Thumbs up
Berkeley legislators. Hats off to Sen. Paul Campbell, Rep. Bill Crosby and other Berkeley leaders for working to save hundreds of jobs threatened at Century Aluminum, which has said it will have to shut down if it keeps paying Santee Cooper’s electricity prices. Looks like a deal is close to keeping the plant open through a possible fix in the legislature next year. More.
In the middle
Federal funding. We’re tickled pink the state will get more than $780 million in flood relief through the just-passed $1.1 trillion federal spending package. And you know the state will take it — because it needs the cash to fix roads, dams, houses and farms. But guess what? We should also take federal money offered to expand health care access to the poorest of South Carolinians instead of continuing to caterwaul about Obamacare. If you want to lower healthcare costs for all, let’s get some of the poorest on insurance and the preventive care it offers.
License plates. It’s good we’ll save money by going to one sticker on a new license plate, but we aren’t sold on the beauty of this new piece of metal. It’s kind of boring. The one featured on Brad Warthen’s site is much better.
Thumbs down
Wilson. An ethics opinion issued by state Attorney General Alan Wilson is being viewed as a blow to ethics investigations, further widening the chasm between accountability and business as usual. More.
Beckham. We’re saddened by the sudden death of former Wando High School principal Lucy Beckham, whose leadership garnered national attention. More.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!