Charleston Currents #13.31 | June 14, 2021
WATER, WATER, GO AWAY. Boy, the rain came down on Saturday, leaving cars stalled and people sloshing along the streets, as this woman on President Street. See more photos and learn more below. See something you think our readers would enjoy? Snap a shot and send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. Photo by Andy Brack
FOCUS: Rain inundates Charleston, closing 17 streets midday Sunday
COMMENTARY, Brack: Give special treatment to tailgaters
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
NEWS BRIEFS: Harris to be in Greenville Monday for vaccination tour kickoff
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Cool bridge
CALENDAR: Party at The Point returns with five July shows
Rain inundates Charleston, closing 17 streets Sunday
Photos by Andy Brack.
Staff reports | More than five inches of the rain that drenched the Charleston peninsula Saturday caused traffic snarls Sunday as floodwaters had no place to go — even after the rain stopped.
As of 12:15 p.m. Sunday, 17 roads were closed due to flooding throughout the city, according to Charleston police. Thigh-high waters were reported in the Hospital District, and several cars were stalled throughout the peninsula. By early afternoon, streets started reopening, including the Septima Clark Parkway, also known as the “Crosstown.” To check on whether a street remains closed, go online to: https://gis.charleston-sc.gov/road-closures for the latest updates
Charleston officials said street-sweeping and grounds crews worked Sunday to clean up waste that accumulated after the storm. Stormwater crews also cleared debris from storm drains and will work Monday to identify remaining blockages. Garbage collection for commercial facilities was suspended briefly, but resumed by Sunday afternoon. City firefighters got 28 calls for assistance related to the storm.
In the distance, you can see the Crosstown under water.
“City officials and crews continue to use every resource at their disposal to protect the life and safety of those in Charleston,” City of Charleston Emergency Management Director Shannon Scaff said. “During these types of events, with high levels of rain and flash flooding, it’s critical that our citizens and visitors avoid all unnecessary travel and never drive through flooded roadways.
“As we always advise during these events, ‘Turn around. Don’t drown.’”
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Give special treatment to tailgaters
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Tailgaters deserve a special place in hell.
Not the folks who enjoy a beer and a brat in a parking lot party at a football game. But the selfish drivers who sneak into your rearview mirror and perch one car length off your bumper as you’re sailing down the interstate at 70 mph.
Those people. They need to spend time on earth in jail and in a rather hot place in the sweet hereafter.
What kind of driving nut thinks it is actually safe to hug the rear of another car at high speeds? Ever hear of the reaction time needed to stop a car safely if the one in front slows or does something unpredictable (perhaps because a nut is on their rear end)?
“The closer you get to the car ahead, the sooner you will meet an injury attorney,” observed North Charleston attorney Gary A. Ling.
Following a vehicle too closely in South Carolina is illegal, although you wouldn’t know it from driving in the state. It’s a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to a measly $100 fine or 30 days in jail.
We doubt few tailgaters receive any such penalty. Most face zero justice as their illegal driving rarely gets on the radar of the few law enforcement officers on highways these days.
State lawmakers need to rein in the Wild West driving show in South Carolina by upping the penalty on tailgaters and making police enforce it. Bump the fine to $10,000. Make it a year in jail if someone causes a wreck when following too closely.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, if it seems like there is more rude and obnoxious behavior on the road these days, there is — simply because there are more drivers crammed on the highways.
But “a motor vehicle insulates the driver from the world. Shielded from the outside environment, a driver can develop a sense of detachment, as if an observer of their surroundings, rather than a participant. This can lead to some people feeling less constrained in their behavior when they cannot be seen by others and/or when it is unlikely that they will ever again see those who witness their behavior.”
So they do what they want to when they want to, including tailgating to intimidate other drivers to get out of their way.
If you think things have gotten bad in the political sphere with overzealous rhetoric and attacks, just take to the highways and it won’t be long before you encounter aggressive drivers who don’t care for your safety or theirs.
So what should you do when you encounter a tailgater? Probably what you don’t want to do: Get out of their way by signaling that you’re moving into another lane, if you can. It’s probably the last thing you want to do because it reinforces the other driver’s atrocious driving, but it will keep you and your passengers safer.
AAA says you need to keep some distance between your car and the car ahead. Here’s how: when the car ahead passes a fixed point, such as a sign, you need to make sure you pass that point at least two seconds later. Otherwise, you’re too close.
“If you think another car is driving too slowly and you are unable to pass, pull back and allow more space, not less. That way if the car does something unexpected you will have time to get out of the way. You should be able to see the headlights of the car behind you in your rear-view mirror. If you feel you are being followed too closely, signal and pull over to allow the other driver to go by.”
Driving is a privilege, not a right. Be more courteous. If you see a particularly bad tailgater, take down the license plate and call the police or S.C. Highway Patrol (*HP).
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents, and publisher of the Charleston City Paper. 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.
- Visit www.magnoliaplantation.com to learn how you can experience a complete plantation experience.
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Harris to be in S.C. Monday for vaccination tour kickoff
Staff reports | Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Greenville Monday to kick off a national “Month of Action” tour to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID-19. She is expected to deliver remarks at 12:15 p.m. at an event at the Phillis Wheatley Community center.
Harris, right, will be in Greenville today.
South Carolina falls short of the national average of 64 percent of adults who are vaccinated. According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, about 46 percent of South Carolinians over age 11 have been vaccinated with at least one shot. Some 39 percent have completed their vaccinations. A quarter of the state’s population also is thought to have natural immunity after having contracted the virus. Still, about 1.8 million South Carolinians have no protection from a vaccination or natural immunity, experts say.
In announcing the Month of Action, the White House said it is trying to get 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4. The effort includes free child care for people getting vaccinated, longer hours at pharmacies, more education and outreach, and business incentives.
On Thursday, state health officials reported 119 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus Thursday and zero confirmed deaths. With 5,507 tests reported, 3 percent were positive. Since the beginning of the pandemic, South Carolina has had almost 500,000 people get COVID-19 cases and more than 8,600 confirmed deaths.
In other recent news:
Law school improves bar passage rate. Twenty of 23 December graduates of the Charleston School of Law who took the bar exam in February passed — an impressive 87 percent, a record high for the school. “We are immensely proud of these results, which are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students,” Dean Larry Cunningham said in a statement. “Throughout their path to the profession, graduates were taught by Charleston’s highly ranked faculty and a curriculum that is grounded in the fundamentals of law practice.” In February, the American Bar Association, which accredits law schools, found the school was back in compliance with its accreditation standard on bar passage rates, with 2019 graduates having, at the time of reporting in January, an 80 percent passage rate.
Ports Authority has record May. The S.C. Ports Authority had its strongest May ever for containers, moving 230,870 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) across Wando Welch Terminal, North Charleston Terminal and Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal. The authority has handled nearly 2.32 million TEUs thus far in fiscal year 2021, from July 1 through May 31, up 6.85 percent from the year prior.
Santee Cooper survives as public company. South Carolina’s state-owned utility, Santee Cooper, has had an uncertain future since July 2017, when halted construction before the completion of a nuclear project left the company billions in debt. More: SC Public Radio | The Post and Courier.
Safety concerns remain over S.C.’s new open carry law. The 90 days between the day the bill was signed into law and its implementation allows more time for law enforcement and permit holders to learn what the law changes and what it does not. More: SC Public Radio.
SLED says 2020 saw higher rate of violent crime. The State Law Enforcement Division has released a report showing that violent crime increased in 2020, and local departments are saying it could be even higher for 2021. More: The Sumter Item.
Send us a letter
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Cool bridge
Hey, boaters? Recognize this? A reader writes that he recently got stuck on his boat on a South Carolina river. So what better to do than snap a picture of this cool bridge. Where is it? Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live. And if you’ve got a clever mystery photo for our readers, send it to the same address (Try to stump us!)
Our previous Mystery Photo
Last week’s mystery, “Looks religious,” was a picture sent in by Thomas Jacobsen of Sitka, Alaska. It shows an old ice house that was part of Bleak Hall Plantation and is now at Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area on Edisto Island.
Congratulations to George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Bill Segars of Hartsville; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant; Jay Altman of Columbia; and Kristina Wheeler of West Ashley.
Peel provided a little more information on the circa-1840 ice house, one of three remaining outbuildings at the plantation. “The ice house does look like a religious building of sorts. But in this case … looks are definitely deceiving. This building was built with mock tracery windows and doors to emulate a Gothic Revival style, thereby adding some elegance to a boring, but critically functional, outbuilding on the plantation.”
- 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.
Party at The Point returns with five July shows
Staff reports | Party at The Point, a long-beloved Happy Hour concert series is back for its 20th season this year on Friday evenings next month starting July 2.
The series, which features bands like the Dubplates and three tribute bands, is the area’s longest-running happy hour concert series, now back after a year off thanks to the pandemic. The family-friendly event is hosted on the beachfront of Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina and features live music and plenty of food and drinks.
In 2021 to ensure everyone’s safety, each event is limited to 600 general admission ticket holders. Tickets are available at citypapertickets.com. All shows are $10, with children 12 and under are free. Gates open at 5 p.m..
Free parking is available along the road leading into the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. An Uber and Lyft dropoff area will be available and is 50 yards from the entrance. The lineup:
July 2: The Dubplates. They present their songs the way they would present records on turntables. They do it with a deep love and respect for the people and places that inspired each song. They bust out blues, afrobeat, hip hop, rocksteady, dub, dancehall and ska.
July 9: New Ghost Town. This quintet has played thousands of shows across the U.S., getting together and combining their love of bluegrass and American songwriter and legend Tom Petty.
July 16: The Red Dog Ramblers. This local band offers a mix of rock, reggae, jazz and bluegrass.
July 23: Mr Holland’s Oats: A Tribute to Hall and Oates. Founded in 2014, Mr. Holland’s Oats, a tribute to the bestselling duo ever, hails from Charleston.
July 30: Rock the 90s: The Ultimate 90s Tribute Band. This group takes you back to the glory days of rock, offering an eclectic buffet of all the best in 1990s alternative radio rock performed exactly like the original recordings.
Also on the calendar:
Remembering the Charleston Nine: 7 p.m. June 18, Charleston 9 Memorial Park, 1807 Savannah Highway, Charleston. There will be a 30-minute ceremony to cap a 24-hour watch at the park as members of the city’s fire department and others commemorate the 14-year anniversary of the loss of nine firefighters in the Sofa Superstore fire. More info.
Safe Sounds: Firefly Distillery, North Charleston. Head over to citypapertickets.com to secure a spot. Tickets are available now. Doors open 6 p.m. for shows that begin an hour later. (Editor’s note: City Paper Tickets, which is run by sister publication Charleston City Paper, is operating ticketing for Safe Sounds.) Check out some of the shows that are on the way:
- June 19: Elise Testone & BlackNoyze
- June 25: Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience
- June 26: The Midnight City
- July 15: Sevendust with Austin Meade and Kirra
Magic of Carl Michael: Two shows (3 p.m. and 7 p.m.) Sundays (June 20 and 27, and July 11, 18 and 25) at Forte Jazz Lounge, 477 King St., Charleston. Enjoy magic, mystery, laughs and amazement featuring a live show by the 2017 S.C. Entertainer of the Year. Tickets: $15 to $45.
Art of Jazz Series: 6 p.m., June 23, July 1, Aug. 25, Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St., Charleston. The 2021 Art of Jazz Series of original music inspired by art at the museum will feature Peter Kfoury + Sully Martinez on June 23, Matt White and the Super Villain Jazz Band on July 21 and the Geoffrey Dean Trio on Aug. 25. Tickets are $40.
Monroe, May in Summerville: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., June 26, Hutchinson Square, Summerville. Main Street Reads will host bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe and co-author Angela May at a free event celebrating summer reading and the debut of their middle-grade novel, The Islanders. There also will be an open mic for middle graders to share their own writing. More info.
Johns Island concert: July 10, Johns Island County Park. Enjoy the Motown sounds of The Legacy on July 10. Gates open at 6 p.m. with music beginning at 7 p.m. Shows end by 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $60 per 10×10 square, not per person. Squares are limited to four people max. Guests must arrive together, as each vehicle must have a ticket for entry. Squares will be available on a first-come, first-served basis upon arrival. Each show will also offer food vendors; no outside food, alcohol or coolers will be permitted. Alcohol will be available for purchase. Patrons are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets, tables, etc. to be used at their space. Masks are required, except when eating.
Ongoing
Now free: Weekend beach bus. The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority is operating a new Beach Reach Shuttle with hourly weekend service to provide a new connection between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms. Landside Beach Reach parking is located along Market Center Boulevard in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. The on-island Beach Reach stop is located at 9th Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, adjacent to public beach access. Open through Sept. 6 from 9:15 a.m. through final departure from Isle of Palms at 5:35 p.m. Cost: free.
The Lawn Party exhibition: Through Sept. 19, Charleston Museum, Meeting Street, Charleston. The Charleston Museum is pleased to present The Lawn Party: From Satin to Seersucker, the latest offering in its Historic Textiles Gallery. In an “unprecedented” era when large gatherings have been discouraged and fashion has trended towards leisurewear, this exhibition is a celebration of getting dressed up for an outdoor party. Bringing a hint of glamour to a trying time, the garments on display were selected with the grand idea of “after” in mind. This is a perfect opportunity to come see what to wear for your next outdoor event as we head toward the new “normal.”
Reviving photos. Through Oct. 31, Charleston Museum, Meeting Street. The museum is exhibiting The Lowcountry in Living Color: Making Historical Photographs Come to Life as the latest offering in its Lowcountry Image Gallery. Colorizing black and white pictures allows viewers to see components that otherwise might be overlooked. Buy tickets.
Holy City Farmers Market: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., every Wednesday, Holy City Brewing, North Charleston. vendors rotate weekly to provide shoppers with a tiny but mighty shopping experience. vendors will be selling a range of products from specialty foods, home and body care to arts and crafts. More info.
Birds of Prey flight demonstrations: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays, Center for Birds of Prey, 4719 Highway 17. Awendaw. The center has reopened its doors to visitors after closing due to the COvID-19 pandemic, inviting people to once again come and explore the world of raptors through an outdoor program and flight demonstration. Tickets: . $20/adult; $15/children age 3-17.
Sunday Brunch Farmers Market: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., every Sunday, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway, James Island. While the market is discouraging people from spending too much time hanging out during the market, everyone is invited to shop their local vendors. More info.
Bird-watching at Caw Caw. Every Wednesday and Saturday — particularly through the end of February — you can see a plethora of birds at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel as they make their way through the Lowcountry. The two-hour regular walks, which start at 8:30 a.m., are through distinct habitats that allow participants to view and discuss a variety of birds, butterflies, and other organisms. Registration is not required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own binoculars. A paid chaperone is required for participants ages 15 and under. Max. 10 participants. Fee: $9; free for Gold Pass holders. Open to all ages. More: Caw Caw Interpretive Center.
- 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.
ORDER NOW: Copies of our new book, 350 Facts About Charleston, are in Lowcountry-area bookstores now, but if you can’t swing by, you can order a copy online today.
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