NEWS BRIEFS: State’s natural areas to get more protection

Staff reports  |  State leaders and land preservation advocates will gather Tuesday to announce a wide-ranging initiative to dramatically increase protection and preservation of natural areas across South Carolina.

Gov. Henry McMaster, GOP state Sen. Chip Campsen of Charleston and conservationists are set to announce “support for ​​accelerating the pace and land conservation and improving funding for public lands management,” said Raleigh West, executive director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank.

McMaster will travel to Andrews for the announcement in an area near the Black River where work is already underway to ramp up land preservation.

The move comes after the pandemic year when state and local parks saw record numbers of visitors while newly remote workers fled major cities, settling in South Carolina.

“There’s just this tremendous demand for more public outdoor recreation and at the same time, growth is happening,” West said.

Campsen said he is planning complementary legislation for when the General Assembly returns in January. Campsen’s proposal would reinstate direct funding from deed registrations to the Conservation Bank, which buys property directly from landowners or pays them for a conservation easement that restricts further development. 

“We’re seeing a lot of pressure and a lot of in-migration. And it’s important that we preserve our quality of life, and our natural resources that contribute to that quality of life in the face of that massive population migration we’re experiencing,” Campsen told the Charleston City Paper. “Otherwise, we’re gonna lose what makes South Carolina distinct and attractive in the first place.”

The measure to accelerate land preservation comes in parallel with Biden-administration efforts to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030 as climate change affects natural areas from coast to coast. West views the two proposals as “distinct and separate,” with much of the federal proposal dealing with public lands that dominate the American West.

Charleston City Paper Editor Sam Spence wrote the above news brief. 

In other recent news:

COVID-19 cases are spiking in S.C.  The number of confirmed and probable cases has doubled over the last week, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.  

New confirmed cases rose from 3,034 cases from July 15 to July 21 to 6,992 cases from July 22 to 28, according to DHEC data.  New probable cases jumped from 1,935 cases to 3,601 cases in the same two-week comparison.  The combined number of confirmed and probable cases went from 4,969 in the week ending July 21 to 10,193 as of July 28.

With vaccines widely available throughout the state, state officials are urging residents to begin and complete their vaccinations to keep numbers down and prevent further spread of the virus as most cases are being reported in unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines are available at many locations throughout the Palmetto State. You can find vaccination locations on DHEC’s website.

Despite the Centers for Disease Control’s new guidelines updated on July 27 recommending all individuals — including fully vaccinated people — wear masks indoors, Gov. Henry McMaster has said masks will not be required in schools for the coming year.

Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg last week encouraged South Carolinians to get vaccinated during a conversation with MUSC Health CEO Dr. Patrick Cawley at the West Ashley MUSC Medical Pavilion. Although the mayor said another citywide mask mandate would likely not be imposed, he encouraged everyone to begin wearing masks indoors once again.

Three-day sales tax holiday starts Aug. 6.  The state’s annual weekend-long sales tax holiday kicks off Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 8 to allow shoppers to buy certain items in South Carolina stores, both online and in stores, without paying a 6 percent state sales tax and applicable local taxes. Among the items that can be purchased are school supplies, clothing, footwear, computers, musical instruments and outerwear. Not eligible for the exemption are eyewear, furniture, cell phones and office supplies. Advocates say the sales tax holiday is an economic shot in the arm for businesses, while detractors say it’s a gimmick because people postpone purchases to save money on things they buy anyway.  For a full list of sales tax-free items, check out the state’s full guide to the tax holiday.

Top 40 in treating cancer.  MUSC is celebrating its new #39 ranking in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.  ““We are delighted to be ranked in the top 40 in the nation for cancer care at MUSC Health,” said Dr. Raymond N. DuBois, director of the Hollings Cancer Center.  The center “serves as the state’s only NCI-designated cancer center and is charged to deliver cutting-edge cancer treatments to a culturally diverse population. We have an amazing team of more than 110 cancer researchers across 20 academic departments doing transdisciplinary research in the lab each day. We know the impact of cancer on patients’ lives, and we’re developing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.”  

City Paper takes home 21 state advertising awards.  Hats off to our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper, which won 21 advertising awards in a contest by the S.C. Press Association.  The total included two major awards — the President’s Award for Best Overall Advertising for weekly newspapers and Best in Show honors in the over-12,000 circulation division, by production director Dela O’Callaghan and account executive Lauren Kesmodel.

Also last month, the City Paper received national recognition when illustrators Steve Stegelin and Robert Ariail were finalists for best cartoon in the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards contest.