Midlands Palmetto Pulse

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Resolve Pain Solutions Announces Acquisition of Southcoast Spine and Pain, Territory Expands to South Carolina

Resolve Pain Solutions ("Resolve"), a leading provider of comprehensive interventional pain management services, has acquired Southcoast Spine and Pain, a regional pain management practice located in Aiken, South Carolina. Through this transaction, Resolve welcomes Dr. Russell Daniel to their growing platform of physicians. Daniel will continue serving patients in Aiken, while also treating patients in Evans, Georgia, as part of Resolve's existing practice, Advanced Pain Management. This also marks Resolve's entry into South Carolina.

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AI NEUROSCIENCE

ALLT.AI Publishes First-Ever Study Using Brain Lesion Data to Decode How AI Processes Language

For the first time, researchers have used human brain lesion data to decode how large language models process language. The breakthrough arrives as the AI industry confronts mounting challenges around efficiency, explainability, and the lack of any biological grounding for how these systems work. In the foundational paper, "Stroke Lesions as a Rosetta Stone for Language Model Interpretability," ALLT.AI's research team at the University of South Carolina introduces the Brain-LLM Unified Model (BLUM), a patented framework that links artificial intelligence systems to validated models of human brain organization.

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AI INVESTMENT

Institute of Museum and Library Services Awards $4.1 Million to Support the Trump AI Action Plan

The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced it awarded grants to eight projects in fiscal year 2025 that are dedicated to building AI literacy and integrating AI tools into museums and libraries across the country. In total, the agency has allocated $4,184,695 to such projects, furthering the Trump administration's commitment to advancing AI education to prepare all Americans to thrive in an AI-driven economy. The University of South Carolina will develop a national open-access curriculum that empowers secondary school librarians to integrate AI literacy education and equip students to understand, evaluate, and interact with AI technologies.

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SPOTLIGHT

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Irmo Now Open in South Carolina

Encompass Health, the nation's largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, announced the opening of Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Irmo. The 49-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital is now accepting patients. The more than 53,000-square-foot, freestanding hospital provides essential rehabilitation services that help patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, and complex orthopedic conditions regain functional ability, independence, and quality of life. An interdisciplinary team of highly specialized nurses, therapists and physicians create customized treatment plans to meet each patient's unique recovery goals.

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VA PHILANTHROPY

Hidden Wounds Receives $50,000 Donation from Philip Morris International U.S. to Expand Rapid Mental-Health Stabilization for Veterans

Hidden Wounds, a South Carolina-based nonprofit providing immediate mental-health stabilization and long-term support for veterans, announced a $50,000 donation from Philip Morris International's U.S. businesses (PMI U.S.). The funding comes at a critical moment as South Carolina and the nation face rising rates of veteran suicide, with an estimated 17.6 veterans dying by suicide every day, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

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MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Duke Merger Settlement Agreement Reached in South Carolina

A settlement agreement was reached by groups, including the Sierra Club, with Duke Energy on its proposed merger of its subsidiaries in South Carolina. A Sierra Club priority included in the settlement agreement is the commitment from Duke Energy to pursue at least 70 megawatts of new grid flexibility in the winter, known as demand response. Key to the customers, over the next 14 years, if the proposed savings fall short, the monopoly utility shareholders will make up the financial difference. 

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE

South Carolina Business Hall of Fame Inducts Three Laureates in 2026

Junior Achievement of Greater South Carolina inducted three Laureates to the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame on March 12, at the Pastides Alumni Center at The University of South Carolina. This induction is a distinction which honors a lifetime of achievements making a positive impact on South Carolina. The Laureate inductees this year are: Paul "Bo" Aughtry, III, chairman and CEO of Windsor/Aughtry Company, Inc of Greenville; Tobin Cassels, president of Southeastern Freight Lines of Columbia; and Mayor Joe Riley, former mayor of Charleston and champion of business development in Charleston.

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SCDNR’s Chief of Wildlife Named to National Hall of Fame

Induction into the National Bobwhite and Grasslands Initiative Hall of Fame is reserved for individuals and groups whose work has left a lasting mark on the conservation of wild bobwhites (bobwhite quail) across their range, recognizing not just achievement, but enduring impact. This distinction belongs to William F. “Billy” Dukes, Jr. who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in August 2025. For more than three decades prior, Dukes had been a steady, strategic, and deeply respected force in bobwhite quail conservation.

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OCtech announces 2026 SCTEA Educators of the Year

Three faculty and staff members have been honored as Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College’s Educators of the Year and were recognized during the South Carolina Technical Education Association’s annual conference Feb. 12-14 in Myrtle Beach. Dean of Academic Advising Dr. Stefanie Brown is the outstanding faculty honoree, TRIO Director Tammie Carter-Jenkins is the outstanding administrator, and Payroll Coordinator Dyamond Wannamaker is the outstanding staff member. SCTEA is a professional association of technical education personnel and others interested in post-secondary technical education.

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The 52nd Annual Hopelands Concert Series Returns to Hopelands Gardens

The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department presents the 52nd Annual Hopelands Concert Series, featuring live performances by local artists on the Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage at the Hopelands Gardens. Concerts take place every Monday evening throughout April, May, and June, beginning April 6 and concluding June 29. April performances begin at 6:30 p.m.. May and June performances begin at 7 p.m.

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New Treatment Center for Arrested SC Youth with Mental Health Needs Now Accepting Patients

Incarcerated youth in need of specialized mental health care started receiving it in March after a new psychiatric treatment center opened in Columbia. The facility, built with $23 million in state funds, aims to fill in the gaps for children and teenagers who do not need more intensive psychiatric hospitalization but whose needs go beyond what the state’s detention centers for youth can provide. At capacity, the 24,000-square-foot building can hold 24 people between the ages of 12 and 21 who would otherwise be housed at the state’s youth detention center. 

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Income Tax Cuts and $15.4B Budget Pass SC House

The House approved two income tax bills and a $15.4 billion spending plan that didn’t factor in their revenue losses. The votes sent one bill, which lowers state income tax rates, to the governor’s desk. Republicans tout it as a tax cut, though many South Carolinians will pay more next year under the changes. Some Democrats said the bill is a tax increase on working people. The other bill would temporarily apply federal tax cuts to state income taxes. The House advanced the first draft of the state budget in a vote of 101-18.

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Mourners Line Up to Pay Tribute to the Late Rev. Jesse Jackson at SC Statehouse

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a two-time presidential candidate and civil rights icon who died Feb. 17, was honored at the Statehouse in his home state. A tribute began with a mile-long procession of his casket on a horse-drawn wagon, or caisson, from Leevy’s Funeral Home to the Statehouse. The Greenville native’s stop in Columbia was part of a nationwide opportunity for people to say goodbye to the 84-year-old who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. before beginning his own political movement, which helped launch the modern Democratic Party.

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SPOTLIGHT

SCMC Celebrates Women in Business with Manufacturing, ATHENA Awards

South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce (SCMC) named the 2026 SCMC Manufacturing Woman of the Year and 2026 ATHENA Award winners at the 5th Annual Women’s Leadership Symposium in Columbia. Katherine Bergmann, head of communications and community relations for Volvo Car USA’s manufacturing operations in Ridgeville, South Carolina, was named as the 2026 SCMC Manufacturing Woman of the Year. The ATHENA Leadership Award was presented to Chandra Owenby Hopkins, dean of Converse College for Women at Converse University. The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award was presented to Bhawna “Sonia” Aggarwal, a board-certified behavior analyst.