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Amid the federal funding suspensions for electric vehicle charging stations, South Carolina lamakers have passed legislation to create a “free market” for businesses still looking to invest in the charging industry.

Though South Carolina did not participate in the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, the biggest concern from businesses hoping to add EV chargers came from fear of larger electric companies being able to sell the same charge for cheaper rates.

“We should never ask the public to fund something the private sector is willing to invest in,” state Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, said in a news release from Charge Ahead Partnership. “This legislation will attract private investment and bring the free-market competition that comes with it.”

Senate Bill 275, which was passed May 8, restricts electric utilities from using ratepayer funds to build, own and operate charging stations, aiming to alleviate the potential uneven playing field for small businesses, according to the release.

“South Carolina has been a leader in many aspects of EV manufacturing, attracting billions of investment dollars with free market policies,” Jay Smith, Charge Ahead Partnership executive director, said in the release. “This legislation establishes the state as a policy leader as well. S. 275 lays the groundwork for a competitive EV charging marketplace, where businesses and entrepreneurs can invest with confidence.”

Charge Ahead Partnership is a coalition of businesses, associations and individuals that share a goal of efficiently and effectively developing a charging network for electric vehicles across the United States.

“As EVs become more common on South Carolina roads, I want the best charging providers to emerge. The only way that will happen is through free-market competition,” state Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Moncks Corner, said in the release. “The liquid fuel industry is among the most competitive marketplaces in America, with transparent pricing and retailers furiously trying to outdo their competition. There is no reason EV charging should be any different.”

(NewsNation) — A deal has been signed by Qatar Airways to purchase betweeen 160 and 200 Boeing jets, according to the White House.

“This historic agreement will support 154,000 U.S. jobs annually, totaling over 1 million jobs in the United States during the course of production and delivery of this deal,” the White House said.

The jets will be produced and delivered over a seven-year period, from 2029 to 2036.

Boeing has not yet confirmed or commented on details of the agreement.

The deal, which includes Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets, could give one South Carolina city a major job spike at its Boeing manufacturing plant.

The North Charleston plant is where all 787 Dreamliners are assembled, said Scott Stocker, who is the vice president and general manager . It currently employs more than 8,000 workers.

Mayor Reggie Burgess said while he’s not sure exactly how many jobs the Qatari deal could bring, his city will “fill them all.”

“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of jobs,” he added.

Local business owners told NewsNation the deal would be a game-changer.

“Most of our business, our contractors, they are truck drivers, they’re just working-class people. And if it can bring more of those in here, then it would definitely, definitely improve everything for us,” said Li Farmer, a restaurant manager in North Charleston.

Korean Air recently agreed to purchase up to 50 Boeing planes, some of which will be assembled in North Charleston.

It’s a big boost for Boeing after a tough year, production problems and worker strikes.

Though the company has seen some layoffs in recent months, Boeing announced a plan in December to invest $1 billion in North Charleston’s plant, with a goal of adding 500 jobs in the next five years.

Editor's note: This article has been amended to note the Mark Clark project was not part of the 2016 tax referendum that county voters passed.

Though the official death of the Mark Clark Extension came this week, it had languished in purgatory since voters last fall soundly rejected a tax referendum to help pay for the $2.3 billion project.

Plenty of road projects funded by a previous transportation tax referendum in Charleston County are underway or soon should be.

Here is a look at the road projects tied to the 2016 transportation sales tax passed by county voters.

The widening of Glenn McConnell Parkway is the only completed road project from the 2016 tax.

Main Road and Savannah Highway

A $364 million project to remake the interchange of U.S. Highway 17 and Main Road in West Ashley to alleviate traffic heading to and from Johns Island and other communities such as Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands. Crews have broken ground with major construction to get underway soon.

The project encompasses a number of improvements to help with traffic including construction of flyovers at the intersection; an interchange at Main Road and Highway 17 for drivers who want to avoid the intersection; a bridge over CSX Railroad; a roundabout at the intersection of Main, Chisholm and River roads; and a widening of Main Road from River and Chisholm roads to the interchange ramps.

The improvements were originally part of a bigger project for Main Road, from Bees Ferry Road to Betsy Kerrison Parkway. The project was later split into three parts, with the work getting underway having been estimated to cost $130 million in 2020. It has now ballooned to the largest infrastructure project in Charleston County history.

Work is expected to be completed in the fall of 2028.

Other work in West Ashley

Three projects to make intersection improvement along Savannah Highway are in the works.

The city is leading the right-of-way acquisition for the Avondale Avenue project, which includes realigning Avondale Avenue, adding a right turn lane to Nicholson Street across from it and adding a landscaped median to U.S. 17. The county this year plans to seek bids for work at the highway's intersections with Wappoo Road and at Dupont Road and Stinson Drive.

Palmetto Commerce Interchange

Improvements to the Palmetto Commerce Interchange in the area near the Charleston International Airport is expected to be done next February.

As part of another airport-area project — Airport Connector Road — the county started right-of-way acquisition in April and expects to start construction in the third quarter of 2026.

The third phase of the Palmetto Commerce Parkway is still in the permitting phase. County officials are meeting with Joint Base Charleston officials biweekly to get agreements in place. Construction is expected to start in 2028 or later.

James Island plans

On James Island, county public works director Eric Adams said the county is going to combine two projects into one to make bids for contractors more competitive: the installation of turn lanes and a traffic signal at the intersection of Fort Johnson Road and Secessionville Road, and the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Fort Johnson and Camp roads. County officials plan on putting out bids in the next few weeks, and expect construction to start in the third or fourth quarter of 2025.

The county is still working on improvements at the intersection of Central Park Road and Riverland Drive, Adams said. Plans are in place for a right turn lane from Central Park Road onto Riverland Drive, and the county is working with the community on right-of-way acquisition. Advertising for contractors should happen by the end of the year.

The county’s portion of the Folly Road Bike & Ped Project includes variable width sidewalk from Ellis Creek to George Griffith Boulevard and road restriping to reduce median width and provide dedicated bike lanes. One bid that exceeded the available budget was submitted in March. The county has made some minor plan modifications in conjunction with SCDOT. The project will be put back out to bid in mid-2025.

Other projects

COLUMBIA — South Carolina drivers will be banned from talking or scrolling on a cellphone while behind the wheel starting Sept. 1, and could even face fines if a device is in your lap.

Gov. Henry McMaster on May 12 signed the Statehouse's Hands-Free Driving Act lawmakers passed during the last days of the 2025 session that ended May 8.

Texting while driving is already banned in the state, but the new law prohibits physical cellphone use for any reason while driving, which includes having it in your lap while talking or searching for directions.

Drivers can still use Bluetooth features or other hands-free measures to send messages or call when driving.

McMaster's office said the measure will significantly reduce preventable accidents caused by distracted driving, thus "helping more South Carolinians make it home safely to their loved ones," spokesman Brandon Charochak said. "Gov. McMaster was proud to sign it into law."

The legislation was championed by state Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, for years, though lawmakers repeatedly sidestepped action for more than two decades. He has been a strong voice in platforming the dangers of using cellphones while driving.

"It's terrifying," Taylor said of distracted drivers. "You watch them, they slow down, they get in the left lane, they (can) run off the road."

Anyone caught violating the law would be ticketed $100 on a first offense and $200 for each additional violation in a three-year span. A second offense would add two points to a driver's license, which then impacts a person's car insurance rates.

The bill's passage also comes on the heels of a letter sent to McMaster and the state Department of Motor Vehicles last year from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requiring them to pass legislation or risk losing $40 million to $80 million in annual federal highway funding.

The letter sent late last year said 4 percent of federal highway grant funds would be cut if a law wasn't passed by July 2025. It would go up to 8 percent for every year after that if a law wasn't put in place.

The letter was in light of a 2011 federal rule that required all states to pass laws prohibiting handheld cellphone use for commercial drivers.

South Carolina was supposed to pass legislation by 2015 under the 2011 federal ruling. The U.S. Department of Transportation put South Carolina on notice in 2020, telling officials to make a compliance plan.

But with no bill passed in 2024, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told McMaster and the state DMV time was up, and funds would start to be taken if they didn't move on passing a bill.

"I refer to it as federal extortion," Taylor said. "But if that's what it takes to get the legislature to vote for hands-free."

Taylor said since the state complied with the request under the bill, the use of the funds should be no problem in the future.

Master Trooper William Bennett from the S.C. Highway Patrol said distracted driving has been a known problem across the state for years. Distracted driving is not just cellphone usage, he said, listing off habits such as eating, personal grooming, car play and even other people in the car as dangerous.

There are three types of distractions when on the road, Bennett said: visual, manual and cognitive.

"A cellphone is so dangerous because you're doing all three (distractions) at the same time," he said.

While details have not been released addressing how the law will be rolled out, Bennett said the effort will be another layer of protection for drivers in the state.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Explore Charleston released Tuesday its 2024 Economic Impact of Tourism report showing the Holy City saw another record-breaking year in the tourism industry.

The report, from research conducted by the College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis, revealed the greater Charleston area saw a total economic impact of $14.03 billion in 2024, up 7% from the previous year.

Additionally, Charleston saw a 1.2% increase in total visitors and a 5.5% increase in average visitor expenditure. Per adult, per trip, an average of $1,105 was spent in 2024, compared to $1,048 in 2023, according to the data.

A total of 23.5% of all sales in the region can be attributed to the tourism industry, while the industry employed 54,900 people, which is the highest number of people ever employed, the data showed.

Charleston tourism's economic impact has grown by 32% since 2021, while the total number of visitors grew by only 9%, illustrating the increase in average expenditure. The estimated number of visitors in the region last year was a total of 7,890,000.

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Hotels in the Holy City saw a new record set in 4,940,000 hotel room nights sold in 2024, and an average hotel occupancy of 70.6%. The hotel average daily rate saw a slight tick up with an average of $186 compared to $185 in 2022 and 2023.

The top origin states of visitors to Charleston (outside of South Carolina) were:

The top origin cities of visitors to Charleston (outside of South Carolina) were:

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Charleston International Airport also saw a record-breaking year in 2024, with an estimated 6,290,000 passengers flying into Chucktown.

Chairman of Explore Charleston, Dan Blumenstock, said the increase at the airport, as well as the many events Charleston has to offer, contributes to the tourism growth seen over the last year.

We have over 60 direct flights from Charleston now. . . Some of the events that we have in town. If you look at Spoleto or Southeastern Wildlife, that's just two or even food and wine. Uh, if you look at those events, those are things that we, the local community get to participate in because they're here in our backyard. We don't have to travel. The other people do come in to travel for those," Blumenstock said.

As far as what attracts visitors to the Holy City, the most attractive assets for tourists are:

Editor's Note: All of the data above was provided by Explore Charleston through research conducted by the College of Charleston's Office of Tourism Analysis.