COLUMBIA — Gov. Henry McMaster is asking legislators to spend an additional $1.1 billion on road projects to keep up with inflation costs, he announced Monday in a preview of his total budget recommendations. That’s nearly as much as legislators have spent on roads and bridges in the past four years combined, according to the […]
COLUMBIA — Customers of South Carolina’s two large, private power companies could see their electric bills go up in 2026 — the second time in two years that utilities have hiked base rates. It has been 16 months since Dominion Energy’s South Carolina customers last saw their rates increase. Now, the Virginia-headquartered company is headed […]
COLUMBIA — An unmanned underwater research vehicle, an event center to train hospitality students and an institute centered around federal defense research are among items on South Carolina colleges’ budget wish list for the coming year. In all, public universities and technical colleges are seeking $2.3 billion in additional state aid for the fiscal year […]
South Carolina lawmakers and utility executives have been grappling with how to meet the state’s growing power needs. But the state has been slow to make use of federal programs that aid the energy crunch from another direction — by reducing the amount of power used. That could change, pending final approval from the U.S. […]
The 2026 calendar year marks the final year before the full effect of Act 20 of 2023 — the Certificate of Need repeal — will be felt in South Carolina’s health ecosystem. This law will unleash competitive forces in the marketplace and reshape how care is delivered across our state. But the job is not […]
A Myrtle Beach Democrat wants voters to know he’s still challenging U.S. Rep. Russell Fry: Never mind his social media post months ago about suspending his campaign. It was a rookie mistake, John Vincent recently told the SC Daily Gazette. The retired Navy officer explained that his Facebook announcement in mid-May — saying “we’ve decided […]
COLUMBIA — One thing is certain about 2026: Politicians will make a lot of promises about cutting South Carolina taxes. How much will be cut? And which tax? Don’t believe candidates for the Governor’s Mansion (in either party) who pledge that they will eliminate state income taxes — no matter how loudly or how often […]
COLUMBIA — When people visit Chester County, they often don’t realize everything it has to offer, said Keianna Benson, the local tourism director. Benson hoped becoming part of the state’s Front Porch Program, a network of local welcome centers that get help from the state in promoting local attractions, will remedy that. In November, Chester […]
COLUMBIA — A white Richland County man accused of using derogatory language before shooting at his Black neighbor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a federal hate crime. Jonathan Felkel, 34, entered his plea on the federal civil rights and firearm violations before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paige Gossett. He waived his right, for the time being, […]
COLUMBIA — Students who lack fully-developed social skills are a common target for bullies. By giving educators the tools to better teach communication and socialization, a University of South Carolina researcher hopes to help reduce bullying — and the violence that comes with it — across South Carolina’s K-12 school system. Professor Chad Rose heads […]
If America is a breathing vessel, railroads are surely the veins. For over a century, rail has acted as the delivery system for our country’s economy, transforming industries, unlocking new markets, and benefiting folks at every step of the supply chain. It’s cost-efficient, built for long distances at large volume, and safe. Generations before us […]
COLUMBIA — Two people fight on a sidewalk as a police officer pulls up in a squad car. Shouting, a man turns to the officer, while the woman walks away. The situation can go any number of ways from there. It’s up to the officers in training to decide what to do in the computer-simulated […]
COLUMBIA — Public school students can’t use their cellphone during school hours, and the state Department of Education wants nearly $18 million to explain why. As part of an initiative to get students off their phones, the agency is asking legislators for money to buy curriculum explaining the negative effects of screen time. The education […]
Two more South Carolina public colleges are seeking to add state-funded internship programs following success at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Coastal Carolina University is asking state legislators to set aside $390,000 annually in the state budget to start the Teal Works Program at the Horry County college. And Lander University in […]
COLUMBIA — Michael Davis set off from Awendaw, a small town in Charleston County, around midnight Friday, Dec. 12. He planned to run to Columbia by Sunday. Davis’ goal was possible for the first time this year after nonprofit Palmetto Conservation Foundation completed a 218-mile stretch of paths connecting the state’s capital to its coast. […]
Beginning in 2026, the days when visitors can visit national parks and monuments for free is changing, the U.S. National Park Service announced this month. The Department of the Interior eliminated almost all the existing free-pass days listed for 2025, only keeping one of the eight designated days: Veterans Day (Nov. 11). Instead, the Department […]
Three Republican candidates sailed to victory in special elections two days before Christmas, winning two seats in the South Carolina state House and one in the Senate. All three were ruby red districts. The elections to fill three seats vacated by resignations change nothing in the GOP’s supermajority leads in both chambers. In the only […]
COLUMBIA — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s campaign for governor hit a milestone last week, as she completed her goal of visiting all of South Carolina’s 46 counties by year’s end. She’d already been to every county since she became lieutenant governor in January 2019, she told the SC Daily Gazette. But this five-month trip around […]
Information is emerging about the massive data center that is proposed near Green Pond in Colleton County by Eagle Rock Partners. The project got its first public airing in a zoning meeting Dec. 18. This Colleton proposal has significant implications for policies that must be enacted to protect the public interest throughout our state as […]
Clemson University’s soon-to-retire president, Jim Clements, stands out as the only South Carolina public college president to sit on a corporate board. The chief executive of the Upstate college, until recently, sat on the board of two publicly traded companies: a homebuilding firm and a bank. He’s been on the board of Greenville-based United Community […]