GOOD NEWS:  Program offers chance to spend night in Old Jail — voluntarily

Staff reports  |  The Slave Dwelling Project will host a March 4 discussion of recidivism during a at the Old Charleston Jail.  Following the discussion will be a chance for listeners to spend the night in the building.

The Slave Dwelling Project uses antebellum historic buildings as classrooms to interpret African American history. The jail was built in 1802 using slave labor and slave-made bricks. Members of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry were held captive there after they were captured during the Assault on Battery Wagner on Morris Island on July 18, 1863.

During the March 4 event, Charleston County Public Library historian Nic Butler will discuss the history of law enforcement in Charleston County.  Charleston Interim Chief of Police Jerome Taylor will address the audience on programs that the Charleston Police Department has in place to address the recidivism rate of African Americans. African Americans represent a disproportionate rate of inmates in the American prison system.

If the recidivism rate of African Americans is a subject of your concern, you may sign up on the website to attend this event: http://slavedwellingproject.org/2018-schedule/. Check-in is at 5 p.m., March 4, at the Old Jail, followed by dinner, celebration, discussions and more.  The event ends the following morning at 9 a.m.

Participants will receive a guided tour of the jail courtesy of Bulldog Tours.  All guests who will sleep in the jail will be required to bring their own lawn chair, padding, sleeping bag and pillow.

The mission of the Slave Dwelling Project is to identify and assist property owners, government agencies and organizations to preserve extant slave dwellings. Find out more about the Slave Dwelling Project at: www.slavedwellingproject.org

In other good news:

Smith

Nation’s poet laureate to be in Adams Run.  U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith will talk Feb. 4 in Adams Run about how poetry connects people to their everyday lives in a special event hosted by U.S. Rep. James Clyburn.  The free event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 24 at the Wiltown Community Center, 5779 parkers Ferry Road, Adams Run.  While an RSVP is not required, you are asked to let the congressman’s office know if you plan to attend by sending an email here.

Wine Down Wednesdays.  The popular Wine Down Wednesday event series returns to Old Towne Creek County Park in West Ashley this spring! This spring’s Wine Down Wednesdays will be held March 21, April 4, April 18 and May 2. While Old Towne Creek County Park is not yet open daily to the public, these Wednesday opportunities offer Lowcountry residents the chance to experience the beauty of this property. Guests will enjoy wine, live music and a food truck while exploring this hidden gem located in West Ashley. Each date features new musical guests and food trucks on site from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available for purchase for $15 per person. Day-of admission is $20 per person. More:  CharlestonCountyParks.com/WDW.

Conservation Bank passes hurdle.  S.C. House members voted 107-3 last week to keep the state’s Conservation Bank open. The bill, a similar version of which was introduced last year as a priority in the Senate, now heads to the Senate.

“We are a big step closer to extending the life of this state agency that has been the single most important factor in the preservation and conservation of some of our most precious natural resources,” S.C. Wildlife Federation Executive Director Ben Gregg told his members. “We are grateful for the overwhelming vote in the House today and especially for the leadership of Rep. Brian White and others who championed the Conservation Bank.”

Under the House-passed bill, the bank would not face sunsetting of its function, but it would lose its dedicated source of funding. The companion Senate bill would keep the dedicated source of funding and maintain the sunset.

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