Clemson buyouts top the weekend wrap

By Skylar Laird | Reporter

Happy Saturday! Polling locations are open today for early voting but closed tomorrow.

“The creation of a new state forest is cause for celebration.” - Scott Phillips, state forester, on the opening of the seventh state forest.

Students head to and from campus near the Douthit Hills apartments and College of Business as Tillman Hall is seen in the background on Feb. 24, 2022. (Travis Bell/STATEHOUSE CAROLINA)

Clemson seeks to cut costs with hundreds of voluntary buyouts

By Jessica Holdman

Employees at Clemson University who are 59½ years old or eligible for full pension benefits this year have 45 days to decide whether to take a buyout package as the 6,000-employee university seeks to shrink spending. The university offered the buyouts to 452 full-time employees but has no target to reach, a spokesman said.

USC touts financial strength as construction debt climbs to $1.7B | By Jessica Holdman
K-12 scholarships through federal tax credits start in January. Nonprofits will oversee spending. | By Skylar Laird
Expanded scholarship program ‘a huge relief’ for SC’s college-bound high school seniors | By Jessica Holdman

President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at T. Ed Garrison Arena at Clemson University on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Pendleton, South Carolina. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump rallies support for Graham in pre-election visit to deeply red Upstate

By Katharine Wilson and Seanna Adcox

President Donald Trump returned to South Carolina this week to whip up support for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham’s reelection campaign. Recent polls have shown the race to be a tossup between Graham and her Democratic challenger, pediatrician Annie Andrews. Trump’s speech was interrupted repeatedly by protesters.

Republicans call Annie Andrews ‘anti-gun.’ She explains her platform to end gun violence. | By Katharine Wilson
SC Republicans and Democrats tout their fundraising hauls as proof of ‘momentum’ | By Katharine Wilson
High schoolers host only debate for this SC congressional seat | By Katharine Wilson
Workers’ concerns prompt warning to SC employers about campaign donations | By Seanna Adcox
Democrat running for SC secretary of state wants to change the office’s duties | By Katharine Wilson and Seanna Adcox
2 weeks of early voting in SC is underway | By Seanna Adcox

This shows the common area of the death row facility, where inmates eat and spend time, with their individual cells in the background, in 2019. (Photo courtesy of the S.C. Department of Corrections)

SC inmate has a chance to leave death row, but lawyers say it’s the safest place for him

By Tiffany Tan

For nearly two decades, one death row inmate has stayed on death row even though he doesn’t have to. The state Supreme Court ordered another sentencing hearing for inmate Donnie Council, but his attorneys think keeping him on death row is best for him and the general prison population.

SC files more criminal charges involving pregnancy than any other state, report finds | By Skylar Laird
Protecting students starts outside the classroom, SC leaders say | By Skylar Laird

OTHER NEWS FROM THIS WEEK...

‘Cause for celebration’: SC opens 7th state forest | By Skylar Laird
Grant will aid SC small businesses competing for federal research contracts | By Jessica Holdman
Westinghouse investing $1B to make a new kind of uranium at SC nuclear fuel factory | By Jessica Holdman
At smaller No Kings event, participants stress importance of voting | By Katharine Wilson

IN COMMENTARY THIS WEEK...

Finding unexpected common ground with my immigrant neighbors | By Sarah Figueroa, outreach partnership and project coordinator at Grace Church in Greenville
NextEra has not earned our trust | By Frank Knapp, president of the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce

MORE FROM OUR AFFILIATES...

A record number of women are running for state legislatures this year | From Stateline
Trump set to campaign in tight US Senate contests in Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Michigan | By Shauneen Miranda
USDA offering $8B in farmer relief payments | From the Iowa Capital Dispatch
Dominion-NextEra merger hits turbulence, faces opposition from Virginia leaders | From the Virginia Mercury
SC leads nation in job growth for the past year | From Stateline
Data centers are now the largest financial bet in US history | From Stateline

Thanks for reading Gazette Weekly. Did you know our daily morning newsletter is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.