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Plans for a portion of Waties Island to become a state park and heritage preserve are moving along after years of conservation efforts and the state’s parks department’s recent land acquisition.

Waties Island is one of the last undeveloped barrier islands in South Carolina situated at the northern point of the state’s coast. The over 1,000-acre island boasts prime maritime forest, salt water marsh habitat and history of the Gullah Geechee and Waccamaw Indian peoples.

The island is shared by the Open Space Institute, the Coastal Educational Foundation (associated with Coastal Carolina University) and Virginia-based developer Riverstone Properties, alongside the members of the Boyce family — descendants of the Tilghman family who once owned the island.

South Carolina’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism received a $4 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration toward the purchase of 107 acres of land, which were initially conserved by the Open Space Institute. The acquired land spans a portion of Waties Island and into part of the Little River Neck and Marsh Island.

The remaining land from about 500 acres acquired altogether by the Open Space Institute is set to be transferred to the state later on, OSI spokesperson Siobhan Gallagher Kent said. The Open Space Institute is a national conservation group that has preserved millions of acres of land across the eastern United States from development.

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recorded in South Carolina Tuesday. A 1.4 magnitude earthquake was confirmed in Spartanburg County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The seismic activity happened in the Pacolet Mills area at 2:25 a.m., the USGS reported. The seismic activity was recorded at about a mile beneath the surface of the ground, USGS data shows. This was the second confirmed earthquake in South Carolina in July, and both were reported in the Upstate region

Dominion Energy and NextEra filed an application with South Carolina regulators to merge into one mega-utility Wednesday, though new details of the deal have not assuaged detractors’ concerns about the potential impacts to ratepayers. The companies want South Carolina utility regulators, the Public Service Commission, to determine the planned $67 billion merger will be in the public interest. A decision could be made by January 2027.

The megamerger would give South Carolina customers about $387.5 million in bill credits, 17% of the total $2.25 billion deal. The average residential customer would see a $10 discount on their electric bills monthly for two years if the deal receives all approvals, according to filings. The amount of the bill credit would vary by energy usage. Dominion Energy of South Carolina recently raised rates $12 for the average residential customers.

But utility watchdogs and environmental advocates worry the deal could still end up costing ratepayers in the long run, as utilities gear up for more energy demand from customers and data centers and NextEra brings its alleged history of political influence to the Palmetto State again.

The merger would create a huge utility, servicing 10 million customers across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. It’s intended to help NextEra and Dominion keep up with skyrocketing energy demand, according to filings.

Dominion’s knowledge of South Carolina and NextEra’s financial strength and energy infrastructure development experience makes the companies’ combination a good idea, said Dominion Energy of South Carolina president Keller Kissam in testimony to the Public Service Commission.

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U.S. Rep. Russell Fry jumped into South Carolina’s U.S. Senate special primary Monday, saying he would compete for the Republican nomination left vacant by the sudden death of Lindsey Graham.

I've posted a few times about this mattress. I have 4" 5LB Pink ViscoPlus 12 ILD, 1" HyPUTGel 15 ILD, and TPS 14.75 coil, with a 1830 HD PolyFoam base, all enclosed in Arizona Premium Mattress Organic Cotton Zippered Cover.

I am about 208 lbs. Every day I wake up with pain and tingling in my legs and arms. When I am looking at myself on the bed, my arms and legs really don't sink at all. My hips sink maybe 1" max. All of this stuff should be soft, so now I am thinking it might be the zippered cover that isn't giving enough.

Any experiences with this?

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