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South Carolina's farming industry remains a stalwart economic engine. With approximately 25,000 farms over 4.9 million acres of land, the Palmetto State's agricultural community maintains its relevance in South Carolinians' day-to-day lives.

In a changing world, though, South Carolina's farming industry still continues to face the same old problems that it has for years.

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of July 18, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes us to the recent South Carolina Democratic Party Convention to hear from presidential hopefuls former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

On this episode of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson is joined by the Aiken Standard's Colin Demarest to discuss the recent special report "Lethal Legacy," written by Demarest and the Post and Courier's Thad Moore, detailing how South Carolina is expected to be home to tons of plutonium for decades, according to an internal memo obtained by the papers. The excess plutonium is housed in a 65-year-old building at the Savanah River Site which federal regulators have rated as poor.

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of July 11, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes us to the recent South Carolina Democratic Party Convention to hear from presidential hopefuls Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Vice President Joe Biden, and New York City, NY Mayor Bill de Blasio. Over the next several Trail Bites episodes, we'll be brining you clips from all of the candidates who spoke at the convention.

The film industry provides much needed economic impact for South Carolina, netting $61 million in revenue for the state in 2018. The revenue is generated through the South Carolina Film Commission, which provides a $15 million dollar annual subsidy to filmmakers. The subsidy is funneled to the state's film commission through the state's government.

Many famous musical artists have been heavily influenced by their audio producers, but Joe Miller, a music producer who owns and operates the Sounds Like Joe recording studio in Rock Hill, South Carolina, describes his job in humble terms. “I like to consider my artistic domain, I move air and people hear it,” he said.

Producing music is defined by taking music written by an artist or composer and transforming it into a high quality, professional studio sound. It involves several tough decisions that producers must make when there are several options available. 

This summer we're dedicating several episodes of South Carolina Lede to in-depth topics we felt needed futher exploration.

On this first South Carolina Lede Summer School special, host Gavin Jackson examines the history of hurricanes in South Carolina. From Hurricane Hugo in 1989 to Hurricane Florence in 2018, we look at the impact of these major storms with Jamie Arnold, chief meteorologist with WMBF News. Then Derrec Becker, public information officer with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, joins us to discuss what can be done both personally and on the statewide level to adapt to and safeguard against future storms.

It was the late 1950s and the nation embraced a race to space fueled by the Cold War.  Journalist Mark Bloom wasn’t yet 30 years-old.  But he would chase the story long after Apollo 11 landed and men took their first steps on the moon.

“I was in the right place at the right time, actually throughout my career,” says Bloom.  “Of course you have to know what you’re doing when you get there.”

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of July 4, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes us to the recent South Carolina Democratic Party Convention to hear from presidential hopefuls Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Over the next several Trail Bites episodes, we'll be brining you clips from all of the candidates who spoke at the convention.

On this edition of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson is joined by the Post and Courier's Caitlin Byrd to examine the 2020 battle for South Carolina's Fist Congressional District. Four Republicans have announced their candidacy for the seat, a sign of how focused the state's GOP are on flipping that Lowcountry district after Democract Joe Cunningham delivered a major upset in last fall's election.

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of June 27, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes us to the recent South Carolina Democratic Party Convention to hear from presidential hopefuls Jualian Castro, Marianne Williamson, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Andrew Yang. Over the next several Trail Bites episodes, we'll be brining you clips from all of the candidates who spoke at the convention.

Many remember where they were when they heard the news: nine people gunned down inside an historic African American church in Charleston at the hands of a stranger they welcomed to bible study. But few know the passage they read.

Reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes does.

"It's called the 'Parable of the Sower,'" she says. "It's a story where Jesus talks about what happens when you throw seeds of faith onto different types of terrain."

Hawes writes about the tragedy in her first book, "Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness.."

On this edition of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson is joined by the Post and Courier's Jamie Lovegrove and the Associated Press' Meg Kinnard to recap the political news coming out of two big Democratic events in South Carolina this past weekend. Nearly all of the Democratic presidential candidates attended Rep. Jim Clyburn's (D-SC) "world famous" fish fry on Friday and the state party's convention on Saturday.

The second round of democratic presidential debates is a little over two weeks away. There are over two dozen candidates in the running for the party’s nomination. In South Carolina, voters have been courted by almost all of the candidates, since the beginning of the year.

California senator Kamala Harris has visited the state nine times, most recently in the Pee Dee region, a mostly rural area. During her July 6-7 visit, Harris held at meet-and-greet in Darlington; town halls in Florence and Horry County; and also stopped by an African-American owned business in Marion.

It’s all a part of her campaign’s effort to meet “voters where they're at on the ground in their communities,” said Laphonza Butler, Senior advisor to the Kamala Harris Campaign.

“She has heard from voters all across the country and particularly in South Carolina about issues of the safety of their children; health care and the quality of education.”

Butler has campaigned for Harris in South Carolina, and has been instrumental in shaping the Senator’s campaign team and strategy there; which includes cutting through the dialogue of the crowded field and potential barrier of running against presumed front runners with more name-recognition by talking to as many voters as possible.

“Vice president Biden; everyone knows he was the vice president to President Obama. This is his third time running for president. He has been in office and serving in a place of public service for more than four decades. Senator Warren has done an incredible job, working on behalf of the 99% for decades as well. I think what we’re seeing in early polls is a real curiosity about Senator Harris- people who are inspired by what their hearing but want to hear more.”

Before the June debates, Butler said regardless of poll numbers (at the time) that put Harris trailing former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Harris campaign felt like it was in a strong place.

“I think the more people in South Carolina, and folks across the country, get to know who Senator Harris is

and how she thinks about solving everyday problems with government, I think expect those numbers to go up.”

With a viewership of over 18 million, the former state prosecutor challenged fellow candidates on healthcare, race and other topics, during the June 27 live event. Afterwards, poll numbers did go up, according to CNBC:

Harris’ average support jumped to 14.7% on Wednesday, up from 7% on June 25, the day before the two-day debate started. An average of 27.2% of respondents supported Biden as of Wednesday, a drop from 32.1% on June 25.

The second round of democratic debates is two weeks away, where again, millions are expected to tune in.

June 24, 2019

If you want to know what issues voters in South Carolina are concerned about, attending one of the Democratic Party state convention events this past weekend would have been a great place to start.

Thousands of people, who will help reduce the staggering number of democratic presidential hopefuls through the state’s first-in-the-South primary in February, attended Rep. Jim Clyburn's (D-SC) "world famous" fish fry and several meet-and-greets with candidates over the course of the weekend. Through interviews with several of them, South Carolina Public Radio learned their concerns were as diverse as the candidates themselves.

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of June 20, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes you to the recent Black Ecomonic Alliance Presidential Forum in Charleston, SC. The forum featured four Democratic presidential hopefuls: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ); South Bend, IN, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

On this episode of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson is joined by the Post and Courier's Caitlin Byrd to discuss the latest South Carolina 2020 poll numbers and recap the recent Black Economic Alliance forum in Charleston. They also preview two major political events this week: Congressman Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry, which 22 of the 23 Democratic presidential candidates are expected to attend, and the state Democratic Party Convention.

On this edition of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson speaks with Greenville News reporters Nikie Mayo and Kirk Brown about their recent coverage on South Carolina prisons. Mayo and Brown have been focusing on the disciplinary action taken against hundreds of corrections officers and other factors surrounding the 2018 riot at Lee Correctional Institution. The investigation into the incident, which left seven inmates dead, is ongoing and no one has been charged.

They are sure signs of Spoleto in downtown Charleston; instrument toting musicians and scorching heat.  Among the jostling violin cases, is Shannon Fitzhenry.  She’s back for her second year with the annual Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra, one of 92 musicians chosen to play.

“The goal is to get up in time to warm up before rehearsal,” she laughs.  The Charleston native grew up with Spoleto, but admits she didn't fully appreciate it until she  moved away to study music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland.

On this final episode of Spoleto Backstage for 2019, host Adam Parker speaks with Cora Bissett, writer and star, and Orla O'Loughlin, director, of the play "What Dreams Are Made Of." Based on Bissett's life story, the production follows a Scottish schoolgirl's rise to rock and roll stardorm and her rollercoaster journey along the way.

Leading up to the 2020 election, South Carolina Lede is keeping you up to speed on what the candidates are saying on the campaign trail in the Palmetto State with these "Trail Bites" mini-episodes.

On this edition for the week of June 6, 2019, host Gavin Jackson takes you to recent campaign stops by Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Rep. Seth Coulton (D-Mass.).

On this edition of Spoleto Backstage, host Adam Parker chats with Rob Taylor, director of Choral Activities at the College of Charleston, artistic director of the Taylor Festival Choir, and director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Singers, about his series of choral concerts as part of Piccolo Spoleto Festival 2019.

Sonatas and Soundscapes host Bradley Fuller speaks with Joe Miller, director of Choral Acivitives for Spoleto Festival USA and director of the Westminster Choir, about that group's performances at this year's festival.

On this episode of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning Post and Courier reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes about her book, "Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness." Hawes chronicles the tragic shooting of nine parishioners at the Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston and its aftermath through pointed, detailed accounts of the victims and their familes.

Paul Wiancko started playing cello at age five. By age eight, he had composed his first piece of music.

“If you can call it a piece,” Wiancko says. “I think it was maybe a thirty-two measure little tune, mostly in C major, mostly consisting of a couple of triads. And I believe it was called “Breeze.” I had one of my parents’ friends print out the sheet music for it."

But for a long time following that early effort, Wiancko would shift his musical talents elsewhere.

Chamber music and children may seem like an unusual combination.  But don't tell that to Geoff Nuttall.  The director of Spoleto’s Chamber Music Series works a room of fourth and fifth graders like the strings of his violin, with charisma and class.

“Music has been such a huge part of my life, said Nuttall.  “If there’s any way we can just open the ears and the eyes of a few of these kids it would be a great thing.”

On this episode of Spoleto Backstage, host Adam Parker speaks with mandolinist and singer-songwriter Chris Thile of the progressive bluegrass group Punch Brothers about their history of performing at Spoleto Festival USA. The two also discuss Thile's experiences as host of the public radio program Live From Here.

On this episode of Spoleto Backstage, host Adam Parker interviews singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz about I'm With Her, a folk trio consisting of Jarosz, Sara Watkins, and Aoife O’Donovan.

Sonatas and Soundscapes host Bradley Fuller speaks with Lillian Heley and Paul Barrit of the 1927 Theatre Company about the world premiere of their latest work, "Roots," at Spoleto Festival USA.

On this edition of South Carolina Lede, host Gavin Jackson is joined by South Carolina Public Radio's Russ McKinney to look back on the end of the 2019 South Carolina state legislative session. They discuss a number of finalized bills from the session, including how lawmakers will handle Santee Cooper's future, what is officially in the $9 billion state budget, and more.