Wedding & Event Venue Near North Charleston, SC.

Today, Sunday, Mar 12, 2023 in North Charleston, Ashley river the tide is falling. Next low tide is 06:40 AM. Next high tide is 11:45 AM.

8.006.004.002.000.00-2.00MLLW (ft)0.285.7-0.046.50.455.580.026.530.6408:0011:0014:0017:0020:0023:0002:0005:0008:0011:0014:0017:0020:0023:0002:0005:00Current Time

North Charleston, SC - Ashley River Tide Chart

NOAA Station:North Charleston, Ashley river (8664699)

A local organization hosted an event Saturday for community members to get together and discuss common problems in the area and find solutions as a group.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A local organization hosted an event Saturday for community members to get together and discuss common problems in the area and find solutions as a group.

Men and Women Empowerment Conference, hosted by Positive Vibes Ronjanae Smith, brought dozens of North Charleston residents together to talk about issues they have with the school district, gun safety, keeping children safe and violence in the community.

“One of the issues that we faced in our community is community apathy,” Community advocate Pastor Thomas Dixon says. “That our community does not get up and get involved in the issues that really affect them every day.”

A panel of community leaders helped facilitate the discussion with one member representing gun violence prevention, an education advocate, community leader and political advocate.

Not just discussing problems, but more importantly solutions were at the top of their list. Ronald Smith, Positive Vibes Ronjanae Smith Founder, tried to focus on specific actions they can take.

“They [the community] want to know solutions. ‘What can we change? What can we make happen?’” Smith says. “The biggest solution that we came up with today was for people to keep their new car doors locked was number one, more of us going into the schools was number two and talking to the kids that need our help.”

The conference was the first of its kind and the group plans to host another in the fall.

“Whatever programs is necessary that our community is doing everything that it can in order to ensure that our communities are safe, that our communities thrive and that our communities are being taken care of by those who have been elected to govern us,” Dixon says. “So in every aspect, we’re calling on the community now to get up and get involved so that we can actually be that beloved community.”

They hope they can come together as a village to address the issues in their community and use solutions that actually work.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would remove North Charleston from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would remove North Charleston from the Charleston County School District and create a new district.

District 113 Rep. Marvin Pendarvis filed the bill Wednesday afternoon, saying that needs are not being met in the city of North Charleston.

“We’re here because we care about the quality of education in our schools,” Pendarvis said. “We’re here because the city of North Charleston, there’s a number of underperforming schools that lie within the City of North Charleston. We’re here for good reason, and I hope through collaboration and continuing the conversation we’ll be able to get something done.”

State law lays out how school districts can be formed and broken up.

According to 59-17-20, only an act from the state legislature or by authorization of the county boards of education can break up a district. Even then, the boards of education still need to meet certain conditions.

In a statement from the office of Attorney General Alan Wilson those conditions are as follows:

In (b), both districts involved would have to have a petition signed by at least four-fifths of the registered voters in the district. In (c), the districts would need only one-third of the voters to sign a petition but would then also have to have a vote on it called by the county board of education.

Earlier in the day, North Charleston’s mayor confirmed the city is exploring what would be required to withdraw schools in the city from the Charleston County School District.

Mayor Keith Summey said on Wednesday morning North Charleston City Council will explore breaking away from the school district to create their own.

“I think council is concerned about the number of failing schools that we have and what we can do generate more opportunity for the kids coming up in North Charleston,” he said. “It’s not anything that’s in concrete. It’s something that we’re looking at the possibility of.”

The effort, he says, is in a research phase to determine if the idea of pulling schools from the Charleston County School District is feasible, adding it would not be a “fast-paced” project.

Summey said he believes the city contributes more than what they are getting from the school district. He said the majority of failing schools in the district are in North Charleston.

“A community, at the end of the day, is only as strong as the education we can provide for our children, and we just want to make sure that our kids are getting the top chance that they can to get that education,” he said.

Summey said his vision would be for the schools to become a department within the city. He says he believes it would ultimately take a voter referendum, likely in 2024, for the change to happen.

North Charleston Mayor Pro Tem Jerome Heyward said he does not see one member on council not standing behind mayor in support of this.

“The city of North Charleston has been left out of the equation,” Heyward said. “Academic wise, we suffered over here because 30 of our schools are failing. It’s time for us to fix our schools.”

Summey said he has not yet heard from the school district, adding he would like to sit down with them.

“We’re just interested in making sure that children in North Charleston have the same opportunities as children in the entire county to get the best possible education that they can, and that’s not to say that the school district is not making effort,” Summey said. “It’s saying we don’t believe that effort to date has been successful.”

Charleston County School Board Chair Pam McKinney says she has not heard a single word from Summey or the city since she took office. She claims she learned of the mayor’s plan from news coverage.

“CCSD is proud to serve students from every corner of Charleston County,” McKinney said. “It is a priority for the board to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education. North Charleston students deserve a great education and that is exactly what we are working to deliver.”

The Charleston County School District provided a response to the city’s plans, saying the proposal to withdraw would duplicate administrative costs and result in less funding per pupil.

Mayor Keith Summey’s proposal to withdraw North Charleston schools from the Charleston County School District (CCSD) and instead house them in a department within the City of North Charleston would fail students. Such would duplicate administrative costs and result in less funding per pupil for both academic support and capital improvement.

Mayor Summey’s assertion that the City contributes more than what it receives from CCSD is untrue. In fact, North Charleston has historically received well above the CCSD average funding for construction and facilities maintenance.

North Charleston’s schools currently account for 30.32% of the District’s total student population yet receive approximately 35.6% of funds allocated for schools. In addition, the average budgeted per-pupil allocation in FY2023 for North Charleston schools was $16,645.18 compared to that for all other CCSD schools at $14,171.06; isolating North Charleston’s schools served through Acceleration Schools boasts a $19,532.61 per pupil allocation.

Claims that academic efforts in North Charleston schools have not been successful are also misleading. Most recently, for example, three North Charleston schools were removed from the state improvement designation list while others made significant gains.

Rather than benefiting students, withdrawing schools from CCSD would exacerbate educational disparities between geographic areas that CCSD has worked to address. Likewise, the assertion that creating a smaller district would ensure children in North Charleston have greater opportunities is simply misguided. Smaller schools and smaller districts have historically been less-able to offer such access and opportunity.

The District calls on Mayor Summey to address his concerns directly with CCSD leadership so that adults can avoid negative outcomes for students, parents, and educators. The Mayor has not reached out to the District directly since February 2022, after which he and Superintendent Kennedy met with other District and City officials.

The city refutes this, claiming the mayor reached out in May 2022 about an educational program.

Summey reaffirmed Wednesday morning he has not yet decided if he will seek re-election but expects to do so within the next 30 days.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston-based manufacturing company Bintelli is expanding its operation with a new 174,000-square-foot facility in North Charleston.

The facility, off Palmetto Commerce Parkway, opened last week and will focus on building golf carts and low-speed electric vehicles.

This marks the third expansion for Bintelli in the last three years.

“This new facility is a testament to the amazing work our dealer family has done over the last few years,” Bintelli Founder and President Justin Jackrel says. “As we are now operational in what I believe is the largest LSV (low-speed vehicles) manufacturing facility in America, we’re going to be able to even better support our dealer family with the additional vehicles, parts and support they need to continue their rapid growth nationwide.”

Another focus for the move was to have more space for employees so the building is a more comfortable workspace without limiting tight boundaries, says Kevin Marques, Bintelli Production Facility Manager.

“It keeps growing and the biggest thing is keeping the culture the same; we pride our employees and making sure everyone is happy,” Marques says. “We actually know each employee by name and I want to keep that feel here because I think that’s very important for us; that’s the biggest thing, as we grow, I just want to maintain the culture within the company.”

Bintelli assembled 7,000 vehicles last year and is on track to produce 12,000 this year, making the move to a larger facility necessary.

Bintelli says with this new facility, they will be able to keep up with the demand for low-speed electric vehicles and golf carts.

“This expansion is another step in solidifying ourselves at the forefront of the industry,” Bintelli Vice President Jason Perske said. “While faster order fulfillment and greater inventory availability is going to be an incredible asset for our dealer family, I’m far more excited about what this means for the additional levels of support we can offer. I’m excited for all of our dealerships to share in this huge announcement and incredibly thankful for all the support they show us every day.”

In addition to the recent facility expansions, Bintelli says they are also focused on expanding its support and production staff.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The Emergency Response Team at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston simulated what they would do if someone went into cardiac arrest on Friday afternoon.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Ever since Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest last month, there has been a renewed focus to educate people on how to respond to a similar event. Some Lowcountry schools are making sure they are ready if the scary moment ever comes.

The Emergency Response Team at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston simulated what they would do if someone went into cardiac arrest on Friday afternoon. Faculty and staff simulated calling 911, administering CPR and using the school’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Friday’s drill was a partnership between the Charleston County School District and the Project Adam team at MUSC.

“It can be anybody, anywhere. It can be children; and so we need to have that plan in place,” Nurse Tara Lawson, project ADAM program coordinator at MUSC Children’s Hospital, said.

South Carolina is one of 15 states that require an AED in every school. But medical professionals say it is not enough to just have one on the wall.

“You don’t want to be scrambling when an incident happens,” Lawson said.

The goal is for every school in Charleston County to run a drill like this. The district said they will start with high schools and then move to middle and elementary schools.

“The faster that you can have CPR and an AED [in] place, the better the outcomes are,” Dr. Nicole Cain, MUSC director of pediatric electrophysiology, said. “Every second counts. We say time is muscle.”

R.B. Stall High School Nurse Kat Bouziane said the school has been forward-thinking in their emergency preparedness, but partnering with MUSC and Project Adam brings extra planning:

“It demonstrates to our community, the motivation, our sense of responsibility and commitment to providing a safe schoolhouse for our students, families and staff,” Bouziane said.

MUSC’s work with Project Adam began three years ago, and interest has increased in the last few weeks.

The goal is to certify every school in the state.

“I personally have a kindergartener in school,” Lawson said. “So I want him to be in the best place possible if he’s not with me. That people are going to know how to respond in case of an emergency.”

A life-saving drill, winning hearts and minds.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.