| Tri-County grants CARES Act aid to students in need As part of the Tri-County Technical College’s 2021 Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act funding, the school will award almost $3 million to students in need over the next few weeks. Initial unemployment claims top 8,600 for week As the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce began paying a second extended federal unemployment benefit, initial unemployment claims for the week ending Jan. 9 topped 8,600. On Monday, DEW began issuing payments to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claimants who had exhausted their 39 weeks of benefits. | 