Morning Answer Daily

UPDATE:SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED FOR REST OF SCHOOL YEAR

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – First it was the hand sanitizer that was flying off shelves and now it’s a slew of other supplies like toilet paper. But some doctors 7 News talked to said it’s all a little much.

“Toilet paper, the bread wasn’t too much gone, tissue next,” Spartanburg resident and grocery delivery driver Daisha Hollis said.

Daisha Hollis is listing off what she’s seeing in area grocery stores or in some cases what’s missing.

She does a lot of shopping. In fact, it’s her job.

“People download an app on their phone, they order whatever they want. I go out, I shop it and I deliver it,” Hollis said...

From the NCAA to the NBA to NASCAR and MLB, even Disneyland, there are closures and postponements being announced seems almost every minute. Protecting each other from the coronavirus is the top priority. Here at 94.5 The Answer we are working to keep you as up to date as possible as to the status of events both here in the Upstate and around the US. Through the efforts of our host of The Morning Answer with Joey Hudson, we have been able to confirm that Greenville Triumph Soccer is postponing the start of the 2020 season. We have also received word that The Swamp Rabbits Hockey has been temporarily suspended as part of the EHL plan to help stem the spread of the virus.

Our friends at WSPA have compiled a list of Upstate events that have either been postponed or cancelled. Click the title of this post to see if your plans have been changed by COVID-19.

(AP) — South Carolina House Democrats warned their Republican colleagues who killed proposals Tuesday to give state employees an across-the-board raise that they are going to keep losing good workers.

They also hinted those remaining may decide they’ve had enough and take a page from teachers by rallying on a work day.

The $10 billion budget which was given key approval Tuesday by the full House offers $42 million in raises and bonuses, but sends that money to agency leaders to dole out as they wish.

The budget also provides a $3,000 raise for all teachers, $100 million for repairs to rural highways, $100 million to improve safety at state prisons and $128 million set aside so every South Carolina tax filer would get a $100 rebate...

Santee Cooper sale has also been a HOT topic in Columbia. Click here to listen to our conversation with Dr. Oran Smith of Palmetto Promise about the status this contentious situation.

(WSPA) – Republican Hobart Lewis has won the special election for Greenville County Sheriff in a landslide over Democrat Paul Guy.

Lewis won the race with over 75% of the vote in Tuesday’s election.

Lewis will take over the sheriff’s office from Interim Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown.

Brown was appointed to the position by Governor Henry McMaster after Sheriff Will Lewis was removed from office following a criminal conviction for statutory misconduct of a public officer...

Click this article to see the results.

(WSPA) – Greenville County Election Commission officials said they are taking precautions to protect voters heading to the polls Tuesday amid the coronavirus outbreak.

According to Greenville County Election Commission Director Conway Belangia, they will be sanitizing the voting machines before people start voting in the special election for Greenville County Sheriff, and then will sanitize again in the afternoon.

Belangia told us that they are currently working to put hand sanitizer in polling places, but said they are finding a hard time finding hand sanitizer....

(WSPA) – Health officials are investigating additional possible cases of the coronavirus in South Carolina, including one in Spartanburg County.

As of Sunday, four presumptive positive cases were identified after testing for the virus.

“DHEC received presumptive possible results for four additional people who were tested for the Coronavirus, COVID-19,” said State Epidemiologist, Dr. Linda Bell.

These cases are in addition to the two presumptive positive cases we reported earlier this week.

That brings the total number of presumptive positive cases to six in the state...

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)- The City of Greenville is taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus.

No cases have been confirmed so far in South Carolina, but there are cases in all its neighboring states.

Greenville city leaders are taking steps to keep city employees healthy so they can continue to serve the community.

Greenville’s employees pick up trash, fight fires, help keep the community safe, maintain roads, drive buses, and keep parks beautiful.

“You want all those services to continue, and that starts with our employees staying healthy,” said Beth Brotherton, who is the director of communications for the city.

There is a lot of misinformation about the COVID-19 virus, also known as Coronavirus. The CDC has provided us a website where we can better understand how to protect ourselves and those around us. We can also get a better idea what to expect in the event we are exposed to the coronavirus.

Prevention is simple and begins with understanding. According to Infectious disease expert Dr. Charles Chiu at UC San Francisco, The principal mode of transmission is still thought to be respiratory droplets, which may travel up to six feet from someone who is sneezing or coughing. The new coronavirus isn’t believed to be an airborne virus, like measles or smallpox, that can circulate through the air. “If you have an infected person in the front of the plane, for instance, and you’re in the back of the plane, your risk is close to zero simply because the area of exposure is thought to be roughly six feet from the infected person,” said Dr Chiu.

Check this link to the CDC and get the facts.

(WSPA) – A Greenville County Council meeting was packed Tuesday as its members voted on a resolution that would “sunset” resolutions after four years and would expire resolutions that passed before 2016, including an anti-gay resolution from 1996. That resolution says the traditional family structure is in accord with community standards and that the lifestyles advocated by the gay community should not be endorsed by government policy makers.

Chairman Butch Kirven said more people came to Tuesday night’s meeting than in all his years on council...

ATLANTA (AP) – State officials say Georgia’s first coronavirus cases have been confirmed in two people in the same Atlanta area household.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced the cases at a news conference late Monday.

Officials said the two cases in Fulton County include a man who recently traveled to Italy, and both patients have isolated themselves at home with other relatives.

(Tribune Media Wire) U.S. drug stores, retailers and suppliers are racing to keep up with surging interest for cleaning products as fears over coronavirus intensify.

Demand for products like hand sanitizers, face masks and cleaning wipes has spiked, according to CVS, Walgreens and others. CVS warned it may cause supply shortages.

“This demand may cause temporary shortages at some store locations and we re-supply those stores as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for CVS said.

Bath & Body Works, owned by L Brands, said Thursday that its hand sanitizer business was growing in the wake of coronavirus...

(AP) – Schools across the United States are canceling trips abroad, preparing online lessons and even rethinking “perfect attendance” awards as they brace for the possibility that the new coronavirus could begin spreading in their communities.

Districts have been rushing to update emergency plans this week after federal officials warned that the virus, which started in China, is almost certain to begin spreading in the U.S. Many are preparing for possible school closures that could stretch weeks or longer, even as they work to tamp down panic among students, parents and teachers.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Greenville city officials have posted a listing for the open police chief position.

The nationwide search for candidates comes following controversary over a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigation into Former Chief Ken Miller.

Investigators concluded there were no wrong-doing in the case, however, Miller resigned.

According to job listing, they are looking for a “seasoned law enforcement leader who is inclusive, results-oriented and can build strong community support.”

Included with the listing is a public survey that the community can also fill out to help officials find the right candidate.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Congressman James Clyburn officially endorsed Joe Biden in the race for the White House.

The Lowcountry Representative made the announcement during a press conference at Trident Technical College Wednesday morning.

Clyburn said he has known who he wants to back for some time, but promised the DNC and others that he would wait until after Tuesday night’s Democratic debate which happened at the Gaillard Center in downtown Charleston...

GREER, S.C. (WSPA) – Greer Police need help finding a woman wanted.

Police said Patty Ann McAbee, or Patty Sizemore, is wanted for accessory before the fact to a felony, kidnapping and conspiracy.

According to the police department, she was involved in an incident back in December when one person was stabbed.

Police believe she may be in the Greenville or Spartanburg area.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Prino at (864) 968-7018.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (WSPA) – Ryan Newman has been treated and released from Halifax Medical Center following Monday’s crash at the Daytona 500.

Earlier Wednesday, Roush Fenway confirmed Newman was showing “great improvement” at the hospital after his horrific crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

Additionally, Newman had been “joking around with staff, friends and family while spending time playing with his two daughters.”...

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — He’s not competing in a primary in the state, but President Donald Trump is planning to make an appearance in South Carolina just before Democrats hold their primary election there.

Trump told reporters on Tuesday on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews that he would hold an event in the state next week, “probably the day before” the state’s Feb. 29 primary, and that details were still being worked out. Trump had previously said that he would likely travel to the state but would be working around a scheduled trip to India. State party officials didn’t confirm any details for a visit...

(AP) – Barraged by hundreds of sex-abuse lawsuits, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in hopes of working out a potentially mammoth victim compensation plan that will allow the hallowed, 110-year-old organization to carry on.

The Chapter 11 filing in federal bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware, sets in motion what could be one of the biggest, most complex bankruptcies ever seen. Scores of lawyers are seeking settlements on behalf of several thousand men who say they were molested as scouts by scoutmasters or other leaders decades ago but are only now eligible to sue because of recent changes in their states’ statute-of-limitations laws...