It hasn’t been your imagination: South Carolina’s population has swelled since 2010. Or perhaps you’re one of the newcomers and think this is what our state always looks like. Well, yeah, our roads have nearly always been bad and litter is a persistent woe, but there were once fewer folks on our roads and far fewer cookie-cutter homes.
From 2010 to 2020, South Carolina’s population has increased 10.7%, according to data from the Census Bureau. That is on top of growing 10% from the previous decade too. But despite the recent growth from 4.63 million to 5.12 million, the state is not on track to receive any new U.S. House seats. More: City Paper, Florence Morning News and The State.
Also in today’s headlines:
Boseman snubbed, Anderson rubbed. Anderson native Chadwick Boseman has posthumously racked up awards, but the Academy Awards delivered what some see as a big snub on Sunday: picking Anthony Hopkins as Best Actor over Boseman. But Hopkins, ever the gentleman, acknowledged the late actor Monday in his short acceptance speech. More: The Greenville News.
Alabama, Mississippi mark Confederate Memorial Day. Monday was Confederate Memorial Day in Alabama and Mississippi. But don’t worry: South Carolina will still commemorate the people who sought to overthrow the United States in the name of enslaving others based on the color of their skin on May 10. State offices will be closed during that day in remembrance. More: AP/U.S. News.
Black and blue: Living with violence in S.C. police homes. A look at living with violence in police homes in S.C. South Carolina has long struggled with deadly violence against women, and now more data has shown that its own members of law enforcement — dozens of them in the last decade — have had credible allegations levied against them. Officer-involved domestic violence has a low tally of nine per year — but experts say that number is likely due to under-reporting from scared spouses. More: The State/The Charlotte Observer.
State senators budget $100M in earmarks, visible for first time. South Carolina senators will begin floor debate on the state’s $10 billion spending plan today. The plan includes a four-page list of earmarks for special hometown projects and events, tallying $100 million. These earmarks have remained hidden in previous years but new rules mean each project must list any spending not requested by an agency and who requested it. More: The Post and Courier.
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