Taxes and Spending

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

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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

  • 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

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    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

  • State costs grow to $12.5M related to probes of disputed $1.8B

    By RICK BRUNDRETT The state-funded tab for investigations of and other matters related to the disputed $1.8 billion has grown to more than $12.5 million, according to the latest records reviewed by The Nerve. The new tally, which is based on records obtained under the S.C. Freedom of Information Act,...
    Rick Brundrett

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    November 25, 2025

  • Bumpy rides: Thousands of pothole claims filed against SCDOT

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Editor’s note: This story is part of a two-article package published today. The other story can be found here. Since 2020, more than 11,500 pothole damage or injury claims have been filed against the S.C. Department of Transportation, though less than half were approved and resulted in...
    Rick Brundrett

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    October 31, 2025

  • How a pothole changed an Anderson man's life

    By RICK BRUNDRETT Editor’s note: This story is part of a two-article package published today. The other story can be found here. Chris Ellis says when he was racing dirt bikes as a kid, his biggest fears were hitting “a deer, grass in the road, or another vehicle.” “Never in...
    Rick Brundrett

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    October 31, 2025

  • Public cost of investigating disputed $1.8B grows to over $11M

    Editor’s note: This story is part of a two-article package today. The other story can be found here. By RICK BRUNDRETT More than $11 million in state funds have been spent on investigations of and other matters related to the disputed $1.8 billion, The Nerve’s latest review has found. The...
    Rick Brundrett

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    August 22, 2025

  • State treasurer, attorney general spar over outside legal fees

    Editor’s note: This story is part of a two-article package published today. The other story can be found here. By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis says he personally spent about $100,000 to defend himself in connection with the state Senate’s recent vote to remove him from office after the...
    Rick Brundrett

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    August 22, 2025