Charleston Currents

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FOCUS: Dee Norton center launches $5 million campaign to help area children

By Beverly Hutchison, special to Charleston Currents | Nearly 6,000 children in Charleston and Berkeley counties are abused each year, a number that is expected to double over the next 20 years as our population grows.

For the last 26 years, the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center has been the region’s leading resource to help prevent child abuse, protect abused children and help heal children and their families. However, the Center is at capacity and cannot meet the need without expanding. This month, the center launched Above and Beyond: The Campaign to Help Children Soar, a $5 million campaign that will enable the center to open a second full-service center in Mount Pleasant and renovate the center’s existing location on King Street.

by Charleston Currents · 05/29/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: It’s festival season again

Staff reports | The Charleston festival season opens for 17 days Friday as Spoleto Festival USA offers more than 160 ticketed events in 12 venues throughout Charleston while the city’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival for 2017 has more than 500 events through June 11.

Perhaps the easiest way to get the full flavor of all of the offerings is to scroll through each festival’s websites, but we offer some highlights and links below.

by Charleston Currents · 05/22/2017 · 3 comments · Focus, Good news

"Mother" Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, S.C.

FOCUS: Rivers, Sanders to launch Living Your Truth series tonight

Staff reports | The Social Justice, Racial Equity Collaborative will launch its two-hour Living Your Truth series at 6:30 p.m. today at Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street in Charleston.

The event will be hosted by two longtime friends, Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III and former College of Charleston President Alex Sanders.

According to a press release, the series beings together diverse voices to inspire, challenge and foster understanding in Charleston, which the effort’s leaders believe is ready to reflect on the truth and perspectives necessary for racial healing and transformation.

by Charleston Currents · 05/16/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Charleston Forum to discuss racial issues June 16

Staff reports | The Charleston Forum will host a public discussion June 16 to address racial issues in the context of economics and education; policing and criminal justice; the future of the past; and the Charleston experience.

“I am looking forward to participating in the Charleston Forum this summer. We must embrace these opportunities to come together and listen to one another,” Charleston Mayor John J. Tecklenburg said in a statement. “It is only by gaining an understanding of our different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that we can create a united vision for a brighter future.”

Tickets are $10 and available online. The event will be from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St.

by Charleston Currents · 05/08/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Assessing an almost-invisible population in Charleston

By Becca Hopkins, special to Charleston Currents | People flock to Charleston. They come in droves for the weather, the culture, the food, the slower pace of life. For most people, Charleston is an eminently livable city and both the tourist industry and the pace of residential growth reflect that.

However, there is one almost-invisible population in Charleston that is not enjoying the advantages that Charleston has to offer. Charleston is home to hundreds of individuals under the age of 25 who are either experiencing homelessness or some variety of housing insecurity. An even greater number are experiencing food insecurity, meaning that they don’t get an adequate amount of nutritious food regularly. This population is mixed in with our K-12 students and college students, though there are many who are not in school and are living off the grid and outside of any systems.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/30/2017 · 1 comment · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Educators urge governor to sign pension reform bill

By Bernadette Hampton, special to Charleston Currents | The South Carolina Education Association encourages residents of Charleston County, especially all educators in the Charleston area, to urge Gov. Henry McMaster to sign the responsible, bipartisan pension funding bill. This bill allows South Carolina to keep its obligations to public employees and remain competitive with other states. And, pensions remain the best bang for the buck for our taxpayers.

Public pensions cover over 549,000 teachers, firefighters and other South Carolina workers. In fact, 1 out 9 South Carolina residents are covered by our pensions systems. With an average benefit of just $21,000 a year, pensions provide a modest but dignified retirement for our public employees. Under this bill, teachers will contribute a greater percentage of their pay, now 9 percent of pay, toward their pension, sharing the sacrifice of increase with the state.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/24/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: S.C. Picture Project seeks sponsor to document culture, state

By Robin Welch, special to Charleston Currents | In just a few short weeks, SCIWAY will turn 21, which means we are now old enough to buy a good stiff drink!

As it turns out, we may need one. Over the past two decades, we’ve grown from a simple online portal with links to 23 other South Carolina websites – all that existed at the time – into a wide-ranging collection of original maps, detailed essays, and useful guides to state and local resources, including such things as S.C. events, S.C. elections, S.C. pronunciations, and – especially important this time of year – S.C. taxes.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/18/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, Photo Essay, Photos

FOCUS: No Kill S.C. is changing the face of animal welfare

By Joe Elmore, special to Statehouse Report | Despite Charleston County becoming the Southeast’s first No Kill Community in 2013, tens of thousands of animals in other areas of South Carolina are dying needlessly due to a lack of best practices and resources.

To combat these alarming statistics, Charleston Animal Society, South Carolina’s first animal protection organization and one of the oldest (143 years) in the nation, launched No Kill South Carolina (NKSC) in 2015. Funded by a generous grant from Petco Foundation, No Kill South Carolina hit the ground a year later and is arguably the boldest grassroots animal care initiative ever undertaken in the U.S.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/10/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Don’t be distracted when driving with pets

Via TripsWithPets.com | With the busy summer travel season right around the corner, many families are planning to hit the road with their families — and that of course, means their four-legged family members too. To ensure safe travels for everyone, it’s important to take heed of a very real pet travel safety issue — pets and distracted driving.

by Charleston Currents · 04/03/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Look at health care, not just police, in opioid crisis

By Elaine Pawlowski, special to Charleston Currents | I am thankful that it has been announced that more than 10 bills are filed to address the S.C. opioid epidemic. Although legislative steps are needed, I would say that the devil is in the details on whether the legislation will reduce the overdose rate.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 03/27/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news