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.

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

Sign up for The Post and Courier's Food & Dining newsletter here. 

Check out Malika's website, Instagram and Facebook.

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

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.

Related Content:

Tim Scott is running for president. His life story is at the center of his 2024 hopes.
SC’s Sen. Tim Scott says America ‘not a racist country’ in President Biden GOP rebuttal

Hosted by Caitlin Byrd and Schuyler Kropf

Edited by Eric Russell

This episode features recently named James Beard Finalist and owner of Tuk Tuk Sri Lanken Bites Sam Fore and owner of Mansueta's Filipino Food, Nikko Cagalanan

Charleston's Menu will be a podcast discussing dining, restaurants and all the food that lands on Parker and Robert's plate across South Carolina. 

Hosted by Parker Milner and Robert Moss

Produced by Eric Russell

The decision could alter the fate of several inmates, including Richard Moore. Moore is likely to be the first man scheduled to die by firing squad if the Supreme Court allows the state to use the method.

He recently discussed life on death row, facing execution and remorse for killing James Joseph Mahoney III. 

Reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes break down South Carolina's execution options and discuss her interview with Moore.

Hosted by Eric Russell and Jennifer Berry Hawes

Produced by Eric Russell

Follow Understand Murdaugh: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/understand-murdaugh/id1652688043

Hosted by Glenn Smith and Avery Wilks

Produced by Nathan Stevens

Music by Lexin Music

Instead, it's a connection to a moment in time and the memories and people they associate with it. Take, for instance, former Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale, who is largely credited with making the Lizard Man a legend. His niece, Abbie Denny, cherishes the Lizard Man, because it preserves her uncle's legacy. Harry Elmore also joined this episode. Elmore's uncle is often tied to the sightings in 1988, and when he took over his family's restaurant, Harry and Harry Too, he embraced the story.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the fourth episode of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

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.

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the second of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

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.

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

In this episode Post and Courier photographer Andrew Whitaker and projects reporter Thad Moore spoke with many people from the town and Lizard Man enthusiasts. 

One person they talked with, Robert Howell, grew up  in nearby Timmonsville. Howell is known for his early illustrations and Lizard Man comics in the summer on 1988. Howell tells the story of Christopher Davis, a 17-year-old who became famous after an encounter with the creature. Davis had stopped to change a tire along Browntown Road after leaving a night shift at a local fast food restaurant. Then he saw a 7-foot creature with scaly skin and glowing red eyes.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the first episode of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

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.

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

Many Bishopville residents and cryptid fans, including a group called the Friends of the Lizard Man, want to do more to preserve the story of the Lizard Man. In recent years, the town has increasingly embraced the legend with events including a Lizard Man beauty pageant, scavenger hunts and the Lizard Man Stomp, which was held in June.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the third of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

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.

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

This week, we’re talking about a few of the most closely-watched races with help from our politics team at The Post and Courier.

In this primary, there was a kind of tale of two Trump endorsements: There were two Congressional races in South Carolina where a stamp of approval from Donald Trump was in play. In each of those districts, the Republican incumbent had fallen out of favor with the former president. Their challengers had earned Trump's support. 

Things played out very differently in each of those races.

Politics reporters Nick Reynolds and Caitlin Byrd break down what happened in the GOP primary races in the state's 1st and 7th congressional districts, and Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains the results of the Democratic primary for this year's race for governor in South Carolina.

For more information about the Republican primary in SC-01, check out this episode of Understand SC.

More primary coverage:

• Rice loses SC congressional seat to Fry in GOP primary after voting to impeach Trump
• Turnout shows even Tom Rice’s neighbors chose Russell Fry over him in GOP primary blowout
• Nancy Mace survives fierce SC Republican primary against Trump-backed Katie Arrington
• Republican Nancy Mace beat Katie Arrington where it counted: Charleston and Beaufort
• Democrat Joe Cunningham’s runaway victory as governor nominee boosted by two letters: TV

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.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams.

"Omar" is Omar ibn Said, a West African scholar who was enslaved, first in Charleston and then in Fayetteville, N.C. Omar was Muslim, he read and wrote Arabic and he wrote his own autobiography. That text is what inspired the opera that is being performed for the very first time here in Charleston. 

Mena Mark Hanna, the general director of Spoleto Festival USA, explains the significance of this debut.

Reporter Adam Parker, who has followed the creation of this opera for years, also shares some behind-the-scenes insight on the production.

Find more stories about Omar ibn Said and the opera "Omar," plus photo stories and videos at postandcourier.com/omar.

More coverage:

• Making ‘Omar,’ Spoleto Festival's opera about an enslaved Muslim scholar in the Carolinas
• A quest for the true identity of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim man enslaved in the Carolinas
• Understand SC: How The Post and Courier searched for Omar ibn Said's true identity
• Photo essay: Visual parallels in the 2 stories of Omar
• Spoleto Review: 'Omar' moves forward a crucial American story, and opera, too

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. 

The music featured in this episode is "In Search of Solitude" by Scott Buckley and"Bleu" by Komiku.

Within moments of the start of the debate, the primary field was narrowed from three candidates to two: In response to the first question, candidate Lynz Piper-Loomis took off her microphone and endorsed Republican Katie Arrington over current U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace.

This week, senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd breaks down that dramatic debate and explains why this race in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is the most closely-watched Republican Congressional primary in the state.

To understand this primary contest between Mace and Arrington, it’s important to understand the congressional races in SC-01 in 2018, when Arrington won the Republican primary but lost in the general election, and 2020, when Mace won the seat back from Democrat Joe Cunningham.

More coverage:

• Fact-checking the GOP primary debate for SC’s 1st Congressional District
• 1 candidate abruptly quits, leaving US Rep. Nancy Mace and Katie Arrington to fight it out
• SC Republican Katie Arrington reportedly urged fellow candidate to drop out of GOP race
• Showdown in SC-01: Can the Trump factor help Katie Arrington overcome Nancy Mace?
• Why Katie Arrington really lost her SC congressional race to Democrat Joe Cunningham

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.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured reporter Caitlin Byrd.

This week, we’re recapping what state lawmakers did and didn’t do during this regular legislative session, from the bills that died to ones that have made it to or are en route to the governor’s desk to be signed into law, plus what lawmakers still have to do when they return for their special session next month.

Assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains how some bills, like one that allows anyone in the state to cast a ballot early passed this session while others, like a bill that would legalize marijuana for people with chronic pain, weren’t successful this time around. 

More coverage:

• A look at what the SC Legislature did and didn’t do in 2022
• SC session ends with compromises on police training, early voting bills, but no budget yet
• SC House kills medical marijuana on a taxing technicality
• SC could soon join states that keep transgender girls off female teams

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.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured assistant Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox.

An actual decision has not been issued. What was leaked was a draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito, but, in the days since it was published, people have sprung into action. Some South Carolina Republicans are pushing to pass more aggressive abortion legislation. Abortion providers in the state are preparing for a six-week ban on abortions that's currently blocked in the courts to potentially go into effect as soon as this summer.

This week, we’re talking about what would happen in South Carolina if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

More coverage: 

• SC legislators could consider banning abortion in a special session after justices rule
• SC Republicans poised to impose stricter abortion bans if Roe v. Wade is overturned
• Mike Pence to condemn abortion in SC as Supreme Court suggests Roe v. Wade overturn
• Understand SC: Lawmakers poised to pass bill banning most abortions in SC

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.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured reporter Nick Reynolds.

It was a normal night. Nine and 10-year-olds were playing on the field as parents, siblings and coaches watched. 

Then, just before 8:45 p.m., dozens of shots rang out.

An about one-minute video captured by a parent showed the moments of confusion and panic that followed as children ran or crawled to find safety. 

No one was injured in the gunfire, and no arrests have been announced. City officials quickly said the violence was not something that would be tolerated and pledged to take action to quell gun violence, which has been on the rise in North Charleston and across the country.

The city's response and some of the proposed ideas for addressing the issue have reignited debate over the right balance between public safety and civil rights in South Carolina's third-largest city. It also prompted frustration from community members around what they saw as a lack of action in response to other instances of gun violence in North Charleston, especially in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

Rickey Dennis, who reports on the city of North Charleston, crime and public safety reporter Jocelyn Grzeszczak and watchdog and public service reporter Stephen Hobbs share their reporting.

More coverage:

• Another SC community grapples with gun violence after shooting disrupts children’s baseball games
• Some see double standard in shootings as Mayor Keith Summey meets with Pepperhill victims
• North Charleston baseball teams impacted by Pepperhill shooting get a night to remember
• Understand SC: Long-awaited audit shows racial disparities in policing

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.

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams and featured reporters Rickey Dennis, Jocelyn Grzeszczak and Stephen Hobbs.

Recently, in March, The Post and Courier brought back its restaurant reviews. Moving forward, readers can expect to find a review inside the Food & Dining section twice a month. 

This week, we peek behind the curtain with help from The Post and Courier’s new contributing critic, Robert Moss. He shared how he approaches a review, what stood out to him the most from the first two restaurants he reviewed and why he thinks this isn't the time for assigning star ratings to new restaurants.

Moss is the Contributing Barbecue Editor for Southern Living and the author of five books on food and beverage history. His most recent, "The Lost Southern Chefs," was published in February by University of Georgia Press. Moss has contributed to several South Carolina publications including the Charleston City Paper, where he wrote restaurant reviews for years. 

More coverage:

• Review: Brasserie la Banque shines brightest with bold twists on classic brasserie fare
• Review: Laurel reflects the shift in our new generation of neighborhood bistros

This episode was hosted by Parker Milner and edited 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.

This week, we're revisiting an episode that took us 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. 

This episode originally aired Sept. 23, 2021. 

The Greenland Connection recently gained some new accolades. It’s a finalist for the Covering Climate Now Climate Journalism Awards, a finalist for the 2022 News Leader Association Awards and a finalist for an award from the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT.

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.

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

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. 

Sign up for Holy City How-To.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 

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

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

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

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

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. 

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

Sign up for The Post and Courier's Food & Dining newsletter here. 

Check out Malika's website, Instagram and Facebook.

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

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. 

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.

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

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. 

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

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 .

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’

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

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. 

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.

Sign up for the Military Digest newsletter here.

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

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. 

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

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

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.

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 

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. 

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. 

More from this project:

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

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

And, as much as people would like it to be, this pandemic is far from over.  

Earlier this year, there was hope that this fall we would be edging closer to normalcy — that we would have overcome vaccine hesitancy enough that spread would have slowed.  

But, that didn’t happen, and slow uptake of the vaccine combined with the delta variant brought on South Carolina’s third surge in COVID-19 cases.  

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the state of the pandemic right now, and the strain that it’s causing for people tasked with fighting this pandemic every day.

On Monday, Sept. 13, we spoke with Dr. Brannon Traxler, director of public health for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, or DHEC, about this surge and what makes it different from previous spikes in cases during this pandemic.

Post and Courier Columbia reporter Avery Wilks also gave us a behind-the-scenes look at his deep dive into DHEC and the strain and frustration the agency's workers are feeling in the midst of the state's third major surge in COVID-19 cases. 

READ MORE: Inside DHEC, where workers fight anxiety, frustration, fatigue amid crush of pandemic

Visit the Post and Courier's COVID-19 dashboard. 

Or, as they'd describe it, Natalie is a storyteller and Ron is a kind of keeper of stories, collecting and documenting. 

Together, they have been gathering, interpreting and sharing stories in South Carolina for decades.

The couple is best known for "Gullah Gullah Island," a children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1994 to 1998. Their storytelling extended well after that show ended. It's never stopped, really, and the ways they tell stories have continued to evolve, even during the pandemic. 

Co-host Gavin McIntyre and I spoke with them about why they tell stories, what they see as their role in their communities now and the serendipitous way their TV show came to be.

They also shared how they’ve seen perceptions of the term “Gullah” change and why it's so important to them to show that Gullah culture and language is not only still alive but is constantly evolving. 

Listen now for more.

This is the first installment of SC Voices, an occasional Understand SC series that will feature conversational interviews with South Carolinians sharing their stories.

Who would you like to hear from next? Email understandsc@postandcourier.com with your ideas. 

Check out our special podcast series, 12 Black Leaders to Know. 

Music used in today's episode includes "Oh, Cello" by Bright Seed and "The No Leave Beat" by Billy Fountain.

On Tuesday, the S.C. Supreme Court heard two cases related to masking rules that challenged a state budget provision that prohibits schools from using state-appropriated funds to require masks. 

Public health officials have strongly encouraged the use of masks, citing rapidly-rising COVID cases among school-age South Carolinians. 

But justices emphasized during hearings this week that they wouldn't be weighing in on the merits of mask, only the letter of the law.  

Just a couple days after the court heard the cases, a decision was issued Thursday afternoon, striking down Columbia's ordinance requiring masks.

Post and Courier Columbia reporter Stephen Fastenau breaks down what happened at the hearings and what this decisions means for S.C. schools.

The Burke High School graduate had just won the silver medal in her second Olympics at age 25. 

From the podium, Saunders made a gesture of support that resonated for people in her hometown of Charleston and around the globe. 

This week, we’re taking a look at Raven’s athletic career, which started right here in Charleston, her journey to becoming an Olympian and what she’s had to overcome.

Saunders' was one of the voices that put conversations about athletes' mental health center stage at this year’s Olympics, and she’s been open about her own struggles.

Sports reporter Jeff Hartsell joined us, and you’ll also hear from Saunders herself about her Olympic experience, the tragic loss of her mother shortly after she stood on that medal podium and her plans for the future, as an Olympian and as a mental health advocate. 

Read more: 

• Raven Saunders looks ahead: Mental health, magazine covers and the Paris Olympics
• Charleston Olympian Raven Saunders returns home, with her mother and a medal
• Raven Saunders: ‘It was my duty’ to protest on Olympic medal podium
• Raven Saunders found her voice, transformed her body and aims for Olympic gold

Music used in today's episode includes "Oh, Cello" by Bright Seed.

A few months ago, many were hoping this week would go a little differently than it is now. People were hopeful that the return to school would also be a kind of return to normalcy, that COVID cases would be on the decline and the risks for health risks for students would be low.

But instead, the leadup to the school year has been stressful cases surge in South Carolina, driven by the aggressive delta variant. 

Studies from the CDC have shown that having staff and students wear face masks in school is effective, even when there’s a lot of spread in the community, and local pediatricians across the state have been encouraging masking in schools. 

But South Carolina school districts are being barred from passing mask mandates.

South Carolina lawmakers passed a budget proviso that says schools can’t use public funds to mandate masks.

This week, Charleston County School District and decided to require masks for all students anyway.

Charleston education reporter Libby Stanford breaks down that decision, explains other precautions schools are — and aren’t — taking and how schools plan to handle COVID-19 cases among their students and staff.

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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

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

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.

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. 

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

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.

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. 

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 .

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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/.

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). 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

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 Gavin McIntyre and edited by Matt Rasnic.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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

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.  

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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.

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

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

Further Reading:

• Driven by new residents from other states, South Carolina’s population tops 5 million
• Charleston area, Upstate cities see explosive growth, while Columbia loses residents

Theme music by Billie Fountain. Find him on Spotify.

But between growth anxiety, traffic woes and a whopping $725 million price tag, a 7-mile stretch of road between Citadel Mall and the end of the James Island connector is perhaps the most controversial road project Charleston has seen in recent years. It's been called "Charleston's biggest zombie project."

Further Reading:

• With I-526 extension moving forward once again, communities brace for impact
• Charleston County takes on risk in $725 million plan to extend I-526
• I-526 extension explained: The controversy, the cost and what it means for you

Towns in South Carolina largely pass the bans with the aim of reducing plastic pollution in wildlife and waterways. But single-use plastic bags - the kind you get at the grocery store or that you would carry your takeout home in - are a big moneymaker for the plastic industry. And big plastic lobbies.

The bans could become banned themselves. Proposals to ban the regulations keep popping up in the statehouse. Coastal and environmental reporter Chloe Johnson explains.

Read More:

• Plastic bag bans may mean ‘strung-out war’ in SC Statehouse as new towns pass restrictions
• Fight against ‘emotions based’ plastic bag bans flares in SC Statehouse
• SC cities’ plastics bans should be allowed, majority say in Winthrop poll

Theme music by Billie Fountain. Find him on Spotify.

But for those who have owned a home for a long time, there is no affordable housing crisis.

In episode 2 of Understand SC, we sat down with Abigail Darlington, longtime city of Charleston reporter, whose reporting has found that Charleston’s housing crisis is on pace to rival San Francisco’s. In many parts of Charleston County, it takes at least a six-figure income to buy a typical single-family home. The county’s median household income is about $55,000, and roughly half earn less than that. Though Darlington has left the Post and Courier since this episode was recorded, her knowledge of the subject is unparalleled.

The big question: What has made the price of housing shoot so far upward in the Lowcountry? And what can power players in the region do to make the region more livable?

Further reading:

• Charleston’s housing crisis is on pace to mirror San Francisco’s. Shunning development could make it worse.
• Housing prices still unaffordable for most in Charleston region, burdening workforce

It’s not clear whether or not many of these charges are totally legal.

The investigation found that the political process of electing sheriffs, very little oversight and several sources of public funding make this law enforcement office especially prone to bad behavior.

The big question: In the past decade, no fewer than 11 of South Carolina’s 46 counties have seen their sheriffs accused of breaking laws - that’s nearly one in four. Why? And what would it take to hold these officials accountable?

Further reading:

• The full investigation: SC sheriffs fly first class, bully employees and line their pockets with taxpayer money
• In Orangeburg, a sheriff dies – and the secrets spill out

Theme music by Billie Fountain. Find him on Spotify.