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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – It was 1973 when Shirley McGreal, then living in Southeast Asia, saw beady bright eyes staring back at her from between the slats of a wooden crate.

The eyes belonged to a gibbon — a primate native to the region — who had fallen victim to the dangerous world of the pet trade, where gibbons were being sold into homes, zoos, or labs, only to later be discarded.

In 1977, McGreal created the International Primate Protection League (IPPL) in Summerville as a gibbon sanctuary. The now 47-acre property remains nestled in a quiet area of the Lowcountry that is illuminated by the sounds of the primates singing to one another.

Meg McCue-Jones, the Compliance and Outreach Manager, explained that the land was a sod farm in the late 70s and started taking in the gibbons that needed help soon after.

One of the sanctuary’s residents, Gibby, is one of the oldest known living gibbons at over 60 years old.

Like most of the gibbons at the sanctuary, his life started off rough.

McCue-Jones said that Gibby was wild caught, and “with every gibbon wild caught, they shoot mom out of the tree, hoping baby falls, and then they take the baby.”

He was first sold into the pet trade in by a Bangkok dealer, but that was just the beginning. Gibby went to labs at Hofstra University and the State University at Stony Brook.

Researchers embedded electrodes in his skin as part of a locomotion project.

The electrodes and thin wires were inserted into his muscles and connected him to a suit that would measure his muscle movements. McCue-Jones explained that this was obviously not an ideal situation on any aspect, whether it be a human or animal.

At 44, Gibby made it to his first sanctuary, but the conditions were hard on his body. In March of 2007, just four years after his arrival, the IPPL reached out to the sanctuary to relocate not only Gibby, but several other gibbons.

For Gibby, like the other 29 at the sanctuary, Summerville is his last stop. McCue-Jones says that the sanctuary is their forever home.

But with the pandemic, their home has become more difficult to manage.

With fear of COVID-19 spreading to the primates, volunteers were no longer allowed to assist with the many daily tasks necessary to keep the place running.

From hosing the outsides of the enclosures, to raking, food prep, and even assistance inside the office—the staff was left with mounting responsibilities.

The economic impacts of the pandemic left donors and community partners reeling financially, but the bills at the sanctuary remained steady.

As a non-federally funded organization, the IPPL relies heavily on donations to meet the needs of the animals.

Stacy Lambert, a Senior Animal Care Giver, said that since a lot of their population has started to reach geriatric ages, their vet bills are getting bigger as they are having more interventions and medications, different procedures, and checkup appointments with Dr. John Ohlandt.

While expensive, their system of care has proven to work.

Lambert says that in the wild, gibbons usually live about 30-35 years. However, in captivity, gibbons living into their 40s is normal. However, the IPPL has quite a few gibbons that are up in their 40s and 50s while, of course, Gibby is 62.

Although the interventions from the IPPL show the ability of the sanctuary, McCue-Jones said all those at the IPPL ultimately wish there was not a need for them at all, and that the gibbons could live freely in the wild.

McCue-Jones said, “as Shirley has spoken of before, if you really think about it, do humans need sanctuaries, should we have them? Should we be treating the animals this way?”

To send the Gibbons a care package full of nuts, click here.

To donate to the IPPL’s missions and day-to-day operations, click here.

To send specified items needed by the IPPL via Amazon, click here.

SUMMERVILLE — Nico Romo has fond memories of large family gatherings in France at a table filled with large bowls of handmade pasta.

Soon, he’ll set the table for close to 100 Summerville diners with their eyes set on rustic Italian cuisine.

The French-born chef, who opened NICO in Mount Pleasant in 2017 before adding Bistronomy by Nico downtown in 2020, calls forthcoming Laura “a love letter to the storied, traditional Italian family recipes” he grew up eating.

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant will open at 101 North Main St. at the start of 2022.

“We literally have a pasta room, so that’s really the excitement of it to me,” Romo said. “We’ll be doing a lot of handmade pasta there, and then we’re going to have a huge wood-fired pizza oven.”

The restaurant is named after Romo’s grandmother, who was born in Italy before moving to France. In fact, Romo’s great grandfather served for Italy in World War I and France during World War II.

“They would spend every summer at home in Italy. Growing up I always had huge family meals,” Romo said while reminiscing about bowls of his grandmother’s handmade gnocchi. “It was always a big party.”

Romo plans to throw nightly dinner parties at Laura, which will seat 70 guests indoors and another 20 to 25 on its patio. There’s also an 80-seat private space that will eventually (spring 2022) be outfitted with all the bells and whistles for weddings, corporate events and other celebrations.

Romo isn’t the first peninsula chef to spread his wings in Summerville. Swig & Swine has a location on Old Trolley Road, and Halls Chophouse, Poogan’s and D’Allesandro’s Pizza all opened Nexton outposts in the last two years.

According to D’Allesandro’s co-owner Nick D’Allesandro, who operates three South Carolina locations with his brother Ben, the area’s recent growth made adding a Summerville shop attractive. The brothers opened D’Allesandro’s Summerville on Feb. 7, 2020.

Noticing the trend, Romo purchased Laura’s North Main Street space close to three years ago, but the project was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Unlike other chefs and restaurateurs to venture northwest on Interstate 26, Laura will be an escape from the food Romo serves at NICO, his traditional French take on oysters and seafood, and Bistronomy, where he serves French Asian fusion in an upscale yet unpretentious environment.

As Romo puts it: “It’s a restaurant for Summerville. It’s not another NICO.”

Antipasti, house-made pasta, Neapolitan pizzas and whole fish cooked in the wood-fired oven will lead the charge on a menu that mimics the family-style meals Romo fell in love with as a kid. Desserts and pastries are earmarked for a display case near the entrance, according to the chef.

Once open, Laura will serve Summerville dinner seven days a week. Lunch and brunch will be offered on weekends, but, according to Romo, Laura will stay closed during the day Mondays through Fridays due to the extended time it takes to prepare the labor-intensive dishes.

Pop-Up Picks is a recurring series in The Post and Courier’s Food Section that previews an upcoming pop-up breakfast, lunch or dinner and the chefs behind it.

First it was an eerily delightful Halloween pop-up. Then, Harold’s Cabin transformed its upstairs space into a holiday bar with themed events. Now, patrons will find beats and beets inside the restaurant located in downtown Charleston’s West Side neighborhood.

Since Jan. 17, owner John Schumacher and his team have been welcoming guests to the renovated second story of the cozy restaurant that’s now dubbed The Pickled Beat, “a whimsical, speakeasy-esque lounge area.”

Music echoing from a record player sets the mood for those sampling specialty items from Harold’s Cabin’s updated food menu that includes new small plates centered around local produce. Playing on the pop-up’s name, Harold’s Cabin executive chef Taylor Hodgkins and bar manager Michael DeNicola have unveiled two new beet-centric specials.

“We will have a rotating beet dish, sort of centered around what’s available,” said Hodgkins, who is currently serving a beet carpaccio with pickled and thinly sliced marinated beets, mushroom tonnato and fresh herbs.

For his part, DeNicola whipped up a rye-based cocktail called Beetle Juice with amaro, black pepper, beet juice and cherry juice.

“We’re kind of just leaning into that pun and going with it,” DeNicola said. “When people go upstairs, we want it to feel like they’re going into a different building.”

Harold’s Cabin will continue to serve its normal food and beverage menu downstairs from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The Pickled Beat shares those hours.

For more information, follow the restaurant on Instagram @haroldscabin or call 843-793-4440.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - Tornado watches around the Lowcountry have been allowed to expire as Tropical Depression Nicole moves farther from South Carolina.

Remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole put the Lowcountry under tornado watches throughout Thursday night going into Friday morning.

Most of the watches ended Friday morning, and a watch for Georgetown and Williamsburg Counties ended just before noon. Two tornado warnings were issued in the Tri-County during the storm activity.

A tornado warning was issued at 12:20 a.m. for parts of Charleston County, however, it expired at 12:41 a.m.

Another warning came Thursday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located at 5:17 p.m. near Knightsville The warning expired at 5:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service has not verified if any tornados touchdown during either of the warnings. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division says county emergency managers across the state reported minimal damages. None of the managers requested state assistance.

Click here to download the free Live 5 First Alert Weather app.

FIRST ALERT// Storm Update// ONE MINUTE WEATHER pic.twitter.com/MIG0rt8Rkv

— Bill Walsh (@BILLWALSHTV) November 11, 2022

Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine says gusts to tropical storm force are possible Wednesday through Friday.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form, but does not indicate that any actual tornadoes have been detected.

Tropical Storm Nicole has sent multiple homes collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean. Nicole made landfall as a hurricane early Thursday near Vero Beach, Florida, but the brunt of the damage was along the East Coast well north of there, in the Daytona Beach area. Its damaging coastal surge was hitting beachfront properties in Daytona Beach Shores that lost their last protections during Hurricane Ian.

The Live 5 Weather team declared Thursday and Friday as First Alert Weather Days because of possible impacts from the storm.

Sovine says coastal flooding is likely through Friday around high tides with beach erosion and high surf also likely.

Sovine said heavy rain could be possible with rainfall totals between one and four inches. Breezy conditions could occur through Friday and winds may occasionally gust to, or over, 40 mph near the coast.

Nicole became the 14th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season on Monday.

As of 10 a.m., Nicole was a tropical depression with its center located near latitude 34.2 north and longitude 84.3 west, about 35 miles north of Atlanta, Ga. The storm was moving to the north-northeast at 23 mph and its estimated minimum central pressure is 1001 mb or 29.56 inches.

Forecasters say an acceleration toward the north and north-northeast is expected Friday.

On the forecast track, the center of Nicole will move across central and northern Georgia Friday morning and over the western Carolinas later.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Nicole is expected to become a post-tropical cyclone Friday, then dissipate Friday night or early Saturday as it merges with a frontal system over the eastern United States.

Tropical Storm Warnings are now in effect for Charleston, Berkeley, Coastal Colleton and Beaufort counties. Gusts to tropical storm force(40+mph) are possible today through Friday near the coast. pic.twitter.com/VOkWBvcYTx

— Joey Sovine Live 5 (@JoeySovine) November 9, 2022

City of Charleston officials say they will be closely monitoring the tropical storm. Crews have already begun preparing for potential storm impacts.

“Residents are asked to keep an eye on reliable local weather reports over the next few days,” Emergency Management Director Ben Almquist said in a news release. “If bad conditions do arise, citizens are advised to follow the guidance of Emergency Management officials and, as always, motorists should avoid driving through high water when they encounter it.”

The city’s stormwater department has prepared temporary pumps for low-lying areas. Crews will also be cleaning out ditches and drains in flood-prone areas.

To find out how you can help, visit the Adopt-A-Drain website by clicking here.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season runs through Nov. 30.

Nicole made landfall near Vero Beach as a Category 1 hurricane at about 3 a.m. Thursday, more than a hundred miles south of Daytona Beach Shores, before its maximum sustained winds dropped to 60 mph, the Miami-based center said. The storm was centered about 30 miles southeast of Orlando. It was moving west-northwest near 14 mph.

Robbie Berg, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami advised people to understand that hazards from Tropical Storm Nicole “will exist across the state of Florida today.”

Nicole came could briefly emerge over the northeastern corner of the Gulf of Mexico Thursday afternoon before moving over the Florida Panhandle and Georgia, he said.

The storm left south Florida sunny and calm as it moved north, but could dump as much as 6 inches of rain over the Blue Ridge Mountains by Friday, the hurricane center said.

Nicole became a hurricane Wednesday evening as it slammed into Grand Bahama Island. It was the first to hit the Bahamas since Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm that devastated the archipelago in 2019.

For storm-weary Floridians, it is only the third November hurricane to hit their shores since recordkeeping began in 1853. The previous ones were the 1935 Yankee Hurricane and Hurricane Kate in 1985.

Copyright 2022 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.

By Casey L. Taylor, JD

Tucked away near Summerville, SC – the place known as “Flowertown, USA” – is a sanctuary dedicated to gibbons (small apes). It’s a jungle-like wonderland that has lifesaving at the core of its mission.

The International Primate Protection League (IPPL) sanctuary is a secret to many locals. It is situated on over 40 acres of land surrounded by lush woods. Neighbors are lucky enough to hear the songs and great calls of these interesting primates throughout the day and night.

The sanctuary is home to 36 gibbons, the smallest of the apes, who have been rescued or retired from laboratories, deplorable “roadside” attractions, or the pet trade. IPPL provides lifetime care to these incredible endangered species and works to educate the community on the plight of gibbons in the wild.

The gibbon residents at the sanctuary have indoor night houses that are hurricane-grade, expansive outdoor habitats, and aerial walkways that give them the choice to safely move about their designated areas as they wish. It is important to the organization that each sanctuary resident is given as much freedom of choice as possible in a captive environment, while keeping them safe. Despite most residents having a rough start to their lives, they thrive at IPPL. They even have some residents nearing the age of 60!

International Outreach

IPPL is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the world’s remaining primates, great and small. For the last 45 years, IPPL has made a global impact by securing an export ban on primates from Thailand (saving thousands and thousands of lives) and working with over 20 reputable primate rescue and rehabilitation centers in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America.

IPPL not only supports their efforts to care for native primates who have been rescued and are in need of rehabilitation or lifetime care, but also to thwart poachers and illegal wildlife traffickers, as well as educate local villages and communities on how they can help be part of the solution in preserving native populations of primates.

Small Team, Big Impact

With a small but mighty team of animal caregivers, maintenance technicians, office staff, and dog nannies, IPPL provides compassionate lifetime care for every resident, which includes nutritious and delicious fresh produce three times a day for the gibbons, as well as veterinary care and enrichment — to stimulate those intelligent minds of theirs!

Forms of enrichment vary from food puzzles that the gibbon must figure out in order to get their healthy treats, to special time with their favorite caregiver. Bubble-blowing is a big hit with some of the gibbons. Tong, who was one of the first four original residents at the sanctuary, loves a good foot rub — what girl doesn’t?

Absolutely nothing beats a life in the wild, but for these residents that is sadly not a reality. The team at IPPL feels that the least they can do is make the rest of these individuals’ lives the happiest and healthiest they can be. From residents used in invasive human vaccination studies and locomotion tests, to those kept in less-than-favorable conditions, IPPL’s sanctuary is a safe and loving place for them to thrive and to live as gibbons should.

Casey L. Taylor, JD is the Executive Director of IPPL.

MORE ABOUT IPPL

The sanctuary is not open to the public as an attraction, but it holds educational events in the community and offers options to visit during special times. Sign up to receive their e-newsletters on their website (www.ippl.org) and be the first to know about opportunities and events.

VIDEO: Old Fort Fire against Dorchester County's decision to terminate contract, residents concerned

DORCHESTER COUNTY, SC (WCSC) - Some Jedburg and Knightsville area residents are upset that a fire station that served them for nearly 30 years will no longer be in service at the beginning of next year.

In November, Dorchester County Council unanimously voted to not renew the contracts for three Old Fort Fire Stations. The contracts last 5 years.

Dorchester County Fire and Rescue will cover those areas. It's all part of the county's plan to unify and improve fire and rescue services that started back in 2013.

Concerned citizens gathered at the Old Fort Fire Station on Orangeburg Road, also known as the Knightsville station. Many of them don't want to see the station go away and they plan to try to do something about it.

Right now there are three Old Fort Fire Stations that serve Jedburg and Knightsville areas. Starting January 18 of next year, Dorchester County Fire and Rescue will run the two stations that are county owned. One station is in The Ponds neighborhood in Summerville and the other fire station is on Highway 78. In contrast, the Knightsville station on Orangeburg road will be closed.

Commissioner of the Old Fort Fire Department, Bill Yarborough led Thursday night's community meeting at the Knightsville Fire Station.

"It's causing problems for our firefighters, it's causing problem for the citizens here they'll have one less station to depend on, and the Town of Summerville they'll have one less station to augment their services," he said.

The meeting was to inform the community about the changes. Many were concerned about losing a station.

"We need people who already know this area and that's worked with the people before," says a local resident Larry Groover. "New firefighters coming in, I have nothing against them. I think they're going to be great eventually, but they don't have the experience yet."

Residents say they are hesitant about the change because current firefighters are familiar with the routes and buildings because the Old Fort Station has served the area for a long time. They're also concerned about longer response times.

Chairman of the Dorchester County Council, David Chinnis, says County Council voted for the changes because it will unify fire protection and reduce the costs of protection for residents and some insurance ratings.

"This means that the fire service is going to be better and partially because an automatic aid agreement with the town of Summerville," Chinnis said.

An automatic aid agreement means when a fire happens and alert will go to all stations and the closest station will respond, according to Chinnis. This is regardless if the place is in the town or county. For example when the Knightsville Fire Station is gone, the Summerville Fire Department, about a mile away, will respond to some of those area calls. In addition, when a truck leaves the station and creates a vacancy other nearby departments will be prepared to step in, in the case of another emergency at the same time.

"I don't really believe anyone looks at the door of the truck, they just want to make sure that red truck rolls up and that guy in turnout gear with a hose, gets out and is ready to fight that fire," Chinnis said. "That's the most important thing."

Chinnis says when the changes are made, three first responders will be required to be on the truck when responding to emergency calls. He says that's not always the case now.

Yarborough feels there is still a lost for the community, he says especially because there are four schools surrounding the Knightsville station.

"We could cover these schools very good, we're going to leave a hole, when this happens in this area," Yarborough said. "This station will go away, Summerville is going to have to cover it by themselves and we'll have to wait for other units to respond elsewhere."

About 18 Old Fort firefighters work at the three stations seeing changes. County officials say they will be able to apply for jobs when the county takes over the two stations in their coverage area.

"[It's] always been a contract area, it's always been a Dorchester County responsibility, but we simply contracted it," Chinnis said. "We believe at this point in time that the capabilities with Dorchester County Fire and Rescue, with where they have come in the three years....since inception that we can provide those services."

Officials at the Old Fort Fire Station on Orangeburg Road say they are going to continue to have public meetings on Thursday at 7 p.m. to spread the word about the change.

Copyright 2016 WCSC. All Rights Reserved.