Skylar Laird

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Skylar Laird

Oaks on the Gregorie Neck property, a nearby piece of land also conserved by The Nature Conservancy in Jasper County. (Provided/Holcombe, Fair and Lane)A 2,700-acre piece of land in Jasper County is slated to become South Carolina’s first new state forest in more than two decades. The Nature Conservancy bought the property, known as Chelsea Plantation, last week for $32 million. Originally nearly 6,000 acres, parts of the property had already been sold to groups looking to develop it into homes.

2 weeks ago | scdailygazette.com | Skylar Laird

A 2,700-acre piece of land in Jasper County is slated to become South Carolina’s first new state forest in more than two decades. The Nature Conservancy bought the property, known as Chelsea Plantation, last week for $32 million. Originally nearly 6,000 acres, parts of the property had already been sold to groups looking to develop it into homes. That decision, which would involve annexing the property into nearby Ridgeland, is still pending.

2 weeks ago | scdailygazette.com | Skylar Laird

COLUMBIA — A pay raise for legislators, lottery ticket payments using debit cards and a potential reduction in funding for the city of Columbia were all part of a spending plan a panel of legislators approved Wednesday. Much of the actual spending in the state’s $14.7 billion budget, including a $1,500 bump in the state’s minimum teacher pay and the completion of an income tax reduction already in law, was locked in when the six-person committee started negotiating Tuesday.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Skylar Laird

The Board of Economic Advisors adjusted its revenue projections Tuesday, May 20, 2025, giving legislators an additional $1 billion to spend as they began budget negotiations. (File/Getty Images)COLUMBIA — An extra $1 billion fell into legislators’ laps as they started budget negotiations Tuesday, making a budget process with few sticking points potentially even smoother.

2 weeks ago | scdailygazette.com | Skylar Laird

COLUMBIA — An extra $1 billion fell into legislators’ laps as they started budget negotiations Tuesday, making a budget process with few sticking points potentially even smoother. Following a stronger-than-anticipated tax season for the state, along with continued increases in corporate income tax and sales tax collections, legislators will have an additional $669 million for one-time expenses and $377 million in recurring revenue, the state Board of Economic Advisors announced Tuesday.