Articles by Bruce Smith

Report: Thousands of South Carolina Flood Victims Still Need Help

Thousands of people in South Carolina still need home repairs, while the state has submitted a plan for using almost $100 million in federal housing aid almost a year after historic rains inundated the state. The state is now also …

Judge Seals Conversations in South Carolina Officer’s Lawsuit with Insurer

A former South Carolina police officer’s conversations with an insurance carrier after he was charged in the death of an unarmed black motorist have been sealed by a federal judge. The order issued by U.S. District Judge David Norton on …

South Carolina Officer Charged with Murder Sues Association Over Legal Benefits

A former South Carolina police officer charged with murder in the death of an unarmed black motorist is suing a police association, saying the group failed to provide the legal representation he paid for under an insurance plan. Attorneys for …

Report: Low Incidence of Southern Church Fires Caused by Arson

As social media buzzed about church fires in the South, investigators said July 2 that weather caused a destructive blaze at a predominantly black church in South Carolina. The State Law Enforcement Division said in a statement that investigators found …

Report: Arson Rarely the Cause of Southern Church Fires

As social media buzzed about church fires in the South, investigators said July 2 that weather caused a destructive blaze at a predominantly black church in South Carolina. The State Law Enforcement Division said in a statement that investigators found …

Lawsuit: South Carolina Discriminates Against Black University

As state lawmakers ponder firing the South Carolina State University trustees, South Carolina’s only black congressman and a federal lawsuit contend the state can be blamed in part for the school’s financial woes. Present and former university students are suing …

South Carolina Court Blocks Kiawah Island Walls to Slow Erosion

A divided South Carolina Supreme Court has denied developers permission to build a half-mile of coastal walls on Kiawah Island, a ruling that Chief Justice Jean Toal warned undermines checks on state agency decisions involving private property. The developers sought …

South Carolina Reports Rise in Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud complaints in South Carolina have reached an all-time high with more than 1,200 pouring in last year, according to a report by Attorney General Alan Wilson. The annual report from his office’s Insurance Fraud Division noted attorneys prosecuted …

South Carolina Coast Worries About Rising Flood Insurance Premiuns’ Effects on Historic Preservation

Charleston’s storied historic district of about 4,800 structures lies on a peninsula almost entirely in a flood plain. And there’s concern that raising premiums to help get the federal flood insurance program back in the black will make historic preservation …

North Carolina Coastal Homeowners Weigh Self-Insuring for Floods Due to Premium Hikes

Bill Cherry has seen his share of storms buffet his house and his Breezeway Restaurant and Motel near Topsail Beach in North Carolina, a slip of a barrier island just over two blocks wide. But with sharp increases in premiums …