Why did The Post and Courier just send two journalists 5,000 miles away to Africa?  For a story about where our worst hurricanes are born. West Africa is a hurricane nursery, the place where Hugo in 1989 was born. And dust blowing off the Sahara often determines whether a hurricane lives or dies.  

This bonus  episode of Understand SC is a recording of the Post and Courier's latest Beyond the Headlines event.  Senior projects reporter Tony Bartelme and photojournalist Andrew Whitaker discuss their trip and interviews with leading West African scientists and more. Moderated by Watchdog & Public Service Editor Glenn Smith.

Read the story at postandcourier.com/SaharaStory  

This story was made possible with generous support from the Pulitzer Center.

In a city like Charleston, where dining is a key element of its identity, how restaurants are doing is important. 

We know that 2020 was a devastating year for local restaurants. 2021 — year two of the COVID-19 pandemic — brought its own challenges, even when diners returned. Restaurant owners have had to contend with staff shortages, supply chain difficulties, construction delays and price increases that made operating a daily struggle.

Despite those challenges, many Charleston restaurant owners say they’re optimistic about the year ahead.

This week on the podcast, you'll hear from two of them.

Maryam Ghaznavi and Raheel Gauba are owners of Ma’am Saab, which will be opening soon in downtown Charleston, and Malika in Mount Pleasant. 

The husband-and-wife entrepreneurs have grown their business from scratch during the pandemic. 

After launching Pakistani pop-up Ma’am Saab as a meal delivery service during the pandemic, they landed a stall in the now-closed food court Workshop. Last year, they announced plans to open a Ma’am Saab brick-and-mortar location in downtown Charleston. Not long after, they debuted another restaurant, Malika, in Mount Pleasant Towne Centre. 

They spoke with food and dining editor Parker Milner about their experiences as restaurant owners during the pandemic, the desire and appreciation for new cuisine in Charleston and hopes for the future of the city's food scene. 

This episode originally published Jan. 20, 2022.

Related coverage:

• Charleston chefs predict dining trends, suggest industry changes for 2022
• Staff shortages persist at SC restaurants as COVID surges. Some owners see a path forward.
• Pakistani restaurant to begin revamping former Jestine’s Kitchen; furniture shop to relocate
• Malika in Mount Pleasant now open offering Pakistani-canteen style comfort food

Sign up for The Post and Courier's Food & Dining newsletter here. 

Check out Malika's website, Instagram and Facebook.

Details about Ma'am Saab can be found on its website, Instagram and Facebook. 

Tim Scott has decided to launch a White House bid. He'll make the official announcement on May 22 at his alma mater Charleston Southern University.

In this Undertsand SC pop up episode, political editor Schuyler Kropf and senior politics reporter Caitlin Byrd discuss Tim Scotts political journey and what lies ahead as he campaigns for the presidency.

Related Content:

Tim Scott is running for president. His life story is at the center of his 2024 hopes.
SC’s Sen. Tim Scott says America ‘not a racist country’ in President Biden GOP rebuttal

Hosted by Caitlin Byrd and Schuyler Kropf

Edited by Eric Russell

Post and Courier Food Editor Parker Milner and contributing food critic Robert Moss debuted the Post and Courier's newest food and dining podcast live from the 2023 Charleston Wine and Food Festival.

This episode features recently named James Beard Finalist and owner of Tuk Tuk Sri Lanken Bites Sam Fore and owner of Mansueta's Filipino Food, Nikko Cagalanan

Charleston's Menu will be a podcast discussing dining, restaurants and all the food that lands on Parker and Robert's plate across South Carolina. 

Hosted by Parker Milner and Robert Moss

Produced by Eric Russell

The South Carolina Supreme Court is set to review the constitutionality of the two options the state currently offers as a way to execute inmates on death row. 

The decision could alter the fate of several inmates, including Richard Moore. Moore is likely to be the first man scheduled to die by firing squad if the Supreme Court allows the state to use the method.

He recently discussed life on death row, facing execution and remorse for killing James Joseph Mahoney III. 

Reporter Jennifer Berry Hawes break down South Carolina's execution options and discuss her interview with Moore.

Hosted by Eric Russell and Jennifer Berry Hawes

Produced by Eric Russell

 Welcome to Understand Murdaugh, a podcast from The Post and Courier, South Carolina’s largest newspaper. Our award-winning reporters have spent more than a year digging into the Murdaugh saga to bring you the latest news and in-depth analysis as we cover this story of drugs, deceit and death in South Carolina’s rural Lowcountry. Today, hosts Glenn Smith and Avery Wilks discuss the launching of Understand Murdaugh, the complex through lines of the case and what comes next.

Follow Understand Murdaugh: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/understand-murdaugh/id1652688043

Hosted by Glenn Smith and Avery Wilks

Produced by Nathan Stevens

Music by Lexin Music

The Lizard Man story is 34 years old this month. Bishopville's embrace of the legend is still in its early days. 

In this episode Post and Courier photographer Andrew Whitaker and projects reporter Thad Moore spoke with many people from the town and Lizard Man enthusiasts. 

One person they talked with, Robert Howell, grew up  in nearby Timmonsville. Howell is known for his early illustrations and Lizard Man comics in the summer on 1988. Howell tells the story of Christopher Davis, a 17-year-old who became famous after an encounter with the creature. Davis had stopped to change a tire along Browntown Road after leaving a night shift at a local fast food restaurant. Then he saw a 7-foot creature with scaly skin and glowing red eyes.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the first episode of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. 

Are there any stories you’d like to hear on the show? Contact us at [email protected].

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

The first newspaper story about the Lizard Man was written by Jan Easterling, a former reporter in The State newspaper's Camden bureau. Easterling was tasked with covering everything that happened in three mostly rural counties east of Columbia. That's how she came to hear talk of a Bigfoot-like creature from Lee County’s sheriff, Liston Truesdale. She wrote a short story that landed on the front page, and within days, it gained national attention.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the second of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. 

Are there any stories you’d like to hear on the show? Contact us at [email protected].

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

For those who remember the summer of 1988, the Lizard Man is more than just a campfire story.

Instead, it's a connection to a moment in time and the memories and people they associate with it. Take, for instance, former Lee County Sheriff Liston Truesdale, who is largely credited with making the Lizard Man a legend. His niece, Abbie Denny, cherishes the Lizard Man, because it preserves her uncle's legacy. Harry Elmore also joined this episode. Elmore's uncle is often tied to the sightings in 1988, and when he took over his family's restaurant, Harry and Harry Too, he embraced the story.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the fourth episode of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. 

Are there any stories you’d like to hear on the show? Contact us at [email protected].

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

The Lizard Man mania faded away after only a few months during the summer of 1988, but the story lives on today. 

Many Bishopville residents and cryptid fans, including a group called the Friends of the Lizard Man, want to do more to preserve the story of the Lizard Man. In recent years, the town has increasingly embraced the legend with events including a Lizard Man beauty pageant, scavenger hunts and the Lizard Man Stomp, which was held in June.

More coverage:

Return of the Lizard Man: Bishopville's journey to reclaim an SC monster

Video: South Carolina's Lizard Man story of Christopher Davis

Photos: The Lizard Man Stomp in Bishopville

This is the third of a four-part bonus series from Understand SC.

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. 

Are there any stories you’d like to hear on the show? Contact us at [email protected].

This episode was hosted by Andrew J. Whitaker and Thad Moore. Editing done by Andrew J. Whitaker.

On Tuesday, South Carolinians went to the polls to vote in the 2022 primary election.

This week, we’re talking about a few of the most closely-watched races with help from our politics team at The Post and Courier.

In this primary, there was a kind of tale of two Trump endorsements: There were two Congressional races in South Carolina where a stamp of approval from Donald Trump was in play. In each of those districts, the Republican incumbent had fallen out of favor with the former president. Their challengers had earned Trump's support. 

Things played out very differently in each of those races.

Politics reporters Nick Reynolds and Caitlin Byrd break down what happened in the GOP primary races in the state's 1st and 7th congressional districts, and Columbia bureau chief Seanna Adcox explains the results of the Democratic primary for this year's race for governor in South Carolina.

For more information about the Republican primary in SC-01, check out this episode of Understand SC.

More primary coverage:

• Rice loses SC congressional seat to Fry in GOP primary after voting to impeach Trump
• Turnout shows even Tom Rice’s neighbors chose Russell Fry over him in GOP primary blowout
• Nancy Mace survives fierce SC Republican primary against Trump-backed Katie Arrington
• Republican Nancy Mace beat Katie Arrington where it counted: Charleston and Beaufort
• Democrat Joe Cunningham’s runaway victory as governor nominee boosted by two letters: TV

Understand SC is a weekly podcast from The Post and Courier that draws from the reporting resources and knowledge of our newsroom to help you better understand South Carolina. 

Are there any stories you'd like to hear on the show? Contact us at [email protected].

This episode was hosted and edited by Emily Williams.