Charleston, SC – West Ashley eatery, Ms. Rose’s Fine Food & Cocktails, announces weekday breakfast starting Monday, April 1. Well known for their weekend brunch, Ms. Rose’s is bringing all of the southern breakfast favorites to the workweek. Customers will be invited to enjoy the new breakfast menu every Monday – Friday from 7am – 11am.
From Braised Chicken and Waffles to Fish and Grits, Executive Chef Matt Paul has crafted a full menu of breakfast options sure to satisfy everyone in your party. And if you’re in need of something sweet, Executive Pastry Chef Liz Gorman is whipping up delicious pasties like the Jumbo Cinnamon Roll and Everything Muffin.
In addition to the new breakfast service, customers can enjoy Ms. Rose’s for lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and happy hour and for on-site events including the Ms. Rose’s Comedy Hour and Spring Live Music every Friday starting April 12.
For more information about Ms. Rose’s Fine Food and Cocktails, please visit msroses.com.
Sibling rivalry, adultery and dungeons are coming to Threshold Repertory Theatre in April as it presents “The Lion in Winter.”
“The Lion in Winter” by James Goldman is a modern-day classic often described as a medieval “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Comedic in tone and dramatic in action, the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family, which is locked in a free-for-all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom.
Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine – also the wealthiest woman in the world – has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King Henry II. The play centers around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they fight over both a kingdom and King Henry’s paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says, “Every family has its ups and downs,” and this royal family is no exception.
Paul O’Brien plays King Henry II and Jennifer Metts plays Eleanor of Aquitaine. This local production of “The Lion in Winter” is directed by Paul Rolfes.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. April 11-13; April 18-20; and April 26-27 with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. on April 14 and April 21. Threshold Repertory Theatre is located at 84 1/2 Society St. in downtown Charleston.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. Purchase tickets at www.thresholdrep.org.
Threshold Repertory Theatre was founded in 2010 with the mission to inspire and excite the public through classic and contemporary theatre productions at an affordable price. Threshold Repertory Theatre produces five main stage shows a year in its 99-seat theatre at 84-1/2 Society Street in downtown Charleston. For more information or tickets call 843-277-2172 or visit www.thresholdrep.org.
New novel follows an interior designer’s romance with a seductive stranger in the hot spot of Charleston, South Carolina
Revival on King Street
Genre: Romance
Price: $11.99
by Suzie Webster
ISBN: 978-1-64111-247-5
293 pages, paperback
Publication Date: April 10, 2019
In Revival on King Street, author Suzie Webster shares the ups and downs of a group of friends in Charleston, South Carolina, as they pursue their dreams by day and their passions by night. The first of a series called Lowcountry Liaisons, Revival on King Street zeroes in on Charlotte “Charlie” Finley as she pieces her life back together after her husband unexpectedly breaks her heart.
After launching a new interior design career with her friend Chase, Charlie finds herself in the arms of a captivating stranger at the launch party for their biggest design project. This chance encounter spins Charlie’s life, which she thought was back on track, out of control in unexpected ways.
Revival on King Street is available for purchase online at Amazon. There will be a book signing and launch party at The Restoration Hotel on April 17 th from 6-8pm in the Library. Additional details can be found at www.suziewebster.com
Suzie Webster seeks out adventure as much as she can. A self-described “foodie”, she feels fortunate to live in a town lauded not only for it’s amazing history and architecture, but also for the amount of award winning restaurants lining it’s cobblestone streets. When she’s not out exploring or eating, she loves to write stories, putting her daydreams down on paper. Webster loves to read; do CrossFit; and hang out with her husband, Drew; their three daughters, Ryleigh, Katie, and Reese; and her goldendoodle, Seamus.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The newly renovated Rose Pavilion at Hampton Park is officially open to the community. Mayor John Tecklenburg joined representatives from the Charleston Parks Conservancy, The Speedwell Foundation, the City of Charleston and the surrounding community for a ceremonial rose planting to mark the Pavilion’s dedication on Tuesday, March 19.
The Conservancy, with the support of The Speedwell Foundation and in collaboration with the City of Charleston, refurbished the previously shuttered concession stand at Hampton Park. The structure and surrounding area has been transformed into the Rose Pavilion, a stunning public gathering space and garden. Rose Pavilion will be a place for community gatherings and a central location for new park programs and community events, such as culinary pop-ups, neighborhood gatherings and cultural events.
A contribution from The Speedwell Foundation to the Conservancy made the project possible. Jenny Messner, a director of the Foundation, said “Hampton Park is a Frederick Law Olmsted treasure that my husband and I were delighted to discover in our new hometown, when we moved here seven years ago. We had just completed a documentary film of Olmsted’s life called ‘Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks’ that aired on Earth Day 2011. The Rose Pavilion is a tribute to Olmsted’s impact on our landscapes and the starting point for an exciting project to bring Hampton Park back into the glorious limelight it deserves.”
“Thanks to The Speedwell Foundation, we’re achieving our goal to enliven and improve the experience at Hampton Park,” said Harry Lesesne, executive director of the Charleston Parks Conservancy. “We know the community will love admiring the heirloom rose garden, relaxing on the Pavilion’s joggling boards and benches, or attending an event here. A project like this is central to our mission of creating beautiful public spaces that inspire people to connect with their parks.”
Mayor John Tecklenburg said, “The decade-long partnership that the City’s Parks and Recreation Departments have developed with the Charleston Parks Conservancy continues to blossom. We’re proud of the more than 20 public spaces that have been transformed, maintained and energized by the Conservancy team working alongside our very fine City staff. We also give our deepest thanks to Jenny and Mike Messner of The Speedwell Foundation for their support of the Rose Pavilion at Hampton Park and so many other worthwhile ventures making a difference in the lives of citizens all over Charleston.”
The Conservancy, with the support of its Park Angel volunteers, planted more than 200 heirloom roses. The rose planting is significant as we celebrate two centuries of Charleston’s place in rose history. The Noisette rose class is one of the most significant creations then and now. Citizens who are interested in joining the Conservancy’s Park Angel volunteer corps to help maintain the garden are invited to go to www.charlestonparksconservancy.org/volunteer for more information.
The Rose Pavilion facility is available to rent for events up to four hours. Rentals will be managed by Lowcountry Park Venues, which manages event rentals in other parks in the region. Rental includes pavilion access with a prep counter and four serving counters as well as access to the surrounding park, gardens and hardscape, which has joggling boards and built-in benches. The space is ideal for up to 150 guests.
For residents of the City of Charleston, the rental rates are $550 Sunday-Thursday, and $675 on Saturday and Sunday. For those from outside of the City, rates are $800 Sunday to Thursday and $1,000 for Friday and Saturday. For more information on renting the Rose Pavilion, call 843-849-8091.
When not being used for an event, the Pavilion is open to the public.
Proceeds from renting the Rose Pavilion will help the Charleston Parks Conservancy sustain additional projects in Hampton Park and in parks throughout the City of Charleston. The Conservancy previously renovated McMahon Playground at Hampton Park as well as the nearby Allan Park and Corrine Jones Park. The next phase of its Hampton Park project is Jubilee Hall, multi-use community center with small meeting rooms, community event space, outdoors gardens and a dedicated parking lot.
The Conservancy’s Rose Pavilion project project team included McAlister Construction Management, Wertimer + Cline Landscape Architects, David Thompson Architects, Forsberg Engineering, and Frampton Construction.
Rose Pavilion is named for the heirloom rose collection in Hampton Park and for a notable contribution to the world of horticulture that originated in Charleston. In the early 1800s, Charlestonian John Champneys crossed Rosa chinensis (Old Blush) and Rosa moschata, a white musk rose, to create Champneys’ Pink Cluster, America’s first hybrid rose. His friend and neighbor, French botanist Philippe Noisette, created a more refined hybrid of the Pink Cluster, calling it the Blush Noisette and establishing an iconic flower for the gardens of Charleston. These roses are featured in Hampton Park and at the new garden at the Rose Pavilion.
Over the last decade, the Conservancy has been dedicated to inspiring the people of Charleston to connect with their parks and together create stunning public spaces and a strong community. It has spearheaded park renovation and beautification projects all around the city, including Colonial Lake, Tiedemann Park and Nature Center, Chapel Street Fountain Park, Cannon Park, Wragg Square, McMahon Playground at Hampton Park, Allan Park, Magnolia Park and Community Garden, Medway Park and Community Garden, the West Ashley Greenway and Bikeway, and many more.
About the Charleston Parks Conservancy
The Charleston Parks Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring the people of Charleston to connect with their parks and together create stunning public places and a strong community. The Conservancy opens doors to individuals and organizations in Charleston wanting to engage with their parks and green spaces in a kaleidoscope of positive ways. With the help of its Park Angels, the Conservancy improves, enhances, and invigorates these spaces, making Charleston even better, stronger, and more successful. For more information about or to support the Charleston Parks Conservancy, please visitwww.charlestonparksconservancy.org.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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
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.
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
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