CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Library says they have teamed up with the Lowcountry Food Bank and Charleston County School District to provide free meals and snacks at select branches and mobile library stops.

The program provides free lunches or snacks to children 18 years of age and younger during the traditional summer vacation period.

Officials say the meals are provided by CCSD’s Nutrition Services Department and will be distributed Monday through Friday at six library branches between Monday and Aug. 6.

Those six locations and their start times are as follows:

John’s Island Regional: 3531 Maybank Highway, John’s Island

Projected to BEGIN July 19 due to construction

10:30 - 10:45 a.m.

Otranto Regional: 2261 Otranto Road, Charleston

Projected to BEGIN July 7 due to construction

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.

Dorchester Road Regional: 6325 Dorchester Road, North Charleston

Projected to END June 30 due to construction

11:10 - 11:25 a.m.

John L. Dart: 1067 King Street, Charleston

11:30 – 11:45 a.m.

Cooper River Memorial: 2036 Cherokee Street, Charleston

12 - 12:15 p.m.

Main Library: 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston

12 – 12:15 p.m.

Additionally, snacks will be provided at three branches and three mobile stops:

McClellanville: 222 Baker Street, McClellanville

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 12 -1 p.m.

(On Tuesdays, breakfast will be served from 10 – 11 a.m. courtesy of CCSD)

Edisto: 1589 Highway 174, Edisto Island

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 2 - 3 p.m.

Baxter-Patrick James Island: 1858 Grimball Road, Charleston

Monday – Friday, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

CCPL’s Mobile Library: Various Stops

Wadmalaw Community Center: 5605 Katy Hill Road, Wadmalaw Island

First and Third Thursdays of the Month, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Adams Run Wiltown Community Center: 5779 Parkers Ferry Road, Adams Run

First and Third Thursdays of the Month, 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Awendaw Seewee Outpost: 4853 N. Highway 17, Awendaw

Second and Fourth Thursdays of the Month, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

“Providing equitable access to vital resources is a key focus of CCPL, and we are thrilled to expand our Summer Feeding program to even more areas of the county through our Mobile Library,” Devon Andrews, CCPL Associate Director, Community Engagement, said . “We are so grateful to our partners at CCSD Nutrition Services and Lowcountry Food Bank for making this program possible and helping us better serve the Charleston community.”

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Piles of old furnisher, outdated appliances and personal belongings line the outside of the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel on North Charleston’s Dorchester Road. Rows of open doors expose what is left of the rooms dozens of veterans and low-income people called home just a month ago.

Many of the residents had been living there for years, placed there by case workers for the Veterans Affairs office, One80 Place or the Navigation Center as a first step in the right direction after becoming homeless. Some have found new housing, while others have vowed to do whatever it takes to avoid homelessness – even if that means paying an exuberant amount of money for temporary housing.

Construction crews are striping the rooms removing flooring, fixtures and dated décor. It’s part of an effort to remodel the hotel under its new owners , B & V Hospitality, LLC. The company acquired the property in May and gave the people living there 10 days to find a new place.

The Pro Bono Legal Services stepped in, along with One80 Place, The Navigation Center and the VA, to advocate for those living there and assert their rights.

“With landlord-tenant agreements there is due process. There’s notice, opportunity to cure, opportunity to be heard,” said Nicole Paluzzi with Charleston Pro Bono Legal services. “What makes this case unusual is that, on paper, the Extended Stay looks like a hotel. However, it’s been operating as a comprehensive, full-service lease arrangement with furnished units and included utilities for more than a year.”

The company agreed to give most tenants until the end of June to find a new place. The VA says it has helped 23 of its 28 veterans acquire permanent housing.

“While we have permanent housing options arranged for the other five, they have chosen not to engage with landlords or case managers to further their relocation,” said VA spokesperson H. Wayne Capps. “Despite this, arrangements have been made with our Grant and Per Diem Program to house the five Veterans temporarily while we continue to work on permanent housing for them and we continue to work with attorneys to get extensions for those who remain.”

Others have not been as lucky. Hellen Ramos takes care of her veteran husband. She says she has not been able to get in touch with his caseworker and have had to scramble to find some where to go.

“I finally found a place, but it won’t be ready until the 7th of next month, but he had to have a place to stay or they’ll put his stuff outside,” Ramos said. “He is real sickly. He is diabetic and has had one kidney removed so I have to be here for him and he’s getting dementia now.”

The place she found was another extended stay hotel that will cost $1,600 a month. She says it’s not affordable but it was the only thing available while they look for somewhere else.

Ramos’ neighbor Audrey Fulton says she can’t leave yet because she doesn’t have the saving to afford a deposit.

“Based on unemployment income, it’s difficult finding a place because they want three times the amount of the rent,” Fulton said. “A lot of landlords have a lot of criteria for you renting their property and a lot of times you don’t meet their rental status.”

The previous owners of Suburban had unique arrangements that catered to people with problematic renting history, formerly homeless individuals and those with disabilities.

“So this was a blessing for us to be able to come here with everything included,” Fulton said. “Now it’s a nightmare because we’re being forced out. It wasn’t my choice to be out of here or our choice to be out of here. We are being forced out.”

Ramos and Fulton say the new company has reduced housekeeping services and the remodeling has cause power to go in and out. They say their complaints have gone unanswered.

Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services say they still have around nine clients of who have not moved out yet. Many of those have long term housing contracts that entitle them to stay until the end of their lease.

“Those people have voluntarily agreed to move out sooner, but they are not moving tomorrow. They have more time under their lease agreement and they have a contract to support it,” Paluzzi said.

Air Force veteran Irish Gentile is still living at Suburban and is still trying to find a new place to live. She says she is determined to not be homeless and has made a reservation to move into another hotel. She says that hotel will cost her $600 more a month than what she is currently paying.

Live 5 News spoke with several other people impacted by the landlord decision to clean house who did not wish to be fully identified. A mother of four young children says she has no idea where she is going to live just hours before the deadline. A veteran named Richard says he had to move out state because he could not find any affordable options. Another person living there says they were forced out earlier in the month and is living in another hotel while waiting for interview with a apartment complex manager.

We reached out to the managers of the hotel, but they were not available for comment.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A man pointed a rifle at kids and adults which led to a standoff at an apartment complex in Dorchester County, according to Lowcountry investigators.

It happened at the Archdale Forest Apartments off of Dorchester Road.

The incident began on Tuesday afternoon on Archdale Boulevard where a woman and her kids were in a car. The woman said her kids told her that a man was pointing a firearm at their car, and when the woman turned around she saw a man pointing a gun at their vehicle.

Deputies responded to the area but did not locate anything. However, a few hours later, emergency responders received a call at the Archdale Forest Apartments regarding a man with a gun, and the description of the suspect matched the description of the man from the earlier incident.

Authorities spoke to an employee at the apartment complex who said a man carrying what appeared to be a rifle had walked past the complex’s office.

In addition, a man reported that he had dropped his friend off at her apartment and saw a man pointing a rifle at him. A woman also told investigators that a man with a rifle pointed the weapon at her and her juvenile son.

“A perimeter was established, and Special Ops teams responded to the scene,” DCSO officials said. “Attempts were made throughout the incident to communicate with the subject. Eventually negotiators from DCSO were called to the scene.”

A report states more attempts were made to communicate with the man, and at about 7:10 p.m. the subject appeared at the door.

According to the sheriff’s office, following commands, the man exited the apartment and was taken into emergency protective custody without incident. He was transported to Trident Medical Center.

The sheriff’s office said no shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident.

The name of the suspect was not released; officials with the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office said that information in the incident report was redacted since the man involved in the incident was taken into emergency protective custody.

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Road maintenance crews say they will be closing lanes and asking drivers to be careful while they flag roads and inspect bridges across the Lowcountry.

Officials say work will be taking place on I-26 and also Highway 78 in Dorchester County.

On I-26, crews say maintenance will be taking place from Wednesday evening into Friday morning.

CONSOR Engineers says they will be a consultant to the South Carolina Department of Transportation and they will be performing routine bridge inspections on I-26.

Weather permitting, CONSOR says they will be inspecting the Azalea Drive Overpass on I-26 starting Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning. The engineering group says there will be a temporary lane closure on I-26 East between Dorchester Road and Cosgrove Avenue beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Westbound lanes will be closed between Dorchester Road and Cosgrove Avenue between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday.

CONSOR says they will also be doing inspections on I-26′s Eagle Drive Overpass Wednesday night. SCDOT will be temporarily closing a lane from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday on I-26 East between Midland Park Road and Aviation Avenue. They say they will be closing a westbound lane from 8 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday.

Inspections will also be preformed on the Ashely Phosphate Road Overpass, but those will be from Thursday evening until Friday morning. CONSOR says there will be temporary lane closures on I-26 West between Exit 209A and Mile Marker 209. Engineers say those will start at 8 p.m. Thursday and extend until 5 a.m. Friday. An eastbound lane will be closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Friday.

Dorchester County officials say they will close one lane on US Highway 78 in the middle of the day Thursday.

Crews will be preforming flagging operations and the county says they will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.

The road closure takes place between Jedburg Road and Orangeburg Road, the county said.

One lane on US Hwy. 78 between Jedburg Rd. and Orangeburg Rd. will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, July 15, between the hours of 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Flagging Operations will be in place. Motorists are asked to use caution while driving in the work zone. #chstrfc

— Dorchester County (@DorchesterSCGov) July 14, 2021

Copyright 2021 WCSC. All rights reserved.

We’re pleased he chose We Insure and will be excited to watch the agency’s future growth.”

JACKSONVILLE, FL, USA, June 24, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — We Insure, Inc., an independent insurance franchise company, announced today the opening of We Insure Carolina Insurance Planners.

Owner Jeff Cook has taken his passion for serving clients into his ranking as the top residential real estate agent in the Carolinas. His brokerage received the coveted “Top 25 Fastest Growing Companies in SC” in 2019 and 2020. With a bachelor’s degree in business, Cook has found new ways to grow and redefine the world of real estate, including Jeff Cook Offers, established in 2015 to help people unable to sell their homes through traditional methods. Launches of full-service property management and home warranty companies soon followed. Carolina Insurance Planners is the latest step in the expansion of Cook’s business operations.

“We’re excited to launch our We Insure branch in South Carolina because we know that, for most people, their home is the largest purchase they’ll ever make,” Cook says. “It’s important to us to know their home is protected, along with all of the other most important assets in their life. We Insure will provide us with the ability to choose the best product for each of our clients’ individual needs.”

We Insure Carolina Insurance Planners is managed by experience insurance expert Christy Middaugh. Christy focuses on quality service and presenting the best options specific to the customer’s needs. Having this customer focus has propelled Christy to leading the sales charts consistently, and in the top 20 insurance producers in We Insure.

We Insure Chief Development Officer Chris Pflueger adds: “Jeff has built a top producing real estate brokerage because he understands what it takes to be competitive, focusing on providing superior service while growing relationships with customers. We’re pleased he chose We Insure and will be excited to watch the agency’s future growth.”

We Insure is experiencing high demand from entrepreneurs for its innovative franchise insurance offering. The Florida-based company was created by a former captive agent with a mission to tackle the insurance industry’s biggest challenges. Philip Visali, CEO of We Insure, accomplished this by bringing together the best in choice from independent agencies along with the superior back-end support of captive models. Ten years later, We Insure has partnerships with the top carriers, and agents have access to more than 100 total markets, to provide customers with the ultimate experience of choice and lower rates. The company has deeply invested in state-of-the-art support systems and IT infrastructure to provide agents with seamless servicing so they can focus on developing customer relationships.

We Insure was recently identified by independent research firm Franchise Business Review (FBR) as one of the Top 100 Low-cost Franchises in 2020 and as one of the Top 200 Best Franchises to Buy in 2021. FBR’s recognition was based on franchisee satisfaction rankings.

About We Insure, Inc.
We Insure, Inc. is a national insurance company that’s disrupting the industry with an innovative business model focused on customer experience and exceptional agent support. The franchise offers unprecedented access to carriers and complete operational, IT, service and marketing support to its agency owners. We Insure is expanding rapidly across the U.S. with more than 180 retail locations. For more information about franchise opportunities, visit weinsurefranchise.com. For general information, visit weinsuregroup.com.

Contact:

We Insure Carolina Insurance Planners
8761 Dorchester Road, Suite 101
North Charleston, SC 29420

Christy Middaugh, Agent In Charge
We Insure Carolina Insurance Planners
+1 843-625-6060
[email protected]
Visit us on social media:
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