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It all started with Katie, a Charlotte Latin high school student. On March 17, Katie's father, a doctor, complained about a shortage of face masks at his hospital. Katie then reached out to Tom Dubick, the Engineering Educator at Charlotte Latin, to see if it was possible for them to create something to assist. Tom Dubick decided to take on the challenge and thus, Charlotte MEDI was born. "What we did is we started first working on a mask that goes up close to your face and a shield. Talking to the doctors, we pivoted pretty quickly to 'Hey, we can make shields. We can make them and we can...

The exact numbers keep changing, but the percentages have remained relatively steady. And they show that African-Americans are South Carolina’s most disproportionately affected group when it comes to COVID-19 cases and deaths. But they also show that men and women overall are disproportionally affected (though less so than African-Americans), in two different ways. The Numbers The U.S. Census Bureau identifies 27.1 percent of South Carolina’s population as black. Meanwhile, the latest report from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control shows that 36 percent of...

On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for April 25, 2020, we take you to the first meeting of Accelerate SC, Gov. Henry McMaster's COVID-19 taskforce aimed at jumpstarting the economy. We also speak to protesters calling for the governor to reopen the state this week, learn how the state's prisons are dealing with the pandemic, and more. The South Carolina Lede is here to keep you up to date on important news as the Palmetto State faces the COVID-19 virus. There is so much news out there right now it’s overwhelming. This podcast is for you to get information that matters to you, your...

Everyone is taking extra precautions to avoid the risk of getting the coronavirus and its resulting disease, COVID-19. But one group of people seems especially fearful of getting the virus: expectant mothers. Dr. Stephanie Berg, a Prisma Health psychiatrist who treats pregnant and post-partum mothers with depression and anxiety, said pregnancy and anxiety go hand in hand, but now she's seeing normal nerves shift into concern about getting the coronavirus. "Women are tending to worry about the virus, the isolation with delivery and the isolation post-partum, the financial impact. We are...

So far, South Carolina’s correctional system has managed to duck the high infection rates plaguing prisons in states like Ohio and Mississippi. According to Bryan Stirling, director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, 35 of the department's nearly 5,000 staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus. Three of those work at Kirkland Correctional Institution, where a 69-year-old inmate with pre-existing health conditions, has tested positive. As of this report, the inmate is in the hospital and is the sole positive among the inmate population in the state. SCDC also has had...

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced this week that some retail businesses in the state are being allowed to re-open. McMaster hopes the loosening of restrictions on certain retail businesses will re-ignite the state’s economy which prior to start of the pandemic was booming. With thousands of businesses closed, and thousands of people out of work business transactions have slowed tremendously. As a result, anticipated tax revenues for local and state government are expected to drop dramatically.

On this episode of the South Carolina Lede for April 23, 2020, we head to the coast to see how cities are handling the reopening of beaches after local governments were given the ability to lift bans this week. We also break down annoucements by Gov. Henry McMaster and Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman that schools will remain closed for the rest of this academic year. Plus, your voicemails and more! The South Carolina Lede is here to keep you up to date on important news as the Palmetto State faces the COVID-19 virus. There is so much news out there right now it’s overwhelming. This...

Word that a Smithfield pork processing plant in South Dakota, where 5 percent of the nation's pork is processed, sent ripples across the U.S. food industry. It didn't help that just a few days later, another Smithfield plant – this one much closer to home, in Tar Heel, North Carolina – shuttered after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The closures prompted a far-reaching question: How secure is the food supply? Dr. Adam Kantrovich, an associate professor of agribusiness at Clemson University, says there is plenty of food available in South Carolina and it will likely stay that way...

UPDATE as of Noon EDT Thursday: The Enhanced Risk has lessened across the Palmetto State for Thursday with most of the heavy activity expected to be in the southeast part of the state. A Slight Risk (risk level 2 out of 5) is in place for eastern parts of the Midlands and out towards the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. On Thursday morning a powerful low pressure system was moving through the central Gulf Coast states producing strong to severe thunderstorms. This low pressure will continue to move eastward Thursday and into the overnight Friday. Thursday early afternoon will see breezy and...

South Carolina's beaches now have Gov. Henry McMaster's approval to reopen, after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as the governor's executive order took effect Tuesday, some of the state's most popular beaches opted to stay closed and others reopened, creating a hopscotch pattern of differing polices. "I've restored public beach access, allowing locals to use their discretion," McMaster announced on Monday, saying his decision was informed by the latest projections that showed the disease's worst effects might have already peaked in his state. McMaster had ordered all the state's...