Facebook and Politics

According to the Pew Research Center, there is an upside and a downside to going political on facebook.   While pontificating on why your candidate should be elected could persuade people to change their minds on an issue (26 percent chance in some casess)-- you could lose some friends in the process.   75% of people ignore political posts.. and beyond that one out of 10 can't stand it so much, they will block your posts or even "unfriend" you.  Join us this week to learn more on the research and another research project from the University of Cincinnati that's exploring how much is too much when it comes to politics on Facebook.

2nd Arrest in Murder of Mt. Pleasant Couple

Friends and family of Michael and Thelma King were sent reeling in late September after learning the couple had been found stabbed to death on St. Martin, the small, beautiful Caribbean island the pair lived on during part of the year.  The Kings were well known around South Carolina for their ties to the restaurant industry.  When not on St. Martin, the couple lived in Mt. Pleasant.   A new development October 1 added another ripple to the tragedy, when a 17-year-old male suspect became the second person arrested in their murders.  The first suspect, 28-year-old Meyshane Kemar Johnson was arrested three days after the King's bodies were found in their oceanfront condominium.  The St. Martin News Network reports that credit cards belonging to the Kings were found in a car connected to the suspects.  Tune in to The Savage Report this week for details on the murder from one of the island's top prosecutors and a reporter covering the unfolding events.

5 Best Charleston Charities

A big thanks to Charleston Magazine and the Coastal Community Foundation for this year's "Giving Back" Awards.  68,000 readers of Charleston Magazine narrowed 79 local non-profits and charities to these five...as the "best" in the Lowcountry.  Tune in this week to learn more about all of them.   In November, a final winner will be selected via text voting during the "Giving Back" ceremony.  Here's how Charleston Magazine is listing the winners:

Charleston Animal Society
Website: http://www.charlestonanimalsociety.org
"Our mission is to prevent cruelty to animals. As the first animal organization in South Carolina and one of the first in the Nation, Charleston Animal Society has saved well over a hundred thousand lives throughout its 138 year history. "

Darkness to Light (D2L)
Website: http://www.d2l.org
"Darkness to Light’s mission is to empower adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Proud to be based in Charleston, D2L is the recognized leader in child sexual abuse prevention education through its award-winning training programs and online resources."

Historic Charleston Foundation
Website: http://www.historiccharleston.org
"Established in 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the historical, architectural and material culture that make up Charleston's rich and irreplaceable heritage. Preservation coupled with education and outreach is at the heart of the HCF mission."

Palmetto Medical Initiative
Website: http://www.palmettomedical.org
"Palmetto Medical Initiative (PMI) exists to provide sustainable, quality healthcare to those in need while increasing accessibility to global medical missions."

Water Missions International
Website: http://www.watermissions.org
Water Missions International's mission is to be a best in class Christian Engineering Ministry that transforms lives through sustainable safe water solutions.

Folly Beach Booze Ban

Maybe this week's City Paper said it best, "Thanks a Lot Jerks!" is what the front page headline screamed.  It's a sentiment shared by thousands of people around the lowcountry, who are a little bummed out that a 4th of July party that ended in 7 arrests also saw more than 100 bags of trash left scattered on the party site for EVERYONE ELSE to pick up.  Trash.  (Yes, that's aimed at the partygoers).  Now because they were all so liquored up and disrespectful (even violent) toward cops, Folly Beach Town Council was backed into a corner and seemed to have no choice but to ban booze on the beach through at least Labor Day.  After that, it will be up to council on whether the booze ban will become permanent.  Don't miss our program on the controversy that runs through July 20 on Comcast C2.

US Supreme Court Upholds Healthcare Law

Click here for a quiz on the healthcare law. Some of the ACCURATE answers may surprise you! Thanks to all of our guests who came for our special show taping at Triangle Char & Bar in West Ashley Friday.  The show is airing through July 6 with great points of view from everybody:  Dr. Bill Moran from MUSC, Rick Crosby of Crosby Insurance Group, Joseph Kurt from 94.3 FM, Private Investigator and small business owner James Randolph.  Constitutional Law Legal Analyst Armand Derfner, Joey "Peanut" Bennett (who is battling Cystic Fibrosis) and his parents Caroline and Joe Sr.  Great job everybody!

Is Anybody Left on the Ballot?

230 and rising.  That's the number of candidates across South Carolina who got the boot from the ballot for not properly filing a financial disclosure form.  But is it just us... or is anyone else wondering what we are-- that with so many candidates failing to file the form-- isn't  it logical that these forms have probably not been filed by candidates for years?  Why now?  Why in 2012 did candidates just decide, "hey, we're not going to file one of these."  With so much chaos on the ballot-- some of the candidates left on the ballot will get votes that won't count, others could have the votes erased due to future court rulings-- it's no wonder people don't bother voting.  So who's to blame?  Aren't candidates  ultimately responsible for making sure they follow the law?   Or is it local party leaders who are suppose to handle the election filings for candidates?   Is it lawmakers who left a murky law that allows candidates to file a financial disclosure form electronically-- but then left the part of the law that says you have to take it in person too?  Or is it the lawyers who got involved and stirred everything up to protect "their candidate?"  Join us on the Savage Report June 15 - 21 as we take a closer look at this huge election mess-- and what lies ahead for November.  

Where is Gayle McCaffrey?

After an argument with her husband on St. Patrick's Day in front of family members, Gayle McCaffrey disappeared.  No one has seen or heard from her since.  After that same argument, her husband Bob, took a drive to the Upstate (4 hours away) in his pickup truck to meet a woman he told police he'd been seeing on the side. When police pulled him over for speeding, they saw a gun out of the glove compartment and near the front seat.  He was fined for speeding and sent on his way.  (Watch the Traffic Stop Here.) When he returned home, he told police he found a "note" from Gayle with her wedding ring.  Problem is, police almost immediately called the note a fake.  But since reporting her missing, Bob McCaffrey has refused to speak with police and he hired an attorney.  Despite only having circumstantial evidence, Sheriff Al Cannon is saying he's investigating a murder case-- and has named Bob McCaffrey his prime suspect.  This week on The Savage Report, you'll hear from Cannon and one of Gayle's sisters to find out how Gayle's two young children are coping.  We'll also hear from legal analysts to see how a case like this.. no body and no direct evidence of a crime... will likely unfold.
McCaffrey Case Timeline:

Saturday, March 17 (2:30 p.m.)Bob McCaffrey and his wife Gayle have an argument in front of family members.

Saturday, March 17 (10 p.m.)
Bob McCaffrey says he decided to drive to the Upstate to calm down from the argument.

Sunday, March 18 (2:15 a.m.)
Robert McCaffery was issued a speeding ticket in Traveler's Rest. During the stop a gun is spooted in his truck near the seat.  He also tells the officer he and his wife were having problems and he had been seeing a woman in the Upstate, but that she had "blown him off." Watch the Traffic Stop Here.

Sunday, March 18 (6:30 a.m.)Bob McCaffrey returns home.  Kids are there, but Gayle is gone.  Bob says he finds a typed note with Gayle's wedding ring.

Sunday, March 18 (5:16 p.m.)
Bob McCaffery dials 911 and reports his wife is missing.

Sunday, March 18 (5:19 p.m.)Deputies come to the McCaffrey home.  Bob gives a statement.  The McCaffrey children were taken into protective custody.

Monday, March 19 (3:28 p.m.)
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office releases a missing person report in regards to Marjorie Gayle McCaffrey.

Thursday, March 22 ( 3:12 p.m. ) 
At a court hearing, the McCaffrey children are placed into the custody of Gayle McCaffrey's sister and brother-in-law, James and Debbie Pearson.

Thursday, March 22 ( 3:33 p.m. )
At a press conference outside the Charleston County Sheriff's Office, Chief Deputy John Clark announces the investigation has led officials back to the McCaffrey home.

Friday, March 23   Sheriff's deputies search the McCaffrey home and remove bags of evidence to be analyzed. Search dogs are also deployed.

Tuesday, March 27 and Thursday, April 5
Sheriff's deputies continue to search the area around Bees Ferry Road and Highway 61 in West Ashley.

Wednesday, May 2
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office held a press conference announcing that the case had been upgraded from a missing person's case to a homicide investigation and that Bob McCaffrey has been named a suspect.  Bob McCaffrey's attorney says there is no evidence proving the sheriff's claim. 

Thursday, May 3 and Friday, May 4

More than 150 people searched a plot of private property off Highway 61.  Nothing was found.