NEWS BRIEFS: On the Heritage Act, Fresh Future Farm and coronavirus

4/5ths of current lawmakers haven’t voted on Heritage Act.  Only 30 of the state’s current 170 legislators cast votes 20 years ago on whether the state should protect monuments from removal.  That means more than two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly have yet to weigh in on the controversial Heritage Act that effectively prevents any changes to public memorials.  Learn about the Heritage Act and read more in this story by Statehouse Report’s Lindsay Street.

Fresh Future Farm still waiting to buy land.  Fresh Future Farm in North Charleston has raised tens of thousands of dollars to buy less than an acre of land in a food desert it serves, but it’s getting the runaround and still waiting to strike a deal after months. Read the full story from the Charleston City Paper.

Wentworth offers powerful poem.  S.C. Poet Laureate Marjory Wentworth, a contributing editor for Charleston Currents, offered this powerful poem of a Confederate dialogue that juxtaposes the direct words of John C. Calhoun and white nationalist Dylann Roof.  The poem, which can be read vertically or horizontally, is “as if they are speaking to each other across the centuries,” Wentworth said.

COVID-19 cases continue to spike in S.C.  Cases of COVID-19 soared over the last week with 5,886 confirmed cases and another 22 probable cases reported by state health officials.  “Every day that we don’t all do our part, we extend the duration of this virus,” State Epidemiologist Linda Bell said Thursday. The virus, she emphasized, “does not take a day off.”  Officials implore citizens to wear masks in public and follow social distancing guidelines.

House, Senate scheduled to meet. The official chamber calendars show the Senate will meet noon Tuesday, and the House will meet 1 p.m. Wednesday. Tuesday’s Senate meeting will address its Finance Committee recommendation for CARES to send over to the House before it convenes. Thursday will be a back-up day for the House if business is not completed on Wednesday, according to the House Clerk’s office. The Senate will schedule its meetings day-by-day depending on the House’s meetings, according to the Senate Clerk’s office. Calendar for the Senate here. Calendar for the House here.  

McCoy confirmed. Former state Rep. Peter McCoy was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the state’s new U.S. Attorney. 

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