| 'Ghost boxes' stand out
There are a lot of empty buildings that could use some sprucing up. If they could do something it would be great for the area," Edge said on a recent afternoon at the shopping center. An owner of the shopping center said the businesses in smaller spaces there, including the karate center, are thriving. The center and several across Georgetown and Horry counties were bustling economic centers when they were built 10 to 20 years ago. But because of consumer shifts in buying and demand for super stores, those centers that were home to large grocers and other stores were abandoned for newer parcels often built on the outskirts of urban areas. "It blights the area and depresses the economy. You don't want to have unused vacant buildings," said Howard Duvall, executive director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina.
Cyndi Lauper charts fun comeback through dance
POP star Cyndi Lauper is planning a chart comeback through dance music, but isn't worried how music listeners will view her change of genre. Lauper, best known for '80s hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun, True Colours and Time After Time will release a dance album this year. Bring You to the Brink was recorded in London, Paris and Sweden, and features collaborations with dance acts Basement Jaxx, Dragonette and the Scumfrog among others. "I wanted a combination of a lot of different rhythms," Lauper explained. "A lot of times in dance music they process the vocals so much you can't connect to it, there's no warmth, you lose the humanity. "So I saw a medium I'd like to work in, but with a voice that's less processed, more human." Lauper, 54, has sold 25 million-plus albums, while Time After Time has been covered by more than 100 acts from Miles Davis to Matchbox Twenty.
Myth of BBC's 'made in Scotland'
We haven't got strong drama-producing companies in Scotland who are pitching strong ideas, so even if we said we'd love to have a returning drama series in Scotland, there's just not the company there to do that."Hamish Barbour, creative director of IWC Media, pointed to tax credit systems in Canada and Ireland as a way of boosting local broadcasting industries. He said such a system "would have a huge impact".Slimmed-down Gaelic service to cost £20mMORE than £20 million a year is to be spent on a new dedicated Gaelic broadcasting service that will be accessible to just 1.2 per cent of Scotland.The service, which was approved by the BBC Trust yesterday, will be launched in the summer to cater for the nation's Gaelic-speaking population of around 60,000.But the service, which will cost licence fee payers an additional £3.5 million a year, will be a slimmed-down version from what was envisaged.
Spice Girls: From A to Zig-a-zeg-ahhh
B: Beckham, David. Posh's ultra-famous soccer stud husband. Together, the duo caused quite a stir when they moved to Los Angeles last year after he inked a deal with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. C: Cool Britannia. The Spice Girls were at the forefront of the late '90s U.K. revitalization movement, which coincided with the 1997 election of Tony Blair. D: "Dancing With the Stars." In 2007, Mel. B competed in season five of the reality dance competition, and finished in second place behind IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves. E: Emma Bunton. The baby of the group -- both literally and in name -- Bunton turned 32 last month. (In "Spice World," Bunton laments, "You know, I'm always gonna be known as Baby Spice, even when I'm 30!" F: "Forever." The title of the group's ill-fated 2000 breakup album, recorded after Halliwell's 1998 exit from the group due to "creative differences" (or a spat with Mel.
City paramedic bike team to receive grant tomorrow
The Baltimore Fire Department is receiving tomorrow a $7,125 grant to help support the agency's paramedic bicycle team, the city announced today. Money will be used for portable radios.
The bicycle team was established in 1999 after celebrations at the Inner Harbor drew tens of thousands of spectators and made it difficult for bigger ambulances to reach people in need.
"As the number of large city events increases, so has demand for Bike Team services," Acting Fire Chief Gregory Ward said in a statement. This year, the bike team is assigned to 11 downtown events expected to draw a total 1.5 million people.
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Heineman signs smoking ban
To the regular smokers who make their way into The Depot at 6:30 a.m. most days, the new ban may be a sign they are no longer shielded from the public health initiatives popular with city types."They’re just saying how bad it’s going to suck that it finally hit the small towns," Lee said. .
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