Hair Salon inCharleston, SC

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Live 5 Weather team declared Sunday a First Alert Weather Day as portions of the state prepare for the possibility of winter weather on Sunday.

Most of the Lowcountry, Live 5 Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh said, will see a lot of rain, but said there is a small chance that light freezing rain could fall at the onset of the storm on Sunday in areas west of I-95 or north of Lake Moultrie, which would include Orangeburg and Williamsburg Counties and even upper Berkeley and Dorchester Counties.

Based on the current track of the system as of Thursday, Walsh said that even if light freezing rain falls, it would quickly change to rain with no accumulation expected.

“Of course, a change in the track of this storm system could shift areas impacted by winter weather,” he said.

Sunday is expected to be very wet with temperatures starting out near 40 degrees and warming into the 50s by late morning or early afternoon. There is also a small chance of a thunderstorm, Sovine said.

It will also turn windy as the storm blows through and wind gusts of up to 50 mph Sunday afternoon and evening are possible.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service predicted the possibility of a wintry mix of snow, sleet ice and rain beginning Saturday evening and into Sunday morning, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said. They expect below-freezing temperatures to last through the start of next week, particularly at night.

Drivers who are traveling into those portions of the state should prepare for winter weather driving.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol urges motorists to check the weather forecast frequently and stay informed before and while traveling because conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

Troopers will be monitoring the roadways for hazardous road conditions during weather events and working with our partners to respond as quickly as possible.

The SCEMD released these winter weather safety precautions:

The official South Carolina Severe Winter Weather Guide contains checklists and tips on how to prepare for a winter storm.

SCEMD Director Kim Stenson is coordinating with all county emergency managers to make sure there are no unmet needs in terms of winter storm response resources.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A free COVID-19 testing company at the center of several state investigations announced its locations would be temporarily closed beginning Friday.

The “pause in all operations,” is expected to be in place until Jan. 21 at all 300 Center for Covid Control locations, including the one on Clements Ferry Road.

Center for Covid Control has come under scrutiny in recent days for its testing practices. The Oregon Department of Justice opened an investigation into the company in addition to several other states.

In a statement released Thursday the company said it would pause operations due to “unusually high patient demand” and to focus on retraining staff.

“Center for Covid Control is committed to serving our patients in the safest, most accurate and mostcompliant manner. Regrettably, due to our rapid growth and the unprecedented recent demand for testing, we haven’t been able to meet all our commitments,” CCC founder and CEO Aleya Siyaj said in a release. “We’ve made this difficult decision to temporarily pause all operations until we are confident that all collection sites are meeting our high standards for quality.”

USA Today reports an internal memo was sent to all “owners and managers” cited “increased scrutiny by the media into the operations of our collection sites” over the past week.

The website claims the company is CDC-approved and partnered with a licensed laboratory named Doctors Clinical Lab. It also links to a Twitter page and Instagram page. The Twitter account is listed as “suspended” and the Instagram page is filled with comments calling the company “fake” and “a scam.”

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control does not have Center for Covid Control listed as an official testing location on its website and said according to DHEC records, the site is not certified by CLIA for South Carolina. We reached out to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, which certifies testing sites and according to a CMS spokesperson Doctors Clinical Lab is certified in Illinois.

DHEC reports the department has not received test results from Center for COVID Control’s Charleston site which has been open for five months. All cases of COVID-19 are required to be reported to DHEC.

“Upon notification of an alleged fraudulent laboratory (Center for COVID Control), DHEC’s CLIA program on Jan. 12 notified CMS of the allegations,” a DHEC spokesperson said. “DHEC is working with CMS to determine next steps based on CMS’s determination of the appropriate response.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – It is likely some parts of South Carolina will see a mix of winter weather over the weekend, and state emergency management officials encourage residents to be prepared.

Forecasters say people living in the upstate and midlands could experience a mix of snow, sleet, or ice beginning Saturday evening and into the day Sunday. Most of the state, like the Lowcountry and Peedee regions, will only see cold rain with a chance for thunderstorms.

Below freezing temperatures are expected to last through the start of next week, particularly during the night in the upstate.

“We are monitoring the possibility of winter storm weather in the Upstate and Midlands region this weekend. Residents in these areas should start monitoring local weather forecasts and prepare safety precautions ahead of this weekend.”

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster

“Motorists need to prepare for winter weather driving before a winter storm hits, especially those living in the Upstate or areas of our state that see more severe winter weather conditions,” said officials from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is urging motorists to check the forecast frequently and stay informed before travel because conditions on the roadways can deteriorate rapidly.

Troopers will be monitoring the roadways for hazardous road conditions.

SCDOT has been proactive in preparing for any possible weather. They are prepared to work around the clock using all available resources to make sure motorists are safe when traveling on roads and bridges if winter weather does impact the Palmetto State.

“We are closely monitoring the forecast for this weekend but rest assured that SCDOT is preparing for a worst-case scenario and will begin pre-treating highways as early as Thursday, Jan. 13,” said Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall.

SCDOT crews will deploy 60,000 tons of salt where needed along with over 525,000 gallons of salt brine and approximately 275,000 gallons of ice-breaking chemicals.

“SCDOT employees work 12-hour shifts of pre-emptive ice treatments, snow plowing, and spreading salt and other materials to achieve safer, improved road conditions,” the department said.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division provided several tips to help residents prepare for any possible winter weather conditions:

There are many reasons why a life sciences business might make the monumental decision to relocate their company’s headquarters or manufacturing base either nationally or internationally. Choosing exactly where to move is a significant challenge that requires extensive research, visits and careful evaluation.

Discover what has made Charleston a thriving life sciences hub. This whitepaper contains the key data decision makers need to understand the full ecosystem, from talent and workforce through research and innovation to logistics and connectivity. A must-read for life sciences enterprises looking to expand or relocate.

by Charleston Regional Development Alliance

This was a challenge that Tom McKenna, chief operating officer at Thorne HealthTech, faced first-hand when he led the company’s relocation some 3,500 miles (5,600km) across the US, from a small town in northern Idaho to one within greater Charleston, South Carolina. Here, he shares his experience of the big move and why he feels the relocation was more than worthwhile.

Can you tell us more about Thorne HealthTech?

Thorne was founded in 1989 as a manufacturer of premium-quality nutritional supplements. We have since created digital health solutions providing diagnostics and analytics to identify unmet nutritional deficiencies and provide world-class wellness and prevention education. Our goal is to help people at all stages of life to live and age more gracefully.

We believe the future of wellness is personal. For the first time in history, with the cutting-edge advancements in sequencing technology, artificial intelligence and nutritional research, we can now efficiently offer personalised approaches to wellness, which were previously reserved for late-stage disease care or academic research. We strive to be the differentiated leader in the wellness industry by deploying our scientifically rigorous approach to supporting personalised health and wellness.

What prompted the move from Idaho and what were you looking for in your new location?

In 2013, we recognised that by 2018 we would be out of capacity at our manufacturing facility. While there was plenty of available land in the area, our decision not to expand locally was based on utility capacity, lack of local labour and challenges in attracting talent, as well as the significant distance from the airport and major roadways.

We first looked at around 1,000 different options across all 50 states. We narrowed it to 100, and I personally visited every one of those over a two-year period. During that time, we were introduced to South Carolina’s then governor of state, [Nikki Haley]. She suggested the Charleston region and we looked at some sites. The place we ended up was a no-brainer compared with all the other options. After two years of trying to find a home, when we finally came to Charleston we thought ‘that’s it’!

The key criteria in our decision-making included a business-friendly environment; a robust, affordable and available talent pool with comparable salaries to Idaho; proximity to the local airport and major transit ways; an appealing area for staff to relocate; and attractive state and local incentives. Charleston ticked all these boxes.

What are the risks during a business relocation and how did you mitigate these?

One risk is losing or damaging a critical asset or transitional requirement among the significant multitude of moving parts. This required detailed, almost military-like planning and execution to move some 2,500 pieces of equipment, furnishings and tens of thousands of inventory items.

To make sure there are no operational disruptions, you also need a certain critical mass of existing staff to move with you, in many cases early, and to stay at least for a while to initiate operations, recruit and train new staff. We worked with Charleston’s economic development organisation called Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA). CRDA helped facilitate and participate in 14 ‘familiarisation’ trips for a total of 140 employees and nearly 300 persons. We would kick the trip off with a seminar on the area and the community, led by CRDA. We would then hop on a bus and CRDA would take us on a three-hour tour around different neighbourhoods and areas, down to the beach and out for a barbeque.

It was very informal and almost familial, and to their credit they showed up 14 times to do these things, each time with welcome bags. CRDA was very helpful in getting folks to see the value of the local community. In fact, CRDA was critical in helping us convince 40% of our Idaho-based staff to relocate to South Carolina. When we got here, they were very helpful on the hiring side too.

What attracted your employees to the Charleston region?

What the greater Charleston area provides is a culture that is perhaps not a lot different from the Pacific Northwest. Our employees love to be in the outdoors – they love to hunt, fish, camp and hike. You can do all those things that you could do in Idaho here in Charleston. The big difference is that instead of doing those things in a short window in the summer, in Charleston you can enjoy them for 12 months of the year, thanks to the climate.

The ocean was another big attraction for folks, as was the proximity to multiple downtowns. In Idaho, the closest city was a two-hour drive away. Here, you can generally be in downtown Charleston in 30 minutes or less, depending on where you live. At the same time, it is not a huge metropolitan area like New York City, Philadelphia or Washington DC, for example.

Are there any ways Thorne HealthTech is more competitive with operations in Charleston?

We are now able to attract more diversified and talented staff, in greater numbers. The proximity to the airport and interstate highway transit has greatly reduced our freight costs and improved our supply chain management and timelines. When we wanted to ship and receive materials in northern Idaho, the largest interstate was an hour away. Here, it is just blocks away.

Our new facility and others we are now expanding into have materially improved our productivity and lowered the cost of operations. We now produce more items in-house and have greater control over our supply, and as a result have dramatically reduced our order fulfilment timelines, which are now comparable to Amazon. We continue to feel we made the right decision in our move to Charleston.

Discover why global life sciences businesses are choosing this thriving region. Download the white paper ‘Charleston, USA: A life sciences hub’ here.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Solicitor Scarlett Wilson and Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano have released statements on Jamal Sutherland.

This comes after prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump held a press conference on Thursday saying that he and the family of Jamal Sutherland plan to explore “every possible legal remedy” to get justice in Sutherland’s January 2021 death at the Al Cannon Detention Center.

Crump and Sutherland’s family, joined by family members of other Black men whose families have fought for justice in high-profile incidents, spoke outside the office of Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson in downtown Charleston.

Solicitor Scarlett Wilson released the following statement on Thursday night.

On July 26, 2021, I released a comprehensive report that explained my rationale for declining to prosecute the Charleston County Sheriff’s deputies involved in Jamal Sutherland’s death. The report can be found here: https://www.scsolicitor9.org/news/2021/saw- report-final-sutherland-death-investigation-07262021.pdf .

During the investigation of Jamal’s death I continually met with his family. On July 26, when I met with Mrs. Sutherland, the family’s attorneys, and our expert to brief her on my decision, it became apparent from her reaction and pejorative response that Mrs. Sutherland could no longer have a rational conversation with me or my office. We have not spoken since as I respected her wishes. When a family representative contacted me in early December 2021 to request a meeting, I let them know that I believe a meeting would not be productive and would likely lead to the family’s false hope as I stand firm in my decision. I encouraged them to seek a review. I appreciate the Sutherlands’ perseverance and respect their resolve. After today’s event, I am more convinced that a meeting would not be in anyone’s best interest.

I provided my report to the public at large, to the Department of Justice, and to our state Attorney General. While I stand by my decision, I welcome the review of other prosecutors.

Sheriff Kristin Graziano also released the following statement on Thursday afternoon.

Jamal Sutherland’s death was a tragedy. It should not have happened. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones as they continue to grieve. The Sheriff’s Office has taken steps to prevent similar tragedies by revising policies and enacting new systems.

In a change made immediately after Mr. Sutherland’s death, residents of the Detention Center are no longer forced to attend bond hearings; they may waive their appearance without having to do so in front of a judge. Residents also can use electronic devices to attend bond hearings remotely from their housing units.

Policies also direct all detention deputies to de-escalate and disengage whenever possible after a resident becomes uncooperative or combative. They have a duty to intervene if they see other deputies violating policy.

Under a new system, people who arrive at the Detention Center amid a mental health crisis will be evaluated by a mobile crisis unit before being booked into the facility. If necessary, they will be transported to a hospital for stabilization.

We continuously evaluate our policies and procedures and seek input from external stakeholders for ways to better serve the community.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.