MORNING HEADLINES  |  The South Carolina Aquarium this week released three rehabilitated green sea turtles after months of care, marking its first sea turtle release of 2026.

The patients — Camellia, Daisy and Daffodil — were rescued along the South Carolina coast and treated for serious conditions including cold-stunning, pneumonia and severe infections. The young turtles were released into warmer Florida waters on March 3.

Their return is part of a larger conservation success story, as green sea turtles recently were reclassified from endangered species to threatened in the United States. Green sea turtles can live more than 70 years and take decades to reach breeding age, so each release supports future populations. S.C. citizens found each of the three rescued sea turtles along the coast.

To date, the S.C. Aquarium has rescued, rehabilitated and released 480 sea turtles in recent years. Three sea turtles are still undergoing rehabilitation at the aquarium.

TWO DAYS LEFT:  Remember to vote in Best of Charleston!

There are only two days left to vote in this year’s Best of Charleston contest, so don’t forget to cast your votes for your favorite places to eat, drink, buy a boat, wash your dog and just about anything else you can think of. Vote now at vote.charlestoncitypaper.com.

In today’s issue of the Charleston City Paper

CP OPINION: Change is on the nation’s menu. “The Bible teaches, ‘Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils’ (KJV: 1 Corinthians 10:21). Yet many people seem to want to have two ways of behaving when it comes to matters of the soul and morality.”

CP NEWS: Charleston family donates eye-popping trove of historical records. The Horlbeck family of Charleston, where a downtown alley bears their name, is sharing a family legacy that dates back to 1764 and the city’s early expansion within a robust British empire.

CP NEWS: Input guides redrafts of proposed Charleston County sales tax plan. Charleston County Council members say they are waiting with bated breath for the first round of public input on the first draft of its 2026 half-penny transportation sales tax referendum.

CP NEWS: Pulitzer Prize-winning Kantor to address truth, power March 11. On March 11, celebrated journalist Jodi Kantor is speaking her own truths in Charleston as the featured speaker at the College of Charleston’s Milton and Freddie Kronsberg Memorial Lecture Series.

CP FOOD: Florence Wine and Food is worth trip March 26-28. While the Charleston Wine + Food Festival and the Food and Wine Classic in Charleston might get much of the region’s culinary festival glory, the Florence Wine and Food Festival may be giving them a run for the money.

CP MUSIC: Di Meola, Perez to highlight 2026 jazz festival. Charleston will celebrate jazz for a week starting April 13 with sounds born of collision and conversation — blues feeling, brass-band swagger and fearless improvisation.

In recent headlines

EPSTEIN: Missing FBI interviews with S.C. Epstein victim quietly released. The Justice Department released 3 FBI interviews that were “mistakenly withheld” from the Epstein files. In them, a woman recounts alleged abuse by Jeffrey Epstein as a teen on Hilton Head and accusations against President Donald Trump.

Almost one-third of S.C. immigration arrests in 2025 were in Charleston County. Throughout first nine months of the Donald Trump’s second presidency, more than 1,000 migrants were arrested by ICE in the Charleston tri-county area. That’s five times the number detained the previous year.

SCDOT, Lowcountry residents discuss future of Folly Road project. The South Carolina Department of Transportation met with the James Island Neighborhood Council to discuss future plans for a busy road many use daily.

James Island kicks off March with ‘First Friday’ market. The Town of James Island is gearing up for its monthly First Friday Town Market, with a full lineup of local vendors, live entertainment, and family-friendly activities.

Mount Pleasant apartments lose $1 million in verdict for black mold. An upper court ruled this week that a mother and daughter must still be paid for months-long black mold exposure at a Mount Pleasant apartment complex in 2017.

Charleston firefighters highlight mental health resources after tragedy. The passing of a former Charleston first responder has sparked renewed conversations about mental health within the firefighting community.

S.C. House votes to name roads after Kirk, Trump over Democrats’ protests. Proposals to name roadways after Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist shot to death on a Utah college campus last year, and President Donald Trump drew the ire of the House’s Black Democrats before advancing Thursday.

S.C. House to debate budget next week. The House will gavel in at 1 p.m. Monday to start debate over the chamber’s $15 billion state spending proposal that includes millions for tax cuts, infrastructure, education and health care.

Support independent journalism

Keep the City Paper strong with a winter gift. This holiday season, please consider donating $25 — or even $100 — to support free, independent journalism at the Charleston City Paper. Every donation helps keep alive a voice of freedom. Your help is appreciated.

Find lots of cool stuff to do around Charleston

Our online events calendar has scores of events around the Lowcountry every day, making it the most detailed calendar of what’s happening in the area.

Just click on “Events” above at right under the black toolbar. You’ll be amazed at what you find. 

  • Also sign up today to get relevant newsletters on art, music, food, fun events, statewide news and opinion.  

Help keep the City Paper free.
No paywalls.
No subscription cost.
Free delivery at 800 locations.

Help support independent journalism by donating today.

[empowerlocal_ad sponsoredarticles]