GOOD NEWS: Park named after Riley

Riley

Hats off to Charleston City Council, which voted Nov. 24, to rename Waterfront Park in honor of retiring Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr.

According a resolution that passed unanimously, “Waterfront Park, a magnificent public space at the water’s edge, symbolizes Mayor Riley’s dedication to the pursuit of excellence and beauty and his untiring zeal to achieve both for the heritage and enjoyment of all.  … Mayor Riley has been a builder not only of the human spirit but also of the physical environment which collectively help bind our City together as one.”

In other good news:

Wind energy.  The notion of having an offshore wind energy farm seems to be picking up momentum.  Not only was there a weekend editorial about its advantages in The Post and Courier, but our sister publication, Statehouse Report, offered a detailed look at how South Carolina has a competitive advantage over the rest of the nation in developing this renewable source of power.  An excerpt:

“We’re uniquely positioned for this,” said Elizabeth Colbert Busch, director of business development at the Clemson University Restoration Institute in North Charleston, which is home to the world’s largest wind turbine drive train test facility.  “We have the fuel, the infrastructure and the grid.  Our transmission lines are so robust that we don’t have to change them.”

State Sen. Paul Campbell, who led a state task force on wind energy, added, “Between Winyah Bay in Georgetown County and Cherry Grove in North Carolina, we have enough wind to give us a sizable production of wind energy — and we should do that.”  More.

Vote for Charleston.  If you think Charleston’s Holiday Festival of Lights is one of the best holiday festivals in the country, you can vote for it over 19 other community festivals in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice contest that runs through Dec. 21.  Last year, the event won the third best public lights display award from readers.  To vote now for our local event, click here.  (As of Nov 30, the Charleston festival was ranked 4^th out of 20 in voting.)

Scuba Claus.  You can dive into the holiday season every weekend until Christmas from 11 a.m. to 3  p.m. at the S.C. Aquarium to see special appearances by Scuba Claus in the attraction’s Great Ocean Tank.  A special elf helper will appear during weekdays.    Lots of holiday fun can be had at the aquarium, including snowman cookie decorating, ornament painting, snowman bowling and viewing of the movie, Polar Express, in 4-D.  More info.

Helping animals.  More than 5,000 people helped to raise $350,000 to benefit the Charleston Animal Society on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in a Celebrity Chili Cook-off and Oyster Roast.  The organization said it spends $750,000 a year on medical treatment of injured, diseased and victimized animals.  Best chili, by the way, was by a team from Burton’s Grill, according to the society.