MORNING NEWSBREAK | A three-day strike by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) has been suspended until Jan. 15 to allow time for negotiations on a new contract.
Members of the union’s three Charleston affiliates will return to work today, according to Charles Brave Jr., president of ILA Local 1422. The Charleston port was open this morning.
Reopening of ports along the East and Gulf coasts is expected to ease worries that the strike would burden the economy just weeks before a national election.
For now, both sides say they’ve come to tentative terms on wages. A person briefed on the agreement reportedly said the ports sweetened a wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%, according to WCSC-TV.
“We got some stuff that we could work with and so the international president has instructed us to go back to work and we will work through it all within 90 days” Brave said.
In City Paper news today:
CP OPINION: Help those hurt by Helene’s wrath. “The Lowcountry’s recovery from the mammoth hurricane took several weeks. Western North Carolina’s recovery, unfortunately, likely will take much, much longer for the simple reason that critical infrastructure — highways, smaller roads and bridges — just aren’t there anymore.”
CP CARTOON:
CP FOCUS: What inspired Charleston’s Fairey to create pro-Harris presidential poster. Former President Donald Trump is to thank for world-famous, Charleston-born artist Shepard Fairey mixing it up again politically with a patriotic presidential poster — this time pushing Vice President Kamala Harris’s candidacy.
CP NEWS: Stormwaters spike water bacteria, but levels otherwise stable. Several waterways around the Charleston area continue to have high levels of dangerous bacteria since the Charleston City Paper first reported on the matter in October 2022. But recent storms seem to be making things worse temporarily, analysts say.
CP FOOD: New local food festival brought teasers and lots of Southern bites. The Food & Wine Classic in Charleston debuted last weekend, bringing with it a slew of seminars, tasting demos, specialty dinners, after parties and, of course, the requisite tasting tent.
CP ARTS: Charleston author Alexander releases Mean Low Water. Charleston-based author Stephanie Alexander’s new book, Mean Low Water, follows a psychic divorce attorney whose seemingly perfect life in the Lowcountry is upended by the reemergence of her first love.
CP MUSIC: Riverfront Revival returns with country-centric lineup. Now in its third year, the Riverfront Revival Festival, curated by Darius Rucker, will take over North Charleston’s Waterfront Park next weekend, bringing two days of unforgettable live music, regional cuisines and a come-one-come-all celebration of the Lowcountry.
HOPS: Beerfest returns to Riverfront Park. The Charleston Beer Fest has seen a variety of changes in its 10-plus years of operating in the Lowcountry. The festival, which raises money for Palmetto Community Care’s assistance for those living with HIV/AIDS, takes place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 26.
In other headlines:
HELENE: Federal aid expanded as S.C. death toll climbs to 41. Uninsured and underinsured people in Edgefield, Laurens and Union counties are now eligible for federal storm money bringing the total number of the state’s counties able to get assistance to 21. Meanwhile, the death toll from Hurricane Helene has climbed to 41 people.
Charleston is Conde Nast’s top pick for best city again. Charleston for the third consecutive year has been named “the nation’s best small city” in Condé Nast Traveler‘s long-running ranking.
Charleston Co. schools approve major change to tax policy. On a 5-4 vote, and after a motion to amend a policy failed, the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees approved a policy change that included changing the number of votes required to approve a project. The updated policy would only require five votes instead of not less than two-thirds of the board.
Lowcountry nonprofit asks for community help to boost accessible housing. The organization Neighbors Together says it sees about 100 calls a week from people, especially women, children and the elderly, who need help either finding or keeping their current housing. The group is bringing together property owners, organizations and social service agencies to reduce barriers many people face in doing just that.
World’s largest bounce house coming to Charleston. You can jump on over to the Woodlands Nature Reserve, 4279 Ashley River Road, from Oct. 18 through Oct. 20 for the largest touring inflatable event in the world.
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