Haley ethics commission releases recommendations
Lawmakers received recommendations for new ethics rules Monday from Gov. Nikki Haley’s recently appointed ethics commission.
Led by former Attorneys General Henry McMaster and Travis Medlock, the commission made 23 suggestions that included requiring lawmakers to disclose all sources of public and private income, raising the amounts of ethics violation fines, speeding response time and lowering costs for Freedom of Information requests, WIS and The State reported.
“We are attempting to put South Carolina in a class by herself when it comes to honest government, good ethics rules and the reputation for integrity and honesty in its public officials,” McMaster told WIS.
Haley appointed the commission in October after ethics in state politics began drawing much attention. Members of the governor’s commission include former U.S. attorneys, state ethics commission members and media representatives.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Richland deputies look for Peeping Toms
Folks, keep your peepers peeled: The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is seeking information from anyone who might know about two Peeping Tom incidents earlier this month.
Deputies have dealt with two separate reports of persons caught peering into homes in January.
The first occurred at a home on Dutch Oaks Drive on Jan. 6, when a woman said she noticed a shadow in the window of her bathroom then pulled back the blinds and saw a large man running away, WIS reported. And on Jan. 21 at a home on Brighton Hill Road, a surveillance video showed a man dressed in dark clothing peeking into a bedroom window, WIS said.
Deputies are looking for two suspects in the incidents.
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor
Scouts to consider lifting ban on gay members
The Boy Scouts of America is a step closer to allowing openly gay members in its troops.
The organization announced Monday that it is considering changes to its policy banning openly gay members, CNN reported. In a statement, BSA said the national board may consider allowing local charter organizations to make their own decisions on gay membership.
“The policy change under discussion would allow the religious, civic or educational organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting to determine how to address this issue,” the statement said.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation began calling for an end to the Scouts’ ban in April 2012, according to CNN.
Gay rights advocates applauded the statement, CNN reported, but the conservative Family Research Council said lifting the ban on gay members “would be making a serious mistake.”
— Sarah Ellis, Assistant News Editor