Latest Updates

  • S.C. Senate expands school choice options for parents

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 5/4/23 – Gov. Henry McMaster signed S.39 into law. The House last week approved the Senate bill by a vote of 79-35 on a key second reading. The S.C. Senate on Tuesday gave key approval to a bill that would provide $6,000 scholarships to low- and...
    Rick Brundrett

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    February 01, 2023

  • Small business owner wins zoning battle, but legal issues still loom

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Jeremy Sark says he’s no longer worried about Mauldin officials closing his longtime U-Haul dealership, though the Upstate city hasn’t abandoned a controversial zoning practice at the center of his case. The Mauldin City Council without comment during a meeting last month reversed a zoning change that...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    January 10, 2023

  • Lawmaker wants ESG factors banned in state pension investments

    By RICK BRUNDRETT State retirement funds could not be invested based on controversial environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors, under a House bill filed for the new legislative session that starts next week. The Nerve in May revealed that two major investment firms that manage a substantial share of South Carolina’s pension...
    Rick Brundrett

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    January 05, 2023

  • House bill would protect short-term rentals in SC

    By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. municipalities and counties that ban short-term rentals would face the loss of state aid and property taxes under a House bill filed for the second time since last year. Contacted this week by The Nerve, Rep. Lee Hewitt, R-Georgetown, who is the bill’s main sponsor, said his...
    Rick Brundrett

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    December 15, 2022

  • S.C. judges could get more raises under Senate bill

    By RICK BRUNDRETT A state senator-lawyer wants the six-figure salaries of S.C. judges to be based on what a federal district judge makes – which typically would guarantee them annual raises. And that could be in addition to any yearly pay hikes authorized in the state budget. State employees, including...
    Rick Brundrett

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    December 12, 2022

  • Senior judges getting double-dipping perk; records secret

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Most South Carolina workers probably don’t receive big retirement checks from their employers at the same time they’re getting their regular pay. But under state law, eligible senior judges can receive separate “retire-in-place” paychecks equal to 90% of their six-figure salaries. And the law allows them –...
    Rick Brundrett

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    November 14, 2022

  • Constitutional amendments to strengthen state reserves cruise to passage

    By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. voters in Tuesday’s general election easily approved constitutional amendments to increase the state’s two main “rainy-day” funds. With all 46 counties reporting, the proposals to expand the General Reserve Fund (GRF) and Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) passed by about 62% of the vote, according to unofficial State...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    November 09, 2022

  • SCPC, ATR to hold statewide tour on ballot amendments

    By RICK BRUNDRETT The South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – and Americans for Tax Reform, a national taxpayer advocacy group, are touring the state next week to promote proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 8 ballot to increase the state’s two main “rainy-day” funds, according to...
    Rick Brundrett

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    October 28, 2022

  • Concealed court files reveal freebie judicial trips

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Last year, dozens of state judges attended one or more conferences at pricey resorts hosted by special-interest legal organizations that paid for all or part of their stays, The Nerve found in a review of court administration records. Trip details involving the 77 S.C. Supreme Court, Court...
    Rick Brundrett

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    October 24, 2022

  • Zoned out: Why a small SC business might be forced to close

    By RICK BRUNDRETT In less than three months, Jeremy Sark’s U-Haul dealership on North Main Street in the city of Mauldin could close after nine years in operation. But it’s not by choice. Although his automotive repair shop, called Sarks Automotive, can stay open at the same location, a city...
    Rick Brundrett

    Written by
    October 05, 2022