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Charges include arson, inciting riots, and civil disorders Columbia, South Carolina --- United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr. announced today that six people are facing federal charges for participating in actions including arson, inciting riots, and other civil disorder in Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina, on May 30 and 31, 2020.Following George Floyd’s death in Minnesota on May 25, 2020, protestors in Columbia and Charleston joined to peacefully demonstrate against racism and the use of excessive force by law enforcement. While the large majority of participants exercised their First Amendment rights in a lawful manner, others engaged in...

Communities are trying to keep the spread of the COVID-19 virus to a minimum and many areas have instituted mask-wearing requirements. But some areas are taking the rules a step closer and issuing fines and in some cases jail time to those who go maskless. Charleston, South Carolina, has stopped giving warnings for those who don’t comply with the city’s mask ordinance. Now first-time offenders will be issued a ticket with a $100 fine. A second offense will cost the person $200 and subsequent fines will be $500, WCBD reported. City leaders estimate that about 65% of people in Charleston...

A South Carolina woman is facing charges for looting from two businesses when a peaceful demonstration turned riotous in Charleston, police said. Emma Waters, 19, was arrested Wednesday in connection with burglaries at a clothing shop and a grocery store Saturday, police said. Surveillance video showed people breaking into front windows at Las Olas before merchandise was stolen from a display at the clothing store, according to a police report obtained by WCSC. A woman was seen climbing through the window before unlocking a door and letting several other looters inside to rip merchandise from shelves, police said. Damage to the...

By Lillian Donahue | May 24, 2020 at 7:51 PM EDT - Updated May 25 at 8:45 AM CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Hundreds of Trump supporters took to the Charleston harbor today for a MAGA boat parade while spectators packed the battery. The event organized online had over 700 people signed up to attend and more than one thousand people interested. The water was packed with participants and others out boating during the holiday weekend.

Ad South Carolina election ballots reportedly ended up in Maryland this week, after mail-in voting for the Palmetto State’s June 9 primary has already begun, according to local news reports. South Carolina election officials may cut ties with the company they used, Minnesota printer SeaChange, over the mix-up after about 20 Charleston County absentee ballots were found outside the state, the reports say. Election officials say this isn’t the first absentee ballot issue they’ve had with the company, which prints and mails ballots for 13 South Carolina counties

The Convention met at 12 o'clock. Much confusion attended its early deliberations. SMALLEY'S voice was not heard twenty feet from the platform. During the first part of the prayer all was quiet. The latter portion was continually interrupted by conversation and moving.

Earlier this week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice placed a moratorium on all “elective” procedures and surgeries in the state through an executive order, and at a Wednesday news conference, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said the order will apply to “abortion facilities, as well.” Morrisey’s office did not respond to multiple requests to clarify or elaborate on his statement, which — if it does apply to abortions — may contradict language in the governor’s executive order. The executive order mandates all medical procedures that are “not immediately medically necessary to preserve the patient’s life or long-term health” should be rescheduled...

VIDEO What we learned from watching the many hilarious meltdowns at the Democrat Debate in Charleston, South Carolina is that NONE of the candidates have a chance to beat President Trump in November.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about how President Donald Trump’s visit will impact security and traffic around the North Charleston Coliseum next Friday.

Protesters boo and confront former Mayor Pete Buttigieg for hypocrisy during a minimum wage picket with McDonald’s employees in Charleston, South Carolina on 2/24/2020.

Adam Gorlitsky hit the wall hard during his second marathon attempt around the mile 20-mark this past Saturday at the Charleston Marathon in South Carolina. The only other time he had ever run this far was during his first marathon attempt last March at the Los Angeles Marathon. While battling against pain in his wrists and legs and pushing the limits on the motors on his ReWalk Robotic Exoskeleton, Gorlitsky fought on, not only hoping to capture his first marathon finish, but also better the world record for fastest marathon in a robotic walking machine. He did just that after...

One woman was killed and seven other people were hurt after a suspect identified as a Sudanese immigrant opened fire at a Tennessee church Sunday, police said, as federal officials told Fox News the FBI will initiate a civil rights investigation into the shooting. The suspect, 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, immigrated from Sudan two decades ago, police said. He's suspected of bringing two pistols and a mask to the predominantly white Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, southeast of Nashville, before opening fire just after 11 a.m.

A young woman is suing West Virginia health officials after she said they failed to protect her from her father’s sexual abuse. The AP reports 21-year-old “Jane Doe” said her father raped and impregnated her when she was 11 years old, and her stepmother took her to have an abortion to cover up the abuse. Doe, whose real name is not used for privacy reasons, said the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources failed to protect her when it removed her from foster care and placed her in her biological father’s home, according to the report. Her lawsuit,...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- UPDATE 10/25/19 @ 3:35 p.m. Two Charleston Police officers have been cleared of any inappropriate action in a use-of-force investigation, according to a release from the department. CPD Chief Opie Smith reached that conclusion after a review of the case involving a woman who officers say was resisting arrest when they were investigating an animal cruelty charge against her. That woman was identified Thursday by her attorney as Freda Gilmore, who he said has special needs and weighs less than 100 pounds. Charleston Police released the following statement, in part, on Friday afternoon: "After completing its...

A first-draft plan for Arkansas roadway spending shows lane additions to the Greenwood bypass and Arkansas 22 between Charleston and Fort Smith, as well as potential Interstate 49 construction in the Fort Smith area. Dubbed the CAP-2 draft by the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the Connecting Arkansas Program-2 list is a “data driven” starting point work that will largely be contingent on the continuation of a half-percent sales tax next year, according to ARDOT spokesperson Danny Straessle. “The governor proposes to make it permanent,” Straessle said. “This is a list of about 20 years of work.” In a recent meeting,...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — The Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney's Office has dismissed two charges against a man arrested last week who was accused of assaulting an 82-year-old volunteer at the Women's Health Center in Charleston, according to an order filed Wednesday in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. Christopher McComas, 52, of St. Albans was charged with assault and disorderly conduct after incident that occurred on July 25 outside the health center at 510 Washington St. W., according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. In the motion to dismiss, prosecutors indicated that, "after careful review of the report,...

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) – A man was placed into handcuffs this morning in the capitol city while protesting outside of a health clinic. The man, identified as Christopher McComas, 52, of Saint Albans, was arrested after having two warrants issued for him stemming from last week for disorderly conduct and assault. He was arrested while protesting abortion in front of the Charleston Women’s Health Center around near the corner of Washington Street and Greendale Drive. He had been protesting there for several weeks.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Four of the two dozen Democrats vying for the party’s 2020 U.S. presidential nomination will appear at a Black Economic Alliance forum in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, with an eye on the key role black voters will play in the early-voting state. South Carolina, which will host the fourth nominating contest next year, will be the first state where a significant proportion of the Democratic electorate - about 60 percent - is black. In a crowded Democratic field, the candidates are aiming for strong performances to show their messages resonate with black voters in the...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK/AP) — West Virginia's top prosecutor says Charleston's new ordinance to target protests at abortion clinics could run afoul of Constitutional law. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey on Tuesday released a statement saying the ordinance is problematic because it targets free speech. "We are analyzing it, we are seeing the nature of our state constitution and the breath of it, free speech protections and we are also urging the city council to take steps because they could do this better," says Morrisey Charleston City Council voted 21-5 on Monday to approve restrictions on approaching people as they enter health...

Reproductive rights activists will gather at Brittlebank Park Tuesday afternoon to protest the spate of partial and near-total abortion bans being enacted across the country. Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic and We Are Family, a Charleston-based LGBTQ youth organization, are calling for "patients, volunteers, supporters, reproductive rights advocates, and concerned citizens" to join them from 6 to 7 p.m. at the park on the Ashley River. The rally is part of a nationwide effort to mobilize activists against abortion restrictions. It comes less than a week after Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a near-total abortion ban. Under the law, which...