GOOD NEWS: Port grows, Green’s mural, holiday safety, more

Ports positioned well for 2020.  The S.C. Ports Authority says it is a good position for continued growth after a 2019 that has already seen handling of nearly 2.25 million twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) since January.  “Looking ahead to 2020, we expect to continue weathering uncertainty in the world economy, but our strong position in the Southeast and proximity to a booming consumer market will drive growth,” SCPA President and CEO Jim Newsome said in a press release. “We expect to grow above the market as more cargo shifts from West Coast to East Coast ports.”  Recently, the Journal of Commerce ranked the Port of Charleston and Wando Welch Terminal first in North America among mid-sized  for productivity, the release said.

Green mural unveiled at S.C. federal courthouse. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel on WHEN unveiled Jonathan Green’s mural “Breath of Freedom.” It depicts a moment during the renowned Briggs v. Elliott school case that was heard in downtown Charleston 1951 and influenced the landmark federal ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated public schools nationwide. Read more. 

Dubious honor: Charleston has worst plastic pellet pollution on East Coast. A University of Texas Marine Science Institute at Port Aransas researcher has found that Charleston has the highest measured concentration of spilled plastic pellets anywhere outside of the Gulf of Mexico. Read more. 

• Previous coverage: State encourages more plastic-pellets transporters despite spill.

Real honor: Portrait of Bowman’s Matthews unveiled. A portrait of longtime Bowman Democratic Sen. John Matthews now hangs in the Statehouse in honor of his service. Matthews is the state’s longest serving black legislator. Read more. 

Rally to end gerrymandering Jan. 14. A rally to end gerrymandering will greet lawmakers when they reconvene in Columbia Jan. 14. According to Fair Maps SC Coalition, only 10 percent of the General Assembly’s 170 seats are competitive. More info.

Be safe on the holiday highways. About a third of all fatal car wrecks in South Carolina are related to drunk driving, according to federal data. The state has the fifth worst drunk driving rate in the nation. Read more. 

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