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LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - A free closet is helping young girls in the community find their inner and outer beauty ahead of this year’s prom season.

Tiana’s Closet started in 2018 and creates a shopping experience for girls who may not have the opportunity to get the dress of their dreams.

The closet is made possible by donations of dresses, shoes, jewelry and purses.

Director of Tiana’s Closet Andrea Hampton Mills says every girl deserves a night to remember, and they hope that shopping at Tiana’s Closet can give them that experience.

“Our ultimate goal is for these young ladies to leave with a smile on their faces,” Mills says. “When they walk in the door, they need to feel love, and when they walk out they need to. That’s really what we’re all about is making these girls know that they’re worthy and they are deserving.”

They dressed over 30 girls Saturday from head to toe but also included affirmations for them to remember their self-worth regardless of their appearance. Some of the positive affirmations include self-worth, being resilient, body image and planning for the future.

“It means the world to me,” Tiana’s Closet volunteer Kayla Lofton-Black says. “I remember at that time, I’ve always been a chunky baby, so being able to help young ladies find dresses that fit their body and that makes them feel confident and beautiful; it’s just everything to me. I’m really glad that I got to be a part of this today.”

Tiana’s Closet takes donations all year long to prepare for the event and clean anything that may be dirty before giving it to the girls. They have locations in Ladson, Summerville, Moncks Corner and Holly Hill.

“Just knowing how many girls deserve a night to remember, but sometimes it’s difficult, we want to bridge that gap,” Mills says.

The event was from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, but if you are in need of a prom dress this spring, girls can still shop the closet.

Contact Tiana’s Closet on Facebook or call 762-529-4183 to schedule a shopping appointment between March 5 and 19.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston-based manufacturing company Bintelli is expanding its operation with a new 174,000-square-foot facility in North Charleston.

The facility, off Palmetto Commerce Parkway, opened last week and will focus on building golf carts and low-speed electric vehicles.

This marks the third expansion for Bintelli in the last three years.

“This new facility is a testament to the amazing work our dealer family has done over the last few years,” Bintelli Founder and President Justin Jackrel says. “As we are now operational in what I believe is the largest LSV (low-speed vehicles) manufacturing facility in America, we’re going to be able to even better support our dealer family with the additional vehicles, parts and support they need to continue their rapid growth nationwide.”

Another focus for the move was to have more space for employees so the building is a more comfortable workspace without limiting tight boundaries, says Kevin Marques, Bintelli Production Facility Manager.

“It keeps growing and the biggest thing is keeping the culture the same; we pride our employees and making sure everyone is happy,” Marques says. “We actually know each employee by name and I want to keep that feel here because I think that’s very important for us; that’s the biggest thing, as we grow, I just want to maintain the culture within the company.”

Bintelli assembled 7,000 vehicles last year and is on track to produce 12,000 this year, making the move to a larger facility necessary.

Bintelli says with this new facility, they will be able to keep up with the demand for low-speed electric vehicles and golf carts.

“This expansion is another step in solidifying ourselves at the forefront of the industry,” Bintelli Vice President Jason Perske said. “While faster order fulfillment and greater inventory availability is going to be an incredible asset for our dealer family, I’m far more excited about what this means for the additional levels of support we can offer. I’m excited for all of our dealerships to share in this huge announcement and incredibly thankful for all the support they show us every day.”

In addition to the recent facility expansions, Bintelli says they are also focused on expanding its support and production staff.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

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Ladson, SC – Even among the nation’s best bass anglers, whispers of words like big crappies attract a captive audience. So it was for Major League Fishing star David Walker, a confirmed crappie sneak. One day, while driving home from his latest bass derby, Walker found himself daydreaming about a local crappie lake and the makings of an epic fish fry. “After a hectic bass tourney, I love coming home and catching a boatload of crappies or white bass with my daughters,” says Walker, a wizard with a small jig and softbait.

A lifelong panfish fan, Walker recently discovered a new bait concept for crappies, perch and bluegills. Ironically, the idea first occurred to him while fishing bass tournaments.

“When I first started throwing these so called ‘superplastics’ for bass several years ago, I quickly learned an almost magical advantage of the material known as ElaZtech, which was that panfish and other nuisance fish couldn’t peck the tails off the back of your bass jigs,” recalls Walker. “While bass fishing with traditional soft plastics, it’s always been a headache and major time waster when you’ve got perch, sunfish and other tail-pecking fish in the area. But using these ElaZtech baits, I discovered panfish could peck them all they wanted, with little to no effect on the bait. I could stay in the game, non-stop, without reeling torn baits back to the boat, and constantly re-rigging a new tail.”

All the while, Walker was thinking about crappies. He knew that ElaZtech’s advantages held tremendous panfish potential. “This is a material that’s wonderfully soft and lively, making it easy to activate, so it moves and undulates fluidly in the water,” he notes.

“Like most anglers, I accepted for years that traditional panfish sized soft plastics just don’t move that well underwater. Because they’re relatively rigid, traditional soft crappie baits tend to lose action the smaller you make them. So, you often had to resort to larger baits than you wanted or had to retrieve them faster to achieve the desired tail movement or the right swimming action. Neither are ideal for a fish that often exhibits size and speed selectivity in their feeding habits.

“You’ll understand that when I started fishing ElaZtech, I was pretty excited about its advantages for bass. But secretly, I couldn’t wait until panfish-sized superplastics arrived on the scene. Combine a super soft, lively bait with crazy durability and you quickly appreciate what I’m saying. This stuff has all the makings of the perfect panfish bait.”

A few days after the finish of a recent bass tournament, Walker found himself on his favorite crappie lake. He spotted the aqua-blue packs of new Z-Man Micro Finesse baits lying on his boat deck and a light bulb ignited. “I grabbed up a pack of Shad FryZ™— a cool little 1-3/4-inch paddletail swimbait— and put it on a 1/10-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ™ panfish jig. Almost immediately, it became my favorite crappie bait, and here’s why.”

From the first few casts, Walker noticed that in water the bait’s tail activated and kicked realistically, almost effortlessly, even at slow retrieve speeds. “The Shad FryZ is one of those rare crappie-sized swimbaits whose tail will wag and thump even as it’s falling. Crappies can be really speed sensitive, in terms of lure retrieves and drop-speed. Too many traditional crappie baits require excessive speed to activate them; often, that’s too fast for crappies, especially in cooler water.”

Walker, a deep-thinking angler who’s always conjuring ways to maximize lure performance, suggests that bait buoyancy and rate-of-fall remain two ignored factors in the crappie-catching equation. “Consider that the natural buoyancy of the Shad FryZ slows its sink rate. So, while I can benefit from the extra casting weight of a 1/10-ounce jig, the rigged bait flutters and fishes more like a 1/16-ouncer. And it still exhibits that nice natural tail-kick on the fall that induces bites.

“As veteran anglers know, crappies primarily feed up,” Walker continues. “So, keeping your lure at or a few feet above their eye level is of utmost importance, especially in spring.”

Unlike traditional PVC soft plastics, which sink, Walker notes that ElaZtech baits float, slowing the drop-speed of the jighead. “That’s something you simply can’t do with other crappie baits, because traditional plastisol baits sink fast—often, shooting right through the active strike zones of crappies and other panfish.”

To further tweak rate of fall, Walker spools with “straight 6- or 8-pound test braided line and no leader,” he suggests. “After trying those micro-thin 2-, 3- and 4-pound test braids, I realized thicker diameter braid, which floats, slows the lure’s rate of fall a bit more.”

Walker offers another tip for creating a semi-permanent soft “lure” that catches dozens of fish without replacing the tail. “Add one drop of Loctite Gel Control glue to the jighead before threading on the Shad FryZ or other Micro Finesse body,” he explains. “This locks the bait in place and has allowed me to catch close to 50 crappies on one single bait—all without re-rigging or even re-positioning the original bait on the jig hook.”

Analogous to the way anglers initially perceived braided superlines, Walker acknowledges that anglers often approach superplastics with hesitation. “Similar to superlines, which require different knots, ElaZtech baits call for slightly different rigging and storage,” he notes. “But the advantages are too dramatic to ignore.

“To rig a bait onto a jighead, thread the body onto the hook in traditional fashion. Then, rather than pushing it up and over the jig’s keeper barbs, grasp the bait by the head and pull and stretch it right up tight to the jighead. This material is so stretchy and resilient that you almost can’t rip it by hand.

“For storage, just keep baits in their original packs— don’t mix them with regular soft plastics in storage compartments—and your superplastics will last for years. That’s all there is to it.”

While springtime anglers typically target shallow water fish, Walker prefers to pursue bigger, less pressured crappies in 5 to 15 feet of water—just outside eventual spawning zones. “Count the lure down to the right depth and begin a slow, steady retrieve. Pause every 5- to 10-seconds. Let the bait stop and hang momentarily. The tail will hover; won’t drop unnaturally below the jighead and turn fish off. It’s a real key to ‘talking’ lethargic crappies into biting.”

“As a bass angler familiar with the toughness of ElaZtech, I spent years trying to slice and customize bigger worms into panfish-sized offerings. They worked, but the new Micro Finesse baits give me panfish profiles and actions I’m after, no knife needed.

“As crappie fans discover the advantages of superplastics for panfish—super soft, easy to activate and crazy durable—we’ll all be eating a lot more crappie dinners.”

A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Z-Man has long been among the industry’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt material used in jigs, spinnerbaits and other lures. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech softbaits, fast becoming the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.

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Ladson, SC – Admittedly, Abby Abbondanza’s a pretty cool name for a musician. So maybe it’s a moniker more befitting a heavy metal rockstar than a country singer. Then again, country crosses over into rock, pop and other genres; perfectly appropriate for a songwriter, professional angler and salt-of-the-earth gentleman who’s reinvented himself as a successful kayak fishing competitor.

When he’s not slinging ChatterBaits® or ElaZtech® soft plastics, new Z-Man pro-staffer Chris “Abby” Abbondanza still strums an awfully impressive six-string. Original frontman of country crooners the PovertyNeck Hillbillies, Abbondanza and bandmates produced three acclaimed studio albums, including 2006 single “Mr. Right Now,” which held the #2 spot on GAC’s video chart for fifteen weeks straight.

Eventually, the group disbanded, but Abby never stopped writing, performing and releasing solo albums—and certainly, he never stopped fishing. Today, he continues performing his own style of country music to audiences all over the northeast. But ask him what’s more important, singing or fishing, and his answer speaks for itself. “Put it this way. I schedule my concert calendar around fishing tournament dates, not the other way around,” Abby says with a welcoming grin. Three years ago, Abbondanza, a Pennsylvania native who lives within a few hours of Lake Erie, sold his bass boat to tackle competitive kayak fishing full-time.

“Several years back, my buddy Adam Milstead, who’s an ex-UFC fighter and a big dude like me, got me into kayak,” he recalls. “At first, I figured someone my height (Abby’s 6’4″) would have trouble in a kayak. Actually, it’s just the opposite, and now, a kayak’s my favorite way to stalk bass. The stealth and human-powered parts of the sport just add to the appeal. And the people on circuits like the Hobie BOS—including my good friend and fellow Z-Man pro Jody Queen—make up an awesome community of anglers. We’re a friendly bunch who like to share in each other’s successes and just have a good time. Sometimes, Jody and I will sit and just jam on our guitars for a while. Fishing and music are good for the soul, man.”

As Abbondanza grew into the sport he’d loved since watching Bill Dance on TV as a lad, he eventually discovered Z-Man ElaZtech baits. He knew the baits were different, better in many ways than traditional soft plastics. For a light-packing angler, he also realized the longevity and resiliency of ElaZtech baits were a match made in kayak heaven. “To simply pack a few bags of soft plastics for a full day of fishing—rather than mountains of traditional baits—is a huge advantage and a major time saver,” he notes. “Imagine fishing an entire tourney with just a few packs of baits. Crazy, but perfectly possible with ElaZtech.”

Right off, Abby knew he wanted to meet and connect with the folks behind his new-found bass baits. So, several years ago, he made his way from Pennsylvania to Florida and the annual ICAST show, in hopes of a developing friendships and perhaps, a new sponsor.

“We liked Abby immediately,” recalls Z-Man promotions manager Joey Prochazka. “He’s a likeable, charismatic guy—and a heck of an angler, no doubt. Everyone here loves his positive energy and excitement for fishing. Yet he’s also a laidback and approachable dude who just likes to talk fishing. Abby’s combined talents for music and catching bass make for an interesting human being and we’re delighted to welcome him to Team Z.”

In his first few years on the Hobie BOS circuit, Abbondanza has quickly ascended leaderboards, qualifying for the Tournament of Champions in 2022. “We fish some really diverse waterbodies—from Florida and Texas lakes to West Virginia and Midwest rivers,” he notes. “Everywhere I’ve been, ElaZtech baits like the Baby GOAT™, Bang StickZ™ and Mag FattyZ™ just continue catching good fish.”

Among his more intriguing bass tricks, Abby likes to nose-hook a Finesse TRD™ onto a dropshot rig—a decided departure from traditional Ned rigging. “You can lightly nose-hook a TRD on a dropshot and it’ll stay put—won’t rip off the hook like other baits,” he notes. “Some days, you can fish all day with a single TRD. The material just doesn’t tear, even after a bunch of smallmouths eat it.

“I’ll fish it down in 25 to 30 feet of water at Lake Erie all the time, and the smallmouth can’t get enough of it. The buoyant ElaZtech material floats and makes the TRD ascend and hover in place. You really don’t have to do much with it, almost like it’s live bait. Just move it slowly back, pause and let it set in place and you’ll catch loads of bass.”

When he does tie on a Ned rig, Abbondanza’s style once again deviates from convention. “I never put a Baby GOAT, TRD or Bang StickZ on an exposed hook jighead—except when I’m fishing a shaky head. I prefer going weedless with my Ned baits, and the NedlockZ™ EWG is an awesome, underrated finesse jig. Amazing fish hooker. But it also lets me rig small baits weedless, so I can fish cleanly across rocks, and through grass and brush, no problem.”

Underscoring Z-Man’s commitment to the burgeoning sport of kayak fishing and its cast of fascinating characters, Z-Man’s Prochazka adds perspective: “Similar to Drew Gregory, Jody Queen and Ryan Lambert, Abby’s got a super interesting backstory and an exciting future ahead. When he or any of our pros win or discover an innovative way to catch more fish, everyone shares in the rewards.”

A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Z-Man has long been among the industry’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt material used in jigs, spinnerbaits and other lures. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech softbaits, fast becoming the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A group of Charleston County leaders and educators are calling on the school board to increase teacher salaries next school year.

On Thursday, the Charleston County School District Teacher Compensation Task Force held a roundtable discussion to share their next plan of action, in hopes of recruiting and retaining teachers.

“It’s time for a change. It’s a conversation that’s been going on for a really long time. The task force was really put together to be a voice to address it,” said William Briggman, CCSD’s Chief Human Resources Officer.

The group came up with two action items they are recommending the school board consider when planning the budget for next school year. The first recommendation is to increase the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree to $58,000. A teacher at that level currently makes just over $43,000.

The group said this would increase salaries for all degree and experience levels.

“I don’t want to struggle and have to, like I said, work to live. I want to be able to live comfortably and know that I have finances supporting me,” said Terryn Whaley who is a first-year, second grade teacher at Ladson Elementary School.

The other proposal is to expand the salary schedule from Step 30 to Step 40, in an effort to retain teachers with 30+ years of experience.

“I mean we want experienced teachers who are there to also support and train our new teachers coming in. That’s really, really important,” said Briggman.

During the roundtable, teachers were given the opportunity to speak up about the struggles they face.

“My wife and I have not been able to save enough money to buy a house,” said Dave Bonezzi, a second-grade teacher at Carolina Park Elementary School.

The group is eager to present their requests to the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Monday, March 13.

“This is a robust proposal, it’s a bold proposal, and one that I feel like would certainly help remedy the teacher retention crisis that we’re in right now,” said Patrick Martin. Martin is an English teacher at the Charleston County School of the Arts. He’s also the founder of Lowcountry Teacher Advocates.

He’s encouraging community members to fill out this online survey, to show support for the task force’s goals.