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Understand SC

152 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago - ★★★★ - 74 ratings

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier bringing you the biggest stories shaping our state. Featuring in-depth conversations with reporters and original interviews with newsmakers, our show will help you better understand South Carolina.

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Episodes

Beyond the Headlines: The Saharan Connection

July 06, 2023 16:03 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MB

Why did The Post and Courier just send two journalists 5,000 miles away to Africa?  For a story about where our worst hurricanes are born. West Africa is a hurricane nursery, the place where Hugo in 1989 was born. And dust blowing off the Sahara often determines whether a hurricane lives or dies.   This bonus  episode of Understand SC is a recording of the Post and Courier's latest Beyond the Headlines event.  Senior projects reporter Tony Bartelme and photojournalist Andrew Whitaker discus...

Listen again: Two restaurateurs on bringing Pakistani cuisine to Charleston

June 13, 2023 16:37 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MB

In a city like Charleston, where dining is a key element of its identity, how restaurants are doing is important.  We know that 2020 was a devastating year for local restaurants. 2021 — year two of the COVID-19 pandemic — brought its own challenges, even when diners returned. Restaurant owners have had to contend with staff shortages, supply chain difficulties, construction delays and price increases that made operating a daily struggle. Despite those challenges, many Charleston restaurant...

Tim Scott is running for president

May 19, 2023 16:35 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MB

Tim Scott has decided to launch a White House bid. He'll make the official announcement on May 22 at his alma mater Charleston Southern University. In this Undertsand SC pop up episode, political editor Schuyler Kropf and senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd discuss Tim Scotts political journey and what lies ahead as he campaigns for the presidency. Related Content: Tim Scott is running for president. His life story is at the center of his 2024 hopes. SC’s Sen. Tim Scott says America ‘no...

Introducing the Charleston's Menu podcast

April 03, 2023 14:30 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MB

Post and Courier Food Editor Parker Milner and contributing food critic Robert Moss debuted the Post and Courier's newest food and dining podcast live from the 2023 Charleston Wine and Food Festival. This episode features recently named James Beard Finalist and owner of Tuk Tuk Sri Lanken Bites Sam Fore and owner of Mansueta's Filipino Food, Nikko Cagalanan Charleston's Menu will be a podcast discussing dining, restaurants and all the food that lands on Parker and Robert's plate across Sou...

A look inside life on death row

December 16, 2022 16:30 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MB

The South Carolina Supreme Court is set to review the constitutionality of the two options the state currently offers as a way to execute inmates on death row.  The decision could alter the fate of several inmates, including Richard Moore. Moore is likely to be the first man scheduled to die by firing squad if the Supreme Court allows the state to use the method. He recently discussed life on death row, facing execution and remorse for killing James Joseph Mahoney III.  Reporter Jennifer ...

Introducing: Understand Murdaugh

November 01, 2022 20:30 - 5 minutes - 5.06 MB

 Welcome to Understand Murdaugh, a podcast from The Post and Courier, South Carolina’s largest newspaper. Our award-winning reporters have spent more than a year digging into the Murdaugh saga to bring you the latest news and in-depth analysis as we cover this story of drugs, deceit and death in South Carolina’s rural Lowcountry. Today, hosts Glenn Smith and Avery Wilks discuss the launching of Understand Murdaugh, the complex through lines of the case and what comes next. Follow Understand...

Chapter One: The Story of the Lizard Man

July 22, 2022 15:00 - 7 minutes - 7.04 MB

The Lizard Man story is 34 years old this month. Bishopville's embrace of the legend is still in its early days.  In this episode Post and Courier photographer Andrew Whitaker and projects reporter Thad Moore spoke with many people from the town and Lizard Man enthusiasts.  One person they talked with, Robert Howell, grew up  in nearby Timmonsville. Howell is known for his early illustrations and Lizard Man comics in the summer on 1988. Howell tells the story of Christopher Davis, a 17-yea...

Chapter Three: The Culture of the Lizard Man

July 22, 2022 15:00 - 9 minutes - 8.57 MB

The Lizard Man mania faded away after only a few months during the summer of 1988, but the story lives on today.  Many Bishopville residents and cryptid fans, including a group called the Friends of the Lizard Man, want to do more to preserve the story of the Lizard Man. In recent years, the town has increasingly embraced the legend with events including a Lizard Man beauty pageant, scavenger hunts and the Lizard Man Stomp, which was held in June. More coverage: Return of the Lizard Man: ...

Chapter Two: The Lizard Man Gains National Attention

July 22, 2022 15:00 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MB

The first newspaper story about the Lizard Man was written by Jan Easterling, a former reporter in The State newspaper's Camden bureau. Easterling was tasked with covering everything that happened in three mostly rural counties east of Columbia. That's how she came to hear talk of a Bigfoot-like creature from Lee County’s sheriff, Liston Truesdale. She wrote a short story that landed on the front page, and within days, it gained national attention. More coverage: Return of the Lizard Man: ...

Chapter Four: The Legacy of The Lizard Man

July 22, 2022 15:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB

For those who remember the summer of 1988, the Lizard Man is more than just a campfire story. Instead, it's a connection to a moment in time and the memories and people they associate with it. Take, for instance, former Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale, who is largely credited with making the Lizard Man a legend. His niece, Abbie Denny, cherishes the Lizard Man, because it preserves her uncle's legacy. Harry Elmore also joined this episode. Elmore's uncle is often tied to the sightings i...

A tale of two Trump endorsements

June 17, 2022 16:00 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MB

On Tuesday, South Carolinians went to the polls to vote in the 2022 primary election. This week, we’re talking about a few of the most closely-watched races with help from our politics team at The Post and Courier. In this primary, there was a kind of tale of two Trump endorsements: There were two Congressional races in South Carolina where a stamp of approval from Donald Trump was in play. In each of those districts, the Republican incumbent had fallen out of favor with the former preside...

Opera 'Omar' makes its world premiere in Charleston

June 10, 2022 20:30 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB

For the last two weeks Charleston has been hosting the annual Spoleto USA performing arts festival. The centerpiece of this year’s festival is the world premiere of an opera called “Omar.”  "Omar" is Omar ibn Said, a West African scholar who was enslaved, first in Charleston and then in Fayetteville, N.C. Omar was Muslim, he read and wrote Arabic and he wrote his own autobiography. That text is what inspired the opera that is being performed for the very first time here in Charleston.  Men...

The GOP primary showdown in SC-01

May 27, 2022 16:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MB

On Monday, May 23, three Republicans vying to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District took the stage at Burke High School. Within moments of the start of the debate, the primary field was narrowed from three candidates to two: In response to the first question, candidate Lynz Piper-Loomis took off her microphone and endorsed Republican Katie Arrington over current U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace. This week, senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd breaks down that dramatic debate and expla...

What SC lawmakers did and didn’t do in 2022

May 19, 2022 21:25 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB

South Carolina lawmakers wrapped up the regular 2022 session last week in Columbia. This week, we’re recapping what state lawmakers did and didn’t do during this regular legislative session, from the bills that died to ones that have made it to or are en route to the governor’s desk to be signed into law, plus what lawmakers still have to do when they return for their special session next month. Assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains how some bills, like one that allows anyo...

What will happen in SC if Roe v. Wade is overturned

May 13, 2022 18:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MB

On May 2, the D.C. news outlet Politico published a draft opinion of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade. An actual decision has not been issued. What was leaked was a draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito, but, in the days since it was published, people have sprung into action. Some South Carolina Republicans are pushing to pass more aggressive abortion legislation. Abortion providers in the state are preparing for a six-week ban on abortions that's currently blocked ...

Gunfire that stopped youth baseball games sparks debate over how to respond

May 06, 2022 14:30 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB

On April 25, children's baseball games were being held at Pepperhill Park, a city-run recreation center in a residential area of North Charleston.  It was a normal night. Nine and 10-year-olds were playing on the field as parents, siblings and coaches watched.  Then, just before 8:45 p.m., dozens of shots rang out. An about one-minute video captured by a parent showed the moments of confusion and panic that followed as children ran or crawled to find safety.  No one was injured in the gu...

The return of Charleston restaurant reviews

April 28, 2022 21:30 - 21 minutes - 19.2 MB

The restaurant review has long been part of The Post and Courier’s food section, but the coronavirus pandemic led us — along with newspapers nationwide — to temporarily suspend that section of the paper. Recently, in March, The Post and Courier brought back its restaurant reviews. Moving forward, readers can expect to find a review inside the Food & Dining section twice a month.  This week, we peek behind the curtain with help from The Post and Courier’s new contributing critic, Robert Mos...

Listen again: How Greenland contributes to Charleston's flooding problem

April 21, 2022 21:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MB

Some 3,000 miles north of Charleston, melting ice in Greenland is having a profound effect on Charleston's coastline.  This week, we're revisiting an episode that took us behind the scenes of a special report that showed us how Greenland and Charleston are connected. We’ll hear from reporter Tony Bartelme and photographer Lauren Petracca about their trip to Greenland. You’ll learn what they saw out on Greenland's ice sheet, what they learned from speaking with locals and how they got to fly...

The state of the COVID pandemic in SC

April 14, 2022 22:00 - 21 minutes - 19.9 MB

This week on the podcast, Dr. Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center for Global Health, is back to answer our questions about the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina. The last time Sweat joined us on the podcast, the omicron variant of the coronavirus was just emerging. What followed was a major wave of coronavirus cases when omicron became the dominant variant in South Carolina and across the U.S.  A lot has changed since then. Transmission of the vir...

New to Charleston? We have some advice.

April 08, 2022 14:30 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

It's no secret that the Charleston area is a popular place to live. About 33 people are moving to the region a day. Maybe you’re one of those people. Maybe you moved here in the last few years — or, you’re thinking about moving here soon. This week, we're sharing some advice from our newsroom for people who are new to the Charleston area, with help from digital editor Matt Clough, who just launched Holy City How-To, a six-part newsletter course that's a kind of primer on the Charleston reg...

Gamecocks shooting for a national title

March 31, 2022 21:30 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MB

The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team started this season ranked No. 1.  So, it wasn’t a surprise when the team beat Creighton on Sunday, securing their place in the Final Four. But, as the team would say, they still have work to do.  They came into this season with a goal of winning a national championship. To get there, they’ll have to win two more games this weekend in Minneapolis.  This week, we're talking about this team and what's made them No. 1 in the country...

Affordable housing in Charleston

March 24, 2022 22:00 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MB

If you live in or around Charleston, you know how expensive it’s become to live here. It’s not hard to understand why there’s a need for more affordable housing in the city.  So, it caught a lot of people’s attention when the Charleston Housing Authority announced that year what will be the biggest public housing initiative in its history. The authority will be renovating or replacing all of its about 1,400 public housing units.   With this overhaul, no low-income housing will be lost, mor...

Former SC factory left behind a toxic legacy

March 17, 2022 21:45 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MB

In 2020, one of the world’s largest car battery makers filed for bankruptcy and gave up its former plant in Greer, S.C. While there’s little left of the old plant, there’s an invisible legacy it left behind. To make its batteries, the company used lead, an element that can wreak havoc on the human body. Inside the plant, employees were exposed to levels of lead well above the federal limit, records showed. Lead seeped into the soil and around the plant and, at times, clouds of lead dust w...

SC agency hooked on money from 'Monkey Island'

March 10, 2022 21:00 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MB

Morgan Island, a remote spot out in South Carolina's ACE Basin, has some unusual inhabitants: 3,500 rhesus monkeys.  That's where one of the latest installments of The Post and Courier's Uncovered series about corruption and questionable conduct begins. Reporters Tony Bartelme and Shamira McCray explain how the South Carolina Department of Resources came to rely on millions of dollars in rent from a private company it regulates. It's a story about monkeys, blood and money.  Read the inves...

South Carolinians stand with Ukraine

March 03, 2022 22:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB

As Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine continues, people around the world have shown solidarity for the Ukrainian people. That's been true in South Carolina, too.  In the last week, Ukrainians and their supporters gathered in Falls Park in Greenville and held a prayer service was at a Ukrainian church in Spartanburg. A small group held a vigil outside the S.C. Statehouse in Columbia, and the SkyWheel in Myrtle Beach was lit blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. On Wednesday,...

In SC, a case of labor trafficking hidden in plain sight

February 24, 2022 20:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MB

Chris Smith started working at J&J Cafeteria in Conway at a young age, washing dishes. He eventually started working at the restaurant full-time.   It was a good job, until Bobby Edwards took over as manager.   That’s when the abuse began. Edwards stopped paying Chris and forced him to work 100 hours or more per week. He physically harmed Chris, verbally abused him and isolated him from others.  That went on for six years. This was a case of human trafficking, or, more specifically labor...

Listen again: Who was Omar ibn Said?

February 17, 2022 20:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

This month, Spoleto Festival USA, a major performing arts event that’s held annually here in Charleston, announced its 2022 programming lineup. That’s always exciting, but it especially is this year, after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since 2019, the festival will host international performers.  And, after being postponed twice, Spoleto audiences are going to see the world premiere of a highly-anticipated opera. Called "Omar," and it’s based on the autobiography ...

The SC judge being considered for the Supreme Court

February 11, 2022 13:00 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MB

A seat is opening up on the United States Supreme Court.  President Joe Biden has said that, for the first time, a Black woman will serve on the country’s highest court.  The question, of course, is who it will be.  South Carolina judge Michelle Childs is one potential pick. Childs has the support of Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina — the House majority whip, an ally of Biden and the person who told Biden in the first place that he should commit to appointing a Black woman to the Suprem...

Charleston faces 'what's next' for downed Calhoun statue

February 04, 2022 13:00 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MB

In Charleston and in communities across the country where Confederate and related monuments have been removed, there’s still a big question left to be answered: What should be done with them now? For the last several years, Los Angeles-based curator Hamza Walker has been working on an exhibit that will gather some of those monuments in the same place, displayed and in dialogue with works of contemporary art. Tentatively called “Monuments,” the exhibit will debut in fall 2023 at the Museum ...

How oysters' 'superpowers' can help the Lowcountry

January 27, 2022 21:00 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

Oysters are pretty incredible.   They can be incredibly delicious, and they’re one of the things people come to Charleston to eat, but they also have some natural superpowers  — superpowers that are particularly relevant for a place like Charleston that’s constantly contending with sea level rise and flooding. Today, we’re going to be talking about oysters’ superpowers, with help from the co-founder of a Lowcountry oyster farm.  This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and features Post ...

Two restaurateurs on bringing Pakistani cuisine to Charleston

January 20, 2022 19:30 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MB

In a city like Charleston, where dining is a key element of its identity, how restaurants are doing is important.  We know that 2020 was a devastating year for local restaurants. 2021 — year two of the COVID-19 pandemic — brought its own challenges, even when diners returned. Restaurant owners have had to contend with staff shortages, supply chain difficulties, construction delays and price increases that made operating a daily struggle. Despite those challenges, many Charleston restaurant...

What to expect from SC's Statehouse in 2022

January 13, 2022 20:00 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MB

This past Tuesday, Jan. 11, legislators returned to the Statehouse in Columbia. So, what's on the agenda for 2022?  This week, we're breaking down what lawmakers need to do this session, from drawing new lines for voting districts to discussing the legalization of medical marijuana and deciding what to do with the state's $6 billion in additional revenue.  Money is a big theme for the year, with the windfall largely fueled by federal aid and a stronger-than-expected economic recovery.  As...

South Carolina's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

January 06, 2022 21:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MB

It’s been one year since supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The events of that day led to an impeachment, sparked debate about what it meant for the future of democracy in the United States and launched investigations by the FBI and Congress.   This week, we’re taking a closer look at South Carolina’s role in the lead-up to Jan. 6, on the day and in the fallout that came after.   Eleven S.C. residents have been charged with storming the Ca...

Listen back to these moments from 2021

December 30, 2021 19:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MB

This year on Understand SC, we've covered a little bit of everything: flooding in Charleston, the coronavirus pandemic, South Carolina politics and even the design of the state’s flag. Emily Williams and Gavin McIntyre revisit moments from some of the year's conversations.  All past episodes of Understand SC, a weekly news podcast by The Post and Courier, can be found at understand-sc.simplecast.com. Clips featured are from the following episodes: #63: The South Carolina flag design that...

SC's health insurance coverage gap

December 17, 2021 14:00 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB

There are about 105,000 other South Carolinians who fall into a health insurance coverage gap created by factors that were set into motion about a decade ago.  In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act for the first time.  But, there was a caveat. The court said it was up to states to decide if they would expand Medicaid, the state and federal program that provides health coverage to people with low incomes.  Most states signed on. South Carolina d...

SC's biggest university searches for a president

December 09, 2021 23:30 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MB

The largest university in the state of South Carolina is searching for its next leader. Back in May, the University of South Carolina opened a search after its last president, Bob Caslen, stepped down amid controversy. (To get caught up, listen to this Understand SC episode from June.) About a week ago, it looked like the university’s presidential search process could have been coming to a close. The search committee had narrowed the field to a preferred candidate who was expected to visit...

MUSC expert on the omicron variant, future of the pandemic

December 02, 2021 22:00 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB

There’s a new variant dominating pandemic-related headlines right now. You've probably heard of it — and you probably have some questions. We’re getting into some of those today.  The omicron variant was discovered in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization Nov. 24. Two days later, the WHO deemed it a variant of concern.  The U.S. recorded its first case of the variant Wednesday, Dec. 1.  Today, Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Cente...

Brewing more unity in Charleston's craft beer community

November 19, 2021 00:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MB

After repeatedly finding themselves being the only Black people on their visits to Charleston's breweries, brewer April Dove and David White Jr. of "The Dropping Pin" teamed up to create a beer that they hoped could brew some change for the region's craft beer community.   Dove and White's goal, long-term, is to see more diversity in Charleston’s taprooms.   Their beer, called Tha CommUNITY has been a success, and they have more ideas — and beers — in the works.   On today’s podcast, you’...

The small SC town 2 war heroes called home

November 11, 2021 18:50 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MB

In South Carolina, there's a small town unofficially known as the hometown of living war heroes.  The town is Batesburg-Leesville, and the war heroes are Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne and Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, both recipients of the nation's highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor.  The likelihood of two living Medal of Honor recipients having called the rural South Carolina town home is small: There are only 66 living recipients of the medal today, according to the Congressio...

Charleston's big decision: Should it build a sea wall?

November 04, 2021 19:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

This week, we’re revisiting a topic that we discussed about a year ago on this podcast: the plan to potentially build a sea wall around Charleston’s peninsula.  The idea is to protect the flood-prone area from storm surge if the city were to be directly hit by a hurricane. It would also be the city’s most substantial defense yet against sea rise. This project would be a massive undertaking — financially and logistically — and already, years of planning have gone into it.  In the last year...

Revisiting plans to build a sea wall in Charleston

November 04, 2021 19:00 - 27 minutes - 25 MB

This week, we’re revisiting a topic that we discussed about a year ago on this podcast: the plan to potentially build a sea wall around Charleston’s peninsula.  The idea is to protect the flood-prone area from storm surge if the city were to be directly hit by a hurricane. It would also be the city’s most substantial defense yet against sea rise. This project would be a massive undertaking — financially and logistically — and already, years of planning have gone into it.  In the last year...

The alleged crimes of Alex Murdaugh, explained

October 28, 2021 22:15 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MB

Nearly five months later, no one has been arrested for the fatal shootings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, a mother and son and members of a prominent and powerful South Carolina legal family. But, in that time, attorney Alex Murdaugh, Maggie’s husband and Paul’s father, has had a dramatic fall from grace, one that’s still unfolding and raising new questions. In early September, Alex Murdaugh admitted to a 20-year opioid addiction, checked himself into rehab and, after being accused by his pa...

What happens when local newspapers stop printing

October 21, 2021 18:30 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

Across South Carolina, 10 local newspapers stopped printing last year — a record loss, at least in recent memory.  What does a community lose when it loses its newspaper? This week, reporters Jennifer Berry Hawes and Stephen Hobbs explain what they found in trying to answer that question. They took a close look at two communities — one that still has a locally-owned paper in print and one that recently lost its newspaper — and talked to residents about the difference having, or missing, l...

The chaotic first 7 weeks of school in SC

October 14, 2021 18:00 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB

The start to this school year in South Carolina was a pretty chaotic one.  The delta variant of COVID-19 was quickly spreading, infecting students, teachers and staff and sending people into quarantine. Meanwhile, schools couldn't enforce mask mandates.  The result: Seven weeks into the year, at least 15 districts, 233 schools, and 156,169 students had reverted back to virtual learning. This week on Understand SC, we talk with Hillary Flynn, editor of The Post and Courier’s Education Lab...

A conversation with The Post and Courier's new executive editor

October 07, 2021 18:46 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MB

This week is the 81st annual National Newspaper Week.  As our way of celebrating, we’re bringing you a conversation about our newspaper.  Recently, The Post and Courier named a new executive editor. Autumn Phillips, who became the paper’s managing editor in early 2018, stepped into the role in late August.  This week, we spoke with Phillips about some of the big things happening for the paper, like fundraising to support investigative journalism, expanding to markets across the state and ...

How one SC doctor is addressing vaccine hesitancy

September 30, 2021 18:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MB

The number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is beginning to decline across the country, signaling the beginning of the end of this latest surge, but, in South Carolina, like many states in the Southeast, coronavirus activity is still high.  Health experts have been saying it for months: The state needs a higher percentage of its residents to be vaccinated. But overcoming vaccine hesitancy isn’t easy. This week, we're hearing from someone who’s been having those difficult conversa...

How Greenland contributes to Charleston's flooding problem

September 23, 2021 17:50 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MB

Some 3,000 miles north of Charleston, melting ice in Greenland is having a profound effect on Charleston's coastline.  This week, we go behind the scenes of a special report that showed us how Greenland and Charleston are connected. We’ll hear from reporter Tony Bartelme and photographer Lauren Petracca about their trip to Greenland. You’ll learn what they saw out on Greenland's ice sheet, what they learned from speaking with locals and how they got to fly in a plane over icebergs with NASA...

What to know about COVID's 3rd surge in SC

September 16, 2021 19:00 - 26 minutes - 24.5 MB

It’s been over a year and a half since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in South Carolina.   And, as much as people would like it to be, this pandemic is far from over.   Earlier this year, there was hope that this fall we would be edging closer to normalcy — that we would have overcome vaccine hesitancy enough that spread would have slowed.   But, that didn’t happen, and slow uptake of the vaccine combined with the delta variant brought on South Carolina’s third surge in COVID-1...

Creators of 'Gullah Gullah Island' on telling, preserving SC stories

September 09, 2021 17:50 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MB

Natalie and Ron Daise are storytellers. Or, as they'd describe it, Natalie is a storyteller and Ron is a kind of keeper of stories, collecting and documenting.  Together, they have been gathering, interpreting and sharing stories in South Carolina for decades. The couple is best known for "Gullah Gullah Island," a children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 1998. Their storytelling extended well after that show ended. It's never stopped, really, and the ways they t...

SC Supreme Court strikes down school mask mandate

September 03, 2021 17:30 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

The fight over requiring face masks in South Carolina schools reached the state's highest court this week.  On Tuesday, the S.C. Supreme Court heard two cases related to masking rules that challenged a state budget provision that prohibits schools from using state-appropriated funds to require masks.  Public health officials have strongly encouraged the use of masks, citing rapidly-rising COVID cases among school-age South Carolinians.  But justices emphasized during hearings this week th...

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