Charleston Currents #12.21 | April 6, 2020
COMING IN FOR A LANDING. This butterfly is just about to land on a stalk of the aptly named butterfly bush as temperatures get more spring-like every day. Sullivan’s Island resident Karen Byko provides several photos of roadside floral beauty in a special Photo Essay below. Enjoy. Charleston Currents photo.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Lesson from a pandemic: Time to stop the asphalt gravy train
COMMENTARY, Brack: We’ll get through this, but it’s going to be hard
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
PHOTO ESSAY, Byko: Roadside beauty
NEWS BRIEFS: It’s really time to lift a glass or two
FEEDBACK: Yep, stay at home
MYSTERY PHOTO: Bridge to somewhere
CALENDAR: Take a look at some fun online events
Friends and readers,
We’re proud to offer Charleston Currents for free. For more than a dozen years, we’ve been the go-to place for insightful information and good news about the Lowcountry.
But now, we can use your help. If you’ve been thinking of contributing to Charleston Currentsover the years, now would be a great time to contribute as we deal with the crisis. In advance, thank you.
— Andy Brack, editor and publisher
Pandemic lesson: Time to stop the asphalt gravy train
By Charlie Smith, special to Charleston Currents | When the coronavirus quarantine is over, let’s be sure to remember one of the most important lessons that we have learned: Let’s remember what it was like living in Charleston without traffic.
The lesson we should learn from this experience is that it’s time to stop building bigger and bigger roads that only invite more and more cars and trucks that divide our community and diminish the health and well-being of our citizens.
Smith
It’s time to tell our General Assembly and our county and city governments that equitable mobility is what the public is entitled to, not just more asphalt. Tell them that it’s time to break up the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and create an agency that can focus on mass transit, inter-city rail, “Complete Streets” and multi-modal transit for all citizens, not just on more wasteful inefficient projects for the benefit of road contractors.
It’s time to stop the Asphalt Gravy Train that’s destroying our communities. It’s time to prioritize mass transit within and between our cities. It’s time to build our streets to serve everyone, not just the car-driving public. It’s time to maximize the use of rail to get as many tractor trailers off of our roads as possible. It’s time for everyone to understand that no one has EVER paved their way out of a traffic problem! Trying to solve traffic problems by adding more asphalt is like trying to solve obesity by loosening one’s belt.
People who live in North Charleston who are about to lose their homes again to the widening of I-526 — on top of having to deal with this virus for the next few months — would appreciate it if we’d scrap the “Asphalt Gravy Train” 526 plan. They’d appreciate it if we’d prioritize a mass transit system that serves everyone in our community and quit separating and destroying our neighborhoods with endless asphalt. They’d appreciate “Complete Streets” so they don’t have to get killed trying to walk across the North Bridge because they don’t have a grocery store any closer than West Ashley.
Good idea: We could all benefit if the proposed Bus Rapid Transit System in Charleston would connect West Ashley and Citadel Mall to downtown at the Naval Hospital property via the North Bridge right now, instead of us having to wait years to figure out how to connect West Ashley to downtown via Savannah Highway at the Ashley River bridges. We have excessive right-of-way along the entire route from Citadel Mall across the North Bridge to the Naval Hospital where we can connect to the main BRT line to downtown and to Summerville right now.
Hundreds of thousands of people in our region are suddenly understanding the real value and power of one $1,200 check. It would be hard for most to even conceptualize what $2 billion could do, but we’re well on the way to spending $2 billion on just two I-526 projects.
The truth is that we absolutely don’t have to do that. Two billion dollars will build 100 miles of Bus Rapid Transit. We could connect Charleston to Columbia with BRT for that amount of money. The truth is that we should spend that $2 billion on the most robust BRT system that we can build. We should also have smaller-scale innercity loops locally and we should have larger-scale intercity transit connectivity all over South Carolina; but the SCDOT would rather spend billions and billions on the same old Asphalt Gravy Train.
Let’s tell our leadership all across this great state of ours to stop prioritizing cars and to start prioritizing people and human mobility for a change. Let’s remember what streets without traffic look like and let’s make human mobility a statewide infrastructure reality!
Longtime West Ashley advocate Charlie Smith is a local Realtor. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
As more people stay home to deal with the coronavirus crisis, people are looking for things to do. You can find some fun things to do online in our calendar section below, but let us also encourage you to FORWARD your issue of Charleston Currents to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. It’s got a great price, as you know: Free! We hope they’ll enjoy our coverage.
BRACK: We’ll get through this, but it’s going to be hard
This artfully-painted cow in Georgia apparently has a sense of humor. Photo provided.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | We’ll get through this coronavirus crisis. But, Lord have mercy, it’s going to be fraught with pain, suffering, fear and sadness.
Too many people are going to die as our unprepared nation grapples with a microbial invader that is devastating lives, jobs, routines and the stability of our social, political and economic institutions.
Doctors, nurses and health care workers are understandably frightened, worried they’ll bring the virus from soon-to-be-overloaded hospitals into their homes.
“In general, people are scared,” one Charleston doctor said. “We don’t know enough about it. People are working their butts off planning and trying to be ready, doing everything ready to be ready.
“People are working really, really hard, but people are afraid and they worry about their family, worry about their kids (and worry about) infecting other patients while trying to do the right thing.”
But there’s also a whole lot of hope, dedication and commitment by medical professionals grappling with the enormity of what’s ahead for South Carolina, where 8,000 cases are expected in a month. As of Thursday, more than 1,500 South Carolinians tested positive for the disease; 31 have died.
Another Charleston doctor said he was amazed at the “incredible sense of commitment to the patients and their institutions” by doctors, nurses and staff that are putting in long hours to help patients and battle the disease.
“I’m not sugar-coating,” the doctor said. “When we Americans have a disaster, sometimes it gets the best of us and the worst of us. This time for health care workers, there is a sense of duty which is getting the best of us. People are volunteering. It’s pretty amazing.”
That sense of duty, commitment and responsibility as medical workers put themselves at risk seeps throughout a new pandemic edition of The Nocturnists, 4-year-old podcast that shares medical stories.
Host Emily Silverman, an internal medical physician in San Francisco, introduces seven stories from health care workers across the country.
“The truth is, on a good day, working in medicine is hard, and there’s a lot of burnout and a lot of depression,” she said. “What’s happened to health care workers in the last few weeks is unprecedented in our lifetime. The virus is spreading. There’s a shortage of testing. There’s a shortage of PPE and this is forcing health care workers to face impossible choices.
“We’re putting ourselves in harm’s way. We’re risking our families. We’re asking ourselves, ‘Is this what we signed up for? Going to work without appropriate protective gear? Having to choose between who lives and dies due to a scarcity of resources?’”
The virus is also unweaving the fabric of communities, particularly in poorer areas, notes state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston.
“People are being put out of temporary housing like motels, hotels and extended stays. I speak to people who are living out of their cars and are relying on nonprofit food distribution sites for nutrition. Sadly, this virus has forced us to a point where issues like housing and food, issues we’ve long neglected, are rearing their ugly heads and manifesting itself in a way we cannot ignore.”
Communities like Camden, a viral hot spot, are learning to deal with each other in new ways as high school seniors forgo proms and community grieving customs surrounding funerals have changed.
“We would like to be together in times of grief and celebration but aren’t able to in our familiar ways,” said state Rep. Laurie Funderburk, D-Camden. “We are learning to be digitally connected because we know we have to stay separate for the good of the community.”
In Bluffton, GOP state Rep. Bill Herbkersman says he witnesses periodic panic among his constituents, but what has impressed him more than anything is how regular people are trying to help, just as the doctors, nurses and hospital workers are.
“Our community is a community of volunteers and that has not changed, even during this crisis,” he said. “I think this simply shows the good in people in trying times.”
Let’s remain safe. Let’s stay at home a little longer. And let’s thank goodness for everyone working to help their friends and neighbors.
Andy Brack is the editor and publisher of Charleston Currents and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, founded in 1676 by the Drayton family.
It has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870. Open 365 days a year, Magnolia offers its visitors splendid tours of nature and history and the role African-Americans played in the development of its award-winning Romantic-style gardens.
- NOTE: The attraction is now closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but you can visit www.magnoliaplantation.com to learn how you can experience a complete plantation experience when it is open again.
- To meet all of our underwriters,click here.
Roadside beauty
By Karen Byko, special to Charleston Currents | Separated and confined to my yard, excluding the short walks around my neighborhood with the dogs, I have had to challenge myself to rediscover the extraordinary gifts of beauty that surround me every day.
On my walk this morning, my attention was captured by a tiny splash of color in the patch of dry, dusty grass growing just next to the road. Kneeling down, I happened to glance up and see my neighbor across the street slowly walking around her yard spraying RoundUp. I wondered if I took the time to show her how glorious, how exquisite, these little “weeds” were, if she would feel differently? When I looked up again, she was gone.
A quote to keep in mind:
“For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, “What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?”
~ Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder
Karen Byko lives in Sullivan’s Island.
It’s really time to lift a glass or two
But maybe with something a little stronger than coffee!
Staff reports | The folks at Lowcountry Local First have a good idea in having a virtual local social — a happy hour online. It’s set for 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“Connecting with one another is perhaps more important now than ever,” the group said in a recent email invitation. “Join your local business community virtually for our April Local Social sponsored by Limehouse Produce.
“Stay home, grab a beverage or snack and connect virtually with a small group of your fellow local business owners and leaders.”
But hurry. The online space is limited. Complete this brief registration form and you’ll be placed into a small digital group in Zoom based on your interest area, facilitated by a member of the LLF team. Free. Register in advance.
In recent news:
Food Bank recertified. The Lowcountry Food Bank today announced it passed stringent food safety inspections in March by the American Institute of Baking International at its three regional distribution centers in Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Yemassee. AIB certification is considered the gold standard in food safety, according to a press release. “Our successful AIB inspection demonstrates our commitment to food safety, high quality food handling practices and sanitary working conditions,” said Pat Walker, president and CEO of the food bank.
Art at Gibbes on Google. You can now visit the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston online through Google Street View. How neat. Notes the Gibbes in a recent email: “This wonderful tool enables you to virtually ‘visit’ the Gibbes’ exterior and interior spaces without leaving your home! Add this to your virtual art adventures for the upcoming week, along with a sampling of online videos and tours offered by the Gibbes.”
Memoirs done write. Now is the right time to write the stories of your life, says James Island writer Archie Burkel. “We all have them. Use this ‘found time’ to look in your rear-view mirror. See how you got to where you are and find a road map to where you might be headed. While others may enjoy reading them some-day, YOU will benefit the most to-day.” Go to www.hatladies.org and get started. What are you waiting for? The next hurricane? Another virus?
359 file for 170 legislative seats. Filing for the state’s 170 legislative seats closed a week ago to find 248 candidates filed for the 124 House seats and 111 filed for the 46 Senate seats. Statehouse Report correspondent Lindsay Street reported 10 members of the S.C. House of Representatives and four members of the S.C. Senate did not file for reelection for their current seats. But nearly 43 percent of House seats — 53 of 124 House seats — have no challengers this year. Thirty-seven are Republicans, 16 are Democrats. In the Senate, 10 incumbents have no challengers. Click here to see who’s running and who’s not.
House, Senate to convene Wednesday. The S.C. House of Representatives and S.C. Senate will meet April 8 after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the session. Members will vote on a continuing resolution that will allow state government to operate as-is into the 2020-2021 budget that begins July 1. In other words, they’ll use this year’s budget for next year. And in case they want to change something, they will also vote on a sine die resolution, which will allow them to take up items after the scheduled end of session in May. Read more.
Surprise, surprise. Former Gov. and unapologetic libertarian Mark Sanford, quiet these days after a snuffed bid for the GOP nomination for the presidency, still has thoughts — a lot of them — on the federal government’s ever-growing debt, especially with the recently approved $2.2 trillion aid and stimulus package. Those $1,200 checks for taxpayers are “nonsensical and dangerous in economic terms,” in Sanford’s estimation, as he told Lindsay Street for the Charleston City Paper: “These are non-offset funds, which means we are going straight to the Chinese and other lenders around the world or to ourselves and borrowing the money. You’re putting in the one pocket and taking out the other … We’re digging some mighty, mighty holes.”
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Stay at home
To the editor
I agree with you 100 percent on Stay At Home orders. This is insane.
— Name withheld upon request, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
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Tell us what you love about the Lowcountry. Send a short comment – 100 words to 150 words – that describes something you really enjoy about the Lowcountry. It can be big or small. It can be a place, a thing or something you see. It might be the bakery where you get a morning croissant or a business or government entity doing a good job. We’ll highlight your entry in a coming issue of Charleston Currents. We look forward to hearing from you.
Bridge to somewhere
Here’s a bridge to somewhere in the Lowcountry, but where? Bonus: What is the formal name of the bridge and what is this person’s significance? Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our last Mystery Photo, “View from above” showed the beautiful town of Charleston’s sister city, Spoleto, Italy. Kudos to several readers to recognized the original Spoleto: Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Cheryl Smithem of Summerville; Bud Ferillo and Jay Altman, both of Columbia; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Mary Kaplan of Mount Pleasant; and Nathan Foster of James Island.
Bonus points go to Altman, Graf, Peel and Foster, all of whom recognized that the relevancy of the photo is that it underscores how Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA won’t hold its 44th season thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
Peel provided some detail about the photo: “One element that stands out in the center of the frame is the bell tower of the Spoleto Cathedral. The cathedral’s official name is Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of the Assumption of St. Mary) and dates from the late-12th century when it was consecrated by Pope Innocent III in 1198.”
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Curb your boredom online
With most people following a stay-at-home order, they’re looking for things to do. Here’s a look at some online events and offerings to help you shed any boredom that may rise in your home:
If you have any online events, drop us a line (editor@charlestoncurrents.com) and make sure to put “Online event” in the subject line. Similarly, if you’ve got cool ideas for stuff to do while in isolation at home, send them our way.
Virtual tours: Bulldog Tours is providing virtual tours of the city of Charleston daily at 2 p.m., according to sister publication Charleston City Paper. So far, tours have been to Washington Square, Fort Lamar and the old City Jail. Learn more.
Online wellness: You can also get fit online through virtual fitness classes that offer workouts, meditations and more. Check out this City Paper post of what area studios are offering.
Online jazz: Forte Jazz Lounge in downtown Charleston is offering music enthusiasts the chance to watch live shows online through virtual ticketing with suggested donations of $10. The feed starts about 15 minutes before shows. When the virus scare is done, all donors will be invited to a big party blowout at the club with the Joe Clarke Big Band. Learn more.
Aquarium online. The S.C. Aquarium is expected to offer a daily Nature Challenge, a virtual “Passport to Fun” and a “Moment of Zen” starting this week online. It also offers daily education classes at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday to Friday, via its virtual network. Learn more.
Virtual museums. You can visit 500 museums across the world online through this Google amalgamation of sites. Locally:
- Charleston Museum. “The Charleston Museum and its Historic Houses will have a variety of content, lessons, videos, and virtual tours during this uncertain time. More online.
- Gibbes Museum. You can enjoy lots of local art offerings through the website and social media accounts of the Gibbes Museum. AT 10 a.m. on weekdays, the museum posts virtual readings and workshops on Facebook. Find more online.
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Charleston Currents is provided to you weekly by:
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- Contributing photographer: Rob Byko
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