3rd official to plead guilty in S. Carolina nuclear debacle
May 24, 2021
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A former official for the contractor hired to build two South Carolina nuclear reactors that were never completed will plead guilty to lying to federal authorities, court documents show.
Carl Churchman was the Westinghouse Electric Co. project director for the failed plant that cost ratepayers and investors billions of dollars after utility executives swore construction was on track even as the project rapidly fell behind.
Churchman will plead guilty to making a false statement to federal officials, according to a court filing last week. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the offense.
S. Carolina teacher group drops protest plan, citing threats
May 17, 2021
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) Teacher advocacy group SC for Ed says it dropped plans for Monday protests in Columbia amid threats of violence.
The group had scheduled an “Enough is Enough” protest to take place at the Statehouse, South Carolina Department of Education and governor s mansion, saying it wanted to protest the mistreatment of teachers by Gov Henry McMaster, the state superintendent of education and others.
The teacher group said its concerns ran deeper than McMaster s executive order, which attempted to let parents choose if their children would wear masks in schools or not. But some teachers said the Republican governor s action inflamed the situation.
S Carolina budget writer: Wait to spend $2.1B COVID relief
March 17, 2021
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The Republican leader of the committee that writes South Carolina’s budget said he is waiting for more guidance before he makes any recommendations on how to spend the state’s share of $1.9 trillion in COVID-19 relief from the federal government.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson joined colleagues in 20 other states in a letter asking Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for clarity on how the money can be spent, saying barring legislatures from using the money to cut taxes would be breathtaking.
Budget leaders in South Carolina have made no announcements on how they might spend the state s $2.1 billion share of the latest federal COVID-19 relief. An additional $1.5 billion is heading directly to local governments. Officials will likely have up to three years to spend the money.