NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Hundreds of people are expected to lose their jobs due to North Charleston’s WestRock paper mill closing down.

“We always hate to see businesses go under,” North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey said.

Summey says it’s especially difficult for businesses like WestRock, which have been around since 1937.

“The location has been part of this community before we were a city,” Summey said.

WestRock employed thousands of people over the years, making paper products for DuraSorb and Kraft Pak.

The company said in a statement the reason for closing is “the combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment.”

Summey said, “It’s changed hands a couple times in the last 7-8 years, so we knew the industry was changing.”

WestRock says they’re giving out severance packages to the 500 people losing their jobs, and employees will have an opportunity to relocate within the company.

Summey says the city is also stepping in to help.

“We just want those folks to know that we will be doing everything we can, working with the chamber, people with the county, looking to see what kind of jobs we can find that’s in the market for them,” Summey said.

Summey says the plant will officially close in three to four months, but they want to make sure everyone has another job before then and it’s going to take all hands on deck.

“It’s an opportunity for the local government, especially for the county and city to come together. We see it as a challenge and we’re going to come up to that challenge to make it work for the people of North Charleston and surrounding communities,” Summey said.

The environmental impact has also been a concern over the years, with pollution being emitted into the air from the paper plant.

Summey says the next company that takes over that location could be a different story.

“Whoever comes in there will be met, I think with more strenuous restrictions than were there when the mill was built over 80 years ago,” Summey said.

There is no word yet on what could take over the location and at this point, he says anything is a possibility.

South Carolina ranks high on a new report from a national site selection firm for areas poised to attract new manufacturing investment and jobs in the growing electric vehicle supply equipment industry.

The report, from Boca Raton-based The Boyd Co., compares annual operating costs for a typical EVSE manufacturing plant in 30 cities across the country, with North Charleston ranking No. 1 in the U.S. East.

North Charleston costs are a low $45.7 million per year in a hot industrial real estate market, according to the report, which cited the recent $3.5 billion investment from Nevada-based Redwood Materials for its plant in Ridgeville, which will bring 1,500 jobs, and Volvo rolling out production later this year of its all-electric SUV, the EX90, which will create 1,300 jobs at its Ridgeville plant.

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But John Boyd, principal at The Boyd Co., said “it’s not just Charleston and the Lowcountry with the compelling labor and infrastructure assets so attractive to the EV industry,” noting BMW’s $1.3 billion investment in the Upstate and Clemson University creating the nation’s first undergraduate degree in automotive engineering, calling it “a statewide phenomenon.”

That momentum is expected to carry forward — and not just in the automotive sector.

“Looking ahead, we fully expect South Carolina to widen its EV industry footprint into the aviation sector which is now beginning to take off given major advancements in battery technology and FAA endorsements,” Boyd said in an email.

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The report divides the 30 cities into three regions: East, South Central and West. Chattanooga, Tenn., ranked No. 1 in the South Central region, while Minden, Nevada, ranked No. 1 in the West.

The Boyd Co. has a long history of site selection work in the state of South Carolina, going back to some of the major economic development wins for the Palmetto State during the governorship of Carole Campbell in the 1980s

Federal incentives fueling EV growth

The report cites federal government incentives for fueling electric vehicle industry growth.

The Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has earmarked $7.5 billion for EV charging and the build out of a national electric vehicle charging network along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, mostly along the Interstate Highway System, according to the report. Also, the Biden administration has established the NEVI program which provides $5 billion in funding over five years to help states build a coast-to-coast network of qualifying fast chargers.

Currently, many critical electric vehicle components are sourced in Asia and U.S. manufacturers have to import them via a costly and geopolitically risky 50,000-plus mile global supply chain, the report stated. U.S. battery manufacturers alone are estimated to spend more than $150 billion overseas on key inputs by 2030.

NEVI funding is designed to mitigate these EV supply chain risks and cost penalties and be sync with the Federal Highway Administration’s Build America, Buy America Act, which is encouraging the reshoring of manufacturing investment from China and elsewhere, the report stated.

South Carolina could be a key player in the years ahead.

“With the phasing out of internal combustion vehicles, union leaders are convinced that they must gain a foothold in the EV industry so that workers making engines and transmissions have a place to go,” Boyd said. “This transition in the labor sector makes Right-to-Work Legislation in states housing our top three EV sector cities — South Carolina, Tennessee and Nevada — that much more important and relevant.”

NORTH CHARLESTON — The city of North Charleston is planning to make a $6 million purchase of about 400 acres of land around Ingleside Boulevard, property that will be used to develop what the city is calling an urban park.

But this recreational amenity that some say will enhance quality of life is raising concerns about livability.

City Council voted unanimously April 27 to move forward with buying the property, currently owned by Weber USA Corp. The tracts of land make up what is known as the Ingleside Weber Park System, located west of Interstate 26.

Most of the property consists of wetlands, though just over 100 acres are highlands, or areas that can be walked or built upon. The idea is to use the 400-acre space to create a passive park that will include boardwalks, walking paths and nature trails.

Instead of having to travel elsewhere to hike or enjoy the outdoors, people in North Charleston will be able to practice that kind of recreational activity essentially in their own backyard, Mayor Keith Summey said.

To pay for the land purchase, $3 million is being provided in Charleston County Greenbelt funds, $1 million in city tax-increment finance district funds, $1 million from the South Carolina Conservation Bank, and $1 million from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

City spokesman Ryan Johnson said North Charleston is doing the project because the plan is a good use of greenbelt funds, which are designed to help conserve outdoor space. It was also convenient that North Charleston was able to secure additional grant opportunities, Johnson added. There is no timetable yet for the park’s construction.

“Having a big park in an urban core is a very good amenity,” he said.

The idea of a park that could potentially bring more noise to the area alarmed Councilwoman Virginia Jamison, who has been fighting for a decade for a sound barrier to be built along I-26 to protect members of Deerpark, Northwood Estates and other adjacent communities from the blaring sounds of traffic commuting along the highway. Acquiring necessary funding from the city, county or state to build the wall has not been successful.

During a recent Finance Committee meeting, Jamison said her constituents are concerned about the increased levels of sounds emitting from the interstate and they are also worried that more noise will come from the new park. Traffic could also increase soon, as the county’s new Palmetto Commerce Interchange will soon be constructed nearby at Weber Boulevard.

Other development is also on the way to Ingleside Boulevard, which is already home to a few neighborhoods, several churches and a handful of businesses. Developers are planning on the southern end of the boulevard to build a town center that will include retail and restaurant space, a parking deck, hundreds of apartment units, and hundreds of hotel rooms.

Jamison called on City Council to take noise reduction seriously.

“If this body is not concerned about the livability and quality of life in our city, then I have a problem,” said Jamison, who did not attend the April 27 full council meeting.

Councilwoman Dorothy Williams echoed her concerns.

Summey implied that the park will center on passive nature, pointing to its focus on walking trails. The only physical building that will be constructed at the park is a facility to house restrooms and first aid.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – North Charleston Fire Department (NCFD) officials say they responded to a single home fire on Beret Street Tuesday afternoon, but the fire quickly spread due to high winds.

“It’s gone now,” Elizabeth McClarnon, who has lived on Beret Street for 15 years, said. “A lot of families are gone and it’s just not right. Our neighborhood is not going to be the same again.”

Neighbors who live in the area are still trying to wrap their heads around Tuesday night’s tragic blaze that left at least six homes severely damaged, and nine adults and three children displaced.

“My heart broke,” McClarnon said. “It’s just looking at it, it makes me want to cry again.”

McClarnon’s home wasn’t damaged in the fire, however, she’s close with several neighbors whose homes were.

“It feels like my home,” she said. “She was my landlord. He’s my landlord, and I consider them family. Every time I come home, I see this house and now I’m not going to see it anymore. It’s sadness.”

Though the flames have been subdued, hot spots remain an issue. One sparked up while News 2 was at the scene.

Neighbors say NCFD has been to their neighborhood multiple times in the last 24 hours.

“When I woke up, came out, first thing I saw was smoke coming off of it. They came out, put it out again. And that’s what they’re doing again, finding more hotspots,” McClarnon said.

And while the American Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced, McClarnon says it’s hard to see her neighbors without a home, and she’s not entirely sure what the future holds for them.

“We don’t know,” she said. “We don’t know where we’re going to go from here.”

But she’s thankful they’re alive, and they’re going to make it through this devastating time together.

“We always stick together,” McClarnon said. “No matter what, even if we don’t like each other, we stick together.”

NCFD was able to put out the hot spots, and neighbors say they will remain alert in case anymore spark up in the coming days.

Looking for Charleston’s best Chinese food? Sure, there’s plenty of Chinese-American spots to choose from, but where can you get something worth your money? From a restaurant with dishes from all over Asia to spots dedicated to Sichuan, there’s a small range of establishments offering Chinese cuisine, but they pack in a lot of flavors in the Lowcountry.

Look here for our top picks.

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North Charleston restaurant Jackrabbit Filly is like if someone said, “Make Chinese-American comfort food, but make it chef-y.” Owners Shuai and Corrie Wang opened the restaurant after years of running acclaimed food truck Short Grain. The menu has touches of Chinese and Japanese. There’s Sichuan dry pot, Mama Wang’s fried rice with lap cheong, and a highly-sought-after chirashi bowl. The restaurant recently added a dim sum brunch.

Looking for a dim sum dinner or lunch in the Lowcountry? Hit up Dragon Palace on Daniel Island for pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, and sesame balls. The interiors are retro fancy with ornate wood carvings and plenty of red. Dragon Palace also offers classics like chow mein, cashew chicken, and egg drop soup.

Eastside Chinese spot Hot Mustard may not be winning any culinary awards any time soon, but the restaurant’s takeout and delivery game is on point. Compared to other Americanized Chinese restaurants, Hot Mustard seems the most generous with the portions and the meat-to-noodle ratio. The pork lo mein or the sweet and sour chicken are reliable choices. This is eat-out-of-the-box-type of Chinese food — best served while sitting on the couch, watching Netflix, and in your pajamas.

Downtown restaurant Xiao Bao Biscuit (XBB) has been around since 2012. The kitchen draws from different regions across Asia and delivers on some solid Chinese choices. The mapo tofu is some of the best in town, and the dumplings always satisfy. XBB is usually packed with lively customers looking for Asian comfort foods. Starting during the pandemic, the restaurant began offering takeout.

If you haven’t heard of Old Li’s Restaurant on Savannah Highway in West Ashley, it might be because fans of the Chinese establishment would rather keep it a well-guarded secret. The can’t -miss menu item is the crispy Peking duck, but the oyster pancakes, dumplings, and squirrel fish are worth ordering as well. Old Li’s is BYOB, so plan accordingly.

James Island Sichuan restaurant Kwei Fei has enough peppercorns and punk-rock sensibility to keep any dinner interesting. Owners David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg moved from New York to Charleston for another restaurant project, but when that didn’t pan out, the culinary community lucked out when they decided to bring Sichuan flavors to town.

The restaurant usually full of locals enjoying lamb dumplings, spicy noodles, and tingly beef to the soundtrack of loud rock and funk music.

North Charleston restaurant Jackrabbit Filly is like if someone said, “Make Chinese-American comfort food, but make it chef-y.” Owners Shuai and Corrie Wang opened the restaurant after years of running acclaimed food truck Short Grain. The menu has touches of Chinese and Japanese. There’s Sichuan dry pot, Mama Wang’s fried rice with lap cheong, and a highly-sought-after chirashi bowl. The restaurant recently added a dim sum brunch.

Looking for a dim sum dinner or lunch in the Lowcountry? Hit up Dragon Palace on Daniel Island for pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, and sesame balls. The interiors are retro fancy with ornate wood carvings and plenty of red. Dragon Palace also offers classics like chow mein, cashew chicken, and egg drop soup.

Eastside Chinese spot Hot Mustard may not be winning any culinary awards any time soon, but the restaurant’s takeout and delivery game is on point. Compared to other Americanized Chinese restaurants, Hot Mustard seems the most generous with the portions and the meat-to-noodle ratio. The pork lo mein or the sweet and sour chicken are reliable choices. This is eat-out-of-the-box-type of Chinese food — best served while sitting on the couch, watching Netflix, and in your pajamas.

Downtown restaurant Xiao Bao Biscuit (XBB) has been around since 2012. The kitchen draws from different regions across Asia and delivers on some solid Chinese choices. The mapo tofu is some of the best in town, and the dumplings always satisfy. XBB is usually packed with lively customers looking for Asian comfort foods. Starting during the pandemic, the restaurant began offering takeout.

If you haven’t heard of Old Li’s Restaurant on Savannah Highway in West Ashley, it might be because fans of the Chinese establishment would rather keep it a well-guarded secret. The can’t -miss menu item is the crispy Peking duck, but the oyster pancakes, dumplings, and squirrel fish are worth ordering as well. Old Li’s is BYOB, so plan accordingly.

James Island Sichuan restaurant Kwei Fei has enough peppercorns and punk-rock sensibility to keep any dinner interesting. Owners David Schuttenberg and Tina Heath-Schuttenberg moved from New York to Charleston for another restaurant project, but when that didn’t pan out, the culinary community lucked out when they decided to bring Sichuan flavors to town.

The restaurant usually full of locals enjoying lamb dumplings, spicy noodles, and tingly beef to the soundtrack of loud rock and funk music.