Briefs
by John Temple Ligon
Senate passes Senate On Wednesday night, April 16, the S.C. Senate passed the $7 billion state budget. The Senate version fully funds the Education Funding Act at a rate of $2,578 per pupil, and it provides for a 1% state- employee pay increase. The Board of Economic Advisors warned the week before to expect a $180 million decline in state revenue over the next 15 months.

Charlotte area has nine;Columbia, one Nine Charlotte- area corporations are on Fortunemagazine's annual list of the top 500 U.S. corporations: Bank of America, Wachovia, Lowe's, Nucor, Duke Energy, Sonic Automotive, Family Dollar Stores, Goodrich, and SPX. Scana, parent of SCE&G, the regulated shareholder- owned utility, is the Columbia area's only company on the Fortune 500 list. Scana is moving from its rented 450,000 sq. ft. Palmetto Center headquarters on Columbia's Main Street to its own campus in Cayce.

Unemployment The S.C. Employment Security Commission reported state unemployment at 5.7 percent in March. The national unemployment rate in March was 5.1 percent. Unemployment in North Carolina rose to 5.2 percent from 4.8 percent in February.

PSC calls Duke Energy's hand On Thursday, April 17, the S.C. Public Service Commission called for Duke Energy to disclose its new cost estimates for its proposed Lee Nuclear Station near Gaffney, S.C. Duke said in 2005 the twin- reactor Lee Station would cost $5 billion to $6 billion, but two similar units in Florida are coming in at $12.5 billion to $17.8 billion.

Scana carbon emissions efforts are USA's worst According to Abby Schultz of the New York Times, Innovest Strategic Value Advisors rates energy utility companies on management of carbon emissions. The highest rating in the country goes to three utilities: FPL Group, PG&E, and Consolidated Edison. The lowest rating in the country goes to four companies Innovest identifies as having "done relatively little in this area" and lists Scana last: Allegheny Energy, the Southern Company, the Ameren Corporation, and the Scana Corporation.

Job growth According to Columbia- based Colliers Keenan, the top three cities for job growth for the year ending February 2008 were Raleigh, N.C. (3.9%); Houston, Tex. (3.4%); and Greenville, S.C. (2.9%), while Charleston, S.C. (2.1%) ranked sixth and Columbia, S.C. (1.9%) ranked ninth in the nation for job growth.

Belk earnings down 47% Charlotte- based Belk Inc. has stores in the Columbia area, and the company's net income for the fiscal year ending February 2 was $95.7 million, down 47% from $181.8 million in fiscal 2007. With 307 stores in 16 states, Belk is the country's largest privately owned department- store chain.

Warhol in the fall Art historians generally agree the three most important American painters in the 20th century are Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol. From October 20 through December 30, Charlotte's Mint Museum will exhibit the Andy Warhol Portfolio on loan from Bank of America Corp.

Expensive broken homes According to a report released Tuesday, April 15, broken homes cost South Carolina taxpayers $469 million a year. Both the costs of unwed childbearing and divorce were analyzed, concluding marriage reduces poverty rates by 40%. The report was released by the Institute for American Values, the Georgia Family Council, the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, and Families Northwest. The report covers all 50 states.

Delta merger likely to cut S.C. jobs Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines are about to merge. Both airlines had a combined economic impact last year in S.C. amounting to $2.7 billion. Northwest employs 50 in the state, and Delta employs 350. Both airlines serve Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville/Spartanburg. Hilton Head and Florence are served by Delta only. Between the peak day departures by Delta, 57, and by Northwest, 19, from these airports, reductions in departures are expected, as are reductions in workers.