Skylar Laird

Skylar Laird

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Skylar Laird covers the legislature and criminal justice issues at the South Carolina Daily Gazette. A University of Missouri graduate, she reported for the Kansas City Star and Columbia Missourian in her home state. She moved to South Carolina in 2022 to cover local government for The Post and Courier's Columbia bureau and earned a first-place award for beat reporting.

SC legislator arrested on charge of pulling gun at polling place
South Carolina

SC legislator arrested on charge of pulling gun at polling place

Oct 09, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Police arrested a state representative Friday on accusations he pointed a gun at his primary opponent’s relative following an argument outside a polling place. Rep. Michael Rivers, a Democrat from St. Helena Island who lost his reelection bid...
SC law guaranteed teachers 2 days of planning time. Some schools still aren’t complying.
South Carolina

SC law guaranteed teachers 2 days of planning time. Some schools still aren’t complying.

Oct 08, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — When teachers went back to school this summer, a state law guaranteed them two days free of meetings to plan for the year ahead. Nearly 1 in 5 teachers didn’t get those planning days, according to a survey...
Former SC legislator pleads guilty to money laundering, wire fraud
South Carolina

Former SC legislator pleads guilty to money laundering, wire fraud

Oct 07, 2026
Skylar Laird
A former state representative pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to taking settlement money from his legal clients, sometimes by pretending to be them. Ex-Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, a personal injury attorney, pleaded guilty to nine counts of wire fraud, money...
Facing removal, SC school board member refutes accusations in first-of-its-kind hearing
South Carolina

Facing removal, SC school board member refutes accusations in first-of-its-kind hearing

Sep 29, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A Charleston County school board member at the center of potentially multiple state investigations told a panel Monday she didn’t mean to share confidential information or tip the scales to get a contract for her former campaign manager...
SC inmate guilty in stabbing death of 3 during prison riot, jury decides
South Carolina

SC inmate guilty in stabbing death of 3 during prison riot, jury decides

Sep 24, 2026
Skylar Laird
A Lee County jury found an inmate guilty Thursday of participating in a mob that killed three people during the nation’s bloodiest prison riot in a quarter-century. Larry White, now 30, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and three counts...
SC service members need more affordable housing, military leaders say
South Carolina

SC service members need more affordable housing, military leaders say

Sep 23, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s military forces are growing, but they need more places to live, military leaders told top lawmakers Wednesday. Affordable housing, education and support for military spouses are among the biggest concerns service members face when relocating, leaders...
SC gets approval for 2-week red snapper season as lawsuit continues
South Carolina

SC gets approval for 2-week red snapper season as lawsuit continues

Sep 22, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — South Carolina anglers will have two weeks to fish for red snapper this year, a federal agency said Tuesday. The decision came after months of back and forth over the length of the season. South Carolina, along with...
2 years into K-12 voucher program, SC leaders don’t know how students are performing
South Carolina

2 years into K-12 voucher program, SC leaders don’t know how students are performing

Sep 21, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — As the third year of a program that gives state money to K-12 students for educational needs, including private school tuition, begins, state leaders don’t know how those students are doing academically. Under state law, students receiving the...
SC drivers can take UTVs to the roads later this year. Until then, DMV says to keep them home.
South Carolina

SC drivers can take UTVs to the roads later this year. Until then, DMV says to keep them home.

Sep 17, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Owners of utility task vehicles can start driving the small, enclosed vehicles on public roads this year under a new law. The vehicles, which are popular among farmers, hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts, have existed for years in...
Penguins, cats and tortoises: SCETV to release series teaching about zoo animals
South Carolina

Penguins, cats and tortoises: SCETV to release series teaching about zoo animals

Sep 16, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Anyone who’s longed for a closer look at a zoo animal and its habitat will get that chance with a series of videos created through the state’s public broadcasting network. Starting Friday, SCETV will release educational and immersive...
SC Supreme Court denies death row inmate’s appeal of incompetence
South Carolina

SC Supreme Court denies death row inmate’s appeal of incompetence

Sep 16, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — The state’s highest court turned down a last-ditch effort Wednesday for a death row inmate to avoid execution. The one-line order could open the door for Steven Bixby to receive a death warrant as soon as Friday. The...
SC Supreme Court to decide if governor overstepped sending National Guard to DC
South Carolina

SC Supreme Court to decide if governor overstepped sending National Guard to DC

Sep 15, 2026
Skylar Laird
CLEMSON — A legal challenge over Gov. Henry McMaster’s decision to send National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., could test the bounds of the governor’s power as the state’s commander in chief, attorneys argued to the state Supreme Court on...