South-Carolina

SC-Ga.’s Jasper port barely treading water after 19 years

Published

1 month ago

February 1, 2026

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SC-Ga.’s Jasper port barely treading water after 19 years

The short-term prospects for the long-planned megaport in Jasper County aren’t gaining much steam.

In fact, they appear to be nearly dead in the water.

At one of his first public appearances before lawmakers, S.C. State Ports Authority CEO Micah Mallace provided a update last week about the Jasper Ocean Terminal that South Carolina and Georgia vowed to develop together along the Savannah River nearly two decades ago.

“Where are we with that now?” asked Rep. David Weeks, D-Sumter.

Mallace, with his first 100 days under his belt, replied that the SPA’s Peach State’s counterpart isn’t as engaged as it was earlier on in the drawn-out process.

“I think that the Georgia Ports Authority has been clear in their intentions and that they wish to deliver more infrastructure, more capacity that they control individually … on the Georgia side of the river, if you will,” he said Jan. 28.

He added that South Carolina’s nearest maritime rival “enjoys ample capacity for the foreseeable future for the next couple of decades.”

“We remain committed to delivering something in Jasper at the right time but certainly don’t have the funding nor the demand to do so in the short term,” Mallace said of the SPA.

Rep. Leon Stavrinakis of Charleston chimed in that it “doesn’t sound like you have a partner right now” for the project.

“That’s right,” Mallace said.

The 1,500-acre site on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River was was first identified as a prime deep-water maritime hub location about 40 years ago.

The two states formally agreed to pursue the deal together in March 2007 and acquired the site near Ridgeland the following year for $7.6 million. They’ve since contributed a total of roughly $20 million over the years to pay for preliminary engineering studies, consultants and other expenses.

The original goal was to be open in 2025.

The Jasper terminal would be a $5 billion game changer for the Southeast shipping industry, outfitted with up to 10 berths that could handle as many as 7 million cargo containers a year. County leaders were eager to build the terminal as quickly as possible to create thousands of jobs and expand the tax base.

S.C., Ga. agree to fund Jasper port deal for another year (copy) — The proposed Jasper Ocean Terminal (upper right) was announced in 2007 for a 1,500 acres on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River in Jasper County.

The timing was reassessed and pushed back in 2018, when a new forecast showed the new terminal wouldn’t be needed until 2035 at the earliest, a decade later than the previous estimate.

By then, Georgia was starting to move on. It chose in 2019 to stick close to home by outlining plans to convert about 200 acres up the river on Hutchinson Island near downtown Savannah into a three-ship container terminal that’s expected to open in 2030.

The decision pushed work at the Jasper site even further back.

The Port of Charleston, meanwhile, saw an unexpected expansion opportunity drop in its lap when WestRock Co. agreed to sell its shuttered Cooper River paper mill to the SPA two years ago. The $110 million purchase is expected to more give the authority’s neighboring North Charleston Terminal room to grow through 2050 or beyond.

For now, all preliminary work at the Jasper port property is on hold. The six-member board that South Carolina and Georgia created to move the project along hasn’t met since October 2024. Its website hasn’t been updated.

Andy Fulghum, Jasper County’s administrator, said in an email that he and other local officials have “been at this a long time” but they understand “all of this is market-driven.”

He also was appreciative that the area’s Statehouse delegation for helping redirect funding from the idled terminal effort “to assist us with some current economic development projects.”

“This makes sense and will help us to better respond to current landside port-related development interest in that area,” he said.

A $1.8 million budget request last week will go toward a new trade park in Jasper that, ironically, will handle cargo shipments from the Port of Savannah.

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How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | March 3

Published

7 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

How to watch Tennessee Volunteers: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | March 3

The college basketball slate on Tuesday will include Mike Sharavjamts and the South Carolina Gamecocks (12-17, 3-13 SEC) hosting Nate Ament and the No. 25 Tennessee Volunteers (20-9, 10-6 SEC) at Colonial Life Arena, with the matchup tipping at 6 p.m. ET.

See more details below, including how to watch this game on SEC Network.

Here’s everything you need to prepare for Tuesday’s college hoops action.

South Carolina vs. Tennessee: How to watch on TV or live stream

Game day: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Game time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Arena: Colonial Life Arena
TV Channel: SEC Network
Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)

Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Tennessee vs. South Carolina stats and trends

Tennessee is averaging 80.1 points per game (87th-ranked in college basketball) this year, while ceding 69.2 points per contest (62nd-ranked).
The Volunteers are dominating when it comes to rebounding, as they rank third-best in college basketball in boards (40.1 per game) and second-best in boards allowed (25.8 per contest).
Tennessee ranks 32nd in the country with 17.0 assists per game.
The Volunteers are committing 11.6 turnovers per game (240th-ranked in college basketball). They are forcing 10.6 turnovers per contest (231st-ranked).
Tennessee is making 6.8 threes per game (279th-ranked in college basketball). It has a 34.3% shooting percentage (167th-ranked) from three-point land.
With 7.9 threes conceded per game, the Volunteers rank 196th in the country. They are giving up a 30.5% shooting percentage from three-point land, which ranks 29th in college basketball.
Tennessee is attempting 41.3 two-pointers per game this year, which account for 67.7% of the shots it has taken (and 76.2% of the team’s baskets). Meanwhile, it is attempting 19.7 three-pointers per contest, which are 32.3% of its shots (and 23.8% of the team’s buckets).

Tennessee vs. South Carolina Odds and Spread

Spread Favorite: Volunteers (-8.5)
Moneyline: Tennessee (-437), South Carolina (+328)
Total: 143.5 points

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 1:12 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Watch college basketball on Fubo!

Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.

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Bombing of Iran could mean South Carolinians paying more for gas

Published

19 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Bombing of Iran could mean South Carolinians paying more for gas

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have caused a sharp rise in global energy prices.
Analysts predict gas prices will rise in the U.S., including in South Carolina.
The conflict has disrupted oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial global transit route.
South Carolina’s average gas price remains lower than the national average, which is approaching $3 per gallon.

An escalating conflict involving U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in March 2026 has initiated a sharp rise in global energy prices.

Analysts predict a significant uptick in U.S. gasoline prices, including in South Carolina, which often has some of the lowest gas prices in the country.

As of March 2026, AAA reports the national average for regular gasoline is $2.997 per gallon.

Based on projections released earlier this year in the Short-Term Energy Outlook, 2026 was initially forecast to have lower gas prices than 2025. With an expected 6% decrease, translating into approximately a 20-cent-per-gallon drop.

However, due to the conflict, these projections are now uncertain, and prices may not follow the anticipated trend.

“The national average price of gasoline has climbed for a fourth straight week, driven primarily by seasonal tightening and broader market dynamics,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

In the week ahead, De Han stated, gasoline prices are likely to face heightened upward pressure as seasonal trends continue and markets navigate this evolving geopolitical landscape, with the national average poised to reach the $3-per-gallon mark for the first time this year.

“Looking ahead, markets will now begin reacting to this weekend’s U.S.-Iran attacks, which have elevated geopolitical risk premiums even in the absence of immediate supply disruption,” said De Haan. “Oil prices have firmed as traders assess the potential for further escalation, and while fundamentals such as inventories and refinery activity remain important anchors, the risk of broader instability, particularly involving key transit routes, has injected fresh uncertainty into energy markets.”

Here’s what South Carolinians need to know.

How much is gas in South Carolina?

South Carolina’s average gasoline price remains significantly lower than the national average.

In South Carolina, the average price for regular gasoline currently stands at $2.666 per gallon, according to AAA. Mid-grade gasoline is priced at $3.099, premium gasoline is $3.494, and diesel is priced at $3.505.

Gas price hikes anticipated as bombing continue in Iran

South Carolina drivers should consider filling up their gas tanks soon to avoid potential price spikes.

Analysts expect crude oil, which ended trading on Friday, Feb. 27, at about $67 a barrel, to open this week at $90 or higher as traders process the news that Iranian forces have restricted traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Why are gas prices rising?

Iran is a major oil producer, and the ongoing conflict has disrupted the flow of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s oil passes, according to reports from USA TODAY.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has warned vessels to avoid the area, and major shipping companies like Maersk have suspended all crossings. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates send most of their oil exports through there.

This disruption has and could continue to reduce supply, driving prices up as demand remains steady.

“Too many global economies depend on that corridor to remain blocked,” De Haan said. “Markets price high transaction costs and additional uncertainty, he says, but he is not expecting full closure.”

If access through the strait is limited for an extended period, prices could rise “materially above $100/barrel,” said analysts at TD Securities in a March 1 note.

On the other hand, if access through the strait is guaranteed and hostilities cease, the added costs to account for the extra risk could evaporate in a matter of weeks, the TD team wrote.

“If it becomes clear this week that the tensions with Iran are short-lived, then oil prices will come back to the 60s,” said Rob Thummel, portfolio manager at $9 billion investment manager Tortoise Capital, in emailed remarks to USA TODAY.

Has South Carolina hit highest record average gas prices?

Despite the current spike in gas prices due to the conflict, South Carolina has not yet surpassed its highest recorded average prices, according to AAA.

The record for regular unleaded gasoline in the state was $4.609 per gallon on June 12, 2022.

Diesel hit a peak of $5.638 per gallon on June 10, 2022.

March gas price outlook: What drivers need to know about gas prices

As reported by USA TODAY on Feb. 28, the national average for U.S. gas prices is likely to push above $3 a gallon on March 2 for the first time this year.

Over the next couple of weeks, prices will likely hit at least $3.10 to $3.15 a gallon.

There’s also a normal seasonal increase in gas prices around this time of year, driven by seasonal pipeline maintenance, the transition to more expensive summer-blend fuel, and an increase in driving, according to GasBuddy analysis.

Rob Thummel, portfolio manager at $9 billion investment manager Tortoise Capital, expects gas prices to rise in roughly the same rate as oil prices over the coming weeks.

If crude jumps 10%, gas prices will as well, said Thummel.

Upstate SC Gas landscape

According to GasBuddy, in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson, gas prices have shown similar trends to the national average, with drivers experiencing gradual increases at the pump.

Upstate South Carolina stations are adjusting prices in response to crude oil fluctuations and seasonal factors. Here’s the latest prices as of Mondy, March 2 at noon:

Greenville gas prices

Stop-A-Minit: 1091 S Piedmont Hwy., recently reported $2.47
Power Trac: 470 Bessie Road, recently reported $2.47
BP: 1631 White Horse Road, recently reported $2.49
Payal Express Mart: 1800 Easley Bridge Road, recently reported $2.49

Spartanburg gas prices

QuikTrip: 21 Fairview Church Road, recently reported $2.26
Walmart Neighborhood Market: 201 Cedar Springs Road, recently reported $2.27
Costco Wholesale: 211 W Blackstock Road, recently reported $2.31
Sam’s Club, 200 Peachwood Center Drive, recently reported $2.31

Anderson gas prices

Spinix: 3221 S Murray Ave., recently reported $2.31.
Raceway: 4606 Clemson Blvd., recently reported $2.34.
BP: 501 E Greenville St., recently reported $2.39.
Sam’s Club: 3812 Liberty Hwy., recently reported $2.44

Travis Jacque Rose is the trending news reporter for the Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at trose@gannett.com

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Rev. Jesse Jackson returns home to South Carolina to lie in state

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Rev. Jesse Jackson returns home to South Carolina to lie in state

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After a long career of fighting for civil rights, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is visiting his home for one last time to lie in state at the South Carolina capitol on Monday.

The final full honors from the state where he was born is a far cry from his childhood in segregated Greenville, where in 1960 he couldn’t go inside the local library’s much better funded whites-only branch to check out a book he needed.

Jackson led seven Black high school students into that segregated branch, where they sat down and read books and magazines until they were arrested. The branches closed, then quietly reopened for all.

With that action, Jackson launched his career — and crusade — fighting for equality for all. He would catch the attention of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and join the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Jackson died Feb. 17 at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.

The South Carolina services are part of two weeks of events. It began with Jackson’s body lying in repose and the public invited last week to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Chicago headquarters.

After South Carolina, Jackson will be returned to Chicago for a large celebration of life gathering at a megachurch and the final homegoing services at the headquarters of Rainbow PUSH. Plans for a service in Washington, D.C., to honor him have been postponed until a later date.

Nationally, Jackson advocated for the poor and underrepresented for voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders.

Trough his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society. He stepped forward as the Civil Rights Movement’s torchbearer after King’s assassination, and would run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Jackson continued to be active in his home state, pushing in 2003 for Greenville County to honor King by matching the federal holiday in his honor and in 2015 by advocating for removing the Confederate flag from South Carolina Statehouse grounds after nine Black worshipers were killed in a racist shooting at a Charleston church.

Jackson is just the second Black man to lie in state at the South Carolina capitol. State Sen. Clementa Pinckney was honored in 2015 after he was shot and killed in the Charleston church shooting.

___

Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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