Public Health Tech: Columbia’s new overdose prevention effort rolls out smart naloxone vending machines with QR-based training and real-time data to guide placement, aiming to cut barriers in high-need neighborhoods. Healthcare Expansion: Novant Health hits a construction milestone for its first Upstate medical campus in Greenville, with a 20-bed hospital slated to open in late 2027 and appointments starting early 2027. Biotech Jobs: Rock Hill’s Palmetto Research Park is moving toward a major life-sciences project—estimated at $1.5B—with a planned corporate HQ/lab and manufacturing facility and more than 1,200 jobs. Medical Innovation: Spartanburg Regional’s Dr. Frank Armocida becomes the first in South Carolina to use a robotic-assisted system for total knee replacement at Pelham Medical Center. STEM & Nature: Clemson’s Dr. Michael Childress warns beachgoers about Portuguese man o’ wars as they wash ashore, and a new study explains how Venus flytraps snap shut by rapid cell-wall changes. Community & Equity: Rev. Simon P. Bouie, a Columbia civil rights pioneer tied to the 1960 lunch-counter sit-in and a landmark Supreme Court case, has died. Policy Pushback: Republican AGs, including South Carolina’s Alan Wilson, urge EPA to treat mifepristone as a water contaminant. Education Politics: A report says GOP lawmakers are reshaping general education requirements, narrowing course options and boosting civics-focused curricula.