MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Politics

Stump links past, present in S.C. politics

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:33 EDT

Drawn to history by his family's role in it, Joseph William Fields Holliday has done his best to sort out how his family name became synonymous with a 130-year old political event that now draws Democrats from across the country.

Holliday family roots go deep. On one side is Peter Horry, planter and Revolutionary War general for whom the county is named. The family tree may even include Doc Holliday, the legendary gunfighter.

Now, the family is probably best known for its sponsorship and near century involvement in the Galivants Ferry Stump Speaking.

Panel to work on budget changes

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:02 EDT

Legislators will return to the Capitol on Tuesday with three of their major issues still unresolved and headed for more wrangling.

Expected to be the subject of debate and possible conference committee action this week are the $7 billion state budget, proposed immigration laws and a cigarette tax increase.

Last week, the House added back some of the items that it wanted to the Senate's stripped-down version of the budget. The House took reserve funds, money from the state Conservation Bank and education to make the shifts.

With primary over, officials look to fall

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:07 EDT

Forget the hype of selecting candidates for governor or the hoopla surrounding the presidential race; in Brunswick County, Tuesday's primary was just plain uneventful.

"Boring is good for us," said Greg Bellamy, director of the Brunswick County Board of Elections, with a laugh. Bellamy said no major glitches with voting machines were reported and there were "one or two" complaints of privacy issues.

Other than that, he said, "everybody did an excellent job."

Filings for the June 10th S.C. Party Primary

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:28 EDT

Filing for the June 10 S.C. party primary elections opened March 16 and closed on Sunday. Here is a list of candidates who have filed to date:

Federal

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Conway rally held for GOP hopefuls

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:19 EDT

Low taxes and Horry County heritage were common themes at a rally for Republican candidates for local, state and federal offices as hopefuls spent time giving a crowd reasons to vote for them.

"It's going to be a tough decision to make with some of these races because we have a lot of wonderful candidates," said Horry County Republican Party Chairman Robert Rabon at the rally, which was held in an old peanut and tobacco warehouse in Conway.

In the Republican primary for the state Senate seat in District 33, County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland said her experience on the council made her the most qualified to fight for local interests in Columbia.

Citizens oppose at-large voting

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:55 EDT

About 100 people crammed into a standing-room-only council chamber Monday night in opposition to the town's plan of creating an at-large voting district instead of keeping it at two districts.

Commissioners will vote at 3 p.m. today on the measure, which some say would create a more equal representation on the board.

The comments at Monday's meeting indicated that residents of The Village at Calabash want to make sure they continue to have a voice on the board.

Senate hopeful's residence disputed

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:28 EDT

Issues of where a Republican candidate for state Senate lives and for how long erupted into a legal scuffle Wednesday with the filing of a Democratic Party lawsuit that seeks to remove him from the November ballot.

The state Democratic Party says Republican William McKown, who is seeking the District 28 state Senate seat held by Sen. Dick Elliott, used two false addresses to file his candidacy this spring, making him ineligible to run.

McKown said Thursday that he lives at one address, and that he intended the other as a nearby campaign office, but that both were valid because they were listed in good faith. The Democrats' lawsuit, he said, is an effort to suppress his right to run.

Ex-president lends campaign support to wife

Thu, 01 May 2008 14:31 EDT

If Hillary Clinton is to get the Democratic presidential nomination, her husband said Wednesday, it's going to be because of people in towns like Whiteville.

"People who work for a living need a president," former President Bill Clinton told about 1,500 people outside a renovated train depot, where they waited for up to a couple of hours to hear what he had to say.

Most, but not all, were Hillary Clinton supporters.

Senate finds middle ground on immigration

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:21 EDT

The Senate passed a new immigration reform compromise Wednesday evening that adds teeth to violations by employers and demands online verification of eligibility for employment.

If the House agrees to it, the measure will be "the toughest anti-illegal-immigration bill in the country," said Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston and leader of the Senate.

"They're going to get what they wished for," and more, McConnell said.

Senate OKs school project tax

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:21 EDT

The Senate on Wednesday passed a revised bill that allows school districts to partner with local colleges for a 1 percent capital projects sales tax, if voters approve.

The bill was sponsored by Horry County legislators.

The House passed its version of the bill, but the Senate's bill was changed to allow more counties to take advantage of the opportunity.

S.C. lawmakers longing for home

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:21 EDT

COLUMBIA | With no extra money to spend and primary elections looming, S.C. legislators are talking about two things never done under the Capitol dome: wrapping up a $7 billion spending plan with little bickering and going home early.

Nothing formal is in the works, but the House's Republican leadership weeks ago said it had accomplished its agenda for the year.

And legislators in both chambers like the idea of heading home.

Horry council hopeful thrown in jail

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:22 EDT

Graham Charles Rogers, a candidate for Horry County Council, is facing charges after an incident in which an officer was scratched, a jail guard assaulted and a police car damaged, according to police reports.

Rogers, 57, of Green Sea, was charged with two counts of simple assault, driving under the influence, driving under a suspended license, damage to personal property and disorderly conduct, according to online booking records of J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

Rogers, who was arrested April 23, was still being held in lieu of $3,600 bail Tuesday, according to the jail. His case will be heard in Myrtle Beach Municipal Court on May 12, the court said. Rogers could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Immigration law inches ahead

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:22 EDT

The Senate's leader on immigration reform took a new tack on breaking the logjam Tuesday when he attached the legislation to a bill the House has already passed and tied up all other debate until the issue is resolved.

Sen. Jim Ritchie, R-Spartanburg, used the maneuver to force debate and a vote on the House bill to which he attached his immigration proposal.

No vote was taken Tuesday, but Ritchie will have the floor when the Senate convenes at 11 a.m. today.

Sanford tries to reel in S.C. grants

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:32 EDT

Gov. Mark Sanford calls an $18.5 million grants program that helps pay for local festivals, roads and water lines a "slush fund" and thinks the money would be better off helping budget shortfalls for prisons and economic development.

But for Dyke Spencer, who runs the Powdersville Water District near Greenville, the money means water lines to homes with dry wells.

Sanford has pressed legislators for weeks to use the competitive grant fund cash to close budget gaps in state prison and economic development agencies created by a slowdown in the economy.

Scorecard for S.C. legislation

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 07:32 EDT

It's do or die time for bills pending in the General Assembly.

Thursday marks the crossover deadline. Legislation that has passed neither the House nor the Senate by this date is unlikely to get approval before the session ends June 5.

That sets lawmakers up for a hectic week, fighting for passage of pet bills and searching for ways to delay or kill legislation they dislike.

Governor races hit final week in N.C.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:29 EDT

In the final full week of the primary campaign for governor in North Carolina, Democratic candidates likely will continue to question each other's trustworthiness and experience, while electability versus political conviction will be the issue for Republicans.

And the prickly issue of race is likely to simmer in the days leading up to May 6.

On the Democratic side, State Treasurer Richard Moore aims to keep picking at Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue's legislative record. Moore argues that her votes on bedrock party issues such as abortion, gun control and civil rights don't match up with her words during the campaign.

Graham's funds dwarf his foes'

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:54 EDT

With precious time left before the June 10 primary, efforts to unseat U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham remain overshadowed by his multimillion dollar campaign war chest.

His challenger from the right, Republican Buddy Witherspoon, touted his quarter-million dollars as a fundraising success, but it is a mere shadow of the Republican senator's nearly $5 million.

And the two coastal S.C. Democratic challengers spent almost equal amounts launching their campaigns this year - a few thousand dollars - amounts that do not even approach those in the Republican race.

Ethics at forefront in school race

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:19 EDT

Brunswick County Schools have been tumble-dried over the past two years amid lawsuits and arrests of staff members accused of inappropriate relations with students and a board member who was forbidden from school grounds for four months because of an order of protection.

Ensuring the safety of students and the teaching qualifications and standards of staff members are among the issues the 10 candidates vying for three seats on the Brunswick County Board of Education this year will grapple with.

Many people have worked long and hard to make Brunswick County schools a good school system, said Harry Martin, a Democrat seeking the District 4 seat. He said it saddens him "that a few people have been able to come in and negated many of the good things about it."

Sen. Patterson to retire after 34 years

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:14 EDT

After 34 years in the S.C. legislature - all but 10 as a state senator - Columbia's Kay Patterson is retiring from an institution that, he says, no longer fits him.

"It's uncomfortable for me," said Patterson, who was swept into office in 1975.

Patterson was one of 13 black lawmakers seated in the House of Representatives that year, a record-setting number for modern times.

Chinese construction of USC dorm prompts U.S.-contractor-only bill

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:28 EDT

An S.C. lawmaker said Thursday she is outraged that a state university hired a China-based construction company, saying taxpayer money should go to American firms. But a company official contends the money largely stays here as it employs hundreds of Palmetto State residents.

Rep. Gloria Haskins, R-Greenville, introduced a bill that would bar public agencies from awarding contracts to foreign companies without first giving the opportunity to American companies. Haskins said a banner at a construction site at the University of South Carolina that read "China Construction" prompted the proposal.

"As a state, we need to set an example. Our tax dollars should not be going to foreign governments, especially not a communist government," she said.