MORNING HEADLINES | A proposed College of Charleston dorm continues to meet stiff opposition due to suspicion that the site is the antebellum resting place of between 4,600 and 12,000 poor Whites, enslaved Africans, travelers and orphaned children.
Biological anthropologist Michael Blakey, one of the nation’s leading experts on the handling of human remains, said the college’s decision to purchase 106 Coming St., knowing it was once used as a burial ground, “represents an example of white institutional disregard for African American burial sites.”
College officials, however, have said they will follow the law, engage with the public and preserve the history of the potter’s field and the YWCA — if it gains approvals to build the dorm.
The state Department of Environmental Services is set to decide whether it will give the college the permit to remove part of the asphalt parking lot for a second round of ground-penetrating radar scans. The college has said earlier scans at the YWCA parking lot were inconclusive for the presence of human remains.
Blakey will speak 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at Emanuel AME Church on Calhoun Street. The event is sponsored by the Preservation Society of Charleston.
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In today’s issue of the Charleston City Paper
CP OPINION: A license plate that’s beautiful in its own way. “State officials welcomed the new look. But if the conversations we’ve been hearing are any indication, the reception here in the Lowcountry has been a little more, well, mixed. In fact, the word “butt-ugly” has come up more than once.”
- Hogan: Charleston is well-rounded for this holiday
- CP CARTOON: Ariail: What did I do wrong?
- CP CARTOON: Stegelin: Give the gift of imagination
CP FEATURE: New book uncovers insights into 100-year-old Porgy story. The beloved novel Porgy quietly turned 100 years old this year, nearly unnoticed by the literati. It’s a Charleston story of sex, drugs and violence in a fictional Gullah tenement that inspired global adaptations for theaters, opera houses and the silver screen.
CP NEWS: Charleston vendors ring in holiday season at local markets. December is finally here and the end of 2025 is in sight — but before we break out the new calendars, mark up this year’s one last time with a holiday market or four.
CP MUSIC: Gaillard’s Revival show brings Allman Brothers classics, top guests. A seven-piece Southern rock band will take the stage Dec. 11 at the Gaillard Center. The three men anchoring the band have the last names Allman, Betts and Oakley. If those names sound familiar, they should.
In other recent headlines
Charleston employees to get raises, but no tax increase needed. Homeowners shouldn’t expect any increases to their next property tax bill as city council advanced a nearly $381 million budget for 2026.
- How Charleston turned unused funds into citywide holiday cheer.
- Charleston leaders to announce next phase for Battery extension.
A tree on James Island is spared from being removed. A tree that many nearby residents cherish for its cultural and historic significance has been spared from being cut down, for now.
Lowcountry shrimpers fight to save a coastal way of life. From lawsuits, to tariffs, to truth in menu laws — Lowcountry shrimpers fight against a growing tide of cheaper imported shrimp that threatens their way of life.
Roper St. Francis to build medical pavilion on former Mount Pleasant dealership site. Roper St. Francis plans to build a three-story medical facility on a site that was contaminated from a former car dealership in Mount Pleasant after receiving approval for a property tax exemption to help cover cleanup costs.
S.C.-1: Mace to introduce bill to require ID for SNAP benefits. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., wants additional measures in place to reduce the amount of fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
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