News

Charleston Native Named “Southerner of the Year”

Southern Living magazine has named Darius Rucker their 2021 “Southerner of the Year.” The title of “Southerner of the Year” is awarded to the individual who goes above and beyond to give back and changes lives in extraordinary ways.

Rucker, a Charleston native, first earned his fame as a member of the renowned band Hootie & the Blowfish. Rucker then went on to start a successful solo music career.

However, some of his proudest achievements center around his charity work, which he credits his mom, a former nurse at the Medical University of South Carolina who has since passed, for instilling in him. Rucker said his mom “came home, and no matter how tired she was, if you wanted some time or attention, she was always there to give it to you. Compassion is something she really instilled in us—and empathy for other folks.”

Rucker has been involved in a variety of influential charity work as an ambassador for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, through his work with his own Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and as a national chair for the National Museum of African American Music. He’s also hosted numerous charity concerts to benefit organizations across the country.

While benefit concerts may not be able to take place at the moment, Rucker still plans to continue to give to those who need it most, as he upholds the title of “Southerner of the Year.”

News

Long-standing Downtown Restaurant Closing Its Doors

A long-standing restaurant situated in the heart of downtown Charleston will soon be closing their doors.

The Macintosh, which is located on Upper King Street, will officially be closing on March 7th after serving their staple brunch menu to patrons. The restaurant has been in business for over a decade and helped get Charleston’s food scene noticed by tourists and critics alike.

While the COVID-19 pandemic was not the primary reason they chose to close their doors, it certainly played a part in the ultimate decision.

In a statement on the decision to close The Macintosh, Steve Palmer, founder and partner of The Indigo Road restaurant group, said, “The Macintosh’s moment in time has come and gone. Our tastes have changed: We’re just in a different universe now…Sales is the ultimate report card, I believe the restaurant would be in a different place had COVID not happened, but COVID is not the reason.”

While The Macintosh will be closing, the Cocktail Club located above the restaurant will remain open.

Mount Pleasant

Chick-fil-A Manager Assists with COVID-19 Vaccine Line in Mount Pleasant

It cannot be denied – the efficiency of Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru line is unmatched.

In an effort to streamline the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie called on Chick-fil-A manager Jerry Walkowiak to help organize and streamline the distribution of the vaccine in his city.

On January 22nd, Walkowiak came out to the drive-thru vaccination clinic, which was housed in the Seacoast Church parking lot, to direct traffic – an effort that shrank the vaccine wait time from over an hour to a mere 15 minutes.

Mayor Haynie tweeted a video of Walkowiak directing traffic and was shocked by the response. Haynie said, “It just went everywhere. You would think the story would be that we’re not only blessed to have the vaccine before many people get it, but you can get it in a drive-thru line from the comfort of your car. But no, the story is that the people who sell chicken sandwiches were running that line.”

Officials hope to continue to use the experience and expertise of others to help distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.

News

Workshop Food Court Closing in the Spring

Workshop food court in downtown Charleston is set to close in the spring of 2021.

The exploratory food court, located on King Street near Edmund’s Oast Brewery, first opened in 2019 and provided thirty different concept restaurants the opportunity to showcase their cuisine, many of which are set to open their own standalone restaurants in the near future.

Workshop issued a statement on their decision to close their doors on social media saying, “To our friends, Charleston family and the community– it is with a range of emotions that we announce that Workshop will be closing its doors this spring….Thanks to your support the Charleston culinary landscape has changed for the better….This has been a great opportunity for us, for our food entrepreneurs, and for the community. We are excited to celebrate one more spring with you and to bring Workshop to a successful conclusion.”

While there is currently not an official date that Workshop is expected to close, it will be sometime this spring.

Be sure to check out Workshop’s upcoming events and current restaurant concepts including Ma’am Saab, South Philly Steaks, Blazing Star Cafe, Saha Jordanian and Sushi-Wa Izakaya.

News

House Approves Santee Cooper Compromise, Bill Moves To the Senate

On Tuesday, the House passed legislation addressing the debt-ridden Santee Cooper by a vote of 89-26. Here are the key points outlined in the bill:

The bidding process will reopen for interested private companies.
A committee of three Representatives and three Senators will review and negotiate the offers, and if accepted, see through the selling process.
While considering offers, the entire board of Santee Cooper will be replaced with qualified professionals.
Until the committee accepts a bid (or if the utility isn’t sold), regulators will be involved in setting rates.

Now the state Senate will debate the legislation — taking it one step closer to the governor’s desk. What’s most interesting about this bill is that it doesn’t take a firm stance on selling nor reforming the utility — it simply allows the bidding process to be reopened and outlines a plan to reform the utility while it’s on the market. Although this doesn’t eliminate efforts to reform the utility, lawmakers pushing for a sale are even more convinced that reform is simply not possible: In the first board meeting of 2021, Santee Cooper executives said they will need $100 million dollars by the end of the fiscal year to stay afloat. Adding more debt on top of the nearly $7 billion debt the state-owned utility currently has.

Lawmakers are still staunchly divided on the issue, but House Speaker Jay Lucus was pleased with the compromise, saying:

“I have made no secret of my disdain for Santee’s current leadership and the need for their immediate replacement. I have also repeatedly called for more transparency and accountability in how Santee Cooper determines rates. Today, the House resoundingly delivered on both issues.”

As for how this impacts Santee Cooper, the possibility of a sale is looking more certain. When offers were considered by industry experts last session, the bid from Florida-based NextEra Energy was overwhelmingly considered the best option, but the House rejected their initial offer. Proponents of a sale are hopeful NextEra will re-enter the bidding process, this time with a better offer.

Although the case for a sale looks solid, some members of the Senate remain determined to keep the utility under state control. Despite expert opinion, Senator Dick Harpootlian is determined to keep NextEra Energy out of South Carolina, claiming he will block any bid from the company. Harpootlian did not explain why he singled out NextEra — they are not the only private company who may potentially bid on the utility — nor did he provide an alternative solution. Senator Luke Rankin, who authored the legislation to reform, not sell, has allegedly made threats to lawmakers “in connection with the ongoing debate over the utility’s disposition.” Like Harpootlian, Rankin continues to fight the option to sell without providing an alternative.

The contentious bill now moves to the Senate, where there’s also a sharp divide between pro-sell and anti-sell Senators. Time will tell which camp comes out on top.

Events

How To Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day This Year

The 49th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is coming up on January 18th and Charleston has a variety of celebrations planned to honor the shape-shifting civil rights leader.

The theme for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration is “Restore the Dream. Repair our World,” a much-needed message in these times of chaos and uncertainty.

This year’s events will include a Racial Equity Institute Executive Session, Youth Poetry Slam, Blood Drive, Breakfast Summit, Ecumenical Service and MLK Parade. These programs, which are hosted by the Young Women’s Christian Association, will be streamed live for those who wish to participate. The parade will take place at noon on January 18th and can be viewed on NBC WCBD News 2.

In a statement on the importance of this year’s celebration, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said, “Perhaps this season celebrating Dr. King’s birthday will be more important than ever because this time we’ll put behind us one of the most tumultuous years in recent memory and move into a new year with great expectations of ridding our nation and world of the terrible pandemic.”

Click here to learn more about the celebrations taking place this year.

News

City of Charleston Extends Outdoor Dining For Another Year

The City of Charleston recently voted to approve the extension of outdoor dining through January of 2022.

Charleston City Council approved the new ordinance, which allows restaurants to expand their outdoor dining areas onto private and public property. The tourism and hospitality industry has certainly been hit hard by the pandemic so officials are hoping this provides some aid to restaurants and restaurant workers as they navigate this difficult time.

This move comes in the wake of a push from some South Carolina lawmakers to get restaurant workers vaccinated as soon as possible.

South Carolina Representative JA Moore introduced a concurrent resolution to “intensify efforts to restore the state’s hospitality industry by prioritizing hospitality workers in COVID-19 testing and including hospitality workers in Phase 1A of this state’s vaccine distribution plan.”

As a former hospitality worker himself, Moore explained the need to vaccinate restaurant workers saying, “We have so many men and women in our industry who have been risking their lives to feed people in South Carolina, so I think it’s important we protect them.”

Currently, restaurant workers are in Phase 1C of the vaccination rollout plan.

News

Southeastern Wildlife Exposition Officially Cancelled

Charleston’s Southeastern Wildlife Exposition has officially canceled their highly-anticipated 2021 event. The four day event, which was supposed to take place February 11th through February 14th, has been called off due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) normally generates an increase in tourism for the city, with many people flocking to see the wildlife exhibitions and competitions around the city. According to an analysis by College of Charleston, it was estimated that the 2019 SEWE event garnered around $16.4 million of visitor spending for Charleston.

While there’s no doubt the cancellation of this event will impact the already suffering hospitality industry, event officials extensively assessed the current public health situation and determined it would not be safe to hold the event this year.

If you already purchased your tickets for this year’s event, you can donate the value of your tickets under a tax-deductible donation or you can receive a refund upon request within 45 days of the event cancellation. Submit your refund request by emailing sewe@sewe.com.

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