Roof Repair in North Charleston, SC

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a Jan. 15 holiday just around the corner, and this year with the recently opened International African American Museum (IAAM), Charleston boasts more events than ever before.

The IAAM will host its first Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, IAAM King: An MLK Day Celebration, on Jan. 15. The event takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Pre-registration is sold out, but a limited number of tickets will be available the day of the event on a first come, first served basis.

Historian Brandon Reid, who oversees public records and special projects at the museum, told the Charleston City Paper that the event will include access to the West Yard, which offers an African ancestors memorial garden. He added the space will include a vendor showcase, food trucks and activities for adults and children.

Reid noted he was particularly excited about the storytelling aspect of the day — which is already a key aspect of the museum’s programming.

“Youth and family participants will be able to come in and create story stones really talking about understanding and exploring African American history but tying that to MLK as well.”

Reid said museum staff members hope the event will attract more visitors to the building, which opened in June 2023. The IAAM has already seen 80,000 guests, he added, but education is an ongoing goal.

“Having this program on MLK Day allows us not only to move towards our mission, but also finding a really unique and creative way to invite our communities. Many of those who have not had the opportunity to come out to visit the museum yet also get a chance to explore the museum.”

Also across the area

Other events on Jan. 15 during MLK Day include:

The 52nd annual MLK Day Parade. The downtown parade, hosted by the YWCA of Greater Charleston, features dancers, cars and floats. Though it doesn’t start until 10:30 a.m., participants can begin lining up two hours beforehand at Burke High School, the starting location. The parade is one of Charleston’s oldest annual gatherings, and the city was among the first to host such an event. It concludes at Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street. Registration has closed; anyone can watch free of charge.

MLK Day at Children’s Museum of The Lowcountry. Children can listen to stories about the civil rights movement between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and participate in arts and crafts for the entire day. Free with admission to the museum.

Gullah/Geechee MLK Day Concert and Fish Fry. Be among the first to see the new mural at the Yenna Chiren House, the Gullah/Geechee cultural learning center, at its 1 p.m. opening ceremony. Enjoy delicious classic Gullah/Geechee cuisine, support cultural performances and learn about traditional styles of movement and dance. 1 p.m to 3 p.m. Yenna Chiren House, 2035 Forest Ave, North Charleston. Tickets are $10 for ages 5-13, $15 for ages 14-17, $20 for 18 and older. A portion of the sales benefit Gullah/Geechee Angel Network.

North Charleston MLK Day Parade. The first North Charleston MLK day parade is hosted by Positive Vibes and other gun violence prevention affiliates. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. at the intersection of Rivers and Reynolds avenues. The parade will conclude with a rally from motivational youth speakers, community speakers, and civil rights-themed music.

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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — A proposed boat manufacturing facility still isn't sitting right with people who live near the former Baker Hospital Boulevard site in North Charleston.

Sea Fox Boats announced plans to build a boating manufacturing plant at the site, and it raised concerns from community members. North Charleston Mayor Reggie Burgess sent a letter to the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission in January stating that the area isn't zoned for that type of project and hasn't been since the 1980s. Lately, neighborhood sentiments haven't changed.

"It seems, to me, to be very inconsistent with the park's mission and their ideology," said Charlie Masencup, an owner of a parcel near site. "The entire deal smells really fishy. It happened behind closed doors with no transparency, not to the public, not to the adjacent landowners, to no one."

Craig Logan, the vice president of the Chicora Neighborhood Association, believes that the community wasn't engaged with enough in the deal.

"That's not what happened," Logan said.

READ MORE: "Controversy grows over proposed boat facility in North Charleston."

Ed Sutton, who is running for a state Senate seat, chimed in through a series of posts on X Monday night.

"I'm here to support the surrounding neighborhoods, churches and non-profits," he wrote.

State Rep. Marvin Pendarvis also added that his constituents' concerns are legitimate.

"I've heard from numerous members of the community in recent weeks who oppose the rezoning at the old Baker Hospital, much of which impacts my district," Pendarvis wrote on X. "Their concerns are legitimate and should be given considerable weight. I stand with Mayor Burgess and the community."

READ MORE: "Businessman defends controversial plan for Baker Hospital site, promising jobs and park."

Neighbors said this area is their only access to the Ashley River and the space should reflect what the community wants.

"If you look around this site is mostly unspoiled apart from what's across 26 behind me," Masencup said. "There's no industry on this side of the road at all., It's a completely inconsistent use. It does not jive with the neighbors, not with low-income housing, and or the elder care facility right behind you, both of which would be adjacent to their proposed facility.

READ MORE: "'John was brave': Boeing whistleblower's lawyer responds to news of his death."

In February, Sea Fox Boats owner Fred Renken defended his desire to build a boat manufacturing plant.

"My reputation's on the line with this, and I want it to be right," Renken said then. "We hit on all the things that Charleston County Parks and Rec that they want. They wanted to partner with us. They feel comfortable about it. I think it's a fair deal. The rent escalates over time. I'm not trying to take advantage of anybody. We're just trying to do a partnership with them."

However, neighbors would like to see a park with access to the water – not a boat manufacturing plant.

"We want to see a park," Logan said. "This is what they're supposed to be doing for the community. We would be appreciative if that's the route that this took."

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The future of land in North Charleston lies in the hands of city council members, and it’s a breath of relief for concerned community members and a strain for the company urging its industrial use.

The city council will be the next step forward for the proposed plan after a request to rezone two parts of the former Baker Hospital property on the Ashley River. They will vote on whether the land will be rezoned from R-1 residential to M-2, heavy industrial and M-1, light industrial.

The city’s Planning Commission on Monday voted 5-1 to deny the recommendation to rezone before passing it onto council - saying it didn’t align with the best interest of the city’s comprehensive plan, the location to the Ashley River and the public interest of surrounding neighborhoods.

The land, defined as a brownfield, is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

“We don’t need industry in our living rooms. We don’t need to breathe the fluid of industry in our neighborhoods. We don’t need to be impacted negatively that way,” Union Heights resident Skip Mikell says.

The Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission and Sea Fox Boats have a 90-year lease with the goal of building a manufacturing plant on 11 acres of the 46-acre property. Sea Fox Boats owner Freddy Renken says they plan to bring 200 or more jobs to the area and will fund the construction of a waterfront public park.

The commission says rent paid by Sea Fox Boats and its dry stack marina would offset operations and maintenance for the park. Nothing has been finalized or started because this is in a due diligence phase.

The park itself would have the following amenities:

Renken did not speak at the meeting but a company lawyer shared insight on his behalf:

“What is there not to want about this? To turn a brownfield into a park that provides jobs and an economic engine. With Sea Fox Boats, the City of North Charleston will be able to build planes, cars, boats. I think that is pretty cool,” Ronald Richter says.

Despite the push for approval, a resounding “no” was heard from a crowd of North Charleston homeowners and supporters. They say the company never shared its plans with surrounding neighborhoods and businesses, including Union Heights, Chicora-Cherokee and Accabee.

Mayor Reggie Burgess also pushed for a full recreational park option to be considered following the initial plan release.

Charleston County Parks states in this press release they planned on releasing public input meeting dates in early 2024. As of now, no updates have been provided.

The commission released the following statement:

The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) recently entered into a public-private partnership with the locally-owned Sea Fox Boat Company at its Ashley River site. The company is in a two-year due diligence phase, which includes addressing zoning and permitting issues.

Per the partnership, Charleston County Parks would continue to own the entire property, with tenant Sea Fox funding the creation and maintenance of the future public park. This would allow Charleston County Parks to develop and operate the park without taxpayer funds. Because of the site’s history as the former Baker Hospital and as a phosphate processing plant, it has created a brownfield that will require costly environmental efforts to make it suitable for recreational use.

The future county park would offer residents green space and views of the Ashley River. Other possible amenities at the park include a fishing/crabbing dock, trails, playground, splash pad, shelter for camps or programs, and unique event space. Public input meetings will be held to learn what the communities would like to see on the site. Once the zoning process has been completed, we will determine the timeline for the public input meetings.

Seventeen people spoke in opposition to the plan. Neighbors say adding the plant would not benefit their community in terms of work or play and are asking for the area to be solely a park.

“The neighborhoods we represent have some of the lowest unemployment rates in North Charleston. Chicora-Cherokee specifically has a 2.9 unemployment rate, which means our people are already working,” KJ Kearney says.

The planning commission stated in the agenda item they recommended denial because they believe the property’s location to the Ashley River makes the plant unfeasible and there is a “lack of support” to the city’s comprehensive plan.

Sea Fox Boats argues the area they are requesting rezoning for is on a brownfield, the former site of a phosphate processing plant and hospital, which would need environmental maintenance to make the area suitable for recreational purposes or greenspace.

North Charleston natives say they remember the smells, the sights and the feelings of growing up near the former plant and the concerns it raised for health and wellness.

“Those people don’t live here. So whatever damage they do, they leave at the end of the shift and go home. We live here and if there’s anything that we can do to prevent that kind of thing reoccurring. We’re going to do so,” Mikell says.

The site was donated to Charleston County Parks in 2015 by Charleston residents Michael and Jenny Messner of the Speedwell Foundation. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.

“The owner of that property is the Charleston County Parks and Recreation. Their purpose for being is to create parks, preserve and protect greenspaces,” Richter says. “We are not looking for the high bidder here, we are looking for the perfect partner to clean this place and make it a place of pride.”

The discussion will now go before city council starting on April 11 for its first reading. The next opportunity for public input will be on April 18.

For more information on the project, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. --

The 315^th Airlift Wing, at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, won the 2023 Fourth Air Force Aircrew Excellence Award for their quick thinking during an in-fight emergency in April of 2023.

The C-17 Globemaster III airlift mission was a de-positioning sortie slated to depart from Ramstein Air Base, Germany followed by a stopover at Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire for fuel and then return home to Joint Base Charleston.

On the approach to land at Pease ANG Base, a serious problem presented itself and required the aircrew, urgent attention to safely land the jet.

While performing a pre-landing checklist, the aircrew discovered a high-pressure hydraulic leak, which was preventing the landing gear from being lowered. Complicating the situation, the leak contaminated a 10-foot radius of the cargo area and interfered with the loadmasters’ ability to bypass the hydraulic system by manually working five separate levers to lower the landing gear.

"The crew of REACH 556, led by Capt. Connor, demonstrated the highest level of professionalism during an aircraft emergency in a critical phase of flight, exacerbated by adverse weather conditions and a limited fuel state,” said Col. Diane Patton, 315th Operations Group commander. “Their swift identification of a significant hydraulic leak, combined with outstanding crew coordination to establish a secure landing configuration, allowed the crew to safely recover the aircraft."

The 4th AF Aircrew Excellence Award was presented to wing leadership, March 6, during the 24th anniversary of the 4th Air Force Raincross Trophy awards at the Riverside Convention Center, California. Maj. Gen. D. Scott Durham, 4th AF commander and Chief Master Sgt. Travon Dennis, 4th AF command chief, presented the award to Col. Alan Partridge, 315^th Airlift Wing deputy commander, Patton and Chief Master Sgt. Joe Gonzalez, 315^th Airlift Wing command chief.

The 315 AW aircrew named in the award were from the 701^st Airlift Squadron. The aircrew members included: Capt. Dennis Conner, aircraft commander, 1^st Lt. Kyle Kampsen, pilot, 1^st Lt. Alex Perez Romo, pilot, Staff Sgt. Brandon Sofia, loadmaster, Staff Sgt. Cage Stephens, loadmaster, and Staff Sgt. Austin Moreland, loadmaster.

“The Loadmasters that day efficiently executed the emergency checklists that afforded me the necessary time to make well-considered decisions,” said Conner. “That win is solely on their shoulders.”

“As a direct result of their efforts, no crew members were injured and the $218 million aircraft was recovered successfully and landed without additional damage,” the award nomination letter stated.

Also on this flight were Capt. Christopher Beasley, 15^th Airlift Squadron, and Tech. Sgt. Robert Miller, 437^th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

Grab the sticky geckos, break out the duck cakes, and alert the grannies! It's time to meet the much-loved Heeler family, who will be coming to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on June 18 with the Bluey live show, Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show! The Emmy Award-winning animated preschool series, which airs on Disney Junior, Disney Channel, and Disney+, will be “taking the show on the road” to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center with one show only:

Tuesday, June 18 at 6:00 PM

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 15 at 10:00 AM online at Ticketmaster.com or in person at the North Charleston Coliseum Advance Ticket Office. For groups of 10 or more, call 843-202-ARTS (2787) or email Groups@NorthCharlestonColiseumPAC.com.

Fans of all ages will get to see Bluey, Bingo, Bandit, and Chilli as they've never seen them before, as the Heelers embark on their very first live theater show in the U.S. featuring puppetry, live actors, and iconic sets. Based on an original new story written by Bluey creator Joe Brumm, Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show also contains new music by Bluey composer, Joff Bush.

“After seeing the amazing reaction the show received during its Australia run, we are delighted to bring this standout live theater show to U.S. audiences,” said director Rosemary Myers of Windmill Theatre Co. “We know how much love there is out there for Bluey and are thrilled and honored to translate these brilliant characters into the three-dimensional world and to share this special experience with fans throughout America.”

Bluey's Big Play The Stage Show is presented by BBC Studios and Andrew Kay in association with Windmill Theatre Co. The stage show enjoyed much success in the home market of Australia, where it premiered in Bluey's hometown Brisbane and went on to perform 447 times across 65 venues, including the Sydney Opera House.

www.NorthCharletonColiseumPAC.com

About Bluey

The series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog who loves to play and turn everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.

Bluey has won the hearts of kids and parents around the world since it first launched in Australia in October 2018, and has quickly become a global hit.

In Australia, Bluey is the number one kids show on broadcast television and is the most-watched series ever on ABC iview. In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China; it now screens in over 60 countries. In the US on Disney Junior, since March 2021, the show has been the #1 most watched TV series with kids 2-6. In the UK, Bluey was the most watched show on CBeebies in January 2022 and is also available on Disney+.

Bluey has also won multiple awards, such as the International Emmy Kids Award in the prestigious Preschool Category in 2020 and has picked up the AACTA Award for Best Children's Program for three years running (2019-21). Bluey recently won four Kidscreen Awards in February 2021.

Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC Kids Australia, co-commissioned by ABC Children's and BBC Studios, and distributed internationally by BBC Studios outside of Australia.