Auto Mechanicin North Charleston, SC

GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – Hurricane Idalia produced bands of storms across South Carolina’s Lowcountry on Wednesday, with at least one tornado north of Charleston causing damage.

First responders in Berkeley County reported only minor injuries when a car was apparently sideswiped by a quick twister.

A video showed tropical-storm-force winds in the region associated with the heavy rainfall when the tornado formed, lifting the vehicle and smashing it into another.

The tornado was one of several reports of waterspouts and funnel clouds in South Carolina but was the only incident where a touchdown happened as of Wednesday afternoon.

CHARLESTON SLAMMED WITH STORM SURGE AS IDALIA CONTINUES POUNDING SOUTHEAST

The National Weather Service office in Charleston will be tasked with surveying the damage and determining the rating of the twister on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Hurricane Idalia produced at least one other tornado in Florida, but there was not any widespread damage reported associated with the vortex.

Tornadoes often happen during hurricanes

Tropical cyclones are known to produce tornadoes, especially in the northeast quadrant of the storm.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, shear is typically the greatest in this sector as the storm interacts with other weather features and the land. The tornadoes are usually weak and short-lived, which appears to be what happened in the Lowcountry.

IDALIA DIGS INLAND AS TROPICAL STORM, IMMERSING SOUTHEAST IN FLOODWATERS FOLLOWING HISTORIC FLORIDA LANDFALL

The threat of tornadoes, flooding and gusty winds is expected to continue through Thursday morning for the Carolinas as the center of Idalia pushes eastward off the coast.

Florida and Georgia were the hardest hit states by the former Category 4 hurricane. During the peak of the event, more than half a million customers in the two states were without electricity.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — The Charleston County School District has an updated plan to bring new elementary and primary schools to North Charleston’s Dorchester Road. CCSD staff invited parents and community members to two separate meetings Thursday night about the new schools.

District staff said they want to gain feedback from the community before moving forward with the project.

“There’s nothing like having students walk into a new school and have the accommodations that meet all of today’s educational standards,” said CCSD’s Chief Operations Officer Jeff Borowy.

CCSD proposes new schools to come to North Charleston, parents worry their feedback doesn't matter (WCIV)

Read more: Birthright Charleston bridging gaps in infant care.

That’s exactly what the district is hoping to see happen for students in the Dorchester Corridor.

District staff brought a new option for a proposed elementary school and primary school on the current Lambs Elementary campus to community members on Thursday. The new option would have Lambs and Hunley Elementary combining W. B. Goodwin Elementary would remain the same.

The primary school would accommodate 500 students from infants through first grade. The elementary school would accommodate 600 second through fifth-grade students.

Borowy said he hopes the new option will accomplish several goals: “Provide the best possible facilities for as many kids as possible and also create an environment which accommodates the needs of this community.”

Read more: 30 dogs rescued from hoarding situation and taken to Dorchester Paws.

And the district said it’s prioritizing community feedback, something parents find important.

“The parents know their children. They don’t know my child. I know my child,” said David Jenkins.

District leaders said bringing these new resources to North Charleston is a step in the right direction for the area’s students.

“We’re very attentive to making sure that we’re giving students across the entire district the same level of support,” said Borowy.

However, some parents have concerns that their feedback doesn’t matter.

Read more: Exchange Club of Charleston gives over $200k to Lowcountry nonprofits.

Jenkins told News 4 he’s worried the board of trustees won’t listen to parents once the project is in their hands.

“They’re not letting community members talk anymore for some reason. Since COVID, they stopped all that and haven't brought it back. And they need to listen to the parents,” Jenkins said.

But district leaders assured tonight’s crowd that they’ve already considered feedback and made changes where necessary.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

CCSD’s next steps for the proposed new schools start by taking the idea to the board of trustees in November. If approved, construction should begin in January 2025, and they hope to open their doors in August 2027.

The Charleston County Council has heard two proposals from groups interested in taking over the old Department of Social Services on Rivers Avenue.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Council has heard two proposals from groups interested in taking over the old Department of Social Services on Rivers Avenue.

In September, both Develop South Carolina and Palmetto Community Action Program expressed their interest and visions for the property. The old Department of Social Services building is located at 3366 Rivers Ave. It is next to a CARTA stop and located along the future Lowcountry Rapid Transit Corridor, making it a central spot in the North Charleston Chicora neighborhood.

Develop South Carolina is an affordable housing firm. CEO Alyssa Richardson presented a plan where they could find private investors to turn the building into affordable housing units and leave some space at the lowest level for offices and a convenience store.

“The goal is to bring over 100 units of housing to that location. That area is really important because of the connectivity to the existing car to stop the incoming Low Country rapid transit stop. And something that’s also important to that area is we know it’s a food desert. And so being able to combine both housing and fresh food fresh fruits and veggies, all in one location, to serve the people that need it most,” Richardson says.

Her presentation included notes that Develop SC has been in contact with Spinx convenience store chain about opening the store on the property to provide food for sale. She presented a vision for Develop SC to find building partners to County Council on September 7th.

“What I would want people to know is my company is all about partnerships. It’s about partnering with local talent. It’s about partnering with minority contractors. It’s about partnering with local community associations,” Richardson says.

Richardson says that the building is still county owned and situated in such an important spot signaled to her that leaders may be open to a partnership on the land as opposed to selling it to the highest bidder.

“Most of my presentation was quoting county council to itself, right quoting the housing our future plan. You know, they identified in that plan that the county is going to need 29,000 to 36,000 new units over the coming decade. They identified in that same proposal, housing our future plan, that one of the strategies would be leveraging County and/or city or government owned property with what the private sector can do,” Richardson says.

A few weeks before Richardson gave her proposal, Palmetto Community Action Partnership Executive Director Casdell Singleton visited county council. He presented a plan that would have the Lowcountry non-profit move into the building for its headquarters. The non-profit that serves people through energy assistance, educational training and housing programs, has outgrown its current office.

“Our current building, it served our purposes well through the years but we’ve grown tremendously since then. The need for our services have grown and we’ve expanded our services. And so now we operate out of three different buildings in three different locations primarily. And so the need is now to find a new space where our clients are,” Singleton says.

Singleton says if their services were consolidated to one building on public transit that it would make it easy for the people they serve to come in and get all their needs met in one place.

“It would also allow us to be sort of a hub for that area, which is now in transition. And so what we’d love to do is to take that facility and perhaps invite some of our partners to be there with us also,” Singleton says.

He says that the agency serves people From Moncks Corner to Hollywood and every in between, therefore a central location is needed.

“I think council heard our plea and I think they understand the value we bring to the community. That is that we are an agency that helps to stabilize the community and keep community stable with a number of partners,” Singleton says.

The council did not take any action or vote on the future of the land, but listened to the presentations and asked a few questions of each presenter. For now, Develop South Carolina and Palmetto CAP are waiting for any news and continue to show their interest in the property.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The historic Rosenwald School in St. George will take on a new life to inspire young minds, as part of the space becomes the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry’s first satellite location.

The upper Dorchester County location is the first step in the museum’s goal to live up to its name by “representing more of the Lowcountry,” CEO Karen Coltrane said.

It is expected to come online next year, primarily as a center for field trips or special events. The buildout of the exhibits is being funded by more than $300,000 provided by Boeing Co. and other local donors.

Erin Fisher, a senior manager for the 787 maker’s community engagement efforts, said that developing a workforce pipeline is more than just targeting high school and college age students.

Investments like these are meant to help younger children across the state embrace curiosity, problem solving and science- and math-based concepts, with the hope that it will set them down a career path in advanced manufacturing or engineering, she said.

Tuskegee Airmen event

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum will welcome a special VIP guest on Oct. 15: Lt. Eugene J. Richardson Jr. was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first African-American fighter pilots to see combat during World War II and who were credited with advancing civil rights for minorities who served in the military.

Business

Richardson, who was born in 1925, will share personal experiences from his time in the Army Air Corps from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Also, a documentary titled “In Their Own Words: The Tuskegee Airmen,” will be shown in the Smokey Stover Theater on the Yorktown aircraft carrier. It’s included with the purchase of a general admission ticket.

Back in jail

A local company’s longstanding old historic city jail tour is back, just in time for spooky season.

Bulldog Tours of Charleston paused the visits while the 221-year-old building underwent extensive renovations to help preserve and stabilize it. Tickets are now on sale for tours starting Oct. 20.

The company started leading guided trips of the jail at 21 Magazine St. in 2004. Owner John Laverne says that visitors will notice some differences.

“We’ve added more history about the building itself, which has played a large role in Charleston’s history,” he said.

With the renovation, the building has now been brought into the 21st century, with heating and cooling systems and updated restrooms.

“Exhibits will make it look and feel like it did in 1802,” Laverne said.

Around town

NORTH CHARLESTON — Stand-up comedy in Charleston will have a new home not far from Park Circle after The Sparrow closes later this year.

Comedian Josh Bates announced a new venture with entrepreneur Rick Blind that will bring a combination bar and theater to 3324 Rivers Ave. The new space, set to open in in February, will include about 5,000 square feet of space divided between the bar, a 90-seat theater, a green room that doubles as a podcasting studio and a forthcoming VIP area.

The new comedy club that will step in for The Sparrow as the gym for Charleston stand-up comics sits across the street from the Starlight Motor Inn and next door to Jackrabbit Filly ownership’s new restaurant, King BBQ. The Sparrow became a hub for comics plying their craft in part due to its long-running weekly open mic nights.

Having a theater space means Wit’s End will be able to host other forms of entertainment as well. Future plans include bringing community theater events to the space, in addition to hosting sketch and improv comedy events. Bates said he and his partner might even work with King BBQ on events.

Comedy at The Sparrow became a spin-off brand that’s brought in rising stars in the stand-up world to Park Circle after the bar’s owner, Cami Kind, tapped Bates to evolve entertainment offerings in 2019.

In July, Kind announced the bar would close after more than a decade because of a lease dispute. She said that she would not reopen The Sparrow elsewhere.

The upcoming closing left Bates needing to find a new path forward for Comedy at The Sparrow, whose open mics became so popular that they switched from walk-in signups to advance registration on Mondays.

The last day of comedy at The Sparrow is Dec. 9. Bates said he plans on a smooth transition for comedy fans when Wit’s End opens in February. He has booked national comics to play in the club’s opening weeks, along with a concert series.

Bates said more information on the club will be shared in the coming months.

Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday.