11/30 NEWSBREAK: Now it's cold, but it's been way too hot

Despite temperatures across the Carolinas this morning in the freezing range, the world’s warming is making big headlines. The weather agency for the United Nations says 2023 has been the hottest year ever on record and warned of worrying future trends suggesting more floods, wildfires, glacial melting and heat waves.

2015 to 2023 were the warmest on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, with its findings for this year running through October. It says the last two months are not likely to be enough to keep 2023 from being a record-hot year. There are still some signs of hope, it added, including the turn toward increased use of renewable energies and more electric cars, which help reduce the amount of carbon that is spewed into the atmosphere with heat inside.

Meanwhile as South Carolinians bundle up to keep out the cold, warming centers across the state are opening to help people keep warm. And authorities also say the state’s 2023 hurricane season — a relatively quiet one — has now come to a close.

In other recent news:

CP NEWS: Charleston council members ready to work with new mayor. New and old members of Charleston City Council are gearing up for a new year of tackling the city’s biggest challenges with new leadership.

CP FOOD: Mount Pleasant’s Little Miss Ha to pop-up in Park Circle this weekend. The popular Mount Pleasant Vietnamese restaurant closed its doors in October, but owner Janice Hudgins says she’s not quite done cooking for Charleston.

CP ART: Creative Misfits celebrates artists with disabilities. On Dec. 2, HEART inclusive arts community is hosting its fourth annual Creative Misfits extravaganza, a multi-faceted celebration with a virtual art auction, a gallery exhibition by the “HEARTists” and a live concert at the Pour House on James Island.

City of Charleston to address ‘loophole’ in plastic bag ban. Charleston is in the process of closing what they call a loophole to their ban on single-use plastic bags by clarifying the differences between a reusable plastic bag and single-use plastic bag.

Historical marker of 1919 riot in downtown Charleston unveiled. The new marker is located at 49 Archdale Street and it acknowledges the Charleston Riot of 1919, which was part of the Red Summer of 1919 where a wave of racist attacks on African American communities took place across the U.S.

Transportation officials eye changes to fatal James Island curve. Charleston and state transportation officials are eyeing changes to a notoriously dangerous corridor in James Island after a car crash this month left four people dead and prompted demands to remove a grand oak tree locally known as “The Widowmaker.”

Organizers take next steps in Gullah Geechee Historic Preservation Project. Community members and city officials discussed the next steps of preservation and documentation plans for historically black and Gullah Geechee communities in the Lowcountry Wednesday, agreeing to hire consultants to help the organization’s goals.

College of Charleston looks to future with framework plan. The College of Charleston is shifting to a new Campus Framework Plan to help it determine the needs of both staff and students.

Lowcountry judge to not serve 2nd term after failed selection vote. A Lowcountry judge who’s come under fire for lenient sentences and bond decisions will not serve a second term on the bench after he did not get enough votes to move forward in the judicial selection process.