MORNING NEWSBREAK | Gov. Henry McMaster formally signed the state’s 2024-25 budget on July 3, finalizing billions of dollars in policy proposals spanning from raises for police officers and teachers to $200 million for bridge and road repair.
Also included in the budget was $435 million in so-called “pet projects” requested by state legislators for their respective districts, or earmarks. Not all made it to the cut, though. McMaster vetoed 21 of the legislator-sponsored projects, totalling $2.3 million.
Four of the earmarks he vetoed, totaling $645,000, would have gone to organizations not registered as charities with the Secretary of State’s Office, McMaster said. Those earmarks would have given money to the African American Settlement Communities Historic Commission, Inc., to restore a school house near Charleston and Charleston-based My Community’s Keeper Mentor Group that mentors children.
Of the earmarks McMaster did approve, he called it “worth giving state money.” Examples of projects worth funding, according to McMaster, are septic tank repairs in James Island and for the 2025 national conference for historically Black colleges and universities to be held in Charleston.
McMaster also struck two clauses that would have loosened enforcement on building seawalls and policies about beach erosion. The vetoed sections would have made it easier for property owners to challenge what counts as a beachfront when building seawalls, but McMaster said adding those as one-year laws would only disrupt the system already in place, causing more problems than they solved.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: The climate is changing. Face this inconvenient truth.
“For anyone who maintains there is no such thing as climate change, it’s time to crawl out from under your rock and face the realities of what’s really going on with the weather where you live.”
CP CARTOON:
CP FEATURE: Rediscover the Lowcountry with our top picks for the perfect 24 hours. Visitors and residents often ask what they should do with free time in Charleston and the surrounding area. But with so many possibilities, it’s often difficult to pick out just one or two experiences. So the staff here came up with too many cool things to do for just one list and combined them in “What to do” by area.
CP NEWS: Wood’s Ace Hardware has helpful local beer garden. Wood’s Ace Hardware, owned by Emily Wood Popielarz, is setting the bar high for weekend home improvement excursions with its addition of Bolts & Brews, a beer garden located within and behind the hardware store.
CP FOOD: Try big, bold Asian flavors from Makan. Makan pays homage to the cuisine of Southeast Asia, an area that Chef James Wozniuk visits frequently. Its menu is divided into four approachable sections — kecil (smalls), mee (noodles), utama (mains) and kuih (dessert), highlighting the bold flavors of Malaysian cuisine.
In other recent headlines:
Charleston police complete racial bias audit, say there’s more work to be done. Five years after the Charleston Police Department decided to take a hard look at its policies with a racial bias audit, it has embraced nearly all of the proposed recommendations. But some believe the work isn’t quite done.
Six rescued after capsizing near Charleston Harbor. Six people were rescued Thursday morning after their boat capsized, leaving them stranded on the Charleston Harbor south jetties.
Bike-walk advocates share opinions on SCDOT railroad plans. Advocates for bike and pedestrian safety are making their voices heard as the S.C. Department of Transportation accepts suggestions for improving rail transportation.
Charleston probate judge balks at debt, hires attorney. Charleston County Probate Judge Irv Condon was told two months ago to reimburse the county $11,342 in unauthorized expenses. But Condon has hired a lawyer to dispute the fines.
New waterfront park coming to Daniel Island. The S.C. State Ports Authority and Berkeley County have finalized a Daniel Island land deal that will result in a nearly 115-acre waterfront park to be developed as the first project in a greenbelt preservation program.
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