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 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...
SC inmate who asked to be executed sues for access to mental health medication
South Carolina

SC inmate who asked to be executed sues for access to mental health medication

Sep 14, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A death row inmate who previously asked to drop his appeals and be executed is suing the state for medication he says will make him want to continue living. James Robertson, who was convicted in 1999 of killing...
SC legislators passed changes to income, property taxes. Senators say they aren’t done.
South Carolina

SC legislators passed changes to income, property taxes. Senators say they aren’t done.

Sep 14, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — After making changes to the state’s income tax structure and property tax relief for older homeowners this year, senators want to do more. A panel of senators met for the first time last week to start reconsidering major...
Students no longer remember 9/11. SC teachers aim to make sure they never forget.
South Carolina

Students no longer remember 9/11. SC teachers aim to make sure they never forget.

Sep 11, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — At 8:46 a.m. Friday, K-12 schools across South Carolina will go silent. Although most students know why they’re observing a moment of silence, none were alive the moment American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower of the...
Black children in SC are more likely to be detained than their white peers, report finds
South Carolina

Black children in SC are more likely to be detained than their white peers, report finds

Sep 10, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — South Carolina locks up Black children at a higher rate than white children, found a report from a civil rights group released Wednesday. The American Civil Liberties Union’s report, which drew from public records, came amid a push...
SC senator who resigned with Alzheimer’s diagnosis receives state’s highest honor
South Carolina

SC senator who resigned with Alzheimer’s diagnosis receives state’s highest honor

Sep 08, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A state senator who resigned following an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis received the state’s highest civilian honor Tuesday. In giving Sen. Roger Nutt the Order of the Palmetto, lawmakers celebrated his work during his five years in the Statehouse...
SC inmate convicted of killing wife dies on death row
South Carolina

SC inmate convicted of killing wife dies on death row

Sep 08, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A death row inmate convicted of killing his estranged wife died in prison Monday morning after an extended illness, according to the state Department of Corrections. Louis Winkler, a 66-year-old from Horry County, spent 18 years on death...
SC Senate’s pet projects give glimpse into budget with no direct nonprofit funding
South Carolina

SC Senate’s pet projects give glimpse into budget with no direct nonprofit funding

Sep 04, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — When legislators passed a $350 million spending deal, they announced an agreement to change how the funding is doled out next year, including not sending money directly to nonprofits. The Senate’s spending this year is an example of...
ACLU can share execution records already made public, SC Supreme Court says
South Carolina

ACLU can share execution records already made public, SC Supreme Court says

Sep 02, 2026
Skylar Laird
COLUMBIA — A civil rights group can’t face punishment for releasing certain information about the execution process, the state Supreme Court said Wednesday. The opinion from the state’s highest court answered questions that arose as part of a broader legal...