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A storm system currently churning over the middle of the country is lining up to deliver some potentially severe weather across the Palmetto State over the weekend.

A severe weather alert issued March 14 by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources warns that the worst weather will likely occur to the west of the state, but South Carolina could see damaging winds and tornadoes starting late March 15 and lasting through March 16.

The severity of the storm and the timing of its arrival will vary across the state, with impacts starting along the western border and moving east until the squall line moves offshore during the evening hours on March 16.

Much like the storm that moved through the state on March 12, this system will pull a cold front from the Great Lakes down into the South. Unlike the storm earlier this month, warmer and more humid air will already be in place, which could fuel more severe thunderstorms and create more favorable conditions for the formation of tornadoes.

The Storm Prediction Center puts the worst of that weather in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi on March 15.

"Our primary concern will be locally damaging winds. Like last Wednesday, it will be pretty windy even outside the thunderstorms, but the storms will cause the strongest wind gusts. The next concern is isolated tornadoes; the tornado risk is higher this time around," wrote Frank Strait, SCDNR severe weather liaison.

Damaging hail could occur in some locations, and flash flooding may occur as this storm is expected to be slower moving than the system that raced through the region last week. The greatest risk for flash flooding will be in the Upstate, Strait said.

The Upstate will bear the brunt of the storm first, starting in the early morning hours of March 16, and by midday it will likely be over the Midlands.

"If this timing is correct, the storms reach the Coastal Plain during the warmest and most unstable part of the day, so this may be where the greatest severe weather risk occurs," wrote Strait.

In the Lowcountry, a National Weather Service advisory projects the timing of storm impacts to be between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on March 16, but that could change. The advisory warns of 60 mph wind gusts, isolated tornadoes and "marginally severe" hail up to the size of a quarter. A wind advisory for Lake Moultrie may be required, and high surf from Charleston to Edisto is also likely.

According to NWS, an earlier arrival will diminish the risks, while a later arrival could result in a higher risk for severe weather.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Deputies in Charleston County will soon be able to serve and execute civil immigration warrants at the Al Cannon Detention Center, according to an announcement from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office.

The law enforcement agency said Tuesday that it has rejoined the Section 287 (G) program in partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This program is a voluntary partnership between ICE and the county, allowing deputies to perform limited immigration actions within their jurisdiction.

CCSO said they have signed a memorandum to participate in the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) program, which is one of three models offered under 287 (g).

The warrant service model allows ICE to train deputies to serve and executive civil immigration warrants in jails, in this case, Al Cannon.

“It enables our agency to assist in the removal of individuals in custody who have committed serious crimes and are in the U.S. unlawfully,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

“The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to public safety, law, and order, and serving the community while cooperating with state and federal agencies in accordance with the law,” the agency added. “Our approach remains unchanged: “We prioritize public safety and collaborate across all levels of government to serve Charleston County.”

Former Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano dissolved the 287(g) agreement between the sheriff’s office and ICE as one of her first official acts after taking office in 2021.

According to ICE, four other agencies in South Carolina were enrolled in 287(g) programs as of March 11. These include the Chester County Sheriff’s Office, Horry County Sheriff’s Office, York County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Since taking office, Trump has signed several executive orders to crack down on immigration. He deployed military personnel and federal law enforcement to the southern border, froze the U.S. refugee admissions program, and reinstated policies that restrict pathways for asylum seekers.

He also ordered an end to birthright citizenship, though a federal judge quickly blocked the executive order, deeming it “blatantly unconstitutional.”

In February, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson sent a letter to the state’s 46 sheriffs encouraging them to work with ICE on immigration enforcement efforts.

A South Carolina barbecue joint serves the unexpected — and fans love it.

Now, Lewis Barbecue ranks as the No. 1 best place to eat barbecue in the Palmetto State, according to results published Tuesday, March 11.

To determine the top barbecue restaurant in the state, the magazine Southern Living said it worked with researchers at Proof Insights from July 10 to Aug. 21. They surveyed more than 10,000 magazine readers, and the winner earned a South’s Best Award, a spokesperson told McClatchy News via email.

Lewis Barbecue, which has a presence in Charleston and Greenville, focuses on smoked meats with Texas flair. That means it serves beef ribs, brisket and other dishes that might not typically be on South Carolina menus.

“John Lewis moved east from Austin in 2016 to open a Texas-style barbecue joint in the heart of downtown Charleston, and in 2022 he added a second location in Greenville,” the magazine wrote in its report. “The prime brisket is as good as any in the South, and so are the spicy hot guts sausages and meaty spareribs. Hatch chile corn pudding and green Hatch chile barbecue sauce add a few accents from Lewis’s hometown of El Paso.”

Lewis Barbecue isn’t a stranger to recognition. In 2023, the review website Yelp named the restaurant the state’s favorite place for barbecue. That same year, Southern Living said it was impressive that Lewis “won over a bunch of pork-eating Carolinians with the allure of slow-smoked beef.”

“The pitmaster’s cult-like following can be attributed to his unerring dedication to barbecue — from welding his own custom-designed smokers to waking up at 4 a.m. to tend to the fire, he takes his meat seriously,” the restaurant wrote on its website.

While the menu includes Lewis’ “legendary beef brisket,” the restaurant also serves pork ribs and pulled pork. Traditionally, barbecue in the Palmetto State has been characterized by different sauces, but only one type of meat reigns supreme.

“Of course, barbecue in South Carolina means pork and only pork,” the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism wrote on its website. “Other things, such as beef and chicken, can be barbecued, but only pork is referred to as barbecue.”

Southern Living didn’t reveal the runners-up on the 2025 list. Last year’s winner was Henry’s Smokehouse in Greenville, The State reported.

The South’s Best Awards also considered the top cities, beaches, hotels and other regional attractions.

Data Skrive

The No. 2 seed Charleston (SC) Cougars (23-6) head into the CAA tournament against the No. 3 seed Campbell Camels (19-11) on Saturday at St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena, tipping off at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Inside Goose Creek operations of the largest military shipbuilder in the US

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A new division of the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S. is in full swing after establishing operations in South Carolina just two months ago.

Newport News Shipbuilding-Charleston Operations, a facility in a division of Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls Industries, better known as HII, began in Goose Creek roughly 60 days ago.

In two days, the site, which spans nearly 50 acres and includes roughly 500,000 square feet of manufacturing space, will send off its first structural unit to NNS headquarters in Virginia for U.S. Navy aircraft carrier production.

NNS is the sole builder of aircraft carriers for the nation and one of the two companies that build submarines for the U.S., Matt Needy, general manager and vice president of Charleston operations, said during a tour of the sprawling facility on Wednesday. The company has overseen the design, construction, overhaul and repair of more than 800 ships for the U.S. Navy and commercial customers since beginning 139 years ago.

The purpose of the NNS Goose Creek operations is to specialize in modules of the submarines and aircraft carriers to unburden the main production in Virginia, Needy said.

In January HII closed on the acquisition of all the assets of metal fabricator W International SC LLC and Vivid Empire SC LLC (collectively “W International”). Financial terms of the deal were not revealed.

The company specializes in two classes of nuclear-powered submarines, the Virginia-Class and the Columbia-Class. Modules that the Goose Creek operations produce include the habitability module, auxiliary machine room and weapons module of the Virginia-Class along with the auxiliary machine room and the weapons module for the Columbia-Class, Needy said.

Needy said HII had it sights set on South Carolina for some time, considering the pre-established manufacturing workforce in the region.

“Because of the buildings, because of the people that are here, because of the pipelines, because of the state and regional and educational relationships that we already had the foundation of, this became the obvious choice to most rapidly expand capacity and frequency for Newport News,” Needy said.

Creating a workforce pipeline

During the acquisition, 99% of the legacy employees from W International transitioned. Currently employing 475 workers at the Goose Creek location, Needy hopes to see those numbers rise by the hundreds.

Alexis Mervin, a class-three welder, has been working at the facility for three years.

“Everyone gets along very well here, its a lot of team membership and working with each other,” Mervin said. “I’m over here building aircraft carriers for the Navy, submarines as well. It’s just an amazing experience.”

When joining the NNS Goose Creek facility, employees go through a 12-week course learning the specifics of NNS operations. During their training, they are considered full-time employees with benefits.

“This is a people-centered business,” Needy said. “It takes the heads, the hearts, the minds of a lot of great shipbuilders doing this complex work every day to bring the ships to life.”

Since starting the training program in October 2021, there have been about 1,200 students to graduate from it, Mark Schmitt, director of plant services operations, said. Schools like Goose Creek High School and Berkley High School teach a curriculum that helps the transition into the Newport News curriculum.

“You have these young guys and gals coming out of high school and signing letters in front of everybody going to colleges and universities,” Schmitt said. “Our version of that is The Summit. They come here, their parents come out here and they sign a letter of intent saying ‘I’m going to go be a welder for Newport News.’ It really is a powerful thing for us.”

Ashanti Grant, an 18-year-old welder for Newport News, heard about the opportunity through his high school. After attending Trident Technical College, he is finished his training with Newport News and has been working for about a year

“I didn’t know anything about welding before the job fair,” Grant said. “It’s really good here.”

Related: Boeing commits to $1 billion Charleston County expansion

Related: Nation’s largest military shipbuilder closes on Charleston County acquisition

The site spans 48-acres along the Cooper River, allowing access to deep water transportation as well as rail transportation that goes through the acreage. The land contains 480,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

Making an investment in the Lowcountry

Located next to the HII campus is a Leonardo DRS building under construction to open in 2026. The company is a leading provider of naval power and control technology solutions for the U.S. Navy. Needy said the two companies share a property line, road access and single barge slip so they are having meetings to maintain that relationship.

Materials for the productions are all sourced from the U.S. According to Needy, HII spends $500 million annually on local sourcing in the Lowcountry. Additionally, HII operations contribute $110 million per year in investments to its workforce, including education, scholarships, retirement and more.

“The Navy is in more demand than ever,” Needy said. “In my 34 years here with Newport News and the Huntington Ingalls Industries, I’ve never seen demand like the need for the ships that we build today.”

When the facility was W International, operations were exclusively a welding facility. Needy says the NNS goal is to build off those operations, scaling into something larger.

Needy said once the locations operations are at full capacity, it won’t just be steel structures for the modules being sent out, but fully outfitted modules with doors, walls, beds and more. He doesn’t expect the facility to be at its full-rate production capacity until 2027 and 2028.