MORNING HEADLINES | The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is underway as families get together to exchange gifts and make lasting memories. But with it comes the stress of holiday travel, which is expected to reach record numbers.
But Americans won’t be the only ones traveling for the holidays, either. There’s the big man in red traveling the globe giving gifts to all on his nice list. To find where he’s located, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has you covered with its annual Santa tracker. See where Santa Claus is and the amount of gifts given with NORAD’s program.
AAA predicts 119 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from their home for the year-end holiday period of Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2025. That’s 3 million more travelers than last year, and close to 65,000 more travelers than the previous record high set in 2019.
“Travelers should expect the roads, airports and cruise terminals to be more crowded than normal,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA.
Charleston International Airport anticipated the heavy traffic flow of the season, adding an additional TSA checkpoint for lower wait times. Last year, Charleston International recorded around 100,000 travelers passing through the airport and is expecting this year’s numbers to be comparable.
For those taking a road trip to see family, expect to see a slight increase in gas prices across the state and an extended travel time. According to GasBuddy, the national average is sitting around $3 per gallon, with the Lowcountry sitting at an average gas price of $2.72 per gallon. Travel times are expected to be 30% longer, according to data from INRIX. Fear not, though, as the worst expected day for travel – Dec. 22 – is over.
In other headlines:
CP MUSIC: Easy Honey to release new album and play a New Year’s Eve show. The Charleston indie rock band recorded and released their excellent third album Cupidity Unlimited and are now ramping up to reel in the new year at their New Year’s Eve show at the Music Farm.
North Charleston police chief aims to change perception of crime. North Charleston Police Chief, Ron Camacho, spoke on a variety of topics Monday, including his goal to change the perception of crime in North Charleston, which starts with community engagement.
North Charleston leaders consider jump guard on Ashley Phosphate Road overpass. North Charleston leaders voted unanimously Thursday to move forward with the plan to build a jump guard along Ashley Phosphate Road’s I-526 overpass. The South Carolina Department of Transportation would build the structure and the city would maintain it.
Charleston Co., housing authority sued for breach of contract. The Charleston County Housing and Redevelopment Authority is being sued for breach of contract after the organization failed to sell 30 houses to real estate investors.
Recycle cooking oil with Charleston County. Charleston County has partnered with waste management company Green Energy Biofuel to allow residents to drop off used cooking oil at any of their convenience sites.
From Olympics to Madison Square Garden, the year of Emma Navarro. The 23-year-old graduate of Ashley Hall School put together a season that included her first WTA Tour singles title, a berth on Team USA for the Paris Olympics and attention-grabbing major runs at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She capped the year with an exhibition victory over seventh-ranked Jessica Pegula earlier this month at Madison Square Garden and by being named the WTA Tour’s Most Improved Player for 2024.
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