This current respiratory illness season has brought a sharp increase in the spread of infectious diseases. Here in South Carolina, this includes a measles outbreak that has now affected more than 900 people; the majority of whom are children. As a family physician who takes care of the very young, the very old, and all […]
COLUMBIA — A bill that would prohibit school districts from giving students a minimum grade rather than the grade they earned advanced Tuesday in the House. A unanimous vote sent the proposal to the full House education committee, with Rep. Terry Alexander, D-Florence, not voting. Along with banning so-called grading floors, the bill would ban […]
COLUMBIA — Former President Joe Biden will be stopping in Columbia later this month for a fundraiser to mark the sixth anniversary of the South Carolina victory that propelled him to the White House. Tickets to the South Carolina Democratic Party’s event on Feb. 27 cost $125 each, though the website gives an option of […]
COLUMBIA — A bill creating more oversight for charter schools, the management companies they hire and the authorizers that hold their contracts sailed through the Senate on Tuesday. The Senate’s unanimous vote to send the proposal to the House came less than an hour before a House panel grilled the head of the Charter Institute […]
COLUMBIA — Legislation removing evictions from public access after five years advanced unanimously Tuesday in the South Carolina House. Rep. Carla Schuessler, R-Myrtle Beach, said she introduced the bill last year after hearing from South Carolinians that old eviction records kept them from finding housing. That was the case for 19-year-old Mikel Burns of Huger, […]
COLUMBIA — Electric vehicle maker Scout Motors plans to open up applications in the coming weeks for its first round of assembly line workers at its South Carolina plant. The Volkswagen subsidiary is on schedule to roll its first round of test vehicles off the line by the end of the year, and it’s looking […]
South Carolina lawmakers say H. 4756, misleadingly titled the “Student Physical Privacy Act,” is about protecting women and girls. In reality, the bill does something much more specific, and much more extreme. It takes an existing K-12 budget proviso that restricts bathroom and locker room access, puts a one-year law (that must be reapproved annually […]
COLUMBIA — South Carolina law enforcement chiefs are urging legislators to reject a freshman lawmaker’s proposal to regulate, not ban, intoxicating hemp products for people like his son, who uses them to treat seizures. It’s a bad idea, according to leaders of the State Law Enforcement Division and associations representing police chiefs and sheriffs across […]
COLUMBIA — International leaders dedicated to educating students against discrimination and carrying on the legacy of a Jewish teenage girl whose diary has become one of the most iconic stories of the Holocaust all gathered this week at the University of South Carolina. The multi-day meeting, which started Monday, marked the group’s first time in […]
COLUMBIA — Sen. Wes Climer said Saturday he will resign — effective Nov. 2 — if a resolution that allows him to save taxpayers’ money while ensuring his constituents don’t lose representation becomes law. The York County Republican’s announcement on social media ended days of speculation over which legislator might resign under the terms of […]
COLUMBIA — More people are getting vaccinated for measles, even as the number of cases continues to increase, the state health department said Friday. An outbreak centered in Spartanburg reached 920 cases Friday, the largest outbreak in the nation since measles started to spread widely last year. One of the new cases was in Sumter […]
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s natural resources agency is eyeing nearly 6,000 acres for protection along a river that runs from the North Carolina line to Georgetown. The projects, which could cost about $19.5 million, received initial approval from a financial oversight board of legislators this week. If everything works out, the land — parceled into […]
COLUMBIA — The Charleston County Public Library got drawn into South Carolina’s gubernatorial race this week over an X-rated graphic novel Republicans blasted as grossly explicit sex illustrations that should be nowhere near children. Library officials said they removed the entire series of the comic-book-like novel from the adult section shelves at all branches countywide […]
COLUMBIA — Seven state legislators whose districts cover parts of Colleton County officially came out against a gigawatt data center proposed for the rural county in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The legislators’ protest of the $6 billion project Thursday follows that of Colleton County residents who, in December, packed the Walterboro town auditorium to voice their […]
COLUMBIA — A bill that would put a little extra cash in poll workers’ pockets passed the House unanimously Thursday. Election officials cheered any help they can get in recruiting poll workers. The legislation exempts poll workers’ rather measly pay from state income taxes. Officially, it would match the federal tax code, which already exempts […]
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 […]