Category: State

News from around the state

U.S. Attorney’s Office Sponsoring Logo Contest

The United States Attorney’s Office is sponsoring the 21st Annual Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”) Logo Contest.

Top Five Scams Of 2023 Reported

The Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Carolinas (BBB) has released its list of the top 5 scams reported during 2023.

Purple Martins Spotted In South Carolina

In a sure sign that spring is not far behind, the first Purple Martins of the year have been spotted in South Carolina.

Virtual Race To Benefit State Parks

Run, Walk,, paddle, or roll to complete your Run for Trees: Happy Little 5K, a virtual race inspired by the late artist, Bob Ross, and his love for nature, taking place between Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 26).

South Carolina Barbecue Association To Hold Seminar

The South Carolina Barbecue Association (SCBA) will hold a one-day seminar in Columbia to train new barbecue judges. The seminar is February 10, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the recreation hall at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, located at 1715 Bull St.

Top Five Scams Of 2023 Listed

Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Carolinas (BBB) has released its list of the top 5 scams reported during 2023. These scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker in our 48-county service area throughout last year:

Annual Baltimore Oriole Winter Survey Is February 16-19

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) will conduct its annual Baltimore Oriole Winter Survey Feb. 16-19 in conjunction with the Great Backyard Bird Count. The state natural resources agency is interested in the status and distribution of these colorful songbirds that are wintering in the Palmetto State.
If you currently have Baltimore orioles coming to your feeders or have had them in the past years, SCDNR encourages your participation. Survey participants count and record the largest number of Baltimore orioles they can see at one time, on one, two, three or all four days of the survey period. Even if you cannot participate during the survey period, SCDNR would still like to record your oriole numbers seen during the winter months of December through February.
Survey participants need to be able to correctly identify Baltimore orioles from other bird species. To participate, you can access the survey form and materials from this link: South Carolina Wintering Baltimore Oriole Survey (arcgis.com) The survey form and materials are available through your web browser or through the Survey 123 app (free download through your device’s app store). The Survey123 form can be used to report Oriole observations either during the survey period (Feb. 16-19) or outside of the survey period (December through February). For more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count and counting all species of birds, visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org/.
This year marks the ninth annual survey, and South Carolina continues to report large numbers of wintering Baltimore orioles.
Historically, these birds have wintered in southern Florida, the Caribbean, Central and South America. However, during the last several decades, they have been wintering along the East Coast in greater abundance.
South Carolina had 25 counties reporting orioles last year, up from 22 counties in 2022. The majority of reported birds wintered along the coastal plain from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island. Charleston County was the 2023 hotspot, with Beaufort, Dorchester, Horry and Florence counties also leading the pack. Good numbers continued to extend inland, with the Upstate reporting Orioles as far west as Oconee County.

Though SCDNR is not sure why these birds have begun overwintering in large numbers in the state, they are responding well to the popularity of backyard bird feeding. Orioles are best attracted to feeders where the homeowner is already feeding birds in general. Orioles are attracted to the activity of other birds at feeders. If conditions are right for them, they are likely to frequent the feeders where they can find food, water, and shelter. They will eat a variety of foods and seeds, suet products, some seed mixes, nuts and fruit mixes, but their favorite food by far is grape jelly. Since these birds have become more common at the winter feeders, you can find an assortment of feeders that cater to them and their foods, especially at bird-feeding specialty stores.
The survey will enable scientists to learn the distribution and abundance of Baltimore orioles wintering in South Carolina. Information from the survey and the Great Backyard Bird Count can provide a “big picture” about what is happening to Baltimore oriole populations and other bird species. SCDNR appreciates the public’s support and efforts in helping collect the valuable information in this survey.

Resources Available For Those Who Want To Quit Tobacco

South Carolinians who want to improve their health this year by quitting the use of tobacco products have several free resources to help them achieve their goals. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is reminding people that quit coaches at the SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) are available 24/7 to assist with free quit support.

Upstate Area To Receive New Area Code

In 2024, the upstate region of South Carolina will receive a new 821 area code that will supplement—but not replace—the current 864 area code.
An overlay is the addition of another area code (821) to the same geographic region served by an existing area code (864).

Governor Henry McMaster Announces FY 2024-2025 Executive Budget

Governor Henry McMaster today announced his Executive Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025.