The tea party group is sending Jones an invoice for the charges incurred for the Tax Day rallies it has held at the plaza the past three years, arguing that the Occupy Wall Street offshoot group squatting there has been using the park illegally and free of charge since Oct. 15.

"The tea party keeps being compared to the occupiers. Well, in the way we're treated, there's no comparison. It's like a slap in the face," said Richmond Tea Party spokeswoman Colleen Owens.

This guest op-ed comes to us from Stephanie Rawlinson, 1st Vice Chair of the Florence County GOP and Broker-in-Charge of the McLaughlin Company, a Pee Dee real estate and commercial development company. As always, if you have something you'd like to share with our readers, you are welcome to submit a guest editorial via email to earl@earlcapps.org.

The Pee Dee still has a major hurdle to cross, if a person is sincere about protecting the Pee Dee they should spend time defending it to the Justice Department and assuring we get the 7th District rather than campaigning for a seat that has not yet been finalized. A person who announces a candidacy before the Justice Department rules shows no regard for the process, a serious immaturity in judgment, a lack of concern for the region and an unwillingness to put their own desires second to the advancement of the Pee Dee.

Another submission from Jamie Walton of Rock Hill.

Months before it takes effect, South Carolina's new immigration compliance law is being challenged in court. Alleging the act is unconstitutional, the following groups have filed suit to block the law's implementation, alleging "South Carolina and the nation have watched the devastation caused by laws like this as families have fled Alabama, businesses have lost patrons, and a climate of fear and hate have settled over the state":

American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of South Carolina, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Immigration Law Center, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the law firms of Rosen, Rosen & Hagood and the Lloyd Law Firm.

A couple of weeks ago, the Blogland reported of ongoing legal action to block a planed move by the NLRB to require employers to post a notice informing workers of the process to form a union in their workplace:

The 11-by-17-inch notice should be posted in a conspicuous place, where other notifications of workplace rights and employer rules and policies are posted.

This week, GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain has gone on the attack, shooting at fellow Republican Presidential aspirant Rick Perry over issues of racial bigotry over a word painted on a rock at Perry's family ranch:

Since Gov. Perry has been going there for years to hunt, I think that it shows a lack of sensitivity for a long time of not taking that word off of that rock and renaming the place.

Following the Supreme Court ruling (Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. Whiting) in which justices ruled 5-3 that the state of Arizona could mandate the use of the federal E-verify system as a means of screening new hires, other states are following Arizona’s lead to mandate it’s use.

For a first occurrence by a private employer, after July 1, 2012, of failure to verify a new hire through the E-Verify federal work authorization program within three business days, the Department of LLR must place the employer on probation for a period of one year, during which time the private employer must submit quarterly reports to the agency demonstrating compliance with the law. A subsequent violation within three years of the law’s verification requirements must result in the suspension of the private employer’s licenses for at least 10 days but not more than 30 days.

A private employer who knowingly or intentionally employs an unauthorized alien must have his licenses suspended by the Department of LLR on a first occurrence for at least 10 days but not more than 30 days.

There’s a lot going on in South Carolina, and you deserve to know about it. At least that’s the premise behind CRESCENT.

With a mixture of original and aggregated content, it’s a look at South Carolina news and politics that may give you some “inside baseball” while making it understandable and entertaining.