BLESSED FOR SUCCESS: The 22nd annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival will sail into the harbor in front of Alhambra Hall on Sunday, featuring a parade of trawlers as well as food, music, and arts and crafts. Get all the particulars in today's Calendar. (Photo by Red Zeppelin Aerial Photography.)

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: Air, water pollution grant helps county

ANN THRASH
:: More needed for Mt. Pleasant market

FEEDBACK
:: Two letters on carriage regulations

THE LIST
:: Five Lighthouse tidbits

GOOD NEWS
:: Wine fest, Shem Creek, 2nd Pres, more

ALSO INSIDE

___:: CALENDAR: Coming events
___:: REVIEW: Send us your recommendations
___:: HISTORY: Single houses
___:: QUOTE: Taylor on vices and virtues
___:: BOOKSHELF: Interesting reading

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TODAY'S FOCUS
Grant helps county address air and water pollution issues
By WENDY WICKE
Charleston County Senior Environmental Specialist
Special to CharlestonCurrents.com

APRIL 23, 2009 -- The Lowcountry is famous for its beaches, rivers, marshes, lakes, forests, culture, history and people. We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the country. However, as this area continues to grow, pressures from development, population growth, traffic, industry and daily activities have the potential to negatively affect our quality of life, especially in regards to air and water quality.

Wicke

The air in the Charleston County area is routinely monitored by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Over time, our air has come very close to exceeding allowable limits for an air pollutant called ground-level ozone. Similarly, many water bodies in Charleston County are considered "impaired" for one or more pollutants.

To enhance understanding of our local air and water pollution sources and the steps we can take to reduce them, the Charleston County Area Project Impact program, a 172-member partnership, conducted a Charleston Region Toxic Risk Assessment. The Toxic Risk Assessment identified particulate air pollution and ground-level ozone as priority air toxic risks, and fecal coliform bacteria, petroleum product releases and trace metals as priority water pollutants in the Charleston County area.

In order to address air and water quality issues, the EPA awarded a $236,498 grant in July 2008 for Charleston County's continuing participation in its Project Impact partnership program aimed at reducing local air and water pollution. The award is part of the EPA's "Community Action for a Renewed Environment" (CARE) program, a community-based, community-driven program that builds partnerships to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from a variety of sources.

Educational campaigns developed through the Charleston County CARE Program will focus on air and water pollution reduction strategies. These strategies include reducing on-road diesel emissions through anti-idling, retrofits and the use of alternative fuel vehicles; controlling open burning; encouraging proper disposal of pet waste; promoting alternate transportation such as mass transit, carpooling and bicycle/pedestrian usage; working with boaters to address marine pollution; and preserving green space, among others issues.

One of the major projects the CARE Program has been working on is the production of a monthly 30-minute television show called "Living Green." The show began airing in November 2008 on local television stations WMMP MY-TV and WTAT FOX-24. Topics that have been discussed on the show include air and water pollution, open burning, mass transportation, green buildings, green landscaping, recycling, electronic waste, holiday waste and improving energy efficiency for existing homes. The next episode will air April 25 and April 28 (see the box with this story for details).

The CARE Program has been working closely with the Lowcountry Environmental Education Program (LEEP) and has been visiting local schools to talk with students about air and water pollution and energy conservation. The CARE Program has also teamed up with the Ashley Cooper Stormwater Education Consortium in order to promote regional outreach efforts in protecting our water quality. The CARE Program staff is available to talk with community groups, homeowners' associations and businesses about the program and what individuals can do to make positive changes for cleaner air and water.

Everyone needs to do his or her part to ensure that the Lowcountry remains healthy and beautiful. To learn more about the CARE Program and what you can do to help, visit the national CARE Web site at http://www.epa.gov/care or the Charleston County CARE site at http://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/BuildingServices/care.htm.

To schedule a presentation on environmental quality and pollution issues, local groups can contact Charleston County Government's Building Services Department at 202-6940 or e-mail care@charlestoncounty.org.

Wendy Wicke is senior environmental specialist for Charleston County.

CURRENTS
Time is ripe for a longer Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
By ANN THRASH, editor

APRIL 23, 2009 -- "Too much of a good thing is wonderful," Mae West once said. I like how Mae thinks - and I'd like to humbly suggest that the town of Mount Pleasant take the Mae West approach to its farmers market. The market this year opens May 12 and runs only through Oct. 20 - and that's just too little of a very good thing.

For a number of years, perhaps even since the market started (memory fails me here), late October has been the time that the market folds its tents and wraps up the regular season. I'd always heard and read that the reason for that had to do with Daylight Saving Time. The market runs "from 3 p.m. until dusk," so when we set the clocks back and it starts getting dark shortly after 5 p.m., it's just not feasible to keep the market going, particularly because the old Moultrie Middle campus, where the market was held, didn't have adequate lighting in the area where the vendors set up their stands.

But things are different this year. The 2009 market will be held under beautiful new pavilions now under construction on the school campus. The pavilions will offer overhead shelter, lights and electricity, so visibility and safety shouldn't be an issue.

There's also still plenty of local and regional fresh produce available in late fall and early winter - the proverbial mess o' greens (collards, kale, mustard, turnip), sweet potatoes, peppers, beets, broccoli, pecans and more. Upstate vendors usually arrive at local markets in the fall with baskets of apples, too. Add in the many vendors of prepared foods who come to the market to feed the crowds, and there's no doubt - there will be plenty of good eats to buy in November and December.

Extending the market season would also help support local farmers, and we need to do that now more than ever. I don't know for sure, but I would suspect that some of the businesses on Coleman Boulevard see a boost in their performance on market days, so extending the market should help support the town's commendable efforts to revitalize that thoroughfare.

As a point of comparison, the biggest other local farmers market - the city of Charleston's market in Marion Square - runs until Dec. 19 this year. Since Charleston officials decided several years ago to extend the market's season, that Thanksgiving-through-Christmas period has offered a great place to enjoy the holidays with neighbors, pick up some local greenery for decorating and maybe find a gift or two. It was a great move. Yes, Mount Pleasant has a one-day holiday farmers market on a Saturday, but it seems to me that the town is missing out on some good business and good community-building by confining the festivities to that one day.

When you add it all up - the stressed economy, shoppers in need of good deals, the sparkling new market site, and the renewed emphasis on supporting local businesses and causes - 2009 looks like the ideal time to take the plunge and lengthen the season for the farmers market in Mount Pleasant. I think the town can count on a lot of us to patronize a longer market and make it worth everyone's while.

Ann Thrash is editor of CharlestonCurrents.com. She can be reached at: editor@charlestoncurrents.com

FEEDBACK
Reviews, reasonable standards needed for carriage tours

To the editor:

Andy Brack's position on having careful review and reasonable standards (for horse-drawn carriages) makes sense. The notion that we should end the carriages, period, makes no sense. I would rather be walking the Battery wall alongside a carriage than a smelly diesel tour bus. Let's be sure we meet acceptable standards rather than try to end it all.

-- Fred Sales, Charleston, SC

Wanted: Follow-up stories about horses' health and welfare

To the editor:

This (horse-drawn carriages) is an issue that just doesn't seem to get better. I would like to see follow-up articles on the progress, change or lack thereof regarding the proper health and care of these animals.

-- Tina Newton, Mount Pleasant, SC

Our policy: We encourage readers to submit feedback or letters to the editor. Send your thoughts to editor Ann Thrash. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. One submission allowed per month. Make sure to include your name and phone number. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Please keep your comment to 200 words or less.

SPOTLIGHT

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring CharlestonCurrents to you at no cost. This issue's featured underwriter is Southeastern Galleries, a family-owned store that offers the best in upscale furniture in one of the largest showrooms in the state. The store's highly-trained professional interior designers offer complimentary design assistance for customers, including space planning, furniture and fabric selection, window treatments, wall coverings, carpeting and rugs. Design services involve working from architectural plans for new construction and in-home consultations for existing homes. To learn more about the outstanding furniture offerings and design help from Southeastern Galleries, visit the company online at: www.southeasterngalleries.com, or stop by its West Ashley location at 1885 Ashley River Road in Charleston. Phone: 556-4663.

• To learn more about all of our underwriters and nonprofit partners, click here.

GOOD NEWS
Study: '09 Food + Wine Festival was most successful to date

Last month's BB&T Charleston Food + Wine Festival had its most successful year yet and increased its charitable giving by 250 percent, according to a new economic impact study conducted by the College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis. The study also found the festival had a bigger economic impact on the Charleston area this year - approximately $2.36 million, up from $2.21 million in 2008.

Despite the difficult economic climate, the festival will be in the black, Media/Marketing Manager Erika McMillan said. Charitable giving will increase from $20,000 last year to $70,000 in total donations this year. "Plans are still on track for our 'fill the glass' campaign, which will donate $50,000 to the festival's signature charity, MUSC Children's Hospital, a $37,500 increase from 2008 donations to MUSC," McMillan said in a press release. Scholarships to the College of Charleston and the Culinary Institute of Charleston will also increase this year, and the festival will be able to start a new scholarship at The Art Institute of Charleston.

The festival also donated 3,000 pounds of food to Crisis Ministries and raised $2,400 with Charleston magazine for the Lowcountry Food Bank. Other stats include:

• More than 15,000 guests attended festival events, up 2,000 from 2008, and 44 percent of the guests were nonlocal.
  
  
• The average nonlocal visitor spent $610 per person locally, and the average travel party was four adults, up from three adults in 2008.
  
  
• Total ticket sales were $772,929, up from $562,335 in 2008.

Waterway cleanup to begin on Shem Creek in May

Work is scheduled to begin the first week in May on a project to clean up the waterways around Mount Pleasant, town officials announced this week. The town recently awarded a bid to Cape Romain Contractors to remove six boats and a large pile of marine debris that was dumped near Crab Bank, which is a protected rookery. The work is expected to be finished in June.

According to a town press release, the bid came in under budget, and town staff is investigating adding one more boat for removal. The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management's grant of $37,125 was matched in part by a town contribution of $12,375.

"We are grateful for OCRM's participation in our sunken boats removal program and our efforts to improve our water quality, to protect marine and avian wildlife, and to preserve our waterways from the danger posed by sunken vessels to recreational or commercial boaters," said Mayor Harry M. Hallman, Jr. "The economic impact of having clean waterways is also important. Eco-tourism, property values, waterfront and marine businesses all rely on this valuable asset."

The Mount Pleasant Police Department will be seeking information about the owners of sunken boat to try to recoup the cost of removal, the town said. Many of the vessels are only visible at low tide. Oil, gas and sewage must be removed from the boats before they can be pulled out, in order to prevent additional pollution of these areas.

"We see boat batteries, old crab pots, anchors, kitchen sinks, and lots of other debris tossed into creeks and waterways," said stormwater manager Hillary Repik. "This pollutes the creeks and some items can be toxic to fish, crabs, shrimp, birds and people who enjoy local recreation on the waterways and local seafood. We are working hard to clean up our local waterways, not only from stormwater run-off, but all other potential sources."

Second Presbyterian turns 200, gives thanks for growth

Second Presbyterian Church in Charleston will bury a time capsule on Saturday to celebrate its 200th anniversary while also marking a period of notable growth. While membership in mainline churches has declined nationwide by 25 percent in the past eight years, Second Presbyterian has seen a growth in membership each of those eight years, according to Pastor Cress Darwin.

Since 2001, when another local church inquired about the possibility of renting Second Presbyterian's facilities, the church and its congregation have made a great comeback. In a press release, Darwin attributed the growth in part to several key hires, including a former Broadway actor and documentary producer who had just graduated from Princeton Seminary, as well as a recent college graduate to serve as director of Christian education, a post usually held by teaching veterans twice his age. Darwin says the education director has particularly reached out to young adults, and the largest demographic group in the church today is those age 22 to 30.

The pastor also says, "Koinonia dinner parties - Greek for "things in common" - have managed to get young adults to talk theological issues for hours, framing them as 'life questions,' " and public/private partnerships with groups such as the Mazyk-Wraggborough Neighborhood Association and the Charleston Parks Conservancy have helped the church make an impact on the community.

The burying of the time capsule is open to everyone. It will be the grand finale of a bicentennial picnic that starts at 4 p.m. Saturday in Wragg Park at the church. There will be music, a slide show and a huge birthday cake. Those attending are asked to bring a blanket and a picnic supper. For more information, go to the church's Web site, http://www.secondpresbyterianchurch.org.

Woodlands Inn named member of noteworthy hotel group

Woodlands Inn in Summerville has been accepted as a member of the prestigious Preferred Hotel Group and its brands: Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Historic Hotels of America.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts is a luxury collection featuring more than 200 of the world's most desirable independently owned and managed destinations. Membership in the program provides Woodlands with additional sales and marketing support, as well as increased reservation visibility. Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was formed in 1989, and a brand of Preferred Hotel Group. Historic Hotels has identified more than 220 U.S. hotels that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture and ambiance. To be selected for this program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, or recognized as having historic significance.

Woodlands' management company, Salamander Hospitality, recently refurbished the 19-room inn, one of only four properties in North America to hold the Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond ratings for both its accommodations and dining room. "Acceptance into the Preferred brand is an endorsement of the quality that we deliver," said Woodlands General Manager Bob Seidler. "We look forward to establishing a long-term relationship."

REVIEW
Send us your recommendations

• HAVE A REVIEW? If you have a review of a book, movie, restaurant or local arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to editor Ann Thrash. Make sure to include your name and full contact information.

HISTORY SPOTLIGHT
Single house

The single house is the building form most closely associated with eighteenth-century Charleston architecture. It first appeared in the early eighteenth century and emerged as a favored residential form after the fire of 1740. The typical single house stands two or more stories in height and is built on a rectangular plan with its narrow end facing the street. Each floor has two rooms with a central stair-hall in between. Piazzas occupy the long wall facing the inside of the lot, and the chimneys are located on the opposite wall, in the rear of the house.

Architectural historians have devoted considerable study to the origins of the single house. The most common explanation holds that the form developed as a response to the hot and humid lowcountry summers and the scarcity of space in the urban environment. The tall, slender profile allowed breezes to circulate freely across the broad piazzas and through the main rooms. The orientation of the house removed it from direct engagement with the public street, secluding the occupants from the life of the city. In the words of the architectural historian Kenneth Severens, "As a free-standing house communicating more with a side garden than with the street, the single house offered a masterful but still vernacular solution to the residential problems of achieving comfort, privacy, and propriety."

Gene Waddell, however, has suggested that fire protection was a more important consideration. Observing that the single house became popular after the fire that swept through the waterfront district in 1740, Waddell has argued that its freestanding form and nearly solid rear wall represented a departure from the paired dwellings and row houses of the colonial era and reflected a desire for increased fire protection in a dense urban environment.

Another interpretation has been offered by Bernard Herman, who argued that the social and symbolic stature of the single house and the dependencies found in the rear - slave quarters, carriage houses, and outbuildings - effectively made it the urban equivalent of the plantation "big house." The organization of the lot placed formal social spaces nearest the street and utilitarian activities in the rear, while the house offered a vantage point for the occupants to keep watch over their domestic slaves and access in and out of the lot. Viewed in this context, the development of the single house reflected Charleston's role as the gateway between the world of Atlantic mercantilism and the lowcountry plantation landscape.

The single house is widely recognized as one of the most distinctive vernacular forms in the South. Numerous examples remain in the historic core of the city. Among those that illustrate the evolution of the form are the Charles Elliott House at 43 Legare Street (ca. 1759; altered in 1911); 90 and 94 Church Street (ca. 1760-1765); the Robert Pringle House at 70 Tradd Street (ca. 1774); the Simmons-Edwards House at 14 Legare Street (ca. 1800); and the Timothy Ford House at 54 Meeting Street (ca. 1800-1806).

-- Excerpted from the entry by Daniel J. Vivian . To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The South Carolina Encyclopedia by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)

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THE LIST
Lighthouse five

The architect of the lighthouse on Sullivan's Island will be giving a talk about the facility on Sunday afternoon, and parts of the building will be open for tours (see our Calendar for details). The National Park Service notes that the lighthouse -- officially called the Charleston Light -- has several features that make it stand out. Here are five:

1) The lighthouse was originally painted white and red/orange (the color seen on Coast Guard helicopters), but local residents petitioned the government to change it to the black and white scheme seen today.

2) Commissioned on June 15, 1962, the lighthouse is the last one built in the United States.

3) Instead of having the traditional circular shape, it is three-sided, a feature meant to make it more wind resistant. And in fact, the lighthouse stood tall during Hurricane Hugo in 1989, when sustained winds at the storm's landfall were estimated at 140 mph.

4) It is the only lighthouse in the country to have both an elevator and siding.

5) The light was once the second brightest in the Western Hemisphere at 28 million candlepower, but it was reduced to 1.5 million candlepower to accommodate Sullivan's Island residents. On clear nights, it can still be seen 27 miles out to sea.

QUOTE
Vice and virtue

Taylor

"The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues."

-- Actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - )

CALENDAR: THIS WEEK

Business Disaster Planning: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. April 23, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2750 Speissegger Drive, North Charleston. The chamber's Business Continuity Planning Council will host a workshop on how to write a business continuity plan in light of hurricanes or other natural disasters, economic downturn and other unforeseen obstacles. Cost: $20 chamber members, $35 nonmembers. Registration.

Blessing of the Fleet: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26, Alhambra Hall, Mount Pleasant. Enjoy samples of local restaurants' best seafood dishes, live music by the East Coast Party Band, shrimp-eating and shagging contests, arts and crafts, and a parade of decorated shrimp trawlers at the 22nd annual festival. Admission is free; tickets will be sold for food samples. More info, including a list of other "Week With the Fleet" activities.

(NEW) Lighthouse Talk: 2 p.m. April 26, grounds of the U.S. Coast Guard Historic District site, 1815 I'On Ave. near Station 18-1/2, Sullivan's Island. Jack Graham, architect of the lighthouse, will give a free talk on the facility, and the lighthouse grounds, quarters' cupola and boathouse will be open to the public from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (because of safety concerns, only the base of the lighthouse will be open). Sponsored by the National Park Service. More info: 883-3123.

(NEW) "Prelude to Piccolo" Concert: 4 p.m. April 26, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 3871 Betsy Kerrison Parkway, Johns Island. Free preview concert featuring highlights of the 2009 Piccolo Spoleto Festival's Spotlight Concert Series. Performers include pianist Joseph Rackers and Charleston Symphony Orchestra principal players Jessica Hull-Dambaugh, Jan-Marie Joyce, Kathleen Wilson, Chris Sales and Ghadi Shayban. Sponsored by the Town of Kiawah Island Arts Council. To pick up a free ticket, call 768-9166, or go by the town office at 21 Beachwalker Drive or the Gaillard Municipal Auditorium, 77 Calhoun St., Charleston.

CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON

Wine Dinner: 6:30 p.m. April 27, Crave Kitchen & Cocktails, 1968 Riviera Drive, Mount Pleasant. Five-course dinner will pair classic French cuisine with French wines. Cost: $70 per person, including tax and gratuity. Reservations (required): 884-1177. More info.

"La Cage Aux Folles": Various dates in May, Footlight Players Theatre, 20 Queen St., Charleston. The Footlight Players bring to the Lowcountry this Broadway smash about love, family and acceptance in an untraditional setting, filled with outlandish costumes, extravagant dance numbers, and snazzy songs. Tickets: $30 adults, $27 seniors, $20 students. Show dates and times: 722-4487 or visit online.

Fort Sumter Findings: 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. May 2, Charleston Museum, followed by boat tour to fort. Dr. Russell Horres, a volunteer researcher and National Park Service Guide, will talk about new revelations on the fort's construction and events leading up to the start of the Civil War. Following talk at museum, group will visit the fort. Cost: $30 museum members, $35 nonmembers (includes boat transportation to fort). Make reservations online by April 24 or phone 722-2996, ext. 235.

(NEW) Good Health, Good Business: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 7, Coco's Café, 863 Houston Northcutt Blvd. (Whole Foods Shopping Center), Mount Pleasant. Dr. Mickey Barber, CEO of Cenegenics Carolinas, will host a program titled "Being at the Top of Your Game: Why Good Health is Just Good Business." Barber will talk about how staying healthy can give a competitive edge in a tough economy. Food and beverages will be available, and the business that brings the most employees will receive a free yoga class at its office courtesy of Eco Health & Wellness. Cost: $15 per person. Register by May 1 by calling 577-8484.

(NEW) Wine on the Water: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 12, South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston. Sample sustainable-seafood dishes prepared by some of Charleston's finest chefs, enjoy live entertainment and more. All proceeds benefit the aquarium's conservation and education programs. Ages 21 and up only. Tickets: $20 aquarium members, $25 nonmember. Advance reservations and payment (required): 577-3474.

Lowcountry Dancing with the Stars: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. May 8, Francis Marion Hotel, King and Calhoun streets. The American Lung Association's Charleston Oxygen Ball, presented by Kindred Hospital, will have a local "Dancing with the Stars" theme as local personalities partner with professional dancers from the Fred Astaire Studio in a competition. Celebrity dancers include Barry Waldrop, owner of True Charleston Cuisine; Janie Sinacore-Jaberg, CEO of East Cooper Regional Medical Center; and Patrice Smith, weekend anchor/reporter for ABC News 4. Evening includes a gourmet dinner and auctions as well. Proceeds benefit the American Lung Association. Cost: $125. Tickets/more info: online or 556-8451.

Magical Mystery Tour: 7:30 p.m. May 8, North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Charleston Ballet Theatre will team up with Eddie Bush & One Flew South to present a journey through the Beatles' songbook, featuring dance interpretations of classics such as "Lady Madonna," "Yellow Submarine," "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Penny Lane." After the CBT performances, Eddie Bush & One Flew South will offer a concert celebrating the Fab Four. Cost: $41 adults, $26 student/child. Tickets: Call 723-7334, visit the NPAC box office or go to here online.

(NEW) Woodlands Wine Weekend: May 15-16, Woodlands Inn, 125 Parsons Road, Summerville. Master Sommelier Robert Bath, one of the world's most recognized wine experts, will lead a series of wine seminars throughout the weekend and join seminar participants for special wine dinners each evening. For a specific schedule, prices and details, call 1-800-774-9999 or go here online.

ON THE BOOKSHELF

In this section, we offer a list of good reads that you might want to consider reading:

• A Short History of a Small Place, T.R. Pearson
• A Turn in the South, V.S. Naipaul
• The Book of Marie, Terry Kay
• Charleston Jazz, Jack McCray
• Going Deep: 20 Classic Sports Stories, Gary Smith (review)
• I'll Be Sober in the Morning: Great Comebacks, Putdowns, and Ripostes, Chris Lamb (List)
• Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, Merle Miller
  
  
• Suggest a book to us

FOCUS ARCHIVES

8/20: Yarian: New local music CD
8/17: Fisher: Uses of social media
8/13: Hall: Time for renovations
8/10: Morris: Dog days at Drayton
8/6: Lindbergh: Gifted school
8/3: Jackson: Insurance tips
7/30: VanBogart: Singles
7/27: Stewart: Get it clean
7/23: Rosenberg: Elect women
7/20: Nathan: Turtle release
7/16: Johnson: Online school
7/13: Thiers: Protect skin
7/9: Lee: Scoring supplies
7/2: Shockley: Company wellness
6/29: McKenzie: Park opening
6/25: Jones: Cheer on US rugby
6/22: McGahey: Young pros
6/18: Ridder: Dress for Success
6/15: Bender: Patriots Point
6/11: Gerardi: Furry Affair
6/8: Arnoldi: Reducing stress
6/4: Mathos: Field to Families
6/1: Moniz: Book burning event

• More of Focus in the archives

THRASH ARCHIVES

8/20: Good, bad, spineless
8/13: Locals on Runway
8/6: Cookie contest
7/30: Vote on car tags
7/23: True confessions
7/16: New way of tithing?
7/9: Lookout for manatees
6/29: Big green bus here
6/18: New Mt. P. promo
6/11: WDAV at Spoleto
6/4: Protecting your computer
5/28: Thoughts on hurricanes
5/21: Special weekend at home
5/14: Zucchini pie
5/7: Charleston cookie contest
4/30: Age spots
4/23: Mt. P. Farmers Market
4/16: Charleston library honored
4/9: First vegetable garden
4/2: Markets, mushrooms
3/26: Feeding the need
3/19: Waddling in
3/12: Great Food + Wine Festival
3/5: Provocative poem
2/26: Seeking colorful birds
2/19: Grab-bag of thoughts
2/12: The candy map
2/5: Shem Creek park input
1/29: Controversy over fireworks
1/22: Talking about oysters
1/15: Help bald eagles thrive
1/8/09: Local man moves up in contest

• More Thrash in the archives

BRACK ARCHIVES

8/17: RIP to old clunker
8/10: Lots to squeeze in
8/3: On flying Delta
7/27: Conspiracy theories
7/20: Protect carriage animals
7/13: Economic thaw here?
6/25: Sanford shouldn't resign
6/22: Lots of questions
6/15: Mosquitoes, water park
6/8: Think big
6/1: On public television
5/25: Shorten the session
5/18: A last supper
5/11: Legislature: do something
5/4: Spring is in the air
4/27: Mortgage discrimination
4/20: Carriage regs
4/6: Fun at the ballpark
3/30: Southern tour
3/23: Cultural appreciation
3/16: Hodges leaves great legacy
3/9: Being positive about economy
3/2: Remember rural areas
2/23: Looks at three books
2/16: What tourists see
2/9: PDAs, Phelps, layoffs
2/2: Whales vs. Dolphins
1/26: Dear Ellie ...
1/19: Lift hood on "reform" efforts
1/12: Truman book is great pleasure
1/5/09: Manning band is inspiring

• More Brack in the archives

LIST ARCHIVES

8/20: You know you're from...
8/17: On the school menu
8/13: Wines for grilling
8/10: First Day Fest facts
8/6: Sales tax holiday
8/3: Twittering tips
7/30: Fall planting
7/27: 5 for teens
7/23: Consignments
7/20: Beach reads
7/16: Save the books
7/13: Hot plants
7/9: Staying cool
7/2: Old Exchange 5
6/29: Historic house
6/25: Mosquito list
6/22: Hot stuff
6/18: Five to bid on
6/15: Last of Spoleto
6/11: Fun in the sun
6/8: Enviro-minded
6/4: Out go the lights
6/1: 5 on duck race

• More Lists in the archives