Jewelry stores in Ladson, SC

People with visual impairments will have a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine dose at an event tailored especially for them next week.

The state’s Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired says it will welcome those interested on June 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their headquarters in Ladson, at 9565 Highway 78, Building 800.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is given in a single dose, will be available through a collaboration with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Caregivers are also invited to attend to get their shots.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available only to adults age 18 and older.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially challenging for people with visual impairments, according to the association. For example, many are dependent on public transportation and touch to discern where they are.

“Vaccines can make these resources safe again, but scheduling challenges and transportation to and from clinic sites can make access to vaccines difficult for individuals in our community who are disabled,” the association said in a statement.

Anyone interested in attending must call 843-723-6915 to reserve an appointment.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 92 confirmed, 40 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 492,929 confirmed, 102,272 probable.

Percent positive: 2.2 percent.

New deaths reported: 2 confirmed, 1 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 8,623 confirmed, 1,167 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 66 percent.

S.C. residents vaccinated

DHEC’s vaccine dashboard shows that 46.3 percent of the state’s residents have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Hardest-hit areas

In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Richland County (20), Greenville County (15) and York County (14) saw the highest totals.

What about tri-county?

Charleston County had eight new cases on June 14, while Berkeley County had five and Dorchester County had 13.

One of the deaths from COVID-19 confirmed June 14 was someone between age 35 and 64. Another was a person age 65 or older.

Hospitalizations

Of the 164 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of June 14, 42 were in the ICU and 24 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

DHEC is continuing to urge eligible South Carolinians to get vaccinated. People ages 12 and older can receive the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available for people 18 and older. Go to vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov to find a nearby vaccine provider.

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - People in the College Park Estates neighborhood are concerned about a new trash collecting device in their neighborhood canal, that’s collecting trash in a nearby creek.

About a month ago, a new device, called a WaterGoat, was installed in the Limestone branch canal area.

The purpose of the WaterGoat is to trap litter that washes in from area storm drains, keeping trash and other debris out of streets, ditches and streams.

It’s been collecting trash since the installation, but residents who live nearby are unsure of who is cleaning it.

Berkeley County Stormwater Management says the last time it was cleaned was July 8, after heavy rain from Tropical Storm Elsa.

Berkeley County Councilman Brandon Cox represents the residents of College Park, and he says obviously it is working because it is collecting trash, but he also sees why residents think it’s an eye sore. “It’s brand new and it’s a double-edged sword, and I wouldn’t want to look at it either.”

Cox says they want to get it cleaned out as often as possible, especially after it rains, which is when more trash flows through the creek.

WaterGoat device founder Mark Maksimowicz says the devices usually need to be cleaned out monthly or weekly. He says they should be cleaned much more frequently after it rains.

The Keep Berkeley Beautiful organization and Berkeley County Government are holding signups for people to volunteer to get involved.

Those who wish to volunteer with cleanup efforts, can contact the county’s Stormwater Program Manager Thurman Simmons at Thurman.simmons@berkeleycountysc.gov or call 843-719-2691.

Additionally the county says to contact Sarah McCarthy-Smith at sarah.smith@berkeleycountysc.gov or call her at 843-719-2383.

Berkeley County Stormwater, in partnership with Keep Berkeley Beautiful, will be on site of the WaterGoat on next Tuesday and Thursday for a WaterGoat Cleanup Educational Demonstration. It starts at 9 a.m. on both days.

The county says Keep Berkeley Beautiful will provide all necessary cleanup supplies to volunteers.

Caroline Volunteer Fire Department says they are still a partner in the cleanups, but they’ve been waiting on Berkeley County to get them supplies.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the country last year, transforming Americans’ homes into makeshift offices, schools and day cares, many families sought out new hobbies to escape the tedium.

Some of them turned to bread-baking or knitting. For others, distraction came from the thrill of power sport vehicles.

A record number of residents filed title applications for all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, in 2020, according to data from the S.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, and local dealers said they are struggling to keep power sport vehicles in stock.

“For a lot of people, it’s a new thing they’ve never done,” said Josh Riojas, a salesman for Charleston Powersports. “It starts with one, then they get a second one for a family member, and it just kind of grows into a family thing.”

The Motorcycle Industry Council reported in February that the sale of power sport vehicle rose substantially in the United States last year.

Sales of off-highway motorcycles, including dirt bikes and trail bikes, rose 46.5 percent year over year, according to the council. Sales of ATVs jumped 33.8 percent over 2019.

“Overall, the industry had a good year under difficult circumstances,” said Erik Pritchard, president and CEO of the council. “The COVID-19 pandemic forced all of us to be nimble and to make the changes we needed to survive. In the end, many in the industry saw strong growth, and now our opportunity is to keep all of these new riders riding and to inspire even more people to join us on two, three and four wheels.”

Interest also spiked in South Carolina, according to DMV data.

The number of titled ATVs in the state increased nearly 54 percent from 2019 to 2020, rising from 4,845 vehicles in 2019 to 7,446 in 2020.

By comparison, the number of titled ATVs increased on average only 9.8 percent annually from 2015 to 2019.

Title information provides only a snapshot of total ATV ownership in South Carolina, however. While an ATV owner may title their vehicle to prove ownership, it is not a requirement in the state.

Riojas said he was not surprised by the numbers. In the early days of the pandemic, he said Charleston Powersports sold maybe five ATVs a week. Toward the peak, they were selling 10 a day, when the vehicles were in stock.

He said a current shortage of the vehicles has driven demand even more.

“Short supply has created more of an urgency for people, so it hasn’t slowed down,” Riojas said.

Parker Campbell, a salesman at Velocity Powersports in the Ladson area outside Goose Creek, said during the pandemic, his store sold 180 to 260 power sport vehicles a month.

“COVID was like the oasis in the desert,” he said. “There were all these animals coming to drink at the pond, right? I mean, everyone’s coming in wanting to buy something, wanting to get a new toy.”

The shortage has forced his staff to scramble to try to find vehicles for customers.

“It’s really hard to get our hands on anything,” Campbell said.

While riding a power sport vehicles can be thrilling, they can pose a danger for those who fail to follow proper safety precautions.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which tracks ATV-related deaths, South Carolina recorded 106 such fatalities from 2009 to 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.

Trooper Nick Pye, spokesman for the S.C. Highway Patrol’s Troop 6, said the department also sometimes has to contend with ATV riders on public roads, which is prohibited in South Carolina.

ATVs are not designed to be driven on paved surfaces, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which can make them difficult to control and at risk for overturning.

“Most of the time, our encounters with them are on back, secondary roads, and they aren’t equipped with lights, no tags or different things like that,” Pye said.

Besides being dangerous, ATVs on public roads can be a nuisance for neighbors.

In March, homeowners along County Line Road between Charleston and Dorchester counties complained that dirt bike and ATV riders were damaging the unpaved road, causing it to become impassable during flooding.

Residents in the North Area have also noticed an uptick in dirt bikes and ATVs on public streets. They also appear on sidewalks, road shoulders and on the railroad rights of way.

The American LaFrance Company has roots that dig deep, all the way back to the mid-1830s. We all know that evolution is only an admirable form of inheritance. The ALFs heritage is richly embedded with true passion, one that embezzled every creation with a gloss of mere perfection.

Amidst the wild and unpredictable American Industrial Revolution in the 1850s, Truckson LaFrance and his accomplices managed to lay down the foundation of the LaFrance Manufacturing Company. To be precise, the company sprung to life in 1873.

The business began as a true wild west adventure. The newly established LaFrance Manufacturing Company began its journey by selling hand-controlled hardware. Their primary focus was on building and recreating horse-drawn carriages as well as steam-controlled fire trucks.

Three decades later, the sweet fruit of patience and relentless perseverance blessed them as they outshone their competition regardless of the exponential technological advancements made in the early 1900s. The International Fire Engine (IFE) Company joined hands with the LaFrance Manufacturing Company in 1903. It wasn't until 1907 that they released their prototype of a fire engine.

Over the prolonged period of their existence, both the IFE and American LaFrance have made a large number of fire engines and hardware. Their showdown of manifestations has been wide yet focused on crisis reaction vehicles, like ambulances and fire trucks.

After this thing only went downhill for LaFrance.The backlash of the American LaFrance company is one dreadfully painful history to hear about. Hardships are inevitable, but sometimes luck is also unfavourable.

Let's dive deep back to the beginning of their misery.

Side Gig Of The LaFrance Manufacturing: The Speedsters

It wasn't that they never cared to produce other automobiles. Their established monopoly was healthy and profitable enough to stay satisfied. The ALF has produced models beyond fire trucks. The American LaFrance Speedster was one of their attempts to do something out of their comfort zone. The 1992 LaFrance Speedster was the vehicle that caught the attention of many.

It sat on a 142-inch wheelbase and was controlled by a four-chamber motor with double chain drive. This vehicle was a two-seater with a Stutz Bearcat-Esque monocle windscreen. It had a reinforced gas tank and a wood-managed trunk.

Numerous vehicles were sculpted on their fire engine skeleton and utilized a similar essential running stuff. A significant number of the Speedsters were fueled by the solid 'pair-cast' four-chamber motor that included Ram's Horn’s bay complex, Zenith carburettor and Eisenmann Magento.

As of today, many of the older ALF fire trucks have been transformed into speedsters.

Figgie International: A Messiah Or A Step To Prolong The Inevitable?

In the mid-1980s ALF went through another major corporate change. It became one with Figgie International, which already possessed Snorkel, Scott Aviation, Automatic Sprinkler and Safety Supply America. It moved out of the well established East La France Street plant in Elmira and into a bigger, 500,000 square-foot plant not too far off. Unfortunately, in 1985, Figgie was forced to shut down the plant.

The hard floor never bound them to their feet. The organization fired up in Bluefield, W.Va. Which was another plant run by Kersey Manufacturing and possessed by Figgie International. After the new alliance, the organization would be known as Kersey American LaFrance.

But time never favoured them as, by early 1994, the branch had come sadly to a silent halt.

The Demise Of The Scarlet Trucks

In 1996, the Freightliner Corporation directly under a former worker, Jin Hebe, purchased the company. Freightliner again put a lot of cash into ALF. The idea was to construct a case plant in North Carolina that essentially sculpted ALF's Eagle taxis and frames for any producer.

In any case, that arrangement didn't keep the system functional for a long period. Hebe purchased LTI to make stepping stools for ALF. He also bought 3D, Boardman, RD Murray, Rescue Master, Snorkel and a large group of different organizations for the same reason.

ALF started constructing the whole line of contraptions and moved into an empty Western Star truck plant in Ladson, S.C. In 2005, it was declared that Patriarch Partners, a New York-based venture firm, had purchased the organization.

Be that as it may, in 2007, ALF moved into one more home: another, 500,000 square foot working in Summerville, S.C. In 2008, the company had finally unwillingly filed for bankruptcy. Even after revival, the company's glory was short-lived as it sank once again to bankruptcy in 2014.

People hold the management responsible to date for having considered that Fire trucks and Garbage Trucks could be sold by the same company as they have the same chassis.

American LaFrance: The Vain, Valiant Battle For Reputation

Even after 100 years of true passion and perseverance, the legacy is left amidst the winds of time. The firefighters fought a valiant war against time and many people will remember the name LaFrance. After all, history is cast only by the brave and LaFrance did bloom its name.

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LADSON, S.C. (WCIV) — Lots of rain and no solutions.

Homeowners in the Berkeley County neighborhood of College Parks Estates are looking for answers from county leaders.

“The people in College Park that live on this canal hasn't seen any relief from this,” said resident Marshall Harrison.

His neighbor, Ben Ramsey, said his home has fought a losing battle with heavy rain and flooding for more than 10 years.

“We've been flooded 10 times since 2008,” Ramsey said. “Some, just a little bit of water; some, up to 3-and-a-half-foot of water in the downstairs. Our downstairs is useless.”

Monday’s floodwaters turned the College Park Canal into a raging river.

On Tuesday, Berkeley County crews could be seen dealing with the aftermath left behind on neighborhood bridges, removing trash and debris to allow water to flow downstream.

“They put in these barriers that are supposed to catch all this debris,” Harrison said. “But problem with that is there’s nowhere for the water to flow at that time, and it backs it up farther.”

The WaterGoat was installed by the county to act as a trash-trap, collecting debris at an isolated location and preventing it to flow into harder to reach areas.

But when it comes to clearing out the apparatus, county councilman Tommy Newell said it should be a community effort.

“The volunteer fire department can assist; the county can assist but it has to be a community-type thing,” Newell said.

Newell said he is well-aware of the flooding issues within the neighborhood and said it’s an ongoing issue every time there is a thunderstorm.

He said the county has not sat idly by.

“The county can only do so much,” Newell said. “We have been doing stuff. I’ve asked administration to come up with a history of what we’ve done so we can give that to the public to show we are spending your tax money properly to fix this issue.”

He said the real issue at hand sits outside the county’s jurisdiction.

The Army Corps of Engineers has control over any wetlands dredging.

Currently, a study is underway to investigate current conditions in the neighborhood.

“Box culverts and pipes and other roads and stuff that need to be switched out because they’re 50 years old,” Newell said.

Until changes are made, Newell wants community members— especially those in College Park Estates— to know he is right there with them.

“I’m out there driving the flooded area, making sure people aren’t stranded, stuff like that; that’s what I was doing,” he said. “People say we’re not doing anything and that’s just not true.”

Newell says the results of the study are expected to be available within the coming month.

He encourages community members to volunteer to clear out the WaterGoat.

Volunteers can sign up by contacting Stormwater Program Manager Thurman Simmons at Thurman.simmons@berkeleycountysc.gov or call (843) 719-2691.

They can also contact Sarah McCarthy-Smith at sarah.smith@berkeleycountysc.gov or call (843) 719-2383.