: |Updated: Feb. 21, 2025 at 4:22 PM EST

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - If you live near the new elementary school being built in Moncks Corner, you’ve likely seen the new construction signs that went up this week. They are for a new roundabout soon to be under construction.

Berkeley County School District is required to alter the intersection of Cane Bay Boulevard and Black Tom Road because of the anticipated influx in traffic the new school will bring.

“DOT tells the school district what road improvements we have to do because we are adding traffic flow to the roads,” Berkeley County School District Director of Capital Projects and New Construction David Hemstrought said.

There has been mixed reaction on social media with comments from more than 200 people on a post from a Berkeley County Community Facebook Page about the soon-to-be roundabout at the intersection. The same mix was reflected among locals we spoke with on Friday.

“There is a lot of traffic so if it’s going to help out the traffic. I’m all for it,” Todd Brand of Cane Bay said.

“People have a tendency to not yield whenever people are going through roundabouts, it gets a little confusing, the right of ways and what not as opposed to a stoplight,” Kaylyb Taylor of Summerville said.

The roundabout will have exits going through Black Tom Road, Cane Bay Blvd. and another into the entrance of the new elementary school. A turn lane will also be added to the other entrance of the school. Hemstrought said the road projects will cost about $6.5 million and is a penny tax project.

“Roundabouts, I do know, keep the flow of traffic moving, less stop and go, they are safer. It slows traffic down without stopping them,” Hemstrought said.

The design calls for crosswalks all the way around, keeping the school’s close proximity in mind.

“Throughout the state and really this area, there’s more roundabouts being installed all over the county,” Hemstrought said.

Hemstrought said the area is in preparation for construction. Signs are already in place.

“We’ll probably start moving dirt in the next two to three weeks and the whole offsite road work is going to take eight to ten months, depending on weather,” Hemstrought said.

What does that mean for your commute? Hemstrought said they plan for Black Tom Rd. to be open the entire time. They will likely shift the lanes throughout the process and he doesn’t anticipate any major shutdowns.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Friday, February 7, 2025) – Berkeley County leaders recently joined Native American tribal leaders from around the state for an historic signing of the Tribal Alliance of South Carolina Nation’s Treaty. The milestone moment took place Wednesday, February 5, 2025, at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia. A total of nine different tribes were in attendance.

A special proclamation from Governor Henry McMaster’s office also declared February 5, 2025, as South Carolina Native Nations Day. According to the proclamation, this unique treaty pledges tribal nations will “work together on issues that have long hindered the ability for Indigenous communities to thrive.” The alliance also promises political and economic unity among the tribes for the purpose of preserving their individual and collective cultures. See full proclamation below.

Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb and District 4 Councilman Tommy Newell attended the signing, alongside members of the Berkeley County-based Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians. This tribal community is currently located in the Carnes Crossroads area near Moncks Corner, Goose Creek and Summerville.

“The recognized tribes of South Carolina have united in strength and pride through the Tribal Alliance of South Carolina Nations, forging a powerful bond that will ensure our shared history endures and our future thrives. This is more than a legal agreement; it is a living testament to our resilience, honoring our ancestors and empowering our communities for generations to come.” -Lisa Collins, Chief of the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians

“We were honored to represent Berkeley County at this historic event, which represented not only our state’s unique history but also the rich history of our county. We cherish and value the many different cultures and people groups who have greatly influenced our region across the centuries and continue to be an instrumental partner and powerful force for positive change in our communities.” –Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb

The alliance also includes the following tribes: the Edisto Natchez-Kusso, Beaver Creek Indians, Catawba Nation, Pee Dee Indian Tribe, Santee Indian Organization, Piedmont American Indian Association, Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation, Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians, and the Waccamaw Indian People.

### -Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

alliance Columbia governor Henry McMaster history Johnny Cribb leaders Native American Supervisor treaty tribe

Landfill – Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Convenience Centers – Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Library branches – Open 12 p.m. to normal closing timeCourthouse – CLOSED Friday; Bond Court session still at 1 p.m.Cypress Gardens – CLOSED Friday; open Saturday

Where possible, prior to opening on Friday, County operations will continue virtually; additionally, several County Government services will remain available online through departmental webpages. The public can also access information specific to their County services at any time through the Berkeley County portal.

The public is urged to stay off roadways and avoid any unnecessary travel, as many roads remain icy and dangerous. Roads are expected to refreeze overnight as temperatures drop and remain at or below freezing. While some main highways have been brined and salted, several roads, especially back roads, remain hazardous. To view an updated list of road closures around the County, please go HERE.

Berkeley County Roads and Bridges crews are continuing to use five grader vehicles to plow snow and clear off icy roadways around the County. They are specifically clearing all secondary roadways and County thoroughfares that are connecting neighborhoods. Crews are also salting ice patches on County roadways and assisting SCDOT as needed.

The County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains at OPCON 2, which reflects a potential emergency or disaster occurring. The EOC will return to OPCON 3, normal operating conditions, with the opening of County offices Friday at 11 a.m. South Carolina remains under a State of Emergency due to winter weather. Berkeley County remains under a Cold Weather Advisory through 8 a.m. on Friday. Find the latest weather updates HERE.

CAROLINA WASTE SCHEDULE (UPDATED): Due to snowy and icy conditions, Carolina Waste has suspended all operations on Friday, January 24. All bulk and yard waste pickup is suspended this week and will resume its regular schedule on February 3. For questions, please call the Carolina Waste office at 843-576-1100. Crews will double up collection next week for all Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday customers. Residents are urged to bag any extra waste, for crews to collect two weeks’ worth of waste during their next scheduled pickup.

CITIZEN CALL LINE: In the event of a power or water outage due to winter weather, please call our Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800 or call the specific utility provider below.The Citizen Call Line is for non-emergency calls only, and callers will hear an automated response. The automated line is available 24/7 and includes information for local utilities and other critical contacts. **For all emergencies, please call 911.**

Berkeley Electric: 1-888-253-4232Santee Cooper: 1-888-769-7688Dominion Energy: 1-888-333-4465Edisto Electric: 1-800-433-3292

WARMING CENTER: Goose Creek United Methodist Church, located at 142 Red Bank Road, will open as a warming center on Friday, and Saturday nights. The center will NOT open Thursday night. Intake each night will be 7-10 p.m. Guests can stay 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and will have access to a cot with a pillow and linens. Dinner and breakfast will also be served.

REPORTING DAMAGE: Any structural damage from winter weather sustained by a residence or business should be reported HERE or via the Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800and leave a detailed message. These reports will determine appropriate federal and state funding for weather-related damage. **For all emergencies, please call 911.**

For the latest County updates on weather alerts and closures, follow Berkeley County Government on Facebook and at www.berkeleycountysc.gov. Sign up HERE to receive alerts through the County’s Emergency Notification System.

###-Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office-

bond court closures cold delayed emergency Emergency Operations Center EOC ICE winter weather

With the threat of winter weather forecasted for our area starting in the afternoon on Tuesday, Jan. 21, Berkeley County Government offices will close at 4 p.m. This includes the courthouse, convenience centers, library branches, Cypress Gardens and the Berkeley Animal Center.

The Berkeley County Landfill will close at 3 p.m. Tuesday, and there will also be no bond court session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has issued a State of Emergency declaration before possible winter weather. The Berkeley Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will transition to OPCON 2 at noon on Tuesday; OPCON 2 reflects a potential emergency or disaster occurring. However, Berkeley County Emergency Management officials continue to monitor local weather models. Find the latest weather updates here.

Berkeley County Roads and Bridges crews and SCDOT have also prepared for inclement weather by applying salt to county-maintained bridges and around certain county facilities, including the administration building and EMS medic stations. Crews will continue brine treatment of local bridges throughout Tuesday or while areas remain dry. The county has also staged five grader vehicles around the county in the event plowing snow or clearing ice off roadways is necessary.

Additionally, SCDOT has pre-treated and salted the mainline, ramps and overpasses of I-26. Crews have also brined and salted all overpasses, ramps, bridges, and primary routes in Berkeley County.

CITIZEN CALL LINE: In the event of a power or water outage due to winter weather, call the Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800. The Citizen Call Line is for non-emergency calls only; callers will hear an automated response. The automated line is available 24/7 and includes information for local utilities and other critical contacts. For all emergencies, please call 911.

WARMING CENTER: Goose Creek United Methodist Church, 142 Red Bank Road, will open as a warming center on Monday, Jan. 20, Tuesday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 22. Intake each night is 7-10 p.m. Guests can stay from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. and will have access to a cot with a pillow and linens. Dinner and breakfast will also be served.

REPORTING DAMAGE: Any resident or business that sustains structural damage from winter weather is urged to report it here or via the Citizen Call Line at 843-719-4800 and leave a detailed message. These reports will determine appropriate federal and state funding for weather-related damage. For all emergencies, please call 911.

For the latest County updates about weather alerts and closures, follow Berkeley County Government on Facebook and at www.berkeleycountysc.gov. Sign up here to receive alerts through the County’s Emergency Notification System.

It was a birthday card from his mother and the fortuitous glance at a recruitment poster that sparked Moncks Corner native James B. "Jimmy" Story's desire to see the world.

On Jan. 30, those travels took him to an airport in the southern African nation of Angola to welcome a North Charleston-built 787 Dreamliner jet as it joins the fleet of the country's flagship airline.

"Angola is increasingly seeing itself as a gateway into southern Africa, and this is just another opportunity for them to expand their reach and their engagement with the world," said Story, the U.S. ambassador to Angola and a diplomat with decades of experience from Afghanistan to Venezuela.

Story calls the Dreamliner's arrival — the first of four Boeing 787s that TAAG Angola Airlines is set to receive — "a vibrant demonstration of the growing economic and commercial ties between the two countries."

(Clicking on any video link constitutes consent to collection and sharing of your personal video viewing data with various Post and Courier partners.)

It's also an example of the typically unheralded but important work Story and other ambassadors do every day to encourage trade and business relations between the U.S. and its allies — negotiating deals, lining up financing and acting as a liaison between American manufacturers and foreign dignitaries.

"So many people just don't know what we do or why we have an embassy abroad," he said. "This is a pretty tangible example of how your representatives abroad are supporting people back home.

Getting paid to travel

It's fair to say taking up residence at the Angolan embassy in Luanda was furthest from Story's mind as a child growing up in Moncks Corner. But he credits his teachers at Berkeley High School — "I'm a proud Stag," he said — and his education at the University of South Carolina, where he majored in interdisciplinary studies, for giving him the preparation he needed.

Story took a year off after graduating from USC in 1993, traveling to Costa Rica to figure out his next move.

In that pre-internet era, Story was a frequent visitor to the U.S. embassy in the capital of San Jose, which had the latest English-language magazines and newspapers. One day, while sitting in the public reading room sorting through his mail, Story opened a birthday card from his mother.

"She wrote: Enjoy your year abroad — no one will ever pay you to travel again," Story said. "I took that as a personal challenge."

Putting the card back in its envelope, he glanced at the wall of the reading room and saw his fate staring back at him.

"There was a sign that said: See the world, join the Foreign Service," he recalled. "I'm like, what's the Foreign Service? So, when I got back to South Carolina, I started to research it where we used to get all of our information — at the public library."

That eventually led him to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in foreign service.

Since then, he's held numerous roles during a 25-year career including chargé d’affaires in Curacao and Eswatini as well as consul general in Rio de Janeiro, director for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Colombia, senior civilian for agricultural development in Afghanistan and ambassador to Venezuela before his current position in Angola.

Bringing SC to the world

Regardless of where in the world he is, Story said he tries to bring a part of the Palmetto State with him. The South Carolina flag hangs in his office and on New Year's Day he invites representatives of the host country for a traditional meal of hoppin' john and collard greens.

"It's fun to share who we are as people," he said. "I think it really humanizes us, because we represent the United States and all of its many, many different permutations. There are not that many of us from South Carolina in the foreign services, so I like to bring that to the world."

One of his key tasks is promoting economic development, and it's particularly rewarding when he can spread some of South Carolina's manufacturing skills to the rest of the world.

Such as helping to bring the Dreamliner to Angola.

The 787-9 that touched down last week is the initial Dreamliner joining the Angola airline's fleet as part of the carrier's move to modernize its equipment and expand its route network. Still on order is another 787-9 and a pair of stretched 787-10s, all of them built at the Boeing plant off International Boulevard.

"The introduction of the Boeing 787-9 reinforces our commitment to efficiency and leading sustainability standards, while leveraging our ability to connect Angola with key international destinations," the airline said in a written statement. "We're on target to gradually replace our outdated aircraft and offer our passengers a superior flying experience."

Anbessie Yitbarek, Boeing's vice president of commercial sales and marketing for Africa, said the new jet "will enable TAAG Angola Airlines to open new routes and expand their international network."

Trade with Angola is a two-way street.

America imports petroleum, copper, coffee and other commodities from Angola. The African nation also has significant reserves of critical minerals like cobalt and lithium that are needed to manufacture batteries that power electrical vehicles built in South Carolina and elsewhere in the U.S.

In turn, Angola is one of the biggest importers of U.S. poultry, purchasing roughly $160 million worth of chicken annually. New Jersey-based Acrow Bridge is supplying 186 modular steel bridges to help the nation rebuild structures destroyed during the country's civil war. And Cincinnati-based Gates Air is sending 168 FM transmitters to modernize and expand Angola's radio signals.

"Right now, we're advocating very strongly for (satellite internet provider) Starlink, which would like to have an operational gateway in Angola," Story said.

Story, who has a home near Folly Beach, believes the type of cooperation fostered by trade and economic development efforts, like last week's Dreamliner delivery, helps to strengthen America and its workers.

"These types of projects, they all create American jobs and American exports," he said. "It makes America more prosperous."