Charleston Currents

Focus

West Ashley High School Senior Heity Gonzalez. Source: Charleston County School District.

FOCUS: A few life lessons for new graduates

By Reba Hull Campbell, special to Charleston Currents | When May 23 rolls around every year, I put aside all the other renowned celebrations that fall on the same day — Eliza Doolittle Day, Pick Strawberries Day, Buy a Musical Instrument Day, or Weights and Measures Day — and take a few minutes to appreciate May 23 as the anniversary of when I started my first post-graduation job. I like to call it my “adultiversary.”

May 23, 1983, was the day I walked into 123 Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill sporting big hair, a shoulder-padded power suit and aspirations to be a press secretary working for a freshman congressman from Florence.

Each year on my adultiversary, I’m grateful for the fact I was able to land my dream job as my first job. This year, however, this milestone feels a bit bittersweet as I see all the new graduates flooding the market with no jobs to absorb them.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 05/25/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: One Region releases guidelines for reopening economy

Staff reports | New phased guidelines for safely reopening the local economy provide detailed suggestions for small businesses and restaurants shut down for weeks due to coronavirus.

“It does little good for businesses to reopen only to find there is no business,” said Charleston Regional Development Alliance Chairman John Hagerty in a recent press release. “With the help of One Region’s re|IGNITE phase one plan and industry-specific guidelines, employers can utilize consistent safety precautions and standards appropriate for businesses of all sizes. Employees and customers need to feel confident their health and safety is paramount. Acting together as One Region, we can reopen quickly, safely, and rebuild our thriving economic and social community.”

The plan, called re|IGNITE, includes high-level recommendations on how and when to safely reopen in a phased approach along with health care metrics from MUSC and best practice workplace procedures. …

by Charleston Currents · 05/18/2020 · 2 comments · Focus, Good news

Rice canals at Caw Caw. Photos provided.

FOCUS: County parks resume some operations, more openings ahead

Staff reports | Eleven county parks have been reopened in recent days with limited amenities, such as being open for running, walking and biking on designated trails. Staff of Charleston County Parks will be on hand to ensure that guests are following social distancing guidelines and not using closed amenities, according to a statement..

Six parks reopened Friday:

— Caw Caw Interpretive Center
— James Island County Park
— Johns Island County Park
— Mount Pleasant Pier (fishing not allowed)
— Palmetto Islands County Park
— Wannamaker County Park

Charleston County Parks that also are currently open include:

— Laurel Hill County Park
— Meggett County Park
— Stono River County Park
— Wannamaker North Trail
— Isle of Palms County Park

by Charleston Currents · 05/11/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Wappoo Shores resident Julia Sauer, left, carries D'Allesandro's pizzas with Police Chief Luther Reynolds and Mayor John Tecklenburg. Photos by Ruta Smith, Charleston City Paper.

FOCUS: Neighbors chip in to buy pizza for police, firefighters

Staff reports | Residents of the Wappoo Shores neighborhood in West Ashley collected more than $650 in the last two weeks to feed police, firefighters and first responders as a way of thanking them for their service.

Fueled by an additional in-kind donation by D’Allesandro’s Pizza in downtown Charleston, the neighbors bought 30 of the company’s pies for officers on Friday afternoon. They plan to deliver as many to West Ashley firefighters next week.

Reynolds eats a slice of D’Allesandro’s pizza — at a safe social distance from anyone else!

“We’re so grateful for the support,” said Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds, who jokes how pizza, or “Vitamin P,” is his favorite food. “This is yet another example of showing how much the community cares for us.”

by Charleston Currents · 05/04/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

LOFTIS: Maintain good financial habits during pandemic

By State Treasurer Curts Loftis | It’s no secret that money has a significant influence on our lives. While this is frequently made obvious in our daily routines, nothing underscores that sentiment quite like the current crisis.

Loftis

The emergence of COVID-19 has resulted in a societal spike of anxiety and fear, with many Americans rightfully concerned about their health during this time. Weighing just as heavily on our minds, though, are the economic consequences we are being confronted with.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/27/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, My Turn

Chalked sign near the intersection of St. Andrew's Boulevard and Folly Road.

FOCUS: Tecklenburg outlines three stages of reopening Charleston

By John Tecklenburg, mayor | When the City of Charleston issued the stay-at-home order a few weeks ago, the primary goal was to “flatten the curve” so as to not overwhelm our hospital capacity and to greatly reduce the spread of contagion. I have been encouraged by the most recent numbers, which is a testament to our citizens staying smart, staying distanced and listening to medical experts. The plan to “flatten the curve” has and is continuing to work and we must be vigilant to keep Charleston from becoming a “hotspot”.

As we continue to flatten the curve, it is time to ready our strategic reopening to avoid any resurgence or spikes of the virus. I view this challenge in three ways:

* Protecting the lives and wellness of our citizens;
* Keeping our hospitals from being overwhelmed;
* Maintaining economic activity and core government services until a vaccine or treatment becomes available.

by Charleston Currents · 04/20/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: How to get cool shoes and help hospital workers

Staff reports | Charleston Shoe Company, known for stylish and comfortable sandals, has donated 100 pairs of its new Lulu sneakers to MUSC health care professionals who are working to battle the coronavirus. And now, in a bid to keep the company going as its 30 stores across the nation are shuttered to deal with the virus, it is launching a “buy one, give one” offer to allow customers to send more shoes to hospitals.

“Instead of taking a passive approach, our team is facing this unique situation head on — pushing ourselves to adapt and persevere for our business, while also focusing on our community as a whole and what we can do to help,” founder and owner Neely Powell wrote last week. “Our store managers, who had to close their shop doors in mid-March, are instead, selling from their homes. From social media takeovers to Zoom call shoe parties, these incredible women continue to spread smiles (and bright sunny shoes) during hard times.”

by Andy Brack · 04/13/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

FOCUS, Smith: Pandemic lesson: Time to stop the asphalt gravy train

By Charlie Smith, special to Charleston Currents | When the coronavirus quarantine is over, let’s be sure to remember one of the most important lessons that we have learned: Let’s remember what it was like living in Charleston without traffic.

The lesson we should learn from this experience is that it’s time to stop building bigger and bigger roads that only invite more and more cars and trucks that divide our community and diminish the health and well-being of our citizens.

Smith

It’s time to tell our General Assembly and our county and city governments that equitable mobility is what the public is entitled to, not just more asphalt. Tell them that it’s time to break up the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and create an agency that can focus on mass transit, inter-city rail, “Complete Streets” and multi-modal transit for all citizens, not just on more wasteful inefficient projects for the benefit of road contractors.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 04/06/2020 · 1 comment · Focus, Good news

FOCUS: Start printing masks now

By Janet Segal, special to Charleston Currents | Here’s an idea: Local governments and the state — the county, its libraries, technical colleges and the like — should put idle 3-D printers to use now to print masks to keep our medical workers safe.

I am self-quarantining at home with two sewing machines, fabric, a pattern from the internet and I have been sewing facemasks.

According to my nursing friends, these will be helpful for elderly patients and their caregivers and for people outside the home who must go shopping. But they will fall apart after multiple washings. They are well-made but not designed for long-term use.

There are, however, masks that can stand up to repeated sterilizing — those made of plastic on 3-D printers.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 03/30/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, My Turn

At left is Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie at a Sunday press conference, flanked (and socially distanced) by Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, Mount Pleasant Police Chief Carl Ritchie and Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds. Photo provided.

FOCUS: Leaders say to stay home, stay distanced, stay safe

Staff reports | City and county leaders strongly urged Charleston County residents to “stay home, stay distanced and stay safe” in the weeks ahead as the nation grapples with the coronavirus pandemic.

As of Sunday, 13 people in Charleston County tested positive for coronavirus, as well as two in Berkeley County and one in Dorchester County, according to state data. Across the state, 195 people tested positive for the virus, including 44 in Kershaw County.

“Doctors tell us that the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 would be nothing less than a death sentence for thousands of our friends and family members right here in the Lowcountry,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said at a Sunday press conference. “And the only way to avoid that tragedy is for all of us to start following those three simple rules right now.”

Stay home: “If you don’t have an essential reason to go out, don’t go out. The life you save by avoiding that unnecessary trip could turn out to be yours or one of your loved ones.” the mayor said.

by Charleston Currents · 03/23/2020 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news