In-depth
South Carolina cities know where the water goes but funding the repairs remains harder
The water usually arrives before anyone calls it a flood.
In Florence, it can start as a brown sheet sliding along a curb in historic...
Mental health help is close on paper but far in real life for many South Carolina families
Florence, South Carolina - Teresa Whitaker did not know where to take her son after he stopped going to school. He was 15, quiet...
Columbia faces hard questions as sidewalks and storefronts become signs of system strain
Columbia, South Carolina - Harold Simmons sees the same blue tarp most mornings before he sees the State House dome. He drives into downtown...
Hundreds of thousands of S.C. workers don’t ask for luxury, they are asking for margin: “One emergency away”
Editor’s note: The name of the hotel worker in this story has been changed to protect her privacy. The Florence News Journal confirmed her...
Fentanyl deaths fall, but South Carolina families still count the empty chairs
Florence, South Carolina - Renee McCall keeps her brother’s last voicemail because she is afraid of forgetting the sound of him sober. It is...
Trust in South Carolina government depends on solving problems residents see daily
Columbia - The pothole does not care which party controls Columbia. Neither does the flooded intersection. Or the tent under the bridge. Or the...
Rising home premiums and housing costs are pricing South Carolina families out
South Carolina - Renee Collins did not lose the house because of the price. That is the part she keeps repeating. The small three-bedroom...
We analyze: Florence County school spending grew into a bigger question: how much reaches the classroom?
Florence County, South Carolina - Florence County’s public school budgets tell two stories at once. One is the story school boards usually tell in...
We analyze: Where Florence’s money really goes as city and county budgets climb
A three-year look at City of Florence and Florence County budgets shows rising costs, major infrastructure spending, public safety pressures, utility investments, grants, debt...