In Nielsen Audio Market No. 78, Saga Communications vigorously competes against iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media as well as Lynn Martin’s privately owned radio stations for listeners. Among the more popular choices, in particular during morning drive, has been “Mix 95.9.”

Now, the company, staff and local listeners are pausing to remember the station’s wake-up anchor, who was found dead after a safety check by local law enforcement officials.

Mike Edwards was associated with WMXZ “Mix 95.9” in Charleston, S.C., for decades, and since 1999 has been paired alongside Tanya Brown and Brooke Ryan at the helm of Two Girls & A Guy. He was also the station’s Program Director.

Paul O’Malley, President of Saga’s Charleston Radio Group, shared, “Mike was an amazing person, beloved by his coworkers, listeners and our entire organization and will be truly missed by those fortunate to have crossed his path.”

A post by Brown and Ryan on Instagram offered details as to how they learned of Edwards’ passing. “This morning when we woke up and came to work, Mike was not present, which was very unlike him.” Worried, the co-hosts called to investigate and did not get a response. A decision to call 911 was then made. A wellness check was made; they subsequently received word that “Mike is no longer with us.”

The cause of death was not immediately known.

Brown and Ryan opted to share the news on Instagram out of respect for listeners and their love for Edwards, which was equaled by the co-hosts.

A best-of program is scheduled for Friday’s morning show featuring Edwards; Brown and Ryan are expected to return to Mix 95.9 on Monday morning.

Edwards began his radio career at age 14 at a community station in Pocahontas County, W. Va. He joined crosstown WSSX-FM in Charleston, S.C., as Program Director in 1994, joining WMXZ five years later. After stints in other markets, Edwards returned to Charleston in 2014, reuniting with Ryan and Brown on Mix 95.9.

— With reporting by Cameron Coats

Janet Bates earns a good salary at a Charleston construction company, but at least 10 percent of her paycheck goes directly toward child care expenses — more than the 7 percent the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers an affordable cost.

Bates feels lucky she has the resources to juggle it all, but for so many in the state, lack of affordable care for kids is a major hurdle to applying for or holding a job.

The problem stems from struggles retaining staff and, therefore, a shortage of space for children, a lack of buy-in from businesses who employ parents, and child caretakers' exclusions from programs that financially benefit teachers, according to a recent Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce panel discussion.

The conversation was part of the pro-business group's People First plan, a collaborative and data-led initiative to address housing, transportation, education and child care issues in the region.

Bates, a working mom, wife and mother of three and a volunteer with the local branch of the advocacy group Chamber of Mothers, was one of dozens of women — and a handful of men — who attended the forum.

"Child care is not merely a family issue … When parents are unable to find and afford child care, they are unable to return to the workplace,” said moderator Bailey Vincent, director of government relations for the chamber. “It’s imperative that every individual who desires to and is able to return to work can, regardless of their family situation."

Finding child care is no easy feat in in South Carolina when waiting lists are a year out and the median salary is $57,110. The average cost in the state is $9,048 a year — the 10th-highest burden in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s 17 percent of a salary, in addition to growing housing costs, inflation on food and other goods, and families with multiple children.

HII Newport News Shipbuilding is buying a manufacturing facility outside of Charleston, S.C., to build submarine and aircraft carrier modules, the president of the shipyard said on Wednesday.

The 480,000-square-foot manufacturing facility sits on a 45-acre plot north of Charleston and was formerly owned by manufacturer W International.

“We’re not acquiring W International. This is an asset transaction,” Newport News president Jennifer Boykin told reporters on Wednesday. “It represents an opportunity… to increase our capacity overall so it will not affect the workforce here at Newport News. In fact, we expect both sites to continue to grow.”

Boykin said the about 500 employees who worked for W International would be invited to join the new Newport News Shipbuilding – Charleston Operations. Pending approvals, the sale is set to close by the end of the year, according to a statement from HII. The price was not disclosed.

“This region has a very strong shipbuilding ecosystem that’s been growing [and we’re] really excited about that,” Boykin said. “There’s great trades workforce capability down there. We’re excited about that. So about 500 employees… all will be offered the opportunity to come to work with us at Newport News.”

The HII outpost will be overseen by Newport News vice president Matt Needy who will oversee the plan for module work as the general manager.

“We know which Virginia-class modules will be built down there. In fact, we know which footprint at the site each will be built in and that’s the same for Columbia-class,” Boykin said. “Our expectation is that you know, as the throughput there grows, we know what’s next and really the intention is for that site in Charleston to become a center of excellence for particular modules.”

Moving submarine work out of submarine yards Newport News and General Dynamics Electric Boat is a key effort by the submarine industrial base to increase the production rate to two Virginia-class attack submarines and one ballistic nuclear missile Columbia-class a year. HII currently outsources about a million hours of submarine work outside of Newport News.

Prior to the acquisition of the facility, W International produced submarine modules for both General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News, however Newport News cancelled its contracts with the company in 2022, according to a report in the Post and Courier newspaper.

Boykin said Electric Boat would be moving the work to another facility.

“We’re working with electric boat and the site as they’re transitioning that work to a different focus factory,” she said.

The acquisition comes in the midst of a Department of Justice investigation into, “in which an unnamed whistleblower claims the metal fabricator misspent potentially millions of dollars in federal funds,” reported The Post and Courier.

Company founder and CEO Ed Walker has denied any wrongdoing.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County and the Charleston Animal Society are working to create a new contract after the county terminated the agreement last month.

The county terminated its part of the contract in November, giving the animal society a 30-day notice. Charleston Animal Society said they had given a notice to the county last summer, concluding their part. Charleston County said they sent over a new proposal last week.

“Well, the biggest thing is that we need to know what we are paying for,” Herb Sass, county councilman, said. “We need to know, we need to make sure the animals being brought up there are being brought up there by the Charleston County’s Sheriff Office. And how many of them of them are being brought up there, and what we’re paying for. We paid a monthly amount scheduled by that contract and that’s a pretty substantial amount of money.”

Officials said they had been paying over $200,000 flat fee to the shelter since the initial contract began in 2019. The county ran an audit and is looking to itemize where their funds are going to.

However, Charleston Animal Society said the pay discrepancy is also something they are looking to work on their side as well.

“We cannot continue to subsidize what is the government’s obligation on these animals. So I’m encouraged, I’m optimistic that the elected officials can come together,” said Joe Elmore, president and CEO of Charleston Animal Society.

The county is working with Pet Helpers to hold space for the animals as they are negotiating the contract.

Both sides noted they are hoping to come to a compromise, as they’ve been working together since 1979.

“What we would like to see is we would like to get our contract which makes it very clear that the animals we’re responsible for are in unincorporated areas,” Sass said. “Hopefully the other municipalities work out a similar deal with the Charleston Animal Society. They’ve been a good organization for a long time.”

“We are the provider, we just need to be paid for the services we provide fairly and fully. Even with the tremendous discounts we provide the government. So that’s the real issue.”

The Charleston Animal Society is expected to continue working on the received proposal this week.

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Popular Mexican restaurant set to return, 20 years after closing all US locations

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Popular Mexican restaurant set to return, 20 years after closing all US locations

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Charleston is filled with award-winning restaurants, many of which command high price points. The area’s food scene, though, extends beyond that with more affordable, hard-to-find destinations scattered across the Lowcountry. This topic is covered at length in my weekly newsletter, Charleston’s Menu.

Perhaps you're trying to spend less money on food around the holidays. Or maybe the soaring cost of dining has you keeping a closer eye on what you dole out when visiting restaurants. Maybe you’re just looking for an exciting new spot to try.

These five Charleston-area restaurants fit that criteria.

Food

Cócteles El Primo

348 College Park Road, North Charleston

1750 Remount Road, North Charleston

Shrimp and octopus cóctel: $19.99

Seafood is a big part of Mexico’s culture and cuisine — the country has 7,000 miles of coastline, 4,500 of which face the Pacific Ocean. That means mariscos (which translates to seafood or shellfish in English) restaurants and food stands are prevalent throughout the country.

Cócteles, a Mexican dish with seafood in a tomato sauce, can be found at just about any mariscos stand or restaurant along the coast, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. At Cócteles El Primo — a casual restaurant with two North Charleston locations and another in Columbia — there are more than a dozen cócteles combinations.

Seafood like shrimp and octopus bob inside a chilled broth, whose sharp tomato taste is jolted by citrus, diced scallions and torn cilantro. Tender, plump pieces of octopus and medium-sized shrimp are supported by buttery avocado, enhancing sweet notes derived from Worcestershire sauce.

Trying to count the number of shrimp inside the glass — the type that might hold a jumbo margarita — is like guessing the number of M&M’s inside a large jar. My best estimate would be 10-15 shrimp, plus another 6-8 ounces of octopus.

Hachiya Ramen

996 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, Mount Pleasant

Tonkotsu ramen: $15

Hachiya Ramen is owned by Richard Milana and Yuichiro “Junior” Takebata, the chef at West Ashley's Hachiya Kyoto Steakhouse and Sushi Bar, one of the top raw fish destinations in Charleston. Over the last four years, they’ve been testing ramen recipes in preparation for the debut of their standalone eatery dedicated to brothy Japanese noodles. It opened in August.

The restaurant’s signature tonkotsu ramen features thin noodles in a spiced broth, its cloudy bubbles filled with intensity but void of excess fat. A slurp from a wide spoon produces oniony heat from scallions and the earthy chew of pale wheat noodles. Topping that is a custardy burst of a golden soft-boiled Storey Farms egg and two slivers of marbled pork, which soak up all the flavor contained inside the deep, dark bowl. It’s the best ramen I’ve had since visiting Japan.

Istanbul Shish Kabob

4940 Centre Pointe Drive, North Charleston

Shawarma plate: $15.99

Istanbul Shish Kabob’s menu is lean, with wraps and platters filled with the same roster of proteins and sauces. This simplicity, which extends to the casual setting and service model, is one of the reasons I keep coming back to this North Charleston restaurant.