00:01It's 644 and time for News To Go. We have a look at today's top news stories, your traffic and
00:05your weather, all before you head out the door.
00:07We start with Leah Phillips, who's following breaking news in Oconee County. Leah.
00:12You're right, Destiny. That's right. We are closely keeping an eye on major backup that we are seeing along I
00:17-85.
00:18This is in the southbound lanes here, as you can see, a complete standstill of traffic.
00:24You're taking a live look right now at mile marker 2.
00:27Now, the crash is happening at mile marker 1. That's according to SCDOT.
00:31And as you can see, that is an over-mile backup of complete standstill traffic.
00:36And again, this is a tricky spot because it's over Hartwell.
00:40You can't really take many detours here without it honestly being longer than just sitting through that standstill traffic and
00:47using I-85 as that through way.
00:51But I do want to let you know that it is taking place right now.
00:54We're keeping a close eye on it. We're seeing it both northbound and south.
00:57Southbound lanes along I-85 there.
00:59Again, mile marker 1 is where the crash is happening.
01:01But you were just looking at that backup.
01:03Standstill all the way to mile marker 2.
01:06All lanes blocked off once again.
01:08Definitely something to keep in mind if that sounds familiar.
01:10If you're crossing that Georgia state line, traveling over Hartwell in those southbound lanes,
01:14give yourself an extra 15, 20, 25 minutes to head out the door.
01:1926, 85, 385 other parts of our area, though, looking good.
01:23Aaron.
01:24Thank you, Leah.
01:25And one week, charitable organizations across the state can apply to receive cash donations as part of a new tax
01:29incentive.
01:30This new legislation will impact not just donors, but agencies who rely heavily on donations.
01:35Our Naomi Popa is joining us live from Spartanburg.
01:37Naomi, what organizations qualify?
01:41Erin, Destiny, good morning.
01:43Organizations that help with crisis pregnancy care, organizations that help with victims of child trafficking or human trafficking,
01:51and even those that support or prevent children in custody of DSS or social services.
01:56That's all part of this pregnancy resource tax credit that I'm going to talk a little bit about today.
02:01Now, these organizations have to apply to be considered eligible or credible organizations, charitable organizations.
02:08But once they're approved, cash donations can then be made for people to claim the credit on their income tax
02:13returns.
02:14Organizations have to apply annually to be considered eligible.
02:17The state's Department of Revenue allows you to do so on their website.
02:20An application must be filed out after July 6th, the window opens, and then until July 31st, when it closes.
02:27I spoke with Alexia Newman.
02:28She's the director of the Carolina Pregnancy Center here in Spartanburg County.
02:32She hopes this incentive will benefit all eligible organizations across the state.
02:38I'm excited about what it's going to mean for, I mean, where we can do more.
02:44We can reach out more.
02:46We can get our name out there, you know, do some advertising, but also buy the necessary things that we
02:54need to help.
02:58For organizations like the CPC, resources are completely free.
03:02This means mothers and fathers can receive not only free services, but be taught and educated on important parental skills
03:09and child care.
03:10The CPC also offers free ultrasounds, exams, and various other services from the community as needed.
03:17But as Newman said, each dollar counts.
03:19Now, a list of all charitable organizations will be made available on August 17th.
03:23Live here in Spartanburg County, I'm Naomi Pope by WYFF News 4.
03:28Thank you, Naomi.
03:29Turning to our commitment coverage this morning, South Carolina is moving one step closer to closed primaries,
03:33meaning voters would have to register with a political party and could then only vote in that party's primary.
03:38A recent vote by the SDGOP changes its bylaws to close primary elections to just registered Republicans.
03:44The move doesn't directly change anything about South Carolina elections,
03:47but the party chairman says it will force the state legislature's hand.
03:50This year, South Carolina lawmakers rejected a bill that would have closed the primaries,
03:54and during that same legislative session, lawmakers ultimately chose not to redistrict the congressional map.
04:00A major deadline today will impact millions of federal student loan borrowers.
04:04Under President Donald Trump's one big, beautiful bill, there are now fewer options for loan repayment programs.
04:09There are also greater restrictions on how much students can borrow.
04:13The change is also in the Biden-era repayment program called the SAVE Plan and raise interest rates.
04:18Borrowers can find more information on how these changes will impact them on studentaid.gov.
04:24For the eighth straight year, there will be no tuition increase for in-state students attending the University of South
04:29Carolina.
04:29According to the Board of Trustees, tuition for out-of-state students will once again increase by 3%.
04:34Housing and meal plans for all students will increase this year by a little more than $100,
04:38and there's also a new annual $150 per semester student union expansion fee.
04:44Other campus improvements include expanding Russell House and building a civil rights center.
04:47USC is also extending its partnership with OpenAI to offer free access to ChatGPT for all students, faculty, and staff.
04:56Undergraduate tuition at Clemson University also won't go up next year.
04:59Last month, the Board of Trustees approved a tuition freeze for the seventh year in a row.
05:03The Board did approve a 3.5% tuition increase for out-of-state students.
05:08Meanwhile, tuition will go up for students at Tri-County Technical College.
05:11The school's commission unanimously voted to approve a more than $71 million budget for the next fiscal year,
05:17which included a nearly 4% tuition increase for in-county students starting in the fall semester.
05:23TCTC leaders say the higher price is needed to address cost increases.
05:28Victoria.
05:30And here we go. Temperature's back on the rise later this afternoon with a dangerous heat wave continuing.
05:35Right now we're at 78 degrees in Greenville, most of us in the 70s.
05:39Greenville was in the 80s a couple hours ago with a feel-like temperature in the mid-80s,
05:44so it's going to be hot and humid later today.
05:46Keep this in mind for those outdoor activities and even think of things like your pets.
05:50Don't take them out on the hot cement.
05:52Children out on the playground. It's hot on the equipment.
05:54As we go towards Thursday, temperatures reaching the triple digits once again
05:58and actual temperatures on Friday reaching the triple digits with feel-like temperatures above 100.
06:04So this will continue through the holiday weekend.
06:06The heat is on and it will continue at least through Monday.
06:10Now one or two isolated thunderstorms were possible later this afternoon.
06:14This continues into Thursday as well, Friday, and potentially on Saturday.
06:18It's very isolated. Not everyone sees rain, but for those who do, it definitely packs a punch.
06:23It's just so hot outside.
06:24We see small hail. We could see some frequent lightning, heavy downpours,
06:29but they do start to diminish quickly as well, just as quick as they pop up.
06:33Friday, similar story, and it's usually past about 3 o'clock when we get that peak daytime heating.
06:38Now for tomorrow, there is a low-end threat of a strong to severe storm,
06:41mainly focused towards Greenville heading westward, down towards northeast Georgia, up near Asheville.
06:47And then if you're south of I-85 heading off towards areas like Union and Greenwood, Abbeville,
06:52it looks like you're okay from any severe weather.
06:54So this will be the trend.
06:56It's too hot this time of the year to get a tornado, but we could see some hail and strong
07:00wind gusts.
07:00So we'll look at the four-day plus again here in just a couple minutes to look at our next
07:04cool down.
07:04Destiny, Erin.
07:07Thank you, Victoria.
07:08Heads up for people living in Oconee County.
07:10Duke Energy will test outdoor warning sirens at each of its nuclear plants today.
07:15These quarterly tests are part of the normal maintenance to make sure sirens are working properly.
07:19For the Oconee Nuclear Station, expect to hear sirens between 11 o'clock this morning and at 1 o'clock
07:24this afternoon.
07:25The U.S. men's soccer team will play their next game in the World Cup today.
07:29Their game against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is set to start at 8 o'clock tonight.
07:33And there are two other knockout games today in the World Cup.
07:36First at noon is England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
07:39And that game will be followed by Belgium and Senegal.
07:42G.U. Vernova is hosting its second U.S. soccer watch party today as Team USA takes on Bosnia and
07:47Herzegovina.
07:47This is a look outside the stadium this morning.
07:50Admission to the events is free with RSVP.
07:53And you can find the link at bridgewaystation.com slash World Cup.
07:57The gates will open this evening at 7 o'clock with the kickoff starting at 8.
08:00Just be sure to bring blankets and lawn chairs.
08:03I hope you join us tomorrow for our latest hour-long special, Chronicle Legacy of Liberty.
08:08As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, the WYFF4 Chronicle team dives into the importance of South Carolina's contributions to the
08:16Revolutionary War.
08:17We'll explore the contributions of two upstate women who played pivotal roles in the Patriots' success.
08:23And her role in helping win the Revolutionary War is real.
08:29And that blood is running through me.
08:35Join us right here on WYFF4 tomorrow night at 8 for Chronicle Legacy of Liberty.
