South-Carolina
Beyond Harris and Trump: Three consequential or interesting races on South Carolina ballots
Election Day will be about more than just Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Though the presidential election is commanding the most attention, down-ballot races and issues could most directly impact the lives of South Carolina and Upstate voters.
Here are three consequential — and interesting — races in South Carolina.
The race: Proposed constitutional amendment on voting
What’s on the ballot: South Carolina voters will see a proposed amendment to section 4 of Article II of the state Constitution reading “Must Section 4, Article II of the Constitution of this State, relating to voter qualifications, be amended so as to provide that only a citizen of the United States and of this State of the age of eighteen and upwards who is properly registered is entitled to vote as provided by law?”
What’s at stake: The proposed change would alter one word of the state Constitution to have it read “only a citizen of the United States and of this State of the age of eighteen and upwards who is properly registered is entitled to vote as provided by law.” Although an investigation found no non-citizens were voting in the state’s elections, lawmakers call the initiative a “belt and suspenders” approach to ensure there is no way South Carolina’s Supreme Court could rule citizens can vote in the elections. Critics of the proposal say this is a solution to a non-problem and could lead to future restrictions in voting.
The race: 4th Congressional District
Who is running: Democrat Kathryn Harvey is looking to unseat GOP incumbent William Timmons. Timmons almost lost to his primary challenger Adam Morgan in June and only secured a win by a little over 2,200 votes.
What’s at stake: Though the Upstate is an area of South Carolina with a GOP stronghold, Harvey outraised Timmons. Harvey brought in $268,393 and Timmons raised $88,609. Supporters argue this shows Harvey has a chance to claim the seat in Congress. But Timmons has also been in key swing states campaigning for Trump and suspended campaign activity to focus on recovery after Hurricane Helene trampled the district.
The race: State Senate District 41
Who is running: State Rep. Matt Leber, R-Charleston, unseated Sen. Sandy Senn, one of three GOP “Sister Senators” who blocked a near-total abortion ban in 2023, in the June primaries earlier this year. Rita Adkins is the Democratic nominee in the race.
What’s at stake: All three GOP Sister Senators were ousted this year. Charleston’s State Senate District 41 was won by the GOP in 2020 by 378 votes, meaning the race could be close this year.

South-Carolina
South Carolina Elections Commission deputy executive director fired after internal investigation

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The deputy executive director for the South Carolina Elections Commission has been fired amid an ongoing SLED investigation.
According to a spokesperson from the elections commission, Paige Salonich was fired after an internal investigation was made into her conduct. She was initially suspended while the investigation was ongoing.
In Salonich’s termination letter, the elections commission said that she was caught by agency security cameras placing “an unauthorized device in the SEC training room a clear violation of state and agency policy,” on Sept. 17.
In the letter, the commission said that placing the unauthorized device “constitutes the unauthorized use and misuse of state property and raises serious concerns regarding trust, confidentiality, and workplace integrity.”
Salonich also allegedly used profane language and raised her voice at leadership on Sept. 17, saying that she “was being held hostage at you own (explicit language) job,” and that she “would never be a hostage in this (explicit language) place again,” per her termination letter.
Her termination comes after former Executive Director of the South Carolina Elections Commission, Howard Knapp, was also fired on Sept. 17.
SLED is currently investigating Salonich’s placement of the unauthorized device.
The full letter can be found below.
This is a developing story. Stay with WIS for the latest details.
Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.
WATCH US LIVE
Watch WIS live during newscasts and Soda City Living in the livestream player below. When WIS is not on the air, the player will feature Gray Media’s Local News Live.
Copyright 2025 WIS. All rights reserved.
South-Carolina
Firefighter hospitalized after McDonald’s restaurant catches fire in South Carolina

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WBTV) – A firefighter was hurt after a McDonald’s restaurant caught fire in South Carolina on Tuesday.
The Sept. 23 fire broke out around 12:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s on Cedar Springs Road in Spartanburg, per sister-station WHNS.
The local fire marshal told WHNS that the injured firefighter was taken to the hospital, but was released later Tuesday morning. The nature and extent of the firefighter’s injuries were not immediately clear.
According to online information, that McDonald’s was open until 12 a.m. Despite the fire starting only a half hour after closing time, WHNS reported that nobody was inside the restaurant when flames broke out.
The fire marshal said the fire started in the restaurant’s HVAC system above the ceiling tiles. Drone video taken by WHNS appeared to show black marks on the McDonald’s roof; however, officials said the roof did not collapse.
Once the fire was put out, two paper signs were taped to the restaurant door. One said “CLOSED” while the other said “WARNING THIS BUILDING IS UNSAFE.” It is unclear how much damage was caused by the flames, or long the McDonald’s could be closed.
The restaurant is about 15 minutes off I-85 Business, on the southern side of Spartanburg.
Also Read: Historic train depot burns down amid early-morning fire in South Carolina
Watch continuous news coverage here:
Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.
South-Carolina
South Carolina High School Football Top 25

There wasn’t a lot of shakeup in the fourth. week of the 2025 season. We did see ac top five battle between Northwestern and South Pointe that produced a new No. 2 in Irmo. Two new additions to the Top 25 are A.C. Flora and Stratford.
Previous rank: 1
Defeated Gray Collegiate 42-14; next at Oceanside Collegiate
Previous rank: 3
Defeated Carolina Forest 51-21; next at Myrtle Beach
Previous rank: 4.
Defeated then-No. 2 Northwestern 27-23; next at No, 24 A.C. Flora
Previous rank: 5
Idle; next at Chapin
Previous rank: 2
Lost 27-23 to then-No. 4 South Pointe
Previous rank: 6
Defeated Strom Thurmond 37-13; next vs. Gilbert
Previous rank: 7
Defeated Westside 42-6; next vs, Palmetto
Previous rank: 8
Defeated North Myrtle Beach 53-14; next at Socastee
Previous rank: 10
Defeated Woodmont 48-6; next vs. Chesnee
Previous rank: 11
Defeated Lexington 36-30; next at T.L. Hanna
Previous rank: 12
Defeated Chapin 45-22; next vs. Fairfield Central
Previous rank: 13
Defeated Chester 34-14; next vs. Southside Christian
Previous rank: 14
Defeated Cane Bay 34-14; next at St. James
Previous rank: 16
Defeated Crestwood 28-0; next vs. Spring Valley
Previous rank: 17
Idle; next vs. Gray Collegiate
Previous rank: 19
Defeated Fort Dorchester 65-7; next vs. Crestwood
Previous rank: 20
Idle; next vs. Riverside
Previous rank: 21
Idle; next at Woodmont
Previous rank: 23
Defeated then-No. 9 Camden 56-13; next idle
Previous rank: 22
Idle; next at Cane Bay
Previous rank: 24
Idle; next vs. Boiling Springs
Previous rank: 25
Defeated Wren 40-27; next vs. Greenwood
Previous rank: 9
Lost 56-13 to Ridge View; next at Richland Northeast
Previous rank: unranked
Defeated Laurens 49-0; next vs. No. 3 South Pointe
Previous rank: unranked
Defeated Socastee 56-12; next vs. Colleton County
-
Finance6 days ago
Reimagining Finance: Derek Kudsee on Coda’s AI-Powered Future
-
Business1 week ago
How Nexstar’s Proposed TV Merger Is Tied to Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension
-
North Dakota6 days ago
Board approves Brent Sanford as new ‘commissioner’ of North Dakota University System
-
World1 week ago
Russian jets enter Estonia's airspace in latest test for NATO
-
Crypto5 days ago
Texas brothers charged in cryptocurrency kidnapping, robbery in MN
-
World5 days ago
Syria’s new president takes center stage at UNGA as concerns linger over terrorist past
-
Technology5 days ago
These earbuds include a tiny wired microphone you can hold
-
Culture5 days ago
Test Your Memory of These Classic Books for Young Readers