Charleston Currents

Good news

FOCUS, Adams: Headed out to hike the Appalachian Trail … again

By Jerry Adams, March 2, 2019 | Tonight I camp atop Springer Mountain in Georgia. Tomorrow, I begin the Long Walk to Maine, a 2,192-mile backpacking adventure. Again

Adams
The “why” of the whole thing has been rattling around in my 68-year-old brain since I decided three months ago that another backpacking trip from Georgia to Maine was absolutely the right thing to do. So it begins…

A schoolmarm friend wrote Tuesday asking me how her fifth-graders could follow me on the trail. They wanted to send me messages and hear about my travels. They wanted to know why I was doing this.

Great question. Yes, it’s about five million steps from Georgia to Maine, but that’s the attraction – a wonderful journey through winter, spring and summer, and across 14 states. It’s not the impossible dream.

by Charleston Currents · 03/04/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

GOOD NEWS: Charlotte leader to be Charleston library’s next executive director

Staff reports | Angela Craig, a regional library leader who manages two major Charlotte libraries, will be Charleston County Public Library’s new executive director, the library’s Board of Trustees announced recently.

Craig
“Angela is the perfect fit for leading efforts to continue the tremendous forward trajectory that the Charleston County Public Library has been on in recent years,” said Andy Brack, chair of the library’s Board of Trustees.

by Charleston Currents · 03/04/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

FOCUS, Palm: I-526 Extension is a huge boondoggle

By Fred Palm, contributing editor | The S.C. Joint Bond Review Committee last week sent Charleston County’s funding application to extend Interstate 526 to a four-person subcommittee to provide the due diligence of the facts of the financing. Why? Because years of skittish details about the project just do not fly.

Core issue: The basic problem that caused the delay by the Joint Bond Review Committee is found in the half-truths, equivocations, shell games, bait and switch, balderdash and peekaboo funding sources draped with inchoate statements about other displaced projects from the majority of Charleston County Council that backs the I-526 extension (I-526X). Through proposed no-see-em fiscal sleights of hand, the council’s Majority of Five offers to push through this incredibly expensive highway with zero contingency built off of a well-founded cost estimate because at its root, the extension is unjustifiable.

by Fred Palm · 02/25/2019 · 1 comment · Common Good, Focus, Good news, Views

GOOD NEWS: Gammons named Charleston Bar’s first black president

Staff reports | Debra J. Gammons, who directs diversity efforts at the Charleston School of Law, today will become the county’s first black president of the Charleston County Bar Association.

“I am looking forward to continuing my work for equality, education and engagement,” said Gammons, a distinguished visiting professor and director of the Office of Diversity Initiatives at the law school. “I am looking forward to working with attorneys at the school and throughout the community to bring about positive changes here, across the state and across the country.”

by Charleston Currents · 02/25/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

FOCUS: Photos from a Lowcountry oyster roast

Staff reports | Local Realtor Rob Byko has a real eye for capturing the essence of the world around us. Whether he’s scouting birds in the wild or people with his camera, his photos provide a real feel that puts you inside the spaces and places he sees.

In this issue, we welcome Byko, who lives on Sullivan’s Island, as a contributing photographer who will provide periodic photo essays of what he’s seeing around the area. In today’s essay, you get a real feel for the grittiness and steaminess of a Lowcountry oyster roast. It’s easy to smell and taste the briny sweetness of oysters as they left the cooker and were dumped on the tables of hungry patrons of a roast earlier this month on Sullivan’s Island. Enjoy these — and future — photos from Rob.

by Special to Charleston Currents · 02/18/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Photo Essay, Photos

GOOD NEWS: Celebrating azaleas, history and sweet tea in Summerville

Staff reports | The Rev. John Drayton Azalea Chapter of the American Azalea Society and Magnolia Plantation and Gardens will host the society’s 2019 convention on March 14-16 in Summerville.

“We are honored to have some of the top azalea experts coming to Summerville to experience the beauty of the gardens we have in the Charleston area,” said Tom Johnson, Magnolia’s executive director who also is president of the local azalea chapter.

by Charleston Currents · 02/18/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

FOCUS: How to cut your home’s carbon footprint, home decor tips

From Digit Matheny, contributing editor | You may work to reduce your personal carbon footprint by driving less and recycling, but do you consider the footprint of your home? Here are some tips to make your home and your wallet a little greener.

Buy efficient appliances. Appliances are getting more efficient every year, and some have better energy and water-use ratings than others. The energy rating of an appliance is easy to find and can be a great guide for those looking to reduce their electricity and water consumption.

Install low-use fixtures. Shower heads, toilets, faucets and other fixtures now come in models that use less water than others. These fixtures can lower a home’s utility bill as well as reduce the amount of water a home uses.

by Charleston Currents · 02/11/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, Real estate

GOOD NEWS: Meet library director finalists at forum tonight

Staff reports | A 6 p.m. public forum tonight (Feb. 11) will give members of the public to hear from four finalists who are candidates to be the next executive director of the Charleston County Public Library. The meeting will be in the auditorium of the main branch, 68 Calhoun St., Charleston.

Finalists for the position, for which there has been a national search, include:

Angela Craig, Center City Leader of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Jennifer Patterson, Director of Albemarle Regional Library System
Giovanni Tairov, Director of Livingston Parish Library System
Jeffrey Trzeciak, Director of the Newark Public Library

by Charleston Currents · 02/11/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

FOCUS: New literary and art collection features S.C. writers, artists

Editor Carol Bass, who lives iduring winter months on Edisto Island, offers an outstanding and fascinating array of poems, paintings, prose and photographs in a new collection, “Ripple Effect: Water Stories.” It includes some of South Carolina’s best writers and artists, such as Jim Harrison, Ben Moise, Josephine Humphreys, Ron Rash and our own Marjory Wentworth.

Bass, who grew up along the Edisto River, described the collection in the preface: “This book, filled with writing and art, was born from my love of a river and my hopes that through art, poetry and love we will grow to understand that rivers are our very own selves. All rivers of the world are connected to each other just like we are connected to every other person on earth.” Click headline for more — and a great poem.

by Charleston Currents · 02/04/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Palmetto Poem

GOOD NEWS: Ports Authority celebrates new headquarters in Mount Pleasant

Staff reports | The S.C. Ports Authority last week celebrated the dedication of a new 80,000-square-foot headquarters building at the Wando Welch Terminal.

“The port’s new headquarters offers a single, modern campus for employees with direct access to our biggest operating terminal, the Wando Welch,” said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome. “The building design provides a open floor plan to support cross-functional internal communications, allowing our team to better collaborate and serve the needs of our customers and stakeholders.”

by Charleston Currents · 02/04/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs