Mortgage Broker in Charleston, SC

If you’ve ever gone to a show at Charleston’s longest-running improv comedy theater, Theatre 99, you’ve surely seen the hilarious Greg Tavares on stage. He’s the theater’s co-founder and artistic director, along with Brandy Sullivan since 2001.

But it might surprise you to know he got into comedy in a roundabout way — he started out as a playwright.

“I thought I would be a writer, actually,” Tavares said. “And then I ended up dedicating my life to improv.”

In 2012, he returned to his first love of writing and released Improv for Everyone, a step-by-step guide on improv comedy after 30 years performing and teaching.

“So that’s when I switched from being a fiction writer to a nonfiction writer, if you will.”

He went on to self-publish another book in 2019 about a near-death experience he had while on vacation with his wife.

“When you self-publish a book, you realize it’s this whole new world where the keys to the castle are no longer,” he said. “There are no more gatekeepers when it comes to creating content anymore. If your goal is to put your idea to the world into a place where anybody in the world can find it, self-publishing is a great way to do that.”

This month, he released his latest book, Daddy Issues: How to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Dad. Tavares said he wrote this book to open the conversation about the trials and tribulations of fatherhood, but as you might expect if you’ve seen him perform, the book is funny and blunt. Lessons in the book include “what not to say when her water breaks” and “when to convert your man cave into the baby’s room.”

“It’s not really a memoir, or my story,” he said. “It’s more like a comedy how-to advice book for guys who don’t want to be dads. It’s like, here’s what you need to do, buddy, if you want to lose your reluctance.”

The reason he was reluctant to become a parent, Tavares said, had a lot to do with his identity as an artist.

“I was selfish. First, I really liked being the most important thing to me. I don’t want to stereotype artists at all — there are a million different kinds of artists — but reducing the center of being an artist is listening to yourself, feeling your own inspirations. And I loved dedicating my life to my own self-expression.”

When he had his first son 11 years ago, he started keeping a journal to document “the profound dissonance between what I thought my life would be and what my life was,” he said.

“I wrote this book because I wanted other men who never wanted kids to know they are not alone. There are other guys out there who feel the same way I did, but eventually, even if you are reluctant, you can learn to love being a dad.

“Fatherhood can really suck,” he said. “But it’s also the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I wanted to write a book that would look at becoming a dad in a funny way, but also give men hope that they can be great dads even if they never thought they wanted kids.”

Daddy Issues: How to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Dad is available to purchase on Amazon.

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The South Carolina State Ports Authority is asking the highest court in the nation to review a ruling from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina State Ports Authority is asking the highest court in the nation to review a ruling from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that requires union workers to fill crane jobs at the Hugh Leatherman Terminal.

That ruling went in favor of the International Longshoremen’s Union and its master contract with the shipping companies, affirming the union’s right to the jobs and the companies’ requirement to boycott the new port.

For years, the ILA union held master contracts with major shipping companies along the coast and those contracts are updated over time. The most recent contract states that at any newly-opened port, unless all the jobs from the ship to the gate are performed by union members, the shipping companies will not use the new port. That’s what’s been happening at the Hugh Leatherman terminal since it opened.

The ruling from the appellate court upheld a 2022 ruling from the National Labor Relations Board deciding that only union members can work on equipment at the terminal.

State officials have said their working model benefits all employees. However, the dockworkers’ union has claimed a contract with the United States Maritime Alliance requires that only members of the International Longshoremen’s Association may operate the cranes at newly constructed terminals. State Ports Authority employees had been carrying out such work.

Shipping line containers subsequently called off. The South Carolina State Ports Authority viewed the move as an illegal strong-arm tactic to grab new lines of work and argued a solely unionized staff would increase operational costs. The state favored a narrow definition of the jobs entitled to ILA members that excluded “lift-equipment jobs” like cranes operation.

The SPA said the court’s decision “eviscerates the [National Labor Relations Act’s] secondary-boycott prohibition.”

“This Court has held that secondary boycotts are prohibited due to their ‘significant adverse effects on the market and on consumers,’” court documents state.

The port argues the decision leaves the $1.5 million terminal mostly unused because U.S. Maritime Association carriers will not come to Leatherman for fear of lawsuits from the ILA.

SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin called the terminal a significant asset for port business in South Carolina.

“The terminal has been sitting mostly unused for two years after the union sued our ocean carrier customers to dissuade them from using the terminal,” Melvin said. “Ocean carriers transport goods for U.S. importers and exporters, who benefit from our operational excellence. The union’s intent is to displace our operators with union members.”

Melvin said the decision was a matter of “national importance” because of its impact on the hybrid model implemented by the state.

“SC Ports has always operated under a hybrid model, with SC Ports teammates and ILA members working side-by-side to provide reliable, efficient port service,” Melvin said. “Our longstanding hybrid operating model works well, and we want to maintain it for the benefit of our customers, maritime community and state.”

ILA Global Organizer Kenny Riley released the following statement in response to the brief:

“It is unfortunate that the Port Authority supported by the Governor would rather prolong the idleness of a terminal that has cost the taxpayers of this state over $1.5 billions dollars with zero return on their investment for the sole purpose of discriminating against other tax paying citizens of this state who decided to exercise their rights under the state’s Right-To-Work laws and join a union. The public should be aware that this union has operated in this port since it was charted by this state’s General Assembly in 1868. We made the port of Charleston what it is today. We expected that the SPA would file an appeal and we are well prepared to defend our position should the Supreme Court decides to hear the case.

‘We strongly believe in our position and we are not alone. Our position is supported by the NLRB and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. Instead of discriminating against the ILA, their time would be better spent trying to figure out why Savannah is so far ahead of Charleston and continues to expand their lead every single day. The only way we can compete with Savannah would be to change our model and allow for some privatization. Along with privatization would come the resources necessary to grow the port.”

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District Superintendent released a statement following the Board of Trustees’ decision to place him on administrative leave.

Dr. Eric Gallien was placed on paid administrative leave in a 5-4 vote during the Charleston County School District Board of Trustees meeting Monday night.

The vote was carried out by Carlotte Bailey, Edward Kelly, Keith Grybowski, Leah Whatley and Pamela McKinney, all of whom are endorsed by Moms for Liberty.

The reason behind the investigation or the administrative leave has not been provided.

Gallien released the following statement regarding the board’s decision:

From the day I arrived in Charleston County with my family and began proudly serving as your Superintendent, we have been deeply moved by your warm embrace, energized spirit, and sincere sense of family that made us feel instantly at home.

Therefore, after the board’s decision on Monday, it came as no surprise we would experience such overwhelming support from our scholars, families, staff, and the community. Words cannot express how grateful I am for your countless messages of encouragement, commitment, and hope.

Our scholars - you must always hold dear the fact that CCSD belongs to you, it is your school district. You are what is most important to all of us. My absence will not diminish my unwavering dedication to each of you, nor our work to ensure your education is a tool of empowerment to shape your future, reach your dreams, and positively impact the world around you. Stay focused on your studies, explore your passions, embrace curiosity, and seize the many opportunities that lie before you.

Our staff, families, and community - throughout my entire career, have come to realize change is always happening, and it is never easy. Although recent events have raised questions and concerns, we must continue to respect the investigative process, and believe in our board’s commitment to CCSD’s stated value, of “Integrity - honoring truthfulness, fairness and transparency.” When grounded in this value, the investigative process can be a journey of learning and improvement for all of us.

Lastly, it was you, the Charleston County community who through your engagement in the superintendent hiring process, created the candidate profile that would ultimately provide me the opportunity to proudly serve you in this capacity, and I am grateful for your partnership. I remain confident this process will make us stronger as together we continue our selfless support of scholars and each other, and emerge better as a result.

RELATED: ‘We need answers’: Concerns raised over Charleston Co. school superintendent’s suspension

Gallien’s contract began on July 1, when he became the highest-paid employee in the Charleston County School District’s history with a salary of $275,000.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

There's a wealth of opportunities for imbibing in Charleston, but where to find the latest and greatest? The newest and hottest? Here's an updated Cocktail Heatmap of places to visit for a down a few as soon as happy hour hits. While this map focuses on restaurants and bars that have opened within the past year, we've also included some older establishments undergoing a new heatwave thanks to recent changes to their cocktail menus or bar program.

We've also included some newer wine and beer bars for those not in need of a super stiff drink. Go out and try somewhere new this week — perhaps you'll find a new favorite libation or bartender in town.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Entrepreneur Taylor Grant moved his Hanover Street dive, Palace Hotel, to a new spot on Meeting Street. The updated address has all the features of the previous space: funky decor, cold beer, innovative hotdogs, and frequent visits from Southern Charm star Shep Rose.

The owners of pizza place D’Allesandro’s and dive bar Cutty’s have a new metal music bar on King Street. Ben and Nick D’Allesandro put former Cutty’s manager Sarah Griffith in charge of the space, and she created Sugey’s — the only bar in Charleston dedicated to heavy metal bands, ’80s horror films, and tiki drinks.

Entrepreneur Chris “Boston” DiMattia (Recovery Room and Bangkok Lounge) has another dive bar in his portfolio with the opening of Lucky Luchador. It’s an Irish pub mixed with a Mexican cantina. Expect whiskey, tequila, tacos, quesadillas, tequila, and chicken fingers. Only open a few weeks, the East Side addition already feels lived in.

King Street restaurant Stars has rebranded its rooftop as a 1960s-style spot Satellite Bar. There’s still views of Charleston, but now there are also frozen cocktails like the Urban Spaceman with Campari, lime, and pineapple.

The former dance club Mynt is now dive bar Frontier Lounge. Modeled after funky bars in the 1970s, Frontier has wood paneling, linoleum tiles, an old dad couch, and plenty of kitschy paraphernalia.

The cocktail menu at Ma’am Saab draws from the traditional flavors of Pakistan and is very unique, because each drink can be made without alcohol or with the addition of delta-9 THC, without losing the original taste of the libation. Co-owner Raheel Gauba says they wanted to pay respect to Muslim culture by having a wealth of non-alcoholic options on the list.

The group behind the Emeline Hotel and Italian restaurant Frannie & the Fox recently opened the intimate (and slightly hidden) bar the Den. The space seats 30 and focuses on martinis, caviar, and Italian snacks. Seasonal flavors like a tomato martini share the menu with a classic martini service featuring various liquor and vermouth choices.

The new French Quarter establishment the Habit is billed as a “multi-tiered entertainment experience.” The first floor holds the main dining and a large bar; there’s another bar and a lounge area for live entertainment on the second floor; and the third floor holds a rooftop bar that overlooks the harbor. The bars are fully stocked with beer, wine, and liquors and offer signature drinks like the Ain’t Misbehavin’ which is a dirty martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Executive chef Dominic Chantepie, son/beverage director Mathis Chantepie, and general manager Benjamin Boisson opened European restaurant Azur to bring the flavors of France, Italy, and Spain to downtown Charleston. There’s a long bar inside, but the patio is a quaint spot to sip a glass of albarino when the weather is nice or order an espresso martini to end a meal.

The Palmetto Hotel opened with a posh Lowcountry look and introduced a new lobby bar to East Bay Street. The space offers snacks like Callie’s pimento cheese, charcuterie boards, and caviar to go with fun cocktails like the rum-based Lowcountry Sunrise or the violet-hued Wisteria Fizz.

Charleston-based Beemok Hospitality Collection (owners of the Charleston Place hotel) and chef Michael Mina’s Mina Group opened Italian restaurant and market Sorelle, and it comes with a stunning bar space full of plush velvet, marble, fresh flowers, and opulence. The menu focuses on Italian wines and amaros. The room is for walk-ins and serves the full dinner menu.

Food and beverage vets Danielle and Brent Sweatman recently opened Sweatman’s Garden in the South Windermere Shopping Center with fancy sodas, a full bar, and fondue. All of the sodas are nonalcoholic, but for an extra $5, the bartenders can add the customer’s choice of house liquor or a cannabis-based infusion.

Want to experience the buzz of a bar without the booze? The group behind High Rise Beverage Company, makers of hemp-derived CBD and THC seltzers, set up the High Rise Dry Bar to showcase cannabis-infused nonalcoholic cocktails. For example, the Invigorate is made with turmeric, carrot, mango, and coconut shrub, topped with the drinker’s choice of High Rise CBD or delta-9 seltzers. Drinks can also be made without CBD or THC.

Entrepreneur Taylor Grant moved his Hanover Street dive, Palace Hotel, to a new spot on Meeting Street. The updated address has all the features of the previous space: funky decor, cold beer, innovative hotdogs, and frequent visits from Southern Charm star Shep Rose.

The owners of pizza place D’Allesandro’s and dive bar Cutty’s have a new metal music bar on King Street. Ben and Nick D’Allesandro put former Cutty’s manager Sarah Griffith in charge of the space, and she created Sugey’s — the only bar in Charleston dedicated to heavy metal bands, ’80s horror films, and tiki drinks.

Entrepreneur Chris “Boston” DiMattia (Recovery Room and Bangkok Lounge) has another dive bar in his portfolio with the opening of Lucky Luchador. It’s an Irish pub mixed with a Mexican cantina. Expect whiskey, tequila, tacos, quesadillas, tequila, and chicken fingers. Only open a few weeks, the East Side addition already feels lived in.

King Street restaurant Stars has rebranded its rooftop as a 1960s-style spot Satellite Bar. There’s still views of Charleston, but now there are also frozen cocktails like the Urban Spaceman with Campari, lime, and pineapple.

The former dance club Mynt is now dive bar Frontier Lounge. Modeled after funky bars in the 1970s, Frontier has wood paneling, linoleum tiles, an old dad couch, and plenty of kitschy paraphernalia.

The cocktail menu at Ma’am Saab draws from the traditional flavors of Pakistan and is very unique, because each drink can be made without alcohol or with the addition of delta-9 THC, without losing the original taste of the libation. Co-owner Raheel Gauba says they wanted to pay respect to Muslim culture by having a wealth of non-alcoholic options on the list.

The group behind the Emeline Hotel and Italian restaurant Frannie & the Fox recently opened the intimate (and slightly hidden) bar the Den. The space seats 30 and focuses on martinis, caviar, and Italian snacks. Seasonal flavors like a tomato martini share the menu with a classic martini service featuring various liquor and vermouth choices.

The new French Quarter establishment the Habit is billed as a “multi-tiered entertainment experience.” The first floor holds the main dining and a large bar; there’s another bar and a lounge area for live entertainment on the second floor; and the third floor holds a rooftop bar that overlooks the harbor. The bars are fully stocked with beer, wine, and liquors and offer signature drinks like the Ain’t Misbehavin’ which is a dirty martini with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Executive chef Dominic Chantepie, son/beverage director Mathis Chantepie, and general manager Benjamin Boisson opened European restaurant Azur to bring the flavors of France, Italy, and Spain to downtown Charleston. There’s a long bar inside, but the patio is a quaint spot to sip a glass of albarino when the weather is nice or order an espresso martini to end a meal.

The Palmetto Hotel opened with a posh Lowcountry look and introduced a new lobby bar to East Bay Street. The space offers snacks like Callie’s pimento cheese, charcuterie boards, and caviar to go with fun cocktails like the rum-based Lowcountry Sunrise or the violet-hued Wisteria Fizz.

Charleston-based Beemok Hospitality Collection (owners of the Charleston Place hotel) and chef Michael Mina’s Mina Group opened Italian restaurant and market Sorelle, and it comes with a stunning bar space full of plush velvet, marble, fresh flowers, and opulence. The menu focuses on Italian wines and amaros. The room is for walk-ins and serves the full dinner menu.

Food and beverage vets Danielle and Brent Sweatman recently opened Sweatman’s Garden in the South Windermere Shopping Center with fancy sodas, a full bar, and fondue. All of the sodas are nonalcoholic, but for an extra $5, the bartenders can add the customer’s choice of house liquor or a cannabis-based infusion.

Want to experience the buzz of a bar without the booze? The group behind High Rise Beverage Company, makers of hemp-derived CBD and THC seltzers, set up the High Rise Dry Bar to showcase cannabis-infused nonalcoholic cocktails. For example, the Invigorate is made with turmeric, carrot, mango, and coconut shrub, topped with the drinker’s choice of High Rise CBD or delta-9 seltzers. Drinks can also be made without CBD or THC.

It’s not all doom and gloom for local newspapers, especially in Charleston, S.C.

The Post and Courier, one of America’s oldest papers, is growing its newsroom, boosting investigative journalism and planning to keep on printing seven days a week.

While it has some special advantages, including a wealthy market and family ownership committed to public service, the newspaper’s bold and creative management gives hope that other papers can succeed with the right formula.

“Charleston shows us newspapers have a second and third life,” said Penelope Muse Abernathy, visiting professor at Northwestern University, who led research documenting America’s news deserts.

Publisher PJ Browning earlier this month was named executive of the year by the Miami-based Inter American Press Association, a group of more than 1,300 publications in the Western Hemisphere.

The award recognized Browning “for engaging the community through donations to her newsroom, enabling her to support the investigative team in uncovering corruption.”

More than $1 million was raised, supporting the paper’s Education Lab and a collaborative program in which the paper supports investigative work at other news outlets across the state.

Abernathy said it’s “extraordinary and quite inspiring” that The Post and Courier uses its resources to benefit other outlets.

Browning told me she wanted to be a First Amendment attorney but started working in newspapers in college. She now has 40 years in the business, mostly in advertising at chains.

For the last decade she’s worked at The Post and Courier, a paper dating to 1803. The family owners restructured the company in 2021, splitting off book publishing and forestry businesses, while investing in the newspaper publishing operations.

Investments include a new press facility that opened in 2022 and new digital news bureaus created over the last three years to cover smaller cities.

“We try to come in and pick up the pieces where there’s a news desert forming,” Browning said, or markets where there’s a void because the local paper was thinned out.

The Post and Courier employs 114 news people, including roughly 50 added since 2020 as it staffed up and expanded into five new markets.

A turning point came when the pandemic hit and readership grew. Browning said they realized “we need to start growing the brand, we need to start growing digital subscriptions.”

“We went to our board and we said it’s kind of the time to go big or go home,” she said. “We need to not retreat, we need to put resources into the ground.”

In early 2021 the paper began a fundraising campaign to raise $100,000 in 100 days. It explained to readers that was necessary because newspaper business models were disrupted and advertising that used to support journalism is now flowing to tech giants.

The paper simultaneously demonstrated why it’s important to support local news, by launching collaborative investigations into corruption flourishing amid the state’s weak ethics laws and hollowed-out news ecosystem.

“The stakes are high,” the opening story explained. “Corruption could surge as so-called news deserts expand and federal and state prosecutors back off. Without scrutiny, we simply won’t know what our local leaders are doing, especially when it comes to those islands of government that have long operated in darkness.”

Readers responded by donating nearly $500,000 in less than 100 days, and continued to give in subsequent fundraisers.

The “Uncovered” project also generated more than 70 stories prompting at least 10 state investigations and audits. That’s according to a report in June, when the paper’s work and survival were highlighted by a special Ted Koppel report on CBS News.

Browning said the key was being transparent and upfront with readers about why support was needed and how it would be used. It also helped that she listens intently to subscribers and industry peers sharing ideas as they try to survive.

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“I’ve learned to be brutally honest,” she said, relating how she’ll take calls from readers upset about rate increases and explain the business cost pressures.

Browning’s also brutally honest about how the newspaper industry is alienating loyal subscribers by reducing days they print and shifting to slower mail delivery.

“I do think we are pushing them away. The more we push them away, then we shouldn’t be surprised our business model isn’t working,” she said.

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The Post and Courier is investing in digital news and aiming to grow digital subscribers from 22,000 to 48,000 as it expands into new markets.

But print, with around 25,000 subscribers and 4,500 to 5,000 single-copy sales, will remain the base of its business model.

“It’s not in any of our planning to reduce days of the week, it’s not even talked about,” she said.

This also makes The Post and Courier a rarity in a time when most daily newspapers are cutting print frequency as they stake their future online and look for ways to cut costs.

Browning said online and print are different audiences and print is “a strong, good audience” and “it’s just as important to keep them as informed as it is the digital people.”

She’s also a “true believer” in consistency.

“If we do away with a day and we’re inconsistent with the news of that day, and we think people are going to go online — they won’t, and they’re going to learn to live without that news,” she said.

To a daily newspaper fan, Charleston sounds better and better.

Less clear is whether this model, elements of it or Browning’s leadership can be replicated in the thousands of other communities that have little to no local news anymore.

But The Post and Courier’s success shows that with local support, committed ownership and an infusion of capital from owners, philanthropy or government, there’s potential for newspapers to reinvent themselves and thrive again.

Brier Dudley on Twitter: @BrierDudley. is editor of The Seattle Times Save the Free Press Initiative. Its weekly newsletter: https://st.news/FreePressNewsletter. Reach him at bdudley@seattletimes.com