Mattress storein Charleston, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- Over 50 options to charter a boat in Charleston are available through Get My Boat, a boat rental service that has recently gained traction amongst Charleston charter boat captains.

Doug Warner, the Vice President of Media and Innovation for Explore Charleston, says that local and visitors like to come to the Lowcountry to enjoy the area’s waterways.

“When I have visitors in town I usually encourage them to get on the water because of how beautiful it is from every vantage point,” said Warner.

Most trips come with a local captain to guide you and your group around the marshes, islands and rivers in Charleston.

Captain Dave Held of Southern Moon Charters has been using Get My Boat for a couple years.

“I love the water. I love boating. What better way is there to get on the water everyday than by doing that?,” said Held.

Boat trips with Captain Dave take at least two hours, but he gives people some flexibility on how long they can stay. Local Helen Enghauser booked with Southern Moon Charters with her friends while they were on vacation.

“I booked with Captain Dave over my spring break,” said Helen Enghauser. “He took us all over. I liked the experience. I think it’s amazing. It was so welcoming.”

“There’s two kinds of time I tell people about. You have regular time and you have Charleston time,” said Held.

Captain Dave’s favorite part of his job is meeting new people.

“I’ve had people cry on the boat at a sunset. They’ll say ‘Oh it’s so beautiful,’ and they cry. I’m thinking that we’ve done something wrong and they’re like ‘No we’re so happy,'” said Held.

Explore Charleston thinks that anything that gets people out on the water benefits the Lowcountry.

“The more things we have for not just locals, but visitors to do too and the easier we can make those experiences, the better it is for everyone,” said Warner.

Get My Boat sees potential in Charleston to add to their number of captains and customers.

“There’s plenty of room for growth there. We have a ton of demand for captain charters for people travelling in for bachelorette parties and birthdays,” said Val Streif, the Marketing Manager for Get My Boat.

If you are planning to book a charter on Get My Boat this summer, Strief suggests doing that quickly before spots fill up. She has some other tips to make sure your trip goes well.

Happy (almost) Cinco de Mayo, Charleston.

The holiday honors Mexico’s victory over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The Second Franco-Mexican War didn’t end that day, but the battle became a symbol of resistance against foreign powers.

If you’re celebrating this year, here’s where to eat, drink, and dance in the Holy City — on Cinco de Mayo and through the weekend.

Celebrate

Cinco de Mayo Block Party at Mex 1 West Ashley | Thurs., May 5 | $10 in advance, $15 at the door | 5 p.m. | Mex 1 West Ashley, 817 St. Andrews Blvd. | Head over to this local spot to enjoy food tents, local vendors, outdoor bars, and live music from Charleston-based Midnight City Band.

Cinco de Mayo Parking Lot Party | Thurs., May 5 | Free | 4-9 p.m. | Jalisco Taqueria & Tequila, 1271 Folly Rd. | Experience a full-service taco tent, music, yard games, and a margarita bar offering $10 Patrón margaritas and $7 shots of Patrón — family and pet friendly.

Cinco de Mayo Party | Thurs., May 5 | Free | 5 p.m. | Dashi, 1262 Remount Rd., North Charleston | Grab $3 tacos, $5 house margaritas, $8 frozen jalapeno & mango margaritas, $2 jarritos, and $3 Modelo & Dos Equis before a late-night comedy show with Cam Bertrand, Jeremy McLellan & Dedrick Flynn.

Cinco de Mayo at The Basement | Thurs., May 5 | Free | 12 p.m. | The Basement, 1055 SC-41, Mt. Pleasant | Dig in at the free taco bar from 2-5 p.m., all-day drink specials including $5 house margaritas and $5 Espolón shots, and wrap up the evening with live music from 6-9 p.m.

Margarita at the Beach | Thurs., May 5 | $39+ | 6-8 p.m. | Painting with a Twist, 2511 N. Main St., Ste. B, Summerville | Celebrate the holiday by painting a 16×20 canvas or 17.5×17 wood plank board at this local studio.

SOL Southwest Kitchen | Thurs., May 5 | Free | All day | SOL Mt. Pleasant, 1101 Stockade Ln., Mt. Pleasant | Partake in a complimentary tequila tasting from 6-8 p.m., enjoy live music from Patrick Norris between 6-9 p.m., and celebrate with all-day specials.

Charleston Margarita & Mimosa Fest | Sat., May 7 | $24.99+ | Registration 12-2 p.m. | Share House, 23 Ann St. | Bar hop between Share House, Silver Dollar, The Brick, and Uptown Social from 12-6 p.m. with your wristband good for various drink specials at each venue.

Eat + drink

Cinco de Mayo is about much more than delicious food and drinks — but the deals don’t hurt.

Cinco de Mesa | Snag a $5 Mesa Verde at your local Verde restaurant with the online promo code CINCO22.

$6 House Margaritas | Choose between coconut, pineapple, lime, mango, spicy, and signature margarita flavors at Pink Cactus for this hard-to-beat special.

Happy celebrating, Charleston. Let us know how you’ll be spending the day.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Charleston County School District principal who was promoted on Friday then placed on administrative leave on Tuesday is now the subject of an investigation from the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.

Documents state the agency has been investigating an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint against newly-promoted Septima P. Clark Academy Principal Carolyn Anderson for more than two months.

Anderson was promoted to that position on Friday despite the complaint after serving as the school’s interim principal since the beginning of the school year.

In the complaint filed with the SCHAC on Feb. 16, a male employee accuses Anderson of unwanted touching and sexual comments and gestures. He says she would give details about her sex life with her husband and even find administrative tasks for him to do just to be close to her.

The employee also alleges that Anderson discriminated against him on the basis of his gender by requiring him to intervene in student fights, even after he suffered an injury that he is still recovering from months later. He claims female teachers were not held to the same standard.

After the employee heard Anderson was promoted on Friday, he sent an email to all of the Charleston County School Board members and interim superintendent Don Kennedy on Saturday, laying out his allegations and including the official EEOC complaint. In that email, he attached a number of provocative images he says came from Anderson’s social media and what appears to be screenshots of security footage inside the school. He says the images show Anderson is unfit to be a leadership position.

“The Interim Principal does not represent what Professional Leadership represents, appears, or is expected in any of Charleston County Schools. Her conduct at best is unbecoming of a principal, egregious and reprehensible,” the email states.

The school district has not commented on why Anderson was put on leave or who is responsible for promoting her.

“As stated previously, Septima P. Clark Academy’s principal is currently on administrative leave related to personnel matters for which we cannot comment while the investigation is ongoing,” the district said in a statement. “We understand the questions of timing caused by the principal’s appointment announcement and the subsequent administrative leave, but that does not change the necessity of completing a thorough investigation.”

It is also unclear if the district was even aware she was the subject of an EEOC investigation, despite documents showing the district was served on Feb. 21. School Board Member Kristen French said she was unaware of the allegations or the promotion.

“My understanding is that staff are investigating the situation and any internal breakdown in communication regarding the EEOC complaint,” French said.

Board members are not required to review or approve principal promotions.

The district had 30 days to respond to that EEOC complaint. The Human Affairs Commissions says the district has not yet responded and the next step in the case would be to send them a subpoena.

This is still an open investigation with the SCHAC, and so far, they have not made any findings.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's road agency says the cost to build a long-debated completion of the Interstate 526 loop has tripled to more than $2.3 billion because of rising costs of land and construction.

The state's share of the Mark Clark Extension is capped at $420 million in a 2019 agreement with the Charleston County, meaning the county would need to find nearly $2 billion to complete the project — six times more than it planned.

The highway would start at the west end of I-526 in West Ashley, cross on to Johns Island and run back off the island to James Island. It would end at the James Island Connector.

“This, to me, is a perfect opportunity for Charleston County Council to walk away from this project,” Jason Crowley of the Coastal Conservation League told The Post and Courier of Charleston.

The league has fought the new highway for years, saying it would benefit few people and harm many.

A large portion of the project would go through Charleston. Mayor John Tecklenburg said the I-526 extension is vital.

"Our West Ashley and island residents need and deserve the traffic relief and public safety improvements this project will bring,” Tecklenburg said in statement.

The I-526 extension is separate from another project to widen the mostly four-lane interstate that links Mount Pleasant to the state port, Interstate 26 and West Ashley. The freeway has been busy because of the Charleston area's growth.

State officials said it could cost around $7 billion to expand I-526 to eight lanes, untangle its intersection with I-26 and build or expand several bridges along the route.

For the I-526 extension, the South Carolina Department of Transportation is asking Charleston County to show it still wants to fund the project, estimating the county would need to pay about $75 million to get ready for bids.

“I don’t know if people are going to have an appetite for it,” said County Council Chair Teddie Pryor. “Where are we going to get the extra money from?”

The project's supporters suggest prices may soon fall, reducing the cost of I-526. Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce said, though, that further delays show costs inevitably rise.

“The current cost of the project heightens the important need of completing this effort now," the chamber said.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District is preparing for the possibility that they may need to cover a budget shortfall of $35.7 million to cover the basic required increases without a tax increase.

At the April 25 school board meeting, Interim Superintendent Don Kennedy presented three scenarios to address the budgetary gap based on the budget passed by the South Carolina House of Representatives.

All three options would have the district cutting non-salary costs by $4 million and freezing hiring to save $3 million.

The first option would not increase taxes – or millage- and calls for a $4.4 million restructuring of the central office, $5.7 million in one-time fund balance money and $18.5 million in “additional cuts.”

Kennedy says the fund balance money to be used in next year’s budget is the unused amount of fund balance allocated for this year’s budget and will not impact the overall projection for where the fund should be.

Another option would increase millage by 6.3 mills and look identical to the first scenario only with $1.7 million in “additional cuts” instead of $18.5 million. This option would also cover additional expenses.

The final option presented to the board would raise millage to its max of 9.1 mills. This scenario allows the district to not have to restructure the central office or find additional cuts. However, it would still require about $700,000 of fund balance money.

Kennedy says he will likely suggest the 6.3 mills option, as it is the only one that includes all of the required increases but also includes a number of district priorities. Those priorities include raising the teacher step cap from 26 to 30 years, increasing non-teacher step, and increasing minimum wage to $17 an hour.

In this plan, the district projects an increase to expenses of $41.2 million and only $22.4 million in additional revenue. The $18 million gap would be filled as described earlier.

Of the $41.2 million, $30.8 million come from required increases and unfunded or partially funded state mandates. For example, CCSD would have to pick up a $9.5 million expense to increase teacher salaries by $2,000 and another $4.5 million for teacher step increases.

The proposed millage increase does represent a tax hike, however for homeowners who also live in their home, the increase is zero. Those with non-owner-occupied homes, a 6.3 mills increase would see taxes jump $37.80 for every $100,000 in assessed value. Commercial properties would have an additional $189 per $500,000 of assessed value. There would also be small increases for cars and personal property.

The district has not yet publicly presented any options for the budget passed by the Senate last Thursday. However, the district is meeting tomorrow for an audit and finance meeting where more details are expected.

The house and senate are expected to meet to discusses the two proposed budgets and settle on one bill to send to the governor.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.