Charleston Currents #13.37 | Aug. 2, 2021
ZINNIAS. These beautiful zinnias are flowering in a garden outside a bakery in Flat Rock, N.C., a place to which Charlestonians have fled in hot, muggy summers like the one we’re now experiencing. See something you think our readers would enjoy? Snap a shot and send it along. Photo by Andy Brack
FOCUS: Lowcountry track and field athletes medal in Olympics
COMMENTARY, Brack: Anti-mask mandate will hurt South Carolina’s children
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Gaillard Center
NEWS BRIEFS: State’s natural areas to get more protection
FEEDBACK: Clear, cogent column on expanding voter access
MYSTERY PHOTO: Classical art
CALENDAR: Party at the Point adds more shows
WE’RE BACK after a much-needed week off. But we’re happy to be home and back at it.
Lowcountry track and field athletes medal in Olympics
Charleston residents watch Saunders compete during a Saturday party. Photos provided.
Staff reports | North Charleston native Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took gold for Puerto Rico in the women’s 100 meter hurdles early Monday in the Tokyo Olympics while Charleston’s Raven Saunders on Saturday nabbed the silver medal in the shot put.
Camacho-Quinn, a 24-year-old graduate of Fort Dorchester High School who went on to be a college track star at the University of Kentucky, on Monday ran the event in 12.37 seconds, according to NBC. Coming in second for silver was ex-Kentucky Wildcat Keni Harrison of the United States, 0.15 seconds later. Camacho-Quinn competed for Puerto Rico because her mother is from there.
Thank you so much 🥺🙏🏽❤️ https://t.co/nbK2bRyQMP
— Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (@JCamachoQuinn) August 2, 2021
Saunders expected to return home this week
On Saturday in the shot put final field of 12, 25-year-old Saunders was edged out by Chinese competitor Lijao Gong, whose final two throws of more than 20 meters bested Saunders’ longest throw of 19.79 meters. New Zealand thrower Valerie Adams took the bronze. The Tokyo games are Saunders’ second Olympics, but after finishing fifth in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Saturday’s medal is her first.
On Twitter, Saunders said she would be home in Charleston on Aug. 5. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, who attended a “watch party” late Saturday at the Arthur W. Christopher Community Center on Fishburne Street, is expected to have another community parade to honor Saunders, a city spokesman said. Last month, City Council voted to name the track at Stoney Field in her honor.
On the medal stand Saturday, Saunders raised her hands over her head in a defiant X, a protest Yahoo Sports called the “most high-profile protest yet” in Tokyo.
“It’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet,” she told the Associated Press. Later on Twitter, she said, “Let them try and take this medal. I’m running across the border even though I can’t swim.”
Let them try and take this medal. I’m running across the border even though I can’t swim 😂 https://t.co/B59N2v9KAk
— Raven HULK Saunders (@GiveMe1Shot) August 1, 2021
Saunders also has made her mark on this year’s games by making herself known with brightly colored hair, outlandish face masks, metallic grills in her teeth and more.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg watches Saunders on a big screen at a watch party.
“People told me not to do tattoos and piercings, but now look at me — I’m popular,” she said in a story by Team USA.
More deeply as an openly gay athlete who has felt the impact of mental health struggles and poverty, she’s also been outspoken about issues important to her. She told reporters in Japan that it was important to “be able to go out here and really inspire so many people of the LGBTQ community, so many people who have been dealing with mental health issues, so many people of the African American community, so many people who are black all around the world. I really just hope that I can continue to inspire and motivate.”
Charleston City Paper Editor Sam Spence contributed to this report. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Anti-mask mandate will hurt South Carolina’s children
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The enormity of anti-science fervor in the Republican-controlled South Carolina legislature that will keep students, most unvaccinated, from wearing masks is mind-blowingly ignorant.
As a result, too many children will get or spread coronavirus — now worse than last year at this time because of a new, more contagious strain — and more will suffer. Children and more adults may die, thanks to the lame-brained GOP General Assembly’s lockstep denial of science.
“No school district, or any of its schools, may use any funds appropriated or authorized pursuant to this act to require that its students and/or employees wear a facemask at any of its educational facilities.” That’s the policy in the current state budget.
Make no mistake: Conservative lawmakers didn’t simply use a procedural, one-year budget proviso to say no to masks as they bowed to their holy mantra of personal freedom. They did it intentionally to push a narrow political viewpoint without regard to the health, welfare or safety of South Carolina’s students and parents.
It’s pitiful and it’s going to come back to bite South Carolina’s butt. Don’t look for the pandemic, now surging again with double-digit rates of positive tests, to ebb anytime soon. The rush to return to normal will keep normal from returning anytime soon.
What’s unfortunate is that state legislators are unlikely to take corrective action in a coming special session even though the nation is starting to “mask up” again following a revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It recommends that vaccinated Americans wear masks again inside in places where the virus is raging, such as South Carolina.
“It’s such a political issue now, I doubt the legislature would wade into it knowing the governor would veto,” said one senior GOP source in South Carolina who asked not to be named.
House Democrats aren’t happy with what has transpired.
“To be clear, the Budget Proviso 1.108, prohibiting masks requirements in public schools, was passed with Republicans votes only in the House,” said Columbia Democratic Rep. Wendy Brawley. “I, along with other House Democrats, voted against the proviso because we believe that locally elected school boards should make those safety decisions.
It is my sincere hope that my Republican colleagues will reverse the proviso and allow school districts to do what is necessary to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff in public schools. Political posturing should not compromise student safety!”
Republicans, including Gov. Henry McMaster who has been leading the anti-mask effort, whine mask-wearing should be voluntary and up to parents, not the government.
Hogwash. It’s government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of all of its citizens from enemies domestic and foreign — including the virus that has infected more than 500,000 South Carolinians, wreaked untold havoc on families and cost billions of dollars.
What’s so bloomin’ conservative about a simple thing like wearing a mask when the financial costs to society skyrocket just to deal with the devastating outcomes? Why is the GOP so bloody scared about a little shot that’s almost universally effective at dampening the virus?
You don’t hear caterwauling about bringing a car to a halt at stop signs or getting car insurance to have the privilege to drive. Or as our friends at the Greenwood Index-Journal sarcastically wrote this week, why should the state even have health regulations?
“If restaurant owners want to store food in non-refrigerated containers, let mold form in ice machines and not require employees to wash their hands before handling food and after bathroom visits, so what? They have rights, too. DHEC should get the heck outta the business of these struggling restaurateurs. Taking chances with your health by patronizing those restaurants is, after all, your choice. Just like wearing a mask or getting a vaccination.”
Republicans have led this state for more than two decades. With the anti-leadership they are showing from top to bottom in South Carolina, it is truly time to throw the bums out.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents, and publisher of the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Charleston Gaillard Center
Charleston Gaillard Center provides the Lowcountry with a world-class performance hall, elegant venue space and vibrant educational opportunities that inspire dynamic community throughout the area through the power of the performing arts. The Center’s vision is to enrich the diverse community of Charleston with artistic and cultural experiences that are accessible and unique, and to serve as an educational resource for generations to come. For more information, click the links below:
- Buy tickets and see great events
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State’s natural areas to get more protection
Staff reports | State leaders and land preservation advocates will gather Tuesday to announce a wide-ranging initiative to dramatically increase protection and preservation of natural areas across South Carolina.
Gov. Henry McMaster, GOP state Sen. Chip Campsen of Charleston and conservationists are set to announce “support for accelerating the pace and land conservation and improving funding for public lands management,” said Raleigh West, executive director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank.
McMaster will travel to Andrews for the announcement in an area near the Black River where work is already underway to ramp up land preservation.
The move comes after the pandemic year when state and local parks saw record numbers of visitors while newly remote workers fled major cities, settling in South Carolina.
“There’s just this tremendous demand for more public outdoor recreation and at the same time, growth is happening,” West said.
Campsen said he is planning complementary legislation for when the General Assembly returns in January. Campsen’s proposal would reinstate direct funding from deed registrations to the Conservation Bank, which buys property directly from landowners or pays them for a conservation easement that restricts further development.
“We’re seeing a lot of pressure and a lot of in-migration. And it’s important that we preserve our quality of life, and our natural resources that contribute to that quality of life in the face of that massive population migration we’re experiencing,” Campsen told the Charleston City Paper. “Otherwise, we’re gonna lose what makes South Carolina distinct and attractive in the first place.”
The measure to accelerate land preservation comes in parallel with Biden-administration efforts to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030 as climate change affects natural areas from coast to coast. West views the two proposals as “distinct and separate,” with much of the federal proposal dealing with public lands that dominate the American West.
Charleston City Paper Editor Sam Spence wrote the above news brief.
In other recent news:
COVID-19 cases are spiking in S.C. The number of confirmed and probable cases has doubled over the last week, according to data from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
New confirmed cases rose from 3,034 cases from July 15 to July 21 to 6,992 cases from July 22 to 28, according to DHEC data. New probable cases jumped from 1,935 cases to 3,601 cases in the same two-week comparison. The combined number of confirmed and probable cases went from 4,969 in the week ending July 21 to 10,193 as of July 28.
With vaccines widely available throughout the state, state officials are urging residents to begin and complete their vaccinations to keep numbers down and prevent further spread of the virus as most cases are being reported in unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines are available at many locations throughout the Palmetto State. You can find vaccination locations on DHEC’s website.
Despite the Centers for Disease Control’s new guidelines updated on July 27 recommending all individuals — including fully vaccinated people — wear masks indoors, Gov. Henry McMaster has said masks will not be required in schools for the coming year.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg last week encouraged South Carolinians to get vaccinated during a conversation with MUSC Health CEO Dr. Patrick Cawley at the West Ashley MUSC Medical Pavilion. Although the mayor said another citywide mask mandate would likely not be imposed, he encouraged everyone to begin wearing masks indoors once again.
Three-day sales tax holiday starts Aug. 6. The state’s annual weekend-long sales tax holiday kicks off Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 8 to allow shoppers to buy certain items in South Carolina stores, both online and in stores, without paying a 6 percent state sales tax and applicable local taxes. Among the items that can be purchased are school supplies, clothing, footwear, computers, musical instruments and outerwear. Not eligible for the exemption are eyewear, furniture, cell phones and office supplies. Advocates say the sales tax holiday is an economic shot in the arm for businesses, while detractors say it’s a gimmick because people postpone purchases to save money on things they buy anyway. For a full list of sales tax-free items, check out the state’s full guide to the tax holiday.
Top 40 in treating cancer. MUSC is celebrating its new #39 ranking in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report. ““We are delighted to be ranked in the top 40 in the nation for cancer care at MUSC Health,” said Dr. Raymond N. DuBois, director of the Hollings Cancer Center. The center “serves as the state’s only NCI-designated cancer center and is charged to deliver cutting-edge cancer treatments to a culturally diverse population. We have an amazing team of more than 110 cancer researchers across 20 academic departments doing transdisciplinary research in the lab each day. We know the impact of cancer on patients’ lives, and we’re developing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.”
City Paper takes home 21 state advertising awards. Hats off to our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper, which won 21 advertising awards in a contest by the S.C. Press Association. The total included two major awards — the President’s Award for Best Overall Advertising for weekly newspapers and Best in Show honors in the over-12,000 circulation division, by production director Dela O’Callaghan and account executive Lauren Kesmodel.
Also last month, the City Paper received national recognition when illustrators Steve Stegelin and Robert Ariail were finalists for best cartoon in the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards contest.
Clear, cogent column on expanding voter access
To the editor:
I am visiting Seabrook Island from Maryland, and wanted to tell you how heartened I was to read your article criticizing current efforts to restrict voter access through new legislation.
I was very glad to find that there are voices opposing such legislation here in South Carolina, expressed with clear and cogent arguments.
— Karen Anderson, Silver Spring, Maryland
Send us your thoughts by email
We love hearing from readers. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information. Send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. | Read our feedback policy.
Classical art
Here’s some classical art outside of a building within 100 miles of Charleston. But where? And what 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
Our most recent past mystery, “Livers and gizzards,” is a Chinese deli on Spruill Avenue in North Charleston, S.C. Congratulations to these sleuths who identified it: Jay Altman of Columbia; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Greg Hulcher and Stephen Yetman, both of Charleston.
- 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 adds more shows
Staff reports | Party at the Point, a Charleston-area happy hour Friday concert series that sold out five July shows, will continue through Sept. 10 with several new shows. According to the organizers, here is a list of new shows for coming Fridays:
- Aug. 6: Sgt Submarine, Charleston’s own Beatles tribute band
- Aug. 13: Yesterday’s Wine featuring Wyatt Durette & Levi Lowrey with special guest Faith Schueler
- Aug. 20: Two Weeks Notice featuring Ward Buckheister & Friends
- Aug: 27: The Yacht Club
- Sept. 3: Labor Day Bash with The Midnight City
- Sept. 10: Rattle & Hum, a tribute to U2
Tickets are $10 each. Gates open at 5 p.m. with the event lasting until 9 p.m. Location: Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina, 20 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant.
Also on the calendar:
Rescue Brew contest entries open. Through Aug. 15, you can now enter Charleston Animal Society’s second annual contest to get an image of your rescue dog and cat printed on labels of 2021 Rescue Brew Beer cans of beer from Palmetto Brewing Company. The cost? A donation of $10, which will support programs at the animal welfare organization. After the entries are in, voting will be from Aug. 16 through Sept. 17. The grand prize spokesdog and spokescat will be announced Oct. 16.
“Tidal Futures” exhibition: July 30 to Sept. 11, Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., Charleston. Tidal Futures: Friends of Gadsden Creek is an exhibition that aims to highlight the organization’s outreach program to challenge viewers’ preconceived notions of what contemporary art is. It also seeks to guide them to discover and investigate how social justice work is conceptualized and executed, and to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about the intersection of creative practice and cultural impact.
North Charleston exhibition: Aug. 4 to Aug. 28, Park Circle Gallery, North Charleston. The space will offer concurrent solo exhibitions of drawings and mixed-media works by artists Christopher Kye of Goose Creek and Christine D. Johnson of Summerville with a free reception at 5 p.m. Aug. 6. More info. The gallery is located at 4820 Jenkins Avenue.
Art of Jazz Series: 6 p.m., 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 the Geoffrey Dean Trio on Aug. 25. Tickets are $40.
Ongoing
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.
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.
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.
Farmers markets
Here’s a look at a bunch of local farmers markets where you can find fresh fruit, vegetables, crafts and more. If you know of others, send us a note at: feedback@charlestoncurrents.com.
Mount Pleasant Farmers Market: 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., every Tuesday, Market Pavilion at Moultrie Middle School, 645 Coleman Blvd., Mount Pleasant. Check here for more.
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.
West Ashley Farmers Market: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., every Wednesday, Ackerman Park, 55 Sycamore Avenue, Charleston. More.
North Charleston Farmers Market: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., every Thursday, Felix Davis Community Circle in Park Circle. The market offers fresh, locally grown produce as well as arts-and-craft vendors, specialty foods and live music. More.
Charleston Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Saturday, Marion Square, 329 Meeting St., Charleston. More.
Summerville Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Saturday, First Citizens Bank parking lot near Town Hall, 200 S. Main Street, Summerville.
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.
- 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.
We 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! And it includes cool stuff about the community that’s hard to find elsewhere. We hope they’ll enjoy our coverage.
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