Friday 5 2.14.20

Here are a few articles you may missed this week. Take a few minutes and get smarter before church coffee hour this Sunday…

1. New beginnings. Greenville Chamber’s President & CEO, Carlos Phillips, addressed a crowd outside of the new S. Main Street location at the late January ribbon cutting; offering positive reflection on the success of the move from 24 Cleveland St. and a few words on upcoming goals. After analyzing the costs to renovate and comparing the costs to move, Chamber executives made the decision to move into the 9,000 sq. ft. modern office space in the heart of the business district. The old property, sold to fund the move, was purchased by Bannister, Wyatt and Stalvey; Pintail Capital Partners; and Fox Commercial Properties purchasing it.
2. Santee Cooper troubles. Luke Rankin, of Horry County, raised concerns over the legitimacy of the firm hired to vet the bids to keep or sell Santee Cooper. Sen. Rankin believes the firm was in a potentially advantageous because selling the state-owned utility would secure a larger payment. The Department of Administration said the payment arrangements in question are legal and are for the payment for the work the firm would provide in the even Santee Cooper is sold. Sen. Rankin finally stated that a group of lawmakers have been appointed to a committee to make sure the process is fair and the options provided are “as free from contingency as possible”.
3. Changes up ahead for Converse College. In fall 2021, Converse College will make the name change to Converse University and also expand enrollment to males. With a decrease in enrollment, school trustees hope the expansion positively adds to student population figures. However, males aren’t being added just for a boost to their numbers. Administrators say they recognize the changing demographics and after analyzing statistics, they’ve concluded that less people are graduating high school. Out of those high school graduates, the number of women graduating is even less and those women are less likely to attend a school exclusively for women.
4. “South Carolinians don’t want socialism.” Just ahead of the February 29^th SC Presidential primary, US House Rep. Joe Cunningham speaks out against Bernie Sanders’ ideology. Rep. Cunningham has not made an endorsement for a candidate but says he will defend “our Lowcountry values of opportunity, pragmatism and common sense.”.
5. Internet Expansion. Governor Henry McMaster is calling for legislators to consider reallocating funds to expand the availability of internet service to rural parts of the state. Access to healthcare, emergency services, and education are at stake, the Governor claims. He is hopeful that lawmakers will move toward spending $575,000 on converting unused public TV towers, The Post and Courier reports.

Bonus: Governor McMaster is the oldest serving SC Governor at 72 years old.