South Carolina Ports Authority CEO Jim Newsome will retire in 2022 and his successor has been named: longtime SCPA executive Barbara Melvin. She will become the first woman to lead the authority and the first woman to lead a top 10 container port in the United States. Melvin will take over July 1 after a long period of port expansion that will make Charleston’s harbor the deepest on the East Coast by winter. More: AP News, Charleston Regional Business Journal, The State
In other headlines:
In-person federal rent assistance applications now open in S.C. As rents rise and more are at risk of eviction, South Carolina’s program to distribute federal aid to help renters stay in their homes has gotten off to a slow start. But SC Housing’s Chris Winston said the new in-person centers are aimed at getting more applications — and more help — approved. Local libraries and community centers will be the hubs for in-person applications. More: The State/The Durham Herald Sun
Gas prices at 7-year high, surge expected to continue. A gallon of gas is averaging $3.08 in South Carolina, according to GasBuddy on Monday. The price is the highest in seven years and experts at AAA say prices will likely continue to climb. More: WISTV
Jill Biden makes surprise visit to S.C. woman who helped her regain her faith. First Lady Jill Biden said she was unable to pray after the 2015 death of her son Beau, but Robin Jackson of South Carolina helped “shape her life.” Jackson is the wife of the pastor at Brookland Baptist Church in South Carolina and she offered to be Biden’s “prayer partner” when she went to church. Biden has talked about Jackson before but without naming her. However, on Sunday, she attended the Baptist church and talked about her relationship with Jackson. More: AP News, The Washington Post
Lawyer who represented Floyd family to attend N. Charleston rally. A North Charleston rally being held today for Jamal Sutherland will have civil rights attorney Ben Crump among its speakers. Crump represented George Floyd’s family after his death at the hands of police. Sutherland died Jan. 5 after becoming unresponsive as deputies forcibly removed him from his jail cell, where he was detained amid a mental health crisis. More: The Post and Courier, WCSC
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