Mortgage Broker in Moncks Corner, SC

MONCKS CORNER, SC — The American Red Cross is in desperate need of blood donors.

The organization usually sees a dip in donations over the summer months with people on vacation, but the blood supply constantly needs to be replenished because donated blood has a limited shelf life.

A Moncks Corner mom is encouraging people to donate blood after her daughters needed countless transfusions to keep them alive.

Four-year-old twins Annalee and Kennedy Garvin are full of energy.

“They are wild from the time they get up to the time they go to bed,” says their mom, Dana.

But, when the girls were born, it was a different story. Both children spent over 100 days in the NICU.

Dana says the girls were born at 26 weeks gestation, receiving around the clock care to keep them alive.

“While in the NICU they both received blood transfusions, and without those blood transfusions I wouldn’t have two healthy little girls sitting right here with me today,” says Dana.

She says their first three years were full of doctors appointments.

"They've had occupational therapists, speech therapists, physical therapists. They've had the works."

After watching her daughters fight for their lives, Dana now donates blood regularly.

“I didn’t even know my blood type until I became pregnant with them. But I’m O-negative which is good, my blood’s universal,” she explains.

With the nationwide blood shortage, Dana encourages her family and friends to donate blood every chance they get.

“You never know who might need that blood. It could be your own sister, brother, mother, father, child. Little babies born a little too early that might need it, somebody in a car accident, you just never know who’s going to need it.”

ABC News 4 has partnered with the American Red Cross for a blood drive. On May 19 you can donate blood from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. at Northwoods mall or from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. at Citadel Mall.

All donors will receive a $10 gift card and be entered to win a travel trailer camper. Use the sponsor code ABCNews4 to schedule an appointment here.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — The Lowcountry is a premier spot in the state to fish and go on the water. Berkeley County is now making it easier to access those waterways.

The Berkeley County Roads & Bridges and Facilities & Grounds crews will unveil new improvements to the Cypress Gardens boat landing Wednesday at 4 p.m.

County officials said over 100 boats come through the landing a day.

Before the upgrades, there were only 35 parking spots for these boaters to use- forcing many to park farther down Cypress Gardens Road.

But with these new improvements, county officials said boaters will now have safer access to the water.

The Cypress Gardens boat landing now has over 91 boat and trailer parking spaces, as well as 47 passenger vehicle spots and four handicap boat trailer parking spots.

The additions make it one of the largest sites in the county.

Improvements were also made to the boat access points and a new pavilion was built for casual fishers.

The landing has fishing competitions- with nearly 90 boats regularly- held at this landing and county officials say these improvements will help provide the ample space needed for residents enjoy the water.

“In Berkeley County and in the Charleston area- but big time in Berkeley County- we have some of the best fisheries in the entire country,” Berkeley County Supervisor Johnny Cribb said. “We routinely had over 100 boats or 100 users. So, the project wasn't 'if you build it, they will come'. It was, they're already here and what are you gonna do about it.”

The improvements cost about $400,000.

Cribb says the manufacturing plant Dupont donated 100 percent of the land for these improvements, which eased the burden on the county's budget.

Not only do over 100 boats come through the landing a day, but officials say the number of casual fishers who come to the dock have increased ten-fold.

With the increased number of pedestrians in the area, county officials have some added new walkways and security measures for a safer experience.

The county planted new ropes and poles to carve out a safe pedestrian walkway, which they said was a priority at Cypress Gardens due to its proximity to the busy Cypress Gardens Road.

Additional security cameras and lighting have also been installed.

The Cypress Gardens landing is the first boat landing to receive these improvements by the county, with more planned improvements to others in the future.

County officials say it will cut down on traffic in the area and provide more access to waterways closer to home.

“Planting all those poles out there and rope is not inexpensive and easy to do. but it's really important to do so we can protect the pedestrians from the different vehicle traffic coming in,” Cribb said. “What you want to do is thin out the herd. The more quality safe boat landings you have, people want to go to the one closest to their home, but they will drive much further away if they need to. so, this helps us keep cars off the road needlessly.”

Cribb said the next project they are working on is the Spiers boat landing in Cross.

The brand-new site is planned to include 450 parking spaces for boaters and a full hiking trail for residents to use.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCIV) — After debate for weeks on the possible rezoning of 200 acres in Cordesville, on Monday night, Berkeley County Council will determine the fate of the plot of land for good.

While community members worry the possible rezoning could change the landscape of the town, owners of the land in question say that they have good intentions for the town of Cordesville.

The land is currently under R-15 zoning, which means only one house is allowed per acre. However, the Berkeley County Council could decide to rezone it to R-1 zoning, which would allow for two houses per acre.

The 200 acres in question are owned by former U.S. Representative Henry Brown. The land was rezoned from Flex-1 agriculture zoning to R-15 in 1997.

Brown’s wife, Helen, says they were not told about the rezoning, which is why Berkeley County is now giving them the opportunity to change it back, to mend what officials call a procedural error.

Brown’s family has owned the land for generations and calls this a simple request.

“It was rezoned without our knowledge, and we just want it put back into the Flex-1,” Helen Brown said.

But other community members who have family history in the area oppose the change – saying the possibility of overdevelopment could erase the history of their home.

“A large amount of my family grew up there,” Cordesville resident Emory Loy said. “We’re connected and we know each other and I think that's a value that money can't buy. And we need to hold onto that.”

The stretch of land is from Bay Hill Lane to Bellomy Lane on Highway 402 and is part of a larger 500-acre plot that the Brown family owns.

But despite the community’s concerns, the Brown family says they have no intention of selling the land or developing the property.

Yet, it’s the terms of the rezoning that has conservationists skeptical. If rezoned, the land would be able to have two house per acre instead of one.

While that itself doesn’t directly lead to major redevelopments, conservationists and community members say it opens the door for that to happen down the line.

They want to preserve the history of the land, where they claim was a big part of the birth of independent American economy through rice growing.

“It's like a runaway train that nobody's trying to stop, and it makes no sense,” property owner Richard Coen said. “No one should have the right to come in to a community, particularly with the resources that we have in a couple of historic districts, and destroy it from internally.”

Despite those beliefs, the Brown family claims they are on the same page.

“We are, of course, for conservation. We want to see the history of Berkeley County and Cordesville to be upheld and maintained," Helen Brown said. "We are certainly not for big development, and there has never been an intent to have this property developed.”

The plot of land is also right next to the Francis Marion National Forest. Conservationists say developments could affect wildlife and, as the forest undergoes prescribed burning to maintain its health, could create dangers to possible developments in close proximity.

Berkeley County Council will meet at 6 p.m. at Berkeley County Government's headquarters in Moncks Corner to vote on the rezoning request. It is the third and final reading of the rezoning.

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — After a fatal house fire Monday morning, questions were raised about standard response times for firefighters. Chief Ayers with East Berkeley Fire Department said times were on par with national standards.

Moncks Corner Fire Department was the first to arrive on scene around eight minutes after the call came in. Santee Circle Rural Volunteer Fire Department arrived only a few minutes later. The reason: Volunteer fire departments are not staffed 24/7.

Chief Chris Ayers has 29 years of experience as a firefighter. He has a big heart for helping his community.

“My heart’s in the volunteer service. If we’re going to stay volunteer, totally volunteer, we need people to come and volunteer their time. Give back to your community. That’s the reason why I do it,” said Ayers.

However, people are not volunteering as much as they used to.

“The amount of people that are going into the volunteer service is diminishing. I think it has something to do with work constraints, how far away you have to live from the community, can afford to live away from the community, which pulls volunteers out of the community. And time -- people just don’t have that time anymore,” said Professional Firefighters Association Vice President William Pesature.

Yesterday’s fire happened within walking distance of a volunteer fire department, but no one was there at the time.

Chief Ayers is quick to defend volunteers like himself.

“When I hear the criticism, it strikes a chord in me, because it is a volunteer fire department. These people are out here day in and day out no matter what time of the day or night it is and if you see us, it’s your worst day, I understand that. But we’re not getting paid to be there. We’re there because we care about you and we care about the community,” said Ayers.

Ayers said they do receive some grants and funding, but he would like more for the department.

The department pays for personal protective equipment, such as boots, jackets and pants the firefighters wear, but it still costs around $2,500. A brand new engine costs about $400,000.

If you are interested in volunteering, stop by the station at 1399 N U.S. Hwy 52 to pick up an application.

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BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Thirteen years after Brittanee Drexel disappeared, a break in the case lead to answers and an arrest.

One local sheriff’s office says this case should serve as a lesson to other agencies.

Captain Michael Crumley with the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office remembers the day Drexel went missing.

“We all followed it, as the story was breaking and press releases were given and different developments,” he says.

Crumley says the latest development, the arrest of Raymond Moody, is the closure the family deserves.

“It’s the result of a lot of effort and the tenacity of the detectives," he says.

In Berkeley County, Crumley says missing persons cases of that magnitude, and what he calls “true” missing persons cases, are a rarity.

“There are not a significant number of missing persons cases that are unsolved right now,” he explains. “Loved ones or individuals will report a person missing, and that person is usually found within 24 hours.”

There is one case that’s at the front of his mind. Tyreek Pettigrew went missing four years ago from a Moncks Corner gas station. His car was found burned, but Pettigrew was nowhere to be found.

“He has not been seen since. That is not like him,” Crumley says.

He says over the years, advancements in technology and social media can help detectives solve these cases more quickly and can spread information to more prospective witnesses.

"Most of our citizens want to be helpful, they just need to know what can they do to help,” Crumley says. “Social media definitely provides that platform to do it. You've got thousands of eyes out there helping us to find people."

In the case of Pettigrew, Crumley says the investigation is still open, and his team is doing everything they can.

“We do have a fresh set of eyes looking at that to comb through it to see if there’s something more we can do to get to the bottom of his disappearance.”

Crumley says if Drexel's case taught investigators anything, it's to never give up.