NEWS BRIEFS: Charleston Forum to kick off 2021 series on June 22

Staff reports  |  The Charleston Forum will hold the first discussion of its 2021 event series on June 22, a virtual panel addressing challenges and possible improvements in public education.

According to this story in the Charleston City Paper, results from the group’s new annual survey shows overwhelming support exists for dramatic reforms to improve quality of life in Charleston’s tri-county area, according to results from a survey published by The Charleston Forum. But intense disparities between local Black and white residents show diverging outlooks on the prospect for improved race relations in the community.

“In our survey last year, The Charleston Forum demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of tri-county residents share the same goals in our topic areas, including education, policing and criminal justice,” said Charleston Forum CEO Brian Duffy. “With the new survey results and discussion this year, we will demonstrate which policies the community thinks will help us best achieve those goals.”

The Forum was created in 2016, a year after the Emanuel AME Church mass shooting, when a white supremacist targeted the historic Black church’s congregation, attempting to start a race war.  Today, the group convenes political, business, religious and education leaders in various forms to discuss race and issues related to systemic inequality.

The virtual event starts at 11:30 a.m. June 22, and is free and open to the public. Registration is open at thecharlestonforum.com.

In other recent news:

Littering creates more than trashiness in S.C.  The state has a growing trash problem, in part, because volunteers stayed inside during the pandemic. But booming development is causing more trash that is causing even more problems and costs.  Read how.

Legislators to vote on big state budget.  House and Senate negotiators last week put finishing touches on an $11 billion state budget for 2021-22 that legislators will consider this week in Columbia.  The new fiscal year starts July 1.  Included in the whopping budget is a 2.5 percent pay raise for all state employees.  It will cost about $60 million.  The state also will spend $72 million on a $1,000-per-teacher pay hike. More:  The State  |  The Post and Courier

2 S.C. executions halted until firing squad formed.  The S.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked the planned executions of two inmates by electrocution, saying they cannot be put to death until they truly have the choice of a firing squad option as set out in the state’s newly revised capital punishment law.  More: AP News.

McMaster picks businessman to lead S.C. commerce. Gov. Henry McMaster on Thursday nominated business executive Harry M. Lightsey III to serve as the next state commerce secretary, putting forth the first new name to lead the agency in more than a decade. mMore: AP News  |  Columbia Business Report.

McMaster signs Santee Cooper bill, pushes for sale of utility.  McMaster says he still wants to sell state-owned utility Santee Cooper after signing into law a bill to overhaul the company. More: WCBD TV.

Cunningham announces plan to curb gun violence. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joe Cunningham released a plan to curb gun violence in the Palmetto State as Charleston gears up to mark the sixth anniversary of the Emanuel AME Church shooting.  More: The Post and Courier  |  WCBD TV.

Sanford pens book on post-Trump Republican Party.  Former S.C. governor and congressman — and one-time Donald Trump Republican presidential primary adversary — Mark Sanford has written “Two Roads Diverged: A Second Chance for the Republican Party, the Conservative Movement, the Nation and Ourselves.” Sanford, who is now working for the lobbying firm Shumaker Advisors in Charleston, told The Post and Courier that he wanted to not only reflect on what post-Trump America looks like but also wants to lay out a political path for making the country successful again. More: The Post and Courier.

Juneteenth becomes federal holiday.  President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a measure into law making Juneteenth, an annual celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S., take effect immediately. That means today is considered the first Juneteenth federal holiday despite the occasion formally being on Saturday, June 19. More: The New York Times | The Washington Post.