MORNING HEADLINES (updated) |  A plan to permanently protect the 580-acre Dill Sanctuary wildlife refuge on James Island got a major boost Tuesday night when Charleston City Council voted to support up to $3 million in preservation funding through the Charleston County Greenbelt program. If approved by County Council, the funds would be used to purchase a conservation easement on the property, which is owned and operated by the Charleston Museum.

“Not only are we preserving land in this case, but we’re reducing the need for future infrastructure,” Charleston Parks Director Jason Kronsberg said in a televised report. “So, we know that we’ve got to fix our roads… we also need to conserve our lands and we also need to reduce that need for future infrastructure.”

Under the agreement, the city of Charleston will have the right of first refusal if the museum ever decides to sell the land. As a result of the approval, the refuge will be protected forever and maintain a level of public access.

The site was home to three plantations during the colonial and antebellum periods and contains two African American cemeteries. Four earthen Confederate fortifications remain on the land that were part of Charleston’s Civil War defenses. The property is also home to a six-acre pond on the land with three nesting islands that attract wading birds, and is considered one of the best workaries in the state for threatened or endangered Wood Storks, according to Charleston Museum Director Carl Borick. 

The property currently is not open for daily visitation but does provide special programs, including school group visits, five weeks of summer camp in June and early July, by-reservation group tours, an annual oyster roast and other special events.

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In other recent headlines

Charleston Co. transportation tax audit confirms proper spending. A new state audit shows Charleston County has spent its transportation sales tax money exactly as voters intended, with only $615 in non-qualifying expenses found over five years.

Commercial expansion planned for West Ashley. Charleston officials are moving forward with plans to expand commercial development in outer West Ashley, targeting an area between Bees Ferry Road and Glenn McConnell Parkway.

FOOD: Longtime West Ashley Indian restaurant to open after two years. Two years after Indian restaurant Nirlep shut down for a complete remodel and rebuild, it’s finally eyeing a reopening date. The owners are hoping the rebuilt space will be ready by early 2026, ideally in January.

North Charleston police investigate back-to-back shootings. The first incident occurred Tuesday around 4:30 p.m. near Harvey Avenue and Accabee Road when a victim arrived at the South Bureau and reported being shot. The second incident occurred at 6:45 p.m. in the 2200 block of Van Buren Avenue when responding officers located a victim at a nearby hospital after they received calls about a shooting.

Blue Angels are coming back to Charleston. The Blue Angels are slated to headline the Charleston Air Show at Joint Base Charleston for a weekend of high-speed aerial demonstrations and military showcases on May 2-3, 2026.

Meet candidates running for District 1 seat on North Charleston City Council. Voters will have an opportunity on Wednesday to meet the candidates competing in a special election next month to become the newest North Charleston city council member. Six candidates are vying for the open District 1 seat on the city council: Edward Astle, Adrian DeSaussure, Greg Perry, Dwayne Schalles, Libby S. Tisdale, and Kevin Walker-Porcher.

Mount Pleasant launches ‘blue envelope’ program for safer interactions with law enforcement. The Mount Pleasant Police Department is rolling out the ‘blue envelope’ program, which gives drivers a simple way to signal potential communication barriers to officers. The blue envelope serves as a wordless signal to law enforcement that a driver may need to use different communication strategies during an interaction.

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