RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)– Richland County Sheriff’s Department says phone calls reporting an active shooter on I-26 were determined to be a hoax.

Courtesy: Sumter County Sheriff’s Office

Police lights

Similar phone calls have been made to multiple other Midlands law enforcement agencies, says the sheriff’s dept.

At this time, there is no active shooter threat in the community.

LEE COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)– Lee County fire crews are at the scene of an aircraft crash on Cuttino Road in Lynchburg, fire officials say.

lee county fire rescue logo (Photo: Facebook)

According to officials, one person was involved in the crash and is reported to be in stable condition.

The patient is being was to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Multiple agencies are in the area helping including Lee County EMS, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the Sumter Fire Department, Sumter EMS, and the Lee County Emergency Management Department.

Due to the crash power lines were damaged and are currently down in the area. 

Officials say, Black River Electric Cooperative is in the area, and Santee Electric Cooperative crews are actively working to make repairs and safely restore power to affected customers.

Residents may experience extended power outages while repairs are being completed.

People are asked to avoid the area and use caution if traveling nearby.

Emergency responders and utility personnel remain on the scene managing the incident and ensuring public safety.

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO)– Fairfield County Coroner Chris Hill has identified the person who died after an Sunday early morning ATV incident, says the coroner’s office.

The ATV incident happened on Sunday, June 7, in the early morning at Carolina Adventure World in the Mitford area of Fairfield County.

According to Coroner Hill, 18-year-old Braiden Ham from Dallas, North Carolina, was riding an ATV alone at Carolina Adventure World when it appears he lost control which led to the ATV flipping.

Ham was found by a passerby approximately a hour later, says the coroner’s office.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was called to the scene and he was confirmed deceased from his injuries.

An autopsy will be completed with Newberry Pathology on Tuesday June 9, 2026 to determine Hams exact cause of death.

 (WCIV) — South Carolina voters cast a record number of ballots during the state’s early voting period ahead of Tuesday’s election, according to the South Carolina Election Commission.

FILE- Voting booths are set up at a polling place in Newtown, Pa, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

More than 318,600 voters cast ballots during early voting, shattering previous turnout records. The commission reported 318,602 ballots were cast during the 2026 early voting period, compared with 120,178 in 2024 and 100,450 in 2022.

Election officials are now reminding voters of key requirements and deadlines as Election Day approaches on June 9.

Polls across the state will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Any voter who is in line by 7 p.m. will be allowed to cast a ballot.

The Election Commission encouraged voters to verify their polling location and review their sample ballot before heading to the polls. Both are available through the state’s election website, scVOTES.gov.

Voters are required to present a valid photo ID when voting in person.

Officials are also urging voters who still have absentee ballots to return them as soon as possible. To be counted, absentee ballots must be received by the county voter registration and elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The commission reminded absentee voters to sign the voter’s oath and ensure their return envelope is witnessed before submitting their ballot. Witnesses must also provide an address on the envelope.

Voters concerned about mailing delays are encouraged to deliver their absentee ballots in person. Authorized returnees may also return ballots on behalf of voters if the required authorization section has been completed.

(WCIV) — A racoon was confirmed to have rabies on Thursday after exposing one dog to the virus in Orangeburg County, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health.

A raccoon eats peanuts on the boardwalk in Panama City, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

The racoon was reportedly found near Branchdale Highway and Gemini Drive in Vance. No people have reported being exposed however one dog was exposed and was quarantined as per the Rabies Control Act.

After the exposure the racoon was reported and submitted to the Department of Public Health’s lab for testing on June 3 before coming back with a positive rabies result on June 4.

Anyone who believes that they may have come in contact with this racoon or any other animal that is suspected to have rabies, is urged to call DPH’s Charleston office at (843) 953-4713 during normal business hours.

(AP) — Iran launched missiles at Israel in the first such bombardment since a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April, raising the possibility of a return to heavy fighting and complicating mediation efforts to end the war.

Pro-government Iranian demonstrators wave flags from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran’s state broadcaster confirmed the launches, and Iran closed its western airspace to brace for a possible response. Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs without warning earlier Sunday in defiance of Washington’s request days ago to stand down. Israel said the Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at northern Israel earlier in the day.

“Should these acts of aggression be repeated, the responses will be broader in scope and will encompass all American and Zionist targets throughout the region,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said in a statement that referenced attacks in Lebanon and on Iran’s coast and vessels around the Strait of Hormuz.

Sirens sounded in several areas of Israel, sending millions running for shelter. Israel’s military said it intercepted the missiles, and multiple explosions were heard in the north. Less than an hour later, the military said people could leave areas reinforced against missile attacks.

“Iran has made a grave mistake,” Israel military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said. The military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said it will “strike the enemy with determination as soon as the order is given.”

But Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, said U.S. President Donald Trump told it that he doesn’t think Israel needs to respond further. And Trump told the Financial Times: “I call all the shots. He (Netanyahu) doesn’t call the shots.”

U.S. official: Netanyahu to hold off attack ‘for the time being’

A senior U.S. official said Trump had called Netanyahu to urge him not to retaliate immediately for the Iranian missile attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private phone call, said that Trump believed he had convinced Netanyahu to wait.

Trump “got Bibi to hold off for the time being,” the official said. The official would not offer any other details of the call, and there was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.

Iran had warned that an attack on Beirut would renew full-scale war across the Mideast, even as Pakistan and other mediators try to restart talks between Tehran and Washington.

“U.S. forces across the Middle East remain vigilant and ready,” the U.S. Central Command posted on X shortly before the missile launches. The U.S. Embassy in Israel later directed employees and family members to shelter in place.

Israel’s attack on Beirut came a few days after the Lebanese and Israeli governments agreed to a ceasefire in U.S.-hosted talks, though Hezbollah rejected the deal. The strike on a residential building killed two people and wounded 20, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

“The army will continue to act in all of Lebanon,” the Israel military spokesperson said.

Israel’s strikes and ground invasion in Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, and the militant group’s resistance to disarming, have complicated an overall deal to end the war in the Middle East.

Iran says any deal must include an end to fighting in Lebanon.

Trump told a Fox News Channel reporter that he wanted the Iranians to stop firing missiles and return to the negotiating table. He also said that Israel’s strikes earlier Sunday were not coordinated with the U.S. and “I’m not happy about it.”

Israel last week had announced it would strike the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, but urgent talks via Washington halted that on the condition that Hezbollah stop targeting Israeli border towns.

Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for firing at Israel earlier Sunday, wants the direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to end. Instead, it supports Iran’s stance that an overall ceasefire deal between Tehran and Washington include the situation in Lebanon.

Netanyahu, who seeks reelection later this year, is under heavy domestic pressure to respond to both Iran and the Hezbollah threat, which has paralyzed life for thousands of residents along Israel’s northern border.

But Trump has made clear he does not want to see the war resume.

Trump said earlier Sunday in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would like to see a “more surgical attack on Hezbollah.” He also said he was “not demanding” that Lebanon be part of an overall ceasefire deal in the Iran war.

Iran continues to assert its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. continues its blockade of Iranian ports, with shipments of oil, natural gas and fertilizer affected and the global economy in pain.

Iran since the ceasefire took effect has launched missiles and drones at Gulf nations and said it was targeting the U.S. military presence. After its launches against Israel, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced that the country’s airspace would close for 72 hours and Syria’s aviation authority announced a 12-hour airspace closure.

All flights from Tehran’s main international airport were suspended, the civil aviation authority said, according to the official Mizan news agency.

Diplomacy continues before and after missile launches

Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, was in Tehran on Sunday delivering a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. There were no details on the message’s contents.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was named the Islamic Republic’s ruler after his father was killed on Feb. 28 as Israeli and U.S. strikes sparked the war.

Pakistani authorities have said Islamabad, with support from regional countries including Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, is working to help bridge differences.

In Cairo, the Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers discussed “proposed elements” of a potential agreement between the U.S. and Iran, the Egyptian foreign ministry said, without details.

And after Iran’s missile launches at Israel, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with counterparts in France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Britain, Egypt and Turkey as well as Pakistan’s army chief, Iran’s state TV said.

(WCIV) — The average price of gas in South Carolina has fallen once again, bringing much needed relief to motorists as summer kicks off, bringing with it an increase in travel.

Generic gas prices picture

File photo

According to GasBuddy’s survey of 3,028 stations in South Carolina, the cost of gas has fallen 19.8 cents per gallon, dropping to a total average of $3.65 per gallon as of Monday. This recorded price is 48.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 95.8 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

“Average gasoline prices declined in virtually every state over the last week as oil prices continued to fall, with crude approaching $90 per barrel and refiners ramping up output following seasonal maintenance,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

The cheapest station in South Carolina was priced at $3.17 per gallon Sunday while the most expensive was $4.49 per gallon, a difference of $1.32.

Meanwhile the national average price of gas has also fallen 17.9 cents per gallon in the last week, for a new average of $4.09 per gallon as of Monday.

The national average is down 45.2 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.02/g higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country.

Despite both national and local gas prices dropping De Haan states that the future of gas prices remains murky.

“With the Strait of Hormuz remaining effectively closed, global oil supplies continue to tighten, and any further deterioration in the situation could send prices sharply higher. For now, motorists may enjoy the savings at the pump, but the risk of a significant reversal has not gone away,” said De Haan.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– The COMET is offering free rides to the polls for voters in Columbia on Tuesday.

(catchthecometsc.gov/file)

(catchthecometsc.gov/file)

The COMET fixed route buses and DART services will be free for those going to vote in the primaries to be held on Tuesday, June 9, according to officials.

“We realize how important it is for people to have access to the political process and The COMET wants to ensure that transportation is available to help those needing a ride to the polls,” said Maurice Pearl, Executive Director/CEO of The COMET. “Voting is an essential activity that provides citizens with an equal opportunity to let their voices be heard. Having a reliable way to get to the polls is the first step in that process.”

Riders can plan their trip by downloading and using the Transit App or by using the trip planner on The COMET’s website.

For more information regarding routes visit www.catchthecometsc.gov/routes or call 803.255.7100.

Voters can verify their registration information by visiting www.scvotes.gov.