AP Reporter James Pollard

JAMES POLLARD

Statehouse reporter

Pollard is a statehouse reporter based in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a Report for America corps member who also covers inequality.

FILE - The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building is seen in Washington on Nov. 2, 2016. The FBI is investigating a white South Carolina couple for racial discrimination after they set a cross on fire in their yard facing their Black neighbors' home on Thanksgiving weekend. Authorities charged Worden Evander Butler and Alexis Paige Hartnett with harassment after federal civil rights investigators searched the white couple's home on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

A white couple who burned a cross in their yard facing Black neighbors’ home are investigated by FBI

The FBI is investigating a white South Carolina couple for racial discrimination after they set a cross on fire in their yard facing toward their Black neighbors’ home.

UNC-Chapel Hill names former state budget director as interim chancellor

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named a former senior staffer for former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory as its interim chancellor.

FILE -A member of the Bridge Crew watches over a fire line, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, in case the prescribed burn jumps the line and ignites on the other side of Kings Pinnacle in Crowders Mountain State Park in Gastonia, N.C. As the U.S. tries to restore a key forest ecosystem in the Southeast, landowners must light more fires on private property. The so-called “prescribed burns” are key to clearing forest debris and allowing pine cones to drop seeds onto the floor. (John D. Simmons /The Charlotte Observer via AP, File)

A US pine species thrives when burnt. Southerners are rekindling a ‘fire culture’ to boost its range

As the U.S. tries to restore a key forest ecosystem in the Southeast, landowners must light more fires on private property.

This image made from video provided by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Police Department shows officers attempting to put a woman in the back of a police car after arresting her. On Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, police released the video from the arrest in North Carolina last month, showing that before an officer repeatedly punched a Black woman while others held her down, the woman struck an officer in the face and he responded by hitting her back and knocking her off her feet. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department via AP)

North Carolina officer who repeatedly struck woman during arrest gets 40-hour suspension

A police officer who repeatedly punched a Black woman during an arrest in North Carolina last month has been suspended, after authorities released new video of the encounter that showed a broader view of what happened than bystander footage shared on social media.

FILE - U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, D-N.C., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, July 19, 2022, in Washington. Manning, a second-term Democratic congresswoman, will not seek re-election to the U.S. House under the North Carolina General Assembly's new redistricting maps, she announced Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

No reelection campaign for Democratic representative after North Carolina GOP redrew U.S. House map

A second-term Democratic congresswoman is not going to seek reelection to the U.S. House as long as the North Carolina General Assembly’s new redistricting maps stay in place.

Shae Parker, a former Waffle House employee, rallies fellow Union of Southern Service Workers members outside the State House in Columbia, S.C. on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. Labor organizers petitioned the federal government to take control of workplace safety oversight from South Carolina regulators. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Labor union asks federal regulators to oversee South Carolina workplace safety program

One of the largest labor organizations in the United States wants the federal government to wrest workplace safety oversight from South Carolina regulators.

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh speaks with his defense attorney, Dick Harpootlian, in Beaufort, S.C. on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. A pretrial hearing is scheduled Friday on state charges that Murdaugh stole money from his legal clients. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes in a deal that gives him more prison time

Alex Murdaugh has pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from vulnerable legal clients in schemes lasting over a decade under an agreement.

Republican South Carolina Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver oversees a State Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The body is converging on a universal definition of "age appropriate" educational materials in South Carolina schools and libraries. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

South Carolina education board deciding whether to limit books and other ‘age appropriate’ materials

The State Board of Education is considering a universal definition of “age appropriate” educational materials in South Carolina schools and libraries.

A Confederate sword blade is displayed at a press conference celebrating the early completion of the Congaree River cleanup on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 in Columbia, S.C. Hundreds of Civil War relics were unearthed during the $20 million project. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Confederate military relics dumped during Union offensive unearthed in South Carolina river cleanup

Hundreds of Civil War relics are being conserved after their discovery during a South Carolina river cleanup.

South Carolina Supreme Court Justice John Kittredge speaks at a legislative committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023 in Columbia, S.C. Kittredge, who is expected to become the next chief justice, wants lawmakers to be mindful of the judiciary's diversity when selecting judges. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

South Carolina justice warns judicial diversity is needed in only state with all-male high court

The only applicant to be the next chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court is committing to using his bully pulpit to boost the diversity of those serving as judges.

This image provided by the Horry County Sheriff's Office in Conway, S.C., shows Bhagavan "Doc" Antle. The exotic wildlife preserve owner who gained notoriety on the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” plead guilty Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 to animal trafficking and money laundering, the U.S. Justice Department announced. (Horry County Sheriff's Office via AP)

‘Doc’ Antle of Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking and money laundering

Federal officials say an exotic wildlife preserve owner famous from the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” has plead guilty to animal trafficking and money laundering.

Justice Department opens civil rights probes into South Carolina jails beset by deaths and violence

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating two South Carolina jails where incarcerated people have died violently at the hands of employees or others held behind bars.

White House hopeful Nikki Haley holds up a filing to appear on the South Carolina Republican presidential primary ballot at the South Carolina State House on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. The former South Carolina governor formally filed Monday to appear on the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Nikki Haley formally enters her home-state primary as she tries to pull closer to Donald Trump

Nikki Haley has formally filed paperwork to enter the Republican primary in her home state of South Carolina.

FILE - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, second from right, signs into law a bill that will allow parents to spend public money on private schools as part of a small-scale pilot program, May 4, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. A group of South Carolina parents and teachers' advocates filed a challenge Thursday, Oct. 26, to a new law establishing private education vouchers with public money in the conservative state. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

Teachers’ advocates challenge private school voucher program in South Carolina

A group of South Carolina parents and teachers’ advocates are challenging a new state law establishing private education vouchers with public money.

FILE - Attorney Todd Rutherford speaks to reporters outside the South Carolina Supreme Court after a hearing April 26, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. None of South Carolina's 16 elected prosecutors asked Monday, Oct. 23, that Rutherford, now the South Carolina House Minority Leader, to be removed from a commission that screens candidates to be judges in the state. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

South Carolina prosecutors want legislators who are lawyers off a judicial screening committee

Nine of South Carolina’s 16 elected prosecutors are asking for changes to how the Legislature elects judges.

Baltimore to pay $48 million to 3 men wrongly imprisoned for decades in ‘Georgetown jacket’ killing

Three men who each spent 36 years in prison for a high-profile killing they did not commit are going to get $48 million from Baltimore.

Tiffany Janae Carroll, 36, appears by video monitor at a state parole board hearing in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 27, 2023. Carroll was denied early release on Wednesday from her 15-year prison sentence for fatally stabbing her abuser six years ago. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Parole has been denied again for a woman serving 15 years in prison for fatally stabbing her abuser

A South Carolina woman who killed her abuser six years ago with a kitchen knife will remain behind bars.

FILE - A U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II takes part in an aerial display during the Singapore Airshow 2022 at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore, on Feb. 15, 2022. The crash of an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in South Carolina over the weekend has raised numerous questions about what prompted the pilot to eject after experiencing a malfunction and how the $100 million warplane was able to keep flying pilotless for 60 miles before crashing. (AP Photo/Suhaimi Abdullah, File)

911 call shows bizarre circumstances of F-35 ejection: ‘Not sure where the airplane is,’ pilot says

A military pilot whose advanced fighter jet went temporarily missing over the weekend is heard repeatedly requesting an ambulance in a perplexing 911 call from the South Carolina home where he had parachuted to safety.

Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, S.C. Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. Murdaugh appeared publicly as a convicted murderer for the first time at the state court hearing regarding the slew of financial crimes allegedly committed by the disbarred South Carolina attorney. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Alex Murdaugh pleads guilty to financial crimes — the first time he’s admitted blame to a judge

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has pleaded guilty in federal court to financial crimes. Thursday’s court appearance is the first time the disbarred attorney has admitted responsibility for a crime before a judge.

Airmen from Joint Base Charleston speak to a family living right next to the site of a crashed F-35 about the operation to recover the fighter jet and requests for the family in Williamsburg County, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (Henry Taylor/The Post And Courier via AP)

Pilot of downed F-35 stealth fighter jet parachuted into residential backyard, official says

The pilot of a $100 million stealth fighter jet parachuted safely into the backyard of a home in South Carolina after a malfunction forced him to eject from the aircraft, causing the plane to crash into a wooded area about 60 miles away.

Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, S.C. Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. Murdaugh appeared publicly as a convicted murderer for the first time at the state court hearing regarding the slew of financial crimes allegedly committed by the disbarred South Carolina attorney. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

An inquiry found ‘factual disputes’ with allegations of Murdaugh trial tampering, prosecutors say

Prosecutors suggest that convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh’s attorneys got some details wrong when they recently accused the court clerk of improper influence.

FILE - The legal team for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic speaks outside the South Carolina Supreme Court building in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. In a complaint filed Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, the team wrote that a strict new abortion ban should be interpreted to take effect after approximately nine weeks of pregnancy. (AP File Photo/James Pollard, File)

Planned Parenthood sues to expand South Carolina abortion access under strict new ban

Abortion providers in South Carolina want to lengthen the narrow window when they can legally terminate a pregnancy under a strict new ban.

Disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh arrives in court in Beaufort, S.C. Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. Murdaugh appeared publicly as a convicted murderer for the first time at the state court hearing regarding the slew of financial crimes allegedly committed by the disbarred South Carolina attorney. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Alex Murdaugh makes his first appearance in court since his murder trial

Disbarred South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh has appeared publicly for the first time since a murder trial where he was found guilty of fatally shooting his wife and youngest son.

Aaron Siri, a managing partner at a New York law firm that has done millions of dollars in legal work for a leading anti-vaccination group, speaks to South Carolina lawmakers in Columbia, S.C. on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. State lawmakers at the pandemic preparedness listening session are considering how to best counter future health crises. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

Vaccine skeptics dominate South Carolina pandemic preparation meeting as COVID-19 cases rise

Vaccine skeptics got a lot of airtime at a Tuesday meeting of South Carolina lawmakers considering how to best counter future pandemics.

FILE - Tina Brotherton, 88, gets a hug from 9-year-old neighbor Lainey Hamelink, as she returns to site of her business, Tina's Dockside Inn, which was completely destroyed in Hurricane Idalia, as was Brotherton's nearby home, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, two days after the storm's passage. A resident of Horseshoe Beach since 1978, she lost her marina and the cafe next door in a 1993 disaster and had to replace the floors and beds at Tina's Dockside Inn. Now the hotel, which she has owned for 52 years, is destroyed in Idalia's wake. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Florida fishing village Horseshoe Beach hopes to maintain its charm after being walloped by Idalia

The remote fishing village of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, took much of the pounding from Hurricane Idalia when it struck as a Category 3 storm last week.

Family of South Carolina teacher killed by falling utility pole seeks better rural infrastructure

The family of a teacher killed last week in a small South Carolina town by a falling utility pole is taking aim at poor rural infrastructure.

Over two dozen abortion rights supporters attend a rally outside the South Carolina State House in Columbia, .C., on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to uphold a law banning most abortions except in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/James Pollard)

South Carolina abortion ban with unclear ‘fetal heartbeat’ definition creates confusion, doctors say

The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a ban on most abortions this week but left undecided the question of when, exactly, the “fetal heartbeat” limit begins during pregnancy.

FILE - Protesters against a stricter ban on abortion in South Carolina stand in the Statehouse lobby on Tuesday, May, 23, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. South Carolina’s new all-male Supreme Court reversed course on abortion on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, upholding a ban on most such procedures after about six weeks of pregnancy. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, File)

South Carolina’s new all-male highest court reverses course on abortion, upholding strict 6-week ban

South Carolina’s newly all-male Supreme Court has reversed course on abortion, upholding a ban on most such procedures after just weeks of pregnancy.

Members of a search-and-rescue team walk along a street, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii, following heavy damage caused by wildfire. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Maui residents fill philanthropic gaps while aid makes the long journey to the fire-stricken island

Nonprofits and volunteers in Maui have cobbled together countless improvised and urgent solutions since the deadliest wildfire in over a century hit their community.

Jonesville Historic Gullah Neighborhood resident Josephine Wright stands between her home and an orange safety fence that boarders the 29-acre construction site, Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Hilton Head Island, S.C. A Georgia-based developer's planned 147-unit short-term rental complex that broke ground last summer. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

Developers have Black families fighting to maintain property and history

All along the booming South Carolina coast, developers looking to profit on vacation getaways and new homes are targeting land owned by the descendants of enslaved people.