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Why did The Post and Courier just send two journalists 5,000 miles away to Africa? For a story about where our worst hurricanes are born. West Africa is a hurricane nursery, the place where Hugo in 1989 was born. And dust blowing off the Sahara often determines whether a hurricane lives or dies.

This bonus episode of Understand SC is a recording of the Post and Courier's latest Beyond the Headlines event. Senior projects reporter Tony Bartelme and photojournalist Andrew Whitaker discuss their trip and interviews with leading West African scientists and more. Moderated by Watchdog & Public Service Editor Glenn Smith.

Read the story at postandcourier.com/SaharaStory

This story was made possible with generous support from the Pulitzer Center.

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In a city like Charleston, where dining is a key element of its identity, how restaurants are doing is important.

We know that 2020 was a devastating year for local restaurants. 2021 — year two of the COVID-19 pandemic — brought its own challenges, even when diners returned. Restaurant owners have had to contend with staff shortages, supply chain difficulties, construction delays and price increases that made operating a daily struggle.

Despite those challenges, many Charleston restaurant owners say they’re optimistic about the year ahead.

This week on the podcast, you'll hear from two of them.

Maryam Ghaznavi and Raheel Gauba are owners of Ma’am Saab, which will be opening soon in downtown Charleston, and Malika in Mount Pleasant.

The husband-and-wife entrepreneurs have grown their business from scratch during the pandemic.

After launching Pakistani pop-up Ma’am Saab as a meal delivery service during the pandemic, they landed a stall in the now-closed food court Workshop. Last year, they announced plans to open a Ma’am Saab brick-and-mortar location in downtown Charleston. Not long after, they debuted another restaurant, Malika, in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre.

They spoke with food and dining editor Parker Milner about their experiences as restaurant owners during the pandemic, the desire and appreciation for new cuisine in Charleston and hopes for the future of the city's food scene.

This episode originally published Jan. 20, 2022.

Related coverage:

Charleston chefs predict dining trends, suggest industry changes for 2022
Staff shortages persist at SC restaurants as COVID surges. Some owners see a path forward.
Pakistani restaurant to begin revamping former Jestine’s Kitchen; furniture shop to relocate
Malika in Mount Pleasant now open offering Pakistani-canteen style comfort food

Check out Malika's website, Instagram and Facebook.

Details about Ma'am Saab can be found on its website, Instagram and Facebook.

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Tim Scott has decided to launch a White House bid. He'll make the official announcement on May 22 at his alma mater Charleston Southern University.

In this Undertsand SC pop up episode, political editor Schuyler Kropf and senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd discuss Tim Scotts political journey and what lies ahead as he campaigns for the presidency.

More from this project:

Photo essay: Connecting Charleston and Greenland
Photos: Daily life in Greenland
Video: The Greenland Connection

The Greenland Connection was part of the Pulitzer Center’s nationwide Connected Coastlines project and also received support from The Fund for Investigative Journalism.

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This week on the podcast, Dr. Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center for Global Health, is back to answer our questions about the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina.

The last time Sweat joined us on the podcast, the omicron variant of the coronavirus was just emerging. What followed was a major wave of coronavirus cases when omicron became the dominant variant in South Carolina and across the U.S.

A lot has changed since then. Transmission of the virus is low now.

But, while things have improved, the pandemic isn’t over, and there are still big questions, like whether there will be another surge in cases, and, if there is, how we’ll know when it’s coming.

So, this week, Sweat offered some insight on the state of the pandemic right now in South Carolina, including the recent closing of all the state health agency’s mass COVID-19 testing sites and the state’s below average vaccination rate.

This episode was hosted and produced by Emily Williams.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

More coverage:

Experts weigh SC’s new COVID-19 surveillance systems as DHEC closes public testing sites
DHEC updates COVID-19 guidance, reduces testing sites and mask wearing
SC’s doctor discipline board silent as COVID-19 misinformation debate rages

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It's no secret that the Charleston area is a popular place to live. About 33 people are moving to the region a day.

Maybe you’re one of those people. Maybe you moved here in the last few years — or, you’re thinking about moving here soon.

This week, we're sharing some advice from our newsroom for people who are new to the Charleston area, with help from digital editor Matt Clough, who just launched Holy City How-To, a six-part newsletter course that's a kind of primer on the Charleston region.

We also got some help from other members of our newsroom, who shared a few favorites or bits of advice, whether that's the best place to see live music acts in town or why you shouldn't wade into floodwaters downtown.

What are some of your favorites in the Charleston area? Let us know by emailing us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

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The University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team started this season ranked No. 1.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when the team beat Creighton on Sunday, securing their place in the Final Four.

But, as the team would say, they still have work to do.

They came into this season with a goal of winning a national championship. To get there, they’ll have to win two more games this weekend in Minneapolis.

This week, we're talking about this team and what's made them No. 1 in the country. David Clonginger, who covers Gamecock sports for The Post and Courier, breaks it all down for us.

More coverage:

Gamecocks’ Aliyah Boston named Naismith National Player of the Year; Staley voted top coach
Gamecocks finding NCAA Tournament wins from up and down their lineup
South Carolina crushes Creighton, advances to second straight Final Four
No. 1 Gamecocks’ march to hopeful 2nd national championship begins
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks achieve another 1st as they eye 2nd national title
USC makes Dawn Staley one of the nation’s highest-paid women’s basketball coaches

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If you live in or around Charleston, you know how expensive it’s become to live here. It’s not hard to understand why there’s a need for more affordable housing in the city.

So, it caught a lot of people’s attention when the Charleston Housing Authority announced that year what will be the biggest public housing initiative in its history. The authority will be renovating or replacing all of its about 1,400 public housing units.

With this overhaul, no low-income housing will be lost, more affordable apartments will be added to the city, the housing authority has said.

This project will happen over the span of multiple years, so there are still a lot of questions ahead about which units will be renovated and which will be replaced and exactly how many affordable apartments can be added as part of those projects.

Art Milligan, CEO of the Charleston Housing Authority explains this major overhaul and what it means for residents and the city.

More coverage:

All public housing in Charleston to be replaced or renovated in sweeping initiative
Charleston OKs zoning change for first public housing rebuild in citywide plan
More than 400 affordable apartments are coming to the Charleston peninsula

This episode was hosted and produced by Emily Williams.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

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In 2020, one of the world’s largest car battery makers filed for bankruptcy and gave up its former plant in Greer, S.C.

While there’s little left of the old plant, there’s an invisible legacy it left behind.

To make its batteries, the company used lead, an element that can wreak havoc on the human body.

Inside the plant, employees were exposed to levels of lead well above the federal limit, records showed. Lead seeped into the soil and around the plant and, at times, clouds of lead dust would flow into the air, toward nearby neighborhoods.

Reporter Stephen Hobbs shares what he learned about this plant's toxic legacy through dozens of interviewers with former workers and people who lived near the plant and a review of more than 10,000 pages of records. Tammy Winkler, a former employee at the plant, recalls her experience.

Read the fully story: A car battery maker gave up the site of a old SC plant, leaving behind a toxic legacy

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and features Post and Courier reporter Stephen Hobbs.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

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Morgan Island, a remote spot out in South Carolina's ACE Basin, has some unusual inhabitants: 3,500 rhesus monkeys.

That's where one of the latest installments of The Post and Courier's Uncovered series about corruption and questionable conduct begins. Reporters Tony Bartelme and Shamira McCray explain how the South Carolina Department of Resources came to rely on millions of dollars in rent from a private company it regulates.

It's a story about monkeys, blood and money.

Read the investigation: SC agency rakes in millions from pharma company it regulates

Check out the rest of our Uncovered series.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and features Post and Courier reporters Shamira McCray and Tony Bartelme.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

Want to support the show? The best way you can support this podcast is by becoming a subscriber. Learn more at postandcourier.com/subscribe.

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As Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukraine continues, people around the world have shown solidarity for the Ukrainian people.

That's been true in South Carolina, too.

In the last week, Ukrainians and their supporters gathered in Falls Park in Greenville and held a prayer service was at a Ukrainian church in Spartanburg. A small group held a vigil outside the S.C. Statehouse in Columbia, and the SkyWheel in Myrtle Beach was lit blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. On Wednesday, Charleston-area residents rallied for peace outside City Hall, also illuminated with blue and yellow lights.

This week, Post and Courier Greenville editor Ryan Gilchrest and reporter Nathaniel Cary share what's being done in the Upstate, and Marina Butenko, who moved from Ukraine to Greenville in 2016, shares her experience of watching the conflict from afar and what she's doing to help.

This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and featured Ryan Gilchrest, managing editor for The Post and Courier Greenville, Nathaniel Cary, reporter for The Post and Courier Greenville and Marina Butenko of Greenville.

Find Butenko's website of resources at ukrainiansinsc.com.

The music featured at the end of the episode is a recording by Gavin McIntyre of cellist Natalia Khoma and pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky, Ukrainian natives and professors at College of Charleston, playing Brahms Cello Sonata No.1 in E minor inside their Mount Pleasant, S.C., home on March 2, 2022. The video can be viewed here and is featured in a story by Post and Courier arts critic Maura Hogan.

Other music is "Bleu" from freepd.com.

More coverage:

Heartsick but resolute, Upstate Ukrainians rally support for embattled homeland
SC rallies back Ukrainians: ‘Hopefully they’ll see this and know they’re not alone’
Charleston-based musicians find inspiration in their native Ukraine
SC lawmakers seek state-level sanctions on Russia
At protest, Charleston-area residents express outrage over Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Chris Smith started working at J&J Cafeteria in Conway at a young age, washing dishes. He eventually started working at the restaurant full-time.

It was a good job, until Bobby Edwards took over as manager.

That’s when the abuse began. Edwards stopped paying Chris and forced him to work 100 hours or more per week. He physically harmed Chris, verbally abused him and isolated him from others.

That went on for six years.

This was a case of human trafficking, or, more specifically labor trafficking. Projects reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes explains what Chris endured and how he got out, and Kathryn Moorehead, director of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, discusses ongoing efforts to raise awareness around these kinds of crimes.

If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, or may have information about a trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888 or text the hotline at 233733. Or, visit humantraffickinghotline.org.

Learn more about the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force.

The Post and Courier is hosting a free panel event, Don't Look Away: What is labor trafficking and why is it hard to recognize? Find more information here about how to attend.

More coverage:

One SC man’s journey to freedom after years in modern-day slavery
Christopher Smith describes his ordeal to a judge

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured Jennifer Berry Hawes, projects reporter for The Post and Courier.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina.

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This month, Spoleto Festival USA, a major performing arts event that’s held annually here in Charleston, announced its 2022 programming lineup.

That’s always exciting, but it especially is this year, after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time since 2019, the festival will host international performers.

And, after being postponed twice, Spoleto audiences are going to see the world premiere of a highly-anticipated opera.

Called "Omar," and it’s based on the autobiography of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim scholar who was made to board a ship bound for Charleston where he was enslaved and sold.

We told Omar’s story on this podcast June 2021, and we thought that now, with the show on the calendar for Spoleto 2022, would be a great time to revisit it.

When we first shared this episode last year, photographer Gavin McIntrye and reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes had just published a big project on Omar’s life. They did research here in Charleston, traveled to North Carolina where Omar lived out his later years and made a reporting trip to Senegal to try to find the place that Omar called home.

In this episode, they shared what that reporting process was like and what their trip revealed about Omar Ibn Said's life.

You find more details on "Omar" from Spoleto Festival USA here.

Read more:

A quest for the true identity of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim man enslaved in the Carolinas
Spoleto Festival USA announces innovative 2022 program of 124 performances and events
The stage is set for a new chapter of Charleston’s Spoleto Festival with 3 operas in 2022

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A seat is opening up on the United States Supreme Court.

President Joe Biden has said that, for the first time, a Black woman will serve on the country’s highest court.

The question, of course, is who it will be.

South Carolina judge Michelle Childs is one potential pick. Childs has the support of Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina — the House majority whip, an ally of Biden and the person who told Biden in the first place that he should commit to appointing a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Today, we’re talking about the political dynamics surrounding this Supreme Court pick and Childs’ prospects as a potential nominee.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured Nick Reynolds, political reporter for The Post and Courier.

More coverage:

Michelle Childs, SC’s possible face on Supreme Court, seen as most electable possibility
Lindsey Graham praises SC judge Michelle Childs in Supreme Court discussion
Clyburn, Graham: Supreme Court shouldn’t be covered in Ivy
Clyburn ups his pitch for SC federal judge J. Michelle Childs to join Supreme Court

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In Charleston and in communities across the country where Confederate and related monuments have been removed, there’s still a big question left to be answered: What should be done with them now?

For the last several years, Los Angeles-based curator Hamza Walker has been working on an exhibit that will gather some of those monuments in the same place, displayed and in dialogue with works of contemporary art.

Tentatively called “Monuments,” the exhibit will debut in fall 2023 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.

They’re approaching local municipalities, asking to borrow these monuments for the exhibition, and, in the process, stirring up some difficult, but necessary, discussions about these monuments, their legacies and what these communities are going to do with them now that they’ve been removed from their public pedestals.

Charleston is one of those communities.

The city has been asked to loan out its statue of John C. Calhoun for the exhibit.

Calhoun was a fierce defender of slavery, and the city’s decision to remove the 12-foot-tall bronze statue to him in Marion Square, came after weeks of protests over the death of George Floyd.

Now, a year and a half after its removal, the statue may out of view, but the question of what to do with it still looms.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams. Guests featured on today's episode are Emma Whalen, city of Charleston reporter for The Post and Courier; Michael Allen, a retiree of the National Park Service and a member of Charleston's Commission on History and Hamza Walker, director of LAXART.

More coverage:

Across the US, cities face ‘what’s next’ for Confederate monuments
Charleston history commission recommends lending Calhoun statue to LA art exhibit
SC heritage group backs lawsuit against proposal to loan Calhoun statue to LA art show
Lawsuit aiming to keep Calhoun statue in South Carolina moved to new court
Calhoun statue not protected by SC monument law deemed constitutional by state AG

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Oysters are pretty incredible.

They can be incredibly delicious, and they’re one of the things people come to Charleston to eat, but they also have some natural superpowers — superpowers that are particularly relevant for a place like Charleston that’s constantly contending with sea level rise and flooding.

Today, we’re going to be talking about oysters’ superpowers, with help from the co-founder of a Lowcountry oyster farm.

This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and features Post and Courier reporter Jocelyn Grzeszczak and Josh Eboch, co-founder of Barrier Island Oyster Co.

Need to recycle some oyster shells? Check out this map: SCDNR Oyster Shell Recycling Locations

More coverage:

Planting more oysters may help Lowcountry combat rising waters
Oyster farm a different kind of tourist attraction in the Lowcountry
SC officials urge recycling of oyster shells as shellfish season gets underway
As Charleston seawall plan inches forward, many ask: Are there greener options?
Understand SC: Revisiting plans to build a sea wall around Charleston

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In a city like Charleston, where dining is a key element of its identity, how restaurants are doing is important.

Despite those challenges, many Charleston restaurant owners say they’re optimistic about the year ahead.

This week on the podcast, you'll hear from two of them.

Maryam Ghaznavi and Raheel Gauba are owners of Ma’am Saab, which will be opening soon in downtown Charleston, and Malika in Mount Pleasant.

The husband-and-wife entrepreneurs have grown their business from scratch during the pandemic.

Related coverage:

Charleston chefs predict dining trends, suggest industry changes for 2022
Staff shortages persist at SC restaurants as COVID surges. Some owners see a path forward.
Pakistani restaurant to begin revamping former Jestine’s Kitchen; furniture shop to relocate
Malika in Mount Pleasant now open offering Pakistani-canteen style comfort food

Check out Malika's website, Instagram and Facebook.

Details about Ma'am Saab can be found on its website, Instagram and Facebook.

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This past Tuesday, Jan. 11, legislators returned to the Statehouse in Columbia. So, what's on the agenda for 2022?

This week, we're breaking down what lawmakers need to do this session, from drawing new lines for voting districts to discussing the legalization of medical marijuana and deciding what to do with the state's $6 billion in additional revenue.

Money is a big theme for the year, with the windfall largely fueled by federal aid and a stronger-than-expected economic recovery.

Assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains what to expect from the Statehouse this session.

More coverage:

Preview: SC’s 2022 Statehouse session surprisingly gives lawmakers lots of money to work with
Latest SC House proposal for congressional lines panned as ‘obvious’ gerrymandering
Gov. McMaster’s spending proposal includes tax cuts, $1.26B for roadwork, $300M for SC ports
Palmetto Politics

Note: On Jan. 13, after this episode was published, the Supreme Court announced that it had blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a vaccine mandate for larger employers but allowed a vaccine mandate for health care workers at facilities that receive federal money.

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It’s been one year since supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The events of that day led to an impeachment, sparked debate about what it meant for the future of democracy in the United States and launched investigations by the FBI and Congress.

This week, we’re taking a closer look at South Carolina’s role in the lead-up to Jan. 6, on the day and in the fallout that came after.

Eleven S.C. residents have been charged with storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, including two accused of assaulting the police officers who guarded it.

Reporter Avery Wilks has been covering their cases, and you’ll hear from him today. We also spoke with political reporter Nick Reynolds about the response from state politicians to that day and the political fallout that we’ve seen for a few of them.

More coverage:

SC’s role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot comes into clearer focus 1 year later
SC couple pleads guilty to storming Capitol together on Jan. 6
First South Carolinian sentenced for Jan. 6 Capitol storming gets no prison time
Conspiracy theories, Trump led SC residents to storm the Capitol. Friends turned them in.

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This year on Understand SC, we've covered a little bit of everything: flooding in Charleston, the coronavirus pandemic, South Carolina politics and even the design of the state’s flag.

Emily Williams and Gavin McIntyre revisit moments from some of the year's conversations.

All past episodes of Understand SC, a weekly news podcast by The Post and Courier, can be found at understand-sc.simplecast.com.

Clips featured are from the following episodes:

63: The South Carolina flag design that everyone hated
75: How SC-based artist Beeple rocked the art world
86: 'I Am Omar': How the Post and Courier searched for Omar ibn Said's true identity
99: The Olympic journey of Charleston native Raven Saunders
102: How Greenland contributes to Charleston's flooding problem
106: What happens when local newspapers stop printing
111: MUSC expert on the omicron variant, future of the pandemic

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show. Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com.

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There are about 105,000 other South Carolinians who fall into a health insurance coverage gap created by factors that were set into motion about a decade ago.

In 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act for the first time.

But, there was a caveat. The court said it was up to states to decide if they would expand Medicaid, the state and federal program that provides health coverage to people with low incomes.

Most states signed on. South Carolina did not.

Ten years in, South Carolina remains one of only 12 states that has not expanded its Medicaid program under the ACA. Republican leaders in Columbia have long contended that South Carolina can’t afford it.

Today, health editor Lauren Sausser will break down that almost 10-year-old decision and why it was one of the most significant health care policy choices state leaders have made this century. We also spoke with Christian Soura, a former Medicaid director for South Carolina who’s now the executive vice president at the S.C. Hospital Association, about the cost that comes with not expanding Medicaid coverage in the state.

READ MORE: 10 years after Affordable Care Act decision, 105,000 in SC still in insurance coverage gap

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show. Contact us at understandsc@postandcourier.com .

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The largest university in the state of South Carolina is searching for its next leader.

Back in May, the University of South Carolina opened a search after its last president, Bob Caslen, stepped down amid controversy. (To get caught up, listen to this Understand SC episode from June.)

About a week ago, it looked like the university’s presidential search process could have been coming to a close. The search committee had narrowed the field to a preferred candidate who was expected to visit the school this week.

But, shortly after The Post and Courier reported who that candidate was, he withdrew.

Today, we’re going to be talking with Andy Shain, who heads up The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau, about this search process, what has happened so far and what could happen next, now that the university's first choice candidate has taken himself out of the running.

More coverage:

Caslen calls coming to USC ‘biggest regret of my life’ as emails show split over departure
USC’s top presidential pick backs out, staying at Purdue
Pastides: USC’s top pick did not bolt from president search ‘because of difficulties here’

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There’s a new variant dominating pandemic-related headlines right now. You've probably heard of it — and you probably have some questions. We’re getting into some of those today.

The omicron variant was discovered in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization Nov. 24. Two days later, the WHO deemed it a variant of concern.

The U.S. recorded its first case of the variant Wednesday, Dec. 1.

Today, Michael Sweat, director of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center for Global Health, helps us break down what is and isn’t known about the omicron variant right now. We also discussed the state of the pandemic overall, the progress that’s been made in treating the virus and the importance of vaccinations and boosters.

For more on the pandemic in South Carolina visit our COVID-19 Dashboard.

More coverage:

SC experts discuss possibility of new omicron variant emerging in the state
DHEC says SC no longer in downward trend of COVID-19 cases; touts vaccine as a way out
US reports 1st case of omicron variant in returning traveler
WHO warns that new virus variant poses ‘very high’ risk
DHEC says protection methods remain the same regardless of omicron or other COVID variants

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After repeatedly finding themselves being the only Black people on their visits to Charleston's breweries, brewer April Dove and David White Jr. of "The Dropping Pin" teamed up to create a beer that they hoped could brew some change for the region's craft beer community.

Dove and White's goal, long-term, is to see more diversity in Charleston’s taprooms.

Their beer, called Tha CommUNITY has been a success, and they have more ideas — and beers — in the works.

On today’s podcast, you’ll hear them share their experiences in breweries, how they came to brew their own beer and what they think needs to happen to brew more unity into Charleston’s beer community.

For more, check out food editor Parker Milner's new story which takes a look at the lack of diversity present now in the region's craft beer scene. Of the 35 breweries in the tri-county region, none are Black-owned.

His story also gets into some of the history of the region’s beer culture and features some of the people who are envisioning a different, more welcoming future for Charleston's beer community.

READ: Black people helped start Charleston’s beer industry. None own today’s 35 local breweries.

I also highly recommend you read Jamaal Lemon’s series for Good Beer Hunting which gets into some of the history behind the lack of diversity in Charleston’s current beer culture through the story of a German beer festival that was held in Charleston and its continued influence on the region’s beer scene.

You can read that here.

Tha CommUNITY did sell out, but you will be able to find it again soon. They said they’ll be brewing it again in December and it should be available in early 2022.

You can follow April on Instagram @travelinghoptista. Follow David's blog @thedroppingpin. And you can follow their beer on Instagram, @thacommunity.brew.

If you have comments, questions or ideas for this podcast, email us at understandsc@postandcourier.com or message us on Twitter @UnderstandSC.

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In South Carolina, there's a small town unofficially known as the hometown of living war heroes.

The town is Batesburg-Leesville, and the war heroes are Sgt. Maj. Thomas Patrick Payne and Cpl. Kyle Carpenter, both recipients of the nation's highest military award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

The likelihood of two living Medal of Honor recipients having called the rural South Carolina town home is small: There are only 66 living recipients of the medal today, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

This week, military and politics reporter Thomas Novelly shares what he learned about their stories, Batesburg-Leesville and the pride that town takes in having been part of their lives.

Read the story: 2 Medal of Honor recipients hail from same small SC town. Here are their stories.

More coverage:

20 Medal of Honor recipients arrive in Charleston to show community what service means
Medal of Honor center to be built in SC gets first funds from state
Trump lauds Medal of Honor recipient, who grew up in SC, for hostage rescue
Veteran wounded by grenade gets Medal of Honor

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This week, we’re revisiting a topic that we discussed about a year ago on this podcast: the plan to potentially build a sea wall around Charleston’s peninsula.

The idea is to protect the flood-prone area from storm surge if the city were to be directly hit by a hurricane. It would also be the city’s most substantial defense yet against sea rise.

This project would be a massive undertaking — financially and logistically — and already, years of planning have gone into it.

In the last year, there have been some significant updates to the plans, and reporter Chloe Johnson, who covers the coastal environment and climate change for The Post and Courier, is back today to recap those plans for us and explain all the important changes. For one, the estimated price of building the wall dropped significantly — by several hundred million dollars. We’ll explain why, go over some of the questions that have been answered and new questions that have been raised.

More coverage:

Charleston presents first plan to pay its share of the $1.1B storm surge wall
SC Ports Authority says it can’t support current plan for Charleston flood wall
Your questions answered on the updated $1.1B sea wall proposal for Charleston
Charleston sea wall gets cheaper in new Army Corps plan, but questions remain
Understand SC: The plan to build a sea wall around Charleston, explained

The best way to support this podcast is through a subscription to The Post and Courier. Visit postandcourier.com/subscribe.

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Nearly five months later, no one has been arrested for the fatal shootings of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, a mother and son and members of a prominent and powerful South Carolina legal family.

But, in that time, attorney Alex Murdaugh, Maggie’s husband and Paul’s father, has had a dramatic fall from grace, one that’s still unfolding and raising new questions.

In early September, Alex Murdaugh admitted to a 20-year opioid addiction, checked himself into rehab and, after being accused by his partners of stealing money, left his law office — a law office his great-grandfather had founded in 1910.

Over Labor Day weekend, he was reportedly shot in the head.

Then, he was arrested after confessing to trying to orchestrate his own murder in order to leave a $10 million life insurance payout for his youngest son.

And he was sued by the sons of his late housekeeper, who say Alex Murdaugh swindled them out of a $4.3 million.

This week, attorneys confirmed that federal authorities are investigating his alleged financial crimes.

Investigative reporter Avery Wilks and editor Glenn Smith break down everything that’s recently come to light about the disgraced attorney.

Read more recent coverage:

Hospital records detail Alex Murdaugh’s wounds from alleged staged shooting
SLED releases 911 calls from Alex Murdaugh’s shooting
Alex Murdaugh denied bond after arrest in alleged settlement scam
Feds are investigating Alex Murdaugh’s alleged financial crimes, attorneys say
Chronicling the history of the Murdaughs in SC from 1910 to now

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Across South Carolina, 10 local newspapers stopped printing last year — a record loss, at least in recent memory.

What does a community lose when it loses its newspaper?

This week, reporters Jennifer Berry Hawes and Stephen Hobbs explain what they found in trying to answer that question.

They took a close look at two communities — one that still has a locally-owned paper in print and one that recently lost its newspaper — and talked to residents about the difference having, or missing, local coverage of their community can make.

You'll also hear from the editors of two local South Carolina papers.

Graham Williams, editor of the Union County News explained what it takes to publish a weekly paper with a two-person team.

And Jonathan Vickery explains how and why he took over ownership of the his hometown paper, the People-Sentinel in Barnwell, and shares his love for "refrigerator journalism."

More coverage:

When newspapers close, bonds among locals weaken and misdeeds can thrive
UNCOVERED: Shining a light on South Carolina corruption and misconduct

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The start to this school year in South Carolina was a pretty chaotic one.

The delta variant of COVID-19 was quickly spreading, infecting students, teachers and staff and sending people into quarantine.

Meanwhile, schools couldn't enforce mask mandates.

The result: Seven weeks into the year, at least 15 districts, 233 schools, and 156,169 students had reverted back to virtual learning.

This week on Understand SC, we talk with Hillary Flynn, editor of The Post and Courier’s Education Lab, a recently-launched watchdog enterprise unit within the paper that’s focused on in-depth reporting and large-scale projects that examine systemic issues within our state’s education system.

She gave us some details on what we can expect from the Education Lab, and shared what went into recent report which followed the stories of three people who experienced the first seven weeks of school from different perspectives: a high school student nervous about going back to school in-person and reconnecting with friends, a teacher excited to be teaching in the classroom again but cautious about COVID-19 and a parent who hoped for a return to normalcy and sent her kids to school without masks.

Listen now, then check out the latest from the Education Lab.

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This week is the 81st annual National Newspaper Week.

As our way of celebrating, we’re bringing you a conversation about our newspaper.

Recently, The Post and Courier named a new executive editor. Autumn Phillips, who became the paper’s managing editor in early 2018, stepped into the role in late August.

This week, we spoke with Phillips about some of the big things happening for the paper, like fundraising to support investigative journalism, expanding to markets across the state and collaborating with community newspapers on stories exposing corruption.

She also shared what got her into journalism in the first place and what drew her to local newspapers, in particular.

Listen now, and then check out the projects we discussed:

Uncovered: Shining a light on South Carolina corruption and misconduct
Education Lab

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The number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is beginning to decline across the country, signaling the beginning of the end of this latest surge, but, in South Carolina, like many states in the Southeast, coronavirus activity is still high.

Health experts have been saying it for months: The state needs a higher percentage of its residents to be vaccinated.

But overcoming vaccine hesitancy isn’t easy. This week, we're hearing from someone who’s been having those difficult conversations with people who are vaccine hesitant.

Dr. Thaddeus John Bell is a physician with a practice in North Charleston and the founder of Closing the Gap in Healthcare, a nonprofit dedicated to decreasing health disparities and increasing the health literacy of African Americans and underserved communities.

This pandemic has exacerbated existing health disparities.

In South Carolina and across the U.S. Black patients disproportionately got sick with COVID-19 and died of the virus. And, since coronavirus vaccines became available, another gap emerged, in vaccination rate.

What's especially challenging right now, Dr. Bell said, is reaching young Black men and women who are hesitant about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. He explained some of the possible reasons behind the hesitancy and what he's doing to try to close this gap.

Learn more about Dr. Bell's organization at closingthegapinhealthcare.org. You can follow him on TikTok @closingthegap4u.

You can find the latest news about the pandemic in South Carolina on our COVID-19 Dashboard.

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Some 3,000 miles north of Charleston, melting ice in Greenland is having a profound effect on Charleston's coastline.

This week, we go behind the scenes of a special report that showed us how Greenland and Charleston are connected. We’ll hear from reporter Tony Bartelme and photographer Lauren Petracca about their trip to Greenland. You’ll learn what they saw out on Greenland's ice sheet, what they learned from speaking with locals and how they got to fly in a plane over icebergs with NASA.

Read The Greenland Connection.

Read more of Stanford's coverage here.

For more coverage as South Carolina goes back to school, check out our reporting from Columbia, Greenville and Myrtle Beach:

Columbia: Richland County will require masks in many schools, following similar order in Columbia
Greenville: Greenville schools return without mask requirement as some SC districts test state law
Myrtle Beach: Horry County schools report 100-plus COVID-19 cases just 2 days after the start of school

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There are plenty of numbers available that show the troubling point that South Carolina has reached in the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Aug. 11, the state surpassed 10,000 deaths from the virus. Case numbers are high, and data from the Medical University of South Carolina show the aggressive and more highly transmissible Delta strain now accounts for more than 92 percent of positive tests.

But sometimes — perhaps especially now, months after coronavirus vaccines became available and gave people hope that a return to normalcy could be near — it can be difficult to understand the grim reality behind those figures.

Earlier this month, projects reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes and photographer Gavin McIntyre visited the intensive care unit at a local hospital and saw firsthand what doctors, nurses and COVID patients are up against right now.

This week, they shared what they heard and saw there, what frustrated nurses and doctors had to say about what they describe as a preventable surge and the reason why some patients said they had a message they wanted to share.

More coverage:

As COVID-19 cases rise, hospital workers (and their patients) enter a grim new reality
SC tops 10,000 COVID-19 deaths as health official says she’s ‘more concerned’ than ever
As delta variant engulfs SC, disease experts eye COVID’s other strains, including lambda
Visit our COVID-19 dashboard.

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North Charleston residents have been calling for a racial bias audit of their police department for years.

Community members and activists have said for a long time that officers overpolice Black residents in their city, which is the third-largest in South Carolina. It's also the community where Walter Scott, a 50-year-old Black man, was gunned down while trying to flee a police officer.

That was six years ago.

A racial bias audit just got underway there last fall, and findings were presented to the community this month.

This week on Understand SC, breaking news and public safety reporter Steve Garrison explains what the audit showed, what researchers recommend North Charleston police do to improve and what community members had to say about the findings.

We also have an update on a story covered by this podcast in May: the death of Jamal Sutherland at Charleston County's jail. This week, Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said that the two deputies who tried to remove Sutherland from his cell using Tasers, pepper spray and physical force would not be criminally charged.

We go over some of Wilson's explanation and what the Sutherland family said in response to the decision.

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Back-to-school time is nearing, and as students and parents stock up on supplies and squeeze in that last bit of summer fun, South Carolina's school districts are facing one of the biggest assignments they have ever been given.

They have a potentially game-changing opportunity: Local school boards have received a total of $3 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money to help students catch up.

The question now is how to spend it.

And that’s not an easy question to answer. Learning loss from the pandemic is different in every district, because every district approached the pandemic a little differently.

This week, assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox and education reporter Libby Stanford explained what we know about how districts are planning to spend this funding and what’s still unclear. They also broke down what's next as they continue to report on how districts spend their money and whether they're able to follow through on their promises and goals.

This money could be transformative for South Carolina's school system. But that depends on what’s done with it.

Want more coverage?

For more of our reporting on federal COVID-19 funding and how it's being used in South Carolina schools, check out the new Promises series.

To read more about how South Carolina schools were doing pre-pandemic, go back and read our Minimally Adequate series from 2019.

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South Carolina is about a year out from the primary for its next governor’s race and 16 months from the general election, but the contest has already generated a lot of conversation.

Democratic Party chairman Trav Robertson even said he predicts it will be “one of the most exciting gubernatorial primaries that the state of South Carolina has ever seen.” So far, the Democratic contenders who have announced bids are former South Carolina Congressman Joe Cunningham and State Senator Mia McLeod.

Whoever wins that primary, though, will face a tough race against Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. The last time South Carolinians voted to put a Democrat in the Governor’s mansion was in 1998.

This week, reporters Thomas Novelly and Jamie Lovegrove break down what we know about the major players in this race so far, how fundraising has stacked up in the early days of this race and what strategies these candidates may use to vie for votes.

Listen now for more.

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In South Carolina, judges can face allegations of misconduct, conflicts of interest or criminal activity in secret.

The Disciplinary Counsel’s office, an investigative arm of the state Supreme Court, receives more than 200 complaints against the state’s judges each year, but rarely do the office's investigations lead to the removal of judges or even to public reprimands.

As we’ve discussed on our episodes about The Post and Courier’s ongoing Uncovered series, South Carolina's systems for holding public servants accountable often lack transparency. But there are few systems as cloaked in secrecy as the state's method for overseeing judges.

On this week's episode, reporters Joey Cranney and Avery Wilks explain how South Carolina judges have been able to remain on the bench for years, despite serious questions about their character and impartiality.

Listen now for more.

For more related coverage, visit our Uncovered homepage.

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It’s been more than three weeks since two members of the prominent South Carolina Murdaugh family were shot dead at their hunting lodge along the border of Colleton and Hampton counties.

But, despite the amount of time that has gone by and the high-profile nature of their deaths, which are being investigated as murders, police have offered few details about the case.

With little official information available, the rumor mill has churned as interest in this case has grown, in South Carolina and beyond.

This week, reporter Thad Moore and editor Glenn Smith, both members of our watchdog team of investigative journalists, broke down the few details that have been released about the investigation and explain why this case has garnered so much attention.

Listen now for more.

Visit our episode webpage for more of The Post and Courier's coverage of this case.

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Corruption is common, but why does it happen?

Since 2018, more than 1,100 public servants in South Carolina have clearly crossed ethical lines, the Post and Courier found.

The latest installment of our ongoing "Uncovered" series about unreported corruption investigates those ethical breaches and looks at why public officials often face little or no consequences when they're caught doing the wrong thing.

From a teacher who pawned a student's saxophone to a Department of Transportation foreman accepting kickbacks, projects reporter Tony Bartelme explains the "gray zone" created by the lack of consequences when public officials cross the line.

He also explores what leads public officials to commit fraud and a simple tactic that can deter future misconduct.

Listen now for more.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and edited by Emily Williams and Matt Rasnic.

For more coverage, visit our Uncovered homepage.

Listen to past Understand SC episodes about corruption in South Carolina:

Uncovering corruption in South Carolina
Public servants at SC fire district served themselves

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Last week, The Post and Courier was named a finalist in the local reporting category of the Pulitzer Prizes for Rising Waters, our ongoing series about flooding, sea level rise and the accelerating effects of climate change in the Lowcountry.

The weekend after that announcement, Charleston got a lot of rain.

It was a familiar scene: People wading through knee-deep floodwaters in city streets, cars submerged and stalled and roads closed.

It was more evidence of why flooding continues to be a pressing issue for Charleston — and why the city is considering doing something as big as changing its zoning map to take flooding and sea-level rise into account.

This week on the podcast, we checked back in with projects reporter Tony Bartelme on the status of the Rising Waters project, and city of Charleston reporter Andrew Brown explained how and why local leaders are considering sweeping changes to zoning rules that would discourage development in low-lying areas and encourage dense development in less flood-prone parts of the city.

Listen now for more.

For more, visit our Rising Waters homepage.

Listen to our past Rising Waters-related episodes:

Lessons from a year reporting on sea rise and flooding in Charleston
Explaining Charleston's plan for a sea wall
Rising Waters

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South Carolina's largest university is again on the search for a new leader.

After then-University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen lifted lines of a speech without attributing them, the retired three-star general resigned, marking the end of his two-year tenure.

Caslen admitted to lifting lines for his commencement comments without giving credit. He was also criticized for mistakenly referring to new graduates as alumni of the "University of California."

Caslen's hiring — not just his departure — was controversial.

Now, with a new presidential search ahead for the university, some critics are calling for more transparency and for more diverse candidates and search committee members this time around.

In the meantime, former USC President Harris Pastides has been tapped to temporarily take the helm again.

This week, Columbia-based reporter Jessica Holdman and managing editor Andy Shain break down what led to Caslen's resignation, what was learned from the last presidential search process and what's next for the university.

Listen now for more.

For more coverage from Columbia, visit the Post and Courier Columbia homepage.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and produced and edited by Matt Rasnic and Emily Williams.

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The question is one that propelled a lengthy reporting process and led a pair of journalists from South Carolina across the Atlantic Ocean to Senegal: Who was Omar ibn Said, really?

When two Post and Courier journalists started pursuing that question, they knew Omar was a Muslim scholar who, at age 37, was captured from his home in Futa Toro and forced onto a slave ship bound for Charleston. Omar had lived the rest of his life enslaved, first in South Carolina and then North Carolina.

Throughout that time, Omar wrote at least 15 surviving texts in Arabic, including the only known surviving autobiography written in Arabic by someone still enslaved in America.

When that autobiography was bought by the Library of Congress, digitized and made available to the public, Omar’s story sprang from obscurity.

While Omar's writing gave insight into his life, his past and his faith, it also raised questions. He provided little detail about where he was from. That mystery of what place Omar had called home became key to The Post and Courier's Pulitzer Center-supported project.

This week, the journalists behind that project, writer Jennifer Berry Hawes and photographer Gavin McIntyre, share details from their reporting process, the challenges they ran into along the way and what their days in Senegal taught them about who Omar really was.

While some of the questions they sought out to answer didn't have a definitive resolution, their quest — with the help of translators, imams, historians and others — uncovered new revelations about Omar's life.

Listen now for more.

Read the project: 'I Am Omar': A quest for the true identity of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim man enslaved in the Carolinas

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams. Background audio used in today's episode is by Gavin McIntyre. Music is "When the Ash Settles" by The Westerlies.

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This month, South Carolina’s regular legislative session came to a close.

This latest lawmaking period followed an election that strengthened GOP majorities in both the House and the Senate, and it showed.

The session started with a law banning most abortions and ended with passage of bills expanding gun rights and resuming the death penalty.

The session's theme, for either side of the political aisle, is that "elections have consequences," said political reporter Jamie Lovegrove.

This week on the podcast, he, along with assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox and Post and Courier Columbia reporter Adam Benson explained what state lawmakers did — and didn't — do during the regular session and what that means for South Carolinians.

We're following up on several topics that have been featured on Understand SC this year, like the "heartbeat bill," hate crimes legislation and the effort to select a standardized state flag design.

And you'll hear issues that haven't been discussed on the show yet, like a recently-passed open carry gun law and why legislators passed a law making electrocution the default method of execution in South Carolina.

Whether you've been diligently following Statehouse developments or need to catch up, we have all the information you need to get up to speed on the 2021 session.

Listen now for more.

Get caught up on past related episodes of Understand SC:

SC is one of 3 states without a hate crimes law. That could change soon.
SC poised to pass 'heartbeat bill' banning most abortions
The South Carolina flag design that everyone hated

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It’s taken months for details about Jamal Sutherland’s death to be released.

Only in the last couple of weeks has there been a better understanding of what happened on Jan. 5 at the Al Cannon Detention Center in North Charleston.

Late last Thursday, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office released videos of two deputies using pepper spray, stun guns and other force against Sutherland, a Black mental health patient. Those videos have raised serious questions about how people with mental illnesses are treated by police.

Activists are calling for sweeping, long-term changes.

They've also called for the two detention deputies involved in Sutherland's death to be fired and criminally charged. Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano, who was sworn into office the day before Sutherland's death in the county jail, announced earlier this week that the deputies had been fired, but it's still unknown whether or not they will be charged.

And that's just one of my unanswered questions that remain in this case, as public safety reporter Gregory Yee explains.

This week, we break down some of the key facts that we know, the questions that still have not been answered and how local activists are demanding justice.

Listen now for more.

For more coverage of this story, check the "Related Reading" section of the episode webpage.

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Just over 1 in 3 South Carolinians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Almost 44 percent have received at least one shot.

That’s good news, but health experts have been concerned about slowing demand for the vaccine. Earlier this year, it was difficult to get a vaccine appointment. Demand far outpaced supply. Now, that’s switched. South Carolina could be vaccinating many more people a day than it is right now.

Citing the availability of COVID vaccines, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued an executive order this week that sought to cut down on government-mandated rules about wearing face masks, one of the primary strategies during the pandemic for mitigating the virus's spread.

That order put the decision of whether students will continue to wear masks in schools in the hands of parents. It also dissolved mandates in local municipalities if those ordinances were based on prior executive orders or a state of emergency.

This week, assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explained recent changes to mask rules in South Carolina, and health reporter Mary Katherine Wildeman shared some insight on the progress made with COVID vaccinations in the state so far — and where the process is lagging.

Listen now for more.

For The Post and Courier's latest coronavirus coverage, visit our COVID-19 dashboard.

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The debate over what to do with South Carolina's embattled state-owned utility Santee Cooper has dragged on for years.

Lawmakers knew they had to do something with it — whether that be sell the utility, reform it or turn over its management — after it lost more than $4 billion in the failed expansion of the V.C. Summer nuclear power plant, which is widely considered to be the biggest business failure in the state's history.

That project fell apart in July 2017, and a path forward for Santee Cooper just became clearer in the last week.

NextEra Energy, the firm that had been lobbying to buy it, withdrew its bid, making it likely the utility will stay under state ownership, at least for now.

This week on the podcast, reporters Andrew Brown and Avery Wilks, who have been following this story for years, explain the arguments that have been at play this debate, what the stakes have been and what's next now that the bid from NextEra is off the table and lawmakers are working to pass reforms.

Listen now for more.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted by Emily Williams, produced by Emily Williams and Matt Rasnic and edited by Emily Williams.

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As the Lowcountry region has grown, so has its issues with traffic and the strain on its roadways.

One of the solutions proposed to ease that strain is a high-capacity mass transit system, something that doesn't exist yet in the state.

That system is in the works for the Charleston area, and it has been for years. It’s called Lowcountry Rapid Transit, and this week residents got the closest look yet at how it will actually work.

It’s a bus rapid transit system — listen for more on what that means — and it will stretch 21.5 miles, starting at the fairgrounds in Ladson, running through North Charleston on Rivers Avenue, extending downtown onto the peninsula and ending in the WestEdge area.

The coalition of county governments behind the transit project, the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Chamber of Governments, just launched a virtual public meeting with new details and visuals.

On today's podcast, project lead Sharon Hollis breaks down the basics of Lowcountry Rapid Transit, including the reasoning by the route, its stops and when it's expected to be operational.

And reporter Rickey Dennis, who writes about the city of North Charleston, explains why the project's potential effects on housing affordability is a primary concern for community members and planners.

Listen now for more.

The Lowcountry Rapid Transit virtual meeting is self-guided and available at lowcountryrapidtransit.com. Public comments can be submitted on the site through May 26.

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Chief Harold "Buster" Hatcher of the Waccamaw Indian People has been fighting for his tribe to be justly acknowledged.

That effort started about 30 years ago, and it’s far from over.

His tribe is one of nine that are recognized by the state of South Carolina. What Hatcher is still working for, though, is federal recognition, which comes with significant benefits. Federally-recognized tribes can be eligible for specific services and protections and have a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

But getting that recognition doesn’t come easily, as evidenced by the decades put into the effort for the Waccamaw Indian People of South Carolina.

After all these years, there have recently been signs of progress, Chief Hatcher said — progress that could eventually propel them toward that federal recognition.

This week on the podcast, reporter Adam Parker breaks down some of the positive developments made this year — like the introduction of a new bill by U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, that would grant the Waccamaw federal recognition — and Chief Hatcher explained why that federal acknowledgement is something worth fighting for.

Two Coastal Carolina University professors also joined us to discuss a new exhibit about the Waccamaw Indian People debuting April 27 at the Horry County Museum.

Listen now for more.

Listen to the latest episode of The Post and Courier's special podcast series "12 Black Leaders to Know."

For more information about the Waccamaw Indian People, you can visit their website. The exhibit described in this episode, "Waccamaw Indian People: Past, Present, Future," can be viewed at the Horry County Museum in Conway, S.C. starting April 27.

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South Carolina is one of three states that doesn’t have a hate crimes law. But earlier this month, a bill that would remove the state from that short list passed easily through the House.

There have been attempts to pass this kind of legislation before, but the April 7 vote was a big step: The House had not passed a hate crimes bill before.

This time around, the legislation has been boosted by the support of the state's business community which has said that South Carolina's lack of legislation on hate crimes hurts its competitiveness as a pro-business state.

This week on the podcast, political reporter Jamie Lovegrove breaks down what this bill would do and its chances of being signed into law this year.

Swati Patel of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce also shares why the state's business community has rallied behind the effort to pass the bill and what it plans to do now that the bill will advance to the Senate.

And, with just several weeks left in the regular legislative session, assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox takes a look at some other hot-topic legislation and those proposals' chances of passing.

Listen now for more.

For more South Carolina politics news, subscribe to our Palmetto Politics newsletter. To get episodes of this podcast delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for our Understand SC newsletter.

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Charleston-area restaurants are bustling again.

COVID-19 vaccinations started to become more widely available right around the time when business typically picks up for the local hospitality industry at the beginning of March, and bars and restaurants started to fill up again at a rapid pace.

But, while tables may be full, that doesn't mean kitchens are.

Charleston-area restaurants are again facing a worker shortage.

This week, food editor and critic Hanna Raskin shared an update on the current state the food and beverage industry in Charleston, which is thankful for record sales but wrangling with an increasingly urgent staffing crisis.

And Michael Shemtov, the owner of local restaurants Butcher and Bee, The Daily and Mellow Mushroom, explained how his efforts to help his own staff get vaccinated turned into hosting a vaccination clinic where more than 400 local food and beverage workers got their shots.

Listen now for more.

Are you enjoying the show? Never miss an episode by subscribing to our free newsletter.

If you're looking for more Post and Courier podcasts to listen to, check out the latest episode of 12 Black Leaders to Know from reporter Adam Parker.

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Instead of touting old buildings or artifacts, the historic Phillips Community points to its people.

The families who inhabit the small community today are descendants of the formerly enslaved freedmen who founded Phillips in 1875 where a plantation of the same name had been. They themselves are “living history” one resident said, passing down common values through generations.

Family. Working together. Everybody knowing everybody.

But the world around Phillips, an unincorporated community in Charleston County east of the Cooper, changed dramatically once more people moved into the area.

This week, we heard from lifelong Phillips resident Ada Bennett and Phillips Community Association president Richard Habersham on the history of the community, their experiences living there, what it means to them and what they have done and continue to do to fight for its survival.

Most recently, that’s meant opposing a plan that would widen Highway 41 through the Phillips Community.

After Phillips residents and a broad coalition of community groups opposed that plan, Charleston County proposed an alternative.

But, even if the county goes with another plan that has less of an adverse impact on Phillips, there are still a number of challenges they face in the once-rural community that’s now surrounded by growth and development.

The Phillips Community is just one example of how Black communities in the Lowcountry have been threatened by development and infrastructure projects. Read more: 5 road projects threaten long-established Black communities across the Lowcountry.

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South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn has for years been one of the most influential Democrats in Washington.

He’s the House Majority Whip, the highest-ranking Black member of Congress and the only Democrat in South Carolina’s delegation. And, right now, he’s in the midst of what’s likely to be one of his most significant terms in Congress since coming to Washington in 1993.

Clyburn has a wishlist of bills he’s hoping to pass — including one that would get rid of what’s been called the Charleston loophole — and he’s hoping President Joe Biden can help him get there.

After all, many people point to Clyburn as the person who got Biden into the White House in the first place.

This week on the podcast, political reporter Thomas Novelly helps us revisit Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden for president ahead of South Carolina's "First in the South" primary and take a closer look at some of the legislative wins Clyburn is hoping to secure — and what could stand in his way.

Listen now for more.

For more South Carolina politics news, from the Statehouse to Congress, you can subscribe to the Palmetto Politics newsletter.

Want to learn more about how we make this show? You watch the full recording of our event for The Post and Courier's Beyond the Headlines event that gave a behind-the-scenes look at this podcast. Watch the video here and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

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North Charleston resident Mike Winkelmann made history.

Better known as Beeple, on March 11, he fetched a record-breaking $69.3 million for a single digital artwork through the art auction house Christie's.

That winning bid is the third-highest price paid at auction for a work by a living artist.

While the image of the work, which is titled "Everydays: The First 5,000 Days," can be easily viewed and downloaded online, the digital file auctioned off was a non-fungible token, or NFT. It lives on a blockchain, will only be sold by Beeple once, and its authenticity and ownership can be verified.

This week, we dove into the details of this Lowcountry-based artist's sale and what it says about the art world in 2021.

Reporter Kalyn Oyer shares what she learned while talking with Beeple himself ahead of the Christie's auction. Gerald Dwyer, who teaches about blockchain and cryptocurrencies at Clemson University, breaks down how NFTs work, and Post and Courier arts critic Maura Hogan examines some of the big questions this sale raises about ownership, visual art and the internet.

Listen now for more.

Want to learn more about how we make this podcast? Watch our Beyond the Headlines virtual event for insight on how this show gets in your feed every week.

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Becoming a first-time homebuyer in the Charleston area isn't easy.

And, thanks to surging home prices that brought the median cost in the tri-county area over $300,000, buying a home in the Charleston region didn't get any easier during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the price tag, there are other barriers keeping some would-be homebuyers from making that purchase.

Today on the podcast, we dig into a few of those barriers.

First, reporter Rickey Dennis breaks down some of the factors that continue to perpetuate a disparity in homeownership between White and Black South Carolinians and why closing that gap is key to addressing overall wealth disparities.

Reporter Andrew Brown joins to talk about student loan debt and how the climbing debt total is causing more people to push off purchasing a home. High rents in the Charleston region have exacerbated the problem, too, by making it more challenging to save for a down payment.

Listen now for more.

Beyond the Headlines: We're hosting a free virtual event from 12 to 12:30 p.m. March 18 to share a behind-the-scenes look at how this podcast is made. Get your free tickets here and check out other upcoming Beyond the Headlines events by visiting *postandcourier.com/beyond-the-headlines/.*

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Last week, Gov. Henry McMaster announced an expansion of coronavirus vaccine eligibility, making an estimated 2.7 million more residents qualify for appointments.

That includes essential workers, those 55 and older and people with certain underlying health conditions.

The news came as South Carolina reached the milestone of administering more than one million vaccines and the one-year mark from the first-ever COVID diagnoses in the state.

Health reporter Mary Katherine Wildeman walks us through who is eligible, how to get a vaccine appointment and what to expect as we move forward.

Listen now for more.

If you're a South Carolina resident who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine during Phase 1B, book a vaccine appointment online by visiting vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov or call 1-866-365-8110 for assistance from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

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The name "Bi-Lo" has been disappearing from storefronts across the state, and it's only a matter of time before all of them are gone.

Last year, it was announced the brand is being retired.

But Bi-Lo was once a thriving chain in the Southeast, one that got its start as a locally-owned company in South Carolina's Upstate, known for having a familial atmosphere and decorative fiberglass bulls.

Under the leadership of founder Frank Outlaw, 70 Bi-Lo stores were opened in the Carolinas. Then, under the ownership of a Dutch conglomerate, Bi-Lo entered a period of rapid of growth. At its peak, there were 300-plus stores under the Bi-Lo brand.

But that heyday didn't last.

On this week's podcast, Post and Courier Greenville reporter Conor Hughes recounts the rise and slow decline of the South Carolina-born grocery chain and explains why the brand became wrapped up in the identity of the town where it set up its headquarters.

A former Bi-Lo vice president also shares some of his memories of Bi-Lo's best years and how former employees have stayed in touch.

Listen now for more.

Note: The Bi-Lo distribution center in Mauldin was sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers by Royal Ahold in 2005. In this podcast, that sale was mentioned in the context of events that occurred several years later.

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At a little-watched fire district in South Carolina's Upstate, public servants served themselves on the taxpayers' dime.

In the second installment of The Post and Courier's "Uncovered" series, reporters discovered how top officials were accused of stealing taxpayer money, showering themselves with perks, promoting a commissioner's spouse and retaliating against those who tried to speak up.

Reporters Avery Wilks and Joey Cranney explained how they used court, spending and ethics records to uncover a string of previously unreported misconduct at one of Greenville County's smallest public agencies.

Listeners will also learn how the county created a blueprint for minimizing corruption in these often unwatched special government districts.

Listen now for more, and check out the "Uncovered" homepage for more investigative coverage. You can find our episode about part one of the series here or in your podcast feed.

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Cecil Williams had a front-row seat to South Carolina's Civil Rights history.

Look up photos of major events from the Civil Rights Movement, and his name will be on the photos.

Starting in his very early teens, he captured images of iconic people and moments: Thurgood Marshall getting off a train in Charleston, protestors marching outside All-Star Bowling Lanes before the Orangeburg Massacre and hospital workers in Charleston striking for fair pay.

In 2019, Williams opened his own Civil Rights museum in his hometown of Orangeburg. His photos fill the walls.

He'd become frustrated after advocating for years to have a museum like that built and figured if he was going to see it happen, he probably had to do it himself.

This week on the show, Cecil Williams reflects on his experience capturing history in real time and shares why he thinks Black South Carolinians who fought for equal rights during that era haven't been given their due in the history books.

Listen now for more.

To learn more about the Cecil Williams Museum or to take a virtual tour, visit cecilwilliams.com.

Post and Courier coverage celebrating Black History Month can be found at postandcourier.com/BlackHistory.

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When people aren't looking, corruption can run rampant.

That's why The Post and Courier launched "Uncovered," a project shining a light on misconduct in South Carolina, especially in small towns.

For the first installment of the ongoing investigative series, reporters sifted through thousands of pages of spending records and ethics complaints, interviewed whistleblowers and consulted researchers and watchdogs about solutions. And the work has just started.

This week, reporters from the "Uncovered" team shared a behind-the-scenes look at their reporting and what it has brought to light so far.

Tony Bartelme explained the origins of the project and walked us through what an extravagant conference trip with board members from one of the state's five natural gas authorities looks like. And he broke down why the loss of local news sources can make it more possible for public officials to get away with questionable conduct.

Avery Wilks shared some background on South Carolina's ethics laws and why many have called for them to be strengthened.

Listeners will also learn what to expect next from "Uncovered," and how they can get involved.

Listen now for more.

You can listen to the first episode of The Post and Courier's new podcast, "12 Black Leaders to Know" here or learn more about that series here.

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A bill that would effectively ban most abortions in South Carolina has been advancing quickly through the Statehouse. After past failed attempts, this appears to be the year the so-called "heartbeat bill" will be signed into law in the Palmetto State.

Similar laws have been passed in almost a dozen other conservative states, but none are enforced because of court challenges.

The same is bound to happen with South Carolina's ban, if it's passed, so the policies won't take effect anytime soon — if ever.

Political reporter Jamie Lovegrove has been following the bill's progression, and he explained why GOP gains in the General Assembly have allowed the bill to advance farther than it has before.

Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University and author of the 2020 book, “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe V. Wade to the Present,” explained the legal implications of the bill, which is expected to start off a lengthy court battle as soon as it's signed.

And reporter Sara Coello, who covers criminal justice in the Lowcountry, shares why Charleston County's new sheriff weighed in on one portion of this abortion ban in particular.

Listen now for more.

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South Carolina was the first state in the U.S. to have a confirmed case of a new strain of the coronavirus first found in South Africa.

And it wasn't just one case but two, found in different regions in the state, and health officials said the cases aren't connected.

So, what does that tell us about the prevalence of this variant in the state, and what does the presence of this strain mean for the effort to vaccinate South Carolinians against the coronavirus?

We spoke with health reporter MK Wildeman about what we do and do not yet know about this strain, which has been found to be more easily spread than earlier versions of the virus.

Projects reporter Thad Moore explained what the state is doing to identify cases of these variants and how South Carolina and the rest of the nation compare when it comes to sequencing the virus's genetic material.

And entertainment and food and beverage reporter Kalyn Oyer breaks down how a local Chick-fil-A manager helped a vaccine distribution location run as smoothly as one of one of his fast food stores during a lunch rush.

Listen now for more.

For the latest news and data on the coronavirus in South Carolina, visit our COVID-19 dashboard. To follow coverage from the health and science team, subscribe to this weekly newsletter for free.

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Since COVID-19 vaccinations first became available in South Carolina last month, there has been a lot to follow.

Who is eligible to get a vaccine? How many shots is the state getting? And how many of those vaccines have already been administered?

Like every part of the country, the demand for vaccines in South Carolina outweighs the supply, but it’s been difficult to even get the supply that is in-hand into the arms of eligible health care workers and seniors who are 70 and older.

This week on the podcast, Assistant Columbia Bureau Chief Seanna Adcox breaks down how coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are being distributed in the state.

Editor Lauren Sausser also explains how the Post and Courier's new health team is going be covering COVID-19 — and the existing health and science related issues the pandemic has exposed.

Listen now for more.

For the latest news and data on the coronavirus in South Carolina, visit our COVID-19 dashboard. To follow coverage from our health and science reporters, subscribe to this weekly newsletter for free.

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The United States has just sworn in its 46th president, Joseph R. Biden, and Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to be Vice President.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the lone Democrat in South Carolina’s Congressional delegation, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that Biden and Harris “represent a new era of opportunity for unity, not just in the United States but across the globe.”

That theme of unity was expressed throughout the ceremonies Wednesday, but, just two weeks prior, America watched as the Capitol was stormed by a mob of supporters of President Trump. A week later, lawmakers impeached Trump for a second time, this time for inciting an insurrection.

So, how did South Carolina’s congressional delegation — which is largely made up of Republicans who backed President Trump during his years in office — respond?

On two key votes, a Republican member of Congress from South Carolina broke ranks from their GOP colleagues in the House of Representatives. This was done by two different people on two separate votes. In today's episode, we explain those votes.

First, we spoke with U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a freshman member of Congress who unseated Democrat Joe Cunningham in November to represent the Lowcountry, about her vote to uphold the results of the presidential election and her chaotic first days in Washington.

Then, we spoke with Post and Courier Myrtle Beach reporter Tyler Fleming about a vote on impeachment that shocked Republicans in South Carolina and beyond last week.

For more politics coverage from The Post and Courier, sign up for our Palmetto Politics newsletter.

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Reaching herd immunity — the point at which enough of the population is immune to COVID-19 that new outbreaks can't occur — is still far away in South Carolina.

Based on a Post and Courier analysis and insight from experts, just about 4.6 percent of the state's population is immune or partially immune to the coronavirus.

The goal is for about 70 to 85 percent of the state to be immune.

So, how did we get there?

This week on the show, Post and Courier Greenville reporter Anna Mitchell shared what she learned during her deep dive into that question of what it will take to reach herd immunity in South Carolina.

News developer Bryan Brussee explained how they used data to determine an approximate percentage of the state's population that has immunity at this point in time. He also broke down how daily COVID-19 data is recorded on The Post and Courier's coronavirus dashboard and what recent numbers tell us about the state of the pandemic in South Carolina.

Listen now for more.

View data on the spread of COVID-19 in South Carolina on our dashboard here. Graphics illustrating the state's progress toward herd immunity can be found here.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and Matt Rasnic.

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South Carolinians are very familiar with their flag.

The simple but well-loved combination of the indigo backdrop, the crescent and the palmetto tree is everywhere. It doesn't just hang from flag poles. It's on t-shirts and beer koozies and neckties.

But not many people knew that the state actually hasn't had a standardized flag design for about 80 years.

That's why a group of historians set out to create an official design, based on the state's history and the flag's origins. After exhaustive research, they shared their final design choice with The Post and Courier.

And . . . people hated it.

Reporter Avery Wilks broke down for us why people disliked the design so much and what that might say about the state's connection to its flag.

We also heard from Scott Malyerck, who was part of the committee that chose the design, about why they chose the design they did and how the deluge of criticism could actually be a good thing for their effort.

Listen now to hear more about the flag design South Carolina can't stop talking about.

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Health care workers had a view of the battle against COVID-19 in South Carolina unlike any other: right on the front line.

Those workers are The Post and Courier's Newsmakers of the Year.

They've risked their lives for months to care for people sick with COVID-19. They work 12-hour shifts wearing layers of plastic, masks and face shields. They became the last and only companions to people who died of the virus, unable to be surrounded by family in their final moments.

Without actually being there, it may be difficult to understand what health care workers have experienced this year.

This week on the podcast, Dr. Kent Stock, an infectious disease physician at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, shared what hospital workers witnessed as they fought the novel coronavirus this year. Stock spoke about what it was like to treat patients during the region's summer surge, how this year affected him and his colleagues and what his concerns are for the beginning of 2021 as cases and positivity rates continue to be high in South Carolina.

We also revisit a few moments from this podcast from throughout the year, featuring some of 2020's big newsmakers, like a well-timed conversation on the significance of a statue's removal in Charleston and a reflection on the year of protests and calls for change from a newly-elected sheriff intent on reform.

Listen now to hear our interview with Dr. Stock and highlights from a year of helping you Understand SC.

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Like so many parts of 2020, the holiday season looks different this year.

High COVID-19 case numbers have led health experts to warn people that doing many of things strongly associated with the season — hopping on a flight to see family, gathering in church, sharing a meal inside with people you love — comes with the risk of contracting and spreading coronavirus.

This week, we're looking at the ways the pandemic has changed this time of year in South Carolina.

Military and politics reporter Thomas Novelly tracks how Fort Jackson sent 6,000 soldiers home to see their families over the holidays, a difficult task even before factoring in safety concerns during the pandemic.

Rickey Dennis, who writes about religious communities in the Lowcountry, explains the difficult question that pastors have faced this season: whether to host in-person services for Christmas.

And food editor Hanna Raskin talks about one of the tangible ways that the loss of loved ones to COVID-19 will be felt: the absence of the dishes those people would make at this year's holiday table.

Listen now, and have a safe and happy holiday.

To receive this podcast in your inbox every week, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.

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When it comes to Charleston's flooding problem, things can get complicated pretty quickly.

The issue touches many facets of life in the region, from business and real estate to public health and racial equity. But sometimes, seeking solutions that are effective means turning to ideas that may seem somewhat simple.

Projects reporter Tony Bartelme returned to the podcast to talk about Rising Waters, a series that has documented the affects of sea rise and flooding in the Charleston region in real-time throughout this year.

He shared lessons learned from the reporting, key takeaways for readers and five practical things Charleston can do to keep itself above water as it faces a rising sea and more frequent severe weather events.

Engineer and College of Charleston professor Joshua Robinson also joined to explain why protecting trees and planting new ones is vital to efforts to address the Lowcountry's flooding issues.

Listen now to learn more.

If you're looking for even more coverage of Charleston's changing climate, we have months' worth of stories, photos, graphics and other tools — even a climate-themed comic — on our Rising Waters homepage.

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The number of coronavirus cases being reported in South Carolina is rising, and health officials are pleading with residents to take precautions.

At the same time, states are readying themselves to receive the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, a hopeful sign of an eventual end to the health crisis.

But an end is still pretty far off, health experts say. It will likely be months until a vaccine is widely available in South Carolina.

Meanwhile, the state's task now is quelling its spiking case numbers. For the six days leading up to Wednesday, more than 2,000 new cases were recorded each day, and over 1,200 people were hospitalized with the virus.

Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an assistant professor with the Medical University of South Carolina's infectious diseases faculty, answers our questions about how spread in South Carolina compares to other parts of the U.S., how the new coronavirus vaccine works and why this isn't the time to ease up on COVID-19 precautions.

Reporter MK Wildeman gives an update on the vaccine doses expected to come to the Palmetto State, and Jerrel Floyd shares his reporting on a new study that aims learn more about how COVID-19 affects the brain.

Listen now to learn more about the state of the pandemic in our state.

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Early in the summer, protests were held in cities across the country, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

South Carolina was no different.

Activists in Columbia and Charleston, in particular, took the streets, and while large-scale protests in both cities started peacefully, they escalated. Dozens of arrests were made in both cities.

This week on the podcast, we're taking a look back at the protests in the capital and discussing what reporters found when they investigated law enforcement's characterization of protesters, which included claims that the group was stoked by outside agitators.

Last month, a report from Jessica Holdman and Joseph Cranney concluded that some of the descriptions from police don't stick.

Roughly 100 people were arrested the weekend of May 30-31 in connection to the protests. Most protesters face no more than a misdemeanor. But The Post and Courier's review identified 10 protesters charged with felonies even though arrest records note only curfew violations.

Columbia law enforcement filed no fewer than 245 criminal charges — roughly twice the number of charges than law enforcement in Charleston where more than 150 businesses looted and 20 police vehicles damaged the same weekend.

Listen now to learn more about the fallout from those protests.

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On Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the eastern black rail as threatened under the Endangered Species Act giving the bird new protections. The move, delayed by nearly a year, comes after The Post and Courier's special report on the plight of the bird.

A little black bird may be here, underneath these bouncing dragonflies, somewhere in these sparkling green waves. A rare bird called the eastern black rail. A bird so difficult to see that John James Audubon never saw one in the wild. A bird so stealthy that even the most ardent birders haven’t seen one, though they may have heard their calls. So rare that Christy Hand, a biologist, asks — no, pleads — that you not reveal where you are because she knows mysteries are irresistible.

Listen to learn more about black rails in South Carolina.

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Charleston's historic city center is filled with carefully preserved buildings and bronze markers detailing major moments in its now 350 years — but much of the city's history still isn't visible.

There are less-told stories that aren't recognized with plaques or talked about on walking tours. There are sites and buildings that no longer exist and places that are well-known, though only for select parts of their past.

This week, we're peeling back some of those layers of Charleston history to visit four places featured in "Forsaken History," a project from The Post and Courier's watchdog and public service reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes.

Each is explained by a descendant or a historian who details the true events of what happened there, why it's been forgotten and what that place reveals about Charleston's past.

Listen now to hear their stories.

To learn more about these sites and others, read "Forsaken History" and sign up for this 5-part newsletter course to learn about key historical moments that have largely been left out of Charleston's narrative.

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Kristin Graziano marked several milestones when she successfully won her campaign last week to be Charleston County's next sheriff.

She will be the first woman and first openly gay person to serve as sheriff in the state. Her election also marks the first time in more than 30 years that the office will see a change in leadership.

Republican Al Cannon has been Charleston County's sheriff since he won a 1988 special election. Graziano's campaign was the first time Cannon faced a major challenger at the ballot box.

We spoke with Graziano about why she ran and what actions she plans to take during her first weeks in office. She's pledged to launch financial and racial bias audits of the department and make the office more transparent.

Marcus McDonald, the young leader of the Independent Black Lives Matter Chapter of Charleston, weighed in on why the group supported Graziano's bid and what changes they hope to see.

Sheriffs elections also told a statewide story: Residents in more than a quarter of the state’s counties voted out incumbents, likely the largest turnover of sheriffs South Carolina has seen.

We called up reporter Joseph Cranney who followed those races and wrote about misuses of power among South Carolina sheriffs in the 2019 project "Above the Law." We talked about why it's unusual to see sheriffs voted out of office and what newly-elected sheriffs had to say about reforms they are pledging to implement once they're in office.

Listen now to hear our fifth and final episode in our Election 2020 series. You can find the rest of the episodes here and sign up for our free weekly newsletter here.

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The day after election night held a lot of uncertainty, but in South Carolina, one thing was very clear: Republicans in the state had come out on top.

South Carolina's Senate race, considered a toss up in the weeks leading up to the election, was handily won by Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham. He defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison — a candidate who had raised more than $100 million and, along with that, the hopes of Democrats in this state and beyond — by double digits, showing the contest was not as close as the experts had thought.

And in the 1st Congressional District, Nancy Mace came out on top, despite predictions that Democrat Joe Cunningham would win a second term. Mace, the Citadel's first female graduate, is now the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress in South Carolina.

In the Statehouse, Republicans expanded their majorities to historic levels, securing GOP control in the state for years to come.

In this week's episode, we're talking about the results and what they mean for South Carolina Republicans and Democrats.

Reporters Thomas Novelly and Jamie Lovegrove come back on the show to give updates one more time on the races they've been following for the 1st District and the Senate, respectively.

Gibbs Knotts, dean of the College of Charleston’s School of Humanities and a political science professor, joins us to break down who voted for Joe Biden and who voted for President Donald Trump and what that says about South Carolina's political landscape in 2020.

And reporter Avery Wilks explains why Dorchester County has been hand-counting about 14,000 misprinted ballots this week.

Listen now to hear our fourth episode in our Election 2020 series. You can find the rest of them here.

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The tally of South Carolina voters who cast their ballots early in this year's election surpassed 1 million this week.

That alone makes 2020 a history-making year for elections, largely driven by changes states have made to help voters cast their ballots while staying safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Voters have also been motivated to get to the polls by high-stakes races on the national, statewide and local levels.

Understand SC put out a call to listeners for their questions about voting. This week, we called up several reporters from our Palmetto Politics team and one local election official to get some answers.

What COVID-19 safety precautions are being taken at voting locations?

How many South Carolinians are voting early by mail versus in-person?

Do mailed absentee ballots have to have witness signatures, and why has guidance on that been changing?

We answered these questions and more and got some insight into how the record-breaking early voter turnout will play out on and after Election Day.

Whether you already have your "I Voted" sticker, are waiting to cast your ballot on Election Day or want to take advantage of the last days of early voting, listen now to learn more about what the Palmetto State's election season looks like in 2020.

To get the state's most up-to-date numbers on early voting, check here for figures that are updated twice a day, every weekday. Follow along with the Post and Courier's election coverage by subscribing to the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Get this podcast's newsletter here.

The first two episodes of our Election 2020 series — a dive into the Senate race between Lindsey Graham and Jaime Harrison and a closer look at the 1st Congressional District contest with Joe Cunningham and Nancy Mace — can be found on the Understand SC homepage.

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Two years ago, U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham surprised South Carolina by winning its race for the 1st Congressional District, becoming the first Democrat in about four decades to do so.

The seat was quickly eyed by the GOP as one to win back in 2020, and now the freshman Congressman is in a high-stakes race against Republican state Rep. Nancy Mace to represent the region stretching from Charleston to Hilton Head.

If Cunningham wins, he would become the district's longest serving Democratic congressman since 1981. But if the seat goes to Mace, it could be a signal that 2018 was more of anomaly than a harbinger of a political shift.

Fresh off a walk on Sullivan's Island with Cunningham and a cup of coffee at the Ladson Waffle House with Mace, reporter Thomas Novelly joined us on the show to give listeners a closer look at who these candidates are and what is at stake.

We also revisited a couple moments from their first debate, when each candidate took a swing at their opponent's voting record, and went over their responses to some key questions about issues like climate change and healthcare.

Listen now to learn more.

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A lot has changed since April.

That's the last time political reporter Jamie Lovegrove was on the podcast to talk about South Carolina's Senate race. At that time, political analysts still saw a clear path to victory for Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham.

But it was already shaping up to be a record-breaking race for fundraising. Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison was out-fundraising Graham, and it was starting to generate buzz for the race.

Now, just a few weeks out from Election Day, Harrison's campaign says he raised $57 million in the third quarter — more than any other U.S. Senate candidate in history. Cook Political Report recently moved the contest from Lean Republican to Toss Up, and, for the last couple of months, polls have shown the candidates tied.

In this episode, we break down what has happened from the spring to the fall that made this such a competitive race, how each candidate is trying to court voters and the ways everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to the effort to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court could affect the outcome.

Listen now to learn more.

And for even more background on this race, listen to our episode from the spring about this race and check out our series that poses policy questions to both candidates on topics ranging from climate change to foreign policy.

This episode is the first in a three-week series focused on the 2020 Election. Do you have questions about voting or a specific South Carolina race? We want to hear them. You can submit your questions in two ways:

Write to us. Send an email with your election question.
Record your question. Submit an audio recording — a recording on your cellphone is fine — of you asking your question, and you may hear your voice on the show.

All questions and recordings should be sent to understandsc@postandcourier.com before Oct. 15.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand our state. This episode was hosted by Emily Williams and edited by Matt Rasnic.

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It's probably not surprising that the Charleston area is the most expensive place in the state for low-income individuals to live.

But how much, exactly, does it cost to make ends meet here?

We talked to reporter Andrew Brown about a study done by the University of Washington and released last week by Trident United Way that lays out how much individuals and families in Charleston County and other parts of the state need to make to pay for basic necessities.

Reporter Fleming Smith also joined us to talk about some of the challenges women in the Charleston region face when they're unable to find affordable housing and experience homelessness.

Both stories are particularly relevant right now, as so many South Carolina families are struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic that has driven unemployment claims to historically high levels and clearly revealed economic disparities in our communities.
Listen now to learn more.

You can find the full United Way report here and learn about contributing to Walking Women Welfare here.

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Football is a cherished sport in South Carolina. Whether you're a Tigers or a Gamecocks fan, it's no secret that the 2020 season will be unlike any other.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, at one point it was unclear if there would even be college football in 2020. Now, Clemson's team has played two games, the University of South Carolina's has played one, but game day looks very different from what either team is used to.

Typically packed stadiums are mostly empty, and the fans who are there are seated in socially-distanced "pods." Tailgating is prohibited, and face masks are required.

And, for the first time since 1909, the Gamecocks and the Tigers won't face off this season. The rivalry was the second-longest uninterrupted streak in the U.S.

This week we spoke with USC sports reporter David Cloninger and Clemson sports reporter Joshua Needelman about how this unprecedented season is going so far.

Because of the pandemic, teams have seen changes in how they travel, how many fans can attend games and eligibility.

Listen now to learn more.

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South Carolina and the United States recently reached grim milestones in the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of last week, coronavirus deaths in South Carolina had surpassed 3,000, and the U.S. death toll had exceeded 200,000 by Tuesday.

The pandemic reached South Carolina more than six months ago, when the first confirmed cases in the state were identified on March 6. After that, the virus started to steadily spread to all 46 counties.

Communities closed and then reopened. By the middle of the summer, the state had emerged as a hotspot for the virus, logging more than 2,000 new cases in a single day.

This week, we talked with projects editor Glenn Smith who has kept a daily log throughout the pandemic. Those entries were used to create a timeline of key moments during in the health crisis.

We also spoke with Rickey Dennis, who reports on religious communities in the Charleston area, about the role of local hospitals' chaplains during the pandemic. He explained how the demand for their support has gone up as hospital workers grapple with the spiritual toll it takes to support patients who have limited visitors because of the pandemic.

Because of restrictions put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus, hospital caretakers are often the only persons present when a patient dies from COVID-19.

Chaplains are also in a unique position, Dennis explained, as they're more needed than ever but have to find ways to provide comfort while practicing social distancing and utilizing technology.

Listen now to learn more.

The most up-to-date information on COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Carolina can be found on our COVID-19 dashboard.

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For much of South Carolina, last Tuesday, Sept. 8, was the first day of school.

In some ways, it was familiar: Parents held their kids' hands as they walked to elementary school, and teachers eagerly greeted their new students. There was excitement and some nervousness.

But, for most students, the day looked very different. Instead of riding the bus or walking to school, they sat at their kitchen tables and opened up a laptop. For those who did go to school in person, they did so wearing face masks and armed with hand sanitizer, reminded often about social distancing rules.

With just over a week of the school year down, there are many decisions ahead for parents, teachers and school administrators. In Charleston County, the vast majority of students are still learning remotely, but many want to come back to the classroom.

Teachers, meanwhile, are managing the stress of teaching students virtually, in-person or, in some cases, both at the same time. Many are worried about their health as their districts discuss ways to bring more instructors and students back into the classroom. Some are thinking about or have already resigned.

This week on the podcast, we talked to education reporter Jenna Schiferl about what she saw on the first day of school and how Charleston County schools are so far navigating the transition to in-person learning.

We also spoke with Leanna Rossi-Potter, a teacher at Wando High School and president of the Charleston County Education Association, about her and her colleagues' experiences during the first week of school and why this is unlike any year she's experienced as a teacher.

Listen now to learn more.

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 cases within Charleston County schools, visit this online dashboard.

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Listen or click here to learn more about black rails in South Carolina.

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Earlier this year, Charleston got a first looks at plans for what would be the city's biggest and most complicated flooding mitigation program yet: a sea wall that would wrap eight miles around the peninsula.

The wall was the preferred path chosen by the Army Corps of Engineers, which was tasked with figuring out a way to better protect the city from life-threatening storm surge during hurricanes.

Immediately, a slew of questions were raised: How would it work? What would it look like? Where would it go? How much would it cost, and who would be paying for it?

Some of those answers were available. (We know, for example, that the estimated price tag is $1.75 billion, and Charleston would have to cover $600 million of that bill.) Other questions can't be answered yet.

To help clear up what we know and what we don't, reporter Chloe Johnson joined us to discuss the plans, which she has been following closely since they were rolled out in the spring.

We also talked about how the sea wall proposal — and the debate that's surrounded it — is representative of an existential question the Charleston peninsula faces as sea levels rise and flooding becomes more frequent: wall off the waters or retreat to higher ground?

Listen now to learn more.

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Before the University of South Carolina brought some 35,000 students back to Columbia for classes, the school spent all summer preparing.

They installed cameras to monitor face mask usage, put out a promotional campaign promoting social distancing and hand washing and even launched a COVID-19 testing program that would give students results in 24 hours.

But that didn't make the university immune to outbreaks.

This week, shortly after we recorded this podcast, we learned from newly-released numbers that more than 1,000 USC students have tested positive for COVID-19, more than any other major university in the country.

The campus is still on low alert, according to its COVID-19 Dashboard, and university president Bob Caslan has said he's committed to trying to see the semester through, though he warned last week he would "pull the plug" if necessary.

Andy Shain, who leads our team of reporters in Columbia and Avery Wilks, a projects reporter who is also based in the Capital City, filled us in on how the university is utilizing "quarantine dorms," what's being done to rein in off-campus partying and why other colleges across the state and country are closely watching what happens at USC.

Listen now to learn more and click here for related articles.

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For many music lovers, what may have felt like a normal night out catching a local band's set in early March turned out to be a kind of 2020 milestone: their last pre-coronavirus live concert.

For the first few months of the pandemic, live music largely disappeared as Americans started to shelter in their homes, and bars and concert venues were ordered to close.

Some bands found success staying connected with their fans through virtual shows, but the format hasn't offered them a viable way to make money.

Combine that with the fact that many South Carolina musicians rely on the now struggling food and beverage industry for income, and this hasn't been an easy time to be in the Palmetto State's music scene.

More recently, live performances have been making a tentative comeback, bringing new pandemic-era concert customs with them. At socially distant outdoor concerts, ticketholders listen to tunes from spaced-out assigned seating areas instead of crowding around a stage.

On this week's episode, we talked with arts and entertainment reporter Kalyn Oyer about what the "new normal" may look like for live music in South Carolina and how local musicians, music venues and fans are coping. She also shared some memories from her last pre-pandemic concert and played us clips from three of her favorite albums recently released by South Carolina artists. Here's a spoiler: Get ready for some cowbell.

Listen now for more.

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This week marked 100 years since the 19th amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote. Full electoral equality was still decades away, but Aug. 18, 1920 is still a major milestone in U.S. women's history.

To celebrate, The Post and Courier interviewed 19 women from around South Carolina. We talked with women in politics and business, activists and thought leaders.

This week on the podcast, we were joined by managing editor Autumn Phillips, who was one of the interviewers for the series, called "We the Women," to pick out some of the highlights.

We selected clips from seven of the interviews for this episode. You'll hear how Post and Courier editor Barbara Williams used to file her copy, why Dr. Mary Thornley of Trident Technical College says she'll never take the right to vote for granted and what Queen Quet of the Gullah/Geechee Nation thinks of this recent period of protests in America.
Listen now to find out.

You can watch all 19 videos on our website or listen to the conversations in podcast form on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen. Just search for "Post and Courier Specials" and look for the "We the Women" logo.

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Last week, Hurricane Isaias brushed past the Lowcountry but left a mess in the Grand Strand. And while it didn't prompt evacuations or major panic, Isaias was a clear reminder of the kind of storm season that's been brewing in the Atlantic Ocean.
It was the earliest "I" storm on record, meaning eight other named storms had already formed before it this year. During a typical year, named storms would only be on the letter "B" by early August.

The Aug. 3 storm also made 2020 the sixth straight year that a tropical storm has affected the Palmetto State's coast.

It traced a similar path to a couple close calls for the Charleston area in recent years: Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Dorian last year.

Senior projects reporter Tony Bartelme and reporter Chloe Johnson, who writes about the coastal environment and climate change, were able to offer some insight on what could be ahead in the months of hurricane season that are still yet to come.

We also talked about how the pandemic could play into evacuation plans if South Carolina ends up in the potential path of a larger storm this year — and what we should be considering now so that we're prepared.

Listen now to find out.

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In South Carolina, renters have to be armed with cash to fight an eviction.
When tenants facing removal from their homes want to have their case heard in a higher court, they're often required to come up with thousands of dollars in a matter of days.
Ambiguities in the law make the issue particularly murky and lead to wide disparities in what tenants are required to pay. It could be as little as $0, or as much as all of the back rent a landlord says the tenant owes, plus another three months' rent up-front.
It's all up to the judges who handle these cases.
This week, we talked to reporter Thad Moore who recently read through court records from across the state to look for these types of cases. He found that, since the beginning of 2019, more than 120 tenants in South Carolina who were appealing their evictions had their cases thrown out because they couldn't come up with the money required.
We asked him about how this policy compares to the way other states handle eviction appeals, why some housing attorneys say the practice is unfair and what our watchdog reporters are looking out for as evictions become a key indicator to watch during the coronavirus pandemic.

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At this time last year, parents and students were picking up fresh packs of pencils and notebooks, starting up fall sports practices and gearing up for another first day of school in August.
But in 2020, the traditional back-to-school period has become a ticking clock on major decisions facing school boards, teachers and parents about how and when to bring students back to the classroom amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The already contentious debate intensified last week when Gov. Henry McMaster gave a press conference announcing that he wanted to see all public schools in the state offer in-person classes five days a week this fall.
Criticism was swift.
South Carolina's largest school district, Greenville County Schools, pushed back almost immediately, and the state's top education official, Molly Spearman, chose not to attend the press conference and instead put out a statement objecting to McMaster's request.
Most agree that students learn better in a classroom than they can online. What isn't agreed upon is when it's safe to make that transition.
We turned to education reporter Jenna Schiferl and projects reporter Avery Wilks for some insight on what parents, politicians, schools officials and educators are thinking. We discussed how school districts are responding to the governor's call to reopen, what classrooms might look like this fall and why so many parents in South Carolina are feeling frustrated.

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In the couple weeks leading up to the primary runoff for South Carolina state Sen. Luke Rankin's seat, televisions in the Myrtle Beach area were flooded with political ads — at least $785,000 worth of them, to be exact.
The ads were paid for by three different groups but, beyond those groups' names, not much else is known about them. That's because they're so-called "dark money" organizations that pour huge sums of money into political ads but don't disclose their donors.
For this particular race, which pitted Rankin against a conservative challenger, those groups combined were able to spend more than three times what Rankin raised for his own campaign.
This kind of political spending is becoming increasingly common in the U.S., but the system is particularly bad here in South Carolina because of the state's campaign finance laws.
South Carolina is one of just three states that does not track or police this type of political advertising in any way.
For this week's podcast, we talked with political reporter Jamie Lovegrove and business reporter Andrew Brown who followed the money with the race for Rankin's seat.
They also discussed why this race in particular was targeted, which other S.C. elections have been influenced by dark money and how likely it may be to see legislation that reins in these groups in the near future.

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Racial disparities in who contracts coronavirus have played out across the U.S., and South Carolina is no different.
A few months ago, data started to show that Black South Carolinians were getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at disproportionately high rates. And more recently, it's become clear that the Spanish-speaking population in the state has been particularly hard hit, too.
During a recent spike in cases in Greenville, state health officials reported that 30 percent of the cases were among the Hispanic community. About 9 percent of the county's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino.
Volunteers are working hard to spread messages of public health to the states' Spanish-speaking population, but they're up against a slew of challenges. In these communities, the threat of the virus is often exacerbated by a lack of information, wariness about government involvement and a lack of trust in established media.
For this week's episode, reporters Mary Katherine Wildeman and Greg Yee share what they learned in reporting a recent piece on the pandemic's effects in South Carolina's Hispanic community.
We also talk through some notable updates from last week's conversation about the coronavirus pandemic, like what we know about the rapid rise in hospitalizations and why one study concluded the state has reached a "tipping point" in needing another stay-at-home order.

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While health officials urging South Carolinians to wear masks in public is nothing new, mandatory masking ordinances in the state are.
Greenville made the first move when it required people to wear masks in retail stores, groceries and pharmacies on June 23. Columbia followed suit with an ordinance that took effect June 26. Charleston's mask-wearing rule officially began Wednesday.
And Myrtle Beach — the state's most popular tourism destination and a place that's been called out by at least four states linking outbreaks to residents' vacations there — will consider a mask ordinance later today.
During our last episode of this podcast that focused on mask-wearing, which we recorded just before the last holiday weekend, Memorial Day, we discussed how health officials were worried their guidance was being ignored.
A large portion of South Carolinians were going to grocery stores, recently-reopened restaurants and other places without face coverings.
Now, the state's coronavirus case numbers have been breaking records at a rapid pace, leading about 30 cities and counties to pass rules that make not wearing a mask an offense punishable with a fine.
We talked with Columbia bureau chief Andy Shain and data producer Bryan Brusee who teamed up this week for a comprehensive look at the masking ordinances being adopted across the state. And, later on in the show, food and beverage reporter Dave Infante talks us through proper mask-wearing processes at bars and restaurants.
Our discussion also covers why we don't have a statewide mask mandate, just how bad these rising case numbers are and how and why we present COVID-19 data on our frequently-updated dashboard.

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After more than 17 hours of sawing, slicing and tethering, the 12-foot-tall statue of John C. Calhoun that's towered over Marion Square for more than a century came down on Wednesday.
While that may seem long — many hours longer than city officials had anticipated it — efforts to remove it are really as old as the monument itself, which Black Charlestonians have seen as a physically imposing symbol of oppression.
Calhoun, in addition to being one of the most influential politicians of his day, was also one of the most ardent defenders of slavery. He described it as a "public good."
This week, we invited a couple guests from outside the newsroom to join the podcast: historians Adam Domby and Bernard Powers.
Domby is a historian of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the American South. He’s also the author of the book, “The False Cause: Fraud, Fabrication, and White Supremacy in Confederate Memory,” which was published earlier this year.
Powers is a professor emeritus of history at the College of Charleston and is the director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston. Right now, he's serving as the interim CEO of the International African American Museum, which is under construction now on the Charleston peninsula.
Both Domby and Powers were able to frame this moment in Charleston's history and speak to some of the questions being raised today about what communities should do with their monuments and what statues may take the place of those that, like Calhoun, are coming down now.
We also heard from reporter Mikaela Porter, who covers the city of Charleston and was one of several of journalists staked out at Marion Square overnight, talking with community members who gathered there to see Calhoun come down.
During the episode, we dig into how City Council got to its unanimous vote, what the statue symbolized when it was constructed in the late 19th century, and why Powers thinks the city was creating new history, not erasing it. Listen now to find out.

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Variations of the same announcement have been coming out a steady clip this month: Restaurants that recently reopened after coronavirus restrictions were lifted said they were closing up shop again.
The reason? Their employees tested positive for COVID-19.
While some Charleston restaurant owners have adopted the unofficial course of action for businesses with a coronavirus case — post a message on social media, close for deep cleaning and reopen — many have said the state should be giving guidance on what to do.
Recently, the state health department did, and Post and Courier food editor Hanna Raskin predicts that guidance will bring the stream of closings to a halt, or at least slow them down dramatically.
In this week's podcast, Raskin discusses what that guidance is and why she thinks local restaurants that identify COVID-19 cases on their staff will likely choose, from now on, to keep operating.
We also discussed an announcement from Charleston's Wine + Food festival that got slammed by activists as being the "easiest stance" possible, how Raskin felt when she dined inside at a restaurant and why she thinks diners should assume while they're eating out that someone could have coronavirus.

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When we recorded this episode, the seven-day moving average of coronavirus cases in South Carolina had hit a new high for 11 days in a row.
Then, after new case totals were released later in the afternoon, Tuesday became the 12th consecutive day with a record seven-day average.
Coronavirus cases are climbing, and with nearly all state-mandated restrictions lifted and no second wave of shutdowns anticipated, it's going to be up to South Carolinians to take actions to slow the virus's spread.
Health experts in the state are urging people to wear masks and practice social distancing. Based on some estimates, South Carolina hasn't done too well at keeping its distance up to this point, and mask usage has been inconsistent.
We checked back in with health editor Lauren Sausser and health and business reporter Mary Katherine Wildeman to talk about why coronavirus case numbers are rising, which South Carolina county has emerged as a hotspot and why the increase can't be explained by increased testing.

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Last Saturday, South Carolinians took the streets, joining protesters across the U.S. and world who are — again — calling for the killings to stop.
The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the hands of police in Minneapolis. But they're also the product of a gross lack of change.
That frustration came through over the weekend when thousands gathered for protests in Charleston and Columbia. Every day since, protesters have marched in both cities and in other parts of the state.
We talked with reporters Greg Yee and Sara Coello who cover breaking news and photographer Gavin McIntrye. All three of them have been reporting from these protests.
We asked them what they saw, what protesters have said about why they're in the streets and how the community has reacted to the police's tactics.
McIntyre, who photographed protests in the state's capital over the weekend, described the images of protesters that stuck in his mind. Coello spoke about what she saw during Saturday's march in downtown Charleston, which ended in a very different way than how it began.
And Yee recalled the story of another African American man whose name has been chanted by protesters: Walter Scott, who was shot and killed by a North Charleston police officer in 2015.
We also spoke with 23-year-old Givionne “Gee” Jordan Jr., who was the subject of a now-viral video on social media that showed him being arrested by police in Marion Square during a peaceful act of protest. We've shared the full interview with Jordan, which can be found here.

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Images and videos from protests against racism and police brutality have been filling our news feeds and social media pages for days now.
It can be overwhelming to scroll through it all — and much more overwhelming, and sometimes dangerous, for the protesters who are actually on the streets — but sometimes one moment cuts through it.
That was the case for video that was captured during a protest in Charleston's Marion Square on Sunday, which has caught the attention of millions of viewers.
It shows 23-year-old Givionne “Gee” Jordan kneeling before a line of police officers as other protesters stood or knelt around him. In that overwhelming moment, he wanted to pause and project a sense of peace and unity.
“I am not your enemy,” he said to police. “All of you are my family.”
Moments later, he was arrested.
We spoke with Jordan about his experience that day, why he came to stand with protesters in Marion Square and the difference he wanted to make with his words. Listen to the full interview below.

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When rain pummeled Charleston last Wednesday, a team of reporters and photographers fanned out across the region, assessing damage and talking to people as they waded through the floodwaters.
Streets were closed, cars stranded and parking lots turned into ponds.
The next day, The Post and Courier published the first package of Rising Waters, a new effort to cover the serious effects of sea level rise and flooding on people's lives and the region's economy.
To accomplish the project's goals — which include creating a larger public dialogue about actionable solutions — the reporting will be a mix of breaking news coverage and investigative reporting that gets at the immediacy of the issue while delving in the science that explains why it's happening.
The city has a front row view to the real-time impacts of climate change, and those impacts are just coming faster.
Storms are not only more frequent but stronger and harder to predict. Sea level rise in Charleston has gone from rising at a rate of an inch every decade to an inch every two years.
We talked with projects editor Glenn Smith and senior projects reporter Tony Bartelme about this new approach to covering flooding and sea level rise, what readers can expect in the future from Rising Waters and how they can contribute. Listen to find out.

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In South Carolina, the decision of whether or not to wear a mask has fallen on individuals.Politicians and public health officials have been urging people to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but some are concerned people are ignoring the advice. One poll found that South Carolinians lag behind 40 other states in mask use.That's pretty clear on a trip to the grocery store, where maybe two-thirds of customers wear face coverings. It's even more evident on a trip to a recently-reopened restaurant or coffee shop.
The state's top infectious disease investigator, Dr. Linda Bell, said she was alarmed to see college students packed outside bars in Columbia on a recent weekend night, all without face masks.
Seeing a low percentage of people covering their faces is especially concerning to health experts because masks are more effective in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 if more people wear them.So, why have so many people been going maskless?We talked with projects reporters Avery Wilks and Thad Moore about why the question of when to wear a mask has become a social conundrum in South Carolina.

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In late March, when it seemed like nearly everything had closed, South Carolinians continued to come to the beach. It felt like one of the last things to do, and especially for people who live a quick walk or drive from the ocean, a day at the beach was the answer to their cabin fever.
But, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state grew, so did the concerns about people congregating on coastline. In the Charleston area, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island established checkpoints that only allowed residents onto their islands.
On March 30, Gov. Henry McMaster made the call to close all public beach access points in the state.
That order was lifted a few weeks ago, on April 20, but some sections of the state's coastline are just reopening this week. Island communities in the Charleston area decided to ease up their restrictions more gradually.
This upcoming weekend will be the first one since closures began that Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island will not have checkpoints in place.
We sat down with reporters Chloe Johnson and Mikaela Porter to talk about how coastal communities enforced beach access rules, what restrictions still remain and why beach reopenings nearly led to a Charleston-area legal battle.

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Restaurants have become a marker of sorts during the coronavirus pandemic. They were among the first businesses to close, and the first to announce mass layoffs.
Diners have seen their favorite spots pivot to takeout or wait out the crisis. Some have already shuttered for good.
Bars, limited to selling beer and wine to-go, have scrounged for other ways to bring in revenue. The state's craft brewers warned drinkers that they can't last for long without help.
This week, South Carolina restaurants made the first step to reopen: Patio dining was allowed to resume, and eager patrons flocked to outdoor tables.
Dining rooms will eventually follow suit and the industry will be faced with a challenging transition. How soon is too soon to reopen? Will some spots stick to takeout only? What does a bar look like in a time of social distancing?
Food editor and chief critic Hanna Raskin and food and beverage reporter Dave Infante joined us for a discussion about how the health crisis has impacted Charleston's dining scene, what plans the industry has for reopening and which changes will likely linger post-pandemic. Listen to find out.

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News about the coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina can change at a rapid pace.
When we recorded this podcast early Tuesday afternoon, it was believed that the state had reached its peak of deaths caused by the coronavirus earlier this month. Health officials were optimistic that the state's disease curve was starting to flatten.
Just a few hours later, it was reported that 15 South Carolinians with COVID-19 had died on Monday, the highest number of patient deaths since the pandemic reached the state.
While many restrictions put in place to slow the virus's spread, including a stay-at-home order and mandated closures for some businesses, remain in place, other measures have recently been lifted.
Retail stores and public beach access points were allowed to open last week. South Carolina's 47 state parks plan to reopen this Friday. And Gov. Henry McMaster has assembled a team he's called "accelerateSC" to help advise on the reopening of the state.
Health editor Lauren Sausser and Columbia bureau chief Andy Shain joined us to talk about how South Carolina's outbreak compares to other states, why some restrictions have been lifted and what McMaster's next move may be.
We also have some insight on a new treatment for COVID-19 patients that's being used in the Charleston area and how South Carolinians who have recently recovered from the virus may be able to help. Listen to find out.

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Early last year, even before Jaime Harrison officially declared his candidacy, it was clear that U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham's challenge had shifted from the right to the left.

Now, the race between Graham and former S.C. Democratic Party chairman Harrison is shaping up to be the most expensive in the state's history.
The Post and Courier reported last week that Harrison outraised Graham during the first three months of 2020, setting a South Carolina campaign fundraising record in the process.

While nonpartisan election analysts still rate the seat as a safe Republican hold, the race has generated buzz. Last week's fundraising news merited tweets from prominent figures on both sides of the political aisle, including former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Gov. Nikki Haley.
Why this race, and why now? How, after previously facing challengers on the right, did Graham come to run against three little-known GOP candidates and one well-funded Democratic opponent?

We talked with political reporter Jamie Lovegrove to get some insight on this race and what it says about South Carolina politics. Listen to find out.

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Two years ago today, America's deadliest outbreak of prison violence in 25 years broke out at a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.The public was told very little about what happened that night, so the Post and Courier set out to change that.

The resulting project, which was published in December, exposed flaws in the state's prison system that lead to the deaths of seven inmates in one night at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville. If you haven't read the story yet, we recommend you check it out before listening. Read the story here.

The piece recently won two national journalism awards: a first-place honor in the Scripps Howard Awards for Distinguished Service to the First Amendment and another first place win in the annual IRE Awards recognizing outstanding investigative work.

Project reporters Jennifer Berry Hawes and Stephen Hobbs joined us for a behind-the-scenes look at their eight-month-long reporting process. They, along with reporters Glenn Smith and Seanna Adcox, collected thousands of pages of documents, interviewed more than 150 people and wrote to about 400 inmates.

They explain how, with very little information publicly available, they were able to piece together what happened that night on Lee's dangerous West Yard. Listen to find out.

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Students, teachers and parents across South Carolina have been adjusting to a "new normal."

Most colleges canceled in-person classes for the rest of the semester, and K-12 students in the state will be learning from home at least through April 30. With those changes come a slew of new challenges, from coordinating virtual lectures on Zoom to making sure students from low-income households still have access to free lunches.

Education reporter Jenna Schiferl joined us — virtually, just like last week, since our reporters are working from home — to talk about how coronavirus closures have affected every level of education in South Carolina.

We also spoke with one Charleston parent to see how she and her eight-year-old son have been navigating the transition to remote learning. Listen to find out.

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So much has changed since we last discussed the coronavirus on this podcast.

When we recorded our special COVID-19 episode on March 11, South Carolina had only a few confirmed cases of the novel strain of coronavirus. That number has now swelled to more than 1,000, and all of our lives have changed.

Health editor Lauren Sausser and health and business reporter Mary Katherine Wildeman joined us again — this time virtually since most of our newsroom is working from home — to talk about how the pandemic has escalated in South Carolina and what might come in the weeks ahead.

We also addressed some questions we’ve heard from readers about who is getting tested for COVID-19, how prepared our hospitals are and what local and state officials have done to help slow the virus’s spread. Listen to find out.

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We've recorded a special episode of Understand SC about a topic that's dominated the news cycle here and around the world: the spread of the coronavirus.

As more cases of the strain, called COVID-19, are detected every day, questions about how it could impact our lives are multiplying, too. What should we be doing to prepare? What are health officials saying? Should we be worried, and, if so, how worried?

We sat down with health editor Lauren Sausser and health and business reporter Mary Katherine Wildeman to talk about how the virus has impacted South Carolina so far and what we could see next. Listen to find out.

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Well, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Understand is finally back after our extended winter hiatus with politics reporter Caitlin Byrd to talk about the 2020 Democratic Primary coming up in a few days. Why does this matter so much? Who's in the lead? Why is our primary open? And will GOP voters attempt to sow chaos? We've got the answers.

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You’ve likely seen CBD products popping up everywhere and heard about farmers growing hemp all over the state. In September, John Pendarvis was arrested for growing hemp on unlicensed land, making him the first farmer in the state to be charged for this crime. But the punishment wasn’t specified, leaving some interesting legal questions.

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SC's presidential primary is the first in the south and one of the first nationwide. Here's how that came to be and why it matters so much.

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After acrimony and distrust, organizers decided not to build the $100 million National Medal of Honor Museum here in South Carolina. At look at what happened, how the project got derailed, and what's happening instead.

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We explain the controversy over USC's new president.

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SPECIAL EMERGENCY EPISODE: Latest on Dorian and Evacuations.

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What's the deal with the tiny checks folks are getting in the mail from SCE&G parent company SCANA?

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For this week’s episode, we thought it was high time to talk about the specific challenges Charleston and the coast as a whole face as climate change continues to affect how many flooding events impact the area.

In what we think might just be our best episode yet, here are some of the questions we tackle:

How quickly is sea level rise accelarating?
What factors are contributing to flooding?
When it floods, what exactly is in the water? (Spoiler: It’s poop.)
What actions are being taken to fix the problem?
What solutions are working and which ones aren’t and why?
Why do new developments in certain areas cause more floods?
How did flooding contribute to Emory’s recent epic fall? (Because we know you want to hear more about that.)
And so many more things. This episode is pretty comprehensive.

Further reading:

Charleston residents are raising their homes to fight flooding, but many can’t afford it
Coastal flooding is accelerating in Charleston and around the US, NOAA reports
A powerful current just miles from SC is changing. It could devastate the East Coast.
A fix to flood-proof Charleston could top $2 billion and take a generation to complete

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If you ask our tourism reporter Emily Williams, who’s joining us on this week’s episode, “overconcentration on the peninsula” is what everyone’s talking about — at city council meetings, zoning meetings and just around town in general.

It’s a hot topic, especially among those that feel so much development is ruining the character that makes the Holy City so unique. Currently, there’s 4,900 hotel rooms on the peninsula, with more on the horizon. A hotel task force was launched this spring to address how to manage future growth and development.

So what does that future look like in downtown Charleston? Tune in to this week’s podcast as we break down what’s driving all this development and where we’re headed as a city.

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Mark Sanford is considering mounting a primary challenge against President Trump. We explore the history of one one of SC's most famous politicians.

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Explaining how we make the news and why journalists do things the way they do.

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Last October, reporters Michael Majchrowicz and Mary Katherine Wildeman published ‘Taught hate to myself,’ revealing how South Carolina is home to one of the nation’s most expansive networks of ex-gay ministries and counseling practices.

Gay conversion therapy – which aims to suppress or eradicate a person’s LGBTQ identity – has been condemned by most major medical groups. Fourteen states have barred professionals from offering it. Majcrowicz and Wildeman identified 22 ministries, churches and practitioners across the Southeast, with at least nine operating in South Carolina.

In this week’s episode, we catch up with Majchrowicz to get the background on just how these groups continue to operate here, what it was like to report this story and what the reaction has been to the project.

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In the digital age, there are too many forecast models and contradicting voices that all seem to come at you at once the second a named storm starts spinning in the Atlantic.

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how forecasters are calling for a "near-average" season this year. But that doesn't mean we're anywhere close to in the clear. Experts say that they expect four to eight hurricanes, with about two to four of them becoming major hurricanes.

If a hurricane of any category made direct landfall in S.C., we would see severe damage. But even a tropical storm can be devastating. Take 2017's Irma for example: By the time it started impacting S.C., Irma was a tropical storm with an eye passing 200 miles away from Charleston. Yet, Irma's produced the worst tidal surge in Charleston since Hurricane Hugo.

Further Reading:

European hurricane model might be best but none are better than official forecast
How would Charleston fare under a direct hurricane hit? Based on a 2014 study, not well.
Post and Courier launches Hurricane Wire, a pop-up newsletter for storm season

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If you live in downtown Charleston, you know about gentrification. Particularly in the 2010s, we've seen gentrification accelerate faster than ever on the upper peninsula as families sell homes they've had for decades and developers transform these neighborhoods.

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The landmark Brown v. Board of Education court decision, which banned racial segregation in public schools across the country, was issued in 1954. Yet South Carolina schools didn’t really begin desegregating until the 1970s. Even when they did, 131 “segregation academies” popped up around the state, the ghosts of which can still be seen today — 1 in 8 Palmetto State schools are 90% or more minority students.

It’s not just the history that’s cause for concern. South Carolina is struggling to retain teachers, and our test scores, benchmarks and education system as a whole consistently rank toward the bottom of nearly every list out there.

Jennifer Berry Hawes, one of The Post and Courier’s reporters behind the “Minimally Adequate” project, is on the show this week to help make sense of it all.

The big question: Why is South Carolina’s education system continually among the worst in the nation, and did the 2018 legislative session offer any hope for improvement? How can the state fix fundamental issues of division and equal opportunity?

Further Reading

Minimally Adequate: A 5-part investigation into South Carolina’s struggling schools
SC lawmakers pass $9 billion budget, including teacher and public employee raises

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South Carolina’s population has about doubled what it was in 1970. It’s now the 9th fastest growing state in the U.S. How are we experiencing these changes in the state and what does it mean for the future?

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