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Greenville, Spartanburg judges vie for seat on SC Supreme Court, General Assembly to decide

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Greenville, Spartanburg judges vie for seat on SC Supreme Court, General Assembly to decide


Two Upstate judges are vying for the third seat on South Carolina’s Supreme Court.

Judge Letitia Verdin, from Greenville, and Judge Keith Kelly, from Spartanburg, are two out of six candidates seeking the spot left open by Greenville native John Kittredge, who was unanimously elected to be the next chief justice. The current Chief Justice Don Beatty, a native of Spartanburg, is set to retire in the summer after he turns 72, the state’s mandatory retirement age for judges.

Out of the candidates looking to be on the SC Supreme Court, three of them are women. Right now, South Carolina represents the lone state with an all-male Supreme Court in the nation.

The Judicial Merit Selection Commission will choose three of the candidates after a public hearing on May 9 and send the candidates to be voted on by a joint General Assembly.

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Who are the candidates?

The legislature can choose to diversify the SC Supreme Court by selecting one of the three women, two of whom are women of color.

Candidates include:

  • Administrative Law Court Chief Judge Ralph Anderson from Columbia
  • State Appeals Court Judge Blake Hewitt from Conway
  • Circuit Court Judge Deadra Jefferson from Charleston
  • Circuit Court Judge Keith Kelly from Spartanburg
  • Circuit Court Judge Jocelyn Newman from Columbia
  • State Appeals Court Judge Letitia Verdin from Greenville

Greenville, Spartanburg judge’s qualifications

Judge Verdin graduated from Furman University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology degree and went on to receive her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 1997. She was then elected to the Family Court as a resident judge in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit in 2008. In 2011, the South Carolina Legislature elected her to the 2nd seat of the Circuit Court and later elected her to the 2nd seat of the Court of Appeals in 2023.

Judge Kelly attended the University of South Carolina and cross-enrolled in the U.S. Army ROTC program at Wofford College, serving as Battalion Commander and graduated in 1981. He received his Juris Doctorate Degree from Mercer University in 1987 and returned to Spartanburg. Kelly is also a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, where he served on the SC House Judiciary Committee and was chairman of the Criminal Laws subcommittee.

Six-week abortion ban ruling

In 2023, the all-male Supreme Court faced criticism after reinstating South Carolina’s controversial six-week abortion law in a 4-1 ruling, with Chief Justice Don Beatty representing the lone dissent.

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The ruling came after the SC Supreme Court’s lone woman justice, Kaye Hearn, retired due to state law term limits on judgeships in February 2023. When Hearn retired, Greenville’s Judge Gary Hill was elected and replaced the sole female judge.

Savannah Moss covers Greenville County politics and growth/development. Reach her at smoss@gannett.com or follow her on X @Savmoss.



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South-Carolina

South Carolina Elections Commission deputy executive director fired after internal investigation

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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.”

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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.

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Firefighter hospitalized after McDonald’s restaurant catches fire in South Carolina

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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.

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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.

A McDonald’s in Spartanburg, S.C. caught fire just after midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 23.(WHNS)

Also Read: Historic train depot burns down amid early-morning fire in South Carolina

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South Carolina High School Football Top 25

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Previous rank: 17

Idle; next vs. Gray Collegiate

Previous rank: 19

Defeated Fort Dorchester 65-7; next vs. Crestwood

Previous rank: 20

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Idle; next vs. Riverside

Previous rank: 21

Idle; next at Woodmont

Previous rank: 23

Defeated then-No. 9 Camden 56-13; next idle

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Previous rank: 22

Idle; next at Cane Bay

Previous rank: 24

Idle; next vs. Boiling Springs

Previous rank: 25

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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

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Previous rank: unranked

Defeated Socastee 56-12; next vs. Colleton County



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