More than 40 years ago, the late owner of Boone Hall Plantation, Willie McRae, and the late executive director of the Charleston Restaurant Association, Kathy Britzius, formed a partnership that established the Lowcountry Oyster Festival on the property’s grounds. On June 5, in honor of McRae and Britzius, Charleston Restaurant Foundation presented recycled oyster shells that … [Read more...]

Mount Pleasant is surrounded by water, whether rivers, tidal creeks or lakes. Beaches lie a short drive over the bridges and pools abound. Learning to swim is a critical skill to master no matter where you live, but it takes on even greater significance here. Sometimes, it can be a matter of life and death. That’s why Mount Pleasant Town Councilmember Gary Santos launched … [Read more...]

Throughout the plantation era, literacy for most Blacks was illegal, and even when education was allowed during Reconstruction, there were no resources for teaching children of the emancipated. It wasn’t until 1904, nearly four decades after the Civil War ended, that the doors opened to Long Point Schoolhouse, the first school for Black students in the Snowden … [Read more...]

Every parent remembers the first day that they sent their kid to school. It can be gut-wrenching and anxiety-inducing. When mom Mariesa Eikevik sent her son Mason to school recently, she had no idea the call that she would receive later that day. Mason entered Carolina Park Elementary School like he does every morning and walked into Mrs. Johnnie Williams’ classroom. He … [Read more...]

He hasn’t started counting the days yet, but when the first day of summer arrives, Andy Benke will have stepped down from his longtime role as town administrator with Sullivan’s Island. Benke’s last day will be June 18 and even though he has been with the town’s government since June 2003, he has no intention of retiring to another place since Sullivan’s Island has been his … [Read more...]

Safer communities, tighter school security and better resistance to cybercrime and child trafficking are four issues that Charleston County sheriff candidate Carl Ritchie intends to achieve if elected. Ritchie, a current member of Mount Pleasant Town Council and a 33-year veteran of law enforcement, is making his first bid for sheriff. He has spent the last three decades of … [Read more...]

When dawn breaks on Shem Creek, there will soon be a glimmer on the water like never before. Atop the boardwalk that connects both sides of the creek will stand a bronze, life-size statue of a man who is now remembered as a Lowcountry legend. His name is Captain Wayne Magwood and soon his legacy will forever be enshrined as a testament to the role he played in preserving the … [Read more...]

Charleston County School District has suffered a great deal of volatility in leadership, hiring their fourth superintendent in two years. New hire Anita Huggins looks to rewrite that narrative. In January, CCSD’s board offered Huggins, acting superintendent at the time, the position permanently. After a week of consideration, she accepted and signed a three-year contract paying … [Read more...]