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Local Charities Looking for Christmas Donations

Organizations across the Lowcountry need our help this holiday season! With so many people being hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, there are a multitude of needs in our community. Donate to these local charities and make a difference in the lives of people right in your backyard. 

HALOS

HALOS recognizes the power of a strong support system and they need your help to continue their mission during the holiday season. “The mission of HALOS is to provide support and advocacy to abused and neglected children and kinship caregivers.” Make an online donation to their organization and help HALOS provide stability to children and kinship across the Lowcountry. 

Lowcountry Food Bank

Help the Lowcountry Food Bank in their fight against hunger by making a donation to their organization. Donations can be made in the form of a monetary contribution or through volunteering. In 2019, the Lowcountry Food Bank donated over 32 million pounds of food to families in need. Donate to this incredible organization to ensure our Lowcountry residents are well fed this holiday season.

Salvation Army’s Angel Tree

Adopt an angel to benefit the Salvation Army’s mission to provide children in need with the Christmas they deserve. You can visit an Angel Tree location to adopt your angel or adopt your angel virtually. Purchase clothes and toys for your angel and give them the gift of a beautiful Christmas. If you do not wish to commit to adopting an angel, you can also make a monetary donation to benefit the children who do not get adopted. 

Toys For Tots

The Marine Corps’ annual Toys for Tots drive is currently underway. Donate new unwrapped toys at a DropBox location near you and help Toys for Tots provide holiday gifts to families in need. Last year, the program benefitted 14,087 children. If you’re looking to donate to this year’s toy drive, be sure to turn in your donations by December 9th.

News

‘Rein’ It In To Steeplechase of Charleston This Weekend

Make a spur of the moment decision and venture out to the Stono Ferry Racetrack on Saturday, November 15th for this year’s Steeplechase of Charleston.

Steeplechase of Charleston is a Charleston tradition dating back to 1792 and features five high-stakes horse races. This family-friendly event packs a full day of fun that everyone will enjoy. 

In between the races, spectators will have the opportunity to get a headstart on their holiday shopping by browsing the Vendor Village, which will have a variety of artisan goods and services available for purchase. 

Steeplechase of Charleston has implemented new safety measures in response to the current pandemic. For example, tailgate spots are only able to accommodate five people, guests must provide their own food and drinks to enjoy and guests are required to wear masks when they leave their designated tailgate spot.

Gates open at 8:00 AM and the opening ceremonies begin promptly at 12:30 PM. 

Click here to purchase your tickets for this year’s race!

News

MUSC Hosting Virtual Tree Lighting

The Medical University of South Carolina’s annual Angel Tree Lighting Ceremony will look a little different this year. 

This year’s Angel Tree Lighting Ceremony will now be broadcast over Facebook Live for those who wish to attend the event.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 12th at 5:30 p.m. in front of the new children’s hospital, the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. 

To ensure the health and safety of everyone who may want to see this special occasion, MUSC is not allowing anyone to attend the event in-person, which is why they are relying on Facebook Live to broadcast the celebration.

MUSC has partnered with the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Project, which works to provide holiday joy to thousands of children across the Lowcountry. 

Click here to learn more about how you can help a child in need through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Project.

News

Charleston Will Potentially Ban Free Samples Along Downtown Streets

Members of the Charleston City Council are discussing the possibility of prohibiting businesses from handing out free samples to individuals on the streets.

The ordinance on the ban to prevent the distribution of free samples to passersby would affect businesses on and around King Street – from Line Street to Broad Street.

Supporters of the ban include Mayor John Tecklenburg, Councilmen William Dudley Gregorie, and Keith Waring. While Councilmen Kevin Shealy and Harry Griffin have voiced their concerns over how it might hurt local businesses. 

Meg Thompson, Director of Business and Neighborhood Services, said, “Vendors who do participate in the sampling are often perceived as aggressive. Patrons no longer feel safe walking and feel they have to walk across the street in order to avoid this aggressive behavior.”

The proposal was recently heard by a new commission, the Central Business District Improvement Commission, which has already identified a variety of other issues it will soon address. 

The City Council will discuss this new ordinance at their next meeting.

News

Charleston City Council Considers Plan to Preserve Smokestacks

The Eastside Community’s historic 135-feet smokestacks are at the center of a debate over their preservation.

Charleston City Council officials are considering an estimated $3 million preservation plan to save the smokestacks, which are currently located in downtown Charleston at the St. Julian Devine Community Center.

There was initially a push to remove the smokestacks from city officials due to safety concerns. Some experts warn the smokestacks are at risk of falling on homes during natural disasters like a hurricane or earthquake. 

President of the Eastside Community Development Corporation, Latonya Gamble, said the smokestacks are “an important part of our history, it has some African American history, it has some industrial history. It has a beautiful skyline and it gives our neighborhood character.”

The Charleston City Council will soon vote on a supposed $200,000 preservation contract with an engineering firm to create a plan to preserve the historic smokestacks.

A majority of the preservation funds are expected to come from fundraising, with the rest of the funds being taken from a fund reserved and property taxes.

News

Charleston Music Hall Set to Reopen

The infamous Charleston Music Hall is set to reopen its doors to concert-goers. The Charleston Music Hall has been closed for the past eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has recently been conducting an outdoor concert series, Around the Bend.

With winter quickly approaching, Charleston Music Hall is moving indoors in November. Their venue, which currently seats 965 people, will decrease their capacity to just 250 patrons per show. 

A recent press release on COVID-19 protocols outlined the precautions the venue is taking to keep their staff, performers, and spectators safe with this new transition to indoor viewing stating, “There is no guarantee of an illness-free event even with following the below procedures. It is indisputable, however, that planning, training, and implementing reasonable health and safety measures is the  best way to protect our staff and patrons, as well as the overall viability of our events.”

Upcoming concerts include The Travelin’ Kine, Patrick Davis and His Midnight Choir, Jon Reep, and Women and Paul Simon: A Tribute to Paul Simon. Tickets range from $20-$40 and can be purchased online.

News

College of Charleston Athletics Will Welcome Basketball Spectators

College of Charleston has announced it will welcome spectators for the upcoming 2020-2021 men’s and women’s basketball season.

The college was granted approval from the South Carolina Department of Commerce to open their arena doors to spectators with some restrictions in place.

College of Charleston’s TD Arena currently seats 5,100. However, as a part of the approved reopening, the arena will be reduced to only 30 percent capacity. In addition to reduced capacity, a variety of other game day safety measures will be required and announced at a later date.

College of Charleston season ticket holders will receive an email in the coming weeks with information on the status of their ticket purchase and their options surrounding renewal opportunities. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the college is also transitioning to mobile tickets during the upcoming basketball season.

In an effort to protect the health and safety of athletes and staff, both men’s and women’s basketball teams will operate on a revised schedule intended to limit travel.

Click here for more information on the upcoming College of Charleston basketball schedules.

 

Featured

High Santee Cooper Electric Rates May Force Century Aluminum Closure, Job Loss “Economic Disaster” for small business

Featured Image: ABC4 News

Earlier this week news broke that Century Aluminum could be on the verge of closing its Mt. Holly aluminum smelter plant for good causing a devastating impact on the local community of Goose Creek. 

The utility, which had to close half its facility back in 2015 due to the high cost of power purchased from Santee Cooper, sent a notice to employees that the plant could close entirely as early as December 31, 2020. 

As reported by ABC4 News, Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib said the closure and resulting job losses would damage the local economy. “It certainly is a negative impact to put it simply. In 2015, the University of South Carolina did a study that showed the Mt. Holly aluminum smelter has a $1 billion dollar impact on the local economy here.”

Habib wasn’t the only one to address the issue. South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Frank Knapp also spoke out. “The crazy thing about this is Santee Cooper is the entity that’s going to make this all happen. A state agency that is supposed to be helping economic development in this state is doing exactly the opposite. They are creating an economic disaster.”

Meanwhile, Santee Cooper, who is currently billions of dollars in debt and fighting their own battle, said they’ve offered a one-year extension on the current agreement between them and Century Aluminum which has been rejected both times. 

However, just last year, Santee Cooper opposed the City of Goose Creek’s idea to create a municipal electricity utility that would allow Century Aluminum to purchase power at a more affordable price than what they were paying Santee Cooper.

Unless something changes, Century Aluminum will close at the end of the year, and hundreds of employees will be handed pink slips during the holidays.