Roof Repair in Charleston, SC

Parents, this one’s for you. While cooking can be fun, you deserve a break once in a while from meal prepping and plating up endless snacks for the kids. Cue these family-friendly local restaurants — tried and true with Charleston kiddos.

This Tex-Mex restaurant on upper King Street boasts a Los Niños menu featuring kid favorites like a bean + cheese burrito, quesadilla, mini corn dogs, and chicken tendies. If that plate is clean and you’re feeling bold, treat the kids to the Cowpoke Sundae for dessert.

With downtown, West Ashley, Mt. Pleasant, and Sullivan’s Island locations, this BBQ spot’s ambiance sizzles. The downtown location includes a fenced-in play area with chalkboards for doodling, while the West Ashley restaurant has corn hole. As for the kids menu, it stands out in= variety, kid-sized portions + price — ranging from $2.75-$5. Offerings include a 4-ounce cheeseburger, pulled pork or chicken slider, a taco, and PB&J or honey; you can add a side or drink for $2.

Both the taproom’s and restaurant’s patios are perfect for al fresco dining, and the kids menu offers options like a burger with tater tots, a hot dog, grilled cheese, chicken tenders, and cheese or pepperoni pizza. For the parents, the tap list is glorious. Fun fact: The King Street taproom is located next door to Rancho Lewis.

Rise and shine. Get the little ones out of the house early and grab breakfast at this Daniel Island eatery featuring delicious bagels, spreads, and bagel sandwiches. After that, take them for an easy hike on the nearby Daniel Island Trail along the Wando River — it’ll get those wiggles out.

The kids will love the outdoor play area at this Mt. Pleasant restaurant, and you’ll get some time to relax. Pro tips: Belle Station offers a special kids brunch menu on Sundays + on Mondays, kids eat free. Save room for the ice cream station.

Did we miss your favorite family-friendly restaurant? Let us know so we can add to our list.

Electricity, running water and a full tank of gas are often taken for granted. Many are guilty of leaving the lights on after leaving home or taking a longer shower than necessary. While everyday habits like these may seem harmless, they contribute to a larger problem.

October is National Energy Awareness month, a fact not well-known during a time when climate issues continue to garner discussion, according to a study conducted in September by finance analysts at WalletHub. Energy efficiency is simply not taken as seriously as other issues, especially in the Southeast, the study suggests.

Research shows South Carolina ranks last among 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii were excluded) when it comes to saving energy. And with utility prices rising as fast as temperatures, the Lowcountry’s long and sweltering summers are a burden on many households. The average South Carolinian spends around $234 a month on gas and electricity, one of the highest rates nationally.

In a recent interview with the Charleston City Paper, Eddy Moore, director of decarbonization for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, outlined why the Palmetto State struggles to be more energy efficient. Part of the reason, he says, is because the state’s building code is 15 years out of date.

“A lot of our homes, whether they’re old or new, have leakage in the building envelope — which is the division between outside and inside,” he said. “You’re essentially either heating or cooling the outdoors.”

Moore said there are some programs to increase energy efficiency through power companies such as Dominion Energy or Santee Cooper. And more aid is on the way in the form of federal funding. But these solutions have not been enough in South Carolina to make a significant change.

“On the one hand, we have utility programs that so far haven’t had to meet any performance target. And then we have — for the first time ever — a really significant size potential government program that would be run using federal funds,” Moore said. “Those programs need to be sensibly coordinated so that we get the most out of our money and we save the most energy possible.”

As part of the study, experts weighed in on ways to decrease energy costs and improve a household’s energy efficiency.

Arthur van Benthem, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, recommends doing the simpler tasks first.

“Many people focus on expensive projects that save very little energy. For example, replacing windows is very costly,” he said. “The impact on energy bills is negligible. Sometimes a simpler solution, like adding a door in your drafty hallway area, is cheaper and more effective.”

Barry D. Solomon, professor emeritus of social sciences from the Michigan Technological University, said that just being mindful of daily tasks can make a big difference.

“Turn off lights when not in use, upgrade to LED lightbulbs, don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine with less than full loads, wash clothes in cold water when possible, caulk and weatherstrip gaps and cracks around doors and windows, install a programmable thermostat, perform periodic maintenance on air conditioning units (e.g., clean or replace filters and vents) and adjust the temperature on air conditioners, thermostats and water heaters so you do not overcool or overheat more than necessary.”

For more information on ways to increase energy efficiency, visit https://wallethub.com/edu/most-and-least-energy-efficient-states/7354

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Tagged: electricity, energy efficiency, energy efficiency study, S.C. last in energy efficiency, S.C. ranks last

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) The city of North Charleston and the Charleston County School District are collaborating to improve academic achievement at north Charleston schools with a joint commission. School leaders say this is a call to action to create change in North Charleston schools.

After a previous North Charleston Mayor called to leave the Charleston County School District several months ago, the city of North Charleston and Charleston County School District are working together to improve their schools. North Charleston schools have faced problems with absences, homelessness, language barriers and more that the city and school district are working to fix.

“There’s a sense of collective responsibility to address the problem and of course our school and our communities aren’t the problem but there are things that are really tough that we are working through things connected to personal immigration access to healthcare those things are really tough for a community but it’s not if everyone comes together and brings their resources and connects those,” said Stephen Larson, from the CCSD joint commission

“We have come together to make things happen in north Charleston. Mayor Burgess and Anita Huggins want to make sure that all children are treated equally and get the best here in North Charleston to make all our children succeed,” said Dr. Kathi Love, the children and family coordinator for the city of north Charleston.

The list of recommendations includes more access to community centers in the North Charleston literacy and tutoring program, access to career and technical education and collaboration on joint land purchase for academic athletic and recreational use. They will also launch a community involvement campaign against truancy, gun violence and substance abuse.

“I think it’s a positive start and I think we’re going to continue and this way we can be a pilot program for other areas,” said Love.

The city and school district will work together on each of these recommendations. The city will provide land for children’s activities, more community centers for tutoring and people from the city will work on initiative against absences and substance abuse. The school district will work to hear students’ needs to identify what is important for them to succeed.

“We have disproportionate access to the children; we see them every day so not only do we have access on how to make our communities healthier and more engaged in school. We can also be really effective with other messages from other points of view in the community to come in and support what kids are doing,” said Larson.

The joint commission says for the initiative to succeed everyone in the city must play an active role.

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Just in time for Halloween, Forbes magazine is out with its list of most haunted houses in each state.

South Carolina’s is 20 South Battery, formerly the Battery Carriage House in Charleston. Now an 11-room inn, the house dates to 1843 and has seen any number of uses, from private homes for native Charlestonians and after the Civil War a Union Army officer.

It was a place to rent a room for Navy sailors and holds the distinction of being the location where The Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings (now the Preservation Society of Charleston, and the oldest preservation society in the country) was formed in 1920.

The house was renovated for an inn after serving as apartments for college students and then renovated anew in 2018 in a painstaking historic fashion that brought it Charleston’s highest honor, the Preservation Society’s Carolopolis Award.

But the ghost stories have endured, spread along by various ghost tour companies that show all of the many Charleston places believed to be haunted.

Forbes highlights the “a headless apparition, a spectral gathering and the courteous ‘Gentleman Ghost.”

Ghost tour operator Julian Buxton points out the menacing and ugly inhabitant in Room 8, a legless spirit of a Confederate soldier.

Ghost City Tours says the Room 8 apparition has also been a lady in white or a small child.

In Room 3, a couple saw a flying orb and called in a psychic to get rid of it, according to Ghost City Tours.

Room 10 has the best chance of seeing a ghost, Ghost City tours states.

That’s where the Gentleman Ghost shares the room with guests.

“People who have seen the apparition of the Gentleman Ghost have described him as a grayish shadow. He usually appears to be of average height and built, and tends to glide about the room rather stylishly,” the tour company states on its website. “The ghost is quite fond of the bed, and has been known to startle guests by lying peacefully on the bed.”

To view Forbes’ entire list of most haunted houses in every state, click here.

MORNING NEWSBREAK | South Carolinians set a new voting record on what was the state’s first day of the two-week early voting stretch in the 2024 election.

The State Election Commission said 125,913 voters cast a ballot Monday, beating the previous one-day record for early voting during the 2022 midterms at 70,10o.

On top of early voting ballots, more than 47,000 absentee ballots had been returned as of Tuesday, according to the commission.

“We are thrilled to see voters embracing the convenience of early voting, and we are anticipating a significant turnout for this election,” said Howie Knapp, the agency’s executive director.

Here’s the breakdown of ballots cast in the Lowcountry:

Voting centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday Nov. 2. The early voting centers, which can be found through scvotes.gov, are closed Sunday, Oct. 27.

Meanwhile, the state American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging the state Department of Motor Vehicles’ system made it impossible for some 17,000 eligible teenagers to register to vote while obtaining a driver’s license or other identification. The lawsuit also names the State Election Commission.

In other headlines:

CP NEWS: Cogswell throws wrench in Ashley River pedestrian bridge plan. Charleston Mayor William Cogswell presented a revamped new design Tuesday for a pedestrian-bike bridge across the Ashley River, which has already been designed, vetted, approved and funded for about $80 million after years of work. But now the new plan unveiled at a city council meeting represents a possible wrench in the works. The freshman mayor’s proposed changes could delay the construction — and likely cause a hike in costs, observers say.

Charleston chosen as one of the friendliest places in the U.S. Among two recent studies, Charleston was dubbed a top location for varying accolades. Among them: home to some of America’s kindest and most helpful locals, and a favorite city in which to celebrate Halloween.

Charleston Waterkeeper kicks off shellfish harvesting with oyster recycling. Charleston Waterkeeper hosted its first weekly oyster recycling event Tuesday where volunteers picked through debris to sort oyster shells. Volunteers were looking for items such as saltine cracker wrappers, forks, and even hot sauce containers.

Patriots Point powers Charleston economy with $205M impact. Patriots Point is estimated to have a $205 million economic impact on the Charleston Tri-county region, according to a study by the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business.

Charleston residents request non-lethal coyote control. The Wagener Terrace community in downtown Charleston is suggesting a formal coyote mitigation plan that focuses on education, deterrence and avoidance over lethal action.

Charleston Co. leaders look to improve Dorchester Road. Charleston County leaders are seeking public feedback regarding a project that will look at Dorchester Road from the county line on the road down to Michaux Parkway. A study conducted in this area showed that almost 1,500 car accidents were reported just from 2018 to 2022, causing nine deaths and over 500 injuries.

Coastal Carolina Fair returns to Ladson in time for Halloween. The return of the Coastal Carolina Fair is a true sign that fall is here! This year’s event opens on Halloween and runs through November 10.

Radio Shack returns to S.C. Electronics lovers can head to Northwoods Mall in North Charleston to shop at the state’s only official Radio Shack store.

Lowcountry count reveals snapshot of homeless population. The numbers from the 2024 Point in Time Count were released Tuesday by the Lowcountry Continuum of Care, which counted the number of people experiencing homelessness in a single night.

$1.7M of Johns Island land considered for new county park. Charleston County Parks is looking at $1.7 million worth of land around Simmons Creek on Johns Island to bring greater water access to parts of the area that are seeing some of the largest growth as a new county park.

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