Briefs

Cayce charrette Beginning with a public input session at 1:00 pm, Tuesday, May 19, and ending with a Thursday press conference at 5:30 pm and a public presentation at 6:00 pm, the Master Plan Charrette for the City of Cayce is an intense three- day visioning process involving input from citizens, interest groups, businesses, government leaders, and economic development organizations. For further information, call the Claire Morris Agency at 254.5597.

Knife the Mack The South Financial Group's board of directors voted unanimously to cut its pay 50% this year. TSFG is the parent company of Carolina First Bank. The bank may soon announce what it plans to do with the corporate campus under construction near Greenville. President and CEO Lynn Harton has questioned whether the $100 million suburban building presents the image the company wants. TSFG had a loss of $319.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2008 and a loss of $90.8 million in the first quarter of this year.

Duke down Duke Energy Corp.'s earnings for this year's first quarter totaled $344 million, down 26 percent from last year's first quarter earnings of $465 million.

Duke out Duke Energy Corp. recently dropped its membership in the National Association of Manufacturers. Duke is a founding member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, which proposes carbon regulation and backs the cap- and- trade system under consideration in Congress. The program would set caps on how much carbon dioxide companies can produce. The National Association of Manufacturers opposes the program.

Some are thriving Raleigh- based Sageworks Inc. develops financial analysis tools for accounting firms and banks. Sageworks has identified seven industries experiencing growth despite the recession: (1) vehicle maintenance, (2) home remodeling, (3) food stores, (4) specialty schools, (5) dentists, (6) certified public accountants, and (7) personal- care services such as skin- care specialists and barber shops.

Burroughs & Chapin gains interim CEO Bill Pritchard will serve as the interim CEO at Myrtle Beach- based developer Burroughs & Chapin while the company's board looks for departing CEO Jim Rosenberg's replacement.

Atlanta among the top According to a study by job- search portal CareerCast.com and Going Global, Atlanta ranks among the top ten destination cities for recent college graduates to start their careers. New York City is No. 1, followed by Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Denver, and Seattle. Following Atlanta, No. 9, is No. 10 San Diego.

Was Wachovia, now walk over ya San Francisco- based Wells Fargo & Co. acquired Charlotte- based Wachovia Corporation last December. Last week, Wells Fargo announced its intentions to layoff 548 in its Charlotte offices.

Uncertain sincerity Columbia- based South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., part of SCANA, is facing a state- mandated deadline to come up with a plan to conserve power. In other words, the company is supposed to figure a way to sell less product, which means the company is supposed to suggest approaches to lowered earnings. Customers have until May 31 to respond to a company survey, either online or by filling out a form at one of the company's offices. The survey is asking for customer input on how the company can sell less electricity. South Carolina has the nation's fifth- highest consumption rate of electricity.

Unemployed In the U.S., 539,000 jobs were lost in April, surging the national unemployment rate to 8.9 percent, which means there are 13.7 million unemployed people in the country. Many economists suggest another 2 million jobs could be lost in the country before the economy begins a recovery, probably in late 2010. In S.C., the March unemployment rate was 11.4 percent.

And uninsured According to Columbia- based health- care economist Lynn Bailey, about one in four South Carolinians is likely without health insurance. That's maybe one million South Carolinians without health insurance.

Men are from Mars On August 27, the planet Mars will be closer to Earth than anytime in the past 5,000 years, and some astronomers say maybe over the past 60,000 years. The night view should show Mars almost as large as it shows the moon. Listen for Orson Welles and his Mercury Theater on the Air.