Layoffs down for '09

Spartanburg hit hardest in the Upstate

JANUARY 8, 2010 5:23 p.m. (0)

There were 266,330 unemployed South Carolinians at the end of 2009 and close to 2,700 of them were Upstate workers laid off in the previous 12 months.

As the nation continues to battle a crippling recession now in its third calendar year, area economic leaders said things will remain tough, but there has been job creation that has offset some of the layoffs.  Continue reading...

 

College degree? Not so fast.

The majority of parents say yes to higher education, but getting there is the hard part

JANUARY 12, 2010 10:03 a.m. (0)

There’s a difference between perception and reality when it comes to college expectations in South Carolina.

In a recent poll of more than 800 parents of children in public school, 86 percent of parents say they expected their child to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Ninety-four percent of the parents polled by Winthrop University and South Carolina ETV said their children had that same expectation.  Continue reading...

 

Textiles are thriving here

Upstate companies turn to high-tech for growth

JULY 30, 2010 6:18 a.m. (0)

Southern Weaving, a Greenville textile company that supplied cotton webbing to Ford Motor Co.’s Model T’s when it opened on Greenville’s west side, is part of the new face of the textile industry.

The company recently announced a $1.5 million expansion and 20 new jobs at its East Bramlett Road plant.  Continue reading...

 

GHS, USC approve doctor training expansion in Greenville

First class expected in 2012

AUGUST 6, 2010 8:55 a.m. (1)

Click to see what other schools are seeking accreditation

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine ­– Greenville got the go-ahead  from the boards of the Greenville Hospital System and the University of South Carolina.

The next step for the expansion of the doctor training program will be accreditation by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education.  Continue reading...

 

Well I'll be

AUGUST 20, 2010 7:33 a.m. (0)

Nope. Not. Giving. Up. Forget the fact he’s been indicted on a felony obscenity charge, Alvin Greene will remain in the race for the senate. The bizarre saga made it onto “Fox News Sunday” when National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Tex) used Greene during a discussion about “voter’s rights.”

Terry Thomas just wanted to run for school board in Beaufort County. He did his homework, too, gathering almost 200 signatures and filling out the paperwork. He went to check his mailbox last week and while he was gone, his dog, Spencer, a lab and bull mastiff mix, had a snack. And it included Thomas’ paperwork for filing. And you guessed it, he won’t be able to run this year. Apparently the dog was worried he’d be left home along too often.  Continue reading...

 

He’s the man in the mirror

AUGUST 26, 2010 7:37 a.m. (0)

For Christopher Adam Turner, self-portraits are a form of therapy.

Some people may talk to friends about issues going on in their lives but Turner picks up a paint brush.  Continue reading...

 

The best place to work?

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010 12:30 p.m. (0)

Senior executives of Elliott Davis spent a long night recently at Clemson University to share with faculty the company’s priorities for new employees and to hear what was happening in Clemson’s programs.

Although the fatigued Elliott Davis officers were at their desks bright and early the next day, it was time well spent and an example of management’s commitment to recruiting young talent to the Greenville accounting and consultancy firm, said Bob Wilson, chief human relations officer.

Wilson was asked to cite key practices and policies that have identified Elliott Davis as one of the “best places to work in South Carolina” in a quantitative analysis of company practices and policies combined with surveys of employee attitudes about the workplace.  Continue reading...

 

They can FLY!

‘Peter Pan’ production puts an actor in the air

SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 12:43 p.m. (0)

WANT TO GO? What: Peter PanWho: South Carolina Children’s TheatreWhere: Peace Center Gunter TheatreWhen: Sept.  24 at 7 p.m.; Sept. 25 and 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets: $26 for adults, $17 for childrenInfo: 467-3000 or peacecenter.org It will take more than fairy dust to make Peter Pan fly in the upcoming South Carolina Children’s Theatre production of “Peter Pan.”

Toss in some physics, geometry, algebra, special flying harnesses, pulley systems and a Labor Day weekend full of instruction for five cast members by a flying director from the same company that helped former gymnast Cathy Rigby take to the air in the Broadway revival of the childhood favorite.

“People who sit in the audience have no idea what it takes mathematically and scientifically and a lot of times the people backstage don’t know what it takes artistically to make this work,” said Dan Kondas, the flying director with ZFX Flying Effects who was in Greenville last weekend.  Continue reading...

 

Six in District 21 race

Five Republicans, one Democrat want to replace the late Rep. Bill Wylie

SEPTEMBER 30, 2010 10:48 a.m. (0)

Five Republicans and one Democrat want to fill the South Carolina House District 21 seat left vacant by the unexpected death of Rep. Bill Wylie last month.

Real estate broker Steve Dowd, former Greenville County Republican Party Chairman Samuel Harms III, former Greenville County Council Chairwoman Phyllis Henderson, Greer homebuilder Keith Smith and former Bi-Lo Vice President John Symons are seeking the Republican nomination.

Susan Scarborough Smith is the only Democrat to file for the seat.  Continue reading...

 

Fall (ish)

It's all about the temperatures

OCTOBER 3, 2010 11:51 a.m. (8)

Want to catch the fall color at its peak? Here are telephone hotlines and Web sites pointing out the best spots.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s fall color hotline is 1-800-354-4595.  Continue reading...

 

Mummy, where art thou?

Greenville’s arts organizations capitalize on popularity of Halloween

OCTOBER 19, 2010 11:00 a.m. (0)

Greenville’s community theaters and dance companies are using Halloween to try to scare up some new patrons and revenue.

“People celebrate Halloween because it’s fun,” said Allan McCalla, artistic director for the Greenville Little Theatre. “All of us trick or treated as kids. And arts organizations are always looking for an angle.”

Americans are expected to spend $447.1 billion on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. And while Halloween used to be considered primarily a children’s event, it has become the second leading adult party reason behind New Year’s Eve.  Continue reading...

 

The week in pictures: 11/06/10

Look who's in the Journal

NOVEMBER 7, 2010 3:12 p.m. (0)

This week:

 Continue reading...

 

So much drama

For these Governor’s School grads, that’s a good thing

NOVEMBER 22, 2010 8:26 a.m. (0)

Broadway has a distinctive Greenville feel this fall.

Three graduates from the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities have roles in plays showing on New York’s Broadway.

Teyonah Parris and Nichole Beharie are appearing in John Guare’s “A Free Man of Color” with Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright, while Liza Bennett appears in “The Merchant of Venice,” which stars Al Pacino. All three women attended Juilliard before they started acting professionally.  Continue reading...

 

State agencies misuse credit cards

Right now no one's watching  your state government

JANUARY 27, 2011 3:36 p.m. (0)

Turns out some state employees haven’t been handled state-issued and taxpayer-paid credit cards well.

Some charged items in violation of state policy such as gift cards, hotel rooms and meals, according to a review by the South Carolina Legislative Audit Council.

Some exceeded the state-imposed limit of $2,500 for an individual purchase and others divided the cost of an item to circumvent the limit. In addition, blocks on certain types of merchants such as ABC stores that are required by state policy were not always in place.  Continue reading...

 

Need a pirate statue?

The state museum has them for sale, and plenty more

MARCH 7, 2011 8:37 a.m. (1)

Clear the props and sweep the stage for new exhibits at the South Carolina State Museum.

The state museum has filled up its storage closets and will be opening them up to the public – for sale.

On March 12, the state museum will host a garage sale for the first time since 2009.  Continue reading...

 

Lifesavers on the sidelines

Athletic trainer saves football player's life

DECEMBER 6, 2011 9:21 a.m. (0)

As certified athletic trainer Joni Canter tended to two injured players during a South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind football practice, Ther Tee Vang was tackled during a drill.

He got up, and then collapsed.

Coaches called Canter over when Vang started to shake like he was having a seizure.  Continue reading...

 

SC health cooperative offers insurance alternative

Nonprofit caters to businesses too small to qualify for national discounts

APRIL 12, 2012 1:57 p.m. (2)

With arguments just completed in the U.S. Supreme Court in the challenge to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, consumers and businesses are paying close attention to changes in the way health care is accessed and funded.

If the massive law is upheld, among the changes promised for 2014 are an expansion of Medicaid and the advent of government health care “exchanges,” where uninsured consumers can choose an insurance plan. Gov. Nikki Haley believes a state-sponsored exchange will be too expensive for South Carolina, preferring to leave it to the private sector to brainstorm ideas.

From that brainstorming has emerged South Carolina’s first health insurance cooperative, a two-year-old nonprofit group that gives non-related small businesses the opportunity to purchase health insurance as one entity.  Continue reading...