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...]

When you take a moment to think about the core values of our town, one of the first things that comes to mind is our hospitality. It’s no wonder that we’ve built a booming industry on the back of the friendly reception and overall care for others that Charleston is famous for. Sadly, in a city where striking up a conversation with a stranger is commonplace, the effects of a … [Read more...]

How does a global pandemic such as COVID-19 get dealt with in smaller communities? The greatest impact in managing the crisis comes from our hometown heroes. The health care workers of the Lowcountry in South Carolina answered as they always do: swiftly, with compassion and determination, all while placing themselves, and oftentimes their own families, at risk. From the … [Read more...]

As the COVID-19 pandemic made its way through Mount Pleasant, the town took an innovative approach to police work, redirecting its law enforcement resources to make life a little more bearable and a lot safer for the people who call the fourth largest municipality in South Carolina home. Mount Pleasant’s men and women in blue played an especially important role for the … [Read more...]

Is it your business’ one-year anniversary and you have no one to celebrate it with? That was me on March 18 this year, having to make the tough decision to close my doors to the public. The day also happened to be one year from the grand opening of my boutique, Erika Lynn Studio and Boutique. Immediately, it felt like survival of the fittest! Every store and small business … [Read more...]