Latest news with #CoastalCarolinaUniversity
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alan Wilson focuses early on law enforcement credentials in SC governor's race
Being the state's top prosecutor is the key part of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson's resume, and he wants to make sure it's a strength in his campaign to be the state's next governor. Before any candidate officially launched a campaign, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a potential Republican candidate for governor, lobbed shots at Wilson questioning his record as attorney general since being elected in 2010. In his first weeks of formally being a GOP hopeful for governor, Wilson focused on publicly touting his law enforcement record. His public moves included rolling out endorsements from seven sheriffs in the state, including one Mace claimed credit for putting in office. Part of campaigning for office is focusing on strengths. But part is striving to give voters a reason why they shouldn't support an opponent. Sometimes that includes trying to make a candidate's perceived strength into a weakness. 'If she's able to poke holes into his record, it speaks to his credibility. If she can convince voters he wasn't effective as attorney general, then the step is, then he's not going to be effective as governor,' said Gibbs Knotts, a political science professor at Coastal Carolina University, of Mace's tactics. 'In a world of negative ads and gotcha politics … it makes sense she's going to attack him on the very job the people of South Carolina elected him to do, and he's going to have to go back and say, 'here's why she's wrong, (and) what I was able to accomplish.'' In a conservative state, being strong on law enforcement is an issue that resonates with the Republican voting base. Wilson has spoken about standing up for victims during his remarks in recent weeks. 'We fought to protect women and children from abuse by pushing to reform our state's domestic violence laws, giving more tools to law enforcement and prosecutors to go after domestic batterers,' Wilson said in his campaign launch. 'We fought for generational reforms to make it easier for victims to get the help they need and the help that they deserve.' In 2017, South Carolina consolidated its victims' services agencies into an office under the attorney general. The creation of the Crime Victim Services Division was a move to make it easier for crime victims to navigate through the justice system. 'His office helped us structure the field, you know, so it would be in line with what they wanted,' said former state Sen. Katrina Shealy, who advocated for children's issues and toughening penalties for domestic violence during her tenure in the state Senate. She added, Wilson's office and victims' advocate Laura Hudson, 'worked very hard with our office to help write that bill and make sure that we put everything in there so when it did come back, everything would be legal, and we could get it done without any legal implications.' Wilson last year convinced lawmakers to include an additional $1.5 million in annual money in the state budget to for his office to create the Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit so it would help solicitors across the state address the criminal case backlog. That unit recently obtained its first conviction. At Wilson's kickoff, among the speakers were Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon and Hudson, the executive director of the S.C. Crime Victim's Council. 'Alan has been a supporter of crime victims' rights as long as he's been in the agency office and before,' Hudson said. Wilson spent the next morning visiting with law enforcement in Lancaster County. By the end of the week he had the endorsement from Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis. That support was preceded by support in the Lowcountry in Mace's backyard. Wilson rolled out endorsements from several sheriffs including Charleston County Sheriff Carl Ritchie, who defeated previous Sheriff Kristen Graziano in November 2024. Ritchie, along with Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis and Dorchester County Sheriff Sam Richardson, called Wilson a 'steadfast partner in keeping our communities safe' in a joint statement. All or parts of the three counties fall within Mace's congressional district. 'He's always worked with us and made himself available to what we need,' the statement said. 'From helping us tackle illegal immigration, to pushing for stronger penalties on fentanyl and drug dealers, to protecting children by quadrupling the size of the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, his leadership delivers real results and that's why we're proud to endorse him for governor.' Ritchie, a Republican, was elected in November after defeating Graziano, a Democrat by 3 points. For months, Mace claimed credit for 'single-handedly' ousting Graziano. 'Everyone knows Nancy Mace exposed sanctuary sheriff Kristin Graziano for releasing illegal aliens charged with rape, murder, and child molestation. She gave floor speeches and spoke at Congressional hearings,' Mace Communications Director Sydney Long said in a statement. 'She showed evidence. The local press covered it all. Now find one statement, just one, from Alan Wilson or Pamela Evette last year backing her up as she fought to remove Graziano. You won't. They were silent then, and they're pretending now.' Koon, along with Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey and Saluda County Sheriff Josh Price, formally endorsed the hopeful's bid for governor two weeks after it launched. 'Alan Wilson has always had our back. He's tough on crime, a true supporter of law enforcement, and exactly the kind of leader we need in the governor's office,' Koon said. For months, Mace had been calling Wilson soft on crime, even saying he's let pedophiles off the hook. Mace also accused Wilson of not prosecuting a case she brought forward accusing her ex-fiance and three others of sex crimes and voyeurism. That case is under investigation by SLED and has not been referred the attorney general's office. 'These are categorically false and they're slanderous,' Wilson said. 'I stand with the victims rights community. I stand with law enforcement and saying that people out there who are attacking me, they're not just attacking me, they're attacking the men and women who stand behind me in trying to protect victims, who try to provide justice to those families who so richly deserve it.' On May 10, Mace unleashed a series of posts on social media saying the attorney general's office was not moving on cases involving people accused of sex crimes against children, or saying those with guilty pleas receiving light sentences. Mace posted about 10 cases that day. Five of the cases are still pending years after charges were filed, three of the cases led to guilty pleas with sentences below the maximum, and two cases charges were dropped, which includes one because of a death in the case, according to online court records. 'So many cases 'prosecuted' by SC Attorney General Alan Wilson to expose, so little time,' Mace posted. 'We will never get to all of the injustices and corruption. It's really something to behold, what he's been doing, and not doing, all these years.' Judges decide what type of penalty or jail time to impose in cases, and have the option of deciding whether sentences on multiple charges are served concurrently or consecutively, whether a sentence is suspended. Prosecutors can recommend sentences. The attorney general's office handles 7,000 to 8,000 cases at any one time. Since Wilson took office, the attorney general's Internet Crimes Against Children has made just under 3,000 arrests. 'These are critics who don't really fully understand the criminal justice system, or if they do understand the criminal justice system, they're purposefully lying about the outcomes in certain cases,' Wilson told reporters Thursday. 'Somebody can go back and look at the tens of thousands of cases where we have prosecuted, put people away, and they can cherry pick cases that on paper look bad and they can omit the context.' Still as attacks from Mace came in the months leading up to Wilson's launch, he mostly refrained from directly hitting back, instead responding when asked about it publicly in county party meetings or appearances. He often only referred to Mace as 'that person' or 'that individual.' Even while speaking to reporters on the night of his kickoff, Wilson indicated he didn't plan to directly engage with Mace. 'I'm going to focus all of my energies on talking about what I'm going to do for the people of South Carolina. I'm not running against someone. I'm running for something, and that is to lead this state,' Wilson said.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Andrea kicks off 2025 Atlantic hurricane season
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The first tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is here, and it is nearly right on schedule as the first named storm historically forms around June 20. This was an area of interest that was highlighted on Sunday morning. It was initially given a 10% chance of developing, which was upped to 70% by Monday morning, before decreasing to a 50% chance Tuesday morning. Tropical Storm Andrea was upgraded a little after 10 a.m. Tuesday. The system is a very small, weak, and disorganized system, but it has sustained tropical storm-force winds of 40 mph. It is tracking further into the Atlantic, speeding to the east-northeast at 17 mph. The storm is no threat to the United States and is thousands of miles out to sea in the north-central Atlantic. It is expected to fizzle by Wednesday morning. * * * Meteorologist Hannah Rahner joined the News13 team in January 2022. Hannah was born in Myrtle Beach and graduated from Scholars Academy with dual enrollment with Coastal Carolina University. You can keep up with her on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where is Coastal Carolina located? What to know of Chanticleers before College World Series finals
LSU baseball left-hander Kade Anderson knows how to paint the corners of the strike zone and cause havoc for hitters, as evidenced by his masterclass of an outing vs. Arkansas to open up the Tigers' CWS run. But there's one thing that the Tigers' top projected MLB draft pick doesn't know: where Coastal Carolina University is. That is at least what Anderson said to the media in Omaha, Nebraska on June 19 ahead of his expected start in Game 1 of the College World Series championship series. "Not really. I don't even know if they are in North Carolina or South Carolina, honestly," Anderson said during a media availability on June 19, according to The Daily Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network. The Chanticleers begin their second-ever CWS championship appearance on June 21 against No. 6 LSU at 7 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field Omaha, where Coastal Carolina looks to end the SEC's streak of five consecutive national championship titles. Here's what to know about Coastal Carolina: Where is Coastal Carolina located? Coastal Carolina University is located in Conway, South Carolina. The Chanticleers' campus in Conway is located approximately nine miles from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a popular beach destination, according to the university website. According to U.S. News & World Report, Coastal Carolina University had a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,306 during the fall 2023 semester. The now-four-year institution has gone through several name changes in its history. Founded in 1954, Coastal Carolina University was originally named Coastal Carolina Junior College. It then became known as USC Coastal Carolina College, when the university was added to the University of South Carolina school system. It wasn't until 1975 that then-USC Coastal Carolina College started to offer a four-year degree. This was 18 years before the South Carolina Legislature passed legislation that established Coastal Carolina University as an independent, public institution in South Carolina. This change in the university's rich history became effective on July 1, 1993. Coastal Carolina's first college baseball season was in 1963. The Chanticleers didn't become a full NCAA member until 1986. What is Coastal Carolina's mascot? Explaining what a Chanticleer is Coastal Carolina University is known as the Chanticleers. On top of being one of the more distinct mascot names among all Division I programs, a Chanticleer is a "proud and fierce rooster" and "derived from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, specifically The Nun's Priest Tale." Noted by the CCU website, Coastal Carolina's athletic teams were originally known as the Trojans during the 1960s. The shift to the nickname Chanticleers came during the university's history as USC Coastal Carolina College, a two-year branch school of the University of South Carolina, when "many people began to push for a nickname that was more closely related to USC's Gamecock." How to pronounce Chanticleers? To little to no surprise, pronouncing "Chanticleers" can be hard for some. There's also a misconception about how to pronounce "Chanticleers," as famously noted by Coastal Carolina baseball coach Kevin Schnall after Coastal Carolina's first win at the CWS this year. Noted by Schnall and Coastal Carolina's website, the proper pronunciation is SHON-ti-cleer. What conference is Coastal Carolina baseball in? Coastal Carolina competes in the Sun Belt Conference, where it has been an affiliated member of the Sun Belt since 2016. It accepted its invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference from the Big South Conference on Sept. 1, 2015. When the Chanticleers won the 2016 College World Series, it marked the first NCAA championship title for any Big South Conference team. Noted by Coastal Carolina's CWS semifinal postgame notes, the Chanticleers are just the second Sun Belt program to advance to Omaha to compete in the CWS, with the other being Louisiana in 2000. Who is Coastal Carolina baseball's coach? Coastal Carolina baseball's coach is Kevin Schnall, who is in his first season at the helm of the Chanticleers program though he has ties with it dating to 1995 when he was a player. Previously noted by USA TODAY, Schnall had been a longtime assistant coach at Coastal Carolina and was cited by a number of outlets in the past decade as one of the top college baseball assistant coaches in the nation. Following a three-year stint at UCF, he was officially named the successor to Gary Gilmore, his former college coach and boss, after the 2024 season. Coastal Carolina says Schnall's 56 wins are the most in Division I history by a rookie head coach. He is one of just three Division I coaches to win at least 50 games in their rookie season, joining CSUN's Mike Batesole (52 wins in 1996) and Florida State's Mike Martin (51 wins in 1980). Click here to read more on Schnall and his career as a Division I coach. Coastal Carolina baseball 2025 record Coastal Carolina enters Game 1 of the CWS championship vs. LSU with a 56-11 overall record, which ranks for the most wins in the country among all Division I programs. The Chanticleers' 56 wins are also the most wins in a single season ever in program history, with its previous record being 55 when it won the national championship. To call the Chanticleers' season "impressive" and "historic" would be an understatement, especially given that the program was ranked in the preseason polls by D1Baseball, Baseball America and USA TODAY. Coastal Carolina received eight votes in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Baseball Coaches Poll and has moved up as high as 11. Coastal Carolina NCAA baseball, College World Series history The 2025 NCAA baseball tournament is the fourth consecutive trip to the postseason for the Chanticleers, and the program's 21st overall appearance. The sweep over No. 4 Auburn in the Auburn Super Regional punched Coastal Carolina's second trip ever to the College World Series, and first since 2016. When Coastal Carolina defeated Arizona in the 2016 CWS championship series, the Chanticleers became the first team since Minnesota in 1956 to win the College World Series in their first go-around in Omaha. Here's a full list of when Coastal Carolina has appeared in the NCAA baseball tournament:
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Big fan': Braves legend Chipper Jones lauds Coastal Carolina baseball coach
The Coastal Carolina University baseball team, and its current run toward the College World Series, has caught the eye of an Atlanta Braves legend. Chipper Jones, the switch-hitting third baseman who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, praised the team and its coach Tuesday in a social media post that was critical of other teams vying for playoff spots. Advertisement 'Spent quite a bit of time watching college baseball this weekend,' Jones wrote on 'I will only watch a select few teams from here on out. Reason? They have coaches that respect the game and their opponents and demand the same of their players. Any team that doesn't wear the uni correctly, taunts the other team, and has a coach that condones this behavior, is a disgrace to the game. 'Big fan of coach Schnall at Coastal Carolina! Him and his team represent what college baseball should be like. Well done, sir! U stand for proper behavior.' Kevin Schnall, in his first year as CCU head coach, made headlines this week criticizing the actions of University of Florida baseball coach Kevin O'Sullivan, who was caught on video berating staff at the NCAA Regionals in Conway this past weekend. Advertisement 'I have to say this, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not, but I believe in standing up to for what's right, and what transpired this morning on our field, another coach disrespected our associate AD, who works as hard as anybody in our entire program, he disrespected our field crew, who are the salt of the earth, these guys would do anything for our program, it's not okay,' Schnall said. 'And this needs to be brought up. Absolutely disrespectful.' O'Sullivan has since issued a statement apologizing for his behavior. CCU advanced out of the region that included Florida, East Carolina University and Fairfield University. They will play Auburn University beginning Friday in a best-of-three series to determine which team advances to the College World Series.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Emotional testimony heard in murder trial of man charged in shooting of CCU student
David Roldan-Dimas spent the first day of summer break at Coastal Carolina University working a 13-hour shift at his job. It was June 19, 2023, a Monday, and after work he met his girlfriend and her brother at the Planet Fitness in Carolina Forest. Minutes later, as he drove away from the gym in his black Camaro, the 20-year-old student was gunned down in the Planet Fitness parking lot, where he died. The man accused of killing Roldan-Dimas, Abdullah Seifullah, is on trial nearly two years after the student's death. Seifullah, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, is charged with murder, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and criminal conspiracy. The prosecution and defense gave opening arguments in the the 45-year-old man's trial. The state also called five witnesses. Branden Huertas, 43, also of Bridgeport, was scheduled to stand trial Tuesday for his role in Roldan-Dimas' killing but pleaded guilty to accessory to murder last week, court officials said. Huertas' sentencing will be set at the end of Seifullah's trial. Horry County Police found the body of Roldan-Dimas with multiple gunshot wounds that evening, according to a police report. Roldan-Dimas, of York, was inside a black Chevrolet Camaro that had crashed into a Nissan SUV in a Planet Fitness parking lot, 1049 Glenforest Road, in the Myrtle Beach area. Roldan-Dimas was studying business administration at CCU and was taking summer classes so he could graduate earlier, The Sun News reported. 'David. Remember that name,' Assistant Solicitor George Henry Martin said to the jury. 'He was in the prime of his life, and unlike many of his peers, woke up at the crack of dawn to work when he wasn't studying at Coastal Carolina University.' Martin continued his opening statement, preparing the jury for the testimonies they were about to hear. 'June 19, 2023 was the day his life ended,' Martin said. 'The day his life ended and changed his family's life, the lives of people all around him. And there's only one way to serve justice, and that is to find Abdullah Seifullah guilty.' County Council Chairperson Johnny Gardner is representing Seifullah in the trial. He said that in his 19 years of working murder trials, he had never heard a prosecution open with an appeal to emotion. 'It's always sad, we feel for the victims,' Gardner said. 'But we're not here to work on emotions, you took an oath and have to make a decision based on the law.' Witnesses included Selda and Berbarin Letaj, who were at the gym when Roldan-Dimas was killed. They called the police, telling the dispatcher they saw a man being shot and killed in a black Camaro. Daryl Detrick, owner of Detrick's Car Wash across the street from the Planet Fitness, walked the jury through security camera footage from his business. The video showed an unidentified Black man run across the field between his car wash and the gym after the two gunshots. Prosecutors also called girlfriend Isabella Lima and her brother, who were with Roldan-Dimas the night he died. They went to the gym together and after they left, Roldan-Dimas was shot and killed, prosecution said. Her brother testified that a silver Dodge Charger swerved around his truck and a Black man with a mask on was chasing after it. He asked the man if he needed help. 'He stole my car!' the man told him. Lima's brother followed the car and reported the make, model and license plate number to police. Lima said she had been dating Roldan-Dimas for around two weeks. 'He was the most incredible man I have ever met,' Lima testified during the trial on Tuesday. On June 19, 2023, Roldan-Dimas had worked a 13-hour shift at his job. Lima said he was excited because he had been promoted from working on a machine outside to working inside — with air-conditioning. The then 22-year-old had plans to go to the gym with her younger brother, and Roldan-Dimas insisted on coming with. The three of them drove separately, with the couple arriving first at about 9 p.m. Lima and Roldan-Dimas finished their workout first and she planned to wait at Planet Fitness until her brother was done. Roldan-Dimas insisted on waiting with her, so the pair sat in her car and chatted. When her brother, who was then 17, finished his workout, Roldan-Dimas left Lima's car and went to his Camaro. '(Roldan-Dimas) kissed my forehead, said 'I love you, I'll see you Friday.' He got out, he hugged my brother, they talked and then he got in his car,' Lima said, her voice breaking as she finished her sentence. Within seconds, Lima and her brother heard a loud popping noise. Neither of them registered it as a gunshot. While her brother was driving home, he saw a silver Charger speed past him, he testified. Shortly after, he said he saw a Black man running in a nearby field. He slowed down and tried to speak to the man, who, he said, appeared agitated and yelled that someone had stolen his car. Lima's brother offered the man a ride, but he declined it. Lima's brother began to follow the silver Charger, called 911 and gave police the car's license plate information. As Lima was driving home, she called Roldan-Dimas three times, but he did not pick up. She found this odd, as he always picked up her calls. Worried about Roldan-Dimas, Lima and her brother, now both in her car, returned to Planet Fitness, where they found a number of police vehicles. Lima said she saw her boyfriend's body on the ground and thought he was asleep. Lima asked police to tell Roldan-Dimas that she was there when he woke up. His family was far away, so she wanted him to know he had someone there. 'I was insisting a lot to the cops to let me get close to him because I didn't want him to be alone,' Lima said. '(An officer) looked at me and was like 'Ma'am he's dead.'' Seifullah's murder trial will continue at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The trial is expected to take a week.
