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Tony Bartelme

@tbartelme.bsky.social
265 followers 119 following 253 posts

My new book is Rising Waters. I write for The Post and Courier in Charleston, SC. Love hiking. Don’t like X, Meta and oligarchs. linktr.ee/tbartelme

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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 16h
The Faroe Islands are rainy and very windy. So most photos of it are taken between breaks in the clouds. While I was there, I did this story for The Post and Courier called The Overturning. tinyurl.com/53ad6yjf
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 16h
Published today in The Post and Courier, a local story set in the Faroe Islands. We call it THE OVERTURNING. www.postandcourier.com/news/special... #Faroe #Climate #AMOC
postandcourier.com
How Faroe Island scientists solved mysteries about ocean currents shaping South Carolina's future
Is the AMOC weakening, putting South Carolina’s coast at risk for more severe flooding? Scientists on the Faroe Islands have measured this important ocean current system for decades, unlocking its sec...
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Your daily #FAROE. Story about the AMOC and Faroe Islands in @postandcourier.bsky.social Sunday!
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What's up with the AMOC? I was in the spectacular #FaroeIslands to find out. Story coming this Sunday!
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Your daily #Faroe! Story coming Sunday in @postandcourier.bsky.social !
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Sept. 19 was International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I missed it. Arrgh. Here's a story I did that I loved working on. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
The true and false stories of Anne Bonny, pirate woman of the Caribbean
Arrgh! The true and false stories of Anne Bonny, pirate woman of the Caribbean. Spoiler alert: They probably didn’t say "Arrgh"
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
We investigate. The sheriff responded. Our latest Uncovered. #localnews www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
Sumter sheriff official flew dept plane to NC on public dime
Sumter sheriff deputy flew department’s plane to NC beach and on sightseeing trips with family on the taxpayer’s dime, raising ethics questions.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Sometimes you have to do a project that ties a lot of things together. Townfall is one of those. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
TOWNFALL: Many South Carolina towns are broken — plagued by infighting, corruption and mismanagement. Here’s how to fix them.
A new Post and Courier report reveals how small towns have become dens of corruption or incompetence. Many lie in “accountability deserts,” our analysis shows.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Earlier this year, we wrote that 70 South Carolina towns had failed to do their audits. We knew there would be more as fiscal years ended. And that's what happened. The number of audit delinquents stands at 113 today. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
TOWNFALL: Many South Carolina towns are broken — plagued by infighting, corruption and mismanagement. Here’s how to fix them.
A new Post and Courier report reveals how small towns have become dens of corruption or incompetence. Many lie in “accountability deserts,” our analysis shows.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Last year, we worked with PPLAAF to expose some "dirty deeds" by top Nigerian public leaders. Here's an eye-popping followup by that group. @pplaaf.bsky.social www.postandcourier.com/uncovered/di...
postandcourier.com
New report shows Nigerian leaders plowed $271 million into U.S. real estate, including the Carolinas
At least 61 top Nigerian officials bought $271 million in American real estate, including properties in Aiken and South Carolina, raising questions about corruption.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
We investigate. The sheriff responded. Our latest Uncovered. #localnews www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
Sumter sheriff official flew dept plane to NC on public dime
Sumter sheriff deputy flew department’s plane to NC beach and on sightseeing trips with family on the taxpayer’s dime, raising ethics questions.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Thank you Independent Publisher Book Awards for honoring Rising Waters with a bronze IPPY award! tonybartelme.com/buy/
tonybartelme.com
Buy Rising Waters | Tony Bartelme
Rising Waters is Tony Bartelme's new book about the climate crisis through the lens of his work in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Hey our F-35 story was translated into French. Check it out below, and thank you Heidi News for doing it. url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/c7XwCn54zz...
url.us.m.mimecastprotect.com
41 secondes - Heidi.news
Le journaliste américain Tony Bartelme a enquêté sur le crash d’un F-35. Il a pu mener un entretien exceptionnel avec son pilote, le colonel Charles «Tre» Del Pizzo, un Marine hautement décoré qui a p...
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Earlier this year, we wrote that 70 South Carolina towns had failed to do their audits. We knew there would be more as fiscal years ended. And that's what happened. The number of audit delinquents stands at 113 today. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
TOWNFALL: Many South Carolina towns are broken — plagued by infighting, corruption and mismanagement. Here’s how to fix them.
A new Post and Courier report reveals how small towns have become dens of corruption or incompetence. Many lie in “accountability deserts,” our analysis shows.
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Caryn Hunt @carynhunt.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
"...growing scarcity of public finance professionals has created a critical competence gap where inexperienced managers fail to prepare proper budgets, miss chances to apply for grants and make it easier for fraudsters to steal public money."
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Our latest story in TOWNFALL is about one of those trends that may not seem like a big deal but helps explain the corruption and mismanagement of so many towns and cities. Thanks for reading! www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
The "silver tsunami” that explains why SC towns flounder
SC towns are struggling amid an exodus of experienced public sector managers, creating a competence gap that makes corruption and waste more likely.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Sometimes you have to do a project that ties a lot of things together. Townfall is one of those. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
TOWNFALL: Many South Carolina towns are broken — plagued by infighting, corruption and mismanagement. Here’s how to fix them.
A new Post and Courier report reveals how small towns have become dens of corruption or incompetence. Many lie in “accountability deserts,” our analysis shows.
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Chelsea Harvey @chelseaeharvey.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Tremendously important project by @tbartelme.bsky.social and my hometown paper, highlighting the value of local accountability reporting: www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
TOWNFALL: Many South Carolina towns are broken — plagued by infighting, corruption and mismanagement. Here’s how to fix them.
A new Post and Courier report reveals how small towns have become dens of corruption or incompetence. Many lie in “accountability deserts,” our analysis shows.
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Jennifer Berry Hawes @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Such a smart and important series from my old colleagues at @postandcourier.bsky.social @tbartelme.bsky.social @glennsmith.bsky.social www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
These SC towns didn’t do their audits, and now the state is holding millions until they do.
Lacanster, Cottagville and many other SC towns would have much more in their budgets if they did their audits. They didn’t, and now the state is holding their money in limbo.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Thank you Center for Integrity in News Reporting for the finalist nod recently in Washington, D.C., and talk for a couple of seconds about Minnesota with Tom Friedman. #CFINR
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Luke's (Palma Palma) latest song is about to hit 100K streams on Spotify. Check it out. open.spotify.com/track/2RHaHA...
open.spotify.com
Swell
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
4 years ago, our @postandcourier.bsky.social #Uncovered project exposed this sand mine issue. Here's an update: www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
CHS Airport CEO’s company ordered to shovel $403,000 to Awendaw in sand mine dispute
A private company owned by CHS Airport CEO Elliot Summey will pay $403,000 to settle Awendaw’s lawsuit alleging wrongdoing at a park project.
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John Dell'Osso @johndellosso.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
These stories aren't just about events overseas. They also bring into clear focus the lack of company transparency in the US and the fact that buying properties is something that happens without a lot of questions asked. Sometimes, asking "Who is your neighbor" is not easy to answer.
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John Dell'Osso @johndellosso.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I'm proud to have been part of the team that won two National Headliner Awards for our work on the hidden geopolitical links in US real estate holdings. We found millions of dollars in real estate connected to corruption cases in Nigeria and sanctioned Russian bankers.
headlinerawards.org
2026 National Headliner Awards winners announced | National Headliner Awards
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 26/04/2026
In 2025, renewable energy surpassed coal as the world’s largest electricity source for the first time. The thinktank @ember-energy.org projects that renewables will outpace nuclear power in 2026. By @mollylempriere.carbonbrief.org for @CarbonBrief.org
buff.ly
Clean energy pushes fossil-fuel power into reverse for ‘first time ever’ - Carbon Brief
Renewable energy has overtaken coal to become the world's largest source of electricity in 2025, according to thinktank Ember.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
My colleagues @postandcourier.bsky.social, Glenn Smith, Jocelyn Grzeszczak and AJ Havorka did an amazing deep dive here! A must read. www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
Hellish conditions, damaging delays and uncertain justice fuel mental health crisis in SC jails
Hundreds of mentally ill people are languishing for months in South Carolina jails, deprived of needed treatment in a legal purgatory that feeds a cycle of incarceration, despair and avoidable deaths,...
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
New on the PFAS front www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
Conservation groups identify Sumter PFAS polluters in letter threatening to sue
Riverkeeper and SELC say 3 Sumter industries are releasing PFAS “forever chemicals” into the Sumter-Pocotaligo River, and that they may sue the city.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Four engines are better than three, right? www.postandcourier.com/uncovered/sc...
postandcourier.com
DNR’s new ‘bad boy’ boats are designed for sportfishing. Here’s why the agency says it needs them.
SCDNR spent $1.8 million on 8 Contender sport fishing boats, including one that can top 65 mph. The agency says it uses them for searches and rescues.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Story here. Was a weird one! www.postandcourier.com/news/special...
postandcourier.com
What a horse farm in Aiken, South Carolina tells us about international money laundering
Nigerian military adviser and polo fan Sambo Dasuki bought a horse farm in Aiken, SC. He was later charged with stealing $2 billion and criminal diversion.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
New—a window into the machinations that happen before a gas plant/data center becomes public. www.postandcourier.com/news/local_s...
postandcourier.com
Aiken’s famed horse country is a magnet for gas plant speculators
Aiken is famous for its polo and horse culture, but a power company may want a site there for a new gas plant amid the global frenzy for data centers.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Luke’s new track! open.spotify.com/track/76Gg02...
open.spotify.com
Belong Here
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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Bruce Springsteen kicks off his Land of Hopes & Dreams Tour in Minneapolis 03/31/26
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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Tom Morello opening speech in Minneapolis 🔥
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
New—a window into the machinations that happen before a gas plant/data center becomes public. www.postandcourier.com/news/local_s...
postandcourier.com
Aiken’s famed horse country is a magnet for gas plant speculators
Aiken is famous for its polo and horse culture, but a power company may want a site there for a new gas plant amid the global frenzy for data centers.
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John Dell'Osso @johndellosso.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Uzor Kalu bought some of the properties during the period when he allegedly embezzled public funds and later while under indictment. One company he used to buy property, SLOK LLC, has a very similar name to a family company named as a co-conspirator in the Nigerian indictment: SLOK Nigeria Ltd.
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John Dell'Osso @johndellosso.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
🇳🇬 🇺🇸 A group in #Nigeria is pressing for an investigation into assets held by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. A court filing cites an investigation @tbartelme.bsky.social and I published last year exposing Uzor Kalu's properties in the Carolinas. cc: @pplaaf.bsky.social @acdatacollective.bsky.social
Charges sought for Nigerian who bought Carolina properties

BY TONY BARTELME and JOHN DELL’OSSO
tbartelme@postandcourier.com
For The Post and Courier

Citing The Post and Courier’s
findings, a Nigerian watchdog
group recently filed court docu-
ments demanding that the coun-
tr y’s anti-corruption agency
prosecute severa l prominent
politicians there, including one
who poured millions of dollars
into real estate in the Carolinas.
The group, Support the Youth
Organization, said in a blistering
court petition that corruption
schemes looted the equivalent of
more than $700 million from the
oil-rich state of Abia in southern
Nigeria. Money meant for teach-
ers, farmers and highways instead
moved into the bank accounts of
government officials, the petition
said.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Our story last year about international investors with sketchy pasts has some impact in Nigeria. @johndellosso.bsky.social @pplaaf.bsky.social www.postandcourier.com/news/local_s...
postandcourier.com
A powerful Nigerian bought properties in the Carolinas. A watchdog group wants this investigated.
Nigerian leader Orji Uzor-Kalu invested millions in U.S. real estate, including in South Carolina, but a watchdog wants prosecutors to investigate.
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Chipko movement ("to hug" in Hindi) non-violent women-led, forest conservation movement, 1970s, of India (Uttarakhand). Participants hugged trees to prevent loggers from cutting them down, successfully preventing massive deforestation. Where "tree huggers' originated #WomensHistoryMonth
Monochrome photograph featuring a group of women in saris each individually hugging a tree in a forest.
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Jennifer Berry Hawes @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
nytimes.com
The Scale of Billionaires’ Campaign Donations is Overwhelming U.S. Politics
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Thank you A-Mark Foundation and SC Press Assoc. for recognizing our “Power and Polo” corp transparency project last year as SC’s top investigative journalism prize. with @glennsmith.bsky.social a d @johndellosso.bsky.social www.postandcourier.com/news/post-an...
postandcourier.com
Post and Courier wins President's Cup for Excellence, 91 awards from SC Press Association
The Post and Courier wins 91 awards from S.C. Press Association, including Journalist of the Year, Judson Chapman Award and President's Cup for Excellence.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
This is a huge win for everyone. www.postandcourier.com/rising-water...
postandcourier.com
Capt. Sams Spit saga could come to an end. Full conservation outcome set under new agreement.
Kiawah Island and a private developer have settled a yearslong dispute over a planned development on a tiny strip of land off the island’s southern tip.
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Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @occrp.org · 03/03/2026
Report says Russia, North Korea and Iran have turned digital currencies into powerful tools for sanctions evasion, hacking and global money laundering. www.occrp.org/en/news/repo...
occrp.org
Report Describes Crypto’s $350 Billion Shadow War
Report says Russia, North Korea and Iran have turned digital currencies into powerful tools for sanctions evasion, hacking and global money laundering.
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James Bruggers @jbruggers.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Saw a story in the Mountain State Spotlight today about WV doubling down on coal and paying a price for that. It harkened back to one I reported in 2018. Here's the new story: mountainstatespotlight.org/2026/03/03/r...
mountainstatespotlight.org
As other states push back on rising power bills, West Virginia lawmakers double down on coal
While West Virginians struggle to pay their power bills, lawmakers are rejecting or tabling proposals to help.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I've flown Breeze 25 times in and out of Charleston over the past few years, and I've had very good experiences. But Breeze's "Tech Development Charge" has gotten out of hand. The airline wanted $62 for a flight to Providence. @breezeairways.bsky.social
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Jennifer Berry Hawes @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
As I have watched measles cases in my home state of SC skyrocket to almost 1,000, I wondered why I hardly ever heard anything about the severity of complications. Here’s what I found.
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Covering Climate Now @coveringclimatenow.org · 12/02/2026
📣 Submissions are now OPEN for the 2026 CCNow Journalism Awards! 🔔
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Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @occrp.org · 11/02/2026
Watch the full documentary here www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysua...
youtube.com
How We Tracked a ‘Fake Prince’ Scammer to his Nigerian Mansion
YouTube video by Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
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Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project @occrp.org · 11/02/2026
Our new documentary, “How We Tracked a ‘Fake Prince’ Scammer to His Nigerian Mansion,” hit more than half a million views. We spoke to the journalist behind the story, who started investigating after a Romanian businesswoman believed she’d invested £200 million in a fake humanitarian foundation.
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Here's what I got so you don't have to use AI! On Desktop: Go to chrome://settings/searchEngines in Chrome. Click the Add button next to "Site Search" For Name, enter "Google (Web)" For Shortcut, enter @web For URL, enter {google:baseURL}search?udm=14&q=%s Click Add and make it your default
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Tony Bartelme @tbartelme.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
quitgpt.org Lots of reasons to QuitGPT. Brain turning to jelly is number 2.
quitgpt.org
QuitGPT — OpenAI Execs are Trump's Biggest Donors
Join the movement. Delete ChatGPT. Cancel your subscription. It's time to quit.
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