Home Care In North Charleston, SC

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — More than seven months after the North Charleston Fire Museum closed, city leaders are opening the building near Tanger Outlets for rentals while they determine its long-term future.

The museum closed in February, disappointing many community members who had hoped to see the attraction remain open. The building recently reopened for a nonprofit event, marking a temporary new use for the former museum.

Mayor Reggie Burgess said the city has received interest from residents and organizations looking to use the space for events, including fashion shows, music-related gatherings and meetings.

“We've had people asking about fashion shows, people talking about music folks have in meeting areas,” Burgess said. “So we're trying to use it until myself and city council make a collective decision on what will be the best use of it.”

City officials said the building cost more than $6 million to construct. Burgess said renting the facility allows the city to utilize the property and generate revenue while officials work toward a permanent plan.

Councilwoman Nefertiti Brown, whose district includes the property, said nonprofits and members of the public can rent the space by contacting the city. She said nonprofit rentals are available at set rates.

Councilwoman Stephanie Ganaway-Paslay said the former museum should be viewed as an opportunity rather than simply an unused building.

“There's been discussion about what the building could be used for, because I think it's simply more than just an empty building,” Ganaway-Paslay said. “It's a building of opportunities.”

Ganaway-Paslay said the building's location near Tanger Outlets presents an opportunity to connect tourism, education and community programming.

“The location near Tanger Outlet also gives us an opportunity to connect tourism and education,” she said. “Visitors could learn about North Charleston while our residents could have a facility that provides meaningful education and community programming.”

Tony Tassarotti, a city official, said only a handful of events have been held at the building since the museum's closure. City leaders have not announced a final decision on the property's permanent use.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Former North Charleston City Councilmember Mike A. Brown was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by two years of probation. He was also fined $10,000 and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service for his role in a federal corruption investigation.

Brown previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery involving programs receiving federal funds and honest services wire fraud. Two nonprofit leaders implicated in the case, Michelle Stent-Hilton and Donavan Moten, were each sentenced to 18 months in prison.

During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel and federal prosecutors emphasized that Brown's position as an elected public official was a significant factor in determining his sentence.

The hearing concluded after an emotional and, at times, tense day at the federal courthouse. Brown appeared tearful and expressed remorse for his actions. Fifteen character witnesses testified on his behalf. Prosecutors argued that public officials must be held to a higher standard and contended that Brown had not fully accepted responsibility for his conduct.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Gergel said he considered all of the mitigating and aggravating factors presented during the hearing. He added that the punishment needed to serve as a deterrent to others who might seek to use public office for personal gain. Gergel characterized the case as part of what he described as a "culture of corruption."

Meanwhile, Donavan Moten, founder of the nonprofit Core4Success Foundation, was also sentenced. Moten appeared remorseful as he addressed the court before receiving his 18-month prison sentence.

"What they say on paper is not actually me. I've been doing the work. I've been in the community, and I'm going to continue to be in the community—right now, today, tomorrow, when I go in and when I come out," Moten said.

Supporters described Moten as a dedicated mentor and community advocate who worked closely with young people.

"He works with at-risk youth and is a counselor by both training and profession," said Moten's attorney, Ted Corvey. "He provides mentoring services, works alongside other nonprofits, and through his own organization helped lead toy, clothing, and food drives, voter registration efforts, and educational programs. I believe the court took all of that into consideration."

Despite those accomplishments, Moten acknowledged his role in the scheme and accepted responsibility for his actions.

"I'm loyal to a fault, especially when you put trust in someone you look to as a mentor, a father figure, or a big brother. But it is what it is. I made the decision. I could have said no, and I didn't. We're here today because I didn't say no," Moten said.

Michelle Stent-Hilton, executive director of the nonprofit DEEP SC, also expressed remorse after receiving an 18-month prison sentence.

The final defendant in the case, former North Charleston councilmember Jerome Heyward, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) — Boeing is expanding its registered apprenticeship program, creating more opportunities for people to enter high-skilled manufacturing careers without a four-year college degree.

The company announced Thursday that it plans to more than double the number of registered apprentices at Boeing from about 500 to more than 1,000 over the next two years.

Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling visited Boeing’s North Charleston campus Thursday for the announcement and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the company and the U.S. Department of Labor.

The program allows apprentices to earn a paycheck while receiving hands-on training for manufacturing jobs.

“You can start working right now and make more money than if you went to college,” Sonderling said.

Boeing says apprenticeships are designed to prepare workers for the specific skills needed in modern aircraft manufacturing.

The company says it is focusing on areas including:

The program combines workplace training with instruction designed around the skills Boeing needs.

Sonderling said the goal is to connect students with career opportunities earlier, including through partnerships with high schools, community colleges and technical schools.

“We need to do a better job … exposing kids earlier to these trade jobs that are coming back,” Sonderling said.

Sonderling emphasized that many of the jobs connected to registered apprenticeships do not require a traditional four-year college degree.

Instead, workers can learn directly on the job while being paid.

Boeing says its apprenticeship program is part of a larger effort to create multiple pathways into manufacturing careers, including education partnerships, pre-employment training, military and veteran programs and other early-career opportunities.

The company said its technical apprenticeship program has grown to more than 500 active apprentices, while its pre-employment training programs have attracted more than 600 qualified mechanics since 2023.

Boeing said it will use what it learns from the expanded apprenticeship program to help strengthen the manufacturing workforce across its broader supply chain.

The apprenticeship expansion comes as Boeing continues investing in its North Charleston operations.

Company officials highlighted a roughly $1 billion investment at the South Carolina site, where Boeing assembles 787 Dreamliners.

Boeing said it has more than 150,000 employees in the United States and supports roughly 1.4 million jobs directly and indirectly through its supply chain.

Sonderling said the federal government wants to make sure American workers are prepared to fill the manufacturing jobs being created by investments like Boeing’s.

“The jobs are here,” Sonderling said. “So we need to do a better job” of making workers aware of those opportunities.

The Labor Department will provide Boeing with resources to help develop and expand its registered apprenticeship programs.

The expansion also fits into President Donald Trump’s administration-wide push to increase the number of registered apprenticeships nationwide. Sonderling said the administration has a goal of reaching one million registered apprenticeships.

For Boeing, the immediate goal is to get more people trained and prepared to build aircraft — while creating a pathway into long-term manufacturing careers in South Carolina.

NORTH CHARLESTON — If the Grammy Award-winning group Sugarland coming to town wasn’t enough of a thrill, the duo invited one of Charleston’s favorite celebrities on stage for a surprise song.

Jennifer Nettles, co-singer of the country music duo, had fans screaming Oct. 6 when she brought Mount Pleasant resident and writer, actor and director Danny McBride out.

Together they performed the retro Christian-country track “Misbehavin’” that McBride wrote for the HBO TV show “The Rigteous Gemstones” and Nettles famously crooned in Season 1.

“I was a part of a little show called ‘The Righteous Gemstones,’ and I wish I had written this (expletive) song, but I did not,” Nettles told the North Charleston Coliseum crowd. “But the writer of this song is here tonight.”

A post shared by Sugarland (@sugarland)

Nettles and McBride have known each other for years, working together in Charleston where they filmed the comedic series McBride created with his production company, Rough House Pictures.

For five seasons, Nettles played the younger version of Aimee-Leigh, McBride’s mom and John Goodman’s televangelist wife who won hearts over singing Christian tunes.

Of the show’s numerable memorable moments, Nettles’ duet “Misbehavin’” with Walter Goggins — her TV brother “Baby” Billy Freeman — is one of the most well-known.

While Nettles and Kristian Bush, who formed Sugarland together in 2002 in Atlanta, primarily sang at the North Charleston concert, McBride joined on the cowbell — as seen the video Sugarland posted.

Brandon James, president of Rough House Pictures, said the team had gotten to know Nettles over the years and she reached out to McBride ahead of her Charleston stop with the idea of singing the tune on stage together.

“Danny was thrilled to join her and smash the cowbell,” James said, noting the band couldn’t have been cooler and that he and McBride were grateful for the invite in front of the local crowd.

The fictional track, created specifically for show, was written by McBride, his co-star Edi Patterson and the show composer Joseph Stephens. They wrote the song in less than an hour after a 10-minute riff in the writers’ room.

The song was featured in Season 1, Episode 5 in a flashback episode set in 1989. It references Aimee-Lee and “Baby” Billy’s Southern childhood with lyrics like: “Pies on the windowsill, swimmin' in the crick / Catchin' crawdads and playin' with a stick / I wore lipstick, and I got caught shavin' /Just two little country kids outside misbehavin'.”

McBride previously shared how the song came about to Hollywood Reporter.

“So I called Joey up and told him, ‘Hey, there’s this song ‘Misbehavin’. I don’t really know what it is,’” McBride said in 2020. “They would have sung when they were kids and it would have been popular.”

Stephens said McBride sent him a voice memo of Patterson, who plays his sister Judy on the show, singing.

“Edi had asked me (about the song) and I was like, ‘I don’t know what the song is at all, but I just have this hook: Mama told me not to, but I did it anyway / Mis-be-havin’.’ And we just started riffing off that a little bit, about two kids being bad and them learning not to be bad at the end (of the song),” McBride said.

The band, which has won 18 major music awards for songs like “Stay,” "Want to” and “Settlin’,” teased that fans should “Stay tuned for the full version soon!”

CHARLESTON — Ahead of rain, winds and flooding expected this weekend, Darius Rucker’s Riverfront Revival has canceled its Saturday portion of the two-day music event.

A post by event organizers said they are changing course out of concern for safety for attendees of the annual event.

“Based on the updated forecast and anticipated conditions, we have made the decision to cancel Saturday of Riverfront Revival,” read a social media post on Oct. 8.

Riverfront Revival — the fifth annual two-day music festival curated by three-time Grammy winner and Charleston native Rucker and produced by SRE Entertainment — will now take place Friday, Oct. 9, with an expanded lineup and adjusted schedule featuring Darius Rucker, his daughter Dani Rucker, Gavin Adcock, Old Dominion and more.

The inclement weather could create challenging conditions for the Lowcountry as thunderstorms and high tide mix with impacts of Hurricane Isaias. The first-named hurricane of the season is expected to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico region, and while not a direct hit on South Carolina, is still expected to bring heavy rainfall.

The event said all 2026 Riverfront Revival tickets will be valid for admission on Friday, including all 1-Day and 2-Day passes of all ticket types.

Ticketholders do not need to take any action to attend Friday’s event.

“We also understand that this schedule change may make it impossible for some patrons to attend, particularly those who planned to travel for Saturday,” the post read.

Here’s how to process a refund if needed:

“We know this change is disappointing, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we prioritize everyone’s safety,” the event organizers said.