Hurricane season in South Carolina officially begins Thursday and state officials are urging residents to prepare as soon as possible. According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, South Carolina is one of the most vulnerable states to hurricanes and tropical storms all throughout the season, which lasts until Nov. 30.

Six coastal counties border the Atlantic Ocean. These counties have more than 200 miles of general coastline and another 21 inland counties may be directly affected by these storms. Densely populated coastal areas, especially during peak tourist seasons, coupled with the generally low coastal elevations significantly increase the state’s vulnerability.

South Carolina is expected to have a relatively normal hurricane season this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The agency predicts between 12 and 17 storms for the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

Read it all.

A new hurricane season is upon South Carolina once again. Check out tips from the state’s 2023 hurricane guide on how to best prepare. https://t.co/Pbtit5gaPW

— Rock Hill Herald (@RHHerald) June 1, 2023

There is also downloadable option there. Those interested in suffering through the video may find the link there.

By the work of the Spirit
you create all minds afresh:
heal the sick,
comfort the afflicted,
and bring all people to salvation.

~ Father, send your #HolySpirit into the Church!#Vespers #EveningPrayer #Prayer #PrayeroftheChurch #ComeHolySpirit #Pentecost

Image: Ira Thomas pic.twitter.com/AO31oPPd3R

— PrayeroftheChurch (@Neddamred) May 28, 2023

From there:

Columbia, S.C. (May 24, 2023) – Today, in a unanimous order, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled on the pending petitions and motions before it regarding the remaining three parish properties still in dispute. Today’s order denied all such actions, returning to its earlier decision from August 17, 2022. Two will remain with the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and one will be returned to the Episcopal Church in South Carolina.

In response to the August ruling, the Church of the Good Shepherd (Charleston) had filed a petition for rehearing, asking the Court to reconsider facts in the case that had resulted in the Court ruling that the Episcopal Church (TEC) maintained a trust interest in their property. That determination has now been affirmed by the Court and the parish will enter into settlement discussions with TEC to resolve the transfer of property and all other remaining issues.

The Episcopal Church on its part had also filed both petitions for rehearing and motions for relief from judgement regarding Old St. Andrews (Charleston) and Holy Cross (Stateburg). The August 17 ruling had affirmed Anglican parish control of those properties. Today’s decision affirmed that outcome for both those congregations. In today’s order, the Court said, “After careful consideration of both petitions for rehearing, the court is unable to discover that any material fault of principle of law has been either overlooked or disregarded, and hence, there is no basis for granting a rehearing.” The court on similar grounds denied the motion for relief of judgement as well.

The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina is grateful to see the final legal issues in these property disputes resolved and the rights of Old St. Andrews and Holy Cross affirmed. They join the other twenty-five parishes whose property rights were confirmed by the earlier rulings. To come to the conclusion of all litigation is a welcome blessing.

While grateful for these good gifts, we mourn the loss of property for Good Shepherd that this order dictates. Like the other seven congregations who received adverse rulings, Good Shepherd will continue on in faith.

The Bishop of The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, the Rt Revd Chip Edgar, said, “As we have seen with our other parishes whose properties were taken from them, I am confident that the Church of the Good Shepherd will recover from this blow and prosper in the new place to which the Lord will lead them. As we have with our other parishes, the Diocese stands ready to encourage and assist them.”

The Rector of Good Shepherd, the Rev. Will Klauber, assured his congregation today, “The Lord will provide for us a community. He will provide facilities and space for his ministry to continue. We rest assured that Jesus is still seated at the right hand of the Father, and his Spirit is still with us as we navigate these uncharted waters.”

This coming Sunday, we, as a Diocese, will celebrate Pentecost and the outpouring of God’s Spirit to build his Church. We remain confident that his work will continue apace through the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina and its 54 parishes and missions.

#SouthCarolina Supreme Court Final Order:

Two More #Anglican Parishes Have Property Rights Affirmed https://t.co/PUnhy9qykn #law #religion #parishministry #lowcountrylife #history pic.twitter.com/nctjOVwHqL

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) May 24, 2023

If you’re looking for affordable places to live in the U.S., South Carolina has two cities among the best, according to a new U.S. News & World Report ranking.

The recent annual ranking includes 25 of the best most affordable metros in the U.S. To determine the ranking, U.S. News “looked at the proportion of the median annual household income that goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, including the cost of utilities and taxes, as well as parity, which compares the cost of goods and services across the country.”

The city of Hickory, N.C. snagged the top spot on the list, while Montgomery, AL came in at 25th, rounding out the list.

And while living in some South Carolina cities, like Charleston, can be quite an expensive proposition, other cities in the Palmetto State are far more doable, the analysis found.

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These two South Carolina cities are not only great places to live in the U.S., they’re among the most affordable in regards to housing. https://t.co/Lex3KJXCuK

— The State Newspaper (@thestate) May 23, 2023

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Nothing remains of the hilltop home that once stood at the end of this gravel road in western North Carolina. The house burned to the ground months ago.

Children’s bikes and firewood piles litter the yards of a half-dozen ranch homes down the hill that are next in line to be erased from the landscape. The company that will soon own them plans to have these homes torched, too. It is only interested in what lies beneath.

A hint of that prize sits a few steps into the forest, where craggy outcrops stand in the shade of tall loblolly pines. Look closely and you’ll see the rocks are marked with sparkling pinstripes of pale green.

Those pinstripes are evidence of lithium, a lightweight element used to power electric vehicle batteries. And that green is gold to Piedmont Lithium, the company planning to tunnel 500 feet into the earth here to mine the lucrative mineral.

Lithium is expected to fuel America’s transition away from gasoline-burning automobiles. In the process, that harvest could generate $3.9 billion for this rural community in five years, according to Piedmont, which penned an agreement with EV giant Tesla in January.

Along a certain stretch — where North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia meet — lithium is quickly becoming king: It pushes up through the ground, oozes through recyclers’ shredding machines and will soon travel through the backwoods on aging rail lines. New mines — as many as three separate operations by 2030 — are only part of the story. Welcome to the Lithium Belt.

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Lithium is driving today’s clean energy transition just as fossil fuels drove the industrial revolution. But what is the trade off to the environment in the Southeast?
Fascinating read from @ClareFieseler on a journey across the Lithium Belt. https://t.co/b6OKcqPB9j

— Glenn Smith (@glennsmith5) May 21, 2023

As more families across the country flock to the growing Lowcountry counties north of Charleston, Summerville Medical Center is preparing to meet the needs of an expanded population with a multi-million dollar expansion on its original campus.

This month, officials at the Summerville hospital announced it would officially start its over $60 million inpatient bed project in August. The project will add 56 new inpatient beds, a 40-percent increase to its existing 124 beds.

“As we work to meet the health needs of our community, it is vital that we add capacity and clinical programs,” said Jeff Taylor, the hospital’s CEO, in a recent press release.

Dorchester County’s population has exploded in recent years, with more than 18,000 residents moving to the county in the last two decades. Currently, over 166,000 people reside in the county. Projections put the number of residents at more than 200,000 by 2030, The Post and Courier previously reported. Many of those moving in are settling in the Summerville area.

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As more families across the country flock to the growing Lowcountry counties north of Charleston, Summerville Medical Center is preparing to meet the needs of an expanded population with a multi-million dollar expansion on its original campus. https://t.co/H85PHnjmlU

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) April 26, 2023

There is also downloadable option there.

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” John 20 pic.twitter.com/kSisRpFqOH

— ICE (@ICEontario) April 16, 2023

Tests in medical school are trying for everyone but especially so for Melanie Wiley Gail as she struggles with sounds and smells her fellow students don’t seem to notice.

“Imagine taking the exam in a room full of skunks with rock music playing,” she likes to say.

It wasn’t until after her first year at the Medical University of South Carolina — where Gail is pursuing both her medical degree and a doctorate in neuroscience — that she was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. While she is open about it and serves as chair of the Autism Society of South Carolina, many in medicine have privately told her they are keeping their condition private because they fear the public exposure.

It is a stigma Gail would like to see changed.

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Pursuing a medical degree and a doctorate at the same time is difficult enough. Then Melanie Wiley Gail was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and she decided to become an advocate as well: https://t.co/1S7MqQrn7I

— Thomas Corwin (@AUG_SciMed) April 5, 2023

Saint James and First Baptist Hold Joint Palm Sunday Service

The congregation of Saint James Anglican, which leases property on the grounds of First Baptist of James Island, was invited to join in First Baptist’s service for Palm Sunday. Saint James’ Rector, Toby Larson, preached. Look for a story in the upcoming Jubilate Deo.

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The Latest Edition of the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina Enewsletter

Saint James and First Baptist Hold Joint Palm Sunday Servicehttps://t.co/V8NgK7Uaom [James Island, SC] pic.twitter.com/pvbhi8WAHx

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) April 4, 2023

There is also a downloadable option there.

Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem, Dovetailed tapestry weave coloured wools on linen, Northern Europe, 17th century (V&A Museum, London) #PalmSunday pic.twitter.com/A0YiPApvmz

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) April 2, 2023

Listen carefully for a most important Jonathan Edwards reference–KSH.

During the height of the pandemic, South Carolina was one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. That was entirely due to people moving in from other places, new census estimates show.

Within the Palmetto State, Horry County gained the most residents, followed by Greenville, Spartanburg, Berkeley and York counties.

The Myrtle Beach area in Horry County has traditionally been at the top of population growth lists for the state. That metropolitan area was the fifth-fastest in growth nationwide from 2010-20.

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During the height of the pandemic, South Carolina was one of the fastest-growing states in the nation – entirely due to people moving to SC (which had a negative birth rate during that time).
And 2021-22 saw some of SC's largest population gains yet.https://t.co/bXcjVNtTev

— David Slade 🗞 (@DSladeNews) March 31, 2023

On her daughter’s sixth birthday party, Sarah Pieper did what she has grown accustomed to as a mom of four kids. She held it together, masking the devastation she felt after getting life-changing news just a few hours earlier.

Pieper, a 33-year-old stay-at-home mom living in Summerville, kept busy during the party. Navigating through the maze of rambunctious 5- and 6-year-olds, she wondered what her world would look like and how the child gestating in her womb would be affected by it all.

Earlier that morning, doctors at Trident Medical Center diagnosed Pieper with stage 3 squamous cell carcinoma, a rare form of head and neck cancer that affects the tongue.

She was 14 weeks pregnant with a baby boy.

“It was probably the hardest thing for me to do,” Pieper told The Post and Courier.

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South Carolina’s top accountant Richard Eckstrom says he will resign effective April 30 after disclosing to state lawmakers that he inflated the state’s cash balances for a decade, eventually reaching about $3.5 billion.

In a Thursday resignation letter to Gov. Henry McMaster, the comptroller general reiterated his advocacy that the Legislature move forward on legislation for a constitutional change to make his position appointed by the governor, rather than elected every four years by the voters. “Over the course of my time in public office I have taken great pride in the responsibility trusted to me,” Eckstrom, 74, wrote in his letter to McMaster, obtained by The State Media Co.

“I have been humble in my approach to the job an attribute I hope our constituents have recognized and will remember.” Eckstrom’s early resignation means the General Assembly will nominate and elect the next comptroller general during a joint assembly to be scheduled at a later date. Eckstrom’s leave also means he’ll avoid a trial in the Senate, a hearing legislators were soon going to announce would start April 11.

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South Carolina’s Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom has told Gov. Henry McMaster he plans to resign effective April 30 after he disclosed a $3.5 billion accounting error that stretched for a decade. https://t.co/0THLb5Uhxl

— The State Newspaper (@thestate) March 23, 2023

There is also a downloadable option there.

"Christ Healing the Blind"by El Greco, circa 1570. At the Met Museum in New York pic.twitter.com/4GBiH9QpTp

— Pictures of Churches (@ChurchPictures8) August 21, 2020

In his first convention address as Bishop of The Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, Bishop Chip Edgar set priorities he hoped the Diocese would live into over the course of his Episcopacy. In the address, given March 10, 2023, in the Chapel at the Cross Schools, Bluffton, he highlighted church planting, church revitalization, the continuing education of our clergy, the updating of our constitution and canons and restoring our losses – noting, especially, the development of a new camp and conference center, Camp Jubilee.

He also offered a word of caution.

While acknowledging three of our churches are still awaiting a ruling by the SC Supreme Court, he said now that we’re at the end of the litigation with the Episcopal Church, we need not continue as “battlers.”

“We’ve come to the end of the lawsuit, and I am eager to walk with you into the future that God has for us in gospel ministry in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina,” said Edgar. “The churches, the people, the clergy of this great diocese, are ready to put all of that behind us and to move on unfettered into gospel ministry.”

“We need to be a diocese now, not marked by our fighting ability, not hungry for the next enemy, but desiring to proclaim the gospel alone and to build those places where righteousness can take root, where the world, as we want it to be, begins to take hold.

“The war is over. It’s time to seek and save the lost. It’s time to plant and revitalize. It’s time to hone and consistently renew our minds, to answer the hard questions of the day. And it’s time to rebuild what is lost.  Read, listen to or view the full address.

Chip Edgar consecrated bishop of the Anglican diocese of South Carolinahttps://t.co/nb7IQYksRb pic.twitter.com/UBJo5fP1ui

— Anglican Ink (@anglicanink) March 22, 2022

Last week, a group of physician assistants across the state rallied at the Statehouse in Columbia calling for legislators to pass a bill that aims to address the growing need for primary care providers in South Carolina.

If passed, Senate Bill 553, proposed in February and with support from the South Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants, would allow eligible physician assistants to practice without the legal oversight of a licensed physician.

The bill stands to combat a lack of health care access for residents living in medically underserved areas of the state and those who are low income, who are currently experiencing the brunt of a worsening physician shortage.

The bill allows PAs who’ve completed 6,000 working hours under a supervising physician to practice without one.

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Last week, a group of physician assistants across the state rallied at the Statehouse in Columbia calling for legislators to pass a bill that aims to address the growing need for primary care providers in South Carolina. https://t.co/JUzkorpVul

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) March 14, 2023

Our 2023 Diocesan Convention kicks off tomorrow! Join us for the livestream Friday, March 10 at 4 p.m. on Facebook. Please hold Bishop Edgar and all who participate in your prayers. #ADOSC pic.twitter.com/jgjJXNp3iV

— Anglican Diocese of SC (@anglican_sc) March 9, 2023

You may find the Convention schedule there and even more information here.

Christine Osburn Jackson sits at her dining room table and reflects on her life’s work.

At 94, her memory is beginning to fade. The Charleston area civil rights leader looks at the awards that decorate her living room and asks her granddaughter, “Who put all of these plaques on the wall?”

Then, in the same breath, Jackson indicates that she really hasn’t forgotten much at all.

“You know I was the director of the YWCA for 30 years?”

Jackson, the longtime leader of an organization committed to empowering women and eliminating racism, is still inspiring generations through the ongoing racial justice work at the YWCA Greater Charleston.

She is among the last of a generation of women active in the civil rights movement who, though often overlooked by society, helped pushed Charleston closer to its professed ideals of equality, freedom and justice.

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At 94 years old, Christine Jackson is still inspiring generations of women. And yet, some fear the progress made possible by leaders like Jackson is being threatened amid current efforts to limit teaching of African American history.https://t.co/9Rz6xM5fuJ

— The Post and Courier (@postandcourier) March 5, 2023