S.C. lawmakers push for Ten Commandments law

RICHLAND COUNTY

Two state lawmakers have again filed legislation seeking to display the Ten Commandments in public buildings. The bill by state Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville, proposes that the commandments be prominently displayed in the State House alongside historical documents. Rep. Marty Coates, R-Florence, proposes that the commandments be allowed on any property belonging to the state, also alongside historical documents.The U.S. Supreme Court will address the matter of publicly displaying the Ten Commandments next year, and the context of how they are displayed could play an important factor in how judges view its constitutionality, said Andrew Siegel, a constitutional law professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

New access road planned for growing Tega Cay

YORK COUNTY

TEGA CAY, S.C. -- County leaders are moving ahead with the early stages of a plan to build a new access road into fast-growing Tega Cay, which has only one main road winding through its core. The city, which sits on a peninsula on Lake Wylie, has a bulging population of 5,500 that is expected to grow dramatically in the coming years as new homes are built. City leaders say a new road is needed for the already increasing traffic.The new road, which is expected to be two lanes and about half a mile long, will extend from Gold Hill Road into a portion of the approved Stonecrest subdivision. -- SARAH JANE TRIBBLE

Nature Conservancy buys island as wildlife refuge

CHARLESTON COUNTY

CHARLESTON -- The Nature Conservancy has purchased an island near McClellanville to protect it from development. Jeremy Island stretches more than two miles along the Intracoastal Waterway and has been owned by a family for nearly 100 years.The 1,018-acre island has been purchased for $794,000. The island will be part of the 64,000-acre Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.

The deal protects one of the few remaining pristine areas of the Lowcountry that is home to countless animals and is an important stopover for migratory birds. The American oystercatcher, whimbrel and marbled godwit are among the species that live in the island's mud flats. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lighthouse group worried over governor's delays

CHARLESTON COUNTY

CHARLESTON -- A nonprofit group working to save the threatened Morris Island Lighthouse is worried about delays after Gov. Mark Sanford raised concerns about using state funds on the project. The state Budget and Control Board, which owns the lighthouse, did not sign a construction agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as expected earlier this month. The pact, which outlines who pays what in the first phase of construction, is a key step to moving ahead on the 128-year-old lighthouse.The unexpected hurdle comes as members of the group Save the Light closed in on their $600,000 fund-raising goal and grew optimistic that construction finally would start.

Members of the group hope to meet with the governor, who is chairman of the budget board, to figure out what can be done to get the project back on track.

Sanford says he's concerned that the state was "literally throwing money into the sea." Sanford said he wants to make sure taxpayers aren't responsible for an "open-ended commitment" and that he wants "to put brackets around the edges" to ensure the state's share won't rise above $500,000. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Harrisburg aims to tighten sign ordinance

CABARRUS COUNTY

HARRISBURG -- The Harrisburg Planning and Zoning Board has unanimously recommended changing the town's sign ordinance to ban all off-premise signs within town limits in an effort to stop the clustering of signs along roadsides. The recommendation will go before the Town Council in January for final approval.The current ordinance allows one off-premise sign per nonprofit organization, but it does not limit the number of temporary real estate signs, said Zoning Enforcement Officer Wayne Krimminger.

The proposed ban would include off-premise real estate signs as well as nonprofit signs, such as directional signs for churches.

"Folks who put up these (real estate) signs for the weekend -- they've abused that privilege," said Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Tyrel Moore.

Public outcry has prompted Harrisburg officials to take action and reduce the clusters of off-premise signs -- mostly temporary roadside real estate and homebuilder signs displayed on weekends -- that have become a nuisance for many residents and business owners in the high-growth community. -- LENA WARMACK

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