Charleston in the News - February 2020
Local Band Wins Grammy for Best Regional Album in American Roots
Charleston band Ranky Tanky formed in 2016, released its first album in 2017, first performed on TV in March 2019 on the Today show and just won a Grammy under the category of Best Regional Roots Music Album for their album called "Good Time". This is the first Gullah album to receive a Grammy nomination and win. Ranky Tanky is a Gullah term loosely translated to "Work It" or "Get Funky" and describes exactly what the band embodies. The band's three College of Charleston alums consider themselves ambassadors to the Gullah culture for introducing the language, rhythm and musical practices of the Gullah culture to audiences throughout North America and Europe. The band has played numerous outdoor venues, concert halls, theaters and clubs from their inception with the actual idea of only having "occasional one-week regional jaunts." They currently have 25 shows booked through July and one of their stops will be here in Charleston. Don't miss your chance to see the local band perform at the Charleston Gaillard Center on March 12th! Read more here... Get your tickets here...
Urban Farm at Enston Home Coming Soon
There are plans in the works for an urban farm at the William Enston Home, a historic home on the corner of King and Huger streets, which is currently being used as affordable housing. William Enston himself requested that there be a garden for its residents and now it seems that his dream is becoming a reality. This project is possible due to a partnership between the Charleston Housing Authority and The Green Heart Project, who have currently raised half of their $2.1 million goal. This farm will not only provide access to fresh, healthy food for neighbors, through donations to local schools or the produce being sold at affordable prices to residents, but it will also provide educational opportunities such as "farm-to-school" learning and internships. The urban farm will include such things as compost bins, a greenhouse, raised garden beds, a citrus grove, gathering space, farm plots and planting rows, as well as an herb garden. Read more here...
Volvo Announces Construction of Battery Plant to Power SC-Made Vehicles
At its Ridgeville campus, Volvo has recently announced its $600 million additional investment for the construction of an electric battery manufacturing facility. This new facility is planned for completion in time for the production of the next-model XC90 in 2022. The decision to construct this facility was made to reduce the cost of the new batteries, which will form the entire bottom half of the new cars, if they were built elsewhere and shipped to South Carolina. The XC90 is one of Volvo's new electric car models, along with the current traditional gas and hybrid S60 models which are already being built at the Ridgeville campus, that form part of the company's efforts to become a climate-neutral company by 2040. Already, 800 new production workers have been hired for this new facility and another 4,000 employees are expected to be hired by the time the S60 and XC90 are in full production. Read more here...
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