South-Carolina
South Carolina women’s basketball back to No. 1 in AP Top 25 poll after Week 1 of 2023-24

COLUMBIA — South Carolina women’s basketball spent exactly one week outside of the top 5 in the AP Top 25 poll, jumping from No. 6 back to No. 1 after dominating ranked opponents in its first two games of 2023-24.
The Gamecocks (2-0) received 23 of a possible 36 first-place votes, usurping SEC rival LSU which was the nearly unanimous No. 1 team preseason. The Tigers fell to No. 7 after they were upset by Colorado in their season opener, while the Buffaloes skyrocketed from No. 20 preseason to No. 5 in the Week 1 poll. UConn, which received the lone non-LSU No. 1 vote, also suffered an upset to then-unranked NC State, now No. 14.
South Carolina shocked the women’s basketball world with back-to-back routs of previously top-15 teams Notre Dame and Maryland. The Gamecocks beat the No. 16 Irish 100-71 in their season opener in Paris, then took down No. 20 Maryland 114-76 on Sunday. It was the largest margin of victory and most points scored against a ranked opponent in program history.
South Carolina’s next ranked matchup will be against No. 17 North Carolina on Nov. 30 in Chapel Hill, and it also faces No. 4 Utah on Dec. 10 before beginning SEC play. Four SEC teams were ranked in the Week 1 poll with No. 15 Tennessee and No. 23 Ole Miss joining the Gamecocks and LSU.
South Carolina returned to No. 1 comes after the preseason poll snapped its 37-week streak in the top spot dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season.
BETTER THAN EVER: South Carolina women’s basketball lost 5 starters from Final Four team — and got even better
In 2022-23, the Gamecocks completed the first undefeated regular season in program history and swept the SEC regular season and tournament championships. The team reached a third consecutive Final Four before suffering its lone loss of the season to 2-seed Iowa and Caitlin Clark in the semifinals. The Hawkeyes rank No. 2 and received the other 13 first-place votes after Week 1 thanks to a win over No. 9 Virginia Tech.
Follow South Carolina football beat reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gamecocks content: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.
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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.
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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
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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
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