LADSON, S.C. (WCBD)- The annual Coastal Carolina Fair is underway at Exchange Park in Ladson.

Most fairgoers have their eyes and stomachs on fair food for the first day.

“They always have good food and it’s just a good time to spend with family. They have a little arts and crafts center where you can see the students’ local talents,” said Jasmine Kelly.

“Sausage dogs and French fries. Walk around and look and see what’s going on,” said Woody Barsha.

One of the new food items on the menu is an Oreo cookie crusted turkey leg.

“No I don’t think so I’ll stick to French fries,” said Barsha.

“I can’t eat that much, but I will have an elephant ear,” said Kelly.

There are 10 new rides this year as well. One of them is a Ferris Wheel that’s 12 stories tall and comes from The Netherlands.

Fair organizers say that those new attraction and food items are great additions, but having a full-scale fair is also something to celebrate.

“We’re really excited about opening up because this is the first really big open fair we’ve had since COVID-19 has happened. We say ‘New in 22,’ and that’s what we’re doing because we have brand new rides, we have many new food vendors so we’re really excited about starting the year off right,” said Gary Leonard from the office of Media and Publicity Relations at the Coastal Carolina Fair.

Most families make the fair a tradition, but it’s even more special for Dan Caskey.

“Today’s my birthday. Every year I have a party and bring this to town to share with everybody else. It’s a great tradition. We love coming out here and having a fun time with the family,” said Caskey.

The fair runs for 12 days and hours of operation can be found here. A calendar of events can be found here.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston-based manufacturing company Bintelli is expanding its operation with a new 174,000-square-foot facility in North Charleston.

The facility, off Palmetto Commerce Parkway, opened last week and will focus on building golf carts and low-speed electric vehicles.

This marks the third expansion for Bintelli in the last three years.

“This new facility is a testament to the amazing work our dealer family has done over the last few years,” Bintelli Founder and President Justin Jackrel says. “As we are now operational in what I believe is the largest LSV (low-speed vehicles) manufacturing facility in America, we’re going to be able to even better support our dealer family with the additional vehicles, parts and support they need to continue their rapid growth nationwide.”

Another focus for the move was to have more space for employees so the building is a more comfortable workspace without limiting tight boundaries, says Kevin Marques, Bintelli Production Facility Manager.

“It keeps growing and the biggest thing is keeping the culture the same; we pride our employees and making sure everyone is happy,” Marques says. “We actually know each employee by name and I want to keep that feel here because I think that’s very important for us; that’s the biggest thing, as we grow, I just want to maintain the culture within the company.”

Bintelli assembled 7,000 vehicles last year and is on track to produce 12,000 this year, making the move to a larger facility necessary.

Bintelli says with this new facility, they will be able to keep up with the demand for low-speed electric vehicles and golf carts.

“This expansion is another step in solidifying ourselves at the forefront of the industry,” Bintelli Vice President Jason Perske said. “While faster order fulfillment and greater inventory availability is going to be an incredible asset for our dealer family, I’m far more excited about what this means for the additional levels of support we can offer. I’m excited for all of our dealerships to share in this huge announcement and incredibly thankful for all the support they show us every day.”

In addition to the recent facility expansions, Bintelli says they are also focused on expanding its support and production staff.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments held a public open house Tuesday in Ladson to provide new updates and hear from members of the community on the Lowcountry Rapid Transit.

Located at the Lowcountry Rapid Transit lines end, the new location for the proposed park and ride will be at the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson.

The more than 21-mile transit plan is to connect downtown Charleston to the Exchange Park Fairgrounds, where parking for 280 cars will be available.

The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments says the location of the park and ride system will be a quick and convenient station for those traveling from surrounding areas to downtown.

“This park and ride will continue to be a critical piece, whether this was the middle line will continue to Summerville or even beyond, folks will still have to drive to this location and park to get on the dedicated guideway,” Lowcountry Rapid Transit Project Manager, Sharon Hollis, says. “But we can get them off of Highway 26, and onto the system to perhaps maybe alleviate some congestion that way.”

The park and ride location was adjusted from the northern end line of downtown Summerville to Exchange Park.

With transit lines ending in Ladson in the current plan, some community members are asking for the routes to be extended to Summerville.

“This needs to go all the way to Summerville, this system has to work,” Best Friends of Lowcountry Transit Executive Director, William Hamilton, says. “There are 300,000 or 400,000 more people coming to our area, there is no possible way, nor is there anything close to the funds necessary to build the necessary roads.

“Congestion will become intolerable unless there are significant efforts made to take some of the burden off of the road system,” he adds.

Hollis says a lot of factors would play into an extension, including funding and demand from those in the area who would use it.

“As we start to build, transit demand from Summerville to this location, we’ll start to have the ability to do that more permanent infrastructure to put the buses and dedicated lane,” she says. “It’s a step process, and we’re just we’re a little further behind than that one.”

Back in March, the Lowcountry Rapid Transit System Project was awarded $100 million in President Biden’s 2024 budget.

“This is the very core of our community; this should remove some of the burden that is on our existing roads, but people need to understand this does not mean that the congestion we have now will disappear,” Hamilton says.

The requested federal funding represents 60% of the project cost, or about $375 million. The anticipated local funding from Charleston County represents 40% of the project cost, or about $250 million.

The Lowcountry Rapid Transit is currently at the halfway mark of the 12-year process with construction expected to begin in 2026.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A 3-year-old vanished from an apartment complex before being found at the bottom of a retention pond, South Carolina officials said.

The toddler was pulled from the water with “no signs of life” and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Dorchester County sheriff’s and coroner’s offices.

The child was identified in a news release as John Tyheem Williams Jr.

Deputies said they responded to a report of a missing toddler at about noon on Friday, Sept. 8. The child was last seen at an apartment complex in the Ladson area, roughly 20 miles northwest of Charleston.

A deputy reported that someone found an iPod in a retention pond that might have belonged to the 3-year-old. Then, the sheriff’s office started working with other agencies to search the water for the missing child, according to an incident report.

At about 1 p.m., a diver found the child “approximately 15-20 feet from the bank in about 10-12 feet of water.” The toddler’s body was taken to the coroner’s office, where an autopsy was scheduled, according to officials.

Deputies in a Sept. 8 email said they were investigating the child’s apparent drowning death along with the coroner’s office and the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and drowning is a leading cause of death for children.

Some factors can make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance said there are tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.

“Don’t hesitate to get out of the water if something doesn’t feel right,” the group said on its website. “Whether it’s that the current is getting rough, rain has started to fall, or your body is just not responding like you would like it to due to fatigue or muscle cramps, then just leave and return to the water another day. It’s always a good thing to trust your instincts.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2023, 9:12 AM.

OSHA officials have shared their investigative findings on what they believe Pegasus Steel failed to do.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - More than six months after a woman was crushed to death at a Ladson business, officials with the South Carolina Occupation Safety and Health Administration have shared their investigative findings on what they believe the business failed to do.

Jessica Birkmire, 53, died at Pegasus Steel in Ladson on Jan. 12 after a large, steel door closed on her, crushing her arm and head, according to the Charleston County Coroner.

OSHA’s investigative report says Birkmire was preparing to unload materials at a large bay door when she reached through a small gap to click the ‘open’ button. She instead clicked the ‘close’ button, and the door shut on Birkmire.

OSHA details how Pegasus Steel did not conduct a ‘job hazard analysis,’ and despite making references to these job inspections, they provided no documentation to prove these risk assessments had been completed.

They say their inspection revealed conditions they believe to be in violation of state health and safety laws, specifically Code 41-15-210, which states “each employer shall furnish to his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.”

The report states this is a ‘serious’ violation.

OSHA’s report goes on to say there is, however, a memo from management sent out last summer that explains how employees were not authorized to walk through the bay doors, according to the report. During investigative interviews, OSHA found employees were routinely walking through these doors, and the report states no disciplinary action was taken.

The Chief Human Resources Officer for Pegasus Steel said in an interview with OSHA officials that Birkmire broke safety codes at the business when she reached through the bay door. The report also details how Birkmire was “headstrong” and that management had told her in the past to “not place her body in places that can hurt her.”

OSHA says the company also should have had sensors in place to detect objects in the door’s path.

OSHA provided Pegasus Steel with tips on how to keep the door from closing on people again including installing sensors. The business is also now ordered to pay a penalty of $3,500.

Officials said in the report they’re currently working on relocating those control buttons that Birkmire pushed. The business did not respond to a request for comment.

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