🌱 HS Students Graduate In January + Flooding In Chicora Cherokee Area

Hello, Charleston! I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days.

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Here are the top three stories in Charleston today:

1. Select Charleston, Dorchester, and Berkeley County students graduated from high school yesterday, Jan. 6, in North Charleston. The Lowcountry Acceleration Academy students experienced an individualized course of study to help them regain lost ground that may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The school opened in the Fall of 2021 and is a free public school. (ABS News 4)
2. North Charleston’s Chicora Cherokee neighborhood has a growing business scene but is also flooding. The downtown Charleston corridor of Reynolds Avenue has major flooding issues, causing the City Council to pay $146,510 for the Chicora Drainage Study. The funding is from grants awarded by the South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program. (Subscription: The Post and Courier)
3. South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District map, which was recently redrawn, must change again after judges ruled it was racially gerrymandered. Judges Mary Geiger Lewis, Toby J. Heytens, and Richard M. Gergel found that race was the predominant factor in the redesign of the district map after weighing the evidence prior to their ruling. The court said "over 30,000 African Americans were removed from their home district." (WBTW)

Today in Charleston:

• Matilda Jr. At Sottile Theatre - College Of Charleston (2:00 PM)
• Coding Lab For Kids: Code Your First App At Apple Charleston (3:00 PM)
• Hurt & Skip At Charleston Pour House (6:30 PM)

From my notebook:

• Did you know the average South Carolina resident’s average monthly electric bill in 2022 increased by over 10 percent from the previous year? Learn more about where the Palmetto State stands on power consumption and costs compared to the rest of the country in this new Ownerly data study. (Ownerly)
• Get the 411 on business certifications by registering for the City of Charleston’s small business webinar on Jan. 18. The webinar will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and those interested can register here. (City of Charleston, SC Government via Facebook)
• Celebrate The Charleston Museum’s 250th birthday by attending their Nighttime at the Museum event on Jan. 13. The event is for those 21 and older and will include an open bar and more! Learn more about the event here. (Explore Charleston via Facebook)

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Saturday! I'll be in your inbox Monday with your next update.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.