On June 4, the Lowcountry was rattled by a 5.5-magnitude earthquake. Many people were injured and some died. Buildings collapsed and the bridges that normally take motorists across the Ashley, Cooper and Wando Rivers and the Intracoastal Waterway were damaged and had to be shut down, at least until they could be thoroughly inspected. On June 6, an aftershock brought more … [Read more...]
The Pelican Brief: A Bird’s Eye View of Mount Pleasant’s Shem Creek
It’s summertime, and that means more time than ever on Mount Pleasant’s beloved Shem Creek. So when Perry the Pelican asked us if he could submit a feature about his experiences living on our iconic waterway, we said “of course.” Please enjoy the following essay, and remember to be kind to our feathered neighbors, no matter the time of year. -The Editors Pelicans don’t … [Read more...]
You’ve Come a Long Way to Baby: Postpartum Care
The miracle of life is a beautiful thing. But after the baby showers, the nursery themes, the “babymoon,” (yes, that’s a thing now), maternity photos and nervously clicking the empty infant car seat into place for the first time as you anticipate the arrival of your bundle of joy, the shocking realities of becoming a mom – or adding another to your brood – begin to take shape. … [Read more...]
Baby Fever: Understanding the Fertility Journey
For some, the decision to start or expand their families is as simple as that – a decision. Yet for others, it’s only the beginning of a long and often emotionally draining process. According to Dr. John Schnorr of Coastal Fertility Specialists, roughly 14 percent of all couples trying to conceive experience obstacles throughout the process. Common Hurdles While there are … [Read more...]
They Bend But Never Break: The New Look of the Family Unit
Family. If you look in the dictionary, you’ll find that it reads, “a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children.” But take a closer look, because that’s not all. Just a few lines down, you’ll notice another definition that suggests a family can be made up of any group of adults, be it grandparents, aunts or uncles that care for the children in a home. To us, … [Read more...]
James B. Edwards Bridge: Negate the Wait
Making the Best of a Traffic Nightmare When a broken support cable forced the state Department of Transportation to close the westbound lanes of the James B. Edwards Bridge over the Wando River on May 14, the most obvious result was increasingly slow and unpleasantly heavy traffic leaving, entering and traveling in Mount Pleasant. Though cars and trucks were moving at an … [Read more...]
Highway 41 and the Phillips Community: ‘This Area Fits the People Who Live Here’
Richard Habersham’s family has been a fixture in the Phillips Community for nearly a century-and-a-half, when former slaves who had served their masters on at least three area plantations bought land along what is now Highway 41 and set out to make a life as free men and women. The 64-year-old has always lived on the land his ancestors purchased in the mid-1870s. And he’s … [Read more...]
Mount NOT Plastic? What the Ordinance Could Mean for Our Future
The Mount Pleasant Town Council has passed a law banning several plastic products used for the most part by grocery stores and restaurants, but, by the time the Environmentally Acceptable Packaging and Products Ordinance goes into effect in April 2019, it might look different than it did in April 2018. Or it might not look like anything at all. The fate of the ordinance, … [Read more...]
“Fires are the Same Everywhere” – Councilman Kevin Cunnane
As an attorney and a former firefighter and policeman, Kevin Cunnane thinks he will bring a new and important perspective to the Mount Pleasant Town Council. The 48-year-old Cunnane defeated John Mahoney in a Feb. 13 special election to claim the Council seat vacated when Councilman Will Haynie ran a successful mayoral campaign. The seat will be contested again in November … [Read more...]
Volcano Season Is Here: Are You Covered?
Scientists recently discovered that because the Charleston area lies on a major earthquake fault line, all land within a 50-mile radius of its epicenter is ripe for volcanoes, which could crop up at any time and with little warning. Is your house prepared to withstand thousands of cubic feet of molten lava flowing through it like a blazing river of fire? If volcano insurance … [Read more...]