Staff reports | Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) and Charleston County School District (CCSD) this summer are working together to help students and children read more than ever. A new joint initiative is part of the library’s annual Summer Reading programs, which provide incentives for reading during the summer months.
By Fred Palm, contributing editor | The Post and Courier editorial team (April 27, 2018) advocated that the City of Charleston plant trees to start to address flooding. That is a start. Here is what got left out.
We know that the outer lands, when properly employed to protect ourselves, buffer, reduce inundation and wave height that flood the inner uplands. We also know the flooding follows the rivers and floodplains going inland to Goose Creek and Mount Pleasant to the Francis Marion National Forest and other parts of the lowlands. This is a threat going well beyond the city of Charleston and addressed well beyond planting trees, though it helps. It could also be a way to have the Dutch dialogue that the P&C editorial writers endorsed recently.
Flooding is a coastal threat. Comprehensive plan funding is needed by all the S.C. state coastal counties and cities; and where the lion’s share of state revenue is drawn. We urgently need the state to act by funding a statewide plan including the coastal waters’ edges and upland rivers.
Staff reports | The Charleston Forum, a community project that strives to provide a dialogue that moves the conversation forward with no pre-set agenda, has announced its full list of speakers for its 2018 two-hour discussion, which will start at 7:30 p.m. June 21 at the Charleston Music Hall. (More) Tickets are free.
More than 900 people attended last year’s event. In June, the forum will focus on overcoming racial disparities in education and economics in two panel discussions. Speakers will include …
By Caroline Mauldin, special to Charleston Currents | South Carolina’s public school teachers are indeed stewards of our future. By fostering young minds to be critical and creative thinkers, they are preparing an agile workforce that will be able to adjust and thrive in a changing economy. By showing up every day for our children, they are pillars of every community in the state, especially those that are increasingly under-resourced and struggling to survive. And by choosing a career of service and leadership, they are doing more to ensure the state’s prosperity than most—and certainly more than we give them credit for.
South Carolina can and should be proud of our public school educators. We should also be proud of how we celebrate them at the Teacher of the Year gala every May. What we need to work on is how we, as a society, treat them the rest of the year.
A recent study shows that teacher salaries have actually declined in past decades as cost of living has increased. In South Carolina, we’ve seen a 6 percent decrease since 2000, whereas salaries for other college graduates are increasing.
By Catherine Brack, special to Charleston Currents | The Charleston Gaillard Center is now offering a membership level for families to immerse children earlier in the arts at a price that is affordable for parents.
Families with children under the age of 12 that join will receive an array of benefits, ranging from a city-wide interactive passport book for each child to discounts on family-only performances to special event invitations for the whole family to enjoy.
Since the re-opening in October 2015, the Charleston Gaillard Center has provided many opportunities for families to enjoy the arts. With performances like Peppa Pig, the Disney Jr. Dance Party and the annual tradition of the Charlotte Ballet’s Nutcracker, families have experienced live stories from their favorite characters and created lasting memories.
By Liz Rennie, special to Charleston Currents | In an era of excessive textile waste, one local company is hoping to push the larger corporate players towards better environmental stewardship.
BedShred.com, an initiative of The Charleston Mattress, is committed to keeping old mattresses out of landfills through aggressive recycling techniques. Every discarded mattress is deconstructed and recycled into foam fibers for carpet padding, wooden mulch for community garden projects and the steel coils are melted down for re-sell. The components are never used in bedding again, but can take on new life in other household forms.
The process leaves only 10 percent of each mattress being discarded as compacted waste.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Your voice matters.
That’s the simple message of an effort coming soon by the new Library Foundation of the Lowcountry to bring people together for a meal so they can talk about what’s important. It’s a practical way to elevate civic conversations, build new relationships and inspire collaborative action across the region.
It’s called “On the Table Lowcountry.” It is modeled after a successful similar event in Chicago that has brought together tens of thousands of people on a single day to focus on community needs.
Staff reports | The Pearlstine Family Fund has donated $250,000 to help pay for the $1 million West Ashley Theatre Center performance and education facility being built in Ashley Landing on Sam Rittenberg Blvd.
The facility’s 127-seat performance venue will be known as the Pearlstine Theatre and is nicknamed “The Pearl,” according to Charleston Stage Founder and Producing Director Julian Wiles.
By Anton Gunn, special to Statehouse Report | I don’t know about you, but I love the movies. I especially love Marvel Comics’ movies. If you haven’t heard by now, Marvel has released one of the most successful movies in the history of its movie franchise, Black Panther.
I saw Black Panther over the weekend (three times). There was so much to “marvel” about in this movie. The story, the action, the characters, the scenery and the leadership lessons were remarkable. Yes, the leadership lessons. I believe you can find leadership lessons in every experience, especially in the movies.
So even if you haven’t seen it, I want to offer a spoiler-free list of the top Seven Leadership Lessons I gained from the movie Black Panther.
Staff reports | The Port of Charleston on March 1 welcomed two new ship-to-shore cranes at the Wando Welch Terminal to further enhance the handling of neo-Panamax vessels. The next day, the S.C. Ports Authority (SCPA) celebrated the beginning of Charleston Harbor Deepening Project construction.
“It is fitting to welcome the arrival of two new cranes as we begin construction on the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “The cranes are an integral part of the Port’s plans to modernize existing terminals in order to more efficiently handle big ships. Along with the Wando Terminal wharf strengthening project, bigger cranes enable the Port to continue to meet the needs of our customers and deliver the operational reliability and productivity we are known for in the U.S. port industry.”
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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