Charleston Currents

Focus

FOCUS, Palm: Whistleblowers, inspectors general and the common good

By Fred Palm, contributing editor | The role of a government inspector general is much in the news lately. The position has evolved from military tradition to ensure that government-funded entities use taxpayer money in careful, frugal and legal manners. We don’t want, for example, our hard-earned tax dollars wasted, ripped-off, squandered, thieved or frauded.

The inspector general was first used here during our Revolutionary War. General George Washington smartly recognized that his militia leaders and those that reported to them sometimes distorted, exaggerated and plain lied about their fitness and capabilities.

Washington appointed an inspector general modeling a practice of the Prussian Army, then the world’s elite war-fighting army. Back then, one of the practices of the Prussian Army was to require field inspections for war-fighting fitness to be conducted by knowledgeable staff who were independent and outside the reporting chain of command. They were intentionally free from the obligation to follow orders.

Washington and his command staff used an inspector general to provide a potential pathway for the truth. The obligation of Washington’s inspectional forces was to objectively determine capability and to accurately report on the conditions …

by Fred Palm · 10/07/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Common Good, Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Halsey Institute’s Southbound wins national $25,000 award

Staff reports | A 2018 book of photographs of the South by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston has won the 2019 Alice Award, a $25,000 prize given annually by Furthermore to a richly-illustrated book that “makes a valuable contribution to its field and demonstrates high standards of production.”

The book, Southbound: Photographs of and about the New South, accompanied the Halsey Institute’s 2018 exhibition of the same name. The book was edited and included an introduction by the exhibition curators, Mark Sloan and Mark Long, and designed by Gil Shuler Graphic Design. The catalogue contains contributions by Nikky Finney, Eleanor Heartney, William Ferris, John T. Edge and Rick Bunch. The Southbound project comprises 56 photographers’ visions of the South over the first decades of the 21st century. The photographs are accompanied by stories that provide the reader with a sense of place.

by Charleston Currents · 09/30/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Photos are copyrighted by Rob Byko, 2019.

FOCUS: The whole world is watching response to climate change

Staff reports | Scores of impassioned activists, young and older, crowded the Stern Center Gardens at the College of Charleston Friday afternoon to discuss real solutions to climate change and ask leaders to do more and better. All across the world, millions did the same.

In Charleston at the Climate Crisis Moment event, the energy of participants, particularly girls and women college students, was inspiring, writes contributing photographer Rob Byko.

“They crafted the words, scheduled the speakers, led the charge and called out for all of Charleston to come out and match their enthusiasm. The drum beat repeated over and over…’Register to Vote’ and ‘Get Out the Vote’ If you can’t vote or are too young to vote, influence those who can. They crafted the words, scheduled the speakers, led the charge and called out for all of Charleston to come out and match their enthusiasm. The drum beat repeated over and over…’Register to Vote’ and ‘Get Out the Vote’ If you can’t vote or are too young to vote, influence those who can.”

by Charleston Currents · 09/23/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, Photo Essay, Photos

FOCUS, Knapp: Taking a look at job numbers for August

By Frank Knapp, special to Charleston Currents | Like the rest of the nation, South Carolina’s economy seems to be humming along.

But there are warning signs and growing concern that we are heading to a recession.

The Labor Department released its monthly jobs report last week. It showed that 130,000 new jobs were created in August. However, around 25,000 were temporary census workers hired by the federal government. That puts the August total for new private-sector jobs at about 100,000.

For his part President Trump is furious at the “fake news” for pointing out that the Labor Department numbers were well below economist expectations.

Maybe August is just a “quirky month.” That is how Larry Kudlow, President Trump’s National Economic Council Director, described it.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 09/16/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Herbkersman ferried more than a ton of supplies to Treasure Cay on Sunday.

HELPING: Bluffton legislator ferries supplies to decimated Bahamas

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Bill Herbkersman wanted to do something to make a difference after Hurricane Dorian. So he got some disaster relief supplies and flew them to Treasure Cay, part of the decimated Abaco Islands of the Bahamas.

A seasoned developer and Republican state representative from Bluffton, Herbkersman made two roundtrips Sunday, each leg of which is about 90 minutes. He plans to make three trips daily for most of the rest of the week. On each trip, his Cessna 182 single-engine plane, which he describes as a “Suburban with wings,” can haul about 1,100 pounds of whatever he can get — water, food, disinfectants, cleaning supplies and medical supplies, such as stethoscopes, gloves and medicine.

“They need every thing over there,” he said Sunday night from a staging base in Fort Pierce, Fla. “The people who are doing triage over there said they can really use baby powder and those bottles with bubbles in them for kids so they can keep the kids’ minds off of what happened. … Even a book club can get a case of baby powder.”

by Andy Brack · 09/09/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Resources to help you get ready for Hurricane Dorian

Staff reports | With evacuation of the coast ordered by Gov. Henry McMaster starting at noon Monday, hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors will head west in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian’s arrival on Wednesday or Thursday.

Here are some links and resources that can help you prepare as you plan to leave or ride out the massive storm.

EVACUATION: McMaster orders coastal evacuation. Lanes will be reversed on Interstate 26 from Charleston to Columbia and on U.S. 278 from Hilton Head starting at noon today. Schools and government offices, already closed for Labor Day, will be closed Tuesday with many expected to be closed for the rest of the week. The Post and Courier. More stories: WIS TV; The State. Click this link to see these and more articles below.

Lane reversal process begins Monday morning. WCSC TV.
Charleston-area evacuation routes. The Post and Courier.
State price-gouging laws in effect. WCSC TV.

by Charleston Currents · 09/02/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus

FOCUS: State has tax-advantaged way to save for disabled

By Curtis Loftis, state treasurer | August is ABLE to Save Month (#ABLEtoSave), a national grassroots initiative of the ABLE National Resource Center, designed to educate the public about ABLE accounts. The campaign not only brings attention to this important savings resource, but it also demonstrates a positive step towards levelling the financial playing field for the disability community.

Living with a disability can significantly add to the financial pressure families live with every day, especially when families cannot save money for fear of losing eligibility for important benefits like Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. Only a few years ago, individuals with disabilities and their families were faced with this impossible financial dilemma: sacrifice saving for the future or lose vital public benefits. As it stood, if individuals with disabilities had more than $2,000 in financial resources, they risked losing means-tested benefits they often relied on for income, health care, food and housing.

by Charleston Currents · 08/26/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: In challenging times, a diversified portfolio can be good news

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | We can always focus on the problems. That is easy. But what if we change the focus to look for the opportunities or solutions? Then, perhaps, we’ll accomplish something worthwhile.

The markets and world events in today’s financial markets are creating a lot of uncertainties. The interest rate yield curve is inverted. Tariffs and their ultimate effect on our economy is unknown. The stock market is a roller coaster, to put it mildly. Uncertainties such as these stir up our fears, and this often leads to poor decisions. Our lives and investments are tied to the markets. What can we do to make sure that we do not fall into the trap of reacting emotionally from fear?

So we need to go back to the basics. Does the fluctuating stock market truly make a difference in your day-to-day life? If not, then let the markets do what they may, and see if you can invest as opportunities are created. If your daily life is affected, then it may be time to take a closer look at your total situation and revisit what is important.

by Kyra Morris · 08/19/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Money, Views

FOCUS: Trident Tech offers free tuition for 70+ programs

Staff reports | Trident Technical College this fall is offering students a chance to take classes for free if they enroll in specific in-demand career training programs in manufacturing, information technology, culinary and hospitality, emergency medical technology and technical trades.

“This is a great opportunity for people who want to get the skills required to land a good job, and also for people who are already working to upgrade their skills to get a better job,” said Trident Tech President Mary Thornley.

The college is able to offer students free tuition through a combination of federal, state and college financial aid funds, according to a press release. The total aid package for a tri-county student taking 15 credit hours is more than $2,800.

To take advantage of this free semester of college, students must apply to the college and pay the $30 application fee. The college admission application can be completed online at www.tridenttech.edu.

by Charleston Currents · 08/12/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Dozens of bouquets lined a sidewalk in 2015 after the shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

FOCUS, Campbell: Book on Emanuel shootings is important to read

A review by Reba Hull Campbell, special to Charleston Currents | Rarely does a book appeal to all my “reading” senses – well written, important message, compelling story and human connections. “Grace Will Lead Us Home” about the shootings at Emanuel A.M.E. Church was one of them.

Back in June, I listened to an interview on the SC Lede podcast on SC Public Radio with the author of the book, Jennifer Berry Hawes. She’s a reporter for The Post and Courier who witnessed first-hand many of the details surrounding this tragedy.

After hearing Hawes’ podcast, I knew I had to read the book. And I knew I had to buy it and not just borrow it from the library or listen on Audible. I had a feeling it would be one of those books I’d want to mark up and re-read.

Once I got started on the book, I just couldn’t stop. …

by Special to Charleston Currents · 08/05/2019 · 1 comment · Focus, Good news, Reviews