Political geek, criminal justice watchdog, data journalist
After the deadly riot at Lee Correctional Institution in April 2018, I decided to dive deeper into what was going on inside of South Carolina's state prison system. By reading dozens of lawsuits and interviewing about 100 current inmates via letter, I was able to begin a four-part investigation into the state-run system. From a …
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Time and time again, Democratic challenger Adair Ford Boroughs alleged that her opponent, sitting U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson – known for yelling "You lie," at former President Barack Obama during a joint session of Congress – has only passed one bill during his decade in office. I took a dive into his record, and wrote …
After Richland County experienced years of elections issues, state lawmakers put an unfunded mandate in the budget to hire a consultant to right the ship. But that consultant was never hired, and even more ballot were lost. You can read the story I wrote about the issue here: https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/election/article240844426.html.
Throughout the pandemic, I spoke with experts to write stories warning about every upcoming COVID-19 case trend. I also compiled coronavirus-related data to enhance my storytelling. SC cities with mask requirements are seeing coronavirus spread slow, data show Treatment, staff shortages loom if COVID-19 hospitalizations keep rising, officials say SC health experts predict COVID-19 surge …
As South Carolina neared its 2020 presidential primary, a colleague and I uncovered that the head of South Carolina's Legislative Black Caucus received more than $40,000 from the Tom Steyer campaign. The payments lead to a major controversy at the State House -- which even made its way to the debate stage -- as black …
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After receiving a tip, I confirmed that the South Carolina prison system released several violent inmates years before the intended end of their sentences. Here are the stories I wrote following the revelation: Violent SC inmates mistakenly released from prison, SCDC confirms Unclear court orders leave prison officials guessing at inmate sentence lengths, employee …
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As Hurricane Florence neared the Carolina coast, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered the mandatory evacuation of all zones in coastal counties. Despite the order, two correctional institutions and one jail in the evacuation zones were ordered to keep inmates and detainees in place. I broke the initial story that inmates at MacDougall and Ridgeland correctional …
During the gang-related riot in which seven were killed at an SC prison, I was working nearby in Columbia, SC. Over the course of the day, I acted as one of the point reporters updating the main story and various side bars. Here is a collection of the stories I worked on: 7 inmates killed …
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During the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, I was called to Broward County to help cover the tragedy experienced by the community. Over three days, I amassed a number of stories, which were published by TCPalm, USA TODAY and the Naples Daily News. Below are some of my stories: 'I'm sick to my …
Continue reading "Coverage from the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting"
Emily Bohatch 