By Skyler Baldwin, Charleston City Paper | The Charleston RiverDogs announced a player development contract Tuesday with the Tampa Bay Rays, a team with a history of cultivating major league talent like Josh Hamilton, Carl Crawford, Roccol Baldelli and Delmon Young.
“The RiverDogs are thrilled to welcome home the defending American League Champion Rays,” Jeff Goldklang, president of the RiverDogs’ ownership group, said in a press release. “The quality of prospects and on-field success of their farm teams is unmatched, and we can’t wait for our fans and partners to enjoy the Rays experience.”
The two have been linked in the past, before the RiverDogs signed on with the New York Yankees. That partnership, however, ended in November this year, opening the two up for a new opportunity to work together after the 1997-2004 deal.
The Rays are one of Major League Baseball’s most dynamic franchises, according to a press release from the RiverDogs, known for consistent on-field excellence. The club’s focus on player development is considered the gold standard in Major League Baseball.
The new agreement is a part of sweeping minor league changes that include slashing between 25 and 33 percent of teams below Class A level to cut costs and trim travel schedules in light of hardships brought on by the pandemic.
RiverDogs fans can still expect the same entertainment at the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park according to a press release, despite the change in partnership. Fan-favorite promotions like dog days, $1 beers, Segra Club events and more aren’t going anywhere.
Also in recent news from staff reports:
Griffin removed from city commission after apology over rally. Charleston City Councilman Harry Griffin was removed last week from a city committee charged with eradicating institutional racism after he issued an apology over involvement with a Dec. 5 rally attended by the Proud Boys, a nationwide hate group. In a joint announcement Friday, Councilmen William Dudley Gregorie and Jason Sakran, who co-chair the city’s Commission on Equity, Inclusion and Racial Conciliation, did not mention the rally specifically. The decision to remove Griffin, they said, was made to ensure the group “is able to complete its work without further distractions.” Griffin has said that after initial discussions with organizers, he withdrew his participation before the event and did not attend. Read the full story from the Charleston City Paper.
PSC flexes muscle by rejecting Dominion plan. The S.C. Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday sent Dominion Energy back to the drawing board in what is being interpreted as a new spirit of oversight, Rodney Welch reported Friday in Statehouse Report. Under the 2019-passed Energy Freedom Act, the state’s electric utilities were required to make a three-year Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for managing future growth and to explore adopting sources of renewable energy and solar expansion. Read the full story, which one environmentalist calls a “bold move” for the reconstituted PSC, now comprised of members with two years or less experience. Read the full story.
Law school ranked nationally. The Princeton Review recently ranked Charleston School of Law as the nation’s 8th-top law school in the nation with the greatest resources for women. The ranking, based on student answers to a survey question on whether all students are afforded equal treatment by students and faculty regardless of their gender, also took into account the school’s demographics. Charleston School of Law is 57 percent female and 44 percent male, according to a press release.
NEW CRANES. These 15 rubber-tired gantry cranes arrived in North Charleston last week from China marking the most rubber-tired gantry cranes loaded by ZPMC onto one vessel bound for the United States. The cranes, now at home at the new Leatherman Terminal container yard, are part of a build-up for the new terminal that opens next year when Charleston starts routinely handling the world’s largest container shops. Photo via S.C. Ports by English Purcell.
Port shows continued strength. SC Ports handled 207,066 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) at Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals in November, up 12 percent year-over-year. SC Ports has handled more than 1 million TEUs thus far in fiscal year 2021, which began July 1. “SC Ports had a truly remarkable month with a record November for containers handled, as well as impressive results in our vehicles and inland ports segments,” SC Ports President and CEO Jim Newsome said. “We also recently celebrated Walmart breaking ground on its near-port, 3-million-square-foot import distribution center in Ridgeville, S.C., which will boost port volumes by 5 percent once it is operational.”
Unemployment benefits set to expire for over 100,000 S.C. residents. An initial wave of roughly 24,000 people losing financial aid by the end of thee this week is expected as part of the expiration of unemployment benefits for more than 100,000 by the end of the year. More: The Post and Courier.
State’s high court affirms decision against governor’s aid spending. In a unanimous affirmation, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that spending $32 million in federal coronavirus relief to provide tuition grants for private schools is against the state’s constitution. It was the second time the court has rebuked the move. More
First Black U.S. House member commemorated in exhibit. Joseph Rainey represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1870s. He was the body’s first Black member. This year marks the 150th year of Black representatives in the House, and Rainey has been commemorated in a congressional exhibit. More: The Post and Courier
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