams media for racial slur allegations coverage

CLEMSON -- Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said “it’s a shame” that the media tried to divert attention away from Clemson’s 56-7 victory against South Carolina on Saturday by reporting on Gamecocks’ players charges of racial slurs.

“I give young people some grace,” Swinney said at his weekly news conference on Tuesday. “They’ll say some things from time to time. My problem is with the media people. I don’t give them much grace. They don’t give me none either.”

USC linebacker Bryson Allen-Willams said after the game that a Clemson player “used the n-word, one of their offensive linemen. I don’t know which number.”

USC wide receiver Terry Googer and defensive lineman Dante Sawyer also referenced racial slurs in postgame tweets, with Googer saying what he heard came from fans.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article117715613.html

November 29, 2016

Amazon to close North Charleston warehouse, cut 149 jobs

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Amazon will be closing a book-making warehouse in North Charleston, taking 149 jobs with it.

The Post and Courier (http://bit.ly/2gczwLs ) reports that Amazon told the state labor department that it would close the facility permanently on Feb. 15, 2017. The company also said it would give the employees affected a chance to take a job elsewhere before the warehouse closes.

Amazon spokeswoman Sarah Bond says the warehouse prints and ships books and has hundreds of employees who handle shipments in the area. The warehouse will move to the Midlands to be closer to the company's West Columbia distribution hub.

The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce disclosed the layoffs on Monday.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/latest-news/article117650298.html

November 29, 2016

S.C. Senate leader won't become lieutenant governor

COLUMBIA — Hugh Leatherman's announcement that he'll try to remain leader of the S.C. Senate — while not becoming lieutenant governor when Gov. Nikki Haley leaves office — threw the Statehouse into chaos Monday.

His decision raises questions whether the Florence Republican will let the state’s No. 2 seat remain vacant for two years, or kick-start a new constitutional amendment that could allow the governor to appoint the lieutenant governor.

The surprise declaration shows that the 85-year-old Leatherman wants to keep the job that helps make him the state’s most powerful lawmaker, instead of taking a post with less political influence.

Leatherman told senators in a letter Monday he planned to seek re-election next week as the Senate president pro tempore. The note came hours after he released a separate statement that said, "I will not leave my Senate seat to serve as Lieutenant Governor."

Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/s-c-senate-leader-won-t-become-lieutenant-governor/article_82c70370-b59a-11e6-aabc-3b719fed2227.html

November 29, 2016

Sen. Tim Scott says decision to run for governor will come down to 'God, my family and Trey Gowdy'

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Tim Scott says three factors will be under consideration when deciding whether he'll run for governor in 2018.

"God, my family, and Trey Gowdy," the South Carolina Republican told The Post and Courier on Tuesday.

Scott is deeply spiritual, and he remains devoted to his relatives who still live back home in the Palmetto State.

Gowdy, a fellow S.C. Republican and ally serving in the U.S. House, is Scott's closest friend on Capitol Hill. Scott is reportedly mulling a gubernatorial bid but on a joint ticket with Gowdy as his running mate.

Read more: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/scott-says-decision-to-run-for-governor-will-come-down/article_2b4fdb5e-b657-11e6-bbab-63597a320d92.html

November 29, 2016

NC legislators face full agenda with public health, Medicaid updates

Two joint legislative oversight committees on health care will receive today an update on how the state’s Medicaid program is performing, along with progress reports on two high-profile behavioral-health initiatives.

The morning session covering Health and Human Services will focus on how the state is doing in diverting individuals having a behavioral health crisis from a hospital emergency department to other care settings, and in complying with a federal order to assist eligible adults from nursing home settings into independent housing.

The afternoon session covering Medicaid will address the program’s financial and enrollment performances, provide an update on the state’s Medicaid waiver proposal, and discuss how Medicaid reform is affecting individuals with behavioral health needs.

The state’s request for a Medicaid waiver has been in the hands of federal health officials for more than five months.

Read more: http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/nc-legislators-face-full-agenda-with-public-health-medicaid-updates/article_6c6ca936-cffc-54a7-b8fe-3ebca8884f07.html

November 29, 2016

NC GOP: Durham recount could resolve governors election within days

After the State Board of Elections effectively rejected Republican protests about ineligible voters, Durham County is the last point of contention in the unresolved governor’s race – and the N.C. Republican Party said Tuesday that a recount there could resolve the election within days.

“We have an opportunity to bring the 2016 election to a close within the next few days,” NC GOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse said at a news conference Tuesday morning. “Durham County is going to recount its votes, or the entire state will if that is an option.”

Woodhouse also rejected speculation that the state legislature might intervene and use its power to decide the governor’s race. “That will never happen,” he said, adding that suggestions to the contrary are “demagoguery at the highest order.”

“They would never award the election to somebody who didn’t have the most votes.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/election/article117691708.html

November 29, 2016

Charlotte-area terrorism suspect pleads guilty Tuesday in federal court

Justin Sullivan, a 20-year-old Morganton man accused of plotting a mass killing in support of the Islamic State, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning in Asheville federal court to terrorism-related charges. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Sullivan entered his plea during a 9 a.m. appearance before U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger. Sullivan had previously pleaded not guilty to an array of federal charges related to his alleged plot to kill hundreds of people in behalf of the Islamic State, better known as ISIS or ISIL. He was arrested in June 2015.

The terms of the plea agreement between his attorney and the U.S. Attorney’s Office were not immediately available Tuesday morning, so the nature of the charges he pleaded to remained unknown. He had faced life in prison.

Sullivan still faces capital murder charges in Burke County related to the 2014 shooting death of John Bailey Clark, 74, who lived near Sullivan and his parents.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/crime/article117679013.html