MORNING HEADLINES | Mikal Mahdi, 42, is set to die by firing squad 6 p.m. Friday. The execution will mark the second time the state will have carried out that method in the last five weeks.
Mahdi was sentenced to die 20 years ago for the ambush killing of off-duty Orangeburg Public Safety officer James Myers. Mahdi admitted to shooting Myers eight times before burning his body, according to published reports. The S.C. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal earlier this week.
He chose to die by three bullets to the heart instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. On March 7, Brad Sigmon became the first person in the U.S. to die by firing squad in 15 years and only the fourth since 1976.
He will be the fifth inmate executed by South Carolina in less than eight months as the state makes its way through prisoners who ran out of appeals during an unintended 13-year pause on the death penalty.
In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:
CP OPINION: Simmer, South Carolina deserve better. “It’s a good thing Dr. Edward Simmer is a psychiatrist. Any other kind of physician might have been baffled last week when the S.C. Senate Medical Affairs Committee voted 12-5 to reject his gubernatorial nomination to lead the state Department of Public Health.”
- CP CARTOONS: Stegelin: It’s Liberation Day!
- CP CARTOONS: Ariail: Remember when?
CP NEWS: New book schools couples on fun of improv. The drudgery of daily life — getting ready for work, work, cleaning, cooking, washing and on and on — inspired two seasoned improvisational comics to write a book on ways to break the cycle.
CP NEWS: State officials looking at major charter school reforms. Amid ongoing concerns about lackluster academic performance and fresh allegations of financial self-dealing, state officials are considering major reforms to rein in South Carolina’s charter school system.
CP NEWS: Monrovia Cemetery gets help from neighboring developer. Invisible gnats swarmed as weed whackers sliced away years of overgrown vegetation covering the resting place for hundreds of people of African descent in Charleston’s Monrovia Union Cemetery.
CP MUSIC: Asleep At The Wheel says ‘Happy Trails’ after 5 decades. Fifty-five years. That’s how long singer, songwriter, guitarist and bandleader Ray Benson has been fronting Asleep At The Wheel, which performs April 19 at Charleston Music Hall.
In other headlines:
New future plans discussed for policing on Johns Island. The Charleston County Police Department and the City of Charleston Police Department held a discussion with community members to hear what concerns they had in terms of traffic patterns and how the agencies can help.
Charleston Animal Society, county reach new deal after months of conflict. After months of tension between Charleston County and the Charleston Animal Society, the two will be continuing their partnership.
Isle of Palms considers bringing back seasonal parking passes. Isle of Palms is considering bringing back their seasonal pass for beach parking. The price would increase from the previous $60 each season to up to $250.
Special election set to replace ousted North Charleston City Council members. Ballots are set for the special election to fill two seats on the North Charleston City Council after they were vacated by Jerome Heyward and Sandino Moses following federal corruption charges.
Real ID deadline is less than a month away for S.C. residents. Following the events of 9/11, in 2005 Congress passed the Real ID act which granted the federal government the ability to set standards for driver’s licenses.
S.C. treasurer petitions S.C. Supreme Court to halt efforts to remove him. Treasurer Curtis Loftis filed a petition seeking an injunction Thursday, about a week and a half before the Senate is set to weigh whether Loftis “willfully neglected his duties” for his role in a $1.8 billion accounting error that went unreported for nearly a decade.
Future of S.C. Humanities uncertain following national funding cuts. Widespread layoffs and rescinded grant funding by DOGE have left humanities councils across the country reeling. In South Carolina, the slashed funds translate to a $600,000 loss of grant money already allocated by Congress.
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