6/13 NEWSBREAK: Charleston to conduct nationwide search for next police chief

The city of Charleston is set to begin the process of hiring a new police chief following the recent death of the department’s former chief, Luther Reynolds. He passed away in late May after a battle with a rare form of bone cancer.

“Sadly we are at the point we never wanted to be, to talk about the replacement of our chief and dear friend Luther Reynolds,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said to Charleston City Council Public Safety Committee on June 12.

Tecklenburg added the city will use the same search company that was used to hire Reynolds, the Police Executive Research Firm, which will look for local and national candidates. Once candidates are identified, they will go through a public interview process that will incorporate input from the community.

Despite the announcement of a nationwide search, Charleston City Paper reported earlier this month that precedent for the city of Charleston suggests it will likely be an inside hire, with three deputy chiefs capable of filling the role.

In other headlines:

CP: Charleston Advancement Academy to close. Charleston Advancement Academy will close its doors June 30. Earlier this year, a state charter school district board revoked the school’s charter.

S.C. power utilities push back against EPA’s proposed greenhouse emission rules. South Carolina utilities say their ability to reliably deliver power may be jeopardized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to limit carbon dioxide from fossil fuels for the third time in nine years using the Clean Air Act.

Charleston med students hope to save lives with new cardiac invention. Medical students at the Medical University of South Carolina believe they can increase the likelihood of survival with a new device called the SAVER, an external occlusion device made specifically to block blood flow in the legs during a cardiac arrest event, increasing the blood flow to the heart and brain.

How the CCSD superintendent search ended with one candidate. Charleston County School District’s search for its next superintendent crashed in its final moments, offering the position to the only candidate who hadn’t withdrawn. Meanwhile, a special meeting will discuss the new superintendent’s contract.

High school students gain experience as S.C. film industry grows. The South Carolina Film Commission and Trident Technical College hosts the 2023 Young Filmmakers Project to help S.C. students showcase their talents and efforts to build out the film industry in the state.

Portions of I-526 finally being resurfaced. I-526 is getting much-needed repairs from a contract awarded from the S.C. Department of Transportation. 7.96 miles will be resurfaced on the 23-mile highway for a total of $10.347 million.

3% of IDs scanned in Charleston pilot program were fake, expired. Over 30 late-night businesses participated in the six-month pilot program using Intellicheck, a program that scans for fake IDs. Since December, the businesses scanned over 100,000 IDs, with a 3% failure rate, or around 3,400 IDs identified as fake or expired.