South Carolina's Week in Review: Record Fentanyl Seizure, Hate Crime Charge, and Nuclear Plant License Extension

South Carolina listeners are catching up on a week marked by headline-making news across public safety, infrastructure, business, and weather. Law enforcement seized a record 156 pounds of fentanyl, considered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office the largest in state history, and two brothers are now facing federal charges. In another major first for state law, Richland County deputies charged a man under the county’s new hate crime ordinance after an assault on a Black jogger, marking an early test of this updated local policy, according to recent police reports. Tragedy also struck Columbia, where the family of 12-year-old Jaysen Carr confirmed he died after exposure to a rare Naegleria fowleri amoeba while swimming in Lake Murray.

Government and politics brought important legislative action. The South Carolina General Assembly returned briefly to Columbia, promptly overriding the governor’s veto on a pending gun charges bill. According to the South Carolina Association of Counties, the legislature’s work on the FY 2025-26 budget is complete, with lawmakers focusing on infrastructure and public employee pay. At the local government level, Richland County made history by enforcing its hate crime ordinance, and Charleston County authorities filed the first charge under a new state law targeting derelict boats, demonstrating a local and state commitment to new regulations in public safety and environmental stewardship.

Economic news centered around expansion and retrenchment. Andrews Fabricators of Kingstree announced a three-million-dollar expansion in Williamsburg County. The project, which will add 40 new jobs, was praised by the Secretary of Commerce and underscores the role of manufacturing in rural South Carolina’s future. Setbacks were felt, too, as Canfor Corporation confirmed it will close its Darlington and Estill sawmills by August, a move expected to impact local employment, according to Columbia Business Monthly. Meanwhile, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station’s license by 20 years, keeping a major energy employer operating through 2062.

Communities and schools faced both relief and challenge. South Carolina school leaders expressed deep relief as the Trump administration released more than six billion in federal education funds after a nearly month-long hold. These redirected dollars had made up about 13 percent of last year’s federal support to state schools, and their release brings welcomed certainty as the new academic year begins, according to State Superintendent Ellen Weaver. The state’s infrastructure is also advancing with the Department of Transportation approving $200 million in new bridge funding, expediting work on the agency’s goal of restoring 530 bridges within a decade. In public safety, state disaster recovery received a boost as HUD announced over $150 million in federal aid for areas impacted by past hurricanes.

Significant weather for the week includes a heat wave pushing into record territory, prompting warnings across the state for dangerous conditions, with meteorologists warning of health risks and urging precautions. Isolated severe storms have brought strong downbursts, locally damaging but not widespread.

Looking ahead, listeners can expect the SCDOT’s next bridge modernization meeting on August 20, ongoing debates as Rep. Ralph Norman enters the South Carolina governor’s race, and the continued employment ripple effect from manufacturing transitions in the region. As always, thank you for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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