COLUMBIA — Two surprise endorsements Thursday may heat up the race for South Carolina’s next agriculture commissioner. Gov. Henry McMaster threw his “full endorsement and support” behind his former agriculture adviser Cody Simpson — if he decides to run. “I am calling on Cody to step up and answer the call to serve,” the Republican […]
COLUMBIA — Senators unanimously passed an overhaul of state laws against driving under the influence in an effort to reduce deaths on South Carolina’s roads. Wednesday’s vote wrapped up days of debate on one of Senate leadership’s top priorities this session. The measure, fast tracked to the floor on the session’s opening day, could bring […]
COLUMBIA — The House approved legislation Wednesday designed to strengthen South Carolina’s existing ban on mailing drugs that cause an abortion, which Democrats said went too far but a hardline faction of the chamber’s GOP supermajority argued didn’t go far enough. The 81-31 vote followed more than five hours of floor debate. One Republican voted […]
COLUMBIA — An Oklahoma nurse pleaded guilty to exchanging videos of children being sexually abused with former South Carolina Rep. RJ May, Oklahoma’s top federal prosecutor said Wednesday. May, a founding member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, also pleaded guilty in November to sending and receiving videos of child sexual abuse. He will spend 17 […]
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s economic development agency is offering up $85 million to lure a new food or beverage company to Orangeburg County. A legislative oversight panel gave the initial nod Wednesday on the incentive package for the unidentified company, referred to by the code name “Project Panther,” seeking to open a $400 million packaging […]
A businessman with decades of fundraising experience is challenging U.S. Rep. William Timmons in the GOP primary, calling the 4th District congressman disconnected from his constituents. David Atchley of Greenville told the SC Daily Gazette this week he plans to officially launch his campaign Feb. 16, the birthday of his late father Bill Atchley, who […]
COLUMBIA — A bill giving South Carolina parents more say-so over their children’s education and medical decisions until they turn 18 advanced Tuesday to the House floor. The bill “affirms and protects the fundamental rights of parents” by increasing the age when teens can start bypassing their supervision, Rep. Heath Sessions, who leads the panel […]
COLUMBIA — South Carolina small business owners could get a break on the property taxes they pay on office furniture, machinery and appliances they need to operate. House budget writers unanimously on Tuesday advanced the proposal to exempt the first $10,000 worth of personal property value from appearing on small businesses’ tax bills. The vote […]
In February 1777, Gen. George Washington faced a catastrophe. His soldiers were dying. British muskets and bayonets were only part of the problem. The greater menace was disease — specifically smallpox, one of the deadliest scourges of the 18th century. If Washington hoped to win independence for the colonies, he first had to keep his […]
COLUMBIA — Republican states have dropped their challenge to a 2024 federal rule adding gender dysphoria to federally protected disabilities. The moves from Attorney General Alan Wilson and other GOP attorneys general come as the Trump administration finalizes a rule to undo the changes. Since the Trump administration is doing what the lawsuit sought, “South […]
Brett Robertson, University of South Carolina Powerful winter storms that left hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. without power for days in freezing temperatures in late January 2026 have been linked to more than 100 deaths, and the cold weather is forecast to continue into February. The causes of the deaths and injuries […]
The heavy metal rockers of Metallica named the Carolina Band the grand prize winner of its third annual collegiate marching band competition. Bassist Robert Trujillo took to social media Friday to announce the University of South Carolina’s marching band had taken first place in the Division 1 category for its rendition of “Master of Puppets” […]
COLUMBIA — On a trip to the Pee Dee State Farmers Market, visitors can browse through refurbished antique furniture, take a class on raising bonsai trees or see the nation’s second-largest nursery dedicated solely to raising carnivorous plants. The market, which sits on 50 acres along the northeast edge of Florence, hopes to add an […]
COLUMBIA — Legislators will once again receive $1,000 monthly expense allowances, including backpay, under a bill that received final approval Friday. Gov. Henry McMaster will likely sign the bill into law, allowing legislators to once again get the amount they’ve received since 1995. Both chambers approved the bill unanimously with no debate and no changes. […]
COLUMBIA — Legislation that extends existing state law on K-12 bathrooms to South Carolina’s 33 public colleges passed the House on Thursday with bipartisan support. The bill largely mimics a law inserted in the state budget in 2024, which threatens to withhold state aid from school districts if students receive permission to use multi-stalled bathrooms […]
COLUMBIA — Winter Storm Gianna will bring snow across South Carolina this weekend, with much of the state expected to see at least 4 inches. The highest snowfall is expected in the Bennettsville area, which might get up to a foot of snowfall. Lancaster could see up to 11 inches, according to the National Weather […]
COLUMBIA — Legislators want to require safety training for South Carolina’s college students but stopped short of tougher penalties for people who call in fake threats on campus. The effort, initiated by Rep. Tim McGinnis, followed a swatting hoax that left students traumatized on the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus in late August, as […]
LAKE CITY — Forty years later, Cheryl McNair remembers the shock of watching the Challenger space shuttle fall to pieces with her husband, astronaut Ronald McNair, onboard. “Now what?” Cheryl McNair, now in her 70s, remembers thinking. “Now that it has happened, now what?” In the four decades since the first fatal in-flight disaster in […]
With a seaport terminal in Jasper County still at least decades in the future, efforts are underway to bring economic development of another type to thousands of acres along the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. The S.C. State Ports Authority on Wednesday asked state legislators to transfer $2 million from a fund for […]
What type of physician is trained to care for people of all ages with any medical condition in any setting? From trauma to toothaches to transplants, when you’re at your most vulnerable, you want an anesthesiologist. As we recognize the contributions of these physicians during National Anesthesiologist Week from Jan. 25-31, I want to demystify […]