South Carolina Sees Significant Drops in Crime, Major Business Investments, and Controversial Policy Shifts in Year-End Review

South Carolina listeners are watching several major developments this week in politics, the economy, community safety, and infrastructure, as the state closes out the year with shifting policies and new investments.

In government and politics, Governor Henry McMaster has ordered state agencies to stop using race-based quotas in contracting and procurement, issuing Executive Order 2025-40 and calling the mandates “unconstitutional and discriminatory.” According to the Governor’s Office, current law requires agencies to spend 10 percent of controllable budgets with minority-owned businesses and requires the Department of Transportation to award at least 5 percent of certain contracts to minority firms; McMaster, along with Senate President Thomas Alexander and House Speaker Murrell Smith, is backing legislation to repeal those statutes when lawmakers return in January. Governor McMaster argues contracts should be awarded on merit, while Democratic Representative John King has criticized the move as a step backward on equity, according to South Carolina Public Radio and the Governor’s Office.

On the business and economy front, the South Carolina Department of Commerce reports a series of high-profile investments. DartPoints is expanding its Greenville County data center in a 125 million dollar project that state officials say underscores confidence in the Upstate’s tech workforce and growing demand for AI and data analytics capacity. Area Development and the Commerce Department also highlight a 120 million dollar joint venture by SODECIA and AAPICO in Orangeburg County, expected to create up to 392 manufacturing jobs supporting Scout Motors with ladder-frame production for SUVs and trucks. Commerce officials say such projects reinforce South Carolina’s status as an automotive and advanced manufacturing hub.

Community news brings a mix of encouraging safety data and ongoing infrastructure work. According to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s newly released 2024 Crime in South Carolina Annual Report, reported by WPDE and ABC News 4, the state’s violent crime rate fell 8.4 percent from 2023 to 2024, murder declined 15.8 percent, robberies fell 11.7 percent to a 30-year low, and sexual battery dropped to its lowest rate in three decades. SLED Chief Mark Keel credits statewide efforts but warns that gun violence involving young offenders remains a serious concern. At the local level, construction and renovation projects continue across health care and industrial sites, with SC Biz News noting multimillion-dollar upgrades such as the Prisma Health Laurens County hospital renovation and new speculative industrial facilities to attract future employers.

So far, South Carolina has not faced a major recent hurricane or flooding disaster, though routine seasonal storms and heavy rain events continue to test drainage and transportation infrastructure.

Looking ahead, listeners will want to watch the General Assembly’s upcoming debate over eliminating minority contracting quotas, the rollout of Governor McMaster’s new Center for Cybersecurity at the South Carolina Research Authority as reported by Greenville Business Magazine, hiring timelines for the Orangeburg automotive plant and Greenville data center expansion, and whether the downward trend in violent crime continues in next year’s SLED report.

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