Charleston

It seems that the typical summer slowdown for local news has not yet landed.  This month, we bring you interesting news related to aviation (yet again!) and shipping, business and industry (ever-growing!), civic and community initiatives (think planning!), and recent awards and rankings (these you have to check out!).  For topics of most interest to you, follow the links where you see bold blue font to learn more.  Happy summer reading!

We realize that aviation news is a common thread in our monthly news blog, so we’re adding some shipping news.  Charleston International Airport has been selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation as one of eight airports across the country to ge...

We’ve come across a great mix of “feel good” local news topics to share with you this month, covering Aviation and Industry, Civic and Community, Entertainment and Sports, and Medical and Health topics.  There should be something of interest for everyone.  Read on and click on any of the links where you see bold blue font to learn more about the topics that interest you.

In Aviation and Industry news, Air Canada’s Charleston-Toronto route, in its third season, will now offer expanded 6-day, non-stop seasonal service from April through October.  Boeing is busy on two fronts in North Charleston: filling orders for its 787 Dreamliner jets – including building the last six planes for Ethio...

We have plenty of good news - and numbers - to share about the Charleston area this month, such as what locally-made product was voted this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in SC”, which local team qualified for its first ever NCAA Tournament, where Charleston stands in various rankings, which housing assistance program is back, what new development and environmental management projects are underway or recently completed, and more. Read on and be sure to click on any of the links shown in bold blue font to learn more about the topics that interest you.

Charleston has made the cut on several recent rankings lists. It's No. 31 on Wallet Hub’s list of the most innovative states (with 20+ produc...

Here’s some local news that showed up on our radar last month. While we often share news about our aviation sector, this month we’re also featuring the development sector - both private and public, as well as a recent announcement about a new local professional sports team moving to town. You can follow the links where you see bold blue font to learn more about items of most interest to you. 

In aviation (and environmental) news, Boeing is donating $1 million to support the creation of the 44-acre Angel Oak Preserve, which we reported on last October when the site was admitted into the national Old-Growth Forest Network. Angel Oak itself has also been nominated to the National Register...

We continue to come across and share good news about Charleston this month, this time relating to the latest accolades and rankings, our local art scene, the aviation and logistics sectors as well as medical and student housing development. Be sure to follow the links where you see bold blue font to find out more about news of most interest to you.

The accolades and high rankings continue across many sectors. The 2026 James Beard Award semifinalists for the food and beverage industry were announced in January, with eight local nominees making the cut for Emerging Chef, Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Restaurant, Outstanding Bakery, Best Chef - Southeast (2 local nominations), Outstand...

2026 begins with lots of positive, wide-ranging news for Charleston that relates to awards, designations and rankings, education, the environment and history, health care, industry, and (virtual) travel and transportation. Be sure to read to the end to learn of a great new virtual travel tool and follow the links where you see bold blue font for more information on the topics of most interest to you.

Let’s start with recent awards, designations and rankings!  The Credit One Charleston Open (formerly the Family Circle Cup) just won a prestigious award for the fourth consecutive year, taking home the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year, which is voted on by the tennis players themselves. Summ...

Good news continues for the Lowcountry as we near the end of 2025 and set our sights on 2026! This month we feature local news relating to fine dining, aviation (yes, again!), healthcare and housing. Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue font to find out more.

In the area of fine dining, we are thrilled to share the news that three area restaurants have each earned a Michelin star. They are Malagón Mercado y Taperia, Vern's, and Wild Common. The winners were announced along with the launch of Michelin’s new American South guide covering seven states at a ceremony in Greenville in early November. Twelve of the 228 restaurants listed in the guide are located in C...

Good news continues for the Lowcountry as we enter the holiday season! Read on to learn about local news relating this month to communications and technology, manufacturing, building and construction, redevelopment and conservation. Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue font to find out more.

The biggest news this month comes from the communications and technology sector! Google has announced its commitment to invest a further $9 billion in the SC Lowcountry by 2027. Yes, that’s a “b” for “billion” over the next two years! The funds will go to expanding its Berkeley County campus and constructing two new campuses in Dorchester County in order to boost its data cent...

The good news continues into fall for the Charleston area!  Read on to find out about local news relating to affordable housing, aerospace and aviation, new medical facilities, Angel Oak Preserve and Miss America’s Teen 2026 winner. To learn more, just follow the links provided where you see bold blue font.

Affordable housing is on the agenda for the Tri-County region with the September launch of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance’s $50 million Charleston Workforce Housing Fund, formed by a coalition of public and private entities and managed by Ascent Housing. Its goal is to preserve the affordability of 1,000 apartments through 20-year deed restrictions for workers earning ...

Charleston in the News - September 2025

It’s always a pleasure to share lots of good news about Charleston!  This month we feature notable local award winners and rankings, area development activity, company expansions and restarts, and the latest SC Aquarium turtle release.  Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue text to read more about topics of most interest to you!

We have a mix of recent local award winners and rankings to report!  MUSC remained SC’s top hospital for the 11th year in a row and is in the top 13% nationally according to US News and World Report.  The Dewberry hotel was recognized as the Best Independent Hotel in the World in Virtuoso’s Global ...

CHARLESTON IN THE NEWS - AUGUST 2025 EDITION

We’re happy to share the following local news with you this month that relates to aviation, entertainment, manufacturing and industry, and defense. Use the links provided (in bold blue font) to access more information about any items of particular interest to you. Enjoy the read!

On the aviation front… 

Charleston International Airport (CHS) broke ground in mid-July on its $105 million West Gates Expansion project which will add more than 40,000 sq ft of new passenger space - four new gates, large holding areas, almost 4,000 sq ft of food, beverage and retail space, and new traveler amenities for an enhanced traveler experience - PLUS 23,0...

This month we bring you news from across the Lowcountry relating to the hospitality, aviation, medical, housing and online retail sectors. Follow the links provided where you see bold blue font for more details about the topics that interest you. Happy reading!

Four Seasons’ first SC hotel will be built on Meeting Street - on the site of the former Days Inn motel -  in Historic Downtown Charleston. The luxury property will feature an outdoor pool, spa, fitness center, dining, retail and event space as well as 139 hotel rooms and 36 private and fully-serviced residences priced from $5 million. The expected completion is for 2028.

Breeze Airways launched its new nonstop service between Ch...

We hope your summer is off to a great start! This month, we bring you news about records set and milestones achieved in the Charleston area in the aviation, automotive, tourism and spelling bee sectors. Please follow the links where you see bold blue font for further information about any of the topics of particular interest to you. 

Boeing's largest ever order has just been placed, with Qatar Airways planning to purchase up to 210 widebody jets, including the largest order for 787 Dreamliners made in North Charleston. According to Qatar Airways’ CEO, this is the airline’s largest ever order as well, making it “a critical next step… as we invest in the cleanest, youngest and most effic...

This month, we focus on major infrastructure, manufacturing and medical news for the Charleston area. To learn more about any of the topics covered, please follow the links where you see bold blue font.

The environmental review period for Charleston County’s Airport Connector Road project to construct a new access road to Charleston International Airport has concluded, with the Federal Highway Administration determining that it will have no significant impact. The project, which is intended to “improve traffic flow, support economic growth and provide a safer, more efficient connection to and from the airport”, now enters the right-of-way acquisition and final design planning phases. The...

Charleston-area news remains positive!  This month we share a variety of local news items related to communications and energy, manufacturing, hospitality, and housing. Be sure to follow the links where you see bold blue font if you want to learn more about any topics of particular interest to you.

IQ Fiber, a high-speed, fiber-optic Internet service out of Jacksonville, Florida is expanding its 10-gig capable network into SC, first investing over $40 million in the Mount Pleasant and West Ashley areas. To support its 100% renewable energy consumption goals, IKEA’s parent company the Ingka Group is building a massive photovoltaic solar farm called Kingstree West in Williamsburg County. O...

Charleston continues to impress!  This month, we share good news on endangered sea turtles, education, air services, recreation and conservation. We also reveal which long-awaited development project officially broke ground on the last day of February. Eager to learn more about any of the topics covered? Just follow the links where you see bold blue font.

In February, five endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles rehabilitated by the SC Aquarium were released at sea with assistance from the US Coast Guard. Kemp’s ridleys are the world’s rarest and most endangered sea turtle species and these five - named Chia, Beignet, Griddle, Home Fry and Loaf - were part of the aquarium’s largest annual i...

We’re thrilled to share more positive news about the Charleston area this month, with much of it related to our food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality sectors, conservation and open space, and public infrastructure, along with an announcement of a new “far out” attraction coming to town! To learn more about any of the items covered, please follow the links provided where you see bold blue font.

Our local F&B and hospitality sectors continue to impress! Two such businesses recently became semifinalists for 2025 James Beard Foundation awards: Chubby Fish by Chef James London for Outstanding Restaurant and Femi Oyediran and Miles White of Graft Wine Shop for Outstanding Professional in B...

We are happy to begin our 2025 Charleston in the News blog reporting that the Charleston economy continues to grow and diversify, with expansions and newcomers across several sectors and the region. This month, we highlight some of those in the aviation, education and medicine, entertainment and services, manufacturing and senior housing sectors. 

In the areas of education and medicine, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has broken ground for the construction of a dedicated College of Medicine building to serve its students, faculty and staff. At a cost of $175 million, the 186,000 sq ft building at the corner of Bee and President Streets is targeted to open in summer 2027...

Not only is December full of special events and activities centered largely around the holidays, but the Charleston area also has a lot going on in terms of news! Here’s a quick overview of what we’ve recently come across. Be sure to follow the links provided where you see bold blue underlined text to find out more about the items of most interest to you.

We also want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a happy holiday season and to share this gift from the City of Charleston: a Holiday Parking Voucher for two hours of free parking downtown until December 31st. Find out which garages are participating and get your mobile and printable vouchers here.

Now for the news related t...

This month, we bring you news about a number of historic preservation, restoration, renovation and related heritage tourism efforts underway around the Charleston Lowcountry, as well as about the development of two new data centers for Google, a large graphite production facility and a major climate-controlled logistics center in the area.

Follow the links provided to find out more.

The National Parks Service is providing grants to help fund two area projects: the stabilization and repair of the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, one of the oldest churches in downtown Charleston, and the restoration of a powder magazine and two cisterns at Fort Johnson, as part of the College of Char...