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5 KILLED, 12 SHOT IN S.C. OVER PAST WEEK
The Charleston City Paper this week begins a new project measuring the impact of gun violence in South Carolina. Taken from media reports over the last week, we’ve tallied the number of shootings across the state by county. We will run an updated version of this tracker weekly.
Charleston County attorney Natalie Ham is set to receive a $50,000 bonus to augment her $272,958 salary for efforts outside of her usual legal work for the county.
The move, approved by a 7-2 vote on April 25, is creating some controversy among elected council members after the county’s previous attorney negotiated consultant payment after he left the county to become a federal judge.
“Ms. Ham has been working for two years outside her normal duties with the Environmental Management Department,” said council member and former chair Teddie Pryor, who is running to be mayor of North Charleston. “The council discussed and figured she should get some type of compensation for that.”
However, the payment didn’t sit well with council member Larry Kobrovsky of Sullivan’s Island and chairman Herb Sass of Mount Pleasant, both of whom opposed the measure.
“She’s a good attorney, and I know and respect her greatly,” Kobrovsky told the City Paper. “It’s just a question of when you get paid as much as she does in taxpayer money, you don’t give them $50,000 extra for doing extra work for the county. In the private world, when extra work needs to be done, you just step up and do it.”
Ham did not respond to requests for comment. Ham’s duties with the Environmental Management Department reportedly included administrative work for the coun-
ty’s landfills and recycling programs.
Pryor said hiring a full-time director to do the work Ham provided would have cost the county between $100,000 and $160,000 per year, plus benefits. Ham did not ask for any compensation in return for her efforts, Pryor added, “but council members thought it was the right thing to do. If you hire someone, you ought to pay them.”
Ham’s most recent publicly available salary records list her as making $272,958 per year plus benefits.
“When you’re paying someone hundreds of thousands of dollars — that’s enough,” Kobrovsky said. “You do whatever you have to.”
Pryor said the bonus was fair, especially considering the quality of work done.
“She did great,” he said. “We are where we need to be, and we got it all worked out. The landfill is being managed in the correct way now, and we had sales that needed to be opened and closed, and all that is done.”
But the added obscurity surrounding the April 25 vote was another point of contention, Kobrovsky said. Since the measure was discussed in executive session, council members were not required to recite the measure in detail in public session — only the vote needed to be public.
“They really obscured it,” he said. “They weren’t even going to read what the motion was … it wasn’t even clear to me that people would understand what it was.
“Any money spent by a public body ought to be clearly identified and explained,” Kobrovsky added. “Any penny spent, whether it be for compensation or fringe benefits, should be public record and dis-
cussed in the open. Everybody should know. The money doesn’t belong to us — the money belongs to the public.”
The payment potentially raises red flags for those familiar with Ham’s predecessor, Joe Dawson, whose highest reported salary with the county was $421,358. When Dawson stepped down from his attorney position in 2020 to become a U.S. district judge, he took nearly a 50% pay cut, but a continued payment deal with the county on his exit would have closed that gap. The deal was uncovered in news reports in early 2021.
At the time, Dawson promised Charleston County that he would continue to provide legal advice for one year as he
Between April 19-25, five people died in shootings in Dillon, Pickens, Hampton, Florence and Charleston counties, according to media reports. Seven others were injured in shootings across the state in the same period.
Affected communities include Dillon County (one killed, two wounded), Pickens County (one killed), Hampton County (one killed), Aiken County (two wounded), Florence County (one killed, one wounded), Richland County (one wounded) and Charleston County (one killed, one wounded).
Across the nation, there were seven mass shootings between April 19-25, according to gunviolencearchive.org. None were in South Carolina. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 173 mass shootings in the U.S. Skyler Baldwin 7
Number of rehabilitated turtles released by the South Carolina Aquarium last week into the ocean at Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville, Florida
“Scott’s campaign, in other words, is doomed from the start. But just because it appears to be futile doesn’t mean it’s not interesting.”
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie wrote the presidential exploratory committee for North Charleston native and GOP U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, arguing his nomination looks unlikely as former President Donald Trump remains the GOP frontrunner.
Any penny spent, whether it be for compensation or fringe benefits, should be public record and discussed in the open. Everybody should know. The money doesn’t belong to us — the money belongs to the public.”
—Larry KobrovskyHerb Frazier file photo
was going through the judicial confirmation process and serving on the federal bench. In exchange, he was to get $216,000 in monthly payments, plus a percentage of any opioid litigation settlement money the county received.
Nonprofit watchdog group Fix The Court filed an ethics complaint in 2021 because judges aren’t allowed to provide other legal services while on the bench. The dispute was whether the promise of advice constituted legal work. Dawson was publicly reprimanded by a council of judges for the deal, and he later rescinded the litigation fee portion of the deal with the county.
“Joe Dawson was being paid $8,000 a month for at least two or three years,” Pryor said. “[The April 25 vote] is a one-time payment for two years worth of work already done. It was done the right way, it was discussed and voted on in public, and nobody was trying to hide anything.”
Pryor said her work with the Environmental Management Department is set to end by the end of June.
“She has people in place now to run the landfill and … recyclables,” Pryor said. “If we decide we want to keep her in, that’s going to be up to council. But me, personally, I think it’s time to move on and hand it back over to the administrator.”
More than 200 boats participated last weekend in Charleston Race Week, captured in all of its glory here by local photographer Ferris Kaplan. For more information, go to CharlestonRaceWeek.com.
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Last week’s seizure of 2.5 pounds of illegal fentanyl from a Folly Road apartment is the largest seizure of synthetic heroin in the history of the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). And it kind of came as a surprise as authorities initially were trying to arrest a man on outstanding warrants.
During a press conference this week, Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said the amount of fentanyl seized was enough to provide a lethal dose to 570,000 people — more than the populations of Charleston and Colleton counties combined. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be enough to cause a fatal overdose.
“Our country is in the midst of a public health crisis involving opioid addiction. That is not new to folks,” Graziano said at a press conference April 24. “This operation … is a clear sign that we are clearly not immune to this.
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“We must take every opportunity to spread the word and prevent fentanyl overdose death,” she added. “What you see in these bags is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.”
Graziano continued to highlight the importance of seeking help for yourself or loved ones who may be struggling with opioid addiction.
“It’s so important that we address this opioid epidemic aggressively in this community,” said Chanda Funcell, director of the Charleston Center. “Charleston County is significantly impacted by the opioid epidemic. Overdoses have increased 25% from the previous year and are on target for increasing that at an even higher rate in the year coming.”
Funcell said through seizure efforts, harm reduction efforts, increasing awareness and boosting the accessibility of Narcan and fentanyl test strips, the Charleston Center and its partners can help reduce the negative impact of opioids on the community.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the apartment complex at 35 Folly Road Blvd. on April 19 to serve a bench warrant for the arrest of Tyrell Javon Sistrunk, 27, for his failure to appear in court for a 2019 case involving charges of distributing cocaine base, unlawful carry of a weapon, child endangerment and assault of an arresting officer. But when they arrived at about 11 a.m., Sistrunk reportedly jumped from a fourthstory balcony to elude capture.
Courtesy CCSDLaw enforcement, including K-9 units, a CCSO helicopter and officers with the Charleston Police Department (CPD), then surveyed the area for more than an hour. They locked down the nearby Porter-Gaud school, landing the helicopter in a nearby soccer field. But they did not locate Sistrunk.
According to a spokesman from PorterGaud, Sistrunk was on Albemarle Road running toward campus, and it was unknown if he was armed. School administration immediately notified faculty, staff and students of a lockdown of the exterior gates and buildings on campus.
Following a search, CCSO and CPD deemed the campus safe and issued the all-clear to resume normal school operations around 12:15 p.m. The suspect was still at large, but not believed to be in or near campus. Out of an abundance of caution, law enforcement continued to have an increased presence on campus.
“As a school, we practice lockdown drills twice a year. Our response reflected what we have practiced in our biannual drills of our emergency protocol, procedures and communications,” said Mike Feinberg, Porter-Gaud director of safety and security. “In addition, we continually look at ways to improve campus security. We appreciate the professionalism and assistance of our faculty and staff, and we are grateful for our partnerships with the CCSO and CPD.”
Hours later, Sistrunk later returned to the apartment. Police again chased him. They captured him about 6:45 p.m. When he was arrested, he was carrying $7,700 cash, which was also seized, police said.
In Sistrunk’s apartment, police said they found and seized:
• 1,143 grams of fentanyl ($114,300);
• 1,249 grams of marijuana ($12,499);
• 682 Xanax pills ($34,640);
• An AK-47-style rifle;
• A 9mm pistol;
• A 5.7x28mm pistol; and
• Drug-manufacturing equipment, including a pill press.
Sistrunk faces charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, trafficking Schedule IV drugs and three counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
When Mike Shealy drives the back roads of rural South Carolina, he smiles when he sees orange conduits sticking out of the ground. They are signals that new internet connections are spreading like weeds. But while the percentage of households in rural areas without internet connections are among the highest in South Carolina, Charleston County has more actual households without broadband connections — almost 33,000. That’s more than several rural counties combined, according to U.S. Census data. Shealy, who recently served as budget director for the S.C. Senate, often travels the state to meet with regional councils of governments to encourage elected leaders to support efforts to use state and federal government funds to bring high-speed broadband connections to underserved rural communities.
The nation’s economy has changed so much that governments must assist in making “digital inclusion” possible for all of the estimated 2 million households in South Carolina, Shealy recently told the board of directors of the BerkeleyCharleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) meeting in North Charleston.
“We have reached the point that we have to provide this to everybody,” said Shealy, who works for the state Department of Administration as director of statewide leadership and special projects. “It is not an option anymore. It is the way we live, work and play.”
A statewide broadband needs survey is one of the first steps to access federal funding for internet expansion from the U.S. Department of Commerce, he said. The process also includes compiling com-
ments from regional listening sessions on what citizens want from the technology.
He encouraged the COG’s members to take the survey and share it with their constituents before an August deadline.
“What we are doing is compiling all of this information that we will then present to the National Information and Technology Administration that is part of the Department of Commerce,” he said. Once the surveys and a planning process are done “then we will get the keys to unlock grants,” he said. Shealy works in collaboration with the S.C. Broadband Office.
It’s estimated that more than 363,000 households in South Carolina lack internet connections, according to U.S Census data for 2016 to 2020. South Carolina is expected to spend $750 million over four years to connect the entire state, Shealy said.
The money is to be used to subsidize the work of some 20 internet service providers that are laying a web of fiber optic cable to homes, libraries and technical colleges.
Shealy said it is also important to provide digital training services to recently released prisoners so they can seek and gain employment. Money is also available to help lowincome residents afford an internet service, obtain a device such as a laptop or smartphone and training on how to use it.
Charleston County leads the state in the percentage of households — 93% — with
computing devices, such as smartphones and laptops. But 20.1% of Charleston County households — some 32,861 households — do not have internet subscriptions compared to 12% of the households in Greenville County and 15% in Richland County. Charleston County also leads in the digital gap over Berkeley and Dorchester counties, which report 17% and 16%, respectively, of households without an internet connection.
Shealy said the lower percentage of households without internet connections in mostly rural Berkeley and Dorchester counties is due to fewer internet services providers in those counties as compared to the more urban Charleston County.
He said it is a basic economic fact that companies will install more miles of fiber optic cable in areas where there are more potential customers. The digital gap in more densely populated counties, however, exists because residents might not be able to afford the service or they don’t understand the technology, he explained.
After Shealy finished his presentation to the regional COG the group’s board chairman Caldwell Pinckney Jr., a member of Berkeley County Council, reached out to shake his hand and to say he appreciates the work he’s doing. Pinckney told Shealy he represents Berkeley County, which is mostly rural, except for the fast-growing Cane Bay and Nexton communities.
A gap in broadband service “in rural areas is not a new phenomenon,” Pinckney said. “When it comes to those who are further away from the wheel they don’t seem to get all the grease they need, if any at all. People in rural Carolina and Berkeley County have always been behind the eight ball on this and a lot of other issues.”
Three North Charleston women were described as having filled three shopping baskets with candles on April 14 and leaving a Tanger Outlets store without paying. Whatever ritual they’re planning with all these candles, it must smell wonderful — and we want in.
Drug mug
Mount Pleasant police on April 20 responded to a call after a Mount Pleasant man discovered his favorite coffee mug and powdered creamer were misplaced in his apartment. Thinking little of it, he made a cup, and later said he “felt a little funny.” Yeah, he tested positive for methamphetamine, and he believes he was poisoned. Investigations are ongoing.
The feng shui is just perfect A Mount Pleasant woman on April 18 told Mount Pleasant police that an elderly man repeatedly trespasses onto her property to stare into her living room window. Video footage shows once a week, the same man parks the same red sedan in her driveway, exits the vehicle and stares into the window for a while. Maybe he’s just looking for interior design inspiration?
By Skyler Baldwin Illustration by Steve Stegelin
The Blotter is taken from reports filed with area police departments between March 30 and April 20.
Go online for more even more Blotter charlestoncitypaper.com
If you want to be a big cheese in the game Monopoly, buy hotels. But the game’s rules limit one to buying a single hotel per property or street — and only after you’ve bought at least four houses.
At the outset, the rules of Monopoly prioritize the value of homes (community) over hotels (imported, temporary community). The rules also limit hotels to one per street. And even with these rules, people playing the game can get rich, live long and prosper.
Maybe the city of Charleston needs to take a cue from Monopoly: It’s time to stop allowing so many hotels. We don’t need any more hotel rooms. We have enough. In fact, we’ve got so many that even visitors spending money in restaurants and shops are feeling crowded. The streets are so clogged that it takes an ungodly amount of time to traverse the peninsula.
The number of hotels and other accommodations on the peninsula has skyrocketed. In the 20 years starting in 2002, the number of hotel rooms rose almost 40% to 4,656 rooms. Add the city’s peninsular allocation of 490 short-term rentals and there are well over 5,100 rooms for rent these days on the peninsula.
Maybe we’d need more if those we already have were full. But they’re not. Across the Charleston area, hotel occupancy ranged from 45% in January 2022 to a high of about 80% three months later. It hovered above 70% from March through October.
“Occupancy decreased to 54.18% after peaking during the summer months of 2022,” according to a January 2023
analysis by Colliers South Carolina.
Turn around the way you look at the occupancy rate: It also means at least 30% of rooms are empty for half the year. So explain again why we need more hotels?
Here’s what Colliers says: “Luxury travel continues to be strong. New construction and hotel development in Charleston are signs of a healthy growing market. Charleston hotels remain a popular investment asset class in the current inflationary environment.”
Translated, that means analysts believe more people will visit and that developing more properties is a good investment. Property owners don’t want to miss out on a big payday — even though they’ve had years to do so. And developers want to do what they do — make things that are bigger, grander and more expensive than now so they can make money, too.
Unfortunately, all of this development avarice is changing the character of Charleston. About the only time it feels like the old Charleston — a pleasant city to walk uncrowded streets and enjoy beautiful homes, gardens and shops — is very early in the morning when most people are wiping the crust from their eyes.
We implore city leaders to clamp down on more hotels and to get rampant commercial development under control. To do otherwise will cause Charleston to topple from the top of those tourist lists that city boosters prize. And then, there will be a lot more empty hotel rooms.
Let’s follow the economic law of scarcity — that if there’s a limited supply, the perception of value increases — not of the tenets of oversupply and greed.
Andy Brack
Cris Temples
Samantha Connors
NEWS
Staff: Skyler Baldwin, Herb Frazier, Chelsea Grinstead, Chloe Hogan, Hillary Reaves
Cartoonists: Robert Ariail, Steve Stegelin
Photographer: Rūta Smith
Contributors: Kate Bryan, Elise DeVoe, Amethyst Ganaway, Vincent Harris, Helen Mitternight, Kyle Petersen, Michael Pham, Abby Tierney, Kevin Wilson, Kevin Young
Published by City Paper Publishing, LLC
Views expressed in Charleston City Paper cover the spectrum and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Charleston City Paper takes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. © 2023. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC. Material may not be reproduced without permission.
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By Amethyst Ganaway
Lowcountry matriarch, Gullah Geechee griot, community leader, mother, friend and New York Times bestselling cookbook author Emily Meggett died Friday, leaving behind a lifetime and legacy that most would find hard to compete or compare with.
Her recent rise to fame came last year with her bestselling cookbook, Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island, which featured recipes and stories written with journalist and now close friend, Kayla Stewart. Gullah Geechee Home Cooking serves as the preeminent cookbook Gullah foodways and culture, and introduced many to the life of Mrs. Meggett, her family and the community on Edisto Island.
“Ms. Emily” has been heralded in her community in Edisto and the greater Charleston area for decades. Known for her delicious food and catering experience, kind spirit and loving nature, she so loved being of service to others. She would keep her kitchen door open to let people know she had a meal to share with whomever found themselves at her doorstep. She would also often deliver food across the Lowcountry to those in need and to those who requested her services. When she could no longer travel on her own, her family would take up the cause for her, continuing the work their elder had started.
Meggett was the recipient of many recent accolades. She was honored by President Joe Biden in 2022 with the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg declared July 22 “Emily Meggett Day” the same year. This year, she was honored at Charleston Wine + Food alongside Gullah Geechee matriarchs
Sallie Ann Robinson, Natalie Daise, Charlotte Jenkins, and the families of Martha Lou Gasden (Martha Lou’s) and Alberta Grant (Bertha’s Kitchen) At 89, Ms. Emily became a New York Times bestselling author, although she had never owned a cookbook before.
Meggett died amongst her loved ones on April 21 at 90 years old. She leaves behind a family with 11 children and 50 grandchildren, and an extended network of friends, fans and community members. Her work serves as a testimony to the Lowcountry, specifically the Gullah Geechee culture and cuisine, and her long-lived life shows there is strength in love, family and community.
I personally mourn the loss of an elder and her knowledge and wisdom. But I find strength and joy in witnessing the legacy that she leaves behind. Almost one year exactly to the day of her book release, Ms. Emily was called home. So, like her family did for her before, I hope that we take her life as an example to be of service to one another, to take care of each other and the land around us, and to live our lives to our fullest extent.
he grind never stops for Charleston musicians. Besides touring, gigging and recording, tons of artists are applying their enterprising minds to other interests.
Some of those musicians — including a pop artist writing crime novels, a Southern soul guitarist doubling as a carpenter, a vocalist launching a nonprofit and a recording artist compiling animated art — said their pursuits became a balancing force in their lives.
As a singer, LaFaye Benton, known simply as LaFaye, encompasses rock ‘n’ roll, funk and soul in her performances with her ensemble LaFaye & the Fellas. So it’s not surprising her new community engagement organization, Auntie’s House, and hat design venture, Fine Line Brims, stem from varying interests.
The hat designing, which has since branched out into outerwear, is how the former Army vocalist puts her creative stamp on items that need a little love.
“I’ve learned that my community trusts that whatever I bring — whether it’s in a band or whether it’s me designing something for someone — there’s going to be something for everybody,” said LaFaye, who lives in Summerville.
When she took a position as a substitute teacher for Charleston and Berkeley county school districts last year, the job quickly turned into a passion for helping students see their potential, and her vision for Auntie’s House solidified. It doubles as both a community organization and a production company to benefit youth, bring together Charleston organizations and promote live music.
The Auntie’s House February launch event, in honor of Black History Month, showcased student performances and highlighted Black entrepreneurs and creatives locally and internationally.
“With my performing, I want everybody to feel like I’m singing the song to you,” LaFaye said. “I want you to feel that I care. I want everybody to feel that appreciation. So, I try to take that same type of love that I have for people and pour it into these kids with Auntie’s House.
“The production side,” she added, “is dedicated to helping artists to get themselves out there — to help them with their careers.”
LaFaye is currently planning an Auntie’s House back-to-school bash in the fall with live entertainment and kids activities, plus a backpack and school supply drive. She said she aims to secure nonprofit status by the fall.
“As cliched as it sounds, my family and friends are my motivation,” she said. “I realize how much they put into supporting me. People don’t have to share your stuff. People don’t have to show up to your shows. People don’t have to listen to your music. My family and friends … they truly keep me going.”
Guitarist/vocalist Campbell Brown of James Island works with his hands not only as a musician, but also as a carpenter.
“I don’t think I could go without either one,” Brown said. “And you have to be careful, because you don’t want it to take over and become too much of a grind.”
Custom woodwork is his predilection because it requires considerable time and detail, he said. He also works in home construction jobs such as decking, patio design and remodeling with his business, Water Street Craftsman.
After playing in the rock band Live Oak for 10 years out of the College of Charleston, Campbell has been a member of local roots rock act Gaslight Street since 2011 and soul rock band Broken Speakers since 2020. He was introduced to the carpentry trade in 1998 as he helped to rebuild his family’s dock in Perdido Bay, Florida, after a hurricane knocked it down. (He would end up rebuilding that dock several times.)
In addition to custom furniture, Campbell enjoys building guitar amps with repurposed wood. Recent pieces include a Fender Hot Rod Deville amp and an old Fender Custom Vibrolux model from the 1950s. He researches the specs, designs the piece and chooses the wood. Usually, he sources material for his woodworking projects from houses he renovates.
“The Deville amp has heart pine from a house on Water Street. It’s 100-something-year-old flooring,” he said. “The Deluxe has this Brazilian hardwood I collected off of decks I’ve built on Isle of Palms. I definitely like to recycle, and reclaimed wood is the best way to do that. It’s also got a history.”
Charleston singer-songwriter Ryan Lill’s saccharine pop and piano ballads are a world away from his fiction writing. With one cerebral, warped crime novel titled On A Wire under his belt, Lill will release another whodunit thriller, Into The Pines, on July 4.
“I don’t think I ever really imagined that I would write a book,” Lill said. “It does get harder as I get older to write music because I find that all the things that I’ve wanted to say — there’s an end to them. I feel like writing books is different because I get to change the story.”
The age-old adage is “write what you know,” Lill said. As someone who regularly watches murder documentaries and listens to crime podcasts, he wanted to write something that would be difficult for the reader to guess the twist.
Into The Pines has a “thriller, horror, cat-and-mouse in the woods of South Carolina kind of vibe,” he said. It’s about a podcast host, Eyvette, who goes looking for her childhood love interest, Charlene, who is the second woman to go missing in the woods in their hometown of Travelers Rest.
As he creates promotional posts for his music and fiction, Lill said he’s unearthing the adaptability to navigate an often hostile social media environment.
“It’s OK for me to live authentically. And if someone is hating on me — it’s about them not about me. It’s really hard to accept that when you’re the one that’s getting the bullshit dropped on you, but I think that it keeps me motivated to resonate with other people.”
This summer, Lill is also launching a line of wellness products, Brother Larry Apothecary, with his husband Chris Washington. The products are about finding calm in the chaos — something Lill taps into with his fiction writing.
“Life is not one beautiful thing after another on a personal level,” he said. “You’re always fighting to find some kind of comfort in everything bad that’s happened to you.”
Recording artist Jack Powell of instrumental act Hot Mustard is the visual artist behind the eclectic, vintage fabrications of Opus Thimble Studios on Johns Island. His digital assemblage graphics and animations range from event posters to music videos and short films.
Powell’s background in digital photography, web design and animation dovetails with his love for found-object art, which he replicates in the digital realm by assembling found images and videos, like a collage, from public domain archives. He’s been collecting material for more than a decade.
“I won’t have an idea until I find something — it’s the same as a sculpture artist who makes pieces out of metal and stuff that they find, it just occurs for me in the digital space,” Powell said. “It all happened organically and made sense.
“My art has an old, nostalgic vibe to it — it’s like the stuff you find in antique stores.”
At this point, he has a huge archive of things he hasn’t used. “There’s this ‘thrill of the hunt’ kind of thing,” he said, laughing.
But Powell said over the past few years he’s been intentional about revisiting his material he’s compiled.
“I force myself to stay in that space sometimes. It’s the same with the music — making yourself open to receive, being able to sit down and just say, ‘I’m going to spend the next couple hours seeing what happens.’ ”
He said finishing a project becomes easier each time, because he’s learned to recognize when a piece is saying what he wants it to say.
“I think that there’s also some level of fear when you’re doing creative work: Am I going to be able to replicate it? Can I do it again? It’s a lot of pressure, but you get used to it, and it becomes less discomforting and more fun. That’s where I am now. It’s the best place I’ve ever been.”
Festival Finale May 13 at Walterboro Wildlife Center
Charleston-born Jordan Igoe is a magnetic, genuine singersongwriter, whose songs are as Southern and soulful as she is. The multi-instrumentalist has been playing professionally for 15 years as a solo performer. Her raw, soulful voice immediately grabs the listener and takes hold by reflecting classic voices like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. Igoe’s songwriting holds heart-stabbing truths and a delivery that is reminiscent of modern songbirds Fiona Apple and Brandi Carlile. On Feb. 14, 2014, Igoe released her debut album entitled, How to Love. Since then, she has had positive critical response both locally and regionally.
Lane is originally from Okinawa, Japan, and moved to the United States at age 13. She founded Taka Miaygi Live Art in 2022. It is her mission to share the beauty of art and creativity, never turning down a person’s curiosity about art. Today she calls Walterboro home and loves living in Colleton County because it is filled with artists who value supporting others. Walterboro is also close to cities where she regularly paints such as Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah and Jacksonville.She also has an array of paintings available for purchase at the Artists’ Hub of the A.C.E. basin and her WHAM! Festival art will be on exhibit in the art gallery at the Colleton Museum and Farmers Market located at 506 East Washington St.
WALTERBORO HISTORY
MAY 5 - 13
DONALD SWEEPER
Growing up Gullah
Presenting: 11 AM, 5/6 Market Hall at Colleton Museum & Farmers Market
Donald Sweeper gives a historical account of stories shared with him by his ancestors and members from the community in which he grew up. He will share Gullah forklore and traditions, rites of passage performed by many of the African American churches from Reconstruction to the early 1970s. He will translate Gullah into English for the audience. He performs for people of all ages and takes them into a culture to help better understand the issues of those who came before us.
CELEBRATION
MAY 1- 31
COLLABORATIVE TRAVELING
MURAL
Various mobile library locations, various times
RUN FOR PON PON THE WALTERBOROUGH
17.83
Register: Runsignup.com
MAY 5 - 13
ART GALLERY
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market and Walterboro Wildlife Center. Follow operating hours for each location.
MAY 5
LOWCOUNTRY BOIL COMPETITION & KICKOFF
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 4 p.m. Cook-off 6 p.m. Tasting
MAY 6
SEASON OPENING:
FARMERS MARKET
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
NATURE WALK WITH JEFF
DENNIS
Washington Street Entrance to Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary, 9 a.m.
PALMETTO BRICKS EXPO
Walterboro Wildlife Center, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
GROWING UP GULLAH
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 11 a.m.
HERB GARDEN WORKSHOP
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 1 p.m.
PETER PAN PERFORMANCE
Colleton Civic Center, 5 p.m.
MAY 9
CANVASES WITH CATHY Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 6 p.m.
MAY 11
PAINTING WITH SHELBY SLAUGHTER
Colleton Memorial Library, 6 p.m.
TOUR OF PON PON CHAPEL OF EASE & QUARTERLY MEETING
Pon Pon Chapel of Ease, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
MAY 12 & 15
THE ADDAMS FAMILY MUSICAL
Colleton County High School Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
MAY 13
FARMERS MARKET
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
SIDEWALK ART PARTY Colleton Memorial Library, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
INDIGO DYEING WORKSHOP
Colleton Museum & Farmers Market, 11 a.m.
WHAM FESTIVAL FINALE Featuring The Boone Hall Plantation Singers, The Mahoganëë Xperience & Mr. Bounce Back, and Jordan Igoe plus food trucks, art awards and Colleton Children’s Theatre
Walterboro Wildlife Center, 5 p.m.
Next weekend is your last chance to see 34 West Theater Company’s 2019 sellout show Can’t Buy Me Love. This original story follows a career-driven executive who must get married in three days in order to win an inheritance. An innovative ’80s-inspired show, Can’t Buy Me Love is perfect for date night or an evening with friends. Along with the entertainment, enjoy a menu of Champagne cocktails, wine, craft beers, coke floats and savory snacks.
Through May 5. Show times and ticket prices vary. 34 West Theater. 200 Meeting St. Downtown. 34West.org
SATURDAYS
The Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square is back, open each Saturday in April through the end of November. The market is dedicated to the support and advocacy of Lowcountry farmers, growers, artisans, crafters, performers and more. Drop by and shop the market stands or kick back and enjoy live performances from community musicians.
Saturdays through November. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 329 Meeting St. Downtown. CharlestonFarmersMarket.com
SATURDAY
MONDAY
2 3 4 5 1
Renowned comedian Andy Forrester is joining the hilarious lineup of professional comedians coming to Moncks Corner for a crazy low price. Forrester’s off-thewall humor has made him a favorite across the country for over 20 years. He’s worked with legends like Louie Anderson, Jimmie “JJ” Walker, Gilbert Gottfried, Marc Maron and more. Grab your tickets online before the show sells out.
May 1. 7:30-10 p.m. $12. Dreamers Restaurant. 312 Rembert C. Dennis Blvd. Moncks Corner. KeithDeeComedy.com
Whether it’s onion skins or annatto seeds from the local grocer, goldenrod picked from a roadside or more exotic materials such as indigo, cochineal or madder root, natural dyes have been cultivated and traded worldwide for centuries. Participants will learn from local fiber artist Kristy Bishop how to dye their own silk-wool-blend scarf after experimenting with different recipe fabric samples.
April 29. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $120/members; $150/nonmembers. The Dill Sanctuary. 1163 Riverland Drive. James Island. CharlestonMuseum.org
SUNDAY
Join Two Blokes Brewing for a fundraising event this weekend supporting the 20th annual Moms’ Run. A portion of sales from participating food truck Taternator and 100% of special dish sales will go to support Postpartum Support Charleston. Bring the family and enjoy a fun afternoon and support a good cause at the same time.
April 30. Noon-5 p.m. Free. Two Blokes Brewing. 547 Long Point Road, Suite 101. Mount Pleasant. TwoBlokesBrewing.com
Artifacts
Hari Kondabolu brings his new comedy special Vacation Baby to Charleston May 15 with two hours of stand-up, which he called a “list of demands with punchlines.”
Kondabolu is a Queens-raised Brooklyn-based comedian and writer with a list of impressive credits to his name, including performances on Comedy Central, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show with David Letterman. He’s been described by The New York Times as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up.”
He’s previously released two chart-topping comedy albums, a Netflix comedy special and more. Kondabolu is perhaps best known for his critically acclaimed 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu. Centered around the stereotypical East Indian cartoon character on The Simpsons (who has since been removed from the series), the documentary started a conversation about race and representation which continues to this day.
Kondabolu’s Charleston performance includes his newest comedy special Vacation Baby plus one hour of brand-new material. It’s his second visit to Charleston after a 2019 performance at Theatre 99, and he said he’s excited to be back. This time, he’ll take the stage at the Charleston Music Hall.
In Vacation Baby, Kondabulo talks about his experience as a new father. He said this special punctuates a moment of artistic growth, as he explores very personal topics alongside the political comedy he’s known for.
“I’m going to be talking about the big issues, whether that’s police brutality or transphobia or, you know, just kind of criticizing how capitalism works in this country.
“Vacation Baby, it has an element of being personal, but is also how I feel about the world and what I want to change.”
Kondabolu is no stranger to criticism for his brand of political humor — he even received death threats after The Problem with Apu. Six years after the film premiered, Kondabolu reflected on the “pros and cons” of that experience.
“I feel like the conversation I had to start was useful to a lot of people. The documentary is used in college classrooms and high school classrooms. It has a value I certainly didn’t anticipate when I made it. It certainly made a bigger imprint than I expected. So I’m grateful for the fact that I contributed to a conversation I value, and that it really resonated with people.
“But at the same time, I’m not particularly happy with the kind of negativity I still get around it, especially from people who haven’t seen it.”
Kondabolu said many of his criticisms came from people who used the film as an excuse to complain about “political correctness gone wild.
“This was just another thing that they could bring up to say ‘everyone’s too sensitive; everyone’s a snowflake’ as opposed to
Charleston Music Hall hosts PechaKucha
watching the thing and coming up with reasons to disagree with it.”
Kondabolu said most people don’t know he’s developed a friendship with The Simpsons creator Hank Azria, who even appeared in a recent promotion for Vacation Baby.
“The conversation I’ve had with [Azira] is very different from the conversation that’s happening publicly, and that’s because he’s put a lot of work into thinking about the issues I brought up.”
“[People also miss] the fact that I’m a Simpsons fan! It’s one of the big influences on my comedy. The idea that I don’t ‘get the show,’ or I don’t know what it’s about, it’s like, no, that’s the thing — I try to make it nuanced. This from the perspective of somebody who loves the show and also feels weird about the fact that this character really kind of painted what my community looked like for the longest time.”
When asked what he would advise his younger self early in his comedy career, Kondabolu said he would go back and tell himself to develop a thick skin.
“When you’re going out there and trying to be honest about how you feel about the world, it means that a lot of people will disagree with you. And it’s completely worth it, because the laughter you get and the joy you bring by far outnumbers the feeling you have when people are being terrible.
“Every time I’m on stage, it’s still this wonderful feeling that I’m performing for a bunch of friends I haven’t met yet. That’s what it feels like. We’re not friends yet, but I feel like we’re going to be because we’re resonating.”
To purchase tickets, visit CharlestonMusicHall.com
Arts Fest block party returns for 40th year
Catch First Friday art walk
By Kevin Murphy Wilson
Tanya Christopher founded Lily’s Burlesque in May 2021 with a particular vision: bringing Las Vegas-style performances to Lowcountry stages. According to Kiara Star, who assumed ownership of the organization in December 2022, Christopher boldly sought to bring a “modern, big-city feel to Charleston,” a place in which she sensed there was a budding scene for burlesque.
Star told the Charleston City Paper that the mission of the group appealed to her, in part, because it aligned perfectly with her own education and experience.
“I have always enjoyed being active and first discovered dance as an art form during high school,” Star said. “In college, I was able to continue my dance training and learn about different styles of dance, including classic burlesque. During this time, I also began working at a local night club, which truly began my journey with dance as an expressionist art form.”
Indulging in risqué entertainment is only part of the draw for Star. To her, this endeavor is also centered around empowerment — for herself and anyone else who cares to come along for the ride.
“As a female-founded and female, minority-owned business, Lily’s aims
to welcome all who want to join a place to enjoy and learn about the art of the tease,” she said. “Our ensemble comes from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but on the stage, we all have a home together.”
While she functions as the owner, artistic director and producer, Star is quick to point out that Lily’s Burlesque depends on the dedicated ensemble of performers who also step into various supporting roles, like costume design. “Many think burlesque is easy and that it doesn’t take a lot to do,” Star said. “On the contrary, burlesque is a practiced art form that can take years to hone and relies on very specific collaborations.”
Although she now carries the weight of small business ownership, Star somehow manages to maintain a good sense of humor about it all. Of course, it helps that her field has historically leaned into the more comedic aspects of life. “Burlesque began as a satire,” Star said, “and was closely related to the cirque scene of Vaudeville.
“Lily’s Burlesque, now as a modern burlesque company, continues to combine dancers, aerialists, acrobats, vocalists and other performers to create a spectacular show with a sexy twist. We work closely with Out on a Limb acro and circus to produce new aerial and acrobatic acts to bring
to the Lily’s stage.”
Star added there is always an interesting musical backdrop to these shows, including hip-hop, country and even vintage-style renditions of popular songs.
There’s really nothing quite like it in town. Unfortunately, the over-the-top work that Star is engaged in with burlesque is often misunderstood and underappreciated by the public at-large, she said.
“As you can imagine, there are many misperceptions and judgments of burlesque,” Star said. “The most obvious is that burlesque is no more than skin deep, when in fact most of our performers have had really impactful and positive changes in their personal lives due to burlesque. We also deal with a lot of lack of respect, and often we have to open our own doors.”
Even so, Star admits those metaphorical doors leading to a world of greater acceptance do seem to have flung open wide recently in Charleston and beyond.
Lily’s Burlesque has an upcoming show April 29 at the Charleston Music Hall in addition to monthly performances at The Purple Buffalo and Forte Jazz Lounge with The Gatsby Orchestra. Follow @lilysburlesque on Instagram to learn about future performances including larger shows with aerialists and acrobats.
Owner of Lasy Chef pop-up Richella Acosta is anything but lazy. She held her first pop-up at Bar Rollins downtown on Valentine’s Day this year, slinging gluten-free and vegetarian Filipino food made with ingredients from her home garden. But before this event, Lasy Chef was just an Instagram account meant to keep her healthy eating habits on track.
“I started [the account] for no reason other than to hold myself accountable for eating good and healthy,” she said. She created the Lasy Chef account in 2018 with the handle @lasychef (@lazychef was taken, she said), posting photos and videos of food she made in her home kitchen. After moving out of her parents’ North Charleston house to attend College of Charleston, Acosta wanted to prove to herself and her friends that making a home-cooked meal doesn’t take a lot of work.
The support of her friends eventually pushed her out of her home kitchen and towards her pop-up concept.
“I’ve always hosted dinners at my house, fed my friends and had little picnics,” Acosta said. “And people have always been like, ‘OK, Richella, whenever you start a restaurant or start feeding other people, let me know and we’ll be there!’”
Acosta recognized the potential of launching a pop-up in Charleston.
“I’ve worked in food and bev in Charleston for a while now and saw that pop-ups were exponentially growing,” she said. “I just think it’s a really cool structure because you don’t have to invest money upfront and or have a kitchen or food truck. It’s a way for people that don’t have that money off the bat to still get their name out there.”
Acosta specializes in Filipino cuisine, which is normally meat-heavy, and instead uses vegetarian and sustainably sourced ingredients in addition to offering gluten-free and vegan options.
“It’s exciting because I’ve been cooking vegetables and cooking as a vegetarian for years,” she said. “So even though I’m not vegetarian anymore, with that experience, it’s like I’m always thinking with those people in mind.”
Valentine’s Day was the perfect time to showcase her meals to a wider audience, she said.
“Building that first menu was like, ‘Oh, what little gifts would I give to my friends for Valentine’s Day to show them that I love them?’” she said. “It ended up just flowing really easily because they were honestly things that I was excited about and excited to share with my friends, and it did feel
like a special little gift.”
Some of the menu items at the pop-up were bright-red beet hummus, heart-shaped savory squash, caramelized hand pies and periwinkle-colored focaccia bread tinted with butterfly pea flower. All the items were created to taste good and appear aesthetically pleasing on the plate.
Acosta has participated in two more pop-ups since launching earlier this year. Her second pop-up at Bar Rollins was on the spring equinox, followed by an Earth Day collaboration with Filipino and Asian fusion pop-up Bok Choy Boy.
“It’s really exciting making Filipino food because I feel like I grew up in America, and I don’t speak Tagalog (the Filipino language),” she said, “so, the way that I’ve been connecting with my family and my ancestry more is always through food.”
Acosta grew up surrounded by horticulture and gardening, thanks to her parents who moved to Charleston from the Philippines when she was young because of the similar humid, tropical climates.
At her parent’s home, her dad has transformed the backyard into a luscious garden with fruits and vegetables native to the Philippines, like bittermelon, upo (also known as bottle gourd) and moringa, a plant often used in soups. This childhood oasis, as she called it, has extended to her own home.
Acosta said this horticulture and gardening background is part of the ethos of cooking “lazy.” After picking produce from her home garden or from a market, she can just throw everything together for a delicious, healthy meal, she explained.
“When it comes down to bringing it into the kitchen, you don’t have to nuke the ingredients or spend 40 minutes cooking these things. You should be celebrating the natural flavors that come from all these delicious ingredients that you source.”
This homegrown approach has extended to Acosta’s other passions or “identities,” as she calls it, such as her musician moniker DJ Dijon of Rave Salon, a DIY underground collective of DJs and electronic music producers.
“That’s also why I felt really excited about the pop-up scene growing, because it is this kind of DIY approach,” she said. “[Pop-up chefs are] finding a way to get their food to the people, which is really, really cool to me.”
Chef Vivian Howard announced new dates for monthly book club events at Lenoir in collaboration with Buxton Books. Each event features a cocktail and conversation between Howard and the author, followed by a book signing and meet-and-greet with bites and drinks. Tickets are available for purchase through Resy.
Owners of Le Farfalle , Michael and Caitlin Toscano, will open their third food concept, da Toscano Porchetta Shop, later this spring. The da Toscano Porchetta Shop is inspired by the sandwich stalls found along the streets of Italian cities.
Jalisco Taqueria, hosts its Cinco de Mayo Parking Lot Party from 4-9 p.m. May 5. The Folly Road restaurant invites partygoers to its parking lot to enjoy a margarita bar and tacos. All ages are welcome at this free event. Sharehouse and Bodega are hosting a Spring Fling from noon-6 p.m. May 7 in collaboration with culinary event company The Drifter. The event includes live entertainment, shopping from local
vendors and bites from The Drifter. The event is free to attend.
John Lewis of Rancho Lewis and his team welcome James Beard-nominated chef Philip Speer for a collaborative dinner May 15. “From The Rio to Rancho: A Culinary Tour” celebrates the culinary traditions of the South and West Texas borders. The dinner is $60 per person with cocktail, beer and wine pairings served a la carte. Rancho Lewis will also offer a nonalcoholic pairing for the dinner with proceeds benefiting Ben’s Friends. Make reservations through Resy.
Coterie hosts Rijsttafel Night , a Batik kitchen and Adventure Club bar takeover. Rijsttafel is a meal of different small dishes accompanied by rice. Diners have the option of a meat-based meal for $60 or vegetarian for $45. Each meal is intended for two people, and tickets can be purchased through Resy or OpenTable.
The Fish & Chippy on Belle Station Boulevard celebrates the King’s Coronation May 5-6 with live music, limited edition Edmund’s Oast Cask Ale and new menu items. —Hillary Reaves
Be the first to know. Read the Cuisine section at charlestoncitypaper.com.
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Music
KAYLA SCHIEFERLY, DAN HUNT, AND CORY SEPRISH DEFENDANTS.
IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILD BORN 2009; 2012.
TO DEFENDANT: KAYLA
SCHIEFERLY
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YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the Clerk of Court for Berkeley County on October 13, 2022. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Berkeley County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, W-Tracy Brown Legal Department of the Berkeley County Department of Social Services, 2 Belt Dr. Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461 within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. W- Tracy Brown, SC Bar # 5832 2 Belt Dr. Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-719-1007.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF BERKELEY
IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2022-DR-08-1941
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
TIERRA WILLIAMS AND KHRYSTYNE NESBITT, DEFENDANTS. IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILD BORN 2011.
TO DEFENDANT: KHRYSTNE NESBITT
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the Clerk of Court for Berkeley County on November 8, 2022. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Berkeley County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, W-Tracy Brown, Legal Department of the Berkeley County Department of Social Services, 2 Belt Dr. Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461 within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. W-Tracy Brown SC Bar # 5832, 2 Belt Dr. Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-719-1007.
and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the Clerk of Court for CHARLESTON County on January 3, 2023. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Charleston County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, Sally R. Young, Legal Department of the Charleston County Department of Social Services, 3685 Rivers Ave., Suite 101, N. Charleston, South Carolina 29405-5714 within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. Sally R. Young, SC Bar # 4686, 3685 Rivers Ave., Suite 101, N. Charleston, South Carolina 29405-5714, (843) 953-9625.
MORE CLASSIFIEDS ONLINE
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
TIMOTHY HILL, JAKEL SIMMONS, AMBER OWENS. DEFENDANTS.
IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILD BORN 2005
TO DEFENDANT: TIMOTHY HILL YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the Clerk of Court for CHARLESTON County on December 19, 2022. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Charleston County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, Sally R. Young, Legal Department of the Charleston County Department of Social Services, 3685 Rivers Ave., Suite 101, N. Charleston, South Carolina 29405-5714 within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. Sally R. Young, SC Bar # 4686, 3685 Rivers Ave., Suite 101, N. Charleston, South Carolina 29405-5714, (843) 953-9625.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF BERKELEY
IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2022-DR- 08-422
Clerk of Court for Berkeley County on May 11, 2022. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Berkeley County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, W- Tracy Brown, Legal Department of the Berkeley County Department of Social Services, 2 Belt Drive, Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461 within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. W-Tracy Brown SC Bar # 5832, 2 Belt Dr. Moncks Corner, SC 29461, 843-719-1007.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF BERKELEY IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2022-DR-08-442
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
JERLINE BAYLOCK, BENJAMIN HARPER, SHAQUNDA BANNISTER, AND MIKELL WILLIAMS, DEFENDANTS. IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILDREN BORN IN 2018, 2019, AND 2020.
TO DEFENDANT: MIKELL WILLIAMS YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the Clerk of Court for Berkeley County on March 23, 2022 at 11:23 a.m. Upon proof of interest, a copy of the Complaint will be delivered to you upon request from the Berkeley County Clerk of Court, and you must serve a copy of your Answer to the Complaint on the Plaintiff, the South Carolina Department of Social Services, at the office of its Attorney, W. Tracy Brown, Legal Department of the Berkeley County Department of Social Services, 2 Belt Drive, Moncks Corner, SC 29461, within thirty (30) days of this publication, exclusive of the date of service. If you fail to answer within the time set forth above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. W. Tracy Brown, SC Bar # 5832, 2 Belt Drive, Moncks Corner, SC 29461. (843) 719-1007.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2022-DR-10-2706 SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
Tracee Jackson, Anthony Johnson, Quentin Grant, and Akeem Grant DEFENDANTS.
IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILDREN BORN 2006, 2009, 2011, & 2012
above, the Plaintiff will proceed to seek relief from the Court. Daniel A. Beck,SC Bar #104335, 3685 Rivers Avenue, Charleston, S.C. 29405,(843) 953-9625.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF DORCHESTER
IN THE FAMILY COURT FIRST JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 2023-DR-18-470
South Carolina Department of Social Services, Plaintiff, vs. John Doe and Jane Doe Defendants.
IN THE INTEREST OF: Baby Boy Doe
DOB: 4/1/2023
Minors Under the Age of 18
SUMMONS [Permanency Planning]
S.C. Code Ann. § 63-7-40
TO: JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and served with Summons and Motion for Permanency in this action. You are not required to file an answer, but if you do, you should serve a copy of your answer upon plaintiff through its attorney at Sally C. Dey, 216 Orangeburg Road, Summerville, SC 29483.
A permanency planning hearing will be held pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. § 63-at the DORCHESTERCounty Family Court on May 11, 2023 at 1:30 pm.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that: (1) the guardian ad litem (GAL) who is appointed by the court in this action to represent the best interests of the child(ren) will provide the family court with a written report that includes an evaluation and assessment of the issues brought before the court along with recommendations; (2) the GAL’s written report will be available for review twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the hearing; (3) you may review the report at the GAL Program county office.
S. C. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Sally C. Dey Attorney for Plaintiff South Carolina Department of Social Services 216 Orangeburg Road Summerville, SC 29483 67778
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO.: 2023-CP-10-01099
The Bank of New York Mellon, f/k/a The Bank of New York as successor in interest to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as Trustee for NovaStar Mortgage Funding Trust, Series 2005-1, NovaStar Home Equity Loan Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2005-1, Plaintiff, v. Flossie Elmore a/k/a Flossie L. Elmore; Theresa M. Matthews; Westchester Civic Association; City of Charleston, Defendant(s).
America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES, AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY:
YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by Attorney for Plaintiff.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference or the Court may issue a general Order of Reference of this action to a Master-in-Equity/ Special Referee, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that under the provisions of S.C. Code Ann. § 29-3-100, effective June 16, 1993, any collateral assignment of rents contained in the referenced Mortgage is perfected and Attorney for Plaintiff hereby gives notice that all rents shall be payable directly to it by delivery to its undersigned attorneys from the date of default. In the alternative, Plaintiff will move before a judge of this Circuit on the 10th day after service hereof, or as soon thereafter as counsel may be heard, for an Order enforcing the assignment of rents, if any, and compelling payment of all rents covered by such assignment directly to the Plaintiff, which motion is to be based upon the original Note and Mortgage herein and the Complaint attached hereto.
NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED:
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the original Complaint, Cover Sheet for Civil Actions and Certificate of Exemption from ADR in the above entitled action was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on March 6, 2023. A Notice of Foreclosure Intervention was also filed in the Clerk of Court’s Office.
Brock & Scott, PLLC 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110 Columbia, SC 29210 Phone (803) 454-3540 Fax (803) 454-3541
Attorneys for Plaintiff STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CASE NO.: 2022-CP-10-05199
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DOCKET NO. 2023-DR-10-0001
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
RILEY HILL, JAKEL SIMMONS, TIMOTHY HILL, ELIJAH DREW.
CHILD BORN 2020 TO DEFENDANT: TIMOTHY HILL YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED
SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
VERSUS
AMBER WADFORD, WILLIAM SCOTTY HARDIN, PHILLIP MARTIN, BRENDA HARDIN, AMY WADFORD GATLIN, AND STEPHANIE KIRVEN, DEFENDANTS.
IN THE INTERESTS OF: MINOR CHILDREN BORN 2019, 2020, 2022, 2018
TO DEFENDANT: STEPHANIE KIRVEN YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action filed with the
SUMMONS AND NOTICES
(Non-Jury)
FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE
TO THE DEFENDANT(S) ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to appear and defend by answering the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is hereby served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their offices at 3800 Fernandina Road, Suite 110, Columbia, SC 29210, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; except that the United States of
SHADOWMOSS PLANTATION HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC., Plaintiff, vs. CHARLES M. WRENN, JR. aka Charles M. Wrenn AND KIMBERLY WRENN, Defendants.
SUMMONS TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the subscribers at their office located at 858 Lowcountry Blvd., Suite 101, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, 29464, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the date of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against
you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
NOTICE OF FILING
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Summons, Lis Pendens, Notice and Complaint in the above action were filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on Novembers 10, 2022.
LIS PENDENS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action has been commenced by the Plaintiff against the Defendants to, among other things, foreclose a Notice of Lien attaching to the below described real property located in Charleston County, South Carolina, to-wit:
ALL that piece, parcel or lot of land with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate, lying and being in the City and County of Charleston, State of South Carolina, shown and designated as Lot 39 on a plat entitled “SHADOWMOSS PLANTATION, CITY OF CHARLESTON, CHARLESTON COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, PLAT SHOWING THE SUBDIVISION OF TRACT I TO SHOW PHASE B AND THE SUBDIVISION OF PHASE B, SECTION I”, made by George A. Z. Johnson, Jr., Inc., dated August 25, 1988, and recorded August 25, 1988 in Plat Book BT, Page 8, Register’s Office for Charleston County, SC. SAID lot having such size, shape, dimensions, buttings and boundings as will by reference to said plat more fully appear. BEING the same property conveyed to Charles M. Wrenn, Jr. and Kimberly B. Wrenn by deed of John A. Neuroth and Janet M. Neuroth, dated October 12,1995, and recorded October 12, 1995, in Book X-260, at Page 656, in the Charleston County Register’s Office.
TMS # 358-04-00-144. Street
Address: 98 Shadowmoss Parkway Charleston, SC 29414-6815.
CISA & DODDS, LLP
s/John J. Dodds, III 858 Lowcountry Blvd. Suite 101 Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464 (P) (843) 881-6530 john@cisadodds.com
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
CASE NO.: 2020-CP-10-01773
BETTY MANIGAULT, Plaintiff, vs.
RAYMOND MANIGAULT, LUCILLE
MANIGAULT AKINJOBI, RUFUS
MANIGAULT, SR., ESTELLE MANIGAULT, BENJAMIN MANIGAULT, MARIE MANIGAULT CHARLES, EDDIE MANIGAULT, JOHN
MANIGAULT, HAROLD WHITE, JR., MARY WHITE CHARLES, ELIJAH WHITE, KATHLEEN WHITE
JOHNSON, LAVERN WHITE, CLARENCE WHITE, LILLIE FREEMAN, ANDREW MANIGAULT, JR., BERNARD MANIGAULT, SR., DELFANE M. COAXUM, AUDREY DELORES MANIGAULT, CLAUDIA R. MANIGAULT
CASH, JAMES MANIGAULT, JR., CURTIS DON MANIGAULT, SR., TEMERTIS JOHNSON, SARAH
JANE GREENE, LISA PORCHER, DIANE JEFFERSON, CHERYL LAWRENCE, NINA HAMILTON, CRAVEN MANIGAULT, JANET GATHERS, DAN GATHERS, JOSEPH CHAMBERS, SHIRLEY M.
PATTON, HERMAN MANIGAULT, JR., BARRY E. MANIGAULT, ANTHONY MANIGAULT, JASON D. MANIGAULT, JOHN DOE and RICHARD ROE, infants, insane persons and incompetents, being fictitious names designating as a class any unknown person or entity who may be an heir, distributee, devisee, legatee, widower, widow, assign, administrator, executor, creditor, successor, personal representative, issue or alienee of TOM MANIGAULT, WILLIE MANIGAULT, ARTHUR MANIGAULT, THERESA MANIGAULT, THOMAS MANIGAULT, MAGGIE MANIGAULT, CATHERINE MANIGAULT WHITE, RUTH MANIGAULT, ANDREW MANIGAULT, SR., JAMES MANIGAULT, SR., SARAH MANIGAULT, THOMAS MANIGAULT, III, ISAAC MANIGAULT, ANNABELLE MANIGAULT GATHERS, JOSEPH MANIGAULT, HERMAN MANIGAULT, SR., SHIRLEY MANIGAULT ROSE MANIGAULT, KENYA MANIGAULT, aka Kenya Manigault Green FAITH MANIGAULT, BETTY JEAN MANIGAULT, all of whom are believed deceased, and any or all other persons or legal entities, known and unknown, claiming any right, title, interest or estate in or lien upon the parcel of real estate described in the Lis Pendens and Complaint herein filed, JOSEPH CHAMBERS and VIRGIL GREEN, Defendants.
SUMMONS
TO THE DEFENDANT, JOSEPH CHAMBERS:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the subscribers at their office located at 858 Lowcountry Blvd., Suite 101, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, 29464, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the date of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
NOTICE OF FILING
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Summons, Lis Pendens, Notice and Complaint in the above action were filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on April 7, 2020.
LIS PENDENS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action has been commenced by the Plaintiff against the Defendants to quiet title relative to the below described real property located in Charleston County, South Carolina and to partition in kind to Plaintiff a portion of the property upon which Plaintiff’s residence is located, to-wit:
All that certain piece, parcel or lot of land, situate, lying and being in Christ Church Parish, Charleston County, S.C. and containing 3.5 acres as shown on a Plat by W.L. Gaillard, Surv. The above mentioned lot having the following boundaries and dimensions- On the North by a road leading to the Hamlin Road, 227 feet - On the East by lands of Arthur Manigault, 990 feet - On the South by the marshes of the Inland Waterway, 102 feet - and on the West by lands of Hamlin, 1094 feet - Being a part of a 9.5 acre tract of which a resurvey revealed 10.8 acres.
This being the same property conveyed to Thomas Manigault by deed of Theresa Manigault and Arthur Manigault, dated April 1, 1968, recorded April 2, 1968, in Book Z-089, Page 376, in the ROD for Charleston County.
TMS No.: 577-00-00-037
CISA
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
CASE NO. 2023-CP-10-01221
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
Plaintiff, -vsSuzanne A. Lanier; Marvin H. Smalley; South Carolina Department of Revenue Defendants
SUMMONS
(Deficiency Judgment Demanded)
(Mortgage Foreclosure) Non-Jury
TO THE DEFENDANT(S), Marvin H. Smalley
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their office, 1640 St. Julian Place, Columbia, SC 29204, within (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer to Complaint within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for a judgment by default granting the relief demanded in the Complaint.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOME THE MINOR(S) RESIDE(S), AN/OR TO PERSON UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABLILITY, INCOMPLETENTS AND PERSONS CONFINED AND PEERSON IN THE MILITARY: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFED to apply for the appointment of a Guardian ad Litem within (30) days after service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff.
NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT the Summons and Complaint in the above-captioned action were filed on March 13, 2023, in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston, South Carolina.
NOTICE OF RIGHT TO FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the Supreme Court of South Carolina Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may have a right to Foreclosure Intervention.
To be considered for any available Foreclosure Intervention, you must communicate with an otherwise deal with Plaintiff through its law firm, Crawford & von Keller, LLC. You must communicate any requests for Foreclosure Intervention consideration to Crawford & von Keller, LLC. within thirty (30) days from your receipt of this Notice by writing to the undersigned attorney P.O. Box 4216, Columbia, SC 29240 or calling 803-592-3863.
IF YOU FAIL TO COMMUNICATE AN INTEREST IN BEING EVALUATED FOR FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION TO THE PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER BEING SERVED WITH THIS NOTICE, THEN THE PLAINTIFF WILL CONSIDER SUCH FAILURE AN ELECTION NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION AND WILL PROCEED WITH THE FORECLOSURE ACTION.
Crawford & von Keller, LLC PO Box 4216 1640 St. Julian Place (29204) Columbia, SC 29204
Phone: 803-790-2626
Email: court@crawfordvk.com
Attorneys for Plaintiff
CASE NUMBER: 2023-CP-10-01062
Elizabeth Alston-Santos, George Alston, Barbara A. Burroughs, Patricia Alston Plaintiffs, vs.
Katrina Brown Ancrum, Wallace Lamone Alston, Cassandra Alston and Pamela Sanchez, and Cedric Alston, S.C. Department of Revenue, South Carolina Employment and Workforce, Peoples Finance, South Carolina Federal Credit Union, Midland Funding, LLC, Republic Finance, LLC, Hattie Anderson, and John Doe and Jane Doe, whose true names are unknown and fictitious names designating the unknown heirs, devisees, distributees, issues, and executors, administrators, successors, or assigns of the abovenamed Defendants, if they or any of them be dead, and of Hezekiah Alston Sr., Hezekiah Alston, Jr., Lorenzo Alston, Margaret Alston Brown, Leroy Alston, Wallace Alston, all deceased and Mary Roe and Richard Roe, whose true names are unknown and fictitious names designating infants, persons under disability, incompetents, imprisoned, or those person in the military, if any; and also all other persons, known or whose true names are unknown, claiming any right, title, interest in or lien upon the real estate described in the Complaint herein. Defendants.
PUBLICATION
SUMMONS
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in this action, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer to the said Complaint on the Plaintiffs or their attorney, Veronica G. Small, Esquire, 3300 W. Montague Avenue, Ste 102, North Charleston, South Carolina 29418, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service if service was in person and thirty-five (35) days after service if service made upon you was by U. S. Mail, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiffs in this action will apply to the Court of the relief demanded in this Complaint and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES, AND/OR PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY:
YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff immediately and separately and such application will be deemed absolute and total in the absence of your application for such an appointment within thirty (30) days after the service of the Summons and Complaint upon you.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that the undersigned attorney will seek the agreement and stipulation of all parties not in default for an Order of Reference to the Master in Equity for Charleston County, South Carolina, stipulating that the said Master in Equity enter a final judgment in this case.
LIS PENDENS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action has been commenced and
is pending in the Court of Common Pleas for Charleston County, South Carolina upon the Complaint of the above named Plaintiffs against the above named Defendants, to determine the interests of the parties to the below described real estate, to wit:
ALL that piece, parcel or tract of land, in the Community of Midland Park, County of Charleston, South Carolina, Measuring and Containing Two (2) Acres, less one-half (½) acre along the East line, sold one-half (½) acre having been conveyed to Gertude Bedon by the Grantor herein.
BUTTING AND BOUNDING approximately on the North for a distance of 305 feet along the lands of George Brown, approximately along the East for a distance of 290 feet along the lands of Albert Waring, approximately on the South for a distance of 297 feet along the lands of the Estate of Ben Brantly and approximately on the West for a distance of 290 feet along the lands of Fuller.
BEING the same property conveyed to Hezekiah Alston by deed of Eliza Jackson fka Eliza Atkins dated October 13, 1952 and recorded in the Register of Deeds Office for Charleston County in Book Z55 at Page 109.
TMS#: 478-16-00-022
NOTICE OF FILING
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that the Summons, Complaint, Lis Pendens, Notice of Intent to Refer to Master were filed with the Clerk of Court for Charleston County, Court of Common Pleas, Charleston, South Carolina on March 2, 2023.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REFER TO MASTER-IN-EQUITY
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the undersigned Attorney on behalf of the Plaintiffs herein, will move for an Order thirty (30) days from the date of service, to refer the above entitled matter to the Master-in-Equity for Charleston County, to take testimony and issue a final decree. Any appeal from the final judgment of the Master-in-Equity shall be made directly to the Supreme Court for the State of South Carolina.
/s/Veronica G. Small, Esquire Family Legal Services, LLC 3300 West Montague Avenue, Ste 102 North Charleston, South Carolina 29418 843-556-8838; 843-203-4537 (fax)
ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFFS
JENKINS, and LILLIE J. JACOBS, all believed to be deceased; any unknown person or entity claiming any right, title, or interest in the property bearing TMS Nos. 470-03-00-036, 470-03-00-037, 470-03-00-038, and 470-03-00-083including any persons in the Military Service of the United States of America being a class designated as JOHN DOE and any minors or persons under a legal disability being a class designated as RICHARD ROE, Defendant(s).
SUMMONS AND NOTICES
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
NAMED:
SUMMONS:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Amended Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or to otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Amended Complaint upon the subscribers at their office, Finkel Law Firm, LLC, 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450, North Charleston, South Carolina, 29405, or by email as allowed under S.C. Supreme Court Order 2021-08-27-01, or to otherwise appear and defend the action pursuant to applicable court rules, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to answer the Amended Complaint or otherwise appear and defend within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Amended Complaint.
NOTICE OF LIS PENDENS:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an action has been commenced and is now pending or will be commenced in the Court of Common Pleas for Charleston County, Ninth Judicial Circuit, upon an Amended Complaint of the above-named Plaintiff against the above-named Defendants. The Subject Property being, as of the date of filing this Notice, situate in the County of Charleston, State of South Carolina and being described as follows:
TMS No.: 470-03-00-036
Address: 4773 Nesbit Avenue North Charleston, SC 29405
All that lot, piece, parcel or tract of land, situate, lying and being in Ferndale, a subdivision of Charleston County, known and designated as Lot 34, Block 1 on a plat made by James O’Hear, and recorded in the RMC Office in Plat Book E, page 20; said lot having a frontage on Nesbit Avenue of thirty feet (30’), with a depth running east and west of one hundred feet (100’), and a width on its back, or west, line of thirty feet (30’). Be the said dimensions a little more or less.
in Plat Book G-203, Page 724 in the Charleston County Register of Deeds office. Reference to said plats is craved for a more full description of the metes and bounds.
Being the same property conveyed to Jesse and Lillie Jenkins by deed of Louis E. Storen dated August 24, 1946 and recorded with the Charleston County Register of Deeds office on August 24, 1946 in Book E47 at Page 181 less that portion taken by the City of North Charleston for a permanent drainage easement as part of that condemnation action filed as civil action 1991-CP-10-05934.
TMS No.: 470-03-00-038
Address: 4767 Nesbit Avenue North Charleston, SC 29405
ALL that lot, piece, parcel or tract of land, situate, lying and being in Ferndale, a subdivision of Charleston County, known and designated as Lot No. 32, Block 1 on a plat made by James O’Hear and recorded in the RMC Office for Charleston County in Plat Book E, Page 20; less that portion of the property identified as Parcel D-203 on that certain plat titled “PLAT SHOWING PARCELS D-200, D-201, D-202, AND D-203, DRAINAGE EASEMENT ABOUT TO BE ACQUIRED BY CITY OF NORTH CHARLESTON, CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C.” dated November 8, 1990, prepared by Davis & Floyd, Inc., and recorded in Plat Book G-203, Page 724 in the Charleston County Register of Deeds office. Reference to said plats is craved for a more full description of the metes and bounds.
Being the same property conveyed to Lily Jenkins (a/k/a Lillie Jenkins) and Dorothy Jenkins by deed of Louis E. Storen dated May 15, 1942 and recorded with the Charleston County Register of Deeds office in Book N43 at Page 615 in May of 1942, less that portion taken by the City of North Charleston for a permanent drainage easement as part of that condemnation action filed as civil action 1991-CP-10-05934.
TMS No.: 470-03-00-083
Address: 4728 Nesbit Avenue North Charleston, SC 29405
ALL that lot of land situate, lying and being in Charleston County, South Carolina and known and designated as Lot Four (4) in Block II on a plat of Ferndale made by James O’Hear, C.E. recorded in Plat Book E, Page 20 in the RMC Office for Charleston County; BUTTING AND BOUNDING North by Lot 3 in said Block, East by Liberty Hall, South by Lot 5 in said block and West by Nesbit Avenue; MEASURING AND CONTAINING on the East and West lines Thirty (30’) feet, on the North line ninety-six (96’) feet, and on the South line One Hundred (100’) feet.
THE APPOINTMENT shall become absolute upon the expiration of thirty (30) days following the last date of publication of the Summons and Notices herein, unless you or someone on your behalf on or before the last-mentioned date, shall procure someone to be appointed as Guardian ad Litem to represent you in the above action.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO REFER:
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that upon the expiration of thirty (30) days following the service of a copy of this Notice of Intent to Refer upon you, pursuant to Rule 53(b) of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, the undersigned intends to promptly move before the Presiding Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Ninth Judicial Circuit, Charleston County, for an Order to refer the above-captioned matter to the Master-in-Equity for Charleston County, South Carolina, which Order shall specifically provide that the said Master-in-Equity shall be authorized to exercise all power and authority which a circuit judge sitting without a jury would similarly have, including hearing all matters arising from or reasonable related to the subject matter of this action, and that any appeal from any order or judgment issued by the Master shall be to the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals as provided by the South Carolina Appellate Court Rules.
NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Amended Complaint in the above-entitled action, together with the Amended Summons and Amended Notice of Lis Pendens, was filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on March 16, 2023 at 12:32 p.m.
FINKEL LAW FIRM LLC
Brian Alexander Finkel, Esq. 4000 Faber Place Drive, Suite 450 North Charleston, South Carolina, 29405 (843) 577-5460
Attorneys for Plaintiff STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
Aurora Financial Group, Inc., PLAINTIFF, vs. Gregg Christopher Robinson; Kimberly Ann Robinson; Carolina Park Community Association, Inc.; Carolina Park Master Association, Inc., DEFENDANT(S)
SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT AND NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE)
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CASE NO.: 2023-CP-10-00236
LOUISE JENKINS, Plaintiff,
v.
BARBARA J. SMITH; DEBORAH A. JENKINS; ELLISON JENKINS a/k/a ELLISON JENKINS, JR.; EUGENA JENKINS; CALVIN JENKINS; RODNEY JENKINS; DENISE JENKINS; JABRIL JACOBS; and TAMYKA JACOBS, if they be living; any unknown heirs, devisees, distributees, issue, personal representatives, administrators, successors, creditors, or assigns of the above defendants, if any of them be deceased, and of LILLIE JENKINS a/k/a LILY JENKINS, ROBERT JENKINS, DOROTHY JENKINS, JESSE JENKINS a/k/a
JESSIE C. JENKINS, SR., JESSIE C. JENKINS, JR., ELLISON JENKINS, SR., ORVILLE JENKINS, CARRIE
Being the same property conveyed to Jesse and Lillie Jenkins by deed of Louis E. Storen dated January 28, 1942 and recorded with the Charleston County Register of Deeds office in Book H43 at Page 605.
TMS No.: 470-03-00-037
Address: 4771 Nesbit Avenue North Charleston, SC 29405
ALL that lot, piece, parcel or tract of land, situate, lying and being in Ferndale, a subdivision of Charleston County, known and designated as Lot No. 33, Block 1 on a plat made by James O’Hear and recorded in the RMC Office for Charleston County in Plat Book E, Page 20; less that portion of the property identified as Parcel D-202 on that certain plat titled “PLAT SHOWING PARCELS D-200, D-201, D-202, AND D-203, DRAINAGE EASEMENT ABOUT TO BE ACQUIRED BY CITY OF NORTH CHARLESTON, CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C.” dated November 8, 1990, prepared by Davis & Floyd, Inc., and recorded
Being the same property conveyed to Lily Jenkins (a/k/a Lillie Jenkins) and Robert Jenkins by deed of Seabound Development Company dated March 24, 1937 and recorded with the Charleston County Register of Deeds office in Book B39 at Page 581 in March of 1937.
NOTICE OF GUARDIAN AD LITEM NISI:
TO: THOSE DEFENDANTS NAMED IN THE ABOVE ACTION AS JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE OR RICHARD ROE AND MARY ROE WHO MAY BE MINORS, INCOMPETENTS, PERSONS IN THE MILITARY, PERSONS IMPRISONED, PERSONS UNDER ANY OTHER LEGAL DISABILITY, OR OTHER UNKNOWN ADULT HEIRS:
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that there has been filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County, State of South Carolina an Order appointing for you as Guardian ad Litem NISI Taylor Silver, Esquire who maintains an office at 103-D Queen Street, Georgetown, South Carolina 29442.
C/A NO: 2023-CP-10-01306 DEFICIENCY WAIVED TO THE DEFENDANTS, ABOVE NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscriber at his office, Hutchens Law Firm LLP, P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, except as to the United States of America, which shall have sixty (60) days, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, or otherwise appear and defend, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for the relief demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to Answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference of this case to the
Master-in-Equity/Special Referee for this County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master-in-Equity/Special Referee is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this case with appeal only to the South Carolina Court of Appeals pursuant to Rule 203(d)(1) of the SCACR, effective June 1, 1999.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES, AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY:
YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff immediately and separately and such application will be deemed absolute and total in the absence of your application for such an appointment within thirty (30) days after the service of the Summons and Complaint upon you.
NOTICE OF FILING OF SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the foregoing Summons, along with the Complaint, were filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court on March 16, 2023.
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the South Carolina Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may have a right to Foreclosure Intervention. To be considered for any available Foreclosure Intervention, you may communicate with and otherwise deal with the Plaintiff through its law firm, Hutchens Law Firm LLP, P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202 or call (803) 726-2700. Hutchens Law Firm LLP represents the Plaintiff in this action and does not represent you. Under our ethical rules, we are prohibited from giving you any legal advice. You must submit any requests for Foreclosure Intervention consideration within 30 days from the date of this Notice. IF YOU FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION, YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY/ AGENT MAY PROCEED WITH A FORECLOSURE ACTION. If you have already pursued loss mitigation with the Plaintiff, this Notice does not guarantee the availability of loss mitigation options or further review of your qualifications.
NOTICE TO APPOINT ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT(S) IN MILITARY SERVICE TO UNKNOWN OR KNOWN DEFENDANTS THAT MAY BE IN THE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ALL BEING A CLASS DESIGNATED AS RICHARD ROE: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED that Plaintiff’s attorney has applied for the appointment of an attorney to represent you. If you fail to apply for the appointment of an attorney to represent you within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you Plaintiff’s appointment will be made absolute with no further action from Plaintiff.
THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection.
IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY.
Hutchens Law Firm LLP SELL
FOR $35 IN PRINT AND ONLINE CALL CRIS 577-5304 X127
demanded therein, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE, AND/OR TO MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES, AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY:
YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a guardian ad litem within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff immediately and separately and such application will be deemed absolute and total in the absence of your application for such an appointment within thirty (30) days after the service of the Summons and Complaint upon you.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to Answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for an Order of Reference of this case to the Master-inEquity/Special Referee in/for this County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53 of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master-in-Equity/Special Referee is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this case with appeal only to the South Carolina Court of Appeals pursuant to Rule 203(d)(1) of the SCACR, effective June 1, 1999.
NOTICE OF FILING OF SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT
TO THE DEFENDANTS ABOVE
action from Plaintiff.
THIS IS A COMMUNICATION FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE, except as stated below in the instance of bankruptcy protection.
IF YOU ARE UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT OR HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED AS A RESULT OF A BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDING, THIS NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU PURSUANT TO STATUTORY REQUIREMENT AND FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT OR AS AN ACT TO COLLECT, ASSESS, OR RECOVER ALL OR ANY PORTION OF THE DEBT FROM YOU PERSONALLY.
Hutchens Law Firm LLP
will be required to deposit with the Master, at the conclusion of the bidding, certified funds in the amount of five per cent (5%) of the bid: the said deposit to be applied to the purchase price. Should the highest bidder fail to comply with the bid within thirty days from the date of sale, the Master will resell the property at the risk and expense of the defaulting bidder upon the same terms as above set out. The Sheriff of Charleston County may be authorized to put the purchaser into possession of the premises if requested by the purchaser.
NOTICE: The foreclosure deed is not a warranty deed. Interested bidders should satisfy themselves as to the quality of title to be conveyed by obtaining an independent title search prior to the foreclosure sale date.
PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY
John J. Hearn (803) 744-4444 016487-00713
2019CP1004036 FOR INSERTION
4/14/23, 4/21/23, 4/28/23 Mikell R. Scarborough Master in Equity
CARL WOOTEN A/K/A SIDNEY
C. WOOTEN A/K/A SIDNEY WOOTEN, INDIVIDUALLY, AS LEGAL HEIR OR DEVISEE OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTOPHER CARL WOOTEN A/K/A CHRISTOPHER
C. WOOTEN A/K/A CHRIS WOOTEN, DECEASED; AND BRENDA
WOOTEN A/K/A BRENDA G. WOOTEN, INDIVIDUALLY, AS LEGAL HEIR OR DEVISEE OF THE ESTATE OF CHRISTOPHER CARL WOOTEN A/K/A CHRISTOPHER C. WOOTEN A/K/A CHRIS WOOTEN, DECEASED ABOVE
NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action, copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve copy of your answer upon the undersigned at their offices, 2712 Middleburg Drive, Suite 200, P.O. Box 2065, Columbia, South Carolina 29202, within thirty (30) days after service hereof upon you, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for the relief demanded in the Complaint, and judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
this action, of which a copy is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer on the subscribers at their office, 171 Church Street, Suite 120C (29401), Post Office Box 22795, Charleston, SC 29413, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service, except that the United States of America, if named, shall have sixty (60) days to answer after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service; and if you fail to do so, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE
THAT pursuant to S.C. Code Ann. § 15-69-40, you have the right to a pre-seizure hearing. You may demand such hearing by notifying the clerk of court and the undersigned in writing within five (5) days of the service of this Notice of your demand for a hearing.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS
Freedom Mortgage Corporation, PLAINTIFF, vs. Chinos Harlen a/k/a Chinos E Harlen, a/k/a Chinos Edward Harlen and if Chinos Harlen a/k/a Chinos E Harlen, a/k/a Chinos Edward Harlen be deceased then any child and heir at law to the Estate of Chinos Harlen a/k/a Chinos E Harlen, a/k/a Chinos Edward Harlen distributees and devisees at law to the Estates of Chinos Harlen a/k/a Chinos E Harlen, a/k/a Chinos Edward Harlen and if any of the same be dead any and all persons entitled to claim under or through them also all other persons unknown claiming any right, title, interest or lien upon the real estate described in the complaint herein; Any unknown adults, any unknown infants or persons under a disability being a class designated as John Doe, and any persons in the military service of the United States of America being a class designated as Richard Roe; Glenda Hawkins Harlen, DEFENDANT(S)
SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT AND NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION (NON-JURY MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE)
C/A NO: 2022-CP-10-05508
DEFICIENCY WAIVED
TO THE DEFENDANTS, ABOVE NAMED:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, or otherwise appear and defend, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Complaint upon the subscriber at his office, Hutchens Law Firm LLP, P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202, within thirty (30) days after service hereof, except as to the United States of America, which shall have sixty (60) days, exclusive of the day of such service, and if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, or otherwise appear and defend, the Plaintiff in this action will apply to the Court for the relief
NAMED: YOU WILL PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the foregoing Summons, along with the Complaint, was filed with the Clerk of Court for Charleston County, South Carolina, on November 30, 2022.
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT pursuant to the South Carolina Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you may have a right to Foreclosure Intervention.
To be considered for any available Foreclosure Intervention, you may communicate with and otherwise deal with the Plaintiff through its law firm, Hutchens Law Firm LLP, P.O. Box 8237, Columbia, SC 29202 or call (803) 726-2700. Hutchens Law Firm LLP represents the Plaintiff in this action and does not represent you. Under our ethical rules, we are prohibited from giving you any legal advice. You must submit any requests for Foreclosure Intervention consideration within 30 days from the date of this Notice. IF YOU
FAIL, REFUSE, OR VOLUNTARILY
ELECT NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORECLOSURE INTERVENTION, YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY/ AGENT MAY PROCEED WITH A FORECLOSURE ACTION. If you have already pursued loss mitigation with the Plaintiff, this Notice does not guarantee the availability of loss mitigation options or further review of your qualifications.
NOTICE TO APPOINT ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT(S) IN MILITARY SERVICE
TO UNKNOWN OR KNOWN DEFENDANTS THAT MAY BE IN THE MILITARY SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ALL BEING A CLASS DESIGNATED AS RICHARD ROE: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED that Plaintiff’s attorney has applied for the appointment of an attorney to represent you. If you fail to apply for the appointment of an attorney to represent you within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you Plaintiff’s appointment will be made absolute with no further
Master’s Sale Case No.: 2019CP1004036 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS PennyMac Loan Services, LLC, PLAINTIFF, VERSUS John Henry Brown, III; Eman Mubarak Brown; South Carolina Department of Revenue; Sylvan Shores Neighborhood Association, Inc; American Express Centurion Bank; DEFENDANTS.
Upon authority of a Decree dated the 15th day of November, 2019, I will offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash, at public auction, the premises fully described below, at the Front Entrance of CHARLESTON COUNTY CHAMBERS, 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, South Carolina on the 2nd day of May, 2023 at 11:00 AM or shortly thereafter.
ALL that certain lot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon situate, lying and being in the County of Charleston, State of South Carolina, and being known as Lot 70, Sylvan Shores Subdivision; said lot being shown on a plat prepared by John Martin Saboe, P.E. & L.S., dated August 1, 1983, entitled “Plat of Lots 57-88, Sylvan Shores Subdivision”; said plat being duly recorded in the RMC Office for Charleston County in Plat Book AY, page 85. Reference to said plat is hereby craved for a more complete description as to distances, courses, mates and bounds.
SUBJECT to assessments, Charleston Ad Valorem Taxes, any and all restrictions, easements, covenants and rights-of-way of record, and any other senior encumbrances. This being the same property conveyed to John Henry Brown, 111 and Eman Mubarak Brown by Deed of Leemon Lawyer and Rosemarie Lawyer, dated April 18, 2018 and recorded May 3, 2018 in Book 0716 at Page 143 in the Register of Deeds Office for Charleston County.
TMS/PIN# 310-05-00-086
Case#: 2019CP1004036
Current Property Address: 2426 Pristine View Rd Charleston, SC 29414
No personal or deficiency judgment being demanded, the bidding will not remain open after the date of sale, and compliance with the bid may be made immediately. The property shall be sold for cash to the highest bidder. The highest bidder, other than the Plaintiff,
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE FAMILY COURT FOR THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CASE NUMBER: 2023-DR-10-744
CHARLENE RODRIGUES DA COSTA, Plaintiff, v. RAFAEL ANTONIO DOS SANTOS, Defendant.
SUMMONS
TO: RAFAEL ANTONIO DOS SANTOS, DEFENDANT ABOVE NAMED
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint herein, a copy of which is herewith served upon you, and to serve your Answer to said Complaint upon the undersigned attorney for the Plaintiff, at his offices located at 2 Cavalier Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 29407, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such service and, if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, the Plaintiff will apply to the Court for the relief demanded in the Complaint.
YOU ARE HEREBY GIVEN NOTICE FURTHER that if you fail to appear and defend and fail to answer the Complaint as required by this Summons within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of service, Judgment by Default will be entered against you for the relief demanded in the Complaint
HAWKINS LAW FIRM, P.A. 2 Cavalier Avenue Charleston, SC 29407 (843) 225-7565 ATTORNEY FOR PLAINTIFF
Charleston, South Carolina March 9, 2023
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS CASE NO. 2022-CP-10-05395
United Wholesale Mortgage, LLC, PLAINTIFF, VS. Sidney Carl Wooten a/k/a Sidney C. Wooten a/k/a Sidney Wooten, Individually, as Legal Heir or Devisee of the Estate of Christopher Carl Wooten a/k/a Christopher C. Wooten a/k/a Chris Wooten, Deceased; et. al. DEFENDANT(S).
SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING OF COMPLAINT (221070.00174) TO
YOU WILL ALSO TAKE NOTICE that should you fail to Answer the foregoing Summons, the Plaintiff will move for a general Order of Reference of this cause to the Master in Equity for Charleston County, which Order shall, pursuant to Rule 53(e) of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, specifically provide that the said Master in Equity is authorized and empowered to enter a final judgment in this cause.
TO MINOR(S) OVER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND/OR MINOR(S) UNDER FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE AND THE PERSON WITH WHOM THE MINOR(S) RESIDES AND/OR TO PERSONS UNDER SOME LEGAL DISABILITY: YOU ARE FURTHER SUMMONED AND NOTIFIED to apply for the appointment of a Guardian Ad Litem to represent said minor(s) within thirty (30) days after the service of this Summons and Notice upon you. If you fail to do so, application for such appointment will be made by the Plaintiff(s) herein.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on November 22, 2022.
SCOTT AND CORLEY, P.A.
By: Ronald C. Scott (rons@scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #4996
Reginald P. Corley (reggiec@scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #69453
Angelia J. Grant (angig@scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #78334
Allison E. Heffernan (allisonh@ scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #68530
H. Guyton Murrell (guytonm@ scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #64134
Kevin T. Brown (kevinb@scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #64236
Jordan D. Beumer (jordanb@scottandcorley.com), SC Bar #104074
ATTORNEYS FOR THE PLAINTIFF 2712 Middleburg Drive, Suite 200 Columbia, SC 29204 803-252-3340
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A # 2022-CP-10-02880
REV Federal Credit Union, Plaintiff, v. William Crawford Parrott, Defendant.
AMENDED SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF FILING COMPLAINT (Claim and Delivery) (Non-Jury)
TO THE DEFENDANT ABOVE
NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to appear and defend by answering the Complaint in
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in the above-entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on June 27, 2022 and the Amended Complaint in the above-entitled action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on March 29, 2023.
s/ J. Ronald Jones, Jr. J. Ronald. Jones, Jr. (SC Bar No. 66091) Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP 171 Church Street, Suite 120C Charleston, South Carolina 29401
Direct: 843-714-2535
Email: rjones@smithdebnamlaw. com
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF
Charleston, South Carolina
April 13, 2023
Smith Debnam Narron Drake Saintsing & Myers, LLP., is a debt collector attempting to collect a debt, any information we obtain will be used for that purpose. It is our understanding that you are not currently in bankruptcy. If you are in bankruptcy, please disregard this summons in its entirety and have your attorney contact our office as soon as possible.
SUMMONS AND NOTICE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF CHARLESTON IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS C/A NO. 2023-CP-10-01165
U.S. Bank Trust National Association, not in its individual capacity, but solely as trustee of Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2018-B, Plaintiff vs. Antonio Godfrey, Regina Carter and MV Realty of South Carolina, LLC, Defendants.
TO THE DEFENDANT(S) Antonio Godfrey, Regina Carter: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Complaint in the above action, a copy which is herewith served upon you, and to serve a copy of your Answer upon the undersigned at their offices, 2838 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29205, within thirty (30) days after service upon you, exclusive of the day of such service, and, if you fail to answer the Complaint within the time aforesaid, judgment by default will be rendered against you for relief demanded in the Complaint.
NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the original Complaint in this action was filed in the office of the Clerk of Court for Charleston County on March 8, 2023.
NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the South Carolina Supreme Court Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, you have
an action has been commenced and is now pending or is about to be commenced in the Circuit Court upon the complaint of the above named Plaintiff against the above named Defendant for the purpose of foreclosing a certain mortgage of real estate heretofore given by Antonio Godfrey to U.S. Bank Trust National Association, not in its individual capacity, but solely as trustee of Citigroup Mortgage Loan Trust 2018-B bearing date of December 15, 2003 and recorded December 17, 2003 in Mortgage Book Z478 at Page 625 in the Register of Mesne Conveyances/Register of Deeds/ Clerk of Court for Charleston County, in the original principal sum of Forty Nine Thousand Two Hundred Sixty and 00/100 Dollars ($49,260.00). Thereafter, by assignment recorded on November 6, 2006 in Book Y604 at Page 187, the mortgage was assigned to Household Finance Corporation II; thereafter, by duplicate assignment recorded on September 21, 2015 in Book 505 at Page 649, the mortgage was assigned to Household Finance Corporation II; thereafter, by assignment recorded on June 21, 2016 in Book 562 at Page 543, the mortgage was assigned to U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., as Trustee for LSF9 Master Participation Trust; thereafter, by assignment recorded on July 9, 2018 in Book 731 at Page 707, the mortgage was assigned to J.P. Morgan Mortgage Acquisition Corp; thereafter, by assignment recorded on February 27, 2019 in Book 779 at Page 850, the mortgage was assigned to Citibank, N.A., as Trustee for CMLTI Asset Trust; thereafter, by assignment recorded on February 27, 2019 in Book 779 at Page 852, the mortgage was assigned to the Plaintiff, and that the premises effected by said mortgage and by the foreclosure thereof are situated in the County of Charleston, State of South Carolina, and is described as follows: All that piece, parcel or lot of land, together with the buildings and improvements thereon, situate, lying and being in Charleston County, known and designated as Lot 24, Block G, on a plat of the subdivision known as Dorchester Terrace, recorded in the RMC Office for Charleston County, in Plat Book F, Page 55; the said lot in general having such size, shape, dimensions, as will by reference to said plat more fully appear and being bound as shown on said plat, and having actual size, shape, and dimension as a survey of the lot will show.
TMS No. 4690500078
Property Address: 2665 Harvey Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405 Riley Pope & Laney, LLC Post Office Box 11412 Columbia, South Carolina 29211 Telephone (803) 799-9993 Attorneys for Plaintiff 5086
ARIES (March 21-April 19): According to a study by Newsweek magazine, 58% of us yearn to experience spiritual growth; 33% report having had a mystical or spiritual experience; 20% of us say we have had a revelation from God in the last year; and 13% have been in the presence of an angel. Given the astrological omens currently in play for you Aries, I suspect you will exceed all those percentages in the coming weeks. I hope you will make excellent use of your sacred encounters. What two areas of your life could most benefit from a dose of divine assistance or intervention? There’s never been a better time than now to seek a Deus ex machina. (More info: https://tinyurl. com/GodIntercession)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): After the fall of the Roman Empire, political cohesion in its old territories was scarce for hundreds of years. Then a leader named Charlemagne (747–814) came along and united much of what we now call Western Europe. He was unusual in many respects. For example, he sought to master the arts of reading and writing. Most other rulers of his time regarded those as paltry skills that were beneath their dignity. I mention this fact, Taurus, because I suspect it’s a propitious time to consider learning things you have previously regarded as unnecessary or irrelevant or outside your purview. What might these abilities be?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I’m turning this horoscope over to Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. She has three messages that are just what you need to hear right now. 1. “Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have.” 2. “You must let the pain visit. You must allow it to teach you. But you must not allow it to overstay.” 3. “Write a poem for your 14-year-old self. Forgive her. Heal her. Free her.”
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Historical records tell us that Chinese Emperor Hungwu (1328–1398) periodically dealt with overwhelming amounts of decision-making. During one ten-day phase of his reign, for example, he was called on to approve 1,660 documents concerning 3,391 separate issues. Based on my interpretation of the planetary omens, I suspect you may soon be called on to deal with a similar outpouring. This might tempt you toward over-stressed reactions like irritation and self-medication. But I hope you’ll strive to handle it all with dignity and grace. In fact, that’s what I predict you will do. In my estimation, you will be able to summon the extra poise and patience to manage the intensity.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is it even possible for us humans to live without fear — if even for short grace periods? Could you or I or anyone else somehow manage to celebrate, say, 72 hours of freedom from all worries and anxieties and trepidations? I suspect the answer is no. We may aspire to declare our independence from dread, but 200,000 years of evolution ensures that our brains are hard-wired to be ever-alert for danger. Having provided that perspective, however, I will speculate that if anyone could approach a state of utter dauntlessness, it will be you Leos in the next three weeks. This may be as close as you will ever come to an extended phase of bold, plucky audacity.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Dear Sunny Bright Cheery Upbeat Astrologer: You give us too many sunny, bright, cheery, upbeat predictions. They lift my mood when I first read them, but later I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ Because yeah, they come true, but they usually cause some complications I didn’t foresee. Maybe you should try offering predictions that bum me out, since then I won’t have to deal with making such big adjustments.” —Virgo Who is Weary of Rosy Hopeful Chirpy Horoscopes. Dear Virgo: You have alluded to a key truth about reality: Good changes often require as much modification and adaptation as challenging changes. Another truth: One of my specialties is helping my readers manage those good changes. And by the way: I predict the next two weeks will deliver a wealth of
Rob Brezsny
interesting and buoyant changes.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Pablo Neruda wrote, “Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world on the blue shores of silence.” That might serve as a good motto for you in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you’ll be wise to go in quest for what’s secret, concealed and buried. You will generate fortuitous karma by smoking out hidden agendas and investigating the rest of the story beneath the apparent story. Be politely pushy, Libra. Charmingly but aggressively find the missing information and the shrouded rationales. Dig as deep as you need to go to explore the truth’s roots.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): We’ve all done things that make perfect sense to us, though they might look nonsensical or inexplicable to an outside observer. Keep this fact in your awareness during the next two weeks, Scorpio. Just as you wouldn’t want to be judged by uninformed people who don’t know the context of your actions, you should extend this same courtesy to others, especially now. At least some of what may appear nonsensical or inexplicable will be serving a valuable purpose. Be slow to judge. Be inclined to offer the benefit of the doubt.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I completely understand if you feel some outrage about the lack of passion and excellence you see in the world around you. You have a right to be impatient with the laziness and carelessness of others. But I hope you will find ways to express your disapproval constructively. The best approach will be to keep criticism to a minimum and instead focus on generating improvements. For the sake of your mental health, I suggest you transmute your anger into creativity. You now have an enhanced power to reshape the environments and situations you are part of so they work better for everyone.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the 17th century, renowned Capricorn church leader James Ussher announced he had discovered when the world had been created. It was at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the year 4004 BCE. From this spectacularly wrong extrapolation, we might conclude that not all Capricorns are paragons of logic and sound analysis 100 percent of the time. I say we regard this as a liberating thought for you in the coming weeks. According to my analysis, it will be a favorable time to indulge in wild dreams, outlandish fantasies, and imaginative speculations. Have fun, dear Capricorn, as you wander out in the places that singer Tom Petty referred to as “The Great Wide Open.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): We often evaluate prospects quantitatively: how big a portion do we get, how much does something cost, how many social media friends can we add? Quantity does matter in some cases but on other occasions may be trumped by quality. A few close, trustworthy friends may matter more than hundreds of Instagram friends we barely know. A potential house may be spacious and affordable, but be in a location we wouldn’t enjoy living in. Your project in the coming weeks, Aquarius, is to examine areas of your life that you evaluate quantitatively and determine whether there are qualitative aspects neglected in your calculations.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Dear Dr. Astrology: Help! I want to know which way to go. Should I do the good thing or the right thing? Should I be kind and sympathetic at the risk of ignoring my selfish needs? Or should I be a pushy stickler for what’s fair and true, even if I look like a preachy grouch? Why is it so arduous to have integrity?” —Pinched Pisces. Dear Pisces: Can you figure out how to be half-good and half-right? Half-selfinterested and half-generous? I suspect that will generate the most gracious, constructive results.
Danielle Howle calls herself a “joy distributor.” The Charleston-based singer, songwriter, poet and instructor has released 15 albums and many musicians in the Southeast know her as a friend and trusted creative guide.
One such connection is Asheville-native Andrew Scotchie. He and his band The River Rats are hosting a release party at the Charleston Pour House May 12 to celebrate the band’s latest album Love is Enough, and Howle is opening the show.
“We’ve been music friends for about 10 years, and I’ve watched him grow,” said Howle. “He was always great, but now he’s truly magical.
“We’ve always supported each other … He has taught me a lot, too. So when he asked me to put on the show, I was like, ‘Wow, this is perfect.’ It’s an honor to open his release show.”
Scotchie met Howle for the first time at an Awendaw Green Barn Jam in 2013.
“When we hit the last note of our set and as the goats began eating our paper set lists,” he said, “I quickly ran backstage to dunk my head in the beer cooler so I could cool off. As I was drying myself off, a warm and inviting ball of energy approached. That ball of energy was Danielle Howle.
“I quickly learned about her music, her catalog and decades of accomplishments in the industry. At the time, I was just 20 years old and meeting someone like Danielle who was encouraging, had lessons to bestow and, most importantly, treated me like an equal, was incredibly inspiring.”
He thought Howle would be just the right person to help him celebrate his release. “It makes perfect sense to bring the album to Charleston and play with Danielle because she is such a great example of an eclectic, prolific artist who can hold a room with just a few chords and truth,” Scotchie said.
“Her live show, much like mine, is all about connecting, working through problems and making sure by the time the show
is over, people feel a little lighter.”
This spring is a particularly exhilarating season for Howle. In addition to the show at the Pour House, she recently signed a record deal with legendary label Kill Rock Stars’ Nashville division, through which she will be releasing her 16th album this year.
Kill Rock Stars has distributed the work of inimitable musicians like Elliot Smith and The Decemberists.
“The type of music that they put out over the last 30 years, it’s been incredible,” she said. Howle is involved in a myriad of creative projects that allow her to foster inspiration. She has been an artist-in-residence at outdoor venue Awendaw Green for about 12 years, where she is involved in one of her favorite local musical events, the Barn Jams.
“Being artist-in-residence has allowed me to create musical opportunities for people and be a part of something very awesome,” she said. “I couldn’t have gotten this far without being a part of this organization.”
She is also one of the founding members of Swap Sessions, a songwriter workshop/ retreat hosted at the Swamp House in the Francis Marion Forest, owned by Eddie White, the proprietor of Awendaw Green.
Howle and fellow instructor and artist Cody Dixon curate the roster, inviting guests to attend. One of the features of Swap Sessions is the Songwriting Nature Workshop, a quarter-mile walking trail with eight different stations, each station posing a
different writing prompt or challenge.
“Three people that walked the songwriter trail recorded their songs within 45 minutes of making them up on the trail,” Howle said of a recent session.
Burgeoning songwriters who can’t attend Swamp Sessions can visit the writing trail virtually on YouTube via Howle’s website.
Despite her impressive schedule, Howle values creating new spaces for connection and creativity. She began offering Women’s Songwriting Workshop in March, the first of which took place over two days at Jubilee! Church in Columbia.
The next Women’s Songwriting Workshop will be a one-day event on May 13 at Growing Spirit Camp on Johns Island.
“It’s an interesting group of different skill levels,” she said. “Basically everybody just helps each other out. There’s just no ego, and everybody’s just happy to be there.”
Howle feels most balanced shifting between the roles of mentor and artist, finding that each offers its own distinct fulfillment.
“I’m just feeling really good about the people I’m meeting and the things that I’m creating,” she said. “I like to give people the gift of inspiration whenever I can.”
Charleston instrumental band Lureto takes over the Charleston Pour House May 4-5 with a lineup of special guest musicians. Night one is packed with two original sets from Lureto and local jam act Omiwimo. Atmospheric instrumental act Lureto, helmed by local keyboardist Ross Bogan , released the 2022 album A Peak From the Crow’s Nest Night two is the “Zambi Jam” featuring longtime Charleston singersongwriter Jeff Caldwell and jazz fusion drummer Jeff Sipe . Charleston vocalist and instrumentalist Gavin Hamilton, formerly of Funk You, is the artist-at-large both nights. Tickets are $15 on May 4 for the 8:30 p.m. show. Tickets are $20 on May 5 for the 10 p.m. show. Purchase tickets at CharlestonPourHouse.com.
The Colour of Music Festival will unveil the works of Black composer Edmund Thornton Jenkins, who was born in North Charleston and lived from 1894-1926. The free event takes place at Eternal Father of the Sea Chapel at 7 p.m. May 4 featuring classical ensemble performances.
Saturday Night
Live keyboardist
Tuffus Zimbabwe arranged his great-uncle Jenkins’ compositions for the event, which include Negro Symphony (Movements IV Parts 3&4) and Reverie Fantasy. Registration is required, and space is limited. Visit ColourOfMusic.org to reserve tickets. Charleston Library Society will host a “Lite Lunch” presentation of Jenkin’s compositions at 12 p.m. May 3.
Chelsea Grinstead
If you or your band is about to enter the studio, hit the road, or has a special gig coming up, reach out to us at chelsea@charlestoncitypaper.com.
Singer-songwriter Alan Price has been performing in Charleston for more than 25 years. His 2021 debut album Goodlow is filled with eclectic stylings of rock, synth and country music. Price will drop a new single and music video with his act Alan Price & The Modern Day called “Back to Carolina” on May 10. Currently, the band is putting together an album with producer Eric Bass of rock band Shinedown at Big Animal Studio on Johns Island. Price gave the City Paper the top five album he’s been into lately:
The Myth of the Happily Ever After by Biffy Clyro
Planet Zero by Shinedown
Ribbons by Bibio
7.3 by Big Wreck
A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead
Charleston hip-hop and R&B showcase Cultura Festival returns to The Royal American outdoor lot May 6 to spotlight musical artists from throughout the state and the Southeast region.
“Hip-hop music allows me the space and the comfort of just being myself,” said Matt Monday, festival curator and hip-hop artist.
“It does something to hear somebody’s going through the same thing you’re going through — and that’s just music in general,” he said.
“But hip-hop is directly correlated to the Black experience. The music is an opportunity to create empathy for those who don’t understand that experience, or those who care to understand, in a very vulnerable and authentic form.”
Monday
New Orleans rapper Curren$y will headline Cultura Festival, which is stacked with both Charleston-based and regional artists whose music spans progressive rap, conscious hip-hop, contemporary R&B and neo-soul.
Artists on the bill include Charleston acts Mike Brown, Tyrie, R Dotta and Illa Dell; Columbia-based Crucial BGR, Sun Rhe and Just Alex (also known as Melodik); Greenville’s own $wvnk and Hartsvillebased Blueflame James.
Monday, a North Charleston native, said he founded Cultura Festival in 2019 to create a platform for the city’s stylistically diverse hip-hop and R&B music that was so often overlooked. Monday was a staple in the local scene for more than a decade before relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2020.
The Covid-19 shutdown put a hold
on Cultura Festival like so many other music events in 2020, which was the year Curren$y was originally set to perform. In addition to Curren$y, a nationally known artist who’s previously collaborated with Wiz Khalifa and T.I., this year’s Cultura lineup features four female acts: Sun Rhe, $wvnk, Just Alex and DJ Shamrock.
“We make sure that there’s representation for women,” Monday said of the team behind Cultura Festival. “These women exist here, and they’re making this work. They’re making this art, and they’re speaking for a demographic that normally wouldn’t be spoken for in hip-hop.”
Monday said the inaugural 2019 Cultura Fest was a way to help correct the lack of promotion for Charleston R&B and hip-hop so the artists weren’t just “scraping the bottom of the barrel.” While there’s a lot of potential for the Charleston music industry to support the genres, he said, there’s been fewer opportunities compared to the space given to rock and alternative music.
“We definitely are fighting against the machine,” Monday said. “I think there’s just not a lot of access to play at a decent venue that’s not out on James Island or North
—Matt Monday
Charleston with good sound … From a Charleston standpoint, because there’s such a lack of cultivation, it’s going to be a slower process. A scene can’t thrive without us cultivating it on a more consistent basis.
“There’s a ton of talent … but so few of them are given [an] opportunity.”
“
We make sure that there’s representation for women. These women exist here, and they’re making this work. They’re making this art, and they’re speaking for a demographic that normally wouldn’t be spoken for in hip-hop.”
Across
1. Calculate the total of
6. Nat ___ (cable channel)
9. High flier
14. Doggie
15. Above, in verse
16. Nebraska city near Iowa 17. Fun
19. Tabloid-worthy
20. California city (and county) home to Bubblegum Alley
22. Calligraphy pen point 23. Spinoff group 24. Anti-___ hand soap 27. 2016 World Series champions 30. Gambler’s supposed strategy
34. Prefix with laryngologist
35. Burned-up
37. “Paris, je t’___” (2006 movie)
38. Mercedes S-Class or Audi A5, e.g.
42. 1958 Chevalier Oscar winner
43. “Do ___?”
44. Black currant liqueur cocktail
45. Long-legged wading birds
48. Disco hit that really shows off its title
49. Sneaky
50. “It’s on like Donkey ___”
52. “The buck stops here” presidential monogram
54. Captain of the Enterprise in two TV series
60. Jousting spear
61. Item ripped in half by old-time strongmen
63. Streaming show in the “Star Wars” universe
64. “Jackie Brown” star Grier
65. Everybody’s opposite 66. Winter weather events
67. Kennel noise
68. Suspicious
Down
1. Many a tailless primate
2. Puts on
3. Hip-hop artist ___ Cat
4. 2023 NCAA men’s basketball Final Four team
5. Actress Rashad 6. Mongolian desert 7. Long swimmers
8. Cookies in a sleeve 9. Insurance document 10. Intro to an opinion
11. Perform with fake swords in the park, maybe 12. Miami University’s state 13. Tiny bit
KEVN KINNEY OF DRIVIN N CRYIN THU, MAY 4 DOORS 8 P.M. SHOW 9 P.M. AT THE COMMODORE
18. Alabama university town
21. Wanna-___ (imitators)
24. Retired slugger Wade
25. Did a face-plant
26. Queen Elizabeth’s preferred dog breed
28. Indonesian island east of Java
29. Prepare for a 36-Down
31. Second hand sounds
32. Interoffice communication
33. Like some Windsor wives 36. Academic assessment 39. Do some dairy chores, maybe 40. Dickensian imp 41. Go up again 46. Copier cartridges 47. Long-running NBC show, for short 51. Aquarium fish 53. Off-limits topic
54. Rolling Stone co-founder Wenner
55. Opposite of ecto56. Tea made with cardamom
57. “___ and Circumstance”
58. Medieval crucifix
59. Currency of Vietnam
60. “Viva ___ Vegas”
62. Opening piece?
FULL CIRCLE ALBUM RELEASE SHOW
SUN, MAY 7 7PM - 8PM AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
AN AUTHOR TALK WITH KAREN WHITE THU, MAY 18 AT 6PM AT CHARLESTON LIBRARY SOCIETY
AUTHOR LUNCHEON W/ VICTORIA BENTON FRANK
MON, JUNE 12 AT 12PM AT HALLS SIGNATURE EVENTS
Belvin helped found the Charleston Climate Coalition when he saw empty space where a Lowcountry climate movement should be. Today, he serves as CCC co-director. He comes from a background in creative writing and tries to bring that vision-making to climate work. He grew up on the Isle of Palms, and looks forward to the day when he no longer fears for the future of the beach.
Sydney Bollinger (she/her) is a Charleston-based arts & entertainment and climate writer. She has written for Charleston City Paper, INTO, Film Cred, Filmmakers Without Cameras, and other places. Her creative work can be found in HASH Journal, Dunes Review, among other literary outlets. Find her online @sydboll.
Camela Guevara (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer living and working in Charleston. She creates handmade monuments to unsung labor. Her practice explores the intersection of art, craft, and fashion, and her work embodies a sense of pleasure and reverence for the labor of sewing. She offers a joyful alternative path of homemade fashion that honors the many skilled hands that clothe us. See her work @camelaguevara.
Katy Mixon is a visual artist working in painting, sculpture, and quilting. She earned an MFA from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a BA from Davidson College. She is an alumna of The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The artist continuously cleans her hands, brushes, palette knives, and carving tools with baby wipes. Inspired by memories of her grandmother’s sewing room, stacked sky-high with scrap fabrics, she began repurposing the used wipes as material for quilted paintings. She composes the pieced tops and hires a local quilter to add the batting and backing. She finishes each piece with hand stitching, often using crewel embroidery to define brush marks and tonal variations. The prismatic color and geometric patterning draw on the rich visual histories of pieced quilts as sustainable forms of generational, abstract storytelling.
See her work @mixdpaint on Instagram or online at www.mixonstudio.com
Hailey Williams was born and raised in the Carolinas. Hailey is an MFA Candidate for Poetry and Arts and Cultural Management at the College of Charleston, received her BA in Writing Seminars with a minor in Film and Media from Johns Hopkins University, and served as the 2019 Artist in Residence for the Dry Tortugas National Park. She is currently a Graduate Assistant at the College of Charleston. Her previous roles include Editorial Assistant for Crazyhorse Literary Magazine, Executive Assistant for International Arts and Artists, and Sales and Marketing Assistant for Johns Hopkins University Press. Her work has been published or is forthcoming at the Birmingham Poetry Review, The Ekphrastic Review, Humana Obscura, and Free Verse Press among others.
You’re reading Surge Issue 4. If you’re a new reader, welcome! Surge is the Lowcountry’s climate magazine, where we share stories about the climate crisis and the brave, creative local folks rising to meet it.
Often, folks look at the scale of the climate crisis and think it’s out of our hands. But we’re here to tell you that not only is the climate crisis actionable on a local scale, but also that cities and towns changing their systems are at the forefront of successfully stopping the climate crisis. We, Charlestonians, can be a leader in the Southeast on rising to the climate challenge.
To be a climate-concerned citizen is to see the world through ecofuturist glasses. An asphalt parking lot could be an urban food forest! The 1.7 billion dollars going towards highway expansion could go towards a robust bus system instead! And you get to be a piece of the puzzle when you join with action groups like the Charleston Climate Coalition.
The climate crisis isn’t your fault. I’m willing to bet that you, dear reader, didn’t lobby and lie on behalf of fossil fuels for decades. Yet you do find yourself in one of the most consequential periods of human history – one where the planet as we know it is on an express ride to extreme heat, floods, and chaos unless we band together and do something about it.
In this issue, we’re sharing stories from the frontlines of Lowcountry climate action. Read about urban natureweaving, climate solutions, the issue with I-526, ecotour storytelling, and South Carolina State Park artists. Maybe you’ll see a place for yourself in these stories of small-scale environmental heroism. In many ways, it’s just like loving your home.
The “Thousand Year Floods” of 2015 that dumped as much as 2 feet of rain in short order on communities across South Carolina. The 2005 relief response to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi coast. The chaos of the Hurricane Floyd evacuation in 1999 with 3.5 million people in four Southeastern states caught up in fear and gridlock.
Mic Smith has chronicled the impact of these climate emergencies and many others throughout his career as a photojournalist.
From 1994-2008, Mic earned state and national honors for his work with The Post and Courier in Charleston, before leaving the newspaper to start his own business, based from his Isle of Palms home. And while he expanded his efforts to include portrait and marketing photography, he has continued his work in journalism, including assignments from The Associated Press.
Through the years, Mic has captured a wide range of subjects from unforgettable football games to presidential campaigns to the beauty of the Lowcountry landscape. Yet many of his most riveting images still come during hurricane season, as the threat of disruption and destruction have become an increasingly expected part of life along the coast.
www.micsmithphotography.com
Written by Sydney Bollinger
Georgia Walters got in her truck and left the beach at Edisto State Park. Then she noticed something running across the road, so she slammed on her brakes.
“I turned to look and it was a little baby raccoon,” said Walters, a nature photographer. “He ran up into one of the palms and I stood there and photographed him for about an hour and got to observe his mannerisms and the way he does things.”
This was the first time in Walters’ career as a photographer that she was able to photograph a baby raccoon — and it happened here in the Lowcountry. At the time, Walters was an Artist-in-Residence (AIR) with the South Carolina (SC) State Parks.
“The program is an opportunity for artists to enjoy a week at one of our SC state parks and gain inspiration from our natural and cultural resources. In return, the artist provides an original piece of artwork that is displayed in the park,” said Mikaela Grooms, who oversees the AIR Program and also serves as the SC State Parks Marketing Coordinator.
Casey Shoub, also known as the Upstate Outdoor Adventurer, is an aerial videographer and photographer who was also an AIR at Edisto State Park and a frequent visitor to South Carolina’s state parks in his youth.
“State parks are where me and my family vacationed. So overall [the residency] allowed me to reflect on my youth, gave me a chance to connect with nature, and take inspiration from the environment around me,” he said.
Art, and programs like the State Parks Artist-in-Residence program, provide a way for people to share their stories and experiences with the natural world. In this way, we can all be connected to Walters’ experience with the baby raccoon and Shoub’s eagle-eye aerial shots.
“Every mountain peak, every grain of sand has been an important part of the ecosystem for its area, so we all need to work together to try to protect it whether that means not throwing out trash to make sure that we pull any invasive plants that are growing,” Walters said.
Sharing these photographs, artworks, and experiences is activism. Creative expression is both something we can all take part in and key to thinking about and understanding issues like land conservation, maintaining biodiversity, and climate change.
“I think art can convey many things and situations. In my work I aim to share the beauty of nature in an effort to encourage people to enjoy it, appreciate it, and protect it for us now and those who come after us,” said Shoub.
Artwork and stories connect us to one another, but also to the more-than-human world so we can see its intricacies and power.
“I’ve seen many forms of art that have inspired me in some way...if everybody found a way to put their passion into some form of art, we could create a movement inspiring everybody to protect the planet,” said Walters.
“iffoundeverybody a way to put passiontheirinto some form of art, we could create a movement inspiring everybody to protectplanet”the
Since 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation’s Charter Day has honored organizations, individuals, and other entities that have made extraordinary contributions toward protecting Charleston’s irreplaceable historic buildings, neighborhoods, and other special sites. Please join us as we celebrate those whose work and vision have impacted the preservation of the Lowcountry’s historical, architectural, and cultural legacy, as well as made significant contributions to the future of our vibrant community.
Farmers & Exchange Bank Building, 141 East Bay Street | Old St. Michael’s Rectory, 39 Meeting Street
Strawberry Chapel, Chapel of Ease, Moncks Corner | Starlight Motor Inn, 3245 Rivers Avenue
STONEY CRAFTSMANSHIP AWARD
Andrea Hazel, Artist | Sheila Wertimer, Landscape Architect | Karl Beckwith Smith, Artist
JOSEPH H. (PETER) MCGEE AWARD
Richard Habersham, Phillips Community Association President Christian Sottile, Principal, Sottile & Sottile Jamie Westendorff
Since 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation’s Charter Day has honored organizations, individuals, and other entities that have made extraordinary contributions toward protecting Charleston’s irreplaceable historic buildings, neighborhoods, and other special sites. We celebrate those whose work and vision have impacted the preservation of the Lowcountry’s historical, architectural, and cultural legacy, as well as made significant contributions to the future of our vibrant community. HistoricCharleston.org
500 years ago, the Charleston peninsula was covered with maritime forest. Blue mistflower and aquatic milkweed ran alongside ferns and river oats, all under a thick canopy of oaks and pines. Today, Charleston’s land is dominated by brick, concrete, asphalt – what those in the urban planning realm call “impervious surfaces.” Water pools instead of being flushed through soil and roots; too-hot summers are magnified by trapped heat; pollinators and wildlife find dead zones where there once was food and shelter; and we, as humans, are denied a fundamental link to the natural world.
Dense urban living and living among nature are not mutually exclusive, and the tide is turning towards embracing a wilder cityscape. Some of that comes from big policy items – the City of Charleston’s Climate Action Plan espouses tree planting and wetland migration, accounting for rising sea level by making space at the water’s edge for endangered marshes to move landward. But we can also turn city life green on an individual scale, yard by yard, roof by roof.
Advocates and organizers are one vanguard of the urban green wave. Rebecca Fanning’s adventures in marsh and stream restoration and concern for biodiversity loss brought her to found Community Hydrology. The mission? Mobilize folks to spread native plants and steward water bodies. By her reckoning, this work doesn’t have to be complicated. You can scatter seeds in your backyard, or group up and take out some invasive plant species from a public watershed near you.
“The opportunity that I see with rehabilitation or restoration is that it actually does require a human hand to get it right. And by right, I mean restored to a more natural Lowcountry habitat,” Fanning said, thanks to the invasive plants that will win out if we don’t intentionally support natives.
Fanning notes that native foliage is often repressed in Charleston due to our adherence to aesthetics inherited from England, with monoculture grass lawns and neat hedges prioritized over bunches of native flowers and shrubs. But there are all sorts of visual strategies that can be taken with dense herbaceous native plants to make them more welcome.
“Don’t make it look like a jungle that could hide a tiger. When the plants are coming up and they get about knee high, cut them and they’ll sprout hydra heads and stay in a growth form that you can see over,” Fanning said. “That will mitigate some of the stress of people who are programmed to believe that messy plantings are hiding predators, this sort of lizard brain fear that we have when looking at a jungly, tangled web of plants.”
Charleston has an ecological designer who was inspired to bring permaculture concepts to “an audience that might hear permaculture and think messy gardens,” as well as to a community being hit hard by climate change and development: Al Mason, founder of Plan’td Ecological Design. She’s been working with homeowners to design yards that maximize native foliage, account for water drainage and shade, and look beautiful doing it.
“Native plants, there’s a huge breadth of them in the Southeast – there are so many colors and structures and textures that I play with in the work I do to create a landscape that could look almost identical to these formally shaped landscapes,” Mason said. “It’s really just shapes and silhouettes that we’re working with, but I’m replacing them with a species that’s native.”
Mason likes to see humans as a keystone species and believes in our ability to contribute to the life forms around us. One focus area for her is creating corridors of native greenery, even if it’s just getting a chain of participating yards in a row, because of how deeply pollinators and wildlife benefit from continuity.
“I think fragmentation, or the loss of connectivity between … spaces that have specific food and forage for birds and pollinators, is what’s really harming a lot of biodiversity as well as the general population of insects and birds,” Mason said. “So connectivity and creating corridors is really just establishing these green spaces, these pollinator gardens, bird habitats, where it’s uninterrupted by human development.”
“That backyard or two in between one green space to another is what’s going to make the difference between that local population of insects, of lizards or birds, surviving or not surviving.”
Mason stresses the importance of urban nature to our inner landscape, and how we can tune into the cycles of the natural world through biorhythmic living. Plants and wildlife that shift seasonally help us understand the timing of the natural world. In a city of unchanging live oaks and evergreens, treasuring habitats that serve migratory birds and butterflies, like the night herons that nest in Battery Park, helps take us out of mundane routine and into a seasonal cycle. Similarly, refuges in nature, whether it’s a rewilded backyard or an urban park that has enough native wildflowers and pollinators to feel dense, offer mental space and clarity.
“I’m not here to bully anyone into building a pollinator garden,” Mason said. “I’d love to inspire and I hope as a result they can feel the benefits deep within their nervous systems, and just who they are as people.”
The Southeast has another designer on the vanguard of urban nature weaving: Kate Blatt Ancaya, cofounder and landscape architect at Living Roofs, Inc. Based in Raleigh, NC, many of her early projects were in Charleston, and she sees great opportunity here for leaning into green roofs – roofs that hold vegetation – in a big way.
“Thinking about ways to stitch nature back into our cities,” she said, “we have plenty of rooftops.”
Traditional roofs are ecological dead zones, and with so much of the city’s surface area being covered with them, that’s a lot of opportunities left on the table. Green roofs not only offer a new frontier for the forage and refuge greenery our birds and butterflies need to survive, but also provide a host of infrastructural benefits that Charleston sorely needs.
“I think the main thing that we need to do is change the narrative around green roofs from being this ornament or decoration, because we need to think of green roofs as infrastructure,” Ancaya said. “Not just as a nice-to-have but as a must-have. These are systems that are proven to really meet the challenges of our day, and also in our region, where we have increased rainfall, increased storms, high heat, extreme drought, extreme humidity, we’re dealing with a whole host of challenges… start thinking of them as standard practice.”
There are a few reasons why green roof adoption isn’t higher. Some of it stems from lack of education – some builders and buyers don’t realize that green roof types can vary by budget and goal and think of them as not an option. Retrofitting buildings for green roofs can be a challenge because of their higher load, making some existing buildings poor candidates. But new buildings can easily accommodate a green roof so long as it’s considered early on. The upfront cost is higher than a conventional roof, with a return on investment of around five to six years. Those savings come from the cooling green roofs provide.
“Building occupants are maybe enjoying lower energy costs or extended lifespan of their roofing, economic benefits,” Ancaya said. “But that building is also providing a community-wide benefit of lowering temperature and also helping manage stormwater and reducing flooding.”
Charleston faces its fair share of woes stemming from its transition away from its maritime forest roots – in the pursuit of standard urban development, we’ve dulled our lived connection to nature, starved the more-than-human world around us, and created recurring infrastructural disasters around heat and flooding. But we have a growing movement of folks weaving together nature and cityscape in a thoughtful, holistic way, planting the seeds of an urban Charleston area that feels lush, fulfilling, and more livable.
“The multifunctional-ness of green infrastructure is what makes it so important,” Ancaya said. “We can be solving multiple things at one time.”
We’re
Come out for a slow roll bike ride through Downtown Charleston’s eco-hotspots, featuring talks and stops on food, art, marshkeeping, environmental justice, and more! Sign up at charlestonclimatecoalition.com.
Surge
of Charleston Climate Coalition! Join
Betsy: The Union Pier site is on the historic Charleston Peninsula, right behind the Harris Teeter grocery store on East Bay Street. It’s actually a 64-acre property, so it’s really big. Since the founding of Charleston in 1670, this site has been closed off for port and shipping operations. This redevelopment proposal is exciting because it has the potential to open up that waterfront area back to the public. For the past several decades, much of that prime waterfront real estate has been closed off for private operations of the Ports Authority.
Many folks may be familiar with the Carnival Cruise operation, which has been a primary activity at the site. Carnival had a lease with the Ports Authority, using Union Pier as their home port terminal operation. So in May of last year in 2022, the Ports Authority announced their plans to transition away from that home port contract. When the lease ends between the Ports Authority and Carnival in 2024, the Ports Authority will pivot away from these longer home port stays into more abbreviated port of call stays, freeing up a big portion of the property that’s been used essentially for parking and cruise operations for redevelopment.
Belvin: So what once was a massive parking lot for cruises and some defunct port buildings is now going to be a giant new development in the heart of downtown Charleston.
Betsy: Unfortunately, not much affordable housing at all has been proposed. I mentioned the 1600 units, only 50 units out of the 1600 are being proposed as affordable units right now. Needless to say, that’s nowhere near enough. And that’s something that I’m hoping the community will really come together and rally around to push for not only more affordable housing units… but that those affordable units are dispersed all throughout the site. So they’re not just in one location, maybe far away from the water or in a less desirable area.
Betsy: The green space so far proposed is about 19 acres. And I think that a lot of folks would say, Okay, that’s pretty good. There’s 36 acres of upland, 19 acres of which are proposed for open space, but a lot of that’s actually not on the upland. A big part of the open space that’s being proposed is on the existing pier area. So it’s going to be, hopefully, if it translates to reality upon build out, a pretty cool Island Park concept, a really big park, right there on the water, that I think will be a huge community benefit and asset if done well. That being said, there isn’t enough green space on the rest of the property.
[Editor’s note: as of press time, Lowe, the developer of the site, has proposed a new park corridor, acreage unclear.]
Betsy: Acknowledging that low income Americans are more likely to use transit, bike and walk in urban areas – this vision for Union Pier must not perpetuate these inequities. So we have to create a livable community that’s accessible for everybody. And it goes back to some of these main themes we’ve been talking about – more publicly accessible open space, access and direct safe connections to the water, housing for all, community, spaces for art venues, gatherings. Which requires setting aside what could be developable, profitable, valuable, waterfront space, for the public realm for everyone to use and enjoy.
Betsy: This definitely can’t be done alone with just one, two, or three organizations at the table. We need community support and input in a big way. And there’s a lot of opportunities upcoming to get involved. Those special meetings are all scheduled before votes happen at Planning Commission or City Council. So we’ve definitely got some time to get organized and get out to the meetings. But this is moving quickly. I want to make that clear. There should be a sense of urgency with getting involved in getting on the record with this.
You can sign this grassroots petition to Reimagine Union Pier For The People, urging the City of Charleston to slow down the Union Pier development process, hear the voices of those often ignored, and address affordable housing, flooding mitigation, sustainability, mobility and a host of other issues.
https://chng.it/d29MTspj
Written by by Chris Crolley
Storytelling is as old as humanity. It is one of the things we do better than any other creature known to taxonomy. This complex communication skill finds its origins in the spoken word, music, dance and art. Interestingly enough the other thing Homo sapiens do well is bipedal locomotion. We can outwalk and outrun any animal on earth.
If you combine these two superlative attributes they yield an animal that is highly evolved for walking and talking, storytelling and ambulation. We are uniquely prepared for immersive experiences in nature like guided outdoor storytelling, hiking, kayaking, water based ecotours. This is what I facilitate for a living.
Today’s story follows dwindling bird populations and a call to action to prevent certain species from going extinct. You see, bird populations have declined by more than 70% since 1970. That’s nearly 3 billion birds erased from the annual counts. This decline, just like back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, is directly related to human impact.
Our coastal birds are suffering from a condition known as “Coastal Squeeze.” As human populations on the coast increase and sea levels continue to rise, there is nowhere left for the birds to feed, rest, or nest. Almost all of our “people
beaches” have been re-nourished because the resorts and beach communities depend on the beach for revenue and, with rising water levels precipitate, coastal erosion can disappear a beach overnight. This renourishment process costs hundreds and millions of dollars. In today’s dollars South Carolina has spent well over $500 billion on these processes. Comparatively, we have spent near zero dollars on renourishing wild bird nesting areas. Meanwhile the seabird and shorebird nesting island are washing away due to rising water levels, just like the people beaches.
Historically rising water levels were not an issue for the birds. The early Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago, was one of the hottest times in the history of the earth. There was no ice at either pole and the ocean level was in modern day Columbia, SC. During the last Ice Age, a mere 25,000 years ago, the water level was 60 miles further east of the modern coast line. Ocean levels have been fluctuating on Earth for quite a while, and birds adapted. The problem today is that the next available high ground is paved and forest and prairies have been cut down in favor of new development. What was previously habitat is now grocery stores, schools, churches, resorts, parking lots, and highways. There is nowhere for the birds to go.
This nesting season bird eggs will wash away with the full moon and the new moon on tides higher than anyone alive have ever seen. Least terns will resort to nesting on roofs of buildings in the city, again this year. Feeding and resting birds
will be chased off of narrow shore lines by dogs and humans. Bird nesting colonies on track for a successful year will only make it as far as the Fourth of July, only to fail in the wake of all-day beach parties and all-night fireworks.
When DDT was the problem the idea that a group of bird lovers could defeat the international, multi-million dollar chemical corporation seemed impossible. At least then there was a villain and a solution. Now, the villain is us and the solution requires changing our cultural understanding and behavior. Still, we can protect birds through actions like planting native plants and avoiding pesticides to watching birds and sharing what you see. For coastal birds we should be conscious of not disturbing them on the beach whether they are resting, feeding, or nesting. We should insist our state and federal legislators vote into law a congressional mandate that for every dollar spent on renourishing a people beach there be a percentage paid into a program that considers wild bird preservation action including renourishing wild beaches..
The story we are telling is not new. It is the same story we told when the birds were in trouble 60 years ago. If we fail to act decisively and soon the next story we will be telling will be what it used to be like when Pelicans, Black Skimmers, Least Terns, Red Knots, Oystercatchers, Warblers and Finches still existed on earth.
I haven’t experienced a summer of freedom since I was thirteen years old. Before the swamp flushed me out of her, legs still young and dripping with sandy loam, tangled, maybe amongst the tupelo and the cypress had never been prettier.
My muddy dizzied self would shut my eyes facing the world. Before letting go entirely, letting the wet dirt eat me up. Nature always wins, she always feeds, she is always satisfied when all is said and done. I wish to find some similar position, a life where I am constantly fed and waded through.
An urban Southern revival of a dead god commits their final summoning sin by stealing a life among the Spanish moss from my bare childish hands.
Lead me, then, to the ultimate release! Into lightness! May I find peace, for once! Oh, from the loneliest of nights, algae growing on what is left of me when the world is over, bloated, rotting and meaningless and yes, I beg of you, let the alligators have what remains.
She said it was a wash pot, Left from the days her own grandmomma took in folks’ laundry, Boiled they sheets and baby clothes.
Large and iron and flaking rust on the bottom, Out in the field to fill with rain water
And flood water
On nights when the Lord wasn’t willing And the creek did rise.
We filled it with sweet gum balls, cedar cones, Needles from the long leaf pine
To trouble and bubble and say words from a Scottish play we ain’t never seen And never gonna see.
We scooped in gray green potion water from the swell and make believe We be sea witches
Til our momma called us in to wash our hands of the algae bloom. And we asked big momma why the wash pot ain’t get used any more. The water got too high, too muddy, too thick. No matter how much you scrubbed and boiled, Those baby clothes never again came away clean.
Production – new buildings create emissions through the mining and logging of materials, the manufacturing of concrete, and the installation
Energy usage – buildings are like cars that constantly idle, constantly using energy for lighting, heating/AC, water systems, etc.
Build with green materials like adobe or hempcrete.
Action item: green building incentives in local towns and cities!
Weatherize and retrofit buildings to be more energy efficient.
Action item: fund local weatherization initiatives!
Written by Belvin Olasov
Car usage drives climate pollution by burning fossil fuels.
Production of goods means consumption that expends resources and energy – especially plastic, a petroleum product
Disposal of waste leads to landfills that leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Natural resources need to be protected and expanded in order for their carbon-absorbing properties to help draw down the climate crisis.
Factory farming creates incredible amounts of climate pollution, which we can reduce by lowering meat consumption and sourcing locally.
Improve our bus system to make their routes more frequent and comprehensive.
Action item: push for funding increase from BCDCOG (Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments)!
Improve walk & bike options.
Action item: connect bike lanes across the Lowcountry!
Electrify vehicles.
Action item: push for EV infrastructure from municipal & county governments!
Lower plastic consumption. Action item: pass further plastic restrictions in municipal & county governments!
Lower general consumption.
Action item: support local circular economy businesses!
Increase composting of food waste.
Action item: expand successful City of Charleston compost dropoff program to surrounding municipalities!
Protect and take care of marshes and wetlands.
Action item: perform marsh stewardship with groups like the MARSH Project, Charleston Waterkeeper, Charleston Surfrider, or Sustainability Institute
Reform development practices to ensure.
Action item: put marsh conservation and marsh migration requirements into local zoning codes!
Plant trees!
Action item: plant trees!
Reduce the amount of meat we’re eating weekly.
Action item: work with restaurants to support vegan options!
Reduce food waste by diverting meals to hungry folks.
Action item: support local nonprofits that distribute donated prepared food!
Buy your food from local farms and grow your own.
Fossil fuel energy sources like coal and fracked gas are the primary driver of the climate crisis. We must transition towards green energy to ultimately reverse the climate crisis.
Reform our monopoly utility, Dominion, to focus on solar and wind over gas.
Action item: get SC legislature and the Public Service Commission to oppose gas expansion! Install solar.
Action item: accelerate municipal & county government adoption of solar panels!
At the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center™, sick and injured sea turtles are transported from all over South Carolina and beyond for a second chance at life. Witness this incredible work for yourself on your next visit to the Aquarium!
Visit today. scaquarium.org
CONSERVE The S.C. Wildlife Federation, South Carolina’s first conservation group, has relied on science since 1931 to conserve the state’s special places and wildlife for all.
ADVOCATE Work with us to promote conservation of our wild places by working with policymakers in Columbia and Washington.
RESTORE We have a broad range of hands-on and education programs for members to restore habitats around the state.
EDUCATE Enjoy our ongoing educational program to inspire hope and ignite passions for protecting natural habitats.
Head to Governor’s Park at any time between 6:30 to 9 am or 3:30 to 5:30 pm and you’ll be staying put a long while as caravan lines of cars and 18-wheelers filter overhead. The Mark Clark Expressway bisects the park with long strands of concrete, steel and smog. On days with heavy trucking traffic, the expressway will transform into a ramp of smoke stacks, the exhaust pipes of so many trucks cluttering the sky like the artwork to Pink Floyd’s Animals. In an era of climate change and rising inequality, the specter of the American highway looms above them all.
The 526 expansion has been tagged with that classic public policy failure label “boondoggle.” The price tag is nearly as eyepopping as the blue steel of the Don Holt Bridge, with the planned eight-mile extension ballooning from initial estimates in the hundreds of millions to nearly $2 billion. The county has adjusted down to 1.78 billion in one estimate, which would still be five times the county’s annual budget.
The proposed expansion would create a 9½-mile, four-lane road from West Ashley, to Johns Island, and then onto James Island with a connection to the end of the James Island connector at Folly Road. The plan is to alleviate current traffic woes and allow for the expressway to better serve the Wando Welch Terminal. Public policy makers across the United States constantly push for wider roads and more lanes to allow the flow of traffic to run more smoothly. However, this runs up against the principle of induced demand. As Field of Dreams puts it, “if you build it, they will come.”
Texas proves a perfect, discouraging example of induced demand. The Katy freeway is the world’s largest highway by lanes. At 26 lanes at its widest, the freeway can hold a mindboggling number of cars. “Hold” being the correct word, because they sure ain’t going anywhere fast. Over a decade of expansion and the Katy Freeway has created worse traffic. According to Joe Cortright at City Commentary, “the morning commute has increased by 25 minutes (or 30 percent) and the afternoon commute has increased by 23 minutes (or 55 percent).” More exit and entrance ramps, more communities with highway access, all lead to an increase of drivers, creating a positive feedback loop of more and more cars on more and more lanes.
Highways are also a consistent weapon used against BIPOC and working-class communities. The great concrete snakes winding around North Charleston through and around Rosemont and Charleston Heights constrict those communities on both sides with a highway and the deeply pedestrian-hostile Spruill Avenue. 526 threatens to exact a similar toll to the communities it bisects. Study after study has proved that proximity to a highway leads to negative health outcomes, from air pollution increasing asthma rates to decreased quality of sleep thanks to noise pollution. Charleston, stubbornly, refuses to invest in public transit infrastructure and pedestrian safety, instead spending ever greater sums for worse products.
North of Morrison, there is the “bridge to nowhere,” a proposed road to a never-built neighborhood that came to an end when the economy crashed in the late ‘00s. Now it only serves as a surreal detour in the marshland, a bridge of wide concrete that suddenly ends in a patch of rough grass and clover. The Mark Clark Expressway is already built and no clover will overrun its concrete until Charleston itself falls. But the current 526 boondoggle might lead to the same result. A bridge to displacement, a bridge to climate change, a bridge to wasted money – a bridge to nowhere.
