South-Carolina

Private Donors Help Low-Income Kids Stay In Schools Of Their Choice

Published

12 months ago

March 12, 2025

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Private Donors Help Low-Income Kids Stay In Schools Of Their Choice

South Carolina State Capitol Building, downtown Columbia

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The South Carolina Supreme Court issued a decision last September to strike down the state’s Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF), upending a new education savings account (ESA)-style program enacted by South Carolina lawmakers the prior year. The ESTF program struck down by the South Carolina Supreme Court provided low-income families with an annual scholarship of approximately $6,000 to pay for private school tuition and other education-related expenses.

Thousands of kids from low-income households across South Carolina were a few weeks into the fall semester at a new private school they were attending with the help of an ESA when the South Carolina Supreme Court’s decision jeopardized funding. In the aftermath of that decision and thanks to the leadership of the Palmetto Promise Institute, a South Carolina-based think tank, private individuals, households, and foundations stepped up to ensure that the thousands of children who had been awarded ESAs wouldn’t be forced out of the private school they chose to attend and back into the government-run school they sought to leave.

“I am pleased to announce that Palmetto Promise Institute will be able to fund ESTF scholarships for school tuition though the end of the calendar year due to the generosity of Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania businessman and philanthropist who is a strong believer in the power of school choice options to change lives,” said Wendy Damron, president and CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute, when she announced the creation of the ESA Rescue Fund last October. A recent injection of additional funds into PPI’s ESA Rescue Fund is indicative of how the demand for school choice and momentum behind expanding it are growing, not waning.

Dick and Betsey DeVos recently donated $250,000 to ESA Rescue Fund in South Carolina. The entirety of that donation, like those before it, will go toward keeping ESA recipients in the school of their choosing, ensuring they are not harmed by the state supreme court’s decision last fall.

Ensuring children who began attending private school last fall with ESA assistance wouldn’t be forced back into their old school wasn’t the only impetus for the creation of the ESA Rescue Fund. The other reason was to ensure the long-term viability of school choice in South Carolina.

“We feared that if we did not come in and support the families and schools during this time, they would be afraid to participate again when the program was reinstated,” Damron explains. “These are the families that need the program the most. Additionally, we could create all of the scholarships in the world, but if education providers are afraid to participate, we don’t have a program.”

While Damron and her team continue to raise the funds needed to ensure South Carolina kids aren’t forced back into the government-run schools they sought to leave with the help of an ESA, South Carolina lawmakers have been busy working on the legislative remedy to last September’s state supreme court’s decision against the ESTF. At the end of February, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed legislation to fund ESA’s in a manner that many believe will withstand legal challenges. There are, however, some differences between the House-passed bill and the version approved by the South Carolina Senate in early February. Those differences will need to be worked out in conference committee.

“Besides the funding source, the Senate voted to fund scholarships of about $7,500, or 90% of what the state spends per public school pupil, but the House plan would start with $6,000 scholarships and then increase them based on the percentage increase in state public school funding,” PPI noted of the discrepancies between the House and Senate versions of the ESA funding bill. “While the funding matter is contentious, other states’ ESA programs have withstood legal challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that money given to parents to put toward their child’s education at a private school is not the same as government directly funding private or religious education.”

Even though the South Carolina Supreme Court struck-down a taxpayer-fund ESA-style program less than a year ago, the composition of the court has changed such that a different outcome is anticipated by many the next time around. The chief justice who ruled against South Carolina’s ESA program last September, for example, has since retired, and the new chief justice is pro-school choice.

Expansion Of School Choice Continues As Dominant State Policy Trend

South Carolina is not the only state where lawmakers are seeking to provide parents and children in their state with school choice. Following Governor Bill Lee’s (R-Tenn.) enactment of legislation in February making all Tennessee families eligible for ESAs, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed legislation on Februrary 27 making all Idaho kids eligible to apply for an education tax credit worth up to $5,000 annually, $7,500 for children with special needs. The next state where lawmakers are poised to provide school choice is Texas, where legislation to offer ESAs is now working its way through the Lone Star State Legislature. In fact, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Texas) recently voiced support for the ESA bill pending in his chamber, House Bill 3, which a majority of Texas House members are cosponsoring.

Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) is expressing confidence that 2025 will be the year that a school choice bill makes it to his desk. “For the first time in our great state’s history, the Texas House has the votes to pass a universal school choice program,” Governor Abbott said in a recent press release. Should school choice be enacted in Texas this year, that achievement will be viewed by many as a result of Governor Abbott’s efforts to back statehouse candidates who support school choice.

Since 2020, lawmakers and governors in fifteen states have enacted universal school choice programs. After the recent increase in the number of families that now have access to school choice, another significant boost for school choice eligibility is on the horizon in some of the largest, fastest growing states. The expansion of school choice, like the push for lower and flatter state income taxes, is a state policy trend that is continuing well into 2025.

In the case of school choice, proponents are on the cusp of legislative victories in the second largest state by population (Texas) and the state that experienced the nation’s fastest rate of population growth last year (South Carolina). What’s more, based on the way in which private donors have stepped up in the Palmetto State, access to school choice in South Carolina is no longer wholly dependent on further state legislative action and its ability to survive legal challenge.

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South-Carolina

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

Published

11 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

by JENN WOOD

***

A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in South Carolina accused Greenwood County law enforcement officers of wrongfully arresting and prosecuting a Florida man for fentanyl and cocaine offenses after a traffic stop — despite immediate evidence that the pills in his possession were lawfully prescribed medication.

In a complaint (.pdf) filed in federal court, Bryan Joseph Getchius accused Greenwood County, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), sheriff Dennis Kelly, and three GCSO officers of false arrest, malicious prosecution, negligent supervision and violations of his constitutional rights following a May 2024 stop.

That stop yielded fentanyl and cocaine charges that were ultimately dismissed.

According to the complaint, Getchius was driving through Greenwood County on May 15, 2024 – returning to Florida after visiting family in South Carolina – when deputies stopped his vehicle after observing what they described as swerving. During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle and found a prescription bottle bearing Getchius’ name containing blue pills prescribed as Dicyclomine, a medication commonly used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

The complaint alleges GCSO deputy Wesley McClinton used his cellphone during the stop to search the pill markings and confirmed they matched Dicyclomine — yet still proceeded with field drug testing that produced presumptive positive results for fentanyl.

***

WARRANTS BUILT ON FIELD TESTS

The supporting arrest warrants (.pdf) reveal officers charged Getchius with three felony drug offenses arising from the stop: trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of cocaine. According to the affidavits, these charges were based on pills and powder recovered from a prescription bottle that deputies said produced presumptive positive field-test results for fentanyl and cocaine.

Each affidavit — sworn by officer James Travis Freeman, who the lawsuit says was not present during the stop — described the pills as: “poorly made, broke apart with very small amount of force and were consistent with clandestinely manufactured fentanyl pills.”

The lawsuit argues those statements omitted a critical fact: deputies had already identified the pill markings as lawful prescription medication prior to Getchius’ arrest.

After the arrest, Greenwood County circuit court judge Frank Addy set a surety bond at $25,000 – and ordered Getchius placed on house arrest at his mother’s Greenwood residence under electronic monitoring.

The order allowed limited exceptions for employment, legal appointments, medical visits and religious services.

The complaint stated Getchius spent 15 days in jail before bonding out, then approximately seven months on home arrest – unable to return to his job in Florida or maintain the sobriety support network he had built after more than fourteen months of recovery.

***

RELATED | YET ANOTHER SLED AGENT CHARGED WITH DUI

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SLED LAB RESULTS COLLAPSE THE CASE

According to the lawsuit, the evidence was submitted to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic laboratory shortly after Getchius’ arrest, but final testing did not come back for more than sixteen months — a delay the complaint attributed to SLED’s well-documented forensic backlog, which it says involved roughly 18,000 pending cases statewide at the time.

When the final report (.pdf) was issued on October 1, 2025, SLED forensic scientist Elise London found every tested item contained Dicyclomine — and nothing illegal.

The SLED report specifically found:

fifty blue tablets marked LAN 1282 were Dicyclomine,
blue powder residue was Dicyclomine,
eight capsules marked 0586 LANETT were Dicyclomine,
two additional capsules marked 0586 LANETT were also Dicyclomine.

The lab further noted the tablets’ physical characteristics were “consistent with a pharmaceutical preparation,” directly contradicting warrant language describing them as crudely manufactured narcotics.

According to the complaint, prosecutors offered Getchius a plea deal after receiving the lab report — proposing he plead guilty to a reduced possession charge despite the absence of any controlled substance. He refused, and the charges were later dismissed.

***

BROADER QUESTIONS ABOUT FIELD TESTS

Beyond Getchius’ individual case, the lawsuit touches on a broader issue in South Carolina drug enforcement: arrests frequently begin with presumptive roadside field tests, while definitive laboratory confirmation may take months — or, in backlog cases, more than a year — leaving serious felony charges in place until forensic testing catches up with the allegations.

The complaint alleged Greenwood County failed to properly train its officers on the known limitations of field drug testing, probable cause standards, and the constitutional obligation to include exculpatory information in warrant affidavits.

It also alleged county officials permitted a broader practice of relying on field-test results even when contradictory pharmaceutical evidence was available at the scene.

Getchius seeks actual damages, consequential damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

***

THE COMPLAINT…

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

***

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 10, 2026

Published

23 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

South Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 10, 2026

The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 10, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 10 drawing

16-21-30-35-65, Mega Ball: 07

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 7-8-3, FB: 4

Evening: 6-9-0, FB: 0

Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 3-7-7-1, FB: 4

Evening: 1-3-5-8, FB: 0

Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 10 drawing

Midday: 07

Evening: 06

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from March 10 drawing

04-05-06-07-11

Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:

For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.

Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.

SC Education Lottery

P.O. Box 11039

Columbia, SC 29211-1039

For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.

Columbia Claims Center

1303 Assembly Street

Columbia, SC 29201

Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.

For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.

When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South-Carolina

Source: Lamont Paris returning to South Carolina next season

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Source: Lamont Paris returning to South Carolina next season

NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Lamont Paris will remain the head coach for South Carolina men’s basketball next season.

A source confirmed to WIS that Paris will return for his fifth season at the helm.

The Gamecocks have gone 62-67 under Paris, which included an NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2023-24 season. In the two seasons since, however, South Carolina has gone 12-20 and 13-18, respectively.

Paris’s tenure has also included a 23-49 record against the SEC as of Tuesday.

The Gamecocks will face Oklahoma on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. The game will also be televised on the SEC Network.

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