GOOD NEWS: Thank you, Debi Chard!

Staff reports  |  People across Charleston are wishing longtime news anchor Debi Chard a happy retirement following her last broadcast on WCSC Live 5 News on March 15.  Chard, who retired after 43 years with the local television station.

Chard

“We have family events, upcoming graduations and obligations to the rest of my family, especially my husband,” Chard said in a news release. “It’s important for me to have some family time and spend it with them. I love Live 5. They’re my family, but I also have to set priorities, so it’s time,

“I want to thank the viewers for welcoming me into their homes. But more importantly, I appreciate their trust.”

Chard’s reporting took her around the globe, with foreign assignments in Egypt, the former Yugoslavia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Costa Rica. Her passion for journalism and meteorology was demonstrated through coverage of natural disasters in the Lowcountry and across the United States, including Hurricane Gilbert (Jamaica), Andrew, Katrina, and floods in Iowa. She was an integral part of the Live 5 team honored with a Peabody Award for Hurricane Hugo coverage in 1989.  In May 2016, the WCSC newsroom was renamed the Debi Chard Newsroom in her honor and appreciation for 40 years of dedicated service.

For 20 years, Chard was the driving force behind Debi’s Kids, a holiday drive that raised hundreds of thousands in dollars and donations for local children and families in need.

“Debi displays class, professionalism and passion every day she arrives to work at WCSC”, said Dan Cates, WCSC’s vice president and general manager. “It’s an honor to be her co-worker. She puts just as much work into storytelling and investigative reporting as she does on the anchor desk. Debi’s decision came a little earlier than we expected, but to announce her retirement without fanfare or bringing attention to herself is ‘so Debi’. We are so proud and happy for her as she begins to enjoy retirement with her family.”

Also in Good News:

Return of the Night Market.  Every Friday and Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the rest of the year, you can shop with 108 vendors, including artists and craftsmen, at the night market on Market Street between East Bay and Church streets.  It’s more than four blocks of local shopping and fun.  Free.

Best programs.  Several programs at the Medical University of South Carolina are included in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 rankings of the Best Graduate Schools.  MUSC’s ranked programs include Doctor of Nursing Practice, Physician Assistant, Medical School-Research and Medical School-Primary Care. Lisa Saladin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, said, “MUSC is honored to be recognized for its commitment to providing world-class academic education through innovative curriculum and quality clinical training via award-winning faculty dedicated to excellence.”

Congrats all around.  Hats off to the Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina, which raised more than $200,000 for its programs through its Wine Women and Shoes event in February at Hotel Bennett.  View photos online.  The organization provides education, counseling services, medical care, social support, and a safe haven for at-risk,  pregnant and parenting young women in need.

More health insurance.  About 20,000 more children in South Carolina will be able to qualify for a government insurance program should a proposal in the House’s budget go forward.  Last  Wednesday, representatives voted 100-2 to pass the state’s $9.3 billion spending plan for state tax revenues for 2019-2020.  More.