# The Nerve Archive

> Where Government Gets Exposed


## Posts

- [Citizen Reporter Conducts Boeing-Related Interview](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/citizen-reporter-conducts-boeing-related-interview/)
- [Chapin Changes Backed Without Public Review](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/chapin-changes-backed-without-public-review/): By Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter The Lexington-Richland School District 5 School Board voted unanimously Monday to approve Chapin High School’s renovation and expansion plans as “final” documents and ready for bid, even though plans are incomplete and facts revealed that an onsite wetlands mitigation issue will undoubtedly impact the layout and cost of the already-over-budget project.
- [Okatie Developer No Stranger to Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/okatie-developer-no-stranger-to-controversy/): Many South Carolinians may not recognize the name of the man associated with the controversial Okatie Crossings development project, but don’t underestimate his influence – or ability to generate controversy.
- [Panel Approves Another $100 Million for Boeing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/panel-approves-another-100-million-for-boeing/): A legislative panel this morning gave another $100 million taxpayer-funded gift to the Boeing Co., bringing the total state bond package for a new assembly plant in North Charleston to at least $270 million.
- [Part 3: The Truth on Senate Claims About Boeing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/part-3-the-truth-on-senate-claims-about-boeing/): Among Mark Twain’s many quotable quotes is the sage advice to always tell the truth – that way you don’t have to remember what you said.
- [Boeing Bond Deal: A $400 Million Taxpayer Tab](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/boeing-bond-deal-a-400-million-taxpayer-tab/): For the next 15 years, South Carolina taxpayers will be paying back nearly $400 million in bonds, including interest, for the new Boeing assembly plant in North Charleston.
- [District 5 Seeks Changes Without Public Input](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/district-5-seeks-changes-without-public-input/): Monday, Lexington-Richland School District 5 Superintendent Herb Berg will ask the school board to vote on plans to renovate and expand Chapin High School as part of the 2008 $243 million bond referendum.
- [Tom Hatfield Conducts Boeing-Related Interview](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/tom-hatfield-conducts-boeing-related-interview/)
- [Report: S.C. Short on Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/report-s-c-short-on-transparency/): South Carolina counties collectively have earned the state a top-10 ranking in a new nationwide analysis of online government accessibility and transparency, but they still have a long way to go.
- [Part 1: Inside the Boeing Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/part-1-inside-the-boeing-deal/): Written by Rick Brundrett and Eric K.
- [Failed Companies: Money Down the Drain](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/failed-companies-money-down-the-drain/): When Canada-based Western Star Trucks Inc.
- [Part 2: The Boeing Deal: Big Bill To Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/part-2-the-boeing-deal-big-bill-to-taxpayers/): South Carolina taxpayers are in for severe sticker shock with the deal to bring a new Boeing aircraft assembly plant to North Charleston. What S.C.
- [Citizen Reporter Ed Rumsey Conducts Boeing-Related Interview](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/citizen-reporter-ed-rumsey-conducts-boeing-related-interview/)
- [Aiken County Puts Check Registers, Budgets, Financial Reports Online](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/aiken-county-puts-check-registers-budgets-financial-reports-online/): By: Tony Coffaro Citizen Reporter Last summer, S.C.
- [Number of High-Paid County Employees Rising](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/number-of-high-paid-county-employees-rising/): As Richland and Lexington counties have grown, so have the number of higher-paid county employees.
- [Fund Core Services by Direct Means](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/fund-core-services-by-direct-means/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Harry Kibler of RINO Hunt, speaking in Greenville on Dec.
- [How Things Have Changed at Commerce](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/how-things-have-changed-at-commerce/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter If government investment in economic development isn't tied to job creation and performance, then it's nothing but a promise that companies don't have to keep, Gov.
- [S.C. To Pay Millions in Tobacco Money Battle](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/s-c-to-pay-millions-in-tobacco-money-battle/): The state of South Carolina plans to spend nearly $4 million in legal costs next fiscal year to try to stop $25 million in tobacco settlement money from going up in smoke.
- [Bauer’s Office Awards No-Bid TV/Film Work](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/bauers-office-awards-no-bid-tvfilm-work/): It’s the riddle of the no-bid cooking commercial … or TV spot … or series … or something. For taxpayers, there is not a lot of money involved.
- [Gaston Mayor Talks About 2007 Town Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/gaston-mayor-talks-about-2007-town-audit/)
- [Sembler Giveaway: School Money to be Siphoned](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/sembler-giveaway-school-money-to-be-siphoned/): An S.C. Senate bill that would give sales tax rebates to the developer of a proposed Jasper County mega-mall relies on a state law that designates those revenues for school purposes, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [A Look at How Things Get Done in Orangeburg](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/a-look-at-how-things-get-done-in-orangeburg/): I recently got a firsthand glimpse into the nebulous world of municipal building inspection and can’t say that I was reassured by what I witnessed.
- [McConnell Seeks End Around on Patriots Point](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/mcconnell-seeks-end-around-on-patriots-point/): A bill to add three members to the Patriots Point Development Authority board seems, on its face, straightforward enough. But there is more to S.
- [Charleston to Lease Josiah Smith House](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/charleston-to-lease-josiah-smith-house/): Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council voted unanimously last month to approve the leasing of the three floors of the Josiah Smith Tennent House.
- [Dorchester Judge Under Fire on Foreclosure Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/dorchester-judge-under-fire-on-foreclosure-case/): If you ask Sherry Peterson-Davidson, she’ll tell you that Patrick Watts doesn’t deserve to wear a black robe and hold a gavel.
- [Two S.C. Web Sites Lauded for Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/two-s-c-web-sites-lauded-for-transparency/): A pair of South Carolina county Web sites have been recognized as being among the best in the nation in terms of transparency.
- [Trident Tech, Boeing Spending Raise Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/trident-tech-boeing-spending-raise-questions/): Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Few would argue that times are tough. We are in the midst of a major recession and significant recovery seems a long way off.
- [District 5 Takes No Vote on Covert Land Purchase](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/district-5-takes-no-vote-on-covert-land-purchase/): Lexington-Richland District 5 school board members offered no vote nor any discussion following their executive session meeting Wednesday night to purchase an 81-acre tract of land between Dan Comalander Road and Haltiwanger Road in the most rural area of the school district.
- [Davis: Sembler Attorneys Tried to Hire Me](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/davis-sembler-attorneys-tried-to-hire-me/): A state senator who opposes millions of dollars in tax breaks proposed for a large retail developer says attorneys for the company offered to hire him after he expressed his opposition to the incentives.
- [CCU Golf Course: $3 Million Taxpayer-Funded Whiff](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/ccu-golf-course-3-million-taxpayer-funded-whiff/): Coastal Carolina University wants to spend $3 million in taxpayer dollars to buy a golf course it has been leasing, but the odds at getting state approval are akin to a hole-in-one-shot.
- [Board Chair Gives S.C. Ed System Pat on the Back](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/board-chair-gives-s-c-ed-system-pat-on-the-back/)
- [Lawmakers Look to Push Bass Pro Bill Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/lawmakers-look-to-push-bass-pro-bill-again/): Debate on S.C. House bill H. 4200, which would provide millions in incentives to big-box sporting goods retailers, was adjourned Wednesday until March 23.
- [Beaufort County Sales Tax Increase a Bad Idea](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/beaufort-county-sales-tax-increase-a-bad-idea/): The S.C. House recently passed legislation (H.
- [Sembler Opponents: South Carolina Not for Sale](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/sembler-opponents-south-carolina-not-for-sale/): South Carolina is not for sale. That is the message a bipartisan group of nonprofit organizations delivered at the State House in Columbia this morning.
- [Budget Provisos and Pass-Throughs – A Primer](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/budget-provisos-and-pass-throughs-a-primer/): A $2 million state allocation to a nonprofit health care system in the Horry County area exemplifies a lack of accountability and transparency in the state budget, via a pervasive and convenient method of shrouding spending called a pass-through.
- [Is District 5 Threatening to Use Eminent Domain?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/is-district-5-threatening-to-use-eminent-domain/): Lexington-Richland School District 5 is still pushing forward with plans for new schools despite declining enrollment and the unanswered question of how they are going to pay for the additional operating costs those facilities will generate despite decreasing revenues.
- [Officials Continue Playing Hydrogen Shell Game](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/officials-continue-playing-hydrogen-shell-game/): For more than half a year The Nerve has sought to verify claims by legislative leaders and the South Carolina Hydrogen Fuel Cell Alliance regarding job creation and investment related to the state’s massive outlay in hydrogen technology.
- [Gaston Leader No Fan of Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/gaston-leader-no-fan-of-transparency/): Efforts by Gaston residents to make town proceedings more transparent are not going over well with everyone.
- [District 5: Home of the $136K Teacher](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/district-5-home-of-the-136k-teacher/): Many teachers move into administration to earn more money. For at least one administrator, though, getting back into teaching has proven no less lucrative.
- [Commerce Eyes Control of Research Program](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/commerce-eyes-control-of-research-program/): In the eyes of S.C. Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor, the state lottery is an annual $10 million cash cow.
- [Beaufort Councilman Rick Caporale on Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/beaufort-councilman-rick-caporale-on-lobbying/)
- [DHEC Mum on Mishandled Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/dhec-mum-on-mishandled-records/): Many questions remain unanswered about the discovery of thousands of S.C.
- [Legislators Push For Retail Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/legislators-push-for-retail-incentives/): South Carolina legislators appear determined to dole out retail tax incentives to private out-of-state companies.
- [Concern Forces Changes to Housing Program](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/concern-forces-changes-to-housing-program/): Erich Chatham Citizen Reporter The Neighborhood Stabilization Program, authorized under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, provides grants to state and local governments, non-profit and for-profit housing organizations to purchase foreclosed or abandoned homes and to rehabilitate, resell or redevelop homes.
- [SC Entities Dish Out Dollars in Boeing Tribute](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/sc-entities-dish-out-dollars-in-boeing-tribute/): The winter edition of SC Biz magazine is a glowing tribute to Boeing and those who enticed the aerospace giant to build a second 787 assembly line in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
- [DHEC Records Found in Recycling Bin](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/dhec-records-found-in-recycling-bin/): Investigative reporting by The Nerve has led to an inquiry by the State Law Enforcement Division into how thousands of S.C.
- [Boeing to Get Another Taxpayer-Funded Gift](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/boeing-to-get-another-taxpayer-funded-gift/): Once again, S.C. officials are doling out millions in taxpayer dollars to aerospace giant Boeing as the state’s general fund budget continues to bleed heavily.
- [A Look at Extreme Education Expenditures](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/a-look-at-extreme-education-expenditures/): Are 85 school districts needed for 46 counties? This is one topic avoided by all candidates for governor as well as current legislators.
- [High-Priced Help at the State House](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/high-priced-help-at-the-state-house/): South Carolina taxpayers will shell out nearly $6.5 million this fiscal year for top-paid state House and Senate staffers.
- [Lawmakers’ Misdeeds Often Escape Scrutiny](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/lawmakers-misdeeds-often-escape-scrutiny/): When it comes to investigating ethical violations involving public officials, state lawmakers often seem to get a free pass.
- [Stimulus and S.C. Teacher Jobs - Checking the Facts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/stimulus-and-s-c-teacher-jobs-checking-the-facts/): Hundreds of teachers in South Carolina potentially losing their jobs was perhaps the starkest personification of a battle royale Gov.
- [Law Lets Senators Keep Magistrates in Limbo](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/law-lets-senators-keep-magistrates-in-limbo/): Call it a senatorial power trip.
- [Mixed Results on Charleston Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/mixed-results-on-charleston-transparency/): There has long been concern regarding the City of Charleston’s budget process, specifically the lack of information available and the limited time given city council members to consider the budget before voting on it.
- [Web Site Lets S.C. Keep Eye on Stimulus](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/web-site-lets-s-c-keep-eye-on-stimulus/): South Carolinians are making their voices heard on a wide array of stimulus projects, from spending hundreds of millions of dollars improving roads and infrastructure throughout the state to building buoys for use by the Army Corps of Engineers.
- [Legislative Role in Judicial Screening Questioned](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/legislative-role-in-judicial-screening-questioned/): After nearly 13 years in existence, South Carolina’s judicial screening process is perhaps facing its most serious legal challenge yet.
- [Santee Cooper: Powering S.C. and Paying Well](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/santee-cooper-powering-s-c-and-paying-well/): Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s largest power producer, generates the power distributed by the state's 20 electric cooperatives and provides water to 137,000 Lowcountry consumers.
- [Public Charter Schools Struggle to Stay Afloat](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/public-charter-schools-struggle-to-stay-afloat/): Some South Carolina Public Charter School District institutions, already among the lowest-funded schools in the state, are in danger of having to close their doors unless state legislators agree to provide more funding, organization officials say.
- [Incentives Finalized in Boeing Sweetheart Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/incentives-finalized-in-boeing-sweetheart-deal/): A state incentives agreement for Boeing Co.
- [Marlboro Group Stands Up to Megadump](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/marlboro-group-stands-up-to-megadump/): Trevor Lightbody Citizen Reporter On Nov.
- [Residents Sway ‘Imagine Greenville’ Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/residents-sway-imagine-greenville-debate/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter By making their voices heard, Greenville County residents have been able to influence discussion regarding the Greenville County Comprehensive Plan.
- [Taxpayers Pony Up for State Museum](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/taxpayers-pony-up-for-state-museum/): The State Museum is asking taxpayers to cough up as much as $15.5 million for a proposed expansion that’s been on its wish list for more than a decade.
- [Gaston: The Land that Transparency Forgot](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/gaston-the-land-that-transparency-forgot/): How bad are things in Gaston?
- [Greenville Council Agrees to Amend Land Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/greenville-council-agrees-to-amend-land-plan/): Jan Wiliams Citizen Reporter Several hundred Greenville County residents unhappy with the Greenville County Comprehensive Land Use Plan were able to get the county council to amend the plan during a recent meeting.
- [District 5 Delays Land-Purchase Discussion](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/district-5-delays-land-purchase-discussion/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Earlier this week the Lexington-Richland District 5 school board discussed a contractual matter related to property in executive session – the portion of the meeting closed to the public, according to their meeting agenda – but declined to do so during open session.
- [Job Development Credits: Taxpayer-Funded Payouts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/job-development-credits-taxpayer-funded-payouts/): There’s nothing like money in your pocket.
- [Point-of-Sale Bill Continues to Stir Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/point-of-sale-bill-continues-to-stir-debate/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Proponents of H 3272 ask a simple question when discussing the point-of-sale bill: It is better to have part of something than all of nothing when houses and buildings do not sell, no taxes are collected and houses and buildings will not start selling until the property tax escalations stop?
- [Sembler Incentives Focus of Council Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/sembler-incentives-focus-of-council-meeting/): BEAUFORT – Beaufort-area residents packed the County Council chambers Monday, with several expressing concern over a proposed $400 million upscale mall being planned by the Sembler Co.
- [Gaston Town Council Questioned on IRS Debt](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/gaston-town-council-questioned-on-irs-debt/): Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter Citizen Reporter Kay Rikard’s video on a Gaston resident questioning the town council on the status of principal and interest on its IRS debt.
- [The State's Secret $7 Billion Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/the-states-secret-7-billion-budget/): You’d think it would be hard to miss $7 billion. But S.C.
- [District 5 Appears Set for Secret Purchases](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/district-5-appears-set-for-secret-purchases/): The Lexington-Richland District 5 school board is likely to vote to buy land for new school sites in the undeveloped area of northwest Richland County following financial offers made to property owners by administration representatives, according to the agenda for tonight’s meeting.
- [Tom Hatfield Conducts Sembler-Related Interview](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/tom-hatfield-conducts-sembler-related-interview/): Tom Hatfield Citizen Reporter Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield’s interview with Beaufort County Councilmember Rick Caporale on government picking winners and losers in the economic incentives game.
- [SCPC, Sembler Officials to Speak in Beaufort](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/scpc-sembler-officials-to-speak-in-beaufort/): Sembler Co. officials will make their case before the Beaufort County Council Monday afternoon as to why they should receive incentives for a proposed $400 million upscale mall.
- [Jerry Stewart Discusses Sembler with Tom Hatfield](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/jerry-stewart-discusses-sembler-with-tom-hatfield/): Tom Hatfield Citizen Reporter Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield interviews Beaufort County Councilman Jerry Stewart on taxpayer funded special interest incentives.
- [10 Reasons to Hate New Carolina's Report](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/10-reasons-to-hate-new-carolinas-report/): Attempting to limit yourself to just 10 reasons to hate the latest New Carolina annual report is like trying to milk a fish.
- [New Carolina: Lots of Talk, Few Results](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/new-carolina-lots-of-talk-few-results/): “We, the tenacious people of New Carolina, declare independence from mediocrity.
- [BEA Chief: Sembler Likely to Shift, Not Boost, Sales](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/bea-chief-sembler-likely-to-shift-not-boost-sales/): The state’s chief economist says a megamall the Florida-based Sembler Co.
- [Ryberg Again Tries to Block Sembler Subsidies](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/ryberg-again-tries-to-block-sembler-subsidies/): Republican S.C. Sen.
- [The Illusion of Government Recovery at Work](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/the-illusion-of-government-recovery-at-work/): With dumpsters blocking the handicapped parking and fresh paint stinging the nostrils, it smelled like our government recovery at work.
- [Look for More Growth at Clemson](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/look-for-more-growth-at-clemson/): It would appear Clemson University, the public institution that seemingly can’t say no to expansion, is setting its sights on more growth.
- [Heritage Study Adds to Waste](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/heritage-study-adds-to-waste/): BEECH ISLAND – Some 13 years after Congress established the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor – an endeavor that’s soaked up more than $3.5 million in direct taxpayer funds and millions more indirectly – the government is finally getting ready to do an economic impact study.
- [Legislators Ponder Education Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/legislators-ponder-education-reform/): On Thursday, Jan.
- [Despite Cuts, Colleges Continue Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/despite-cuts-colleges-continue-lobbying/): Despite increasing budget shortfalls, South Carolina public universities and state agencies continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on lobbying.
- [Lottery Helps Legislature, Colleges Fleece Students](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/lottery-helps-legislature-colleges-fleece-students/): A years-long fleecing of college students in South Carolina continues apace, with the state-run Education Lottery’s sales increasing but doing little if anything to offset precipitous tuition hikes.
- [Maybank: Man with an Incentives Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/maybank-man-with-an-incentives-plan/): In South Carolina, Columbia attorney Burnie Maybank is the quintessential man with a plan when it comes to mining state government for baskets full of handouts in the form of economic development incentives.
- [District 5 Can't Quench Thirst for Growth](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/02/district-5-cant-quench-thirst-for-growth/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter In their fervor to expand athletic facilities at one of its high schools, Lexington-Richland District 5 is willing to spend over $600,000 of taxpayers’ money – in other counties – for stream and wetlands mitigation.
- [Top SCRA Execs See Salaries Spike](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/top-scra-execs-see-salaries-spike/): While state agencies struggle with across-the-board budget cuts, salaries continue to jump at the S.C. Research Authority.
- [Sembler Tax Break Slows; Maybank Focus Grows](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/sembler-tax-break-slows-maybank-focus-grows/): The fate of a controversial proposed state sales tax break for a shopping mall the Florida-based Sembler Co.
- [Columbia Cuts Commercial Garbage Pickup](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/columbia-cuts-commercial-garbage-pickup/): A decision last year by Columbia City Council to shift the cost of a core local government function – commercial garbage service – to businesses is costing companies money, an expense that quite possibly is being passed on to their customers.
- [Tuition Program Forced to Cut Grants to S.C. Students](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/tuition-program-forced-to-cut-grants-to-s-c-students/): An estimated 14,000-plus South Carolina college students each lost several hundred dollars in financial aid this semester after the S.C.
- [Bauer’s Transparency Initiative a Bit Opaque](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/bauers-transparency-initiative-a-bit-opaque/): In what he termed an effort to “restore taxpayers’ confidence in our stewardship of their money,” Bauer in February 2009 unveiled the “lieutenant governor’s transparency initiative,” which he said would give taxpayers an unprecedented view of his office’s finances.
- [Berg Rewarded with Big Raise After Referendum](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/berg-rewarded-with-big-raise-after-referendum/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Schools districts across the state are crying out for more money, but Lexington-Richland District 5 apparently has little problem paying out big bucks to those at the top.
- [Report: ESC Failed to Avert Disaster](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/report-esc-failed-to-avert-disaster/): A Legislative Audit Council report released this morning paints a damning picture of the S.C.
- [Beaufort Decision Costs Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/beaufort-decision-costs-taxpayers/): According to South Carolina law, counties in the state are required to reassess all personal and commercial properties within their borders to fair market value every five years.
- [Anatomy of an Incentives Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/anatomy-of-an-incentives-deal/): If a yet-to-be-released state incentives agreement with the Boeing Co.
- [Oconee Won't Return Surplus to Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/oconee-wont-return-surplus-to-taxpayers/): As of June 30, 2009, Oconee County in South Carolina had roughly $14.14 million in cash, $29.55 million in investments and $5.77 million in CDs, for a total of nearly $49.5 million.
- [Boeing Numbers Game: Studies Don't Match Up](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/boeing-numbers-game-studies-dont-match-up/): Written by Rick Brundrett and Eric K.
- [Tuition Prepayment Program Running Deficit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/tuition-prepayment-program-running-deficit/): Thousands of South Carolinians have invested in a state-run college tuition prepayment program in order to pay less now than they would have to pay later.
- [Town Mayor Allegedly Spent $$$ Without Okay](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/town-mayor-allegedly-spent-without-okay/): The town of Swansea, S.C., has an unusual financial problem: it faces a debt of $473,251, money owed to the state from fines and fees collected by the town’s police department over several years.
- [Ports Authority Expands Terminal Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/ports-authority-expands-terminal-plan/): The S.C. State Ports Authority Board agreed Tuesday to nearly double the pay of New York-based Cooper Robertson & Partners to almost $1.3 million.
- [Number of Higher-Paid County Employees Rising](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/number-of-higher-paid-county-employees-rising/): As Richland and Lexington counties have grown, so have the number of higher-paid county employees.The two counties collectively have more than 480 employees who earn at least $50,000, according to a Midlands salary database and county records.
- [S.C.’s Unemployment Train Wreck](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/s-c-s-unemployment-train-wreck/): A train wreck has been rolling toward South Carolina’s unemployment insurance system for more than a decade, gaining speed each year.
- [Point-of-Sale Debate Underway in Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/point-of-sale-debate-underway-in-senate/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter A compromise has been reached and debate is upcoming on point of sale reform.
- [Point-of-Sale Reform Bogs Down](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/point-of-sale-reform-bogs-down/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Wednesday's debate in the Senate took point-of-sale bill 3272 from providing relief to all types of property owners and refocused it on benefitting commercial growth and second homeowners.
- [State Prints Tanzanian Texts as Schools Struggle](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/state-prints-tanzanian-texts-as-schools-struggle/): At Batesburg Leesville High School, assistant principal Ross Kerry makes do with textbooks of varying quality.
- [S.C. Supreme Court: Lack of Accountability](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/s-c-supreme-court-lack-of-accountability/): The state’s top judicial foxes won’t give up guarding their own hen house.
- [Will Beaufort County Have to Sue S.C.?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/will-beaufort-county-have-to-sue-s-c/): Beaufort County Council Chairman Weston Newton called the current Educational Funding Act (EFA) formula grossly unfair and said it must be changed.
- [Agency PR Flaks Promote Their Bosses](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/agency-pr-flaks-promote-their-bosses/): If you’re trying to get elected, name recognition is Job One.
- [Private Email and Public Business: Anything Goes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/private-email-and-public-business-anything-goes/): Stimulus funding, budget vetoes and spending transparency are among an array of state business South Carolina public officials discussed through private email correspondence during the past year.
- [Retaining E-Mails Hit-and-Miss Proposition in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/retaining-e-mails-hit-and-miss-proposition-in-s-c/): Many of South Carolina’s highest-profile state entities do not have a policy in place regarding the retention of electronic mail, meaning essential correspondence regarding state business is potentially being lost.
- [S.C. Tax Dollars Flow to Federal Lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/s-c-tax-dollars-flow-to-federal-lobbyists/): State and local government agencies spent at least several million in tax dollars last year to court U.S.
- [School Districts Spend Millions on Fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/school-districts-spend-millions-on-fees/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter The need for transparency has never been greater than it is today.
- [Secrecy Shrouds Boeing and Other Deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/secrecy-shrouds-boeing-and-other-deals/): No. That’s often the favorite word of state and local government officials when asked to reveal details of taxpayer-funded incentives given to businesses.
- [Boeing’s 'A' Team: Turned to Power Brokers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/boeings-a-team-turned-to-power-brokers/): Never let it be said that the Boeing Co.
- [New Boeing Jobs: Hype and Hope](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/new-boeing-jobs-hype-and-hope/): NORTH CHARLESTON – It’s shortly after 3:30 on an unseasonably warm Dec.
- [Tom Hatfield conducts Boeing-related interview](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/tom-hatfield-conducts-boeing-related-interview-2/)
- [Greenville Paying $$$ to 'EcoMobility' Group](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/greenville-paying-to-ecomobility-group/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Greenville and at least four other S.C.
- [The Okatie-Boeing Connection](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/01/the-okatie-boeing-connection/): The nickname of a bill that would provide tax breaks for a proposed retail development in Jasper County dubbed Okatie Crossings – and other projects – might tell taxpayers all they need to know about the legislation.
- [Gaston's Financial Statement Questioned](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/gastons-financial-statement-questioned/)
- [Would Sanford Veto Local Retail Subsidies?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/would-sanford-veto-local-retail-subsidies/): It’s a very big “if.” However, if proposed tax subsidies for a large retail development planned for the Lowcountry make it through the General Assembly, the incentives would pose a philosophical quandary to Gov.
- [State Panel Approves $4.1 Million More for Innovista](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/state-panel-approves-4-1-million-more-for-innovista/): A state legislative committee has approved $4.1 million for more construction at a new public building on the University of South Carolina’s Innovista research campus, which has yet to attract high-tech jobs as pitched by supporters.
- [Firms’ Decisions Show Incentives Not Necessary](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/firms-decisions-show-incentives-not-necessary/): Three recent case studies in state economic development incentives show that the General Assembly’s practice of serving up such corporate welfare makes for anything but an exact science and a sure bet.
- [S.C., Georgia Fuel Tax Compared at TRAC](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/s-c-georgia-fuel-tax-compared-at-trac/)
- [Got A Problem? Create A State Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/got-a-problem-create-a-state-agency/): Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but when it’s done by South Carolina lawmakers, it can hit taxpayers in their wallets.
- [Incentives Not a Hit With Oconee County Residents](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/incentives-not-a-hit-with-oconee-county-residents/)
- [House, Senate Ethics Panels Avoid Sunlight](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/house-senate-ethics-panels-avoid-sunlight/): S.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell is protecting a system that wraps a cloak of secrecy around ethics cases involving members of the General Assembly.
- [Appointment Talk Riles Charleston Council](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/appointment-talk-riles-charleston-council/): There were few items of substance on the May 25 Charleston City Council meeting agenda, but there was no lack of drama.
- [Crime Victims Are Forgotten by Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/crime-victims-are-forgotten-by-legislature/): Although S.C. Senate and House members apparently think nothing of giving their respective chambers a combined $5.4 million budget hike next fiscal year, their fiscal generosity hasn’t extended to victims of domestic violence or drunken driving.
- [DOT: Money Needed for Maintenance Costs](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/dot-money-needed-for-maintenance-costs/)
- [Santee Cooper Raises Salaries of Top Executives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/santee-cooper-raises-salaries-of-top-executives/): Amid one of the worst economic downturns in South Carolina’s history, the board of state-owned Santee Cooper has authorized raises for the utility’s top five executives, including two substantial increases of 13.3 and 9.2 percent.
- [Digging Out of $98 Million Hole](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/digging-out-of-98-million-hole/): Getting out of a $98 million hole isn’t easy.
- [Legislators Waste Time Debating Heritage Animals](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/legislators-waste-time-debating-heritage-animals/): Two members of the horse family unwittingly have become a distraction in the General Assembly as lawmakers face many pressing issues, not least of which is one of the worst state budget pictures in modern history.
- [Oconee Citizen: Incentives Plan 'Frightening'](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/oconee-citizen-incentives-plan-frightening/)
- [USC Trustees Fail to Pony Up for Moore School Challenge](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/usc-trustees-fail-to-pony-up-for-moore-school-challenge/): There were no doubts where Darla Moore stood on the five-year fundraising effort put forth on behalf of the University of South Carolina’s School of Business, which bears her name.
- [Riley Gets His Way with Fair Housing Ordinance](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/riley-gets-his-way-with-fair-housing-ordinance/): Mayor Joe Riley did it again.
- [Sanford: Chief Economist's Numbers Don't Add Up](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/sanford-chief-economists-numbers-dont-add-up/): If South Carolina’s chief economist, William Gillespie, is looking for a job reference, he likely won’t get one from Gov. Mark Sanford.
- [It’s ‘Me First’ for Legislators Come Budget Time](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/its-me-first-for-legislators-come-budget-time/): How bad is South Carolina’s budget crisis?
- [Oconee Citizen Speaks Against Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/oconee-citizen-speaks-against-incentives/)
- [Saving Children or Fleecing Taxpayers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/saving-children-or-fleecing-taxpayers/): If the state of South Carolina is late with your income tax refund next year, you might not see as much earned interest when you finally receive your check.
- [Motor Fuel User Fee Subject of TRAC Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/motor-fuel-user-fee-subject-of-trac-meeting/)
- [Act 388 Creates 'Perfect Storm' in Dorchester](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/act-388-creates-perfect-storm-in-dorchester/): Call it the Act 388 perfect storm.
- [Charleston Council Continues Tax Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/charleston-council-continues-tax-debate/): Last week’s Charleston County Council Finance Committee meeting was largely taken up with a continuation of debate on whether an increase in property taxes could be avoided, along with a presentation by staff on budgets for enterprise funds, council agencies and other entities.
- [Aiken Officials Don't Know What it Costs to Run City](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/aiken-officials-dont-know-what-it-costs-to-run-city/): City officials in Aiken apparently aren’t quite sure just how much taxpayer money it takes to operate their community of 30,000.
- [SCRA: Key Player in Proposed State Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/scra-key-player-in-proposed-state-agency/): A largely under-the-radar, state-created agency would play a prominent role in a proposed state agency aimed at bringing businesses to 17 counties near Interstate 95, under an amended S.C.
- [Taxpayer: Government Shouldn't Choose Winners](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/taxpayer-government-shouldnt-choose-winners/)
- [Embattled Judge in Legal Limbo](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/embattled-judge-in-legal-limbo/): A longtime Dorchester County judge under fire for his handling of foreclosure cases could remain on the job after his term expires June 30 because of an apparent split among the county’s state legislative delegation.
- [Lexington 1 Official Breaks Down Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lexington-1-official-breaks-down-spending/)
- [Legislative Budgets Play Shell Game with Medicaid](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/legislative-budgets-play-shell-game-with-medicaid/): A lot of South Carolina lawmakers apparently like to go cliff diving. Funding cliff diving, that is.
- [Gaston Audit Finds Many 'Material Weaknesses'](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/gaston-audit-finds-many-material-weaknesses/)
- [Next Year’s Budget: Still Growing and Growing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/next-years-budget-still-growing-and-growing/): Although most of state government likely will experience another round of general fund cuts next fiscal year, more than two dozen agencies would see their total funding increased under proposed Senate and House budgets.
- [Lex. 1 Official Explains Difference in Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lex-1-official-explains-difference-in-funds/)
- [A Look at S.C.’s Top 10 Agency Heads by Salary](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/a-look-at-s-c-s-top-10-agency-heads-by-salary/): Heading up a state agency isn’t necessarily a ticket to riches in South Carolina.
- [Lex. 1 Superintendent Argues for Tax Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lex-1-superintendent-argues-for-tax-reform/)
- [District 5 Discussing Another Bond Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/district-5-discussing-another-bond-issue/): Less than two years after Lexington-Richland School District 5 secured passage of a contentious $243.7 million bond issue, the district’s board is already talking about another referendum.
- [Lexington 1 School Board Discusses Staffing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lexington-1-school-board-discusses-staffing/)
- [Lexington 1 Administrator Gives Legislative Update](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lexington-1-administrator-gives-legislative-update/)
- [Going Rogue: DHEC Fights Cabinet Status](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/going-rogue-dhec-fights-cabinet-status/): The prospects for reform of the entrenched, embattled S.C.
- [Video: Getting Your Legislator's Attention](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/video-getting-your-legislators-attention/)
- [Senators Seek Alternatives to Roll-Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/senators-seek-alternatives-to-roll-call-voting/): Although opposed to an S.C.
- [Senate Passes Bills in Phantom Session](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/senate-passes-bills-in-phantom-session/): A bill that would create a new state agency to promote economic development in 17 counties in the Lowcountry and Pee Dee was passed Friday by the Senate.
- [Lexington 1 Board Stresses Act 388's Impact](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/lexington-1-board-stresses-act-388s-impact/)
- [S.C. Senate: Charity Starts at Home](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/s-c-senate-charity-starts-at-home/): If there’s one thing you can say about state lawmakers, it’s that they look after their own – at taxpayers’ expense.
- [House Panel Undercuts Input on Sembler Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/house-panel-undercuts-input-on-sembler-bill/): Proposed handouts on behalf of South Carolina taxpayers to a politically connected out-of-state company to build an upscale shopping mall in the Lowcountry have been like the proverbial Energizer bunny this legislative session.
- [Citizen: Kershaw County Battling Must End](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/05/citizen-kershaw-county-battling-must-end/)
- [Inconsistency Evident in Aiken Bond Referendum](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/inconsistency-evident-in-aiken-bond-referendum/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter The Aiken County School Board has announced a $236 million bond referendum for the construction of new schools.
- [Carriage Deal Riles Many Charleston Residents](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/carriage-deal-riles-many-charleston-residents/): Some weeks ago, we suggested that the relationship between the Mayor Joe Riley and Charleston City Council members had reached an inflection point.
- [SCRA Growth Spurt Continues Unabated](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/scra-growth-spurt-continues-unabated/): Like a hungry tick on a fat hound, the S.C. Research Authority can’t stop growing. In an expansion frenzy that would make famed financier T.
- [Aiken Council Gets Earful on License Fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/aiken-council-gets-earful-on-license-fees/)
- [S.C. Colleges Continue to Resist Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/s-c-colleges-continue-to-resist-transparency/): Last year, S.C.
- [Rep. Thad Viers Speaks Against Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/rep-thad-viers-speaks-against-incentives/)
- [Rep. Thad Viers Speaks Against Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/rep-thad-viers-speaks-against-incentives-2/)
- [S.C. DSS Fails Federal Child Welfare Standards](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/s-c-dss-fails-federal-child-welfare-standards/): The S.C. Department of Social Services failed to meet all seven federal benchmarks measuring the agency’s ability to serve abused and neglected children, according to a U.S.
- [Aiken City Council Gets Earful on Spending, Fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/aiken-city-council-gets-earful-on-spending-fees/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter In Aiken, general government spending has increased by 43 percent over the past six budget cycles, prompting taxpayers to ask City Council to hear what S.C.
- [Rep. Nelson Hardwick Speaks Against Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/rep-nelson-hardwick-speaks-against-incentives/)
- [Fee Hikes: Saving Courts or Fleecing Taxpayers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/fee-hikes-saving-courts-or-fleecing-taxpayers/): Proposed court fee hikes would raise an estimated $24 million in new money for the state’s court system next fiscal year, potentially giving the S.C.
- [Gov. Mark Sanford Speaks Against Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/gov-mark-sanford-speaks-against-incentives/)
- [DHEC Notifies More than 1,800 in Data Breach](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/dhec-notifies-more-than-1800-in-data-breach/): The state health department has notified more than 1,800 people that they could be at risk of identity theft because medical records in the agency’s control ended up in a public recycling bin.
- [Report: State Pension Plan Among Worst-Funded](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/report-state-pension-plan-among-worst-funded/): The South Carolina Retirement System is among the worst-funded pension plans for teachers in the nation, according to a study released last week by the Manhattan Institute and the Foundation for Educational Choice.
- [Charleston Council Eyes Widespread Planning](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/charleston-council-eyes-widespread-planning/): Among topics broached at a recent Charleston County Council meeting was a discussion regarding planning in the northern part of the county.
- [SCRA: Innovation Centers Unfunded Mandate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/scra-innovation-centers-unfunded-mandate/): When it comes to public-private economic development, North Carolina has the Research Triangle, Georgia has Georgia Tech and South Carolina has … the Research Authority?
- [Boeing Bonds to Cost Taxpayers $362 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/boeing-bonds-to-cost-taxpayers-362-million/): South Carolina taxpayers will cover nearly $362 million in bond costs over the next 15 years for Boeing’s aircraft assembly plant under construction in North Charleston, according to bond sale records reviewed by The Nerve.
- [Charleston County to Televise Council Meetings](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/charleston-county-to-televise-council-meetings/): We thought we had heard it before, and we had, at a number of Charleston City Council meetings. The issue was to televise Charleston County Council meetings.
- [Amid Recession, State Agencies Adding Staff](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/amid-recession-state-agencies-adding-staff/): While South Carolina struggles to cope with one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, at least 26 state agencies – mostly colleges and universities – have added a total of more than 350 full-time workers this fiscal year, an analysis by The Nerve has found.
- [Gaston Council Discusses Confederate Flag](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/gaston-council-discusses-confederate-flag/)
- [Pols in Ads: The People's Work or Self-Promotion?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/pols-in-ads-the-peoples-work-or-self-promotion/): Don’t hate me because I’m powerful.
- [District 5 Opened School's Wing Without Permit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/district-5-opened-schools-wing-without-permit/): By Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 potentially put the safety of kindergarten students and staff at risk to charging ahead with a school construction project.
- [Lawmakers Turning Their Backs on Roll-Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/lawmakers-turning-their-backs-on-roll-call-voting/): South Carolina’s lawmakers so far this year are voting more anonymously compared to 2009, even after they changed their rules last year to increase roll-call voting.
- [Progress Update on Town of Gaston's Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/progress-update-on-town-of-gastons-audit/)
- [Charleston Council Rehashes Salary Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/charleston-council-rehashes-salary-issue/): Charleston County Council was not at its best at its April 1 meeting. The issue of posting employees’ salaries on the county’s Web site was revisited.
- [More Government Hands in S.C. Economy](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/more-government-hands-in-s-c-economy/): A 15-member committee controlled by the Legislature would dole out taxpayer money to promote economic development in 17 counties in the Lowcountry and Pee Dee under a state Senate bill.
- [Kershaw School Board Questioned on Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/kershaw-school-board-questioned-on-spending/)
- [House Budget Worsens State’s Funding Cliff](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/house-budget-worsens-states-funding-cliff/): In the wild, even the average bear plans for contingencies: Fatten up in the spring and summer in order to make it through the long, barren winter.
- [House Budget Worsens State’s Funding Cliff](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/house-budget-worsens-states-funding-cliff-2/): In the wild, even the average bear plans for contingencies: Fatten up in the spring and summer in order to make it through the long, barren winter.
- [S.C. High Court Upholds Jail for Indigent Parents](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/s-c-high-court-upholds-jail-for-indigent-parents/): In South Carolina, family court judges can throw indigent parents behind bars for non-payment of child support even if they cannot afford attorneys.
- [S.C. High Court Upholds Jail for Indigent Parents](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/s-c-high-court-upholds-jail-for-indigent-parents-2/): In South Carolina, family court judges can throw indigent parents behind bars for non-payment of child support even if they cannot afford attorneys.
- [Boundary Funding: Good Idea, Bad Timing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/boundary-funding-good-idea-bad-timing/): While South Carolina suffers from its worst economic downturn arguably since the Great Depression, state legislators have decided a problem more than 200 years in the making needs some scarce state resources.
- [Income Tax Credits -- Like 'Crack' to Republicans](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/income-tax-credits-like-crack-to-republicans/): The way state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter sees it, South Carolina Republicans liken handing out tax credits to crack cocaine.
- [SLED Report Provides Answers on DHEC Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/sled-report-provides-answers-on-dhec-records/): A report by the State Law Enforcement Division answers some key questions about hundreds of improperly discarded medical records, in what is possibly one of the largest breaches of state-controlled confidential information ever.
- [Charleston to Address Transparency Concerns](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/charleston-to-address-transparency-concerns/): As a follow-up to earlier meetings, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley sent City Council members a letter relating to requests for more timely minutes of meetings and a suggestion to televise council meetings.
- [Folly Beach Purchase on Hold -- For Now](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/folly-beach-purchase-on-hold-for-now/): Charleston County Council member Paul Thurmond requested a deferral on a decision by the Parks and Recreation Commission to purchase land for a park in the town of Folly Beach for $2.8 million, at a council meeting last month.
- [Columbia Council Declines to Seek Forensic Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/columbia-council-declines-to-seek-forensic-audit/): Despite presiding over a years-long financial meltdown involving millions of tax dollars, Columbia City Council has yet to seek a forensic audit of the city’s finances to determine whether any criminal activity has taken place during the crisis.
- [Proterra Deal to Cost Tens of Millions to Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/proterra-deal-to-cost-tens-of-millions-to-taxpayers/): South Carolina and Greenville County taxpayers won’t be getting any magic carpet rides with the construction of the Proterra electric- and hybrid-powered bus assembly plant in Greenville.
- [Is S.C. Poised to Enter New Incentives Waters?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/is-s-c-poised-to-enter-new-incentives-waters/): In what might be a first for South Carolina, a private developer and contractor hope to get at least $3.5 million in taxpayer-supported incentives to help build an upscale residential community on Hartwell Lake near Clemson University.
- [Charleston-Area Greenbelt Board Ponders Funding](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/04/charleston-area-greenbelt-board-ponders-funding/): The Greenbelt Advisory Board last week continued its series of meetings to address issues directed to it by Charleston County Council.
- [EngenuitySC Reaps Public Funds, Shows Little Return](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/engenuitysc-reaps-public-funds-shows-little-return/): EngenuitySC has been one of Columbia’s higher-profile economic development organizations and, at the same time, one of its less-transparent.
- [Charleston Council Grapples Over Grant](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/charleston-council-grapples-over-grant/): Things got interesting at the most recent Charleston City Council meeting as there was controversy surrounding a decision over whether to apply for a $250,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to implement a Green Plan initiative.
- [EngenuitySC Nets Nice Payout for 2009 Convention](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/engenuitysc-nets-nice-payout-for-2009-convention/): EngenuitySC, the public-private partnership heavily involved in trying to develop the Midlands’ hydrogen fuel cell industry, pocketed more than $125,000 for its role in marketing the 2009 National Hydrogen Association Conference and Hydrogen Expo.
- [Charleston OKs Move to Highlight Employee Pay](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/charleston-oks-move-to-highlight-employee-pay/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Among items discussed at the March 11 Charleston County Council meeting was making public the salaries of county employees.
- [Hydrogen Still Sacred Despite Core Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/hydrogen-still-sacred-despite-core-cuts/): Citing South Carolina’s distressed economic situation, the House recently passed an appropriations bill that, among other things, eliminate assistance to children with autism, people with spine and brain injuries, and the long-term disabled in job programs.
- [DHEC Notifying Potential Victims in Records Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/dhec-notifying-potential-victims-in-records-case/): The state health department is contacting everyone whose personal information was compromised in a case of improperly discarded medical records The Nerve uncovered last month.
- [Charleston County Council Faces Hard Choices](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/charleston-county-council-faces-hard-choices/): The Charleston County Finance Committee was treated earlier this month with a review of the current year’s budget, along with projections for the future.
- [Golf Proviso: Lawmakers Mum on Details](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/golf-proviso-lawmakers-mum-on-details/): It’s not shocking when politicians lie to the public. But some South Carolina legislators also apparently don’t mind misleading their own colleagues. Take Rep.
- [Greenville County Goes Online with Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/greenville-county-goes-online-with-spending/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Greenville County General Fund spending was posted on line for public viewing last week via the county’s main page at the lower left side under "Financial Online Accountability."
- [Airline Subsidies: Unfriendly Skies for Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/airline-subsidies-unfriendly-skies-for-taxpayers/): A state House bill and related budget proviso that would provide up to $15 million in loans to attract airlines to South Carolina offer no protection to taxpayers, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [How Opposition Fought Subsidies for Sembler](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/how-opposition-fought-subsidies-for-sembler/): Withering opposition that began with one state senator and grew into a broad coalition apparently has dealt a death blow to tens of millions of dollars in proposed state subsidies for a retail mall.
- [Citizen Reporter Decries Proposed Tax Hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/citizen-reporter-decries-proposed-tax-hike/)
- [Moore School Match Figures Raise Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/moore-school-match-figures-raise-questions/): University of South Carolina officials were beaming in late July when they announced that the Moore School of Business had not only met a five-year fundraising goal of $30 million, but surpassed it.
- [Charleston Council Pushes for Timely Minutes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/03/charleston-council-pushes-for-timely-minutes/): The agenda for last week’s Charleston City Council meeting was light – so light that one wondered whether it was worthwhile to attend. It was.
- [Kershaw Resident on Roll Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/kershaw-resident-on-roll-call-voting/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter South Carolinian Leonard Caldwell explains why roll call voting is important: Everyone should know what the people in office are voting on, he says.
- [Judge Rejects Group's Charter School Appeal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/judge-rejects-groups-charter-school-appeal/): A state judge has rejected an appeal by a Richland County community group working to establish a charter school in rapidly growing Richland School District 2.
- [Pick a Board, Any Board (S.C. Has Plenty)](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/pick-a-board-any-board-s-c-has-plenty/): South Carolinians certainly do love their boards and commissions.
- [Elgin Resident Questions Board's Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/elgin-resident-questions-boards-transparency/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Elgin Town Councilman Larry Risvold asks the Kershaw County School Board why it hasn't put its check register online, as required by law.
- [Council Meeting Heats Up Over Appointments](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/council-meeting-heats-up-over-appointments/): The Charleston City Council took up the issue of appointments to city boards and commissions at its Aug. 17 meeting.
- [S.C. Congressmen Exaggerating Job Claims?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/s-c-congressmen-exaggerating-job-claims/): When the U.S. House two weeks ago passed a bill that supposedly would bring $282 million in new federal aid to South Carolina, Reps.
- [Kershaw School Board Discusses Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/kershaw-school-board-discusses-transparency/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School District Director of Communications Mary Anne Byrd discusses how the district plans to abide by a state law that requires S.C.
- [Swansea Wants Resident to Pay 10K for Info](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/swansea-wants-resident-to-pay-10k-for-info/): The town of Swansea wants a business owner to pay nearly $10,000 for copies of such basic information as the Lexington County community’s financial statements, meeting minutes and town ordinances.
- [Charleston Council Nixes Greenway Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/charleston-council-nixes-greenway-proposal/): The Sea Island Greenway is dead, for now. It has been killed a couple of times in the past, but has somehow been resurrected.
- [Sales Tax Exemption Focus of TRAC Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/sales-tax-exemption-focus-of-trac-meeting/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter The S.C. Tax Realignment Commission met Aug. 13 to hear testimony on its sales tax-exemption recommendations.
- ['Tens of Millions' at Stake in Retiree Lawsuit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/tens-of-millions-at-stake-in-retiree-lawsuit/): The S.C. retirement system owes tens of millions of dollars to an estimated 15,000 retirees who returned to government jobs since July 1, 2005, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit filed this month.
- [Board Learns About Curriculum System](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/board-learns-about-curriculum-system/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter State Board of Education members learn about a statewide curriculum management system during the board's July 14th meeting.
- [Mulvaney Aims At Conflicts of Interest](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/mulvaney-aims-at-conflicts-of-interest/): Several S.C. lawmakers are dually employed by the state, occupying seats in the General Assembly while at the same time holding jobs as state employees.
- [Board Debates Curriculum Management System](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/board-debates-curriculum-management-system/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter State Board of Education members debate merits of a statewide curriculum management system during the board's July 14th meeting.
- [Citizen Reporter Video: New Gaston Police Chief](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/citizen-reporter-video-new-gaston-police-chief/): By Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter Chief Pat Regalis, who recently took charge of the Gaston Police Department, tells citizens he's ready to move forward during a Town Council meeting on August, 3, 2010.
- [Golden Parachutes for State Lawmakers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/golden-parachutes-for-state-lawmakers/): In South Carolina, retired legislators earn an annual average of $19,605 in gross retirement benefits, based on July figures from the state retirement system.
- [Medicaid Time Bomb in Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/medicaid-time-bomb-in-budget/): There’s a ticking time bomb in the state budget, and it’s labeled “Medicaid in South Carolina.” Even with the addition of recently approved federal financial aid for the state, the time bomb is set to explode this fiscal year.
- [Harrell Describes Potential of H. 4478](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/harrell-describes-potential-of-h-4478/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter House Speaker Bobby Harrell seeks to boil down what HB 4478 means for South Carolina. Video by Citizen Reporter Jan Williams.
- [BCB Meeting Overcrowded Once Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/bcb-meeting-overcrowded-once-again/): WITH VIDEO An S.C.
- [Legislature Playing Favorites](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/legislature-playing-favorites/): The S.C. Legislature certainly knows how to protect its special interests. While Gov.
- [Board Member Favors Core Standards  by](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/board-member-favors-core-standards-by/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter State Board of Education member Bonnie Disney argues in favor of the board adopting "Common Core Standards."
- [The $14 Million Taxpayer Gift to Hollings](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/the-14-million-taxpayer-gift-to-hollings/): Outside the entrance of the newly built Ernest F.
- [Anti-Common Core Standards II](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/anti-common-core-standards-ii/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter State Board of Education member Phillip Bowers expresses concerns with the board adopting "Common Core Standards."
- [Taylor Discusses Benefits of H. 4478](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/taylor-discusses-benefits-of-h-4478/): Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor talks about HB 4478 and economic development. Video by Citizen Reporter Jan Williams.
- [CRDA Uses Public Money to Push Command Economy](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/crda-uses-public-money-to-push-command-economy/): The Charleston Regional Development Alliance is devising a new game plan to guide economic development, but it appears to be basing its strategy on old Soviet-style state planning.
- [Board Member Opposes Common Core Standards](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/board-member-opposes-common-core-standards/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter State Board of Education member Mike Brenan expresses concerns with the board adopting "Common Core Standards."
- [Some Bills More Than Meet The Eye](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/some-bills-more-than-meet-the-eye/): Sometimes, there’s more to a bill than meets the eye.
- [Harrell Describes Inception of H. 4478](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/harrell-describes-inception-of-h-4478/): House Speaker Bobby Harrell describes how H. 4478 came into being. Video by Citizen Reporter Jan Williams.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses ADP Program](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/kershaw-board-discusses-adp-program/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the status of the district's advanced placement program during the board's Aug.
- [TRAC Gives Film Industry a Free Pass](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/trac-gives-film-industry-a-free-pass/): When it comes to paying sales taxes, South Carolina’s motion picture industry is getting a free pass from a special legislatively created panel charged with making recommendations to reform the state’s tax code.
- [Rex Discusses Financial Health of Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/rex-discusses-financial-health-of-education/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Superintendent of Education Jim Rex gives his views on the financial health of education in South Carolina.
- [Board Adopts National Standards Despite Concerns](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/board-adopts-national-standards-despite-concerns/): South Carolina last month joined more than two dozen other states in adopting new national standards for what students should master in math and English.
- [BCB Members Consider New Meeting Space](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/bcb-members-consider-new-meeting-space/): Just days after The Nerve reported on cramped conditions at S.C.
- [Charleston Bicycle Ordinance to be Refined](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/charleston-bicycle-ordinance-to-be-refined/): The proposed bicycle ordinance has been in the making for some months now with Charleston City Councilman Michael Seekings leading the effort.
- [Indigent Father Appeals to U.S. Supreme Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/indigent-father-appeals-to-u-s-supreme-court/): An indigent Upstate father jailed for a year for failure to pay child support has appealed his case to the nation’s highest court, contending he had a right to an attorney to contest his contempt charge.
- [Making South Carolina More Competitive](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/making-south-carolina-more-competitive/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter House Speaker Bobby Harrell talks about how H 4478 can help South Carolina's economy and make the state more competitive.
- [Session Had Special-Interest, Weird Bills](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/session-had-special-interest-weird-bills/): The recently ended session of the S.C. General Assembly featured no shortage of special-interest bills and legislation of the weird.
- [With Projected Deficit, Charleston Looks Forward](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/with-projected-deficit-charleston-looks-forward/): A budget session was held before a meeting of the Charleston City Council’s Committee on Ways and Means June 20.
- [Law, Lobbying Firms Pay for Conference](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/law-lobbying-firms-pay-for-conference/): S.C. House Clerk Charles Reid, who is one of the highest-paid state government employees, and other House staff members have dedicated an unknown amount of their work time to coordinating fundraising and planning for an upcoming legislative conference in Charleston that includes a party at the home of House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
- [Should S.C. Cut Legislative Session Length?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/should-s-c-cut-legislative-session-length/): Should South Carolina shorten its legislative session?
- [Sanford: Matching 'True' Private Funds Key to Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/sanford-matching-true-private-funds-key-to-bill/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Gov.
- [District 5 Watchdog Facing Legal Action](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/district-5-watchdog-facing-legal-action/): Just hours after The Nerve detailed alleged legal threats made against Chapin resident Kim Murphy related to her opposition to Lexington/Richland School District 5 expansion, the mother of three received significant legal pushback from the district.
- [BCB Fund Raid Illegal, Clyburn Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/bcb-fund-raid-illegal-clyburn-says/): For the past four fiscal years, more than $13 million in state tax dollars have quietly flowed into a little-known account controlled by the S.C.
- [Improving SC's Tool Kit With 4478](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/improving-scs-tool-kit-with-4478/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Governor Mark Sanford describes how HB 4478 will update South Carolina's economic development "tool kit."
- [TRAC Lets Boeing Keep Tax Breaks](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/trac-lets-boeing-keep-tax-breaks/): South Carolinians would pay sales tax on groceries, prescription drugs and a slew of other now-exempt items if a state commission’s preliminary recommendations become law, but the legislatively created panel would let the Boeing Co.
- [Tensions Surrounding Chapin High Project Rise](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/tensions-surrounding-chapin-high-project-rise/): A Chapin resident says her attempts to force Lexington/Richland School District 5 to revamp its construction plans at an area high school have led to legal threats from others in the community.
- [Video: Finance Official Answers Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/video-finance-official-answers-questions/): Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter A Lexington County finance official answers questions from Gaston residents aregarding the town's budget during the July 8th Town Council meeting.
- [Ten Percent of S.C. Farms Get 87 Percent of Subsidies](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/ten-percent-of-s-c-farms-get-87-percent-of-subsidies/): The top 10 farm subsidy recipients in South Carolina received nearly $48 million over the past 15 years.
- [Sales Tax Referendum in Hands of Newberry Voters](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/sales-tax-referendum-in-hands-of-newberry-voters/): Newberry County Council has approved plans to put a $17.5 million capital project sales tax referendum on the November ballot.
- [Law Creates Special License For Originators](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/law-creates-special-license-for-originators/): The S.C. General Assembly recently overturned a veto of a financial regulatory bill that Gov. Mark Sanford says is designed to benefit one company.
- [Most School Districts Have Put Check Registers Online](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/most-school-districts-have-put-check-registers-online/): Three weeks after passage of a deadline requiring school districts throughout South Carolina to place their check registers online for public review, more than 70 percent have complied.
- [Video: Gaston’s Financial Situation Improving](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/video-gastons-financial-situation-improving/): Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter A Lexington County finance official explains the town of Gaston's improving financial situation during the July 8th town council meeting.
- [School Yard Bullies in S.C. General Assembly](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/school-yard-bullies-in-s-c-general-assembly/): When it comes to funding county legislation delegation budgets, state law allows the S.C.
- [District 5 Members Displeased](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/district-5-members-displeased/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Lexington/Richland School District 5 Board members decry the idea that a district resident can hold up the proposed expansion at Chapin High.
- ['Army Wives' Gives Taxpayers $23m Tab](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/army-wives-gives-taxpayers-23m-tab/): The television drama “Army Wives,” filmed in Charleston, might be popular with viewers nationwide, but it likely will have cost South Carolina taxpayers at least $23 million by the time its fourth season ends.
- [Charleston County OKs CARTA Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/charleston-county-oks-carta-budget/): The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority submitted its 2011 budget during the Charleston County Council’s July 8 finance committee meeting and after some discussion it was unanimously approved.
- [Legislative Power-Grab Ending?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/legislative-power-grab-ending/): Better late than never, as the old saying goes. More than eight years after the S.C.
- [Permits Could Delay Chapin Expansion](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/permits-could-delay-chapin-expansion/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Discussing proposed expansion at Chapin High School, Mary Shahid of the McNair Law Firm tells the Lexington/Richland School District 5 Board that “the permit is a vehicle for your detractors to hold you hostage.” Video by Citizen Reporter Kim Murphy.
- [Sanford Nixes Licensing Exception](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/sanford-nixes-licensing-exception/): In the S.C. General Assembly, there’s constituent service – proclamations and congratulations and the like – and then there’s constituent service – back scratching and toadying and so forth.
- [Chapin Permits: A Lengthy Legal Process](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/chapin-permits-a-lengthy-legal-process/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Mary Shahid of the McNair Law Firm explains to the Lexington/Richland School District 5 Board how long it could take to resolve legal issues related to proposed expansion at Chapin High School.
- [Thinking Outside the Box](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/thinking-outside-the-box/): If you ask state Sens.
- [Chapin High Permits Process Explained](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/chapin-high-permits-process-explained/): Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Pam Baker of the McNair Law Firm updates the Lexington/Richland School District 5 board on the permitting process for expansion at Chapin High School on June 14.
- [Accommodation Tax Proceeds Fall](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/accommodation-tax-proceeds-fall/): Charleston County accommodation tax proceeds were divvied up at the County Council’s July 8 finance committee meeting and, reflecting ongoing economic difficulties and the county’s desire to retain a greater share of funds, the amount available for allocation to outside agencies for fiscal year 2011 was historically low.
- [Zero-Base Budgeting: Trend for South Carolina?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/zero-base-budgeting-trend-for-south-carolina/): It’s not the sexiest subject, but when you’re trying to figure out how to spend $21 billion, it can make it a big difference, supporters say.
- [Charleston Council Moves to Accept Grant Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/charleston-council-moves-to-accept-grant-money/): During the summer months, both the Charleston County Council and the council committees meet but once a month.
- [SLC Donors Spent Heavily On Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/slc-donors-spent-heavily-on-lobbying/): South Carolina’s three public research universities and the State Ports Authority gave financial or in-kind donations to the recent Southern Legislative Conference in Charleston.
- [Referendum's Backers Undaunted by Defeat](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/referendums-backers-undaunted-by-defeat/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter A proposed $236 million Aiken County School bond referendum was defeated by a margin of more than two-to-one on May 25, but that hasn’t kept the bond proponents from sending the local media letters in support of the failed measure.
- [War of Words: Leventis Targets Ozmint Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/war-of-words-leventis-targets-ozmint-again/): State Sen. Phil Leventis’ war of words against S.C. Department of Corrections Director Jon Ozmint apparently isn’t letting up anytime soon.
- [House, Senate Secrecy Kills Openness Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/house-senate-secrecy-kills-openness-bill/): Gov. Mark Sanford has vetoed a bill that would allow allegations of ethical wrongdoing against statewide and locally elected officials to be made public upon a finding of probable cause.
- [Failed Budget Bet Puts State In Fiscal Vise](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/failed-budget-bet-puts-state-in-fiscal-vise/): After two years of the state’s general fund budget imploding to the tune of almost $2 billion, could a turnaround be in the works? It just might be.
- [Sanford: Pyrotechnic Bill Usurps Executive Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/sanford-pyrotechnic-bill-usurps-executive-power/): A bill involving a little-known state board, vetoed by Gov.
- [Charleston Special Events Law Triggers Concern](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/charleston-special-events-law-triggers-concern/): At the most recent Charleston City Council meeting, residents expressed concern during the Citizen Participation period regarding the proposed “Special Events” ordinance.
- [Calhoun, Dillon Counties Add Government Websites](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/calhoun-dillon-counties-add-government-websites/): Two of the four South Carolina counties that were without an Internet presence just a few months ago are now on the Web.
- [Budget Board Battle Royale: The Guv's Veto](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/budget-board-battle-royale-the-guvs-veto/): You want Budget and Control Board efficiencies? You’ve got Budget and Control Board efficiencies.
- [Charleston Secures $750K for Energy Efficiency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/07/charleston-secures-750k-for-energy-efficiency/): Mayor Joe Riley has been a consistent champion of programs to increase energy-usage efficiency in Charleston.
- [Senator to Push Next Year for New State Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/senator-to-push-next-year-for-new-state-agency/): A state senator says he’ll try again next year to get a bill passed creating a new state agency aimed at bringing businesses to poor counties along Interstate 95.
- [The Problem with Ethanol- Part III](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/the-problem-with-ethanol-part-iii/)
- [New Farmers Market: Costly Errors for All](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/new-farmers-market-costly-errors-for-all/): The development of a new State Farmers Market has stretched into a years-long project fraught with mishaps that continue to cost taxpayers and create headaches for state government and two Midlands counties.
- [Gaillard Funding Merits Little Public Discussion](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/gaillard-funding-merits-little-public-discussion/): We were looking for some action during the June 16 Charleston City Council meeting regarding the proposed $142 million Gaillard Center project.
- [Senate to Take Up Remaining Budget Vetoes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/senate-to-take-up-remaining-budget-vetoes/): After giving itself a $4 million budget raise two weeks ago, the S.C. Senate returns Tuesday to consider overriding 27 budget vetoes by Gov.
- [$136K Instructor Puts in Half Day During Summer](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/136k-instructor-puts-in-half-day-during-summer/): When word got out that Lexington/Richland School District 5 allowed ex-administrator Lee Bollman to retain his six-figure salary even though he’d moved back into teaching, officials deflected criticism by stating Bollman was working a full calendar year, rather than the typical 190-day teaching schedule.
- [The Problem With Ethanol - Part II](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/the-problem-with-ethanol-part-ii/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Harry Wertheimer of Salem discusses the wastefulness of ethanol projects during the South Carolina Taxation Realignment Comission Fuel Tax Subcommimittee meeting on June 9.
- [Sanford Succeeds in Shaking Up BCB](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/sanford-succeeds-in-shaking-up-bcb/): It required the leanest of lean budget times, and it didn’t happen until halfway through the final year of his constitutionally term-limited second stretch in office.
- [Nonprofits Cheer Defeat of Economic Incentives Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/nonprofits-cheer-defeat-of-economic-incentives-bill/): It looks like Gov. Mark Sanford will not have to help decide the fate of legislatively inspired subsidies for a Lowcountry retail development after all.
- [Kershaw Leader Has Ideas on Finances](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/kershaw-leader-has-ideas-on-finances/)
- [Merging Government Talk Doesn’t Get Far](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/merging-government-talk-doesnt-get-far/): Charleston County Council member A.
- [S.C. School Districts Short on Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/s-c-school-districts-short-on-transparency/): The majority of school districts in South Carolina received a grade of D or F for transparency, according to analysis done by Sunshine Review, a pro-transparency group.
- [How the S.C. Senate Gave Itself a $4 Million Raise](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/how-the-s-c-senate-gave-itself-a-4-million-raise/): In a rare move, S.C. Senate Clerk Jeffrey Gossett took to the podium on the Senate floor.
- [More Than 50 Budget Vetoes Upheld by House](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/more-than-50-budget-vetoes-upheld-by-house/): The S.C. House sustained 51 of Gov.
- [Lawmakers Uphold Hydrogen Funding Veto](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/lawmakers-uphold-hydrogen-funding-veto/): It took one of South Carolina’s worst budget crunches in modern history, but legislators have finally turned off the unproductive tax-dollar spigot for hydrogen research funding, at least for one year.
- [Lawmakers Back Breaks for Insurance Group](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/lawmakers-back-breaks-for-insurance-group/): The General Assembly overrode a gubernatorial veto and passed a bipartisan bill into law Wednesday that grants state sales tax exemptions to a property insurance industry group.
- [Ten State Agencies Could Receive Budget Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/ten-state-agencies-could-receive-budget-hikes/): If the S.C. General Assembly gets its way this week, 10 state agencies –including the House and Senate – would see their general fund budgets increase by more than $49 million collectively in 2010-11 compared to the start of this fiscal year, an analysis by The Nerve found.
- [Legislature Budgets Money S.C. Doesn't Have](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/legislature-budgets-money-s-c-doesnt-have/): The S.C. House’s chief budget writer, Rep. Dan Cooper, is definitely not a man with a plan.
- [Sanford Vetoes: Voice of Reason or Showboating?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/sanford-vetoes-voice-of-reason-or-showboating/): If history offers any indication, expect legislators to override the vast majority of Gov. Mark Sanford’s 107 budget vetoes when they take them up this week.
- [Political Tit-for-Tat Puts Crime Bill in Jeopardy](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/political-tit-for-tat-puts-crime-bill-in-jeopardy/): A bill that would make it a crime for secondary school teachers and officials to have consensual sex with older students could die this week in the S.C.
- [Taxpayers Eyed for Major State Museum Expansion](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/taxpayers-eyed-for-major-state-museum-expansion/): Fresh off securing $2.5 million from local government sources, the S.C.
- [Gaston Public Forums -- Residents Only](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/gaston-public-forums-residents-only/)
- [Miley Study Touts Boeing Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/miley-study-touts-boeing-incentives/): State Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman must be the sensitive type – at least when it comes to the General Assembly funneling several hundred million dollars worth of state bonds and tax breaks into an incentives package, wrapping a nice, big, pretty bow around it and gifting it to the Boeing Co.
- [Kershaw School Budget Areas Explored](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/kershaw-school-budget-areas-explored/)
- [Roll-Call Voting Bill Fizzles in Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/06/roll-call-voting-bill-fizzles-in-senate/): S.C. Sen. Shane Martin is mad that a House bill requiring more roll-call voting never got to the Senate floor for debate.
- [Bannister: Change System, Not Leadership](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/bannister-change-system-not-leadership/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Lex-Rich 5 CFO Discusses Fund Balances](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/lex-rich-5-cfo-discusses-fund-balances/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 board member Jan Hammond questions district CFO Karl Fulmer on fund balances.
- [Thurmond's Road Funds Plea Successful](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/thurmonds-road-funds-plea-successful/): Charleston County Councilman Paul Thurmond uncharacteristically pleaded with his fellow council members to approve road works at the junction of Folly and Camp Roads.
- [CARTA Lowers Revenue Estimates, Plans Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/carta-lowers-revenue-estimates-plans-cuts/): The state of South Carolina will not be the only government entity to suffer from falling federal and local funding in the coming year.
- [Swansea Continues to Drag Feet on FOIA Request](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/swansea-continues-to-drag-feet-on-foia-request/): More than two months after Swansea businesswoman Alberta Wasden filed an S.C.
- [HHI Resident Discusses Legislative Control](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/hhi-resident-discusses-legislative-control/): Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield interviews Hilton Head Island resident John Boullosa at the Sept. 28 meeting of the Hilton Head Island TEA Party.
- [Retirement Plan Raises Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/retirement-plan-raises-questions/): South Carolina’s state retirement system faces billions of dollars in unfunded liabilities.
- [Lt. Gov Bauer Paid From Two Taxpayer Pots](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/lt-gov-bauer-paid-from-two-taxpayer-pots/): As South Carolina’s lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer gets $46,545 annually for what is listed as a part-time job.
- [Charleston Reconsiders ‘Nuisance’ Ordinance](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/charleston-reconsiders-nuisance-ordinance/): During the Sept. 14 Charleston City Council meeting, there was a surprising absence of discussion regarding a proposed “nuisance” ordinance.
- [Smith Favors Shorter Session, Roll Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/smith-favors-shorter-session-roll-call-voting/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [District 5 CFO Discusses Budgets](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/district-5-cfo-discusses-budgets/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland School District 5 Chief Financial Officer Karl Fulmer discusses the different district budgets during the district’s Oct.
- [Weathers Stands Up for Certified S.C. Grown](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/weathers-stands-up-for-certified-s-c-grown/): While visiting Dutch Fork High in Irmo on Oct.
- [Officials Talk About Failure to Follow Procedure](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/officials-talk-about-failure-to-follow-procedure/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Education official Donald Tudor describes during the Sept.
- [Summit Reveals Need for Return to Basics](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/summit-reveals-need-for-return-to-basics/): Concerned residents packed their way into the higher education summit set up by Gov.
- [Midlands Lawmakers Feasting on Subsistence](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/midlands-lawmakers-feasting-on-subsistence/): Republican S.C. Sen. Jake Knotts of West Columbia lives less than 10 miles from the State House in downtown Columbia. Democratic state Rep.
- [Charleston County Warned of Impending Crunch](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/charleston-county-warned-of-impending-crunch/): After a rather vanilla Charleston County Council finance committee meeting on Sept. 16, it appeared the Sept. 30 session would be similar.
- [Lexington-Richland 5 Project Update](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/lexington-richland-5-project-update/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 board members get updates on projects at district schools during the Sept. 13 board meeting.
- [Legislators Get an Average 32K Per Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/legislators-get-an-average-32k-per-year/): Taxpaying South Carolinians, if your state lawmaker looks you in the face and says his or her legislative salary is a lowly $10,400, he or she is not telling you the whole story.
- [Homeless Resolution Raises Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/homeless-resolution-raises-questions/): Charleston City Council took up a resolution during its Sept. 28 meeting to end homelessness in the city.
- [District 5 Board Express Concerns, Part 2](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/district-5-board-express-concerns-part-2/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 board members discuss concerns over changes to district building plans during the Sept. 13 board meeting.
- [Exclusive: Lawmakers Cost Taxpayers Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/exclusive-lawmakers-cost-taxpayers-millions/): The S.C. Legislature is no cheap date for taxpayers. From Jan.
- [District 5 Board Expresses Concerns, Part 1](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/district-5-board-expresses-concerns-part-1/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 board members discuss concerns over changes to district building plans during the Sept. 13 board meeting.
- [Newberry Looks to Sell County Nursing Home](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/newberry-looks-to-sell-county-nursing-home/): Newberry County appears poised to sell off one of South Carolina’s few remaining county-owned nursing homes.
- [Rex Discusses Need for Stability, Good Choices](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/rex-discusses-need-for-stability-good-choices/): Speaking at Dutch Fork High School last week, state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex discussed financial transparency, the challenges facing public schools and the need to recruit and retain quality teachers.Rex, talking to an upper level social studies class at the Irmo school, discussed the Teach For America program where the top 1 percent of Ivy League graduates teach for two years in high-poverty school districts.
- [Norman Calls for Open Meeting to Pick Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/norman-calls-for-open-meeting-to-pick-speaker/): Rep. Ralph Norman’s bid to bring more sunlight to S.C. Republican Caucus meetings was met with little enthusiasm among his cohorts Wednesday.
- [SCRA Board OKs Pay Hike, Not Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/scra-board-oks-pay-hike-not-transparency/): An ongoing disagreement over operations at the S.C.
- [Sen. Tom Davis on Accepting Federal Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/sen-tom-davis-on-accepting-federal-money/): By Jonathon Hill Citizen Reporter Sen. Tom Davis on accepting federal money for Medicaid: “We’re going to pick up the bill. Businesses will pay higher taxes.
- [Summit Generates Much Reaction, Little Agreement](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/summit-generates-much-reaction-little-agreement/): The line was drawn early and often during Tuesday’s higher education summit in West Columbia.
- [Concentration of Power in Columbia](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/concentration-of-power-in-columbia/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter A Columbia resident at the Sept.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part 11](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-11/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss financial matters during the Aug.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part 10](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-10/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the district’s financial condition during the Aug.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part 9](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-9/): Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members listen to the district financial report during the Aug.
- [Getting South Carolina Back on Track](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/getting-south-carolina-back-on-track/): By Cory Norris Citizen Reporter Columbia resident Earl Kersey tells Citizen Reporter Cory Norris at the Sept.
- [Senate Panel Ponders Public School Funding](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/senate-panel-ponders-public-school-funding/): A group of state senators began last week a formal review of how South Carolina funds public education.
- [Swansea Residents Seek Answers on Grant Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/swansea-residents-seek-answers-on-grant-money/): In an attempt to get a handle on how money allocated to refurbishing Swansea’s water system is being spent, a resident of the Lexington County community has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S.
- [Gaston Finances Updated Through July](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/gaston-finances-updated-through-july/): Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter At the Sept. 7 meeting of the Gaston Town Council, town officials provide an update on the town's financial condition.
- [Charleston Council Acts to Reduce Junk, Trash](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/charleston-council-acts-to-reduce-junk-trash/): While discussion surrounding the development of Union Pier dominated the Sept.
- [Bauer Rehires Two Former Staff Members](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/bauer-rehires-two-former-staff-members/): Transitioning to a new governor and lieutenant governor after the Nov.
- [Berg Announces Retirement](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/berg-announces-retirement/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington Richland 5 Superintendent Herb Berg announces plans to retire at the year's end during the board's Sept. 13 meeting.
- [Probe Reveals $3 Billion Gap in 'Other' Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/probe-reveals-3-billion-gap-in-other-funds/): Since July 1, 1999, S.C.
- [District 5 Looks at Raising Millage Rate, Part 3](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/district-5-looks-at-raising-millage-rate-part-3/): Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington Richland 5 school board members discuss plans to raise the millage rate during the Sept. 13 board meeting.
- [Deficit City: State Agencies Awash in Red Ink](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/deficit-city-state-agencies-awash-in-red-ink/): Three state agencies are facing operating deficits this fiscal year that could add up to a quarter of a billion dollars combined.
- [TRAC Subcommittee Adjourns; No Action Taken](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/trac-subcommittee-adjourns-no-action-taken/): By Jack Jackson Citizen Reporter Despite gathering for approximately 90 minutes, a recent meeting of the Local Accommodations and Hospitality Tax Subcommittee of the S.C.
- [District 5 Looks at Raising Millage Rate, Part 2](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/district-5-looks-at-raising-millage-rate-part-2/): Lexington Richland 5 school board members discuss raising the millage rate during the Sept.
- [S.C. Taxpayers to Pay Filing Fees?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/s-c-taxpayers-to-pay-filing-fees/): In what might be a first for the nation, a special legislatively created panel studying South Carolina’s tax structure is proposing charging all individual state income tax filers a filing fee, including the more than 800,000 people who annually owe no taxes.
- [District 5 Members Look at Raising Millage Rate](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/district-5-members-look-at-raising-millage-rate/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland 5 School Board members discuss the need to raise the millage rate during the Sept. 13 board meeting.
- [Thompson Addresses Sales Tax-Free Weekend](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/thompson-addresses-sales-tax-free-weekend/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Citizen Reporter Jane Page Thompson addresses the S.C. Tax Realignment Commission on Aug.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part 7](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-7/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School board member Sherri Brosius says she would be happy to answer questions from constituents regarding district spending.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 3](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-3/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter The Kershaw County School Board Facilities and Finance Committee during its Aug.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 4](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-4/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter The Kershaw County School Board Facilities and Finance Committee during its Aug.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 2](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-2/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Video from the Kershaw County School Board Facilities and Finance Committee, which met Aug.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part 8](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-8/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss transparency and financial matters during the Aug.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 5](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-5/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board member Andrew James asks for clarification on alleged improprieties by a district teacher.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 1](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-1/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Video from the Kershaw County School Board Facilities and Finance Committee meeting, held Aug.
- [Kershaw School Board Committee Meeting, Part 6](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-school-board-committee-meeting-part-6/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss posting district check registers online during the Aug.
- [Union Pier Talk Dominates Charleston Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/union-pier-talk-dominates-charleston-meeting/): Discussion and residents' comments over a resolution relating to the Union Pier Plan took up much of the Sept. 14 Charleston City Council meeting.
- [Ex-Guv Candidate Sues S.C. Supreme Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/ex-guv-candidate-sues-s-c-supreme-court/): So why is a former Michigan gubernatorial candidate suing South Carolina’s top judge and court?
- [Feds Weighing $8.5 Million Cost to S.C. Medicaid](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/feds-weighing-8-5-million-cost-to-s-c-medicaid/): Whether South Carolina will pay the highest Medicaid prescription drug rates in the country is now up to the federal government.
- [Young Reiterates Support for Roll Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/young-reiterates-support-for-roll-call-voting/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep. Tom Young, while at Rallying for Reform Sept.
- [State Agencies Grow Despite Budget Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/state-agencies-grow-despite-budget-cuts/): As S.C. lawmakers were slashing about $1.6 billion from the general fund budget over the past two fiscal years, some state agencies were adding staff, a review by The Nerve found.
- [Lexington 1 School Board Meeting, Part V](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/lexington-1-school-board-meeting-part-v/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Video from the August 17th, Lexington School District One board meeting. Video by Citizen Reporter Janet Frazier.
- [Rep. Smith: Senate's Pay Raise 'Ridiculous'](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/rep-smith-senates-pay-raise-ridiculous/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep.
- [Charleston Landowner Withdraws Dump Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/charleston-landowner-withdraws-dump-proposal/): A large turnout was expected at the Sept. 2 meeting of the Charleston County Planning and Public Works Committee, but in the end the meeting was anticlimactic.
- [Roll Call Voting, Ethics Among Smith's Concerns](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/roll-call-voting-ethics-among-smiths-concerns/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep.
- [Schools Spent More Than $1.3 Million on Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/schools-spent-more-than-1-3-million-on-lobbying/): Correction: This report initially overstated the amount of money Francis Marion, MUSC and The Citadel spent on in-state lobbying during 2009.
- [Massey: More Roll Call Voting Needed](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/massey-more-roll-call-voting-needed/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Sen. Shane Massey, interviewed at Rallying for Reform Sept.
- [Lexington 1 School Board Meeting, Part I](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/lexington-1-school-board-meeting-part-i/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Video from the August 17 Lexington School District One board meeting. Video by Citizen Reporter Janet Frazier.
- [Aiken Residents Look for More Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/aiken-residents-look-for-more-transparency/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Aiken City Councilman Steve Homoki, Ed Giobbe of the Aiken City Planning Commission and Aiken resident Keith Bashant talk about the need for more transparency in government during Rallying for Reform, held Sept.
- [Lexington 1 School Board Meeting, Part II](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/lexington-1-school-board-meeting-part-ii/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Video from the August 17 Lexington School District One board meeting. Video by Citizen Reporter Janet Frazier.
- [Aiken Resident: Roll Call Voting Imperative](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/aiken-resident-roll-call-voting-imperative/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Aiken resident David Lobb, talking before Rallying for Reform Sept.
- [17 Years Later, School Funding Case Unresolved](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/17-years-later-school-funding-case-unresolved/): A 5-year-old South Carolina student enrolled in a poor school district in 1993 when 29 districts sued the state over its funding of poor K-12 systems would have finished high school – and possibly college – without experiencing any resolution to the landmark case.
- [Davis Stands Up for Roll Call Voting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/davis-stands-up-for-roll-call-voting/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Sen. Tom Davis calls out his fellow lawmakers for mocking initiatives to improve roll call voting among legislators.
- [Rep.-Elect Taylor: Change is Needed](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/rep-elect-taylor-change-is-needed/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep.-elect Bill Taylor discusses roll call voting, the balance of power in the legislature and leadership power during Rallying for Reform, held Sept.
- [Online Register Upsets Some on Kershaw Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/online-register-upsets-some-on-kershaw-board/): Kershaw County School District recently joined approximately 70 other districts in the state in complying with a state law that requires the posting of check registers online, to enable parents and other individuals to view how tax dollars are spent.
- [Kershaw Board Member Opposes Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-member-opposes-transparency/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board member Jim Smith voices concerns with putting the district's check register online during an Aug.
- [Sen. Davis Discusses Need for Restructuring](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/sen-davis-discusses-need-for-restructuring/): Sen. Tom Davis stresses the need for proper balance among South Carolina's three branches of government during Rallying for Reform, held Sept. 7 in Aiken.
- [Rep. Young on Improving State Government](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/rep-young-on-improving-state-government/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep. Tom Young speaks about the need to strengthen the executive branch of S.C.
- [Rep. Norman Talks About Importance of Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/rep-norman-talks-about-importance-of-reform/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Rep. Ralph Norman discusses the need to reform state government and state spending during Rallying for Reform, held Sept.
- [Welvista Treated Well by S.C. Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/welvista-treated-well-by-s-c-legislature/): It bills itself as the only nonprofit organization of its kind in the U.S.
- [Check Registers Turn Up Curious Expenses](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/check-registers-turn-up-curious-expenses/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter A quick glance at the online check registers for Aiken County, the city of Aiken and the Aiken County School District shows several expenditures that catch one’s attention.
- [Proposal Targets Lawmaker-Lobby Revolving Door](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/proposal-targets-lawmaker-lobby-revolving-door/): South Carolina would have the longest ban in the nation on former state lawmakers lobbying their legislature under a proposal by S.C. Sen.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part VI](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-vi/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [White Knoll Principal Discusses Future](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/white-knoll-principal-discusses-future/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Jan Malone, the principal of White Knoll Elementary School, talks to the Lexington School District One board during its Aug.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part VII](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-vii/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [Lexington Principal Stresses Collaboration](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/lexington-principal-stresses-collaboration/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Jan Malone, the principal of White Knoll Elementary School, talks to the Lexington School District One board during its Aug.
- [Riley Seeks to Add DASH Routes, Make Travel Free](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/riley-seeks-to-add-dash-routes-make-travel-free/): At the end of the Aug.
- [Upstate School District Dawdles on Posting Data](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/upstate-school-district-dawdles-on-posting-data/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter A recent report on The Nerve pointed out that nearly 70 percent of South Carolina school districts have complied with a state law that requires them to put their check registers online.
- [Magazine Gets S.C. Money, Gives State High Grade](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/magazine-gets-s-c-money-gives-state-high-grade/): South Carolina elected officials were all smiles a few weeks back after a publication called Business Facilities ranked the state No.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part IV](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-iv/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [Agencies Raid Special Funds of $9.3 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/agencies-raid-special-funds-of-9-3-million/): Six state agencies last fiscal year received approval to transfer about $9.3 million collectively from earmarked or restricted accounts to help cover general fund cuts from the previous year, records show.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part III](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-iii/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [Thompson Addresses TRAC on Taxes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/thompson-addresses-trac-on-taxes/): By Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter Citizen Reporter Jane Page Thompson addresses the South Carolina Tax Realignment Commission on August 13, regarding the elimination of the state's sales tax-free weekend.
- [Wasden: Swansea Still Thwarting Quest for Info](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/wasden-swansea-still-thwarting-quest-for-info/): Swansea officials are refusing to budge on the $10,000 price tag they've asked an area businesswoman to pay before they'll turn over basic information about the town despite increased media scrutiny.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part II](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-ii/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [Ballot Referendum to Study County Consolidation](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/09/ballot-referendum-to-study-county-consolidation/): The Charleston County Council’s finance committee on Aug. 12 approved a motion by Councilman Vic Rawl to place a referendum item on the November ballot.
- [Edge Proposal: $10 Million Tab for Medicaid?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/edge-proposal-10-million-tab-for-medicaid/): A change to a state budget proviso could result in South Carolina paying the highest Medicaid prescription drug rates in the nation, boosting pharmacy profits from the already financially strapped health care program for the needy.
- [Kershaw Board Discusses Transparency, Part I](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/kershaw-board-discusses-transparency-part-i/): By Tracey Pinkerton Citizen Reporter Kershaw County School Board members discuss the issues involved with putting the district's check register online during the board's Aug.
- [Lexington One Construction Update](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/lexington-one-construction-update/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Lexington School District One Chief Operations Officer Jeffrey Salters gives an update to the school board during the Aug.
- [Shut Down the State House?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/shut-down-the-state-house/): The State House should be closed when the Legislature is not in session if the S.C.
- [Decorum Key Issue at Charleston Council Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/08/decorum-key-issue-at-charleston-council-meeting/): Councilman Timothy Mallard had center stage at the Aug.
- [Feds Reject Higher Medicaid Pharmacy Rates](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/feds-reject-higher-medicaid-pharmacy-rates/): In a story that might have contributed to a smackdown of a key state legislator, South Carolina apparently is not going to pay the highest rates in the nation for Medicaid prescription drugs.
- [Strengthening Charter Schools a GOP Priority](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/strengthening-charter-schools-a-gop-priority/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell says improving education is a key priority for the S.C. GOP House Caucus during a Jan. 6 press conference.
- [Simplified Tax Rate Would Benefit S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/simplified-tax-rate-would-benefit-s-c/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Former S.C.
- [Bills Seek to Boost FOIA, Cut Special Elections](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/bills-seek-to-boost-foia-cut-special-elections/): In the months leading up to last May’s $236 million Aiken County School Board bond referendum requests for information about the terms of the bond, maintenance budgets and administrative salary expenditures were met with delays.
- [Push to Change Local Referendum Process](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/push-to-change-local-referendum-process/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Lexington County resident Jim Gordon, representing a coalition of citizen groups from across the state, makes a presentation at the Greenville County Legislative Delegation meeting Jan.
- [Ports Authority Spends 29K on Panama Trip](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/ports-authority-spends-29k-on-panama-trip/): At least $29,000 was spent on a three-day trip to Panama last September sponsored by the S.C.
- [Harrell: Repeal Amendment a Priority](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/harrell-repeal-amendment-a-priority/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell says that passing the "Repeal Amendment'' is one of the priorities of the GOP House Caucus during a Jan. 6 press conference.
- [House Might Follow Senate on Ethics Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/house-might-follow-senate-on-ethics-rules/): The S.C. House might follow the state Senate’s lead and change its operating rules to require that ethics cases involving House members be publicly disclosed if probable cause of a violation is found.
- [Charleston Council at Odds Over Appointments](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/charleston-council-at-odds-over-appointments/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Debate at the Jan. 20 Charleston County Council committee meeting was civil but there was tension underneath.
- [Charleston Council Discusses Travel Costs](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/charleston-council-discusses-travel-costs/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Principles were at the root of a key issue during the Jan. 11 Charleston City Council meeting.
- [Big Change: Senate Passes Ethics Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/big-change-senate-passes-ethics-reform/): On Tuesday, in a victory for transparency and accountability, the S.C.
- [SCRA Executives Took Home $50k-$90k in Bonuses](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/scra-executives-took-home-50k-90k-in-bonuses/): As South Carolina’s budget woes have worsened over the past couple of years, many state agencies have cut back, leaving unfilled positions vacant, curtailing raises and, in some cases, laying off employees.
- [Roll Call Voting Up to Senate - Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/roll-call-voting-up-to-senate-again/): It’s déjà vu all over again regarding members of the General Assembly voting on the record. Or is it? Just like last year, the S.C.
- [Rules Debate Arises at Charleston Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/rules-debate-arises-at-charleston-meeting/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Councilman William Dudley Gregorie raised an issue at the Jan. 11 meeting that has long been simmering.
- [Bill Would Cap Payouts to School Superintendents](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/bill-would-cap-payouts-to-school-superintendents/): In March 2009, the Marlboro County School Board in a split vote approved buying out then-Superintendent’s Alisa Goodman’s contract for $400,000, throwing in another $10,000 to cover her attorney fees, according to published reports.
- [Is Public-Private Operation in District 5 Plans?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/is-public-private-operation-in-district-5-plans/): By Janet Frazier Citizen Reporter Officials with the Stevens & Wilkinson architecture firm discuss proposed plans for a health sciences building at Dutch Fork High during the Dec.
- [Controversial Judge Patrick Watts Resigns](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/controversial-judge-patrick-watts-resigns/): An embattled Dorchester County judge has resigned following accusations that he mishandled foreclosure cases, though he isn’t facing any serious ethical charges stemming from the cases.
- [Eckstrom: Transparency an Ongoing Process](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/eckstrom-transparency-an-ongoing-process/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, speaking to a Dutch Fork High School class on Dec.
- [Matthews Ruffles Feathers at Kershaw Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/matthews-ruffles-feathers-at-kershaw-meeting/): New Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews wasted little time with niceties, ruffling feathers at the Jan.
- [Budget Secrecy Is Tradition at S.C. Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/budget-secrecy-is-tradition-at-s-c-legislature/): As the S.C. General Assembly begins its 119th legislative session this week, the two chambers are maintaining a tradition of secrecy about their own operating budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.
- [Details Matter When Tracking Public Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/details-matter-when-tracking-public-spending/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, speaking at Dutch Fork High on Dec.
- [Handful of Districts Hold Out on Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/handful-of-districts-hold-out-on-transparency/): All but four of South Carolina’s 85 school districts – Dillon 2, Lexington 1, Orangeburg 4 and Richland 2 – have posted their check registers online.
- [Millions Flow to Senators’ Businesses](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/millions-flow-to-senators-businesses/): For some S.C. senators, it pays to have connections with state government. From 2007 through 2009, S.C. Sen.
- [Charleston Council Approves Park Purchase](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/charleston-council-approves-park-purchase/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter At the Dec.
- [House Disclosure Statements Reveal Big Incomes](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/house-disclosure-statements-reveal-big-incomes/): S.C. Rep. Greg Delleney earned nearly $478,000 in legal fees in 2009 representing injured workers before the state Workers’ Compensation Commission, income disclosure records show.
- [Government Should Stick to Core Services](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/government-should-stick-to-core-services/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, speaking at Dutch Fork High School in mid December, says government, at all levels, needs to do a better job of identifying core services and prioritizing what it’s going to spend its limited resources on.
- [Bills Target Legislature's Lopsided Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/bills-target-legislatures-lopsided-power/): Gov. Mark Sanford has pushed to restructure state government for the duration of his administration.
- [Greenville Council Asked to Repeal Raises](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/greenville-council-asked-to-repeal-raises/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Harry Kibler of RINO Hunt, speaking in Greenville on Dec.
- [Eckstrom: Anti-BCB View isn't Posturing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/eckstrom-anti-bcb-view-isnt-posturing/): Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, speaking to a Dutch Fork High School class on Dec.
- [Poor District Spends Thousands on Doughnuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/poor-district-spends-thousands-on-doughnuts/): Trevor Lightbody Citizen Reporter A quick look at the online check registers for Allendale County School District during October 2010 shows a handful of expenditures which may raise a few eyebrows.
- [Why S.C. Shouldn't Have Taken Stimulus Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/why-s-c-shouldnt-have-taken-stimulus-money/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Scott English, Gov.
- [Amazon Official Talks About Plans for Area](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/amazon-official-talks-about-plans-for-area/): Amazon.com Director of Policy Fred Kiga discusses the breadth and scope of his company’s size, and its plans for the Midlands, including the number of individuals it plans to employ once its distribution center is up and running.
- [Sanford Lauds Accomplishments in Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/sanford-lauds-accomplishments-in-education/): Education receives special attention every election cycle – especially when it comes time to select a new governor.
- [Taking a Stand Against Local 'Earmarks'](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/taking-a-stand-against-local-earmarks/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Speaking on Dec.
- [Government Shouldn't Pick Winners, Losers](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/government-shouldnt-pick-winners-losers/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Government should seek to improve the business environment for companies rather than pick winners through doling out incentives, Gov.
- [Zais to Focus on Holistic Approach to Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/zais-to-focus-on-holistic-approach-to-education/): Mick Zais, state superintendent of education-elect, told a Dutch Fork High School class recently that the future can be positive despite recent educational setbacks.The former military leader and outgoing president of Newberry College shared his experiences on the campaign trail and his non-traditional ideas for solving South Carolina’s persistent education problems.
- [Voters’ Rights Bills Introduced](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/voters-rights-bills-introduced/): Power to the people. That’s what Sen.
- [Amazon.com Official Thanks Lexington Council](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/amazon-com-official-thanks-lexington-council/): By Talbert Black, Jr.
- [Charleston Budget Survives First Reading](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/charleston-budget-survives-first-reading/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter The 2011 Charleston city budget was put to bed last week, but it was not firmly tucked in.
- [Details Released on Amazon.com Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/details-released-on-amazon-com-incentives/): By Talbert Black, Jr.
- [SCRA: How S.C. Created Its Own Company](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/scra-how-s-c-created-its-own-company/): In 1983, the Internet was still a secretive Defense Department computer networking project and the first cell phone – weighing in at 2 pounds and nicknamed “the brick” – was still several months away from hitting the market.
- [Court Case Tests ‘Power of One’](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/court-case-tests-power-of-one/): If you want to see a concentration of power, look no further than the S.C. Legislature.
- [Details of Lean 2011 Charleston Budget Emerge](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/details-of-lean-2011-charleston-budget-emerge/): The Charleston City Council is set to vote on the city’s 2011 budget on Dec. 7, so here’s a brief summary of the budget document.
- [Richland One Spends Hundreds on Hams](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/richland-one-spends-hundreds-on-hams/): A quick look at the online check registers for September 2010 for Richland District One shows some unusual expenditures.
- [Brown: Gov. Has Role in Economic Development](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/brown-gov-has-role-in-economic-development/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Rep.
- [Lawmakers’ Delay Keeps Judge on Bench](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/lawmakers-delay-keeps-judge-on-bench/): Inaction by Dorchester County’s legislative delegation could keep an embattled longtime judge on the bench for a year after his term expired.
- [No Surprises Seen in 2011 Charleston City Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/no-surprises-seen-in-2011-charleston-city-budget/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council members will vote on the 2011 budget at the council meeting next week.
- [Greenville Council Squelching Public Input](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/12/greenville-council-squelching-public-input/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Greenville County Council has a genuine opportunity to improve government transparency for its residents.
- [State Agencies’ Budgets Grew in FY 10](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/state-agencies-budgets-grew-in-fy-10/): The S.C. Senate ended last fiscal year with $4.5 million more in general fund revenues and nearly $2.3 million more in operating expenses than what was budgeted initially for the 46-member chamber, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Charleston County Plans Sale of Land Tract](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/charleston-county-plans-sale-of-land-tract/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The fate of the Sheppard Tract was finally decided at the Nov. 17 Charleston County Council meeting.
- [Gaston Native Says Town Needs Positive Spin](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/gaston-native-says-town-needs-positive-spin/): By Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter Rebecca J. Mack, a Gaston native who now resides in North Carolina, asks the council during the Public Forum portion of the Nov.
- [Brown: Mixed Legislature a Good Thing](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/brown-mixed-legislature-a-good-thing/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Rep. Boyd Brown tells a class of Dutch Fork High students that having Republicans control the U.S.
- [Gaston Posts Deficit for September](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/gaston-posts-deficit-for-september/): By Kay Rikard Citizen Reporter A Gaston town official goes over the community's budget during the Nov. 2 town council meeting.
- [Traffic Fatalities Drop in South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/traffic-fatalities-drop-in-south-carolina/): By Trevor Lightbody Citizen Reporter Department of Public Safety Director Mark Keel discusses the dramatic drop in traffic fatalities that South Carolina has experienced in recent years during the Nov.
- [Bill Proposes Transparency in Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/bill-proposes-transparency-in-incentives/): South Carolina taxpayers could be in store for a belated Christmas present – one that would radically overhaul the awarding of economic development incentives and subsidies by state government.
- [Boeing Seeks Early Christmas Gift From S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/boeing-seeks-early-christmas-gift-from-s-c/): As the S.C. Legislature prepares to face what has been described as the state’s worst budget crisis ever, taxpayers once again are being asked to fork out millions of dollars in advance to aerospace giant Boeing.
- [Masters Calls for Investigation of SCRA Chief](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/masters-calls-for-investigation-of-scra-chief/): S.C. Research Authority board Chairman Bill Masters said Wednesday that he has called for "an independent investigation into the trustworthiness" of Research Authority CEO Bill Mahoney after Mahoney explained raises for SCRA employees two different ways.
- [Lawmakers Loosening Control of Dillon Schools?](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/lawmakers-loosening-control-of-dillon-schools/): For the first time since anyone can remember, Dillon County’s state legislative delegation appears willing to relinquish control of the county Board of Education.
- [Charleston Approves Bond for Market Renovation](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/charleston-approves-bond-for-market-renovation/): Charleston City Council unanimously approved during its Nov.
- [Swansea Audit Shows Significant Problems](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/swansea-audit-shows-significant-problems/): The Lexington County community of Swansea, already under fire for trying to charge an area businesswoman nearly $10,000 to provide basic information about the town, had several “significant deficiencies” noted in its 2008 audit, the most recent examination of town financial records made public.
- [Charleston Council Approves Sewer Upgrade](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/charleston-council-approves-sewer-upgrade/): Charleston City Council members approved a bond issue of up to $155 million for the Charleston Water System during the Nov.
- [Supreme Court to Hear S.C. Indigent Parent Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/supreme-court-to-hear-s-c-indigent-parent-case/): The nation’s top court will hear the appeal of an indigent Upstate father who contends his rights were violated because he wasn’t provided an attorney before being jailed for failing to pay child support.
- [Harrell Faces Stimulus Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/harrell-faces-stimulus-questions/): Jonathon Hill Citizen Reporter At an Oct.
- [Sanford Says Debate has Begun on School Choice](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/sanford-says-debate-has-begun-on-school-choice/): With less than three months to go in his final term as governor, Mark Sanford wasted little time when asked by The Nerve to name his biggest accomplishment in the area of public education: “The advancement of actual choice in South Carolina and the debate on choice in South Carolina.” During Sanford’s nearly eight years in office, Act 274 (better known as the Charter School Bill) was passed.
- [Tea Party a 'Fad' Rep. Brown Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/tea-party-a-fad-rep-brown-says/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter While Rep.
- [Newberry OKs Sale of County-Owned Home](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/newberry-oks-sale-of-county-owned-home/): Newberry County Council has approved the sale of one of the state’s few remaining county-owned nursing homes.
- [Erickson: Record All Votes, Even in Committee](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/erickson-record-all-votes-even-in-committee/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Politicians and Flags Go Hand in Hand](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/politicians-and-flags-go-hand-in-hand/): Whether viewed as an act of good citizenship or a crass attempt to win votes, handing out American and South Carolina flags has been a favorite pastime of state lawmakers for years.
- [Amid Recession, S.C. Senate Staff Gets Pay Raise](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/amid-recession-s-c-senate-staff-gets-pay-raise/): A nearly $5 million budget increase this year for the S.C.
- [Harrell Addresses Leadership Satisfaction](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/harrell-addresses-leadership-satisfaction/): By Jonathon Hill Citizen Reporter At an Oct.
- [House Salary Increases: Smoke and Mirrors](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/house-salary-increases-smoke-and-mirrors/): As the S.C. Senate on April 29 was debating whether to increase its total budget for this fiscal year by nearly $5 million, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell pointed out to his colleagues that the House received a hefty budget hike a year earlier.
- [Legislature Generous to Itself, Staff](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/legislature-generous-to-itself-staff/): Written By: Eric K. Ward & Rick Brundrett When it comes to being employed by the S.C. General Assembly, it is indeed nice work if you can get it.
- [Weathers On Why Ag Inspects Gas Pumps](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/weathers-on-why-ag-inspects-gas-pumps/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter During a visit to Dutch Fork High School in Irmo on Oct.
- [Surfside Business Owners Vote with Their Feet](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/surfside-business-owners-vote-with-their-feet/): By Chris Panos Citizen Reporter At least one restaurant, Nibils, will be leaving the pier by year-end, and there’s been talk that eight to 10 other businesses are considering moving, as well.
- [Divisive Plan Scuttled by Investment Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/divisive-plan-scuttled-by-investment-commission/): A proposal to set up a state-run company to manage the S.C.
- [Citizen Calls For Action Against Illegal Aliens](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/citizen-calls-for-action-against-illegal-aliens/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Jeffrey Greenberg speaks about the need for more action against illegal aliens during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Immigration, held Oct.
- [Weathers Tells Students About Farmers Market](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/weathers-tells-students-about-farmers-market/): A Dutch Fork High School student asks state Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers about the status of the new Farmers Market, the costs involved with relocating the market and how the state will recover those costs.
- [Davis: Record More Votes, Abolish BCB](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/davis-record-more-votes-abolish-bcb/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Harrell Admits Parts of Budget Have Grown](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/harrell-admits-parts-of-budget-have-grown/): By Jonathon Hill Citizen Reporter When asked during an Oct.
- [Charleston Facing $6 Million Budget Shortfall](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/charleston-facing-6-million-budget-shortfall/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston Mayor Joe Riley noted during the Oct.
- [Millions at Stake in Retirees' Suit](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/11/millions-at-stake-in-retirees-suit/): South Carolina’s top court on Wednesday will hear a case involving thousands of government "working retirees" who collectively claim that the state retirement system wrongfully withheld millions of dollars in retirement contributions from their paychecks.
- [Herbkersman Shares Thoughts on Roll Call Votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/herbkersman-shares-thoughts-on-roll-call-votes/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Harrell: State, Country Better Without Stimulus](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/harrell-state-country-better-without-stimulus/): By Jonathon Hill Citizen Reporter At an Oct.
- [Secrecy Shrouds Retirement Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/secrecy-shrouds-retirement-proposal/): Some crucial details have yet to be revealed about the S.C. retirement system’s controversial plan to create the nation’s first state-run investment firm.
- [Charleston Landowners Hurt by I-526 Delay](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/charleston-landowners-hurt-by-i-526-delay/): Charleston County Council on Oct. 19 made no substantial changes to the finance committee’s earlier decision regarding the Mark Clark expressway extension.
- [Newberry Officials Say Penny Tax Vital](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/newberry-officials-say-penny-tax-vital/): In less than a week, Newberry County residents will vote yea or nay on a 1-cent sales tax to raise money to fund capital projects.
- [Benjamin Discusses Turnover at Columbia PD](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/benjamin-discusses-turnover-at-columbia-pd/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin talks about high turnover in chiefs at the Columbia Police Department during an Oct.
- [Thomas: Strong Governor Might be 'Tyrannical'](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/thomas-strong-governor-might-be-tyrannical/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Medical Supply Industry Targeted](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/medical-supply-industry-targeted/): A state budget proviso is threatening to sink an $11 million annual industry in South Carolina that provides incontinence supplies to adults on Medicaid, says the president of a state industry trade group.
- [Weathers Explains Why His Agency Stands Alone](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/weathers-explains-why-his-agency-stands-alone/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter During a visit to Dutch Fork High in Irmo on Oct.
- [Ballentine: On-the-Record Voting Crucial](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/ballentine-on-the-record-voting-crucial/): As part of an effort to assess legislators’ views on the length of session, balance of power and roll call voting, citizen reporters from The Nerve are posing questions to lawmakers from around South Carolina.
- [Nuisance Ordinance Pesters Charleston Council](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/nuisance-ordinance-pesters-charleston-council/): Will the amended “nuisance” ordinance ever be put to bed?
- [Columbia Mayor on Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/columbia-mayor-on-transparency/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin tells a Dutch Fork High School class how he intends to expand transparency initiatives begun by his predecessor, Bob Coble, during a visit to the school on Oct.
- [Newberry Slows Sale of County Retirement Home](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/newberry-slows-sale-of-county-retirement-home/): Newberry County’s bid to sell one of the state’s few remaining county-owned nursing homes has been delayed.
- [Rep. Toole Responds to CR Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/rep-toole-responds-to-cr-questions/): Cory Norris Citizen Reporter At the Sep. 28 meeting of the Lexington County GOP delegation, Citizen Reporter Cory Norris asked Rep.
- [How Tuition Helps Bankroll Construction](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/how-tuition-helps-bankroll-construction/): It’s no secret that state-funded colleges and universities in South Carolina have been raising their tuition at price-gouging levels over the past decade.
- [Restructuring Panel Off to Slow Start](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/restructuring-panel-off-to-slow-start/): A legislative committee created this year to study ways to streamline state government hasn’t exactly been a model of efficiency itself.
- [SCRA Baits and Switches on Pay Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/scra-baits-and-switches-on-pay-hikes/): Days after The Nerve and other media outlets reported that the S.C.
- [9/12 Project Member Discusses Concentrated Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/912-project-member-discusses-concentrated-power/): Wes Howard Citizen Reporter At the Sep.
- [EOC Subcommittee Tries to Get Feel for Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2010/10/eoc-subcommittee-tries-to-get-feel-for-spending/): The Education Oversight Committee’s EIA and Improvement Mechanisms Subcommittee meeting, held Oct.
- [Infrastructure Bank Draws Fire As Political Arm](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/infrastructure-bank-draws-fire-as-political-arm/): The director of South Carolina’s leading environmental group says a controversial road-building project in Charleston serves as a poster child for how the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank suffers from legislative cronyism.
- [Redistricting Likely in Charleston's Future](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/redistricting-likely-in-charlestons-future/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Most of us expected it, and it was confirmed at the April 12 Charleston City Council workshop dealing with redistricting: following on the 2010 census, there likely will be major changes to some council voting districts.
- [Sellers on Diversity and S.C. Political Parties](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/sellers-on-diversity-and-s-c-political-parties/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep.
- [The Amazon.com Saga: Heading to Court?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/the-amazon-com-saga-heading-to-court/): The battle over whether Amazon.com should be exempt from collecting sales taxes from South Carolinians could wind up in court if a bill introduced last week becomes law, says a leading S.C.
- [House Bill Tightens Ethics, Lobbying Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/house-bill-tightens-ethics-lobbying-rules/): The S.C. House passed a bill last week to tighten state ethics and lobbying rules, including a provision to close a loophole that has allowed some good-old-boy back scratching to continue in the Palmetto State.
- [Cruise Line Foes Unrealistic in Demands](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/cruise-line-foes-unrealistic-in-demands/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Some on the Charleston Peninsula have a visceral hatred of cruise ships and their passengers, though this hatred has taken some time to foment.
- [New Ethics Complaint Against Ex-Judge](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/new-ethics-complaint-against-ex-judge/): A Summerville couple have filed an ethics complaint against a former Dorchester County judge, questioning why he is continuing to hear their foreclosure case – and others – after he resigned his judgeship.
- [Charleston Council Moves Ahead on Finance Issues](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/charleston-council-moves-ahead-on-finance-issues/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The Charleston County Council's latest finance committee meeting was relatively short, at least until the committee broke out for an executive session.
- [John de la Howe Shreds Records Prior to Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/john-de-la-howe-shreds-records-prior-to-audit/): When it comes to cutting things into pieces, there’s shredding the truth, there’s shredding the Constitution – and then there’s shredding your financial records right before you’re going to be audited.
- [Doubling the Vote, Doubling the Burden](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/doubling-the-vote-doubling-the-burden/): Jane Page Thompson Citizen Reporter The Aiken County School Board decided to set the school improvements bond referendum vote for May 25, which shows just how out of touch government can be from taxpaying citizens.
- [Antiquated Tax Structure Holds S.C. Back](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/antiquated-tax-structure-holds-s-c-back/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep. Bakari Sellers tells a Dutch Fork High class that the state's tax structure is antiquated.
- [S.C. Research Authority's FOIA Fail](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/s-c-research-authoritys-foia-fail/): South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act law doesn’t include a specific time limit for public bodies to turn over open records, but it would seem safe to assume that 140-plus days is ample time.
- [What S.C. Must Do to Remain Competitive](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/what-s-c-must-do-to-remain-competitive/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter South Carolina must continue its educational initiatives in addition to creating a conducive tax climate in order to continue to be competitive economically, state Sen.
- [Incentive-Laden AQT Solar Project Moving Slowly](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/incentive-laden-aqt-solar-project-moving-slowly/): In its 2010 year-end report, the S.C.
- [Charleston Council Delays Move on Angel Oak Land](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/charleston-council-delays-move-on-angel-oak-land/): Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council voted March 22 to defer a decision on the proposed application for greenbelt funds to buy 6.5 acres abutting Angel Oak, a decision in line with that of the city’s Real Estate Committee.
- [Bill, Court Case Puts Builders, Insurers at Odds](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/bill-court-case-puts-builders-insurers-at-odds/): Battle lines have been drawn in the S.C.
- [Panel Approves $30M in 'Other' Fund Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/panel-approves-30m-in-other-fund-hikes/): A special legislative committee created to oversee state agencies’ requests to increase “other” funds spending has approved nearly $30 million in increases so far this fiscal year, records provided to The Nerve show.
- [O'Dell No Fan of Funding School Choice](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/odell-no-fan-of-funding-school-choice/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen.
- [Budget Provisos Perfect for Pet Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/budget-provisos-perfect-for-pet-projects/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen.
- [Proviso Aims To Eliminate State-Funded Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/proviso-aims-to-eliminate-state-funded-lobbying/): South Carolina taxpayers would save $1 million under a state budget proviso the S.C.
- [Sellers: Challenge is No Longer Black vs. White](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/sellers-challenge-is-no-longer-black-vs-white/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep.
- [Charleston Approves Increase in Rickshaw Use](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/charleston-approves-increase-in-rickshaw-use/): Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Nobody seemed to be against approving more licenses to operate rickshaws (pedicabs) on the Charleston peninsula during the day and night during the March 22 meeting Charleston City Council meeting.
- [Embattled Ex-Judge Hearing Cases Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/embattled-ex-judge-hearing-cases-again/): A longtime Dorchester County judge who resigned in December amid accusations that he mishandled foreclosure cases is once again deciding those kinds of cases, but this time under a different title, The Nerve has learned.
- [Sellers on Teacher-Merit Pay](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/sellers-on-teacher-merit-pay/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep. Bakari Sellers gives his thoughts on the idea of teacher performance-based pay to a Dutch Fork High class.
- [Nothing for Certain with Administration Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/nothing-for-certain-with-administration-agency-2/): A skeptic might say to supporters of a proposed Department of Administration that it would not necessarily lead to savings and efficiencies in state government – and in fact could end up costing taxpayers more money.
- [Nothing for Certain with Administration Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/nothing-for-certain-with-administration-agency/): A skeptic might say to supporters of a proposed Department of Administration that it would not necessarily lead to savings and efficiencies in state government – and in fact could end up costing taxpayers more money.
- [Fantasy Land: When a Reduction isn't a Reduction](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/fantasy-land-when-a-reduction-isnt-a-reduction/): If there were an Alice-in-Wonderland portrait of the state budget for next fiscal year, S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell would have painted it.
- [Scott: Why We Need to Get Along](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/scott-why-we-need-to-get-along/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen. John Scott tells a Dutch Fork High class what will it take to end the vestiges of racism in South Carolina.
- [Families and Teachers Keys to Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/families-and-teachers-keys-to-education/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Sharron Angle, 2010 Republican Senate nominee from Nevada, tells a Dutch Fork High class that motivated students, parents and teachers are the key ingredients to improving education in the United States.
- ['Angel' Tax Credits Would Cost $5 Million a Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/angel-tax-credits-would-cost-5-million-a-year/): A bill to give tax breaks to wealthy “angel” investors would exact a $5 million toll on the state’s coffers every year, according to a revenue impact statement for the legislation.
- [Charleston Okays Paper Bags for Garden Refuse](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/charleston-okays-paper-bags-for-garden-refuse/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council members weren’t especially enthusiastic about forcing city residents to dispose of garden refuse in paper bags for trash collection.
- [Political Turbulence Over Aviation Center?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/political-turbulence-over-aviation-center/): S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt supports a proposed University of South Carolina aviation research center, though he couldn’t change Gov.
- [Scott on Differences Between House, Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/scott-on-differences-between-house-senate/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen. John Scott tells a Dutch Fork High class about the differences between the South Carolina Senate and the S.C.
- [O'Dell: Government Can't Be Run Like a Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/odell-government-cant-be-run-like-a-business/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter The idea of running government like a business is an unrealistic one, State Sen. Billy O'Dell tells a Dutch Fork High class.
- [Charleston Investment on Pace for Increase](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/charleston-investment-on-pace-for-increase/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The Charleston County Council Finance Committee was treated to presentations by Steve Dykes, the director of the county’s economic Development department, and members of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance during the March 10 meeting.
- [Pay Cap Proposed for School Officials](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/pay-cap-proposed-for-school-officials/): The total compensation package for future school superintendents in South Carolina would be at least $150,000 but no more than $170,000 under a House bill introduced this month.
- [Angle Talks About Ronald Reagan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/angle-talks-about-ronald-reagan/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Sharron Angle, 2010 Republican Senate nominee from Nevada, gives a Dutch Fork High class her impression of former President Ronald Reagan and tells them why he was important to our country.
- [Retirement Tab Increases For S.C. Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/retirement-tab-increases-for-s-c-taxpayers/): For the entirety of the previous decade a train wreck rolled toward South Carolina’s unemployment insurance system; and as it did, a few voices in the wilderness warned of impending disaster.
- [Scott Details Key Aspects of State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/scott-details-key-aspects-of-state-budget/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen. John Scott tells a Dutch Fork High class about some of the key components that make up the state budget.
- [Bill Would Give Retroactive Tax Exemptions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/bill-would-give-retroactive-tax-exemptions/): A state senator is raising questions about a bill to grant retroactive tax exemptions, and whether the S.C.
- [Accommodation Taxes Rise in Charleston](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/accommodation-taxes-rise-in-charleston/): The sun seems to be breaking through the clouds over the local economy.
- [Nation's Top Court to Hear S.C. Case Wednesday](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/nations-top-court-to-hear-s-c-case-wednesday/): The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a South Carolina case that could have national implications for indigent parents facing jail time for failing to pay child support – and for taxpayers who might have to foot their legal bills.
- [Kitzman: Department of Administration Likely](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/kitzman-department-of-administration-likely/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Budget and Control Board Executive Director Eleanor Kitzman believes that a Department of Administration will be created in South Carolina before long, she tells a Dutch Fork High class.
- [Senate Passes Roll Call Voting Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/senate-passes-roll-call-voting-bill/): For advocates of roll call voting by members of the General Assembly, it’s been a long time coming. The S.C.
- [House Members Fined $6,000 for Late Filings](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/house-members-fined-6000-for-late-filings/): Over the past three years, the S.C.
- [Page Discusses Benefits of School Choice](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/page-discusses-benefits-of-school-choice/): Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter South Carolinians for Responsible Government President Randy Page tells a Dutch Fork High class about the improvements seen in Florida schools after school choice and other educational reforms were instituted in that state in the late 1980s.
- [Roll Call Voting Bill Clears Hurdle in Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/roll-call-voting-bill-clears-hurdle-in-senate/): A stand-alone roll call voting bill has cleared a major hurdle in the S.C. Senate, but the legislation still faces a formidable road to become law. Sen.
- [Charleston Finances Appear in Good Shape](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/charleston-finances-appear-in-good-shape/): While there isn’t enough space to go into all the ins and outs of the staff presentation at last month’s Charleston County Council Finance Committee meeting, it would seem the county is in relatively good financial shape.
- [Kitzman: Government Can Learn from Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/kitzman-government-can-learn-from-business/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Budget and Control Board Executive Director Eleanor Kitzman tells a Dutch Fork High class that while government is not a business, it doesn't mean it can't apply certain business principles to the way government jobs are done.
- [Deceptive Swansea Budget Passes First Reading](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/deceptive-swansea-budget-passes-first-reading/): By Alberta Wasden Citizen Reporter For the fifth year Swansea is on its the way to passing a budget the town’s mayor and council knows is filled with overstated income and understated expenses.
- [Ways and Means Budget: More General Fund Growth](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/ways-and-means-budget-more-general-fund-growth/): If there is a $700 million hole to fill in next year’s state budget, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the House Ways and Means Committee’s version of it.
- [Animal Advocates Address Greenville Committee](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/animal-advocates-address-greenville-committee/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter The Greenville County Public Works, Planning and Development Committee earlier this year held a meeting attended by a large group of animal advocates attempting to improve conditions for dogs specifically.
- [How S.C. Got Itself into a Budget Shortfall](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/how-s-c-got-itself-into-a-budget-shortfall/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Budget and Control Board Executive Director Eleanor Kitzman explains how S.C.
- [New Incentives Offered for Corporate HQs](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/new-incentives-offered-for-corporate-hqs/): National corporate headquarters that locate or expand in South Carolina would be exempt from paying state corporate income taxes for 10 years if they created at least 50 full-time jobs, under a bill by the S.C.
- [Charleston Sets Sights on Redistricting](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/charleston-sets-sights-on-redistricting/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter With boundaries of Charleston City Council districts needing to be redrawn before the next election, the possibility exists that there could be big changes ahead.
- [Medicaid Rates Exceed Some Private Plans](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/medicaid-rates-exceed-some-private-plans/): An important but largely understated truth lurks in an ongoing debate about enormous challenges facing South Carolina’s Medicaid program.
- [Norman: It's Needs Versus Wants Come Budget Time](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/norman-its-needs-versus-wants-come-budget-time/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Returning South Carolina state government to fiscal health involves determining needs versus wants and culling out items that can be categorized as fluff, Rep.
- [$40 Million Taxpayer Gift to Amazon.com](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/40-million-taxpayer-gift-to-amazon-com/): Plans by Amazon.com to locate a retail distribution center in Lexington County will cost taxpayers an estimated $39.5 million over 10 years, according to a state financial impact analysis obtained by The Nerve.
- [Kitzman: Running the BCB 'A Learning Experience'](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/kitzman-running-the-bcb-a-learning-experience/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Budget and Control Board Executive Director Eleanor Kitzman explains to a Dutch Fork High class that leading the 1,100-employee agency has been a learning experience.
- [Nonprofit Group Seeks State Health Benefits](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/nonprofit-group-seeks-state-health-benefits/): Amid projections that the state’s medical insurance plan will cost an additional $73 million next fiscal year, some lawmakers want to add new groups to the rolls – not all of whom are public employees.
- [Proviso Aims to Quiet Ethics Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/proviso-aims-to-quiet-ethics-agency/): Gag me with a proviso.
- [Conservation League Fears May be Overblown](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/conservation-league-fears-may-be-overblown/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The dust on the cruise ship issue refuses to settle, at least in some parts of the Charleston area.
- [Beaufort Councilman Jerry Stewart on Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/beaufort-councilman-jerry-stewart-on-incentives/)
- [Expensive Taxpayer Gift Offered to Boeing](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/expensive-taxpayer-gift-offered-to-boeing/): Aerospace giant Boeing would be a major player in – and likely a main beneficiary of – a $5 million state taxpayer-funded aviation research center proposed by the University of South Carolina.
- [SCRA Chair Sets Departure Date, Slams Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/scra-chair-sets-departure-date-slams-agency/): S.C. Research Authority Chairman Bill Masters submitted a second and "absolute" resignation letter to Gov.
- [Norman Against Agencies Hiring Lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/03/norman-against-agencies-hiring-lobbyists/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Rep. Ralph Norman tells a Dutch Fork High class he is against government agencies hiring lobbyists.
- [Support Emerges for Ban on PACs in Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/support-emerges-for-ban-on-pacs-in-legislature/): Support is lining up behind a move to prohibit state lawmakers from operating fundraising entities called political action committees, or PACs.
- [Cohen: Parents the Key to Improving Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/cohen-parents-the-key-to-improving-education/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter South Carolina radio personality Keven Cohen tells a Dutch Fork High class that the role of parents in improving education in the Palmetto State cannot be overestimated.
- [It's Paper, Not Plastic, for Charleston County](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/its-paper-not-plastic-for-charleston-county/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter By the end of June of this year, Charleston County residents most likely will not be using plastic bags to dispose of their lawn and garden waste.
- [Legislators Warm to Solar Tax Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/legislators-warm-to-solar-tax-incentives/): State bills offering tax incentives to the solar energy industry are about as predictable as sunny days in the Palmetto State.
- [Newberry Ups Eco Devo Spending Despite Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/newberry-ups-eco-devo-spending-despite-cuts/): Despite cutting its overall budget by more than 3 percent, Newberry County increased funding for economic development for Fiscal Year 2009-10 compared to the previous year.
- [Norman Optimistic on Restructuring](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/norman-optimistic-on-restructuring/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Rep.
- [Masters Sounds Concerns on SCRA in E-Mail](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/masters-sounds-concerns-on-scra-in-e-mail/): Outgoing S.C. Research Authority Chairman Bill Masters continues to sound a steady drumbeat of concern regarding the state-created agency.
- [Taylor Explains Government Efficiency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/taylor-explains-government-efficiency/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Former S.C.
- [Citizen Reporters Keep Tabs on Budget Provisos](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/citizen-reporters-keep-tabs-on-budget-provisos/): Citizen Reporters from The Nerve were on hand monitor committee budget debates held the past couple of weeks during which numerous budget provisos were proposed or amended.
- [Charleston Proceeds on Master Plan Update](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/charleston-proceeds-on-master-plan-update/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Probably the most important item on the agenda for the Charleston City Council’s Feb.
- [SCRA Now Hiring – But Mostly Out of State](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/scra-now-hiring-but-mostly-out-of-state/): Call it mission creep or a basic misunderstanding of the mission, but the S.C.
- [House Ethics Fines: Lack of Transparency?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/house-ethics-fines-lack-of-transparency/): Nearly $22,000 in ethics fines is sitting in a special S.C. House account, though the House Ethics Committee chairman says he doesn’t know who paid the fines.
- [A Tale of Two Charter Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/a-tale-of-two-charter-schools/): If ever there was a case for more school choice – and an example of roadblocks the public education establishment sets up to thwart it – Hope Academy Charter School is such an example.
- [Cohen: Reform Can Boost Accountability](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/cohen-reform-can-boost-accountability/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter South Carolina radio personality Keven Cohen tells a Dutch Fork High class that he'd like to see the structure of South Carolina government reformed.
- [Senate Panel Rejects Haley Roll Call Plea](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/senate-panel-rejects-haley-roll-call-plea/): Over the past three years, Nikki Haley has fought to ban anonymous voting in the S.C. General Assembly – first as a House member and now as governor.
- [Tens of Thousands Spent on Sign Namings](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/tens-of-thousands-spent-on-sign-namings/): Since 2006, South Carolina has spent at least $60,000 on highway and other structure signs named after state lawmakers or other individuals, The Nerve found in a review of state transportation records.
- [Charleston Council Looks to Boost B&B Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/charleston-council-looks-to-boost-bb-business/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council recently agreed to amend the city ordinance relating to bed-and-breakfasts operations to make it easier to establish such entities in parts of the Elliotborough and Radcliffborough areas.
- [Roll Call Voting Law Hung Up in Senate's Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/roll-call-voting-law-hung-up-in-senates-rules/): If a law requiring roll call voting by members of the General Assembly were up to the people of South Carolina, it probably would be a done deal by now.
- [How South Carolina Can Remain Competitive](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/how-south-carolina-can-remain-competitive/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Former S.C.
- [General Assembly Not Hurting for Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/general-assembly-not-hurting-for-money/): The S.C. Senate and House collectively had nearly $19 million in their general fund accounts as of Jan.
- [Chair Blasts SCRA in Resignation Letter, Report](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/chair-blasts-scra-in-resignation-letter-report/): S.C. Research Authority Chairman Bill Masters’ resignation letter to Gov.
- [Legislators Back Breaks For 'Angel' Investors](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/legislators-back-breaks-for-angel-investors/): Several South Carolina lawmakers are supporting legislation to provide state income tax credits to incentivize a high-dollar, high-risk form of venture capital known as “angel” investing.
- [Bills Would Restructure Budget and Control Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/bills-would-restructure-budget-and-control-board/): The S.C. Budget and Control planned to meet this morning in a spacious new abode, abandoning the board’s former pint-sized meeting venue after The Nerve exposed the inadequacy of the old location in several stories beginning in July.
- [Pay Cuts Proposed for Legislators, Agency Heads](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/pay-cuts-proposed-for-legislators-agency-heads/): State agency heads and lawmakers would experience a 25 percent pay drop this year and for the next two fiscal years under a pair of House bills.
- [Citizen: SC Should Reform Initiative Process](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/citizen-sc-should-reform-initiative-process/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Lexington County resident Jim Gordon tells the Greenville County Legislative Delegation during a Jan.
- [Taylor: Diversified Economy Key to S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/taylor-diversified-economy-key-to-s-c/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Former S.C.
- [Riley to Council: Press on Over James Island](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/riley-to-council-press-on-over-james-island/): It was a great speech.
- [Officials Vague on Agency Merger Savings](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/officials-vague-on-agency-merger-savings/): Although S.C. lawmakers have introduced a slew of bills to consolidate state agencies, no one seems to know exactly how much those moves would save taxpayers.
- [Legislative Site Again Allows For Recording](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/legislative-site-again-allows-for-recording/): What a difference a day – and a story – makes. The capability to record Internet live streaming of the S.C.
- [Citizen: Petition Change Would Benefit S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/citizen-petition-change-would-benefit-s-c/): By Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Lexington County resident Jim Gordon tells the Greenville County Legislative Delegation during a Jan.
- [Senator Proposes Huge Increase in Court Funding](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/senator-proposes-huge-increase-in-court-funding/): South Carolina’s court system likely would receive at least $70 million more annually in state tax dollars – nearly tripling its current general fund appropriation – if a proposal by a lawyer-lawmaker becomes law.
- [Taylor: Law of Unintended Consequences](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/taylor-law-of-unintended-consequences/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Former S.C.
- [Charleston Property Market Leads to Confusion](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/02/charleston-property-market-leads-to-confusion/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Property markets presently can be described in many ways.
- [Legislative Site Gains Features, Loses Recording](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/01/legislative-site-gains-features-loses-recording/): A funny thing happened on the way to the S.C.
- [Cobb-Hunter: Political Education Begins at a Young Age](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/cobb-hunter-political-education-begins-at-a-young-age/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Gilda Cobb-Hunter describes to a Dutch Fork High class how, as a youngster growing up in Florida, she first became interested in "current events."
- [Upstate Group Fighting Saluda River Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/upstate-group-fighting-saluda-river-project/): Elizabeth “Lib” Tickle and the more than 70 people who live on or own land along stretch of the Saluda River in the Upstate are fighting a taxpayer-funded project they say will harm the river and their properties.
- [Politician Justifies Secret Nature of Eco Devo Deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/politician-justifies-secret-nature-of-eco-devo-deals/): Lexington County Council member Debbie Summers tries to justify the process behind economic development deals such as that offered to Amazon.com, where details are worked out between country and state officials in secret before the public is made aware of how their tax dollars are to be spent.
- [Bill Strengthening Ethics Act Becomes Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/bill-strengthening-ethics-act-becomes-law/): Recently enacted legislation strengthens South Carolina’s ethics law and gives the entity that enforces it, the State Ethics Commission, more power to do so.
- [BCB Handles Public Relations Work for Private Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/bcb-handles-public-relations-work-for-private-business/): Midlands BioFuels is an alternative energy success story, by all accounts.
- [Lexington Council Member Discusses Bus System](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/lexington-council-member-discusses-bus-system/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter During a recent informal gathering Lexington County Council member Bobby Keisler says he has problems voting to lend county financial support to the local bus system.
- [Commerce: Amazon Exemption Won’t Cost State Tax Revenue](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/commerce-amazon-exemption-wont-cost-state-tax-revenue/): The state sales tax exemption granted to Internet retail giant Amazon.com will not result in any loss of tax revenue to South Carolina, if you ask the S.C.
- [Lexington County has a Fiscally Conservative Reputation](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/lexington-county-has-a-fiscally-conservative-reputation/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter During a recent informal gathering, Lexington County Councilmember Debbie Summers responds to an area resident who asks why politicians can’t cut back on spending.
- [SCRA Paid Nearly $4 Million in Bonuses during 2008-10](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/scra-paid-nearly-4-million-in-bonuses-during-2008-10/): It’s taken more than seven months, but the S.C. Research Authority has finally complied with an S.C.
- [Moore: Why S.C. Needed to Offer Incentives to Amazon](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/moore-why-s-c-needed-to-offer-incentives-to-amazon/): S.C. Republican Party Executive Director Matt Moore tells a Dutch Fork High School class the state was right to follow through with an offer of economic incentives to Amazon.com because it's important that South Carolina "honor its word."
- [Popular Elections in Dillon Schools on Hold](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/popular-elections-in-dillon-schools-on-hold/): In November, Dillon County’s three-member legislative delegation told The Nerve they would relinquish its long-held control over appointing the county board of education and push for legislation requiring popular elections for the 10-member board.
- [Why Does Government Spend Every Cent it Gets?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/why-does-government-spend-every-cent-it-gets/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter During a recent informal gathering, a Lexington County business owner questions County Council member Debbie Summers on why politicians in general refuse to set money aside and abide by the same frugal spending measures many Americans do.
- ['Angel' Incentives Halfway Through Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/angel-incentives-halfway-through-legislature/): Economic development incentives – think Amazon.com in the Midlands – and transparency related to such tax breaks – or lack thereof – were major issues in this year’s legislative session.
- [Court Ruling Spurs Changes in Child Support Cases](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/court-ruling-spurs-changes-in-child-support-cases/): The S.C. Supreme Court is considering procedural changes in child support contempt hearings in the wake of a U.S.
- [The Problem with Gerrymandering](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/the-problem-with-gerrymandering/): S.C. Republican Party Executive Director Matt Moore tells a Dutch Fork class about some of the problems associated with gerrymandering when it comes time to redraw district lines.
- [S.C. Film Incentives: 'B' Movie for Sure](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/s-c-film-incentives-b-movie-for-sure/): The summertime movie season is upon us once again.
- [Non-Aligned Voters More Visible than in Past](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/non-aligned-voters-more-visible-than-in-past/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter S.C.
- [Taxpayer Price Tag for Amazon Climbs to $61 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/taxpayer-price-tag-for-amazon-climbs-to-61-million/): A state cost-benefit analysis projects that the deal to bring Internet retail giant Amazon to South Carolina will cost taxpayers nearly $61 million over 10 years – about $21.5 million more than was originally estimated.
- [Moore: Religion has a Place in Political Parties](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/moore-religion-has-a-place-in-political-parties/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter S.C.
- [Most State-Level Politicians Guided by Principle](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/most-state-level-politicians-guided-by-principle/): S.C. Republican Party Executive Director Matt Moore tells a Midlands-area class that he believes the majority of officials serving at the state level are motived by principle rather than personal agenda.
- [Legislature Passes Higher Ed Transparency Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/legislature-passes-higher-ed-transparency-bill/): The General Assembly passed a college spending transparency and flexibility bill on Wednesday, marking the end of a long, up-and-down journey that took the measure through the odyssey of the legislative process.
- [Veto on Sprawling Capital Reserve Fund Overridden](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/veto-on-sprawling-capital-reserve-fund-overridden/): S.C. House members wasted little time drawing a line in the sand regarding Gov.
- [Lexington 1 Spending Ranks Low Among S.C. Districts](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/lexington-1-spending-ranks-low-among-s-c-districts/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter Lexington 1 ranks 50th among South Carolina’s 85 school districts in terms of spending per student, allocating $9,178 per pupil, Chief Financial Officer John Butler said during a June 21 school board meeting.
- [Huge Reserves Untapped in Special Ed Funding Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/huge-reserves-untapped-in-special-ed-funding-controversy/): The S.C. Department of Education had tens of millions of dollars in reserves over the past several years that could have been used to help offset state funding cuts for special education programs – and possibly avert a showdown this month with the federal government, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Lexington 1 Says Student Funding at 1999-2000 Level](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/lexington-1-says-student-funding-at-1999-2000-level/): The S.C. General Assembly has boosted base student spending, but only to the point that it takes the state to the 1999-2000 level, according to Lexington 1 Superintendent Karen Woodward.
- [The Problem with Ethanol- Part 1](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/the-problem-with-ethanol-part-1/): Jan Williams Citizen Reporter Harry Wertheimer of Salem discusses the wastefulness of ethanol projects during the South Carolina Taxation Realignment Comission Fuel Tax Subcommimittee meeting on June 9th.
- [District 5 Plans for Irmo School Raise Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/district-5-plans-for-irmo-school-raise-questions/): Lexington-Richland School District 5 has another problem with a school construction project.
- [SCRA Intransigence Highlights State's FOIA Flaws](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/scra-intransigence-highlights-states-foia-flaws/): More than half a year after The Nerve submitted an S.C.
- [Lexington Pats Itself on the Back over Amazon](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/lexington-pats-itself-on-the-back-over-amazon/): Lexington County Councilman Jimmy Jeffcoat says during a recent county council meeting that Amazon.com received one of the smallest incentives packages the county has ever given to a company of that size.
- [Charleston Council Makes No Progress on I-526 Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/charleston-council-makes-no-progress-on-i-526-issue/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Charleston County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor made an effort to find a solution to the I-526 impasse at the June 2 finance committee meeting but the council overall seemed unenthusiastic and sought time to dwell on approaching the issue.
- ['Army Wives' Incentives Rerun in the Works](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/army-wives-incentives-rerun-in-the-works/): A year ago, actors Catherine Bell and Kim Delaney, stars of the popular cable television drama “Army Wives,” visited the S.C.
- [Four BCB Members Reject Retirement System Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/four-bcb-members-reject-retirement-system-proposal/): We don’t want to talk about it. That’s the unspoken response S.C.
- [Summary of Lexington County General Fund Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/summary-of-lexington-county-general-fund-budget/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter Finance Director Larry Porth gives a summary of Lexington County's proposed budget for the coming year during the June 14 county council meeting.
- [Nation's Top Court Rules in Favor of S.C. Indigent Parent](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/nations-top-court-rules-in-favor-of-s-c-indigent-parent/): The U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled that a South Carolina Family Court judge violated the due process rights of an Upstate indigent father by jailing him without first determining whether he had the ability to pay his back child support.
- [Amazon Tax Break Heading to S.C. Supreme Court?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/amazon-tax-break-heading-to-s-c-supreme-court/): A government watchdog organization wants to add a just-enacted state law granting Amazon a pass on collecting state sales tax to a lawsuit before the S.C.
- [Richland 2 Adds $1,000 Bonus for Teacher Attendance](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/richland-2-adds-1000-bonus-for-teacher-attendance/): For more than a year, Richland School District 2 officials have failed to follow a state law directing all districts to post the spending details of their budget online, arguing that Richland 2 will not do so until it receives funding from the state.
- [Charleston Council Extends King Street TIF](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/charleston-council-extends-king-street-tif/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter At issue at the June 10 Charleston County Council meeting was a request from the city of Charleston for an extension of the King Street Gateway Tax Increment Financing District for 10 years, to 2023.
- [State Officials Mum on Costs Involved with Paris Air Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/state-officials-mum-on-costs-involved-with-paris-air-show/): Call it, “Le Grande Pair-ee.” Sometime in the next few days, Gov.
- [Reasoning Behind Council Members' Stand on Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/reasoning-behind-council-members-stand-on-budget/): Lexington County Council members give their reasons for supporting or opposing the $102 million general fund budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.Councilman Todd Cullum, for one, says he supports the budget with the exception of pay raises for county employees because many of his constituents are struggling given the state of the economy.
- [Santee Cooper Execs Got Pay, Benefit Hikes Amid Downturn](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/santee-cooper-execs-got-pay-benefit-hikes-amid-downturn/): Since 2007, Santee Cooper’s top 15 executives collectively have received more than $558,000 in pay raises and at least $145,000 in fringe benefit hikes, according to The Nerve’s review of records from the state-owned utility.
- [Cobb-Hunter: Voter ID Not Needed](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/cobb-hunter-voter-id-not-needed/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter explains to a Dutch Fork High class why she opposed the Voter ID bill.
- [Wrap-Up Session Includes Higher Ed Transparency Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/wrap-up-session-includes-higher-ed-transparency-bill/): Think there’s no need for mandatory higher education spending transparency in South Carolina?
- [Viers: The Problem with Gerrymandering](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/viers-the-problem-with-gerrymandering/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep. Thad Viers tells a Dutch Fork High class why gerrymandering hurts the democratic process.
- [Cobb-Hunter: S.C. has a Few Shortcomings](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/cobb-hunter-s-c-has-a-few-shortcomings/): State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter tells a Dutch Fork High class about some of South Carolina’s shortcomings.
- [Legislator Pushes for Hearings on Gasoline Price Cap](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/legislator-pushes-for-hearings-on-gasoline-price-cap/): If S.C. Sen. Dick Elliott has his way, not only will gasoline prices be capped across South Carolina, but executives from large oil companies will have to face questioning from legislators and other Palmetto State residents.
- [BCB Hard to Kill in Department of Administration Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/bcb-hard-to-kill-in-department-of-administration-bill/): If a Department of Administration is going to happen this year, the S.C.
- [Kershaw School District Finances Explained](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/kershaw-school-district-finances-explained/)
- [Cobb-Hunter on Union-Bashing](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/cobb-hunter-on-union-bashing/): State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter tells a Dutch Fork High class that the one issue that bothers her the most is the union-bashing that's going in South Carolina.
- [Upstate HQs May Be Exempt from Corporate Income Tax](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/upstate-hqs-may-be-exempt-from-corporate-income-tax/): Late last month, two companies announced they were opening corporate headquarters in Greenville.
- [Viers: Why I Favor I-73](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/viers-why-i-favor-i-73/): The Interstate 73 project is important because it would benefit the Pee Dee area, one of the poorest regions of the state, and the Georgetown-Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is the only area of its size in America that has no direct access to an interstate, according to State Rep.
- [Bill Calls for Lowering State Sales Tax, Axing Exemptions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/bill-calls-for-lowering-state-sales-tax-axing-exemptions/): The state sales tax would be lowered by more than a third in exchange for doing away with dozens of sales tax exemptions, under a House bill quietly introduced at the end of the legislative session.
- [Charleston Opts to Defer Vote on Towing Policy](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/charleston-opts-to-defer-vote-on-towing-policy/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Charleston City Council was to vote on its new policy relating to city towing contracts at its May 24 meeting but at the request of the Public Safety Committee Chairwoman Kathleen Wilson a vote was deferred until the next meeting.
- [Charleston Councilman Criticizes P&C Editorial](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/charleston-councilman-criticizes-pc-editorial/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The agenda for the Charleston County Council Finance Committee’s May 27 meeting was light.
- ['Extra Session' Dustup Could Eclipse Vote to Nix BCB](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/extra-session-dustup-could-eclipse-vote-to-nix-bcb/): In a perhaps unprecedented move, the S.C.
- [Cobb-Hunter explains Amazon vote](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/cobb-hunter-explains-amazon-vote/): State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter explains to a Dutch Fork High class her reasons for voting for the Amazon.com bill.
- [Budget Shell Games: State Records Contradict Each Other](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/budget-shell-games-state-records-contradict-each-other/): If you think you’re getting a complete picture of next fiscal year’s approximate $22 billion state budget when you go to the General Assembly’s website, think again.
- [After Nerve Story, Higher Ed Transparency Bill Revived](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/after-nerve-story-higher-ed-transparency-bill-revived/): A bill requiring South Carolina’s state-supported colleges and universities to report their spending online has risen from the dead and looks like it might pass today – the last day of this year’s regular legislative session.
- [Viers: Voter ID Makes Sense](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/viers-voter-id-makes-sense/): State Rep. Thad Viers believes that if South Carolinians are required to have to have an i.d.
- [Legislators Show Lack of SCRA Knowledge](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/legislators-show-lack-of-scra-knowledge/): If South Carolinians were asked in a poll to explain what the S.C. Research Authority is, the vast majority of them probably would be unable to do so.
- [Charleston Groups Prepared to Sue Cruise Lines](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/06/charleston-groups-prepared-to-sue-cruise-lines/): Threats of lawsuits to restrain the city, the State Ports Authority and cruise ship lines have been commonplace for a year or so.
- [Bill Seeks Disclosure of Amazon-Like “Promises”](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/bill-seeks-disclosure-of-amazon-like-promises/): A group of Midlands legislators is pushing a new bill designed to spare the General Assembly from facing another Amazon-like saga.
- [Viers: Why S.C. Should Look at School Choice](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/viers-why-s-c-should-look-at-school-choice/): State Rep. Thad Viers decries the overall condition of South Carolina's educational system.
- [Charleston Council Finally Adopts Redistricting Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/charleston-council-finally-adopts-redistricting-plan/): If there were any ill feeling carried over from the previous acrimonious Charleston City Council meeting, it was not obvious at the council’s May 24 gathering.
- [Viers on the Purpose of Government](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/viers-on-the-purpose-of-government/): State Rep. Thad Viers explains his belief that government cannot be all things to all people.
- [Bosch Project Brings $12M-Plus Taxpayer Tab](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/bosch-project-brings-12m-plus-taxpayer-tab/): In 2010, the Robert Bosch automotive parts plant-expansion project in Dorchester County ranked among the top 10 biggest announced job-creation and capital investment projects in the state, according to an S.C.
- [Paper Trail Scarce Regarding SCRA Chair Selection](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/paper-trail-scarce-regarding-scra-chair-selection/): While the S.C. Research Authority may cloak itself in an air of mystery, there’s little doubt that state leaders have attached significant importance to the agency’s role in developing the state’s “knowledge economy.” SCRA’s position in South Carolina’s future was underscored at a 2008 news conference in which S.C.
- [Davis: Local Leaders Can Handle Own Affairs](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/davis-local-leaders-can-handle-own-affairs/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen.
- [I-73 Study Called into Question by Some](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/i-73-study-called-into-question-by-some/): Myrtle Beach resident Anthony Trinca left his state representative, Thad Viers, a message on May 13, a Friday, in an effort to determine where the Horry County Republican stood on a multibillion-dollar proposal to build Interstate 73 through to the Grand Strand.
- [Supporters, Detractors Continue to Battle over I-526](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/supporters-detractors-continue-to-battle-over-i-526/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Is the I-526 issue still alive, or is it a corpse just waiting interment?
- [State’s Top Court Accepts Sales Tax Exemption Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/states-top-court-accepts-sales-tax-exemption-case/): The S.C. Supreme Court will consider a lawsuit contending that the dozens of state sales tax exemptions, which the suit claims costs the Palmetto State $2.7 billion annually, are unconstitutional.
- [Davis: Time to Look at 'Other Funds'](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/davis-time-to-look-at-other-funds/): State Sen. Tom Davis explains to a group of Midlands-area high school students about why the rise in the "other funds" aspect of the state budget is important.
- [Only Two S.C. School Districts Don’t Post Finances](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/only-two-s-c-school-districts-dont-post-finances/): Financial transparency continues to spread among South Carolina school districts.
- [House Bill Would Limit Santee Cooper Pay Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/house-bill-would-limit-santee-cooper-pay-hikes/): The top 15 highest-paid employees at state-owned utility Santee Cooper could not receive raises in any fiscal year in which state employees do not get a cost-of-living pay increase, under an S.C.
- [Temperatures Rise at Charleston Redistricting Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/temperatures-rise-at-charleston-redistricting-meeting/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Some weeks ago, the Charleston City Council earned praise for its responsiveness and responsibility, but after the May 10 redistricting public hearing that praise may have been mistaken.
- [New Debt Proposed for School Districts](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/new-debt-proposed-for-school-districts/): At least four South Carolina school districts would be able to sell bonds – without voter approval – to finance general operations, under four bills introduced recently in the General Assembly.
- [Davis: Legislative Arrogance a Problem](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/davis-legislative-arrogance-a-problem/): State Sen. Tom Davis tells a Midlands-area high school class that he believes part of South Carolina’s problems come from arrogance on the part of its elected officials.
- [Higher Ed Spending Transparency Bill Likely Dead – Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/higher-ed-spending-transparency-bill-likely-dead-again/): Legislation requiring South Carolina’s state-supported colleges and universities to post their spending online looks like it might die in the General Assembly this year.
- [USC Skims Grants to Finish Innovista Building](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/usc-skims-grants-to-finish-innovista-building/): It’s been nearly half a decade since the University of South Carolina began the Discovery I building on its Innovista research campus, but the school finally appears to have a plan in place to complete the structure.
- [Snowden on Amazon: Don't be a Hater](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/snowden-on-amazon-dont-be-a-hater/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Regarding Wal-Mart's efforts to lobby against Amazon.com receiving incentives to build in Lexington County, Richland County Public Information Officer Stephany Snowden tells a Midlands-area high school class, "If you do what you do and you do it well you don't have to be hating on what anybody else is doing."
- [Tax Dollars Pitched for Legislators’ Nonprofits](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/tax-dollars-pitched-for-legislators-nonprofits/): Three nonprofit regional economic development organizations whose boards of directors list at least one state lawmaker could each receive up to $671,000 in state tax dollars next fiscal year under a Senate Finance Committee proposal, a review by The Nerve found.
- [Secrecy Abounds in Incentives Deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/secrecy-abounds-in-incentives-deals/): If there’s a favorite color at the S.C. Department of Commerce, it might be black.
- [Juries Guard Against Racially Tinged Verdicts](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/juries-guard-against-racially-tinged-verdicts/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Richland County Councilman Seth Rose says he believes that South Carolina's capital punishment prosecutions are not racially motivated for the simple reason that ultimately the decision to convict is placed in the hands of 12 jurors.
- [SCRA Extends Tentacles into High Finance](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/scra-extends-tentacles-into-high-finance/): The S.C. Research Authority likes to play up its reputation for applying research to commercial uses.
- [Charleston Passes New Fair Housing Ordinance](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/charleston-passes-new-fair-housing-ordinance/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter At last week’s meeting, Charleston City Council voted 8-5 in favor of strengthening the city’s fair housing ordinance.
- [Who Broke a Promise on the Amazon Deal?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/who-broke-a-promise-on-the-amazon-deal/): South Carolinians, especially in the Midlands, have heard a lot about Amazon.com closing the window on a distribution center project in Cayce last week because the state supposedly failed to deliver on a promised sales tax collection exemption.
- [City Council Looks to Tighten Timeshare Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/city-council-looks-to-tighten-timeshare-rules/): By Mark Knapp Citizen Reporter Recommendation by the Charleston City Council’s Committee on Public Safety relating to tighter regulations on vendors of vacation timeshares and club memberships was wholly endorsed during the April 27 meeting.
- [Justice Should Be Ultimate Goal of Solicitors](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/justice-should-be-ultimate-goal-of-solicitors/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter When asked if the primary goal of a solicitor should be to seek justice or instead convict as often as possible, Richland County Councilman Seth Rose tells a Midlands-area high school class that the chief objective should always be justice.
- [S.C. Senators to Introduce Whistleblower Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/s-c-senators-to-introduce-whistleblower-bill/): State and local government employees in South Carolina who report waste or wrongdoing involving tax dollars would receive greater protection – and rewards – under a bill expected to be introduced Tuesday by two S.C.
- [Charleston Council Hears Redistricting Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/05/charleston-council-hears-redistricting-plan/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter The Charleston City Council endured a marathon of activity on April 27, with one of the key issues discussed being redistricting.
- [Gas Cap a Low-Octane Idea, Officials Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/gas-cap-a-low-octane-idea-officials-say/): If a Grand Strand legislator has his way, South Carolinians will see their gasoline prices capped for an entire year, beginning June 1.
- [Senate Panel: Spend More on Capitol Security](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/senate-panel-spend-more-on-capitol-security/): In possible shades of a proposed “Capitol Police Force” redux, the S.C.
- [Sellers: BCB is a 'Unique Animal'](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/sellers-bcb-is-a-unique-animal/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Rep.
- ['Other' Funds Transparency Bills Slows](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/other-funds-transparency-bills-slows/): Proposed legislation aimed at bringing more transparency and accountability to a huge chunk of the state budget traditionally ignored by lawmakers isn’t making much headway so far this legislative session.
- [$42M Taxpayer Incentive Tab for ZF Group](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/42m-taxpayer-incentive-tab-for-zf-group/): Speaking last July at the company’s corporate headquarters in Friedrichshafen, Germany, then-Gov.
- [Odell: Why We Help The Less Fortunate](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/odell-why-we-help-the-less-fortunate/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter State Sen.
- [Lawmakers Mulling Rural Development Proposals](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/lawmakers-mulling-rural-development-proposals/): Although there has been movement this legislative session to merge various state agencies, lawmakers appear to be outdoing themselves to create new agencies dealing with rural economic development.
- [Senate Panel Waters Down Lobbying Ban](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/senate-panel-waters-down-lobbying-ban/): The S.C. Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Republican Sen.
- [Davis: S.C. Needs a Spending Cap](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/davis-s-c-needs-a-spending-cap/): State Sen. Tom Davis advocates for a spending cap to rein in state government spending.
- [District 5 Awarded $7.7M Contract Without OK](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/district-5-awarded-7-7m-contract-without-ok/): By Kim Murphy Citizen Reporter Lexington-Richland School District 5 has awarded a multi-million-dollar school construction contract without the mandatory approvals from S.C.
- [Top Project Carries Hefty Taxpayer Tab](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/04/top-project-carries-hefty-taxpayer-tab/): With an announced investment of $1 billion and creation of 1,000 jobs, the proposed First Quality Tissue manufacturing plant in Anderson County has been touted as the Upstate’s biggest industrial project since BMW opened in the early 1990s.
- [Paper Versus Plastic a Hot Topic in Charleston](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/paper-versus-plastic-a-hot-topic-in-charleston/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The issue over plastic in yard waste is likely to soon come to a head in Charleston County.
- [$270M Taxpayer-Funded Gift to Boeing Properly Spent, Commerce Chief Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/270m-taxpayer-funded-gift-to-boeing-properly-spent-commerce-chief-says/): Aerospace giant Boeing properly spent $270 million in S.C.
- [Be It Resolved: Politicians Love Their Names on Highways](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/be-it-resolved-politicians-love-their-names-on-highways/): Ever since David Beasley was governor of South Carolina in the 1990s, the state Department of Transportation has posted the name of the state’s chief executive on interstate “Welcome to South Carolina” signs.
- [District 5 Puts Teacher on 'Restriction,' Guts Course](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/district-5-puts-teacher-on-restriction-guts-course/): Lexington-Richland School District 5 effectively gutted a popular current issues course taught by Dutch Fork High School teacher Kelly Payne earlier this week, pulling the plug on a program that has brought such luminaries as Gov.
- [Lawmaker State Plane Travel: Frequent Frivolous Miles](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/lawmaker-state-plane-travel-frequent-frivolous-miles/): On Feb. 10, S.C.
- [Keel: SLED Takes What it Can Get](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/keel-sled-takes-what-it-can-get/): SLED Director Mark Keel admits to a Midlands-area high school class that when it comes to budget time, he's not in a position to do much compromising.
- [Sales Tax Discount Costs State $20 Million-Plus Per Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/sales-tax-discount-costs-state-20-million-plus-per-year/): How would you feel if the great state of South Carolina compensated you for filing and paying your taxes on time – and gave you a little extra for doing so electronically?
- [What Agriculture Means to South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/what-agriculture-means-to-south-carolina/): Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture Martin Eubanks describes agribusiness to a Midlands-area high school class.
- [The Boeing Incentives Deal: More Secrecy, Lack of Accountability](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/the-boeing-incentives-deal-more-secrecy-lack-of-accountability/): Of the estimated half-billion-dollar-plus state incentives package to bring a Boeing plant to North Charleston, the single-biggest-revealed piece of corporate-welfare candy offered to the aerospace giant involved the sale of $270 million in bonds.
- [Keel on How SLED is Funded](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/keel-on-how-sled-is-funded/): SLED Director Mark Keel tells a Midlands-area high school class about how SLED is funded and what he'd like to see in terms of funding.
- [LLR Mum on Auctioneering Board About-Face](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/llr-mum-on-auctioneering-board-about-face/): Going once, going twice … a rare chance to shrink South Carolina state government … going three times … gone!
- [Audit: Clemson Pay Raises Violated State Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/audit-clemson-pay-raises-violated-state-law/): Clemson University violated state law and its own policy by doling out pay raises – in some cases hefty increases – without conducting performance evaluations of Clemson employees who received the salary hikes, according to a new report.
- [Ballentine on How to Improve State Government](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/ballentine-on-how-to-improve-state-government/): There are a number of ways to improve the efficiency of South Carolina state government, S.C. state Rep.
- [Midlands Lawmakers Still Milking Subsistence Cow](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/midlands-lawmakers-still-milking-subsistence-cow/): In the first eight months of this year, S.C. Sens.
- [SLED Director Lays Out Agency's Mission](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/sled-director-lays-out-agencys-mission/): SLED Director Mark Keel describes the purpose behind his organization to a Midlands-area high school class.
- [Retirement Commission Continues Aggressive Growth Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/retirement-commission-continues-aggressive-growth-plan/): As South Carolina lawmakers struggle with painful choices to shore up funding of the state pension system, the entity that oversees the system’s assets wants to nearly double its operating budget and hire a dozen more personnel.
- [Resurrecting Town of James Island Won't Be Cheap](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/resurrecting-town-of-james-island-wont-be-cheap/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter The city of Charleston fired a warning shot across the bow of those who might be thinking of resurrecting the town of James Island.
- [LLR: A Case Study of Bureaucratic Bungling](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/llr-a-case-study-of-bureaucratic-bungling/): Imagine a state agency … - Offering a multimillion-dollar contract to a company that the state claimed was having financial difficulties; - Later approving more taxpayer money for the company without proper authorization; and - Paying the firm most of the contract amount for a product that the state contended didn’t work.
- [Ballentine Urges Holistic Approach to Improving Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/ballentine-urges-holistic-approach-to-improving-education/): South Carolinians need to refocus the debate regarding improving education, S.C. State Rep. Nathan Ballentine tells a Midlands-area high school class.
- [Tech Schools' Green Push Raises Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/tech-schools-green-push-raises-questions/): It’s been 50 years since the groundwork for the S.C. Technical College System was laid.
- [Incentives Transparency Bill Looks Promising Next Session](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/incentives-transparency-bill-looks-promising-next-session/): It’s been eight years since a state law was passed requiring the S.C.
- [Charleston Doles Out Incentives to Two Manufacturers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/charleston-doles-out-incentives-to-two-manufacturers/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The Charleston County Council Finance Committee on approved two recommendations by the Economic Development Department on Sept.
- [Dozens of S.C. Pensioners Earning Six Figures](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/dozens-of-s-c-pensioners-earning-six-figures/): As S.C. lawmakers grapple with how to close a recently projected $17 billion gap in the state pension system, 169 state retirees or their beneficiaries earn more than $100,000 annually in retirement benefits, while more than 3,500 individuals in the system receive at least $50,000 yearly, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Ballentine: How to Get People to Come to S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/ballentine-how-to-get-people-to-come-to-s-c/): S.C. State Rep. Nathan Ballentine tells a Midlands-area high school class what he feels it will take to continue to attract people to South Carolina.
- [Extended Stay’s Not-So-Extended Stay in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/extended-stays-not-so-extended-stay-in-s-c/): In announcing earlier this year that Extended Stay Hotels would move its corporate headquarters from Spartanburg to Charlotte, N.C. Gov.
- [Barron on the Job of a Coroner](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/barron-on-the-job-of-a-coroner/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter The coroner has the ability to investigate all deaths, former Richland County Coroner Frank Barron tells a Midlands-area high school class.
- [Release of Final Europe Trip Cost Takes Three Months](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/release-of-final-europe-trip-cost-takes-three-months/): For South Carolina taxpayers, the manner in which the total cost of a state economic development trip to Europe in June finally has come to be known might be more important than the $231,500 bill.
- [Charleston Council Still Unsure on Harbor View Road Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/charleston-council-still-unsure-on-harbor-view-road-plan/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The presentation given by Charleston County Deputy Administrator Kurt Taylor to the Charleston County Council Finance Committee on Sept.
- [Still No Sign of $460M Incentive-Backed AQT Solar](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/still-no-sign-of-460m-incentive-backed-aqt-solar/): More than eight months after a small, young California company announced it would locate a $460 million solar-cell manufacturing plant in Richland County, creating a purported 1,000 jobs over four years, the massive building it’s supposed to go in remains empty.
- [Senator Rethinks ‘Angel’ Incentives Bill; Midlands Group in Works](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/senator-rethinks-angel-incentives-bill-midlands-group-in-works/): A leading state senator who is sponsoring a bill to provide state tax credits for a high-risk, high-reward form of venture capital known as “angel” investing says he is rethinking his bill – and incentives in general.
- [Charleston County Clarifies Noise Ordinance](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/charleston-county-clarifies-noise-ordinance/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Charleston County is taking another crack at its noise ordinance, though this time around it is incorporated in a livability ordinance.
- [SC Launch Grant to MUSC Dean’s Company Raises Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/sc-launch-grant-to-musc-deans-company-raises-questions/): You’ve likely never heard the name, but if things work out for startup NextRay Inc., the individuals behind the company and its investors could do quite well for themselves.
- [Lee: Advantages, Disadvantages of Modern Media](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/lee-advantages-disadvantages-of-modern-media/): Jim Lee of the Palmetto Conservative Show, an Internet radio program, tells a Midlands area high school class that there are many more ways to disseminate information today than in the past.
- [State Retirement Costs Eat Bigger Piece of Funding Pie](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/state-retirement-costs-eat-bigger-piece-of-funding-pie/): As a funding gap in the state retirement system has opened up in recent years, the burden of narrowing the gap has been placed disproportionately on South Carolina taxpayers, records from the state comptroller general’s office show.
- [Charleston Council Approves COLA Increase](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/charleston-council-approves-cola-increase/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter It was mostly “bread-and-butter” items on the agenda for the Sept. 8 Charleston County Council Finance Committee meeting.
- [An $85,000 “Learning” Trip for Richland 2 Principals](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/an-85000-learning-trip-for-richland-2-principals/): Richland School District 2 spent about $85,000 to send 31 principals and other administrators on a five-day “learning” trip to a Florida resort in July, The Nerve was informed last week in response to an S.C.
- [Lee: Argue Facts, Not Opinions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/lee-argue-facts-not-opinions/): Jim Lee of the Palmetto Conservative Show, an Internet radio program, tells a Midlands-area high school class that it's important that individuals discuss beforehand where they're coming from politically.
- [Nearly All S.C. School Districts Have Check Registers Online](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/nearly-all-s-c-school-districts-have-check-registers-online/): South Carolina is now just one school district away from achieving 100 percent compliance with a legislative proviso that requires all districts to post their check registers online.
- [The $29M ‘Invisible’ State Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/the-29m-invisible-state-agency/): You won’t find the S.C.
- [King: Municipalities Need to Look at All Options](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/king-municipalities-need-to-look-at-all-options/): Irmo Town Councilman Hardy King tells a Midlands-area high school class that finding new ways to tax people is something that he's opposed to, but admits municipalities do need to consider different revenue sources.
- [USC Circumvents State Law, Creates New Lobbying Position](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/usc-circumvents-state-law-creates-new-lobbying-position/): Circumventing a new state law designed to eliminate taxpayer-funded lobbying, the University of South Carolina has created a new State House lobbying job and hired a high-profile political operative to fill the position at a cool $135,000 per year.
- [Councilman King on Irmo and Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/councilman-king-on-irmo-and-transparency/): Irmo Town Councilman Hardy King tells a Midlands-area high school class about his initial reaction to the idea of the city of Irmo putting its check register online.
- [Total Cost of Paris Air Show, Germany Trip Still Unknown](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/total-cost-of-paris-air-show-germany-trip-still-unknown/): The total taxpayer tab for Gov.
- [Governor’s Job Numbers: Lots of Hype, Unanswered Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/governors-job-numbers-lots-of-hype-unanswered-questions/): When it comes to job creation in the Palmetto State, Gov. Nikki Haley likes to throw out seemingly impressive numbers.
- [Rose: Let's Do Things the Way We Want Them Done](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/rose-lets-do-things-the-way-we-want-them-done/): State Sen. Mike Rose said during a recent meeting of the S.C.
- [Bill to Give SCRA More Control Remains Alive](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/bill-to-give-scra-more-control-remains-alive/): A bill designed to give the S.C.
- [Richland County Councilman Fighting Federal Complaint](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/richland-county-councilman-fighting-federal-complaint/): As a longtime S.C.
- [Keck: Focus Needs to be on Health](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/keck-focus-needs-to-be-on-health/): S.C. Department of Health and Human Services Director Tony Keck says he wants the S.C.
- [Value of Wind Power Questioned in New Study](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/value-of-wind-power-questioned-in-new-study/): Wind-power advocates are turning up the heat in their efforts to push for increased public support for research and development of offshore wind energy.
- [Changes Needed to S.C.'s Health Care Delivery System](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/changes-needed-to-s-c-s-health-care-delivery-system/): S.C. Department of Health and Human Services Director Tony Keck said during a recent meeting of the S.C.
- [Agencies Bank Millions in General Fund Surpluses](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/agencies-bank-millions-in-general-fund-surpluses/): While many state agencies have publicly cried poverty over the past several years, at least 16 agencies started fiscal 2011-12 with a general fund surplus of more than $1 million, The Nerve found in a review of a state financial report.
- [Petroleum Officials Tell Legislators Gas Cap Would Harm S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/petroleum-officials-tell-legislators-gas-cap-would-harm-s-c/): State Sen. Dick Elliott is not only pushing forward with a goal of capping wholesale gasoline prices in the Palmetto State, he’s confident that if South Carolina takes such a step, other states will follow.
- [Property Tax System Still Uneven After Point-of-Sale Change](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/property-tax-system-still-uneven-after-point-of-sale-change/): Correcting a mistake. That’s how Republican state Rep.
- [Isle of Palms Land-Purchase Plan Voted Down](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/09/isle-of-palms-land-purchase-plan-voted-down/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter The recent application by the Isle of Palms Township appeared to have had a lot of merit.
- [High Court Rejects ‘Power-of-One’ Practice](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/high-court-rejects-power-of-one-practice/): The balance of power in state government shifted somewhat Monday, courtesy of the S.C. Supreme Court.
- [States becoming operational arm of private insurance?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/states-becoming-operational-arm-of-private-insurance/): Tony Keck, director of the S.C.
- [Job-Creation Study Casts Doubt on Necessity of Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/job-creation-study-casts-doubt-on-necessity-of-incentives/): A new study by the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business identifying the top job-creating companies in South Carolina might be notable as much for what it doesn’t say as for what it does, especially given the parties behind it.
- [Businesses Aiding Schools with Curriculum Development](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/businesses-aiding-schools-with-curriculum-development/): Employers are working with secondary schools and colleges "to engage in curriculum planning," according to Congressman Trey Gowdy.
- [DOT Year-End Surpluses Plunge by $217 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/dot-year-end-surpluses-plunge-by-217-million/): The S.C. Department of Transportation’s year-end surpluses have plummeted by about $217 million, or 91 percent, since fiscal year 2008, The Nerve found in a review of state budget records.
- [Septima Clark Project Financing Appears Risky](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/septima-clark-project-financing-appears-risky/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter Desperate times, desperate acts.
- [Heritage Corridor Takes Steps After State Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/heritage-corridor-takes-steps-after-state-audit/): Six months after state auditors called for more efficient administration of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor, changes have been made at the nonprofit, according to executive director Michelle McCollum.
- [Tourism Plan Calls for More State Money, Personnel](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/tourism-plan-calls-for-more-state-money-personnel/): Tourism is widely cited as South Carolina’s No. 1 industry.
- [Congressman Sings the Praises of ICAR](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/congressman-sings-the-praises-of-icar/): Congressman Trey Gowdy sings the praises of ICAR during a congressional delegation field hearing focused on higher education and job growth Aug.
- [S.C. Forester Wants School Payments Cut](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/s-c-forester-wants-school-payments-cut/): Payments to local school districts from primarily the sale of timber and pine straw on land owned by the S.C.
- [Greenbelt Fund Application Creates Fuss in Charleston](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/greenbelt-fund-application-creates-fuss-in-charleston/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter It was believed that the recommendations of the Urban Grants Review Committee, the Greenbelt Bank and staff over greenbelt fund grants would be quickly approved by the Charleston County Council at its Aug.
- [Tuition Link Raises Questions about USC Building Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/tuition-link-raises-questions-about-usc-building-projects/): University of South Carolina administrators were not necessarily acting out of the goodness of their hearts when they admitted more freshmen than ever to the Columbia campus this fall.
- [Privately, No One Wants Health Exchange](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/privately-no-one-wants-health-exchange/): Members the Competitiveness and Transparency subcommitte have a difficult time finding a positive take on the Health Exchange system.
- [Will feds be flexible on health reform law dates?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/will-feds-be-flexible-on-health-reform-law-dates/): Anne Castro of BlueCross and BlueShield of S.C. and Rep.
- [School Board Member Alleges Abuse of Power by Board Chairman](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/school-board-member-alleges-abuse-of-power-by-board-chairman/): An outspoken Charleston County School Board member says she was targeted by the board chairman and threatened with removal from her elected position this month after she forwarded an electronic version of a meeting agenda to a constituent.
- [Wilson on Greenville County's Abundance of Engineers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/wilson-on-greenville-countys-abundance-of-engineers/): Congressman Joe Wilson, speaking during a congressional delegation field hearing Aug. 16 in Greenville, says Greenville County is home to 10,000 engineers.
- [New Carolina: Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/new-carolina-full-of-sound-and-fury-signifying-nothing/): For an organization that purports to favor such free market ideals as fostering competitiveness, enhancing commercial development and cultivating a strong economic community, New Carolina certainly doesn’t mind taking a taxpayer dollar or two.
- [Congressional Hearing Addresses Higher Ed-Job Creation Link](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/congressional-hearing-addresses-higher-ed-job-creation-link/): With Congress on recess, two members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation presided over a field hearing Tuesday in Greenville focused on higher education and job growth.
- [Millions Spent by S.C. Municipalities on Federal Lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/millions-spent-by-s-c-municipalities-on-federal-lobbyists/): Since 2003, at least 21 counties and local municipalities in South Carolina collectively have spent about $5.5 million on federal lobbyists, according to federal lobbying records reviewed by The Nerve.
- [Powerful Legislator Travels through Revolving Door](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/powerful-legislator-travels-through-revolving-door/): One of the most powerful members of the S.C. General Assembly has traversed the revolving door.
- [School District Mergers Bring Projected Cost Savings](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/school-district-mergers-bring-projected-cost-savings/): Consolidating school districts isn’t as easy as changing logos on letterheads, but supporters say that in the long run, students and taxpayers are the winners when it occurs.
- [Senators Davis and Leatherman debate incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/senators-davis-and-leatherman-debate-incentives/): Earlier this year, Senator Hugh Leatherman, in criticizing a bill that would have opened all economic incentives deals to the public, made an astonishing claim for his own and his colleagues' ability to run the state's economy.
- [State Financial Meeting Closed to the Public, Media](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/state-financial-meeting-closed-to-the-public-media/): A wide-ranging meeting Gov.
- [Lobbyist-Relative of S.C. Congressman Paid Well by Charleston](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/lobbyist-relative-of-s-c-congressman-paid-well-by-charleston/): A lobbying firm run by a cousin of Congressman James Clyburn has been paid $285,250, directly or indirectly, since 2006 by the city of Charleston to push Congress for federal dollars for The Holy City, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Haley: Next Step is Instituting 'Loser-Pays' System](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/haley-next-step-is-instituting-loser-pays-system/): Taking questions from the media following the signing of the tort reform bill during a press conference on July 26, Gov.
- [Higher Retirement Tab Costs Taxpayers, Not Employees](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/higher-retirement-tab-costs-taxpayers-not-employees/): A familiar elephant was in the room when the S.C. Budget and Control Board met Tuesday morning in Columbia.
- [How County Funding Has Changed](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/how-county-funding-has-changed/): By Summer Solum Citizen Reporter Tim Winslow, an attorney with the South Carolina Association of Counties, explains to members of the Lexington County Council how funding from the General Assembly has changed over the past few decades.
- [Business Mags Get State Ad Money, Rank State High](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/business-mags-get-state-ad-money-rank-state-high/): If the true measures of a state’s economic success were accolades from magazines, rather than the state’s employment level, per-capita income and related factors, South Carolina could well be considered a business powerhouse.
- [Lightsey: Tort Reform is Good for Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/lightsey-tort-reform-is-good-for-business/): South Carolina businessman Harry Lightsey talks about why passage of the recent tort reform bill is important to South Carolina’s business environment during a press conference on July 26.
- [Superintendents: Earning Their Keep?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/superintendents-earning-their-keep/): If South Carolina’s top-paid school superintendents had to justify their salaries based on their districts’ annual report cards, many of them would have some explaining to do.
- [Lexington Council Updated on General Assembly](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/lexington-council-updated-on-general-assembly/): By Summer Solum Citizen Reporter Tim Winslow, an attorney with the South Carolina Association of Counties, gives Lexington County Council an update on what the recently concluded S.C.
- [Exemptions Proliferate in ‘Back-to-School’ Tax Holiday](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/exemptions-proliferate-in-back-to-school-tax-holiday/): It’s that back-to-school time of year.
- [Program That Won't Die Continues Spending Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/program-that-wont-die-continues-spending-millions/): More than two years after the South Carolina Policy Council first reported about a program run out of the state lieutenant governor’s office that had spent nearly $10 million a decade after legislation called for it to be discontinued, that same endeavor continues to drain millions in taxpayer dollars, with little notice.
- [Fewer Health Care Options on the Horizon?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/fewer-health-care-options-on-the-horizon/): Will Shrader, a senior vice president with BlueCross and BlueShield of S.C., explains during a July 21 South Carolina Health Planning Committee that in 2014 some state-mandated health benefits may be eliminated.
- [Tourist Town Managers Swimming in Dough](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/tourist-town-managers-swimming-in-dough/): This time of year, the town of Hilton Head Island and city of Myrtle Beach are attracting tens of thousands of tourists whose spending fattens the budgets of the coastal communities.
- [Rose: Why Not Give Health Consumers More Choices?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/rose-why-not-give-health-consumers-more-choices/): Speaking during the July 21 South Carolina Health Planning Committee, Sen.
- [Haley Staffers, Senator, Commerce Flack Attend Air Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/haley-staffers-senator-commerce-flack-attend-air-show/): A large South Carolina delegation to the Paris Air Show in June included two mid-level employees in Gov. Nikki Haley’s office, the then-spokeswoman for the S.C.
- [Harrell: Tort Reform is About Jobs](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/harrell-tort-reform-is-about-jobs/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell says the passage of the most recent tort-reform bill is crucial to the well-being of South Carolina's business environment.
- [Haley Touts Passage of Tort Reform Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/haley-touts-passage-of-tort-reform-bill/): Gov. Nikki Haley touts the benefits of a tort reform bill passed by the S.C. General Assembly earlier this year during a press conference on July 26.
- [Show Me the Money: Finance Officials Differ on State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/08/show-me-the-money-finance-officials-differ-on-state-budget/): If you want to see two very different pictures of the state budget, you need look no further than Gov. Nikki Haley’s financial “summit” last week.
- [Increased Focus on Whether S.C. Needs a Lt. Governor](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/increased-focus-on-whether-s-c-needs-a-lt-governor/): It’s been nearly half a century since the South Carolina lieutenant governor’s seat has been vacant, but there’s growing talk of returning to that status – except this time it would be permanent.
- [Temporary Ban on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Passes](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/temporary-ban-on-taxpayer-funded-lobbying-passes/): In what could be a first, a measure designed to put an end to the dubious practice of state entities using taxpayer dollars to lobby the General Assembly has become law.
- [Lexington Resident: District Should 'Live Within Its Means'](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/lexington-resident-district-should-live-within-its-means/): By Talbert Black Citizen Reporter Lexington County resident Talbert Black addresses the Lexington 1 school district board on the issue the district's long-term financial health.
- [It Pays to Be a Hilton Head Government Worker](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/it-pays-to-be-a-hilton-head-government-worker/): Few would argue that Hilton Head Island is one of the premier resort getaways in the Palmetto State and the country.
- [Cobb-Hunter Discusses How She Got Involved in Politics](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/cobb-hunter-discusses-how-she-got-involved-in-politics/): By Kelly Payne Citizen Reporter Gilda Cobb-Hunter describes to a Dutch Fork High class how, when she moved to South Carolina, she became involved in the Democratic Party.
- [Darlington Raceway Gets $114,000 State Tax Break](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/07/darlington-raceway-gets-114000-state-tax-break/): South Carolinians – regardless of whether you are fans of NASCAR, start your taxpayer engines.
- [Clemson Sustainability Program in Line for $445,000 in State Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/clemson-sustainability-program-in-line-for-445000-in-state-funds/): A Clemson University program that at least one legislator thought would be better suited for state government was recommended to receive nearly $450,000 in state funding last week.
- [Guv’s Office, Commerce Can’t Produce Job-Creation Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/guvs-office-commerce-cant-produce-job-creation-records/): In an interview on Dec. 15, Gov.
- [Legislature Flouts Law Requiring Joint Public Hearings on Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/legislature-flouts-law-requiring-joint-public-hearings-on-budget/): It looks like the S.C.
- [Charleston Council Changes Citizen Participation Guidelines](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/charleston-council-changes-citizen-participation-guidelines/): As Charleston County Administrator Allen O’Neal noted, the Jan. 19 Finance Committee meeting was likely one of the shortest on record.
- [Changes and Evaluation Likely Coming to Lt. Governor’s Office](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/changes-and-evaluation-likely-coming-to-lt-governors-office/): A proposal that has passed the S.C.
- [State Loses Money on Film Incentives, Study Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/state-loses-money-on-film-incentives-study-says/): A new study confirms an old conclusion about state incentives for the film and TV industry: The subsidies are a bad deal for South Carolina taxpayers.
- [Haley: We're Going to Fight Back on Voter ID](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/haley-were-going-to-fight-back-on-voter-id/): Gov. Nikki Haley and members of the S.C. General Assembly join in the rotunda of the State House on Jan. 10 to talk about issues related to the Voter ID bill.
- [Lawmakers Seek to Regulate Yet Another Profession](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/lawmakers-seek-to-regulate-yet-another-profession/): If one powerful South Carolina legislator has his way, music therapy will be added to the already lengthy list of professions regulated in the Palmetto State.
- [Barber Claims HIV Spread by Unclean Razors](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/barber-claims-hiv-spread-by-unclean-razors/): A barber tells members of a Senate subcommittee that regulation is necessary, citing a case he'd heard where someone contracted HIV after he was cut with an unclean razor while getting a shave in a barbershop.
- [S.C. House Stands Alone in Shadow of Ethics Secrecy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/s-c-house-stands-alone-in-shadow-of-ethics-secrecy/): It’s a dubious distinction, to be sure: Members of the S.C.
- [Charleston Council Appears to Have Resolved I-526 Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/charleston-council-appears-to-have-resolved-i-526-issue/): Charleston County Council members must have felt something akin to relief when they buried a contentious issue at their Jan. 9 meeting: the completion of I-526.
- [Cost of Haley’s Special Session Bid Unclear; Right Remains Intact](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/cost-of-haleys-special-session-bid-unclear-right-remains-intact/): Gov. Nikki Haley ruffled feathers through much of the S.C.
- [Japan Trips, Other Taxpayer-Funded Freebies Offered to Bridgestone](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/japan-trips-other-taxpayer-funded-freebies-offered-to-bridgestone/): Over the next several years, as many as 200 new employees at the expanding Bridgestone plant site in Aiken County will be flown to Japan, where the international tire manufacturer is headquartered, according to a state incentives agreement obtained by The Nerve.
- [Signs Point to Legislature Ignoring Law on Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/signs-point-to-legislature-ignoring-law-on-budget/): South Carolina law requires the governor to submit a recommended state budget to the General Assembly within five days of the legislative session starting, and Gov.
- [S.C. State Gets an ‘Incomplete’ on Budget Request](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/s-c-state-gets-an-incomplete-on-budget-request/): Details may not be South Carolina State University’s strong suit, at least when it comes to budgetary matters.
- [Cosmetology Representative to Senator: 'Don't Mess With Us'](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/cosmetology-representative-to-senator-dont-mess-with-us/): If you want to deregulate cosmetology, it's going to be the biggest fight of your life, beauty school operator Kenneth Shuler tells members of Labor, Commerce and Industry Senate subcommittee.
- [End of the Road for I-95 Corridor Authority?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/end-of-the-road-for-i-95-corridor-authority/): A legislative showdown is brewing over an S.C.
- [Charleston Council Defers Business License Expansion](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/charleston-council-defers-business-license-expansion/): The Charleston City Council voted Dec. 20 to renew the city’s current business license ordinance, but agreed to defer a decision to widen its scope.
- [Boeing Not a ‘Public Body,’ Federal Judge Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/boeing-not-a-public-body-federal-judge-rules/): Despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-backed incentives from South Carolina, aerospace giant Boeing is not a public body under the state’s whistleblower law, a federal judge has ruled.
- [LLR Report Clarifies Position on Deregulating Auctioneering](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/llr-report-clarifies-position-on-deregulating-auctioneering/): The S.C. Auctioneers’ Commission isn’t in danger of being dismantled – as was recommended by one state agency not too long ago – but the time is ripe for deregulating the industry, according to a recent report.
- [Lawmakers Move to Stop School Bond Bills](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/lawmakers-move-to-stop-school-bond-bills/): Several S.C. school districts that are seeking the General Assembly’s approval to allow them to sell taxpayer-backed bonds for daily operations likely will face an even tougher fight when lawmakers return to Columbia next week.
- ['You Can't Let Somebody Stick Fix-a-Flat on Your Rear End'](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/you-cant-let-somebody-stick-fix-a-flat-on-your-rear-end/): Sen. Shane Massey says during a Labor, Commerce and Industry Senate subcommittee meeting that he isn't certain that increased regulation of business is the answer to some problems perpetrated by unlicensed entities.
- [Effort Grows to End Legislative Fox Guarding Ethics Henhouse](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/effort-grows-to-end-legislative-fox-guarding-ethics-henhouse/): Legislation to end the practice of state lawmakers policing themselves in ethics matters is now pending in both chambers of the S.C. General Assembly.
- [Senator Proposes Pension Changes for Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/senator-proposes-pension-changes-for-lawmakers/): State lawmakers over the years have been quite generous to themselves when it comes to their own pensions, but one legislator wants the General Assembly’s retirement program to look more like what’s offered in the private sector.
- [Not all in Agreement on Plan for College of Charleston Dorm](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/not-all-in-agreement-on-plan-for-college-of-charleston-dorm/): The Charleston County Board of Architectural Review recently gave conceptual approval for a new College of Charleston dormitory plan.
- [Bill Would Put More Teeth, Transparency in Incentives Deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/bill-would-put-more-teeth-transparency-in-incentives-deals/): If you ask S.C. Rep.
- [Senate Panel Considers Nixing, Scaling Back Occupational Regulations](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/senate-panel-considers-nixing-scaling-back-occupational-regulations/): A state Senate panel has been considering deregulating aspects of cosmetology and certain other licensed industries in South Carolina.
- [Charleston Council Moves Forward on Rental Housing Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/charleston-council-moves-forward-on-rental-housing-issue/): The Charleston City Council ignored the decision by the Planning Commission and voted Dec.
- [Sex Offender Treatment Costs Skyrocket, Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/sex-offender-treatment-costs-skyrocket-records-show/): More than $82 million has been spent over the past 10 fiscal years to treat designated “sexually violent predators,” while offenders in the program have paid virtually nothing toward their involuntary commitments, state records show.
- [LLR Licensing Scandal Might Be Linked to Human Trafficking, Report Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/llr-licensing-scandal-might-be-linked-to-human-trafficking-report-says/): The state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation is still grappling with the fallout of a scandal in 2010 involving an FBI inquiry concerning fraudulent cosmetology licenses possibly linked to human trafficking, prostitution and drugs.
- [Eckstrom Questions Timing of Sale of State-Owned Land](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/eckstrom-questions-timing-of-sale-of-state-owned-land/): Comptroller General Eckstrom argues during the Dec. 15 Budget and Control Board meeting that a proposal to sell a piece of property owned by the S.C.
- [Fate of I-526 Extension Project Remains Unsettled](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/fate-of-i-526-extension-project-remains-unsettled/): Individuals who turned out for the Dec. 6 Charleston County Council meeting expecting some resolution of the I-526 extension issue went away disappointed.
- [Charleston County Council Agrees on Redistricting Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/charleston-county-council-agrees-on-redistricting-plan/): It’s unlikely any of the various redistricting plans being floated will make each and every citizen happy, so it’s not surprising complaints were voiced at the Dec.
- [Foreign Teachers Favored in S.C. K-12 Hiring, Recruiter Claims](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/foreign-teachers-favored-in-s-c-k-12-hiring-recruiter-claims/): Despite the loss of thousands of teaching jobs in South Carolina in recent years, some public school districts in the Palmetto State have been hiring foreign teachers over American applicants, a teacher recruiter claims.
- [Still No Resolution in Sight on I-526 Extension](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/still-no-resolution-in-sight-on-i-526-extension/): Individuals who turned out for the Dec. 6 Charleston County Council meeting expecting some resolution of the I-526 extension issue went away disappointed.
- [Pearson: No Quid Pro Quo with Georgia](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/pearson-no-quid-pro-quo-with-georgia/): Sen. Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, asks Gov.
- [Additional Details of SCRA Lending Revealed; Legality in Question](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/additional-details-of-scra-lending-revealed-legality-in-question/): Some South Carolina banks have had a tough go over the past few years.
- [Columbia Officials: No Subsidies for Controversial Wal-Mart](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/columbia-officials-no-subsidies-for-controversial-wal-mart/): Midlands residents, regardless of whether they know Wal-Mart has a history of cashing in on taxpayer subsidies, might be wondering if the company aims to do so as it looks to expand into downtown Columbia.
- [Charleston Council Approves Plan Related to Major Development](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/charleston-council-approves-plan-related-to-major-development/): The Charleston County Council’s Dec.
- [Haley Staffer Faces Senate Panel on DHEC Permit Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/haley-staffer-faces-senate-panel-on-dhec-permit-issue/): Tim Pearson, chief of staff for Gov. Nikki Haley, is questioned by members of a Senate panel Dec.
- [Making Sense of SC Launch Numbers No Easy Task](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/making-sense-of-sc-launch-numbers-no-easy-task/): Questions still remain after the S.C. Research Authority responded to an S.C.
- [Senator Grills Haley Chief of Staff on DHEC Permit](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/senator-grills-haley-chief-of-staff-on-dhec-permit/): Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, questions Gov.
- [Research Authority Named Ninth-Fastest Growing “Company” in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/research-authority-named-ninth-fastest-growing-company-in-s-c/): The S.C. Research Authority, a tax-free state agency that represents itself as a private business, is No.
- [What's Behind the Unfunded Liability in SC's Retirement System](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/whats-behind-the-unfunded-liability-in-scs-retirement-system/): A member of the Retirement Ad Hoc Committee highlights some of the causes behind the huge unfunded liability facing the state retirement system.
- [Court System Raking in Fees, Accumulating Millions in Reserves](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/budget-judiciary/): File a lawsuit in circuit court in South Carolina and it will cost you $150. Add another $25 for each motion filed in your suit.
- [Legislators Exempt Themselves from Sunshine Law They Created](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/legislators-exempt-themselves-from-sunshine-law-they-created/): When it comes to releasing public emails and other internal communications, the governor’s office isn’t the only place that likes to play secrecy games.
- [Diverse Leaders See Benefits in Privately Run Ports](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/diverse-leaders-see-benefits-in-privately-run-ports/): A key issue has been overlooked in a political firestorm engulfing a state board’s recent decision to approve a project that could help Georgia better compete against South Carolina in the ports industry.
- [Ports Authority Chief Cruising toward Top of Pay Scale](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/ports-authority-chief-cruising-toward-top-of-pay-scale/): Jim Newsome, the chief administrator of the S.C.
- [Restructuring: Lots of Talk, Little Action](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/restructuring-lots-of-talk-little-action/): “Restructuring” might have been the buzzword of this year’s legislative session, but in the end, there was a whole lot of talk – and even an emergency state Supreme Court ruling – with no concrete results.
- [State’s Top Court Asked to Remove Legislators from Aviation Authority](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/states-top-court-asked-to-remove-legislators-from-aviation-authority/): The S.C. Supreme Court has been asked to determine whether a 2007 law that appointed two state legislators to the Charleston County Aviation Authority, which owns Charleston International Airport, violates the state constitution.
- [Court System Raking in Fees, Accumulating Millions in Reserves](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/12/court-system-raking-in-fees-accumulating-millions-in-reserves/): File a lawsuit in circuit court in South Carolina, and it will cost you $150. Add another $25 for each motion filed in your suit.
- [As Tuition at S.C. Universities Increases, So Does Administrator Pay](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/as-tuition-at-s-c-universities-increases-so-does-administrator-pay/): We’ve all heard it before: Tuition at South Carolina’s public universities and colleges is rising; state appropriations for higher education are falling; and it’s something that has been going on for years.
- [Millions Misspent Last Year on Unemployment Claims, Suit Claims](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/millions-misspent-last-year-on-unemployment-claims-suit-claims/): The state Department of Employment and Workforce misspent about $87 million in federal unemployment funds last fiscal year mainly by paying out claims to people who were not eligible, a lawsuit against the agency contends.
- [Millions Misspent Last Fiscal Year on Unemployment Claims, Suit Contends](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/millions-misspent-last-fiscal-year-on-unemployment-claims-suit-contends/): The state Department of Employment and Workforce misspent about $87 million in federal unemployment funds last fiscal year, mainly by paying out claims to people who were not eligible, a lawsuit against the agency contends.
- [Results of District 5 Audit Detailed](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/results-of-district-5-audit-detailed/): Alan Grimsley of the accounting firm of Derrick Stubbs & Stith presents his report on the Lexington Richland District 5 2010-11 fiscal year audit.
- [Boeing: A Public Body, Lawsuit Contends](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/boeing-a-public-body-lawsuit-contends/): Boeing is a public body under South Carolina law because the aerospace giant has received “large sums of public money” from the Palmetto State, a former Boeing engineer contends in a wrongful discharge lawsuit pending in a Charleston federal court.
- [Attorney Tells District 5 How Bond Money Can be Spent](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/attorney-tells-district-5-how-bond-money-can-be-spent/): McNair Law Firm attorney Francenia Heizer, speaking at the Nov.
- [Richland 2 Crawls onto Transparency Bandwagon](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/richland-2-crawls-onto-transparency-bandwagon/): The last of South Carolina’s 80-plus school districts has finally posted its check register online, nearly 1.5 years after being required to do so by a state budget proviso.
- [Forestry Agency Seeks Budget Hike for Firefighting, Economic Development](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/forestry-agency-seeks-budget-hike-for-firefighting-economic-development/): State revenues are running way ahead of schedule, and that means there’s a boatload of additional taxpayer money up for grabs as state officials begin crafting a budget for next fiscal year.
- [Charleston Auditor Takes Questions, Provides Few Answers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/charleston-auditor-takes-questions-provides-few-answers/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter It could have been a Hollywood western. Bristling with bravado, Big Ma Mosley marches up to the bar, orders a double whiskey.
- [Legislators: Law on Budget Process has been Ignored](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/legislators-law-on-budget-process-has-been-ignored/): A handful of legislators surveyed by The Nerve says the General Assembly has failed to adhere to state law when crafting South Carolina’s annual budget.
- [Chapin Student Tells District 5 Board Member Don't Oppose Renovation](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/chapin-student-tells-district-5-board-member-dont-oppose-renovation/): Chapin High School sophomore class president Matteo Macaluso singled out Lexington-Richland District 5 school board member Kim Murphy during the Nov.
- [Legislature Again Ignores Budget Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/legislature-again-ignores-budget-law/): If you go to the Office of State Budget website, you will see proposed 2012-13 budgets for 93 state agencies, divisions and separate funds.
- [The Quest for a Job-Announcement List](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/the-quest-for-a-job-announcement-list/): Treasurer Curtis Loftis asks S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt during the Nov.
- [Report: S.C. Needs Higher Education Overhaul](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/report-s-c-needs-higher-education-overhaul/): From a troubled transportation center at South Carolina State University to a botched biomass plant at USC, South Carolina’s taxpayer-supported colleges and universities have pursued some costly misadventures in the recent past.
- [Merits of Commerce's Incentives-Pay Plan Discussed](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/merits-of-commerces-incentives-pay-plan-discussed/): Treasurer Curtis Loftis questions S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt on an incentives plan being discussed during the Nov. 4 Budget and Control Board meeting.
- [Charleston Council Asks 'Where's the Property Tax Bills?'](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/charleston-council-asks-wheres-the-property-tax-bills/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Charleston County Council members wondered aloud during the Nov.
- [TRAC Recommends Nixing SCRA’s Sales Tax Exemption](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/trac-recommends-nixing-scras-sales-tax-exemption/): The S.C. Research Authority, a state-created and state-controlled technology and real estate company, is adept at spreading its tentacles farther and deeper into South Carolina’s economy.
- [SC Launch Slow to Respond to Funding FOIA](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/sc-launch-slow-to-respond-to-funding-foia/): It’s been nearly seven weeks since The Nerve sent SC Launch a state Freedom of Information Act request to ascertain how the S.C.
- [Loftis Spars with Eckstrom at BCB Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/loftis-spars-with-eckstrom-at-bcb-meeting/): After a brief explanation of how the state Infrastructure Bank works, S.C.
- [State Agencies Cry Poverty While Amassing Large Surpluses](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/state-agencies-cry-poverty-while-amassing-large-surpluses/): South Carolina’s 33 public colleges and universities collectively amassed nearly $900 million in “unrestricted” assets – generally surplus money that can be spent on anything – as of June 30, according to year-end financial statements reviewed by The Nerve.
- [Loftis Expresses Lack of Confidence in DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/loftis-expresses-lack-of-confidence-in-dot/): Treasurer Curtis Loftis expresses his displeasure with problems at the S.C. Department of Transportation to DOT chief Robert St. Onge during the Nov.
- [‘Port Opponents’ List a ‘Port Enemies’ List?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/port-opponents-list-a-port-enemies-list/): More than two dozen Charleston-area businesses have been targeted in an anonymous negative publicity campaign apparently stemming from a long-running struggle in the port city over how to handle its growing cruise ship industry.
- [Charleston Considers Consolidation Question](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/charleston-considers-consolidation-question/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Charleston County Council member Vic Rawl was responsible for placing the question on the referendum at the end of last year.
- [Commerce Pay Incentives Nab Big Part Share of BCB's Attention](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/commerce-pay-incentives-nab-big-part-share-of-bcbs-attention/): An inverse connection between issues and costs was evident during Thursday’s Budget and Control Board meeting.
- [Sex Offenders Receive Big Bills from State Mental Health Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/sex-offenders-receive-big-bills-from-state-mental-health-agency/): In South Carolina, convicted sex offenders who have finished their prison sentences can be held indefinitely afterward behind bars if designated as a “sexually violent predator.” And if they eventually are released from a treatment program run by the S.C.
- [Yates: District Not Forthcoming With Responses](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/yates-district-not-forthcoming-with-responses/): Speaking during the public participation portion of the Oct.
- [Pastides Shows He’s No Renaissance Man](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/pastides-shows-hes-no-renaissance-man/): There’s no doubt that University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides is well-educated.
- [District 5: Let Taxpayers Look Up Data Themselves](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/district-5-let-taxpayers-look-up-data-themselves/): When Lexington-Richland School District 5 Chief Financial Officer Karl Fulmer is asked if the district's online check registers can be made easier to read by using account names instead of 15-digit codes, he says the district is only required to publish its check registers.
- [Haley Passing on Zero-Base Budgeting?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/haley-passing-on-zero-base-budgeting/): When Gov. Nikki Haley was an S.C.
- [District 5: Home of the Fallacy of the Irrelevant Argument](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/11/district-5-home-of-the-fallacy-of-the-irrelevant-argument/): Lexington-Richland School District 5 board member Beth Watson takes umbrage when fellow board member Kim Murphy raises concerns over members attending an upcoming conference at Hilton Head.
- [Legislature Intent on Tax Reform? Oh Really?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/legislature-intent-on-tax-reform-oh-really/): If the best indication of how people will behave in the future is how they have acted in the past, a claim South Carolina legislative leaders make in a lawsuit against sales tax exemptions is questionable, at best.
- [Direction of Charleston Greenbelt Funding an Issue](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/direction-of-charleston-greenbelt-funding-an-issue/): By Warwick Jones Citizen Reporter Differences seem to be growing on Charleston County Council as to the direction of greenbelt funding.
- [Charleston Won't See Tax Increase in 2012](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/charleston-wont-see-tax-increase-in-2012/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter The meeting set for Oct.
- [District 5 Officials Balk at Adding Information to Check Registers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/district-5-officials-balk-at-adding-information-to-check-registers/): It’s been more than a year since South Carolina school districts began posting their spending details online in accordance with a 2009 legislative proviso, but efforts by individuals in at least one district to expand transparency were recently rebuffed in no uncertain terms.
- [Assessing Health Exchange Focus Groups](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/assessing-health-exchange-focus-groups/): During the Oct. 6 Health Planning Committee Meeting, members discuss results of focus groups that were asked questions regarding the health insurance exchange.
- [SLED Ripped Off Its Own Retirees, Lawsuit Alleges](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/sled-ripped-off-its-own-retirees-lawsuit-alleges/): The S.C. Law Enforcement Division violated state law for years by taking higher-than-allowed pension deductions from the salaries of working retirees at the agency, a lawsuit pending before the state's highest court contends.
- [The Oddities of Surveying Opinions on the Federal Health Care Overhaul](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/the-oddities-of-surveying-opinions-on-the-federal-health-care-overhaul/): At the behest of the Department of Insurance, a key informant survey covering “expert” opinions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was conducted by the South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health.
- [More Questions Arise Regarding Program that Won’t Die](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/more-questions-arise-regarding-program-that-wont-die/): After more than two years and into a second administration, the S.C.
- [The Difference Between State - and Federally-Based Exchanges](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/the-difference-between-state-and-federally-based-exchanges/): In a meeting of the South Carolina Health Planning Committee, Senator Mike Rose asks whether there's any meaningful difference between a state-controlled and federally controlled health exchange – a question asked (and answered) by a Policy Council report here.
- [State Budget Process: What the Law Says vs. What Lawmakers Do](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/state-budget-process-what-the-law-says-vs-what-lawmakers-do/): Amid football season and the approaching holidays, all’s quiet on the State House grounds with the S.C.
- [Skateboard Ordinance Brings Out Crowd in Charleston](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/skateboard-ordinance-brings-out-crowd-in-charleston/): By Marc Knapp Citizen Reporter It’s unclear what prompted the turnout, but speakers for and against skateboards dominated the citizens’ participation portion of the Charleston City Council Meeting Oct.
- [Certified SC Grown – Not Always What It Seems](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/certified-sc-grown-not-always-what-it-seems/): The goal of the Certified SC Grown program is to enable consumers to “easily identify, find and buy South Carolina products.” Part of a multimillion-dollar effort by the S.C.
- [Can S.C.’s FOIA Law Be Strengthened?](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/can-s-c-s-foia-law-be-strengthened/): A state legislator wants to toughen South Carolina’s loophole-riddled open records law, but a bill he introduced this year to fix those problems has gone nowhere, languishing since being referred to the House Judiciary Committee in mid-January.
- [Ag Commissioner Seeks Money for Alternative Energy](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/ag-commissioner-seeks-money-for-alternative-energy/): S.C. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers requests an interim adjustment of a little more than $600,000 from the Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee during an Oct.
- [Commerce, DMV: Information is Power, and It’ll Cost You, Too](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/commerce-dmv-information-is-power-and-itll-cost-you-too/): Loose enforcement mechanisms in South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act have allowed the state Department of Commerce to wait dozens of days and charge hundreds of dollars in response to requests to release public records, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Boles on How Other Funds are Recorded](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/boles-on-how-other-funds-are-recorded/): Les Boles of the Office on State Budget tells Joint Other Funds Oversight Committee members how other funds are recorded in the state budget during an Oct.
- [State, Local Subsidies Benefit Wal-Mart in South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/state-local-subsidies-benefit-wal-mart-in-south-carolina/): Attention South Carolina taxpayers – with Wal-Mart planning to build, expand or relocate “dozens” of stores in the Palmetto State, here’s something to keep in mind: The capacity for Wal-Mart to offer the company’s famously “always low prices” is enhanced, directly or indirectly, by public subsidies that benefit the world’s biggest retailer.
- [Overview of Other Funds Laid Out](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/overview-of-other-funds-laid-out/): Les Boles of the Office on State Budget gives a quick overview of the other funds budgeting process during the Oct.
- [Proposed S.C. Electric Car Plant Short Circuits, Despite Handout Offers](https://thenervearchive.org/2011/10/proposed-s-c-electric-car-plant-short-circuits-despite-handout-offers/): In July 2009, CT&T, a South Korean electric vehicle manufacturer, announced that it would launch production in the United States, with plans to employ 2,600 workers over five years.
- [Bill Would Add Forester to State Economic Development Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/bill-would-add-forester-to-state-economic-development-board/): The S.C. Forestry Commission is supporting a bill to put its director on an obscure state board with vast control over South Carolina’s economy.
- [46 State Symbols … and Counting?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/46-state-symbols-and-counting/): Dreaming of making the Atlantic brief squid the official state cephalopod? How about poison ivy the official state irritant?
- [Senator Proposes Putting Himself on SCRA Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/senator-proposes-putting-himself-on-scra-board/): One of the state’s most powerful lawmakers has authored a bill that would put himself both on the board of trustees and executive committee of a little-understood, state-controlled technology and real estate company.
- [Capital Reserve Fund or Legislative Slush Fund?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/capital-reserve-fund-or-legislative-slush-fund/): When it comes to spending by the S.C. General Assembly, old habits die hard.
- [The Difference Between Incentives and Private Investment – Disclosure](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/the-difference-between-incentives-and-private-investment-disclosure/): Imagine being an investment broker without the information necessary to keep clients apprised of how their assets are performing: no price-to-earnings data, no quarterly profit statements, no tax liability numbers.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Casino Proposal Gets Cool Reception from Some in Lowcountry](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-casino-proposal-gets-cool-reception-from-some-in-lowcountry/): A sizeable number of Hilton Head Island residents oppose the potential establishment of a gambling casino in nearby Jasper County, according to Tom Hatfield, a Citizen Reporter for The Nerve.
- [Boeing Greased Its Landing in South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/boeing-greased-its-landing-in-south-carolina/): Say one thing for the Boeing Co.: The aerospace giant understands how to play the political game.
- [Politics Threatens to Derail Restructuring](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/politics-threatens-to-derail-restructuring/): Politics threatens to overshadow policy in a debate about restructuring state government, a brand of kabuki theater that could derail the most far-reaching attempted overhaul in two decades.
- [Officials Still Mum on Boeing Incentives after Two-Plus Years](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/officials-still-mum-on-boeing-incentives-after-two-plus-years/): Nearly 2.5 years ago, the S.C.
- [Critics Question Rate Increases for Nuclear Plant](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/critics-question-rate-increases-for-nuclear-plant/): A state law that allows utilities to charge their customers years in advance for the construction of a nuclear plant is being used to fleece ratepayers for an expansion project at the V.C.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Government Officials Overpaid](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-government-officials-overpaid/): While it might be difficult for many to believe, let alone understand, the government of South Carolina has no fewer than 85 agencies.
- [More Judges in South Carolina Next Year?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/more-judges-in-south-carolina-next-year/): With huge court case backlogs statewide, the legal community in South Carolina in recent years hasn’t been bashful about asking the S.C.
- [Another Top SCRA Executive to Depart](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/another-top-scra-executive-to-depart/): Another high-ranking S.C. Research Authority executive is leaving the state agency.
- [SCRA Spins Its Economic Impact](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/scra-spins-its-economic-impact/): The S.C. Research Authority, a state-created and state-controlled technology and real estate company, left out the bad news in recently announcing its latest economic impact results.
- [Verifying Governor's Job Claims Remains Elusive](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/verifying-governors-job-claims-remains-elusive/): If Gov. Nikki Haley has one signature issue, it’s job creation.
- [Charleston Citizen Reporter: Gaillard Development Bold but Improbable](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/charleston-citizen-reporter-gaillard-development-bold-but-improbable/): The Preservation Society of Charleston fired off another round last week in its battle with the city of Charleston over cruise ships and the Gaillard Auditorium.
- [Economic Development in Higher Ed Funding Proposals](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/economic-development-in-higher-ed-funding-proposals/): At face value it sounds like it might be a good idea to a lot of people, and an eminently fair proposal at that: Allocate public funding to state colleges and universities based on how well they do their jobs.
- [Francis Marion University Branches Out to … Ecuador?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/francis-marion-university-branches-out-to-ecuador/): Francis Marion University might appear to be straying a bit afield with its new research station in the Andes, but it’s doing so almost entirely with private funding.
- [S.C. High Court to Hear Disability Case Affected by State Budget Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/s-c-high-court-to-hear-disability-case-affected-by-state-budget-cuts/): Jennifer “Katie” Elledge can’t speak and has no use of her hands and feet. She can eat only blended or pureed food.
- [Local Lake Business Owners Say They’re Drowning in State Regs](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/local-lake-business-owners-say-theyre-drowning-in-state-regs/): State regulations are designed to protect South Carolina’s parks and lakes while allowing visitors to enjoy the outdoors.
- [Charleston Citizen Reporter: County Attorney’s High Pay Stirs Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/charleston-citizen-reporter-county-attorneys-high-pay-stirs-debate/): The Charleston County Council has been dogged for years by the issue of remuneration for the county’s attorney.
- [Columbia’s No Free Market Haven, Some Business Owners Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/columbias-no-free-market-haven-some-business-owners-say/): The city of Columbia doesn’t so much have a reputation for being anti-business as it seems to be intent on trying to pick winners and losers in the marketplace.
- [Tax Breaks for Wealthy ‘Angel’ Investors Set for Senate Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/tax-breaks-for-wealthy-angel-investors-set-for-senate-hearing/): New examples of investment capital available to startup South Carolina companies call into question an argument for state government to get more involved in the venture capital business.
- [Senators Keep Magistrates on Short Leash in 'Holdover' Status](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/senators-keep-magistrates-on-short-leash-in-holdover-status/): If you wind up in court in South Carolina, chances are good you’ll appear before a county magistrate.
- [S.C. State Wants Taxpayers to Foot Audit Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/s-c-state-wants-taxpayers-to-foot-audit-bill/): Imagine you run a business. You’re not very good at things mechanical or electrical, but attempt to renovate your office, anyway.
- [Legislature’s Watchdog Agency Lives on Bare-Bones Diet](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/legislatures-watchdog-agency-lives-on-bare-bones-diet/): South Carolina receiving an “F” in a recently released good-government study suggests state government needs a vigorous, well-funded watchdog looking out for the public’s best interests.
- [Former SCRA Chairman: Turnover No Surprise](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/former-scra-chairman-turnover-no-surprise/): The former chairman of the S.C. Research Authority said he’s not surprised by high turnover among top executives at the state agency.
- [Padding the Legislative Session?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/padding-the-legislative-session/): If S.C. Rep. Seth Whipper has his way, the 124-member House would start meeting every Monday when the General Assembly is in session.
- [House Committee Gives Nod to Fresh on the Campus Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/house-committee-gives-nod-to-fresh-on-the-campus-bill/): A bill that would take the “S.C. Fresh on the Campus” program statewide recently received a thumb’s up from a House committee.
- [Executive Turnover Hits SCRA](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/executive-turnover-hits-scra/): For an agency that pays extremely well, the S.C. Research Authority appears to have an extremely hard time holding on to upper management.
- [Ex-Im Bank: Boeing, the Legislature and Corporate Welfare](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/ex-im-bank-boeing-the-legislature-and-corporate-welfare/): The S.C. General Assembly has thrown its support behind a federal agency that free market advocates decry as a corporate welfare shop for politically connected mega-corporations.
- [Oconee Citizen Reporter: Zoning Regs Harm Property Rights](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/oconee-citizen-reporter-zoning-regs-harm-property-rights/): Oconee County zoning regulations are continuing to create dissension within the county, according to at least one resident.
- [Vendor-Preference Bill: Boost to S.C. Businesses, or Bust for S.C. Taxpayers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/vendor-preference-bill-boost-to-s-c-businesses-or-bust-for-s-c-taxpayers/): South Carolina companies would have an easier time getting state contracts of more than $500,000 under an S.C.
- [Governor’s Schedule: Substance Light, Interview Heavy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/governors-schedule-substance-light-interview-heavy/): One of the duties of Gov.
- [Lexington County’s Pelion Airport a Flight of Fancy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/lexington-countys-pelion-airport-a-flight-of-fancy/): Consultant recommendations for Lexington County’s Pelion Airport include extending the runway to enable it to handle heavier aircraft and allowing the sale of jet fuel, both of which would purportedly help boost the number of flights significantly.
- [School Skippers Given Second Chance under House Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/school-skippers-given-second-chance-under-house-bill/): A freshman S.C.
- [House Pension Bill Protects Current Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/house-pension-bill-protects-current-lawmakers/): When the S.C. House recently passed a retirement-system reform bill, it was widely reported that state lawmakers would no longer be able to receive a state pension while serving in office.
- [Bill Would Keep Employers From Asking for Social Media Information](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/04/bill-would-keep-employers-from-asking-for-social-media-information/): Don’t let it be said that at least some members of the S.C. General Assembly aren’t trying to keep up with modern technology.
- [Governor, Former Lt. Governor Cases Highlight House Ethics Secrecy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/governor-former-lt-governor-cases-highlight-house-ethics-secrecy/): A judge’s recent dismissal of an ethics lawsuit against Gov. Nikki Haley serves as yet another example of secrecy surrounding ethics matters in the S.C. House.
- [Charleston County Moves to Dish Out Extra A-Tax Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/charleston-county-moves-to-dish-out-extra-a-tax-money/): Presentations were recently made by the Charleston Museum, the Gibbes Museum and the Medal of Honor Museum for allocations from accommodation tax funding, and all three were rewarded at the March 22 Charleston County Council meeting.
- [Committee OKs Bill to Allow Home Schoolers to Participate at Local Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/committee-oks-bill-to-allow-home-schoolers-to-participate-at-local-schools/): A Senate Education Committee Wednesday voted 9-3 in favor of a bill that would allow home-schooled students in South Carolina to play sports at their local public school.
- [House Version of FY13 Budget Calls for $1 Billion-Plus Increase](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/house-version-of-fy13-budget-calls-for-1-billion-plus-increase/): If you were looking for one word to describe the S.C. House’s version of next fiscal year’s state budget, “austere” wouldn’t be it.
- [Takings Bill Panned by Associations, Citizens](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/takings-bill-panned-by-associations-citizens/): Citizens and statewide associations alike voiced concern Wednesday during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing over proposed legislation that would enable municipalities to not only seize and sell properties deemed unsafe, but also unoccupied homes, even if they are structurally sound.
- [Takings Bills Worry Property Rights Supporters](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/takings-bills-worry-property-rights-supporters/): Property rights advocates are hopping mad over companion bills in the General Assembly that would enable municipalities to not only seize and sell properties deemed unsafe, but also unoccupied homes, even if they are structurally sound.
- [HPV Vaccine Bill Could Provoke Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/hpv-vaccine-bill-could-provoke-controversy/): An S.C. House bill to have the state provide optional vaccinations to middle school girls against a sexually transmitted disease known as the HPV virus could prove to be controversial.
- [Senate Clerk Still Mum on Budget Details](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/senate-clerk-still-mum-on-budget-details/): S.C. Senate Clerk Jeffrey Gossett apparently is in no mood to publicly discuss his chamber’s proposed $12 million-plus budget for next fiscal year.
- [Good Will Hunting – By Any Means Necessary](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/good-will-hunting-by-any-means-necessary/): Puppies, kittens and bunnies get all the love, but who’s going to stand up for nature’s uglier quadrupeds? Few in the S.C. General Assembly, apparently.
- [Sales-Tax Exemption Bill: Real Reform?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/sales-tax-exemption-bill-real-reform/): The latest S.C.
- [Next up: Why Prohibition Was a Smashing Success](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/next-up-why-prohibition-was-a-smashing-success/): Someone may want to let the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in on a little concept called “market forces.” According to a Sunday article in the Upstate publication, copper theft is down in Spartanburg County due to a new law requiring those selling scrap metal to obtain permits.
- [Market Bulletin Mystery Raises Legal, Constitutional Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/market-bulletin-mystery-raises-legal-constitutional-questions/): It might sound like a trivial affair, but it actually carries legal and constitutional implications: The S.C. Department of Agriculture and Gov.
- [Charleston Stubs Out Cigar Bar](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/charleston-stubs-out-cigar-bar/): The key issue at the March 19 Charleston City Council meeting focused on the Club Havana cigar bar.
- [Republicans Back Away from School Flexibility Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/republicans-back-away-from-school-flexibility-bill/): Support for school choice apparently only goes so far among some South Carolina Republicans, as in “it’s OK as long as it doesn’t interfere with constituents’ bottom line.” For example, Rep.
- [State Officials See Economic Development Trees in Forest](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/state-officials-see-economic-development-trees-in-forest/): A growing number of state officials think they can see the forest for the economic development trees, or so it seems.
- [Irmo Taxpayers Could Choke on Okra Strut Costs](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/irmo-taxpayers-could-choke-on-okra-strut-costs/): The Midlands town of Irmo announced this week that it’s found a home for the 41-year-old Okra Strut festival.
- [Bill to Make Insurance Director Elected Post Gets Favorable Report](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/bill-to-make-insurance-director-elected-post-gets-favorable-report/): An S.C. Senate subcommittee charged with considering the merits of a bill that would make the state insurance director an elected position wasted little time approving the measure Wednesday.
- [Property Police Bill Stalls](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/property-police-bill-stalls/): If, as American abolitionist once wrote, eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, pro-freedom South Carolinians have had a busy 2012.
- [Commerce Ads: Big Bang for Agency’s Budget?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/commerce-ads-big-bang-for-agencys-budget/): South Carolina’s state-driven economic development efforts have received glowing reviews lately from some national trade publications.
- [Democrats Lay Out Ethics Reform Plan for S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/democrats-lay-out-ethics-reform-plan-for-s-c/): In the wake of South Carolina’s pathetic performance in a recent national report assessing transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms, three state lawmakers Tuesday outlined steps they say are needed to change the way business is done in the State House.
- [SCRA Chief: ‘We’re Not the Government’](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/scra-chief-were-not-the-government/): Two things would seem certain about S.C.
- [Do We Really Need a ‘Governor Light?’](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/do-we-really-need-a-governor-light/): The recent upheaval in the S.C. Lieutenant Governor’s Office has many asking if the position is necessary.
- [Drunk with (Government Interference) Wine](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/drunk-with-government-interference-wine/): S.C. Rep. Eric Bedingfield says he’s ecstatic about a bill passed late last month that allows South Carolina wineries to use more out-of-state fruits, berries and juices in their wines.
- [Oconee Zoning Raises Residents’ Ire](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/oconee-zoning-raises-residents-ire/): Over the past five years, Oconee County Council has been criticized for concentrating a good bit of its efforts on zoning, to the exclusion of much else going on in the county, some feel.
- [Resolutions: Wasting Away Again in Legislative-ville](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/resolutions-wasting-away-again-in-legislative-ville/): If South Carolina taxpayers think that the state Legislature uses its time and money merely to address important issues, they might be surprised.
- [S.C. Gets ‘F’ in Good-Government Study](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/s-c-gets-f-in-good-government-study/): When it comes to transparency, accountability and anti-corruption mechanisms, South Carolina ranks near the bottom, according to a recently released report.
- [Unlike Ard Pleading, Wheels of Justice Move Slowly in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/unlike-ard-pleading-wheels-of-justice-move-slowly-in-s-c/): If you ask most South Carolina attorneys who handle criminal cases, they likely would tell you that the campaign-finance fraud case of former Lt. Gov.
- [Nerve Wins Awards in Annual Press Association Contest](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/nerve-wins-awards-in-annual-press-association-contest/): The Nerve received three South Carolina Press Association awards at the association’s annual awards meeting Saturday in Folly Beach.
- [Board of Regents Bills Languish](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/board-of-regents-bills-languish/): Two bills to reform South Carolina’s public higher education system by creating a board of regents are languishing in the General Assembly even as arguments for such a board mount.
- [It's Wine and Rose at Charleston County Council meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/its-wine-and-rose-at-charleston-county-council-meeting/): It was “feel-good” time on Charleston County Council earlier this week at the March 13 meeting.
- [Governor, House Part Ways on Tax Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/governor-house-part-ways-on-tax-reform/): A potential overhaul of the state tax code this year has fallen into a parting of ways between Gov. Nikki Haley and the S.C.
- [Advocates for Stronger FOIA Law Rally at State House](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/advocates-for-stronger-foia-law-rally-at-state-house/): A gathering Wednesday in support of legislation to strengthen the state’s Freedom of Information Act represented the first citizens’ rally in favor of open government and the Freedom of Information Act that South Carolina Press Association Executive Director Bill Rogers recalls witnessing in his 20-plus years around the State House.
- [Bill to Give Arts Commission Steady Funding Gets Favorable Report](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/bill-to-give-arts-commission-steady-funding-gets-favorable-report/): Legislation that would give the S.C. Arts Commission a steady source of revenue received approval from a Senate subcommittee today.
- [Legislation Looks to Take “Palmettovore” Program to Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/legislation-looks-to-take-palmettovore-program-to-schools/): There’s no doubt about it: The S.C. Department of Agriculture is finding taxpayer-funded marketing and promotion more and more to its liking.
- [Bill Would Loosen Lawmakers’ Control Over Veterans’ Offices](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/bill-would-loosen-lawmakers-control-over-veterans-offices/): County legislative delegations could give up their long-held power over the hiring and firing of county veterans’ affairs officers under a recently introduced S.C.
- [Charleston Council Considers Funding Requests](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/charleston-council-considers-funding-requests/): There was little business before Charleston County Council at the February 24 session of the Finance Committee.
- [Obscure New Agency Would Grow Under Restructuring Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/obscure-new-agency-would-grow-under-restructuring-bill/): A little-known state economic development agency created two years ago but not yet in operation would grow even more under the S.C.
- [Citizen Organizes Rally to Push for FOIA Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/citizen-organizes-rally-to-push-for-foia-bill/): An Aiken County political activist is planning a rally in Columbia next week in an effort impress upon legislators her belief in the need for a stronger Freedom of Information Act.
- [Lobbying by State Agencies Continues Despite State Ban](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/lobbying-by-state-agencies-continues-despite-state-ban/): Sixteen state agencies and institutions collectively have spent at least $320,000 since June lobbying the S.C.
- [Three SC Entities Win Transparency Awards](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/three-sc-entities-win-transparency-awards/): Three South Carolina public bodies are among just 214 government entities nationwide being recognized by a national nonprofit dedicated to government transparency.
- [Grassroots' Organizations Call on State Leaders for 'Real Reform'](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/grassroots-organizations-call-on-state-leaders-for-real-reform/): (Editor's Note: This story was updated on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.) Grassroots activists took both state lawmakers and Gov.
- [Senate Passes DOT Transparency Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/senate-passes-dot-transparency-bill/): Regardless of whether politics get driven out of highway spending in South Carolina this year, some sunlight could be coming to show how the state’s road construction dollars are expended.
- [Sullivan's Island Residents' Voting Rights Violated?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/sullivans-island-residents-voting-rights-violated/): UPDATE 3/6/12: The Sullivan's Island Town Council voted unanimously Monday evening to drop the town's lawsuit against the citizens group, according to a story today in the Charleston Post and Courier.
- [Public Outcry Leads to Withdrawal of Lexington Blight Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/public-outcry-leads-to-withdrawal-of-lexington-blight-proposal/): A proposed ordinance that proponents argued would have controlled blight in Lexington County ended up stirring up so much ire among residents that it was withdrawn just weeks after being introduced.
- [DOT Restructuring: Real Change, Or Just a Facade?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/03/dot-restructuring-real-change-or-just-a-facade/): As separate bills aimed at restructuring the state Department of Transportation progress through the S.C.
- [Power Trip: The Legislature’s Double Standards on FOIA, Ethics and Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/power-trip-the-legislatures-double-standards-on-foia-ethics-and-spending/): Call it a disorder of the legislative state: In South Carolina, there is one set of rules for state legislators, and another set of rules for everybody else – even state and local elected officials.
- [S.C. Legislature Uses Secrecy Law to Thwart Records Requests by Grassroots Groups](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/s-c-legislature-uses-secrecy-law-to-thwart-records-requests-by-grassroots-groups/): Grassroots groups pushing for more accountability and transparency in state government are running into a wall of secrecy in the S.C.
- [Lawmakers Look to Another Law in Bid to Curb Copper Theft](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/lawmakers-look-to-another-law-in-bid-to-curb-copper-theft/): Poll some of the parties involved in an effort to thwart the theft and illegal sale of copper, and you’ll get mixed reviews regarding the latest legislative bill aimed at curbing the underground business.
- [Obscure Program Revises Process, Accountability Remains Illusory](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/obscure-program-revises-process-accountability-remains-illusory/): Working to convince South Carolinians that a little-known competitive grants program is on the up and up, the S.C.
- [Research University Presidents Silent on Board of Regents for S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/research-university-presidents-silent-on-board-of-regents-for-s-c/): The presidents of South Carolina’s three research universities came prepared Wednesday to talk to a state Senate panel about their funding woes and an expanding role their institutions play in state economic development efforts.
- [Free Pass or Tough Love for Juvenile Offenders?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/free-pass-or-tough-love-for-juvenile-offenders/): Juveniles who plead guilty to non-violent and other minor offenses could have their cases dismissed if they pass a probation program run by family courts, under an S.C.
- [Still No Sunshine on S.C. House, Senate Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/still-no-sunshine-on-s-c-house-senate-spending/): It doesn't look like any sunlight will shine for now on the traditionally secretive process that the S.C.
- [Senator Introduces Bill to Cap Tuition Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/senator-introduces-bill-to-cap-tuition-hikes/): Describing tuition hikes at public colleges as tantamount to tax increases, a state senator says it’s time to put some constraints on the schools’ ability to continue raising their tuition costs at household budget-breaking levels.
- [S.C. House Bill Proposes Major Child Custody Law Changes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/s-c-house-bill-proposes-major-child-custody-law-changes/): South Carolina’s child custody law would see its biggest overhaul in decades under a bill that has sailed through the S.C. House. The bill (H.
- [The Search for a Joint Open Session on the Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/the-search-for-a-joint-open-session-on-the-budget/): State law requires that House and Senate appropriation committees meet in joint open session to consider the governor’s proposed budget within five days of it being released.
- [More Lawmakers Supporting Independence for Legislative Ethics](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/more-lawmakers-supporting-independence-for-legislative-ethics/): A third bill has been introduced to put the kibosh on ethics self-policing in the S.C. General Assembly, and the effort is now bipartisan. Rep.
- [Provisos: Legislators’ Earmarks – and Why They Love Them](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/provisos-legislators-earmarks-and-why-they-love-them/): Lots of politicians rail against federal earmarks in Congress, but the S.C.
- [Hundreds of Thousands Spent Annually Wining and Dining S.C. Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/02/hundreds-of-thousands-spent-annually-wining-and-dining-s-c-lawmakers/): It’s a sure sign the S.C. General Assembly is back in session when tents rise on the State House grounds.
- [Senate Bill Seeks to Make Top Insurance Post an Elected Position](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/senate-bill-seeks-to-make-top-insurance-post-an-elected-position/): Five years after Grand Strand legislators failed in a bid to change the S.C.
- [House Bill Could Give Accused Criminals Multiple Breaks](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/house-bill-could-give-accused-criminals-multiple-breaks/): Offenders charged with certain crimes could have their records wiped clean multiple times under a bill introduced this month by a state House member who is a criminal defense attorney.
- [Senate Faces Choice on Dept. of Administration: True Change or Fig-Leaf Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/senate-faces-choice-on-dept-of-administration-true-change-or-fig-leaf-reform/): Although myriad ifs, ands or buts could derail it, a full-on elimination of the Budget and Control Board is in the works in the S.C. General Assembly.
- [Secret Budget Process Continues in S.C. General Assembly](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/01/secret-budget-process-continues-in-s-c-general-assembly/): If you’re a policy wonk or had a really bad case of insomnia and read Gov.
- [Top-Paid State House Lobbyist Earned $673,000 This Session](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/top-paid-state-house-lobbyist-earned-673000-this-session/): Richard Davis, founder and president of the Capitol Consultants government relations firm in Columbia, reported $673,000 in lobbying income during this year’s legislative session, the most among legions of registered State House lobbyists.
- [$300,000-Plus Spent on European Junkets; No Known Results](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/300000-plus-spent-on-european-junkets-no-known-results/): If state taxpayers want to know what they received for the more than $300,000 spent by Gov.
- [Citizen Reporter Doris Simmons Wants to Make Sure You’re Informed](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/citizen-reporter-doris-simmons-wants-to-make-sure-youre-informed/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [State Health Insurance Uproar Shows BCB Power Plays Cut Both Ways](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/state-health-insurance-uproar-shows-bcb-power-plays-cut-both-ways/): Editor’s note: Nerve Citizen Reporter Talbert Black and state Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, talk about eliminating the S.C.
- [Becoming an S.C. Lawmaker Ticket to Money Train for Lawyers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/becoming-an-s-c-lawmaker-ticket-to-money-train-for-lawyers/): For some lawyers, it pays to be a state legislator. Nearly 30 S.C.
- [State Goes Big in TV Buy for PGA Championship](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/state-goes-big-in-tv-buy-for-pga-championship/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell made a big announcement prior to the 2012 PGA Championship held last week in the backyard of Harrell’s district, which includes part of Charleston County.
- [$9 Billion Shortfall Projected in State Retiree Health Insurance Trust Fund](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/9-billion-shortfall-projected-in-state-retiree-health-insurance-trust-fund/): As a state panel led by Gov.
- [Citizen Reporter Alberta Wasden Fights for Open, Accountable Government](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/citizen-reporter-alberta-wasden-fights-for-open-accountable-government/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Constitutional Amendment Not Necessary to Change Property Tax Rates](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/constitutional-amendment-not-necessary-to-change-property-tax-rates/): There’s something to be said for reading the S.C. Constitution.
- [Lawmaker Calls for Audit of Potential Farmers Market Land Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/lawmaker-calls-for-audit-of-potential-farmers-market-land-deal/): A state lawmaker is calling for a formal audit of an S.C. Department of Agriculture proposal to pay the S.C.
- [Two Lawmakers Often Control Pay Hikes for High-Paid Legislative Staff](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/two-lawmakers-often-control-pay-hikes-for-high-paid-legislative-staff/): If you want to know who doled out big pay raises last fiscal year to House staffers earning at least $50,000, just stop by Room 506 in the Blatt Building on the State House grounds.
- [Citizen Reporter Larry Barnett’s First Rule: Limit Government Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/citizen-reporter-larry-barnetts-first-rule-limit-government-power/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Saving on Sales Tax Once a Year – Versus All Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/saving-on-sales-tax-once-a-year-versus-all-year/): If you loathe crowds, you might want to stay away from malls and other large retail outlets this weekend.
- [S.C. House Clerk, Other High-Paid Chamber Staff Get Big Raises](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/s-c-house-clerk-other-high-paid-chamber-staff-get-big-raises/): Christmas apparently came early this year for higher-paid S.C. House staffers – courtesy of state taxpayers.
- [AT&T Spends $276,000 on Lobbying; Most in S.C. This Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/at-most-in-s-c-this-year/): AT&T spent $276,000 trying to influence state government during this year’s legislative session, the largest outlay among hundreds of entities that hire lobbyists and lavish meals and other freebies on South Carolina lawmakers.
- [Feds Pushing to Keep Poor Parents Out of S.C. Jails for Unpaid Child Support](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/feds-pushing-to-keep-poor-parents-out-of-s-c-jails-for-unpaid-child-support/): Potentially thousands of South Carolina child-support enforcement cases are on hold because the federal government contends the state isn’t doing enough to protect the rights of indigent parents facing jail time for not paying child support.
- [Citizen Reporter Talbert Black Wields Policy Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/citizen-reporter-talbert-black-wields-policy-power/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Absent S.C. Lawmaker Continued to Receive State Pay](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/absent-s-c-lawmaker-continued-to-receive-state-pay/): An S.C. House member was paid more than $12,500 in legislative salary and expense reimbursements from January through June, despite racking up unexcused absences for virtually all of the legislative session this year, a review by The Nerve found.
- [S.C. Can Become the Most Business-Friendly State](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/s-c-can-become-the-most-business-friendly-state/): We have government-driven economic development going full force in this state.
- [Incentives Secrecy Gaining More Attention](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/incentives-secrecy-gaining-more-attention/): An effort to give South Carolina taxpayers a better sense of whether they get their money’s worth in economic development incentives could be generating more discussion, if not greater support.
- [Job Prospects Can Put State Employees in Conflict-of-Interest Bind, Audits Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/job-prospects-can-put-state-employees-in-conflict-of-interest-bind-audits-say/): More than five years ago, the S.C.
- [Silver Haired Legislature Gets Tax Dollars to Powwow at State House](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/silver-haired-legislature-gets-tax-dollars-to-powwow-at-state-house/): Since 2007, a total of $85,500 in state tax dollars has been allocated to a private, nonprofit group to hold annual meetings at the State House in Columbia to craft its legislative agenda for the upcoming year.
- [Citizen Reporter Brit Adams Champions Power to the People](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/citizen-reporter-brit-adams-champions-power-to-the-people/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [State Agencies Spent $700,000 on Lobbying in 2012](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/state-agencies-spent-700000-on-lobbying-in-2012/): More than a dozen state agencies disregarded the intent of state law and collectively spent at least $700,000 on lobbying last fiscal year, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Responsibility, Choice Answers to Obamacare](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-responsibility-choice-answers-to-obamacare/): A great deal has been written about Obamacare since the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the federal health care law.
- [Lt. Gov’s Office: First New SLED Agents, Now Administrative Raises?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/lt-govs-office-first-new-sled-agents-now-administrative-raises/): Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell likely won’t be sweating it as lawmakers today wrap up voting on whether to override Gov. Nikki Haley’s budget vetoes.
- [Will Veto of Mortgage Fraud Millions for Commerce Agency Stand?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/will-veto-of-mortgage-fraud-millions-for-commerce-agency-stand/): South Carolinians who were supposed to benefit from the state’s multimillion-dollar share of a national mortgage fraud settlement perhaps already know it: The General Assembly left them out in the cold on that one.
- [Haley Vetoes $3 Million for ‘Paper’ Economic Development Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/haley-vetoes-3-million-for-paper-economic-development-agency/): Gov. Nikki Haley apparently doesn’t want an economic development agency that exists only on paper to receive an additional $3 million this fiscal year, while a lawmaker is questioning why it’s taking so long to launch the agency.
- [For Citizen Reporter Don Rogers, It’s About Empowerment](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/for-citizen-reporter-don-rogers-its-about-empowerment/): Editor's note: This article continues a series of periodic profiles on The Nerve's Citizen Reporters.
- [Watching Out for Taxpayers – or Corporations?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/watching-out-for-taxpayers-or-corporations/): If South Carolinians want to know who some state legislators are looking out for in economic development incentives – taxpayers or corporations – a fly on the wall at a recent hearing might say it all.
- [Oconee Citizen Reporter: Unemployment Debacle Hurts Small Businesses](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/oconee-citizen-reporter-unemployment-debacle-hurts-small-businesses/): I would like to add to the story on the debacle of South Carolina’s state-run unemployment insurance system.
- [Budget Hike on Line for State Government’s Very Own Consulting Firm](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/budget-hike-on-line-for-state-governments-very-own-consulting-firm/): The South Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a mostly government-funded nonprofit that acts like a private consulting firm, could get a nearly 30 percent state funding increase this fiscal year.
- [Report: State Spends More Than $300 Million a Year on Corporate Welfare](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/report-state-spends-more-than-300-million-a-year-on-corporate-welfare/): Despite the state spending hundreds of millions on economic development, a new report suggests South Carolina taxpayers are not getting their money’s worth in state government’s efforts to create jobs.
- [Governor’s Budget Vetoes Omit Legislature Flouting Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/governors-budget-vetoes-omit-legislature-flouting-law/): Gov. Nikki Haley was critical of more than just $57.1 million in legislative appropriations when she vetoed at least that much from this year’s state budget last week.
- [For Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield, an Unlikely Intro to Writing](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/for-citizen-reporter-tom-hatfield-an-unlikely-intro-to-writing/): Editor’s note: This article kicks off a series of periodic profiles on The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Lawmakers Quietly Approve $2.5 Million Budget Hike for S.C. House](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/lawmakers-quietly-approve-2-5-million-budget-hike-for-s-c-house/): The S.C. House of Representatives is poised to receive $2.5 million more than the chamber originally requested for the fiscal year that started Sunday – a last-minute appropriation quietly approved by a state budget conference committee and signed off by the Legislature.
- [State Medicaid Agency Hid Deficit, Report Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/state-medicaid-agency-hid-deficit-report-says/): The S.C. Department of Human and Health Services engaged in unauthorized accounting procedures to mask a more than $220 million deficit in the 2011 fiscal year, according to a Legislative Audit Council report.
- [Innovista’s Job-Creation and Research Claims Overstated?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/innovistas-job-creation-and-research-claims-overstated/): Despite the University of South Carolina’s failure to bring high-tech firms to its research campus known as Innovista, the university is claiming that its seven-year-old project has created or attracted hundreds of private-sector technology jobs.
- [S.C. Legislature Maintains Its Vise Grip on Judiciary](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/07/s-c-legislature-maintains-its-vise-grip-on-judiciary/): If you want to know who controls judicial elections in South Carolina, you probably could count most of them on one hand. Under state law, the S.C.
- [School Bus Privatization Fails Again – Why?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/school-bus-privatization-fails-again-why/): It has been well documented that South Carolina is the only state in the nation that manages its own school bus fleet, but it is not so widely understood why.
- [Lawmakers Give Chief Justice Power to Set New Court Fee](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/lawmakers-give-chief-justice-power-to-set-new-court-fee/): Over Gov. Nikki Haley’s objection, S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal now has the authority to establish a new fee for users of the state court system.
- [Watchdog: Stiffer House Ethics Penalties Would Not Apply to Haley](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/watchdog-stiffer-house-ethics-penalties-would-not-apply-to-haley/): If the S.C. House Ethics Committee finds Gov.
- [The State’s Unemployment Debacle – Who’s Bailing Out Whom?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/the-states-unemployment-debacle-whos-bailing-out-whom/): The General Assembly is putting South Carolina taxpayers on the line for another $77 million to help bail out the state’s unemployment insurance system.
- [Nerve Video Report on Failed FOIA Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/nerve-video-report-on-failed-foia-bill/): A bill that would have strengthened South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act died earlier this month in the Senate as time ran out in the regular legislative session.
- [$35 Million ‘Rabbit’ Pulled Out of Hat for Continental](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/35-million-rabbit-pulled-out-of-hat-for-continental/): When state economic development officials in October agreed to offer a $31 million grant to bring a new Continental tire plant to the Palmetto State, a little-understood S.C.
- [Haley Calls Out Lawmakers Over Budget Stalemate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/haley-calls-out-lawmakers-over-budget-stalemate/): South Carolinians probably are accustomed to hearing talk of a government shutdown in Washington, D.C. But in the sunny Palmetto State?
- [S.C. Among Only 7 States with Legislative Ethics Self-Policing](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/s-c-among-only-7-states-with-legislative-ethics-self-policing/): South Carolina is one of only seven states whose ethics oversight bodies cannot investigate and issue penalties to their state lawmakers, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Oconee Citizen Reporters: Culture Clash Evident in Zoning Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/oconee-citizen-reporters-culture-clash-evident-in-zoning-case/): A zoning case in Oconee County offers evidence of what can happen when the interests of longtime residents conflict with those of relative newcomers.
- [Effort to Nix Budget and Control Board, Separate Powers Fails](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/effort-to-nix-budget-and-control-board-separate-powers-fails/): South Carolina legislators, whose power dominates the three branches of state government, once again have failed to better balance authority among the branches and give their constituents more ability to hold them accountable.
- [Legislative Ethics Chairmen Want to Consider More Income Disclosure](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/legislative-ethics-chairmen-want-to-consider-more-income-disclosure/): The chairmen of the S.C.
- [HPV Bill: Preventive Medicine, or Unfunded Mandate?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/hpv-bill-preventive-medicine-or-unfunded-mandate/): A bill that would have offered seventh-grade students the human papillomavirus vaccine on a voluntary basis with parental consent, beginning with the upcoming school year, was vetoed by Gov.
- [$2 Million Proposed for Nonprofit Teachers’ Group](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/2-million-proposed-for-nonprofit-teachers-group/): South Carolina lawmakers are poised for the first time to funnel $2 million in state sales tax revenue to a national nonprofit organization whose aim is to place hard-to-get teachers in poor K-12 schools.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter Helps Launch Legislative Watchdog Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-helps-launch-legislative-watchdog-project/): A new Nerve initiative in which Citizen Reporters monitor and report on their legislative delegations is already yielding results.
- [Nerve Video Report on Governor’s Undisclosed Emails in Ethics Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/nerve-video-report-on-governors-undisclosed-emails-in-ethics-case/): The S.C. House Ethics Committee is scheduled to begin hearing public testimony on June 28 in the case involving allegations that Gov.
- [The State Budget: Taxpayers’ Priorities, or Politicians’?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/the-state-budget-taxpayers-priorities-or-politicians/): When the S.C. General Assembly passes a budget each year, just like when families plan out their household finances, legislators define their spending priorities for the state.
- [House Budget Targets $1.26 Million for S.C. State Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/house-budget-targets-1-26-million-for-s-c-state-audit/): Government entities rarely look the budget gift horse in the mouth, but if the S.C. House has its way, S.C.
- [‘Angel’ Incentives Bill Times Out – This Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/angel-incentives-bill-times-out-this-year/): Supporters of special-interest tax breaks for wealthy “angel” investors in South Carolina will have to regroup in 2013 if they are to get the subsidies enacted into law.
- [Governor's Public Communication: Mostly PR, Little Policy](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/governors-public-communication-mostly-pr-little-policy/): While Gov. Nikki Haley says she wants her administration to be the most transparent in state history, she has fallen short of that goal more than once when it comes to releasing records of her public communications.
- [Legislature Again Rejects Law to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/legislature-again-rejects-law-to-ban-taxpayer-funded-lobbying/): The S.C. General Assembly once again is tinkering with half-measures to address publicly funded lobbying, rather than driving a stake through the heart of a practice many taxpayers across the political spectrum find offensive.
- [New Models Could Improve S.C. High Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/new-models-could-improve-s-c-high-schools/): The S. C. Education Oversight Committee heard Monday from representatives of two high schools on methods to improve graduation rates.
- [Probe of State School Readiness Program Begins](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/probe-of-state-school-readiness-program-begins/): Two years after more than a dozen state senators requested a review of the state’s early childhood education agency, S.C.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Ballot Denial Unfair](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-ballot-denial-unfair/): By now everyone is aware that dozens of candidates, both Democrat and Republican, were denied from being listed on ballots in today’s statewide primaries because they did not file a copy of their economic interest papers at the same time as their other application papers with their respective political parties.
- [S.C. Lawmakers Rush Through Huge Tax Break for Tire Manufacturers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/s-c-lawmakers-rush-through-huge-tax-break-for-tire-manufacturers/): When the clock struck 5 last Thursday afternoon – the official end of the regular S.C.
- [Bid to Bolster State FOIA Law Falls Short](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/bid-to-bolster-state-foia-law-falls-short/): Open-government advocates expressed disappointment Thursday as a bill that would have strengthened South Carolina’s notoriously weak Freedom of Information Act law withered and died.
- [Pavlov’s Jobs – Commerce Buys Publicity, Gets Kudos](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/pavlovs-jobs-commerce-buys-publicity-gets-kudos/): The S.C. Department of Commerce is continuing its longstanding practice of paying for promotional services from economic development magazines that shower praise on the state.
- [General Assembly Approves Family Court Bills](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/general-assembly-approves-family-court-bills/): Two bills that supporters expect will bring big changes to South Carolina’s family court system are now heading to Gov. Nikki Haley for her consideration.
- [Security Detail for Lt. Governor Necessary?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/security-detail-for-lt-governor-necessary/): Three years ago, then-Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell – one of the most powerful lawmakers in the General Assembly – sponsored a bill that would have created a “Capitol Police Force” to protect him and his fellow 169 legislators.
- [Restructuring Compromise Hinges on Financial Oversight Boards](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/restructuring-compromise-hinges-on-financial-oversight-boards/): A conference committee appointed to continue restructuring the S. C. Restructuring Act reconvened Monday in an effort to finalize the controversial bill.
- [Fort Mill Citizen Reporter Queries Lawmakers on Legislative Exemption to FOIA Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/06/fort-mill-citizen-reporter-queries-lawmakers-on-legislative-exemption-to-foia-bill/): With just days remaining in the General Assembly’s regular session, time is short if a bill to substantially strengthen South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act is to pass.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: Voter ID Simply Makes Sense](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-voter-id-simply-makes-sense/): While voter ID has, unfortunately, become a political issue here in South Carolina, it should not be.
- [Citizen Reporters: State Caters to Big Business, Ignores Small Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/citizen-reporters-state-caters-to-big-business-ignores-small-business/): South Carolina loves to roll out the red carpet for big corporations.
- [Senate Finance Committee Extra Generous to 9 Agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/senate-finance-committee-extra-generous-to-9-agencies/): The state budgeting process would seem at first blush relatively simple: An agency determines what it thinks it needs for the coming year based on anticipated revenues and expenditures and submits a request.
- [Outside Groups Spent $130,000 on Lawmakers' Travel in 2011](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/outside-groups-spent-130000-on-lawmakers-travel-in-2011/): A newsletter promoting the 20th annual National Speakers Conference last year in Charleston – hosted by S.C.
- [Governor’s Ethics Case Could Lead to More Reforms](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/governors-ethics-case-could-lead-to-more-reforms/): An ethics case involving Gov. Nikki Haley already has been the apparent source of a change toward more openness in the S.C.
- [Senior Center That Received State Money to Bear Former Lt. Gov.’s Name](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/senior-center-that-received-state-money-to-bear-former-lt-gov-s-name/): For nearly two years, then-Lt. Gov.
- [Tens of Millions Proposed for ‘Paper’ State Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/tens-of-millions-proposed-for-paper-state-agency/): Imagine a state agency that exists only on paper but has real bank accounts totaling more than $54 million.
- [Legislature Might Take Control of Licensing Fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/legislature-might-take-control-of-licensing-fees/): The S.C. General Assembly is moving to take control of a questionable legislative cash cow in the form of professional and occupational licensing fees.
- [Governor Ignores Three-Fourths of Budget in Lashing Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/governor-ignores-three-fourths-of-budget-in-lashing-senate/): When Gov. Nikki Haley took the S.C.
- [Senator Stalls Child Custody Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/senator-stalls-child-custody-bill/): A state senator is holding up a bill that supporters say would make major changes in the way child custody cases are handled in South Carolina.
- [Boeing Thanks S.C. Congressmen for Supporting Company’s Biggest Subsidizer](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/boeing-thanks-s-c-congressmen-for-supporting-companys-biggest-subsidizer/): The Boeing Co. is feeling the love for South Carolina’s congressional delegation – most of the delegation members anyway.
- [‘Angel’ Incentives Would Duplicate 3 State Programs](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/angel-incentives-would-duplicate-3-state-programs/): A bill that has moved another step closer to passing would have the state subsidize early-stage venture capital investing on top of three existing programs that do more or less the same thing.
- [Lexington Citizen Reporter Questions Sponsor of ‘Takings’ Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/lexington-citizen-reporter-questions-sponsor-of-takings-bill/): Talbert Black, a Citizen Reporter for The Nerve who lives in Lexington, recently posed questions to state Rep. Garry Smith, R-Greenville, the sponsor of S.C.
- [Phantom of the Legislative Session](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/phantom-of-the-legislative-session/): While tens of thousands of South Carolina state workers were spending last Thursday away from the office observing Confederate Memorial Day, the S.C.
- [Hilton Head Citizen Reporter: It’s Time for True School Choice](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/hilton-head-citizen-reporter-its-time-for-true-school-choice/): During a meeting of the Hilton Head Island First Monday Republican lunch group May 7, guest speaker S.C.
- [Why the Michelin Man is Smiling in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/why-the-michelin-man-is-smiling-in-s-c/): When Gov. Nikki Haley in April announced that Michelin North America would invest $750 million and create 500 new jobs in expanding production of its super-huge Earthmover tires, she described the company as “one of our finest corporate citizens.” “It really is a great day in South Carolina when our largest manufacturer reaffirms its commitment to the state,” Haley said.
- [Data Center Incentives Bill Moves Forward](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/data-center-incentives-bill-moves-forward/): An S.C. House bill that originally provided additional taxpayer-backed incentives to national corporate headquarters locating in South Carolina has been retooled to extend certain tax breaks to attract large data centers, such as those operated by Google and Facebook.
- [USC Eyes Another Tuition Hike, Buys More Buildings](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/usc-eyes-another-tuition-hike-buys-more-buildings/): Despite concerns across the country about a higher education “tuition bubble,” the University of South Carolina is looking at implementing yet another tuition increase in the fall.
- [BCB OKs $21 Million More for Clemson Wind Turbine Center](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/bcb-oks-21-million-more-for-clemson-wind-turbine-center/): Clemson University received approval Wednesday to boost the budget for its Lowcountry wind turbine test facility by more than 20 percent.
- [Freedom of Information Bill Faces Rocky Road in Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/freedom-of-information-bill-faces-rocky-road-in-senate/): An S.C. House-passed bill to monumentally strengthen the state’s open-government law faces a precarious road in the Senate.
- [Senate Proposal Would Increase Number of Family Court Judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/senate-proposal-would-increase-number-of-family-court-judges/): The S.C. Senate Judiciary Committee has proposed adding six family court judges statewide, up from three additional judges proposed by the House in March.
- [Expanded Incentives Bill Bogs Down Over Service Providers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/expanded-incentives-bill-bogs-down-over-service-providers/): Hundreds of businesses in South Carolina rely on them, though many folks probably don't know what they are.
- [1,200 Hours to Be a Lawyer in S.C. … 1,500 Hours to Be a Barber?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/1200-hours-to-be-a-lawyer-in-s-c-1500-hours-to-be-a-barber/): Aspiring South Carolina lawyers must spend 1,200 hours in the classroom; conversely, the schooling requirement to become a Palmetto State barber is 1,500 hours.
- [Lancaster Citizen Reporter Queries Senator on State’s Growing Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/lancaster-citizen-reporter-queries-senator-on-states-growing-budget/): Mary Atkinson, a Citizen Reporter for The Nerve who lives in Lancaster, recently posed questions to state Sen.
- [House Panel Drops Ethics Case against Governor after House Changes Its Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/house-panel-drops-ethics-case-against-governor-after-house-changes-its-rules/): The S.C. House last week danced a conspicuous ethics two-step, in what one State House watchdog describes as exactly the kind of bull pucky that makes taxpayers cynical about politicians and government.
- [USC Seeks Another $13.3 Million for Innovista](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/usc-seeks-another-13-3-million-for-innovista/): Plans by the University of South Carolina to move forward on a $26.8 million “upfit” for a building in USC’s star-crossed Innovista research campus have been delayed.
- [Sullivan’s Island Citizens Group Still Fighting for](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/sullivans-island-citizens-group-still-fighting-for/): A Sullivan’s Island citizens group plans to continue pushing for a public vote on a controversial elementary school-construction project, despite inaction by the Town Council on a sought-after referendum, a group spokeswoman said this week.
- [Greenville Citizen Reporter: Committee Chairmen Agree to Record Votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/greenville-citizen-reporter-committee-chairmen-agree-to-record-votes/): Fully 70 percent of the chairmen of key S.C.
- [House Axes Budget and Control Board in New Restructuring Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/house-axes-budget-and-control-board-in-new-restructuring-plan/): The S.C. House passed a counter-proposal Wednesday to a Senate plan for restructuring state government, going much further than the House’s original blueprint and outstripping the Senate in some areas.
- [Hundreds of Expired Terms on State Panels Raise Concerns](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/hundreds-of-expired-terms-on-state-panels-raise-concerns/): More than 600 positions on state boards, commissions and advisory committees have expired – the vast majority of which are appointed by the governor – leaving many panelists to serve years longer in “holdover” status, a review by The Nerve found.
- [Panel Strips Economic Development from Firefighting Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/05/panel-strips-economic-development-from-firefighting-bill/): Many state agencies and entities such as public-private partnerships work relentlessly to increase their economic development funding, and it’s not every day South Carolina legislators reject their appeals.
- [Nerve Story on House Ethics Committee Makeup Prompts Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/nerve-story-on-house-ethics-committee-makeup-prompts-bill/): The makeup of the S.C.
- [Bill To Shorten Legislative Sessions Receives House Panel Approval](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/bill-to-shorten-legislative-sessions-receives-house-panel-approval/): A House Judiciary subcommittee Thursday supported a plan by Majority Leader Bruce Bannister that would allow voters to decide if they want to shorten the length of legislative sessions by at least a month.
- [Will Senate Bill to Abolish Infrastructure Bank Gain Traction?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/will-senate-bill-to-abolish-infrastructure-bank-gain-traction/): Despite a Senate bill that would eliminate the controversial S.C.
- [Subcommittee Chairman Rejects More Employees for Retirement Investment Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/subcommittee-chairman-rejects-more-employees-for-retirement-investment-commission/): The chairman of a House Ways and Means subcommittee rejected a plan Tuesday afternoon to authorize an increase of $4 million in 2013-14 to the state entity that manages the more than $25 billion in assets for South Carolina’s public retirement system.
- [S.C. Policy Council Mulls Ethics Complaint against Harrell](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/s-c-policy-council-mulls-ethics-complaint-against-harrell/): The South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – is considering filing a formal ethics complaint against state House Speaker Bobby Harrell, council President Ashley Landess revealed during a hearing this morning before the S.C.
- [Founding American Documents Ignored by S.C. Colleges, Universities?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/founding-american-documents-ignored-by-s-c-colleges-universities/): Taylor Smith is getting an education at the University of South Carolina, though not necessarily the one he signed up for.
- [Restructuring Bill Won't Kill Joint-Hearings Requirement](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/restructuring-bill-wont-kill-joint-hearings-requirement/): Section 11-11-90 of the state code is an inconvenient truth for the General Assembly, and thanks to a decision Thursday by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, it will stay that way at least for now.
- [Makeup of New House Ethics Committee Violates State Law, Critics Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/makeup-of-new-house-ethics-committee-violates-state-law-critics-say/): Rules are rules, as the old saying goes. And for the S.C. House and Senate, rules often trump everything – even state law.
- [Will ‘Bobby Bucks’ Taint Possible Ethics Probe?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/will-bobby-bucks-taint-possible-ethics-probe/): They're called “Bobby Bucks,” and they're the legislative equivalent of Turkish delights.
- [Senator Proposes Scrapping Judicial Election System](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/senator-proposes-scrapping-judicial-election-system/): A state senator is proposing a major overhaul of the way judges are selected in the Palmetto State, though he acknowledges his legislation faces an uphill battle in both chambers of the General Assembly.
- [Why South Carolina is One of the Most Corrupt States in the Nation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/why-south-carolina-is-one-of-the-most-corrupt-states-in-the-nation/): Editor’s Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Katrina Fay of Hickory Tavern. Gov.
- [Senator Amenable to Keeping Joint Budget Hearings Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/senator-amenable-to-keeping-joint-budget-hearings-law/): Language that would strike an obscure state law currently being ignored by the General Assembly could be removed from a massive government restructuring bill, a state senator told The Nerve Thursday following a Senate panel hearing on the legislation.
- [Government Watchdog Group Wants A.G., Not House Panel, to Investigate Harrell](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/government-watchdog-group-wants-a-g-not-house-panel-to-investigate-harrell/): The head of a government watchdog organization says he plans to ask the S.C.
- [Oversight of State Plane Use Not Addressed During Panel Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/oversight-of-state-plane-use-not-addressed-during-panel-hearing/): The head of the agency overseeing the use of state planes asked a legislative budget-writing panel Tuesday for more money for next fiscal year, though lawmakers didn’t discuss the lack of oversight concerning the aircraft.
- [Voter ID Legal Tab Jumps to $3.5 Million, Though Details Lacking](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/voter-id-legal-tab-jumps-to-3-5-million-though-details-lacking/): UPDATE: After this story was published, the S.C.
- [No Incentives for Time Warner Cable, Haley Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/no-incentives-for-time-warner-cable-haley-says/): Typically, state and local officials hand out big taxpayer-backed goody bags to major companies locating or expanding in South Carolina.
- [DOR Negligent in Hacking Heist, Ex-Agency Security Officer Reveals](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/dor-negligent-in-hacking-heist-ex-agency-security-officer-reveals/): Incompetence, apathy and “inappropriate” priorities characterized the South Carolina Department of Revenue's approach to data security in the months leading to the nation's largest-known breach of sensitive personal and financial information involving a state agency, according to a former agency insider who spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday.
- [First, the Outback Bowl; Next, the 'Money Bowl'](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/first-the-outback-bowl-next-the-money-bowl/): Despite publicly holding its hand out for more money, the University of South Carolina has been sitting on a mountain of financial reserves, which have nearly tripled over the past 10 fiscal years, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Midlands Senators Receive Hotel, Meal Payments Totaling Tens of Thousands](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/midlands-senators-receive-hotel-meal-payments-totaling-tens-of-thousands/): Democratic Sen. Nikki Setzler’s home in West Columbia is 1.89 miles from the State House. Republican Sen.
- [S.C. Senate Runs Away From Recording Votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/s-c-senate-runs-away-from-recording-votes/): Once again, the S.C. Senate has rebuffed the chance to elevate South Carolina from its status as one of the least transparent states in the nation.
- [Ethics Reform: Lip Service or Legislation?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/ethics-reform-lip-service-or-legislation/): The ethics reform traveling circus made its final pre-Christmas stop last week before a special Senate committee; and while it is proving to be a popular show, whether the eventual receipts add up to legislation or lip service remains very much to be seen.
- [Swansea’s “Santa” Mayor and Town Council “Elves”](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/swanseas-santa-mayor-and-town-council-elves/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Alberta Wasden.
- [Haley Still Not Tackling Budget Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/haley-still-not-tackling-budget-reform/): Standing in front of reporters and flanked by a huddle of agency heads with little to do but look solemn, Gov.
- [Senators Propose Eliminating Joint Budget Hearings; Legal Opinion Sought](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/senators-propose-eliminating-joint-budget-hearings-legal-opinion-sought/): Buried near the bottom of a roughly 100-page S.C.
- [FOIA-Reform Bill Reintroduced in S.C. House](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/foia-reform-bill-reintroduced-in-s-c-house/): An S.C. House member on Tuesday reintroduced a bill proposing major reforms in the state’s open-records law, and added more enforcement teeth in his latest version.
- [Palmetto State’s Economy Improving, But Big Hurdles Remain, Economists Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/palmetto-states-economy-improving-but-big-hurdles-remain-economists-say/): South Carolina’s economy is moving in the right direction, though there is plenty of room for improvement, state economic researchers said Monday. The S.C.
- [Bills Will Continue to Die in S.C. Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/bills-will-continue-to-die-in-s-c-senate/): Editor’s note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Larry Barnett of Fort Mill, who has been pushing for changes in S.C. Senate rules.
- [S.C. Supreme Court Silent on Double-Dipping Claims](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/s-c-supreme-court-silent-on-double-dipping-claims/): The state’s top court doesn’t always interpret the S.C. Freedom of Information Act liberally – especially when it comes to itself.
- [BCB Approves $44 Million-Plus for Hacking Costs, Building Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/bcb-approves-44-million-plus-for-hacking-costs-building-projects/): The S.C. Budget and Control Board on Wednesday approved the distribution of more than $44 million to cover college and university building projects, and growing costs related to the massive security breach at the state Department of Revenue.
- [Addressing Ethics, Corruption Focus of Commission Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/addressing-ethics-corruption-focus-of-commission-hearing/): In 1990, Operation Lost Trust exposed shocking degrees of criminal corruption in South Carolina's state government that gathered national headlines, garnered 27 convictions and substantially weakened the public's faith in government.
- [Short-Term Rentals Again an Issue for Charleston Council](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/short-term-rentals-again-an-issue-for-charleston-council/): Jan. 10 marked the first meeting of the new year for the Charleston City Council and the only issue of substance dealt with an ordinance that would allow short-term rentals in commercially zoned areas.
- [The S.C. Senate: Where Many Bills Go To Die](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/the-s-c-senate-where-many-bills-go-to-die/): Nerve Citizen Reporter Larry Barnett of Fort Mill shows no signs of slowing down his campaign to reform Senate rules with a new legislative session right around the corner.
- [House Chamber’s Fiscal 2014 Spending Plan Still Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/house-chambers-fiscal-2014-spending-plan-still-secret/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell likes to openly brag about how his 124-member chamber initiates and pushes through what he touts as reform legislation.
- [South Carolina Taxpayers Not Served By Agency Head Salary Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/south-carolina-taxpayers-not-served-by-agency-head-salary-hikes/): Editor’s Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield of Hilton Head, who also is a member of the S.C.
- [Out-of-Sight State Panel Rubber Stamps $6 Million in Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/out-of-sight-state-panel-rubber-stamps-6-million-in-incentives/): You already may know that South Carolina spends $896 million annually on economic development incentives, according to figures compiled in a recent 10-month study byThe New York Times.
- [Nerve Citizen Reporter Pushes ‘Citizen Boss Initiative’](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/nerve-citizen-reporter-pushes-citizen-boss-initiative/): Editor’s Note: This article continues a series of stories on projects by The Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Incumbent Midlands Lawmakers Won’t Give Up ‘Subsistence’ Payments](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/incumbent-midlands-lawmakers-wont-give-up-subsistence-payments/): S.C. Rep. Todd Rutherford lives less than two miles from the State House, yet if he attends two days of House organizational sessions this week in Columbia, he is eligible to receive $262 in expense payments meant to cover hotel and food costs.
- [Judicial Candidates Nominated Despite Complaints](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/12/judicial-candidates-nominated-despite-complaints/): Bill Simpson Jr. and his father don’t believe Gordon Jenkinson deserves to be on the bench.
- [Public Integrity Unit Pitched Wednesday, Though Details Lacking](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/public-integrity-unit-pitched-wednesday-though-details-lacking/): In a state where many are calling for massive ethics reforms, the push by South Carolina’s top prosecutor for a public-corruption task force composed of several state agencies picked up some support Wednesday during a special House panel meeting.
- [Embattled Richland County Elections Director Quietly Hired by Legislative Delegation](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/embattled-richland-county-elections-director-quietly-hired-by-legislative-delegation/): Less than a month after Gov.
- [Legislative Panel Nominating Unqualified Judicial Candidates?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/legislative-panel-nominating-unqualified-judicial-candidates/): A judicial screening committee dominated by state lawmakers has nominated a top court administrator and two other attorneys for family court judgeships, despite a report contending that the candidates are unqualified for the seats.
- [Proposed $140 Million Project to Receive Incentives Despite Two-Year Delay](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/proposed-140-million-project-to-receive-incentives-despite-two-year-delay/): Although nearly two years behind schedule, the planned South Carolina Tissue plant in Barnwell County will get at least $475,000 in incentives as a prelude to construction – courtesy of the S.C.
- [Tens of Millions in DMV Fees Flow to In- and Out-State Groups](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/tens-of-millions-in-dmv-fees-flow-to-in-and-out-state-groups/): South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles collected more than $260 million last fiscal year, but the state agency kept about $73 million of it, records show.
- [S.C. Legislators Say 'No Agenda' on Trip to Turkey](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/turkey-junket/): Although South Carolina has a relatively small Turkish population and no major trade with Turkey, eight S.C.
- [Dorchester Judge Under Fire on Foreclosure Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/dorchester-judge-under-fire-on-foreclosure-case-2/): Editor's Note: The Nerve this week is republishing some of its biggest scoops over its nearly three years of operation.The story below was first published on March 15, 2011.
- [Millions Spent by S.C. Municipalities on Federal Lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/millions-spent-by-s-c-municipalities-on-federal-lobbyists-2/): Since 2003, at least 21 counties and local municipalities in South Carolina collectively have spent about $5.5 million on federal lobbyists, according to federal lobbying records reviewed by The Nerve.
- [Golden Parachutes for State Lawmakers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/nerve-bestof/): Editor's Note: The Nerve this week is republishing some of its biggest scoops over its nearly three years of operation.The story below was first published on Aug.
- [Inside the Boeing Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/inside-the-boeing-deal/): Editor's Note: The Nerve this week is republishing some of its biggest scoops over its nearly three years of operation.
- [No Movement On Harrell Investigation; Ethics Panel Gets Earful](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/no-movement-on-harrell-investigation-ethics-panel-gets-earful/): The state’s top prosecutor isn’t budging from his position that the S.C.
- [Motor Vehicle Department Misses Mark on Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/motor-vehicle-department-misses-mark-on-transparency/): The S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is unlike most other state agencies in that its annual budget relies almost exclusively on “other” funds – mainly vehicle license and registration fees – instead of general funds.
- [Nerve Citizen Reporter Pushes for Recorded Legislative Panel Votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/nerve-citizen-reporter-pushes-for-recorded-legislative-panel-votes/): In an effort to broaden government accountability and transparency, Nerve Citizen Reporter Don Rogers and the Greenville Tea Party are continuing their fight to get legislative votes recorded at the committee and subcommittee levels.
- [Nerve Citizen Reporter Profile: Katrina Fay of Hickory Tavern](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/11/nerve-citizen-reporter-profile-katrina-fay-of-hickory-tavern/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles ofThe Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [DEW Laying Off Workers, But Other State Agencies Growing](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/dew-laying-off-workers-but-other-state-agencies-growing/): While the state agency that is supposed to aid South Carolina’s jobless population ironically will be casting off some of its own staff onto the unemployment line, other agencies have grown in recent years, a review by The Nervehas found.
- [$22M Budget Proposed for “Paper” Economic Development Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/22m-budget-proposed-for-paper-economic-development-agency/): A state economic development agency created by lawmakers more than two years ago but not yet in operation would get its first budget next fiscal year – nearly $22 million – under a proposed spending plan released publicly last week.
- [House Speaker Reimbursed for Flying and Driving During Legislative Sessions](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/house-speaker-reimbursed-for-flying-and-driving-during-legislative-sessions/): In 2008, S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell took at least nine weekly round trips with his private plane between his hometown of Charleston and Columbia when the Legislature was in session Tuesdays through Thursdays, flight logs reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [State Committee OK’s Multimillion-Dollar Clemson Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/state-committee-oks-multimillion-dollar-clemson-projects/): The state Joint Bond Review Committee on Wednesday approved building and other development proposals by Clemson University that carry a total price tag of nearly $42 million.
- [State Incentives Offered on Scaled-Back Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/state-incentives-offered-on-scaled-back-projects/): When electric bus maker Proterra announced in March that it was slashing the scope of its manufacturing project in Greenville by 900 jobs, or nearly 70 percent, what wasn’t publicly revealed then was that the small company would receive a $1.5 million taxpayer-supported state grant for site improvements.
- [Education Groups Ask State Panel for More Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/education-groups-ask-state-panel-for-more-money/): A panel of the S.C.
- [Hefty Agency Budget Hikes Requested for FY 2014](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/hefty-agency-budget-hikes-requested-for-fy-2014/): Five state agencies, including three colleges and universities, would see their general fund budgets more than double next fiscal year, under their proposed spending plans released Friday by the Office of State Budget.
- [Statewide Voting Rights Lacking in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/statewide-voting-rights-lacking-in-s-c/): People usually vote for politicians who share their views, hoping to see the changes that the candidates promised.
- [Tens of Thousands of Tax Dollars Spent on State Plane Flights with No Oversight](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/tens-of-thousands-of-tax-dollars-spent-on-state-plane-flights-with-no-oversight/): Over the past year, Gov.
- [Graduation Rates Low Among S.C. Higher-Ed Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/graduation-rates-low-among-s-c-higher-ed-schools/): If state funding of South Carolina’s colleges and universities were solely based on the schools’ graduation rates, many of the higher-education institutions likely would be in financial trouble.
- [Top Capital City Staffers Paid Well](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/top-capital-city-staffers-paid-well/): The Capital City’s highest-ranking employees collectively are making top dollar compared to their counterparts in other large urban areas in the state, a review by The Nervehas found.
- [Lawmakers to Push for New Tool to Fight Public Corruption, Other Crimes](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/lawmakers-to-push-for-new-tool-to-fight-public-corruption-other-crimes/): Two state lawmakers say they plan to re-introduce bills next year that would create regional citizen grand juries in South Carolina with the power to investigate public-corruption cases and other crimes.
- [Charleston County Doesn’t Owe $11.6 Million to Infrastructure Bank, Lawyer Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/charleston-county-doesnt-owe-11-6-million-to-infrastructure-bank-lawyer-says/): Charleston County won’t have to repay $11.6 million to the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank if the county scraps the controversial Interstate 526 extension project, says a lawyer representing an opponent of the project.
- [S.C. Attorney General Not Rushing to Investigate House Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/s-c-attorney-general-not-rushing-to-investigate-house-speaker/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson might be willing to investigate the use of campaign funds by state House Speaker Bobby Harrell, though he apparently is in no rush to do so.
- [Consulting Firm Proposes Pay Raises for Agency Heads](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/consulting-firm-proposes-pay-raises-for-agency-heads/): More than a third of 81 state agency heads, including college and university presidents, would get pay hikes ranging up to nearly 14 percent to bring them up to comparable executive salaries, under recommendations by an international consulting firm.
- [S.C. Attorney General’s Office Backing Off Harrell Case?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/s-c-attorney-generals-office-backing-off-harrell-case/): John Crangle didn’t have to wait long to get an answer from the S.C. Attorney General’s Office.
- [Delegation Watchdog Alberta Wasden: ‘The people want answers’](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/delegation-watchdog-alberta-wasden-the-people-want-answers/): Editor’s Note: In June, Nerve Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield of Hilton Head helped launch a new initiative for The Nerve called the “Delegation Watchdog Project.” The purpose of the project is to encourage county legislative delegations to hold regular public meetings with their constituents.
- [Candidates, Others Owe $2.2 Million in Fines, State Ethics Commission Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/candidates-others-owe-2-2-million-in-fines-state-ethics-commission-says/): Running for public office or being a lobbyist can cost you big time – especially if you don't file required paperwork with the State Ethics Commission.
- [Bigger Budget Proposed for S.C. Retirement System Investment Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/bigger-budget-proposed-for-s-c-retirement-system-investment-commission/): The state entity managing the assets of South Carolina’s public retirement system wants to grow its authorized staff by more than a third under a proposed budget for next fiscal year that is nearly 40 percent higher than this year’s spending plan.
- [USC Lobbyist Also Lobbied for Private Companies, Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/usc-lobbyist-also-lobbied-for-private-companies-records-show/): A University of South Carolina administrator who lobbies on behalf of the school also has been a paid lobbyist for two major companies that have been vendors for the state’s flagship university, The Nerve found in a review of state records.
- [State Agencies Gouging Public with FOIA Fees?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/10/state-agencies-gouging-public-with-foia-fees/): If you ask the S.C.
- [The Feds’ Intrusion Into Everyday Life](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/the-feds-intrusion-into-everyday-life/): The number of articles on The Nerve exposing the sophistry of economic development initiatives and incentives promulgated by the S.C.
- [Citizen Reporter Talbert Black Wants More Delegation Meetings](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/citizen-reporter-talbert-black-wants-more-delegation-meetings/): Editor’s Note: In June, Nerve Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield of Hilton Head helped launch a new initiative for The Nerve called the “Delegation Watchdog Project.” The purpose of the project is to encourage county legislative delegations to hold regular public meetings with their constituents.
- [Transportation Panel Hands I-526 Opponents Major Victory](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/transportation-panel-hands-i-526-opponents-major-victory/): The South Carolina Transportation Commission threw up a huge road block Wednesday in front of a controversial half-billion-dollar plan to extend Interstate 526 in Charleston County.
- [List of Well-Paid State Employees Grows](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/list-of-well-paid-state-employees-grows/): It seems that state government salaries grow faster than some athletes on steroids. About a week after The Nerve reported on Sept.
- [Richland 2 Administrators Take Another $80,000-Plus Junket to a Florida Resort](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/richland-2-administrators-take-another-80000-plus-junket-to-a-florida-resort/): For Richland School District 2 administrators, July might be their favorite month of the year.
- [Public Often Left in Dark About Sanctions Against S.C. Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/public-often-left-in-dark-about-sanctions-against-s-c-lawmakers/): S.C. House member Eric Bikas seemed surprised when informed Friday by The Nerve that state records listed a $4,500 ethics fine against him this year.
- [Governor Flip-Flopping on Local Legislation?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/governor-flip-flopping-on-local-legislation/): In February, Gov. Nikki Haley again drew a line in the sand.
- [State-Owned Utility Offers Economic Incentives to Industries](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/state-owned-utility-offers-economic-incentives-to-industries/): A nonprofit group formed between state-owned Santee Cooper and 20 electric cooperatives served by the utility hopes to grow South Carolina’s industrial base by offering rate discounts to new or expanding companies.
- [USC, Clemson Policies Threaten Students’ Free-Speech Rights, Group Contends](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/usc-clemson-policies-threaten-students-free-speech-rights-group-contends/): While students are getting their higher education, they might want to watch what they say while they’re on campus.
- [Millions Spent on 4-Year-Old Kindergarten Programs in Districts with Failing Grades](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/millions-spent-on-4-year-old-kindergarten-programs-in-districts-with-failing-grades/): More than $93 million in state tax dollars has been appropriated since fiscal 2007 for full-day, 4-year-old kindergarten programs in 36 poor school districts in South Carolina, yet 11 of the districts received overall failing grades at the elementary level on recently released federal report cards, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [S.C. Judicial Nominating Panel Unlike Most in U.S.](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/s-c-judicial-nominating-panel-unlike-most-in-u-s/): South Carolina is only one of two states in which its legislative leaders control the makeup of a panel that nominates judicial candidates, The Nerve found in a review of judicial screening committees nationwide.
- [Silver Haired Legislature Sets Its 2013 Agenda](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/silver-haired-legislature-sets-its-2013-agenda/): For the past three days, the State House in Columbia appeared to be in session again, though no lawmakers were present.
- [General Assembly Has Too Much Power, Says Legislative Delegation Watchdog Don Rogers](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/general-assembly-has-too-much-power-says-legislative-delegation-watchdog-don-rogers/): Editor’s Note: In June, Nerve Citizen Reporter Tom Hatfield of Hilton Head helped launch a new initiative for The Nerve called the “Delegation Watchdog Project.” The purpose of the project is to encourage county legislative delegations to hold regular public meetings with their constituents.
- [2,000-Plus State Employees Earn Six-Figure Salaries](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/2000-plus-state-employees-earn-six-figure-salaries/): Want a high-paying career – at taxpayer expense – in South Carolina? Try higher education.
- [Shorter Legislative Session Lacks Action, Not Support](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/shorter-legislative-session-lacks-action-not-support/): The 2012 session of the General Assembly, already one of the lengthiest in the nation, ran even longer than usual, with legislators finally wrapping it up in July instead of the typical June closeout.
- [Hundreds of Thousands of Tax Dollars Wasted on Nonexistent DNR Computer System](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/hundreds-of-thousands-of-tax-dollars-wasted-on-nonexistent-dnr-computer-system/): More than $285,000 in tax dollars and a promised computer system for the S.C.
- [Utah Hair-Braiding Case Echoes S.C.’s Regulatory Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/utah-hair-braiding-case-echoes-s-c-s-regulatory-debate/): A federal judge recently ruled in favor of a Utah woman who sued when faced with that state’s requirements to operate a hair-braiding business.
- [Local Government Lobbying Could Continue Despite New State Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/local-government-lobbying-could-continue-despite-new-state-law/): A new state law prohibits local governments in South Carolina from using state funding to lobby, but it won’t necessarily run local government lobbyists out of the State House.
- [State Agencies Swimming in Budget Surpluses](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/state-agencies-swimming-in-budget-surpluses/): When South Carolina’s top accountant last week announced there would be about $15 million less in surplus money to play with this fiscal year, state government did not come to a grinding halt.
- [Governor’s Ethics Case Sparks Support for Full Income Disclosure by Legislators](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/governors-ethics-case-sparks-support-for-full-income-disclosure-by-legislators/): Gov. Nikki Haley’s legacy as a state elected official, presently a work in progress, could ultimately include being a catalyst for more sunlight on legislators’ financial conflicts of interest.
- [Residents Voice Concerns about S.C. Probate Code](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/09/residents-voice-concerns-about-s-c-probate-code/): State laws dealing with the protection of the elderly and disabled and their property received heavy criticism from South Carolina residents during an S.C.
- [Citizen Reporter Larry Barnett Works to Reform S.C. Senate Rules That Stymie Change](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/citizen-reporter-larry-barnett-works-to-reform-s-c-senate-rules-that-stymie-change/): Up next on the agenda for Nerve Citizen Reporter Larry Barnett is tackling a procedural morass in the S.C. Senate where good bills go to die.
- [Grassroots Groups Push State Government Reform from the Bottom Up](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/grassroots-groups-push-state-government-reform-from-the-bottom-up/): In the most recent legislative session, bills were introduced to tighten conflict-of-interest rules for state lawmakers, strengthen South Carolina’s open-records law, reform legislative ethics, and overhaul state government to make it more efficient and accountable.
- [$2.5 Million for S.C. House Sound System Repairs – Really?](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/2-5-million-for-s-c-house-sound-system-repairs-really/): Nearly two months after state lawmakers quietly slipped in an additional $2.5 million for the S.C.
- [Citizen Reporter Donna Linsin Focuses on Future Generations](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/citizen-reporter-donna-linsin-focuses-on-future-generations/): Editor’s note: This article continues a series of profiles onThe Nerve’s Citizen Reporters.
- [Governor Supports Effort to End Self-Policing in Legislative Ethics](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/governor-supports-effort-to-end-self-policing-in-legislative-ethics/): It was December 2010. Gov.
- [Some County Magistrates Might Be Double Dipping, State’s Top Judge Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2012/08/some-county-magistrates-might-be-double-dipping-states-top-judge-says/): Some South Carolina county magistrates might be double dipping by serving as local municipal judges – and getting paid for it – while they are still on the clock for their magistrate duties, according to the state’s top judge.
- [Senate Budget Debate Could Move into Third Week](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/senate-budget-debate-could-move-into-third-week/): The S.C. Senate is running out of time.
- [Oconee County Council Opens Corporate-Welfare ‘Pandora’s box’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/oconee-county-council-opens-corporate-welfare-pandoras-box/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Donna Linsin of Oconee County.
- [Senate Cyber-Security Bill Faces Stiff House Test](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/senate-cyber-security-bill-faces-stiff-house-test/): In the months leading up to reportedly the worst cyber-security failure in U.S. history at a state agency, S.C.
- [State Treasurer Second Constitutional Officer to Join ‘Project Conflict Watch’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/state-treasurer-second-constitutional-officer-to-join-project-conflict-watch/): S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis has become the second state constitutional officer to participate in the South Carolina Policy Council’s “Project Conflict Watch.” Last week, The Nerve reported that state Superintendent of Education Mick Zais was the first constitutional officer to disclose his private sources of income.
- [House Speaker’s Drug Company Dropped from Income-Disclosure Form](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/house-speakers-drug-company-dropped-from-income-disclosure-form/): A Charleston-based pharmaceutical company led by S.C.
- [Train Unemployed Vets as School Security Officers, S.C. Lawmaker Proposes](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/train-unemployed-vets-as-school-security-officers-s-c-lawmaker-proposes/): The mass killings in December at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School has forced lawmakers in South Carolina and across the nation to confront glaring security gaps at public schools in their home states.
- [S.C. Would Spend Millions on Nonprofits in 2013-14 State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/s-c-would-spend-millions-on-nonprofits-in-2013-14-state-budget/): The S.C. Senate this week refused to reverse its long-held tradition of funneling millions of tax dollars to nonprofit groups, despite an attempt by one senator to end the practice.
- [State Lawmaker Claims He Wouldn’t Benefit From Proposed Tax Break for Constables](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/state-lawmaker-claims-he-wouldnt-benefit-from-proposed-tax-break-for-constables/): A legislator who also is a volunteer state constable has co-sponsored a bill that would allow volunteer constables to claim a maximum state income-tax deduction of $3,000 a year.
- [Senate Version of Ethics-Reform Bill Fails to Regulate Local Government Lobbying](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/senate-version-of-ethics-reform-bill-fails-to-regulate-local-government-lobbying/): The Senate Judiciary Committee has scrubbed its version of an ethics-reform bill of any mention of regulating lobbyists at the local government level in South Carolina.
- [State Education Superintendent Participates in ‘Project Conflict Watch'](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/state-education-superintendent-participates-in-project-conflict-watch/): S.C. Superintendent of Education Mick Zais is the first state constitutional officer and the latest public official to participate in the South Carolina Policy Council’s “Project Conflict Watch.” The Palmetto State repeatedly has received among the lowest rankings nationwide when it comes to government transparency.
- [Eco-Devo Groups with Legislative Ties Poised to Get Taxpayer Funding Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/eco-devo-groups-with-legislative-ties-poised-to-get-taxpayer-funding-again/): In 2011, S.C. Sen. Hugh Leatherman was among a group of state and local officials, including Gov.
- [S.C. Medicaid Budget Swelling Even Without ‘Obamacare’ Expansion](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/s-c-medicaid-budget-swelling-even-without-obamacare-expansion/): Talk about sticker shock for S.C. taxpayers. Over the past 10 years, the General Assembly has hiked general-fund appropriations to the S.C.
- [Interior Designers Need New Plan to Move Bills to Regulate Industry](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/interior-designers-need-new-plan-to-move-bills-to-regulate-industry/): It’s apparently back to the drawing board for supporters of two bills that would regulate interior designers in South Carolina.
- [Senate Panel Rewrites Disputed House Ethics-Reform Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/senate-panel-rewrites-disputed-house-ethics-reform-bill/): A Senate panel Tuesday scrapped major parts of a controversial House ethics-reform bill, putting investigations of lawmakers under a reconstituted State Ethics Commission and proposing tougher penalties for ethics violations.
- [Angel-Investor Bills Advance in General Assembly Following Release of USC Study](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/angel-investor-bills-advance-in-general-assembly-following-release-of-usc-study/): Two bills that would create an “angel-investor” law have advanced in the S.C.
- [Stepping Up to the Plate: More Lawmakers Respond to ‘Project Conflict Watch’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/stepping-up-to-the-plate-more-lawmakers-respond-to-project-conflict-watch/): More S.C. lawmakers in the past week have responded to the recently launched “Project Conflict Watch” by The Nerve’s parent organization, the South Carolina Policy Council, bringing the total number of responses to date to 25.
- [Projected Taxpayer Tab for Expanded 4K Program Much Larger Than Original Estimate](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/projected-taxpayer-tab-for-expanded-4k-program-much-larger-than-original-estimate/): An advancing S.C.
- [Obamacare ‘Nullification’ Supporters to Push New Strategy in the Senate](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/obamacare-nullification-supporters-to-push-new-strategy-in-the-senate/): Fresh off their legislative victory in the S.C.
- [All in the Family: Charleston Lawmaker's Ties to Relative’s Airport-Related Businesses](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/all-in-the-family-charleston-lawmakers-ties-to-relatives-airport-related-businesses/): In 2007, longtime S.C. Rep.
- [S.C. House Rushes Through Amended Ethics-Reform Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/s-c-house-rushes-through-amended-ethics-reform-bill/): After delaying debate several times over the past week, the S.C.
- [FOIA Reforms Hung Up Again Over Legislative Exemption](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/foia-reforms-hung-up-again-over-legislative-exemption/): Patrick Donlon of Irmo didn’t expect a controversy over a $50,000 state grant that the town sought in 2012 for a new park.
- [Grassroots Activist Shares His Experience with ‘Project Conflict Watch’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/grassroots-activist-shares-his-experience-with-project-conflict-watch/): The South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – recently launched “Project Conflict Watch” in an effort to reverse the Palmetto State’s dubious distinction as being the only state that requires public officials to disclose just their sources of government income.
- [Foster's Fortune: Speaker's Spokesman Earns Big Bucks from Multiple Sources](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/fosters-fortune-speakers-spokesman-earns-big-bucks-from-multiple-sources/): Greg Foster can do a lot of things most people can't do.
- [Third-Graders Who Can’t Read Face Repeating Grade Under Senate Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/third-graders-who-cant-read-face-repeating-grade-under-senate-bill/): Thousands of S.C.
- [House Leaders Plan Changes to ‘Ethics-Reform’ Bill in Secret; Debate Delayed Again](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/house-leaders-plan-changes-to-ethics-reform-bill-in-secret-debate-delayed-again/): A controversial S.C.
- [Clemson Seeks Multimillion-Dollar Venture with Taxpayer-Funded Nonprofit Involved in Birth-Defects Testing](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/clemson-seeks-multimillion-dollar-venture-with-taxpayer-funded-nonprofit-involved-in-birth-defects-testing/): A taxpayer-supported, nonprofit genetics center in Greenwood that provides patient information about prenatal birth defects is a step closer toward landing a $5 million taxpayer-funded gift with Clemson University for the construction of another research facility.
- [Citizen Participation Would Be Stifled Under Controversial ‘Ethics-Reform’ Bill, Critics Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/citizen-participation-would-be-stifled-under-controversial-ethics-reform-bill-critics-say/): Citizens would have to register as lobbyists to speak before committees of the General Assembly or state agencies under a controversial House bill that also would decriminalize many state ethics violations, representatives of citizen groups said this afternoon at a State House press conference.
- [Lawmakers Insist They Will Fix ‘Ethics-Reform’ Bill, Enact Tougher Penalties](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/lawmakers-insist-they-will-fix-ethics-reform-bill-enact-tougher-penalties/): It took a controversy last week over decriminalized ethics violations to underscore the point to S.C.
- [Pharmacist-Lawmaker Frequent Prescriber of Pharmacy Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/pharmacist-lawmaker-frequent-prescriber-of-pharmacy-legislation/): Country music star Kenny Chesney’s planned concert on May 4 in Columbia apparently was important enough for state Rep.
- [Exit Exam Costs S.C. Taxpayers $3.5 Million-Plus Yearly](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/exit-exam-costs-s-c-taxpayers-3-5-million-plus-yearly/): A state House bill would end a longstanding requirement that high school students pass an exit exam to graduate, though students would still have to take the test, which costs S.C.
- [Secretive House 'Ethics-Reform' Bill Would Decriminalize Ethics Violations](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/secretive-house-ethics-reform-bill-would-decriminalize-ethics-violations/): Public officials would no longer face criminal penalties for many state ethics violations under an S.C.
- [Department of Administration Bill Just ‘BCB-Lite,’ Lawmaker Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/department-of-administration-bill-just-bcb-lite-lawmaker-says/): A state House panel Thursday approved an amended government-restructuring bill, though one lawmaker contended it would maintain the status quo with a form of the existing S.C.
- [MUSC, College of Charleston Could Get Millions for Business Incubator, Commerce Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/musc-college-of-charleston-could-get-millions-for-business-incubator-commerce-records-show/): The Medical University of South Carolina and College of Charleston together would receive $4 million out of a proposed $6 million in state funding for a business-incubator program that has been kept largely under wraps by the S.C.
- [‘Shell Bill’ Would Require Disclosure of Private Sources of Income](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/shell-bill-would-require-disclosure-of-private-sources-of-income/): An ethics-reform bill that had been a mystery until a House Judiciary subcommittee meeting Tuesday would, among other things, require lawmakers to disclose their private sources of income.
- [S.C. Politicians Don’t Reveal Who Pays Them, Nerve Investigation Finds](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/s-c-politicians-dont-reveal-who-pays-them-nerve-investigation-finds/): The state of South Carolina has been very generous over the years to Sen. Hugh Leatherman.
- [Changing our State – One Citizen, One Politician at a Time](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/changing-our-state-one-citizen-one-politician-at-a-time/): Reform debates in South Carolina often follow a pattern – they start with a fire and end with a study committee.
- [Clemson Seeking $3 Million More in State Funds for New Energy Research Center](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/clemson-seeking-3-million-more-in-state-funds-for-new-energy-research-center/): Clemson University wants an additional $3 million in state funds for a new energy research center to be part of the university’s Restoration Institute in North Charleston, a wind-energy research facility launched several years ago with $45 million in federal stimulus money.
- [Lawmakers Moving Slowly to Clean Up Their Ethical Act](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/lawmakers-moving-slowly-to-clean-up-their-ethical-act/): Ethics-reform bills that would force S.C. lawmakers to change their behavior remain stuck in committees with an important deadline approaching.
- [Bill Would Reward Worst Credit Risks With Taxpayer-Backed Incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/bill-would-reward-worst-credit-risks-with-taxpayer-backed-incentives/): Without much deliberation or debate, a House Ways and Means subcommittee on Wednesday approved sending four wide-ranging bills spanning the spectrum of economic development, from million-dollar tax credits for the state's largest manufacturers to $10,000 “microenterprise” loans.
- [Obamacare ‘Nullification’ Bill Has No Teeth; Passes House Judiciary Committee](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/obamacare-nullification-bill-has-no-teeth-passes-house-judiciary-committee/): The S.C. House Judiciary Committee voted 14-9 along party lines Tuesday to send an amended Obamacare “nullification” bill to the full House without any enforcement mechanism.
- [Palmetto State Magnet for 'Professional' Shoplifters, Retailers’ Group Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/palmetto-state-magnet-for-professional-shoplifters-retailers-group-says/): Update: The House Judiciary Committee approved H. 3602, which targets "professional" shoplifters, on Tuesday.
- [USC's 'On Your Time' Will Cost S.C. Taxpayers Big Time](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/uscs-on-your-time-will-cost-s-c-taxpayers-big-time/): Apparently, it takes a village to graduate University of South Carolina students “on time.” The S.C.
- [State Panel Approves Incentives after Quick, Secret Meeting; Amounts Not Revealed](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/state-panel-approves-incentives-after-quick-secret-meeting-amounts-not-revealed/): In the blink of an eye Thursday on a conference call behind closed doors in the S.C.
- [Retailers’ Group Says Bathroom-Access Bill Stinks](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/retailers-group-says-bathroom-access-bill-stinks/): Give S.C. Rep. Robert Williams an “A” for persistence.
- [Senate Bill Grants New Purchasing Powers to Clemson University](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/senate-bill-grants-new-purchasing-powers-to-clemson-university/): Clemson University would gain sweeping powers to buy property – with less oversight – under a Senate bill that would create an “enterprise” division within the school.
- [South Carolina Fails at Transparency in Incentives Deals, Report Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/south-carolina-fails-at-transparency-in-incentives-deals-report-says/): When it comes to transparency of taxpayer-backed incentives for business projects, the Palmetto State received an “F” in a recently released study by a national nonprofit consumer group.
- [ETV Threatens Layoffs, Despite Having Millions in the Bank](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/04/etv-threatens-layoffs-despite-having-millions-in-the-bank/): S.C. Educational Television President and CEO Linda O’Bryon didn’t mince words when she appeared recently before a Senate budget panel. “It’s significant.
- [Congratulatory Resolutions Clutter Legislative Calendar](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/congratulatory-resolutions-clutter-legislative-calendar/): If you think state lawmakers are being mindful of their time on the taxpayers’ dime, think again.
- [Relatives of Lawmakers Could Have Greater Presence on MUSC Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/relatives-of-lawmakers-could-have-greater-presence-on-musc-board/): (Editor's Note: The General Assembly unanimously voted Wednesday, May 15, to appoint Dr. G. Murrell Smith, father of Rep.
- [S.C. Attorney General’s Office Dragged into Farmers Market Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/s-c-attorney-generals-office-dragged-into-farmers-market-controversy/): The S.C. House took an unusual step during recent debate on next fiscal year’s state budget, allocating $3 million to the state Attorney General’s Office to oversee a proposed land deal at the State Farmers Market involving the Ports Authority chairman.
- [Politicians’ Federal Income-Disclosure Statements Reveal More Than State Forms](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/politicians-federal-income-disclosure-statements-reveal-more-than-state-forms/): For politicians, the difference between state and federal income-disclosure forms is like comparing routine teeth cleaning to a root-canal operation.
- [Shorter Legislative Sessions Would Save Taxpayers $420,000-Plus Yearly, Budget Office Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/shorter-legislative-sessions-would-save-taxpayers-420000-plus-yearly-budget-office-says/): The Office of State Budget has concluded an amended Senate bill that would shorten legislative sessions by one month would generate a recurring savings to South Carolina taxpayers of more than $420,000.
- [Nerve Wins First-Place Award in Press Association Contest](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/nerve-wins-first-place-award-in-press-association-contest/): The Nerve received a first-place South Carolina Press Association award at the organization’s annual awards meeting Saturday in Greenville.
- [Bill Advances to Prevent the Mentally Ill from Buying Guns](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/bill-advances-to-prevent-the-mentally-ill-from-buying-guns/): A state House bill that would prevent the mentally ill from purchasing or possessing guns cleared another hurdle Thursday, while separate legislation that would allow concealed weapons in classrooms was tabled because of time constraints.
- [Investigative Ball Still in Governor's Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/investigative-ball-still-in-governors-court/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Katrina Fay of Hickory Tavern. On Monday, March 11, I spoke to Gov.
- [Does Amended House Bill Nullify S.C.’s Efforts to Nullify Obamacare?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/does-amended-house-bill-nullify-s-c-s-efforts-to-nullify-obamacare/): Some grassroots activists in South Carolina are angry that the attitude of “doing-something-is-better-than nothing” has trumped all of the rallies and work that have gone into “nullifying” the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare.” “We’re not only fighting our legislators, we’re also fighting the Tenth Amendment Center,” said Talbert Black of Lexington County and state coordinator for Campaign for Liberty.
- [The Ties That Blind](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/the-ties-that-blind/): That O.L Thompson and Bobby Harrell are political allies is a no-brainer.
- [State Bills Offer More Taxpayer-Backed 'Green' Giveaways](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/state-bills-offer-more-taxpayer-backed-green-giveaways/): Two bills in the S.C.
- [Walter Williams To Testify at Second Hearing on Bill To ‘Nullify’ Obamacare](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/walter-williams-to-testify-at-second-hearing-on-bill-to-nullify-obamacare/): A second hearing is set for Wednesday on a state House bill that would fine, imprison, or both, any federal or state employee who attempts to implement the new federal health-care law.
- [$22 Million-Plus Taxpayer Tab for Ross Stores' Distribution Center](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/22-million-plus-taxpayer-tab-for-ross-stores-distribution-center/): Last year’s announcement by national discount clothes and household retailer Ross Stores Inc.
- [S.C. Religious-Liberty Bill Seeks to Counter U.S. Supreme Court Ruling](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/s-c-religious-liberty-bill-seeks-to-counter-u-s-supreme-court-ruling/): A 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that critics contend restricts religious liberty at public colleges and universities has spurred a state bill aimed at preventing the ruling’s application in South Carolina.
- [$6 Million Business-Incubator Program Quietly Finds Way into New Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/6-million-business-incubator-program-quietly-finds-way-into-new-budget/): The S.C. Department of Commerce has slipped in a $6 million business-incubator program to the proposed 2013-14 state budget that passed the House Wednesday.
- [House GOP Rejects Democrats’ Medicaid Expansion Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/house-gop-rejects-democrats-medicaid-expansion-plan/): After a daylong budget debate Tuesday on a state House Democratic amendment to expand Medicaid in South Carolina, the House Republican majority rejected it and adopted their own plan.
- [Big Taxpayer-Funded Gift Offered to Distribution Centers under Senate Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/big-taxpayer-funded-gift-offered-to-distribution-centers-under-senate-bill/): Large distribution centers would be eligible for millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonds under a state Senate bill quietly introduced last week.
- [South Carolina’s Billion-Dollar-Plus Hidden Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/south-carolinas-billion-dollar-plus-hidden-budget/): What S.C. House members likely won’t be talking about today as they begin debate on the fiscal 2014 spending plan for South Carolina is the billion-dollar-plus hidden budget.
- [State Law Allows Public Officials to Hide Private Income Sources](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/state-law-allows-public-officials-to-hide-private-income-sources/): South Carolina stands alone when it comes to income disclosure by public officials. “S.C.
- [Legislation Aims To Stop Gun Purchases by the Mentally Ill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/legislation-aims-to-stop-gun-purchases-by-the-mentally-ill/): The case of a woman charged with attempting to shoot an official at a Charleston private school last month has spurred state and federal legislation seeking to prevent purchases by the mentally ill.
- [House Bill Emerges To Restructure State Government](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/house-bill-emerges-to-restructure-state-government/): A new government-restructuring bill in the S.C.
- [Private College Students Forced to Ask Lawmakers for More State Funds?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/private-college-students-forced-to-ask-lawmakers-for-more-state-funds/): Spartanburg Methodist College freshman Stephen Long knew he’d have to take a lot of tests and complete plenty of other assignments as a college student.
- [New State Agency Not Under Governor’s Control](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/new-state-agency-not-under-governors-control/): Despite all the talk in the Legislature about giving the governor more control over the executive branch, South Carolina’s newest state agency is largely unaccountable to the Palmetto State’s chief executive.
- [On Uncompensated Care in U.S., It’s All About Money for Hospitals, Expert Claims](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/03/on-uncompensated-care-in-u-s-its-all-about-money-for-hospitals-expert-claims/): As the S.C. House of Representatives begins debate on the 2013-14 budget in about 10 days, one of the biggest issues focuses on whether South Carolina will expand Medicaid under new federal health care rules coming in January 2014.
- [JBRC Recommends $30 Million Project at CCU; Critics Question ‘Green’ Building Methods](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/jbrc-recommends-30-million-project-at-ccu-critics-question-green-building-methods/): The state Joint Bond Review Committee Wednesday recommended funding for a new $30 million science building at Coastal Carolina University.
- [S.C. Salary Panel Approves Salaries for New Insurance Director, Winthrop University President](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/s-c-salary-panel-approves-salaries-for-new-insurance-director-winthrop-university-president/): The S.C. Agency Head Salary Commission unanimously approved salaries Tuesday for the new leaders of state Department of Insurance and Winthrop University.
- [Progress Lacking on Some Ethics-Reform Proposals](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/progress-lacking-on-some-ethics-reform-proposals/): One month after the S.C.
- [House Speaker Pro Tem Favors Joint Budget Hearings](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/house-speaker-pro-tem-favors-joint-budget-hearings/): UPDATE 2/28/13: Rep. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens, on Wednesday introduced a bill (H. 3647) to repeal the joint budget hearings law.
- [S.C. Pushing Recycling Business; Mum on Taxpayer Cost](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/s-c-pushing-recycling-business-mum-on-taxpayer-cost/): Gov. Nikki Haley was gushing Wednesday as she announced that a start-up recycler of appliances and other electronic waste would locate a $40.6 million plant in Aiken County, creating 200 jobs.
- [Senate Panel Boosts Hollywood Tax Rebates](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/senate-panel-boosts-hollywood-tax-rebates/): Despite evidence from studies that reveal subsidies for Hollywood cost taxpayers, a Senate Finance subcommittee approved a bill Wednesday that would increase the percentage of rebates offered to the state's motion picture industry.
- [GOP House Members Tight-Lipped About Harrell Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/gop-house-members-tight-lipped-about-harrell-controversy/): Embattled House Speaker Bobby Harrell faced his colleagues for the first time Tuesday since state Attorney General Alan Wilson referred an ethics complaint against Harrell to the State Law Enforcement Division on Valentine’s Day.
- [Questions Raised About Taxpayer Support for High School League](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/questions-raised-about-taxpayer-support-for-high-school-league/): Every time there’s a high school playoff game in the Palmetto State, the South Carolina High School League likely is seeing dollar signs.
- [BCB-Like Authority Would Keep Bonding, Procurement Powers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/bcb-like-authority-would-keep-bonding-procurement-powers/): The Senate Finance subcommittee examining a massive government-restructuring bill would allow a Budget and Control Board-like authority to retain some of the same powers, under a bill version that goes before the full committee Tuesday.
- [S.C. Policy Council Files Ethics Complaint Against Harrell with Attorney General](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/s-c-policy-council-files-ethics-complaint-against-harrell-with-attorney-general/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson’s acceptance today of an ethics complaint against state House Speaker Bobby Harrell highlights conflict-of-interest weaknesses in state law dealing with the House Ethics Committee.
- [S.C. Chief Justice Addresses Case Backlogs, New Court Fee](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/s-c-chief-justice-addresses-case-backlogs-new-court-fee/): Six of the nine new S.C.
- [Lots of Business Red Tape in the Red State of S.C., Study Finds](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/lots-of-business-red-tape-in-the-red-state-of-s-c-study-finds/): Bills in the S.C.
- [Bills Would End S.C. High School League’s Authority](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/bills-would-end-s-c-high-school-leagues-authority/): If some state lawmakers have their way, the South Carolina High School League would be benched for life.
- [The Untold Story about Conservation Easements](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/the-untold-story-about-conservation-easements/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Donna Linsin of Oconee County. In 2002, the S.C.
- [Should State Lawmakers Give More Budget Scrutiny to Santee Cooper, Ports Authority?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/should-state-lawmakers-give-more-budget-scrutiny-to-santee-cooper-ports-authority/): Every legislative session comes with a parade of officials from dozens of state agencies who make their case for funding in the upcoming fiscal year.
- [Challenging Harrell ‘A Lot Like Playing with Fire’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/challenging-harrell-a-lot-like-playing-with-fire/): High-ranking officials with two state pharmacy organizations in 2010 expressed concerns then that S.C.
- [House Judiciary Panel Approves Amended Bill on Public Records Access](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/house-judiciary-panel-approves-amended-bill-on-public-records-access/): Supporters trumpeted an open-records bill that focuses on making government records more accessible and less expensive for South Carolinians after a House Judiciary panel Thursday approved an amended version of the legislation.
- [South Carolina Citizens Plead with Lawmakers to ‘Nullify’ Obamacare; Second Hearing Needed](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/south-carolina-citizens-plead-with-lawmakers-to-nullify-obamacare-second-hearing-needed/): Fifteen states reportedly have current moves to “nullify” the impact of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, in their states.
- [Senate Budget-Writing Panel Approves Another Tax-Credit Plan to Favor ‘Angel Investors’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/senate-budget-writing-panel-approves-another-tax-credit-plan-to-favor-angel-investors/): One man’s “angel investor” in South Carolina is another man’s businessman or businesswoman gaining favors from state officials who use tax dollars to pick winners and losers in the private sector.
- [South Carolina at Fork in the Road with Obamacare](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/south-carolina-at-fork-in-the-road-with-obamacare/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Brit Adams of Oconee County. In South Carolina we are at a fork in the road.
- [$4 Million in Federal Stimulus Funds Spent on S.C. Judges’ Retirement, Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/4-million-in-federal-stimulus-funds-spent-on-s-c-judges-retirement-records-show/): The retirement system for South Carolina’s judges, which doles out the largest average payouts among the state’s five public pension systems, took in $4 million in federal stimulus funds several years ago, The Nerve found in a review of state records.
- [Public Integrity Unit Likely Won’t Live Up to the Hype](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/public-integrity-unit-likely-wont-live-up-to-the-hype/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Katrina Fay of Hickory Tavern.
- [Legislative Hearing Could Be Held to Address Law on Founding American Documents](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/legislative-hearing-could-be-held-to-address-law-on-founding-american-documents/): If you ask public college and university officials in the Palmetto State whether their schools teach about the U.S Constitution and the country’s other founding documents, many of them apparently believe they have a right to remain silent on the matter.
- [Obama’s Tax Surprise This Year](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/obamas-tax-surprise-this-year/): Editor's note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Alberta Wasden, an accountant and community activist who lives in Wagener.
- [Senate Finance Panel Takes Charge of Restructuring Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/02/senate-finance-panel-takes-charge-of-restructuring-bill/): There's good news; there's bad news; and there's no news at all. Thursday's meeting of the Senate Finance Special Subcommittee for S.22 had a bit of all three.
- [Sounds of Silence on Possible Harrell Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/sounds-of-silence-on-possible-harrell-investigation/): Over the four-plus months of media reports raising questions about potential ethical violations involving S.C.
- [New State Farmers Market Appraisal Released, But Questions Remain](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/new-state-farmers-market-appraisal-released-but-questions-remain/): A state Department of Agriculture proposal to expand the State Farmers Market in Lexington County with the purchase of private property owned by the S.C.
- [State Tourism Agency Will Become Landlord for Ambitious Lakefront Resort](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/state-tourism-agency-will-become-landlord-for-ambitious-lakefront-resort/): A plan to create a revenue stream for some state parks has compelled the S.C.
- [Commission Recommends Major Ethics Reforms, Though Gaps Remain](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/01/commission-recommends-major-ethics-reforms-though-gaps-remain/): The S.C. Commission on Ethics Reform has proposed sweeping reforms to state ethics laws, which include requiring state legislators and other public officials to report their private sources of income.
- [Lawsuit Challenges Kimpson’s Election as State Senator](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/lawsuit-challenges-kimpsons-election-as-state-senator/): A state law at the center of a controversial court ruling that kicked about 250 candidates statewide off last year's primary ballot is once again the basis of a legal challenge – this time the special election this month to fill the Senate seat formerly held by Robert Ford.
- [S.C. Research Authority Executives Receive Big Bonuses](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/s-c-research-authority-executives-receive-big-bonuses/): Since Jan. 1 of last year, S.C.
- [Aw, Don't Mind That!](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/1520/): As a general rule, we permit our politicians to stretch the truth here and there.
- [Sweetheart Land Deal for S.C. Ports Authority Chairman?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/sweetheart-land-deal-for-s-c-ports-authority-chairman/): The legislative Joint Bond Review Committee this morning is expected to consider approving the proposed $7.06 million purchase of State Farmers Market property owned by S.C.
- [Rankin Raking in Millions in Workers' Comp Fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/rankin-raking-in-millions-in-workers-comp-fees/): At last Tuesday’s meeting of a special S.C. Senate ethics study committee, Sen.
- [S.C. Ports V.P. Has Ties to Trucking Firm with Port Customers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/s-c-ports-v-p-has-ties-to-trucking-firm-with-port-customers/): Like father, like son, as the old saying goes. Paul McClintock is a senior vice president and the chief commercial officer at the S.C.
- [Never Mind Taxpayers – Thank ME](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/never-mind-taxpayers-thank-me/): I was recently reminded by a South Carolina college student that her school required her to thank legislators for funding her scholarship.
- [Public Kept in Dark on House Ethics Fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/public-kept-in-dark-on-house-ethics-fines/): Jordan Bryngelson of Ridgeville didn’t make it past the June 2012 GOP primary for the S.C. House seat held by Democratic incumbent Patsy Knight.
- [Even a 'Weak' Mayor Can Wield a Lot of Power](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/even-a-weak-mayor-can-wield-a-lot-of-power/): There are basically two kinds of local government structures: the “strong-council-weak-mayor” form, or the “strong-mayor-weak-council” form.
- [Fairfield County Buying Building for TV Maker; Company President Mired in Federal Suits](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/fairfield-county-buying-building-for-tv-maker-company-president-mired-in-federal-suits/): For more than a month, state and local officials have been largely silent about taxpayer-backed incentives offered to a television manufacturer – led by a man accused in federal lawsuits of receiving millions in bonuses generated through a massive Ponzi scheme – to locate a plant in Fairfield County.
- [Feds Suspend Indicted Paving Firm; Other Alleged Fraud Cases under Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/feds-suspend-indicted-paving-firm-other-alleged-fraud-cases-under-investigation/): Since 2008, Boggs Paving Inc. has been awarded more than $200 million in contracts for road projects in the Palmetto State, records show.
- [The Education Mill](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/the-education-mill/): What Exactly Are We Transforming?
- [Destruction of Haley Ethics Letter Violation of State Policy?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/destruction-of-haley-ethics-letter-violation-of-state-policy/): The destruction of a recent letter from the State Ethics Commission’s chief lawyer to Gov.
- [More Questions Than Answers at TransformSC Conference](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/more-questions-than-answers-at-transformsc-conference/): Nearly five months after the TransformSC initiative was unveiled by New Carolina (“South Carolina’s Council on Competitiveness”), few details are known about it to the public, apart from a few generalities on its website and three or four pieces in the news media.
- [State Ethics Director Mum on Questions Surrounding Agency Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/state-ethics-director-mum-on-questions-surrounding-agency-records/): When it comes to transparency, the State Ethics Commission’s executive director isn’t exactly practicing what his agency demands of public officials and candidates for office.
- [Incubate This](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/incubate-this/): A Cluster Indeed By Ashley Landess In August of 2008, South Carolina legislative leaders held a press conference to unveil a plan to “fix” the economy and “create jobs.” The big reveal consisted of a bunch of charts – including my favorite, apyramid with 30+ government agencies listed in it – and the announcement of a new group called the Knowledge Sector Council.
- [S.C. Agencies Keeping Fee Revenues Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/s-c-agencies-keeping-fee-revenues-secret/): Fees and fines collected by state agencies make up a huge part of the state budget, but some agencies are withholding that information from the public despite a requirement that their annual reports be posted online.
- [County to Citizens: 'Work Harder'](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/county-to-citizens-work-harder/): The redistribution of wealth is alive and well in the Upstate .
- [Memo: DOT Officials Knew of Emergency Road Condition Months before Alerting Public](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/memo-dot-officials-knew-of-emergency-road-condition-months-before-alerting-public/): On June 25, the S.C. Department of Transportation announced that it was closing a three-tenths of a mile stretch of U.S.
- [Bobby's Rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/bobbys-rules/): No One Is Above the Law, Not Even the House Speaker By Ashley Landess The decision to file an ethics complaint against the House Speakers was not an easy one.
- [Two Sides of the Common Core Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/two-sides-of-the-common-core-debate/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Alexandra Allman of Rock Hill.
- [Harrell Investigation Ongoing Seven Months after Complaint Filed](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/harrell-investigation-ongoing-seven-months-after-complaint-filed/): A State Law Enforcement Division spokesman said Tuesday an investigation of S.C.
- [High-Paid School Superintendents Getting Less-Than-Stellar Results](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/high-paid-school-superintendents-getting-less-than-stellar-results/): In the private sector, average- or poor-performing company leaders usually aren’t rewarded with the highest salaries in their industry.
- [Status of S.C. Road Projects Unclear In Wake of Massive Federal Fraud Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/status-of-s-c-road-projects-unclear-in-wake-of-massive-federal-fraud-case/): Last month, state Sen. Nikki Setzler of Lexington County announced during a local chamber of commerce meeting that the S.C.
- [Palmetto Snake Oil](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/palmetto-snake-oil/): By Ashley Landess We often say about the South Carolina Policy Council that without us, the only information availableabout S.C.
- [Rejected College Lease Proposals Millions Less than Winning Donor's Bid](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/rejected-college-lease-proposals-millions-less-than-winning-donors-bid/): At last week’s S.C. Budget and Control Board meeting, Gov.
- [Opposition to Common Core Not Just a ‘Tea Party Thing’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/opposition-to-common-core-not-just-a-tea-party-thing/): When people who hold vastly different political views come together on the same side of an issue, it’s a good idea to pay attention.
- [North Carolina Is Winning … Here’s Why](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/north-carolina-is-winning-heres-why/): While South Carolina elected officials were busy this past session indebting South Carolina taxpayers an additional $120 million for the benefit of a single – one already located in-state – North Carolina’s elected officials were busy making actual tax cuts across the board.
- [Lawmakers Wipe Their Feet on SC Constitution](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/lawmakers-wipe-their-feet-on-sc-constitution/): Despite flaws in the state Constitution, some provisions are both right and crystal clear.
- [Legislature Returns Budget Surplus to Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/legislature-returns-budget-surplus-to-taxpayers/): That headline, if true, would mean taxpayers would be taking back the $68 million in surplus tax dollars left over after fully funding this year’s budget, including the $160 million “wish list” full of pork and pet-projects in Part 1B of the budget.
- [State Agencies Flush with Surplus Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/09/state-agencies-flush-with-surplus-money/): While many South Carolina families are still struggling to climb out of financial holes created by the Great Recession, more than a few state agencies are basking in multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded budget surpluses.
- [Number of Six-Figure Salaries Growing at USC, Clemson and MUSC](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/number-of-six-figure-salaries-growing-at-usc-clemson-and-musc/): Nearly 1,700 administrators, professors and coaches at the University of South Carolina, Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina earn at least $100,000 annually – an increase of about 250 from last year in the number of six-figure salaries,The Nerve found in a review of state salary data.
- [Governor, Commerce Silent on Ponzi-Scheme Lawsuits](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/governor-commerce-silent-on-ponzi-scheme-lawsuits/): In April 2010, Thomas Petters of Minnesota was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for masterminding a $3.7 billion, 14-year Ponzi scheme – one of the largest scams in U.S.
- [Secrecy Surrounds Incentives Deals in Fairfield County Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/secrecy-surrounds-incentives-deals-in-fairfield-county-project/): At a Fairfield County Council meeting last month, citizens questioned why details about a major unnamed manufacturing project were being kept secret.
- [It's My Sandbox!](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/its-my-sandbox/): Legal Corruption and Your Transportation Money By Ashley Landess A year ago, I stood with the leaders of quite a few diverse groups to talk about South Carolina’s unique “legal corruption.” That was the real kick-off to a substantive ethics reform debate – before then, politicians were putting their version of reform out, and it was (unsurprisingly) weak.
- [DDSN Settles Lawsuits Alleging Wrongful Death, Injuries Caused by Employees](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/ddsn-settles-lawsuits-alleging-wrongful-death-injuries-caused-by-employees/): On its website, the S.C.
- [Ignoring the Law: A South Carolina Tradition?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/ignoring-the-law-a-south-carolina-tradition/): South Carolina lawmakers have an interesting way of dealing with laws they don’t feel like following. They ignore them.
- [State Transportation Agency Proposes $85 Million Deficit Budget for 2014-15](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/state-transportation-agency-proposes-85-million-deficit-budget-for-2014-15/): Two summers ago, the S.C Department of Transportation was so short on cash that it couldn’t pay contractors and had to get a $52 million advance from the federal government to help cover its obligations.
- [S.C. Ports Officials Embroiled in Federal Case with Ex-Employer](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/s-c-ports-officials-embroiled-in-federal-case-with-ex-employer/): A senior vice president and a high-level trade manager at the S.C.
- [DDSN Board Reacts after Nerve Story on State Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/ddsn-board-reacts-after-nerve-story-on-state-investigation/): A day after The Nerve revealed details of an investigation into the alleged mishandling of public funds received by the nonprofit South Carolina Autism Society, the governing board of a state agency that was part of the probe moved to review related policies and practices.
- [Good Doggie ...](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/good-doggie/): Breaking the Federal Ties That Bind S.C.
- [Autism Group, Late Director Focus of State Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/autism-group-late-director-focus-of-state-investigation/): The last known time Craig Stoxen used his room entry card at the Clarion Inn on Chris Drive near West Columbia was at 10 p.m. on Feb.
- [Bare-Knuckle Politics – Why Limited Government Matters](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/bare-knuckle-politics-why-limited-government-matters/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Kim Murphy, a former Lexington-Richland School District 5 board member and a former citizen reporter for The Nerve.
- [Richland 1 Special Ed Teacher Alleges Autistic Son Assaulted at Her School](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/richland-1-special-ed-teacher-alleges-autistic-son-assaulted-at-her-school/): When Stephanie Trevitz returns to work today at Caughman Road Elementary School in Richland County School District 1, she'll once again begin preparing lesson plans and other activities for her special education students.
- [Legislative Panel Ignores Conflict-of-Interest Questions about College Lease](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/legislative-panel-ignores-conflict-of-interest-questions-about-college-lease/): A state legislative committee Thursday approved – for the second time in as many months – a proposal by the College of Charleston to pay more than $9 million to lease a downtown Charleston building with ties to a businessman who has been a large donor to the school.
- [Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/jobs-jobs-jobs/): Off to the Ribbon-Cutting Races By Ashley Landess S.C.
- [College of Charleston Mum on Donor Connection to Multimillion-Dollar Lease Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/college-of-charleston-mum-on-donor-connection-to-multimillion-dollar-lease-proposal/): In 2003, the College of Charleston announced the creation of a $100,000 endowed scholarship in honor of the late John M.
- [Deflection, Disdain, Mystification: One Woman’s Encounters with S.C. Politicians](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/deflection-disdain-mystification-one-womans-encounters-with-s-c-politicians/): Johnnelle Raines was a first-grade teacher for 29 years, and for most of her life she didn’t consider herself “political.” That changed a few years ago, and since then she’s become the kind of activist who makes elected officials cringe.
- [Legal Claims against S.C. DOT Reveal Poorly Designed, Maintained Roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/legal-claims-against-s-c-dot-reveal-poorly-designed-maintained-roads/): If you want to know how bad South Carolina’s roads are, you could just get in your car and start driving in any direction.
- [Ethics Fines Rack Up for S.C. Senators, Candidates](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/ethics-fines-rack-up-for-s-c-senators-candidates/): Since 2008, 42 current and former state senators, as well as Senate candidates, collectively have been fined $64,804 by the Senate Ethics Committee, according to committee records obtained recently by The Nerve.
- [S.C.'s New Hitmen](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/08/s-c-s-new-hitmen/): Politicos Declare Virtual War on Transparency Advocates By Ashley Landess You’ve probably noticed some elected officials are not too happy with us for starting the income disclosure project to empower citizens to ask elected officials to voluntarily disclose who pays them.
- [State Ethics Commission Makeup Changed After Nerve Story](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/state-ethics-commission-makeup-changed-after-nerve-story/): A day after The Nerve revealed that two appointees of Gov.
- [Defamed but Not Intimidated](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/it-gets-ugly-quick-scpc-supporter-defamed-but-not-intimidated/): Talbert Black isn’t one of Columbia’s innumerable “politicos” – he’s not a politician or a consultant or a lobbyist.
- [The 'Red' Palmetto State](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/the-red-palmetto-state/): Socialists in Capitalists' Clothing By Ashley Landess Perhaps the most dangerous thing a nation can do is to stop defining itself – especially our nation, which was founded for the purpose of protecting and preserving liberty, justice and opportunity for all.
- [S.C. Ethics Commission Appointments in Violation of State Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/s-c-ethics-commission-appointments-in-violation-of-state-law/): Two of Gov. Nikki Haley’s appointees earlier this year to the State Ethics Commission, which recently cut a deal with the governor over multiple alleged campaign-reporting violations, were not confirmed by the S.C.
- [Critics Blast Study on Bull Street Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/critics-blast-study-on-bull-street-project/): Editor's Note: The following story is the second in a two-part series on development issues in Columbia. The first story was published on Thursday.
- [Stagnant Columbia Landmark Stuck in Litigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/stagnant-columbia-landmark-stuck-in-litigation/): Editor's Note: Today's story is the first in a two-part series on development issues in Columbia.
- [Lawmaker-Approved Handout](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/lawmaker-approved-handout/): S.C. General Assembly: The Palmetto State's Most Exclusive Club By Ashley Landess Say what you will about the South Carolina General Assembly – and I’ve said plenty – it is one of the most egalitarian clubs you will ever find.
- [The Entitled Attitude of S.C.’s Political Class](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/the-entitled-attitude-of-s-c-s-political-class/): In April this year, the South Carolina Policy Council undertook an experiment.
- [S.C. Sen. Shane Martin: 'Mr. Magic Man'](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/s-c-sen-shane-martin-mr-magic-man/): In the popular comedy movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, NASCAR racing teammate Cal Naughton Jr.
- [King Harrell](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/king-harrell/): SC House Speaker: Most Powerful, Least Accountable By Ashley Landess Why does it matter that House Speaker Bobby Harrell hasn’t responded to charges he violated ethics laws?
- [Law Firm of S.C. Retirement Investment Chairman Gets Plenty of State Business](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/law-firm-of-s-c-retirement-investment-chairman-gets-plenty-of-state-business/): In recently reappointing Reynolds Williams to the state Retirement System Investment Commission, S.C. Sen.
- [Citizen Reporter Janet Spencer Shares Her Views on Project Conflict Watch](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/citizen-reporter-janet-spencer-shares-her-views-on-project-conflict-watch-2/): Editor's Note: Janet Spencer is a grassroots leader in Horry County and the head of the Carolina Patriots in Myrtle Beach.
- [S.C. DOT's Chief Watchdog Neutered](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/s-c-dots-chief-watchdog-neutered/): The S.C. Department of Transportation's internal watchdog has been stripped of his authority to conduct independent investigations of waste and fraud at the massive agency, The Nerve found in a review of internal documents obtained last week.
- [Family Ties to State Insurance Fund Pose No Conflict of Interest, Rep. McLeod Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/family-ties-to-state-insurance-fund-pose-no-conflict-of-interest-rep-mcleod-says/): As the great-nephew of a deceased South Carolina governor, state Rep. Walt McLeod III has a family history steeped in public service and the law.
- [No Money Available for DHEC’s Certificate-of-Need Program?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/no-money-available-for-dhecs-certificate-of-need-program/): Two days after the S.C. House sustained Gov.
- [Gov. Haley Moving Slowly on Ethics Commission Appointments](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/gov-haley-moving-slowly-on-ethics-commission-appointments/): In the waning days of this year’s regular legislative session, Gov.
- [Lawmakers Hide Their Pet Projects in State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/lawmakers-hide-their-pet-projects-in-state-budget/): It may be hard to miss a pig in a dress, but some South Carolina legislators apparently go to great lengths to hide pork in the state budget.
- [Easy Road from the State House to the Court House](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/easy-road-from-the-state-house-to-the-court-house/): If you want to put on the black robe in South Carolina, it pays to have connections in the General Assembly.
- [Line between Lobbyist and Campaign Consultant Blurred for Rep. Sandifer](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/07/line-between-lobbyist-and-campaign-consultant-blurred-for-rep-sandifer/): Consider this ethical sticky wicket: A state politician hires registered lobbyists as election campaign “consultants.” Some of the lobbyists' clients donate money to the politician's campaign during the period when the lobbyists acted as the politician's consultants.
- [Midwife Supporters Claim Doctor-Lawmakers Trying to Limit Competition](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/midwife-supporters-claim-doctor-lawmakers-trying-to-limit-competition/): While one profession lays claim to being the world's oldest, there's another that's just as ancient – midwifery. And yet, if S.C.
- [DOA Legislation Dead This Year, Bill Conferees Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/doa-legislation-dead-this-year-bill-conferees-say/): Restructuring South Carolina state government will have to wait until next year, say two lawmakers on a committee assigned to work out differences on a key bill.
- [Sen. Setzler: Lawyer to the Lobbyists?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/sen-setzler-lawyer-to-the-lobbyists/): There’s no question that state Sen. Nikki Setzler is the proud father of four children.
- [Rep. Cobb-Hunter Sponsors $200,000 Earmark for Her Nonprofit](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/rep-cobb-hunter-sponsors-200000-earmark-for-her-nonprofit/): UPDATE: 6/26/13 - The S.C. House this afternoon voted 108-9 to sustain Gov.
- [State Rep. Bedingfield Receives Full-Time Salary for Part-Time Federal Job](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/state-rep-bedingfield-receives-full-time-salary-for-part-time-federal-job/): When it comes to taxpayer-funded payrolls, Eric Bedingfield might have one of the most unusual working arrangements in the United States.
- [Ports Authority Chairman Could Receive About $7 Million for Farmers Market Property](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/ports-authority-chairman-could-receive-about-7-million-for-farmers-market-property/): If Gov. Nikki Haley agrees, the S.C.
- [Legislation Aims to Ignite Stalled Building Projects in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/legislation-aims-to-ignite-stalled-building-projects-in-s-c/): One of the greatest casualties of the Great Recession in the Palmetto State was the sharp decline in commercial building projects, as one by one, present and future contracts either were suspended or canceled due to a lack of cash, credit or collateral.
- [Boeing Gets Its $120 million from Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/boeing-gets-its-120-million-from-taxpayers/): What Boeing wants, Boeing gets. On Tuesday, what Boeing got was effectively a rubber stamp from the S.C.
- [Leatherman's Hand in $50 Million Transportation Cookie Jar](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/leathermans-hand-in-50-million-transportation-cookie-jar/): S.C. Sen. Hugh Leatherman, who wields more power than most legislators, apparently is still in the driver’s seat on a compromise bill that would direct $50 million to the state Transportation Infrastructure Bank, which is governed by a board that includes the Florence County Republican.
- [Uncertainty Looms for S.C. Business Owners as Latest Obamacare Mandates Approach](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/uncertainty-looms-for-s-c-business-owners-as-latest-obamacare-mandates-approach/): Jackie Fowler wonders out loud if she will be able to continue offering health insurance to her employees at her Columbia office furniture store known as The Office Place.
- [Obamacare Nullification Is Constitutional](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/obamacare-nullification-is-constitutional/): Editor's Note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Don Rogers of Greenville.
- [Secretive State Panel Could Have More Flexibility in Granting Incentives to Port Businesses](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/secretive-state-panel-could-have-more-flexibility-in-granting-incentives-to-port-businesses/): The S.C. Coordinating Council for Economic Development, which often meets behind closed doors, would have greater discretion in doling out port tax credits for businesses that ship cargo, under a bill passed in the last week of the 2013 regular legislative session.
- [Casket Case Closes with State Agency Dropping Threat of $10K Maximum Fine](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/casket-case-closes-with-state-agency-dropping-threat-of-10k-maximum-fine/): A Lexington County man who faced a fine of up to $10,000 after he was accused of selling $300 “pre-need” caskets without a state license had his case closed recently by the S.C.
- [Supporters of Obamacare ‘Nullification’ Contend Bill Still Alive](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/supporters-of-obamacare-nullification-contend-bill-still-alive/): Three proponents of a state bill calling for South Carolina to resist, or “nullify,” the federal health-care law known as “Obamacare” say the legislation remains alive despite the Senate’s failure to pass it before the end of this year’s regular legislative session.
- [Drones Over S.C. Skies: Latest Trend for Police Agencies?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/drones-over-s-c-skies-latest-trend-for-police-agencies/): Amid the uproar over last week’s revelations that the U.S.
- [S.C. Officials to Offer Taxpayer-Funded ‘Bridge’ Loan to Cash-Rich Boeing](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/s-c-officials-to-offer-taxpayer-funded-bridge-loan-to-cash-rich-boeing/): Palmetto State officials just can’t seem to give away taxpayer money fast enough to one of the nation’s wealthiest corporations.
- [Coordinating Council Approves Seven ‘Confidential’ Projects After Closed-Door Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/coordinating-council-approves-seven-confidential-projects-after-closed-door-meeting/): The normally secretive S.C.
- [Senator Leatherman's Influence: A Pictoral Collage](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/senator-leathermans-influence-a-pictoral-collage/): A South Carolina Policy Council supporter recently took these photos showing the influence of longtime Sen.
- [DOA Bill Conferees Unable to Resolve Differences in First Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/doa-bill-conferees-unable-to-resolve-differences-in-first-meeting/): House and Senate conference committee members who met for the first time Wednesday afternoon on a bill that would restructure state government have significant differences about who should have the authority to purchase goods and services, and allow agency deficits.
- [Leatherman Circumvents Legislative Process to Push Funding Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/leatherman-circumvents-legislative-process-to-push-funding-proposal/): With just two days left in the General Assembly’s regular session, one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers has found a way around the normal legislative process to get his funding proposal in a transportation bill.
- [Businesses with Ties to S.C. Lawmakers Raking in Millions in Medicaid Payments](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/businesses-with-ties-to-s-c-lawmakers-raking-in-millions-in-medicaid-payments/): Over the past six fiscal years, medical businesses with ties to five S.C.
- [Will Sen. Ford’s Ethics Case Push Ethics-Reform Bill Across the Finish Line?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/will-sen-fords-ethics-case-push-ethics-reform-bill-across-the-finish-line/): The referral of an ethics complaint against Sen. Robert Ford to the S.C.
- [S.C. Association of Counties Lacks Financial Transparency](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/06/s-c-association-of-counties-lacks-financial-transparency/): Editor's note: The following column was submitted by Nerve Citizen Reporter Donna Linsin of Oconee County.
- [Day One of Ford Ethics Hearing Takes Titillating Turns](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/day-one-of-ford-ethics-hearing-takes-titillating-turns/): Update: 5/31/13, 11:30 a.m.
- [S.C. ‘Fair Tax’ Bill Receives Its First Legislative Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/s-c-fair-tax-bill-receives-its-first-legislative-hearing/): A state bill calling for the elimination of South Carolina’s income tax was discussed Wednesday before a House subcommittee – the first time in recent memory that such legislation received a legislative hearing, supporters say.
- [Senators Poised to Raid $112 Million ‘Rainy-Day’ Fund](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/senators-poised-to-raid-112-million-rainy-day-fund/): The S.C. Senate’s debate on the 2013-14 budget dragged into a third week Tuesday, and it could continue another day or so as the chamber must also approve the $112.6 million Capital Reserve Fund, which lawmakers have drained in recent years for typically non-emergency purposes.
- [Governor, Commerce Officials Still Silent on Boeing Bond Deal; Lawmaker Reveals Some Details](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/governor-commerce-officials-still-silent-on-boeing-bond-deal-lawmaker-reveals-some-details/): More than a month after Gov. Nikki Haley signed a rushed bill into law giving aerospace giant Boeing Co.
- [Still Waiting for Senator's ‘Project Conflict Watch’ Response](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/still-waiting-for-senators-project-conflict-watch-response/): Editor's Note: The following account was submitted by Judy Adams of Oconee County and her husband, Nerve Citizen Reporter Brit Adams, about their recent attempts to convince Sen.
- [House Committee Rejects Plan to Place Psychologist in Every S.C. School](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/house-committee-rejects-plan-to-place-psychologist-in-every-s-c-school/): A bill that would have placed a full-time school psychologist in every public school in South Carolina has been scrapped by the state House Education and Public Works Committee, which replaced it with an amendment that would create a school-safety task force.
- [S.C. Funeral Licensing Panel Discourages Sales of Cheap Caskets, Critics Contend](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/05/s-c-funeral-licensing-panel-discourages-sales-of-cheap-caskets-critics-contend/): Death isn’t cheap these days. Critics say regulations of South Carolina’s funeral industry block competition for those who want to buy an inexpensive casket.
- [Legality of Common Core Review Process Questioned](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/legality-of-common-core-review-process-questioned/): State law requires that before changes are made to state educational standards and assessment tests, a group of parents, business and industry representatives, community leaders and educators must review the proposals.
- [District Continues to Stonewall](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/district-continues-to-stonewall/): A month ago, I explained how I other parents are suing the Anderson School District 5 Board of Trustees and the Superintendent for multiple violations of the Freedom of Information (FOIA) and violation of the terms of a public bond referendum.
- [House Speaker Rigging Outcome of Ethics Case?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/house-speaker-rigging-outcome-of-ethics-case/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell – arguably South Carolina’s most powerful lawmaker – was visibly angry after state Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that an ethics investigation of Harrell had been referred to the state grand jury.
- [My LAST NERVE: The Anti-Common Core Bill That Isn't](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/my-last-nerve-the-anti-common-core-bill-that-isnt/): WHAT'S S.300 ABOUT, ANYWAY?
- [Energy Costs: Who's Really Responsible?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/energy-costs-whos-really-responsible/): How does South Carolina’s energy market work? In a nutshell, it doesn’t.
- [The ‘Destroyed' Ethics Commission Letter Saga Continues](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/the-destroyed-ethics-commission-letter-saga-continues/): First, he said the letter was destroyed. Now, he contends the letter exists, but only as an unsigned draft.
- [VOICES: State Flouts Its Own Law, County vs. Property Owners](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/voices-state-flouts-its-own-law-county-vs-property-owners/): WHEN LAWMAKERS DON'T WANT TO FOLLOW THE LAW, THEY WRITE A PROVISO [Editor’s note: Occasionally, through conversations or emails, The Nerve receives stories about the follies or overweaning, wasteful, or otherwise irresponsible government.
- [S.C. Public Service Commission: Women Need Not Apply?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/s-c-public-service-commission-women-need-not-apply/): Nancy S. Campbell last year was hoping to land a $102,000-a-year seat on the S.C. Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities in the Palmetto State.
- [MY LAST NERVE: State Sovereignty for Federal Cash](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/my-last-nerve-state-sovereignty-for-federal-cash/): State-funded higher education institutions – as well as some lawmakers – are upset. What about?
- [Political Tentacles](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/political-tentacles/): What do a liberal arts college, a publicly funded medical school and a private law school have in common? Nothing, except that they are all in Charleston.
- [Farm Industry Ex-Lobbyist Says He Hasn’t Crossed Ethical Line](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/farm-industry-ex-lobbyist-says-he-hasnt-crossed-ethical-line/): The South Carolina Farm Bureau, considered the state’s most influential farm organization, has not been secret about its opposition to state legislation that would regulate large water withdrawals by farmers.
- [Governed by the Unelected](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/1701/): Who really runs county council government?
- [Blind Trust: House Panel Gives Commerce $37 Million for Secret Deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/blind-trust-house-panel-gives-commerce-37-million-for-secret-deals/): S.C. Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt had his hand out at a recent House Ways and Means subcommittee meeting, recalled Rep.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Who's "Against Ethics Reform"?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/my-last-nerve-whos-against-ethics-reform/): REFORM ≠ MORE OF THE SAME Throughout this two-year legislative session, Gov.
- [Money Isn't the Problem – Power Is](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/money-isnt-the-problem-power-is/): There’s a line making its way around the internet – a kind of online cliché at this point – that nonetheless captures an important truth about politics.
- [Military Vehicles Invading S.C. Police Agencies?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/military-vehicles-invading-s-c-police-agencies/): In South Carolina, some local police departments have more of a military look these days.
- [An Academic Field Premised on Animus?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/an-academic-field-premised-on-animus/): I am a sophomore at the University of South Carolina, and recently I was able to highlight several instances of flagrantly non-factual political bias in my social work textbook.
- [Lawmakers Acknowledge Validity of 'Founding Docs' Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/lawmakers-acknowledge-validity-of-founding-docs-law/): Over a year ago, The Nerve published a story about my discovery of a statute that requires public universities and colleges to teach all four-year students about the Declaration of Independence, the U.S.
- [Sen. Leatherman Doles out Campaign Money for ‘Charity’](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/sen-leatherman-doles-out-campaign-money-for-charity/): Over the past six years, longtime S.C. Sen.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Lawmakers Keep Ethics Debate Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/my-last-nerve-lawmakers-keep-ethics-debate-secret/): The legislature returned this week, and the Senate got right to work on the ethics bill. The only problem was that the public was shut out of the debate.
- [Campaign Money for Campaigns. Period.](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/campaign-money-for-campaigns-period/): South Carolina politicians often seem perplexed as to why the public is suspicious of them.
- [The Palmetto State’s $2.4 Billion Hidden Piggy Bank](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/the-palmetto-states-2-4-billion-hidden-piggy-bank/): When state agency officials complain about not having enough money, they typically don’t talk about their budget surpluses.
- [The Real-World Costs of the Certificate of Need Program](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/the-real-world-costs-of-the-certificate-of-need-program/): That’s the question public policy debates usually come down to, and it’s rarely an easy one to answer.
- [High Turnover in Haley Cabinet](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/high-turnover-in-haley-cabinet/): Robert St. Onge, who abruptly resigned last month as the state Department of Transportation secretary after he was arrested on a drunken driving charge, spent only 10 minutes talking with Gov.
- [MY LAST NERVE: So Many Reasons for a Gas Tax Hike – and All Wrong](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/my-last-nerve-so-many-reasons-for-a-gas-tax-hike-and-all-wrong/): It’s a sad fact that South Carolina has the fourth largest state highway system in the nation.
- [Just a Few Years More](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/just-a-few-years-more/): In 1984 Governor Dick Riley’s Education Improvement Act was passed, with the promise of better education for a mere penny increase in the sales tax.
- [Chief Justice’s Potential Ties to Harrell Case Questioned](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/chief-justices-potential-ties-to-harrell-case-questioned/): UPDATE: 2/20/14 - John Crangle, executive director of Common Cause of South Carolina, said he hand-delivered a letter Wednesday to the S.C.
- [District Stonewalls on Requests for Public Information](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/district-stonewalls-on-requests-for-public-information/): Editor's note: Although The Nerve takes no position on the dispute over Southwood Academy of the Arts detailed in the following story, our reporters have frequently detailedattempts by state and local government officials to ignore both the spirit and letter of the Freedom of Information Act.
- [Common Core Tests to Cost S.C. Taxpayers Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/common-core-tests-to-cost-s-c-taxpayers-millions/): Belonging to the 22-state consortium that is developing the Common Core math and English language arts assessment tests for K-12 students will soon no longer be a cheap date for S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Lawmakers Consider Constitutional Carry Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/my-last-nerve-lawmakers-consider-constitutional-carry-legislation/): A bill that would permit “constitutional carry” in South Carolina – allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons with or without a permit – was the subject of heated debate at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Tuesday.
- [Tipping the Scale](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/tipping-the-scale/): Yesterday the South Carolina legislature re-elected Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal to her position with a vote of 95-74 over Associate Justice Costa Pleicones.
- [Double-Dipping Perks Given to Senior S.C. Judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/double-dipping-perks-given-to-senior-s-c-judges/): S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Toal on Tuesday said she started receiving retirement payments, which she noted stands at about $131,000 annually, on June 3, 2010.
- [Are Clemson "Life" Board Members Flouting the Law?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/are-clemson-life-board-members-flouting-the-law/): “Oaths,” “constitutions,” “law,” “ethics,” “education.” All of these words are used in a myriad of contexts in and out of the classrooms of every institution of higher learning in the United States and elsewhere.
- [S.C. Judges Routinely Offered Convention Freebies](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/02/s-c-judges-routinely-offered-convention-freebies/): South Carolina’s three most prominent legal organizations each spend tens of thousands of dollars annually to bring Palmetto State judges to swank conventions, though the groups contend they’re not trying to influence the jurists.
- [MY LAST NERVE: "Debating" Ethics Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/my-last-nerve-debating-ethics-reform/): If you watched the closing minutes of last Thursday’s Senate session you would have thought, as I did, you were in a twilight zone.
- [The Money Tree](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/the-money-tree/): Governor Haley took some ribbing for her State of the State reference to a “money tree” as the way to fund roads.
- [S.C. Supreme Court Justice Releases Financial Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/s-c-supreme-court-justice-releases-financial-records/): UPDATE: 1/31/14 - Chief Justice Jean Toal this afternoon released a written summary to The Nerve of the amount and sources of income in 2012 for her and her attorney-husband, William Toal, as well as a breakdown of their income-producing assets.
- [More Cops Coming to S.C. State House?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/more-cops-coming-to-s-c-state-house/): Although S.C. taxpayers already provide armed police officers on the State House grounds – in addition to separate security staffs for House and Senate members – lawmakers are once again proposing the creation of a “Capitol Police Force.” The legislation (H.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Government Restructuring ... or Just Rearranging?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/my-last-nerve-government-restructuring-or-just-rearranging/): Almost instantly after unanimous passage in the House and a 39-4 favorable vote in the Senate, lawmakers and the governor began proclaiming a “historical” victory with the passage of the Department of Administration bill.
- [Kissed by a Pig](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/kissed-by-a-pig/): The Legislature passed a restructuring bill and eliminated the Budget and Control Board (BCB). Is that big news?
- [Judicial Income Disclosure Largely Hidden from Public](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/judicial-income-disclosure-largely-hidden-from-public/): In South Carolina, if you want to know who is paying judges and their spouses, and what they own, you won't find it easily.
- [Clemson Forest Land at Risk with Proposed ‘Enterprise Division'?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/clemson-forest-land-at-risk-with-proposed-enterprise-division/): In a 2006 internal report, a task force that studied Clemson University’s vast land holdings recommended that for the approximately 20,000 acres of surrounding forest and farm lands, school officials should “identify some possible short term exchanges and possible large acreage exchanges.” “Extremely sensitive politically,” the university’s “Asset Stewardship Task Force” noted in its report, a copy of which was obtained by The Nerve last year.
- [Why Do Lawmakers Favor Some Solicitor’s Offices Over Others?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/why-do-lawmakers-favor-some-solicitors-offices-over-others/): Under the Title 1, Chapter 7, Article 1 statutory scheme, there’s apparently only one reason legislators give more staffing and funding to the solicitor’s office of Judicial District 9, which covers Charleston and Berkeley counties, than to any other: to vest legislative interest and control over a state law enforcement office.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Gov. Haley's Strange Relationship with Common Core](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/my-last-nerve-gov-haleys-strange-relationship-with-common-core/): South Carolina politicians are masters at promising one thing and doing the opposite.
- [Move to Adjourn](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/move-to-adjourn/): The decision this week by Attorney General Alan Wilson and State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel to turn the investigation of House Speaker Bobby Harrell over to the state grand jury is a major turning point for South Carolina.
- [Harrell Still Won’t Release Campaign Expense Records](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/harrell-still-wont-release-campaign-expense-records/): From 2008 through 2012, S.C.
- [Harrell Ethics Case Goes to State Grand Jury](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/harrell-ethics-case-goes-to-state-grand-jury/): When interviewed by The Nerve last September, Bart Daniel, one of S.C.
- [Struggling Diaper Plant President Speaks Out; Public Officials Largely Silent](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/struggling-diaper-plant-president-speaks-out-public-officials-largely-silent/): Collin Brown III says he’s well aware of a state deadline this year to create 262 jobs and invest $6 million in a diaper production plant in Marion County, or face possible repayment of a $1 million state grant.
- [Senate Bill Could Clear Way for New Convention Center in Greenville](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/senate-bill-could-clear-way-for-new-convention-center-in-greenville/): The city of Greenville would be off the hook for reimbursing state taxpayers $7 million used to help renovate its convention center if it builds a new center, under a bill sponsored by two Greenville senators.
- [Medicaid Expansion by the Back Door](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/medicaid-expansion-by-the-back-door/): Many South Carolinians are starting to realize that, despite the promises of our governor and many legislative leaders to the contrary, Obamacare is already being implemented in our state.
- [Lattimore Scores Endorsement Fee with S.C. Lottery](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/lattimore-scores-endorsement-fee-with-s-c-lottery/): Although Marcus Lattimore’s football career at the University of South Carolina is long over, the S.C.
- [Clemson Seeking Big Budget Increase, Sitting on Huge Reserves](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/clemson-seeking-big-budget-increase-sitting-on-huge-reserves/): Clemson University is requesting more than a 10 percent budget increase for the next school year, despite having $133 million in unrestricted reserves at the start of this fiscal year, records reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [New State Agency Seeks 400% General Fund Hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/new-state-agency-seeks-400-general-fund-hike/): A recently created state agency that focuses on economic development in South Carolina’s rural counties is seeking a 400 percent increase in general funds next fiscal year, despite having millions in reserves in 2013.
- [Lawmakers Can’t Resist Sign-Naming Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/lawmakers-cant-resist-sign-naming-legislation/): As the debate continues on where exactly to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars earmarked for roads and bridges in the Palmetto State, S.C.
- [Sen. Bright Explains Discrepancies on Income-Disclosure Forms](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/01/sen-bright-explains-discrepancies-on-income-disclosure-forms/): When U.S. Senate candidate Lee Bright, a Republican state senator from Spartanburg County, filed his required federal income-disclosure form last month, he listed a company he owns as one of his private income sources.
- [Keep the Flame Lit in 2014](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/keep-the-flame-lit-in-2014/): The Nerve is free to read, but not free to run. It takes resources to keep an eye on what your politicians do with your money.
- [“I Learned to Care about Freedom”: A Cuban American Explains Why She’s an Activist](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/i-learned-to-care-about-freedom-a-cuban-american-explains-why-shes-an-activist/): If you’re an elected official in South Carolina, it’s reasonably likely that you’ve come across the name Magda Aguila.
- [House Bill Would Create Exception to DOT’s Priority List](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/house-bill-would-create-exception-to-dots-priority-list/): The governing board of the S.C.
- [A Christmas Wish List](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/a-christmas-wish-list/): As 2013 comes to a close, we at the South Carolina Policy Council want to thank you for reading The Nerve and staying engaged.
- [State Officials Still Reluctant to Reveal Boeing Bond Details](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/state-officials-still-reluctant-to-reveal-boeing-bond-details/): Imagine going to a bank and asking for a $120 million loan but refusing to tell the loan officer how exactly you plan to spend the money.
- [Excuses, Excuses](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/excuses-excuses/): A couple of weeks ago, Jody Barr at WIS-TV interviewed me on a story he was working on about new furniture for members of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
- [Chumley Says He Will Fight Ethics Allegations](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/chumley-says-he-will-fight-ethics-allegations/): S.C. Rep. Bill Chumley will finally get his day in court before the House Ethics Committee – two days before Christmas.
- [Citizen Reporter Proposes New Economic Development Message](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/citizen-reporter-proposes-new-economic-development-message/): Here in South Carolina, we’ve created a monster. It’s called government-driven economic development.
- [Rep. Chumley’s Case Taken Off House Ethics Committee Agenda](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/rep-chumleys-case-taken-off-house-ethics-committee-agenda/): The S.C. House Ethics Committee today will not consider the ethics case involving Rep.
- [Palmetto Railways – Money Train for Top Staff](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/palmetto-railways-money-train-for-top-staff/): South Carolina’s choo-choo chief has been seeing a lot more cha-ching in his paychecks in recent years.
- [State Plane Use: Different Rules for Certain Lawmakers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/state-plane-use-different-rules-for-certain-lawmakers/): In January, S.C.
- [The I-526 Boondoggle](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/the-i-526-boondoggle/): The Taxpayer-Funded Road to Nowhere By Ashley Landess One of my friends recently said about Charleston that “you can find everything in the Holy City: the best restaurants, shopping, museums, historical sites – everything except a pothole.” It makes sense that Charleston would have the best roads in the state, given the powerful delegation that controls the State Infrastructure Bank Board and has poured more than $1 billion from the Bank into Charleston County (and a few other counties that, coincidentally enough, were represented by other SIB Board members).
- [BCB Renews Bonus Pay Program for Commerce Employees](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/bcb-renews-bonus-pay-program-for-commerce-employees/): Christmas came a little early Tuesday for some S.C. Department of Commerce employees. The five-member S.C. Budget and Control Board, chaired by Gov.
- [S.C. Education Dept Wants Autism Group to Return $52,000](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/s-c-education-dept-wants-autism-group-to-return-52000/): The state Department of Education is seeking repayment of $52,046 awarded to the South Carolina Autism Society after conducting an audit of the nonprofit organization’s financial records for the grants.
- [Funeral Legislation: Pay Up or We’ll Keep the Body](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/funeral-legislation-pay-up-or-well-keep-the-body/): Although he’s a funeral home director and owner, S.C. Rep.
- [A Policy of Appeasement](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/a-policy-of-appeasement/): What do former Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard, former Senator Robert Ford and Representative Harold Mitchell have in common?
- [Rep. Goldfinch Believes He’ll Remain a Lawmaker Despite Federal Charge](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/rep-goldfinch-believes-hell-remain-a-lawmaker-despite-federal-charge/): S.C. Rep. Stephen Goldfinch says he doesn’t believe he’ll face any disciplinary action from his House colleagues over his pending federal criminal case in connection with the harvesting of stem cells that later were sold to a Texas man posing as a U.S.
- [‘Destroyed’ Ethics Commission Letter Released to The Nerve](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/12/destroyed-ethics-commission-letter-released-to-the-nerve/): Update: 11/3/14 – State Ethics Commission Director Herb Hayden violated the S.C.
- [Legislative Turkey Day](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/legislative-turkey-day/): From the Editor: The Nerve office will be closed today and tomorrow in observance of the holiday.Happy Thanksgiving!
- [Lawmakers’ Self-Policing Powers Debated in Lawsuit and Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/lawmakers-self-policing-powers-debated-in-lawsuit-and-legislation/): As state lawmakers plan to continue debate next year whether to relinquish their self-policing powers, defendants in an ongoing ethics lawsuit involving a newly elected senator are staking out the status-quo position.
- [Documents: Public Largely Shut Out of Clemson’s Presidential Search](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/documents-public-largely-shut-out-of-clemsons-presidential-search/): The search committee for Clemson University’s next president kept the public from having easy access to its meetings, documents released Monday evening to The Nerve reveal.
- [S.C. Rep. Keeps His Grip on Dillon County Schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/s-c-rep-keeps-his-grip-on-dillon-county-schools/): In November 2010, Dillon County voters overwhelmingly approved a proposal to have their county board of education popularly elected instead of being appointed by the local legislative delegation.
- [Ex-Lawmaker Says He Can Legally Claim Property Tax Break](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/ex-lawmaker-says-he-can-legally-claim-property-tax-break/): For the past 20 years, former state lawmaker Arnold Goodstein has been the attorney for the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
- [Roots of Corruption](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/roots-of-corruption/): Window-Dressing Ethics Reform By Ashley Landess Watching the gaggle of South Carolina politicians perform like competing cheerleaders with their versions of “Yaaaaay ethics!” might be entertaining under different circumstances.
- [S.C. DOT Cozy with Consultants, Emails Reveal](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/s-c-dot-cozy-with-consultants-emails-reveal/): The S.C. Department of Transportation is expected to, according to state law, focus on the “systematic planning, construction, maintenance and operation of the state highway system.” Nowhere in its official mission statement is the mention of a golf tournament.
- [2013 and Still Fighting for the Right to Vote](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/2013-and-still-fighting-for-the-right-to-vote/): Voting rights did not come easily or quickly to women or to African Americans in the 1950s and 60s. It was not peaceful or safe to seek this democratic right.
- [Tens of Millions Spent on State Agency Travel](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/tens-of-millions-spent-on-state-agency-travel/): As South Carolina struggles to recover from the Great Recession, state agencies in recent years have increased spending on travel in and out of the Palmetto State.
- [Clemson Officials Keeping Presidental List Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/clemson-officials-keeping-presidental-list-secret/): “The selection of a president is the single most important responsibility of the board.” So said David Wilkins, chairman of the Clemson University Board of Trustees on April 17, the day after longtime President Jim Barker announced his retirement.
- [Puppet State](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/puppet-state/): Breaking the Ties That Bind By Ashley Landess Obamacare might be the worst law we have seen yet from Washington, but it’s not the worst we will see if we don’t get serious about making the long-term fix.
- [USC’s ‘Fair Funding’ Plan Not So Fair to Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/uscs-fair-funding-plan-not-so-fair-to-taxpayers/): To University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides, his offer to the S.C.
- [Foul Smell for Taxpayers in S.C. Diaper Plant Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/foul-smell-for-taxpayers-in-s-c-diaper-plant-project/): The September 2009 announcement that the Softee Supreme Diaper Corporation would locate a $6 million plant in Marion County and create 262 jobs was heralded then by state and local officials as a godsend to an area with historically one of the highest unemployment rates in South Carolina.
- [State-Owned Railroads Flush with Money; Financial Info Withheld in Audit](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/state-owned-railroads-flush-with-money-financial-info-withheld-in-audit/): If you didn’t know that the state of South Carolina owns and operates three railroads, you’re probably not alone.
- [Can't Touch This ...](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/cant-touch-this/): The Power-Trip Parade By Ashley Landess James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers that “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” The separation of powers doctrine seems clear: The powers of government should be divided so that no one branch has all power and so that the branches serve as checks and balances on one another.
- [Obamacare Driving Proposed $307 Million Budget Hike for S.C. Medicaid Agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/obamacare-driving-proposed-307-million-budget-hike-for-s-c-medicaid-agency/): As a state legislative panel this morning considers a stalled bill that seeks to “nullify” the federal health-care law known as “Obamacare,” South Carolina’s Medicaid agency says it needs an extra $307.8 million next fiscal year to handle projected Medicaid enrollment growth resulting from the Affordable Care Act.
- [Harry Kibler: Tireless, Direct, Brutally Honest](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/harry-kibler-tireless-direct-brutally-honest/): Journalists and commentators at the country’s major metropolitan news organizations are forever trying to figure out who exactly the “tea partiers” are and what they want.
- [Chief Justice Proposes Big Budget Hike, Faces Screening Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/chief-justice-proposes-big-budget-hike-faces-screening-hearing/): South Carolina’s top judge is seeking more than $22 million in new spending in next fiscal year’s budget for the state court system, including adding four judges, beefing up computer security and continuing a renovation project at the Court of Appeals building.
- [Incentives Deals More Trick than Treat for Taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/11/incentives-deals-more-trick-than-treat-for-taxpayers/): Halloween is officially over, but plenty of companies locating or expanding in the Palmetto State will continue to get big, taxpayer-funded goodie bags.
- [Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/pay-no-attention-to-the-man-behind-the-curtain/): Which is Worse: Raising Your Voice or Milking the System?
- [Security Detail Costs for Governor, Lt. Governor, Kept Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/security-detail-costs-for-governor-lt-governor-kept-secret/): On July 18, Lt. Gov.
- [Readers Respond: What Will 'ObamaCare' Mean for You?](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/readers-respond-what-will-obamacare-mean-for-you/): Almost five months ago, the South Carolina Policy Council,The Nerve’s parent organization, published a policy analysis explaining what exactly the federal Affordable Care Act – “ObamaCare” – will mean for South Carolinians.
- [Governor’s Campaign-Trip Agreement Comes with Taxpayer Cost](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/governors-campaign-trip-agreement-comes-with-taxpayer-cost/): If Gov. Nikki Haley uses her taxpayer-funded security detail during campaign events, her campaign won’t have to reimburse state law enforcement agencies for the officers’ regular pay, according to an agreement signed by the governor earlier this month.
- [BMW’s Taxpayer Tab Totals Millions with Expansion Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/bmws-taxpayer-tab-totals-millions-with-expansion-project/): After four open-records requests over 18 months, the S.C.
- [Duck and Cover](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/duck-and-cover/): South Carolina's Secret Government By Ashley Landess Last week, Nerve editor Rick Brundrett wrote an article about the substantial bonuses received by staff of the S.C.
- [Former Senator Ford Says He Was ‘Sacrificial Lamb’](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/former-senator-ford-says-he-was-sacrificial-lamb/): Ex-Sen. Robert Ford, who resigned in May amid a Senate Ethics Committee hearing into allegations that he used campaign funds for personal expenses, claims the committee “needed a sacrificial lamb and they chose me.” “They decided to lynch me in public,” the 64-year-old Charleston Democrat told The Nerve when contacted Tuesday.
- [Citizens Persist in Asking Lawmakers about Income](https://thenervearchive.org/2013/10/citizens-persist-in-asking-lawmakers-about-income/): Last week, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett published a piece about S.C. Senator Luke Rankin’s income. Sen.
- [All Hail the King](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/2264/): Editor's Note: Political cartoonist Robert Ariail on South Carolina's ruling political elite.
- [City-Paid Attorney Playing on Both Sides in Columbia Water-Sewer Fund Controversy](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/city-paid-attorney-playing-on-both-sides-in-columbia-water-sewer-fund-controversy/): Update: 8/13/14 - The city of Columbia paid the McAngus Goudelock & Courie law firm a total of $248,082.57 from Nov.
- [House Members Stay on Message: Speaker "Innocent Until Proven Guilty"](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/house-members-stay-on-message-speaker-innocent-until-proven-guilty/): The phrase “on message” first began to circulate in 1992, when Bill Clinton’s campaign for the presidency began to take shape.
- [The Nerve Rides with Uber ‘Outlaw’](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/the-nerve-rides-with-uber-outlaw/): Editor’s Note: A Nerve reporter on Friday rode with a driver for UberX, a recently launched ridesharing service that state regulators contend is operating illegally in South Carolina.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why No Jobs Announcement for Uber?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/my-last-nerve-why-no-jobs-announcement-for-uber/): Usually when a business decides to open or expand in South Carolina we’re inundated with emails, tweets, and Facebook updates from the governor, the Commerce Department, and/or some other politician taking credit for creating jobs.
- [DSS Flush with Reserve Funds in Recent Years amid Caseworker Shortages](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/dss-flush-with-reserve-funds-in-recent-years-amid-caseworker-shortages/): At a Senate panel hearing Wednesday, the S.C.
- [S.C. Cops to Uber: Follow Regs or Face Charges](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/s-c-cops-to-uber-follow-regs-or-face-charges/): Police in South Carolina are poised to start ticketing drivers for a popular smartphone-app, ridesharing service that recently launched in the Palmetto State, The Nerve found in a survey of police agencies.
- [‘Destroyed’ Ethics Commission Letter Not Related to New Media Policy, Director Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/destroyed-ethics-commission-letter-not-related-to-new-media-policy-director-says/): Nearly eight months after a “destroyed” State Ethics Commission letter was provided to The Nerve, the longtime director of the state ethics-watchdog agency still won’t explain how the letter exists despite his earlier statements to the contrary.
- [S.C. Top Court Upholds Legislative Delegation's Power Over School District](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/s-c-top-court-upholds-legislative-delegations-power-over-school-district/): If you think that local school districts in South Carolina are controlled by their school boards or superintendents, you might want to check out Act 294 of 2010.
- [Supreme Secrecy](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/supreme-secrecy/): The Supreme Court rightly reversed Judge Casey Manning’s bizarre ruling that would have put state lawmakers beyond the law for corruption.
- [Criminal Charges Possible Against Uber Drivers, State Agency Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/criminal-charges-possible-against-uber-drivers-state-agency-says/): On June 17, George Parker, a law enforcement officer with the state Office of Regulatory Staff, attended a meeting in Columbia aimed at recruiting drivers for UberX, a popular smartphone-app, ridesharing business that launched Thursday in the Capital City, Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach.
- [Resident: 'Seneca Mafia' Harasses People into Giving Up Their Property](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/resident-seneca-mafia-harasses-people-into-giving-up-their-property/): In Seneca, South Carolina, the state and federal laws intended to protect property owners are constantly being violated.
- [S.C. Supreme Court Supporting Secrecy in Harrell Case?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/s-c-supreme-court-supporting-secrecy-in-harrell-case/): All courts shall be public, and every person shall have speedy remedy therein for wrongs sustained. – Article 1, Section 9, S.C. Constitution.
- [Commerce Won’t Release Meeting Minutes of $35.7 Million Grant for Tire Plant](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/commerce-wont-release-meeting-minutes-of-35-7-million-grant-for-tire-plant/): On June 16, Gov.
- [Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Grand Jury Investigation of House Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/supreme-court-gives-green-light-to-grand-jury-investigation-of-house-speaker/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson can continue a state grand jury investigation of House Speaker Bobby Harrell and doesn’t need a legislative committee’s permission to do so, the S.C.
- [Food Stamp Use Soars in Palmetto State](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/food-stamp-use-soars-in-palmetto-state/): Gov. Nikki Haley wasn’t bashful when news broke that the state’s unemployment rate had fallen to 5.3 percent in April – the lowest rate in 13 years, as proudly noted by the Republican governor.
- [Nine Reasons You Should Hate Tax Referendums](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/nine-reasons-you-should-hate-tax-referendums/): When I speak out against tax referendums, I’m sometimes met with surprised remarks like “How can you be against ‘letting the people decide’ to raise taxes?” Such responses fail to see the fallacies and hypocrisies behind the arguments for tax referendums.
- [Taxpayer Tab for House Members’ Salaries, Expenses Pushing $4 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/taxpayer-tab-for-house-members-salaries-expenses-pushing-4-million/): S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell has bragged in recent years that House furloughs save taxpayers $50,000 a week in mileage, meals and lodging expenses.
- [Give Us Liberty](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/give-us-liberty/): On this Independence Day, I can think of no better way to recall the fortitude of our Founders and their deep desire to create a nation that would have as its mission the protection of human liberty, than to re-read Patrick Henry’s famous speech.
- [Plenty of Pork to Pass Around in Fiscal 2015 State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/plenty-of-pork-to-pass-around-in-fiscal-2015-state-budget/): S.C. Sen. Paul Campbell serves on the governing board of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, an annual event in Charleston that draws tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of artists, exhibitors and wildlife experts from “around the world,” according to its website.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Is Common Core Dead in S.C.? Nobody Knows.](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/my-last-nerve-is-common-core-dead-in-s-c-nobody-knows/): A meeting in the Gressette Office Building yesterday (the state Senate office building on the State House grounds) reminded me of spats I used to have with my sister.
- [Study: SCPC Economic Impact Tops $1.67 Trillion](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/07/study-scpc-economic-impact-tops-1-67-trillion/): A study recently completed by the Research Department of the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC) – The Nerve’s parent organization – reveals that SCPC contributes a whopping $1.67 trillion to South Carolina’s economy every year.
- [FOIA Suffers Setbacks in Legislature, Supreme Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/foia-suffers-setbacks-in-legislature-supreme-court/): Reformers of the Freedom of Information Act in South Carolina – which recently received a flunking grade in a national study on access to public information – are finding few friends in the S.C.
- [Autism Group Returns $52,000 to S.C. Education Department after Nerve Story](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/autism-group-returns-52000-to-s-c-education-department-after-nerve-story/): The state Department of Education has been repaid $52,046 by the South Carolina Autism Society following a department audit of the nonprofit organization’s financial records for the grants, department records show.
- [S.C. Businessman Battling IRS in Free-Market Fight](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/s-c-businessman-battling-irs-in-free-market-fight/): As the Internal Revenue Service faces tough questions these days about thousands of missing emails from the then-director of the IRS division accused of targeting conservative groups, Skip Hoagland is waging his own national battle involving the massive tax-collection agency.
- [Driving Under Another Kind of Influence](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/driving-under-another-kind-of-influence/): The hearing before the Supreme Court Tuesday felt like the meeting of a club that barely tolerates some members – members like Alan Wilson, who appeared to have brought guests (the close to 200 people who crowded the courtroom and filled the lobby).
- [Ex-Lawmaker Justices Grill A.G.’s Side in Harrell Hearing](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/ex-lawmaker-justices-grill-a-g-s-side-in-harrell-hearing/): It wasn’t an easy day Tuesday in the state’s top court for S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson and one of his top prosecutors.
- [Viewpoints: A Slow Revolution?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/viewpoints-a-slow-revolution/): As a Cuban American, I’m sometimes asked what the Cuban Revolution was like.
- [Gov. Haley’s Office Targets National Gun-Rights Group, Leader Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/gov-haleys-office-targets-national-gun-rights-group-leader-says/): The head of a national gun-rights organization says Gov.
- [Lawmakers Fight to the End for Their Own Pay Raise](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/lawmakers-fight-to-the-end-for-their-own-pay-raise/): You won’t find it in the official S.C.
- [New and Improved?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/new-and-improved/): The so-called “ethics reform” bill is being spun as an imperfect step forward. That’s become a familiar refrain in Columbia.
- [Metts and Harrell Cases Illustrate Different Views of State Ethics Act](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/metts-and-harrell-cases-illustrate-different-views-of-state-ethics-act/): In a stunning announcement Tuesday, Bill Nettles, the U.S.
- [Big Taxpayer-Funded Gifts behind Big Job Announcements](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/big-taxpayer-funded-gifts-behind-big-job-announcements/): In a press release Monday, Gov.
- [Brooks: Takings Bill Came Shockingly Close to Passing](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/brooks-takings-bill-came-shockingly-close-to-passing/): “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Actually, John Locke used the word “property” rather than “happiness.” In your pursuit of happiness or property, have you worked hard and saved money to acquire your TV, furniture, car, house or land?
- [Scrap Ethics Bill, Government Watchdog Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/scrap-ethics-bill-government-watchdog-says/): A touted “ethics-reform” bill awaiting action next week by the S.C.
- [Sham Election](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/sham-election/): Although the South Carolina Policy Council doesn’t engage in elections, we certainly play a large role in creating the climate in which candidates run.
- [Anderson Citizens Form Nonprofit Advocacy Group](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/anderson-citizens-form-nonprofit-advocacy-group/): Anderson County School District Five has been the subject of two Freedom of Information Act lawsuits (ongoing due to failure to comply) and six separate FOIA requests (only one of which has been complied with) since November 2013, and continues to refuse to comply with the basic requirements of transparency under law to which it is subject.
- [A Budget So Good It Doesn’t Need Debating](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/a-budget-so-good-it-doesnt-need-debating/): It’s no secret that South Carolina lawmakers like to, well, keep things secret.
- [Top Court Rejects – Again – Request to Review Grand Jury Records in Harrell Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/top-court-rejects-again-request-to-review-grand-jury-records-in-harrell-case/): It’s not very often that South Carolina’s chief prosecutor can officially vent a little against the state’s top court, but it happened just days ago in the state grand jury case of House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
- [Lawmakers Approve Higher Hotel Reimbursements for Themselves](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/lawmakers-approve-higher-hotel-reimbursements-for-themselves/): S.C. lawmakers apparently don’t believe in “slumming it” while in Columbia during legislative session weeks.
- [Watered-Down Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/watered-down-reform/): For two years a diverse coalition has stood together to demand substantive reform to end the concentration of power and secrecy in S.C.
- [Some Lawmakers Not Reporting County Delegation Payments](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/some-lawmakers-not-reporting-county-delegation-payments/): Sumter County this fiscal year shelled out a collective $39,000 to seven lawmakers who represent the county in lieu of providing them a local delegation office as mandated by state law, county records obtained by The Nerve show.
- [Citizen-Led Bill Will Cut Employers’ Taxes … By a Lot](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/citizen-led-bill-will-cut-employers-taxes-by-a-lot/): The most significant tax cut passed by the legislature this year – indeed, the most significant tax cut even talked about this year – didn’t grab any headlines and sailed quietly through the legislature in less than three months.
- [Cash-Rich Tiny Agency Could Get Big Budget Boost](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/06/cash-rich-tiny-agency-could-get-big-budget-boost/): As of three weeks ago, the S.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority had nearly $48 million in cash on hand, state comptroller general records show.
- [Pay Raises Recommended for Gov. Haley, Other Constitutional Officers](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/pay-raises-recommended-for-gov-haley-other-constitutional-officers/): Gov. Nikki Haley and the state’s eight other constitutional officers are underpaid – some significantly less – compared to their counterparts in the country.
- [It's Time for Action](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/its-time-for-action/): South Carolinians are serious about changing Washington.
- [Charleston Attorney Asks U.S. Attorney General to Consider Harrell Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/charleston-attorney-asks-u-s-attorney-general-to-consider-harrell-case/): The ongoing story of Attorney General Alan Wilson’s grand jury investigation of House Speaker Bobby Harrell has sparked editorials, news articles, blog posts, and innumerable outraged tweets, Facebook posts, and web comments.
- [Harrell-Affiliated PAC Flying Below the Radar](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/harrell-affiliated-pac-flying-below-the-radar/): Since 2009, a political action committee with ties to House Speaker Bobby Harrell has donated at least $214,500 mainly to Republican House candidates, plus given more than $320,000 to the House Republican Caucus Committee, which has cut bigger contribution checks to GOP candidates, including Harrell, records show.
- [S.C. Top Court Asked to Review Secret Grand Jury Records in Harrell Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/s-c-top-court-asked-to-review-secret-grand-jury-records-in-harrell-case/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson has asked the state’s top court to review certain documents in secret related to the state grand jury investigation of House Speaker Bobby Harrell, The Nerve has learned.
- [Senators Ignore Constitution in Hiking Lawmaker Pay](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/senators-ignore-constitution-in-hiking-lawmaker-pay/): The S.C. Constitution requires that “annual expenditures of state government may not exceed annual state revenue.” Yet the state Senate last week skipped over Article 10, Section 7 (a) of the constitution when it approved, by a 25-20 vote, to allow all 170 lawmakers to claim an additional $12,000 yearly in “in-district” payments, which are considered taxable income.
- [Salary Expectations](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/salary-expectations/): If someone new to speaking English wants an explanation of the phrase “add insult to injury,” it should be this: a bunch of politicians who abuse their positions in order to enrich themselves complaining that their salaries are too low.
- [Chief Justice Silent about Stepping Down in Harrell Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/chief-justice-silent-about-stepping-down-in-harrell-case/): Under an obscure S.C.
- [Colleges and Universities: Our Most Pampered State Agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/colleges-and-universities-our-most-pampered-state-agencies/): Why has higher education at allegedly “public” institutions become so expensive?
- [Study: S.C. Lawmakers Should Get Big Pay Raises](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/study-s-c-lawmakers-should-get-big-pay-raises/): S.C. lawmakers would see salary hikes of up to 192 percent, while certain legislative leaders, including House Speaker Bobby Harrell, would receive additional pay increases, based on recommendations of a salary study quietly authorized two years ago by the General Assembly.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Poor Lawmakers – They Need a Pay Raise](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/my-last-nerve-poor-lawmakers-they-need-a-pay-raise/): The S.C. Senate voted 25 to 20 in favor of raising legislators’ monthly in-district compensation from $1,000 per month to $2,000.
- [Corruption Matters](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/corruption-matters/): After six years of peeling back layers of our corrupt state government, nothing should surprise us.
- [ANALYSIS: Certificate of Need Program Drives Up Prices, Encourages Cronyism](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/analysis-certificate-of-need-program-drives-up-prices-encourages-cronyism/): Last summer, news broke that SC DHEC had started refusing to enforce the Certificate of Need (CON) program for the purchase of certain new medical service equipment and the construction of new medical procedure facilities like surgery centers.
- [Judge Cancels Criminal Investigation of House Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/judge-cancels-criminal-investigation-of-house-speaker/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson or the state grand jury can't investigate whether House Speaker Bobby Harrell broke any criminal ethics laws – at least for now, Circuit Judge Casey Manning said in a highly anticipated ruling issued late this afternoon.
- [County Money Flows to State Lawmakers’ Wallets](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/county-money-flows-to-state-lawmakers-wallets/): Every quarter, Sen. Paul Campbell says he receives a check from Berkeley County for about $1,600.
- [MY LAST NERVE: How Did an Ethics Reform Bill Become the Speaker Protection Act?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/my-last-nerve-how-did-an-ethics-reform-bill-become-the-speaker-protection-act/): Just how many more times members of the House of Representatives will attempt to get their Speaker off the hook from a potentially criminal investigation remains to be seen.
- [The Big Cheese](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/the-big-cheese/): In last week’s Senate Finance Committee meeting, Chairman Hugh Leatherman at first acted somewhat surprised about a proposal to increase lawmakers’ pay by a collective $2 million annually.
- [More FOIA Violations by Public Service Commission?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/more-foia-violations-by-public-service-commission/): The S.C. Public Service Commission might not be aware of the old saying, “If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” The Nerve in March revealed little-known testimony from PSC Chairman G.
- [VOICES: What's Lexington County's "Penny for Progress" Campaign Really All About?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/voices-whats-lexington-countys-penny-for-progress-campaign-really-all-about/): We are fighting a $300 million sales tax increase in Lexington County. It’s slated to go on the ballot this November.
- [Harrell Reimbursed Himself $70,000 for Unidentified Staff Expenses](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/harrell-reimbursed-himself-70000-for-unidentified-staff-expenses/): Bobby Harrell’s reimbursement from his campaign account for use of his private plane wasn't the only questionable payment to himself in recent years, a review by The Nervehas found.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Bailouts Continue, Despite "Historic Reform"](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/my-last-nerve-bailouts-continue-despite-historic-reform/): In a typical move by the Budget and Control Board (BCB) Wednesday, the board voted 3-1-1 to bail out yet another state agency.
- [The Don](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/the-don/): The recipe for corruption is concentration of power plus secrecy. Ignore corruption long enough and it leads to tyranny.
- [Second Court Hearing in Harrell Ethics Case Set for Friday](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/05/second-court-hearing-in-harrell-ethics-case-set-for-friday/): A second hearing in the state grand jury case involving House Speaker Bobby Harrell has been scheduled for Friday before Circuit Judge Casey Manning, according to an email notification this afternoon from James Parks, the state grand jury clerk.
- [Big-Time Salaries for Part-Time S.C. Judges, Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/big-time-salaries-for-part-time-s-c-judges-records-show/): In South Carolina, there are at least 54 part-time magistrate and municipal judges earning more than $50,000 annually.
- [PSC Officials Give Opposing Answers on Closed-Door Meeting Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/psc-officials-give-opposing-answers-on-closed-door-meeting-questions/): When it comes to determining whether the S.C.
- [Legal Loophole Could Benefit Harrell in Ethics Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/legal-loophole-could-benefit-harrell-in-ethics-case/): It’s no secret S.C. lawmakers have written – and continue to craft – loopholes in state law that allow them to skate on ethics charges.
- [MY LAST NERVE: How Much Power Does the Speaker Have?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/my-last-nerve-how-much-power-does-the-speaker-have/): In less than a week, a circuit court judge may decide whether the most powerful politician in South Carolina – and maybe the most powerful legislator in the nation – will be allowed to circumvent South Carolina’s criminal justice system, or be held accountable the way any other citizen would.
- [Not What You Ordered?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/not-what-you-ordered/): Does anyone outside the State House think legislators should choose a university president?
- [House Speaker Reveals Little about ‘Legislative’ Expenses](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/house-speaker-reveals-little-about-legislative-expenses/): Since January 2011, S.C.
- [Viewpoints: Why the Chamber's on the Wrong Side of Almost Everything](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/viewpoints-why-the-chambers-on-the-wrong-side-of-almost-everything/): What’s the difference between the terms “pro-free market” and “pro-business”?
- [S.C. Taxpayer Tab for ‘Army Wives’: $37 Million-Plus](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/s-c-taxpayer-tab-for-army-wives-37-million-plus/): The reality cable television shows “Southern Charm,” “Welcome to Myrtle Manor,” and “Party Down South”were each produced in South Carolina without direct handouts from S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Too Much Time to Do Nothing](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/my-last-nerve-too-much-time-to-do-nothing/): The South Carolina legislature sits for five months, 21 weeks, or 143 calendar days.
- [Squid Pro Quo](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/squid-pro-quo/): It took us years to recognize how vast legislative leaders’ power has become in our state, but we’ve peeled back the layers to reveal tyranny that’s emerged over decades – even centuries.
- [Judicial Income-Disclosure Forms Reveal Little Information](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/judicial-income-disclosure-forms-reveal-little-information/): If you’re going to experience the court system in South Carolina, chances are it will be in either magistrate or municipal court.
- [VOICES: The Origins of Property Tax ... A Tax Hike in Beaufort County](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/voices-the-origins-of-property-tax-a-tax-hike-in-beaufort-county/): From Brian Knack, in Greenville: In the fall of 1994, the house and land that my grandparents bought after the Second World War – and where I grew up – were sold at auction in order to recoup the loss to the county for property taxes.
- [House Members Stand by Embattled Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/house-members-stand-by-embattled-speaker/): It appears that arguably the most powerful lawmaker in the S.C. General Assembly would hold his title if his colleagues voted today.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Retaliation at the State House?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/my-last-nerve-retaliation-at-the-state-house/): WHY THE MAD RUSH TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION? Occasionally those of us who watch the State House are fairly sure we’re witnessing an act of retaliation.
- [S.C. House Proposes New Prosecution Powers for Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/s-c-house-proposes-new-prosecution-powers-for-lawmakers/): In what critics describe as an unconstitutional power grab, the S.C.
- [S.C. DOT Pumps Millions into D.C.-Based Nonprofit](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/s-c-dot-pumps-millions-into-d-c-based-nonprofit/): Janet Oakley – Gov. Nikki Haley’s choice to lead the S.C.
- [Citizens Target Officials' Bogus 'Insurance Allowance'](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/citizens-target-officials-bogus-insurance-allowance/): So you think you cannot possibly make a difference in reining in out-of-control government? Read on.
- [S.C. Funeral Board Shuts Lid on Casket-Sale Competition](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/s-c-funeral-board-shuts-lid-on-casket-sale-competition/): In November, a task force appointed by Gov.
- [New Legal Twist Emerges in Harrell Ethics Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/new-legal-twist-emerges-in-harrell-ethics-case/): There apparently will be a Round 2 in the court battle between S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Is the Senate Calling a "Tax" a "Fee"?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/my-last-nerve-why-is-the-senate-calling-a-tax-a-fee/): THE ANSWER HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH BAD PRIORITIES When lawmakers start playing games with the words, pay attention: there’s a good reason for it, and it almost certainly will affect you.
- [Time to Kill the Ivy](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/time-to-kill-the-ivy/): IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO END LEGAL CORRUPTION The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have one.
- [Haley Receives Gifts Totaling Tens of Thousands of Dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/haley-receives-gifts-totaling-tens-of-thousands-of-dollars/): Last year, Gov.
- [VOICES: Federal Money in Your County, Courson on Stopping Obamacare](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/04/voices-federal-money-in-your-county-courson-on-stopping-obamacare/): More than $18 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) comes to South Carolina’s Department of Commerce.
- [Public Service Commission Secretly Approving Rate Hikes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/public-service-commission-secretly-approving-rate-hikes/): From May 2005 through last Oct. 30, the S.C. Public Service Commission raised the average electric bill for SCE&G residential customers 21 times.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Legislators Continue to Buck Recusal Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/my-last-nerve-legislators-continue-to-buck-recusal-law/): The S.C. House Judiciary Committee took up a highly publicized bill earlier this week.
- [No One in Charge](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/no-one-in-charge/): Do we need a lieutenant governor in South Carolina?
- [Legislative Panel: S.C. PSC Can Do No Wrong](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/legislative-panel-s-c-psc-can-do-no-wrong/): Most parents probably would love it if their children’s school report cards were as good as the annual reviews of S.C. Public Service Commission members.
- [Where Are All Those Jobs?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/where-are-all-those-jobs/): WHAT THEY WON'T SAY AT RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONIES Toray Industries’ decision to locate in Spartanburg County should be good news for South Carolina.
- [Court Records in Harrell Ethics Case Still Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/court-records-in-harrell-ethics-case-still-secret/): Despite explosive testimony in Friday’s unprecedented court hearing pitting South Carolina’s top prosecutor against arguably the state’s most powerful lawmaker, questions remain about what happened in a private meeting last year in the Attorney General's Office.
- [Nerve Wins First-Place Reporting Award](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/nerve-wins-first-place-reporting-award/): The Nerve received a first-place South Carolina Press Association award at the organization’s annual awards meeting Saturday in Columbia.
- [“Germane”? It Means Whatever Lawmakers Say](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/my-last-nerve-germane-it-means-whatever-lawmakers-say/): In two days of a special session in October 2009, the General Assembly passed a major economic development bill granting Boeing more than $170 million in taxpayer-financed incentives.
- [Circling the Wagons](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/circling-the-wagons/): WHEN WILL THE HOUSE STOP DEFENDING THE SPEAKER?
- [Court Hearing Set for Friday on Harrell Ethics Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/03/court-hearing-set-for-friday-on-harrell-ethics-case/): A court hearing has been scheduled for Friday regarding reported efforts by S.C.
- [Election Law Violations Alleged Against Former Longtime House Member](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/election-law-violations-alleged-against-former-longtime-house-member/): For 28 years, Denny Neilson served in the S.C. House, losing her seat in 2012 after her old legislative district was redrawn following the 2010 U.S. Census.
- [New Bills Filed in the Senate: A Survey of What's to Come](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/new-bills-filed-in-the-senate-a-survey-of-whats-to-come/): With less than a month to go before the start of the 2015-16 legislative session, lawmakers have begun to “prefile” bills for consideration in January.
- ['Leadership'?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/leadership/): The South Carolina House of Representatives recently banned so-called leadership PACs – political action committees designed specifically for lawmakers and legislative caucuses.
- [Crawford’s Resignation Tendered After Nerve Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/crawfords-resignation-tendered-after-nerve-investigation/): If Kris Crawford needs guidance these days from the Bible, he might want to ponder the proverb, “Physician, heal thyself.” In 2012, the emergency room doctor and then-state House member was convicted on four misdemeanor counts of willfully failing to file state income-tax returns.
- [S.C. Rep. Crawford Suddenly Resigns House Seat](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/s-c-rep-crawford-suddenly-resigns-house-seat/): In a surprise announcement today, S.C. Rep.
- [Lawmaker Calls on Lawmakers to Follow Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/lawmaker-calls-on-lawmakers-to-follow-law/): Last Friday night at a meeting of the Anderson County legislative delegation, freshman House member Jonathon Hill introduced two resolutions calling on the legislature to – uh – follow the law.
- [Gov. Haley Increases Ties to Powerful Law Firm Lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/gov-haley-increases-ties-to-powerful-law-firm-lobbyists/): From January 2013 through May this year, five state-government lobbyists with the prominent Nelson Mullins law firm collectively received more than $1.2 million in income representing mainly large corporations, records show.
- [Why a Little House Revolt Was a Big Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/why-a-little-house-revolt-was-a-big-deal/): For the first time since 2005, Bobby Harrell (R-Charleston) isn’t the Speaker of the House.
- ['Materially Incomplete'?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/materially-incomplete/): A S.C. House rules proposal would have forced anyone testifying before a House committee to be sworn in before giving testimony.
- [S.C. House Committee Leadership: Same Old, Same Old?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/s-c-house-committee-leadership-same-old-same-old/): Newly installed House Speaker Jay Lucas is expected today to fill seats on standing committees, though leadership positions on several key panels likely will remain the same barring any opposition, The Nerve has learned.
- [House Panel Drops Proposed Oath Rule after Nerve Story](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/house-panel-drops-proposed-oath-rule-after-nerve-story/): A special S.C. House committee that in late October recommended a rule requiring any citizen appearing before a House panel to testify under oath – and face a possible felony charge depending upon the testimony – dropped the proposal by Tuesday after a Nerve story questioned the legality of the rule.
- [Interview: "Self-Policing" and the 1895 Constitution](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/interview-self-policing-and-the-1895-constitution/): In October, Jorge Roig, Associate Professor of Law at the Charleston School of Law, testified before a House committee on a variety of constitutional questions.
- [S.C. House Poised to Take up Controversial Oath Rule](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/s-c-house-poised-to-take-up-controversial-oath-rule/): “If we want people to come up here and tell us how to spend the state’s coffers that we take at the barrel of guns … they should come and tell us the truth.” So said Rep.
- [Proposed Accounting Change Aims to Unlock Incentives Secrecy](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/proposed-accounting-change-aims-to-unlock-incentives-secrecy/): A little-known, proposed national accounting change could shed light on how much public revenue is lost in South Carolina through generous taxpayer-backed incentives that routinely are doled out secretly to companies.
- [Happy Thanksgiving!](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/happy-thanksgiving/)
- [Long-Awaited SLED Report on Harrell Raises More Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/long-awaited-sled-report-on-harrell-raises-more-questions/): When questioned by a State Law Enforcement Division agent last year, then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell defended reimbursing himself $3,874 from his campaign account for using his private plane to fly a high school baseball coach’s wife and the siblings of two players to a high school baseball tournament in Ft.
- [Opinion: Business Licenses Unconstitutional](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/opinion-business-licenses-unconstitutional/): I was busy repairing a homeowner’s porch when I was approached by a code enforcement officer who asked for my business license.
- [New S.C. Rep Pursuing Lawsuits Over Pre-Election Statements in '12](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/new-s-c-rep-pursuing-lawsuits-over-pre-election-statements-in-12/): As the S.C. House returns next month to debate a proposed rule that critics say would discourage citizen testimony before legislative committees, an incoming freshman representative is pursuing defamation lawsuits against two supporters of his opponent in the 2012 race.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Whose Ethics Are We Reforming, Anyway?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/my-last-nerve-whose-ethics-are-we-reforming-anyway/): In a column last month, I questioned the constitutionality of a proposed House rule sponsored by Rep.
- [Professional Obfuscation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/professional-obfuscation/): Last year, as all the world now knows, onetime Obama advisor Jonathan Gruber stated what many people suspected about the Affordable Care Act – that it was made deliberately confusing for political purposes.
- [USC, Clemson Sitting on Fat Reserves While Seeking Millions in New State Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/usc-clemson-sitting-on-fat-reserves-while-seeking-millions-in-new-state-funds/): South Carolina’s two biggest universities are once again asking the Legislature for millions in new state funding while sitting on far-larger reserves.
- [The Double Taxation Tsunami](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/the-double-taxation-tsunami/): November 4, 2014 heralded what I’m calling the Tsunami of School Board and County Sales Tax Increases by Ballot Measure on the taxpayers of South Carolina.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Remember Those Campaign Promises](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/my-last-nerve-remember-those-campaign-promises/): The election is over. Election results are being certified. Winners are holding press conferences and reiterating their intentions.
- [The Easy Answer to Fixing Our Roads: Raise Taxes](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/the-easy-answer-to-fixing-our-roads-raise-taxes/): When we sit down to work out our individual or family budgets, and we find expenditures outstripping income, we’d all like to solve the problem simply by increasing income.
- [Whale of a Tale](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/whale-of-a-tale/): Gov. Nikki Haley has staked the credibility of her administration on the jobs and investment she's able to “lure” to South Carolina.
- [Opinion: The Morality of Capitalism](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/opinion-the-morality-of-capitalism/): Imagine this incredible scenario: You walk into a pizza joint hungry. A few minutes later you’re handed a delicious slice of pizza.
- [MY LAST NERVE: What Was the Adjutant General Vote Really About?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/my-last-nerve-what-was-the-adjutant-general-vote-really-about/): On Tuesday, 56 percent of voters approved a constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to appoint the adjutant general – changing the current practice of electing that officeholder statewide.
- [What Part of No . . .](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/what-part-of-no/): In at least four different South Carolina counties, efforts by well-connected special interests to raise the sales tax failed.
- [Few House and Senate Ethics Opinions Issued in Recent Years](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/few-house-and-senate-ethics-opinions-issued-in-recent-years/): When it comes to policing itself for ethical violations, the 170-member General Assembly hasn’t shown much interest in recent years – if you go by the number of formal opinions produced by the chambers’ ethics committees.
- [Crangle: Ethics Reform Must Include Enforcement](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/crangle-ethics-reform-must-include-enforcement/): The 2015 session of the General Assembly faces a rare opportunity to pass new ethics legislation to address all of the major problems revealed since the last ethics law was passed in 1991.
- [Ruling: State Ethics Agency Director Violated FOIA in ‘Lettergate’](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/11/ruling-state-ethics-agency-director-violated-foia-in-lettergate/): State Ethics Commission Director Herb Hayden violated the S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Legislative Self-Policing Takes a Hit](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/my-last-nerve-legislative-self-policing-takes-a-hit/): Legislators’ go-to excuse for retaining the power to police their own members – namely that the constitution somehow requires them to – took a big hit on Thursday.
- [Below the Surface](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/below-the-surface/): Former House Speaker Bobby Harrell has been forced to resign. But was Harrell the extent of State House corruption?
- [School District Disbands Its Oversight Committee to Avoid Oversight](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/school-district-disbands-its-oversight-committee-to-avoid-oversight/): I was excited to accept an invitation to join, in June, 2013, the Public Oversight Committee (“OC”) newly formed by the Board of Trustees of Dorchester School District #2 (“DD2”).
- [Opinion: Mandatory Roll-Call Voting Didn't Go Far Enough](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/opinion-mandatory-roll-call-voting-didnt-go-far-enough/): Each new session of the Legislature begins with a hue and cry to end corruption.
- [MY LAST NERVE: 'Reform' Effort Would Squelch Right to Petition](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/my-last-nerve-reform-effort-would-squelch-right-to-petition/): Some state lawmakers still think ethics reform is some sort of “gotcha” game.
- [Nightmare on Gervais Street](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/nightmare-on-gervais-street/): What’s stopping S.C. lawmakers from reforming the culture of corruption that the State House has become? Who knows, suggests Robert Ariail. Maybe it’s haunted.
- [Companies Receiving State Aid Free to Back Political Campaigns](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/companies-receiving-state-aid-free-to-back-political-campaigns/): South Carolina Gov.
- [What's Wrong with South Carolina?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/whats-wrong-with-south-carolina/): Let me admit up front that I don’t always agree with this website’s parent organization, the South Carolina Policy Council.
- ['Penny for Pavement' Vote Isn't about Pavement](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/penny-for-pavement-vote-isnt-about-pavement/): On November 4th Lexington County residents will vote on a local option sales tax.
- [Crangle: What Should 'Ethics Reform' Look Like in 2015?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/crangle-what-should-ethics-reform-look-like-in-2015/): The current scandal involving Speaker Bobby Harrell’s nine-count indictment is probably not the end of Harrell investigation.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Commerce Answers Questions – Sort of](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/my-last-nerve-commerce-answers-questions-sort-of/): The idea that employees of Commerce Department are not investment bankers – the idea, in other words, that state bureaucrats don’t have any business providing taxpayer-backed “incentives” to companies they deem worthy – may be catching on at last.
- [Mmm, Campaign Treats](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/tyranny-in-the-upstate-on-october-7-2014-oconee-county-councilmen-paul-corbeil-reg-dexter-and-joel-thrift-abused-their-power-and-taxpayers-once-again-a-little-background-i/): On October 8, The Nerve revealed that Rep.
- [DSS Mum on $6 Million Contract for Consulting Firm](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/dss-mum-on-6-million-contract-for-consulting-firm/): A consulting firm hired by ex-state Department of Social Services Director Lillian Koller when she earlier headed Hawaii’s social services agency received more than $10 million while in the Aloha State, and obtained a $6 million contract in South Carolina after Koller transferred here, records show.
- [Politicians Pass Ordinance to Protect Themselves from Lawsuit](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/politicians-pass-ordinance-to-protect-themselves-from-lawsuit/): On October 7, 2014, Oconee County Councilmen Paul Corbeil, Reg Dexter, and Joel Thrift abused their power – and taxpayers – once again.
- [House Ethics Chairman Did Not Disclose Contracts from Several State Agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/house-ethics-chairman-did-not-disclose-contracts-from-several-state-agencies/): In March 2011, Pat Smith, director of the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, told The Nerve that a proposed $2.3 million budget increase for his school was “quite a surprise for us.” Smith said then the proposed 92 percent general-fund hike for the public West Columbia school, which provides a military-style education for at-risk youth, was presented at a House Ways and Means subcommittee meeting after a subcommittee staffer asked him, “What would it take to fully fund us for full enrollment?” Rep.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Please, No More Omnibus Ethics Bills](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/my-last-nerve-please-no-more-omnibus-ethics-bills/): A House ethics ad hoc subcommittee met for the first time Wednesday to discuss independent investigation and enforcement of ethics violations.
- [Animal Rights!](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/animal-rights/): Sen. Glenn Reese, D-Spartanburg, recently complained that mandatory roll-call voting, which came into effect in 2012, does not allow senators the kind of freedom to which they had long been accustomed.
- [Rep. White Contributes Thousands in Campaign Funds to Wife’s Employer, Charity](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/rep-white-contributes-thousands-in-campaign-funds-to-wifes-employer-charity/): Since 2008, state Rep. Brian White, chairman of the S.C.
- [Why Are Georgians Bankrolling a South Carolina Referendum?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/why-are-georgians-bankrolling-a-south-carolina-referendum/): A few days ago, our organization – the We the People Aiken Care Committee – discovered a flyer that had been emailed from our local daily newspaper, the Aiken Standard, to their customers.
- [LCI Chairman Spends $18K on Conferences; Details Lacking](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/lci-chairman-spends-18k-on-conferences-details-lacking/): Over the last three years, state Rep.
- [Complaints about Roll Call Voting Lame as Ever](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/complaints-about-roll-call-voting-lame-as-ever/): In 2008, research by the South Carolina Policy Council showed that state lawmakers recorded their votes, on average, 5 percent of the time.
- [Ethics Reform?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/ethics-reform/): By most accounts, suspended House Speaker Bobby Harrell ruled the chamber with an iron rod. (A metaphorical one, that is.)
- [S.C.’s Legal War with a Mother of an Adult Disabled Child](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/10/s-c-s-legal-war-with-a-mother-of-an-adult-disabled-child/): Brenda Bryant says she doesn’t love her 40-year-old daughter any less because her child is intellectually disabled.
- [How to Beat City Hall](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/how-to-beat-city-hall/): Hitchcock Parkway is a five mile stretch of two-lane roadway in Aiken.
- [Harrell Has First Court Appearance in Criminal Case; Released on PR Bond](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/harrell-has-first-court-appearance-in-criminal-case-released-on-pr-bond/): Suspended S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell walked out of a Richland County courtroom this morning without having to put up any money for bail after being formally served with indictments charging him with using campaign funds for personal expenses and concealing unlawful campaign payments.
- [Court Hearing for Harrell Set for This Morning](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/court-hearing-for-harrell-set-for-this-morning/): Suspended House Speaker Bobby Harrell is expected to make his first court appearance this morning since his Sept.
- [MY LAST NERVE: You Don't Need Term Limits; You Need Backbone](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/my-last-nerve-you-dont-need-term-limits-you-need-backbone/): After more than a year-long investigation, several circuit court hearings, and a Supreme Court ruling, then-House Speaker Bobby Harrell was indicted by a Richland County grand jury earlier this month.
- [Legislative Venison](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/legislative-venison/): Some form of ethics reform was supposed to pass in 2013. When it didn’t, many observers thought surely 2014 would be the year.
- [Legislative Benefits Report Kept Secret from Public](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/legislative-benefits-report-kept-secret-from-public/): The $12,000-per-lawmaker pay raise proposed earlier this year would have added millions of dollars in benefit costs to the legislative pension system, according to a fiscal impact report provided to the Legislature’s budget-writing committees though never made public.
- [Texting While Driving: Should We Ban It Because It's Bad?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/texting-while-driving-should-we-ban-it-because-its-bad/): We all hate people who text while driving.
- [Free Passes in S.C. House for Bad Behavior?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/free-passes-in-s-c-house-for-bad-behavior/): When a special S.C.
- [Secret Deal Reached in Transfer of Harrell Case, Court Records Reveal](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/secret-deal-reached-in-transfer-of-harrell-case-court-records-reveal/): S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson agreed to transfer House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s case to a local solicitor, and the now-indicted and suspended speaker agreed to drop a court motion seeking to disqualify Wilson from prosecuting him, under a secretly approved deal between the two sides last month.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Bobby Harrell and the Need for FOIA Reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/my-last-nerve-bobby-harrell-and-the-need-for-foia-reform/): Most observers – outside the State House, that is – agree that South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act needs to be strengthened.
- [Police State?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/police-state/): Over a year ago, The Nerve and its parent organization, the South Carolina Policy Council, began publishing investigative reports and policy commentaries on the trend toward militarized police forces in South Carolina.
- [Legislative Correspondence Likely to Remain Secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/legislative-correspondence-likely-to-remain-secret/): There doesn’t seem to be much interest right now among S.C. legislators to eliminate a special protection for them in the state’s open-records law.
- [Light Punishments for Raiding Campaign Accounts](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/light-punishments-for-raiding-campaign-accounts/): In South Carolina, if you steal more than $2,000 from where you work or shop, or from other places, you could face a felony charge and up to 10 years in state prison if the stolen amount was at least $10,000.
- [Identity of the Next Speaker Matters – A Lot](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/identity-of-the-next-speaker-matters-a-lot/): Wednesday’s grand jury indictment of Bobby Harrell was a massive blow to the credibility of the State House power structure.
- [Claws and Effect](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/claws-and-effect/): On September 10, 2014, House Speaker Bobby Harrell was indicted by a Richland County grand jury on nine counts of misconduct in office, using campaign funds for personal use, and falsifying campaign reports.
- [Lucas: House Speaker Expected to Voluntarily Step Down Today from Office](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/lucas-house-speaker-expected-to-voluntarily-step-down-today-from-office/): Update: 9/11/14, 6:30 p.m.
- [Harrell Indicted on Nine Counts of Ethics Act Violations, Misconduct in Office](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/harrell-indicted-on-nine-counts-of-ethics-act-violations-misconduct-in-office/): Longtime S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell faces possible suspension from office after a Richland County grand jury this morning issued nine indictments alleging misconduct in office and violations of the state Ethics Act.
- [Big Taxpayer Bill to Come with College of Charleston Plans?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/big-taxpayer-bill-to-come-with-college-of-charleston-plans/): The College of Charleston's new president, Glenn McConnell, didn’t waste any time telling students that a state commission had given the 244-year-old college the go-ahead to offer doctoral degrees.
- [How S.C.'s Road Funding System Is Tearing Up My Car](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/how-s-c-s-road-funding-system-is-tearing-up-my-car/): Last weekend, I drove up to Carthage, North Carolina, to see some old friends.
- [Reality Doesn’t Match Hype in Eco-Devo Projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/reality-doesnt-match-hype-in-eco-devo-projects/): In August 2011, state and local officials were beaming about the planned location of 5-STAR USA’s “global” headquarters in Marlboro County.
- [Landess: What I Know about the Harrell Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/landess-what-i-know-about-the-harrell-investigation/): In the weeks since Speaker Bobby Harrell pronounced that he was no longer being investigated over corruption allegations brought by SCPC, I’ve been asked by everyone from reporters to my mother to confirm the claim, deny it, or throw a fit because we haven’t been told either way.
- [Road Kill](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/road-kill/): An independent research organization focusing on transportation and infrastructure, TRIP, recently ranked South Carolina's roads as some of the deadliest in the nation.
- [S.C. Taxpayers Shell Out $1.46 Million Yearly for Senators](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/s-c-taxpayers-shell-out-1-46-million-yearly-for-senators/): When Glenn McConnell was the state’s lieutenant governor last year, he earned a $46,544 salary for the part-time job.
- [Shorter Sessions Could Mean More Focused, Less Intrusive Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/shorter-sessions-could-mean-more-focused-less-intrusive-legislature/): South Carolina has one of the longest sessions in the nation, yet somehow our lawmakers are still incapable of accomplishing their tasks in the 20-week-long session.
- [Watchdog Group Seeks Quick Ruling on 'Lettergate'](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/09/watchdog-group-seeks-quick-ruling-on-lettergate/): A Greenville-based government watchdog organization is asking a judge to declare – without a trial – that the State Ethics Commission violated South Carolina's open-records law, contending the agency’s longtime director falsely claimed that a letter requested by The Nerve had been destroyed.
- [Disabled DDSN Clients Overcharged for Room and Board, Ex-Commissioner Claims](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/disabled-ddsn-clients-overcharged-for-room-and-board-ex-commissioner-claims/): Intellectually or physically disabled clients under the care of at least three local service providers that contract with the S.C.
- [Fuzzy Numbers](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/fuzzy-numbers/): The Nerve has written extensively about job-creation announcements by Gov. Nikki Haley and state commerce officials.
- [State Agencies Sitting on Millions of Taxpayer Dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/state-agencies-sitting-on-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars/): It’s that time of year again when S.C. agencies are preparing their proposed budgets for the following fiscal year.
- [What the Ice Bucket Challenge Can Teach Us](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/what-the-ice-bucket-challenge-can-teach-us/): I’ll admit, when the A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge first began, I was skeptical.
- [S.C. Politicians Still Legislating Behind Closed Doors](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/s-c-politicians-still-legislating-behind-closed-doors/): The Marriott Grande Dunes hotel on its website bills itself as a “stunning gateway in Myrtle Beach with the perfect balance of resort comfort and business-friendly amenities,” boasting “45,000 square feet of flexible meeting space at our oceanfront resort.” It was the site of this year’s annual S.C.
- [An Opportunity for Growth](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/an-opportunity-for-growth/): When The Nerve began in 2010, there was no news source exclusively and consistently aimed at exposing government excess and counteracting government secrecy.
- [Tag Team](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/tag-team/): On Saturday, House Speaker Bobby Harrell announced in a closed meeting of the House Republican Caucus that the state grand jury investigation of him had “expired.” The speaker strongly implied that the reason was that it had found nothing.
- [State Grand Jury Potentially Available to Pascoe in Harrell Investigation](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/state-grand-jury-potentially-available-to-pascoe-in-harrell-investigation/): When former Columbia city employee Faye Goodson was sentenced in 2000 for orchestrating what was described as the biggest scam in recent city history, then-Assistant 5thCircuit Solicitor David Pascoe told the judge, “I think it’s obvious when you look at what she got away with, that she had way too much authority.” One of the usual aspects of the overtime-payment scheme in the city’s wastewater maintenance division was that Goodson and eight co-defendants who also pleaded guilty were charged after a state grand jury investigation.
- [Hatfield: A Modest Proposal on Tax Exemptions](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/hatfield-a-modest-proposal-on-tax-exemptions/): Recently, some citizens of Beaufort County have suggested that another 1 percent sales tax referendum should be included on the ballot in November to deal with issues that, for whatever reason, could not be funded by the usual processes.
- [Announced New Prosecutor in Harrell Case Has Ties to Speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/announced-new-prosecutor-in-harrell-case-has-ties-to-speaker/): In announcing Saturday that S.C.
- [Harrell: State Grand Jury Investigation Over; Wilson Off Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/harrell-state-grand-jury-investigation-over-wilson-off-case/): House Speaker Bobby Harrell announced this morning the state grand jury investigation of him has ended, and that S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Speaker May Call Lawmakers Back to Columbia . . . But Why?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/my-last-nerve-speaker-may-call-lawmakers-back-to-columbia-but-why/): A sense of urgency has suddenly struck House Speaker Bobby Harrell more than 50 days after the legislative session ended.
- [Fancy Degrees](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/fancy-degrees/): The University of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees recently recommended that President Harris Pastides’ “private” foundation-funded salary be increased to $504,000 per year.
- [Feds: Hundreds of S.C. Illegal Immigrants Deported Annually](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/feds-hundreds-of-s-c-illegal-immigrants-deported-annually/): While Gov. Nikki Haley recently expressed frustration about 350 immigrant children placed with sponsors in South Carolina, hundreds of arrested illegal immigrants in the Palmetto State are deported every year, federal records show.
- [Earmark Reform – A Great Way for Lawmakers to Get Ignored](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/earmark-reform-a-great-way-for-lawmakers-to-get-ignored/): Your state will spend around $25 billion this year. That is a vast amount of money, but you know virtually nothing about what’s being spent, or why.
- [New Taxi Companies Need Not Apply in Capital City?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/new-taxi-companies-need-not-apply-in-capital-city/): Editor’s Note: A Nerve reporter last month rode with a driver for UberX, a popular ridesharing service that S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Government-Empowered Hall Monitors](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/my-last-nerve-government-empowered-hall-monitors/): These are the facts.
- [S.C.'s New Border Policy](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/s-c-s-new-border-policy/)
- [Tourist-Happy Myrtle Beach Not So Welcoming to Taxi Drivers](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/tourist-happy-myrtle-beach-not-so-welcoming-to-taxi-drivers/): All Ted Praul wanted to do is start his own taxicab service in the tourist mecca of Myrtle Beach.
- [Raise Taxes First, Think of Ways to Spend It Second](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/raise-taxes-first-think-of-ways-to-spend-it-second/): Which should come first: the idea for a new tax, or a concrete demonstration of the need for a new tax? In my own county, the cart came way before the horse.
- [State Panel Secretly Approves Nearly $36 Million Grant for Tire Plant](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/08/state-panel-secretly-approves-nearly-36-million-grant-for-tire-plant/): Mum’s still the word when it comes to S.C. officials doling out tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to select companies.
- [S.C. Highway Maintenance Funding Drops Over the Years](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/s-c-highway-maintenance-funding-drops-over-the-years/): Average annual funding for the state Department of Transportation’s highway maintenance program dropped by more than $40 million, or nearly 16 percent, during Gov.
- [Citizens to Lawmakers: Will a Tax Hike Fix THIS Road?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/citizens-to-lawmakers-will-a-tax-hike-fix-this-road/): On Tuesdays for the last two weeks, we’ve featured attempts by ordinary South Carolinians to ask their lawmakers a very simple question: If you raise our taxes, what kind of guarantee can you give me that our roads will be repaired?
- [DOT Commissioner Has Long Business Ties with DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/dot-commissioner-has-long-business-ties-with-dot/): Rep. Derham Cole had high praise for Woodrow “Woody” Willard after he and other state legislators who make up the 4th Congressional District delegation elected Willard to the S.C Department of Transportation Commission.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Senate Tax Hike Falters by a Few Votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/my-last-nerve-senate-tax-hike-falters-by-a-few-votes/): The largest tax increase in state history took a second hit Thursday when the Senate voted 26-19 against setting H.3579 for special order.
- [Senate Finance Passes Even Larger Tax Hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/senate-finance-passes-even-larger-tax-hike/): At Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee meeting, members took up the bill commonly referred to as the “House roads bill.” That’s a slight misnomer: It’s not a roads bill; it’s a tax increase bill.
- [DOT Commissioner Hardee Breaks Silence; Denies Conflicts of Interest](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/dot-commissioner-hardee-breaks-silence-denies-conflicts-of-interest/): On the evening of Feb. 18, the Outdoor Advertising Association of South Carolina and South Carolina Logos Inc.
- [Bad Roads: Who's Really in Charge Here?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/bad-roads-whos-really-in-charge-here/): A few days ago, we were forwarded a message from a South Carolinian who’s pretty upset by the conditions of the road he drives on every day.
- [S.C. Lawmakers’ Businesses Paid Thousands by Local Governments](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/s-c-lawmakers-businesses-paid-thousands-by-local-governments/): Last fall, S.C.
- [What Income Tax Relief?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/what-income-tax-relief/): To be sure, there is absolutely nothing good about the possibility of the legislature raising the gas tax to “fix our roads.” However, the prospect has brought attention to another important issue – income tax reform.
- [Paved with More Than Good Intentions](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/paved-with-more-than-good-intentions/): In South Carolina, road funding tends to gravitate to a few political influential counties.
- [Company with Ties to Leatherman’s Relative Gets Lucrative State Contract](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/company-with-ties-to-leathermans-relative-gets-lucrative-state-contract/): If you’re driving on a state highway in South Carolina, you can’t miss those blue signs displaying the logos of restaurants, gas stations and hotels as you approach an exit.
- [Will This Tax Hike Fix Your Roads?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/will-this-tax-hike-fix-your-roads/): State lawmakers want to raise the gas tax – badly.
- [Legislative Leaders Still Spending Campaign Funds on Spouses’ Charities](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/legislative-leaders-still-spending-campaign-funds-on-spouses-charities/): In his latest campaign-disclosure report submitted on April 6, Sen.
- [MY LAST NERVE: How That Tax Hike Happened](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/my-last-nerve-how-that-tax-hike-happened/): On Wednesday, the House took the pressure off the Senate by passing a $360 million tax hike.
- [Elephant in the Chamber](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/elephant-in-the-chamber/): “The night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Now there’s a biblical line that South Carolina lawmakers ought to take more seriously.
- [Budget-Padding at the School Board?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/budget-padding-at-the-school-board/): On March 3, 2015, I requested from my school board representative and received a copy of the proposed 2015 -2016 School District Budget.
- [Legislative Caucuses Don’t Believe FOIA Applies to Them](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/legislative-caucuses-dont-believe-foia-applies-to-them/): These days, the S.C.
- [Gov. Haley Omits Spouse’s Pay in Ethics Disclosure Reports](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/gov-haley-omits-spouses-pay-in-ethics-disclosure-reports/): In her 2014 state-of-the-state speech, Gov.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Our Time-Wasting Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/my-last-nerve-our-time-wasting-legislature/): I’m torn between frustration and relief that the legislature has not gotten much “accomplished” this year.
- [Senator 'Somebody'](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/senator-somebody/): The South Carolina State House is a place where a lot of fingers do a lot of pointing. That’s what legislatures are for, true.
- [How Leatherman's Son-in-Law Got on DOT Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/how-leathermans-son-in-law-got-on-dot-commission/): In announcing its January 2014 meeting, the legislatively controlled Joint Transportation Review Committee had planned to screen two candidates for a seat on the S.C.
- [Half-Billion Dollar Gap in State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/half-billion-dollar-gap-in-state-budget/): If this year’s state budget is bleeding profusely, you wouldn’t know it by looking at the most recently released numbers.
- [Secrecy Surrounds Dismissed Complaint against Judge](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/secrecy-surrounds-dismissed-complaint-against-judge/): In February, the S.C.
- [Lt. Gov. McMaster Asked to Rule on Bill's Constitutionality](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/lt-gov-mcmaster-asked-to-rule-on-bills-constitutionality/): A Tuesday ruling by the Senate’s President, Lieutenant Governor Henry McMaster, got the attention of one state senator.
- [Down the Drain](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/down-the-drain/): “My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with DOT. It was a bare bones operation when I was there. I saw no fat.” So remarked former S.C.
- [House Ethics Fines: Punishments Fitting the Crimes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/04/house-ethics-fines-punishments-fitting-the-crimes/): As of the end of December, 12 sitting S.C.
- [Legislative Staff Pay Continues to Grow](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/legislative-staff-pay-continues-to-grow/): Once again, the 170-member General Assembly can’t seem to tighten its own financial belt.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Here's How to Shorten Session, People](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/my-last-nerve-heres-how-to-shorten-session-people/): Members of the South Carolina House pride themselves on addressing the issues that really matter to South Carolinians.
- [Constitution Schmonstitution](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/constitution-schmonstitution/): Members of the S.C. Senate are moving forward with a bill that raises revenue for the express purposes of paying for transportation infrastructure repair.
- [Judge Tosses Rep. Duckworth’s Defamation Lawsuits](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/judge-tosses-rep-duckworths-defamation-lawsuits/): A judge has rejected claims by freshman Rep.
- [DOT Watchdogs Taking a Nap?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/dot-watchdogs-taking-a-nap/): In November, State Law Enforcement Division agents arrested Joe Edward Butler, then a state Department of Transportation worker, on two felony charges of selling traffic control equipment valued at over $10,000 on separate occasions last year in Richland County, records show.
- [Are S.C. School Boards Always This Opaque?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/are-s-c-school-boards-always-this-opaque/): [Editor’s note: The Nerve has repeatedly highlighted the practice by government bodies of turning public meetings into private meetings simply by using the phrase “executive session.” Until Mr.
- [Members of Group Seeking Gas Tax Hike Receive Tens of Millions from DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/members-of-group-seeking-gas-tax-hike-receive-tens-of-millions-from-dot/): Since fiscal 2013, at least two dozen corporate members of a nonprofit group pushing for an increase in the state’s gas tax collectively have received nearly $364 million from the S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Is the Senate Raising Taxes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/my-last-nerve-why-is-the-senate-raising-taxes/): Legislative meetings at the State House are almost always boring – they just are.
- [Wastelines](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/wastelines/): Every year, it seems, state politicos brawl over comparatively miniscule spending items, giving the impression that these are real fights over significant sums of taxpayer dollars.
- [Legislative Caucuses Secretly Spend Millions on 'Operations'](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/legislative-caucuses-secretly-spend-millions-on-operations/): From 2008 through last year, the S.C.
- [Would You Kindly Remove Your Hands from My Sacred Cow?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/would-you-kindly-remove-your-hands-from-my-sacred-cow/): I read four daily newspapers on a regular basis: two national, one regional and one local.
- [Empowering Public Agencies to Stop Citizen FOIA Requests – Another S.C. First?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/empowering-public-agencies-to-stop-citizen-foia-requests-another-s-c-first/): A House-passed bill allowing South Carolina public agencies to take legal action against citizens who file “unduly burdensome” or “overly broad” open-records requests could be the first law of its kind in the country if enacted, several legal observers say.
- [MY LAST NERVE: House Member All But Admits Conflict in Floor Debate](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/my-last-nerve-house-member-all-but-admits-conflict-in-floor-debate/): A freshmen lawmaker did the unthinkable on the House floor Wednesday. Rep.
- [All Clear?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/3469/): The House Ways and Means Committee recently slipped in a $497 million bond proposal into the state budget.
- [Potential Conflicts of Interest Lurk Behind Bond Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/potential-conflicts-of-interest-lurk-behind-bond-proposal/): S.C. Reps. Murrell Smith and Leon Stavrinakis had more than a passing interest in co-sponsoring a House Ways and Means Committee proposal to spend $50 million on a new children’s hospital at the Medical University of South Carolina.
- [How a City Council Can Start a War](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/how-a-city-council-can-start-a-war/): Nothing can create an absolute knock-down drag-out war faster than a city council.
- [Huge State Bond Package Passed - Minus Public Input](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/huge-state-bond-package-passed-minus-public-input/): The S.C. House meets today to begin debating a nearly $24.5 billion proposed state budget for next fiscal year – plus an attached $497 million bond proposal that House budget writers quickly approved without giving the public any chance to comment on the total debt package.
- [MY LAST NERVE: A Survey of Recent Incumbent Protection Acts](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/my-last-nerve-a-survey-of-recent-incumbent-protection-acts/): I’ve never been accused of taking a rosy view of what South Carolina lawmakers spend their time on.
- [The Long Arm of the Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/the-long-arm-of-the-law/): The South Carolina House recently passed a bill making it a criminal offense, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or a maximum one-year prison sentence, to "wilfully" file a “groundless” complaint against a South Carolina judge.
- [Taxpayer Tab for DOT Road Report: $2.37 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/taxpayer-tab-for-dot-road-report-2-37-million/): Taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $2.4 million awarded to a Massachusetts-based firm that prepared a plan projecting more than $70 billion in transportation needs in South Carolina to 2040, records obtained by The Nerve show.
- [Opinion: Does S.C. Have a Private Sector?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/opinion-does-s-c-have-a-private-sector/): Last month I received in the mail a copy of the Columbia Business Monthly.
- [National Gun-Rights Group Aims at S.C. Ethics Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/03/national-gun-rights-group-aims-at-s-c-ethics-legislation/): The leader of a national gun-rights organization says he has serious concerns about S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Wait, So These Ethics Bills Would Do WHAT?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/my-last-nerve-wait-so-these-ethics-bills-would-do-what/): Two thousand fifteen was supposed to be the year of ethics reform for South Carolina.
- [In the Public Eye](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/in-the-public-eye/): South Carolina’s Freedom of Information Act is weak to the point of anemic. There are essentially two reasons for its weakness.
- [House Budget Writers Push $40 Million for Training Center for Boeing Workers, Others](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/house-budget-writers-push-40-million-for-training-center-for-boeing-workers-others/): Aerospace giant Boeing says it has 7,744 workers in South Carolina, including “full-time and part-time contingent labor,” according to its website. The S.C.
- [Opinion: Local Governments Should Be Stopped from Flouting Bond Referendum Requirement](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/opinion-local-governments-should-be-stopped-from-flouting-bond-referendum-requirement/): A bill now in the legislature, S.143, introduced by Senator Creighton Coleman (D-Fairfield), would end the use of “bond shell corporations.” You might not have heard of those before, but they almost certainly have a lot of your tax dollars right now.
- [S.C. House Approves Jail Time for Filing ‘Groundless’ Complaints against Judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/s-c-house-approves-jail-time-for-filing-groundless-complaints-against-judges/): UPDATE: 3/4/15 - The S.C. House dropped a provision from an omnibus ethics bill (H.
- [MY LAST NERVE: FOIA Bill Would Allow State Agencies to Take You to Court for "Annoying" Them](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/my-last-nerve-foia-bill-would-allow-state-agencies-to-take-you-to-court-for-annoying-them/): This week House lawmakers passed a bill that would – let’s just state it plainly – make it easier for your government to take you to court for submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
- [Nice Doggy?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/nice-doggy/): When some South Carolina lawmakers say “ethics reform,” they don’t mean the restraint and punishment of bad behavior by politicians.
- [Sponsor of CON Bill Denies Conflict of Interest](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/sponsor-of-con-bill-denies-conflict-of-interest/): From 2007 through 2013, a medical supply company in which S.C. Rep.
- [UPDATE: Citizen Contending Business Tax Unconstitutional Goes to Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/update-citizen-contending-business-tax-unconstitutional-goes-to-court/): Recently I argued on this website that the “privilege” of operating a business isn’t a privilege but a right – and that therefore neither local nor state governments have a right to tax me for exercising it.
- [State Oversight Lacking As SCSU Collapses Financially](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/state-oversight-lacking-as-scsu-collapses-financially/): By the end of fiscal 2009, S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Senate Bill Gets the Death It Deserved](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/my-last-nerve-senate-bill-gets-the-death-it-deserved/): It’s only mid-February and already the Senate’s omnibus ethics bill is dead.
- [Laws into Bills](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/laws-into-bills/): Over the last few years, The Nerve has revealed how a workers’ comp lawyer in the Legislature routinely has co-sponsored and advocated for workers’ comp bills, and sits on a committee that screens Workers' Comp Commission candidates; how a pharmacist in the Legislature sponsored bills regulating his competitors; how funeral home directors in the Legislature sponsored bills that could benefit their businesses; how medical businesses run by lawmakers profited from Medicaid, though several failed to publicly disclose those payments; how a dentist in the Legislature sponsored a bill that could directly affect his bottom line; how a former concrete company president in the Legislature made money from state contracts as a company shareholder without bothering to report his ownership status for years; how the co-owner of an engineering firm in the Legislature didn't publicly disclose some state contracts his business secured; how … Shall we go on?
- [Firm Behind State Road Plan Paid Millions for Other Work for DOT, STIB](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/firm-behind-state-road-plan-paid-millions-for-other-work-for-dot-stib/): A global engineering and construction firm that prepared a recent plan projecting more than $70 billion in transportation needs in South Carolina to 2040 has received a total of nearly $13 million in state payments since fiscal 2012 – mainly from the S.C.
- [The Bureaucratic Run-Around: A Typical Tale?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/the-bureaucratic-run-around-a-typical-tale/): Evan has been a hunter all his life.
- [Haley’s Budget Would Add $22M in Restructuring Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/haleys-budget-would-add-22m-in-restructuring-spending/): A government restructuring law that Gov.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Judicial Election Reminds Us Just How Lazy Some Lawmakers Are](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/my-last-nerve-judicial-election-reminds-us-just-how-lazy-some-lawmakers-are/): South Carolina a legislative state – everybody knows that.
- [Strings Attached](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/strings-attached/): In South Carolina, judges are not – and cannot be – independent.
- [Black: Lawmakers Move to Further Curtail Second Amendment](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/black-lawmakers-move-to-further-curtail-second-amendment/): If we can just eliminate guns, murders will drop. That’s essentially what Senator Larry Martin was arguing last week. But he’s not alone.
- [Screening Panel Rubber-Stamps Incumbent Judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/screening-panel-rubber-stamps-incumbent-judges/): Of the 22 judicial seats that the Legislature is scheduled to fill Wednesday, nine of them – including a seat on the state's second-highest court – are for unopposed incumbent judges nominated by a legislatively controlled screening committee without any public hearings, records show.
- [House Speaker Asks Supreme Court to Dismiss Citizen Petition against JMSC](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/02/house-speaker-asks-supreme-court-to-dismiss-citizen-petition-against-jmsc/): Update: 2/3/15 - In an order released to The Nerve this afternoon, the S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Should Lawmakers Bother Recusing Themselves?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/my-last-nerve-why-should-lawmakers-bother-recusing-themselves/): If the past three days of debate in the Senate are any indication of whether or not South Carolinians will see substantive ethics reform any time soon, the likelihood is slim.
- [Deferred Maintenance](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/deferred-maintenance/): Gov. Nikki Haley has proposed a plan to remedy South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges: Raise the gas tax 10 cents over three years, cut the income tax by 2 percent over ten years, and restructure the Department of Transportation.
- [Pulling Back the Curtain on the Governor’s Tax Plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/pulling-back-the-curtain-on-the-governors-tax-plan/): If Gov. Nikki Haley’s proposal to cut the state’s income tax rate by 2 percentage points over 10 years becomes law, the average tax bill in South Carolina would drop by just $100 for the entire period.
- [Elections, Holidays Are Over – Here Come the Tax Hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/elections-holidays-are-over-here-come-the-tax-hikes/): It has been a significant week on the tax battlefront.
- [Lawmaker Campaign Accounts Used for Club Dues](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/lawmaker-campaign-accounts-used-for-club-dues/): On two dozen occasions since 2013, S.C. Sen.
- [Wait, So Senate Rules Trump Everything?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/my-last-nerve-wait-so-senate-rules-trump-everything/): Stop me if you’ve heard this excuse before.
- [Corporate Welfare As We Know It](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/corporate-welfare-as-we-know-it/): Under Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina’s “closing fund” – the state’s corporate welfare fund – has gone from $5 million to over $40 million.
- [Supreme Court Petition: Judicial Screening Panel Unconstitutional](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/supreme-court-petition-judicial-screening-panel-unconstitutional/): A Lexington County woman wants the S.C.
- [Corporate Welfare Fund Grows by 800 Percent under Haley](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/corporate-welfare-fund-grows-by-800-percent-under-haley/): Since Gov. Nikki Haley took office in 2011, state budget appropriations for a Department of Commerce fund used to lure corporations to locate or expand in South Carolina have grown collectively by more than 800 percent, a review by The Nerve found.
- [The Legislative Pay Raise You Likely Haven’t Heard About](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/the-legislative-pay-raise-you-likely-havent-heard-about/): S.C. lawmakers – at least those who live close to the State House – are getting a pay raise this year, though they probably won’t admit it publicly.
- [Document Dump](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/document-dump/): S.C. lawmakers are beginning the 2015 legislative session by acknowledging that ethics reform should indeed be a top concern.
- [Fireworks Again at House LCI Meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/fireworks-again-at-house-lci-meeting/): At last month’s organizational meeting of the state House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, Rep.
- [Another Election on Tap for Chief Justice’s Seat](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/another-election-on-tap-for-chief-justices-seat/): For the second time in a little more than a year, the General Assembly this spring will decide who will be South Carolina’s top judge.
- [State Regulators Stop Citizens from Protecting Property, Resident Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/state-regulators-stop-citizens-from-protecting-property-resident-says/): If private citizens are governing themselves well – generally maintaining order, keeping to themselves, and protecting their own property – why would governmental authorities butt in and stop them?
- [Lawmakers Spend Campaign Funds on Their Businesses](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/lawmakers-spend-campaign-funds-on-their-businesses/): In the 2008 and 2012 elections, S.C. Sen. Thomas Alexander faced little or no formal opposition.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Bills That Aren't What They Seem](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/my-last-nerve-bills-that-arent-what-they-seem/): With a new session beginning next Tuesday, the opportunities for positive reforms to our system of governance, tax structure, and personal freedoms should be plentiful.
- [The Ties That Bind](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/the-ties-that-bind/): Rep. Alan Clemmons likes ties and scarves.
- [Dentist-Senator Pushes Dental-Pay Legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/dentist-senator-pushes-dental-pay-legislation/): Some South Carolina dentists and oral surgeons say they are losing thousands of dollars in pay annually because of a state law. State Sen.
- [Local Police Department ... or Revenue Collection Agency?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/local-police-department-or-revenue-collection-agency/): Late last month, we told you about Gary, a guy who had pretty credible evidence of two local government shakedown operations.
- [Stacked Deck: Citizen Who Files Complaint against Judge Faces Uphill Battle](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/stacked-deck-citizen-who-files-complaint-against-judge-faces-uphill-battle/): During a Nov. 5 judicial screening hearing, Greenville County Circuit Judge Edward “Ned” Miller testified that state Rep.
- [Happy New Year from The Nerve](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/01/happy-new-year-from-the-nerve/): Happy New Year!
- [Pharmacist-Lawmaker Refiles Pharmacy-Related Bills: Conflict of Interest?](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/pharmacist-lawmaker-refiles-pharmacy-related-bills-conflict-of-interest/): If you ask state Rep. Kit Spires, he’ll tell you his primary focus as a lawmaker is not to push pharmacy legislation.
- [City Still Forcing People to Give Up Property, Resident Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/city-still-forcing-people-to-give-up-property-resident-says/): Readers may remember me from a story I wrote in July about how the City of Seneca was intimidating people – including me – into getting rid of their old properties.
- [Clemmons Spends Campaign Funds on Clothing, Out-of-State Trips, Other S.C. Rep](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/clemmons-spends-campaign-funds-on-clothing-out-of-state-trips-other-s-c-rep/): The 124-member S.C. House and its staff can thank Rep. Alan Clemmons for building their wardrobes every year – courtesy of his campaign donors.
- [Judicial Ethics Office Investigating Judge Who Issued Warrant for Mother of Adult Disabled Daughter](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/judicial-ethics-office-investigating-judge-who-issued-warrant-for-mother-of-adult-disabled-daughter/): The state's judicial ethics office is investigating a Greenville circuit judge who issued an arrest warrant for a Lexington County woman who says she has been living as a fugitive since April 2012 in connection with her legal battle for guardianship of her adult disabled daughter.
- [Merry Christmas from The Nerve](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/merry-christmas-from-the-nerve/): Merry Christmas! As we celebrate the dawn of the world’s greatest miracle, may we be grateful for the smaller ones.
- [Local Officials Engaging in Shakedowns, Resident Says](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/local-officials-engaging-in-shakedowns-resident-says/): At The Nerve, we get tips all the time.
- [Lawmakers' Holy Land Trip Raises Ethics Questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/lawmakers-holy-land-trip-raises-ethics-questions/): Some S.C. lawmakers apparently view themselves these days as foreign policy advisors and economic development prospectors with the country of Israel – and didn't see any ethical problems with collectively spending thousands in campaign funds to visit the Holy Land this month.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Campaign Cash for Criminal Defense? Please.](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/my-last-nerve-campaign-cash-for-criminal-defense-please/): You wouln’t have expected a meeting of the House Ethics and FOIA Ad Hoc Study Committee to be a good show. But it was. Most of the meeting was taken up by Rep.
- [Not Much to Boast About](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/not-much-to-boast-about/): Over the last two years, House and Senate members have traded boasts about which chamber passed real ethics reform.
- [Ousted School Board Member: State Seeks Power Grab in Boundary Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/ousted-school-board-member-state-seeks-power-grab-in-boundary-law/): Under a little-known bill that quietly became law this year, a division of a new state agency will have the authority to settle county boundary disputes.
- [Citizen Activist: Committee Roll-Call Victory a Great Start](https://thenervearchive.org/2014/12/citizen-activist-committee-roll-call-victory-a-great-start/): Two weeks ago, the South Carolina House has passed a rule that requires important votes in standing committees to be recorded and made known to the public.
- [The Return of Investigative Journalism](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/the-return-of-investigative-journalism/): When SCPC began The Nerve in 2010, we did so because investigative journalism was at an all-time low in South Carolina.
- [Making Things Happen](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/making-things-happen/): When The Nerve began in 2010, there was no news source exclusively and consistently aimed at exposing government excess and counteracting government secrecy.
- [South Carolina's Addiction to Bond Debt](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/south-carolinas-addiction-to-bond-debt/): Eleven years ago pig squeals echoed through the marbled chambers of the State House. Then-Gov.
- [Readers Wonder: Who Asked for These Projects?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/readers-wonder-who-asked-for-these-projects/): Last Friday’s column by Jamie Murguia on secret meetings between Department of Transportation and local Chamber of Commerce officials elicited several responses about DOT projects seemingly designed for developers or other private companies, with no consultation with the public at all.
- [SC Supreme Court to Hear DOT-Related Cases](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/sc-supreme-court-to-hear-dot-related-cases/): South Carolina’s top court has agreed to hear two related cases dealing with part of the new state budget and whether the Legislature should have the power to appoint the head of the Department of Transportation.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Outrageous Story, But Who's Responsible?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/my-last-nerve-outrageous-story-but-whos-responsible/): A recent Buzz report in The State highlighted yet another reason lawmakers have to restructure the Department of Transportation (DOT) before any additional funds for infrastructure should be allocated to it.
- [Unreleased DOT Audit Finds Inadequate Internal Controls over Outsourcing](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/unreleased-dot-audit-finds-inadequate-internal-controls-over-outsourcing/): In fiscal 2013, the S.C.
- [State Agency Reviewing County Lines – Minus Public Input](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/state-agency-reviewing-county-lines-minus-public-input/): A small state agency that was given the power under a law passed last year to set county boundary lines has been working on projects throughout South Carolina, though local officials or affected property owners haven’t been included yet in the review, according to the agency's director.
- [Citizen to Agency: I'm Prepared to Take This to Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/citizen-to-agency-im-prepared-to-take-this-to-court/): Readers may recall John Dalen, the contractor and Westminster resident who refuses to purchase a business license on the grounds that running one’s business is a protected right, not a privilege to be paid for.
- [Lawmakers, DOT Circumventing Court with Legislation?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/lawmakers-dot-circumventing-court-with-legislation/): As hundreds of bills slogged their way through the General Assembly earlier this year, one narrowly crafted piece of legislation was quietly put on the fast track and nearly passed – without any public input.
- [Bobby Harrell and the Intentional Murkiness of S.C. Ethics Laws](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/my-last-nerve-bobby-harrell-and-the-intentional-murkiness-of-s-c-ethics-laws/): If you paid even a little bit of attention to the 2015 legislative session, you know it produced mass quantities of “ethics reform” bills, and that none became law.
- [More 'Bank' Money for an Unfinished Project?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/more-bank-money-for-an-unfinished-project/): Almost since The Nerve began, we’ve covered the quiet maneuverings of a mysterious state government entity called the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank, or STIB.
- [Weaknesses in Ethics Law Revealed in Harrell Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/weaknesses-in-ethics-law-revealed-in-harrell-case/): In a Sept. 1 letter to ex-S.C.
- [The Tax Break Nobody Knows About](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/the-tax-break-nobody-knows-about/): Two weeks ago, Stanley Oswald wrote to us about several gas stations in Pelion charging a 1 cent sales tax on items that are supposed to be exempt from sales tax.
- [The Nerve's 'Top 25': Who's Making the Most at DOT?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/the-nerves-top-25-whos-making-the-most-at-dot/): PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Nerve's editor is on vacation.
- [MY LAST NERVE: So Columbia Reallocated Funds? So Do All Governments.](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/my-last-nerve-so-columbia-reallocated-funds-so-do-all-governments/): On Wednesday the state Supreme Court issued a 5 to 0 opinion in Azar v.
- [Lawmakers Ask for Input, Citizens Give It](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/lawmakers-ask-for-input-citizens-give-it/): With the passage of last year’s government restructuring law – the purpose of which was to remove executive powers from the legislature and put them back with the governor – lawmakers acquired new “oversight” powers.
- [The Nerve’s ‘Top-25’: Who’s Trying to Influence Lawmakers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/the-nerves-top-25-whos-trying-to-influence-lawmakers/): AT&T Services, Inc.
- [Why Is This Official Keeping Mum about $8.5 Million?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/why-is-this-official-keeping-mum-about-8-5-million/): On September 8th, the Lexington Town Council will vote on a new 2 percent tax on all prepared food in the town.
- [The Nerve's 'Top-25': S.C. Agencies with Biggest General-Fund Piggy Banks](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/the-nerves-top-25-s-c-agencies-with-biggest-general-fund-piggy-banks/): PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Nerve's editor is on vacation over the next week.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Lawmakers Asking the Public What to Do with New Powers](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/my-last-nerve-lawmakers-asking-the-public-what-to-do-with-new-powers/): A House oversight committee is seeking public input on several agencies under review, including the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB).
- [Why Am I Paying an Extra Penny for My Diet Coke?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/09/why-am-i-paying-an-extra-penny-for-my-diet-coke/): Last week, a Charleston resident asked why he was being charged an extra tax for raisin walnut bread that he wasn’t charged for another kind of bread.
- [Columbia Could Get Bigger Payout under Marketing Deal, Records Show](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/columbia-could-get-bigger-payout-under-marketing-deal-records-show/): The city of Columbia could receive at least $750,000 in commissions from a Connecticut-based company that the city is officially endorsing to offer repair-service plans to home water and sewer customers, documents show.
- [Here's Why We Need More and Bigger Audits](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/heres-why-we-need-more-and-bigger-audits/): The Legislative Audit Council has done a terrific job on its latest report, and taxpayers should be grateful.
- [Legislature Hoarding Millions in State Tax Dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/legislature-hoarding-millions-in-state-tax-dollars/): The S.C. Legislature started fiscal 2016 with nearly $30 million in extra general funds – for its own use, records show.
- [Reader: Are Officials Expanding Definitions under Hospitality Tax?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/reader-are-officials-expanding-definitions-under-hospitality-tax/): Occasionally – just occasionally – we’re asked questions about state or local taxes that we’re unable to answer.
- [DOT Bank Accounts Bigger than Reported by Agency?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/dot-bank-accounts-bigger-than-reported-by-agency/): UPDATE: 8/27/15 - One week after The Nerve first asked the S.C Department of Transportation to explain discrepancies between its and state comptroller general records regarding the agency's cash balances, the department issued a written statement saying that a "large portion of those funds belong to other agencies and entities," which are "not reported as part of SCDOT's cash balance."
- [School Choice to Blame?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/school-choice-to-blame/): The Charleston Post and Courier has begun a five-part series on students “left” in a North Charleston school.
- [Ethics Commission Finds Probable Cause against Lawmaker, Then Drops Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/ethics-commission-finds-probable-cause-against-lawmaker-then-drops-case/): The State Ethics Commission recently found probable cause that freshman Rep.
- [How Free Are South Carolinians to Work?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/how-free-are-south-carolinians-to-work/): Last week, the South Carolina Policy Council – the nonprofit organization that runs The Nerve – asked the recipients of its weekly e-bulletin to relay their experiences of being stopped or hindered from entrepreneurial activity by government authorities.
- [Legislative Staffing Grows with Government Restructuring Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/legislative-staffing-grows-with-government-restructuring-law/): While the restructuring of state government under a 2014 law supposedly will make it more accountable and efficient, taxpayers keep getting stuck with big bills with the reshuffling.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Dealing with the Perception of Self-Policing Won't Get Us Anywhere](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/my-last-nerve-dealing-with-the-perception-of-self-policing-wont-get-us-anywhere/): Any time you hear politicians talking about “perceived” problems, look out. They’re almost certainly actual problems.
- [Policy Change at DOT after Nerve Story](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/policy-change-at-dot-after-nerve-story/): In May, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett reported on a trend in which top staffers at the state Department of Transportation frequently leave the agency and go directly to a DOT contracting company.
- [Columbia Getting Big Bucks for Promoting Private Firm’s Service Plans](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/columbia-getting-big-bucks-for-promoting-private-firms-service-plans/): The city of Columbia will collect tens of thousands of dollars over the next five years from a Connecticut-based company in exchange for officially endorsing the firm’s offer of repair-service plans to home water and sewer customers, The Nerve has learned.
- [Readers Relay Adventures on S.C.'s Roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/readers-relay-adventures-on-s-c-s-roads/): The topic that fills our in-box more than any other is roads. That’s true every year, but it has been especially so in 2015.
- [Required Ethics Training for State Workers Underway](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/required-ethics-training-for-state-workers-underway/): The new state Department of Administration paid about $61,000 for a web-based training program on ethics that some 24,000 state employees will have to watch, The Nerveconfirmed last week.
- [Board of Regents: Idea Whose Time Has Come for S.C.?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/board-of-regents-idea-whose-time-has-come-for-s-c/): A consensus could be developing that something’s got to give with South Carolina’s higher education system.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Income Disclosure Shouldn't Be This Complicated](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/my-last-nerve-income-disclosure-shouldnt-be-this-complicated/): Last week news broke that Attorney General Alan Wilson's office was recusing itself from investigations stemming from ethics and corruption case of former House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
- [How Do You Know When Public-Private Partnerships Pay Off?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/how-do-you-know-when-public-private-partnerships-pay-off/): News recently broke that the City of Columbia’s minor league baseball team, an affiliate of the New York Mets, will be called the Fireflies.
- [Billions in Tax Dollars Paid to State Agency Vendors](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/billions-in-tax-dollars-paid-to-state-agency-vendors/): In recent years, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina has easily ranked as the top-paid vendor – taking in more than $1.3 billion in fiscal 2014 – among all state agencies excluding public colleges and universities, state comptroller general records show.
- [Guy Tells City 'No,' Guy Wins](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/guy-tells-city-no-guy-wins/): After a recent solicitation for stories on government-run-amok, we heard from Virgil, who ran a restaurant in the Upstate for many years.
- [Solyndra in South Carolina?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/solyndra-in-south-carolina/): Could South Carolina experience its own Solyndra?
- [Lawmakers Use Settlement Proceeds for Other Purposes](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/08/lawmakers-use-settlement-proceeds-for-other-purposes/): A nearly $1.4 billion settlement this year over alleged investor fraud involving the national credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s allowed South Carolina to use its $21.5 million share of the proceeds for consumer protection and education programs.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Must We Make Everyone Equally Overregulated?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/my-last-nerve-why-must-we-make-everyone-equally-overregulated/): South Carolina politicians are all about jobs – as long as they’re the ones “creating” them, regulating the industry they’re in, and taxing the goods and services the jobs produce.
- [Lexington Allocates Funds for Connector Road](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/lexington-allocates-funds-for-connector-road/): Lexington County Council discusses allocating $150,000 for the construction of a road in Chapin to connect Amicks Ferry Road to Old Lexington Road at a recent council meeting.
- [Is the Law Really the Place for This?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/is-the-law-really-the-place-for-this/): Two thousand fifteen was the first year of a two-year session.
- [Leatherman’s Long Reach as Senate President Pro Tem](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/leathermans-long-reach-as-senate-president-pro-tem/): When Hugh Leatherman was elected in June 2014 as the Senate president pro tempore – making him leader of the 46-member chamber – he got more than a nice new title.
- [Can't Get Local Issue Resolved? Get the General Assembly Involved.](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/cant-get-local-issue-resolved-get-the-general-assembly-involved/): Clive is an officer in the U.S. military, and he lived in Columbia for several years. In 2013 he was deployed to a foreign country.
- [Solicitor: Harrell Can’t Use Campaign Funds for Restitution](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/solicitor-harrell-cant-use-campaign-funds-for-restitution/): A payment by ex-House Speaker Bobby Harrell, after he pleaded guilty in October to misspending campaign funds, from his campaign account to the state probation agency will not be credited toward his court-ordered restitution, the special prosecutor overseeing the case told The Nerve on Friday.
- [MY LAST NERVE: How our "Legislative State" Has Given us Bad Roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/my-last-nerve-how-our-legislative-state-has-given-us-bad-roads/): This year’s debate to raise taxes was masqueraded as a debate to fix our roads.
- [From the Mailbag: Cold Shoulder from State Legislator](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/from-the-mailbag-cold-shoulder-from-state-legislator/): Since we began inviting readers to tell us their stories about government gone amuck, we’ve received several about current politicians – especially state lawmakers.
- [House Proposes to Boost its Budget by $2.3 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/house-proposes-to-boost-its-budget-by-2-3-million/): The S.C. General Assembly’s love of giving itself multimillion-dollar budget hikes is once again in full bloom.
- [MY LAST NERVE: 2015 Legislative Session Demonstrated Need for Shorter Session](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/my-last-nerve-2015-legislative-session-demonstrated-need-for-shorter-session/): This year our Legislature met from January to July, extending session beyond even the normal allowance in years past.
- [Readers Recall Circumventing Government Authority](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/readers-recall-circumventing-government-authority/): At The Nerve, we don’t condone defying governmental authority.
- [Richland Co.: Yes to Tax Hikes, No Personnel Cuts](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/richland-co-yes-to-tax-hikes-no-personnel-cuts/): For Richland County government, being located in the middle of dysfunction junction has its advantages. On the one hand are two words: State House.
- [Sales Tax: Who Wants It, Who Needs It](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/sales-tax-who-wants-it-who-needs-it/)
- [Lawmakers Approve $200K Earmark for ‘Paper’ Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/lawmakers-approve-200k-earmark-for-paper-project/): S.C. lawmakers for years have bypassed the normal budget process by quietly slipping in earmarks for thousands – and sometimes millions – of tax dollars for their favorite organizations.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Passing the Veto Buck](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/my-last-nerve-passing-the-veto-buck/): While the governor’s vetoes may have totaled a miniscule portion of the budget, it didn’t stop lawmakers from overriding a significant number of her 87 vetoes (83 on the General Appropriations bill, three on the Capital Reserve Fund bill, and one on the Supplemental Appropriations bill).
- [Probation Director Meets with SLED on Harrell Plea Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/probation-director-meets-with-sled-on-harrell-plea-deal/): The head of South Carolina’s probation agency says he met with the State Law Enforcement Division's assistant chief to discuss issues raised in last week’s Nerve story on former House Speaker Bobby Harrell’s plea deal.
- [From the Mailbag: Does Your Recycling Programs Actually Recycle?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/from-the-mailbag-does-your-recycling-programs-actually-recycle/): Skepticism about the virtues of recycling have been growing for more than a decade.
- [New State Budget Challenged in S.C. Supreme Court](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/new-state-budget-challenged-in-s-c-supreme-court/): A Greenville-based, government watchdog organization is asking the S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Spending Up, Transparency Down](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/my-last-nerve-spending-up-transparency-down/): On Tuesday, Gov. Nikki Haley issued her budget vetoes. This year’s state budget – once again – is by far the largest budget in state history.
- [USC Rolling in Taxpayer, Tuition Dough](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/07/usc-rolling-in-taxpayer-tuition-dough/): When lawmakers claim state funding for higher education has dropped over the years, they typically don't mention the other big piggy banks they approve for the state's public colleges and universities.
- [From the Mailbag: The Thieving Lawmaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/from-the-mailbag-the-thieving-lawmaker/): Since The Nerve began soliciting stories about government waste and official misbehavior a few weeks ago, we’ve received a surprisingly large – and scary – number of stories.
- [Harrell Pays Probation Agency with Campaign Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/harrell-pays-probation-agency-with-campaign-funds/): Eight days after pleading guilty to misspending $93,958 from his campaign account, ex-S.C.
- [MY LAST NERVE: The 'Most Important Issue' Might Have Nothing to Do with Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/my-last-nerve-the-most-important-issue-might-have-nothing-to-do-with-money/): The other day I was asked what I would say to folks who feel like the legislature didn’t “get anything done” this year.
- [From the Mailbag: Putting Up with Rough Treatment](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/from-the-mailbag-putting-up-with-rough-treatment/): Ask almost anyone to tell you a story about being poorly treated by a government employee, and you’ll get one.
- [Power Play: Who Gets to Appoint the DOT Secretary?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/power-play-who-gets-to-appoint-the-dot-secretary/): Buried near the bottom of Act 114 of 2007 is one sentence that strips the governor of the authority to appoint the Department of Transportation secretary and gives that power to the already legislatively-controlled DOT Commission – effective Wednesday of next week.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Beware Government-Funded Studies](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/my-last-nerve-beware-government-funded-studies/): On Tuesday during debate on H. 4230 – the Supplemental Appropriations bill – Rep.
- [Pothole Payouts: Motorists File Hundreds of Damage Claims against DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/pothole-payouts-motorists-file-hundreds-of-damage-claims-against-dot/): On the morning of March 25, 2013, William Pritchard was driving to the University of South Carolina-Beaufort when his Ford F-150 pickup truck hit a large pothole on Argent Boulevard in Jasper County between Hardeeville and Beaufort, causing the vehicle to lose control and strike a tree.
- [LLR Hears Business License Case](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/llr-hears-business-license-case/): My son and I had a wonderful time in Columbia on Monday.
- [JTRC Member’s Multimillion-Dollar Ties to DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/jtrc-members-multimillion-dollar-ties-to-dot/): Since 2007, Banks Construction Co. has received a total of more than $76 million from the S.C. Department of Transportation, records show.
- [MY LAST NERVE: General Assembly, You Had One Job](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/my-last-nerve-general-assembly-you-had-one-job/): The South Carolina General Assembly met from January to June, for a total of 20 weeks, in 2015.
- [Transpo Chairman’s Income Disclosure Lacking in Detail](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/transpo-chairmans-income-disclosure-lacking-in-detail/): On the S.C. General Assembly’s website, Sen.
- [From the Mailbag: Leaky Sinks, Empty Pools, and Lawless Fire Marshals](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/from-the-mailbag-leaky-sinks-empty-pools-and-lawless-fire-marshals/): Last Tuesday’s story, in which we drew some of our favorite stories about government waste and incompetence from our email in-box, provoked a number of our readers into sending their own stories – and we feel compelled to share them again.
- [No New Criminal Cases Emerge after Harrell Plea Deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/no-new-criminal-cases-emerge-after-harrell-plea-deal/): When ex-S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell pleaded guilty in October to six counts of using campaign funds for personal expenses, his sentence was relatively light: three years' probation.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Could Lawmakers Support Tax Hike in '15, But Not in '16?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/my-last-nerve-why-could-lawmakers-support-tax-hike-in-15-but-not-in-16/): One or more of the following statements are true: (1) lawmakers hope you don’t pay close attention to what they do in Columbia, (2) lawmakers hope you don’t understand what they do in Columbia, or (3) lawmakers believe citizens won’t hold them accountable for what they do in Columbia.
- [Number of Top-Paid Staff Growing at DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/number-of-top-paid-staff-growing-at-dot/): Although the total number of S.C.
- [From our Mailbag: Zealous Public Officials Overstepping Lines?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/from-our-mailbag-zealous-public-officials-overstepping-lines/): At The Nerve, we receive lots of tips, anecdotes, and complaints about governmental waste and abuse.
- [Power Grab: STIB Directly Paying Companies Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/06/power-grab-stib-directly-paying-companies-millions/): Most folks probably think of the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank as just that – a bank that finances major highway and bridge projects. S.C. Rep.
- [MY LAST NERVE: With Three Days Left in Session, Lawmakers Find Dumb Things in State Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/my-last-nerve-with-three-days-left-in-session-lawmakers-find-dumb-things-in-state-budget/): After six months of meaningless resolutions, behind-the-scenes negotiations with lobbyists, lengthy “debates” over bills that don’t matter to anyone, and early adjournments to attend receptions hosted by multibillion-dollar corporations, lawmakers have finally noticed that the state budget contains things that shouldn’t be in the state budget.
- [Hearing Set for Challenge to Business License Fee](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/hearing-set-for-challenge-to-business-license-fee/): Readers may recall a story I wrote for The Nerve about business licensing being unconstitutional.
- [$5 Million Taxpayer Tab for Failed I-85 Repaving Project](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/5-million-taxpayer-tab-for-failed-i-85-repaving-project/): When it comes to road repairs, planning mistakes can lead to big taxpayer bills. Take the Interstate 85 repaving project in the Upstate, for example. The S.C.
- [Infrastructure Bank Payments Flow to Leatherman’s County](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/infrastructure-bank-payments-flow-to-leathermans-county/): When it comes to Florence County, the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank apparently likes to take a more “hands-on” approach.
- [Hatfield: Why Can't Government Distinguish between Wants and Needs?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/hatfield-why-cant-government-distinguish-between-wants-and-needs/): Elected officials at every level - municipal, county, state and federal - are constantly asked by constituents for something that they want government to deal with.
- [MY LAST NERVE: As Session Winds Down, Actual Debate Begins](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/my-last-nerve-as-session-winds-down-actual-debate-begins/): When debate began Wednesday on the state’s Capital Reserve Fund bill, several senators put up an amendment on the roughly $85 million appropriation bill that would redirect a majority of the funds from higher education projects to the state’s infrastructure system.
- [Needed: A Little Thought Before Raising Taxes to 'Fix Our Roads'](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/needed-a-little-thought-before-raising-taxes-to-fix-our-roads/): On Tuesday, we attended a news conference at the State House in Columbia.
- [DOT Commissioner with Business Ties to Agency: ‘It Has to Look Right’](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/dot-commissioner-with-business-ties-to-agency-it-has-to-look-right/): Mike Wooten, the S.C. Department of Transportation Commission’s vice chairman, freely admits his Myrtle Beach firm routinely has worked with DOT.
- [Top DOT Staffers Jump to Companies Paid by DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/top-dot-staffers-jump-to-companies-paid-by-dot/): For high-level state Department of Transportation engineers or administrators, it’s apparently not difficult to make career jumps to companies that routinely do business with DOT.
- [DOT Commissioners Well-Fed by Firms Doing Big Business with DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/dot-commissioners-well-fed-by-firms-doing-big-business-with-dot/): Companies that collectively have received more than $47 million from the S.C.
- [DOT Commissioners Well-Fed by Firms Doing Big Business with DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/dot-commissioners-well-fed-by-firms-doing-big-business-with-dot-2/): Companies that collectively have received more than $47 million from the S.C.
- [Lawmakers Continue Defending, Explaining Tax Hike Proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/lawmakers-continue-defending-explaining-tax-hike-proposal/): Three weeks into the South Carolina Policy Council’s project to enable citizens to ask their lawmakers whether a gas tax hike will result in the repair of specific deteriorating roads, and well over 1,000 people have participated.
- [Ex-DOT Director Questions Need for Gas Tax Hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/ex-dot-director-questions-need-for-gas-tax-hike-2/): B.K. Jones says he was clear about the direction the S.C. Department of Transportation should have taken when he became the agency's director in September 1994.
- [MY LAST NERVE: At the End of Session, Rules Go out the Window](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/my-last-nerve-at-the-end-of-session-rules-go-out-the-window/): With nine legislative days remaining this session, the Senate is suddenly in overdrive to get the “people’s business” done.
- [Please, Let's Have a DOT Commissioner without So Much 'Experience'](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/please-lets-have-a-dot-commissioner-without-so-much-experience/): The columnist George Will, in a book called Restoration (1993) in which he made the case for Congressional term limits, once compared Capitol Hill politicians to an overpaid baseball team.
- [Please, Let's Have a DOT Commissioner without So Much 'Experience'](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/please-lets-have-a-dot-commissioner-without-so-much-experience-2/): The columnist George Will, in a book called Restoration (1993) in which he made the case for Congressional term limits, once compared Capitol Hill politicians to an overpaid baseball team.
- [Top DOT Staffers Jump to Companies Paid by DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/top-dot-staffers-jump-to-companies-paid-by-dot-2/): For high-level state Department of Transportation engineers or administrators, it’s apparently not difficult to make career jumps to companies that routinely do business with DOT.
- [New Taxes for Road Repair? Lawmaker Responses to Taxpayers' Questions Less Than Reassuring](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/new-taxes-for-road-repair-lawmaker-responses-to-taxpayers-questions-less-than-reassuring/): Last Tuesday we told you about a new web page created by the South Carolina Policy Council (The Nerve’s parent organization) enabling citizens to ask their lawmakers whether the tax increase they’re proposing for road maintenance will actually result in road repair.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Haley's Website Gets Makeover as Senate Tax Hike Compromise Goes Public](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/my-last-nerve-haleys-website-gets-makeover-as-senate-tax-hike-compromise-goes-public/): Last week I warned that problems on the way to passing a gas tax increase in the Senate were probably only temporary, and that there was a compromise in the works.
- [Debtors' Prison](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/05/debtors-prison/): So many penetrating criticisms have been leveled at American higher education in recent years that the whole subject has become tedious.
- [USC Warehoused Bottled Water it Bought for Flooding](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/usc-bottled-water/): One of the University of South Carolina's biggest embarrassments of recent years is currently hiding another.
- [Why There Are Two Prosecutors in the First Place](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/why-there-are-two-prosecutors-in-the-first-place/): As the ongoing battle between Attorney General Alan Wilson and Solicitor David Pascoe rages on, we thought it might be worth remembering why the whole controversy is even a controversy.
- [Haley's Removal of Washington Cost County Taxpayers Thousands](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/haleys-removal-of-washington-cost-taxpayers-thousands/): After waiting too long, Gov. Nikki Haley acted too fast – at least as far as Richland County taxpayers are concerned.
- [Leatherman Looks the Other Way](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/usc-leatherman/): A detail in Ron Aiken’s story from Monday – titled “Big Blue-U” – arrested our attention.
- [Big Blue-U: Did IBM Deserve a No-Bid, $70M Contract with USC?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/big-blue-u/): With a rubber-stamped vote from the board of trustees and an unprecedented exemption from the former Budget & Control Board, the University of South Carolina in November 2014 bypassed state procurement law when it awarded a no-bid $70 million, 10-year contract with IBM.
- [Another Kind of 'Dark Money'](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/another-kind-of-dark-money/): In her Tuesday column for The State, Cindi Ross Scoppe expressed outrage that out-of-state organizations can “distort” South Carolina elections by “bankrolling” candidates and issue advocacy campaigns.
- [Ransomed Bodies, Neutered Dogs and Legislative Self-Interest](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/ransomed-bodies-neutered-dogs-and-legislative-self-interest/): Just as Spring is sure to arrive, so too are bills hitting chamber floors that patently serve the self-interests of the legislators who file them.
- [State House Logic: All Criticisms Are Invalid](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/lawmakers-logic-all-criticisms-are-invalid/): We don’t know how it is in other states, but South Carolina lawmakers have an inelegant way of dealing with constituents by phone and email.
- [No Accountability, Unethical Practices Cost OneCarolina, USC Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/onecarolina/): As the University of South Carolina has formally put the brakes – or, "hit the pause button," as it said in a statement – on the HR and payroll components of the ambitious OneCarolina implementation that resulted in the firing last week of approximately 40 consultants and contractors, the layers are beginning to peel off an embattled University Technology Services (UTS) department.
- [Lawmakers Okay with Power Grabbing Government-Funded Nonprofits?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/lawmakers-ok-municipal-power-grab/): This week The Nerve wrote about an outrageous bill proposing to give the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC) power to collect the business license tax and even to assign the tax rates.
- [Recent History of Ethics Debate Doesn't Encourage](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/ethics-electioneering-haley/): Last June, The Nerve published a piece that may have struck uncareful readers as a merely “newsy” story about a temporarily hot controversy at the State House.
- [Should A Non-Profit Collect Business Taxes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/masc-taxrates/): If H.5109, introduced Tuesday, passes, a publicly funded private non-profit with no governmental authority can collect business taxes and share sensitive individual tax data across town and county borders statewide.
- [DSS Mandates Pointless Alarm, Pranks Ensue](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/citizen-report-dss-directives/): Last summer we heard from an Upstate preschool teacher who complained about a Department of Social Services officer who seemed to thriving on finding petty infractions.
- [USC Spent Millions for Software It Already Had](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/usc-spent-millions-for-software-it-already-had/): BREAKING UPDATE: Multiple sources have confirmed to The Nerve Tuesday morning that approximately 30-35 consultants and contractors have been laid of PeopleSoft's HR component and given end of the day (today) to leave.
- [What the Senate Did on Roads – and Why](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/landess-senate/): It’s bad enough to see our best shot at reforming the transportation system go down in flames last week.
- [USC Program Has Campus in Crisis](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/usc-peoplesoft/): A new, $34.8 million dollar campus-wide computer system the University of South Carolina launched last year has prevented officials across the USC system from seeing accurate budgets or paying mounting invoices since July 1, multiple sources in various departments have confirmed to The Nerve.
- [Lawmaker: Not Raising Gas Tax = Welfare](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/collins-fbpost/): Here at The Nerve, we try to follow and “friend” elected officials on social media, especially Twitter and Facebook.
- [Excessive Salaries, Overspending, Bad Budgeting Has Elections Office Seeking 'Emergency' Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/excessive-salaries-overspending-bad-budgeting-has-elections-office-seeking-emergency-funds/): Speaking to Richland County Council last Tuesday, director Sam Selph said his Office of Elections and Voter Registration needed an additional $1.19 million – about twice his yearly budget – in “emergency” funds just to meet operational expenses as an underfunded department.
- [The Nerve DATABASE: 2016 Statewide DOT Contractor Scores](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/the-nerve-database-statewide-dot-contractor-scores/): Last year, The Nerve began an at-times contentious conversation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation about the release of the internal scoring documents the agency produces in which it grades prime contractors on such issues as safety, adherence to budgets, timeliness of project completion and more.
- [Are Hospitals Bloated?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/bloated-hospitals/): Two years ago, at the height of controversy over whether South Carolina would expand Medicaid per the Affordable Care Act, we read a lot of arguments about federal dependency and borrowed money, about the folly of expanding a substandard government health care program, and about government involvement increasing health care costs.
- [Poll: How Should We Fix Our Roads?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/poll-how-should-we-fix-our-roads/)
- [Where Is That Congressional Delegation List?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/03/finding-out-who-is-in-a-legislative-delegtion-is-harder-than-you-think/): Want to know who’s responsible for electing the DOT commissioners? Since this is how the people hold the S.C.
- [Closed-Door Campaigning Chooses DOT Commissioners](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/closed-door-dot-commissioners/): The Joint Transportation Review Committee did not respond to requests made by The Nerve under the Freedom of Information Act for minutes of meetings, the dates and locations of the official meetings or whether any example existed of there being more than one candidate for legislators to elect once it came time to vote.
- [Longtime Senator: Deteriorating Roads a Result of Government Structure, Not Lack of Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/legislative-leader-admits-deteriorating-roads-a-result-of-government-structure-not-lack-of-money/): Over the last several years, The Nerve has published scores of stories about how the state’s transportation agencies – the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) – are run by unaccountable boards whose members are appointed by self-seeking and self-enriching legislators.
- [SCRA Spending, Accounting Practices Questioned](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/scra-mahoney/): UPDATE: The SCRA today, Feb. 25, announced that CEO Bill Mahoney will be "leaving SCRA to return to the private sector after 11 years of service."
- [Contractor: Local Governments Are Robbing Us](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/contractor-local-governments-are-robbing-us/): Last week’s story about John Dalen, the guy who refuses to pay for a business license, generated a number of responses like the one below.
- [Mike Wooten and the Economics of Influence at the DOT](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/mike-wooten-and-the-economics-of-influence-at-the-dot/): South Carolina Department of Transportation commissioners wield a lot of influence, and chairmen especially so.
- [Finally: A Substantive Filibuster](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/6142-2/): This week Sen. Tom Davis provided us with that rarest of things in a legislative session: a substantive filibuster.
- [Roads Debate: Legislature Wants Power, Not Accountability](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/roads-debate-legislature-wants-power-not-accountability/): Today the South Carolina Senate will continue the debate over road funding. Sen.
- [Councilman Wants to Double Richland Elections Budget with ‘Emergency’ Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/councilman-wants-to-double-county-elections-budget-with-emergency-funds/): In a motion not submitted in time to make the printed public agenda or even have county council staff be able to confirm just an hour before the meeting, embattled Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington submitted a motion to nearly double the $1.25 million budget of the county’s Board of Elections and Voter Registration.
- [Update: Guy Still Won't Pay Biz License](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/update-guy-still-wont-pay-biz-license/): Readers may remember John Dalen, the Westminster native and contractor who won't pay for a business license on the grounds that government can't force you to pay money to exercise guaranteed right.
- [Optic Nerve: DOT Chairman Mike Wooten](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/optic-nerve-dot-chairman-mike-wooten/): Last week, the chairman of the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission, Mike Wooten, took to the podium of the Senate Finance Committee to talk about his views regarding any potential restructuring of the DOT as part of the #SCRoadsDebate.
- [Lawmaker Packs Several Distortions into One Facebook Post](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/6076-2/): Contrary to what state politicians assert, we at The South Carolina Policy Council and The Nerve don’t twist their words or look for ways to play “gotcha.” Why would we, when their own words and actions do the job for us?
- [Anyone Know Who Sets Road Funding Priorities?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/anyone-know-who-sets-road-funding-priorities/): This week, the Senate Finance Committee met on the subject of road funding. The discussion ranged from excruciatingly boring to highly revelatory.
- [Poll: What Kind of Reform Does the DOT Need?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/poll-what-kind-of-reform-does-the-dot-need/)
- [Harrell Saga Comes to Losing End](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/harrell-saga-comes-to-losing-end/): In what was likely the last time disgraced former House Speaker Bobby Harrell faced his peers in a Blatt Building meeting room Tuesday morning, Harrell was a defeated man.
- [DOT Commissioner Influences Project He Has Stake In](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/wooten/): According to emails obtained by The Nerve covering a two year period, South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission chairman Mike Wooten used his position to have DOT staff and elected officials pressure a local government entity engaged in a dispute with an agency over a $1 million contract of which Wooten's firm was a subcontractor.
- [UPDATE: Washington removed from CMRTA board](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/update-washington-removed-from-cmrta-board/): Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington has been removed from from his position as vice chairman of the Central Midlands Transit Authority board effective today, The Nerve has learned.
- [Poll: Is the SC Research Authority...](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/poll-what-do-you-think-about-the-scra/)
- [Charity, Clarity and the SCRA](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/5957-2/): NOTE: On Monday, The Nerve looked at how South Carolina Research Authority is a state agency shrouded in secrecy that operates a business enterprise with revenues of more than $1.5B since 2010.
- [Billions, Bonuses, Secrecy Define SCRA](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/02/billions-bonuses-secrecy-define-scra/): Would you be surprised to learn that the legislature created a state agency in 1983 using taxpayer money that then spun-off a nonprofit business so successful it has operating revenues of $435 million in FY 2015-16 alone and whose leadership regularly receives yearly bonuses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars?
- [Tempers Flare on Road-Fix Plans](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/tempers-flare-on-road-fix-plans/): In a tedious two-and-a-half-hour meeting punctuated by brief moments of passion, politics and, of all things, paternity, the Senate Finance Committee met Tuesday afternoon to discuss a proposal by Sens.
- [UPDATE: Disgraced Former Councilman Steps Down From Board](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/update-disgraced-former-councilman-steps-down-from-board/): UPDATE: As of Monday afternoon at 5:09 p.m., Brian Newman sent an email to Columbia mayor Steve Benjamin and others resigning from his position as chair of the CMRTA board, a position he told The Nerve he was keeping Sunday night and Monday morning.
- [Taxpayers Foot $500K Bill for Penny Tax Group’s Coffee, Cars, Cleaning](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/pennytax/): In most contracting scenarios a firm is hired to do a job for a certain price, it does the job and then submits a bill to the employing entity for the work performed plus any agreed-upon expenses.
- [Lawmakers Filling S.C. Law Code with New Crimes](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/lawmakers-filling-s-c-law-code-with-new-crimes/): A recent study by the Manhattan Institute caught our attention.
- [Why the Pitts Proposal Isn't Just a Dumb Joke](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/why-the-pitts-proposal-isnt-just-a-dumb-joke/): Yesterday a bill was filed in the South Carolina General Assembly that would set up an official registry for journalists. Not lobbyists. Journalists.
- [Secret Road-Funding Meetings Likely Violating Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/secret-road-funding-meetings-likely-violating-law/): The final version of legislation to fix South Carolina's roads (read: tax hike) is being hammered out right now in secret meetings experts say likely are illegal, The Nerve has learned.
- [UPDATE: More Money, Participants in Phony Mentor Program Found](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/update-more-money-participants-in-phony-mentor-program-found/): Note: This story is an update to our original piece about the county’s as-yet-non-existent mentor-protégé program that ran earlier this week.
- [Silence Deafening on Legislative Law-Flouting](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/silence-deafening-on-legislative-law-flouting/): Two years ago this month, then House Speaker Pro Tempore Jay Lucas (R-Darlington) sent a spirited letter to House Ways and Means chairman Brian White (R-Anderson) asking him a simple question.
- [Science for Sale at USC?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/science-for-sale-at-usc/): University of South Carolina geology professor James Knapp is an outspoken proponent for the possibility of offshore development in the waters off the South Carolina coast, rarely declining a media request for an interview.
- [SCDOT Stands by "Comprehensively Discredited" Figure](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/scdot-stands-by-comprehensively-discredited-figure/): For the South Carolina Department of Transportation and advocates of a gas tax hike including Gov.
- [Mentor-Protege Program Used to Pay Councilman Doesn't Exist](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/mentor-protege-program-used-to-pay-councilman-doesnt-exist/): In the latest revelations surrounding the unfolding penny tax scandal in Richland County, a then-sitting Columbia City Councilman who pleaded guilty last week for failing to file income tax returns for two years has received $82,000 in payments over the past year from the penny tax's Program Development team under the guise of a county program that doesn't exist.
- [Campbell Double-Dipping Penny Millions](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/campbell-double-dipping-penny-millions/): The public affairs firm of Campbell Consulting Group has benefited enormously from the Penny Tax.
- [Why'd DOT Put a Roundabout Here?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/whyd-dot-put-a-roundabout-here/): South Carolina’s Department of Transportation, as readers of this website know, is neither run by nor accountable to the state’s chief executive – the governor.
- [Newman, Washington Arrested on Tax Charges](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/newman-washington-arrested-on-tax-charges/): Former Columbia City Council member Brian DeQuincey Newman and Richland County Council member Kelvin Washington were arrested this morning at the Alvin S.
- [Penny Tax Program Began Illegally](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/01/penny-tax-program-began-illegally/): The initial process to hire ICA Engineering – one of the firms now embroiled in scandal and criminal investigations into fraud and corruption relating to the management of the Richland County Penny Tax program – as the county's official Program Management Team wasn't just deeply flawed, although it was.
- [What Happened to That Harrell Hearing?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/what-happened-to-that-harrell-hearing/): Back in early November, indicted former House Speaker Bobby Harrell returned to the State Capitol grounds in Columbia for a hearing by the House Ethics Committee into charges he used his campaign funds to pay $113,475 in attorney's fees in his losing battle against the ethics charges that ruined – temporarily, at least – his political career.
- [Merry Christmas from The Nerve](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/merry-christmas-from-the-nerve-2/): At The Nerve, we spent a lot of time and energy publishing the excesses and misadventures of government officials and agencies.
- [Inside the Penny Tax: What Went Wrong?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/inside-the-penny-tax-what-went-wrong/): Like any county, parish or borough, Richland County has a professional, functioning procurement department with rules, procedures and protocol governed by law that ensures fairness and transparency.
- [Leatherman's Business Received $1.8M in 'Disadvantaged' Contracts](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/leathermans-business-received-1-8m-in-disadvantaged-contracts/): A federal program designed to put African-American and female businesses on a competitive footing with their white male counterparts in one of the largest “good ol' boy” networks around (highway construction contracts) is profiting the most powerful white male legislator in South Carolina – the goodest, oldest boy around, one might say.
- [Pay Attention to the Bills Lawmakers Just Filed](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/pay-attention-to-the-bills-lawmakers-just-filed/): The legislative session starts with pre-filed legislations.
- [Candidate Spending Doesn’t Stop When They Quit](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/candidate-spending-doesnt-stop-when-they-quit/): When you don’t run, can you still spend? The short answer is, if you’re still in office, yes. The long answer is, whether you’re in office or not, yes.
- [Are More State House Resignations on the Way?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/are-more-state-house-resignations-on-the-way/): Almost exactly one year ago, as readers may remember, Rep. Kris Crawford tendered his resignation from the South Carolina House.
- [Leatherman Owns Millions, Discloses Nothing](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/leatherman-owns-millions-discloses-nothing/): Sen. Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence), his wife, Jean, and associated LLCs own more than $2 million of real estate in Florence County, but you won’t find those holdings anywhere on Leatherman’s official Statement of Economic Interest form required by law.
- [Landess: Why Not Call Tyranny What It Is?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/landess-why-not-call-tyranny-what-it-is/): We don’t hear the word tyrant much anymore, except perhaps to describe a spoiled child or unreasonable boss.
- [#TBT: Campaign Funds for High-Dollar Vacations?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/tbt-campaign-funds-for-high-dollar-vacations/): Over the years, our reporters have written two sentences so many times that they probably should have created macros for them.
- [Richland Council Member Delinquent on More than $80K in Taxes, Ethics Fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/richland-council-member-delinquent-on-more-than-80k-in-taxes-ethics-fines/): If you were at the Richland County tax sale at the Township Auditorium on Monday, you could have bid on a piece of property recently forfeited by Richland County Councilman Kelvin Washington.
- [Athletic Personnel and the Public Dime](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/athletic-personnel-and-the-public-dime/): As former Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp has agreed to take the top job at the University of South Carolina – and as rumors about his and his subordinates’ salaries circulate on blogs and sports talk radio – we thought it would be an appropriate time to ask what our state universities’ athletic programs tell us about state government’s priorities.
- [Turner's Firm Billed Richland Co. $23K for Week's Work](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/turners-firm-billed-richland-co-23k-for-weeks-work/): Tuesday update: Richland County Administrator Tony McDonald wrote The Nerve to say his office went back and did locate the invoice from AT Consulting.
- [Should Nurses Do More?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/should-nurses-do-more/): Senate bill 246, filed by Sens.
- [From the Mailbag: Smooth Roads 'Round the State House?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/12/from-the-mailbag-smooth-roads-round-the-state-house/): We receive emails from State House address from time to time, and we thought this one – which comes to us anonymously – was pretty entertaining.
- [What about That 2012 Data Breach?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/what-about-that-2012-data-breach/): When the massive data breach of 2012 exposed a system of information technology weaknesses and lax electronic security measures at the Department of Revenue, the state acted promptly to secure professional services and consumer identity protection that has cost taxpayers $50 million so far and counting.
- [Happy Thanksgiving, from The Nerve](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/happy-thanksgiving-from-the-nerve/): To our readers: As you enjoy the company of family and friends on the greatest of America’s holidays, take a second to ask yourself a question.
- [Leatherman's Florence Concrete a "Disadvantaged Business Enterprise"?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/leathermans-florence-concrete-a-disadvantaged-business-enterprise/): If any business ever has met the definition of “advantaged,” it’s Florence Concrete. Founded by Sen.
- [Spurrier Still Profiting from Under Armour Contract](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/spurrier-still-profiting-from-under-armour-contract/): As South Carolina football hit a 25-year low following Saturday's loss to The Citadel, the man who walked out on the team mid-season will receive $1 million more than originally reported through April of 2016, according to contracts obtained by The Nerve through the Freedom of Information Act.
- [A Look Ahead](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/a-look-ahead/): Thanksgiving is almost here – it’s next week! – and here at The Nerve, we’ve been reflecting on what’s happened over the last year.
- [Fun Stuff: Lawmakers Get Calls, Take to Facebook](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/fun-stuff-lawmakers-get-calls-take-to-facebook/): Only a few years ago, contentious conversations between politicians were almost exclusively the stuff of oral tradition. You had to hear about it from someone.
- [Richland County Seeks to Silence Whistleblowers](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/richland-county-seeks-to-silence-whistleblowers/): ***Thursday, Nov.
- [DSS Director Spends Half-Million on Executive Salaries](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/dss-director-spends-half-million-on-executive-salaries/): Susan Alford was brought in as a home-grown fixer. She was appointed by Gov.
- [Landess: Why the Article V 'Solution' Isn't One](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/landess-why-the-article-v-solution-isnt-one/): The call for a convention of states through Article V of the Constitution is compelling.
- [Clemson No. 1 User of State Plane](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/clemson-no-1-user-of-state-plane/): Clemson may be No. 1 in football, but it also is the No.
- [Nashville Junket Cost Taxpayers $10K](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/nashville-junket-cost-taxpayers-10k/): A Nov. 2 day-trip to Nashville for 10 Richland County council members and senior staff – plus additional overnight stays for council members who extended their trips – cost Richland County taxpayers more than $10,000 to achieve what some believe could have been accomplished with a conference call.
- [Lawmakers Punished for Losing Court Cases, Rewarded for Winning](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/lawmakers-punished-for-losing-court-cases-rewarded-for-winning/): Frankly, I think former Speaker Bobby Harrell is getting a raw deal.
- [House Ethics Committee Rubber Stamping More Sketchy Practices](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/house-ethics-committee-rubber-stamping-more-sketchy-practices/): A year ago today, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett published an important piece on what House and Senate ethics committees have been doing for the last several years.
- [In S.C., 'Winners' Can Use Campaign Cash for Legal Defense](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/in-s-c-winners-can-use-campaign-cash-for-legal-defense/): Disgraced former House Speaker Bobby Harrell walked into the House Ethics Committee Hearing Monday morning smiling, and he left the same way.
- [Who Owns This Road Anyway?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/who-owns-this-road-anyway/): Of all the tips and anecdotes we receive, probably the majority have to do with the Department of Transportation.
- [So you want to be a DOT Commissioner?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/11/so-you-want-to-be-a-dot-commissioner/): Clifton Parker had had just about enough.
- [Lawmakers Using Flood as Excuse to Raise Taxes, Grab Federal Money](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/leatherman-limehouse/): We saw it coming, of course. But honestly, I didn’t think it would happen so fast. No, no.
- [Lawmakers Not Following Yet Another Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/lawmakers-not-following-yet-another-law/): South Carolina lawmakers are developing a well-deserved reputation for ignoring the law.
- [State Investigating Ashley Madison Violators](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/state-investigating-ashley-madison-violators/): Can the South Caroina inspector general turn state agency heads into moral police? We're about to find out.
- [Political Profiteering from S.C. floods?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/political-profiteering-from-s-c-floods/): With both Richland and Lexington Counties conservatively reporting approximately $10 million each in damages related to historic flooding earlier this month, questions surrounding cleanup and relief efforts have taken a predictably political turn with predictably uneven results.
- [Leatherman's New Terminal and S.C.'s Secret Budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/leathermans-new-terminal-and-s-c-s-secret-budget/): In South Carolina, almost nothing is what it seems when it comes to politicians and state government.
- [What a Difference 'Government Restructuring' Hasn’t Made](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/what-a-difference-government-restructuring-hasnt-made/): In January of 2014, Gov.
- [IG: Accountability Reports “Fictitious,” “Nonsensical”](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/ig-accountability-reports-fictitious-nonsensical/): In South Carolina state government, annual accountability reports (AARs) no longer are meaningful measurement tools based on international standards designed to promote efficiencies and provide metrics by which to measure agency performance.
- [Readers Share Misadventures with Public Utilities](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/readers-share-misadventures-with-public-utilities/): Over the last few weeks we’ve received several emails about public utilities.
- [DOT: Turnover at Top Highlights Accountability Report](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/dot-turnover-at-top-highlights-accountability-report/): Sent to the governor’s office just two weeks before historic flooding took a crippling toll on South Carolina’s infrastructure, the Department of Transportation’s yearly accountability report shows an agency with upper-echelon leadership facing significant – and unexpected – turnover, questions surrounding funding priorities, and an admission that it is only now updating a 2007 legislative mandate for project prioritization and transparency.
- [Is a Gas Tax Really the Way to Address This?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/is-a-gas-tax-really-the-way-to-address-this/): South Carolina is still cleaning up after the destruction wrought by Hurricane Joachin’s rainfall, and by most accounts state authorities have responded competently to the emergency.
- [Do Ethics Fines Fit the Crimes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/do-ethics-fines-fit-the-crimes/): Arnold Karr started his bid for superintendent of education in 2006 with $600 in his campaign war chest, thanks to two $250 donations from friends and $100 of his own money.
- [Internal DOT Files Paint Troubling Picture](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/internal-dot-files-paint-troubling-picture/): In the four years leading up to the most-destructive single event for South Carolina's road and bridge system, the agency responsible for it was mired in internal controversies ranging from DOT supervisors engaging in private business relationships with vendors they oversee; state employees forced to work on private property and falsify documents at the behest of politicians; thefts of materials covered-up by management; procurement irregularities resulting in overpayments to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars; and allegations of racism.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Why Lawmakers Like Big Debt Numbers](https://thenervearchive.org/2015/10/my-last-nerve-why-lawmakers-like-big-debt-numbers/): On Wednesday The Nerve reported that a credit downgrade in 2005 by one of the nation’s premier credit rating agencies still stands in 2015.
- [Happy birthday to... us](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/throwback-birthday-17/): The Nerve arose from the swamp -- well, wetlands -- of South Carolina Politics seven years ago this month.
- [Throwback: Is a gas tax really a good idea?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/throwback-2/): Yes, it's the festive time between Christmas and New Year's, but soon enough the drinks will be drunk and the gifts put away and the legislature will convene for another session (on January 10).
- [MY LAST NERVE: VNTYLEG](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/my-last-nerve-vntypl8/): If you still haven’t gotten that gift for someone who's difficult to shop for, here's an idea: a “Beach Music” South Carolina license plate.
- [Throwback: Who owns this road?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/throwback-who-owns-this-road/): In November of 2015 we presented the communication below that we received from a reader. It seems sadly not only still timely but perhaps timeless.
- [The Nerve's Best of 2016](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/the-nerves-best-of-2016/): The Nerve began the year with a closer look at some of the numbers bandied about by very interested parties when it came to the cost of fixing the state's roads as well as revenue from a proposed gas tax increase -- a subject that's destined to rear its splendiferous head again when the legislature convenes January 10, as it has in pre-filed bills: "Critics contend the figure" -- $1.47 billion to repair and maintain state roads -- "is akin to going into a repair shop and asking for a quote to get a car on the road again and getting a price for a full restoration."
- [MY LAST NERVE: Stop stuffing the STIB](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/last-nerve-stib/): It’s the week before Christmas and the last thing on anyone’s mind is a state board whose acronym sounds like something an over-the-counter pill wouldn’t fix.
- [It's not just Merrill](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/merrill-indictment/): The sweeping indictments of Representative Jim Merrill announced late Wednesday gave proponents of reform something to cheer about.
- [What a difference ‘government restructuring’ hasn’t made](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/throwback/): In early 2014, Governor Nikki Haley signed into law a bill that was supposed to reform state government, by creating the Department of Administration and moving the Budget and Control Board’s functions under the governor’s control.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Some legislators do just fine](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/leg-benefits/): When the Senate met for its organizational session last week, freshmen were allowed to introduce themselves, give their governing philosophy and make other remarks.
- [Senate rule changes may signal trouble](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/senate-rules/): On Tuesday, the state Senate met in an organizational session to elect its president pro tempore, allow freshman legislators to introduce themselves, and vote on rule changes.
- [Lawmakers just blow off work](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/lawmakers-just-blow-off-work/): The Nerve has reported before on how the General Assembly plays by a different set of rules than the rest of the public.
- [Lawmakers throw succession into disarray](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/succession-mess/): Over the course of several decades, South Carolina’s legislature has come to dominate the other two branches of government. How did it happen?
- [MY LAST NERVE: Succession confusion leads to pitfall](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/12/last-nerve-succession-confusion-leads-pitfall/): With the news that Governor Nikki Haley will be leaving for New York to serve as ambassador to the United Nations once she’s confirmed by the U.S.
- [State pensions go to non-state employees](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/pensions-non-state-employees/): With the state pension system unfunded by billions of dollars and getting worse every day, how is it that non-state agencies are being allowed into the public pension system?
- [UPDATE Voters ignored on succession](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/wearing-three-hats/): Nov. 28, 2016, 3:36 p.m.: In 2012, when voters approved the constitutional amendment placing the governor and lieutenant governor on the same ticket, it stated that changes regarding the succession of lieutenant governor and governor would take effect in 2018.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Lawmakers and judges get awfully cozy](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/lawmakers-judges-cozy/): The Judicial Merit Selection Commission began meeting this week to vet judges for seats around South Carolina, marking the bi-annual migration of judicial candidates to the statehouse.
- [State agencies defy budget law](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/missing-budget/): Most state agencies aren’t following the law regulating agency budget requests. An examination of their 2017-2018 submissions suggests they aren’t even trying.
- [Campaign money still spent even when campaigns are over](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/campaign-money-still-spent-even-campaign/): The elections are over and campaign accounts are empty. Well, not quite empty. The question arises: What can – and can't – they do with all that money?
- [Some Lawyer-Lawmakers Able to Boost Income by Affecting Worker's Comp Laws](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/some-lawyer-lawmakers-able-to-boost-income-by-affecting-workers-comp-laws/): Lawmakers complain frequently that their average take-home pay, $10,400, is too low.
- [MY LAST NERVE: If You're Going to Skirt Ethics Laws, You'd Better Be Powerful](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/my-last-nerve-if-youre-going-to-skirt-ethics-laws-youd-better-be-powerful/): If you’re in the South Carolina legislature and you’re planning on bending or breaking campaign finance laws, you might want to make sure you are either powerful, popular, or planning on staying in office for a while.
- [Lawmakers Who Still Work for the Groups That Influence Them](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/11/lawmakers-who-still-work-for-the-groups-that-influence-them/): Ethics laws in many states frown on elected officials working for lobbyist principals – and for good reason.
- [MY LAST NERVE: South Carolina’s State Budget Is Way, Way Larger Than $7.5 Billion](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/real-budget-number/): If you read news stories about the state budget you would be excused for believing that the state budget is “only” $7.5 billion.
- [This Politician Didn't Like Being Called by His Constituents](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/pols-phone-calls/): As the president of an activist organization in South Carolina, it’s not uncommon for me to receive threats from politicians.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Agriculture Department Pays Millions to Advertising Firm](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/my-last-nerve-agriculture-department-pays-millions-to-advertising-firm/): The Certified SC Grown program, run by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, is “the most comprehensive resource for locally sourced SC produce, specialty crops and products,” – so says its website.
- [Public Part of ‘Public Meeting’ at Department of Commerce Lasts About Two Minutes](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/coordinating-council-public-meeting/): State entities are required to post their proposed agendas publicly.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Our Well-Fed Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/my-last-nerve-our-well-fed-lawmakers/): “Freshman 15” is a term used to describe the weight gained by freshmen during their first year at college.
- [Details of Agency's Spending Hidden from Public](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/ports-authority-spending/): A recent investigation by The Nerve into state agency spending reveals that the State Ports Authority, or SPA, does not report the agency’s spending with the detail that other state agencies do.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Is South Carolina's Business Environment Ranked High – or Low?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/my-last-nerve-is-south-carolinas-business-environment-ranked-high-or-low/): If you only listen to the State House politicians, Department of Commerce officials, and Chamber of Commerce heads – or any public official speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony – you would think South Carolina is the best place to do business in the country.
- [Lawmakers Still Ignoring Budget Law](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/lawmakers-still-ignoring-budget-law/): For most of us, laws are meant to be followed. For those who make the laws, however – at least here in South Carolina – that’s not always the case.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Confused by the Tax Code? So Is Everybody Else.](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/10/mln-sales-exemptions/): The South Carolina House of Representatives is at it again. This time they are really going to fix things. No more lip service. This is about action.
- [Starting a Small Business Makes Me Wish I Hadn't Started It](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/small-business-start/): If you want to open a typical online business – let’s say, monogramming things for friends and family and selling items online – be prepared get a crash course in taxes, zoning regulations.
- [Another Look at Nepotism on University Boards](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/nepotism-boards/): In South Carolina, lawmakers directly appoint members of state university boards.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Monuments to Lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/my-last-nerve-monuments-to-lawmakers/): Take a trip down any major highway, back road, or waterway and you’ll likely come across the Senator So-and-So Interchange or the Representative So-and-So Frontage Road.
- [A 'Welcome Center' in the Middle of the State?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/a-welcome-center-in-the-middle-of-the-state/): Over the summer I went to visit a friend who lives on Lake Marion in Santee, South Carolina.
- [Where's That Penny Tax Really Going?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/penny-tax-going/): Earlier this year, The Nerve revealed that revenue from Richland County’s penny tax program had made its way to various public officials and their friends.
- [MY LAST NERVE: Is the State Really 'Underfunding' Universities?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/mln-cease-universities/): As Benjamin Franklin didn’t quite say, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes and university tuition increases.” How much has university tuition gone up since 2006?
- [State Exempts More in Sales Tax Than It Collects](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/sales-tax/): In the most recent year for which data is available, a review by The Nerve has found, South Carolina state government collected $2.4 billion in sales tax revenue – but exempted a full $3 billion.
- [Another Agency to Be ‘Reformed’ by Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/another-agency-to-be-reformed-by-legislature/): In South Carolina, many state agencies that carry out executive functions are nonetheless run by boards appointed by the legislature and the governor.
- [Top State Earners Nearly All from Higher Education](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/top-state-earners-nearly-all-from-higher-education/): After more than a decade of nearly annual tuition hikes and complaints that the state is underfunding higher education, one might expect state-funded universities to keep their salaries under control.
- [Politicians Stretch Legitimate Uses of State Plane](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/state-plane-use/): Most taxpayers would agree that use of a state-owned aircraft should only be for trips of high importance to the governor.
- [State Spending on Catering and Food: Reasonable?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/09/well-fed-govt/): In review of state agency expenses, The Nerve found that in fiscal year 2015-2016 the state spent over $989,000 on catering and meals.
- [Preschool Worker: Somebody Tell DSS to Stop Micromanaging Us](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/preschool-worker-somebody-tell-dss-to-stop-micromanaging-us/): My husband owns a small business, and from time to time I’ve heard him say, “You can’t take a pee anymore without a government permission slip.” Please excuse the slight vulgarity.
- [Top Ethics Fines of Current Officeholders](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/top-ethics-fines/): If you have the misfortune of receiving a traffic ticket, the course of action is straightforward: Pay it or be punished.
- [How Two Lawmakers Overruled Everybody to Get a Stadium Approved](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/ccu-stadium/): The term “legislative state” gets thrown around a lot by people trying to describe the power structure for South Carolina’s government.
- [This Year's Top Lobbyists and Their Principals](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/top-10-lobbyists/): As of August 17, the 10 highest paid lobbyists in South Carolina for 2016 made over $2.6 million, with one lobbyist making just over 33 percent of that total.
- [$21.5 Million Available for State Roads, But Going to Congressman’s Wish List](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/21-5-million-available-for-state-roads-but-going-to-congressmans-wish-list/): Last week, the Department of Transportation Commission voted to spend $21.5 million of federal money on a list of projects associated with Congressman Jim Clyburn.
- [Regulating the Color of Buses?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/school-bus-yellow/): Ready for more adventures in South Carolina legislation?
- [House and Senate Spend Tens of Thousands on Men's Suits](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/house-and-senate-spend-tens-of-thousands-on-mens-suits/): The South Carolina General Assembly spends thousands of dollars on men’s suits, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Former Legislators, Legislative Staffers Earn Hefty Salaries in Other Agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/former-legislative-salaries/): Nepotism is a well known part of South Carolina state government: Lawmakers routinely appoint their siblings and spouses and friends to university boards and various state commissions, for example.
- [In South Carolina, Taking Property Looks Easier All the Time](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/in-south-carolina-taking-property-looks-easier-all-the-time/): Two years ago, The Nerve posted a powerful story by Allan Yarid, a resident of Seneca whose downtown property had effectively been confiscated by city authorities against his will.
- [New Law Bans Ticket Quotas](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/08/ticket-quotas/): Over the weekend – yes, our weekends are just that pathetic – my husband and I were going over some new laws passed by the General Assembly in 2016.
- [Many Magistrates Still Serve at the Mercy of Senators](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/07/magistrates-update/): Four years ago, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett highlighted a little-known facet of the South Carolina legislature’s hegemonic influence over the state’s judiciary.
- [Bill Would Make FOIA More Explicit](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/07/bill-would-make-foia-more-explicit/): Since we first went live in 2010, our reporters have crashed more public meetings than we can count.
- [Lawmakers Now Interpreting the Law, Too](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/07/lawmakers-now-interpreting-the-law-too/): If you happen to be one of the very few unfortunate souls who has actually read the “roads bill” recently passed by the legislature, let us just summarize.
- [Why Lawmakers Won't Clean Up the Code](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/07/tax-exceptions/): South Carolina’s tax code, as you’ll know if you’ve ever tried to read a portion of it, is a colossal mess.
- [Everything Wrong with South Carolina's Education System, in One Bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/everything-wrong-with-south-carolinas-education-system-in-one-bill/): Once in a while, the legislature passes a bill that perfectly expresses an otherwise mystifying attitude inside the State House.
- [Remember That Ethics Bill the Governor Signed Last Week?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/independent-investigation-bill/): Two and a half years ago, when Gov.
- [No Arts Veto This Year, But New Study Raises Questions about Funding](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/arts-funding/): In 2012, Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed the entire $3.4 million budget of the South Carolina Arts Commission, as Gov. Mark Sanford had done a few years before.
- [Beware of Glorified Study Committees](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/workforce-development/): Among our least favorite terms in state government and politics are “economic development” and “workforce development.” The first is almost always code for tax favors, loans, and grants – that is, government money – handed over to private companies.
- [Much Ado About Nothing: S.C.'s Ashley Madison Probe](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/7202-2/): Like most of the users of the website Ashley Madison, South Carolina struck out.
- [Lunch, Courtesy of the Taxpayer](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/lunch-courtesy-of-the-taxpayer/): Here at The Nerve, we don’t often have lunch on the company credit card.
- [Richland County: Richland PDT Needs No Richland License](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/richland-license/): When you're caught with your pants down, step one is to pull them back up.
- [Lawmakers Benefit from Government Contracts, Survey Finds](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/influence-is-hard-to-measure/): Influence is hard to measure – whether it's a firm handshake, a look in the eye, or a few thousand at a legislator's private business.
- [What Do You Get in Exchange for That Fee, Anyway?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/what-do-you-get-for-that-fee-anyway/): Recently we spoke to an old friend, Bronson, a longtime resident of Columbia.
- [Penny Tax's Dirt Road Program Under Fire](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/penny-taxs-dirt-road-program-under-fire/): If foul things roll downhill, now is not a good time to be downslope of Richland County Council.
- [Did Members Even Read The Roads Bill Before Passing It?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/06/lawmakers-pass-roads-bill-probably-without-reading-it/): Yesterday the General Assembly finally passed a “roads bill.” The bills goes to the governor, either to be signed, vetoed, or allowed to become law without her signature.
- [Lawmakers Learn of Complaints Just Before Vote](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/lawmakers-learn-of-complaints-just-before-vote/): On Wednesday, a joint session of the General Assembly elected judges for the state Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, Family Court, and Public Service Commission.
- [Legislative Delegation Knew of Recreation Allegations](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/legislative-delegation-knew-recreation-allegations/): Before he was slapped with five lawsuits, before the FBI opened an investigation, and before a $35,000+ independent report was ignored by a board whose members he has been accused of bribing, Richland County Recreation Commission executive director James Brown III was the subject of multiple complaints in desperate letters from scared employees to members of Richland County Council and the county’s legislative delegation dating back to 2014, The Nerve has learned.
- [What Isn't Covered by the Attorney-Client Exemption to FOIA?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/attorney-client-foia/): South Carolina’s Freedom of Information law contains two significant and frequently used exemptions. The first is for lawmakers.
- [Lawmaker Has Made $82K on Business from Fellow Legislators](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/hiott/): How can an elected official legally turn campaign money into a source of personal income?
- [Jail Time for 'Misleading' Politicians?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/jail-time-for-misleading-lawmakers/): Two years ago, a House study committee on ethics passed an absurd rule to force citizens to be sworn in before they could speak at House committee hearing.
- [Penny Tax Control Group Operating Illegally Since 2014](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/penny-tax-control-group-operating-illegally/): The Richland County penny tax team has been operating without required business licenses in the county and city for nearly two years, The Nerve has learned.
- [Readers Vent about Roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/readers-vent-about-roads/): Perhaps owing to The Nerve’s frequent coverage of the debate over road funding, we receive a lot of emails about specific roads and intersections.
- [Friendly Skies: $500 Dinners, $85K Luxury Box Characterize Airport Board Spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/the-skys-the-limit/): A week in Maui in mid-January. Five-hundred dollar dinners. Posh accommodations at hotels in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New Orleans and California.
- [Leatherman Hid Financial Ties with USC Board Members, Retirement Commissioner](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/leatherman-hid-financial-ties/): For years now, Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence) has filed nearly identical Statements of Economic Interest (or at least he has since 2013 when he decided to follow the law and include his minority ownership in Florence Concrete after a decade of not doing so).
- [USC, IG Confirm Investigation after Nerve Reporting](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/usc-ig-confirm-investigation-after-ner/): UPDATE 5/18: A source confirms to The Nerve that the FBI has been made aware of the allegations leading to the investigation into USC's IT procurement and UTS department and "stands ready" to assist should the IG ask.
- [Lawmaker: If I'm Ever Conflicted, I'll Let You Know](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/lawmaker-if-im-ever-conflicted-ill-let-you-know/): Last week, a longtime reader of The Nerve and resident of Sumter, John Reames, sent an email to Rep.
- [Nepotism Common in University Board Appointments](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/university-board-appointment-process/): The practice of nepotism is rarely exercised so brazenly as it is in the nomination of legislators’ family members and friends to college boards of trustees/visitors.
- [In the Debate over Road Funding, Nothing Adds Up](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/6921-2/): One year ago, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett posted a story with this admittedly rather anodyne title: “S.C.
- [Ethics Self-Policing Means Everybody Walks](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/ethics-self-policing-means-everybody-walks/): It’s a maxim as true for cookie jars as it is for the chambers of the South Carolina State House, because whether you’re a Representative or Senator, the probability of facing criminal charges for ethical violations practically is zero.
- [Small Businessman Boasts 19 State Licenses](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/contractor-licenses/): Last week we had a visit from Jack. He’s from McCormick County, and stopped in while in town on a job.
- [Florence Concrete’s Undisclosed $40 Million](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/05/florence-concretes-dark-40-million/): While lawmakers have touted the evils of so-called “dark money” this legislative session, another avenue of very real dark money – revenue streams, often in the millions, that legislators do not have to publicly report – is alive and well in the form of government subcontracts.
- [Landess: They Don't Need a Law to Do the Right Thing](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/conflict-watch-2016/): The idea behind the Policy Council’s Conflict Watch project is simple.
- [Southard Resignation Happened Despite, Not Because of, Legislature's Ethics Process](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/southard-resignation-happened-despite-not-because-of-legislative-process/): If you keep up with state politics, you may already know that Rep.
- [DOR to Withhold Penny Tax Funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/breaking-dor-to-withhold-penny-tax-funds/): NOTE: This statement was released at 8: 20 p.m.
- [Democratic Caucus Director, Former County Councilman Paid Hundreds of Thousands for Penny PR](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/penny-pr/): Four firms, including one run by a former Richland County Councilman and another that’s the personal LLC of the executive director of the House Democratic Caucus, have received more than $1.5 million for public relations/outreach work from the Richland County penny tax program since 2014, a review by The Nerve has found.
- [Landess: Why Are We Even Talking about 'Ethics Reform'?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/landess-the-reform-thats-needed-goes-way-beyond-ethics/): South Carolina politicians claim to be close to reforming at least two of the laws responsible for our state’s rampant corruption.
- [Where Was the Outrage?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/where-was-the-outrage/): Here at The Nerve, we’re always amazed by the things that don’t outrage – the revelations that ought to result in hearings and headlines, but for some reason don’t.
- [Secret Opinion Targets Senate Challengers](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/secret-opinion-targets-senate-challengers/): Amid an ethics reform debate in which legislators are passionately arguing for how transparent and effective their current system of self-policing is, the South Carolina Senate in March issued a secret opinion that could negatively affect challengers looking to unseat incumbents.
- [Politicians Wouldn't Bully You ... Would They?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/politicians-wouldnt-bully-you-would-they/): Yesterday Ron Aiken surveyed a number of ways in which South Carolina politicians have used their authority as government officials to bully people they perceive to be threats.
- [How Much Do Richland Co. Elections/Recreation Execs Make?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/why-arent-richland-electionsrecreation-salaries-published/): Trying to find out how much executives and staff earn at Richland County's two special purpose districts – the Recreation Commission and the Elections and Voter Registration Office – is nearly impossible because neither entity reports its wages to the state salary database even though all its employees are public workers paid with public money.
- [From Jurassic Park to the County Line, Political Intimidation Runs Gamut](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/from-jurassic-park-to-the-county-line-political-intimidation-runs-gamut/): One night while a student at Clemson back in 1993, Talbert Black was bored.
- [Legislative Caucuses Still Not Public, But Should Be](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/caucuses-public/): Exactly one year ago, The Nerve’s Rick Brundrett published a story on how legislative caucuses – the General Assembly’s partisan strategizing organizations – somehow get to avoid being designated as public entities.
- [Kickbacks, Corruption, Abuse Plague Richland Recreation Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/kickbacks-corruption-plague/): UPDATE: The day after this story ran, members of the Richland County legislative delegation held a press conference seeking law enforcement action.
- [Final Decision Imminent in DOR, Penny Tax Dispute ](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/penny-dispute/): If the war of words between the South Carolina Department of Revenue and Richland County Council over the management of the controversial penny tax program were a gunfight, it’s high noon and both parties are staring each other down on a deserted street with their fingers on the trigger.
- [Current Senate Ethics System Not So Bad?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/current-senate-ethics-system-not-so-bad/): Recently we were forwarded an emailed response from Sen. Mike Fair about an ethics-related bill currently in the legislature.
- [Whatever Happened to the Hydrogen Economy?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/whatever-happened-to-the-hydrogen-economy/): Remember how, back in 2009, Columbia leaders from City Hall to the Horseshoe bought in on the promise of hydrogen fuels as a way to develop an identity for Columbia?
- [Lawmakers Policing Lawmakers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/lawmakers-policing-lawmakers/): On Tuesday, the Senate debated to topic of ethics reform, and parts of the discussion were illuminating – in a perverse sort of way.
- [Lack of Legislative Accountability at Heart of Richland Funding Fight](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/richland-funding-fight-fuels-frustration/): There is no such thing as a surprise general election.
- [The Fees Are Killing Us!](https://thenervearchive.org/2016/04/the-fees-are-killing-us/): Here’s a question worth pondering: When should government charge a fee for a service?
- [Court budget plan, Senate bill call for big judicial pay hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/court-budget-plan-senate-bill-call-for-big-judicial-pay-hikes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT South Carolina’s higher-level judges would receive pay hikes ranging from 20 to 33 percent under a state Judicial Department budget proposal and separate Senate bill.
- [‘Reform’ bill would give more control to this South Carolina power broker](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/01/reform-bill-would-give-more-control-to-this-south-carolina-power-broker/): By RICK BRUNDRETT One of South Carolina’s most powerful lawmakers would gain even more control under a just-passed House bill purporting to reform an influential screening panel in the aftermath of the failed V.C.
- [State utility watchdog rarely bared teeth in V.C. Summer debacle](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/01/state-utility-watchdog-rarely-bared-teeth-in-v-c-summer-debacle/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the years, the state’s utility watchdog acted more like a lapdog in reviewing rate hikes for the now-abandoned V.C.
- [Glowing job reviews routine for those who approved V.C. Summer rate hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/01/glowing-job-reviews-routine-for-those-who-approved-v-c-summer-rate-hikes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Public Service Commission members who approved nine rate hikes for the failed V.C.
- [Powerful State House panel  behind blueprint for South Carolina’s nuclear push](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/01/powerful-state-house-panel-behind-blueprint-for-south-carolinas-nuclear-push/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Nearly a decade ago, an influential state legislative committee quietly released a report advocating a quick expansion of nuclear energy in South Carolina, claiming, for instance, the small state might face power shortages and blackouts by 2016.
- [What S.C. lawmakers aren’t telling the public about the failed V.C. Summer project](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/01/what-s-c-lawmakers-arent-telling-the-public-about-the-failed-v-c-summer-project/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last summer’s stunning news that South Carolina Electric & Gas and its partner, state-owned Santee Cooper, would abandon a major expansion of the V.C.
- [2012 Nerve Story: Critics Question Rate Increases for Nuclear Plant](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/12/2012-nerve-story-critics-question-rate-increases-for-nuclear-plant/): In 2012, an intern at The Nerve asked editor Rick Brundrett if she could do a story on a utility law called the Base Load Review Act.
- [People who live in glass houses…](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/12/people-who-live-in-glass-houses/): By HANNAH HILL In a House Ways and Means subcommittee meeting this week, state lawmakers expressed great concern about the responsibility of county spending practices.
- [Taking the Honest Approach](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/11/taking-the-honest-approach/): By BRYCE FIEDLER The Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) – the agency responsible for administering the state’s retirement plans – recently released its annual report assessing the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS).
- [Legislative Power-Sharing – with the People?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/11/legislative-power-sharing-with-the-people/): By HANNAH HILL “…When we have to go back to the ratepayers and explain what we’ve done and things like that, you know the first thing they’re gonna say is ‘Well, why’s it three/two?
- [Meet the Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/10/meet-the-governors-nuclear-advisory-council/): By BRYCE FIEDLER As it turns out, the now suspended V.C. Summer project isn’t the only nuclear concern in South Carolina.
- [You gotta serve someone](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/10/you-gotta-serve-someone/): By BRYCE FIEDLER Chairman Russel Ott appeared frustrated sitting across from outgoing Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter during Tuesday’s House Utility Ratepayer Protection committee hearing.
- [Technical colleges dinged](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/10/technical-colleges-dinged/): When it comes to higher ed, powerhouse four-year schools like USC and Clemson understandably get most of the attention in South Carolina and beyond -- and much of it is positive, interspersed with concerns about mounting costs.
- [An Agency Left Unchecked](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/an-agency-left-unchecked/): By BRYCE FIEDLER Every government body deals with its share of problems.
- [The unseen cost of buying jobs](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/the-unseen-cost-of-buying-jobs/): By BRYCE FIEDLER Since it secured the Volvo manufacturing plant back in July of 2015, the state has been celebrating its achievement with promises of stellar economic growth and thousands of jobs for the Berkeley County area.
- [Fight over reactors continues -- in Georgia](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/fight-over-reactors-continues-in-georgia/): Georgia's Public Service Commission set hearings yesterday to determine whether the Vogtle nuclear facility will be built there, with a decision expected in February.
- [Public Service Commissioner Screenings Suspended Indefinitely](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/public-service-commissioner-screenings-suspended-indefinitely/): The screening process for the Public Service Commission (PSC), the board that regulates the state's private utilities, has been suspended "until further notice."
- [Leadership is part of the job](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/leadership-is-part-of-the-job/): There are two important lessons we can learn from Hurricane Irma: One, that we as a community possess remarkable resolve when faced with adversity; and two, that we offer too much praise to government leaders who are simply doing their job.
- [Are they gonna bring back the eclipse?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/are-they-gonna-bring-back-the-eclipse/): The SC Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) is spending money to find out how much the state made off the eclipse.
- [And poof! nuke econ-develop gone too](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/and-poof-nuke-econ-develop-gone-too/): When partners SCANA and Santee Cooper decided to stop work on two V.C. Summer reactors July 31, it left a mountain of debt and a wake of finger-pointing.
- [School busybodies](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/09/school-busybodies/): $12,007: That’s how much South Carolina spent on average per K-12 pupil in fiscal year 2014-15.
- [Georgia's nukes: 'We'll go on'](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/georgias-nukes-well-go-on/): The Georgia Power Company told Georgia regulators today that it wants to finish two nuclear reactors under construction in the state.
- [How customers lost the nuke bet -- for now](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/how-customers-lost-the-nuke-bet-for-now/): Asked to explain his stake in the two abandoned, partly-built nuclear reactors at Jenkinsville, Mike Couick, head of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, says it's simple: “My members have got $2.7 billion sunk in the red clay of Fairfield County.” Couick is referring to the 20 electric co-ops that compose the ECSC, which is a non-profit trade organization, like a chamber of commerce.
- [An agency that doesn't even work on paper](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/an-agency-that-doesnt-even-work-on-paper/): By HANNAH HILL During this week’s legislative energy committee meetings, executive director of the Office of Regulatory Staff (ORS) Dukes Scott stated that the statutory duties of the ORS conflict at times.
- [Listen to your accountant](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/listen-to-your-accountant/): The state Comptroller General’s office released its annual budget report this week, giving citizens insight into the sources of state revenue and how that money was spent as well as suggestions for future spending.
- [You could be paying twice for V.C. Summer](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/you-could-be-paying-twice-for-v-c-summer/): In the wake of Santee Cooper and SCE&G abandoning construction of two nuclear reactors at the V.C.
- [Where was the utilities committee?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/where-was-the-utilities-committee/): Earlier this week the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem each created special legislative committees in response to the abandonment of the V.C.
- [Access to nuke records blocked](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/access-to-nuke-records-blocked/): Tom Clements of environmentalist group Friends of the Earth has been a longstanding critic of the V.C.
- [Alarms on nukes fiasco sounded years ago](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/alarms-on-nukes-fiasco-sounded-years-ago/): When Santee Cooper and SCE&G pulled the plug on their shared project to build two nuclear reactors in Jenkinsville at the beginning of last week, it was a "wow" moment and rightly so.
- [Sketchy bank might owe you money](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/sketchy-bank-might-owe-you-money/): Wells Fargo, the world's second-largest bank, is facing scrutiny for its unsavory practices yet again, now by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco -- and this time it could affect South Carolinians who've had auto loans through the bank.
- [See me after class](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/see-me-after-class/): South Carolina businesses are much more likely to be white-owned than businesses on average in the U.S., and less likely to be owned by women.
- [Nowhere to run](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/nowhere-to-run/): When the multi-billion V.C.
- [So your reactors are kaput. Now what?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/so-your-reactors-are-kaput-now-what/): The announcement earlier this week that SCE&G and state-owned utility Santee Cooper were pulling the plug on construction of two nuclear reactors in Jenkinsville has left questions that keep multiplying.
- [Who pays for failed reactors?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/08/who-pays-for-failed-reactors/): Last week, as the planned construction of two nuclear reactors in South Carolina was enveloped in doubt following the bankruptcy of their contractor, Westinghouse, news came of another planned rate-hike by one of the project's two partners, the government-owned utility Santee Cooper.
- [Picking produce -- and winners](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/picking-produce-and-winners/): Tax credits can be some of the worst policies a government can pass.
- [Watching that gas-tax money](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/watching-that-gas-tax-money/): Once the state gas tax increase went into effect on the first day of July, money began to flow from it and vehicle sales tax and registration fees through various state agencies to the State Treasurer, en route to...
- [A huge hike to cover troubled nuclear reactors](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/a-huge-hike-to-cover-troubled-nuclear-reactors/): Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility, is notifying customers that it wants to raise its rates by more than 9 percent over the next several years, in part to cover "costs associated with nuclear construction."
- [Enough with the parting gifts](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/enough-with-the-parting-gifts/): According to a contract obtained by the Post and Courier, the former head of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, Catherine Templeton, accepted a contract with the agency just one day after she left her position in January of 2015.
- [Why is electricity so expensive in South Carolina?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/why-is-electricity-so-expensive-in-south-carolina/): In a ranking of states by total energy costs, South Carolina is solidly in the middle, at 24th most expensive.
- [You're not the boss of us](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/youre-not-the-boss-of-us/): As the Policy Council has been compiling this year’s Best and Worst of the General Assembly, I couldn’t help noticing a recurring theme: economic development-related bills.
- [Bad news on sales tax](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/bad-news-on-sales-tax/): If you shop locally and wonder where the money goes, the Tax Foundation has an explanation.
- [For commissioner, governor turns to chamber](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/for-commissioner-governor-turns-to-chamber/): More than two months ago, the office of Governor Henry McMaster was lining up a permanent replacement for former state Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Wooten.
- [After the sparklers](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/07/after-the-sparklers/): The Declaration of Independence wasn’t about revolution.
- [Commissioner's resignation is a good start, but...](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/commissioners-resignation-is-a-good-start-but/): When Mike Wooten resigned from the state Department of Transportation commission, he blamed the ethics provisions in the gas tax hike bill just passed by the General Assembly, saying "The new law basically states that commissioners cannot apply for permits from SCDOT, so, if I stayed on the commission, I would have to abandon my business and I am certainly not willing to do that."
- [I-73: One giant step forward, same old error](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/i-73-one-giant-step-forward-same-old-error/): When it comes to spending and infrastructure, one of South Carolina's great white whales rose from the deep with news last week that the Army Corps of Engineers approved a permit to begin work on the South Carolina leg of I-73.
- ['You've sat too long for any good you've done'](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/dump-the-tiles/): In less than a week, Governor Henry McMaster will acquire the power to fire any or all the Department of Transportation's commissioners.
- [Small is clean](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/small-is-clean/): One thing we can safely say about the election last November is that it was divisive, or at least that it has done little to heal the country's divisions.
- [DOT commissioner out](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/dot-commissioner-out/): State Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Wooten resigned his post today, ending a controversial tenure on the board.
- [Another inside job](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/another-inside-job/): The state's Judicial Merit Selection Committee screens and nominates judicial candidates.
- [How many roads must a car drive down?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/how-many-roads-must-a-car-drive-down/): South Carolina, like every other state, is in the business of building roads.
- [Whose university is it anyway?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/whose-university-is-it-anyway/): On Monday, Governor Henry McMaster vetoed a welter of items in the budget that was passed by the legislature last week, including a proviso that touched upon the authority of the Commission on Higher Education.
- [How to hamstring a watchdog](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/how-to-hamstring-a-watchdog/): The state’s higher education sector keeps growing, in no small part by borrowing to expand and taking on debt that ultimately puts every taxpayer on the hook.
- [It pays to work for the state](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/it-pays-to-work-for-the-state/): How big should the public sector be, relative to the private, and how well should it compensate its workers?
- [South Carolina is giving away billions, but there’s a catch](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/south-carolina-is-giving-away-billions-but-theres-a-catch/): Legislators finalized a budget deal this week that was thought to have patched up the underfunded public employees' pension plan.
- [The biggest pension loser](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/06/the-biggest-pension-loser/): The State published a story two days ago with the headline “SC pension deal will hit cities, counties, schools hard.” It’s referring to the astronomical increase in employer contributions to the state pension fund.
- [Is federal funding bad?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/is-federal-funding-bad/): Talk of cutting federal funding to cities has hung in the American air like burnt gunpowder since the last election — but how much of a threat is it, really?
- [No excuse for budget delays](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/no-excuse-for-budget-delays/): The legislative session and the special extended session have ended, and we still don’t have a budget.
- [What happened to that new Ethics Commission?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/what-happened-to-that-new-ethics-commission/): Reforms to the state Ethics Commission were due to be enacted as of April 1 of this year, but if you visited its website lately, and looked at the space where the eight members of the commission should be listed, you'd have seen...
- [Lawmakers! Your report card's here.](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/lawmakers-your-report-cards-here/): At the SC Policy Council site, we’ve put together a post-session update detailing what the legislature did and didn’t do.
- [You might miss your water](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/you-might-miss-your-water/): When it comes to keeping lucrative companies in South Carolina, state government will do just about anything -- including, we fear, throwing common sense to the wayside by ignoring the environment, the interests of surrounding communities, and fairness in the marketplace.
- [Gunfight at the bankruptcy corral](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/gunfight-at-the-bankruptcy-corral/): Last week, we ran a piece by Hannah Hill, "It's the right, not the gun," that inspired quite a few responses.
- [Why is this man still on the DOT commission?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/why-is-this-man-still-on-the-dot-commission/): There's been a lot of talk of reform around the South Carolina statehouse recently -- specifically, of reforming the state Department of Transportation.
- [It's the right, not the gun](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/its-the-right-not-the-gun/): This week the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that would allow individuals filing for bankruptcy to keep up to three guns worth up to $3,000 total.
- [When the state lobbies itself](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/05/when-the-state-lobbies-itself/): The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, along with various local chambers of commerce in the state, has been busy lately.
- [MY LAST NERVE: House attempts DC-style 'omnibus' bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/my-last-nerve-house-attempts-dc-style-omnibus-bill/): While the Senate was busy debating the gas tax hike this week, the House decided to reinsert itself into the argument – but not in any normal way.
- [More state payments to consultants discovered](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/more-state-payments-to-consultants-discovered/): The South Carolina Research Authority, chartered by the state in 1983 to "foster and enrich South Carolina's innovation economy," has paid political consultant Bob McAlister at least $855,500 since 2011.
- [On the gas-tax hike, lawmakers have 'the best words'](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/on-the-gas-tax-hike-lawmakers-have-the-best-words/): The state Senate began debating the gas-tax hike (their version of the bill is a straight-up tax hike of 12 cents a gallon) this week.
- [The threat to motorists’ safety isn’t roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/please-stay-on-the-line-if-you-want-to-make-driving-dangerous/): By ROBERT MEYEROWITZ In the seemingly interminable debate about funding for roads in South Carolina, with the latest gas-tax hike up for floor debate today in the state Senate, we’re often told that billions of dollars must be taxed or borrowed, and spent, in order to make the roads safer and more efficient.
- [Representative seeks to soak water customers](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/representative-seeks-to-soak-water-customers/): By HANNAH HILL An interesting bill was filed in the House last week.
- [Preschool program pays consultant hefty fees](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/preschool-program-pays-consultant-hefty-fees/): South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, an early-childhood development program funded by the state, paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a prominent political consultant over the last several years, according to documents obtained from the state Department of Education.
- [Some lawmakers want to bottle up competition](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/some-lawmakers-want-to-bottle-up-competition/): Yesterday, during the budget debate, the Senate took up an interesting piece of legislation.
- [More money for more roads might be bad](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/more-money-for-more-roads-might-be-bad/): Several recent studies suggest that what seems to be true for South Carolina is true of all the states' road systems: They're not falling apart.
- [See no evil](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/04/mln-ethics/): Last week the House approved the first round of nominees for the state's new Ethics Commission.
- [Wealthier, more connected counties get big road projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/wealthier-more-connected-counties-get-big-road-projects/): Billions of dollars flow through South Carolina every year, to contractors and others, for roads and other infrastructure projects.
- [Is there pork on your fork?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/is-there-pork-on-your-fork/): By ELISABETH PARKER Each year the legislature passes provisos within the appropriations bill: one-year laws that sunset with each year’s budget and may not go against a law.
- [Fresh ammo arrives for gas-tax advocates](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/fresh-ammo-arrives-for-gas-tax-advocates/): Another player emerged yesterday in the debate on a gas-tax increase: TRIP, a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit transportation research organization.
- [When rules become Swiss cheese](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/another-bathroom-bill/): By PHILLIP CEASE There's another bathroom bill in the legislature this year, but this one only deals with stadiums. H.
- [Are the roads really crumbling?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/are-the-roads-really-crumbling/): "The state's crumbling road system" -- that phrase and its variants seem to be uttered almost nonstop in South Carolina as the General Assembly mulls the latest gas-tax increase legislation.
- [Did I say that out loud?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/seis/): Last week, as the state Senate discussed the so-called pension reform bill, Senator Sandy Senn stood up to ask a few very specific questions about a proposed amendment and how it would affect law enforcement officers.
- [Defunct program to be revived?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/defunct-program-to-be-revived/): On Wednesday we learned from the policy team at the South Carolina Policy Council (The Nerve’s parent organization) that budget-writers in the House have resuscitated the Competitive Grants program.
- [A fifth of all state money goes to vendors – here are the top 10](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/state-vendors/): Vendors made billions of dollars selling goods and services to the state of South Carolina last year, according to data compiled by the comptroller general's office -- about $5 billion in all.
- [They play by house rules](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/house-rules/): The South Carolina House passed a gas-tax increase this week and a bill aimed at fixing the pension system, while the Senate approved a similar pension bill.
- [DOT funds flow to roads alliance](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/03/dot-funds-flow-to-lobbying-coalition/): Since 2014, at least eight members of a nonprofit pushing for an increase in the state’s gas tax collectively have received more than $451 million from the state Department of Transportation, records show.
- [When common sense goes dark](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/eclipse/): This week the legislature passed a joint resolution that allows school districts to start the next school year Thursday, August 17.
- [Bill would pierce right-to-work](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/medical-association/): Manufacturers such as Boeing are said to be drawn to South Carolina because it's a right-to-work state, something state political leaders tout.
- [Reading is fundamental. Listening, too.](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/reading-is-fundamental/): Last week the House of Representatives adopted, with no objections, a resolution congratulating Governor Henry McMaster on his ascension to the office -- and encouraging him to expand Medicaid in South Carolina.
- [State overpaid millions to schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/state-overpays-millions-to-schools/): The Department of Education has been giving schools millions of dollars in excess of what they were supposed to receive.
- [Posterity or product placement?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/boeing-money-mln/): On Wednesday, the official portrait of state Senator Hugh Leatherman was unveiled.
- [How do they do that?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/02/contempt-for-law/): State constitutions and laws aren’t suggestions any more than gravity is a recommendation.
- [Gag me with a bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/ethics-bills/): Over the past two weeks, members of both the South Carolina house and senate have introduced legislation that would require much more disclosure.
- [Meet the new boss...](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/meet-the-new-boss/): In the course of several minutes Wednesday afternoon, while normal South Carolinians were eating their lunches or petting their pets or just doing their jobs, state senator Hugh Leatherman was the senate president pro tempore, the most powerful state position, and then he wasn't, and then he was again.
- [We're rolling in dough!](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/carry-forward/): BY ELISABETH PARKER Every year around this time, state agencies go to the legislature and present their budgets.
- [What's the official state waste of time?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/why-dont-we-have-an-official-state-euphemism/): South Carolina, like most states, has a state flag, a state flower (Yellow Jessamine), a state bird (Carolina Wren) and not one but two state songs ("Carolina" and "South Carolina on My Mind").
- [Supremes douse trashcan blaze](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/supremes-douse-trashcan-blaze/): The South Carolina Supreme Court issued its ruling late yesterday in the matter of succession to the lieutenant governorship and the hash the state senate made of a constitutional amendment.
- [Of all the arguments against over-regulation...](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/throwback-fix-a-flat/): You'll sometimes hear us griping about excessive regulation. It's a real thing.
- [Updated: Court cancels arguments, says it will rule](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/supreme-court-amendment/): The South Carolina Supreme Court has canceled arguments that had been scheduled for this afternoon in the matter of succession to the lieutenant governor's post and the-amendment-that-wasn't, saying it's ready to rule in the matter.
- [Better homes and pensions](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/mln-pension/): Earlier this week, a state House and Senate panel offered its solutions to fix South Carolina’s pension system, which is anywhere from $20 billion to $74 billion in debt, depending on who you ask.
- [If only we paid for another study...](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/throwback-econ-impact/): We're often told that we live in The Information Age, just as though there was time before now when people went around starved for information and making worse decisions because of it.
- [What if the early birds are the worms?](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/prefiled2017/): When the South Carolina legislature convenes today for its 122nd session, it starts with a heap of bills.
- [MY LAST NERVE: We need to flush this](https://thenervearchive.org/2017/01/my-last-nerve-when-you-gotta-go/): There's another bathroom bill. This one's been pre-filed for the upcoming session of the state legislature.
- [No significant road projects completed in 26 S.C. counties, despite gas tax hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/no-significant-road-projects-completed-in-26-s-c-counties-despite-gas-tax-hike/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Through March, the S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Transparency for higher ed spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/throwback-thursday-transparency-for-higher-ed-spending/): Remember when we told you last year that lawmakers were pulling $3.7 billion off-budget?
- [Are S.C. officials shirking their oversight of tax dollars awarded to private groups?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/are-s-c-officials-shirking-their-oversight-of-tax-dollars-awarded-to-private-groups/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In 2006, lawmakers approved spending $700,000 in the fiscal 2007 state budget to help the private Erskine College in Abbeville County establish the “John Drummond Center for Statesmanship” – to be named after the late longtime senator who retired from the Legislature in 2008.
- [Proviso pork spending: A longstanding legislative tradition](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/proviso-pork-spending-a-longstanding-legislative-tradition/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Calling for incentive transparency reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/throwback-thursday-calling-for-incentive-transparency-reform/): This week, Sen.
- [SCDOT’s pothole projections have plenty of holes](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/scdots-pothole-projections-have-plenty-of-holes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last fiscal year, the S.C.
- [Horsing around: How an ex-lawmaker and his sister involved themselves in a veterans’ therapy program](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/horsing-around-how-an-ex-lawmaker-and-his-sister-involved-themselves-in-a-veterans-therapy-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Former S.C. Rep.
- [Ecodevo groups get lots of tax dollars, show few landed projects for the money](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/ecodevo-groups-get-lots-of-tax-dollars-show-few-landed-projects-for-the-money/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In recent years, state lawmakers annually have earmarked a total of nearly $5 million to eight regional economic development organizations, presumably to help attract new companies to South Carolina.
- [Throwback Thursday: unrealistic assumptions for economic impact analyses](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/throwback-thursday-unrealistic-assumptions-for-economic-impact-analyses/): This week, the Department of Commerce released its cost-benefit analysis of the proposed taxpayer-funded incentives for the Carolina Panthers.
- [State lawmakers have strong grip on local schools in two S.C. counties](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/state-lawmakers-have-strong-grip-on-local-schools-in-two-s-c-counties/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Sen. Kevin Johnson’s wife and daughter work for Clarendon School District 2. Another daughter is the school board chairwoman.
- [Few road projects completed in first 20 months of gas-tax-hike law](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/few-road-projects-completed-in-first-20-months-of-gas-tax-hike-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Less than 4% of the nearly $1 billion in road and bridge projects in South Carolina identified by the state Department of Transportation was completed in the first 20 months of the gas-tax-hike law, newly released DOT records show.
- [Throwback Thursday: The forgotten Santee Cooper oversight board](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/throwback-thursday-the-forgotten-santee-cooper-oversight-board/): This week, the House passed two bills dealing with Santee Cooper: one that creates a legislative oversight committee for the state-owned utility, and one that instructs the Santee Cooper joint study committee to oversee the process of selling it.
- [Taxpayer schemes: How some tourist, ecodevo groups win state grants](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/04/taxpayer-schemes-how-some-tourist-ecodevo-groups-win-state-grants/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Personal information shared by government agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/throwback-thursday-personal-information-shared-by-government-agencies/): A WCSC article published yesterday reported that the Department of Motor Vehicles routinely sells personal information (such as driver's license numbers, addresses, phone numbers, crash reports, traffic tickets and current license statuses) to nearly anyone - from bulk data companies to lawyers.
- [Legislators continue to look out for their own bottom lines](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/legislators-continue-to-look-out-for-their-own-bottom-lines/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Another year, another round of state lawmakers supporting legislation that could fatten their wallets.
- [House, Senate chambers sitting on huge reserves while seeking more tax dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/house-senate-chambers-sitting-on-huge-reserves-while-seeking-more-tax-dollars/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. House and Senate know how to take care of each other – with taxpayer money.
- [Throwback Thursday: Failure to deliver on economic development promises](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/throwback-thursday-failure-to-deliver-on-economic-development-promises/): State lawmakers have borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars to benefit specific companies — which the state constitution prohibits.
- [Landess: Why won’t S.C. leaders admit who really controls state government?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/landess-why-wont-s-c-leaders-admit-who-really-controls-state-government/): By ASHLEY LANDESS Most Nerve readers know that South Carolina’s governor doesn’t control transportation, education, the pension system or every regulatory entity.
- [S.C.’s massive debt load partly based on misleading state finance report](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/s-c-s-massive-debt-load-partly-based-on-misleading-state-finance-report/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When it comes to debt, the state of South Carolina is swimming in billions of it.
- [House members push pet projects through taxpayer-funded earmarks](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/house-members-push-pet-projects-through-taxpayer-funded-earmarks/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Reps.
- [Tens of thousands of potholes filled – or just funny numbers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/tens-of-thousands-of-potholes-filled-or-just-funny-numbers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you ask the S.C. Department of Transportation how many potholes it fills statewide, all the agency can do is give estimates.
- [Throwback Thursday: Selling lawmakers' economic development piggybank](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/throwback-thursday-selling-lawmakers-economic-development-piggybank/): Lawmakers have now created two separate committees to explore the sale of state-owned utility Santee Cooper.
- [Lawmakers usually find it easy getting other government gigs](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/ex-lawmakers-usually-find-it-easy-getting-government-gigs/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Ex-S.C. Rep.
- [Ex-lawmakers continue to cash in on their legislative time](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/03/ex-lawmakers-continue-to-cash-in-on-their-legislative-time/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the years, lawmakers have legally made it easy for themselves to continue making money after leaving office through their connections in the Legislature and elsewhere in state and local government.
- [Throwback Thursday: the legal budget process (and how lawmakers violate it)](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/throwback-the-legal-budget-process-and-how-lawmakers-violate-it/): In the next couple of weeks, the House will “debate” the budget passed last week by the Ways and Means Committee, so it’s a good time to remind everyone that this is not the way the budget is supposed to come together.
- [Patched potholes: SCDOT estimates numbers, concedes temporary fix](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/patched-potholes-scdot-estimates-numbers-concedes-temporary-fix/): By RICK BRUNDRETT State Department of Transportation work crews patched about 43,000 potholes statewide from Jan. 10 to Feb.
- [High-paid lobbyists pushing SCRA legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/high-paid-lobbyists-pushing-scra-legislation/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In 2016, Senate Finance Committee chairman Hugh Leatherman introduced a bill that would have allowed the South Carolina Research Authority - a state-created, multimillion-dollar nonprofit whose governing board included Leatherman – to double its main funding source.
- [SCRA getting big Commerce payments while seeking revenue-friendly legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/scra-getting-big-commerce-payments-while-seeking-revenue-friendly-legislation/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Taxpayer cost grows for high-priced consultants in wake of V.C. Summer fiasco](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/taxpayer-cost-grows-for-high-priced-consultants-in-wake-of-v-c-summer-fiasco/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since the 2017 collapse of the V.C.
- [How S.C. lawmakers try to intimidate citizens and groups they don’t like](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/how-s-c-lawmakers-try-to-intimidate-citizens-and-groups-they-dont-like/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For years, S.C.
- [Senators continue tradition of keeping magistrates on short leashes](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/02/senators-continue-tradition-of-keeping-magistrates-on-short-leashes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In South Carolina, state senators largely control the selection of more than 300 county magistrates, who handle thousands of relatively minor criminal and civil cases annually.
- [SCDOT plan for gas-tax-hike money focused on interstates](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/scdot-plan-for-gas-tax-hike-money-focused-on-interstates/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The state transportation department plans to spend well more than a third of gas-tax-hike revenues on widening and repaving interstates instead of using those funds to repair crumbling community roads and bridges – as promised by lawmakers – according to an agency document obtained by The Nerve.
- [Big chunk of gas-tax-hike money not going to major road, bridge repairs](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/big-chunk-of-gas-tax-hike-money-not-going-to-major-road-bridge-repairs/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last June, S.C.
- [S.C. lawmakers likely to fill PSC seat with one of two insiders](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/s-c-lawmakers-likely-to-fill-psc-seat-with-one-of-two-insiders/): Update: On 2/6/19, the Legislature in a joint session voted 99-1 to elect former longtime PSC attorney Florence Belser to the congressional District 2 PSC seat after incumbent Elliott Elam withdrew from the race.
- [S.C. lawmakers treated to out-of-state conferences on taxpayers’ dime](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/s-c-lawmakers-treated-to-out-of-state-conferences-on-taxpayers-dime/): By RICK BRUNDRETT South Carolina taxpayers last fiscal year shelled out more than $50,000 to send 27 lawmakers to “educational” conferences across the country, travel records reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [Fewer potholes repaired through SCDOT call center, despite ‘blitz’ campaign](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/fewer-potholes-repaired-through-scdot-call-center-despite-blitz-campaign/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last week, the S.C.
- [S.C. agriculture agency wants millions for 'build-it-and-they-will-come' program](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/s-c-agriculture-agency-wants-millions-for-build-it-and-they-will-come-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Private individuals’ financial records fair game under S.C. House bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/01/private-individuals-financial-records-fair-game-under-s-c-house-bill/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Private citizens could be forced to testify before and turn over their financial records to S.C.
- [Happy Holidays, Y'all!](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/happy-holidays-yall/): To Our Readers: The Nerve will not be publishing this week and early next in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
- [Bill would divert gas-tax-hike money to interstate widening projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/bill-would-divert-gas-tax-hike-money-for-interstate-widening-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A proposal by a longtime S.C.
- [Special corruption prosecutor won’t seek release of Harrell file](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/special-corruption-prosecutor-wont-seek-release-of-harrell-file/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The special prosecutor assigned to investigate legislative corruption won’t seek the public release of the long-closed file on the former S.C.
- [Little-known S.C. panel regularly OKs requests to release sensitive information](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/little-known-s-c-panel-regularly-oks-requests-to-release-sensitive-information/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For at least two years, a few members of an obscure state panel have routinely approved requests by public- and private-sector researchers for sensitive information contained in a massive health “data warehouse,” records reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [Big pay hike sought by S.C. judges also would fatten their retirement wallets](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/big-pay-hike-sought-by-s-c-judges-also-would-fatten-their-retirement-wallets/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A little-known state law allows eligible judges in South Carolina to receive generous retirement pay for as much as a dozen years at the same time they’re collecting their regular six-figure salaries.
- [Pot of unspent gas-tax-hike revenues grows to nearly $361 million](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/12/pot-of-unspent-gas-tax-hike-revenues-grows-to-nearly-361-million/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As of the end of October, nearly $361 million in collected gas-tax-hike revenues had not been spent – 16 months after the law authorizing the increases went into effect, recently released records show.
- [Secrecy surrounds incentives info for Amazon HQ2 search, other S.C. projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/11/secrecy-surrounds-incentives-info-for-amazon-hq2-search-other-s-c-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [SCDOT honored by national group that received over $3M from DOT since FY15](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/11/scdot-honored-by-national-group-that-received-over-3m-from-dot-since-fy15/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [More than $338 million in gas-tax-hike funds unspent as of end of September](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/11/more-than-338-million-in-gas-tax-hike-funds-unspent-as-of-end-of-september/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In the first 15 months of the gas-tax-hike law, the S.C.
- [Powerful legislative chairman profits from state-funded groups](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/11/powerful-legislative-chairman-profits-from-state-funded-groups/): Update: S.C. House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, on 12/4/18 informed White that he would be removed from the Ways and Means Committee, according to a prepared statement from White on 12/5/18.
- [SLED won’t release investigative file on former S.C. House speaker](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/sled-wont-release-investigative-file-on-former-s-c-house-speaker/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In requesting this month’s public release of a state grand jury report into legislative corruption, special prosecutor David Pascoe wrote that he “firmly believes that the greatest weapon against corruption and incompetence in government is transparency.” Yet the State Law Enforcement Division, which assisted Pascoe, declined multiple open-records requests this year by The Nerve to release its investigative file on former House Speaker Bobby Harrell – arguably the most powerful lawmaker before his guilty plea to ethics violations in October 2014, and whose criminal case sparked the state grand jury investigation into other indicted lawmakers.
- [Huge shortfalls projected in state fund for gas tax credits](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/huge-shortfalls-projected-in-state-fund-for-gas-tax-credits/): By RICK BRUNDRETT After S.C.
- [Number of higher-paid S.C. House, Senate staffers increasing](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/number-of-higher-paid-s-c-house-senate-staffers-increasing/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The number of higher-paid staffers in the S.C. House and Senate keeps growing along with the annual chamber budgets.
- [S.C. universities paying lobbyists as student tuition, school debt loads rise](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/s-c-universities-paying-lobbyists-as-student-tuition-school-debt-loads-rise/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since 2015, state colleges and universities have paid a total of more than $1.5 million to lobbyists – mainly to influence S.C.
- [$312 million in gas-tax-hike funds unspent through August](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/312-million-in-gas-tax-hike-funds-unspent-through-august/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As of Aug.
- [Lawmakers easily override governor’s vetoes on pet projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/lawmakers-easily-override-governors-vetoes-on-pet-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [SCDOT critic sues after banned from agency’s Facebook page](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/10/scdot-critic-sues-after-banned-from-agencys-facebook-page/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Tom Fernandez says he was just trying to make a serious point – in a humorous way - about the S.C.
- [First 13 months of gas-tax-hike law: Little spent, roads not fixed](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/09/first-13-months-of-gas-tax-hike-law-little-spent-roads-not-fixed/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [PSC election delayed again; public comment chilled under state law](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/09/psc-election-delayed-again-public-comment-chilled-under-state-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [State gives away millions to companies that don’t hit job creation targets](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/09/state-gives-away-millions-to-companies-that-dont-hit-job-creation-targets/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since 2015,14 companies that committed to locating or expanding in South Carolina collectively repaid nearly $7 million in state grants after failing to meet job creation or investment requirements, records show.
- [Many S.C. counties left out of gas-tax-hike spending by state](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/09/many-s-c-counties-left-out-of-gas-tax-hike-spending-by-state/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In the first year of a controversial law hiking the state’s gasoline tax and other fees, the S.C.
- [S.C. agencies sitting on nearly $500M in taxpayer funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/09/s-c-agencies-sitting-on-nearly-500m-in-taxpayer-funds/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As S.C.
- [S.C. law, contracts offer few privacy protections for huge ‘data warehouse’](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/s-c-law-contracts-offer-few-privacy-protections-for-huge-data-warehouse/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you receive health-related services from certain state agencies, chances are you weren’t told your personal information could be included in a massive “data warehouse” that lawmakers and their staffs have been allowed access to for years.
- [Year 1 of the gas-tax-hike law: Hundreds of millions collected, little spent](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/year-1-of-the-gas-tax-hike-law-hundreds-of-millions-collected-little-spent/): By RICK BRUNDRETT One year after the state law took effect hiking the gasoline tax and other fees that lawmakers promised would go toward fixing South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges, motorists continue to see little results for their money.
- [Records: Officials sharply lowered job, investment targets for troubled Element TV](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/records-officials-sharply-lowered-job-investment-targets-for-troubled-element-tv/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Element TV, which announced last week it will close its television assembly plant in Fairfield County, had to create far fewer jobs than originally promised under a $1.3 million state grant, records obtained this week by The Nerve show.
- [Element TV plant closure: Taxpayer money down the drain?](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/element-tv-plant-closure-taxpayer-money-down-the-drain/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Plenty of buzz surrounded Element Electronics’ announcement five years ago that it would open a television assembly plant in Fairfield County, with then-Gov.
- [S.C. legislative panel to consider PSC insiders for ‘do-over’ PSC election](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/s-c-legislative-panel-to-consider-psc-insiders-for-do-over-psc-election/): By RICK BRUNDRETT An incumbent state Public Service Commission member, a past commissioner and an ex-PSC attorney are among six candidates who have applied for a PSC seat in a “do-over” election imposed by lawmakers in May.
- [Tuition, fees used to pay off skyrocketing university IOUs](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/08/tuition-fees-used-to-pay-off-skyrocketing-university-ious/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you’re a parent of a student attending a South Carolina public college or university, you probably haven’t been told how a good chunk of rising tuition and fees is being spent.
- [Ex-top S.C. DOT official gets consulting job with controversial Infrastructure Bank](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/07/ex-top-s-c-dot-official-gets-consulting-job-with-controversial-infrastructure-bank/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A former top S.C.
- [Committee chaired by Leatherman passed $7 million hike for university with ties to senator](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/07/committee-chaired-by-leatherman-passed-7-million-hike-for-university-with-ties-to-senator/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [Governor vetoes ‘data warehouse’ plan, budget earmarks after Nerve coverage](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/07/governor-vetoes-data-warehouse-plan-budget-earmarks-after-nerve-coverage/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: The S.C. House on 10/3/18 voted to continue Gov.
- [How S.C. lawmakers might have access to your private information](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/07/how-s-c-lawmakers-might-have-access-to-your-private-information/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For 10 years, a proviso tucked away in the state budget has given lawmakers and multiple S.C.
- [What SCDOT isn’t telling you about gas-tax-hike projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/06/what-scdot-isnt-telling-you-about-gas-tax-hike-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT At last week’s S.C.
- [Landess: Data warehouses threaten S.C. citizens’ privacy rights](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/06/landess-data-warehouses-threaten-s-c-citizens-privacy-rights/): By ASHLEY LANDESS The state of South Carolina has a lot of information about you and your family – including your children.
- [Gas tax hike still not fixing roads, won’t fund bridges until 2024](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/06/gas-tax-hike-still-not-fixing-roads-wont-fund-bridges-until-2024/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When S.C.
- [Ex-S.C. agency director’s new job with key agency provider raises legal questions](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/06/ex-s-c-agency-directors-new-job-with-key-agency-provider-raises-legal-questions/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Beverly Buscemi didn’t publicly – and apparently neither privately to key people – reveal specifics about her new job with her resignation at the end of last year as the longtime director of the S.C.
- [Local charity billboard campaign features State House candidate](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/05/local-charity-billboard-campaign-features-state-house-candidate/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you drive through the busy intersection of Pine Street and Country Club Road on Spartanburg’s south side, you can’t miss a billboard showing state Rep.
- [Flawed process? PURC members largely wing it in deciding PSC nominations](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/05/flawed-process-purc-members-largely-wing-it-in-deciding-psc-nominations/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The legislatively controlled committee that nominates candidates for full-time, six-figure seats on the S.C.
- [S.C. lawmakers ensure PSC incumbent retains seat - for now](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/05/s-c-lawmakers-ensure-psc-incumbent-retains-seat-for-now/): By RICK BRUNDRETT On the last day of regular session Thursday, S.C.
- [High-profile PSC elections pushed back to last day of regular session](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/05/high-profile-psc-elections-pushed-back-to-last-day-of-regular-session/): By RICK BRUNDRETT On Thursday – the last day of the General Assembly’s regular session and when most state government offices will be closed for a holiday – lawmakers are set to fill three open seats on the S.C.
- [Fatal prison riots: What S.C. leaders have failed to do about illegal cell phones](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/05/fatal-prison-riots-what-s-c-leaders-have-failed-to-do-about-illegal-cell-phones/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For years, S.C.
- [Big bills, little product from V.C. Summer consultants hired by Legislature](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/big-bills-little-product-from-v-c-summer-consultants-hired-by-legislature/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Three out-of-state consulting businesses hired by the S.C. Legislature to provide “advice” on the V.C.
- [S.C. lawmakers racing to give more incentives to Darlington Raceway](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/s-c-lawmakers-racing-to-give-more-incentives-to-darlington-raceway/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The decades-old Darlington Raceway is getting a pricey facelift – and also could soon receive another big taxpayer-backed gift under fast-track legislation that the raceway’s president says was the company’s idea.
- [No V.C. Summer concerns raised by obscure state panel that includes governor](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/no-v-c-summer-concerns-raised-by-obscure-state-panel-that-includes-governor/): By RICK BRUNDRETT During the years-long V.C.
- [State lawmakers with other government gigs: constitutional violation?](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/state-lawmakers-with-other-government-gigs-constitutional-violation/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Republican Sen.
- [Workers’ comp fees cash cow for lawyer-lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/workers-comp-fees-cash-cow-for-lawyer-lawmakers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A total of nearly $4 million in legal fees from workers’ compensation cases was paid out in 2017 to 21 lawyer-legislators or their law firms, records show – fees typically approved by commissioners who are screened and confirmed by state senators.
- [S.C. tourism agency worked secretly for months to buy Ted Turner’s island](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/04/s-c-tourism-agency-worked-secretly-for-months-to-buy-ted-turners-island/): By RICK BRUNDRETT South Carolina’s tourism department for months kept secret from the public its plans to buy an island owned by billionaire Ted Turner for what the agency director touts will be a “premium experience” for tourists.
- [General Assembly spends over $70K so far on V.C. Summer ‘advice’](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/general-assembly-spends-over-70k-so-far-on-v-c-summer-advice/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Legislature spent more than $70,000 for an outside consulting firm to give it “advice” late last year relating to the V.C.
- [Legislators show little transparency about their private income sources](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/legislators-show-little-transparency-about-their-private-income-sources/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since July 2013, the S.C.
- [House member tries to get tax dollars to buy land from nonprofit he founded](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/house-member-tries-to-get-tax-dollars-to-buy-land-from-nonprofit-he-founded/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As the S.C. House debate last week on the $28 billion-plus state budget dragged into the evening, Rep.
- [Gas tax hike: Millions collected, but rough roads remain in S.C.](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/gas-tax-hike-millions-collected-but-rough-roads-remain-in-s-c/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Nearly nine months after the state law took effect hiking the gasoline tax and other taxes and fees – purportedly to fix South Carolina’s crumbling roads – the authorized money has yet to be spent, though more than $131 million has been collected.
- [S.C. House budgets millions for little-known Commerce fund](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/s-c-house-budgets-millions-for-little-known-commerce-fund/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In December 2016, the S.C.
- [House members approve public funding for their pet projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/house-members-approve-public-funding-for-their-pet-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT At least three S.C.
- [S.C. legislators know how to protect their own wallets](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/s-c-legislators-know-how-to-protect-their-own-wallets/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In the S.C. General Assembly, lawmakers can’t seem to resist pushing legislation that could benefit their businesses’ bottom lines.
- [Lawmakers once again want to look at hiking salaries for top state officials](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/03/lawmakers-once-again-want-to-look-at-hiking-salaries-for-top-state-officials/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Another year, another taxpayer-funded plan to study pay hikes for top South Carolina officials. Sen.
- [Santee Cooper execs get big bonuses, pay hikes, while nuclear debt mushrooms](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/santee-cooper-execs-get-big-bonuses-pay-hikes-while-nuclear-debt-mushrooms/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As state-owned utility Santee Cooper was racking up billions in debt – which ratepayers are expected to shoulder – for the failed V.C.
- [Governor not saying whether he will reappoint influential senator’s relative to DOT Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/governor-not-saying-whether-he-will-reappoint-influential-senators-relative-to-dot-commission/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: According to a written plea agreement dated 1/22/19, John Hardee agreed to plead guilty to one federal count of evidence tampering.
- [Lawyer-lawmakers play large role in electing S.C. judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/lawyer-lawmakers-play-large-role-in-electing-s-c-judges/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty is a former state House member. So is James Lockemy, chief judge of the S.C.
- [Controversial DOT commissioner paid by trade group for ‘consulting’ work with public agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/controversial-dot-commissioner-paid-by-trade-group-for-consulting-work-with-public-agencies/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A state transportation commissioner with ties to an advertising company that has a lucrative Department of Transportation contract also is a paid consultant with a lobbying trade group that receives thousands of dollars annually from other public agencies.
- [Will S.C. governor reappoint powerful senator’s relative to DOT Commission?](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/will-s-c-governor-reappoint-powerful-senators-relative-to-dot-commission/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Time is fast running out for Gov. Henry McMaster to decide whether to reappoint the son-in-law of Sen.
- [State senators want more hands-on control in nuclear project fiasco](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/state-senators-want-more-hands-on-control-in-nuclear-project-fiasco/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: After this story was published this morning, a Senate Judiciary subcommittee voted to amend the joint resolution (S.
- [State panel continues tradition of secrecy in awarding incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2018/02/state-panel-continues-tradition-of-secrecy-in-awarding-incentives/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A state panel Thursday approved an unspecified amount of taxpayer-backed incentives for at least 12 “confidential” economic development projects across South Carolina.
- [Lawyer-lawmakers largely control who becomes a judge in SC. Here’s their latest power play](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/lawyer-lawmakers-largely-control-who-becomes-a-judge-in-sc-heres-their-latest-power-play/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Ten S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: How NOT to sell Santee Cooper](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/throwback-thursday-how-not-to-sell-santee-cooper/): Lawmakers have been holding committee meetings all week on the S.C.
- [PURC legislative members took junkets to utility industry-sponsored events](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/purc-legislative-members-took-junkets-to-utility-industry-sponsored-events/): By RICK BRUNDRETT From 2007 through 2016, five longtime legislative members of a panel that nominates candidates to the S.C.
- [Public agencies in SC spending thousands to influence lawmakers, other state officials](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/public-agencies-in-sc-spending-thousands-to-influence-lawmakers-other-state-officials/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last year, local municipalities, fire and other special purpose districts, public colleges and at least three state agencies collectively spent more than $1.4 million on lobbying the S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Taxpayers’ cost for secret Santee Cooper bids](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/throwback-thursday-taxpayers-cost-for-secret-santee-cooper-bids/): This week, the S.C.
- [SCDOT director among dozens in agency’s growing six-figure club](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/scdot-director-among-dozens-in-agencys-growing-six-figure-club/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The number of S.C.
- [Jet-setting PSC members attended events with ties to regulated companies](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/jet-setting-psc-members-attended-events-with-ties-to-regulated-companies/): By RICK BRUNDRETT From 2014 through 2018, four sitting S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Why judicial races are usually uncontested](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/throwback-thursday-why-judicial-races-are-usually-uncontested/): Yesterday, 17 judges were elected by the Legislature, all of whom were unopposed – at least by the time lawmakers actually held the elections.
- [Concerns about CTC meeting pay acknowledged by bill co-sponsors](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/concerns-about-ctc-meeting-pay-acknowledged-by-bill-co-sponsors/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Allowing Union County Transportation Committee members to make up to $750 a year – paid out of state gas-tax money – is too costly for taxpayers, says a co-sponsor of a bill that would pay those members for attending regular meetings.
- [First 2.5 years of gas-tax-hike law: Revenues far outpace completed projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/first-2-5-years-of-gas-tax-hike-law-revenues-far-outpace-completed-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT No paving projects were completed between the end of November and December with gas-tax-hike funds in 37 of South Carolina’s 46 counties, though the state had nearly a half-billion dollars in available cash for those projects, records show.
- [Throwback Thursday: Charleston airport board’s history of questionable practices](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/throwback-thursday-charleston-airport-boards-history-of-questionable-practices/): This week, the Charleston County Aviation Authority (which oversees the Charleston airport) named a new CEO to replace outgoing CEO Sen.
- [Bosch’s planned layoffs raise questions about repayment of incentives](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/boschs-planned-layoffs-raise-questions-about-repayment-of-incentives/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In December 2010, then-Gov.
- [State law violated: PURC fails to submit annual reviews of PSC members](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/state-law-violated-purc-fails-to-submit-annual-reviews-of-psc-members/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A legislatively controlled committee violated state law in recent years by not giving the General Assembly annual performance reviews of individual S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers ignore legal deadline for joint budget hearings](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-ignore-legal-deadline-for-joint-budget-hearings/): Monday of this week marked the deadline, as set by state law, for the lawmakers to begin joint, open hearings on the governor’s budget.
- [Some lawmakers off to a fast start – looking after their wallets?](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/some-lawmakers-off-to-a-fast-start-looking-after-their-wallets/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Although S.C.
- [Taxpayer, ratepayer tab totals $9M so far for review of secret Santee Cooper bids](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/taxpayer-ratepayer-tab-totals-9m-so-far-for-review-of-secret-santee-cooper-bids/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Eight private firms hired by the state to evaluate proposals for the sale or management of state-owned utility Santee Cooper have charged a total of more than $9.2 million – $5 million of it covered by taxpayers – for their work, newly released records show.
- [Throwback Thursday: South Carolina’s “Legislative State”](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/throwback-thursday-south-carolinas-legislative-state/): As the 2020 legislative session kicks off, it’s important to remember that the General Assembly doesn’t just control the legislative branch of government.
- [PSC seats in limbo again after legislatively controlled panel delays nominations](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/psc-seats-in-limbo-again-after-legislatively-controlled-panel-delays-nominations/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Another year, another convoluted legislative process for selecting six-figure state Public Service Commission members, who can greatly affect utility bills for many South Carolinians.
- [Hundreds of unfinished paving projects in SC despite huge gas-tax-hike surplus](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/hundreds-of-unfinished-paving-projects-in-sc-despite-huge-gas-tax-hike-surplus/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Although nearly $1 billion has been collected since the state gas-tax-hike law went into effect more than two years ago, the S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Another law or rule won’t stop legislative pork spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/throwback-thursday-another-law-or-rule-wont-stop-legislative-pork-spending/): A recent news story reported how lawmakers routinely funnel funding for secret pet projects through the state budget – a nontransparent process where project details are not disclosed in the budget, and instructions for how to spend those dollars are given by legislative staffers only after the budget has passed.
- [Ex-lawmaker withdraws as PSC candidate; legislators still control nominations, elections](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/01/ex-lawmaker-withdraws-as-psc-candidate-legislators-still-control-nominations-elections/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Former longtime state House member Chip Limehouse confirmed Monday he is no longer a candidate for a six-figure seat on the legislatively controlled S.C.
- [Happy Holidays, Y'all!](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/happy-holidays-yall-2/): To Our Readers: The Nerve is not planning to publish new stories this week and next week in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
- [SCPRT secretive about renters at Governor’s Mansion complex](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/scprt-secretive-about-renters-at-governors-mansion-complex/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since Henry McMaster became governor in 2017, the state’s tourism agency has received more than $675,000 from renting the historic Lace House at the Governor’s Mansion complex in downtown Columbia, records show.
- [Throwback Thursday: Judicial Reform – a simple solution to a complex problem](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/throwback-thursday-judicial-reform-a-simple-solution-to-a-complex-problem/): For years, The Nerve has reported on the legislature’s control of the judiciary – specifically regarding the selection of local magistrates.
- [Six-figure House, Senate staff club growing bigger](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/six-figure-house-senate-staff-club-growing-bigger/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since last year, the permanent workforce in the S.C.
- [Lawmakers making the green after getting green light from ethics panel](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/lawmakers-making-the-green-after-getting-green-light-from-ethics-panel/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Almost three years ago, the state House Ethics Committee quietly gave written approval to an unnamed House member who is an insurance agent to sell insurance policies to local disability boards and county hospitals.
- [Throwback Thursday: The Most Powerful Lawmakers in South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/throwback-thursday-the-most-powerful-lawmakers-in-south-carolina/): With the start of the legislative session right around the corner, it’s a good time to review who’s actually in charge of state government (hint: It’s not the governor).
- [Secret “letters of caution” routinely given to S.C. judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/secret-letters-of-caution-routinely-given-to-s-c-judges/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the last 17 fiscal years, state court officials tasked with policing judicial ethics issued more than 250 “letters of caution” – usually in secret – to judges statewide, the most common type of action taken on complaints that were not dismissed, a review by The Nerve found.
- [Trick plays? How job estimates have grown with the Panthers’ planned SC move](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/trick-plays-how-job-estimates-have-grown-with-the-panthers-planned-sc-move/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The Carolina Panthers’ planned move of its headquarters and training facilities to Rock Hill is part of a larger effort to create 7,000 jobs with an average annual salary of $60,000 – as claimed in a state application for a federal grant to build an interstate interchange that would benefit the NFL team.
- [Throwback Thursday: Poor transparency for federal funds in the state budget](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/throwback-thursday-poor-transparency-for-federal-funds-in-the-state-budget/): A recent Pew Research Center report showed that federal dollars comprised roughly a third of states’ overall revenue in fiscal year 2017.
- [Relatively little gas-tax-hike money spent on major road-rebuilding projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/12/relatively-little-gas-tax-hike-money-spent-on-major-road-rebuilding-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last week, the S.C.
- [S.C. Legislature secretive when it comes to chamber spending plans](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/s-c-legislature-secretive-when-it-comes-to-chamber-spending-plans/): By RICK BRUNDRETT At least 100 state agencies have filed budget requests for the next fiscal year that begins July 1, online records show. But the S.C.
- [Plenty of pork in proposed state agency budgets for 2020-21](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/plenty-of-pork-in-proposed-state-agency-budgets-for-2020-21/): By RICK BRUNDRETT With $1.8 billion more in projected general funds in the state budget for next fiscal year, state agencies are hoping to fulfill their growing wish lists.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers control the energy monopoly, not the PSC](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-control-the-energy-monopoly-not-the-psc/): In a greatly anticipated decision regarding the future of solar energy in South Carolina, the Public Service Commission (the state’s utility regulators) favored the two investor-owned utilities – Duke Power and Dominion Energy – at the expense of small solar companies, according to solar advocates.
- [SCDOT still sitting on huge gas-tax-hike surpluses; few major projects completed](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/scdot-still-sitting-on-huge-gas-tax-hike-surpluses-few-major-projects-completed/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For the fiscal year that starts next July 1, the state Department of Transportation wants renewed authority to spend surplus money – at least that’s what the agency requested as part of its proposed 2020-21 budget.
- [Ties to lawmakers present in judicial screening hearings; records kept secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/ties-to-lawmakers-present-in-judicial-screening-hearings-records-kept-secret/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As a sitting S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Harrell’s Indictments – What They Didn’t Include](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/throwback-thursday-harrells-indictments-what-they-didnt-include/): Five years ago last month, former S.C.
- [S.C. lawmakers spending campaign funds on favorite charities, other ‘gifts’](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/s-c-lawmakers-spending-campaign-funds-on-favorite-charities-other-gifts/): By RICK BRUNDRETT During this year’s legislative session, S.C. Sen.
- [S.C. lawmakers paying for trips to Egypt, other countries with campaign funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/s-c-lawmakers-paying-for-trips-to-egypt-other-countries-with-campaign-funds/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As many as 17 S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: 2020 Budget Kickoff  - Why Process Matters](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/throwback-thursday-2020-budget-kickoff-why-process-matters/): The 2020 budget process officially began this month, with agency budget requests due to the governor by Nov.
- [Millions from civil settlements paid to S.C. AG’s Office, outside law firms](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/11/millions-from-civil-settlements-paid-to-s-c-ags-office-outside-law-firms/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the past four fiscal years, the state Attorney General’s Office settled 33 civil cases against various companies for a total of nearly $210 million, though agency records show that the proceeds typically didn't go directly to affected South Carolina consumers.
- [Throwback Thursday: Not all state agencies comply with FOIA requests](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/throwback-thursday-not-all-state-agencies-comply-with-disclosure-law/): This week a lawsuit filed by Sen.
- [Thousands of state employees in the $100K-plus club](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/thousands-of-state-employees-in-the-100k-plus-club/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In 2018, University of South Carolina head football coach Will Muschamp received a new six-year deal that paid him $4.2 million in the first year and is worth a total of more than $28 million over the life of the contract.
- [Throwback Thursday: Rising college tuition tied to increasing higher education debt](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/throwback-thursday-rising-college-tuition-tied-to-increasing-higher-education-debt/): A recent study covered by The Greenville News revealed that South Carolina has one of the highest student loan default rates in the country, with over one out of every ten students defaulting within two years of starting repayment.
- [The $4 billion piggy bank hidden from South Carolinians](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/the-4-billion-piggy-bank-hidden-from-south-carolinians/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As state agencies prepare their proposed fiscal 2020-21 budgets, what they likely won’t reveal is the amount of “other” fund surpluses carried over year after year – collectively billions of dollars.
- [SC handing out incentives to companies that lay off workers, close plants](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/sc-handing-out-incentives-to-companies-that-lay-off-workers-close-plants/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In announcing in April that DHL Supply Chain, a global logistics company, would locate a $100 million distribution and warehouse park in Dorchester County, Gov.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers eyeing gas-tax-hike dollars for interstates, more debt](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-eyeing-gas-tax-hike-dollars-for-interstates-more-debt/): At Wednesday’s state Senate Finance subcommittee meeting to discuss expanding interstates, Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-Lexington, asked S.C.
- [Long legislative tradition of putting ex-colleagues, relatives in high-paying public jobs](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/long-legislative-tradition-of-putting-ex-colleagues-relatives-in-high-paying-public-jobs/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The possibility that two more ex-lawmakers could join the state Public Service Commission – with six-figure salaries – highlights a longstanding tradition of legislators giving well-paying jobs to their former colleagues, relatives and friends.
- [Throwback Thursday: Commerce’s long history of incentives secrecy](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/throwback-thursday-commerces-long-history-of-incentives-secrecy/): This week, state Sen. Dick Harpootlian filed a lawsuit against the S.C.
- [Millions in S.C. tax dollars shelled out for second ‘phantom’ interstate](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/millions-in-s-c-tax-dollars-shelled-out-for-second-phantom-interstate/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Interstate 73 isn’t the only nonexistent South Carolina highway that has been heavily subsidized with state tax dollars.
- [Gov. McMaster using federal lobbyists to help get I-73 funding, records show](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/gov-mcmaster-using-federal-lobbyists-to-help-get-i-73-funding-records-show/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A lobbying firm hired by Gov.
- [Throwback Thursday: Performance reviews for the Public Service Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/throwback-thursday-performance-reviews-for-the-public-service-commission/): Next Tuesday, the legislatively controlled Public Utilities Review Committee (PURC) will perform the annual performance review of the Public Service Commission (PSC) – the board that regulates public utilities.
- [Filling one crack at a time: key part of DOT’s plan to 'fix' SC’s bad roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/10/filling-one-crack-at-a-time-key-part-of-dots-plan-to-fix-scs-bad-roads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Although state transportation officials claim they are making serious progress in fixing South Carolina’s bad roads and bridges with gas-tax-hike money, their own numbers continue to tell a different story.
- [Right to attorney not assured for all low-income criminal defendants in SC](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/right-to-attorney-not-assured-for-all-low-income-criminal-defendants-in-sc/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Under a new city of Columbia ordinance, “extreme risk” residents who are poor might get a court-appointed lawyer – despite not facing any criminal charges – before they could be ordered by a municipal judge to turn over their guns.
- [Road-naming legislation cuts into road repair funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/road-naming-legislation-cuts-into-road-repair-funds/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When in session, S.C.
- [SCDOT continues slow pace of road repairs with gas-tax-hike money](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/scdot-continues-slow-pace-of-road-repairs-with-gas-tax-hike-money/): By RICK BRUNDRETT With the start of the third year of the state’s gas-tax-hike law, the S.C.
- [SCDOT spending tens of millions on the nonexistent I-73; can’t account for $8M](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/scdot-spending-tens-of-millions-on-the-nonexistent-i-73-cant-account-for-8m/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Some 37 years after the idea was first proposed, Interstate 73 in South Carolina exists only on paper.
- [Throwback Thursday: Fake numbers to support I-73 construction](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/throwback-thursday-fake-numbers-to-support-i-73-construction/): Earlier this week, The Nerve reported that the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank board, which includes Sen.
- [State agencies sitting on big reserves; lawmakers returning little to taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/state-agencies-sitting-on-big-reserves-lawmakers-returning-little-to-taxpayers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If the S.C.
- [More debt for more interstates: Takeaways from the latest STIB meeting](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/more-debt-for-more-interstates-takeaways-from-the-latest-stib-meeting/): Members of the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) board recently discussed their desire to explore expanding South Carolina’s interstates through the STIB.
- [Payouts in pothole claims against SCDOT total hundreds of thousands](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/payouts-in-pothole-claims-against-scdot-total-hundreds-of-thousands/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In January 2016, a driver swerved around a pothole on Bate Harvey Road in York County, crossed the center line and hit an oncoming vehicle, court records show.
- [Public agencies in SC spend more than $1 million total on state lobbyists](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/09/public-agencies-in-sc-spend-more-than-1-million-total-on-state-lobbyists/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For the first half of this year, North Myrtle Beach agreed to pay a total of $120,000 to a lobbying firm to “work with” the Legislature and Governor’s Office on the city’s behalf, including a push for a law allowing a local sales tax for infrastructure projects, according to a retainer agreement.
- [Southern 500 in Darlington racing with plenty of tax dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/southern-500-in-darlington-racing-with-plenty-of-tax-dollars/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The thousands of fans who are expected to attend the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday aren’t the only folks supporting the annual NASCAR race.
- [Throwback Thursday: State surplus – spending vs. saving](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/throwback-thursday-state-surplus-spending-vs-saving/): The Comptroller General’s Office announced a $350 million surplus when the books were closed this month.
- [Lots of hands in S.C. pension and health insurance cookie jars](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/lots-of-hands-in-s-c-pension-and-health-insurance-cookie-jars/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When it comes to receiving taxpayer-funded state retirement and health insurance benefits, lots of folks have their hands out – and it’s not just government employees.
- [County legislative delegation tightens grip on Clarendon 2 school board](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/county-legislative-delegation-tightens-grip-on-clarendon-2-school-board/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For many years, S.C. lawmakers have exerted considerable control over local matters through county legislative delegations.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers talking about “being creative” to find more STIB funding](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-talking-about-being-creative-to-find-more-stib-funding/): During a State Transportation Infrastructure Bank (STIB) board meeting this week, Sen.
- [SCDOT plan would make small dent in fixing bad state roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/scdot-plan-would-make-small-dent-in-fixing-bad-state-roads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Gov. McMaster hired federal lobbying firm for $15K monthly fee, records show](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/gov-mcmaster-hired-federal-lobbying-firm-for-15k-monthly-fee-records-show/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Gov.
- [Throwback Thursday: Unanswered questions about Hardee](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/throwback-thursday-unanswered-questions-about-hardee/): Former S.C. Department of Transportation commissioner John Hardee (son-in-law of state Sen.
- [First 2 years of gas-tax-hike law: Little work completed despite fat cash reserves](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/first-2-years-of-gas-tax-hike-law-little-work-completed-despite-fat-cash-reserves/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In the first two years of the gas-tax-hike law, the state collected enough money to pay for three-quarters of the identified $1 billion in road and bridge projects, yet the S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Who controls the Public Service Commission?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/throwback-thursday-who-controls-the-public-service-commission/): This week, the Public Service Commission terminated a contract with consultants hired to help set the price for solar energy purchased from small solar companies by large utilities.
- [S.C. lawmakers getting county payments for ‘phantom’ delegation offices](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/s-c-lawmakers-getting-county-payments-for-phantom-delegation-offices/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A longstanding state law requires counties to fully fund delegation offices for S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers, higher ed institutions violate state oversight law](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/08/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-higher-ed-institutions-violate-state-oversight-law/): At a Joint Bond Review Committee (JBRC) meeting this week, several universities and one tech school openly violated a state law requiring colleges and universities to get the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHE) approval for proposed permanent improvement projects before going before the JBRC with their requests.
- [Landing on easy street: Sen. Campbell’s airport contract offers generous pay, perks](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/landing-on-easy-street-sen-campbells-airport-contract-offers-generous-pay-perks/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Longtime state Sen.
- [Interstate projects paid with gas-tax-hike revenues: priority for roads alliance?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/interstate-projects-paid-with-gas-tax-hike-revenues-priority-for-roads-alliance/): By RICK BRUNDRETT On its Facebook page Thursday, the nonprofit South Carolina Alliance to Fix Our Roads shared the latest state Department of Transportation video touting its work in Spartanburg County with gas-tax-hike revenues.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers not addressing real lack of educational accountability](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-not-addressing-real-lack-of-educational-accountability/): This month the Senate Education Committee resumed hearings on its version of the education omnibus bill that passed the House earlier this year, with the primary topic being governance reform.
- [College president millionaire’s club growing in South Carolina](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/college-president-millionaires-club-growing-in-south-carolina/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As the new University of South Carolina president, Robert Caslen likely will be paid far more than the $650,000 salary that was reported after the school’s board of trustees in a split vote Friday hired him to run the state’s biggest university.
- [Ex-DOT commissioner Hardee was dealmaker for program that collected state money, funded political campaigns](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/ex-dot-commissioner-hardee-was-dealmaker-for-program-that-collected-state-money-funded-political-campaigns/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Update: 8/8/2019 - The S.C.
- [Key details in Volvo cost-benefit analyses kept secret by S.C. Commerce](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/key-details-in-volvo-cost-benefit-analyses-kept-secret-by-s-c-commerce/): By RICK BRUNDRETT More than four years after officials announced that Volvo would locate in South Carolina, the state Department of Commerce won’t reveal the estimated amounts of certain public costs and benefits identified in analyses of the $1.1 billion project.
- [Did lawmakers violate open-meetings law in DOT Commission appointment?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/did-lawmakers-violate-open-meetings-law-in-dot-commission-appointment/): By RICK BRUNDRETT An Upstate legislative delegation might have skirted the state’s open-meetings law last year by privately recommending to the governor candidates for a Department of Transportation Commission seat, The Nerve found in a review.
- [How one S.C. senator can control the appointment of county magistrates](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/07/how-one-s-c-senator-can-control-the-appointment-of-county-magistrates/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Taxpayer tab for Volvo deal far bigger than public pronouncements](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/taxpayer-tab-for-volvo-deal-far-bigger-than-public-pronouncements/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When S.C. officials announced in 2015 that Volvo would locate its first U.S.
- [Throwback Thursday: Government jobs for former lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/throwback-thursday-government-jobs-for-former-lawmakers/): At the close of this week’s one-day special session, the Senate confirmed – without warning – the appointment of former state Rep.
- [Few major road repair projects finished in first 23 months of gas-tax-hike law](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/few-major-road-repair-projects-finished-in-first-23-months-of-gas-tax-hike-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you’re wondering why pothole-riddled roads in your community haven’t been fixed despite paying more state taxes at the gas pump, you’re probably not alone.
- [Gas-tax-hike law could make it harder to hold state lawmakers accountable](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/gas-tax-hike-law-could-make-it-harder-to-hold-state-lawmakers-accountable/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When it comes to fixing South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges, where residents live could determine how hard their state lawmakers push to get unfinished work done.
- [Throwback Thursday:  Advisory board should oversee Santee Cooper sale](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/throwback-thursday-advisory-board-should-oversee-santee-cooper-sale/): Yesterday the Santee Cooper Advisory Board (comprised of five statewide-elected officers including the governor) met for the first time in decades – at least - to execute one of their key statutory roles: the selection of an external auditor for the state-owned utility.
- [State ethics violations? Video raises questions about senator’s 2017 DUI arrest](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/state-ethics-violations-video-raises-questions-about-senators-2017-dui-arrest/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A newly released police video is raising questions about whether S.C. Sen.
- [Throwback Thursday: Gas tax dollars originally aimed at STIB debt, not roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/throwback-thursday-gas-tax-dollars-originally-aimed-at-stib-debt-not-roads/): When lawmakers passed the 12-cent gas tax increase two years ago, they promised that every dime would go to repairing existing roads.
- [No bad bridges fixed under gas-tax-hike law, slow progress with other funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/no-bad-bridges-fixed-under-gas-tax-hike-law-slow-progress-with-other-funds/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The state transportation department hasn’t replaced one bad bridge with gas-tax-hike revenues collected for nearly two years – despite promises by lawmakers that the money would be used to fix South Carolina’s crumbling roads and bridges.
- [Secrecy surrounds Santee Cooper bid process; $735K spent on study consultant](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/secrecy-surrounds-santee-cooper-bid-process-735k-spent-on-study-consultant/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The taxpayer tab for a global consulting firm hired last year to help a legislatively controlled study committee on the possible sale of state-owned utility Santee Cooper has grown to more than $735,000 – and it’s unclear whether that’s the final bill.
- [Throwback Thursday: Anything can happen in a special session](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/throwback-thursday-anything-can-happen-in-a-special-session/): This week, legislative leaders called for a special session later this month, ostensibly to address the governor’s budget vetoes.
- [Big bills heading to Santee Cooper, co-op customers with ecodevo spending?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/06/big-bills-heading-to-santee-cooper-co-op-customers-with-ecodevo-spending/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As Santee Cooper was accumulating billions in debt for the failed V.C.
- [Fixing SC’s bad roads, bridges could take longer than a decade](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/fixing-scs-bad-roads-bridges-could-take-longer-than-a-decade/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Keeping the Governor out of Santee Cooper](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/throwback-thursday-keeping-the-governor-out-of-santee-cooper/): The S.C. Senate’s verdict on the best way to sell Santee Cooper could be summed up this way: For this to work, the governor has to stay out of it – and if he doesn’t, lawmakers will vote against whatever position he is pushing.
- [Gas-tax-hike road contractors getting paid at same time for other SC projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/gas-tax-hike-road-contractors-getting-paid-at-same-time-for-other-sc-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Too soon. Too cold. Too rainy. Too few workers.
- [Panthers’ summer camp got $150K through state sports marketing program](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/panthers-summer-camp-got-150k-through-state-sports-marketing-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In 2015 and 2016, S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Lawmakers often don’t like recording their votes](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/throwback-thursday-lawmakers-often-dont-like-recording-their-votes/): Last week, the Senate skipped a legally required roll-call vote for one of the most significant bills of the session – the Panthers incentive legislation.
- [Subsidies for Carolina Panthers: A losing game for S.C. taxpayers?](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/subsidies-for-carolina-panthers-a-losing-game-for-s-c-taxpayers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT At the end of the 2014 regular legislative session, lawmakers slipped in a budget proviso funneling $75,000 through the state tourism agency for the Carolina Panthers’ summer training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg.
- [Tax money meant for veterans’ care spent on university bus, new furniture](https://thenervearchive.org/2019/05/tax-money-meant-for-veterans-care-spent-on-university-bus-new-furniture/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the last four fiscal years, $1.4 million in tax dollars flowed through three state social services agencies to an equestrian center operated by Lander University, a small, public liberal arts school in Greenwood.
- [Holes still exist in DOT’s pothole numbers](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/holes-still-exist-in-dots-pothole-numbers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The number of potholes that the S.C.
- [House poised to spend millions more on pork projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/house-poised-to-spend-millions-more-on-pork-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. House this week could pass a revised version of the fiscal 2022 state budget, which includes $1.8 billion in “new” state funding.
- [U.S. Rep. Mace among those owing S.C. House ethics fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/u-s-rep-mace-among-those-owing-s-c-house-ethics-fines/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Ex-S.C.
- [SCDOT says it will fix nearly 1,000 more miles of bad roads. More empty promises?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/scdot-says-it-will-fix-nearly-1000-more-miles-of-bad-roads-more-empty-promises/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Motorists likely will feel plenty of bumps this Memorial Day weekend as they drive over South Carolina’s seemingly endless pothole-riddled roads.
- [Feds giving SC more covid money – without clear spending instructions](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/feds-giving-sc-more-covid-money-without-clear-spending-instructions/): BY RICK BRUNDRETT Local governments in South Carolina are expected to collectively receive hundreds of millions more in federal COVID-19 relief funding, though what exactly that money can be spent on is unclear.
- [Two lawmakers rack up thousands in unpaid ethics fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/two-lawmakers-rack-up-thousands-in-unpaid-ethics-fines/): BY RICK BRUNDRETT Since 2015, two sitting House members have owed thousands in civil fines after receiving public reprimands for campaign reporting violations, records reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [Taxpayers on hook for road- and bridge-naming legislation](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/taxpayers-on-hook-for-road-and-bridge-naming-legislation/): BY RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [Millions more proposed for Senate, House chambers under state spending plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/millions-more-proposed-for-senate-house-chambers-under-state-spending-plan/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The Senate’s version of the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes more than $1.2 billion in surplus money, though none of it would be refunded to taxpayers.
- [Attorney with ties to SC senator wins judgeship](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/attorney-with-ties-to-sc-senator-wins-judgeship/): By RICK BRUNDRETT An attorney who works in a state senator’s law firm is Spartanburg County’s new master-in-equity judge - less than three months after the county’s legislative delegation, of which the senator is a member, quietly nominated her.
- [Big government grows with new state agencies](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/05/big-government-grows-with-new-state-agencies/): By RICK BRUNDRETT No matter who’s in charge, state government in South Carolina just keeps getting bigger.
- [Gas-tax-hike piggy bank keeps growing fatter](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/gas-tax-hike-piggy-bank-keeps-growing-fatter/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Through March, a special fund created with the state gas-tax-hike law had a cash balance of nearly $824 million and racked up more than $26 million in investment earnings on surpluses since July 2017, records show.
- [Senators pushing plenty of pork projects through taxpayer-funded earmarks](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/senators-pushing-plenty-of-pork-projects-through-taxpayer-funded-earmarks/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [SCDOT denies most pothole-damage claims by motorists](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/scdot-denies-most-pothole-damage-claims-by-motorists/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the past three years, the S.C.
- [Lawmakers pushing for more power in home counties](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/lawmakers-pushing-for-more-power-in-home-counties/): By RICK BRUNDRETT State lawmakers are continuing to push bills that would increase legislative delegations’ powers over local K-12 schools and other public agencies in their home counties.
- [Santee Cooper, Ports Authority board members paid thousands for part-time gig](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/santee-cooper-ports-authority-board-members-paid-thousands-for-part-time-gig/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Unlike panels overseeing other state agencies, the governing boards of the state-created Ports Authority and utility Santee Cooper are paid thousands of dollars annually for their part-time jobs, records show.
- [Senators keep tight control over county magistrates](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/senators-keep-tight-control-over-county-magistrates/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If there’s one power that S.C.
- [Senator: Lawmakers left out of loop on Leatherman’s $550M bond proposal](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/senator-lawmakers-left-out-of-loop-on-leathermans-550m-bond-proposal/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Claiming that many lawmakers had little or no notice of a $550 million taxpayer-backed bond plan for projects at the Port of Charleston, a senator has proposed expanding the Ports Authority governing board to include the heads of the state Commerce and Transportation departments.
- [McMaster receives gifts totaling tens of thousands of dollars](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/mcmaster-receives-gifts-totaling-tens-of-thousands-of-dollars/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the past four years as South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster received a total of more than $87,000 in gifts, The Nerve found in a review of his annual income-disclosure reports.
- [Pothole palooza: SCDOT claims it patches hundreds of thousands of holes](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/04/pothole-palooza-scdot-claims-it-patches-hundreds-of-thousands-of-holes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In its latest annual report, the S.C.
- [Millions more proposed by S.C. House for ‘tourism marketing’](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/millions-more-proposed-by-s-c-house-for-tourism-marketing/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Nearly $30 million in tax dollars could flow next fiscal year through the state tourism agency to regional tourism organizations for “tourism marketing” – with reduced or no private grant matches in contrast to larger matches required in prior years.
- [Legislative delegations attempting heavy hand – again – in local matters](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/legislative-delegations-attempting-heavy-hand-again-in-local-matters/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Like spring flowers, bills showcasing the powers of county legislative delegations are blooming at the State House these days.
- [State spending continues to swell amid pandemic](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/state-spending-continues-to-swell-amid-pandemic/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When the full S.C.
- [Taxpayer tab for Leatherman Terminal projects could grow much bigger](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/taxpayer-tab-for-leatherman-terminal-projects-could-grow-much-bigger/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A new Port of Charleston terminal – named after powerful S.C. Sen.
- [Lawmakers seek to regain control over who heads county VA offices](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/lawmakers-seek-to-regain-control-over-who-heads-county-va-offices/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Two years ago, lawmakers created the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, a stand-alone state agency aimed at helping to provide services to the thousands of veterans in South Carolina.
- [Secrecy still order of the day in S.C. court system](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/secrecy-still-order-of-the-day-in-s-c-court-system/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If an ethics complaint is filed against a South Carolina judge, in most cases the public will never learn the details.
- [House targets budget law for repeal; other old laws remain untouched](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/house-targets-budget-law-for-repeal-other-old-laws-remain-untouched/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In South Carolina, it’s still illegal to challenge someone to a duel with a sword, pistol or other deadly weapon.
- [Gas-tax-hike surplus expands by $250M in one year while road projects lag](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/03/gas-tax-hike-surplus-expands-by-250m-in-one-year-while-road-projects-lag/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In just one year, the surplus from state gas-tax-hike revenues grew by more than a quarter of a billion dollars, or 50%, to $752 million as of Jan.
- [Legislators quietly moving to repeal longtime budget law they ignore](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/legislators-quietly-moving-to-repeal-longtime-budget-law-they-ignore/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Legislature these days is proving that the cover-up is as bad as the crime.
- [Little-known S.C. public railroad pays its executives well](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/little-known-s-c-public-railroad-pays-its-executives-well/): By RICK BRUNDRETT It’s a railroad that most South Carolinians probably never have heard of.
- [Golden parachute for state attorney general?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/golden-parachute-for-state-attorney-general/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Longtime state attorney general Alan Wilson could receive bigger retirement paychecks under legislation sponsored by two House leaders who also are lawyers.
- [Gas tax credit still unpopular, state concedes](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/gas-tax-credit-still-unpopular-state-concedes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT An income tax credit that S.C.
- [Commerce approves hundreds of large-crowd events amid Covid outbreak](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/commerce-approves-hundreds-of-large-crowd-events-amid-covid-outbreak/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since Gov.
- [Legislative delegations again exert control over local schools](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/legislative-delegations-again-exert-control-over-local-schools/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In another power move by county legislative delegations, a Spartanburg County lawmaker has proposed legislation that would establish base pay for members of a local school board.
- [State court system won’t reveal key details on judicial discipline](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/state-court-system-wont-reveal-key-details-on-judicial-discipline/): By RICK BRUNDRETT For the second time in recent months, the S.C. Judicial Department has sided with secrecy about how the court system operates.
- [A first with the gas-tax-hike law – and it’s little to celebrate](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/02/a-first-with-the-gas-tax-hike-law-and-its-little-to-celebrate/): By RICK BRUNDRETT 2020 ended with a first in the 3½ years of the gas-tax-hike law, though many South Carolina motorists probably won’t be happy about it.
- [Top lawmakers’ campaign spending didn’t stop with re-election](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/top-lawmakers-campaign-spending-didnt-stop-with-re-election/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the last three months of 2020, the November general election wasn’t the only expense that top S.C. lawmakers covered with campaign funds.
- [Health agency slowly spending Covid money](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/health-agency-slowly-spending-covid-money/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A state House proposal would send an additional $63 million out of state surplus funds to the Department of Health and Environmental Control to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations and continue testing statewide.
- [Plenty of pork in governor’s proposed state spending plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/plenty-of-pork-in-governors-proposed-state-spending-plan/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In touting Gov.
- [Lawmakers want to grow size of state’s top court – and their control over judges](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/lawmakers-want-to-grow-size-of-states-top-court-and-their-control-over-judges/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The powerful S.C.
- [Priorities ignored in awarding Covid grants to some SC nonprofits?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/priorities-ignored-in-awarding-covid-grants-to-some-sc-nonprofits/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In announcing recently that 686 nonprofit organizations in South Carolina would receive a total of $25 million in federal coronavirus-relief grants, state officials said the recipients received a “successful due diligence review” by a legislatively created panel.
- [Lawmakers continue looking after their own business interests](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/lawmakers-continue-looking-after-their-own-business-interests/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As lawmakers return to Columbia this week to consider big issues such as the ongoing response to the coronavirus outbreak in South Carolina and the possible sale of state-owned utility Santee Cooper, some legislators are introducing bills that ultimately could fatten their own wallets.
- [New year, same road problems persist in SC](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/new-year-same-road-problems-persist-in-sc/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to drive over pothole-free roads in South Carolina, you probably should choose a different goal.
- [Lawmaker-controlled panel violates state law – again](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/01/lawmaker-controlled-panel-violates-state-law-again/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A legislatively controlled committee has once again violated a state law requiring that it provide the General Assembly with written individual evaluations of S.C.
- [Happy Holidays, Y'all!](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/happy-holidays-yall-3/): To Our Readers: The Nerve is not planning to publish new stories this week and next in observance of the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
- [‘Exempt’ state agencies staffed with $100K+ workers](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/exempt-state-agencies-staffed-with-100k-workers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Two months ago, The Nerve asked the state-created South Carolina Research Authority for a list of its employees making at least $50,000 annually.
- [Attorney who works in SC senator’s law firm one step closer to judgeship](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/attorney-who-works-in-sc-senators-law-firm-one-step-closer-to-judgeship/): By RICK BRUNDRETT With 2021 nearly here, S.C. lawmakers likely won’t be making any New Year’s resolutions to loosen their tight grip on the state court system.
- [No shortage of budget pork amid COVID-19 outbreak](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/no-shortage-of-budget-pork-amid-covid-19-outbreak/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When lawmakers return in January for a new legislative session, they likely will claim they will have far less money to spend next fiscal year because of the coronavirus outbreak.
- [Plenty of Ports Authority employees in six-figure salary club](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/plenty-of-ports-authority-employees-in-six-figure-salary-club/): By RICK BRUNDRETT More than 200 S.C.
- [Hundreds of Santee Cooper employees receive ‘incentive’ bonuses](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/hundreds-of-santee-cooper-employees-receive-incentive-bonuses/): By RICK BRUNDRETT “Incentive” bonuses totaling more than $5 million were doled out this year to 1,463 Santee Cooper employees, with individual cash rewards averaging about $3,500 and topping out at $165,000 for a high-level executive, The Nerve found in a review of utility records.
- [Bad bridges still not fixed with gas-tax-hike money](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/12/bad-bridges-still-not-fixed-with-gas-tax-hike-money/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Despite lawmakers’ promises more than three years ago that part of the state gas tax hike would be used to fix South Carolina’s bad bridges, only one bridge project has been completed with that money, newly released records show.
- [Judicial Department reverses course, releases staff salaries after Nerve story](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/judicial-department-reverses-course-releases-staff-salaries-after-nerve-story/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Less than three hours after The Nerve revealed Friday that the S.C.
- [State court system keeps staff salaries secret from the public](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/state-court-system-keeps-staff-salaries-secret-from-the-public/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [How PSC squelched public comment on Dominion rate-hike request](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/how-psc-squelched-public-comment-on-dominion-rate-hike-request/): Update: 11/18/20 - The S.C.
- [Commerce wants fed tax dollars for staff time spent on COVID-19](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/commerce-wants-fed-tax-dollars-for-staff-time-spent-on-covid-19/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [State stonewalls public comment on proposed Dominion rate hike](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/state-stonewalls-public-comment-on-proposed-dominion-rate-hike/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Dominion Energy electric customers in South Carolina are angry.
- [S.C. Senate staffers quietly receive pay raises](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/11/s-c-senate-staffers-quietly-receive-pay-raises/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since last December, 15 S.C.
- [Public agencies spend thousands on lobbyists during COVID-19 outbreak](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/public-agencies-spend-thousands-on-lobbyists-during-covid-19-outbreak/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The spread of the coronavirus in South Carolina didn't stop public agencies' spending on lobbying lawmakers and other state government officials.
- [No big gains over the summer in fixing SC’s bad roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/no-big-gains-over-the-summer-in-fixing-scs-bad-roads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In theory, the pace of fixing South Carolina’s pothole-riddled roads should have increased over the hot summer months.
- [Quietly passed laws give legislative delegations more powers](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/quietly-passed-laws-give-legislative-delegations-more-powers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT At least one thing didn’t change in the S.C.
- [SC Launch records: Start-up companies failed to repay millions in financial aid](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/sc-launch-records-start-up-companies-failed-to-repay-millions-in-financial-aid/): By RICK BRUNDRETT From December 2015 through April of this year, 16 start-up companies funded by SC Launch Inc., an affiliate of the state-created South Carolina Research Authority, did not repay nearly $5 million owed to the nonprofit, according to organization records.
- [$20M in COVID-19 funds earmarked for tourism marketing](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/20m-in-covid-19-funds-earmarked-for-tourism-marketing/): Gov. Henry McMaster plans to spend $20 million in state surplus money in response to the coronavirus outbreak in South Carolina, but it’s not for more testing, treatment or protective gear such as face masks.
- [State AG seeking millions for his own agency from $600M plutonium deal](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/state-ag-seeking-millions-for-his-own-agency-from-600m-plutonium-deal/): In touting a $600 million settlement with the federal government over plutonium storage in the state, S.C.
- [State health benefits offered to another part-time governing board](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/10/state-health-benefits-offered-to-another-part-time-governing-board/): Another governing board of a state-created agency is under scrutiny over whether some board members are receiving state health-insurance benefits in violation of the law, The Nerve has learned.
- [Gas-tax-hike projects: Main contractors doing other SC jobs](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/gas-tax-hike-projects-main-contractors-doing-other-sc-jobs/): The slow pace of fixing South Carolina’s bad roads and bridges since the state gas tax was hiked more than three years ago could be tied in part to who’s doing the work and what other projects those companies are handling, records show.
- [State health insurance benefits offered in violation of state law](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/state-health-insurance-benefits-offered-in-violation-of-state-law/): Last month, the agency in charge of managing the state health plan informed state-owned utility Santee Cooper that members of the utility’s governing board were offered insurance benefits under the plan, though they weren’t eligible, records show.
- [S.C. lawmakers continue tight grip on PSC elections](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/s-c-lawmakers-continue-tight-grip-on-psc-elections/): Update: The Legislature on Sept. 23, 2020, elected four newcomers to the S.C.
- [The $4 billion state officials are keeping secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/the-4-billion-state-officials-are-keeping-secret/): Many politicians and other government officials don’t want to publicly acknowledge the huge surpluses that state agencies accumulate year after year.
- [SC motorists paying more taxes at the pump, still seeing slow results](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/sc-motorists-paying-more-taxes-at-the-pump-still-seeing-slow-results/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Motorists in South Carolina are now paying 8 cents more per gallon since the state gas-tax-hike law took effect in July 2017 – and will face another collective 4-cent increase over the next two years.
- [As South Carolinians’ income shrinks, state agency surpluses grow](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/09/as-south-carolinians-income-shrinks-state-agency-surpluses-grow/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Lawmakers routinely tap campaign funds for ‘other’ expenses](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/08/lawmakers-routinely-tap-campaign-funds-for-other-expenses/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Politicians typically spend campaign funds on things like signs, billboards, TV, radio or internet advertising. But S.C.
- [COVID-19 not threatening high S.C. university salaries](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/08/covid-19-not-threatening-high-s-c-university-salaries/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As University of South Carolina and Clemson University students return to in-person or online classes amid the coronavirus spread, what remains constant at the state’s two largest colleges is the growing number of well-paid employees.
- [Gas-tax-hike law at 3 years: Completed jobs still lag way behind collections](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/08/gas-tax-hike-law-at-3-years-completed-jobs-still-lag-way-behind-collections/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In the first three years of the gas-tax-hike law, the state collected more than $1.3 billion in revenues – enough to pay for almost all of the identified road and bridge projects statewide – yet is sitting on nearly half of the money, newly released records show.
- [Governor punts health-related powers to Commerce – again](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/08/governor-punts-health-related-powers-to-commerce-again/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Gov. Henry McMaster has once again granted the S.C.
- [Taxpayer-funded gifts to Panthers grow with planned SC move](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/07/taxpayer-funded-gifts-to-panthers-grow-with-planned-sc-move/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If only the Carolina Panthers could win as easily as it gets taxpayer money. Last month, the U.S.
- [Covid fallout: Taxpayer-funded SC nonprofits get forgivable fed loans](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/07/covid-fallout-taxpayer-funded-sc-nonprofits-get-forgivable-fed-loans/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Some nonprofit organizations in South Carolina that already receive significant public funding have been awarded forgivable federal loans of at least $150,000 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, records show.
- [Politicians’ promises don’t reflect written incentives deals](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/07/politicians-promises-dont-reflect-written-incentives-deals/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. politicians routinely love to make promises about massive corporate investment and multitudes of new jobs in the Palmetto State.
- [Fourth of July in SC: fireworks, barbecues – and potholes](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/07/fourth-of-july-in-sc-fireworks-barbecues-and-potholes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As residents and tourists hit South Carolina roads this July 4th holiday weekend, they will contend with plenty of potholes and higher state gasoline taxes.
- [Truths about secret incentives deals revealed – 10 years later](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/06/truths-about-secret-incentives-deals-revealed-10-years-later/): By RICK BRUNDRETT All we wanted was the truth.
- [S.C. medical stockpiles big enough for future health emergencies?](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/06/s-c-medical-stockpiles-big-enough-for-future-health-emergencies/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Whether South Carolina has enough medical supplies to deal with the next possible wave of the coronavirus – or other future health emergencies – is a matter of debate.
- [Tourism advertising funds, manufacturer incentives sought in covid’s wake](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/06/tourism-advertising-funds-manufacturer-incentives-sought-in-covids-wake/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Spending more tax dollars on tourism advertising and incentives for manufacturers are among proposals to jump-start South Carolina’s economy, which took a severe blow with government-imposed shutdowns following the coronavirus outbreak.
- [State agencies issue millions in emergency purchase orders amid covid outbreak](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/05/state-agencies-issue-millions-in-emergency-purchase-orders-amid-covid-outbreak/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Department of Transportation initially wanted more than $1 million worth of hand sanitizer.
- [COVID-19 hasn’t infected massive gas-tax-hike surplus](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/05/covid-19-hasnt-infected-massive-gas-tax-hike-surplus/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Despite reduced traffic in South Carolina over the past two months resulting from government-ordered shutdowns, a state surplus under the 2017 gas-tax-hike law continued to grow while most major paving projects went unfinished, newly released records show.
- [State health agency spending relatively little from emergency covid funds](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/05/state-health-agency-spending-relatively-little-in-emergency-covid-funding/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since lawmakers in March approved $45 million in emergency funding for the state health department’s response to the coronavirus, the agency has spent less than 10 percent of the total, records show.
- [State agency can order quarantine of COVID-19 victims](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/05/state-agency-can-order-quarantine-of-covid-19-victims/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Among the provisions in Gov.
- [Some SC school board members now have far more power during covid emergency](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/05/some-sc-school-board-members-now-have-far-more-power-in-covids-wake/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In South Carolina, public school boards have broad powers, such as hiring the district superintendent, setting administrators’ salaries and approving annual budgets.
- [Closed SC businesses in covid’s wake: Protecting public health?](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/04/closed-sc-businesses-in-covids-wake-protecting-public-health/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Having customers in his Columbia glass art shop posed no public threat, if you ask Tom Lockart of One Eared Cow Glass. Yet after Gov.
- [McMaster’s 'non-essential' list: A hole-in-one for SC golfers – and others](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/04/mcmasters-non-essential-list-a-hole-in-one-for-sc-golfers-and-others/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last Tuesday, Gov.
- [Local emergency coronavirus orders threatening constitutional rights?](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/04/local-emergency-coronavirus-orders-threatening-constitutional-rights/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When Columbia city leaders imposed a curfew more than two weeks ago in response to the coronavirus outbreak, they required residents in most cases – under the threat of possible jail time – to isolate themselves in their homes between 11 p.m.
- [How S.C. lawmakers increase their odds of staying in power](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/how-s-c-lawmakers-increase-their-odds-of-staying-in-power/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Every 10 years, S.C.
- [Hard road: A South Carolina couple’s ordeal after hitting a pothole](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/hard-road-a-south-carolina-couples-ordeal-after-hitting-a-pothole/): By RICK BRUNDRETT It was supposed to be a routine trip home. Phyllis Elliott and her husband, Cecil, had visited their daughter in Rock Hill last Sept.
- [S.C. lawmakers pressed to find money for coronavirus response](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/s-c-lawmakers-pressed-to-find-money-for-coronavirus-response/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When lawmakers return this week to debate how to pay for the state’s emergency coronavirus response, they will have to decide where exactly to get the money.
- [Will Year 2 of gas tax credit be as unpopular as the first?](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/will-year-2-of-gas-tax-credit-be-as-unpopular-as-the-first/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A state agency is again predicting that S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: How lawmakers camouflage how much they actually spend](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/throwback-thursday-how-lawmakers-camouflage-how-much-they-actually-spend/): Anyone following the progress and coverage of the state budget this week could easily gain the impression that the S.C. House passed a $10 billion budget.
- [Lawmakers continue to push their pet projects – at taxpayer expense](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/lawmakers-continue-to-push-their-pet-projects-at-taxpayer-expense/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In debating next fiscal year’s state budget, House members could decide this week whether to funnel $23 million through the state’s tourism department and nearly $2 million through the S.C.
- [Governor, House want SC taxpayers to eat plenty of pork in fiscal '21](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/governor-house-want-sc-taxpayers-to-eat-plenty-of-pork-in-fiscal-21/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Buried in the latest $32.3 billion state spending plan for next fiscal year is a $19 million expenditure for a proposed downtown Greenville convention center, and another $7.5 million to renovate the Sumter Opera House.
- [Throwback Thursday: How state lawmakers participate in excessive federal spending](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/throwback-thursday-how-state-lawmakers-participate-in-excessive-federal-spending/): In a supreme twist of irony, this week lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee voted for a resolution calling for a U.S.
- [SC Commerce still hiding the Juuls](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/03/sc-commerce-still-hiding-the-juuls/): Update: In email responses on 11/19/20 and 11/20/20 after The Nerve submitted a state Freedom of Information Act request for updated records on the Juul plant project, S.C.
- [Lawmakers ignoring $500M piggy bank to fix SC’s bad roads](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/lawmakers-ignoring-500m-piggy-bank-to-fix-scs-bad-roads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT While House budget writers have designated an extra $100 million next fiscal year for paving rural roads statewide, the S.C.
- [Throwback Thursday: Keeping SC lawmakers far, far away from the US Constitution](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/throwback-thursday-keeping-sc-lawmakers-far-far-away-from-the-us-constitution/): This week, state House and Senate committees considered legislation calling for an Article V convention to amend the U.S. Constitution.
- [Santee Cooper’s $100K-plus club doubles in less than 10 years](https://thenervearchive.org/2020/02/santee-coopers-100k-plus-club-doubles-in-less-than-10-years/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As lawmakers this week consider sale and management proposals involving Santee Cooper, one issue that likely won’t get much attention is the growth in recent years of well-paid workers at the state-owned utility.
- [ESG battles heating up over state pension plan](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/04/esg-battles-heating-up-over-state-pension-plan/): As S.C. lawmakers move closer to banning liberal ESG factors in state pension plan investments, the commission overseeing those funds is reducing at least one global management firm’s control over shareholder votes that come with the billions of public retirement dollars flowing to companies.
- [Policy Council advocating title insurance reform](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/03/policy-council-advocating-title-insurance-reform/): Bills under consideration in the S.C.
- [Sweeping transparency reforms proposed in House bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/02/sweeping-transparency-reforms-proposed-in-house-bill/): Citizens would have far easier access to state and local government records and meetings in South Carolina under a wide-ranging S.C.
- [Senator plans bill to ban ESG factors in private loans, state pension](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/02/senator-plans-bill-to-ban-esg-factors-in-private-loans-state-pension/): Update 2/22/23: Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, introduced a bill (S.
- [S.C. Senate expands school choice options for  parents](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/02/s-c-senate-expands-school-choice-options-for-parents/): Update: 5/4/23 - Gov. Henry McMaster signed S.39 into law. The House last week approved the Senate bill by a vote of 79-35 on a key second reading.
- [Small business owner wins zoning battle, but legal issues still loom](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/01/small-business-owner-wins-zoning-battle-but-legal-issues-still-loom/): Jeremy Sark says he’s no longer worried about Mauldin officials closing his longtime U-Haul dealership, though the Upstate city hasn't abandoned a controversial zoning practice at the center of his case.
- [Lawmaker wants ESG factors banned in state pension investments](https://thenervearchive.org/2023/01/lawmaker-wants-esg-factors-banned-in-state-pension-investments/): State retirement funds could not be invested based on controversial environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors, under a House bill filed for the new legislative session that starts next week.
- [Happy Holidays, Y'all!](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/12/happy-holidays-yall-5/): To Our Readers: The Nerve is not planning to publish new stories this week and next in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
- [House bill would protect short-term rentals in SC](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/12/house-bill-would-protect-short-term-rentals-in-sc/): S.C. municipalities and counties that ban short-term rentals would face the loss of state aid and property taxes under a House bill filed for the second time since last year.
- [S.C. judges could get more raises under Senate bill](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/12/s-c-judges-could-get-more-raises-under-senate-bill/): A state senator-lawyer wants the six-figure salaries of S.C.
- [S.C. founding father at center of U.S. Supreme Court elections case](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/12/s-c-founding-father-at-center-of-u-s-supreme-court-elections-case/): One of South Carolina’s early governors – and one of the nation’s most controversial founding fathers – is taking center stage in a critical U.S.
- [Senior judges getting double-dipping perk; records secret](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/11/senior-judges-getting-double-dipping-perk-records-secret/): Most South Carolina workers probably don't receive big retirement checks from their employers at the same time they’re getting their regular pay.
- [Constitutional amendments to strengthen state reserves cruise to passage](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/11/constitutional-amendments-to-strengthen-state-reserves-cruise-to-passage/): S.C. voters in Tuesday's general election easily approved constitutional amendments to increase the state’s two main “rainy-day” funds.
- [SCPC, ATR to hold statewide tour on ballot amendments](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/10/scpc-atr-to-hold-statewide-tour-on-ballot-amendments/): The South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – and Americans for Tax Reform, a national taxpayer advocacy group, are touring the state next week to promote proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov.
- [Concealed court files reveal freebie judicial trips](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/10/concealed-court-files-reveal-freebie-judicial-trips/): Last year, dozens of state judges attended one or more conferences at pricey resorts hosted by special-interest legal organizations that paid for all or part of their stays, The Nerve found in a review of court administration records.
- [Zoned out: Why a small SC business might be forced to close](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/10/zoned-out-why-a-small-sc-business-might-be-forced-to-close/): In less than three months, Jeremy Sark’s U-Haul dealership on North Main Street in the city of Mauldin could close after nine years in operation.
- [Businesses with 'deep pockets' targeted in SC lawsuits](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/09/businesses-with-deep-pockets-targeted-in-sc-lawsuits/): Update: Circuit Court judge Daniel Hall on 9/27/22 reversed himself and ordered that the Parker's convenience store company be tried together with other defendants in a lawsuit stemming from a 2019 fatal boat crash with ties to ex-Hampton County lawyer Alex Murdaugh, whose legal troubles have made national headlines.
- [Many SC voters favor bigger state reserves. Will they approve it this year?](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/08/many-sc-voters-favor-bigger-state-reserves-will-they-approve-it-this-year/): South Carolina voters in November will decide whether to approve constitutional amendments to increase the state’s two “rainy-day” funds, though a just-released poll casts doubt on their passage.
- [SC joins national battles over ESG power plays](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/08/sc-joins-national-battles-over-esg-power-plays/): South Carolina is among a group of states investigating a major investment management and ratings company for potential violations connected to liberal environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, The Nerve has confirmed.
- [Scott pushes unspent covid funds for school choice options](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/08/scott-pushes-unspent-covid-funds-for-school-choice-options/): More than a year after the federal government’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief plan became law, South Carolina’s public school districts have spent relatively little of their share of the money, state records show.
- [Short-term rental owners, managers worry about discrimination](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/07/short-term-rental-owners-managers-worry-about-discrimination/): Editor’s note: Today's story is the second of two initial articles on short-term rentals in South Carolina. The other story can be found here.
- [Property rights at center of battles over short-term rentals](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/07/property-rights-at-center-of-battles-over-short-term-rentals/): Editor’s note: The Nerve today is featuring the first of two initial stories on short-term rentals in South Carolina.
- [South Carolina Paves Bipartisan Path on Election Integrity](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/07/south-carolina-paves-bipartisan-path-on-election-integrity/): Editor’s Note: The following article, written by SCPC Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse, was published originally on 7/15/22 by RealClearPolicy, a national website that features U.S.
- [Voters back school choice bill. Can lawmakers get it across the finish line?](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/06/voters-back-school-choice-bill-can-lawmakers-get-it-across-the-finish-line/): S.C. residents generally support using public money to allow children to attend private schools, a South Carolina Policy Council poll shows – and a key negotiator on a related school-choice bill says he’s pushing to get it passed.
- [Compromise bill reflects SCPC poll results on tax relief](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/06/compromise-bill-reflects-scpc-poll-results-on-tax-relief/): Just days before a legislative conference committee approved a compromise tax-cut bill, South Carolinians expressed strong support for tax relief in a poll released by the South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization.
- [Feds pushing liberal investment schemes in local government, business sectors](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/05/feds-pushing-liberal-investment-schemes-in-local-government-business-sectors/): The Biden administration and Democratic-controlled U.S.
- [Critics fear ESG factors could diminish state pension investments](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/05/critics-fear-esg-factors-could-diminish-state-pension-investments/): Two major investment management firms that handle a large chunk of South Carolina’s pension plan for state retirees are big proponents of the controversial environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement, The Nerve found in a review of pension and other records.
- [Serious business: How ESG mandates can hurt small SC firms](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/05/serious-business-how-esg-mandates-can-hurt-small-sc-firms/): “We have started to get feelers – nothing required as of yet – questionnaires sent to us from companies asking us what our demographics are, what our environmental impact is, what we are doing to lower our environmental impact – all the things you find in an ESG score,” Cromer president Brent Cromer said in a recent interview with The Nerve.
- [Officials warn ESG movement heading to SC amid 'woke' power play](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/04/officials-warn-esg-movement-heading-to-sc-amid-woke-power-play/): Imagine a small business applying for a bank loan and being rejected despite having an excellent credit rating and strong revenues.
- [McMaster reports $64K in gifts, covered trip expenses in '21](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/04/mcmaster-reports-64k-in-gifts-covered-trip-expenses-in-21/): Gov. Henry McMaster reported a collective $64,130 in gifts and covered trip expenses last year – more than half of the total funded by the Republican Governors Association, The Nerve found in a review of his latest income-disclosure report.
- [Hundreds of millions in COVID funds remain unspent by health agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/04/hundreds-of-millions-in-covid-funds-remain-unspent-by-health-agency/): Of the more than $1 billion in state and federal funding provided to the S.C.
- [Gas-tax suspension bills running nearly on empty](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/04/gas-tax-suspension-bills-running-nearly-on-empty/): Two S.C. House bills that would temporarily suspend the state gasoline tax are moving about as fast as the rate of fixing South Carolina’s deteriorating roads and bridges.
- [Power play by S.C. attorney general in $600M settlement?](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/04/power-play-by-s-c-attorney-general-in-600m-settlement/): The state’s top court next week will consider whether S.C.
- [State law keeps judicial income hidden from public](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/state-law-keeps-judicial-income-hidden-from-public/): Under state court rules, judges must avoid even the “appearance of impropriety” in all of their activities, and “minimize the risk of conflict” with their official duties.
- [Lawmakers again proposing new state ecodevo agency](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/lawmakers-again-proposing-new-state-ecodevo-agency/): When the state is flush with taxpayer money, lawmakers can’t resist the urge to create new agencies.
- [Legislative study consultant could get $750K](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/legislative-study-consultant-could-get-750k/): Another legislative study, another likely six-figure taxpayer bill at the end.
- [Legislative delegations still meddling in local school matters](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/legislative-delegations-still-meddling-in-local-school-matters/): County legislative delegations are again asserting their power over local school districts.
- [Current, former lawyer-legislators’ firms to share fees in $300M settlement](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/current-former-lawyer-legislators-firms-to-share-fees-in-300m-settlement/): In announcing last month that the state is expected to receive more than $300 million from a national opioid settlement, S.C.
- [Most of $4.6 billion surplus to be spent under lawmakers' plans](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/most-of-4-6-billion-surplus-to-be-spent-under-lawmakers-plans/): If state lawmakers decided to refund taxpayers the expected $4.6 billion surplus for the fiscal year that starts July 1, it would work out to roughly $900 for every man, woman and child in South Carolina.
- [Judicial department releases staff salaries after legal pressure](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/judicial-department-releases-staff-salaries-after-legal-pressure/): More than three months after ignoring The Nerve’s written requests, the S.C.
- [Gas-tax-hike surplus swells over past year](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/03/gas-tax-hike-surplus-swells-over-past-year/): As South Carolina motorists over the past year have been paying more in state gasoline taxes – on top of skyrocketing gas prices – the surplus from revenues generated under the 2017 gas-tax-hike law jumped by nearly $300 million, records show.
- [Years later, state lawmaker owes tens of thousands in ethics fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/years-later-state-senator-owes-tens-of-thousands-in-ethics-fines/): As of 2015, state Rep.
- [Google project could get part of $150M in state surplus money](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/google-project-could-get-part-of-150m-in-state-surplus-money/): The S.C. Department of Commerce hasn’t committed to any projects with most of the $150 million in state surplus funds that the agency wants to spend next fiscal year for a new “infrastructure” program, the department’s director told budget writers recently.
- [U.S. Rep. Mace owes $11.5K in S.C. House ethics fines](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/u-s-rep-mace-owes-11-5k-in-s-c-house-ethics-fines/): By RICK BRUNDRETT U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is an ex-S.C.
- [Lawmakers secretly nominate ex-legislator for judge’s seat](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/lawmakers-secretly-nominate-ex-legislator-for-judges-seat/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As expected, the Horry County legislative delegation last week nominated former House member Alan Clemmons as the county’s master-in-equity judge.
- [SC still has hundreds of bad bridges despite gas-tax-hike law](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/sc-still-has-hundreds-of-bad-bridges-despite-gas-tax-hike-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last Friday, President Joe Biden visited Pittsburgh to tout his $1 trillion infrastructure law – just hours after a 50-year-old bridge there collapsed while a municipal bus and several cars were on it, resulting in injuries though no deaths.
- [Records: Boeing, Volvo to benefit from secretive ‘infrastructure’ program](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/02/records-boeing-volvo-to-benefit-from-secretive-infrastructure-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Commerce still silent on specifics of $150M ‘infrastructure’ program](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/commerce-still-silent-on-specifics-of-150m-infrastructure-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C. Department of Commerce officials remain tight-lipped about details of a proposed $150 million “infrastructure” program, which Gov.
- [Judicial panel hiding behind secrecy law](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/judicial-panel-hiding-behind-secrecy-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A legislatively controlled committee isn't saying publicly why it found a longtime circuit court judge unqualified – and state law requires the secrecy.
- [Ports Authority execs got big bonuses, other perks in ‘21](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/ports-authority-execs-got-big-bonuses-other-perks-in-21/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The Daniel Island Club on its website bills itself as one of the top country clubs in Charleston, offering two “nationally-ranked” private golf courses, along with swimming, tennis and fitness facilities in a “lush, resort-style setting.” Jim Newsome, the president and CEO of the state-created Ports Authority (SCPA), belonged to the swank club last year, as did three other top SCPA executives – with their pricey club dues paid by the authority, according to agency records provided recently to The Nerve under the S.C.
- [Ex-House member top candidate for judgeship?](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/ex-house-member-top-candidate-for-judgeship/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Next month, the Horry County legislative delegation could recommend one of three master-in-equity judicial candidates to the governor for appointment to the six-figure seat.
- [Governor secretive about $150M 'infrastructure' program](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/governor-secretive-about-150m-infrastructure-program/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Gov.
- [McMaster’s budget priority: Expanding interstates or fixing pothole-riddled roads?](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/mcmasters-budget-priority-expanding-interstates-or-fixing-pothole-riddled-roads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In unveiling his fiscal 2022-23 state budget this week, Gov.
- [New Senate president’s business paid thousands by local governments](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/new-senate-presidents-business-paid-thousands-by-local-governments/): By RICK BRUNDRETT New S.C.
- [$5M in bonuses doled out to Santee Cooper employees](https://thenervearchive.org/2022/01/5m-in-bonuses-doled-out-to-santee-cooper-employees/): By RICK BRUNDRETT More than 1,300 Santee Cooper workers last year received “incentive” bonuses totaling $5 million, with outgoing president and CEO Mark Bonsall getting a $242,500 bonus on top of his $1.1 million base salary, records show.
- [Happy Holidays, Y'all!](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/happy-holidays-yall-4/): To Our Readers: The Nerve is not planning to publish new stories this week and next in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
- [SCDOT wants more gas-tax-hike money to spend while surplus grows](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/scdot-wants-more-gas-tax-hike-money-to-spend-while-surplus-grows/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Senator-lawyers support bill that could fatten their wallets](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/senator-lawyers-support-bill-that-could-fatten-their-wallets/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Four senator-lawyers who, or their law firms, received workers’ compensation fees last year are co-sponsoring a bill that would allow employees to file workers’ compensation claims involving COVID-19 vaccines.
- [Commerce mum on details of massive budget request](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/commerce-mum-on-details-of-massive-budget-request/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C.
- [Secrecy still part of judicial screening process](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/secrecy-still-part-of-judicial-screening-process/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A legislatively controlled committee that screens judges ruled last week that a longtime circuit court judge was no longer qualified to serve, though the general public wasn’t informed afterward about its decision.
- [Judicial Department keeping staff salaries secret - again](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/judicial-department-keeping-staff-salaries-secret-again/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In a repeat of last year, the S.C.
- [House member proposes big pay hike for lawmakers](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/12/house-member-proposes-big-pay-hike-for-lawmakers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT S.C.
- [Legislatively controlled panel OKs big raises for state agency heads](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/legislatively-controlled-panel-oks-big-raises-for-state-agency-heads/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last week, a legislatively controlled committee quietly approved five-figure salary hikes for six state agency heads, including increases for two university presidents whose total annual compensation is much more than their state pay.
- [Millions owed to SC taxpayers over local road fees, lawsuits contend](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/millions-owed-to-sc-taxpayers-over-local-road-fees-lawsuits-contend/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Nearly half of South Carolina’s 46 counties were charging annual road maintenance fees as of last December, records show, though the state’s top court earlier this year in a Greenville County case ruled that its fee was unlawful.
- [Lawmakers want more control over agency head pay hikes](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/lawmakers-want-more-control-over-agency-head-pay-hikes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Lawmakers just can’t resist trying to exert more power over another branch of government. Reps.
- [Revolutionary War project: 250 years later, taxpayers squeezed again?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/revolutionary-war-project-250-years-later-taxpayers-squeezed-again/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When it comes to South Carolina history, some state officials might need a refresher course. S.C.
- [Raises continue to flow to well-paid House, Senate staffers](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/raises-continue-to-flow-to-well-paid-house-senate-staffers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Another year, another round of raises for higher-paid S.C. House and Senate staffers.
- [Lawmakers trying to shift focus away from gas-tax-hike woes?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/11/lawmakers-trying-to-shift-focus-away-from-gas-tax-hike-woes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT As a special legislative panel considers a yet-to-be-revealed road funding proposal, the state Department of Transportation continues to plod along in fixing South Carolina’s bad roads and bridges while sitting on a massive reserve created with the 2017 gas-tax-hike law.
- [Taxpayer tab growing for ‘Boeing’ ag project](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/taxpayer-tab-growing-for-boeing-ag-project/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Hugh Weathers, South Carolina’s agriculture commissioner, dubbed the project as the “Boeing of agriculture.” In touting the project in September 2020, Gov.
- [Number of SC taxpayers claiming gas tax credit continues to drop](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/number-of-sc-taxpayers-claiming-gas-tax-credit-continues-to-drop/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Once again, the state’s chief revenue forecasters have grossly overestimated the popularity of an income tax credit that legislators created with the 2017 gas-tax-hike law.
- [Top court rarely disciplines judges despite numerous complaints](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/top-court-rarely-disciplines-judges-despite-numerous-complaints/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last week, the S.C.
- [More secrecy on tap in upcoming PSC review?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/more-secrecy-on-tap-in-upcoming-psc-review/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A powerful, legislatively controlled committee is scheduled Thursday to conduct annual reviews of the seven Public Service Commission members, though if recent history is a guide, the public won’t see any final written evaluations.
- [SC judges ordering jail time in some civil cases](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/sc-judges-ordering-jail-time-in-some-civil-cases/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In a rare move last month, attorneys asked a judge to order the “civil" arrest of prominent Hampton County lawyer Alex Murdaugh to compel him to pay their clients – the sons of a Murdaugh family housekeeper who died in 2018 after a reported fall in his home – from a multimillion-dollar settlement stemming from the death.
- [Six-figure clubs growing at USC, Clemson](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/six-figure-clubs-growing-at-usc-clemson/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last week, the Clemson University Board of Trustees gave president Jim Clements a five-year contract extension and an $86,200 raise through the university’s private fundraising arm, bringing his total annual salary to nearly $1 million, according to media reports.
- [Public cost of training Boeing workers far higher than projections](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/10/__trashed/): By RICK BRUNDRETT When S.C.
- [DOT’s road-repair schedules full of potholes](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/dots-road-repair-schedules-full-of-potholes/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Major repaving or road reconstruction projects in South Carolina could take on average at least a year and possibly more than two years to complete, The Nerve found in a review of state Department of Transportation records.
- [Legislative delegations control state grants totaling millions for local rec projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/legislative-delegations-control-state-grants-totaling-millions-for-local-rec-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since 2017, powerful county legislative delegations have approved a total of more than $8 million in state grants for hundreds of local recreation projects in South Carolina, records show.
- [Legislative infighting: Inside a dysfunctional delegation](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/legislative-infighting-inside-a-dysfunctional-delegation/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In South Carolina, county legislative delegations – made up of state House and Senate members representing a county – have considerable power on their home turfs.
- [SC roads get ‘D’ grade as major repair projects remain unfinished](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/sc-roads-get-d-grade-as-major-repair-projects-remain-unfinished/): By RICK BRUNDRETT South Carolina will need almost $43 billion more by 2040 to fix its bad roads and handle increased traffic with projected growth, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, which gave the state’s roads a “D” grade in its annual infrastructure report card.
- [The $5 billion surplus officials don’t talk about](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/the-5-billion-surplus-officials-dont-talk-about/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Out of this fiscal year’s $32.5 billion state budget, more than a third of it – nearly $12.3 billion – is made up of “other” funds.
- [Millions flow through SCDOT to company with ties to Sen. Leatherman](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/09/millions-flow-through-scdot-to-company-with-ties-to-sen-leatherman/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. Department of Transportation since 2016 has awarded 56 bridge contracts totaling $8.4 million to a company with ties to Sen.
- [Gallo Winery project: No cheap buzz for SC taxpayers](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/gallo-winery-project-no-cheap-buzz-for-sc-taxpayers/): By RICK BRUNDRETT E.&J.
- [State surpluses keep growing. Taxpayers likely won’t get any of it back](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/state-surpluses-keep-growing-taxpayers-likely-wont-get-any-of-it-back/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Lawmakers have far more state tax dollars to play with this fiscal year, though there has been no serious interest in returning any of it to taxpayers.
- [State AG hires current, former lawyer-legislators in civil cases](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/state-ag-hires-current-former-lawyer-legislators-in-civil-cases/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Since 2017, S.C.
- [Santee Cooper seeks state OK to dive deeper in debt](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/santee-cooper-seeks-state-ok-to-dive-deeper-in-debt/): By RICK BRUNDRETT State-owned utility Santee Cooper’s debt load is projected to grow by more than a half-billion dollars under a proposal that a legislative committee likely will rubber-stamp today.
- [Santee Cooper deep in debt, still spending millions on ecodevo projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/santee-cooper-deep-in-debt-still-spending-millions-on-ecodevo-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Santee Cooper’s electric customers are on the hook for billions in debt payments, but that hasn’t stopped the state-owned utility from spending millions in recent years on economic development projects.
- [Fiscal ‘21 ends with huge gas-tax-hike surplus amid unfinished projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/fiscal-21-ends-with-huge-gas-tax-hike-surplus-amid-unfinished-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Stuck in a pothole.
- [Lawmaker: Little vetting of governor's pick for DOT Commission](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/08/lawmaker-little-vetting-of-governors-pick-for-dot-commission/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Gov.
- [Counties still paying lawmakers for ‘phantom’ delegation offices](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/counties-still-paying-lawmakers-for-phantom-delegation-offices/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Last year, S.C. Sen.
- [House member quit suddenly last year; now a judicial candidate. Coincidence?](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/house-member-quit-suddenly-last-year-now-a-judicial-candidate-coincidence/): By RICK BRUNDRETT What a difference a year can make – especially if you’re a state lawmaker.
- [Lawmakers to spend millions on incumbency-protection maps](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/lawmakers-to-spend-millions-on-incumbency-protection-maps/): By RICK BRUNDRETT The S.C. House and Senate plan to spend millions creating new legislative and congressional district maps based on the latest U.S.
- [State, county websites offer scant information on legislative delegations](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/state-county-websites-offer-scant-information-on-legislative-delegations/): By RICK BRUNDRETT If you want to learn what your county legislative delegation is up to, you likely won't find much – if any – information on county government websites or the state Legislature’s website.
- [Legislative delegations skirting state open-meetings law](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/legislative-delegations-skirting-state-open-meetings-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT One day last month, state lawmakers representing Greenville County held separate meetings in a legislative building on the State House grounds in downtown Columbia – about 103 miles from Greenville – to discuss certain county board appointments that they control, as well as rules governing their delegation meetings.
- [Few S.C. bridges fixed with gas-tax-hike money](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/few-s-c-bridges-fixed-with-gas-tax-hike-money/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Only three bridge projects have been completed in South Carolina with the nearly $2 billion in revenues collected under the 2017 state gas-tax-hike law, recently released transportation department records show.
- [Some state agency heads start new fiscal year with big pay raises](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/07/some-state-agency-heads-start-new-fiscal-year-with-big-pay-raises/): By RICK BRUNDRETT A legislatively controlled committee has given five-figure pay hikes to a group of state agency heads, and a new law empowers the panel to recommend raises next fiscal year for certain statewide elected officials.
- [Earmark secrecy continues as state budget goes into effect](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/earmark-secrecy-continues-as-state-budget-goes-into-effect/): By RICK BRUNDRETT In vetoing 226 budget earmarks totaling $152.5 million, Gov.
- [State agencies claim taxpayers’ refunds to collect debts](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/state-agencies-claim-taxpayers-refunds-to-collect-debts/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Over the last five years, state agencies, including public colleges and a university hospital system, collected a total of nearly $95 million in past-due payments through deductions from state income-tax refunds, records reviewed by The Nerve show.
- [Lawmakers approve massive state budget stuffed with pork projects](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/lawmakers-approve-massive-state-budget-stuffed-with-pork-projects/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Lawmakers on Monday sent a strong message in adopting a state budget for the fiscal year that starts next week.
- [Santee Cooper board still has expired, vacant seats despite ‘reform’ law](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/santee-cooper-board-still-has-expired-vacant-seats-despite-reform-law/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Of the 12 seats on the board governing state-owned utility Santee Cooper, two are vacant while seven members are serving past their expired terms.
- [Lawmakers bypassing normal budget process to spend $600M settlement](https://thenervearchive.org/2021/06/lawmakers-bypassing-normal-budget-process-to-spend-600m-settlement/): By RICK BRUNDRETT Proceeds from a $600 million settlement with the federal government over plutonium storage in South Carolina weren’t included in any state budget versions crafted by lawmakers for the upcoming fiscal year.

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