State Senator Glenn McConnnell is recovering from a mysterious illness that he says could have been life-threatening. The senator's been sick for six to seven weeks and his illness may have been brought on by a tick bite. He said back in November, he noticed two small bite marks on his neck and then developed symptoms of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever or another illness caused by a virus. The senator said he had complications because of his asthma and developed fluid in his lungs and in … [Read more...]

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) – Boeing's new interior fabrication facility located in the Palmetto Commerce Parkway off Ladson Road is impressive, but behind the machines, are its workers, 140 of them. They are the few who made the cut, after 50,000 applied. Thursday, Boeing and those employees celebrated the facility's opening. Workers will be making items like overhead stow bins, dividers, closets and many of the interior pieces in the airplane. They'll be training until January when … [Read more...]

A Senate subcommittee will take public comments on a fiscal fitness plan for South Carolina at 6:30 tonight in North Charleston City Hall. The meeting, which will end at 8:30 p.m., follows an initiative by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, to develop a plan for better financial restraint among lawmakers. The meeting will be in council chambers on the third floor at 2500 City Hall Lane. McConnell's plan calls for a constitutional cap on spending, a streamlining review … [Read more...]

A state Senate subcommittee is getting to work on a “Fiscal Fitness” agenda, one that is considering limits on the way state agencies raise and spend money. Charleston Senator Glenn McConnell named the panel and set the agenda. AUDIO: McConnell’s agenda (3:25) The panel, dubbed the “Fiscally Fit Subcommittee” held a public hearing at the Statehouse Tuesday and meets after Thanksgiving in North Charleston. McConnell says this to-do list is partly a response to the State … [Read more...]

Courtesy of Post & Courier The U.S. Justice Department has decided that it will not oppose South Carolina's redrawing of state Senate election district lines, state Senate leaders said Tuesday. The decision -- which Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said he learned from a Monday letter from Justice officials -- means that that the 46 districts may now be lawfully implemented. However, there are already plans to challenge them in court. State Democratic Party Chairman Dick … [Read more...]

More South Carolina families should be pleased with their schools' report cards this year, according to results released today from the state Department of Education. Graduation rates for the state and Lowcountry districts improved, and most districts maintained or improved their ratings from last year. "If the state is to see gains again next year, schools must maintain their laser-like focus on high school graduation -- the state's economy depends on it," state Superintendent of … [Read more...]

Republicans in the South Carolina state Senate lashed back after the U.S. Justice Department sued to stop South Carolina’s new immigration law from taking effect. The Senate GOP caucus issued a statement Wednesday accusing the federal government of failing to act on illegal immigration. That statement came after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit Monday arguing South Carolina’s new immigration law is unconstitutional, partly because it gives local law enforcement the ability to … [Read more...]

Senate President Pro Tempore and Senate Majority Leader Issue Joint Statement on U.S. Justice Department's Injunction against S.C. Immigration Law McConnell and Peeler: Federal Government Forces the States to Act on Immigration but Shoot Them Down When They Do Columbia, SC - November 2, 2011 - This week, the United States Justice Department challenged South Carolina’s new immigration law, preventing it from going into effect. The Justice Department argues that the new law preempts the … [Read more...]