kitchen countertopsIn North Charleston, SC

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WIS) - So many people know the feeling of sliding on your first pair of glasses and finally being able to see a lot more clearly.

A new law is designed to bring that special moment to more children across South Carolina.

The legislation allows mobile optometry clinics to visit Title 1 schools, offering free screenings and eye exams and fitting and providing students with glasses, with parental consent.

“This will see that our children across the state — and I hope this spreads like wildfire — that they all are able to reach their full potential,” Gov. Henry McMaster said.

McMaster officially signed the new law earlier this year, but he commemorated it Wednesday at North Charleston Elementary School, where he was joined by other elected officials, Charleston County School District leaders and students, and representatives from the national nonprofit Vision to Learn.

The organization lobbied South Carolina’s legislature for the change in law, as its previous language had prohibited Vision to Learn from operating free mobile optometry clinics in South Carolina as it does in other states.

The General Assembly allowed Vision to Learn to operate on a trial basis over the last year before approving the permanent change in law. In that year, the nonprofit reports it provided more than 2,000 students from 17 schools in the Charleston County School District with eye exams, and 1,700 of those kids received free eyeglasses.

“Our program has found that the best way to solve this problem is by bringing access to students right here on campus,” Vision to Learn National Director Damian Carroll said.

CCSD Director of Nursing Ellen Nitz said the new law removes barriers that may be keeping kids from reaching their full potential in the classroom.

“Many of our families will face either financial burdens, transportation issues, parents having to leave work to get to appointments, and then just not even realizing that you need glasses,” Nitz said.

During Wednesday’s event, four CCSD elementary school students received their first pair of glasses, including second grader Taila Sanders, who had selected frames in her favorite color, pink.

“Everything is like so different. It’s like not blurry anymore,” Sanders said.

With the change in law now in effect, Vision to Learn said its next goal is to bring this clinic to more districts across the state and help more South Carolina kids see.

“Our young students experienced unprecedented hardships during the recent pandemic, and now going forward, having access to quality eyecare and prescription glasses will not be one more thing that they or their parents have to worry about,” Rep. William Cogswell, R – Charleston, said.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - If you have an idea on how to make South Carolina better for its children or concerns about issues affecting them, your opinion is wanted.

The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children is traveling around the state for its annual fall tour, starting next week, and is inviting South Carolinians to speak with them.

The panel, more commonly known as the Children’s Committee, is made up of a bipartisan group of six lawmakers — three from the state’s House of Representatives and three from the Senate — along with three citizens appointed by the governor and the heads of statewide agencies, including the Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Department of Education.

The feedback they have received during these hearings in past years had led to new laws at the State House.

“If whatever you’re talking about has merit, you have the opportunity to change legislation in South Carolina,” Sen. Katrina Shealy, R – Lexington and a committee member, said.

In recent years, the committee’s work has resulted in legislation to improve South Carolina’s adoption and fostering processes, put more regulations around vaping and offer paid family leave to state employees.

“What the committee’s charged with is to really address issues that affect children in the state of South Carolina,” Rep. Beth Bernstein, D – Richland, and a committee member, said. “It’s an opportunity for you to express concerns that you may have that are really relevant to what this committee’s charged with doing, and it might be an issue that we’re not even aware of.”

While most of the committee’s meetings during the year take place on State House grounds in Columbia, its fall hearing schedule gives members the chance to hear from more South Carolinians in other parts of the state.

The public hearings begin next Tuesday in Florence, followed by one in North Charleston on Sept. 22, in Greenville on Sept. 29, and two in Columbia on Oct. 12.

Any South Carolinian can come out to share their concerns or ideas for helping the state’s kids and families.

“We take that and evaluate it, and then we look toward how we can help in those areas, and then we try to craft legislation,” Bernstein said.

“And that way, we can have people working on it on both sides of the aisle,” Shealy added.

People can sign up to speak for up to five minutes at each meeting by emailing comments@mailbox.sc.edu. They can also send written comments to that email address.

The deadline to submit written testimony is Oct. 14.

“There are children all over the state that need our help, so we need to hear what would be beneficial for every child in South Carolina,” Shealy said.

Times/locations for Children’s Committee 2022 Fall Hearings:

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — On March 13, The North Charleston Hockey Team thought it would be just another game at Carolina Ice Palace.

Until the game suddenly came to a stop, when one of their own went into full cardiac arrest.

"The first thing out of my mouth was 'what the heck happened,' and Dave said 'dude you were dead for like four or five minutes and yea you passed out on the bench, you got revived and they brought you the hospital,'" said James Pitts, the cardiac arrest survivor.

Luckily, one of his teammates Tom Donnelly and two other people jumped into action.

"Within 30 seconds chest compressions were started which is the most important thing you can do," said Tom Donnelly, a CPR Trainer and Trash Pandas Ice Hockey Team Member.

Pitts said despite it all, he is grateful where and when the incident happened.

“Luckily everything worked out fantastic, I just got really lucky the stars were aligned and it was also lucky that it happened at the ice rink which is only about 2 miles from Trident Medical Center," he said.

He also hopes sharing his story will save future lives.

"It’s never too late or it’s important to learn how to do CPR and operate a AED machine because you can save somebody’s life," Pitts said.

Even though Pitts still cannot believe what was going on, hockey was still the first thing on his mind.

"Initially I was a little bit in shock, it took me a while to re orient myself when I was in the emergency room, because I just kept asking you know what happened. Actually my wife says that I kept asking did we win," Pitts said.

Through it all, he said he is not hanging up his skates anytime soon.

“I’ll never quit playing hockey no mater what," he said.

Two weeks ago, Pitts made his debut back on the ice but he had a hard fall and will be out for another four to five weeks. But he said his love for the game does not stop and he's counting down the days until he's playing with his team again.

Trident Hospital now uses the case of James Pitts for their CPR training classes to continue educating people on how to possibly save a life.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — For five years, Will Muschamp was the leader of the South Carolina Gamecocks football program. Muschamp returned to Columbia on Saturday with the Georgia Bulldogs, but when the action was all said and done he made time for many familiar faces on the other sideline.

WYFF’s Marc Whiteman captured video after Georgia’s 48-7 victory over South Carolina showing Muschamp embracing several former players and a handful of Gamecocks staffers once the scoreboard hit all zeroes. The return to Williams-Brice Stadium was likely a bittersweet one for Muschamp, who posted a 28-30 record as Gamecocks head coach starting in 2016 until he was fired prior to the eighth game of the 2020 season.

Obviously it didn't work out and the divorce was best for everyone but all you need to know about Will Muschamp as a man was how many former players and staffers went out of their way to find him on the field after the game pic.twitter.com/g2llt46ZPi

— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) September 17, 2022

Whiteman’s video showed Muschamp catching up with South Carolina wide receiver Josh Vann, Jalen Brooks and Dakereon Joyner; running back MarShawn Lloyd; and offensive linemen Tyshawn Wannamaker, Eric Douglas, Jovaughn Gwyn and Jakai Moore. Muschamp also spoke with several members of South Carolina’s coaching staff, including head coach Shane Beamer and analyst Freddie Kitchens.

Joyner and Gwyn were among the South Carolina players at SEC Media Days back in July, and both talked about what Muschamp meant to them personally. Joyner credited Muschamp not only for being a reliable coach but, more importantly, for convincing the North Charleston native that it was in his best interest to stay in state.

“He's a coach that you can share personal stories with as well. People don't kind of think that with his, you know, hard coaching. But Coach is a really great guy. I love him to death as well. He still checks up on me from time to time,” Joyner said last Monday. “I loved [playing for Muschamp], and I appreciated it so much because he, you know, re-offered me as a quarterback whenever he came. That was one of the first things he did. He made me a priority. He made me love the state more and, you know, really appreciate me playing for my home state more than anything.”

Gwyn had similar feelings about his former head coach.

Even though Muschamp is now at Georgia, Gwyn said there’s no bad blood because Muschamp was the coach Gwyn came to South Carolina to play for and because he was a good coach in the time Gwyn played for him. Gwyn explained he was struck by the feedback he got from South Carolina’s players during his recruitment because they all enjoyed playing for Muschamp.

“Everybody enjoyed playing for him, so I was like, 'OK, this is a place that I can play,'” Gwyn said.

Gwyn recalled the uncertainty that engulfed the program once Muschamp was fired in November 2020, seven games into the COVID-affected season.

“It happened just like that — at the snap of a finger,” Gwyn said. “Like, everybody's in limbo kind of because we don't know what's going on, who's coming in, what's going to happen. It was a difficult time, but a lot of us came through — like, got through it.”

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While Muschamp’s departure from Columbia was likely difficult for him, it’s safe to say he’s thriving in his return to his alma mater.

Muschamp is the co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach for a Georgia defense that has quickly established itself as one of the best in the nation. Through three games, the Bulldogs have surrendered a total of 10 points and gave up their only touchdown of the season with just 53 seconds to go in Saturday’s blowout.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Department of Transportation is looking for the community’s input as developers continue to move forward with the I-526 Lowcountry Corridor West Project.

There will be a community mitigation meeting in North Charleston Saturday where project directors will update the public on their plan and give them time to ask questions.

According to the project’s official website, it would span approximately 9.7 miles between Paul Cantrell Boulevard in West Ashley and Virginia Avenue in North Charleston.

Project Director Joy Riley says the purpose of the meeting is to update the public on the community mitigation plan. Riley says this is their way of creating benefits for the communities that will be directly impacted by the project.

Russelldale, Ferndale, Liberty Park and Highland Terrace are the communities that will be directly impacted. These are predominantly minority communities.

Riley says over the last three years they have been checking in with those communities and are trying to make sure the community mitigation plan addresses their concerns.

Residents have shared one of their biggest concerns is losing their homes due to the widening of the 526/I-26 interchange.

Riley says a lot of the programs in the community mitigation plan are focused on increasing things like generational wealth, building affordable housing, scholarships, and job training opportunities.

About 100 households will be torn down for this project. Riley says construction won’t get started until all residents have been relocated to replacement housing they are planning on building.

“We are planning on building 100 new apartment units that are affordable but also 45 single-family lots with single-family homes, and a first-time home buyer grant program that helps those folks that are low income,” Riley says.

Although widening the interstate will get rid of homes in the area, officials believe it will help limit travel times, congestion and more.

Devin Clark, a West Ashley resident, says he sees accidents all the time on the 526/I-26 interchange, and it often takes 20 minutes or more to go a few miles. Clark says he’s happy SCDOT is planning on doing something about it.

Saturday’s meeting starts at 10 a.m. at the Ferndale Community Center in North Charleston.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved.