Charleston Daily

Charleston Daily is a concept in community. Its mission is to promote, assist, and celebrate in everything Charleston, South Carolina. By partnering with businesses, community leaders, volunteers and events, we are spreading the love that is Charleston. As this city continues to grow and prosper, we want to help spread the message to all about how wonderful this community is. Charleston is about the people, community, water, land, history, heritage and the true southern warmth it brings with each and every day.

Lowcountry

Decay of Charleston: When will the bleeding stop?

March 19, 2019

by Charleston Daily 4 Comments

By Mark A. Leon

Shortly after 1:00 AM on Saturday evening, I was leaving Ink N Ivy with two friends in town for the weekend. As we headed south on King Street, we were shelled from all angles with abusive language from intoxicated students and bar patrons. As we passed the King Street Public House, I was shocked to see the bouncer with a professional scanner checking a patron from head to toe for weapons before entering. Turning the corner on Morris Street, I had to walk around a to-go box and food dumped all over the sidewalk and then was greeted 20 feet later by the sight of a student puking between the sidewalk and parking lot.

Is this what has become of Charleston with the great economic growth and expansion?

For some, this is a new kind of paradise; but for others, Dante’s Inferno.

Here are a few eye opening things you may not know to help paint a more clear picture:

College Acceptance Rates (2017-18)

5.6% – Harvard
8.4% – University of Chicago
11.4% – Duke University
30.5% – University of North Carolina
32.1% – NYU
32.6% – Boston University
36% – University of Texas
47.5% – University of Florida
50.4% – NC State University
53.8% – Alabama University
57.6% – University of Wisconsin
58.1% – Rutgers University
75.5% – The Citadel
77.1% – College of Charleston

Instead of increasing the standards of acceptance, we are just building more housing to accommodate.

Shop Local; Buy Local

Did you know that Ink N Ivy, Uptown Social and Blind Tiger are all owned and operated by investment capital and management outside of the state of South Carolina. They are not alone. More and more money is coming in from out of state to capitalize on this growing economy. With this growth and increase in demand, comes higher prices for tourists and locals.

Crime (Provided by Areavibes.com)

In Charleston County, based on the latest annual report, there were 3532 reported incidents, with 2,581 per 100,000 people in Charleston County and 3,702 per 100,000 in South Carolina. The national average is 2,745 per 100,000 people. Charleston County is only 6% below the national average.

Neighborhood Scout puts the Charleston County crime index at 20 (100 being the safest). That means Charleston County is safer than only 20% of the U.S. Cities.

Alcohol

That doesn’t need much explaining.

Over 40 local craft breweries reside in the Lowcountry
Booze pops and ice cream are sold on the streets from food trucks
The Recovery Room is the #1 seller of PBR in the nation
Charleston Wine and Food Festival is one of the 3 largest events annually in the area
Restaurants like Sol and Charleston Sports Pub offer bottomless mimosas on the weekends

Reputation

Was Folly Gras an isolated event or the beginning of something bigger. Either way, it had us being compared to similar behavior found in places like Myrtle Beach.

Is this the new thriving Charleston we want?

Natural aesthetics

Leave downtown Charleston in any direction and what do you see?

From 26, new housing; Cooper River Bridge, new housing; Ashley River Bridge, new housing, Morrison Street; new housing.

We are surrounded by growth that is destroying our natural wildlife and accelerating more long term problems and at what price: a little extra greed…

Hotels / Tourism

If you book today for Friday night, on the weekend of the Cooper River Bridge Run, here is what you are paying:

Embassy Suites of Hilton – $449.00
Hampton Inn Charleston – $409.00
French Quarter Inn – $619.00
King Charles Inn – $469.00
Charleston Marriot – $459.00
Harbour View Inn – $699.00
Andrew Pinckney Inn – $494.00
The Mills House – $549.00
The Dewberry Charleston – $638.00
Hotel Bennett – $591.00
The Restoration – $629.00
Market Pavilion Hotel – $599.00
Zero George – $679.00
Hyatt House Charleston – $478.00
Grand Bohemian Hotel – $899.00
Hotel Bella Grace – $656.00
Ansonborough Inn – $429.00

Welcome to Charleston, the Holy City, or should we say the Devil’s playground.

Lowcountry

Benefitfocus to Host its Largest-ever Benefits Technology & Business Conference, One Place

March 18, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Company announces 40 percent year-over-year increase in attendance from 2018

CHARLESTON, S.C., March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT), a leading cloud-based benefits management platform and services provider, today announced that more than 1,200 benefits technology professionals will attend their annual One Place conference. One Place, happening March 26-28 at the Charleston Gaillard Center, is dedicated exclusively to Benefitfocus’ enterprise benefits management technology platform, bringing employee benefits professionals together to network and learn from industry thought leaders, technology partners, benefits suppliers, and insurance brokers.

“We are thrilled to welcome such a tremendous number of forward-looking HR and benefits professionals to One Place,” said Ray August, CEO, Benefitfocus. “Their enthusiastic response confirms what those of us who are part of the Benefitfocus family have long known – that the exciting technology advancements we’ll unveil at the conference are poised to disrupt the benefits industry and will shape the strategy of health care benefits for the American workforce for years to come.”

With over 1,200 employees throughout South Carolina, Benefitfocus is a key player in the state’s thriving technology industry. One Place will provide a boost to the local economy over the three days of the conference, filling over a dozen Charleston-area hotels and hosting dinners in over 30 restaurants in one evening. Travelers to One Place will be greeted at CHS international airport by Benefitfocus display ads, welcoming them to the #1 city in the U.S. During the event, attendees will also have the chance to tour the Benefitfocus Daniel Island campus, where they will convene for the world’s largest benefits planning session as part of Campus Day on March 28.

To learn more about and register for One Place, visit www.benefitfocus.com/one-place.

About Benefitfocus
Benefitfocus (NASDAQ: BNFT) unifies the entire U.S. benefits industry on a single technology platform to protect consumers’ health, wealth and lifestyle. Our powerful cloud-based software, data-driven insights and thoughtfully-designed services, enable employers, insurance brokers and carriers to simplify the complexity of benefits administration and deliver a world-class benefits experience. Learn more at www.benefitfocus.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations, and assumptions contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results or performance might differ materially from those explicit or implicit in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include: our ability to maintain our culture and recruit and retain qualified personnel; management of growth; the need to innovate and provide useful products and services; our ability to compete effectively; the immature and volatile nature of the market for our products and services; risks related to changing healthcare and other applicable regulations; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge within the Investor Relations section of the Benefitfocus website at http://investor.benefitfocus.com/sec-filings or upon request from our investor relations department. Benefitfocus assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

SOURCE Benefitfocus, Inc.

Happy Birthday John C. Calhoun – Timeline of his life and accomplishments

March 18, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

“It is harder to preserve than to obtain liberty” – John C. Calhoun

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of John C. Calhoun, born March 18, 1782 in Abbeville, South Carolina. Most know him from his statue standing high atop Marion Square and the prominent street that runs through Charleston. In honor of his birthday, we would expand your understanding of the man by providing a chronological look at his life and accomplishments.

Life of John C. Calhoun

John Caldwell Calhoun was born on March 18, 1782, in Abbeville District, South Carolina, U.S., to Patrick Calhoun, a Scots-Irish farmer, and his wife, Martha Caldwell. John was the fourth child of his parents who were migrants from Pennsylvania to the Carolina Piedmont.
At the age of 17, due to his father’s illness, John dropped out from school and started working on the family farm. Later, he decided to complete his studies and obtained a degree from Yale College, in 1804.
Afterwards, he studied law at the Tapping Reeve Law School, and was admitted to the South Carolina bar in 1807. Later, John abandoned his practice upon marrying and became a planter-statesman.
In 1808, Calhoun was elected to South Carolina’s state legislature, where he served for a year.
In 1811, John Calhoun married Floride Bonneau Calhoun, one of his cousins. The couple had 10 children together, out of which three died in infancy.
In 1811, he was appointed as a Democratic-Republican to the United States House of Representatives, a position he retained until 1817. He chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee and worked as a main lieutenant of Speaker Henry Clay.

A nationalist at the start of his political career, Calhoun was one of the leading War Hawks who played a major role in steering the unprepared United States into war with Great Britain. In 1812, Calhoun introduced the declaration of war against Britain.
After the War of 1812, during his term as a U.S. Congressman, Calhoun helped in establishment of the Second Bank of the United States. He served as chairman of the committees which introduced Bills for a permanent road system, a standing army and modern navy.
From December 1817 to March 1825, Calhoun served as Secretary of War under President James Monroe. During his term, Calhoun reorganized and modernized the National Military Academy.
In 1824,Calhoun ran for the President of United States along with four other candidates but later withdrew himself from the race. Subsequently, with Andrew Jackson’s support, he ran unopposed for vice presidency and in March 1825, Calhoun was inaugurated as the 7th Vice President of the United States, under John Quincy Adams.
After finishing his first term, Calhoun was re-elected for vice presidency in 1828, in the administration of Andrew Jackson. Same year, Calhoun founded the Nullifier Party in response to the ‘Tariff of Abominations’ passed by Congress. It was a states’ rights party which supported that states could nullify federal laws within their borders.
Calhoun protested against the Tariff of Abominations of 1828 and stressed on the fact that the tariff was being unfairly assessed on the agrarian South benefiting the industrializing North.Thus, he drafted his ‘South Carolina Exposition and Protest’ and proposed the theory of a concurrent majority through the doctrine of nullification.
During his second term as Vice President, Calhoun and President Jackson had a rough relationship as Jackson supported the increase in the protective tariff, which Calhoun considered a favor to northern manufacturing interests over southern agricultural concerns. After much debate over the issue, Calhoun resigned from vice presidency in December 1832.
Immediately after his resignation, Calhoun was elected to the United States Senate from South Carolina, where he served until March 1843, and later again between 1845 and 1850. As a Democrat, Calhoun led the pro-slavery division in the Senate and opposed attempts to limit the expansion of slavery into the western territories.

In April 1844, President John Tyler appointed Calhoun as the Secretary of State; he served in this position for nearly a year. During his tenure, Calhoun worked for the annexation of Texas and the settlement of the Oregon boundary with Great Britain.
He returned to the Senate in 1845 and As a South Carolina senator, Calhoun opposed the Mexican-American War and the admission of California as a free state. He spent the final years of his life in the Senate working to unite the South against the abolitionist attack on slavery.
John Calhoun died on March 31, 1850 in Washington, D.C., after contracting tuberculosis, at the age of 68. He was buried at the St. Philip’s Churchyard in Charleston, South Carolina.

Facts provided by TheFamousPeople.com

Lowcountry

Imagine a World – Original Poem

March 16, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

By Mark A. Leon

Imagine a world
Free of cancer, where our bodies are our own
A place where prayers are answered and rainbows lead to a bed of fragrant roses
Temple are pure and persecution no more

Imagine a world where dreams never fade
The laughter of children is the cure for all disease

In a single gesture of love, the eradication of hate is a reality
A kiss from a stranger; a friend for life

We are judged by goodness
Every step a journey of discovery
A sentimental journey of sight and sound
One filled with wonder; destination unknown

Imagine a world where dreams and reality become one
When the fantasy of the mind awakens to the warmth of the sunlight

We are all healers
Free from blood shed
Free from bondage
Broken chains of love

Imagine a world
Music is the soundtrack of goodness
Every step a note of joy
Each leap a high note
Each kiss a chorus of nature celebrating

This is the world I imagine
This is a place born of pride; existing of purpose; a legacy decency
Apples are ripe and flowers elude a smell of passion

Tomorrow, let us not look back on the mistakes, but rejoice in celebration on a path of purity

Imagine a world

Lowcountry

CNA Representatives to Host Community Meetings Regarding Charleston Police Department Racial Bias Audit

March 16, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Charleston, S.C.—Representatives from CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis organization hired by the city of Charleston to conduct a Racial Bias Audit of the Charleston Police Department, will host a series of community meetings in March to introduce citizens to the CNA team, provide an overview of their work plan, outline upcoming activities, and provide a timeline for the audit.

The meetings will also include an opportunity for public input, where citizens are invited to share their perspectives, concerns, and suggestions regarding the audit.

The following community meetings are scheduled:

March 26, 2019, 6 to 8 p.m. Bibleway Baptist, 2019 Savage Road, Charleston, SC 29407

March 27, 2019, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. St. James Presbyterian, 1314 Secessionville Road, Charleston, SC 29412

March 28, 2019, 6 to 8 p.m. Burke High School, 244 President Street, Charleston, SC 29403

March 29, 2019, 6 to 8 p.m. St. Julian Devine Community Center, 1 Cooper Street, Charleston, SC 29403

“These community meetings not only provide us with an opportunity to hear directly from a larger subset of the community, but also afford us the opportunity to empower the community by seeking their input in the development of our findings and recommendations,” said CNA Senior Research Scientist Denise Rodriguez. “The community’s input will influence continued and sustained change for the Charleston Police Department.”

For more information about CNA and the Racial Bias Audit of the Charleston Police Department, please email smartjustice@cna.org.

Lowcountry

Official City of Charleston Mobile App Now Available for Download

March 16, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Charleston, S.C.—Today, the city of Charleston officially launched its new mobile app, which gives citizens easy, mobile access to city services and information on smart phones and tablets.Through the app, citizens will now be able to report a problem, submit a request, make a payment, sign up to receive notifications, and more. Citizens can also use the app to stay up to date on city news, upcoming events, and agendas.

Mayor John Tecklenburg said, “The City of Charleston app is a major step forward in our efforts to ensure that citizens have easy access to the information and services they need. I’d like to thank all the people who worked so hard on this new app, and to encourage our residents to join me in downloading and using it today.”

The app can be downloaded from the Apple or Google Play app stores by searching “City of Charleston, SC.”

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jack O’Toole, Director of Communications Media Relations/Public Information

(843) 518-3228

otoolej@charleston-sc.gov

Lowcountry - Mount Pleasant, SC

Local Artists Present Belle Hall Elementary with Generous Donation to Backpack Buddy Program

March 15, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Check for Over $2,000 Given to Benefit School’s Community Outreach Program

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC, March 15 – Six local artists generously presented Belle Hall Elementary (BHE) with a check for over $2,000 from proceeds collected at their recent Belle Hall Art Show to be used for the school’s Backpack Buddy program.

The Backpack Buddy program is designed to fight weekend hunger. Thousands of children in our community rely on free or reduced meals they receive at school. Children at BHE who experience hunger are enrolled in the program, and each Friday during the school year receive a backpack containing nutritious food to eat over the weekend.

“This charitable donation will be used to purchase food for the remainder of this year and into the next for children who rely on our involvement to provide them with healthy food on the weekends,” said BHE’s school nurse, Kathy Nash. “Thanks to this donation, we’re in the process of configuring a way to extend the program through the summer, which is something we’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t had the resources for until now.”

Belle Hall Art Show participants involved with the donation include: Sandi Buscemi, Susan Colwell, Joyce Corns, Jeny McCullough, Debbie Poynter and Debb Warren.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please call Kathy Nash, Belle Hall Elementary Nurse at 843.849.2841, or email kathryn_nash@charleston.k12.sc.us.

Lowcountry

32 Years of “One Shining Moment”- Experience them all over again

March 13, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

“One Shining Moment” has been the cornerstone of March Madness since 1987 with the Indiana Hoosiers, led by Bobby Knight took the crown. Since then, fans eagerly await the montage while players dream to be in the video.

Here is a look at 31 years of “One Shining Moment” to help pump you up for what looks to be an amazing 3 weeks of college basketball.

Good luck with your brackets. Let the Madness Begin!!!!

James & John's Islands, SC - Lowcountry

Folly Fun Park on James Island now offering amazing weekly deals

March 12, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Folly Fun Park, located at 1238 Camp Road is now introducing amazing weekly deals to get your fun on. Offering Laser Tag, Voxel 3D and Arcade Games, this is the perfect family fun outing.

Official Folly Fun Park Website

Check out the weekly deals:

Monday – Unlimited Laser Tag for $15.00 a person
Tuesday – $1 Arcade Night – All Arcade Games are $1.00 Each
Wednesday – 2 Hours of Play for $25.00 (Does Not Include Laser Tag)
Thursday – $1 Arcade Night – All Arcade Games are $1.00 Each
Friday and Saturday – Open until 2:00 AM
Sunday – Free Laser Tag with Purchase of an Entree at Smoky Oak

What are you waiting for…..

Lowcountry

The White Room Grand Opening Event – Tuesday, March 19, 2019

March 11, 2019

by Charleston Daily 0 Comments

Y O U A R E I N V I T E D
Come celebrate our G R A N D O P E N I N G at The White Room! Whether you are looking for a new event space, photography studio, space to prep for your wedding day, or are just wanting an excuse to sip champagne and meet awesome vendors, we want to meet you! Bubbly, small bites, hair and makeup touch ups, photos, and more will be available complimentary!

This event is F R E E and you are encouraged to bring a guest! All attendees are eligible for an exclusive giveaway at The White Room. Please RSVP so we can make sure we stocked the champagne bar enough and do run dry!

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 – 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

1031 SC 41, Suite 500, Mount Pleasant, SC

Official Venue Website

A B O U T T H E W H I T E R O O M
Our 1100 sq foot event studio is equipped with an on-site event coordinator, complimentary WiFi, kitchenette, soft seating, ample parking, and access to our preferred vendor list. The White Room is the place to be for your next girls night out, meeting space, bridal prep, birthday party, workshop, styled shoot, branding photos, senior, bridal, maternity, family sessions and more!

I N Q U I R E
bridal@thewhiteroom.style
events.@thewhiteroom.style
photography@thewhiteroom.style

F O L L O W
FB: @ thewhiteroomstyle
IN : @ thewhiteroomstyle
YP: thewhiteroom.yelp.com
WB: thewhiteroom.style
XO: The Knot – The White Room