MORNING HEADLINES |  The South Carolina Senate late Wednesday passed a bill aiming to make the state legal system fairer, clearing a huge hurdle after months of fights, weeks of debate and hours of closed-door negotiations.   

Despite the passage, the bill’s future is murky. Similar legislation imploded in the Senate last year, and the bill still needs to be passed by the S.C. House. It has taken a much narrower approach on similar matters, passing a bill earlier this year that focuses specifically more on liquor liability insurance reform for bars and restaurants.

Senators voted 35-7 late Wednesday to approve the so-called “tort-reform bill,” officially passing it Thursday. Supporters say they believe the legislation will ultimately help South Carolinians save money on insurance costs, while others argue it could be a helping hand for the insurance companies rather than their customers. 

In a post on X on Thursday, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster called the passage of this bill “great news,” saying it was “a wonderful example of leadership, determination, hard work, and collaboration.”

But Democrats, from which all seven of the votes against the bill came, said there is no data from insurance companies that suggests premiums will go down as a result of its passage. 

In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:

CP OPINION: Approach new GOP income tax plan with abundant caution, skepticism. “The new S.C. Republican leadership plan to change the state’s income tax structure away from a progressive model to a flat tax is classic deflection: Call it flat and fair to hoodwink regular people that they won’t be screwed. Guess what? They will.”

CP NEWS: Navy Yard Charleston takes shape with redevelopment, more on the way. There’s more to come at the evolving Navy Yard Charleston, a massive collection of historic naval storehouses, docks and administrative buildings nestled against the Cooper River in North Charleston.

CP FOOD: Stanhope takes his cooking magic to Sullivan’s Island. There are several reasons why James Beard Award-winning chef Jason Stanhope is about to become a part-owner of Sullivan’s Seafood & Bar on Sullivan’s Island, but the one that’s not making headlines is the one that shows the magic of hospitality, he says.

CP CULTURE: Renee, cre-8or, instag-8or, artsgener-8or, bursts with energy. Calling April Renee a songwriter is like saying, “Jimi Hendrix played the guitar.” It’s not wrong exactly, but it just doesn’t come close to capturing the full scope of her work.

In other headlines:

Developer pulls plug on 300+ home subdivision in rural Hollywood. After several months of uncertainty, a developer pulled plans for a subdivision that residents worried would destroy their community’s rural character.

Lowcountry warrant sweep results in several arrests. The Summerville Police Department has announced the success of a multi-agency warrant sweep that took place Wednesday across Dorchester and Berkeley Counties.

Residents say new parking garage would ‘sacrifice’ downtown neighborhood for nightlife. Residents of the Radcliffeborough neighborhood in downtown Charleston say a proposed parking deck that would slot into a vacancy left by a moved historic home would damage the community.

Charleston County establishes affordable housing trust fund. Charleston County officials announced the creation of a fund to support the development and preservation of workforce and affordable housing in the county.

Accident causing $4.5M in damage to Charleston port crane was human error, officials say. Federal officials are pointing to human error as the probable cause of an 2024 accident along the Cooper River that took out a ship-to-shore crane at one of the Port of Charleston’s container terminals and caused an estimated $4.5 million in damages.

Charleston advances operations center construction. Construction is expected to start on Charleston’s new city operations center this year with major changes to the original site plan.

S.C. sits in the middle of the pack on preparedness for health emergencies. A national nonprofit gave South Carolina middle-of-the-road marks for its readiness to deal with public health emergencies, such as hurricanes, the current measles outbreak or even bird flu if it should evolve to become more transmissible to people.

FIRE: S.C., N.C. residents chased from homes from rain, then fire. Six months ago, many packed up their homes and fled from Hurricane Helene, a storm which wrought destruction across swaths of the Carolinas. Now, some are at risk again as wildfires burn across more than 20 square miles in mostly rugged, remote forests.

S.C. energy bill brings optimism for some, concern for others. The state’s growing population strikes concerns for state leaders about the future of energy, but a bill addressing the issue has an organization concerned for impacts on residential ratepayers.

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