Criminal Defense Attorney inJames Island, SC

Anna thought the name “Kitty” for her cat was pretty creative. It wasn’t a word you heard often where she lived. In Kramatorsk, everyone spoke Ukrainian or Russian.

Now, the only memory she has of Kitty is a Polaroid photo.

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February the Polaroid was one of the few things Anna put in her one, hastily packed suitcase. Since then, the Polaroid has traveled with her to Poland, Latvia, Mexico, Texas, New York and finally South Carolina.

In the months since the invasion, Anna and her husband Eric, have traveled some 9,500 miles seeking a new home. They have asked not to share their last names to preserve their safety.

“We decided to move very far,” Anna said. “I want to have a family, grow children and just be safe.”

She packed some winter clothes for the bitter Ukrainian and Polish temperatures they first encountered, her laptop and a couple of the children’s books she had illustrated back when she had a seemingly normal life. She had a job as a graphic designer and an apartment with Eric.

“We moved to Kramatorsk because it had better conditions for us and we decided to stay there. But the whole world changed. All our plans we built, our apartment,” Eric said. “We miss our home.”

At one point the couple was separated at the U.S.-Mexico border while seeking asylum. They read from bloggers that it was the best route to take to receive a special visa specifically for Ukrainians. Eric was sent back to Reynosa, Mexico, while Anna was allowed to stay across the border in McAllen, Texas. The couple, married for two years, weren’t sure when, or if, they would see each other again.

“We were very upset and I had no way back,” Eric said. “I had no connections, no service, nothing. I don’t speak Spanish. I had stress because I didn’t know what happened with Anna and I didn’t know what I needed to do now.”

Anna went to stay with a family friend in New York and met with an immigration attorney who told her she could add Eric, who is originally from Latvia, to her asylum application. When they got back in touch with each other, Eric came to meet her on a tourist visa.

Eric and Anna are two of an estimated 6.6 million people who have fled Ukraine since February, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency. As of April, there were an estimated 15,000 Ukrainian refugees in the United States, the Associated Press reports.

But entry through Mexico is no longer accepted except in “extreme circumstances,” the AP reports. Instead, the U.S. began a new program that requires people or organizations in the U.S. to sponsor Ukrainian refugees before they may enter. The goal is to accept 100,000 refugees into the U.S.

“A lot of Ukrainian people still stay in Mexico and don’t have any opportunity to come here because now it is different rules to come to America,” Eric said. “We’re lucky.”

Choosing Charleston

Some 800 miles away from Brooklyn, Julie Uhler was reading headlines about the war in Ukraine from her home on James Island when she came across a website called www.UkraineTakeShelter.com. Divorced, with her two adult daughters living on their own, Uhler felt compelled to offer up a room.

“I had a couple of friends that were like, ‘what are you doing,’” Uhler said. ”’And I’m like, ‘you know, I don’t know. But how can I not? I’m a mom.’”

Two FaceTime calls with Eric and Anna later and the pair were boarding a plane to Charleston. They knew nothing about the Lowcountry but Anna said she found common ground with Uhler who is also an artist.

The first day was awkward, Uhler admitted with a laugh. She had two strangers in her home, worlds away from the life they knew, still practicing their English.

But it didn’t take long for the trio to settle in. Eric and Anna call Uhler their “American mom.”

With no specific plan in place, Uhler started chipping away slowly at tasks that might be helpful while also trying not to overwhelm the couple. She posted on the neighborhood social media app NextDoor asking for clothing donations that were better suited for a South Carolina summer than a Ukraine winter. One neighbor donated a pair of bikes.

“Day by day. That’s how we’re living,” Uhler said.

Most days over the last two weeks at Uhler’s house, Anna and Eric have worked on Anna’s asylum application and caught up on news of the war with friends and family now scattered throughout Europe. Anna can only communicate with her father and stepfather through text message because they are in the Ukrainian military.

But the couple is forging ahead in Charleston getting more comfortable. Uhler has cooked meals, taken the couple to downtown Charleston, helped find Eric a barber shop and learned to use Google Translate. They also made their first trip to Folly Beach.

“Now we are thinking about being surfers,” Eric said.

The couple can’t find work until their visas are approved, so in the meantime Uhler set up a fundraiser and plans to host them for as long as they need. If given the opportunity, she said she’d do it again.

JAMES ISLAND — Rebekah Lambooy knows the financial burdens single mothers face living in the Charleston region where housing costs have risen dramatically in recent years.

Lambooy, a single mom of three — two boys and a girl — struggled after her divorce in 2012 to make ends meet. At the time, she had been paying just under $1,000 in rent. She didn’t qualify for government assistance because her income was just below the federal threshold.

Lambooy decided in 2012 to return to college and complete her bachelor’s degree to advance her career. In 2016, she obtained her business degree from the College of Charleston, earning her a raise at her job as a paralegal.

But Lambooy also used her business knowledge to establish a nonprofit that seeks to help other single mothers in similar situations. The James Island resident formed HerIndependence, which provides affordable housing for single mothers obtaining post-secondary education.

Lambooy said she’s grateful to be able to help provide some financial relief for mothers making an effort to advance their education in order to provide for their families.

“I’ve been there, done that,” she said. “I want to help somebody with just a portion of assistance that I can do.”

Lambooy got interested in housing while in college, and the interest inspired her to get a real estate license after graduating. She had also been noticing the rising costs of rent that had taking shape over the years, and she saw affordable housing as a path that could help families in need.

HerIndependence now owns three houses. Two had been abandoned buildings before the nonprofit refurbished them. They house two families where single mothers are heading back to school.

A third home is currently being redone for a new family.

The organization said it has relied mostly on federal housing funds funneled through the city of North Charleston. But as construction costs rise, Lambooy fears it could impact her organization’s ability to provide housing. She eventually wants the group to expand and host multiple projects across the region.

Donations can be made online at herindependence.com.

“This isn’t a handout,” said board member Jennifer Abrusia. “This is a way to help people who want to help themselves.”

Abrusia and Lambooy are friends who initially bonded over shared experiences. Like Lambooy, Abrusia was a single mother who struggled at times financially. The two also share the fact that they each received strong support from relatives.

“We both have kind of walked this path a little bit,” Abrusia said.

Lambooy recalled the difficult journey of balancing classes, children and a full-time job.

She scheduled her college courses at 8 a.m. so she’d be home in time to take her children to school. She’d then go to work, and then pick them up from school in the afternoon. Her day wasn’t complete until she’d finished taking them to their sports and other extracurricular activities.

Lambooy, too, said she’s thankful for those who stepped in and gave her a helping hand.

“I have a lot of supportive friends and family,” she said.

Six local beekeepers supply Charleston-based Apis Mercantile with honey that is bottled on James Island and shipped to consumers and retail stores throughout the Southeast.

One of them is Farrin Tucker of Horsecreek Honey Farms.

Tucker has been making honey for over half a century. Based in Holly Hill, he sells about 2,500 pounds of honey per month to Apis Mercantile, the small business Tucker has been working with for five years.

“Of course, it gives us more business and the service they provide is how you want your honey to be treated and done,” he said. “They don’t add things to it that’s bad for honey or bad for people.”

Apis Mercantile partners with small apiaries like Horsecreek Honey Farms throughout the state to source honey that’s bottled in the company’s James Island space. Founded in 2017 by College of Charleston graduates Liam Becker and John Berdux, the company strives to provide access for small and mid-sized producers like Tucker, helping them get into markets that are too-often dominated by imported honey.

“We try to be as transparent as possible with where all the honey is coming from,” Berdux said. “We make no illusions that we are the beekeepers ourselves.”

Apis initially launched as a hemp-infused honey company — products it still offers — but Becker and Berdux have since placed an emphasis on selling raw honey. Tupelo, Orange Blossom and Southern Wildflower honey are all available on the company’s website, along with infused honey.

Apis partnered with High Wire Distilling Co. to create its line of bourbon barrel-aged honey and recently launched a fermented garlic honey, made by soaking garlic in apple cider vinegar and straining it into the honey.

“It’s probably the product that we’re most excited about,” Berdux said.

On its website, Apis shares facts about bees and honey (Did you know that a single honeybee only produces about one-twelfth of a teaspoon in their life?) along with information about how the honey is cared for when it reaches the business. Moving forward, they plan to provide more details on the actual beekeepers themselves.

“We have six partner beekeepers in the Southeast,” Becker said. “We really want to start showcasing them as well … to make it very personal for the end customer.”

According to Tucker — one of the six — Apis makes a concerted effort to do business with the community.

“They keep the local guys involved in their product,” Tucker said. “They want local honey (and) they want good honey.”

Berdux says the mission of Apis Mercantile goes beyond just turning a profit. The proliferation of centralized agribusinesses means consumers are detached from their food sources.

Apis is aiming to change that.

“Apis Mercantile firmly believes that the food systems of the future are regional, regenerative and decentralized,” Berdux said. “In order to address climate change, help the pollinator population and ensure greater regional food security, we need to, as a society, reexamine how food manufacturers operate in the world.”

By partnering with regional farmers, Apis Mercantile reduces the “food miles” between the honey source and the end consumer. Moving forward, Berdux and Becker are planning to scale the business while staying true to their mission. They are currently looking for another production facility that has a bigger footprint to meet their growth.

Eventually, they want to open bottling facilities in different regions across the country.

“Apis Mercantile works exclusively with beekeepers in the Southeast, and when we expand outside of this region, we will open subsequent bottling facilities and grow our network of partner-beekeepers to reduce food miles and to serve the communities we expand to,” Berdux said.

To an outsider, the honey industry might seem like a small piece of the climate change puzzle. Berdux and Becker instead view bees and honey as agents of change.

June opens up with a weekend full of fun events. Kick off Pride Month with events for every age at Park Circle Pride.

Keep the festive spirit going with the second weekend of Piccolo Spoleto, offering performances ranging from playful to introspective.

We’ve picked just a few highlights for you to check out.

‘Dot’

Sometimes a little laughter helps us consider difficult times, as in Colman Domingo’s “Dot,” presented by Art Forms & Theatre Concepts and directed by Miriam Crawford Grant for Piccolo Spoleto. Dotty, the matriarch of a West Philadelphia family, is losing her memory. At a holiday gathering her children, all a bit eccentric in their own ways, argue over how to care for her and themselves in this heartfelt comedy-drama.

Performances will be held at various times June 2-12 at Queen Street Playhouse in downtown Charleston. Tickets are $30. To see the full schedule and reserve seats, visit bit.ly/3NJitwW

Dance ‘Connections’

Wear your dancing shoes to this free dance showcase, because audience participation is encouraged. Two dance companies will join together to perform pieces from their repertories and offer a lecture on dance performance. Harambee Dance Company, based in New York, blends traditional and modern styles inspired by the African Diaspora. Annex Dance Company, based in Charleston, strives to make professional modern dance and education accessible.

This Piccolo Spoleto event is free, and no reservations are needed. It will be held at 1 p.m. June 3 at the James Island Arts & Cultural Center. For more info visit bit.ly/392NRb3

‘You Might As Well Live’

Dorothy Parker fought for recognition in the male-dominated world of the New York literary scene in the 1930s, rising to fame for a sharp wit that she herself begrudged. In this one-woman show for Piccolo Spoleto, Parker reminisces on her life and legacy on the eve of her death.

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on June 4 and 3 p.m. June 5 at Threshold Repertory Theatre, 84½ Society St. in downtown Charleston. Tickets are $25, available at bit.ly/3LZbbEj

Earth got you down? Blast off to Outer Space with the fourth annual Charleston Queer Adult Prom. This year’s theme is A Garden in Outer Space. Attendees can wear their formal best or just jeans and a nice T-shirt. The event is 18+ to party, 21+ to drink and open to everyone. DJ Crystal Guysir will provide the music and Patti O’Furniture will host.

The party starts at 7 p.m. June 4 at Firefly Distillery in North Charleston. Tickets are $35 and proceeds support We Are Family’s year-round programming. For more info, visit waf.org/chsqueerprom

Romp in the Swamp

Soul singer Wanda Johnson will perform at the scenic Bowens Island Restaurant. Opening for her will be Big Daddy Cade’s B.B. King tribute band and Charleston’s own Cotton Blue. Have a bite to eat while you hear some of the best soul and R&B in the Carolinas.

The show starts at 4 p.m. June 5 at Bowens Island Restaurant. Tickets are $30. To purchase visit bit.ly/3GsCaHb

Calling all creatures of the night. Itinerant Literate Books along with Charleston’s Absent Friends will host a showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” with a shadow cast. If you’ve never been, a shadow cast means actors will perform live while the movie plays along behind them. Dress up for a chance to win the costume contest or enter to win a pride raffle basket with lots of fun prizes.

You won’t need to do the Time Warp, just take a jump to the left and step to the right at 8 p.m. June 4 and head to Itinerant Literate Book Store in Park Circle. General admission tickets are $15 and VIP tickets are $25.

To purchase tickets or for more information visit bit.ly/3M3hsi0

Queer Youth Fest

LGBTQ youth and allies can celebrate Park Circle Pride at an all-day festival just for them. Participants can play games, visit crafting stations and browse the Closet Case Thrift Store pop-up shop throughout the day. There will also be a schedule of activities such as yoga, an improv class and talent show. Parents and guardians can hang out in the ParentSpace Lounge during the event.

Queer Youth Fest takes place from noon to 5 p.m. June 5 in Park Circle. It’s free to attend, and food and drink will be provided. Participants will check in at Condon Family Law at 4840 Chateau Ave. Registration is required. For more info, visit waf.org/queer-youth-fest

The approval of a construction bid on the Sixth Street parking lot project, the approval of an agreement to install synthetic turf at Doyen Field, and adding a property to the demolition program was among the action items at the regular meeting of the Concordia city commission on Wednesday.

During the recognitions and presentations portion of the meeting, Concordia Fire Chief Eric Voss presented a $1,000 scholarship to Taley Murdock from the Kansas State Firefighters Auxiliary.

The commission also heard a budget request from the Frank Carlson Library in the amount of $186,644. Library director Denise deRochefort-Reynolds presented the request.

DeRochefort-Reynolds, who was appointed the director in 1983, will be retiring in August after nearly 40 years of service to the community.

Regarding the concrete parking lot and overhead lighting project on Sixth Street, next to the Brown Grand Theatre, two bids were publicly opened on June 10, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. ProCon Construction LLC of Hutchinson submitted a bid of $273,125 base bid with alternate #1. Orr Wyatt Streetscapes of Raytown, Mo. submitted a bid of $210, 670 base bid with alternate #1.

Alternate #1 is the construction of a two-foot-wide gutter along the west side of the concrete parking lot to help control the drainage runoff from the Baptist Church’s gravel/rock parking lot.

Upon the recommendation of city manager Amy Lange and Campbell & Johnson Engineers, P.A., the city commission voted to accept the bid of Orr Wyatt Streetscapes. This company was the contractor that completed the three blocks of alley and sewer construction through the Community Development Block Grant program in Concordia in 2021.

Campbell & Johnson are the construction inspectors for the parking lot project, and their hope is that the facility is completed in time for the Fall Fest celebration in September.

The city received three bids for the construction of the Doyen Field synthetic turf project: Mid-America Sports Construction of Lee's Summit, Mo. - $367,896; SprinTurf of Daniel Island, S.C. - $366,900; and Mammoth Sports Construction of Meriden, Kan. - $586,987.

Upon the recommendation of Chris Atkins, the Parks and Recreation director, the city commission voted to approve the bid of Mid-America Sports Construction, contingent on additional sources of funding being raised for the project, such as a grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation. $280,000 has already been raised through grants, USD 333, and the Cloud County Community College. The City's commitment to the project would be $50,000.

In other action, the city commission held a lengthy debate on terminating the existing Broadway Plaza management agreement with CloudCorp, and entering into a new agreement.

The new agreement would provide necessary updates to the non-discrimination clause and modify the assignment clause for clarity. But the new agreement would also have amended the term of the contract from annual to monthly. Nicole Reed, the executive director of CloudCorp, reported that the CloudCorp board was opposed to the agreement switching to a monthly term, and wished to retain the contract on an annual basis.

Commissioner Chuck Lambertz made a motion to terminate the existing contract, but the motion was not seconded by another commissioner and therefore failed. No further action was taken during the meeting.

The commission voted to accept an application from Casselrock Inc. for adding a building at 502 West 2nd Street into the Demolition Program. The lowest bid of $5,250.00 was accepted from Snyder Dozing.

Brian Donavan and R. Michael Owens were appointed to the Airport Advisory Board. Mike Holmes retired from the board after serving 30 years.

Luke Hood and James Reynolds were appointed to the Board of Building Trades for additional three-year terms.