Updated: Jan. 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM PST

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - After a budget setback in 2024 delayed the project, the Charleton County Finance Committee is expected to award a contract for work to build sidewalks and a crosswalk at Woodland Shores Road and Maybank Highway on James Island.

People living in the area say they have been petitioning leaders for pedestrian improvements for years. Adam Friend founded a neighborhood association that focuses on improvement projects and recently, the group celebrated adding speed humps to Woodland Shores Road.

The ‘Complete Streets’ project plans to put that 8-foot sidewalk along Woodland Shores Drive, onto Maybank Highway to Stefan Drive, and add a midblock crossing of Maybank near Stefan Drive at Terrace Plaza. The work will include a median, pavement marking and drainage as well.

“For it to be 2025 and we’re finally seeing that a bid is being endorsed and going to be signed off on tonight with Gulf Stream is surreal, I guess would be the best word. I’m excited yes, but I’m going to hold out until I see they’re actually breaking ground before I believe this is really happening, but it looks certainly to be coming to fruition which should really help the safety of a lot of us who live on Woodland Shores Road,” Friend says.

County Council is expected to award a more than $3.6 million contract with Gulf Stream construction. Woodland Shores Road catapulted into the public eye after a 2023 hit and run that left Jen Drummond seriously injured. Her neighbors renewed a push for sidewalks, something they say they had wanted for some time. Their efforts have also achieved adding speed bumps since the incident.

“We’d hoped we could have avoided something tragic prior to having this come to fruition, but we fought really hard as a neighborhood. I started this Woodland Shores commission and I think it’s been a really strong grassroots mission, of people just refusing to take no,” Friend says.

Funding is both federal and local for the multi-million dollar project. There is not a set construction start date, but the work is expected to have at least a nine-month timeline once shovels are in the ground. Friend says it’s not perfect since it’s only one side of the road, and the opposite side of their mailboxes for some, but he thanks the local and state leaders who worked on achieving it.

“People have become very ‘Doubting Thomases’ I guess and don’t think it’s really going to happen, so I think we will all be really happy when we see the work in progress,” Friend says.

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The recent winter weather blast has not only affected drivers but has also taken a toll on local farmers, including those at Legare Farms on Johns Island. The farm has faced significant challenges due to the sudden drop in temperatures. (WCIV)

JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) — The recent winter weather blast has not only affected drivers but has also taken a toll on local farmers, including those at Legare Farms on Johns Island. The farm has faced significant challenges due to the sudden drop in temperatures.

"It was like a sleet," Thomas Legare, a farmer at Legare Farms, said. "I walked outside about eight o'clock to get him, bring him in the house, it was pelting you. It was hurting when it was hitting you."

Legare explained, "Between myself and my crew-- we've had to put in a lot of overtime here in the last couple of days. Feeding animals, getting ice out of water troughs, making sure everything's got feed and hay."

The cold weather has led to the loss of five water buffaloes on the farm. "All of a sudden this storm hit and temperatures dropped below freezing and I think that's what caused the fatalities in some of our buffaloes," Legare said.

READ MORE | "Dorchester roads slowly improving but black ice remains a danger, officials warn drivers"

Despite the harsh conditions, Legare emphasized the relentless nature of farming. "We're busy 365 days out of the year," he said.

The winter weather's remnants, including snow and sleet, may impact upcoming crops and have already affected the farm's workload. "Our business is down big time this week," Legare said, noting that the farm's mobile markets have been shut due to rough roads.

However, there is hope on the horizon as temperatures rise, melting some of the ice and snow. Legare Farms is preparing to celebrate 300 years of serving the Lowcountry. "I've probably seen more in my lifetime in the last 60 years than in the first 240 years we were here," Legare said.

He is preparing to start planting winter and spring vegetables soon. The impact on crops will depend on how wet the fields remain and for how long.

JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new class of non-opioid painkiller which one Lowcountry pharmacist is calling “revolutionary.”

The manufacturer Vortex Pharmaceuticals developed Journavx or suzetrigine which are 50 milligram oral tablets. The drug is meant to treat moderate to severe acute pain in patients. Acute pains come from trauma, surgery or infections and tend to last a month or less, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA signed off on the approval in January, making the drug the first of its kind.

The painkiller is an alternative to current treatment options such as opioids and over the counter medications like Ibuprofen. The issue with current treatments is opioids addictive nature while over the counter medications may be not strong enough for some pains.

The new drug is meant to be used for the shortest amount of time or at most 14 days, while being consistent with patient goals. The amount corresponds with the FDA study that trialed over 800 participants dealing with pains from tummy tuck and bunion procedures. The agency compiled supporting safety data with 256 participants across a range of acute pain conditions.

Dottie’s Pharmacy’s Chief Pharmacist, Dottie Farfone, calls the new drug “revolutionary.” Farfone says the difference between the new pill and current opioid treatments is in the way it breaks down in the body.

“It’s a selective sodium channel blocker that actually works at the site of the pain,” Farfone says. “Unlike opioids which work in the brain, on the opioid receptors.”

The drug alternative ties to the agency’s effort in preventing opioid overdoses. That effort promotes developing non-opioid drugs for acute pain.

Dottie’s Pharmacy on James Island works to fight the local opioid crisis through awareness initiatives. The pharmacy received funds from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board to help educate patients on taking prescriptions as prescribed along with emergency preparedness such as Narcan, an emergency nasal spray treatment that reverses opioid overdoses.

The new painkiller does cost a pretty penny at the moment. Patients interested in purchasing the drug are looking at $30 for two pills. Farfone says the cost is to be expected for now.

“As to be expected with most new medications, they are higher priced because of research and development,” Farfone says. “The price is around $15 a tablet but Vertex Pharmaceuticals, who is the manufacturer, offers a copay assistance savings program.”

The FDA highlights side effects such as itching, rashes and muscle spasms. Farfone says the pill should not be taken with oral contraceptives or cholesterol medications because of the way it breaks down in the body.

The chief pharmacist recommends anyone interested in taking the treatment to speak to their pharmacist or health care provider.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - Underneath the overgrowth and rubble left behind from what was once an active Confederate fort is the promise of something new.

Charleston City Council discussed a contract on Tuesday with Bluetide Marine Construction, which would use $1.2 million to complete public access improvements at Fort Pemberton Park. This precedes the construction of a project several years in the making.

The city purchased the roughly six-acre, Yates Avenue property in 2019 for more than $6 million. The goal was to follow a city master plan of improving greenspace and waterfront access for the public good.

“If this property would’ve come up anywhere in the city limits, we would’ve tried to purchase it. It’s a very special place. Hundreds of years of history,” City Parks Director Jason Kronsberg said. “This was somewhat of a once-in-a-lifetime chance to preserve this type of property in perpetuity for the public.”

Fort Pemberton was built to be used as one of several defense systems during the American Civil War, although it never saw combat. The historic landmark is one of a few “earthwork” forts in the Lowcountry, being made mostly of mounded dirt.

Much of the fort is still distinguishable if you know what to look for, including walls and moats that once surrounded a center of defense, outlooking the Stono River from higher ground. Many history buffs know the property for its pentagonal shape.

While one can stand at the top and picture its historic integrity, the city of Charleston wants to repurpose the property into something the public can enjoy, while also preserving its past value.

“We always anticipated this as a passive park. Interpretive in nature. Two entrance points, one entrance point getting you into the middle of the old fort, another one down here the lower land,” Kronsberg said. “Passive open space, like you see behind me. Come out, throw your frisbee, kick a ball, take a walk and enjoy the sunset.”

The city plans to construct minimally on the property, simply adding a picnic shelter near the foundation of the former home, restrooms, a supply of parking spaces, small park site furnishings and revamping the old two fishing docks.

One of the docks will be intended as a kayak launch point.

The group is also discussing long-term efforts to provide better connectivity between the different county parks and connection points lining the Stono River. This would provide a “blue trail” for travelers on water to make pit stops.

The city plans to preserve the fort’s remaining structure and create signage that tells its history.

“Gives you another place to come, the view here is incredible on the Stono River, especially at sunset. It’s kind of a hidden-away spot. Riverland Terrace is the oldest subdivision on James Island and part of the city. I’d be interested to see how many people start utilizing it,” neighbor Adam Friend said.

The funding for the project includes grants from water and land conservation, greenbelt and the city’s general funds.

The property is not open to the public at this time. The city advises it is considered private property and being on-site without city permission is considered trespassing.

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JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) - The Town of James Island is working with AmeriCorps volunteers for the first time to alleviate stormwater drainage issues.

Town of James Island Mayor Brook Lyon says the team is working to help a neighborhood that is prone to flooding issues.

“We have a lot of big rain events and the water has nowhere to go,” Lyon said.

That means the potential for flooding is greater when pipes are clogged or culverts are blocked. That’s why AmeriCorps volunteers are helping out alongside Town of James Island staff. They dug ditches and cleared pipes so seven homes could have working stormwater drainage.

“Whenever we set up a ditch we have to set up the streamlines from one end to another to make sure that it’s even all the way down so when water does flow through it doesn’t get stuck in a certain spot,” AmeriCorps member Hazely Mckeever says.

“Getting everything cleared out and connected again hopefully allows the system as designed initially and flow all the way out to the ocean and away from all these houses,” AmeriCorps Team Leader Theo Faucher says.

Lyon says it’s been a challenge keeping up with maintenance and thanks to an AmeriCorps grant, the Town of James Island was awarded a team of AmeriCorps members who have been extremely helpful. AmeriCorps member Madeleine Ball says it’s a win-win situation.

“It’s been a huge learning experience, especially the different projects we’ve done. I’ve learned more about construction. I would never have known how to dig a ditch,” Ball said.

“Very difficult, but a lot of fun. It’s hard work but it’s good work,” AmeriCorps member Finley Carlson said.

Lyon says the hard work is greatly appreciated by the neighborhood.

“They came out in droves, they met them, they thanked them. We are so grateful for all their hard work and all they’ve done,” Lyon said.

Lyon said if you live in the neighborhood, you can help by keeping the diches and these concrete pipes clear of trash and debris. She said making sure you don’t blow leaves in them will help keep the system running smoothly. She said if you’re having drainage issues and live on the island to contact town hall.

The team is wrapping up their work on James Island. Next, they’ll be headed to Newport, Kentucky to work with the Brighton Center, a community center, with a variety of services.

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