Grand media experiments start this week

APRIL 30, 2012 — So the grand experiment is to start today for our family: Living without cable television.

We’ve had Comcast and Knology over the years. Now we’ve got DirecTV. We like them all, except for two things — they’re expensive ($100-plus per month) and we don’t use them all that much. Our children watch some of the kids’ shows. My wife will get glued to one of the cable news channels every now and then. I like HGTV and the Food Network. And the Comedy Channel gets a thumbs up around here.

Get the name right of the guy for whom bridge is named

APRIL 16, 2012 — Imagine my surprise on a trip to local strawberry fields over the weekend when we spied a sign for the “Easu Jenkins Memorial Bridge” ” across Church Creek between Johns and Wadmalaw islands.

At first, I didn’t think I saw it right. “Easu Jenkins?,” I wondered. “Surely the Highway Department couldn’t have made that whopping of a mistake.”

Yes, it did. Boneheads.

Esau Jenkins (1910-1972) was a Johns Island native and local civil rights hero for his life’s work to improve economic, health and political conditions for residents of the Sea Islands of South Carolina.

Is story on giveaway dog really news?

APRIL 2, 2012 — When the stories came out last week about the family that gave up its black labrador to a shelter, I sent a letter to The Post and Courier, which it promptly didn’t print. Here it is in full:

“If I wanted to read the National Enquirer, I’d buy it. I don’t expect The Post and Courier to publish an above-the-fold, front-page story about what somebody wrote in an e-mail to somebody else about a dog rescue. I mean, really? This is what you’ve got as ‘news?’ …

‘Mutant’ bugs attack West Ashley

MARCH 26, 2012 — It’s the spring of the megabug.

Residents from South Windermere to Air Harbor continue to report an increasing presence of carpenter bees as long as four inches buzzing and infiltrating area homes. Mosquitoes are swarming so much that many people complain about not being able to do routine activities, such as walking pets or washing cars. Recent heavy rains caused a surge in flying cockroaches making nightly visits to dark corners of bathrooms and kitchen counters.

Hill offers good picture for Charleston tourism

FEB. 13, 2012 — Helen Hill, obviously proud of how Charleston last year became the top travel city by readers of Conde Naste Traveler magazine, offered a rosy tourism picture in a speech to local Rotarians last week.

Head of the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau for 25 years, Hill extolled the increasing professionalism of Charleston’s tourism outreach efforts and showed a great video commercial seen in other parts of the country. Its message: “Thanks, y’all” for visiting Charleston.