Mattress storein Moncks Corner, SC

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – Despite several delays, Slim Chickens officially opened its doors to the public Monday in Moncks Corner. The restaurant is located next to Tractor Supply at 451 North U.S. Hwy 52. This is the first restaurant along the South Carolina coast for the Arkansas-based chain.

Along with giving Berkeley County residents a new option to grab a meal, the new Slim Chickens restaurant is helping to boost the area’s economy with the creation of more than 75 new jobs, representatives for the chain told The Berkeley Observer.

Larry Chandler, a multi-unit Firehouse Subs owner, is behind the opening of the popular chicken chain’s third location in the Palmetto State. The restaurant chain opened its first South Carolina location on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia last year. Its second location opened in the Upstate in Fort Mill in April 2023.

Tana Lee is the restaurant manager for the Moncks Corner location.

For Chandler and his nephew, Jody Chandler, who is also a co-owner, this is their first time embarking on opening their very first Slim Chickens.

Larry has been in the restaurant business for nearly 40 years and owns 38 Firehouse Subs restaurants in South Carolina and North Carolina – the largest amount of locations in the Firehouse Subs system.

According to the pair, they decided to partner with Slim Chickens after experiencing the delicious food and southern hospitality firsthand, which is exactly what they say they strive for at their Firehouse Subs restaurants.

With the opening of the new Moncks Corner Slim Chickens, it now shares the same stretch of highway as several other chicken-focused restaurants, including Chick-fil-A, Bojangles, Popeyes, KFC and Zaxby’s.

According to Larry, while he has humble respect for his fellow local restaurant owners in Moncks Corner, he believes Slim Chickens will easily stand out in the restaurant scene because of the brand’s different offerings from its competitors, like chicken & waffles, 17 different sauces, and crafted desserts.

Slim Chickens, which launched in 2003 by founders Greg Smart and Tom Gordon, has over 235 locations in the United States, United Kingdom and Turkey and over 1,150 locations in development.

Slim Chickens locations are also planned for Florence, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, QSR Magazine reports.

For more information on Slim Chickens, visit slimchickens.com.

Idalia is likely to be a wind and rain event for Berkeley County, starting late Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday morning. Expected rainfall is 4 to 8 inches. Other potential impacts from Idalia, including risk for tornadoes and storm surge, remains low at this time for Berkeley County.

County officials have been meeting and discussing preparations for any potential impacts to our area. Crews with Berkeley County Roads and Bridges have been out ahead of the storm, checking on flood prone areas, storm drains and culverts throughout the County. SC Governor Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

Citizens are encouraged to prepare for Idalia by making a plan and building an emergency kit. View our 2023 County Hurricane Guide in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

CLOSURES: All Berkeley County Government offices, the Courthouse, Cypress Gardens, Berkeley Animal Center, and all County Library branches will close at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, August 30. All facilities will remain CLOSED on Thursday, August 31, and reopen on Friday, September 1.

OPERATING CONDITIONS: The County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) currently remains at OPCON 3 (normal operating conditions), with no activation at this time. On Wednesday at 8 a.m., Berkeley County will transition to OPCON 2 with a partial EOC activation. OPCON 2 means a disaster or emergency is likely to affect the County, and emergency operations plans are implemented.

SANDBAGS: Sandbags are available at the following sites on a first-come, first-served basis. The sites are self-serve. More locations will be added, as needed.

CITIZEN CALL LINE: The Citizen Call Line (843-719-4800) is currently operational 24/7 for non-emergency calls ONLY. Callers will hear an automated response with Berkeley County storm prep information. **For all emergency calls, please call 911.**

POWER OUTAGES: Please do not call 911 for power outages. Please report outages to the appropriate provider below:

REPORTING STORM DAMAGE: If your residence or business sustains storm damage, please report it HERE. Those without Internet access can report storm damage by calling the Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800 and leaving a detailed voicemail.

Reporting storm damage will help Berkeley County staff gauge the extent of damage in the County and report the findings to state and federal officials. These reports will determine appropriate federal and state funding for damage caused by the storm.

For the latest news and updates on Idalia, follow Berkeley County Government on Facebook and at www.berkeleycountysc.gov. Also, sign up for all County news and alerts through the County’s Notification System HERE.

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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - After days of planning workshops and community feedback, the town of Moncks Corner’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan draft is ready to be brought to the council.

Officials say it’s sort of like a bucket list for the town, and the more than 100-page plan boils down to addressing nine key elements: population, economic development, cultural and natural resources, community facilities, housing, land use, transportation, and resiliency.

The law requires a comprehensive plan every 10 years and to update it every five years. Moncks Corner is at the five-year mark, but decided it was time for a whole new plan.

“We’ve gone from about 6,000 residents to around 15,000 in 20 years,” Mayor Thomas Hamilton said. “So, it’s been a big jump for a small town like Moncks Corner and we don’t want to lose the Lowcountry’s Hometown feel. That’s why we’re being proactive.”

Due to future growth pressures, part of the draft focuses on how to maintain a small-town feel that appeals to both future and current residents.

“The Lowcountry continues to expand, and we hope to absorb some of that but absorb it in a responsible manner, so our current residents don’t feel left behind and that we actually enhance their quality of life from what they already expect from us,” Moncks Corner Community Development Director Justin Westbrook said. “Great fire service, police and recreation services, and that we also add to it for our future residents.”

The mayor said results from a community survey have guided the town to focus on providing outdoor activities residents can enjoy.

“Parks, pickleball, tennis,” Hamilton said. “Things that we can bring value and to have from our residents to be able to do in Moncks Corner instead of getting in their car and going to Goose Creek or North Charleston.”

Westbrook understands that planning and executing are two different things, and said that this is not a book that will collect dust on the shelf.

“You start saving for your retirement now and when you get there it may not be exactly what you envisioned because maybe you can afford more or maybe you have to scale it back a little bit, but this is a book that helps keeps us on that road map to which we’ve already collected the community’s voices, and will hopefully continue to use as we move forward,” he said.

The next step is for the town council to consider adopting this plan, which they will discuss at their February 20th and March 19th meetings. Members will be able to make recommendations to tweak or change certain things as they see fit.

To take a look at the draft, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — For Thomas Hamilton, Moncks Corner is home.

For nearly 30 years, Hamilton has resided within the community he's seen change with time. But when he heard that a plan was in place to build 88 homes, that was more change than he signed up for. So, when the local government voted no to the developer's plan to rezone Perry Hill, it was the outcome of Hamilton's hopes.

"It doesn't fit the fabric of Moncks Corner," Hamilton said with a subtle smile. "I'm so happy our council turned it down."

Read more: Mother shares experience losing son to drowning, says drownings 100% preventable.

Underpinning Hamilton's reaction to the vote is a desire for Moncks Corner to stay small -- stay local. A place where big-box stores meet mom-and-pop shops, local eateries, and the culture cultivated through knowing the neighbors and saying hello to those seen in passing.

"I feel we can update and bring certain businesses to the area, but we really need to focus and support our smaller businesses in town," Hamilton said. "We don't want to become another Summerville with the congestion that they have. When I get to Moncks Corner, I want to enjoy moncks corner. I want to bring amenities to us to where we don't have to travel out."

And for those in local government, behind the vote to slow down building developments is a desire to understand the effects of construction on an intimate community.

"Council wants to pump the breaks a little on new construction to see how that impacts the town," said Michael Lockliear, Mayor of Moncks Corner. "We always try to put out the best product we can for the town. That is why we went through -- a couple years ago -- our ordinances to revamp and get the best product."

Read more: A finish worth the wait.

Hamilton plans to run for Mayor of Moncks Corner, and what is driving him is the insatiable desire to have his home feel like a place everyone who resides in it can recognize.

"I just want to have an all-inclusive Moncks Corner for everybody," he said.

And sometimes, that means saying no for now in the hopes of saying yes to something that better fits the community later.

MONCKS CORNER — Two people were arrested on charges related to the pit bull attack that left a 65-year-old man dead on Halloween.

Moncks Corner residents Shannan Christine McCrackin, 45, and Kenneth Howard Swayne, 44, were booked into the Berkeley County jail on Nov. 1.

McCrackin is charged with involuntary manslaughter and two counts of dangerous animals unconfined on premises. She was granted a $25,000 bond on the involuntary manslaughter charge and $10,000 on each dangerous animal charge. She will be under electronic monitoring while on bond, a judge ordered during a Nov. 2 bond hearing.

Swayne is charged with two counts of dangerous animals unconfined on premises. He was granted a bond of $10,000 on each of the dangerous animal charges.

Neither of the defendants have been able to post bond, Berkeley County Sheriff's Chief Jeremy Baker said Nov. 2.

The charges stem from a fatal incident that occurred just before 5 p.m. on Oct. 31.

David Eller, 65, was walking through his neighborhood in the Pleasant Oaks Mobile Home Park off Old Whitesville Road when two pit bull dogs fatally attacked him, Berkeley County Coroner Darnell Hartwell said Nov. 1.

He was pronounced dead on the scene, Berkeley County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Carli Drayton said in a Nov. 1 email.

The preliminary investigation revealed Eller was attacked unprovoked by two vicious pit bulls that were not contained properly, Drayton said Nov. 2.

“This was a vicious attack on an unsuspecting victim and this should have never occurred,” said Berkeley County Sheriff Duane Lewis. “If the owner of the dogs would have taken the proper responsibility for the safe keeping of the animals, the attack could have been prevented.”

Charleston County Council unanimously passed controversial amendments that exempt Charleston County Public Works from existing tree-removal laws. When these changes were first proposed in October 2023, council was divided and reached a consensus only after months of discussion and compromise.

The amendments, passed on Feb. 27, exempt Public Works from the full site plan review process and Board of Zoning Appeals oversight to remove grand live oak trees for approved highway and storm drain projects.

For projects that impact grand live oak trees, Public Works will go through a limited site plan review with county staff, who will then make a presentation to council members. A public hearing will take place before council votes on requests to remove grand oak trees.

Tree impacts in highway rights-of-way projects will require Public Works to mitigate the loss of any grand live oak “not deemed to be diseased, damaged or dying,” said Councilman Joe Boykin, who has supported the changes since October 2023.

The county will try to replace trees as close to the original site as possible without interfering with power lines or road safety, Boykin said.

“If we cannot do that, then we will pay into the mitigation bank for trees to be planted elsewhere,” he said.

Live oak impacts for drainage easement projects will not require mitigation, he added.

The original amendments proposed in October 2023 didn’t include any site plan review, mitigation and public hearings involving projects with grand live oak tree impacts.

Those who supported the amendments from the beginning said the changes would reduce costs and make it easier for Public Works to complete already approved projects that benefited the public. Those opposed said the changes would make it easier for Public Works to remove grand trees without any bureaucratic or community oversight.