Briefs

by John Temple Ligon

Spurious

A seven- game season ticket this fall at Williams- Brice starts at $320, up from $280 last year and $165 in 2004.

Canada

The South Carolina Department of Commerce announced last week it plans to open an office in Toronto later this year. Canada is South Carolina's top export market. In 2006, Canada purchased more than $3 billion of South Carolina products.

High- tech

The National Lamda Rail is a high- tech fiber optic line that runs through South Carolina as it connects Charlotte and Atlanta, but no one in the Palmetto State has access to the line. The Lamda Rail is capable of carrying high volumes of data at high speed so researchers far apart can collaborate in real time. South Carolina is among a dozen states without a state or regional network that connects with a national network.

China in Camden

Haier America, the China- based appliance manufacturer, announced in early March its Camden plant will soon undergo a $6 million expansion to accommodate the production of a new refrigerator. Haier has developed a 25 cubic foot three- drawer refrigerator/freezer that offers a flexible drawer. The flexible drawer has an internal volume of 4.6 cubic feet and can convert from refrigerator to freezer at the touch of a button. Haier will hire an additional 128 workers to staff the new product line.

Congressman Clyburn

House Majority Whip and Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn will speak to a joint session of the South Carolina General Assembly Tuesday, April 10, at 12:30 pm. The General Assembly adopted a concurrent resolution on Feb. 1 to invite Clyburn to speak. The resolution was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Robert Ford of Charleston and Rep. Bakari Sellers, son of USC professor Cleveland Sellers.

Summerville sets the example

The new Summerville YMCA will be funded almost entirely by Greenwood Development Corporation, who will donate $3 million in construction costs, plus a land donation valued at approximately $1 million. The new Y will locate at The Ponds, a 1,950- acre community developed by Greenwood Development Corporation between the town of Summerville and the Ashley River Historic District. Downtown Columbia needs a new Y, and the value of downtown is far greater than a 1,950- acre low- rise residential community. With a little leadership and a lot of money, downtown Columbia should be planning a new Y.

Pension fund

South Carolina's state pension fund was cited last week in The Columbia Star as having pulled in a pathetic 5.13% return for last year, which was unfavorably compared with the Yale University endowment's average annual return of 16% for the past 20 years. However, the fund is now managed by the S.C. Retirement System Investment Commission, which is mostly composed of financial experts. Until recently, it was under the control of the State Budget and Control Board, which is composed of elected officials. In November, S.C. voters approved a constitutional amendment to allow the fund to invest in international stocks for the first time. The Spanish equivalent to the Dow Jones Industrial Average is the blue- chip IBEX 35 Index, which last year surged 32%, while the S.C. pension fund managed its return of 5.13%.

Watch for a snazzier Jag at Hampton Automotive

The storied Aston Martin brand was sold by Ford last week for $870 million. Ford owns Jaguar, and the $870 million is presumably part of the strategy to update the Jag's roadster, the XK.

Amiss with Miss South Carolina

The Miss S.C. beauty pageant organization was fined $2,000 in early March. It was ordered by the S.C. Secretary of State to send in more information about its 2004 and 2005 tax filings.

Infusion at Charleston's Moo Roo

The King Street shop famous for its unique hand bags, Moo Roo, sold a majority stake to the Atelier Fund, a private equity firm. Geneva- based Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA backed Atelier last year with $65 million. Compagnie Financiere Richemont controls Cartier, Montblanc, and Alfred Dunhill. Moo Roo founder Mary Norton retains partial ownership, and she continues to manage marketing. What may be deemed a mistake among Moo Roo loyalists, the company's name has been changed to Mary Norton. Mary Norton, the company, is aiming to triple its sales.

We're No. 8!

South Carolina is ranked the eighth- largest boating state in the U.S. In 2005, S.C. had 416,763 registered vessels.