November 10, 2009
They Fought For Their Country, Now They’re Fighting For Jobs
As we honor our veterans on Wednesday, we’re also faced with a grim reality that many of them…are unemployed. The Aiken County employment office sees as many as 350 vets a month, looking for a job. We spoke with an Iraqi veteran, on her way to Afghanistan, injured, and then left standing in the unemployment line. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe has the story.
November 09, 2009
SC Lawmakers Passed Up Getting Millions More for Unemployment Benefits
South Carolina lawmakers got a lot of attention two weeks ago when they went back to Columbia just to change a law to qualify the state for about $40 million from Washington to extend unemployment benefits. But what didn’t get attention was the fact that they could have gotten even more, a total of about $100 million, but passed on the opportunity. WJBF News Channel 6’s SC Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has more.
SC Missing Out On $100 Million In Unemployment Benefits Money
South Carolina is missing out on an additional $100 million in federal stimulus dollars for unemployment benefits, and it will be months before jobless residents see the money, if at all.
November 05, 2009
Aiken Employment Office Busy With Unemployment Extensions
Aiken County’s unemployment numbers are beginning to go down. But, in the past week, the office has been swamped with people filing unemployment extensions. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe has the story.
President Obama To Sign Bill Extending Homebuyers Credit
The White House says President Barack Obama on Friday morning will sign a bill that expands a popular homebuyers tax credit and extends unemployment benefits.
Congress Votes To Aid Jobless, Homebuyers
Congress is sending President Barack Obama legislation to expand a popular homebuyers tax credit and extend unemployment benefits.
October 29, 2009
SC Governor Mark Sanford Signs Unemployment Benefits Extension
According to a press release from Governor Mark Sanford’s office, the Governor signed, on Thursday, into law Senate bill 374, which extends benefits to the unemployed under the stimulus act. The bill passed with unanimous, bipartisan support and was made necessary by an oversight at the South Carolina Employment Security Commission (ESC).
October 28, 2009
SC Lawmakers Meet For Special Session
Thousands of South Carolinians who are out of work should have their unemployment benefits extended soon, after action Tuesday by state lawmakers. Lawmakers are back in Columbia for what they hope will be a two-day session, to change state law to qualify for federal money to extend unemployment benefits. About 7,000 people had their benefits run out, last week, because the state had not made the change. State Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter sponsored a bill back in April that would have done it…but it didn’t pass. WJBF News Channel 6’s SC Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, has more.
October 27, 2009
SC State Lawmakers Return To Columbia For Special Session
State lawmakers are back in Columbia, on Tuesday, to fix an oversight that is keeping the state from extending unemployment benefits. Lawmakers needed to change a state law, to make the state eligible for extra stimulus money from Washington, to extend those benefits. One state lawmaker also plans to introduce an impeachment resolution against Governor Mark Sanford. That’s expected to be sent to a committee,with no further action Tuesday.
October 22, 2009
New Employment Numbers Released For CSRA
New unemployment numbers have been released for the CSRA. The rate was unchanged at 10.2 percent from August to September.
October 21, 2009
23 States Report Higher Unemployment In September
Unemployment rates rose last month in 23 states and fell in 19 as the economy struggled to create jobs in the early stages of recovery. The Labor Department says Nevada, Rhode Island and Florida in September posted their highest jobless rates on records dating to 1976.
October 20, 2009
SC Governor Sanford Host Unemployment Round Table
Governor Mark Sanford says it will take comprehensive change to improve the state’s unemployment rate. The Governor hosted an unemployment roundtable with state lawmakers Tuesday morning.
October 17, 2009
SC Misses Federal Aid For The Unemployed
Thousands of South Carolina’s unemployed will miss out on additional benefits after state officials failed to take the steps necessary to secure them. Unemployed residents could have received an additional seven weeks of emergency benefits, from federal stimulus money, if lawmakers had passed a law to temporarily change the index used to count the number of people out of work. WJBF News Channel 6’s SC Capitol reporter, Robert Kittle, and Joseph Kasko, have more.
October 08, 2009
U.S. Senate Democrats Reach Deal On Extending Unemployment Benefits
Senate Democrats have reached a deal to extend unemployment insurance benefits to workers in every state who are in danger of seeing their benefits run dry in the coming weeks.
GA Unemployment Claims Rise From Year Earlier
The Georgia Department of Labor says first-time claims for state unemployment insurance benefits jumped by more than 17 percent in September from a year ago, but fell from the August figure.

