Morning Answer Daily

SPARTANBURG, S.C (WSPA) – Upstate Family Resource Center will be holding their annual Packs for Kids event next week. The event helps to provide school supplies for children in need in Spartanburg District Two.

Many Spartanburg families are feeling a financial pinch. The coronavirus pandemic has put some people out of work and has forced others to spend money on necessities like bills and meals.

The Upstate Family Resource Center has helped many families with meals and food distribution this summer, but now the organization is switching to school supplies.

The drive-through distribution will be August 10 through August 12 from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. The event will be held at the Upstate Family Resource Center, located at 1850 Old Furnace Road in Spartanburg...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — An amusement park on the North Carolina-South Carolina border says it will be closed for the rest of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Charlotte Observer reports North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said in June that Carowinds, which has been closed during the stay-at-home orders, was tentatively scheduled to reopen July 27...

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Nearly 4,000 student laptops are missing in one South Carolina school district and officials say they will soon have to turn the matter over to police.

Greenville County’s public school district has been trying to recover the Chromebooks, valued at almost $1.2 million, since June.

Greenville County Schools spokesman Tim Waller told The Post and Courier that initially 4,992 machines were missing.

Recovery efforts, he said, turned up another 800 and families reported that an additional 208 were lost or stolen...

(FOX News) Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential candidate and affable business magnate, died Thursday after being hospitalized for coronavirus, according to reports.

Cain, 74, first went to an Atlanta hospital for treatment on July 1, his staff had said.

His death was announced on Herman Cain's website and Facebook page.

"Herman Cain – our boss, our friend, like a father to so many of us – has passed away," the statement on his website said, noting there were "hopeful indicators" in recent days that he'd recover but adding: "And yet we also felt real concern about the fact that he never quite seemed to get to the point where the doctors could advance him to the recovery phase."...

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday signed an executive order that will require face masks for all employees and patrons at restaurants, among other safety guidelines.

McMaster announced during a news conference that all previously recommended guidelines of restaurants and other establishments that attract groups are now mandatory.

"These measures give South Carolina the best chance to slow the spread of the virus without shutting down the state's economy – which we cannot and will not do – as many continue to call for," McMaster said.

The governor also mandated that local officials enforce his executive order. Violating the order could result in a misdemeanor, McMaster said...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Whether South Carolina students should go back to the classroom in the Fall has drawn protesters on both sides, and both sides will be represented on the ballot for Greenville County School Board this November.

The Greenville County School District’s plan calls for minimal in-person learning while coronavirus spread remains high. The current school board will vote on the district’s plan on August 4.

“Parents for the Return of Extracurriculars, Schools and Sports,” or “P.R.E.S.S.,” is a Facebook group with more than 4,000 members. At least two of them are taking the group’s mission and running with it– as candidates for the Greenville County School Board...

COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) – State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced Monday a statewide face mask requirement for all school bus riders, drivers and staff members.

According to a news release, the face mask requirement will allow districts to increase ridership capacity up to 67 percent.

The South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control are also encouraging all students and staff members to wear face masks within the school buildings...

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Paul Guy, the Democratic candidate running for Greenville County Sheriff, says he is disturbed by remarks made by Sheriff Hobart Lewis.

Guy held a news conference Friday to give his reaction to a specific comment made during an interview while appearing in the online show "One Voice: Black & Blue."

Dew asked: "What responsibilities does the sheriff have, what responsibilities do I have as a Black person, to unravel what we may have always thought?...

ORANGEBURG, SC (WSPA) – A Circuit Court judge in Orangeburg County signed a temporary restraining order Wednesday to prevent the state from distributing “Safe Access to Flexible Education Grants” (SAFE).

We reported on Monday that Gov. Henry McMaster announced the creation of the grants, which are one-time, needs-based grants of up to $6,500 that will reportedly help or subsidize the 2020-21 tuition for eligible students participating private, parochial or independent schools in the state.

The governor made the announcement at Hampton Park Christian School in Greenville and said that $32 million of the $48 million CARES Act funding would be used to fund the SAFE Grants.

Attorney Skyler Hutto, as well as attorneys representing the state are expected to be in court next week, where it will be determined if the order will become permanent...

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves have removed a “Chop On” sign that sat near an entrance to Truist Park and are still considering their stance on the fans’ tomahawk chop chant.

The removal of the wooden sign came as the team changed its slogan from “Chop On” to “For The A” for the 2020 season.

A new slogan is customary marketing strategy, but the team’s stance on the chant has been watched closely since last year’s NL Division Series...

ATLANTA (AP) — John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement whose bloody beating by Alabama state troopers in 1965 helped galvanize opposition to racial segregation, and who went on to a long and celebrated career in Congress, has died at the age of 80.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’ passing late Friday night, calling him “one of the greatest heroes of American history.”

“All of us were humbled to call Congressman Lewis a colleague, and are heartbroken by his passing,” Pelosi said. “May his memory be an inspiration that moves us all to, in the face of injustice, make ‘good trouble, necessary trouble.’”

The condolences for Lewis were bipartisan. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Lewis was “a pioneering civil rights leader who put his life on the line to fight racism, promote equal rights, and bring our nation into greater alignment with its founding principles. ”

Lewis’s announcement in late December 2019 that he had been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer — “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” he said — inspired tributes from both sides of the aisle, and an unstated accord that the likely passing of this Atlanta Democrat would represent the end of an era...

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public and other rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, in a suit filed in state court late Thursday in Atlanta, argue that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has overstepped her authority and must obey Kemp’s executive orders under state law.

“Governor Kemp must be allow...

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A dog in Charleston County has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19.

A doctor with Clemson University, Dr. Boyd Parr, said a private veterinarian decided to test the dog for SARS-CoV-2 after one of its owners was confirmed to have coronavirus.

Dr. Parr is a state veterinarian and director of Clemson Livestock Poultry Health.

He said there continues to be no evidence that pets play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to people based on current knowledge.

“It remains a good idea to restrict contact with your pets and other animals, just like you do with other people, if you are infected with COVID-19 in order to protect them from exposure to the virus as recommended by the CDC,” he said...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – The 2020 Bank of America Fall for Greenville event has been canceled, according to the event’s Facebook page.

Organizers announced the events cancellation Wednesday, saying health can safety of residents and visitors is their top priority.

Organizers said the decision came after doing extensive research and consultations with heath professionals.

“While we cannot be together in-person this year, we have begun efforts to ensure we stay connected. Over the next few months, we will...

SPARTANBURG, S.C (WSPA) – SC Works Greater Upstate will be holding two virtual job fairs this week to help fill positions in the Upstate.

SC Works, in partnership with the Spartanburg Chamber Of Commerce, will be listing several positions available to nearly all ages many in the Spartanburg area.

On Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m., a virtual job fair focused specifically on hiring for professional positions in the administrative and technology sectors will be available...

COLUMBIA, SC (WSPA) – Governor Henry McMaster is scaling back on some of the state’s re-openings. The governor announced Friday that restaurants and bars in the state will once again have to change the way they do business.

At most bars, the last call for alcohol is just before 2 AM. But now because of the drastic increase in the number of coronavirus cases in young adults, Governor McMaster is ordering for that call to be a little earlier.

South Carolina restaurants and bars will now have to stop selling alcohol after 11 PM starting Saturday, July 11.

Governor Henry McMaster issued the executive order just in time for the weekend, to send a message to young adults...

GREENVILLE COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – Greenville County Sheriff’s Office officials said one of the suspects in the Lavish Lounge nightclub shooting, who was arrested in Georgia on Monday, has been brought back to the Upstate to face charges.

We reported earlier that Jarquez Kezavion Cooper was arrested in Georgia Monday with assistance by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, the Secret Service and the FBI.

Cooper has been charged with two counts of murder, seven counts of attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime...

ANDERSON CO., SC (WSPA) – The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said two people will be charged in connection with the 2015 death of baby Leonna Wright.

The sheriff’s office said one of the people who will be charged is already serving a prison sentence.

More information about the arrests is expected to be released by Sheriff Chad McBride during a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday.

The arrest warrants were initially announced in a statement by Tenth Circuit Solicitor David Wagner.

Wagner released a statement saying that his office was asked to review the case prior to any decision to charge anyone but the sheriff’s office did not wait for the review to be completed before charging...

MAULDIN, SC (WSPA) – Dale Black resigned as mayor pro tem in Mauldin Monday night.

Mauldin City Mayor Terry Merritt confirmed during a news conference that Black had resigned as mayor pro tem, but said Black would remain on the city council.

Black’s resignation as mayor pro tem comes after The Concerned Citizens of Mauldin held a news conference calling for action over the city councilman’s social media post that reportedly compared the Confederate flag to the NAACP, Black History Month and a host of other organizations.

GREENVILLE CO., S.C. (WSPA) – Greenville County leaders are hoping to shut down a nightclub after a shooting there left two people dead and eight others injured.

The shooting happened early Sunday morning during a concert at Lavish Lounge on White Horse Road.

“This is a horrific situation. It’s a tragic event,” Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said. “10 families have been affected right here in the Upstate, and it’s a horrible tagline to put on a place like Greenville.”

“We cannot have this type of activity going on anywhere–not just in district 25–anywhere in Greenville County,” Greenville County Councilman Ennis Fant added.

According to investigators, multiple people fired shots on and near the stage inside the club.

Now, investigators are looking for four persons of interest.

Sheriff Lewis said no guns should have been inside the club....