Granite Countertops in North Charleston, SC

In 2024, a Charleston firefighter complained to his local union about "unhealthy and unsafe working conditions" at the fire station where he worked. Then the city's Fire Department retaliated by transferring the employee to another station, a move that violated his rights, according to a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month.

Robert Tackett, who has been a member of the Charleston Fire Department for more than 11 years, and the Charleston Firefighters Association Local 61 of the International Association of Fire Fighters are suing the city, as well as Fire Chief Dan Curia and Deputy Fire Chief Forrest Cockcroft, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court on March 4.

The suit alleges unsafe work conditions — excessive heat, mold, odor, leaks and a malfunctioning pole — at Station 9, where Tackett worked for five years. But the legal action stems from violations of Tackett's rights to free speech, to union association and to due process, which are protected by the First and 14th amendments.

Attorneys for Tackett and the union wrote in their complaint that because Tackett was punished for speaking out, it had a chilling effect on him and any other employees who might have concerns about the department.

The department declined to comment citing the pending litigation.

"These dangerous and deficient conditions" at Station 9, located on King Street Extension, have been "regularly and routinely ignored" by the department's leadership, the complaint alleged.

Concerns peaked on July 17, 2024, when Tackett reported to the union that firefighters who worked 24-hour shifts could not sleep in the station's bunk rooms, where temperatures were consistently hotter than 90 degrees, the suit said.

The complaint prompted a visit from Chief Curia. Tackett told him that he was the one who told the union about the issue. According to the suit, Curia recommended the station's personnel move into the five rooms that had working air conditioning, if they could not go without it.

A week later, Tackett was informed that he was being written up for going around the chain of command. A battalion chief was quoted in the complaint as saying Tackett made "bad judgments" by going to the union.

Nine days after he raised the issue, Tackett, who had been Station 9's most senior hazmat team member and the only one with a specialized certification to address chemical exposure, was transferred to Station 7 on James Island.

His new position does not provide as many opportunities to earn overtime pay, the suit said. A report detailing his discipline will remain in his personnel file, affecting future chances of promotion.

"Tackett reported Station No. 9's high temperatures to Local 61 on July 17, 2024, to protect himself, his fellow Union members and the public," the lawsuit states. "The issue Tackett raised — firefighter health and safety — is a matter of public interest and concern, because it directly impacts firefighters’ ability to serve and protect the citizens of the City."

In November, the department temporarily closed Station 9 to replace and improve the building's HVAC system.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - One Lowcountry nonprofit is gearing up to host a walk that could save the lives of many.

Water Mission is a nonprofit based in North Charleston that works year-round to fight the global water crisis and create safe water solutions for people across the world. Millions of people in the world must walk for miles every single day just to collect water that is often contaminated and unsafe to consume.

This is why since 2007, Water Mission has hosted the annual “Walk for Water” event. This is one of the organization’s largest fundraisers and is centered on spreading awareness about the need for clean, safe water.

Thousands of people in the Lowcountry will gather at Riverfront Park in North Charleston to simulate what women and children all across the world do every single day. Participants will carry a bucket and walk a mile and a half to Water Mission to fill those buckets up with dirty water and then walk the mile and a half back with the water collected.

The walk not only spreads awareness about the work that Water Mission does, but it also raises funds to support that work.

Mary Howell, the senior manager of community engagement at Water Mission, says that on average, this event will raise them $700,000 which can change the lives of over 14,000 people.

“Every $50 we raise will bring safe water to one person. That’s one person who doesn’t have to walk for water. One person who’s not drinking contaminated water that will make them sick and potentially cause them to lose their life,” she says.

The event is $25 for adults to register, $10 for children and free for children under the age of five. All of this money goes directly toward the nonprofit.

The North Charleston Walk for Water is the flagship walk, but 82 different walks will take place across the world. Different partners, churches and schools in different communities will host walks in their areas throughout the year.

For the North Charleston walk, Howell says they anticipate seeing around 5,000 participants. Almost 3,000 have already registered, but there is no limit to the number of people who can register.

“A quarter of the world’s population is collecting water with bacteria, disease, parasites, and kids are getting sick and ultimately, every 37 seconds someone loses their life because they lack access to safe water,” Howell says. “That number is why we’re here. That number is why we gather at Riverfront Park. We want to bring hope to those 2 billion people,” Howell says.

While the event is symbolic, it is also full of fun. They will have an assortment of games and activities including a “toilet toss,” the organization’s version of corn hole, as well as card making for people in other country programs and a bubble station. There will also be several food trucks at the event.

The Walk for Water will take place Saturday, March 29 at Riverfront Park. Water Mission will host an open registration and T-shirt pickup event on Friday at Firefly Distillery located at 4201 Spruill Avenue in North Charleston. That event will be from noon to 6 p.m.

If unable to attend the Friday registration event, there will be another opportunity next Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Water Mission, located at 1150 Molly Greene Way Building 1605 in North Charleston. They will also allow registration and T-shirt pickup the morning of the walk for those who want to show up.

Online registration is also always available. A link to register or donate to the mission can be found here.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

It’s best known for its manufacturing know-how, from chemicals to textiles to aircraft parts.

But for a seemingly brief moment in time, in a bygone era, The InterTech Group Inc. of North Charleston owned a bona-fide national treasure in the consumer-fickle retail industry.

The low-key global industrial conglomerate, then led by founder and billionaire philanthropist Jerry Zucker, became an overnight sensation north of the border in late 2003, when it started to make a run at the oldest continuously operating business on the continent.

The target: the revered Hudson’s Bay Co.

"Clearly we think it's an undervalued situation," InterTech strategy executive Robert Johnston said at the time. "It's a well-capitalized company with wonderful prospects."

The early reaction to a U.S.-led buyout of a Canadian icon was frosty at best. In the throes of the takeover, a writer from The Globe and Mail newspaper traveled to Charleston in 2005 to shed some light on the intensely private interloper from South Carolina. The headline was, "Who the heck is Jerry Zucker, anyway?"

'Heck of a deal'

The Jenkins Avenue company managed to ink its $1 billion-plus takeover in March 2006. An executive for a former major Hudson's Bay shareholder commented that it was "a heck of deal" that would likely pay off.

Johnston, a Montreal native who still works at InterTech and was chief executive officer of Hudson's Bay from 2007-2008, agreed. He also bemoaned what's become of the Toronto-based retailer, which filed to restructure its finances this month under a process similar to bankruptcy protection.

"It's very sad to see from a historical perspective such an old company — and an important company — go through such a tough time," Johnston said Thursday.

Hudson's Bay was established as a fur-trading venture under a royal charter in 1670, the same year Charleston was founded. It's known to Canadian shoppers as The Bay or HBC.

When InterTech took it over in March 2006, the company operated its fleet of namesake department stores and two specialty chains with a combined 70,000 employees, $6 billion in annual revenue and about 550 stores across Canada.

It also was losing market share to Walmart and other established rivals. Meanwhile, a new crop of hard-charging online merchants — Amazon's sales totaled a meager $10.7 billion in 2006 compared to $638 billion last year — were slowly gaining ground.

InterTech said it made immediate improvements to the newly acquired business in areas such as customer service and merchandising. But it cut short its investment after Zucker died in April 2008. His family-owned company sold Hudson's Bay to National Realty and Development Corp. Equity Partners, the current U.S.-based owner, for an undisclosed sum a few months later.

“It was a very successful acquisition and a very successful divestment on our watch," Johnston said last week.

Trouble ahead

Since then, the explosion of online retailing has upended the retail industry. Hudson's Bay ownership hemmed and hawed as it took the company public and then private again. It sold off its Zeller's discount chain in 2011 to Target, which abandoned the famously disastrous purchase a few years later.

More recently, the pandemic struck the same week Hudson’s Bay was going private in 2020. The economic lockdown almost exactly five years ago "resulted in a significant decline in foot traffic," the company said in a court document, while the aftershock of the Covid crisis "continues to reshape consumer behavior, most notably through the widespread adoption of remote work. This shift has placed additional economic pressure on the brick-and-mortar retail sector, particularly affecting traditional department stores like Hudson’s Bay."

The 93-unit chain, which includes 13 Saks-licensed outlets, also pointed to the abrupt "Trade War" with the U.S., saying the threat of tariffs, both new and retaliatory, "have created uncertainty in financial markets, making refinancing more difficult and costly for businesses in Canada."

Over the past several years, as conditions have deteriorated Hudson's Bay has closed stores and cut its payroll. CEO Liz Rodbell described the reorganization as a “very difficult” but “necessary step to strengthen our foundation and ensure that we remain a significant part of Canada's retail landscape."

"Very disappointing," is how Johnson, the chain's onetime chief executive, summed up the storied retailer's mounting financial woes.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Osborne, who was asked to sign off on the restructuring, said as much in a ruling last week.

“It is hard not to have a sense of melancholy when considering the application before me,” he wrote Monday. “Hudson’s Bay is the oldest company in North America and a very prominent Canadian department store. It was founded in 1670. Now, approximately 355 years later, it is insolvent and seeks protection from its creditors.”

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated some leases for federal offices in the Carolinas and Georgia.

According to the department’s website, DOGE canceled nearly 800 leases across the country.

Below is a list of locations in the Carolinas and Georgia:

DEPT. OF AIR FORCE - NORTH CHARLESTON, SC - ANNUAL LEASE: $725,132 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SAVANNAH RIVER OPERATIONS CENTER - AIKEN, SC - ANNUAL LEASE: $42,225 ($200,568 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - GREENWOOD, SC – ANNUAL LEASE: $154,546 ($141,668 TOTAL SAVINGS)

OFFICE OF U.S. ATTORNEYS - COLUMBIA, SC – ANNUAL LEASE: $942,986 ($1,257,315 TOTAL SAVINGS)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION - GREENVILLE, SC – ANNUAL LEASE: $128,616 ($375,131 TOTAL SAV

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $24,000 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION - GREENSBORO, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $107,197 ($348,390 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - ELIZABETH CITY, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $200,937 ($887,470 TOTAL SAVINGS)

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE - GREENSBORO, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $731,294 ($2,376,707 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - FRANKLIN, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $276,309 ($1,059,184 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - GREENVILLE, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $374,170 ($997,787 TOTAL SAVNGS)

BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS & EXPLOSIVES - RALEIGH, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $142,636 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

DEPARTMENTAL MANAGEMENT (IG) - RALEIGH, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $64,157 ($74,850 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - GREENSBORO, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $10,928 ($14,571 TOTAL SAVINGS)

CORPS OF ENGINEERS, CIVIL - WILMINGTON, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $53,011 ($83,934 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FARM SERVICE AGENCY - COUNTY - HENDERSONVILLE, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $111,756 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION, WAGE AND HOURLY DIVI - RALEIGH, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $122,754 ($480,785 TOTAL SAVINGS)

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE NATIONAL OFFICE - WILMINGTON, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $319,571 ($239,678 TOTAL SAVINGS)

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE - GOLDSBORO, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $113,418 ($160,675 TOTAL SAVINGS)

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE NATIONAL OFFICE - FAYETTEVILLE, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $154,235 ($38,559 TOTAL SAVINGS)

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION - RALEIGH, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $306,333 ($612,666 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FARM SERVICE AGENCY - COUNTY - WILKESBORO, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $104,475 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - CHARLOTTE, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $104,520 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY - CHARLOTTE, NC – ANNUAL LEASE: $67,647 ($146,568 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION - GREENSBORO, NC - ANNUAL LEASE: $24,855 ($16,570 TOTAL SAVINGS)

CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $2,473,060 ($2,060,883 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $446,286 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $223,483 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

ALLOWANCE TO FORMER PRESIDENTS - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $128,233 ($544,991 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - COLUMBUS, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $51,023 ($25,512 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - GAINESVILLE, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $506,527 ($1,688,423 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - VIDALIA, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $228,757 ($285,947 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - BRUNSWICK, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $215,383 ($341,023 TOTAL SAVINGS)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION - THOMASVILLE, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $289,139 ($819,228 TOTAL SAVINGS)

FOREST SERVICE - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $1,399,770 ($2,799,539 TOTAL SAVINGS)

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE NATIONAL OFFICE - SAVANNAH, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $427,511 ($855,022 TOTAL SAVINGS)

UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $738,352 (NO INFO ON SAVINGS)

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $634,642 (NO INFO ON SAVINGS)

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION - DULUTH, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $184,341 ($553,023 TOTAL SAVINGS)

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE NATIONAL OFFICE - MACON, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $241,967 ($282,295 TOTAL SAVINGS)

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION - SAVANNAH, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $97,739 ($407,246 TOTAL SAVINGS)

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY - NORCROSS, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $559,009 ($1,350,938 TOTAL SAVINGS)

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE - GRIFFIN, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $30,810 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ADMINISTRATION, WAGE AND HOURLY DIVI - SAVANNAH, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $39,214 ($163,394 TOTAL SAVINGS)

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE - ATLANTA, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $487,199 ($1,908,196 TOTAL SAVINGS)

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY - ATLANTA, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $77,081 ($160,585 TOTAL SAVINGS)

BUREAU OF PRISONS - ATLANTA, GA – ANNUAL LEASE: $863,726 ($431,863 TOTAL SAVINGS)

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY - ATLANTA, GA - ANNUAL LEASE: $665,692 ($0 TOTAL SAVINGS)

Copyright 2025 WHNS. All rights reserved.

Three members of the City Council in South Carolina’s third-largest city accepted kickbacks and bribes to give out grant money and rezone land or lied about what they knew, federal prosecutors said Wednesday,

Charges against North Charleston councilmen Jerome Heyward, Sandino Moses and Mike A. Brown along with five others were announced Wednesday after a yearlong investigation by the FBI and state officials.

Heyward took a $40,000 kickback from two nonprofit organizations in return for steering to them part of a $1.3 million grant to fight gun violence in North Charleston, according to court documents.

Heyward and Brown were part of a scheme by a boat maker to rezone land on the Ashley River in North Charleston that was once a hospital and before that a fertilizer plant to sell to a boat manufacturer. The company offered to build a park but also wanted a plant on the site.

The councilmen accepted bribes to try to get the rezoning passed and by that time the FBI was listening to Heyward’s call, catching Brown saying he was annoyed it was taking too long to get his money because he needed to pay for his son’s wedding, prosecutors said.

The rezoning plan was rejected.

Moses also took money to support the rezoning. He returned it, but he lied about the offer and what he knew about his fellow councilmen being on the take, according to charging documents.

Heyward is charged with extortion, bribery and wire fraud. Brown is charged with bribery and wire fraud, and Moses is charged with lying to federal investigators.

Heyward and Moses plan to plead guilty to their charges on Friday, acting U.S. Attorney for South Carolina Brook Andrews said.

A lawyer for Heyward didn’t comment Wednesday. The other councilmen and their lawyers didn’t immediately respond. Heyward and Moses have resigned from council, North Charleston officials said.

“The allegations in this case describe a profound betrayal of trust,” Andrews said at a news conference. “These council members used their positions not to serve their communities, but to enrich themselves.”

North Charleston is South Carolina’s third-largest city with about 125,000 people. Mayor Reggie Burgess thanked the FBI and state investigators for their work to make sure residents remained certain with their city government. He said the city fully cooperated with the investigation.

“Transparency and accountability remain core principles of this administration, and we welcomed this review as a necessary step to uphold those standards,” Burgess said.