Many Mount Pleasant residents found some degree of solace and escape from the coronavirus pandemic — at least for a few hours — on area golf courses. As Josh Sens wrote on Golf Magazine’s website: “Golf is a boon for the common good (and for both mental and physical wellbeing), provided that those courses are abiding by public health guidelines, and the golfers themselves … [Read more...]

The question of the day for sports fans might have been: “What if they held a NASCAR Cup Series race, and nobody came?” That would have been a reasonable inquiry during the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen businesses closed, a population in lockdown, the NBA schedule canceled, no Major League Baseball spring training nor any immediate plans for NFL to return in the … [Read more...]

Established by the CARES – Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security – Act, the Paycheck Protection Program offered Small Business Administration loans with the potential to become grants for businesses struggling to pay their employees and remain viable, even as they were being ordered to shut down by government mandates aimed at controlling the inevitable spread of the … [Read more...]

.. “You might be a redneck if your toilet paper has page numbers on it.” — Jeff Foxworthy Have you gloved-up, slipped on your respirator mask and braved a world swirling with virus to hunt for household essentials lately? Odds are, you quick-stepped past the bakery treats, fresh produce and even the meat section to head straight for the paper goods aisle. Does your … [Read more...]

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a worldwide pandemic. Since that declaration, life as we know it has been turned upside down. From California to New York to Texas and Illinois, we’ve adopted a life of confinement to flatten the curve, collectively closing our doors and hunkering down. However, even with the common thread of quarantine … [Read more...]

Senior year is an idealized time in American culture — a period of celebrations, planning the future and reckoning with one’s identity. We’ve all watched movies and heard songs that invoke the nostalgia of senior year, and we all have a memory or two to share from our own. For the graduates of spring 2020, however, expectations have taken a sharp and unexpected turn. High … [Read more...]

COVID-19 has impacted our community at its core. It’s no secret that societal norms have changed. Where we once exchanged hugs, handshakes, met in large groups and celebrated religious holidays together, we now are advised to distance at least 6 feet apart, wear masks and gloves and gather via video conferences. This may cause a great sense of loss, grief, anxiety and fear, as … [Read more...]

How has daily life changed for you? It’s a question many of our area’s seniors are asking one another these days, as stay-at-home regulations restrict most social activities to one’s immediate household and fear of the COVID-19 virus keeps many out of the few open businesses and other regular meeting places. Nowhere is the answer to this question clearer than at … [Read more...]

The realities of COVID-19 and social distancing have forced companies nationwide to adapt their business model to fit the new normal of personal interaction. Nowhere is this more evident than in how we access our food and other essentials from grocery stores, restaurants and retailers. Pre-pandemic, delivery services were often perceived as a convenience that businesses … [Read more...]

“I told my students goodbye on a Friday not knowing the call would be made to not return,” explained Beth McCall, a 5th grade teacher at Whitesides Elementary School. “Knowing what I know now, I would have been more specific about what materials to take from their desks and cubbies, but more importantly I would have given them all a reassuring hug and told them how much I loved … [Read more...]