The new chief executive officer at East Cooper Medical Center is well aware that he doesn’t know everything about every department of the hospital. He insisted, however, that being an expert on two-and-a-half dozen building blocks of a modern medical facility is not a prerequisite for success in today’s health care environment. Patrick Downes, who took over the reins of the … [Read more...]

There is beauty in the storm. The way the cloud colors morph from light gray to harsh black, over electric green marsh grass. Slug-sized raindrops hit the ground with force, as strong gusts send leaves dancing across slick pavement. The crackle of thunder and the way lightning touches down to illuminate the sky can make even grown men cower with its abrupt intensity. While … [Read more...]

Long before Lowcountry artist John Chitwood finished high school and enrolled in the art program at the University of Georgia, he'd been honing his skills with pencil and paper. And though drawing and illustration came easily during his childhood years, he was not prepared for the “artistic lifestyle” that was pushed on him in college. And he didn't quite like it. “I really … [Read more...]

  Joseph Patrick Riley Jr., lifelong Dodger fan, longtime mayor of Charleston and unabashed ambassador for the resplendent stretch of Coastal Carolina he has always called home, held up his hand, the space between his thumb and forefinger barely visible, to describe the size of the phone book that once listed every resident and business in Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s … [Read more...]

When the sun is shining, the waves are rolling in and the day is begging to be enjoyed, you can bet you’ll find a solid lineup of surfers waiting to catch the perfect set of waves. But it’s not just the adults who are setting their sights on the shoreline. Instead, kids of all ages are paddling past the break and right into the action as they help usher in the surf culture for … [Read more...]