NEWS BRIEFS: City has weathered past scourges

Dock Street Theatre, downtown home of Charleston Stage.

Staff reports  | Julian Wiles, founder and producing artistic director of Charleston Stage, shared a message with friends of the organization to reassure friends that the latest unpleasantness of people sheltering in place wouldn’t last forever.

Wiles

And he offered an interesting insight highlighting how Charleston has survived scourges in the past:

“For almost 300 years, the historic Dock Street Theatre where Charleston Stage makes its home, has been closed before as Charleston weathered other challenging times in our long history. This beloved Charleston landmark has:

• Survived the two smallpox epidemics of 1738 that infected one third of the city’s citizens.
• Endured the siege and capture by the British in 1780.
• Survived the fire of 1837 that burned over 1,000 buildings in the city.
• Survived the yellow fever epidemic of 1858 which killed several hundred of our citizens.
• Barely survived the Great Fire of 1861 which burned across the peninsula from the Cooper to the Ashley taking with it five churches and 575 homes.
• From 1863 to 1865, endured over 567 days of bombardments by Union forces laying siege to the city in the American Civil War.
• Remained standing in the Great Earthquake of 1886 that leveled much of the city.
• Endured the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 when, like today, our city’s theatres, churches and businesses were closed.
• Survived devastating hurricanes in 1893, 1937 and a category-five Hurricane Hugo in 1989….

“Together we will get through this, and at some point, hopefully in the not very distant future, we’ll light the lights, the curtain will go up, and the show will go on.”

In recent news:

S.C. to see $2 billion from feds for coronavirus response. South Carolina will receive nearly $2 billion to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, according to estimates from the National Conference of State Legislatures.  Most of the money from the package is unencumbered and its spending will likely be at the discretion of governors, according to sister publication Statehouse Report.  See the March 25 state estimates here.

Middleton files for council.  The Rev. Kylon Middleton, senior pastor of Mount Zion AME Church in downtown Charleston, has filed as a Democrat to run for a West Ashley-North Charleston seat on Charleston County Council currently held by retiring former chairman Vic Rawl, also a Democrat  In a news release today, Middleton said, “I’m running because we need strong moral leadership on Charleston County Council for a change. We need leadership that will commit to a bold plan to improve traffic and transportation, invest in infrastructure and action now to secure affordable housing opportunities for all our citizens. ” More info online.

Campbell not running.  State Sen. Paul Campbell, R-Berkeley, announced through a news release received at 9:37 a.m. March 23 that he wasn’t running for re-election.  At the end of the year, he’s also scheduled to step down as head of the Charleston International Airport. About five hours after Campbell’s announcement came another release from the same source announcing Goose Creek City Council Member Gayla McSwain would run for Campbell’s seat.

To find all candidates running, click here.

SNAP benefits extended to those not working. The March 18 federal aid package included a provision to allow unemployed, able-bodied people to receive food stamps, according to Statehouse Report. This was an issue raised by S.C. advocates earlier this month since the state is unable to seek a waiver to suspend those workforce requirements. Read previous coverage. 

Need all coronavirus resources in one place? S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center has launched a resource page to help the state’s poorest residents navigate benefits and programs available to them during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here.

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