By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The Palmetto State is still rocking from last week’s earthquake announcement that S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley will leave office to be the country’s ambassador to the United Nations in President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
By Michael Kaynard, contributing photographer | One of the most important things about my being a photographer has been when people enjoy my work, and seeing the happiness it brings. The money has never been as important.
Now that my selling days are quickly coming to a close, I received one of the nicest compliments about my work.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | News that President-elect Donald Trump is considering S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley and Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster for prominent roles in his administration highlights how we need to start thinking now about who we want to lead South Carolina in the future.
With the 2016 elections over, Haley is considered a lame duck as her second term as governor ends in two years. As a rising minority star in the Republican party, it’s natural that Trump’s team would look for a big role for Haley, who met Thursday with Trump for what was called “a good discussion,” by a spokesman.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Local author Andra Watkins thrills at bringing history alive. She did it earlier this month in a talk at the Charleston County Public Library. And she does it in her new supernatural mystery thriller, Hard to Die.
On Nov. 2, about 30 people gathered at the library to hear what I thought would be a regular author talk by Watkins to help the launch of a new book, which came out the day before. Her talk was anything but regular.
By Ben Fanning, contributing editor | I noticed a few weeks ago that I was feeling anxious and paranoid. What had changed? I ran through my mental list of family, friends, health and career…all OK.
Then I looked down at my phone and noticed something different. On my home screen, there was a list of news headlines from an Apple News app that had automatically downloaded. Aha! You see I hadn’t realized that every time I picked up my phone I was seeing the top news headlines…most of which were loaded with bad news. This subtle change had slowly increased my anxiety and fear.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The effort by a secret, out-of-state group to denigrate West Ashley school board candidate Priscilla Jeffery has backfired with this voter.
Before receiving a nasty, hateful, unconscionable piece of direct mail on Saturday, I wasn’t sure which two candidates I would pick of three seeking two West Ashley seats on the board – Jeffery, former school administrator Gary Leonard or incumbent Michael Miller.
By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | Charleston is one of the fastest-growing, economically-diverse communities in America. Some people say we are the victims of our own success. Strong job growth in manufacturing, local business growth and people moving to Charleston in record numbers are a reflection of our success and quality of life.
As is often the case, with success there are also costs. The infrastructure for our road system throughout Charleston County is severely lacking.
In 2004, a referendum passed for a half cent sales tax that would fund road and highway projects in Charleston County.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Kandinsky, Picasso, Modigliani, Bauer, Chagall, Leger – these aren’t names one normally associates with Charleston’s art scene. But you can see these 20th century abstract masters’ works now at a special new show at the Gibbes Museum of Art that has ties to the Lowcountry’s past.
If you enjoy modern art, you don’t want to miss the Realm of the Spirit show. You’ll find joy looking at the flair of lines and interplay of color in Kandinsky’s works. There’s a Picasso painting of an accordionist created at the height of the artist’s embrace of Cubism. Nearby is a somber, modern Mannerist portrait by Modigliani of the lover who killed herself soon after the painter died of tuberculosis. A few steps away are works that highlight the complete break with representational art that modernists made a century ago.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | To say that recent actions by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control on proposed changes to abortion regulations are “troublesome” may be the understatement of the year.
What should happen, based on its errors at best or bureaucratic incompetence at worst, is the massive agency should be split into two — health and environment — to reduce its power and make sure it is responsive to South Carolina’s citizens. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | An estimated 350,000 people along our coast evacuated for Hurricane Matthew in a withdrawal that didn’t turn out to be a disaster in and of itself.
Even if you plodded in traffic on Interstate 26, the Matthew evacuation was nothing like the one years ago with Hurricane Floyd. Even if you were without power for days or suffered in the flooding aftermath in North Charleston or in the Pee Dee, it’s pretty clear that the state’s disaster plan passed the test of working effectively and efficiently to restore normalcy as quickly as possible.
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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