MORNING HEADLINES | S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster on Sunday declared a state of emergency as firefighters battled more than 175 wildfires that claimed about 4,200 acres, particularly in the northeast of the state. The S.C. Forestry Commission also has issued an outdoor burning ban until further notice.
“This state of emergency ensures that our first responders, who are working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities from these wildfires, have the resources they need,” McMaster said. “Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice. Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.”
Gusty air in conditions with low humidity are fueling the wildfires, which forced some evacuations over the weekend in Horry County. Some residents already have been allowed to return as commuters this morning faced smoky skies. Rainy conditions expected by Wednesday are expected to calm down the wildfire threat.
In headlines since Friday:
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CP OPINION, Brack: Country is in place it never has been, Bernstein says. “What’s worrying these days, Bernstein said, is how the whole concept of truth on which American democracy is based is suffering, in part because of the perpetuation of the notion of “alternative facts” that conservatives launched. Another description of alternative facts” simply is, “lie,” not truth.”
CP NEWS: Federal Medicaid cuts could cause big S.C. budget problems, study says. The GOP federal budget blueprint that passed this week in the U.S. House of Representatives could blow about a billion-dollar-a-year hole in South Carolina’s state budget over the next decade, according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
CP WEEK IN REVIEW: Loftis gets more calls to resign after accounting scandal. Tempers flared Thursday in the normally staid S.C. Senate Finance Committee when state Treasurer Curtis Loftis testified for a second time about the twin accounting scandals that have put S.C. in the sights of federal fraud investigators.
- Full issue of Statehouse Report — Medicaid, Loftis, Bernstein
- Millions cut for S.C. teacher training by Trump administration
Four plead guilty to corruption charges in North Charleston scandal. Four people, including two former North Charleston City council members, pleaded guilty Friday to corruption charges that emerged last week. Four others face indictments.
The history and problems over 50 years at Dockside condos. A look at what’s gone on through the years at Charleston’s tallest building, which was evacuated Friday over structural worries.
UKRAINE: Was Friday meltdown planned or spontaneous? The question hovering over global politics is whether Friday’s Oval Office meeting between Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and U.S. President Donald Trump was a spontaneous outburst or a planned showdown. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he told Zelensky “don’t take the bait” about security agreements.
- But Graham later defends Trump after Oval office blowup
- Macron urges Europe to boost defense spending
- 5 takeaways from weekend with profound implications
Dixon named new chair of Charleston Co. Democratic Party. North Charleston Pastor Thomas Dixon, a one-time U.S. Senate candidate, is the new chairman of the Charleston County Democratic Party.
Demosthenes to take national land trust role. Ashley Demosthenes, who has led the Lowcountry Open Land Trust for several years, is headed to Washington to lead the national Land Trust Alliance.
$1 billion is pricetag of first phase of Charleston’s Magnolia project. After fits and stalls, the $1 billion project is getting underway. It will transform Charleston’s Neck area.
New York museum shows “Last Gullah Islands” of S.C.. The new photography exhibit is in the Whitney Museum in New York.
Charleston Southern buys flight school. Charleston Southern University is growing its aeronautics program through purchase of a flight school in Summerville.
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