MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — Dozens of people are reporting finding screws in their tires after driving on Highway 52 into Moncks Corner, leaving them with thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Workers at the auto shop Mavis Tires & Brakes in Moncks Corner say they have had to replace at least 70 tires just in the past two days.

It is unlike anything they have ever seen before.

"When the first guy came in, he said 'look, I have a couple of nails in my tire' and I went and looked, I was like you got six in this one, three in that one, you have four in another one. And I can't fix them because there are too many. And after him, it was another one, and another one, and another one and it just rained," says Tracy Grant, Mavis store manager.

Hundreds of nails in dozens of tires.

Grant says he suspects the screws are all from the same truck.

"I am thinking somebody dropped a bucket or two of the screws, because they are all the same," says Grant.

Hope Englehardt has had to replace two tires just in the past week due to this very issue.

One tire last Thursday, and another on Monday morning.

"My suspicion is that some construction truck or somebody had some stuff and it spilt all over, and people are running over them," says Englehardt.

She now worries every time she drives up Foxbank Road.

"There are people out there that may not have that kind of money to fix it. I mean it definitely put a big dent in my budget to have to go and get two new tires fixed," says Englehardt.

Mavis suspects people will continue coming in with the same issue until the end of the week.

"It is not over yet. There are probably still people out there that they have not realized that their light is about to come on or has come on."

We spoke with the SC Department of Transportation about the issue. A spokesperson says they are not liable for any damage caused by the spilled screws.

The spokesperson said after crews visited the area Wednesday, they believe the situation is connected to a construction site, not a highway workzone. They specially mentioned the site where a Publix is being constructed.

Whatever your musical taste, there’s an event for you this weekend.

From local rock bands and hip-hop artists to ukulele players and showtunes, we’ve got you covered. Celebrate Palmetto Moon’s anniversary at Firefly Distillery or take your kids to a free performance of “Treasure Island.” Put on your dancing shoes because the Lowcountry is full of fun events to keep you busy.

Gibbes on the Street

Celebrate the sights, sounds and smells of Charleston’s arts and food scenes at the Gibbes Museum’s culinary street fair. Sample delectable dishes from 15 restaurants, including Babas on Cannon, Brasserie La Banque, Husk and Jackrabbit Filly. Enjoy an open bar and dance to live music on the picturesque stretch of Meeting Street in front of the Gibbes.

The long-running event returns from 8-10 p.m. May 12 at the museum as part of the new Art Charleston festival. Tickets to Gibbes on the Street are $175 for museum members and $200 for nonmembers, available to purchase at bit.ly/3waK9ne.

The Art Charleston festival runs through May 13 with artist talks, walking tours, workshops and more. See all the events at gibbesmuseum.org/art-charleston.

‘Treasure Island’

Embark on a swashbuckling adventure this weekend or next with Charleston Stage as they host a tour of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” The play is a free, fully staged and professional production perfect for the whole family. Even landlubbers will enjoy the colorful costumes, beautiful sets and hilarious pirate antics.

This weekend’s performance will be held at 5:30 p.m. May 12 at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant. For a bit of grub, show up at 4 to enjoy local food trucks including Southern Roots Smokehouse and King of Pops. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to stay comfortable during the show.

The tour continues next weekend with shows at 6 p.m. May 19 at Oak Terrace Community Park in North Charleston, May 20 near the Hampton Park gazebo in Charleston and May 21 in Davis-Bailey Park in St. George.

For more information and to learn what to expect on each date, go to charlestonstage.com/tour.

A Southern Made Celebration

Celebrate Palmetto Moon’s 20th anniversary at Firefly Distillery with live music, good food, delicious drinks and a pop-up Palmetto Moon store. The fun starts at noon May 14 with local band KODA and runs until 6 p.m. with performances by Gritty Flyright, Lauren Hall and Randall Fowler. Food trucks will be on site, and Firefly will have a special edition of their sweet tea vodka.

Tickets for the event are $15 and children under 10 get in free. Listen from one of the picnic tables or bring your own chairs to spread out while you enjoy the tunes. For more info, go to bit.ly/3vZIEJN.

It’s not too late to get tickets to see Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town in concert on May 12. The country music stars are touring across the U.S. to raise funds for animal shelters at each stop. In South Carolina, this honor goes to Berkeley Animal Center in Moncks Corner. In addition to benefiting from concert proceeds, the shelter will have a table set up to accept donations of supplies and money. Stop by to help fill up the little red wagon and get the chance to win upgraded tickets or a Tractor Supply gift card.

The concert starts at 7 p.m. May 12 at Credit One Stadium on Daniel Island. Tickets start at $43, but most available tickets range from $90-$250. To purchase, go to bit.ly/3yzHsym.

Blackwater Ukulele Festival

If you play ukulele, want to pick up a new hobby or just enjoy a day of mellow music, head to Moncks Corner for the Blackwater Ukulele Festival on May 14. Shop for candles, honey, soaps, arts and crafts, and, of course, ukuleles. Learn the basics at a workshop for beginners or experienced players. After the workshops, enjoy performances by Lil Uke Band, Charleston Hot Shots and more followed by open mic and jam sessions. Other acoustic instruments are welcome to jam, and you can download a songbook ahead of time.

The festival takes place from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. May 14 at Cyprus Gardens. The festival is free with park admission, which can be purchased in advance at cypressgardens.berkeleycountysc.gov/box-office. Admission is $5-$10 for ages 6 and up. Proceeds from the festival will benefit Magdalene House of Charleston and Berkeley County Animal Center. For more information, go to charlestonhotshots.com/ukefest.

Local three-piece rock band The Simplicity have curated a full night of music for Simple Fest, happening 5-11:30 p.m. May 14 at Lo-Fi Brewing in North Charleston. The one-night festival will highlight South Carolina-made music, food and art with vendors, food trucks and live performances. The lineup includes Abstract That Rapper from Charleston, acoustic-folk group A La Mids from Columbia and self-described “chillbilly” J.S. Terry & the Holston Creek Boys from Greenville. Enjoy beer from Lo-Fi and food from Roti Rolls. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 the day of the show. Purchase them online at bit.ly/3vZy5GT.

Starting this month, customers who get their electricity from Dominion Energy South Carolina are paying more to reimburse the utility for the $142 million it under-collected for fuel.

Residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity began seeing a 5.19 percent increase in their monthly bill, or about $6.53 more each month in the May 1 billing cycle.

The state’s Public Service Commission unanimously approved Dominion Energy’s request on April 22 to increase the electric fuel rate, which is separate from the base rate.

Dominion notified its 758,000 electric ratepayers in 24 S.C. counties in March that the commission would consider the rate increase to pay for fuel costs that were about 50 percent higher from 2020 to 2021.

“These fuel costs are a direct pass-through to customers, as Dominion Energy does not earn a profit on this portion of electric rates,” Dominion spokeswoman Rhonda O’Banion said.

Power providers in the Palmetto State account for their fuel purchases annually based on their best estimate for the next 12 months.

A key reason some electricity providers did not charge enough for fuel last year was natural gas, which drives some power plants. The economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic drove up demand for the commodity, and prices followed, nearly doubling to about $5.50 per million British thermal units — the standard industry measurement — by the end of the year from around $2.60 mid-year.

Prices have continued rising, currently holding above $8 due to hotter than usual weather in parts of the U.S. and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as countries are scrambling to make sure they have enough reliable energy.

Customers served by Duke Energy Progress in the Pee Dee region are not immune to a possible rate increase. They could begin to see adjustments appear on their bills after the commission reviews Duke Energy Carolinas’ fuel costs in July.

Santee Cooper customers won’t have to worry about the issue for at least two years. The state-owned utility is under a court-ordered rate freeze through 2024. The freeze is part of a 2020 lawsuit settlement stemming from Santee Cooper’s role in the failed expansion of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. It prevents the state-owned utility from passing on about $130 million in under-projected costs for coal and natural gas.

Santee Cooper board members proposed a 4.7 percent spending cut to compensate for the extra costs at its March 28 meeting. That breaks down to a $30 million reduction in operating and maintenance costs and $70 million from the capital projects budget. The Moncks Corner-based utility is still determining which projects will be impacted.

Along with the fuel rate increase, Dominion Energy’s South Carolina customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month are being billed about 87 cents extra monthly to reimburse the utility for roughly $60 million it spent on 10 programs the commission required it to develop to help customers cut their electricity usage.

The charges cover a portion of the cost of rolling out the programs and providing incentives designed to encourage customers to reduce their energy consumption. They’re reviewed annually by regulators.

That charge will expire after the April 2024 billing cycle, Dominion said.

South Carolina households were already paying $1.81 on average more for their power since the Richmond, Va.-based utility received approval last July to hike its base rate. The company agreed not to seek another increase to the base rate until July 2023.

Atlantic Building Components & Services, Inc., a manufacturer of wood trusses and building components for the construction industry, will locate a new manufacturing facility in Fairmont, North Carolina. The $6 million project is expected to create 105 jobs in Robeson County.

The company will significantly expand production capacity, establishing two roof truss production lines and two floor truss lines in phase one, along with additional support and materials storage areas.

“We are extremely excited to open our newest manufacturing facility in the Town of Fairmont,” said Jimmy Broach, President & CEO of Atlantic Building Components. “The minute we visited Fairmont, we knew this was the perfect location for our next facility. We really liked the small-town atmosphere, and its location relative to Raleigh, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and Charlotte made it ideal. We look forward to being a part of the community.”

The North Carolina Department of Commerce coordinated the state’s support for the company during its site evaluation and decision-making process.

Atlantic Building Components’ project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee earlier today. Over the course of the 12-year term of this grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by nearly $221 million.

Using a formula that takes into account the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $1,045,000, spread over 12 years. State payments only occur following performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after taking into consideration the grant’s reimbursement payments to a given company.

“Our state’s skilled and well-trained workforce is the key to our success as a location for manufacturers,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “As our First in Talent strategic plan for economic development makes clear, we can’t rest on our laurels in this area. Continued investments in education and specialized training programs will attract more manufacturers to North Carolina.”

Atlantic Building Components, founded in 1984 and headquartered in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, manufacturers precision-made roof and floor trusses for national and large volume regional builders. Homebuilders such as Pulte Homes, D.R. Horton, Lennar and Dan Ryan Homes are among Atlantic Building Component’s largest customers.

FAIRMONT — Atlantic Building Components & Services announced Thursday that it would bring more than 100 jobs to the Fairmont area.

The company, headquartered in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, is a manufacturer of trusses. Renovations to the building on East White Pond Road, which formerly housed N7, Munsing Wear, and South Robeson Knitting Mills in its history, will begin as soon as next week, company president Jimmy Broach said.

Fairmont Mayor Charles Kemp called the expansion a “blessing and a very positive step in the growth of Fairmont.”

The company plans to be fully functional by August and will work next week to coordinate hiring efforts, he said. Wages begin at $15 an hour and can exceed $18 an hour.

Broach said “the feel” of the area, its people and the location near Interstate 95 made Fairmont the perfect fit.

He also said he felt like “God called us here.”

”Atlantic Building Components & Services customers include national and large regional home buildings including D.R. Horton, Capitol City Homes, Dan Ryan Homes, and many more,” according to a Robeson County and NC Southeast joint press release.

“The company aims to expand its manufacturing capabilities to support the under supplied national home building customers. The project would add two roof truss manufacturing lines and one floor truss manufacturing line to the company’s manufacturing presence,” the press release states.

Assistant County Manager Shelton Hill beamed with joy Thursday as he attended the event.

Hill told The Robesonian the day was special for him, and he recalls starting a job at the age of 16 in the building which once housed South Robeson Knitting Mills. His wife actually retired from the site, he said.

“I’m excited,” he said of the building’s new use.

Jimmy and his wife Laura were given a warm welcome Thursday as Robeson County Economic Director Channing Jones and Wixie Stephens, chair of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners presented them with gift baskets to welcome them.

Jimmy also was presented a wooden bowl made from a tree that once stood on the state capital for decades until lightning struck. The bowl was a ceremonial gift from the state presented by Mark Poole, director of Commerce Finance Center, as a “symbol of craftsmanship and excellence to celebrate those qualities in your company.”

Poole said with the expansion, more than $5 million will enter the local economy.

He also said the company’s expansion to the Fairmont site would not have been possible without the “commitment of local leaders.”

State and local leaders were also acknowledged and thanked for their efforts in the project.

“We’ve always relied on terrific partners to win new business and grow jobs, but this project called for an especially long list of allies and advocates,” said Channing Jones, executive director of Robeson County’s Office of Economic Development in the press release.

Among agencies that partnered to make the project possible were Robeson Community College, the N.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Robeson County Committee of 100, NC’s Southeast and the North Carolina Department of Commerce, according to the press release.

Jones also thanked Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP for playing “a critical role in getting this project over the finish line.”

“With the collaborative effort of this team, Atlantic Building Components will receive $ 1,045,000 million in a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) funds to renovate the property to their needs, as well as $136,500 in training dollars through the NC Community College System’s Customized Training Program, and $500,000 is pending for RIA Building Reuse,” the release states.

Poole said in 2021 Robeson County attracted $26.6 million in investment and more than 300 jobs. The state added more than 24,000 new jobs during that time. Gov. Roy Cooper has announced 16,400 new jobs across the state in 2022.

Poole also said the manufacturing sector accounts for 16% of the state’s gross domestic product, accounting for more than $96 billion a year.

“I look forward to many, many successful years of growing this business,” Broach said Thursday.

Reach Jessica Horne at 910-416-5165 or via email at jhorne@robesonian.com.