Charleston Daily Seeking all the beauty that is Charleston, South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce (SCMC) today announced that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, made in North Charleston, has been named the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina.

The announcement was made during a Statehouse press conference following the month-long Manufacturing Madness: The Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina contest, which drew nearly 200,000 votes from around the world.

“Manufacturing is at the heart of what makes South Carolina a great place to work and live,” said SCMC President and CEO Sara Hazzard.“The innovation, precision, and craftsmanship that go into building the 787 Dreamliner reflect the very best of our state’s manufacturing industry. This contest is about celebrating the people behind these products, and Boeing South Carolina represents that excellence at the highest level.”

“South Carolina’s manufacturing industry is second to none, and it continues to drive opportunity and prosperity in every corner of our state,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “Each day, our manufacturers are building products that compete and win on the global stage. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is a powerful example of that success, showcasing the talent of South Carolina’s workforce. We are proud to celebrate Boeing, our manufacturing industry, and the South Carolinians who power it.”

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, produced at its North Charleston facility employing more than 9,000 associates, is the bestselling passenger widebody aircraft in aviation history. Known for its advanced technology and fuel efficiency, the 787 has carried more than one billion passengers worldwide and has enabled more than 520 new nonstop routes since entering service. The 787 Dreamliner secured the title after competing against three other finalists:

• Constant Velocity Joint – JTEKT, Greenville
• PFX Flex Sub-Lite-Wall – Zeus, Orangeburg
• CardioEducator – NursEdvance Innovations, Richland

Now in its fifth year, the Manufacturing Madness Contest, sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, celebrates the products, people, and craftsmanship of South Carolina’s manufacturing sector. Previous winners include Nucor Steel Berkeley, Lockheed Martin’s F-16 Fighting Falcon, Honda’s Talon 1000R-4, and Gallo’s High Noon Sun Sips.

Manufacturing contributes more than $300 billion annually to South Carolina’s economy, supports approximately 30% of all jobs statewide, and generates one-third of the state’s general fund revenue.

A copy of the final bracket can be found here. 

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Source: South Carolina Manufacturers + Commerce

By Mark A Leon

In a city internationally recognized for its history, architecture, and artistic soul, Charleston’s creative scene continues to evolve beyond traditional gallery walls. Hidden above the bustle of Meeting Street, Look Up Charleston (128 Meeting Street – upstairs) has quietly become something far more ambitious than a conventional retail space.

The question now being asked by many visitors and locals alike is simple:

Has Look Up Charleston become more of a museum than a storefront?

The answer may very well be yes.

At a time when many retail concepts across America are shrinking, homogenizing, or moving online, Look Up Charleston has moved in the opposite direction — becoming larger in purpose, richer in storytelling, and increasingly experiential in nature. What began as a local creative marketplace has evolved into a living exhibition space showcasing the work, process, and personalities of 37 local artists and artisans spanning generations from 24 to 73 years old.

That age range alone tells a larger story.

Inside the collective, emerging artists share walls and studio corridors with seasoned creators who have spent decades refining their craft. Pop culture-inspired works hang near fine art originals. Mixed media installations sit alongside handcrafted artisan goods. The result is not simply “shopping.” It is cultural immersion.

Unlike many traditional galleries, the experience at Look Up Charleston feels intentionally layered and democratic. Visitors are not ushered through sterile white walls or separated from the artists themselves. Instead, creativity unfolds in real time.

With four active working studios inside the space, guests regularly encounter paintings in progress, conversations about process, evolving experiments in texture and medium, and the unpredictable energy that accompanies active artistic creation. That distinction matters. Museums traditionally preserve completed work and celebrate legacy. Look Up Charleston captures art while it is still alive and unfolding.

The concept aligns with a broader cultural shift occurring throughout Charleston itself. Publications such as Veranda have recently highlighted Charleston’s transformation into a modern cultural destination filled with galleries, festivals, and creative spaces that extend beyond the city’s historic identity. Meanwhile, institutions like the Gibbes Museum of Art have increasingly embraced artist studios, public engagement, and educational accessibility as part of their mission.

Look Up Charleston appears to sit directly at the intersection of those ideas.

It is retail, certainly. Art is available to purchase. Gifts can be found. Collectors can discover original work. But the emotional center of the space feels less transactional and more curatorial. Visitors wander rather than browse. They study rather than scan. They linger.

That distinction is important.

Museums educate. Museums preserve identity. Museums create dialogue between generations, mediums, and perspectives. Increasingly, Look Up Charleston appears to be doing all three.

There is also something uniquely Charleston about the collective’s makeup. The Lowcountry has long supported artisanship — from sweetgrass basket weaving to contemporary mixed media, from coastal realism to experimental modernism. Charleston’s broader creative ecosystem thrives on local makers, independent studios, and community-centered artistry. Yet few spaces attempt to gather such a wide stylistic and generational range under one roof while maintaining an active studio presence.

That diversity may be what ultimately pushes Look Up Charleston beyond the category of “store.”

Traditional storefronts typically prioritize inventory. Museums prioritize narrative.

At Look Up Charleston, the narrative is Charleston itself — its humor, culture, color, texture, history, architecture, pop influences, coastal identity, and evolving artistic future. The collective feels less like a singular brand and more like a snapshot of a city’s creative heartbeat in real time.

Perhaps the strongest argument for Look Up Charleston functioning as a museum is this:

Every visit is different.

The art changes. The artists rotate. New works emerge from active studios. Conversations evolve. Pieces sell and disappear into private homes while new creations take their place. The space is not static. It is alive.

And maybe that is what the modern museum increasingly aspires to become as well.

Not simply a place where art hangs.

But a place where community, creativity, education, and human connection actively happen.

If that is the definition, then Look Up Charleston may already be far more than a storefront.

Look Up Charleston is open Monday – Saturday, 10 AM – 6 PM and Sunday 11 AM – 6 PM.

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Charleston, S.C. (May 11, 2026) – As the City of Charleston advances a new Peninsula Plan, comprehensive zoning updates, and a coordinated affordable housing initiative expected to deliver thousands of new housing units, the coming year will play a defining role in shaping the city’s historic character, livability, and long-term resilience.

In response to this pivotal moment, Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) will host its annual Spring Advocacy Forum this May, bringing together leading voices in preservation, resilience, planning, and urban design for a timely public conversation.

Titled Charleston’s Future: Stitching Together Growth and Opportunity, the forum will feature a focused 90-minute discussion exploring how Charleston can accommodate growth while preserving the qualities that define the city.

“The decisions being made now will shape Charleston for generations,” said Winslow Hastie, President & CEO of Historic Charleston Foundation. “This forum is designed to equip residents and stakeholders with the context, language, and understanding needed to engage meaningfully in that process.”

The program aims to spark early public engagement around the City’s forthcoming planning efforts by highlighting key themes, trade-offs, and opportunities. Through expert perspectives and dialogue, attendees will gain insight into how transportation, urban design, resilience strategies, and housing policy function as interconnected systems that can—and should—work together.

Event Details:

Historic Charleston Foundation Spring Advocacy Forum
Charleston’s Future: Stitching Together Growth and OpportunityMonday, May 18 | 6:00 – 7:30 p.m at The Charleston Museum, Arthur Wilcox Auditorium, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC

• Free and open to the public, however space is limited so registration is required. 
• Register online at : Charleston’s Future: Stitching Together Growth and Opportunities – May 18, 2026 (HistoricCharleston.org/Events)
• Doors open prior to 6:00 p.m.; program begins promptly 
  
  The evening will include a special introduction and overview from Charleston Mayor William Cogswell, followed by brief presentations from panelists and a moderated discussion. The program will feature maps, visuals, and Charleston-based examples to ground the conversation in local context.
  
  
  Panelists:
• Jared Bramblett, Senior Water Resources Engineer and Project Manager, Moffatt & Nichol
  Bramblett specializes in flood mitigation, stormwater management, and resilient infrastructure planning. His work includes contributions to the Charleston Water Plan and serving as Owner’s Agent for the City on the Battery Extension Project.
• Andrea Ostrodka, AICP, Urban Planner, Toole Design Group
  Ostrodka brings extensive experience leading interdisciplinary teams on major placemaking initiatives, including the Lowcountry Rapid Transit project, SunRail in Florida, and active transportation strategies across the Southeast.
• Christian Sottile, FAIA, Founding Principal, Sottile & Sottile
  An architect and urban designer working extensively in historic districts, Sottile also serves as Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and is former Dean of the School of Building Arts.

Moderator

• Scott Parker, FASLA, Co-Founder, DesignWorks
  Parker is a nationally recognized landscape architect and civic leader who serves on numerous boards and advisory groups, including the City of Charleston Peninsula Task Force and the Urban Land Institute Council on Sustainable Development.

The Advocacy Forum is part of Historic Charleston Foundation’s ongoing commitment to advancing thoughtful, informed dialogue around preservation and the future of Charleston’s built environment.

For more information and to register, visit:HistoricCharleston.org/Events

About Historic Charleston Foundation:Established in 1947, Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) is a preservation advocacy organization whose mission is to advocate for a future for Charleston that honors and protects its people, places, culture, and community. In its 79th year, the Foundation is known for its preservation advocacy programs including protective covenants and easements; education and outreach; and it is the first organization in the country to establish a revolving fund to acquire and preserve historic buildings, a model now replicated in historic communities across the nation. HCF is also the proud steward of two historic house museums: the Nathaniel Russell House, c. 1808 and the Aiken-Rhett House, c. 1820 both open to the public for tours daily.HistoricCharleston.org @HistoricCharlestonFoundation

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South Carolina is ranked the 7th-worst state in the nation for Working Moms in a recent Wallet Hub Study.

Women account for nearly half the U.S. workforce and working moms, who make up around 74% of the of that demographic. On average, women make 82% of what men make per hour, and only 9.4% of chief executives at S&P 500 companies are women. On top of that, working moms have to deal with child care, work-life balance and career building while supporting a child.R

The study evaluated the following metrics:

Professional Opportunities metrics

• Gender pay gap
• Ratio of female executives to male executives
• Median women’s salary
• Share of working women living with economic security
• Share of families in poverty Female unemployment rate
• Gender-representation gap in different economic sectors

Work-Life Balance metrics

• Parental-leave policy score
• Average length of a woman’s work week
• Women’s average commute time

Here is where South Carolina Fared:

• 45th – Day-Care Quality
• 38th – Pediatricians per Capita
• 26th – Gender Pay Gap (Women’s Earnings as % of Men’s)
• 47th – Ratio of Female Executives to Male Executives
• 37th – Median Women’s Salary (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 46th – Female Unemployment Rate 38th – Parental-Leave Policy Score
• 32nd – Avg. Length of Woman’s Work Week (in Hours)
• 42nd – % of Single-Mom Families in Poverty

Click HERE for full study results.

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Columbia, SC — SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, has announced a $400,000 investment in SafeMedWaste. The Johns Island-based startup created a better way to dispose of controlled substances without incineration. “On-site chemical destruction of controlled substances is a gamechanger for safer and more cost-effective drug, specifically opioid, disposals,” said SCRA President and CEO Bill Kirkland. “We’re proud to partner with these innovators who have improved the disposal process for safety and a better environment.”

At SCRA’s quarterly Startups on Tap event, Charleston area’s entrepreneurial community members gathered at Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. last night to celebrate SafeMedWaste and other startups that are new SCRA member companies, investees, and grantees.

Formerly named Okra Medical, SafeMedWaste became an SCRA member company in September 2020 and an SC Launch Inc. portfolio company with this investment. “Traditional onsite disposal products for opioids often lack sufficient data to support safe and permanent drug destruction,” said SCRA Regional Director Kevin Eichelberger. “Off-site incineration for opioids is a more lengthy and complex process, which can result in a greater window of exposure to drug-related risks and higher costs.”

“When we began working with the team at South Carolina Research Authority many years ago, they understood our mission and supported our growth,” said SafeMedWaste President and CEO Justin Stas. “The opioid crisis continues to evolve, and SafeMedWaste is focused on reducing risk at the source. Our technology is designed to chemically degrade controlled substances, providing a safer, more responsible disposal solution that helps limit diversion and environmental impact. We also appreciate the role the South Carolina Research Authority and the state of South Carolina play in retaining top talent by supporting innovators building companies here at home.”

In 2020, SafeMedWaste secured a patent for a first-of-its-kind drug disposal technology designed to chemically destroy pharmaceuticals, validated across a broad range of controlled substances.

The company is poised to revolutionize the future of controlled substance waste management. It serves all types of health care facilities, including hospitals and pharmacies, and government clients, including the military, prisons, and coroner offices. In the future, single-use products will be available for in-home use. SafeMedWaste’s home product is positioned to be the first FDA-cleared medical devices for in-home drug disposal.

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Photo credit: SafeMedWaste.

CHARLESTON, S.C. /PRNewswire/ — Linden Creek, a luxury interior design and home staging firm headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, is proud to announce the opening of its newest franchise location serving Charleston, SC and the greater Lowcountry region. This expansion reflects Linden Creek’s continued national growth and its mission to deliver thoughtful, high-impact design solutions that help homes perform in one of the Southeast’s most competitive and desirable real estate markets.

The Charleston franchise is led by Michelle Grim, an accomplished entrepreneur with a passion for elevated living spaces and a deep understanding of what today’s buyers, sellers, and investors are looking for in the Lowcountry market. As the owner of Linden Creek Charleston, Michelle is committed to delivering luxury home staging, full-service interior design, and short-term rental furnishing to homeowners, real estate professionals, and builders across Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, Isle of Palms, and the surrounding communities.

Charleston’s real estate market continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience in 2026. Named a Top 10 Housing Hot Spot by the National Association of Realtors, the region is defined by steady buyer demand, a thriving luxury segment, and a lifestyle appeal that draws buyers from across the country. In this environment, professional staging and intentional interior design are no longer optional; they are strategic advantages that help properties stand out, sell faster, and command stronger price points (Seignious & Smith Real Estate).

Michelle brings a results-driven approach to every project, combining a sharp eye for design with a genuine commitment to the clients she serves. Her work spans vacant and occupied home staging, full-service interior design, builder selections, model home design, and short-term rental furnishing. For agents and builders, she is a trusted partner who understands the emotional and financial dynamics of the home-selling process. For homeowners and investors, she delivers an elevated experience and results that speak for themselves.

“Charleston is one of the most beautiful and dynamic markets in the country, and I’m proud to bring Linden Creek’s proven design expertise to this community,” said Michelle Grim, owner of Linden Creek Charleston. “Every home has a story worth telling. My goal is to help agents, builders, and homeowners tell theirs in a way that connects with buyers and delivers real results.”

Linden Creek is trusted by top real estate agents and builders nationwide for its ability to help properties sell faster and at higher values. The firm’s buyer-focused approach emphasizes layout, scale, and visual clarity to showcase each home’s full potential, backed by a team with over $1.5 billion in staged real estate and a track record of helping homes sell in half the industry average time.

With this opening, Linden Creek now operates in Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Southeast Charlotte, Lake Norman, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Greenville and Charleston, South Carolina; Princeton and Morristown, New Jersey; New Hope and Central/Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Sarasota and Jacksonville, Florida; Atlanta and Alpharetta, Georgia; Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. Locations opening soon include West Houston and Katy, Texas.

To learn more about Linden Creek Charleston, visit linden-creek.com/charleston-sc. For information about Linden Creek franchise opportunities, visit linden-creek.com/franchise.

Shawn Rabideau is Linden Creek’s Director of Home Staging & Interior Design in Charleston, SC. Connect with Shawn at shawn@linden-creek.com to explore how our staging and design services can elevate your home and help it stand out in the market. 

Source: Linden Creek

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On Wednesday evening, April 29, 2026, members of the North Charleston Police Department’s Command Staff, officers with our Community Engagement Unit and citizens joined R.E.C.A.P. (Rebuilding Every Community Around Peace) in the Wildwood neighborhood.

The walk for peace was a way to connect with the residents and build relationships and trust. It’s another way to make North Charleston a safer place to live, work and play. Follow our social media pages for dates of other upcoming walks and community events.

Source: City of North Charleston, SC

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More than 170 members of the Class of 2026 entered the United States Armed Forces as officers following a joint commissioning ceremony on Friday, May 8, in McAlister Field House. The group represents approximately 30% of the graduating class, with commissions accepted across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force.

During the ceremony, the new officers recited their oath and had gold bars pinned on their uniforms by their sponsors. Afterward, the group gathered on Summerall Field to receive their first salutes as officers.

The Corps commencement ceremony follows the day after commissioning. Photos from this year’s commencement events will be available for purchase through The Citadel’s photo store by the end of May and free to download digitally at the same link. A recording of the Joint Commissioning Ceremony can also be viewed  online.

Click HERE for full list of those accepting military commissions.

Source: The Citadel Today

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Photo Credit: Ed Wray/The Citadel

“Opportunity is Omnipresent”

Good morning. President Amiridis and Provost Fitzpatrick; members of the faculty and Board of Trustees; distinguished guests and graduates of the Class of 2026: thank you for the privilege of joining you on this wonderful occasion and for the honor that you have bestowed upon me today.

Graduates, like so many of you, I hail from South Carolina. So I know that for centuries, USC has been the place where this state sends its most promising young people—and receives in return its most dedicated leaders. As I look out on the class before me, I have every confidence that USC’s newest alumni will fulfill its abiding commitment to “the good order” of the great state of South Carolina.

Now, Provost Fitzpatrick, I am grateful for the generous citation you shared. But for those less familiar with the earlier chapters of my story, I was born in Conway and raised in Little River. It is fair to say that lifeguarding and bartending in Myrtle Beach scarcely seemed like it would give way to a career on Wall Street or in Washington. And yet it is the honor of a lifetime to stand before you as the seventy-ninth Secretary of the Treasury—and the first from the Palmetto State.

Graduates, I can imagine that the immense pride you are feeling today is mingled with a sense of uncertainty. I remember my own commencement festivities, set against the anxieties of the Cold War and the advent of the technological age. The celebratory nature of these occasions can sometimes belie the unnerving specter of what comes next.

This group has come of age alongside a different set of disruptions. Your grade school years coincided with the global financial crisis. Your high school years, likewise, with the global pandemic. Yet today here you sit as a college graduate.

Economists tend to describe those with a capacity to absorb shocks as “resilient.” I, for one, picture my ninety-nine-year-old mother-in-law.

Until recently, my family was fortunate enough to share our home with her in Charleston, making for a three-generation household. She was a French war bride who endured the deprivation of the Great Depression and then the occupation of the Second World War.

I think about my mother-in-law often. I thought about her as I prepared these remarks. And I marvel at the sweep of her life, from watching the Nazis march into her country—and shoot and capture the young men in her village—to witnessing a man walk on the moon. The darkest chapter imaginable followed by something that defied imagination entirely. If you don’t think change can happen quickly, you aren’t paying attention.

Yet what strikes me most about her story is not necessarily the hardships that she faced so much as the fact that she emerged from them with an uncommon attentiveness to possibility. Resilience, in her case, was both the capacity to absorb a set of circumstances and the insistence to see beyond them. To marry an American soldier. To begin life anew in a country that refuses to be bound by uncertainty.

On the eve of our nation’s 250^th anniversary, that distinctly American ethos has held since the time of our founding because every generation decided that it would. 

Now, at this extraordinary moment to be an American under President Trump’s leadership, that inheritance belongs to you. Because while the disruptions that have defined the arc of your lives are substantial, so too are the possibilities that lie on the other side of them. Because, as the retrospect tends to reveal, the moments that can seem the most mired in uncertainty are often the ones where opportunity is most abundant.

Indeed, opportunity is not scarce in times of disruption. What is scarce is the poise to recognize it before the path is fully visible.

Opportunity, in short, is omnipresent—if only we summon the courage to find it. This nation has always known that. And now, as USC graduates, so do you.

And, above all, you know that you are ready for what comes next, not necessarily because the path ahead is clear, but because you have already demonstrated that it need not be.

You are strong, you are powerful of spirit, and you are tested.

You are the University of South Carolina Class of 2026.

Congratulations.

Source: U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Office

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By Alicia Lutz

Scott P. Kissau has been named the new dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for research at the College of Charleston

Scott P. Kissau has been named the new dean of the Graduate School and associate provost for research at the College of Charleston.

Kissau brings to the College an exceptional record of academic leadership in graduate education and research development. He currently serves as associate dean of research and graduate education in the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he has provided strategic oversight for more than 35 graduate programs, including two of the university’s largest doctoral programs and its largest graduate certificate program.

Under his leadership, external research funding in the college more than doubled, from $6.7 million in FY19 to nearly $13.8 million in FY24. He developed comprehensive faculty mentoring and grant-writing initiatives, established new research support structures, launched an annual research symposium for faculty and graduate students and led efforts to strengthen graduate recruitment.

Prior to his current role, Kissau served as associate dean of undergraduate education and academic affairs; chair of the Department of Middle, Secondary and K–12 Education; and director of foreign language teacher education at UNC Charlotte. He is a respected scholar whose research spans graduate education, teacher preparation, language instruction and faculty development, with an extensive record of publications, national presentations and professional recognition.

Kissau holds a Ph.D. in Education, a Master of Education in Educational Administration and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Windsor, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in French and German Translation from Queen’s University (Canada).

Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a commitment to student success, faculty excellence and research innovation. His leadership will be instrumental as we continue to strengthen graduate education and the research enterprise at the College of Charleston.

Source: College of Charleston Today

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