Skylar Laird

Skylar Laird

[email protected]

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’s abortion ban has ‘serious problems,’ federal judge says
South Carolina

SC’s abortion ban has ‘serious problems,’ federal judge says

Oct 30, 2026
Skylar Laird
CHARLESTON — South Carolina’s abortion ban has clear issues, potentially making it unconstitutional, a federal judge said Friday. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel, speaking at the end of a three-day trial in Charleston, didn’t give any official verdict on a...
In federal trial, doctors question when SC women can get abortions
South Carolina

In federal trial, doctors question when SC women can get abortions

Oct 29, 2026
Skylar Laird
CHARLESTON — Doctors disagreed in federal court Thursday over what qualifies as a legal exception to South Carolina’s abortion ban. The hearing was the second in a three-day federal bench trial that started Wednesday in Charleston. The case, filed last...
Former school administrator challenges think tank founder for SC superintendent
South Carolina

Former school administrator challenges think tank founder for SC superintendent

Oct 29, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Voters’ choice to run the state’s Department of Education could determine agency support for a taxpayer-funded education voucher program over the next four years. Democrat Sylvia Wright is challenging Republican Ellen Weaver for the position overseeing policy for...
Federal commission set to vote on cellphone jamming in prisons, ending yearslong push from SC
South Carolina

FCC set to vote on cellphone jamming in prisons after yearslong push from SC

Oct 28, 2026
Skylar Laird
A decision allowing state prisons to jam cellphone signals is potentially weeks away, federal officials announced Wednesday in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to vote Nov. 19 on the change, which would establish cellphones inside prisons...
Ringleader of $1.2B healthcare scheme to spend 20 years in prison, SC judge decides
South Carolina

Ringleader of $1.2B healthcare scheme to spend 20 years in prison, SC judge decides

Oct 26, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A U.S. citizen who pleaded guilty to running an international healthcare scam, then fleeing to the Philippines for two years, will spend 20 years in prison, a federal judge decided Monday. Herb Kimble, 60, was the ringleader of...
President Trump to return to SC days ahead of midterms
South Carolina

President Trump to return to SC days ahead of midterms

Oct 26, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — President Donald Trump will return to South Carolina for the second time in two weeks as the November election approaches. Trump will participate in a midterm rally in Rock Hill on Thursday, according to a news release Monday...
‘Cause for celebration’: SC opens 7th state forest
South Carolina

‘Cause for celebration’: SC opens 7th state forest

Oct 23, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — The state’s seventh publicly owned forest opened for visitors Friday amid a boom in state-owned public lands. Pocotaligo Station State Forest, which spans parts of Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties, is the second new state forest to open...
SC files more criminal charges involving pregnancy than any other state, report finds
South Carolina

SC files more criminal charges involving pregnancy than any other state, report finds

Oct 22, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — South Carolina charged at least 381 women with crimes related to their pregnancy over the past three years, far more than any other state, a national advocacy nonprofit found in a report released this week. While the report...
Protecting students starts outside the classroom, SC leaders say
South Carolina

Protecting students starts outside the classroom, SC leaders say

Oct 20, 2026
Skylar Laird
WEST COLUMBIA — As online threats rise, law enforcement officers and education officials in South Carolina are looking for ways to protect students both at school and at home. Around 300 law enforcement officers, teachers and school administrators spent Tuesday...
K-12 scholarships through federal tax credits start in January. Nonprofits will oversee spending.
South Carolina

K-12 scholarships through federal tax credits start in January. Nonprofits will oversee spending.

Oct 20, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — Starting in January, nonprofits can dole out scholarships to South Carolina students for K-12 private tuition and other education expenses, thanks to a federal tax credit program. The program, approved as part of last year’s One Big Beautiful...
SC opens former utility workers’ retreat as 51st state park
South Carolina

SC opens former utility workers’ retreat as 51st state park

Oct 16, 2026
Skylar Laird
South Carolina’s newest state park, which once served as a retreat for employees of a state utility, is open to the public. Ramsey Grove State Park in Georgetown officially started welcoming visitors at the beginning of the month. During the...
SC Arts Commission’s interim director steps down, following 2 board members’ resignations
South Carolina

SC Arts Commission’s interim director steps down, following 2 board members’ resignations

Oct 15, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — The interim director of the state Arts Commission stepped down Thursday, following the resignations of two board members in the weeks after a controversial decision not to fund two LGBTQ+ organizations. Ashley Brown, who has been interim director...