Russ McKinney
Russ McKinney
Reporter, Producer
Russ McKinney has 30 years of experience in radio news and public affairs. He is a former broadcast news reporter in Spartanburg, Columbia and Atlanta. He served as Press Secretary to former S.C. Governor Dick Riley for two terms, and for 20 years was the chief public affairs officer for the University of South Carolina.
Stories
-
The State House Gavel: With ice and snow gone, what's left behind is a packed calendar
January 28, 2025Happy Tuesday. South Carolina lawmakers are back in Columbia for the third week of session after cutting back most of their schedule last week because of snow and ice. -
The State House Gavel: Auditor resigns amid $1.8B saga, DNC chair forum in SC
January 24, 2025It's Friday and the second legislative week is done. And if you thought Week 1 was a doozy, this week was too. Before we get into all the hubbub from the Statehouse, we want to say thank you for reading The State House Gavel. -
SC auditor tangled up in $1.8B accounting error resigns
January 23, 2025The state auditor tangled up in South Carolina's $1.8 billion accounting error has resigned. Auditor George Kennedy resigned by letter to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, otherwise known as SFAA, Thursday morning by letter. -
The State House Gavel: SC Senate gets a new portrait, 2026 gov race heats up
January 23, 2025It's Thursday. Snow and ice upended most legislative hearings Wednesday, and we've already seen a couple of cancellations for Thursday due to the residual conditions. As we reported already, the Legislature never intended this week to be filled with floor debates, only... -
The State House Gavel: Statehouse forecast calls for flurries...of bills
January 22, 2025Welcome to Wednesday. It is still very, very cold. So cold, in fact, lawmakers have canceled several hearings originally scheduled for Wednesday, mainly in the SC House. For now, several hearings set for Wednesday and Thursday still seem to be a go. -
The State House Gavel: Graham signals openness to VC Summer revival
January 21, 2025Good morning. It's a very cold Tuesday. It's the second week of the 2025 legislative session. As a reminder, the SC House and Senate will be in what's called a perfunctory session and will not be meeting for floor debate or votes. Both chambers are prioritizing committee...