By Andy Brack, a news analysis | State lawmakers will be in Columbia today to put final touches on new state House, Senate and congressional maps that will be used for the next 10 years for elections. While the state Senate map has been viewed as pretty good, the maps for House and Congress have been widely panned by observers who say incumbents are just protecting incumbents. Here’s an excerpted version of what we learned last week.
Staff reports | Contributing photographer Rob Byko captured the moment Wednesday (above) that a statue of John C. Calhoun cracked away from its pedestal after workers sawed and chiseled for 17 hours to free it.
After Charleston City Council voted Tuesday night to take down the statue, work crews arrived shortly after midnight Wednesday to start the removal process. Originally, officials thought it would take a few hours to unattach the bronze statue from the 115-foot pedestal at Marion Square, but workers discovered they had to saw through a metal rod inserted more than a century ago to provide stability, particularly from hurricane-force winds.
Throughout the day, hundreds stopped by to watch the workers’ progress. Just after 5 p.m., the statue came down. It then was loaded onto a truck and taken away. Read more about what happened Wednesday.
Staff reports | Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg will be sworn in for his second term during a noon ceremony Jan. 13 at City Hall, 80 Broad St. Also to be sworn in are six members of city council, including newly-elected members Ross Appel, Karl Brady, Marie Delcioppo and Jason Sakran, and current members Peter Shahid and Keith Waring.
IN THIS ISSUE OF CHARLESTON CURRENTS
FOCUS: Magnolia to present Aug. 20 program to help bridge generation gap
COMMENTARY, Brack: Griffin, henchmen should pay for stupid $50,000 audit
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Gaillard Center
GOOD NEWS: Ports Authority continues bullish growth
FEEDBACK: USC board the problem, not Caslen
MYSTERY PHOTO: Space-rockety sculpture
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: University of South Carolina
CALENDAR: Check out coming events
Staff reports | A new mystery novel with political and historical connections to Hamiltonian days gone by will be available Nov. 1 when Charleston author Andra Watkins’ “Hard to Die” hits national bookstores.
Watkins, who is a New York Times bestselling author for a book chronicling her walk of the Natchez Trace, will offer remarks on the new novel at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the main library on Calhoun Street in Charleston. She’ll make local history come alive by answering questions like: Where did George Washington have a drink? Did Aaron Burr visit a favorite haunt?
By Andy Brack | Just about all of the focus in Charleston politics of late has been on the November race for mayor as candidates vie to replace longtime incumbent Joe Riley, who is retiring after 40 years. But there are six other races that are important too — half of the seats on city council.
As best as we can tell, three attorneys are challenging three incumbents in city council races around town. Three other incumbents don’t seem to have candidates looming, but with filing not until the end of the summer, they’re not safe yet.
In this issue: Push Up & Up Challenge, by Loren Ziff; city council races; Bridge Run impact by Kyra Morris; photos, end of Civil War and more.
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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