Briefs

by John Temple Ligon

Agriculture

According to the Palmetto Institute, agriculture and timber operations in South Carolina have an economic impact of $35 billion.

But not at Bert's Bar, Sullivan's Island smoking ban victim

The proportion of U.S. adults who smoked in 2005 was 20.9%, the first time since 1997 the rate did not fall from one year to the next since 1997.

The business of the College of Charleston is business

P. George Benson, 60, the incoming president of the College of Charleston, is leaving his job as dean of the business school at the University of Georgia. He was also the business school dean at Rutgers University, and earlier he was on the business school faculty at the University of Minnesota.

Record monies for research at USC

For the 2005-06 academic year, $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding was raised at USC for research, outreach, and training programs.

Springs eternal

Springs Global, headquartered in Fort Mill, is the world's largest supplier of sheets and towels with almost 9% of the world market.

Fountain Inn expansion

Faurecia, the automotive supplier in Fountain Inn, recently announced plans to spend $24 million on expansion over the next five years.

Green Diamond shall rise again

The 1,700-acre Green Diamond site between Bluff Road and the Congaree River still might see a return on the $14 million already in the ground. The idea is to daily pump 40 million gallons of sewage over the land, where the cattails and such could absorb the phosphorus in the treated water, sending the clean product into the Congaree River.

How to improve White Point Garden

Don't, say the locals. Nonetheless, the City of Charleston budgeted $1 million for park improvements, to include enhanced handicapped access.

S.C. home sales slip in September

For September 2006, South Carolina home sales suffered a drop of about 13% compared with the same time last year. Myrtle Beach fell by 32%.

GE comes to Greenville

The General Electric annual shareholders' meeting is scheduled for April 25 in Greenville, population 56,700 inside the city limits. Connecticut-based GE employs about 2,500 people in Greenville and another 300,000 worldwide.

Banks

The most bank deposits in S.C. for the past year were in Wachovia, $11 billion. Next, Bank of America had $7.2 billion and BB&T, $5.7 billion.

Accountants

Gamble Givens & Moody LLC and Pratt-Thomas & Gumb CPAs, two Charleston firms, plan to merge and then join forces with Asheville-based Dixon Hughes PLLC, the nation's 17th largest accounting firm.

There's a Coke machine upstairs, like Columbia

Bertrand Delanoe, mayor of Paris, is selling some of the basement-stored wine at Hotel de Ville, city hall. Jacques Chirac, former mayor, put together the collection of 10,000 bottles, beginning in 1977. About 5,000 bottles are up for auction at an estimated value of almost $1 million.

Jobless

S.C. unemployment rate for September was 6.4%, down from 6.5% in August. The Columbia metropolitan area unemployment was 5.8%. There are 134,000 more workers in S.C. than four years ago, according to Governor Sanford's office.

Myrtle Beach gets serious about fixed light rail

Streetcars appear nearing reality in the City of Myrtle Beach. A $30,000 study is under way with conclusions expected in another four months. Jack Walker, a former Columbia paper boy who graduated from Dentsville High School and Clemson School of Architecture, is head of the city's planning department. He is pulling together enough information to present to city council. Early estimates of costs come to less than $100 million for four miles of track.

Money exports

According to the Inter-American Development Bank, S.C.'s Latino immigrants should send home to Latin America $322 million this year.

Trans fats

NYC's Board of Health held its first public hearing this week on a proposal to ban restaurants from serving food containing artificial trans fats. For all its 5,500 restaurants in the U.S., Kentucky Fried Chicken announced this week a self-imposed ban on trans fats.

Ft. Jackson feed

For the year ended September 30, 2006, the Army met its recruiting goal by 100.8%, 80,635 active duty recruits.