🌱 COFC Announces First Doctoral Program + Belt Distribution Event

Welcome back, Charleston. I'm here in your inbox this morning to tell you everything you need to know about what's going on around town.

But first, today's weather:

Breezy in the afternoon. High: 75 Low: 66.

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Here are the top three stories in Charleston today:

1. To meet the growing need of hi-tech companies for individuals with proficient mathematical and computational abilities, the College of Charleston will introduce a cutting-edge doctoral program in mathematics, emphasizing computation. The doctoral program, set to debut in Fall 2023, is designed for people who wish to obtain a doctorate without leaving their current employment and will offer late afternoon and evening classes. All candidates, regardless of their focus, must fulfill a required computational component. It is the college’s first doctoral program since its reclassification as a Professional Doctorate University by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. (Press Release Desk)
2. Community leaders are hosting a belt distribution event today (Feb. 27) at 9:30 a.m. to educate students on preventing violence. North Charleston Police Department’s Chief Reggie Burgess will join the National Action Network, State Rep. Wendell Gilliard, and local pastors to distribute belts at North Charleston High School. Free belts and resources on preventing violence will be handed out to students. (WCBD News 2)
3. Mayor John Tecklenburg was joined by local musicians, church leaders, and community advocates for a vigil outside City Hall on Friday night. The vigil was held for the one-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine. During the vigil, City Hall's exterior was illuminated with blue and yellow to represent the colors of the Ukraine flag. Local nonprofit CHS4Ukraine has donated more than 13 tons of supplies to Ukrainians on the front lines and is asking locals for help. (City of Charleston, SC Government via Facebook)

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Today in Charleston:

• Beats, Brews, & Bingo! At Brewlab Charleston (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• A nearby West Ashley man is warning others about a texting bank scam after someone attempted to gain access to his bank account. Jamey Mellis said the message pretended to protect him from a fraud attempt and it appeared to come from his bank, Wells Fargo, on Wednesday. Mellis just happened to be driving by his Wells Fargo branch. He went inside and was told they were getting "inundated with these types of calls and that it was definitely fraud." (WCBD News 2)
• The KCLX radar will be offline Mar. 6-23 for an upgrade to the radar's pedestal. This is the third project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades that will keep the nation's radars viable into the 2030s. (US National Weather Service Charleston SC via Facebook)
• A deer and a dolphin were spotted swimming by each other in Captain Sam's Inlet as the buck was crossing between Kiawah and Seabrook islands, according to the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network. Although not the most common of sights, deer can swim and even reach speeds of up to 15 miles per hour in the water. Check out the rare sighting at the link! (WACH.com)

You're officially in the loop for today. I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with 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.