GOOD NEWS: Bring on the arts

FESTIVAL TIME:  PURE Theatre will offer three shows of Butcher Stories, the world premiere solo-comedy from Andy Livengood (Theatre 99, The Christmas Will Be Televised):  8 p.m. on May 29, 9 p.m. May 30 and 4 p.m. June 2,  Cannon Street Art Center, 134 Cannon St., Charleston.  More info: PURE Theatre.  Photo, provided, by Ben Egelson.

Staff reports  | It’s only a few days until the start of the Spoleto festival season.

From May 24 to June 9 all over the Charleston area, the sheer quality of the music, art and culture for 17 days is mind-blowing.  Events through the main festival, Spoleto Festival USA, generally cost more that the city-backed Piccolo Spoleto, but the big festival is a draw that brings in people from all over the world.  To see all of the offerings, go online here: SpoletoFestivalUSA.org.

At Piccolo, there are more than 500 events from which to choose.  Check out our earlier coverage, which has lots of ideas and links for just the right thing for you to do.  Still stymied? Find a free day on your calendar and check out the Piccolo calendar for something that’s on.  Be spontaneous. You’ll have a great time. More.

In recent Good News:

Tell ‘em about the flyover:  Have your say 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today (May 20) in the cafeteria at St. Johns High School (1518 Main Road, Johns Island) about how you’d like Charleston County to improve the intersection at U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road with an overpass or “flyover” to deal with rush-hour traffic.  According to the Coastal Conservation League, the $195 million project is the most expensive on a list of transportation projects presented to voters before a sales-tax referendum in 2016.The county is holding this public meeting to present design alternatives and gather feedback from local residents.  You can also make clear in your comments that you want projects like this — those that were specifically mentioned in the sales-tax ordinance — completed. If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can submit comments online here through June 19. You also can mail them to: Charleston County, Ms. Devri DeToma, P.E., Project Manager, 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, SC, 29405.

Top 3 Finalists, L-R: Tayler Mccray, Burke High School; Tyra Jefferson, Heyward Career Center; and Trey Evans, Ashley Ridge High School.  Photo provided.

YESCarolina winners.  Tyra Johnson, who attends Heyward Career Center in Columbia, won first place in YESCarolina’s statewide annual business plan competition as well as $3,000 in seed money for her business, Tyra’s Big World of Flavor.  Second place went to Summerville’s Trey Evans of Ashley Ridge High School, who won $2000 in seed money for his business, E&B Music Mouthpieces. Third place and $1,000 in seed money went to Burke High School student Tayler Mccray for her Tayler Made It plan.  More than 40 high school students from across the state competed to win seed money for their businesses and a trip to New York City during this Shark Tank-style entrepreneurship competition. More info: YESCarolina.com.

Special session starts.  Members of the General Assembly return today to Columbia to take up compromises on the $9 billion state budget as well as a huge incentive package to lure the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to locate from North Carolina into the Palmetto State.  But what may be the biggest topic of the week is the fate of the state’s utility, Santee Cooper. Will it be sold or just managed by folks from the outside? Correspondent Lindsay Street outlines what’s going on in this must-read report.