🌱 Charleston Co. Council, $2 Billion Project + Suspicious Package

Hi all. It's me, Kaytlyn Mroz, your host of the Charleston Daily — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening locally.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 59 Low: 42.

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Here are the top three stories in Charleston today:

1. On Jan. 26, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) asked Charleston County Council to decide on the nearly $2 billion Mark Clark Expressway Extension project, extending Interstate 526. Christy Hall, the South Carolina secretary of transportation, said additional costs get added to the project every day that it is delayed. But some council members are concerned about spending this much money without guaranteeing future federal funding. (ABC News 4)
2. The North Charleston Police Department and Charleston County Bomb Squad announced the suspicious package found outside a North Charleston high school was deemed safe. Yesterday, North Charleston High School and Cooper River Center for Advanced Studies moved to an e-learning day after receiving a call about the package at 4:30 a.m. The investigation is ongoing. (Count On News 2)
3. Yesterday, tickets went on sale for the Spoleto Festival USA, America's premier performing arts festival! The program includes opera, theater, dance and chamber, symphonic, choral, and jazz music. This May, the 47th-season program includes more than 100 events in Charleston. (ABC News 4)

Today in Charleston:

• Plants For A Purpose Plant PopUp At Snafu Brewing Company (2:00 PM)
• Big Daddy's LoCo Food Truck At Snafu Brewing Company (3:00 PM)
• Jupiter Coyote At Charleston Music Hall And Music Farm (7:00 PM)
• Heather McMahan: The Comeback Tour At Charleston Gaillard Center (8:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The City of Charleston Police Department welcomed its first Police Corps class of 2023! Congratulations to the 11 newest police officer cadets who started this week. (City of Charleston Police Department via Facebook)
• Feb. 6 is Charleston County Public Library's "First Monday Gallery Night!" featuring artist Dayton Bryan Stone III and his exhibition, "The Nature of Charleston," at Main Library. Click here for details. (Charleston County Public Library via Facebook)
• The city of Charleston's Neighborhood Services Division is shining a spotlight on the Gadsden Neighborhood Association this quarter. Click here to learn more. (City of Charleston via Twitter)

That's it for today. See you all on Monday morning for another update!

— Kaytlyn Mroz

About me: Kaytlyn Mroz is a copywriter at Lightning Media Partners – a content creation agency. She is a Rowan University graduate where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in writing. Outside of work, Kaytlyn is a dog mom to a boglen terrier named Finn and a golden retriever named Willow.