The Battery, Charleston City Paper

P&C parent company planning development at Meeting and Columbus

Paul Bowers — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:18:00 -0400

Evening Post Publishing Company, the Charleston-based parent company of the Post and Courier, announced this week that it had selected a pair of developers for a 2.8-acre mixed-use project being planned at the northwest corner of Meeting and Columbus streets. The company chose Charleston-based Greystar Real Estate Partners and Charlotte-based Lincoln Harris to develop Phase 1 of a project it is calling Courier Square. more…

The Agenda: Drivers, Folly police prep for Memorial Day, Gowdy scolds IRS official, Boeing praises N. Chas.

Sam Spence — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:07:00 -0400

Cheap gas = crowded beaches - Low gas prices (Sun News) this Memorial Day weekend should make for crowded beaches (AP) as crowds flock to the coast for the unofficial beginning of summer over the long weekend.

Folly booze ban - Live 5 News reports that Folly Beach Public Safety will amp up patrols this holiday weekend and over the summer as the town tackles its first summer since it passed the alcohol ban for the town's beach. more…

Lowcountry Boy Scout reps to vote no on gay inclusion

Paul Bowers — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:41:00 -0400

When Boy Scouts of America leaders vote Thursday on a proposal that would allow openly gay boys in the organization, local leaders from the Lowcountry will likely vote no. Legare Clement, scout executive of the Coastal Carolina Council, says that when polled, the vast majority of local members, families, and leaders were opposed to the proposal, and the council's nine voting delegates have been "charged with voting to reflect the opinion of the Scouting family and the communities represented within the Coastal Carolina Council."

The Coastal Carolina Council serves Allendale, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Georgetown, Hampton, and Jasper counties. more…

The Agenda: Mignon Clyburn breaks FCC glass ceiling, Controlling Edisto floats, Hurricane Awareness Day

Sam Spence — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:02:00 -0400

Mignon Clyburn at FCC - Mignon Clyburn, daughter of Congressman Jim Clyburn, becomes the first woman (Politico) to chair the Federal Communications Commission this week as Julius Genachowski leaves the agency. Clyburn ascends to the interim post from her position as one of four commissioners. more…

The Agenda: Statehouse revolving door, Folly awaits beach money, S.C. campuses debate tobacco bans

Sam Spence — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:00 -0400

"State House for Sale" - That's the headline of a profile by The State of the role state-registered lobbyists play in major, high-stakes policy negotiations in the state's legislature, where at least 66 former lawmakers serve as lobbyists of their former colleagues. The story is in context of the debate over where and what garbage can be dumped in South Carolina.

Folly renourishment - Folly Beach as begun renourishing beaches (P&C) along Folly Beach County Park, but is awaiting funds to work on the rest of the island's shoreline. more…

Clean energy activists to join Saturday for "Hands Across the Sand"

Sam Spence — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:40:00 -0400

On Saturday, conservation groups in 22 states and 8 nations overseas will stand along their coastlines in solidarity against offshore drilling in the annual "Hands Across the Sand" event.

The event, happening locally on Folly Beach and in nearby Garden City and Hilton Head Island are designed to raise awareness for alternative energy, "to say “no” to offshore drilling and “yes” to clean energy" as Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Coastal Climate and Energy Coordinator Chris Carnevale said in a P&C letter to the editor on Friday. more…

Anatomy of an IRS shakedown

Paul Bowers — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:39:00 -0400

In July 2010, the Laurens County Tea Party filed for tax-exempt status as a social welfare organization. Nearly three years later, they still haven't been approved, and president Dianne Belsom says her organization is just one of the many Tea Party organizations that have been singled out by the Internal Revenue Service for undue scrutiny. more…

The Agenda: South Carolina's Idol, State unemployment at 5 year low, Dems knock Haley over staffer's flights

Sam Spence — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:44:00 -0400

Idol - St. Helena Island native Candace Glover was crowned the new winner of American Idol in the season finale last night. The AP takes a look back at her victorious road to taking the final prize on the show's 12th season. more…

S.C. couple sues MUSC over unnecessary sex reassignment surgery

Susan Cohen — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:30:00 -0400

A Columbia couple has filed a lawsuit against the Medical University of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System, and the S.C. Department of Social Services for unnecessarily reassigning their son's gender.

more…

The Agenda: Sanford sworn in; Boeing IT jobs; S.C. Idol winner tonight?

Sam Spence — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:07:00 -0400

Swearing in Sanford - Congressman Mark Sanford was sworn into office yesterday (NYT), flanked by the South Carolina delegation, to a standing ovation from his congressional colleagues. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson praised Sanford as the "survivor" of the wild and crazy SC-1 special election. more…

Crews responding to utility truck after crashing off overpass near Ravenel Bridge

Sam Spence — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:06:00 -0400

Emergency personnel are responding to an utility contracting truck which reportedly crashed while traveling on the Hwy. 17 overpass, crashing over the wall, landing near near Morrison Drive.

SCE&G confirmed via Twitter that a contract crew was involved in a traffic incident in the area, with Charleston police saying the incident took place around 3:30pm this afternoon. more…

Burke High student receives Twitter threat

Paul Bowers — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:03:00 -0400

A Burke High School student told the Charleston Police Department Friday about a threat she received via Twitter.

According to a police report, on the morning of Fri. more…

The Agenda: Beach litter in S.C.; Gullah-Geechee plan approved; Reckless + film incentives

Sam Spence — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:37:00 -0400

Beach litter - The Ocean Conservancy has released (McClatchy) the data behind its 2012 International Coastal Cleanup, where nearly 3,000 volunteers collected 38,784-pounds of trash from along the South Carolina coast. Click here for the full data set. more…

The Agenda: CofC fake IDs help feds; "Second Chance" bio profiles Sanford's rise; Boeing IT headed for N. Chas.

Sam Spence — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:08:00 -0400

CofC IDs - Federal investigators were apparently helped (P&C) by a batch of underage College of Charleston students who ordered fake IDs from Virginia-based website. About 300 of 4,000 orders for the company came from CofC in 2012, but Justice Department officials admit they aren't sure the scale of the operation or its connection to Charleston. more…

Folly Beach County Park could reopen this summer

Susan Cohen — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:13:00 -0400

It's been almost two years since Hurricane Irene lay waste to Folly Beach County Park. The storm caused so much erosion and structural damage that the county closed it down, putting undue pressure on the county's other two public beach parks, Isle of Palms County Park and Kiawah Beachwalker Park. more…

The Agenda: Trouble for DeMint?; Biden's S.C. comments on Keystone; St. Helena's Glover in Idol finale

Sam Spence — Fri, 10 May 2013 10:59:00 -0400

DeMint check-in - Jim DeMint's tenure at the Heritage Foundation is off to a shaky start as one of his first initiatives, a study blasting proposed immigration reform measures as too expensive, is being discredited by congressional Republicans like U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who was a close ally of DeMint's while in office. D.C. insiders are viewing Heritage's hiring of a blue chip PR consulting firm as a move that could jeopardize the group's standing as a reputable source of conservative policy analysis. more…

Documentary screening tonight on Alvin Greene, voting technology

Paul Bowers — Thu, 09 May 2013 13:47:00 -0400

Remember Alvin Greene, the unemployed homebody from Manning who somehow won the Democratic nomination for a South Carolina seat in the U.S. Senate back in 2010? So does filmmaker Jason Grant Smith, writer and director of the documentary I Voted?. more…

The Agenda: Deconstructing SC-1, Sanford hearing called off, Graham stockpiles for primary

Sam Spence — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:58:00 -0400

Graham - U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who faces re-election next year, has over $5.4 million in his campaign bank account, second only to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, which Politico says is an indicator of Graham's substantial self-grown poltiical strength, a double-edged sword since his visibility and outspokenness is also the reason for a vocal block of critics. Graham is facing a primary challenge from three potential challengers, two of whom haven't held political office before. more…

Coastal Conservation League conference celebrates 25 years

Sam Spence — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:34:00 -0400

On May 8-9, the Coastal Conservation League will host an an impressive slate of locally and nationally prominent speakers for its 25th anniversary conference at the Francis Marion Hotel. "The next 25 years will be even more critical for the Lowcountry," the group says. more…

The Agenda: Election Day, 737 MAX, Haley pushes for offshore drilling

Sam Spence — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:34:00 -0400

Election Day - Polls are open in the 1st District today until 7pm. To find out if you live in the district, visit scvotes.org. more…

In final days, 1st District race moves to toss-up

Sam Spence — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:37:00 -0400

1st Congressional District polling places are open Tuesday, May 7 from 7am-7pm. To find out your voting location, visit scvotes.org.

Mark Sanford might pull it off. more…

The Agenda: Mark-mentum in SC-1, Dems and Repubs converge in Cola, Intermodal talks ongoing

Sam Spence — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:42:00 -0400

1 more SC-1 day - Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch are closing out their campaigns for the 1st District today and tomorrow as voters head to the polls tomorrow. Colbert Busch was joined by Georgia Congressman John Lewis over the weekend, and Mark Sanford is showing some late momentu in a new PPP poll out yesterday, which shows him up 1 point on Colbert Busch in the final days of the race. more…

Rulings stall controversial Johns, Kiawah Island developments

Sam Spence — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:31:00 -0400

A pair of decisions Thursday dealt blows to plans for controversial development on Johns Island and Kiawah Island, setting up an uncertain future for proposed Beach Co. and Kiawah Development Partners coastal subdivisions.

Kiawah River Plantation

The long-debated public assistance plan for the Kiawah River Plantation development proposed by the Beach Company last year was likely killed off by a 9-0 vote by Charleston County Council Finance Committee at its meeting last night. more…

Watch video of Richard Dawkins' March 9 CofC talk

Paul Bowers — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:33:00 -0400

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science has posted a video of Dawkins' March 9 talk at the College of Charleston on its website. If you didn't show up early enough to claim a seat at the packed event, click here to watch what you missed. more…

The Agenda: Johns Island TIF nixed, Capt. Sam's Spit to be reheard, SC-1 home stretch

Sam Spence — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:45:00 -0400

SC-1 - As Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch enter the final week of the tightening special election campaign (The State), Colbert Busch is embarking on a bus tour of the 1st District and Mark Sanford is getting some help from an independent expenditure (Roll Call) in the form of TV ads which go on the air today. Both candidates are playing the numbers game, working to turn out as many (P&C) of their potential supporters as possible on Tuesday, but state Sen. Larry Grooms (AP), one of the 15 candidates beaten by Sanford in the GOP primary, endorsed Sanford Thursday, telling his followers to not follow the suggestion of a grassroots campaign urging voters to write in his name. more…