Nondenominational Church in Ridgeville, SC

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCBD)- Researchers have confirmed the discovery of fossils belonging to a 24-million-year-old whale in Dorchester County.

The newly discovered bones belonged to Eomysticetus, an extinct ancestor of baleen whales, according to experts. A team from Palmetto Fossil Excursions unearthed the fossils earlier this month along the Chandler Bridge formation near Ridgeville.

“It was extremely exciting knowing how rare Eomysticetes are and knowing that’s what we were pulling out of the ground,” Founder Skye Basak said.

Basak and Thomas Gilpin first located the posterior end of the Eomysticete’s skull around 6:00 p.m. on March 29.

The following day, Basak and Gilpin were joined by Joshua Basak, Dr. Elizabeth Kane, David Ryan, Ken Pullen, Mike Bona, and Dr. Robert Boessenecker to continue the excavation process.

By nightfall, the team had expanded the hole to nearly 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep and discovered several more bones—one lower mandible, the sternum, 10 vertebrae, including the atlas, multiple ribs, a flipper bone, and multiple throat bones.

“That’s all that we were able to locate in the bottom of the hole as of last week, but the hole needs to be expanded…so we can look for the rest of the animal,” Basak said.

The lower mandible was finally freed from the hole by about 9:30 p.m. on March 31 and a few hours later the 6-foot-long, 2,000-pound block containing the skull was also freed, according to Basak.

Dr. Boessenecker, a research fellow at the College of Charleston’s Mace Brown Museum of Natural History and one of the world’s leading experts on Eomysticetes, called the specimen a rare find as less than 20 complete skulls exist worldwide.

“It is likely to be more complete than the original specimen of Eomysticetus that was discovered in the 1970s,” he explained. “The more complete a fossil is, the more you can tell about its functional anatomy and how it may have behaved in life.”

Eomysticetes were the largest living whales during the Oligocene Epoch which dates back about 33.9 million to 23 million years ago, according to the American Museum of Natural History. They are believed to have been between 25 and 35 feet long, which is much smaller than modern baleen whales.

Researchers also believe that while the whales may have already had baleen, a filter-feeding system, which allowed them to eat zooplankton. There is also evidence to suggest that Eomysticetes may have also had a few residual teeth, according to experts.

Remains of the extinct whales have primarily been found in South Carolina, New Zealand, Japan, Washington, and Oregon. But, Dr. Boessenecker said the first named specimen of Eomysticetus was discovered in Ladson.

“There’s some isotopic evidence that they perhaps underwent seasonal migration,” he said.

After experiencing machinery-related setbacks, Basak said she hopes the team will continue the excavation efforts in the coming weeks.

“Knowing what this specimen will do for science is kind of mind-blowing, especially if we’re able to locate the rest of the animal and bring it to a point where it’s the most complete specimen of its kind,” she continued.

If you find a fossil in the ground or on the beach in the Charleston area, you can reach out to the Mace Brown Museum for identification.

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By Christmas, Redwood Materials, a producer and recycler of anode and cathode battery components for electric vehicles, expects to be operating out of its 600-acre site at Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville.

“We are very much ‘building the plane as we fly it,’ which means building smaller buildings, getting production up and going while we're building other multimillion square foot (sized) facilities so we can scale and grow into those,” said Alexis Georgeson, vice president of communications and government relations for Redwood Materials at a Feb. 15 breakfast hosted by the Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce.

In late 2022, Nevada-based Redwood Materials — founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel —announced its $3.5 billion investment to establish operations in Berkeley County, marking the largest economic development announcement in the history of South Carolina. The company expects to create 1,500 new jobs over the next 10 years.

“Research and development a big part of our focus and there will be a lot of that happening at the Berkeley campus. We hope to be working very closely with ReadySC on a lot of worker training,” Georgeson told a packed house at the South Carolina Aeronautical Training Center at Trident Technical College.

Redwood Materials, created in 2017, is the first company in the world that recycles used electric vehicle batteries and other types of batteries to extract crucial components that can then be sent to car manufacturers to be put into new electric vehicle batteries. Currently, those components exclusively come from Asia.

“Our business model is a little bit different than some other battery recyclers (in that) they're not going further downstream and doing the refining. Unless you're going further into the refining process, you're actually having to export the material and relying on another country to refine it for you,” Georgeson said. “We feel the pressure every single day to get up and going as quickly as possible and be able to feed (automakers) these components domestically. They don't have any plans other than to send $150 billion overseas to Asia right now to source these components.”

Redwood Materials works with auto dismantlers to source used and end-of-life electric vehicle batteries, either when a car reaches the end of its life or was crashed and no longer drivable, Georgeson said.

“Until now, (dismantlers) haven't had a downstream plan for these batteries. They've pretty much been just storing them and waiting for someone like Redwood to come along and take these batteries off their hands,” Georgeson said. “We go into the field, we send our own fleet of trucks and collect these thousand-pound batteries safely, package them and transport them.”

One of Redwood Materials’ largest customers is Panasonic, which manufactures Tesla electric vehicles at Tesla’s gigafactory. Panasonic will be sourcing both anode and cathode battery components from Redwood.

“The beauty of these (components) is that they can be infinitely recycled,” Georgeson said. “At a certain point where our population starts (swapping) an internal combustion engine for an electric vehicle — and if you believe that at some point, we will all be driving electric vehicles — we can hit a plateau where we’re recycling one vehicle to create a new vehicle and we’re no longer having to mine these materials (from the Earth). That's really a future that we firmly believe is not too far off.”

Georgeson said Redwood Materials is continuously looking to streamline operations and open up new recycling avenues and opportunities—including a direct consumer recycling program for household electronics.

“We send graphite recovered in our mining process downstream for industrial lubrication. We’ve got gypsum as part of our downstream product and we send that to drywall manufacturers,” Georgeson said. “Everything that's recovered in the process is reused or sent to another partner that needs it in their process. In terms of rail and trucking, we anticipate using rail very heavily on the (Camp Hall) site.”

Since recycling is the hallmark of the company, the Berkeley County facility will use renewable energy to power its operations and water used in its hydro operations will be continuously recycled.

“Our facility in Nevada, as well as the one in Berkeley County, will use one hundred percent renewable energy and have no wastewater,” Georgeson said. “Our Nevada facility took twelve months from breaking ground to products coming out of the facility. We move fast. The ability to get going on the Camp Hall site very quickly was a critical factor for us, as well as being located in a great central downtown where we knew we'd be able to recruit and retain talent.”

RIDGEVILLE — The relocation of the Dorchester Heritage Center is slowly beginning, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the REV Pavilion.

The Leadership Dorchester class, hosted by the Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce, helped by raising $60,000 to build the first structure of the new center: the REV Pavilion, which opened to the public Oct. 22. It was named for the REV Federal Credit Union, one of the sponsors for the project.

The leadership class requires each year’s participants to do a project that leaves a lasting impact on the county, said class member Rebecca Collett of Collett Media.

Collett said the class of 24 unanimously decided to help with the relocation and construction of the pavilion.

Justin Lee, a member of the class and executive director of operations at Gilbert & Lee Construction, said part of the reason the class chose the project was to feature nonprofits.

“We wanted to bridge the gap between western Dorchester County and the Greater Summerville area,” Lee said.

The leadership class had $7,000 left over from what it raised for the pavilion. It gave to the Heritage Center, which will honor the people in Dorchester County and help with historic grave preservation, Collett said.

“The center being located somewhat in the center of the county, I think it will gain lots of foot traffic since it’s in a very convenient place for everyone,” Lee said.

Lee anticipates breaking ground around March, and hopes to finish construction in the summer of 2024.

The Dorchester Heritage Center is a nonprofit that opened in 2014. Currently in the Dorchester County Courthouse in St. George, the center started small with just an archives genealogical library but grew to open a 4,000-square-foot museum in 2017.

Within 5½ weeks of the museum opening, over 3,000 people had visited. The center’s goal is to preserve the county’s history, said Phyllis Hughes, chairman of the Dorchester Heritage Center.

NORTH CHARLESTON — To continue efforts to become the Coast Guard’s “operational center of gravity” on the East Coast, officials broke ground Jan. 26 on its new $160 million campus.

This 64-acre site along the Cooper River — just south of the former naval base that closed in 1996 — will house an administration building and redesigned 1,100-foot concrete pier.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2026.

“This Charleston campus will have improved infrastructure that translates into more productive personnel and more efficient operations,” said Capt. Neal Armstrong, the commanding officer of facilities design and construction.

The 51,500-square-foot administration building will provide training and conference room space, and additional rooms dedicated to cutter ship support.

Sustainability is a priority, so the new facility will achieve net-zero energy usage and a net-zero carbon footprint, Armstrong said.

The current Pier November will be replaced with a pier more than three feet taller to enhance durability during coastal storms. It will provide utilities to support five national security cutters and a 90-ton crane, which is critical for dockside maintenance, Armstrong said.

During the design and construction phases nearly 60 subcontractors will support the two main contractors on the project, Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and RQ Construction LLC, providing work for nearly 900 people.

Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, said every Coast Guard mission begins and ends at a shore facility. When the ships are not at sea, they need a base that can provide necessary maintenance, she added.

The missions conducted at Base Charleston are vital to protecting national security and economic prosperity, Fagan said, adding that the new campus will aid in “lifesaving work,” including patrolling the waters for smuggled narcotics.

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Portman Industrial has broken ground on Phase II of Campus 4 within Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, a suburb of Charleston. The second phase comprises a 1.1 million-square-foot industrial facility situated on 110.6 acres near the Port of Charleston and adjacent to Volvo Cars’ manufacturing plant. The cross-dock facility will feature tilt-up concrete walls, a structural steel frame, TPO roof, 40-foot clear heights, 215 dock doors, four drive-in doors, 759 car spaces and 851 trailer spaces.

The design-build team includes general contractor Frampton Construction, architect McMillan Pazdan Smith and civil engineer Thomas & Hutton. Lee Allen and Kevin Ross of JLL’s Charleston office are handling leasing for the project. Phase II is set for a summer 2023 delivery. Phase I, which comprises three buildings spanning 940,000 square feet, is currently under construction and is more than 60 percent preleased.

PLAINFIELD, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the $1.9 million sale of a Chili’s ground lease in Plainfield, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. The restaurant building spans 6,150 square feet. The property at 12740 Illinois Route 59 is situated near Target, Ross Dress for Less and Five Below stores. Austin Weisenbeck and Sean Sharko of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, an individual trust. The duo also secured and represented the buyer, a Chicagoland private investor and limited liability company. The property sold at the full list price.

ADDISON, ILL. — Clear Height Properties has acquired a 34,700-square-foot industrial building in Addison, a western suburb of Chicago, for an undisclosed price. The property at 1404 W. Fullerton Ave. features convenient access to I-355 between I-290 and Route 83. The facility features six exterior docks, seven drive-thru service bays and an additional 1.5 acres of secured land for outdoor storage or trailer parking. Nick Saraceno and Howard Caplan of CTK Chicago Partners represented the undisclosed seller. Robin Stolberg and Dominic Carbonari of JLL are marketing the property for lease.

GAHANNA, OHIO — PEBB Enterprises has sold Hunter’s Ridge Shopping Center in Gahanna near Columbus for $10 million. WB Ventures LLC purchased the 84,724-square-foot retail center, which is 93 percent leased. Planet Fitness and Goodwill are the anchor tenants. PEBB acquired the asset in 2018. The property was originally built in 1975. Evan Halkias and Hank Davis of Cushman & Wakefield represented PEBB in the sale.

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QUAKERTOWN, PA. — New Jersey-based investment firm First National Realty Partners (FNRP) has acquired Richland Marketplace, a 162,000-square-foot shopping center in Quakertown, about 50 miles north of Philadelphia. Built in 2009, the center houses tenants such as Aldi, Best Buy, PetSmart, Planet Fitness, Staples, Ulta, Visionworks, Sally Beauty and Skechers. Colin Behr, Jim Galbally, Chris Munley and James Graf of JLL represented the seller, KPR, in the transaction.

LAWRENCE, KAN. — Northmarq has arranged the sale of 901 Lofts in Lawrence for $11.5 million. The apartment building rises seven stories with 55 units. Built in 2011, the property at 901 New Hampshire St. includes 20,843 square feet of commercial space. Jeff Lamott and Gabe Tovar of Northmarq represented the seller, First Management Inc. Buyer information was not provided.

If you’re seeking a day trip from Charleston – a Lowcountry retreat that may seem far away from it all, but is really only a short 35-mile drive – consider the town of Ridgeville, SC.

It has a small town feel and friendly charm, enveloped within the woods of Dorchester County. While driving through the town, you may get stopped by one of the many trains that passes through, but luckily, your kids will enjoy watching it “toot” by.

Although technically not located in Ridgeville, we suggest starting your day in nearby Cottageville at Bee City Petting Zoo to beat the heat and the crowds. Family owned and operated for over 30 years, Bee City is a famous local spot for exotic animal encounters. As the name implies, there is a honeybee farm as well, and they have a petting zoo and butterfly garden.

Some of the animals you’ll encounter (and have the opportunity to feed) at Bee City include wallabies, lemurs, alpacas, monkeys and goats. They also feature snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs and alligators. Before you go, be sure to stop by the gift shop to pick up a bottle of their delicious honey which is processed on site.

From Bee City, head to Givhan’s Ferry State Park for even more fun. The kids will love the playground, and if you fish, there’s a beautiful spot on the Edisto River where you’ll hopefully reel one in. After a little fishing, there’s even a 1.5 mile hiking trail called River Bluff Nature Trail that will take you up to a beautiful view of the Edisto.

Fun fact: The Edisto River is the longest free-flowing blackwater river in North America. You can paddle 23 miles to Colleton State Park, if you feel so inclined.

And no visit to Ridgeville is complete without a stop at Duke’s Bar-B-Que. This almost 40-year-old local favorite, feels more like a church BBQ or a family reunion, rather than a restaurant. The buffet style has plenty of options to choose from. Trust me…you won’t leave hungry! Keep in mind, Duke’s is only open Friday-Sunday.

There is so much to see and do in the tri-county area and exploring the north end in the town of Ridgeville will be a day filled with adventure that you won’t soon forget.