Eminent Domain Attorneys Near Me Florence, SC

Someone who bought a ticket prior to Tuesday night’s drawing won the Mega Millions $800 million grand prize, according to South Carolina Education Lottery officials.

Although that ticket was sold in Florida, someone who purchased a Mega Millions game in South Carolina didn’t walk away empty-handed, officials said Wednesday in a news release. A Mega Millions player in Florence narrowly missed out on the game’s grand prize, coming one number short of a stake in the $800,000,000, according to the release.

For coming so close the person who bought the Mega Millions ticket in Florence will receive a $20,000 jackpot, officials said.

Now a search is underway for the winner.

The five-figure winning ticket was sold at the On The Loop gas station/convenience store at 1301 2^nd Loop Road, according to the release.

The winning numbers from Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing were 34, 48, 49, 59, 70 and Megaball: 12.

The winning ticket bought in Florence matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said. The Megaplier number was 2, and the prize was doubled from $10,000 to $20,000, officials said.

The odds of matching four white balls and the gold Megaball are 1-in-893,761, according to the release.

The winner has 180 days to claim the prize, according to lottery officials.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

“Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.

For complete information on claiming prizes, go to sceducationlottery.com.

On The Loop will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket, when it is turned into lottery officials.

Because a grand prize winning ticket was sold, the payday for a winner in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing will be $20 million, according to the release.

Tickets are $5, with a megaplier included.

The odds of winning Mega Million’s grand prize are 1-in-290,472,336.

FLORENCE — Construction will soon be underway on Florence County’s museum expansion.

The museum as it currently stands has served the county since 2014, presenting traveling exhibitions on loan from the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Gibbes Museum of Charleston, all at zero cost to visitors.

In the last two years, the Florence museum has welcomed 20,000 visitors and hosted 157 tours.

The museum will close temporarily for a $15 million expansion that will bring a variety of functional improvements to enhance the visitor experience while also accommodating growing demand, according to a news release.

The museum will gain two new galleries on the second floor, totaling approximately 4,500 square feet of additional exhibit space. One gallery will be dedicated to exhibiting works related to the life of Florence native the late-William Henry Johnson, drawing on works in the museum’s permanent collection and loans from adjacent institutions.

Beginning in 2028, Johnson is expected to become the subject of international focus as major art institutions in the United States, Denmark and Norway host landmark exhibitions highlighting his contributions to 20th-century art.

The second new gallery will showcase art from the museum's growing permanent collection. Together, these galleries will be the museum's first spaces dedicated to exhibiting art from its own holdings and will serve a unique function alongside the museum’s three existing exhibit spaces that often feature holdings from outside the museum’s collections, the release said.

Florence County has partnered with McMillan, Pazdan, and Smith Architecture of Columbia to design the expansion. Collins & Almers Architecture of Florence, which assisted in overseeing the facility's initial construction in 2014, is serving as the local architectural liaison.

Thompson Turner Construction of Sumter will provide construction services. Haley Sharpe, who was also involved in the facility's original exhibit design in 2014, has been contracted to provide exhibit design services for the renovated Pee Dee History Gallery.

The expansion will also add educational space on both floors: an entry and staging area on the first floor to accommodate school and community group tours; and a second classroom on the second floor to expand capacity for tour and educational programming.

A U-shaped, interior walkway on the second floor will also be introduced to improve circulation, along with new space for collection storage and staff offices.

The $15 million project will begin Aug. 1 and is scheduled to continue through October 2027, according to the release.

The museum will remain open to the public during construction, but sections of the building will close as needed throughout the project.

The museum will officially close to the public in October 2027 to allow time for the installation of new exhibits and preparation of the renovated facility.

A public unveiling event celebrating the museum's redesigned and expanded galleries is planned for the first quarter of 2028.

Starting Aug. 1, the small parking lot directly west of the museum (accessed from Cheves Street) will be closed and will remain closed through October 2027. During this time, museum guests can find nearby parking in the Emerson Garage, located west of the museum, accessible via Irby or Dargan Street. Through-access between the back of the museum and the Waters Building (accessed from Dargan Street) will remain open throughout construction. Parking along Dargan Street will also remain open during construction.

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FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTV) - A federal grand jury has indicted seven Chesterfield County men in connection with a dogfighting operation that triggered the largest single-property dog seizure in South Carolina history, prosecutors said Friday.

A grand jury in Florence returned a nine-count indictment on Friday, Sept. 4, charging seven men with conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act, possession of dogs for animal fighting, and unlawful possession of firearms.

According to the indictment, the men bred, housed and trained pit bull-type dogs for dogfighting in an operation that allegedly spanned nearly seven years from 2019 to 2026.

During investigations from April to July 2026, authorities seized more than 100 dogs and dogfighting equipment, including treadmills, bite sticks, heavy metal chains and breeding stands.

Avery Robinson, 36, was found with nearly 77 pit-bull type dogs leading to what officials called the largest single property dog seizure in South Carolina’s history.

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The other defendants included Lonnie Gaskins, 28; Terry Gaskins, 49; Shamar Sutton, 32; Derwayne Miller Sr., 46; Derwayne Miller Jr., 26; Kevin Knotts, 26.

Lonnie Gaskins was reportedly a former Chesterfield County Sheriff’s deputy and was found with seven trained pit bull-type dogs. Authorities said they found a hanging scale, weighted collars and chains, and a carpet stained with canine blood at his residence.

The seven Chesterfield County men face up to five years in prison, while Miller Jr. and Terry Gaskins face up to 15 years for firearm offenses.

Lonnie Gaskins was reportedly a former Chesterfield County Sheriff’s deputy and was found with seven trained pit bull-type dogs. Authorities said they found a hanging scale, weighted collars and chains, and a carpet stained with canine blood.

The condition of the seized dogs was not immediately clear as of this writing.

“Dog fighting turns suffering into entertainment and violence into a business,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate animal cruelty and speak for these defenseless dogs, who cannot speak for themselves.”

FLORENCE, S.C. —

Authorities say seven men, including a former deputy, were arrested after a dog fighting investigation led to the largest single property dog-seizure in South Carolina history.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina reported on Friday that a Florence grand jury charged seven men from Chesterfield County following a seven-year-long investigation into dog fighting in the area.

The men were charged with conspiracy to violate the Animal Welfare Act, possession of pit bull-type dogs for animal fighting ventures, and unlawful possession of firearms, according to officials.

Officials say the indictment alleges that from September 2019 to July 2026, the men maintained properties where pit bull-style dogs intended for dog fighting were bred, housed, and trained. Officials also claimed the defendants used training equipment and paraphernalia, including treadmills, bite sticks, heavy metal chains, and breeding stands.

In addition to these allegations, officials say the defendants shared images and videos of the fights and injured dogs.

The indictment said law enforcement seized over 100 dogs and fighting paraphernalia between April and July 2026.

Head-on crash in Pickens County leaves one driver dead, another injured, troopers say

Officials say the following defendants have been charged:

Officials report the men face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the animal welfare offenses. Additionally, Miller Jr. and Gaskins face up to 15 years for the firearm offenses.

"Dog fighting turns suffering into entertainment and violence into a business,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate animal cruelty and speak for these defenseless dogs, who cannot speak for themselves.”

Pregnant SC woman dies after her hair gets caught in go-kart sprocket, coroner says

The case was investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elle E. Klein and Holly Brown are prosecuting the case.

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FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — The Medical University of South Carolina Florence on Wednesday broke ground on its new Hollings Cancer Center facility.

This new facility will provide local patients with access to specialized cancer treatments that would typically require travel to Charleston.

The 63,000-square-foot facility aims to extend MUSC’s reach as the only National Cancer Institute in South Carolina and one of 74 such institutes nationwide. This designation signifies that MUSC has passed federal government evaluations for excellence in laboratory research, patient care, prevention and education.

Speakers at Wednesday’s ceremony highlighted the importance of patients receiving care without extensive travel. Dr. Paul Davis, a member of the MUSC Board of Trustees, emphasized the challenges patients often face.

“Many times, these patients have to travel for hours to receive special treatment, whether it be a clinical trial or some special treatment,” Davis said.

Charlene Lowery, a cancer survivor, shared her experience of traveling to Charleston for treatment with her husband. Lowery noted that while they were able to make the journey, it can be a significant obstacle for others, particularly those who are older or lack transportation.

“To have something of this caliber coming here to Florence, where people wouldn’t have to do the traveling, especially the ones that are of age that don’t have transportation,” Lowery said.

She added that instead of inconveniencing family members or paying for transport, patients will now simply need “picking up the phone and getting someone to bring them right here locally.”

The Pee Dee region, where Florence is located, is identified by MUSC as one of South Carolina’s most underserved areas with a high incidence of disease. MUSC Pee Dee Division CEO Jason Cox affirmed the institution’s commitment to the area.

“We would love for everybody there to know that we are making a significant investment right here in The Pee Dee, which is one of the most underserved areas in the state of South Carolina and has one of the highest incidence of disease,” Cox said.

He concluded that this investment is intended to “improve the health and the health outcomes of our community.”

The new Hollings Cancer Center facility is expected to open by the summer of 2027.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WBTW. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WBTW staff before being published.

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Eric Cooper is a multimedia journalist at News13. He joined the team in September 2024 and covers stories in the Pee Dee. He is a native of Cades in Williamsburg County and a proud graduate of Kingstree Senior High School and Benedict College. You can read more of his work here.