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The $8 billion that S.C. lawmakers don't talk about

By RICK BRUNDRETT If history is any indication, the state budget for the new fiscal year that starts Wednesday likely won’t account for the collective billions in surplus “other” funds that S.C. agencies will have on hand. The Nerve’s review of records obtained last month from the S.C. Department of...

Rick Brundrett

Written by
June 30, 2026

  • The $8 billion that S.C. lawmakers don't talk about

    By RICK BRUNDRETT If history is any indication, the state budget for the new fiscal year that starts Wednesday likely won’t account for the collective billions in surplus “other” funds that S.C. agencies will have on hand. The Nerve’s review of records obtained last month from the S.C. Department of...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    June 30, 2026

  • Certain state budget records remain secret

    By RICK BRUNDRETT If S.C. lawmakers this week finalize a state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1, they likely will decide whether to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in earmark spending. Meanwhile, there continues to be a lack of transparency about earmark requests by lawmakers for...
    Rick Brundrett

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    June 25, 2026

  • Ferrara Candy Company incentives: Sweet deal for taxpayers?

    By RICK BRUNDRETT In announcing last month that the Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Company would locate a $675 million manufacturing complex in Orangeburg County and create 1,000 jobs, Gov. Henry McMaster described the project as a “transformative moment for Orangeburg County and all of South Carolina.” “Ferrara Candy Company’s $675 million...
    Rick Brundrett

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    May 29, 2026

  • S.C. lawmakers jump back on earmark bandwagon

    BY RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Legislature’s addiction to massive earmark spending apparently is a hard habit to break. After taking a rare year off from making earmarked appropriations, the 170-member General Assembly collectively has proposed 475 earmarks costing taxpayers a potential maximum $467.23 million for the fiscal year that starts...
    Rick Brundrett

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    May 20, 2026

  • State pothole repair records full of holes

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Editor’s Note: This story is part of a two-article package on road issues facing South Carolinians. The other story can be found here. UPDATE: 5/18/26: Gov. Henry McMaster signed S. 831 into law, six days after the House and Senate approved a joint conference committee report on...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    April 30, 2026

  • Digging below the surface of SC's road woes

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Editor’s Note: This story is part of a two-article package on road issues facing South Carolinians. The other story can be found here. When it comes to roads, Randy West knows how to look below the surface for problems. West is director of the National Center for...
    Rick Brundrett

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    April 30, 2026

  • Rural transportation bill easily passes S.C. House; Senate fate uncertain

    BY RICK BRUNDRETT UPDATE: 5/15/26 – Gov. Henry McMaster signed into a law a House bill that would allow limousine services that typically would operate under a state Class C certificate to be permitted as transportation network companies (TNCs). The bill unanimously passed the House and Senate on 3/4/26 and...
    Rick Brundrett

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    March 31, 2026

  • Officials mum on rescreening for S.C. Supreme Court seat

    By RICK BRUNDRETT UPDATE: 05/19/26 - Supreme Court Justice John Few in a written statement announced that he would participate in his last oral arguments this week so he can finish his work on the filing of opinions by the time his term expires on July 31. In a follow-up...
    Rick Brundrett

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    March 27, 2026

  • Summaries of judicial ethics complaints released, but secrecy remains

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Last fiscal year, of the 636 pending and new ethics complaints filed against S.C. judges, 490, or 77%, were dismissed, according to an annual Judicial Department report, though no detailed explanations for the dismissals or other specifics of those cases were given. After The Nerve for years...
    Rick Brundrett

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    February 27, 2026

  • Some lawmakers question ex-House speaker's bid for top court seat

    By RICK BRUNDRETT UPDATE: 3/3/26 – S.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Few announced on social media this morning that he was withdrawing from tomorrow’s scheduled election in the Legislature, writing on X, “It has become clear to me over recent weeks that I do not – and will not...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    February 18, 2026