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Tag: Public Safety

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to attend 250th Anniversary of the US Army Grand Military Parade

by Tim Renaud, originally posted June 13, 2025 by Count On 2 News

WASHINGTON (WCBD) – Preparations are underway in the nation’s capital for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army’s grand military parade.

The parade will be attended by dignitaries from around the country, including South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette.

Evette will join more than 9,000 soldiers from across the U.S. as they march through the streets of Washington and display some of the military’s equipment.

The parade will feature approximately 130 vehicles, including 28 M1A1 tanks, 28 Bradley fighting vehicles, 28 Stryker armored fighting vehicles, and various other vehicles towing artillery launchers.

There will also be more than 50 helicopters and horses, mules, and army bands. The parade is estimated to cost $45 million.

It gets underway Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette visits Lowcountry to discuss energy, education, taxes

by Summer Huechtker, originally published June 11, 2025 by WCSC Live 5

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette paid a visit to the Lowcountry for a town hall in downtown Charleston.

She joined the America’s Future Trust Social Welfare Organization and the Republican State Leadership Committee at a public town hall at Henry’s On The Market, discussing the future of the country.

Just before the town hall, attendees were able to submit questions to ask Lt. Gov. Evette.

During the discussion, moderated by former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Joe Semsar, Evette addressed topics ranging from technology and energy efficiency and her recent meeting with the Department of Government Efficiency.

Evette her goal is to get South Carolina to a zero-state income tax state and she touched on how to do that.

“You don’t have to keep leveraging high taxes and pushing it down your citizens’ throats,” Evetter said. “That’s where we are, and we have to keep going.”

Evette made a point to praise the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office’s recent ICE sting at a nightclub, when asked about ICE raids happening across the country. She also praised law enforcement as a whole in South Carolina, saying they have done a great job with de-escalation in other protests in recent months and years.

Evette discussed the need to continue cracking down on human trafficking and the fentanyl crisis in the state.

Big focus points for her were technology, education and empowering the next generation, mentioning the workforce initiative that she started.

“As I was touring around to businesses that employ youth, I was at ZF Transmissions up in the Upstate,” Evette said. “So I met this young man. Super impressive. He said, ‘Yeah, I was going to go to Clemson, but I love what I do so much, I realized I love being hands-on. So ZF Transmission said to finish up my degree in mechatronics, work for a year, and we will send you to Clemson if you figure out you want to do that.’”

Evette said that was a testament to the growth of workforce training and technical colleges in S.C.

“And I said, ‘What do we do to get all your friends on this train?’” she said. “And he said, ‘Tell us why you need us.’”

Evette encouraged everyone in attendance to empower the youth and wrapped up saying she hopes everyone left with a sense of pride for their state and country.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette to address ‘policy priorities’ at Charleston town hall on Wednesday

by Ian Kayanja, originally posted June 9, 2025 by ABC News 4

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — South Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette plans to visit Charleston on Wednesday to speak at a town hall hosted by America’s Future Trust.

Evette, though not formally announced, has mulled a gubernatorial run, holding town halls throughout the Palmetto State. Wednesday’s event will have Evette answer questions related to America’s Future Trust policy priorities while reserving time for questions submitted by attendees.

The visit to Charleston marks the second visit to one of South Carolina’s coastal communities in less than a week.

On Tuesday, June 3, Evette held a town hall in Myrtle Beach, where she emphasized the importance of expanding school vouchers, eliminating the state income tax, and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance government efficiency.

During that town hall, the Lieutenant Governor also shared her support for the state to send more support to technical colleges to promote building upon the need for stronger cybersecurity and a blue-collar workforce.

It can be expected that Evette will field similar questions at Wednesday’s event.

Evette and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster have worked closely with the Trump administration during their tenure. McMaster was sworn in as Governor in 2017 following former Gov. Nikki Haley’s appointment as Ambassador to the United Nations, and Evette was elected Lt. Gov. in November 2018. Both McMaster and Evette were re-elected to four-year terms in 2022.

One of the most recent Republican polls on the state of the would-be 2026 gubernatorial field found that among likely candidates, Evette leads with 31 percent of the vote, according to data from the Trafalgar Group.

Not far behind was Rep. Nancy Mace, claiming 29 percent of would-be voters, who has ramped up her direct attacks on Evette in recent weeks.

Mace is also mulling a run at governor of South Carolina, and recently, the three-term congressmember claimed Evette is an “empty suit” and an outsider from Ohio.

Evette, in turn, has brushed off Mace’s attacks.

No candidate has formally announced their gubernatorial run.

Wednesday’s town hall will begin at 5:45 p.m. and run until 7:15 p.m. Doors for the event open at 5:15 p.m.

It will be held at Henry’s On The Market and moderated by Joe Semsar, the former under secretary of Commerce for International Trade.

‘Big decisions’ to come as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette considers run for S.C. Gov.

by Andrew Brown, originally posed by My Horry News on June 4, 2025

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette hasn’t announced a run for governor, but she’s moving and speaking like a candidate.

Her most recent stop in the Palmetto State brought her back to Horry County — where she and her family own a home — for a townhall at Veterans Cafe and Grille in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday evening, June 3.

Speaking to a packed crowd of approximately 100 Republicans — many sporting President Donald Trump themed apparel and spilling out the doors of the cafe — Evette shook hands, posed for photos and delivered a message heavy on economic growth and conservative values.

“I’m excited for South Carolina because we have a lot of great things happening,” Evette said.

She fielded questions from the audience, touching on core conservative issues — including cracking down on illegal immigration, backing law enforcement and cutting taxes. But no issue got more of a reaction from the crowd than the idea of eliminating South Carolina’s state income tax.

“I’ll be very clear. We can and will get South Carolina to a zero state income tax. We are U-Haul’s number one drop off state. The secret’s out, people, we can’t turn on a ‘closed’ sign,” Evette said. “We are now competing against other states: Tennessee, Florida, Texas. They’ve done it, and we can do it.”

Evette said her and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster have worked closely with the Trump administration during their tenure. McMaster was sworn in as Governor in 2017 following former Gov. Nikki Haley’s appointment as Ambassador to the United Nations, and Evette was elected Lt. Gov. in Nov. 2018. Both McMaster and Evette were re-elected to four-year terms in 2022.

“I think we have had a great legacy. We’ve seen amazing growth and change within our state, lots of amazing things are happening, and there’s still a lot left on the docket left to do,” Evette said. “I think the key part is just our amazing relationship with the Trump administration and being able to work with them hand in glove. So, I’m really excited about things to come.”

Evette touts workforce development, Trump ties in Myrtle Beach ahead of possible gubernatorial run

by Adam Benson, originally posted by WBTW News 2 June 4, 2025

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Pamela Evette is among the handful of big-name Republicans whose names are tied to next year’s gubernatorial race, and she spent time in Myrtle Beach on Monday touting her record of success.

The Ohio native has been in office since 2019, when Gov. Henry McMaster selected her as a running mate.

Evette hasn’t formally said whether she’s planning a run for the state’s highest office, but has been linked to the job along with other contenders, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Mace, in particular, has launched attacks against both.

“Gov. McMaster has said that I’m the best lieutenant governor in the country. President Trump said I was doing a great job, so I’ll take their compliments over Nancy Mace’s criticisms any day,” Evette said following a town hall meeting at Veterans Cafe and Grille. “I’m going to continue to do what I do. I’m going to help business, I’m going to work on school choice.”

Evette said she hasn’t yet committed to running for governor, but hinted at the likelihood as she spoke with reporters.

“Now that session is over, this is the time to start to think about what’s going to happen but I do believe this legacy that the governor and I have had does need to continue on. I think it’s been very successful, and it’s worked very well for the people of South Carolina.”

Earlier in the night, Evette said building up technical college systems is the best way to build an employee pipeline for manufacturers.

“We can do better creating a workforce for tomorrow, and we can do that by ‘let’s start reappropriating some of this money going to big colleges, and let’s give it to our technical college system,’” she said. “It is something that I’ve been talking about for the seven years that I’ve been in office.”

Lt. Gov. Evette at Myrtle Beach town hall ahead of possible run for SC governor

by Andrew James, originally posted June 3, 2025 by ABC 15 News

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette fielded questions in front of Myrtle Beach residents during a town hall meeting on Tuesday night.

Although Evette has not officially announced her candidacy for South Carolina Governor, discussions within the county and state Republican Party suggest she may be considering a bid to succeed Henry McMaster.

Evette, who has served as lieutenant governor for nearly seven years following a career in accounting, shared her vision for South Carolina’s future.

She emphasized the importance of expanding school vouchers, eliminating the state income tax, and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance government efficiency.

“We are now competing against those other states, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas. They’ve done it. We can do it. We’re going to implement DOGE here in South Carolina,” Evette said. “We can cut taxes and be more efficient, and we’ve got to take a broad, comprehensive look at taxes in general.”

A majority of the town hall involved Evette’s views on Trump’s policies and whether she would support seeing those practices on the state level. Evette envisioned a push for more government efficiency and suggested lawmakers set sunset dates on all state regulations required to be reformed after a certain threshold of time for every regulation at the state level.

“We’re never going to be able to hire enough people to outpace the growth we have in our state,” Evette said. “If you do things more efficiently, there’s more money at the end of the month.”

Evette also shared her support for the state to send more support to technical colleges to promote building upon the need for stronger cybersecurity and a blue-collar workforce.

“When we do that, we’re going to see educational outcomes soar,” Evette said. “When you have hope, nothing will stop you. And that’s what I see. That’s what I’m excited about. That’s what I like to talk about.”

The town hall event was not part of Evette’s formal schedule as lieutenant governor. She is expected to return to Myrtle Beach later this week for the 10th Annual Carolina Country Music Fest this weekend.

‘You will not get away with it’: S.C. cracks down on revenge porn and AI deepfakes

Buy Meghan Gonyo, originally posted May 29, 2025 by ABC News 4

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) — South Carolina has taken a significant step in addressing the growing issue of explicit images shared online, including those created with artificial intelligence. Governor Henry McMaster signed the Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act into law on Thursday, making it a felony to distribute real or AI-generated intimate images without consent.

The new legislation aims to tackle the problem of revenge porn and deep fakes, which have become increasingly prevalent. State Representative Brandon Guffey, who lost his 17-year-old son, Gavin, to an online sextortion scheme, was a strong advocate for the law. “If he knew that there was a way to ensure that these images would not stay out there, than maybe he wouldn’t have ended up taking his life,” Guffey said.

The law, which took three years to pass, updates a previous statute from 1996 and imposes stricter penalties. First-time offenders could face up to five years in prison, while repeat offenders may receive up to ten years. “The important thing was to sit there and see my other two sons while the bill was being signed and for them to know their brothers’ loss was not in vain,” Guffey added.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette emphasized the state’s commitment to enforcing the law. “Law enforcement, our Solicitors, they are looking for you, if you choose to do bad acts that hurt people in South Carolina, you will not get away with it,” she said.

The legislation is part of a broader effort to protect individuals online, with similar federal measures like the Take It Down Act also being enacted. These laws aim to remove exploitation from the internet, with federal penalties including up to three years for offenders targeting minors.

State leaders, including Attorney General Alan Wilson, are committed to keeping pace with digital threats. A separate measure aimed at accelerating the process of catching child predators was also signed into law recently.

Evette joins McMaster for Ceremonial Bill Signing of SC ‘Revenge Porn’ Bill
By Patrick Phillips and Mary Green Originally Published May 29, 2025 by Live 5 WCSC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster held a signing Thursday morning of a bill designed to protect South Carolinians from deepfake and revenge pornography.

House Bill H.3058, the Unauthorized Disclosure of Intimate Images Act, creates a felony offense for individuals who share intimate images with the intent to cause physical, mental, economic, or reputational harm to the person depicted.

That includes AI-generated images made to look like real photos of an identifiable person.

“As technology advances, so too must our laws to keep pace with emerging threats and protect personal privacy,” McMaster said. “This legislation sends a clear message that those who harm others by sharing explicit images without their consent will be held fully accountable.”

The governor noted that while a right to privacy is not found in the United States Constitution, it is mentioned in South Carolina’s Constitution.

“So we have a basis for these kinds of laws,” he said. “It can’t be challenged and that’s good news for the people of South Carolina.”

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Attorney General Alan Wilson and Rep. Chris Wooten, R-Lexington, the bill’s primary sponsor, joined McMaster for the signing.

“It’s taken a lot of work and the help of our friends in the Senate to get this passed,” Wooten said. “This is a great day in South Carolina, as we are now not the only state that does not have a revenge porn statute. I am proud to have helped mend this together.”

A first offense carries a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison. A second or subsequent offense carries a maximum fine of $10,000 and a prison sentence of one to ten years.

The law also establishes penalties for individuals who share intimate images without the intent to cause physical, mental, economic, or reputational harm to the person depicted. A first offense is a misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to one year in prison. A second or subsequent offense is classified as a felony, punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

The legislation defines “digitally forged intimate images” to include images that are created by AI or other computer or machine-generated means.

It also clarifies that a person’s consent to create or privately share an image does not imply consent for the wider distribution of the image.

Thursday morning’s signing was ceremonial because McMaster officially signed the bill on May 12 at which point the law immediately went into effect.

But before that signature earlier this month, the Palmetto State stood alone in the country as the only state that had no law on the books targeting revenge porn.

World’s largest rubber duck makes splash in Myrtle Beach

By Haleigh West. Originally posted by ABC 15 News WPDE on May 8, 2025

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — You’re one lucky duck if you’re in Myrtle Beach this weekend, because you have the chance to see the world’s largest rubber duck!

Measuring in at 60 feet tall, known as “Mama Duck,” this is her first visit to South Carolina. Although the YMCA of Coastal Carolina said she was created right outside of Hilton Head.

She waddles around the country, making quite the splash to promote National Water Safety Month.

After Thursday morning’s hour-long inflation, Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune and South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette said we can help prevent drowning, especially when the weather warms up.

“And we’re sitting on the beautiful beaches, the Intracoastal, and a city pool, or our own pool, everybody together, keep your eyes up, put your phones down. Because it takes all of us to keep our children and our friends safe,” said Lt. Gov Pamela Evette.

If you are walking through the Burroughs and Chapin pavilion, you’ll see signs with water safety tips and a QR code for resources. Mama Duck will inflate every morning between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., and you can visit on Thursday, Friday and Saturday until 8 p.m. and until 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Lt. Gov. Evette Visits Table Rock Complex as Fire Becomes Highest Priority Fire in the Nation

Table Rock Complex fire officially crosses state lines

by Scarlett Lisjak, originally posted March 29, 2025 by WSPA

PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Officials said the Table Rock Complex Fire has now crossed the state line into North Carolina.

The Table Rock Complex fire, made up of both the Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge Fires, has become the largest wildfire the upstate has ever seen.

“One thing I was briefed on this morning, is we’ve had the largest chemical water drops in state history for this fire,” said Pamela Evette, the Lt. Governor for the State of South Carolina.

On Saturday, state and local officials met to give an update on their ongoing containment efforts. Fire officials said they are continuing to strengthen containment lines to the east and west of the fire while conducting burn out operations.

“Our guys and ladies are working extremely hard out there. It’s very difficult working conditions. Anyone who has hiked around Table Rocks knows this is a very steep hilly country. It will wear you out on a normal day, much less when you’re fighting fires, but the morale of our folks is incredible,” said Scott Phillips with South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Officials said that this year’s fire season has been unprecedented because of another natural disaster.

“This is not an easy task, as we have a lot of fuel on the ground from Hurricane Helene which has posed extra challenges that they didn’t have to fight before,” Evette said.

Evette added the blaze is also a high priority for the federal government saying that “right now Table Rock is the number one fire in the country, that’s why you are seeing such an increase in federal resources, because we moved up to the number one fire.”

A statewide burn ban is still in effect in South Carolina.