By Lindsay Street, Statehouse correspondent | Sarah Leverette, a Columbia lawyer known for her long work for women’s rights, died Aug. 29 at the age of 98.
Leverette graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1943. In the decades since, she advocated for informed democracy and women’s rights. Earlier this year, she was awarded USC’s Compleat Lawyer Award.
S.C. Lawyers Weekly wrote the following about Leverette prior to her death:
“This is just one of many accomplishments that the nonagenarian has achieved in her lifetime. To name a few, she headed the USC School of Law library for 25 years and was the first female faculty member at the school while also teaching legal writing, she was a commissioner on the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, a board member on the South Carolina League of Women Voters and the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and, after retiring, she became a real estate agent, which she has continued to do until recent health issues have slowed her at the age of 98.”
In other news this week:
More uranium leaks uncovered in Midlands. Following Statehouse Report’s story last week regarding questions on whether the state should do more to protect residents from nuclear spills, more leaks have been reported at Westinghouse’s plant near Columbia. About a hundred people attended a meeting Aug. 30 during which they learned nuclear regulators will reopen an investigation of the plant after finding undisclosed leaks there. Read more here.
McMaster’s Medicaid move stalled. A federal judge has temporarily halted Gov. Henry McMaster’s executive order that would strip Medicaid funds from abortion-providing clinics in the state. Planned Parenthood sued the state after McMaster issued the order earlier this year. Read more here.
Senators not helping protect votes in S.C. As editor Andy Brack pointed out last week in a commentary, South Carolina is in dire need of fixing its election system. The fix would cost $50 million. In a State newspaper article this week, Republicans U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott were singled out for not bringing federal money into the state to shore up elections in the state. Read more here.
Big counties lead state in human trafficking cases. Greenville County saw 49 percent of the state’s human trafficking cases in 2017. Charleston, Horry, Richland and Beaufort counties saw the next highest numbers of cases. Read more here.
Tech schools now offer a four-year degree. Technical colleges in South Carolina are now able to offer a four-year degree in advanced manufacturing technology as long as they don’t use any additional state funding for the program. Read more here.
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