Good news

GOOD NEWS: From a new hospital and top-ranked college to 2020 politics, more

GOOD NEWS: From a new hospital and top-ranked college to 2020 politics, more

New hospital dedicated.  Hats off to MUSC for dedication of the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion, which will be open in October to parents and families.  A dedication with remarks from Jenkins, Gov. Henry McMaster and others took place Aug. 9. The new hospital will have 250 beds and lots of other new features for patients. To learn more, visit this link.

by · 08/12/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs
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. …

GOOD NEWS: Big season ahead for Charleston Symphony Orchestra

GOOD NEWS: Big season ahead for Charleston Symphony Orchestra

Staff reports  |  Single tickets for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra’s 2019-20 season, which will celebrate the 350th founding of Charleston, are now available for purchase. Also inside: Photo contest; reduced carbon emissions.

by · 08/05/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs
FOCUS: Magnolia to present Aug. 20 program to help bridge generation gap

FOCUS: Magnolia to present Aug. 20 program to help bridge generation gap

Staff reports  | Neal Glatt, a nationally-recognized workplace team coach, will show young and old mid-level managers Aug. 20 how to effectively bridge the generation gap to solve “people problems” in the office environment.

This four-hour workshop at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens is being offered to help Baby Boomers and Gen. Xers understand how to collaborate with Millennials as they rise to management positions, Glatt said in a press release.

Tom Johnson, Magnolia’s executive director, invited Glatt to Magnolia. Earlier this year, Johnson attended Glatt’s presentation at the Gulf States Horticulture Expo in Mobile, Ala. 

Tom Johnson, Magnolia’s executive director, invited Glatt to Magnolia. Earlier this year, Johnson attended Glatt’s presentation at the Gulf States Horticulture Expo in Mobile, Ala. 

by · 07/22/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news
GOOD NEWS: Ports Authority continues bullish growth

GOOD NEWS: Ports Authority continues bullish growth

Staff reports  |  The S.C. Ports Authority handled record cargo volumes in the fiscal year ending June 30, moving almost 2.4 million twenty-foot-equivalent container units.

“By setting another record for annual cargo volumes, the South Carolina Ports Authority has further established itself as one of our state’s premier economic drivers,” said Gov. Henry McMaster in a press release. “This unprecedented success and growth will continue as we work to complete the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, which will increase capacity and ensure that Charleston has the deepest harbor on the East Coast by 2021.” 

by · 07/22/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs
FOCUS, Matheny:  Gen Xers are driving trend of multi-generational housing

FOCUS, Matheny:  Gen Xers are driving trend of multi-generational housing

Via Digit Matheny, contributing editor  |  This Is Us. Jane the Virgin. Black-ish. What do they have in common? They are all family television programs that have members of multiple generations living under one roof. But the reality of multi-generational living is more than sitcom fodder. 

According to the 2019 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), multi-generational housing continues to be a growing trend among homebuyers. This trend is driven largely by Gen Xers, who are the second-largest band of homebuyers today at 24%. Of that cohort, one in six purchased a multi-gen home, half of whom cited accommodating adult children as their reason for doing so. 

When it comes to millennial buyers, 9 percent purchased a multi-generational property they could share with aging parents, per the report. 

by · 07/15/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, Real estate
GOOD NEWS: RiverDogs among leaders in licensed merchandise sales

GOOD NEWS: RiverDogs among leaders in licensed merchandise sales

Staff reports  | The Charleston RiverDogs ranked were in the top 25 of 160 teams in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) for licensed merchandise sales for 2018.  All totaled, teams set a new record of almost $74 million in retail sales.

by · 07/15/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs
FOCUS, Palm: Much more work needed on flood-prone areas

FOCUS, Palm: Much more work needed on flood-prone areas

By Fred Palm, contributing editor  |  The City of Charleston is required to identify severely flood-damaged properties so that if the damage is extensive, the properties are removed from the floodplain and, if not, they are brought up to a higher level of resilience to better survive the next flood event. 

This is a long-term, common-sense strategy to correct past planning and building decisions that did not work with increases in flood events and to lessen the replacement cost borne by all taxpayers. This also is a “common good” policy offering transition. Carried out over decades, owners are to be compensated for their losses, at-risk housing is removed from the floodplain, and we get to live in a more resilient community.

Unfortunately, the sensible policy is not being done well enough and treated more on a par with sloppy housekeeping by the city. …

by · 07/07/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Common Good, Focus, Good news, Views
Anik in front of the new mural.  Photo provided.

GOOD NEWS: 500 years of Chicora Cherokee history in 50 feet

Staff reports  |  Fresh Future Farm (FFF) has used money from a grant to create a public mural that showcases images over centuries of the Chicora Cherokee neighborhood in North Charleston where it is located.  The project seeks to use art at the community hub to educate, boost community conversation and increase pride.

by · 07/07/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs
Smith

FOCUS: What I’ve learned in 23 years as an LGBTQ Charleston Realtor

By Charlie Smith, special to Charleston Currents  | I moved home to Charleston 23 years ago after two years at Clemson working on a master’s degree in planning and 12 years of living in Miami.  Soon after returning, I walked into Dudley’s on King Street and ran into an old acquaintance who had lived up the street from me in graduate school. He asked what I intended to do for a living.  

I told him that I intended to establish South Carolina’s first openly gay-owned and -operated real estate brokerage, marketing primarily to the LGBTQ community. His immediate response was “You’ll never make a dime in this town!” I never forgot those words.  I immediately set out to prove him wrong.

Real estate was a tight-knit business community back then.  It was not all that welcoming to people who had no intention of working under an established broker, but rather who planned to start an office from scratch. It was also 1996 and the internet was in its infancy as a real estate tool.