GOOD NEWS: New station to start broadcasting Saturday

Get ready for a new era of local radio when OHM Radio starts broadcasting 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at 96.3 FM on the radio dial.

The new community start-up, which has been in planning stages for a couple of years, will be Charleston’s first community, commercial-free radio station. It will broadcast music by local, independent and legendary artists and spread the word about what’s being done to improve the community by local entrepreneurs, nonprofits and social groups. [We first offered info about the venture last year here.]

According to a Facebook post by the station, it will “explore sounds in jazz, soul, folk, hip-hop, oldies, reggae, indie rock, Americana, jam bands, world music, bluegrass and more.” Its talk programming will include shows on the experiences of travelers in Charleston, inspirational stories and interviews, a show everything from pregnancy to parenting, discussions with leaders who get things done and “Democracy Now! Nonprofit,” an independently-syndicated news hour on national and world issues.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 2, the folks at Ohm Radio Charleston will celebrate the first 24 hours of broadcasting at the Sunday Brunch Farmers Market on James Island, 1977 Maybank Highway. A live broadcast of the station will play on speakers at the market, which offers fresh produce, arts, crafts, food and adult beverages.

In other news:

Books for North Charleston. Begin With Books, the Charleston County affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, will host a fun Pop Up event from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 8 to help fund free books for children in North Charleston. The event, which will be hosted by Coast Brewing (1250 Second St., North Charleston) will offer local artists, vendors, crafts, stories, food, beer and more.

There are 8,800 children under five in North Charleston and the nonprofit is seeking to enroll as many as possible to receive monthly books by mail. But it costs money — about $33 per child per year. Enrolled children receive one age-appropriate book in the mail every month from birth through age 4, for a total of up to 60 books per child. Because Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library delivers free books directly to children’s homes by mail, the access barriers of time, transportation and money are completely eliminated, allowing all pre-school children and their families to take advantage of the many educational benefits associated with early exposure to books. More info: BeginWithBooks.org

Flag for Hope. The first 100 visitors to the Folly Beach Fishing Pier from noon to 2 on July 28 and at the James Island County Park from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. will be able to participate in the Flag for Hope art project. It is touring 60 cities across the country to gather handprints from local residents as part of a major art project to make a flag from painted handprints. More info: CharlestonCountyParks.com