COLUMBIA — South Carolina GOP leaders want to add colleges to 2-year-old rules requiring K-12 public school students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their biological sex at birth. A House panel began hearing Wednesday on the legislation sponsored by 60 Republicans, which largely mirrors a law that’s been part of the state […]

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s inspector general will examine the relationship between Clemson University and a proposal for a massive new subdivision in Oconee County following potential conflict of interest concerns. Clemson became entangled in the controversy surrounding the 600-acre development as President Jim Clements and former Gov. Nikki Haley, a Clemson board member, also sat […]

COLUMBIA — Former Rep. RJ May will spend 17 1/2 years in prison for distributing videos of children being sexually abused, a federal judge decided Wednesday. After hearing from a tearful May, members of his family and a statement from one of the children shown in the videos May shared, U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan […]

COLUMBIA — A bill making it easier to convict drunken drivers advanced unanimously to the Senate floor on the opening day of the 2026 session, signifying legislators are serious about making changes after years of failed efforts.  The bipartisan legislation would remove loopholes that can allow driving under the influence charges to get tossed over […]

COLUMBIA — A state Senate panel advanced a proposal expanding a law originally passed to keep Confederate monuments in place. The bill introduced by Sen. Danny Verdin, R-Laurens, and co-sponsored by 29 other Republicans would extend the protections under a portion of state law commonly called the Heritage Act to all memorials on public property […]

COLUMBIA — Raising teachers’ salaries by $2,000, ensuring all students can eat breakfast for free, and expanding 4-year-olds’ access to full-day kindergarten are among Gov. Henry McMaster’s recommendations for the 2026-27 budget. The roughly $16 billion proposal he released Monday marks the last of his 10-year tenure. The 2026 session that kicks off Tuesday marks […]

COLUMBIA — Students erroneously awarded K-12 scholarships in 2024 spent nearly $64,000 in taxpayer money before their removal, but it appears the problem didn’t repeat in the program’s second year, according to two state education agencies. A report given to legislators last month and provided to the SC Daily Gazette revealed how much money was […]

As U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace runs for governor, a whopping 14 candidates have announced bids to replace her in Congress, making the race for the coastal 1st District by far the most crowded among South Carolina’s 2026 elections for state or federal offices.  The field breaks down to 10 Republicans and four Democrats. Five are […]

Republican Greg Ford maintained a 21-vote lead in an automatic recount Friday to win a special election for a state House seat in Dorchester County. The retired Air force veteran fills the last vacancy in the Legislature just ahead of Tuesday’s start to the 2026 session. A South Carolina native, Ford holds a bachelor’s degree […]

Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Friday picking state Sen. Mike Reichenbach as his running mate, becoming the first of seven candidates for governor to complete his campaign ticket. The pair will first campaign together at a meet-and-greet event Monday evening in Florence. Reichenbach, 54, brings a business background to the ticket and diversity to the […]

COLUMBIA — In South Carolina, 16- and 17-year-olds can’t smoke, open a credit card or vote, but they can get married under a law some legislators and advocates are trying to change. Until 2019, a loophole in state law allowed judges to issue marriage licenses to children of any age if they were pregnant or […]

COLUMBIA — This year’s annual King Day at the Dome will feature a first: The flag of South Carolina’s only public historically Black university will fly atop the Statehouse as people gather below to honor Martin Luther King Jr. The main speaker from the Statehouse steps Jan. 19 will be New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker. […]

COLUMBIA — More than 150 people gathered Thursday night in front of the Statehouse to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and an agent’s fatal shooting of a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis.  Organizers from the South Carolina chapters of 50501 and the Party for Socialism and Liberation gave brief speeches before leading most of the […]

COLUMBIA — A Clemson University professor fired over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s death will get paid through the end of the semester, though he can’t return to any classroom at the college, according to a legal settlement. Joshua Bregy, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, sued the […]

COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster overstepped his bounds in sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., a Navy veteran and nonprofit watchdog agency claimed in a lawsuit filed in state court. The lawsuit announced Thursday asks the state Supreme Court to reverse McMaster’s deployment last month of 300 troops to Washington and stop him from […]

While a natural gas power plant proposed for the site of a former coal plant in South Carolina’s Lowcountry has dominated recent headlines, there’s another gas-fired project in the works in the Palmetto State. Duke Energy is in the process of seeking regulatory approval for a new, $3.2 billion plant in the Upstate. “We’re at […]

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s measles outbreak is among the worst in the country as the number of cases in the Upstate continues to rise with no end in sight, health officials said Wednesday. As of Tuesday, 211 people in the state were diagnosed with the highly contagious virus, according to the state health department. That’s […]

While I breathe, I hope. South Carolina’s motto, as always, hurls us headlong with joy and optimism into the New Year. My hope for 2026 is that state leaders address our state’s real problems this year and nudge us further toward a modern and prosperous state that works for everyone. My hope is that state […]

Republicans appear to have narrowly held a state House seat representing Dorchester County in a special election a week ahead of the Legislature’s return. Unofficial results show Republican Greg Ford just 21 votes ahead of Democrat Sonja Ogletree Satani. With all 22 precincts reporting late Tuesday, Ford had 50.2% of the vote to Ogletree Satani’s […]

COLUMBIA — When getting new license plates, South Carolina residents can choose — at no additional cost — to brag about the state’s role in winning the Revolutionary War. Department of Motor Vehicles offices across the state began offering the commemorative plate last week as one of its two standard options, coinciding with this year’s […]