Charleston Currents – Andy Brack

FOCUS: Spring training photo essay

Staff reports | Live professional baseball will be back in Charleston when the RiverDogs have their home opener April 7 at Joe Riley Stadium, followed by six straight home games.

In anticipation of opening day, we thought you’d enjoy some photos from two Major League spring training games from the Grapefruit League in Charleston. Photos are from two games:

Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles, March 26, Sarasota, Fla.

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees, March 27, Tampa, Fla.

by Andy Brack · 03/28/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

BRACK: Lawmakers need courage to move state forward

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | There’s something about the children’s narrative of Winnie the Pooh that seems to be a good fit for South Carolina’s legislative leaders.

In one Pooh book inspired by creator A.A. Milne, the timid Piglet remarks, “Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

by Andy Brack · 03/28/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

MYSTERY: Lots of iron

Mystery: If you’ve walked a lot in downtown Charleston, you’ve probably seen this gate, but where is it? Could the building in the background be a clue? Please send your best guess of this image shot by Michael Kaynard of Kaynard Photography to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com — and make sure to include your name and the town in which you live.

by Andy Brack · 03/28/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Mystery Photo, Photos

BRACK: Hollings was right on NAFTA

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | South Carolina’s Fritz Hollings warned the nation 22 years ago. The canary in the coal mine, he cautioned Washington policymakers that the North American Free Trade Agreement was Not A Free Trade Agreement in the nation’s best interest.

He predicted job losses that would force hundreds of thousands out of work, particularly in manufacturing.

by Andy Brack · 03/21/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

BRACK: Take care of your lint

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Lint is not something I ever figured I’d write about. But that changed after what I found in our family’s dryer recently.

About a month ago, I started worrying about lint in the dryer. I don’t know why — perhaps I saw something in the news about a dryer fire. Maybe there was an ad on TV about some kind of newfangled lintbuster. Whatever the trigger, I went to a store to buy something to help suck the lint out of the dryer hose, but couldn’t find anything.

by Andy Brack · 03/14/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

PHOTO: The water is wide

The Combahee River churns past the Harriet Tubman Bridge at the Beaufort-Colleton county line on a recent sunny day. This kind of typical Lowcountry scene — an expanse of marsh, pluff mud and black water — was captured better by the late Pat Conroy than any other writer. Read a tribute to him and his words in Andy Brack’s commentary today.

by Andy Brack · 03/07/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Photos

LETTER: Silent Haley must act on overdose, HIV rates

Elaine Pawlowski: “Gov. [Nikki] Haley’s silence on the overdose epidemic as well as the high rate of HIV in rural communities continues to risk the lives of thousands of South Carolinians. The PBS documentary that aired Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, Wilhemina’s War, paints a bleak picture of those that are infected with HIV in S.C. “

by Andy Brack · 03/07/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Feedback

HISTORY: San Miguel de Gualdape

Founded in September 1526 by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón, San Miguel de Gualdape was the first Spanish town in the territory of the present-day United States. The town’s name likely came from its founding on or around September 29, the feast day of St. Michael the Archangel. “Gualdape” appears to refer to the region where the town was located.

by Andy Brack · 03/07/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Features, S.C. Encyclopedia

BRACK: Celebrating, honoring Pat Conroy’s gifts

By Andy Brack | Writer Pat Conroy, who died Friday night, had a way with words that can only be described as an incredible gift. Perhaps no one more aptly painted word pictures of love, loss, beauty, yearning, pain, grief and aspiration.

Whether fiction or memoir, Conroy could tell a story like no one else. Just read his ebullient description of the inimitable author and chef Nathalie Dupree, the subject of the first chapter of his cookbook, The Pat Conroy Cookbook: Recipes of My Life

by Andy Brack · 03/07/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

MYSTERY: Downtown stair rail

This mystery might be a little tough. It’s a stair rail somewhere in downtown Charleston. Captured by photographer Michael Kaynard, note how the light dances on the wall behind the intricate iron rail. Nice job, Michael. Send your best guess to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com — and make sure to include the name of the town in which you live.

by Andy Brack · 03/07/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Mystery Photo, Photos