Thousands of students returned to school for the first day of classes in South Carolina, including those near the controversial Silfab Solar manufacturing plant.
Concerns about the manufacturing plant have grown over the months after two reported chemical leaks made headlines, prompting the evacuation and closing of Flint Mill Elementary, “out of an abundance of caution.”
Recently, the plant has been at the center of a zoning dispute and lawsuit. Last week, a S.C. judge ruled to uphold York County Board of Zoning Appeals’ decision that the plant should not be allowed to operate in a district zoned for light industrial operations.
We’ll discuss what sparked the issue, why parents are pushing for Silfab Solar to move its plant, Silfab Solar’s response and what’s next in the legal fight.
Meanwhile, state officials have confirmed for the first time an invasive bee-killing hornet entering the region. The predator is native to Asia. After earlier sightings in Georgia and South Carolina, one was discovered at a home in Matthews.
For local beekeepers, the newcomers raise serious concerns. The already threatened honeybee population now faces new pressures.
We’ll discuss how the state is monitoring the species, the concerns beekeepers have, and what to do if you come across one of these hornets.
GUESTS:
Part I
Scott Morgan, managing editor and Upstate multimedia reporter for South Carolina Public Radio
Lamaur Stancil, reporter at The Post and Courier
Part II
Terry Edwards, president of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association
Greg Wiggins, biological control administrator at
North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
Don Hopkins, state apiarist at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
