electrician in North Charleston, SC

A local organization hosted an event Saturday for community members to get together and discuss common problems in the area and find solutions as a group.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A local organization hosted an event Saturday for community members to get together and discuss common problems in the area and find solutions as a group.

Men and Women Empowerment Conference, hosted by Positive Vibes Ronjanae Smith, brought dozens of North Charleston residents together to talk about issues they have with the school district, gun safety, keeping children safe and violence in the community.

“One of the issues that we faced in our community is community apathy,” Community advocate Pastor Thomas Dixon says. “That our community does not get up and get involved in the issues that really affect them every day.”

A panel of community leaders helped facilitate the discussion with one member representing gun violence prevention, an education advocate, community leader and political advocate.

Not just discussing problems, but more importantly solutions were at the top of their list. Ronald Smith, Positive Vibes Ronjanae Smith Founder, tried to focus on specific actions they can take.

“They [the community] want to know solutions. ‘What can we change? What can we make happen?’” Smith says. “The biggest solution that we came up with today was for people to keep their new car doors locked was number one, more of us going into the schools was number two and talking to the kids that need our help.”

The conference was the first of its kind and the group plans to host another in the fall.

“Whatever programs is necessary that our community is doing everything that it can in order to ensure that our communities are safe, that our communities thrive and that our communities are being taken care of by those who have been elected to govern us,” Dixon says. “So in every aspect, we’re calling on the community now to get up and get involved so that we can actually be that beloved community.”

They hope they can come together as a village to address the issues in their community and use solutions that actually work.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

The Emergency Response Team at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston simulated what they would do if someone went into cardiac arrest on Friday afternoon.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Ever since Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest last month, there has been a renewed focus to educate people on how to respond to a similar event. Some Lowcountry schools are making sure they are ready if the scary moment ever comes.

The Emergency Response Team at R.B. Stall High School in North Charleston simulated what they would do if someone went into cardiac arrest on Friday afternoon. Faculty and staff simulated calling 911, administering CPR and using the school’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Friday’s drill was a partnership between the Charleston County School District and the Project Adam team at MUSC.

“It can be anybody, anywhere. It can be children; and so we need to have that plan in place,” Nurse Tara Lawson, project ADAM program coordinator at MUSC Children’s Hospital, said.

South Carolina is one of 15 states that require an AED in every school. But medical professionals say it is not enough to just have one on the wall.

“You don’t want to be scrambling when an incident happens,” Lawson said.

The goal is for every school in Charleston County to run a drill like this. The district said they will start with high schools and then move to middle and elementary schools.

“The faster that you can have CPR and an AED [in] place, the better the outcomes are,” Dr. Nicole Cain, MUSC director of pediatric electrophysiology, said. “Every second counts. We say time is muscle.”

R.B. Stall High School Nurse Kat Bouziane said the school has been forward-thinking in their emergency preparedness, but partnering with MUSC and Project Adam brings extra planning:

“It demonstrates to our community, the motivation, our sense of responsibility and commitment to providing a safe schoolhouse for our students, families and staff,” Bouziane said.

MUSC’s work with Project Adam began three years ago, and interest has increased in the last few weeks.

The goal is to certify every school in the state.

“I personally have a kindergartener in school,” Lawson said. “So I want him to be in the best place possible if he’s not with me. That people are going to know how to respond in case of an emergency.”

A life-saving drill, winning hearts and minds.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

HOLLYWOOD, S.C. (WCIV) — A public pool is hosting its first competitive swim team for young swimmers and it's a dream come true for Jennifer Holmes. She turned her pain into power.

"I never imagined that we would actually have a swim team coming from tragedy, overcoming, and becoming a lifeguard," she said. "Now, this season, this summer will be the beginning of a new swim team for many walks of life."

Read more: Officials to break ground on $25M North Charleston Sports Complex on March 1

Holmes learned to swim after her son, Genesis, drowned in 2014. She built a pool in his honor and taught other children to swim. Holmes said she never knew the progress of the Genesis Pool would get so far and it's changed her life forever. Now, she is working on a swim team for kids in the Hollywood area. Many of them never would have learned to swim if it wasn't for Jennifer.

Allison Foster, with Charleston County Parks Health and Wellness, says kids will be refining their skills with breaststroke, freestyle. They will also be encouraged to grow confidence in their swimming. The emphasis is on the team.

"We encourage team building and supporting one another in a welcoming environment," Foster said.

A public pool is hosting its first competitive swim team for young swimmers and it's a dream come true for Jennifer Holmes. (WCIV)

Holmes gives the credit to her son Genesis, who she says has guided her every step of the way.

“To be standing here in front of the Genesis pool and to know that there's going to be a swim team, I know in my heart it's going to change lives and I know that God had a major part of this," she said.

Read more: Aventon Companies announces groundbreaking of its newest community in Charleston.

Holmes says she can hear her son's voice in her ear cheering her on.

"Right now, I know Genesis is saying, 'Mommy get it'."

Swim team conditioning starts in April and the Genesis Pool will be open for the season on May 6. Holmes says she'll be wearing the number 11 for Genesis because that was his number on his basketball team.

As North Charleston continues to grow and become more dense, it will be increasingly important for the city to create desirable public oases and amenities that offer more space to play, relax and just get away from it all. That’s why we’re encouraged by the city’s decision to create what is expected to be its largest passive park.

Last month, City Council approved moving forward with purchasing 440 largely undeveloped acres, pulling together eight adjoining parcels roughly bounded by U.S. Highway 78, Interstate 26, Ingleside Plantation Road and Ingleside Boulevard on the city’s northern end. Also known as Blue House Plantation, the property has about 200 acres of highlands and 240 acres of wetlands. The city has received $1 million from the S.C. Conservation Bank and a $1 million U.S. Fish & Wildlife grant toward buying the site, and the Charleston County Greenbelt Program has contributed about $4 million, with the property owners, two LLCs, discounted the sale price of the land by several million dollars.

We urge the city to close on the property as soon as possible — its goal is to do so by June 1 — and begin seeking public input on what this park, tentatively known as the Ingleside Weber Park System, should look like. The possibilities are huge: The combined acreage is about seven times as large as Charleston’s Hampton Park, and the chairman of the S.C. Conservation Bank has said the park has the promise of becoming North Charleston’s version of Central Park.

The potential is indeed significant, but buying the property is just the start. The city will have to create a beautiful, functional network of trails, greenways, picnic areas and interpretive areas, particularly around any visible historical remnants, plus walking and biking connections to nearby developments and also across I-26 to Charleston Southern University’s campus and on to the county-run Wannamaker Park.

Fortunately, the seller already has trail easements on commercial, industrial and residential parcels that were previously sold off from the larger tract with the intent of creating a planned trail system and park.

The city’s move is smart in part because much of this acreage is low-lying and because the size of the undeveloped property should provide meaningful wildlife habitat in a bustling part of the metro area that’s under increasing pressure from development. It’s currently home to deer, wild boar and an active woodstork rookery.

North Charleston has created some first-rate public recreation sites, such as its new aquatics and athletics centers, but the city has been less proactive about creating new parks, particularly of any significant size. This is partly due to the city’s relatively young age and its traditional focus on development and expansion. But as we’ve noted, the city also has been turning inward toward quality-of-life issues, and more changes are ahead in part due to a planned bus rapid transit line to be built through the spine of the city, linking its northern end with downtown Charleston.

That line is expected to make property along University Boulevard and Rivers Avenue more appealing for new dense development, which will enable more residents to get to the region’s major employment centers and shopping hubs. That also will help meet the needs of a growing regional population while easing pressure to develop land at our rural edges.

As the population and density of a city increase, its residents rightly expect more and better green space set aside for their recreation and enjoyment, which is often beyond what the free market creates on its own.

With North Charleston at an important point in its evolution as a city, the Ingleside Weber Park System project represents a rare opportunity to establish such a place that will enhance the quality of life for residents. That is encouraging progress.

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - The South Carolina Stingrays, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals and AHL's Hershey Bears, announced today the signing of defensemen Sacha Roy and Robbie Stucker ahead of tonight's game in Greenville.

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Magnus Hellberg Recalled From Grand Rapids – May see ice time this week

Roy, 23, joins the Stingrays after splitting time in the ECHL and SPHL this season, netting one goal in eight games with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. Roy also tallied four points on one goal and three assists in 38 games with the Fayetteville Marksmen, Knoxville Ice Bears, and Macon Mayhem of the SPHL. Last year, Roy assisted on two goals in eight games with the Fort Wayne Komets and appeared in four games for the Peoria Rivermen.

Prior to turning pro, the native of Cookshire, QC suited up for 168 games in the QMJHL with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Baie-Comeau Darkkar where he recorded 29 points on nine goals and 20 assists.

Stucker, 24, enters the professional ranks following the completion of his final season at the University of Vermont. In 33 games with the Bobcats this year, the blue-liner collected 15 points on three goals and 12 assists. Stucker joined Vermont for the final two years of his collegiate career after playing three seasons at the University of Minnesota where he was a part of the Golden Gophers 2021 Big Ten Championship. Throughout his five seasons, the 6-foot-3, 179-pound defenseman played in 146 games and amassed 45 points on nine goals and 36 assists.

The Stingrays complete the five-game road trip tonight at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena as they take on the Greenville Swamp Rabbits beginning at 7:05 p.m.

2023-24 Season ticket plans are on sale now! For more information or to purchase, contact the Stingrays by phone at 843-744-2248.

Check out the South Carolina Stingrays Statistics

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