MORNING NEWSBREAK | The S.C. State Ports Authority (SPA) says it is hoping for a rebound when its new fiscal year starts July 1. After a year of obstacles slowing down cargo and tightening its budget, the SPA projects a 3% in container traffic over the next 12 months.
The current fiscal year is expected to finish with a 3.75% drop in container totals due to a combination of a software failure that shut down the port for about 72 hours in May, a construction project that reduced berth space at Wando Welch Terminal and global events like a drought in the Panama Canal that limited traffic.
Officials said the port expects to handle nearly 1.42 million boxes in the coming fiscal year, compared to 1.375 million containers the SPA is estimating for fiscal 2024.
If projections hold true, it would help the SPA swing from a projected $4.4 million loss in the current fiscal year to a $5.2 million gain in operating earnings for fiscal 2025, according to the plan.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: Reject wasteful spending with a ‘no’ to Charleston sales tax referendum. “This new proposed referendum is fiscally irresponsible for one big reason — wasteful spending on interest. While we fully understand the concept and strategy of bonded indebtedness — borrowing now and paying off the debt with interest — how do you feel knowing that 64.8 billion of those sales tax pennies will be spent on interest costs alone?”
CP CARTOON:
CP FOCUS: DHEC hands off restaurant inspections to new agency. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control formally will transfer its food safety staff to the S.C. Department of Agriculture’s Consumer Protection Division in less than two weeks. Inspectors will continue to oversee inspections of 22,000 retail food establishments across South Carolina.
CP NEWS: A CP guide on how to make the most of your summer in the Lowcountry. Here’s a 2024 guide on the best places to spend your beach days, grab your summer sips, hit a local farmers markets and more in the Lowcountry.
CP NEWS: Gullah Geechee corridor fills new climate position. The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is a National Heritage Area managed by the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission. The corridor’s purpose is to preserve, share and interpret the history, traditional cultural practices, heritage sites, and natural resources associated with Gullah Geechee people of coastal North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
CP FOOD: Timbo’s looking for new home for peanut trailer. A dispute with the landlord drove Timothy “Timbo” Grainger to look elsewhere for a parking spot for his business, which he depends on for a living.
- More FOOD news: Where to find big-ass salads in Charleston
CP MUSIC: Morant’s new studio series features Charleston collabs. Charleston poet and musician Christian Morant is launching a new studio series where he collaborates with local musicians to celebrate Charleston’s indie music scene.
In other recent headlines:
Charleston snags spots on ‘Best of the best’ list. Popular travel website Tripadvisor has ranked Charleston among its 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards’ ‘Best of the Best’ in several categories including food destinations and top destinations.
Hearing delayed for ex-Charleston city councilman. An ethics hearing that was scheduled to take place this week in a case against a former Charleston city councilman Harry Griffin has been postponed, most likely mid-October.
Charleston-area kitchen abruptly closes. In an email to tenants, the owners of KTCHeN in North Charleston said facility violations prompted the property’s landlord to ask the commissary kitchen to vacate its space in a North Charleston strip mall by the end of the month.
Plans for mixed-use development on King Street moving forward. The City of Charleston will consider a plan to renovate and expand the 1000 King Street Apartments and add other-mixed use buildings on the nearly four-acre site.
$19M drainage contract approved for work at Charleston intersection. The City of Charleston is finalizing contracts for construction of a wet pond and pumping station that will reduce flooding at the intersection of Huger and King Streets in downtown Charleston.
Mount Pleasant interconnective plan to include Mathis Ferry trail expansion. Mount Pleasant is applying for Charleston County funding, which will allow the town to change the sidewalk widths from four feet to 10 on an existing trail on Mathis Ferry Road.
Lowcountry native named to USA Tennis Olympics team. Lowcountry native Emma Navarro was named to the U.S. Olympic Tennis Team for the 2024 games in Paris.
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