Recently Mandy Simpson celebrated the opening of her State Farm agency at 804 Second Loop in Florence with a ribbon cutting ceremony as a new member of the Greater Florence Chamber. Mandy, a long time Florence resident decided, after many years of working in the banking and insurance industry to strike out on her own and open her agency. The Chamber welcomes Mandy as a new member. If you would like to get in touch with Mandy please call 843-799-0885.
Photo/Article Credit: Joe Perry, The Morning News
Palmetto Party & Costumes hosted a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, February 1st after recently joining the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Give them a visit for all your party supply needs. They are located at 2180 West Evans Street in Florence.
The Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Digital Janus with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, January 25th. Digital Janus provides Web Design, Digital Solutions and Internet (Online) Marketing. In today’s electronic and social media age it is important to get the right message out to your clients. For further details please contact Kim Fogle at Digital Janus at (843) 337-3838 or email kim.fogle@digitaljanus.com.
Pace PSG recently joined the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. Pace is a media company that takes your entertainment to a new level. Utilizing a media box they can equip your television with local, international and movie channels. Complete packages can be discussed by calling them at 843-687-3886 or 843-956-3172.
D&L Inc. a Heating and Air-conditioning company, recently had their Ribbon Cutting ceremony as they became a member of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce. D&L Inc. handles industrial, commercial and consumer needs when it comes to HVAC. Pictured cutting the ribbon are Steven Hayes and Larry Schnieders along with the employees of D&L Inc. and our Chamber ambassadors.
Photo/Article Credit: Megan May, Morning News
FLORENCE, S.C. – After 10 years, “Always … Patsy Cline” is back at Florence Little Theatre.
The play tells the true story of country music star Patsy Cline and fan Louise Seger. Segar met her music idol at a honky-tonk bar in Houston, and a friendship developed from then until Cline’s death in 1963.
The two main actors, Oneida Martin as Cline, and Scarlett Knight as Seger, performed in the original cast at the Florence Little Theatre 10 years ago.
“It’s actually ten years exactly,” said the show’s director, Frankie Sullivan, “We’re opening on the night that the original production closed so we’re kind of like continuing it ten years later.”
When Sullivan was approached to direct the show, as a fan of Patsy Cline he was glad to accept the offer.
“I was a big fan of Patsy Cline growing up,” said Sullivan. “My grandmother listened to Patsy Cline all the time; she listened to Elvis, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn. All those rockabilly country singers.”
Sullivan said even when he wasn’t visiting his grandmother, he still heard those songs.
“She lived right behind us and she liked to play her music pretty loud,” he said, “So even when I was outside playing in the summer I heard that music.”
“I knew some stuff about her life and I did some background research, watched some YouTube clips but there’s very little bit on her because she had such a short career.”
One of the aspects of Cline that Sullivan didn’t know about is just how powerful a singer she was.
“She had a cannon of a voice … they had to make her stand back extra feet from the mic because she was so loud,” said Sullivan. “She had a big, huge voice.”
Tickets for “Always … Patsy Cline” are $25 for adults and $20 for those under 18. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.florencelittletheatre.org , calling the box office at 843-662-3731, or visiting the box office Monday through Friday noon to 5 p.m.
SCNow Web Article: ‘Always … Patsy Cline’ returns to Florence after 10 years
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COLUMBIA, S.C. —Leaders in the South Carolina House, including House Speaker Jay Lucas, have introduced a long-term plan they say would fix the state’s roads and bridges. The bill calls for raising the state’s gas tax by a total of 10 cents a gallon, but not all at once; it would go up two cents a gallon over five years.
South Carolina’s current gasoline tax is 16.75 cents a gallon, which is second-lowest in the nation. It hasn’t been raised since 1987.
Rep. Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, is the main sponsor of the bill. Rep. Brian White, R-Anderson, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that writes the state budget, is a co-sponsor. He says the bill will not only fix roads but save lives. “One’s too many, but when you’re nearing a thousand deaths on an annual basis on your highway system, not only do we have potholes and crumbling bridges we have unsafe conditions,” he says.
The plan would phase in the gas tax increase over five years to give the SCDOT and construction companies time to ramp up. “If we put just a lot of money out there at once, there’s no one to really do the job. We’ve got to build our economy and our construction industry, home-grown,” he says.
The House plan would also raise the sales tax cap on vehicles to $500. Right now, someone buying a vehicle pays no more than $300 in sales tax, no matter how much the vehicle costs. The extra money would go to roads.
There would also be a fee on out-of-state truckers who drive through the state. There would also be a new fee on hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, since they use the roads but buy less or no gasoline.
Columbia driver Rob Schiller says, “I like the idea of working on the roads. Getting the roads better would be great, so raising taxes might help.”
But USC student Michael Gritzbach says, “As a college student who’s already struggling to pay bills and things like that, I don’t appreciate the tax at all.”
The state Senate has a separate bill, which would raise the gas tax by 12 cents a gallon. It would also phase it in, but over less time, raising the tax by four cents a gallon for three years.
The House passed a roads plan in 2015 that included a gas tax increase but the bill died in the Senate. Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, filibustered to block that bill because the state had a surplus in 2016 of more than $1 billion. He said there was no need to raise taxes when the state already had that much extra money. Lawmakers passed a plan that used some of that money for roads, but that surplus was one-time money, not a long-term source for the state’s ongoing road needs.”
WBTW Web Article – SC House Leaders Introduce Plan to Fix Roads
