Alaina Moore
The Great South Carolina Tax Scam: What Your Legislators Did While You Were Filing Your Taxes
Have you been wondering why you owe the government more money than usual while filing your taxes this year? Or wonder where all those empty “tax relief” promises went? While South Carolinians were busy filing their returns this…
Legislative Cover: How SC’s Legislators Helped Create The Election Commission Mess It Now Claims To Fix
In our previous reporting from March 2025 and October 2025, we documented how the South Carolina Election Commission (SEC) former Executive Director Howard “Howie” Knapp used the state’s Master Lease Program as a backdoor to borrow tens of millions of dollars…
Petitions, Protests, and Power Bills: Spartanburg Faces Data Center Debacle
As South Carolina continues to be flooded with data center proposals, Spartanburg County citizens have decided to push back. Following a heated county council meeting, a petition has sparked renewed scrutiny over how these facilities are approved, who…
Fast-Tracked and Funded or Political Theater? Following the Money and Politics Behind the MMR Bill
Author: janispsw On February 5th, 2025, something unusual happened in our Republican majority of South Carolina. A bill was filed by a Democrat, State Senator Margie Bright Matthews. That a bill was filed is nothing out of the ordinary; thousands are filed…
Will Legislators Who Profited From Opioid Settlements Vote on AG’s Budget?
In November, Palmetto State Watch Foundation submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (SCAG) for the past ten years of Litigation Retention Agreements and financial documents with outside law firms, including those representing political subdivisions…
The Senate Just Told Everyone Under 65 to ‘Pay Up and Shut Up’
Over the past several weeks, the South Carolina Senate has heavily debated S.768, a bill that would give a property tax break to those 65 and older who have lived in South Carolina for ten years or more. S.768,…
Four Candidates, One Party, Zero Accountability: SC’s Supreme Court Circus
The four nominees for South Carolina’s open Supreme Court seat have highlighted the way judges are chosen in the Palmetto State, which tends to be less about legal expertise and more of a masterclass in political networking within…
The Blue-Collar Tax Hike: See How H.4216 Hits Your Household + Immediate Action Steps
The South Carolina legislature has come back to attempt passage of H.4216 which increases taxes for lower income families and eliminates all standard and itemized deductions. Legislators tried to push this through last year, as we sounded the alarm in previous…
H.3217: Should The Ten Commandments Be Required To Be Posted In Classrooms?
This past week, a member of the media asked for our perspective on H.3217, a bill that requires all classrooms in South Carolina to hang a poster of the Ten Commandments on the wall. Our team thought long and…
Inside the Meltdown: GOP Backlash Derails South Carolina’s Incumbent Protection Act (H.3643)
January 21st, 2026 — The long-anticipated House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee hearing for the Incumbent Protection Act, also known as H.3643, delivered exactly what our team was expecting: establishment Republicans doing everything possible to pretend this bill isn’t designed to keep challengers…
Parental Rights Act (H.4757): Trying To Do The Right Thing In The Wrong Way
State Representative Tommy Pope of York County has introduced H.4757, a bill that has been dubbed the “Parental Rights Act” and has over 50 co-sponsors, including many Freedom Caucus members. While it is being advertised by the sponsors…
Petitions, Protests, & Power Bills: Spartanburg Faces Data Center Debacle
As South Carolina continues to be flooded with data center proposals, Spartanburg County citizens have decided to push back. Following a heated county council meeting, a petition has sparked renewed scrutiny over how these facilities are approved, who…
Boon or Burden? Google Invests $9B Into South Carolina Data Centers
Google announced that it plans to invest $9 billion into South Carolina to expand its Berkeley County data center and build two new sites in Dorchester County. However, with the recent laws passed by the SC legislature and…
State Supreme Court Rules Legislator Pay Raise Unconstitutional
The South Carolina Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that it is unconstitutional for state lawmakers to raise their own pay while in office. In their opinion that dropped on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, the State Supreme Court issued…
SNAP On Pause, Nonprofit In Play: Should The One SC Fund Fill The Gap?
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has turned to a wealthy nonprofit to substitute for the SNAP entitlement program as federal food assistance went on hiatus this past weekend — calling on South Carolinians to donate to One SC…
BEHIND BARS: Former Elections Director Howard Knapp & Deputy Paige Salonich
On Friday morning, October 24, 2025, Former South Carolina Elections Director Howard “Howie” Knapp and Deputy Director Paige Salonich were arrested by the State Law Enforcement Division. Howard Knapp (40) is facing eleven charges: Eight charges related to…
Ex-Director or Disposed Dictator? SC Elections Commission Fires Howard Knapp
Former State Election Director Howard Knapp had a tumultuous career plagued with issues and investigations that we have spent the past three years covering. Little did we know, there was so much more beneath the surface. This is…
