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.

Alex Murdaugh double murder retrial to take place next year, SC judge decides
South Carolina

Alex Murdaugh double murder retrial to take place next year, SC judge decides

3:51pm ET
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Alex Murdaugh’s second double murder trial is slated for April, guaranteeing a new attorney general will oversee the prosecution. The state Supreme Court last month overturned Murdaugh’s 2023 conviction and life sentence on charges of killing his wife...
State Museum debuts exhibit highlighting SC’s role in Revolutionary War
South Carolina

State Museum debuts exhibit highlighting SC’s role in Revolutionary War

Jun 26, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Soon after Patriots defended Charles Town at Fort Moultrie in 1776, the regiment received a flag embroidered with acorns, a battle drum and an early version of the crescent that would eventually adorn the state flag. Almost exactly...
SC legislators make deal on bill meant to crack down on DUIs
South Carolina

Deal on SC bill meant to crack down on DUIs blows up over THC

Jun 25, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Faster drug screenings, legal limits on THC and longer jail sentences for people suspected of driving under the influence who refuse to take breathalyzer tests are part of a compromise legislators laid out Wednesday. A day later, the...
GOP incumbent hangs onto SC House seat in runoff
South Carolina

GOP incumbent hangs onto SC House seat in runoff

Jun 23, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — An Anderson County legislator stayed in the race for the Statehouse following Tuesday’s runoff election, leaving the tally of incumbents ousted in the primaries at two. Rep. Don Chapman, first elected in 2022, defeated challenger Sherry Hodges, an...
Retired Navy admiral, Charleston attorney advance in SC’s 1st District contest
South Carolina

Retired Navy admiral, Charleston attorney advance in SC’s 1st District contest

Jun 23, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — In the state’s most competitive congressional race, a former chief of the Navy Reserve and a Charleston County councilwoman will face off for the coastal 1st District in November. In Tuesday’s runoff election, Jenny Costa Honeycutt, an attorney...
After losing 2 elections, former SC congressman gives Democrats advice for winning
South Carolina

After 1 upset and 2 losses, former SC congressman gives Democrats advice for winning

Jun 23, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Joe Cunningham lost his last two elections, but that didn’t stop him from writing a book telling Democrats how they can win. The former South Carolina congressman drew on his 2018 win for Congress and back-to-back losses in...
SC’s red snapper season on pause amid federal lawsuit
South Carolina

SC’s red snapper season on pause amid federal lawsuit

Jun 22, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Anglers won’t be able to reel in red snappers off South Carolina’s coast this summer after a federal judge paused the state’s extended season. The decision, which came in response to a lawsuit filed last month in Washington...
Proposed national historic park would highlight history of SC’s Rosenwald schools for Black students
South Carolina

Proposed national historic park would highlight history of SC’s Rosenwald schools for Black students

Jun 18, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A school that opened 100 years ago for Black children in the Lowcountry could become part of a proposed, multi-state national historical park that connects the remaining structures where tens of thousands of students were educated in the...
SC law legalizes pinball for youth, ending decades-old prohibition
South Carolina

SC law legalizes pinball for youth, ending decades-old prohibition

Jun 17, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — For the first time in nearly 70 years, children and teenagers in South Carolina can legally play pinball. A law the governor signed last month removed the arcade game from the list of so-called status offenses outlawed for...
SC Supreme Court to decide how much stays secret about executions
South Carolina

SC Supreme Court to decide how much stays secret about executions

Jun 16, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — How much a state secrecy law really hides from the public will be up to the state Supreme Court, which heard arguments Tuesday as part of a broader challenge on executions in South Carolina. The question arose as...
SC legislator declared primary winner by just 34 votes
South Carolina

SC legislator declared primary winner by just 34 votes

Jun 15, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A Republican legislator in the Upstate officially defeated his GOP challenger by the narrowest of margins in South Carolina’s primaries. Rep. Rob Harris, a member of the House’s hardline Freedom Caucus, won by just 34 votes out of...
SC conservation agency taps forestry attorney as new director
South Carolina

SC conservation agency taps forestry attorney as new director

Jun 12, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — An attorney for the state Forestry Commission will take charge of the South Carolina agency overseeing land conservation, the Conservation Bank announced Friday. The agency’s oversight board selected 42-year-old David Jones to take the helm from director Raleigh...