Charleston FYI

Menu
  • What’s Trending
  • Featured
  • Eat & Drink
  • News
  • Summerville
  • Guest Columns

Featured

Featured

After Three Years There’s Still No Solution For Santee Cooper Customers

The largest financial disaster in South Carolina history didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s been going on for 16 years, since Santee Cooper and SCE&G announced they’d be partnering on a nuclear expansion project at the VC Summer plant in 2008. 

After numerous delays and the project incurring billions of dollars of debt, the project was never finished and abandoned by both SCE&G and Santee Cooper. 

It later came to light that executives fought to disclose a report highlighting serious problems with the project while continuing to pour money into it.

Three years later and with billions of dollars of debt that customers will have to pay, lawmakers are looking at selling the state-owned agency to alleviate customers of Santee Cooper’s debt. And while it looked like the financial disaster might come to an end earlier this year, a few lawmakers stalled. No decision was made, leaving Santee Cooper to continue to make poor decisions, such as extending a million-dollar contract for its CEO and sponsoring a golf tournament.  Santee Cooper’s behavior was so bad it drew a harshly worded rebuke from the Speaker of the South Carolina legislature, who labeled Santee Cooper a “rogue entity” for providing “false and misleading” information. 

So how did we get here? Here’s a timeline of how customers were left with billions of dollars of debt and increasing utility rates. 

There are several key dates before the most recent decision to explore the sale, but we’re focusing on the monumental dates that reveal SCE&G and Santee Cooper’s poor leadership, lack of transparency, and what led customers to be responsible for Santee Cooper’s $8 billion debt. 

May 2008 – The start of this fiasco. SCE&G and Santee Cooper announced a nuclear expansion project at the VC Summer plant. Since the announcement of the VC Summer Project eleven years ago, several delays and massive problems were hidden by the project’s leadership. 

February 2009 – The nuclear expansion plan is approved and construction is set to begin in 2012 with the first reactor to begin operating in 2016 and the second in 2019.

November 2009 – Santee Cooper approves and implements a 3.4% rate increase to help pay for the project. 

December 2011 – The project gets off to a rocky start with the first delay being reported by SCE&G for production issues, manpower issues, and the need to redesign nuclear modules. 

December 2012 – Santee Cooper approves and implements another 1.8% increase to rates. 

June 2013 – Another delay follows pushing the first reactor operation date to late 2017-early 2018. 

December 2013 – Santee Cooper approves and implements yet another rate increase. This time a whopping 5.2% to help pay for the struggling project. 

May 2014 – Obvious signs of trouble appear and Santee Cooper asks to hire an outside company to oversee the project. 

October 2014 – Money trouble becomes more apparent when contractors say it will cost an additional one billion dollars to complete the reactors. 

October 2015 – Westinghouse is brought on board and completion dates are rescheduled yet again. The project is now pushed back to late 2019-early 2020. 

December 2015 – During this time, SCE&G asked the Public Service Commission of the Office of Regulatory Staff to increase rates to help fund the project. Santee Cooper has its own board of directors and doesn’t have to get rate hikes approved by anyone except its own board, so Santee Cooper increases rates to help fund the project. 

April 2016 – Another rate increase is approved and implemented by Santee Cooper. Customers see their rates go up by 5.3% this time.

June 2016 – SCE&G asks for its ninth rate increase. 

March 2017 – Westinghouse files for bankruptcy. The company cites $9 billion in losses from its two nuclear construction projects, one of which is the VC Summer project. 

April 2017 – Santee Cooper increases rates another 2.1%. 

July 2017 – Shortly after this, Santee Cooper and SCE&G announced they were abandoning the project even though customers have already paid up to $2 billion for the reactors. 

At this point, much of the general public was still unaware of the financial effects it was having on them. 

August 2017 – A special South Carolina Senate committee holds their first of MANY hearings and former Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter announces his retirement. 

September 2017 – A month later Santee Cooper turns over the Betchel report detailing their insufficient oversight of the project. 

January 2018 – SCE&G customers hear good news when Dominion Energy announces it will purchase SCANA Corp. 

June 2018 – A state audit reports that the final amount for the failed project could increase by over $400 million. 

August 2018 – A 15 percent rate cut and refund for April-July charges begin appearing on SCE&G bills. Meanwhile, Santee Cooper customers are still continuing to pay for the failed nuclear disaster. 

March 2019 – Santee Cooper executives are unable to answer important questions about the future of Santee Cooper and rates during a Senate hearing. Following this, South Carolina Senate President Harvey Peeler introduces legislation that calls for exploring options for a possible Santee Cooper sale. 

April 2019 – Santee Cooper announces rate increases totaling about 7% between 2021-2024 with no PSC oversight. 

May 2019 – Lawmakers adopt this resolution and will begin exploring options to sell Santee Cooper. Read more about what this resolution means, here. 

July 2019 – The two-year anniversary of the abandonment of the failed V.C. Summer project that started back in 2008, over a decade ago, yet Santee Cooper direct serve and electric co-op customers are still paying for this massive financial disaster. 

Santee Cooper brings on new CEO, Mark Bonsall, guaranteeing him an annual salary of $1.1 million for 18 months. 

August 2019 – The South Carolina Department of Administration announces parties are now able to submit bids for Santee Cooper hoping to alleviate customers from the increasing debt. 

September 2019 – Santee Cooper’s largest customer, the electrical cooperatives which buy its power from the state-owned utility, sue Santee Cooper for keeping them in the dark about the failing VC Summer project, trying to protect their customers from being held responsible for its debt. 

Santee Cooper also releases their “new plan” which fails to recognize its debt or explain what will happen to utility rates. 

November 2019 – Increasing its debt even more, Santee Cooper’s legal fees for current and former executives surpasses $1 million. 

February 2020 – Santee Cooper files a motion to stop any reference to future rate hikes during the cooperative lawsuit trial, hoping to keep jury members in the dark after claiming a “rate freeze” would be put in place. 

The Department of Administration hands over a report to lawmakers detailing its recommendations from the bids it received from Santee Cooper including a management proposal from Dominion, a purchase proposal from NextEra, and a reform proposal from Santee Cooper itself. 

March 2020 – House members vote to further negotiate with NextEra and discuss extensive reforms to Santee Cooper, rejecting Dominion’s management proposal altogether. While Senate members voted to give more time to Santee Cooper to reform disregarding the years it had to reform up until this point. 

April 2020 – Pro-Santee Cooper Senators hold up emergency COVID funding until they win concessions to put off a decision on the sale of Santee Cooper.

Speaker Jay Lucas issues a letter to the Santee Cooper Board of Directors stating that “representations made by Santee Cooper Board members, leadership and staff are not reliable” and states that, had he the authority, he would “seek the immediate and unqualified removal of each member of the Santee Cooper Board and the dismissal for cause, of the entire senior management.”

July 2020 – Santee Cooper extends contracts for its million-dollar a year CEO and sponsors the Heritage Golf Tournament despite it having no fans in attendance. 

July 31, 2020 – Three years since the VC Summer Project was abandoned with no relief in sight for customers or South Carolina taxpayers. 

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

Charleston Digital CEO Says This Will Play A Major Role In Small Business Recovery

Small businesses all around Charleston are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some are having to shut their doors forever while others are trying to adjust to the “new normal”. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 92% of small business owners are being negatively affected by the pandemic.

While many are in recovery mode, we spoke to Charleston Digital Agency CEO, Wesley Donehue, on the major role digital marketing can play in this phase.

More than ever, small businesses are flocking to social media to post updates on reopenings, adjusted hours, sales and specials, new menus, and all other updates. The problem with this, according to Donehue, is the average consumer is being overwhelmed by the amount of content being thrown on their social feeds that small businesses aren’t capturing the attention they could be.

So how can a small business breakthrough all the noise when every small business is trying to get a word in and big businesses are shouting?

Donehue says they can start by cutting unpaid organic content. He says “if your company is still posting organic social content in the 21st century, you are wasting your time and money.” Every piece of content should have money behind it to promote it to a specific audience according to Donehue.

When small businesses post organically, they’re only reaching a small percentage of the people who already like or follow them and are leaving out potential customers who don’t like or follow them yet.

Donehue says he’s been in contact with many small business owners who are paying marketing firms heavy retainers to maintain their content production to create and post MORE content when in actuality they should be paying less for content creation and more on getting the content they have in front of their target audience.

He says, “Instead of spending resources on producing content every day, you should be producing less content and putting resources behind paid content promotion to your target audience.” To unpack that quote, you have to understand the business model of many marketing firms. What Donehue is arguing is that money well spent in digital marketing is toward finding your audience.

Another factor to consider is other ways to talk to potential customers outside of social media. Many small businesses and marketing firms are only thinking of social media rather than standing out and trying to reach people online in other ways, says Donehue.

Donehue, who is already the CEO of the successful digital marketing agency, Push Digital, decided to create Charleston Digital Agency after hearing the concerns of many local small business owners. He said many of them were concerned with the money they were spending on content and weren’t seeing any benefits from it. That’s when he decided to create an agency that models Push Digital’s success with global brands, campaigns, and causes, on a local level.

Officially open for business, this data-driven, audience-focused agency is the solution to all things digital marketing in Charleston, SC.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

How to Support the Black Lives Matter Movement in Charleston

As the Country continues to fight against racism and injustice, there are many ways the Charleston community can support the Black Lives Matter movement. The Charleston City Paper has compiled a list of all the black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in the Lowcountry that you can support by following and purchasing. If you don’t see a business featured, they welcome edits and additions.

Many Charlestonians are gathering together to peacefully protest the death of George Floyd. If you aren’t able to safely participate in protests, you can join them by making a donation to dismantle systematic racism through the Black Lives Matter online forum. This is an easy way to fuel the campaign for justice. 

Another option to assist the BLM movement is through sharing local black creators on social media. Other ways you can help is through signing petitions, educating yourself using online resources, and speaking out rather than remaining silent. 

Silence is violence in this ongoing fight. We urge you to get involved in any way you are capable of.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

What You Need To Know Before Voting On June 9

The South Carolina primary election is on June 9, 2020, and it’s more important than ever that you use your voice and vote. 

The June 9 primary election will determine the democrat or republican candidates that will then move on to the general election on November 3, 2020. 

If you’re confused about what you’re voting for, who to vote for, or where to even start, we’re here to help. 

First, make sure you’re registered to vote. Once you’re registered, there are three different ways to vote:

  1. Request absentee ballot and mail it in. For the ballot to count, the voter registration office must receive it no later than 7:00 pm on June 9. 
  2. Request absentee ballot and drop it off in person. You can do this up until 5 pm on June 8. 
  3. Vote on June 9 in person. You can check your polling place at SC Votes. 

What positions will you be voting for on June 9? 

Depending on your county, you will be voting for:

  • State House of Representatives
  • U.S. House of Representatives
  • State Senate
  • U.S. Senate
  • County Council 
  • Coroner
  • Sheriff

Your elected officials will be the people who represent your interests on issues such as education, law enforcement, medical marijuana, Santee Cooper, offshore drilling, and many others at the local, state, and federal levels of government. 

To find out who you can vote for in your district, you can visit Ballotpedia for a sample ballot or find what district you’re in using the maps below and search the list below to see State House Representative candidates and State Senate candidates in your district.  

South Carolina House of Representatives By District

District 94 – Serves parts of Charleston and Dorchester Counties

Republican Con Chellis is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Gil Gatch (R)
  • Evan Guthrie (R)
  • Patricia Cannon (D)
  • Damien Daly (D)

District 99 – Serves parts of Berkeley and Charleston Counties

Republican Nancy Mace is running for Congress. 

Candidates: 

  • David Herndon (R)
  • Mark Smith (R)
  • Shawn Pinkston (R)
  • Chris Staubes (R)
  • Donna Newton (D)
  • Jen Gibson (D)

District 100 – Serves parts of Berkeley and Charleston Counties

Candidates: 

  • Incumbent Sylleste Davis (R)
  • Tom Fernandez (R)

District 109 – Serves parts of Charleston and Dorchester Counties

Democrat David Mack is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Jeff Wilder (D)
  • James Johnson (D)
  • Deon Tedder (D)

District 110 – Serves part of Charleston County 

Candidates: 

  • Incumbent William Cogswell (R)
  • Rouzy Vafaie (R) 
  • Rebecca Cingolani (D)
  • Leila Slater (D) 

District 111 – Serves part of Charleston County 

Candidates: 

  • Incumbent Wendell Gilliard (D)
  • Regina Duggins (D) 

District 112 – Serves part of Charleston County 

Republican Mike Sottile is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Joe Bustos (R)
  • Ryan Buckhannon (R) 
  • David Quick (D) 
  • Cheryl Kaynard (D) 
  • Daniel Brownstein (D) 

District 113 – Serves parts of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties 

Candidates: 

  • Incumbent Marvin Pendarvis (D)
  • Raneisha Holmes (D) 

District 115 – Serves part of Charleston County

Peter McCoy has been appointed US Attorney. 

Candidates: 

  • Eileen Dougherty (D) 
  • Carol Tempel (D)
  • Spencer Wetmore (D) 
  • Kathleen Wilson (R)
  • Josh Stokes (R)

District 116 – Serves part of Charleston County 

Democrat Robert Brown is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Chardale Murray (D)
  • John Prioleau (D) 
  • Charles Glover (D) 
  • Millicent Middleton (D) 

District 117 – Serves parts of Berkeley and Charleston Counties

Candidates: 

  • Bill Crosby (R)
  • Jordan Pace (R)

South Carolina Senate By Districts

District 32 – Serves parts of Berkeley, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, and Williamsburg

Candidates: 

  • Incumbent Ronnie Sabb (D)
  • Manley Collins (D)
  • Kelly Spann (D)
  • Ted Brown (D)

District 39 – Serves parts of Berkeley and Dorchester Counties

Democrat John Matthews is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Vernon Stephens (D)
  • William Johnson (D)
  • Jerry Montgomery (D) 
  • Cindy Evans (D)

District 41 – Serves parts of Charleston and Dorchester Counties

Candidates: 

  • Sam Skardon (D)
  • Jason Mills (D)

District 44 – Serves parts of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties

Republican Paul Campbell is retiring. 

Candidates: 

  • Brian Adams (R)
  • Gayla McSwain (R)
  • Kris DeLorne (D)
  • Debbie Bryant (D)

 

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Eat & Drink

Pandemic Permanently Closes Local Restaurants

Some of our favorite restaurants in Charleston are sadly closing their doors permanently due to the coronavirus pandemic. We are sad to see them leave but are so grateful for all the years they spent serving us!

McCrady’s

This spot has been a staple in Charleston for generations but sadly is no longer viable due to its intimate setting. McCrady’s was a tasting-menu-only restaurant, located below Minero on East Bay Street with very limited seating. With its small capacity, the restaurant would likely not be able to accommodate enough customers to operate successfully. 

Minero

Located above McGrady’s and run by the same restaurant group, Neighborhood Dining Group, this casual Mexican restaurant has also closed its doors amongst the pandemic. Even though the downtown location is closing, the restaurant group was already planning to open a new location on Johns Island. Minero is sad to leave its downtown location that opened up in 2014 but is excited for its new spot in James Island that will offer a larger menu and outdoor seating!

Parcel 32

At the beginning of May, Parcel 32 announced on social media that it will close the restaurant and transition it into an event space. The restaurant, operated under Patrick Properties Hospitality Group, explained that “With the recent devastating disruption to the Charleston hospitality community, we saw a significant shortage of event space required to accommodate our city’s current and prospective groups desperately trying to find suitable new dates to travel and host events, especially weddings. By transitioning Parcel 32 from a restaurant to a true event venue, we can provide additional options for smaller groups looking for a more intimate experience.” ⁠

Old Towne Grill & Seafood

The oldest family-run restaurant in Charleston, Old Towne Grill & Seafood, has officially decided to shut down despite the easing of dine-in restrictions in SC. Post and Courier reported that the closure was due to a dispute between the restaurant’s co-owners. The restaurant was located on lower King St. since 1972 and will be missed by many.

Cane Rhum Bar

Charleston’s first and ONLY rum bar announced earlier in May that it will not reopen due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Rhum Bar opened its doors in August of 2016 and had a great run at its downtown location on East Bay Street. The owner hopes to find a new home sometime soon, but in the meantime, he thanks all their customers for the continued support!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

Tackling Tough Issues in the African-American Community, from Coronavirus to Santee Cooper

Featured Image: Georgetown Harbor/Marina.com

A Georgetown-based organization finds itself uniquely positioned to deal with a crucial aspect of the coronavirus pandemic: its unequal impact on marginalized communities. For weeks, experts have been reporting that COVID-19 is affecting people of color at a higher rate.  According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control,

African Americans account for 41% of the positive COVID-19 cases in the state.

Stepping up to address that disparity is the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce. Founded by Georgetown businesswoman Marilyn Hemingway in 2018, the organization promotes entrepreneurship in the coastal African-American community, offering resources and information that help the community thrive and overcome challenges. Today that means dealing with a pandemic that is hitting the community hard, physically, and financially.

“We’re in the business of helping our Gullah communities grow economically and this is even more crucial during the coronavirus pandemic,” Hemingway recently told the Charleston Chronicle.

The Gullah Geechee community stretches along coastal areas and the sea islands of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida — from Pender County, North Carolina, to St. John’s County, Florida.

Through weekly, online forums available through the Chamber’s Facebook page, Hemingway interviews a variety of guests offering advice to small businesses trying to stay afloat, gain access to assistance, as well as health and wellness tips.

Hemingway has also taken a strong stand on environmental and energy issues and has been a frequent voice advocating for the sale of Santee Cooper.  In a letter published by FITSNews, she wrote,

“We know that Santee Cooper’s reform plan places an unfair burden on a marginalized community that can least afford to fix the problem.  Problems created by a Board of Directors and management that does not reflect the demographics of the state.”  Hemingway recently submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for Santee Cooper’s record on diversity management programs and has launched a petition advocating for a sale of Santee Cooper.

Hemingway’s online talk shows, called “The Gathering Place, feature guests talking about a range of issues from telemedicine, health insurance to aid for struggling businesses, and are held every Sunday and Wednesday at 4.p.m.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

Challah for Hunger Supports Lowcountry Food Bank

Feature Image Source: The College Today

A group of College of Charleston students are baking bread for a good cause during the coronavirus crisis. They have already raised over $1,200 for a local food bank! Student club Challah for Hunger, which typically meets every other week to bake loaves of special Jewish challah bread, has organized an online fundraiser for the Lowcountry Food Bank.

“We are so pleased that the College of Charleston’s Challah for Hunger chapter is conducting a virtual social media fundraiser to help feed our neighbors in this time of uncertainty,” says Pat Walker, president and CEO of the Lowcountry Food Bank. “Challah for Hunger is a great example of our neighbors sparking positive change and working collectively to solve urgent challenges, right here in our community.” 

In the wake of economic disruption from COVID-19, student group Challah for Hunger has launched a social media fundraiser to support the @LCFoodBank and help those in need. https://t.co/m2j5wSUWy8

— College of Charleston (@CofC) April 16, 2020

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Featured

Firefly Distillery Begins Hand-Sanitizer Production

Featured Image Source: Firefly Distillery

In light of the coronavirus crisis, Charleston-based Firefly Distillery has switched from making their signature sweet tea vodka to making hand sanitizer for the masses.

Firefly, the state’s oldest working distillery, will be producing 180 cases with each run and started offering the sanitizer to the public last Friday. According to ABC News4 the distillery is selling half gallons of hand sanitizer on a first come, first serve basis. While the public is limited to one bottle per person (at $25), hospitals, state departments, military and other institutions will be the first to receive Firefly’s hand sanitizer through its office supply distribution.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_C8WrxBY9J/

If you’re interested in purchasing your own, head over to the distillery located at 4201 Spruill Avenue, North Charleston.

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
« Previous Page
Next Page »

© 2023 Charleston FYI. All Rights Reserved.

  • Home
  • What’s Trending
  • Featured
  • Eat & Drink
  • News
  • Summerville
  • Guest Columns