NEWS BRIEFS: Legislative work left on the table for summer, fall and 2022

Staff reports  |  State lawmakers finished their regular legislative session Thursday but still have a lot of work this year.  

In June, they’re expected to finish with reform to the state’s utility, Santee Cooper, and put final touches on the state’s $11 billion spending plan for 2021-22.  Then in the fall, they’ll return to Columbia to hammer out constitutionally-mandated redistricting and details of two supplemental appropriations bills on how to spend $2.1 billion in federal money from the American Rescue Act and $525 million from a Savannah River Site settlement.  Several high-profile measures, such as a hate crimes bill and a proposal to approve use of medical marijuana to ease suffering, will have to wait until next year.  For more of a roundup-of the last week of the session, see this story at Statehouse Report.

In other recent news:

More than 400 winners.  Our sister newspaper, the Charleston City Paper, last week published its whopping annual Best of Charleston issue honoring more than 400 individuals and businesses for the best that they bring the area.

• To see the Best of Charleston winners, go to: CharlestonCityPaper.com.

Part of Folly Beach pier is open.  The part of Folly Beach Pier closest to a parking lot has reopened, including the gift shop, observation deck, restrooms, showers and beach access. The rest of the pier will remain closed through Spring 2023, while it undergoes a complete reconstruction project. Fishing off the pier is not available. But guests can now also access the pier’s restrooms, showers and changing stations, as well as other amenities daily from 8 a.m. to  9 p.m.

Port handles record cargo.  South Carolina Ports had a record April for cargo handled at the Port of Charleston, following an all-time cargo record achieved in March. SC Ports reported its strongest April ever for containers, moving 225,137 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) across Wando Welch Terminal, North Charleston Terminal and Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal. The amount represents a 27.8 percent increase from a year ago.

Caslen resigns as USC’s president. University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen has resigned his post and the board of trustees has accepted less than a week after Caslen appeared to misidentify the school as University of Southern California and plagiarized portions of his commencement speech to graduates. Harris Pastides, who served in the role before Caslen, will serve on an interim basis during a search for a replacement.  More:  AP News | The Daily Gamecock.

Vaccinated can stop wearing masks, CDC says.  Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus may stop covering their faces or maintaining social distance in most settings, the Centers for Disease Control said Thursday. The announcement is seen as a turning point in the pandemic, but there are still places where masks are required, such as airplanes and school buses.  More: The New York Times.

State to get $2.5B in pandemic relief aid. State and local governments in South Carolina are getting nearly $2.5 billion in new federal coronavirus aid. More: AP News.