AI in Classrooms: Charleston educators are running “map demo” lessons to show how chatbots can misspell countries and hallucinate, pushing AI literacy instead of blanket bans. Workforce & Robotics: Greenville Tech opened a $32M Center for Welding and Automation Excellence in Simpsonville, adding an AI welding lab and expanding welding/robotics capacity to meet a national shortage. STEM Research & Health: A UNC-led study found 40% of blacklegged ticks in western North Carolina carry Lyme bacteria, with USC and N.C. State involved—highlighting shifting tickborne risk. Public Health Tech & Policy: DOJ is weighing major Foreign Agents Registration Act rule changes, aiming to clarify tech-era ambiguities and reduce burdens. Higher Ed AI Use: USC students and staff used ChatGPT far more than contracted last year, prompting new guardrails for heavy “deep research” users. Citizen Science: The Great Southeast Pollinator Census runs Aug. 21-22 across SC and neighbors, inviting people to count bees and butterflies on set plants. Surveillance Accountability: A Colleton County sheriff’s deputy was fired after alleged misuse of Flock camera data, including thousands of unauthorized searches.