MORNING HEADLINES | Statehouse leaders are calling for the resignation or impeachment of state Treasurer Curtis Loftis in the wake of a report that S.C.’s financial leaders allowed a $1.8 billion accounting blunder to linger on the state’s ledger for nearly a decade.
S.C. Rep. Heather Bauer, D-Columbia, filed legislation Thursday asking for the state House to begin impeachment proceedings for “dereliction of duty and the breach of the public trust.” She said she hoped it prompts action from House GOP leaders as well.
The mysterious $1.8 billion – $1.6 billion of which auditors ultimately determined never really existed – came to light a year ago as part of a larger Statehouse investigation into $3.5 billion worth of accounting errors by the state’s former top accountant.
An investigation, led by S.C. Sen. Larry Groom, R-Bonneau, ultimately led to the 2023 resignation of longtime Republican Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom. The investigation has now shifted to Loftis, a Republican first elected treasurer in 2010.
Grooms stopped short of calling for Loftis’ impeachment, saying that the state has been under investigation by federal regulators for the last year, and an impeachment could make things worse.
“If he’d resign, it would be in the best interest of the state,” Grooms said in a S.C. Daily Gazette report.
In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:
CP OPINION: 12 ways to honor Nathalie Dupree. “Legendary cookbook author Nathalie Dupree often referred to her foodie interns and friends as ‘my little chickens,’ symbolizing her role as the grand dame and mother hen of Southern cooking.”
CP CARTOONS: Stegelin: What is Truth?
CP NEWS: Building arts college collaborating with Simmons site. The rustic blacksmith shop and cottage where legendary artisan Philip Simmons worked and lived until his death in 2009 will become a classroom for historic preservation students at a local college he inspired.
CP NEWS: S.C. spends millions to support opioid crisis recovery efforts. South Carolina’s $360 million portion of a national opioid lawsuit settled in 2023 is paving the way for hundreds of new initiatives and programs aimed at tackling addiction at the local level.
CP FOOD: Chef Loong Dim Sum in West Ashley offers delicious soup dumplings. Until recently, the popular Chinese bite was a rare find in Charleston. Chef Emely Yan, the owner of Chef Loong Dim Sum in West Ashley, changed all that, bringing her love of xiaolongbao to the city.
CP MUSIC: Donohue touts local scene on ‘Stray Dogs.’ It’s been almost a decade since singer-songwriter Conor Donohue relocated to New Orleans from Charleston. But his musical output continues to show strong collaborative traces from the diaspora of musicians he’s met in both places.
CP ARTS: Annex Dance Company breaks the fourth wall. A collaboration with former Charleston poet laureate Marcus Amaker and local filmmaker and College of Charleston alumnus Maggie Bailey, 4th Wall combines live dance, film projection, musically poetic soundscapes and audience participation.
In other recent headlines:
CofC fraternity shuttered by national HQ after hazing investigation. A College of Charleston fraternity chapter was shut down by its national headquarters as it was being investigated for alleged hazing.
CCSD makes way for expansion in North Charleston schools amid enrollment increase. The Charleston County School District is forging ahead on renovations and expansion efforts in certain areas of Constituent District 4 schools, such as Ashley Phosphate and the Dorchester Road corridor in North Charleston, to accommodate a growing number of students.
S.C. airports, including Charleston International, flew past prior passenger records in 2024. Several of South Carolina’s airports ended the year with record growth as new routes and holiday travel pushed passengers onto new flights.
Mount Pleasant agrees to nearly $500k settlement with Airbnb, VRBO. A $500,000 settlement marks a shift in the ongoing lawsuit involving 14 municipalities in South Carolina against short-term rental companies allegedly failing to pay taxes.
Moncks Corner police chief resigns, officials report. The Town of Moncks Corner’s police chief has resigned to pursue a position at a different law enforcement agency, town officials said Thursday.
S.C. Statehouse Democratic primary set for Tuesday to fill North Charleston seat. A special Democratic primary to fill a vacant Statehouse seat previously held by former state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis will be held Jan. 21.
S.C. Dems argue voters who approved lottery never intended it to fund school vouchers. South Carolinians who approved a state lottery 25 years ago were not giving legislators permission to use the profits to fund tuition for private K-12 schools.
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