MORNING HEADLINES | U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, were scheduled this morning to speak in Charleston.
They were to speak at a welcome breakfast during the spring meeting of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators at the Francis Marion Hotel, according to event organizers. The conference kicked off Thursday and runs through Sunday.
Kennedy and Oz are expected to speak on their department’s top priorities, including new federal and state partnerships.
Kennedy was in Nashville, Tenn., yesterday to address a conference on drug addiction where he detailed his own struggle with and recovery from heroin addiction. His visit to Charleston marks a return, as he landed for a quick trip two years ago as a longshot Democratic presidential hopeful.
In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper:
CP OPINION: Our View: Make South Carolina safer from gun violence. “There’s still time for the South Carolina General Assembly to do the right things on gun violence. After all, state lawmakers have had 10 years. But again this year, with the legislative session set to expire May 8, time is running out.”
- CP CARTOON: Stegelin: I am the law
- CP CARTOON: Ariail: What strategy?
CP NEWS: Troubled waters: A return to Lighthouse Inlet. Memories began to flood my mind, more than 30 years after that tragic day, as I trudge through the thick sand of what is now a nature preserve on Folly Island.
CP NEWS: NOAA employees dread future amid ongoing cuts, layoffs. Researchers at Charleston’s national Hollings Marine Lab on James Island normally aren’t worry-warts. But the new slash-and-burn fiscal environment from the Trump administration’s new federal Department of Government Efficiency leaves them with a growing sense of dread about the future of their vital work to protect coastal waters.
CP NEWS: Big issues unresolved with few days left in S.C. session. As the 2025 legislative session barrels toward its May 8 close, people on both sides of the political aisle can point to progress, setbacks and issues where the jury is still out.
CP NEWS: MUSC plans for new hospital to expand cancer care. The threat of rising cancer cases in the future statewide has prompted the Medical University of South Carolina to plan for a new cancer hospital in downtown Charleston.
CP NEWS: Memorial garden for animals open in North Charleston. Charleston Animal Society officials cut a green ribbon Thursday afternoon to open the Sadie Greer Memorial Garden on its North Charleston campus. It now serves as a quiet place for pet lovers to inter their loved animal companions.
CP FOOD: Snag tickets now for this June’s FAB Workshop. The FAB Workshop, a business workshop that welcomes women at every stage of their food and beverage career, will return to the Holy City June 8 through June 10. There are still a few tickets left for the popular event; find them at thisisfab.com.
CP MUSIC: Bashi may be best musician you’ve never heard of. Composer, violinist and bandleader Kishi Bashi may be the most famous multi-instrumentalist you’ve never heard of. Since releasing his debut album 151a in 2021, he’s made a career out of unexpected musical fusion.
In other headlines:
State argues against lesser sentence for woman jailed in Folly Beach bride death. South Carolina is arguing against a request to reduce the sentence for the woman who killed a Folly Beach bride and severely injured her husband on their wedding night, plus two others, nearly two years ago.
City of Charleston hosts public input meeting for Lowcountry Lowline. On Thursday, the city of Charleston and the nonprofit Friends of the Lowcountry Lowline hosted a community input meeting to showcase renderings of what they expect the Lowline project to be.
New LGBTQ+ community center in North Charleston to be ‘heartbeat of the queer Lowcountry.’ Inside a new center dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, large posters line the wall above the door with quotes from teenagers who have experienced the impact of a local organization’s support for them.
Charleston County considers more than $3M in greenbelt projects. Charleston County Council’s Finance Committee will assess five proposed Greenbelt Projects ahead of a final council vote on the funding on Tuesday.
North Charleston Walk and Roll event aims to support adults with special needs. A Lowcountry nonprofit is using this weekend to highlight the needs of those with autism and other disabilities through an annual event.
S.C. GOP-led bill shows new support for gambling. Three bills considered Tuesday would legalize online sports gambling, categorize certain games of skill as not gambling and allow a casino off Interstate 95 bordering the town of Santee. The latter got the most attention at a two-hour hearing.
At-risk rental assistance funds could have big impacts on state. About 9 million Americans receive federal rental assistance money through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and at least 122,036 of those recipients live in South Carolina But federal funding to support the programs is running low and facing cuts.
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