POPPING PURPLE PIGMENTS: There's a lot to be thankful for this year. But this week, we're thankful for the popping color brought to us by photographer Michael Kaynard, who shot this at Station 25 and Middle Street on Sullivan's Island.

TODAY'S FOCUS
:: Local teen writes book series

CURRENTS
:: Port fracas may dog Haley

THE LIST
:: Five great outdoor activities

CHARLESTON GREEN
:: More recycling ahead

GOOD NEWS
:: Festival of Lights, Chamber winners

HISTORY
:: Clelia McGowan

ALSO INSIDE

:: FEEDBACK: Letter on election

:: SPOTLIGHT: West Of

:: CALENDAR: This week ... and next

:: QUOTE: Autumn

UNDERWRITERS/PARTNERS

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CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what's happening locally. What readers say

Local teen writes Saderia book series
By SARAH RENEE
Special to Charleston Currents

NOV. 21, 2011 -- Ten years ago, a devastating fire took the lives of Queen Karenisha and King Makero, leaving a young Princess Saderia orphaned. Ten years later, she seeks the truth. This was the premise of "The Tiger Princess," a fantasy adventure novel I wrote when I was 12 and later published when I was 13. The next two books in the Saderia Series, "Dash" and "Hunted Home," continued the mysterious series with new and adventurous stories.

Renee

Writing has always come naturally to me, but I never truly started thinking of it as anything more than a hobby until I turned 10. That year was the year I came up with the idea for "The Tiger Princess" and began brainstorming ideas for the book. Back then, I tried to fully understand the sassy but uncertain tiger Princess who became the main character, and think of the best way to describe her brave journey. I hid clues all throughout "The Tiger Princess" for Saderia to find, almost as if I was playing a scavenger hunt with a real person, to build the suspense.

I love the feeling of being drawn into the story whenever I sit down to write. As soon as I begin typing the next scene in the book, I feel as if I'm being pulled into the world I'm describing. Writing has become more than just a hobby to me; it has become an exciting adventure. When I wrote "The Tiger Princess," I was able to disappear into the fast-paced, adventurous world of Saderia. I was able to sense her struggle to be brave and her desperation to find the truth as the story went on and more clues about her parents' fate were discovered. I was able to disappear into an exhilarating world full of dark mysteries, ancient royal secrets, threatening enemies hiding under the guise of friendliness, mysterious powers, and hidden prophecies foretelling a scary but incredible future.

"The Tiger Princess" opens up with a vision of the blazing fire that hints at both the past and the future. When I began writing the scene, I could almost hear fire crackling around me, and I could practically feel the heat of the blaze rising toward me. I could hear trees groaning and started to topple, and I could imagine hearing screams echoing from every corner of the forest. I could see a tiny baby version of Saderia staring out through the window with this horrified expression as she watched the flames. I could practically read the fear in her eyes as she stared out at such a devastated forest.

Ever since I finished "The Tiger Princess," my dream has been to share my stories with others. Createspace, a division of Amazon.com, gave me the chance to publish the stories so that others may experience them. It gave me the chance to be able to turn the novel into a book the way I had always pictured it by giving me the chance to design the cover art -- an image of the fire lighting up the forest and blazing around two ghostly images of the King and Queen with Saderia centered just beyond the flames. With Createspace, I was able to reach my dream, and I will always love the feeling of being able to share my stories with others.

Sarah Renee is a 15-year-old home-schooled Mount Pleasant resident who has been writing about seven hours per day since she was nine years old. She plans for The Sadiera Series to include 15 books, and she's currently working on book seven in the series.

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Port fracas may dog Haley over time
By ANDY BRACK, publisher

NOV. 21, 2011 -- South Carolina’s governor-cheerleader Nikki Haley has a political problem that is uniting Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, against her. And it may have legs.

Brack

Haley’s appointees to the board that oversees the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, which she describes as business people who are “rock stars that get it,” last week overrode a staff recommendation to deny a dredging permit for the Savannah River.

At issue is the depth of the river to Georgia’s vibrant Garden City port, which competes with the Charleston port for business. At stake? Billions of dollars of business.

Many may wonder whether Haley in this case has been more of a governor for Georgia than for the Palmetto State.

But Haley, upbeat as always Tuesday at a speech to port leaders in Charleston, essentially said “p-shaw” to critics. The Georgia deepening would have been done regardless and without the DHEC board’s permit decision. And because her board intervened, South Carolina got a better deal than it would have because Georgia agreed to mitigate wetlands problems and work to keep dissolved oxygen levels high for fish.

“While some in this room may be scared of a 48-foot Savannah [River with a port that is] 36 miles up the river, one way, I am not scared when I know we are going to have a 50-foot Charleston [harbor channel] with Panamax ships with dual ways with dual rail and a good distribution system. I’m not scared of that. Bring it on.

“We can work together and win,” she said. “We can fight and be at a standstill. You get to decide. While you decide, I’m going to work.”

Tough, testy rhetoric, but it gets something a little stronger than a “P-shaw” from the Coastal Conservation League’s Dana Beach.

“The proposition that there was some revelatory, transformative concession made on behalf of Georgia on the dredging is incorrect,” he said. “The idea of mitigating with 1,500 acres of habitat that is not comparable to what is being lost is a bad idea.”

He said Lady Gaga-like towers to pump dissolved oxygen into the river would prove to be a farce and were unsubstantiated by good science. And he accused the DHEC board of misleading people in the state by granting the permit to dredge.

“The board is worse than we could have imagined. We were fearful of a board that would be influenced by different business interests, but in this case, it is worse than anybody could have conceived.”

Others also aren’t happy. State Sen. Larry Grooms, a GOP member of the Savannah River Maritime Commission, is fighting the DHEC decision. Attorney General Alan Wilson is intervening on behalf of the commission, setting the stage for an ugly GOP spat between Haley and Wilson.

Grooms said for South Carolina to support Georgia’s deepening was “one of the worst decisions to ever come out of DHEC.”

Meanwhile, Democratic state Sen. Vincent Sheheen, who opposed Haley at the polls a year ago, has asked for a Senate investigation of whether the DHEC board was improperly influenced. He called on Haley’s board members to resign.

“Their ruling is a costly blunder and disaster for our state’s environment and our future economic growth,” Sheheen said in an email message to supporters. “Selling out on protection of our sensitive natural habitats and our own economy is a mistake that will cost us dearly in jobs and natural resources.”

Haley dusted criticism under the rug. She noted that Georgia’s leaders wouldn’t oppose Charleston’s attempt for deepening money. And, in an interesting rhetorical twist, she barked that critics needed to stop South Carolina’s traditional infighting and kneejerk reactions. Instead, they needed to focus on the big picture of a full Charleston port that was 50-feet deep and had so much business that it spilled over into a new Jasper port.

“We can win,” Haley cheered.

“We’re going to win on merit,” she sneered.

“We don’t win by undercutting somebody politically,” Haley jeered.

“We’re smarter than that,” she smeared.

Yep, it’s a great day. For Georgia. Thanks, governor.

Andy Brack is publisher of Statehouse Report and Charleston Currents. He can be reached at: brack@statehousereport.com

Charleston lost in election

To Charleston Currents:

From where I sit, I see Andy Brack as a winner. ["Lessons from an Election," 11/14] Unfortunately, there must be a winner and a loser in an election. I believe that the citizens of Charleston are the losers in this round of politics. This election is like running for class president. Much of the time it is a popularity contest. Every once in a while, someone like Andy will stand up and say "enough" and try to get people to understand the issues.

I think Andy has a good idea of the real issues Charleston will be facing in the future. He, I am sure, will continue to give his thoughts and suggested guidance to all of us. When you have an election, it seems to be between two candidates. In reality it is about the betterment of the community. The fact that we have a champion, such as Andy, who is not afraid of telling it like it is, is refreshing. Hopefully, he will continue to voice his opinion as it reflects a lot more than the 27 percent says it does. I hope this will not deter Andy from trying again. Soon his daughters will be able to help Daddy a lot more.

-- Michael Kaynard, intrepid photographer, West Ashley

Question for readers??
What are your favorite blogs? Or send us other thoughts. We love getting input from you. If you have an opinion you'd like to share (150 words or less), send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

West Of

The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. In this issue, we turn the spotlight on West Of newspaper, the West Ashley's community newspaper that highlights community news, opinions, schools, dining, arts and more for the 62,000+ people who live west of Charleston's Ashley River. West Of also publishes the James Island Messenger for people who live on James Island. Visit West Of online or via Twitter.

Recycling center to add to staff and to capacity
By GREG GARVAN, contributing editor

NOV. 21, 2011 -- Sonoco's North Charleston recycling center will be adding 15 jobs in 2012 to its facility on Tellico Road. They will be adding up to 1.5 more monthly to their current capacity. They currently manage Boeing's waste stream and expect to be adding others for single-stream recycling.

Green Vans: The Charleston Housing Authority is adding three electric vans to its fleet. It is hoped they will be in service before the end of the year. The small vans can go up to 25 MPH, and travel up to 60 miles on a single charge. If all goes well, they will be mostly used on site for hauling materials around.

Green challenge:Year two of the Green Business Challenge starts Dec. 1. The first year was a huge success, and we are looking to expand it even more for this coming year. Go to the website, sign up for your scorecard and simply fill it out and submit it ASAP, but no later than Feb. 29 (Leap Day), 2012. There is a bonus point in it for you if you submit your baseline scorecard by Nov. 30 to CharlestonGBC@Charleston-SC.gov.

For new participants, here is a little orientation: There are 50 strategies in 7 categories that can total 100 points. We know that one size does not fit all, so the GBC scorecard is designed to help both those who are just getting started as well as those who want a nudge to incorporate more green strategies. Bonus points are the last category, please check them out.

Greg Garvan of James Island is president of Money with a Mission, an 18-year-old, fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in socially responsible/ 'green' asset management. On the Web: moneywithamission.com.

Festival of Lights named one of North America's best events

The Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park has been named one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2012 by an experienced tourism industry selection committee.

The American Bus Association's list, which was published as a supplement to the September/October issue of Destinations magazine, declares that the Holiday Festival of Lights offers excellent entertainment value to tour groups and individual travelers from around the world, according to the American Bus Association.

With more than two million shimmering lights, this three-mile driving tour delivers more light displays each year, with more than 700 shining displays this season at James Island County Park. The festival runs daily through Jan. 1, 2012. Festival hours are 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Guests can park their cars and experience entertainment and attractions custom-designed for holiday cheer, as well as food and snack concessions. Stroll through Santa's Village and see a meticulously crafted 50-ton sand sculpture. View the annual gingerbread house competition. Shop at the two festival gift shops for goodies from local artisans, official collector series ornaments, toys, personalized gifts and multitudes of stocking stuffers. Photos with Santa will be available from Nov. 23 to Dec. 23.

This year, the American Bus Association celebrates 30 years of the Top 100 Events in North America program. The Top 100 Events Selection Committee chose the Holiday Festival of Lights from hundreds of nominations submitted by members of the American Bus Association. Judges considered the event's broad appeal, its accessibility to motorcoaches and skill at handling large groups, and a variety of other relevant criteria. The Top 100 Events list is available online.

• For more information on the Holiday Festival of Lights, including fees, call 843-795-4386 or visit www.holidayfestivaloflights.com.

Traditional holiday ballet becomes 'The Muttcracker'

Everyone loves to go home for the holidays and this season some lovable homeless pups will get their chance when Charleston Ballet Theatre and the Charleston Animal Society join forces for their holiday adoption promotion "The Muttcracker."

Charleston Ballet Theatre Adminstrative Director Kyle Barnette and Resident Choreographer Jill Eathorne Bahr immediately took to the idea suggested by their friends at Fort Wayne Ballet in Indiana, who tried the event last year with their Nutcracker and found great success for the ballet and their local ASPCA chapter.

"The idea of adding an exciting new element to our Nutcracker matched with the ability to help some wonderful, needy dogs find homes for the holidays is one the greatest opportunities I could imagine for CBT," Barnette said. "Everyone on staff here at the ballet are dog owners and lovers and we'll do whatever we can to help our new friends at the Charleston Animal Society!"

The Animal Society's associate executive director, Marc Edwards, and Barnette came up with the plans to get some loveable pups ready for their Nutcracker debut. During performances both at Gaillard Auditorium and the North Charleston Performing Arts Center, alumni dogs from the Charleston Animal Society will appear in the opening street scenes of the show and possibly in the following party scene. Dancers will be walking the dogs across the stage as part of the holiday market atmosphere of the beginning of the Nutcracker, which takes place in Charleston in the 1850s.

Before the show and at intermission, audience members will have the opportunity to meet the star dogs as well as others who need a home for the holidays. The Charleston Animal Society will be present at all shows, ensuring the safety of their wonderful friends on and offstage.

The Nutcracker will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 and 3 p.m. Dec. 11 at Gaillard Auditorium and at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 and 3 p.m. Dec. 17 at The North Charleston Performing Arts Center. Tickets to all performances can purchased online at charlestonballet.org or through Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster outlets.

New catheter design wins Perfect Pitch Contest and $5,000

More than 40 people submitted their business ideas to the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce Perfect Pitch Contest, but only one person won the grand prize of $5,000. The perfect pitch went to Dr. Jimmy Rawls, who impressed judges with his invention of the J Loop, a new catheter design for intravenous access.

After 15 years of working as an anesthesiologist, Dr. Rawls said the intravenous lines currently being used are not very pliable and can kink up, which can result in blood clots, infection and needless needle punctures when a new IV line has to be installed. He also noted that for more than 30 years this has been the only way of doing it.

According to Dr. Rawls, 50 percent of catheters fail in the first 48 hours, and hospitals spend $1.4 billion every year because of failed IVs. This new device could provide a better patient experience while saving hospitals a lot of money on materials, labor and litigation.

He has already invested $15,000 and with a patent pending. Dr. Rawls also won a scholarship to the Chamber's entrepreneur and business growth training program, BizBuilderSC, and a dream team of mentors.

Other top ten ideas included:

• Joe James - New process for converting plants and trees into a clean and renewable coal alternative
  
• Ron Fulbright - Roadway reflector which cannot be damaged by snow plows or road-clearing equipment
  
• Louise Hodges (runner-up)- Mechanism for applying an all natural pest control solution using new and/or existing irrigation systems
• Don Blalock (runner-up)- Water-proof bricks which can withstand high winds and with excellent insulation quality
  
• Dr. Gordon Jones - Mobile smart phone app to live-stream video of an emergency to public safety organizations
  
• Dannie B. Hudson - Process which homogenizes residual fuel, resulting in reduced fuel costs and emissions for the maritime shipping community and cruise ships
  
• Harlan Richards - Hospital gown designed to snap rather than tie for more comfort and patient dignity
  
• James S. Norris (runner-up)- New medical treatment for pancreatic cancer than can in the least extend the life of patients and has potential t provide the cure.
  
• Jerome Pearson (runner-up)- Solar-powered electric spacecraft which can change orbits and can be used to remove space debris, service satellites and carry small payloads.

The top four runner ups received $1,000 and a scholarship to the Chamber's entrepreneur and business growth training program, BizBuilderSC.

"We were thrilled to have such interesting and innovative ideas with commercialization potential in our inaugural Perfect Pitch competition," said Williams. "We look forward to building on this first year, and continuing to bring together great ideas with the local funders and collaborators who can support them."

Student programmers place in regional competition

A team of The Citadel's top student programmers placed fourth in the 2011 Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges Programming competition held at Furman University Nov. 12-13. Twenty-four colleges and universities participated in the regional event.

Officer Candidate Gordon Finlay of Virginia Beach, Va.; Cadet Ian Sanchez of Goose Creek; Cadet Michael LaVoie of Fort Worth, Texas; and Cadet Wei-Fang Liu of Taiwan were chosen by faculty for strong skills demonstrated in science and mathematics.

School of Science and Mathematics Professor Shankar M. Banik, Ph.D., began training the students last spring and has coached them weekly since the beginning of the fall semester. He was assisted by Professor Michael Verdicchio and Professor Mei Chen Ph.D.

"The team we put together," said Banik of the two juniors and two seniors participating, "are skilled programmers who have demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for problem solving."

The competition challenged teams to solve up to eight computer programming problems within three hours.

"Because of the time restriction, not only did the students have to solve problems correctly, they had to solve them fast," said Banik.

The Citadel team solved six of the programming problems. One problem challenged students to produce a computer program that could read the number of times a smiley face emoticon occurred in a single line of text. A second problem tasked students with creating a word-counting program much like the code used in Microsoft Word.

The Citadel has competed in the consortium for five years. This is the second time the college has placed among the top 10.

Bicyclists can get in an early ride on Turkey Day

What better way to prepare for popular Thanksgiving festivities like homemade meals and tryptophan-induced naps than starting the day with a long bike ride with friends?

Charleston Bicycle Company will be hosting its annual Turkey Day Ride on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24. The ride will leave Charleston Bicycle Co. shop at 1319 Savannah Highway at 8:30 a.m. and will include a 35-40 mile route to Folly Beach and back. Post-ride coffee and breakfast will be provided.

• For more information, go to Facebook here.

Have a review or recommendation?

• If you have a review or recommendation of a book, movie, restaurant or local arts endeavor, please send no more than 150 words to editor Marsha Guerard. Make sure to include your name and full contact information.

Clelia McGowan: Pioneer, poet, Charleston civic leader

Civic leader Clelia Peronneau McGowan was born in Columbia on Jan. 30, 1865, the daughter of William R. Mathewes and Eliza Peronneau. Her family was from Charleston, and they returned there after living for several years after the Civil War at their summer home in Habersham County, Georgia.

McGowan

McGowan attended Miss Kelly's School and then studied for a year in Sweden with Rosalie Roos, a pioneer in the women's rights movement in that country. In 1885 she married William C. McGowan of Abbeville. They had three children before his death in 1898. After her husband's death, McGowan moved back to Charleston and became increasingly active in civic affairs. She was the president of the League of Women Voters in Charleston, and shortly after ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, Governor Robert A. Cooper appointed McGowan to the State Board of Education, making her the first woman appointed to public office in South Carolina.

McGowan's commitment to education was reflected in her other activities in public life. She became involved with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation in 1922 and served as chair of the commission's South Carolina chapter through much of the 1920s and 1930s. In this capacity she led efforts to improve schools for African Americans around the state. She also worked to make library facilities available to all South Carolinians. In 1923 McGowan ran for alderwoman of Ward One of Charleston City Council on the platform "A free library for Charleston." She was elected and served one term in Mayor Thomas P. Stoney's administration as one of the first two women elected to Charleston City Council. On the council McGowan chaired the Committee on Public Charities and was on several other committees devoted to improving health, welfare, and education in Charleston. Long after her term as alderwoman, she continued to serve on the city Housing Authority.

The most lasting monument to McGowan's civic leadership is the Charleston County Library, which grew out of her work with the Commission on Interracial Cooperation. McGowan envisioned a system of libraries in large towns and county seats and small, traveling libraries to serve rural areas. She helped to secure funding for a library in Charleston from the Rosenwald Fund and the Carnegie Corporation. The library was incorporated in 1930 and opened to the public on January 1, 1931. McGowan served on the library board of directors for twenty-six years. She published a volume of poetry, Plantation Memories, and Other Poems (1923), and was a charter member of the Poetry Society of South Carolina. At the age of ninety, McGowan retired from her many public commitments. She died in Charleston on August 13, 1956.

-- Excerpted from the entry by Bruce E. Baker. 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.)

SISTER PUBLICATIONS

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CREDITS

Charleston Currents is provided to you twice a week by:

• Editor : Marsha Guerard , 843.270.1814
• Contributing editor, business: Peter Lucash
• Contributing editor, food & drink: Ann Thrash
• Contributing editor, green: Greg Garvan
• Contributing editor, history: Douglas W. Bostick
  
• Publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
  

  Address: P.O. Box. 22261 | Charleston, SC 29413

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Five great coming events

The weather has been beautiful in the Lowcountry, so we decided to offer you a list of great upcoming outdoor events:

• LIGHTS. Of course, there's the annual Do-Not-Miss Event: The Festival of Lights, offered daily through Jan. 1, 2012, at the James Island County Park.
  
  
• BOATS. This year's Charleston Boat Parade begins about 5 p.m. on the Mount Pleasant side of Charleston Harbor and meanders over to the peninsula by about 6:30 p.m. The parade ends in the Ashley River at about 7:30 p.m. The midpoint of the parade, around 6:45 p.m., features a fireworks display shot from the harbor.
  
  
• TOUR. The Preservation Society of Charleston is offering a Cemetery Bike Tour on Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to Noon. It's a leisurely ride through Magnolia, Bethany and St. Lawrence cemeteries and proceeds will go toward preservation of the Magnolia Cemetery Receiving Tomb. Tickets, available online, are $10 in advance, $15 the day of the event.
  
  
• ROAST. The Charleston Audubon Society's Holiday Fundraiser and Oyster Roast will be from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 11 at Bowen's Island Restaurant. There will be music, much food and a silent auction. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, with proceeds going to the continued improvement of the McAlhany Nature Preserve and ongoing habitat initiatives.
  
  
• CRAFTS. Holiday in the Garden: A Craft Program for Children, Ages 6 to 11, 9 a.m. to Noon, Dec. 17, Hazel Parker Playground, 70 E. Bay St., Charleston. Cost: $40.
  

About the season

"Autumn is the bite of the harvest apple."

-- Christina Petrowsky

THIS WEEK | permalink

NOTE: Lowcountry Local First is pushing "Buy Local" month from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 to showcase unique Lowcountry businesses and encourage people to, umm, buy locally. These events are marked below with a "Buy Local" logo.

Holiday Swing: 7 p.m., Nov. 23, Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St. The Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Charleston's own resident big band, completes its 2011 season with Holiday Swing. Two sets with intermission. Adult tickets, $30 advance, $40 day of show. Senior tickets, $25 advance, $35 day of show. Student tickets, $20 advance, $30 day of show. Tickets are available online and at www.etix.com, in person, JAC Box Office, 185-A St. Philip St., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by telephone, 843-641-0011.

(NEW) Small Business Saturday: Nov. 26. Across the nation, Americans are being encouraged to "shop small" by patronizing local small businesses. (It's kind of an American Express promotional thing but it's still a great idea.) More.

CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON

Family comedy, Through Dec. 4, Charleston Acting Studio, 915 Folly Road, Charleston. Midtown/Sheri Grace Productions will present 14 performances of "Over the River and Through the Woods" starting Nov. 10. The "heartwarming family comedy" follows an Italian family, but offers universal themes. More info on times, dates and tickets online at: MidtownProductions.org.

(NEW) Summerville Tree Lighting: 6 p.m., Nov. 29. Christmas Tree Lighting with music and refreshments. Summerville Mayor Bill Collins lights the Christmas tree and turns on 15,000 lights that decorate Summerville for the Holiday Season. This year a Snowball Drop will follow the tree lighting with lots of holiday deals from Summerville businesses as prizes. And a special holiday guest will make an appearance. Contact Summerville DREAM for more info at 843-821-7260 or info@summervilledream.org.

(NEW) Be Local, Buy Local Bash: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Dec. 1. Join Lowcountry Local First to celebrate its Buy Local month at the bash at the Buy Local Home base, 359 King Street. Music by the Local Honeys. More.

Tech Entrepreneur Training: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Dec. 12 at the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, 4500 Leeds Ave. BizBuilderSC, which offers statewide entrepreneur and small business training, is offering the 10-week course "NxLevel for Tech Entrepreneurs." Tuition is $345, and includes materials. For more information or to register, visit online or contact Laura Williams at 843-805-3102.

(NEW) Dickens Dinner: 6:30 p.m., Dec. 14, Circa 1886, 149 Wentworth St. Storyteller Tim Lowry will lead diners back to Victorian England during the 10th annual Dickens Dinner, where they will hear a festive rendition of English novelist Charles Dickens' famous novella, "A Christmas Carol." The performance is enhanced by a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Marc Collins inspired by the book. Cost is $70 per person plus tax and gratuity. Beverages are not included. To make reservations, call (843) 853-7828.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

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FOCUS ARCHIVES

1/9: Greene: Black male depression
1/2: van der Meyden: Alcoa plant
12/27: Middleton: Mission accomplished
12/19: Cleveland: Library Society
12/12: Quinn: Co-ops connect
12/5: Campagna: Hometown heroes
11/28: Frazier: Gingerbread houses
11/21: Renee: Saderia book series
11/14: Hills: Aviation hero Moffett
11/7: Nikolajevs: Chamber music
10/31: Whetzel: Waterway app
10/24: Williams: On Charleston
10/17: Kaufman: Sustainability film
10/10: Wutzdorf: Education Foundation
10/3: Echols: RiverDogs give back
9/26: Raven: My Sister's House
9/19: Dewhirst: Arthritis battle
9/19: Blanton: "Neck" charrette
9/12: Ginn: Scoring our economy
9/6: Miller: Urban Horticulture Center
9/1: Frazier: Magnolia's azaleas
8/29: Stone: Helping ONE.org
8/25: Blessing: Veterans to meet
8/22: Haley: Grow businesses
8/18: Harley: Better carriage law
8/15: Hargett: Regional plan
8/11: Renfroe: Bachelor Bid
8/8: Saunders: Law school news
8/4: Sarnoff: Cancer prevention
8/1: Savicz: Charleston's choirs

• More of Focus in the archives

DOUG BOSTICK:
CIVIL WAR HISTORY

12/27: Defending Charleston
11/14: Battle of Port Royal
10/17: Fleet headed South
9/11: Port Royal Sound
8/11: Ohio native helps CSA
7/14: Blockade intensifies
6/9: Hampton's Legion
5/12: Beauregard prepares city
4/14: First shots fired
3/10: Student vs. instructor
2/10: War prep offsets horseracing

ANDY BRACK

1/9: Visits for candidates
1/2: A different New Year's
12/27: Chek yur grammer
12/19: Letter to Santa
12/12: Economy looking better
12/5: Spirit of giving, responsibility
11/28: Be thankful for govt
11/21: Haley's port fracas
11/14: Election reflections
11/7: SC's immigration pickle
10/31: Stop messing around
10/24: Occupiers, tea partiers
10/17: On campaigning, fixing stuff
10/10: Our Civil War hangover
10/3: Great day in SC, Charleston
9/26: Do more to cut violent crime
9/12: Aquarium birthday party
9/6: Not the trip, the questions
8/29: Report shows kids' challenges
8/22: Metro Charleston impact
8/15: Tea party zealots
8/8: Fiddling with election law
8/1: New Orleans vs. Charleston
7/25: Time for Ard to go
7/18: Camp Ho Non Wah
7/11: Higher ed flexibility
7/6: A different Eden

• More Andy Brack in the archives

MARSHA GUERARD

9/1: Bill Regan, more
8/25: Aware of bed bugs
8/11: Violence and redemption
8/4: Emily in perspective
7/28: Yep, there's an app
7/21: Sunscreen and tennis
7/14: A good birthday
6/30: Help name a dog
6/16: Rain good; more needed
6/2: Family lexicon
5/26: Can Boomers earn encore?
5/19: Napa's not intimidating

ANN THRASH:
FOOD & DRINK

1/2: Using leftover bubbly
12/19: Chefs' Feast
12/5: Festival tickets as gifts
11/14: Franklin's turkey
10/17: Perfect rice
10/3: Free tastings
9/19: Stack's Evening Eats
9/6: Herrick's new cookbook
8/22: Carter on Iron Chef
8/8: Sivvy beans
7/25: Figs on steroids
7/11: Lady Baltimore cake
6/27: Palette & Palate
6/13: That's the Spirit
5/30: Hook, Line & Dinner
5/2: Royal wedding cake
4/18: Brock on TV
4/4: G&G food brackets
3/14: Market counting
2/28: Wine + Food
2/7: Frozen Frogmore stew
1/27: Home cooking
1/20: SEWE 2011
1/13: Dry-erase board of shame
1/6: Restaurant Week

• More Ann Thrash in the archives

GREG GARVAN:
CHARLESTON GREEN

12/27: Coal ash, more
12/12: Boeing's solar farm
11/28: More eco-tours
11/21: More recycling ahead
10/17: Contrarian nuke voice
10/3: Recycling efforts
9/19: Green roofs, more
9/1: CharlestonWISE
8/18: Single stream recycling
7/21: Port gets nod
7/6: Marketplace dissatisfaction
6/9: New green jobs in Jasper
5/26: Good for business
5/2: Boeing and green power
4/14: Green economy moving
3/17: New offering
3/3: Recycling more
2/17: Veggies profitable
2/3: Companies at conferences
1/20: Green initiative
1/6: Green initiative

LIST ARCHIVES

1/9: Herrick's 5 winter foods
1/2: Five area protected places
12/27: Civil war ammo
12/19: Green holiday tips
12/12: Nathalie's 5 holiday foods
12/5: How to appear busy
11/28: Kitchen tips
11/21: Coming events
11/14: McCray's jazz list
11/7: Home safety tips
10/31: 5 for fright night
10/24: For ghouls, goblins
10/17: Art busting out
10/10: Getting outdoors
10/3: Giving Back awards
9/26: School improvements
9/19: Top Outside towns
9/12: Helping Sea Island kids
9/6: Speaking out
9/1: Homeless programs
8/29: Small biz help
8/25: Storm tips
8/22: Back to school
8/18: Savannah treats
8/15: New photo site
8/11: Charleston rum
8/8: What to do in Charleston
8/4: Debt ceiling list
8/1: Family Circle stats

• More Lists in the archives
  
  
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