Five world-class illusionists will stage incredible interactive illusions at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center May 2. This mind-bending theatrical production called Champions of Magic includes stunts such as an impossible escape from Houdini’s water torture cell, mind-blowing mentalist predictions and levitation high above the stage.

One of the five performers, Hollie England, said she performs artistic magic acts. In the show, England swallows needles and plays with fire while dressed as an Alice in Wonderland-inspired character.

Mentalist Alex Mcaulay will “dive into the audience’s minds,” England said. “We interact with and use the audience in very different kinds of ways. Alex, he reads people’s minds. The thoughts in your head, he can delve in there and get them out.

“And then, we have Fernando Velasco, an escapologist. He does some death-defying escapes, from diving into water tanks with handcuffs to getting out of a straitjacket,” she said.

A duo called “Young and Strange” will also perform, creating large-scale illusions in the vein of well-known magician David Copperfield.

“There’s definitely a lot of audience participation, so if you want to get picked for something, then there’s a lot of chances it might happen,” England said. “It’s for the whole family, and it’s got a large variety of things in the show, so everyone’s going to find something that they enjoy.”

The five illusionists in Champions of Magic have been compared to the characters of the 2013 film, Now You See Me, in which charismatic magician Atlas (played by Jesse Eisenberg) leads a team of talented illusionists.

The film, predictability, gets some things wrong about being a stage illusionist, England said, mostly that they perform acts which simply can’t be done in real life. It does, however, get some things totally right.

“They each have their own speciality of magic that they do, which is accurate to us as well,” England said. “I also love how they work together, which is something that Champions of Magic also does. We have multiple acts we do together as a group, and that’s really cool because you see how we interact with each other, and how we create magic together.”

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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A governmental engineering company will invest $2.5 million to expand its Charleston County operations, it announced Thursday.

Defense Engineering Systems is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that provides high-value engineering and manufacturing services for the aerospace and defense industry, governor’s office spokesman Brandon Charochak said.

“DES is excited to expand our engineering and prototype manufacturing operations in Charleston County. Operations have grown year over year for a decade,” Defense Engineering Services Managing Principals Bob Cole and Greg Gordon said in a joint statement, “This growth can be attributed to the business-friendly environment and technically capable workforce of South Carolina and Charleston County.”

The new investment will create 45 new jobs.

“We are fully committed to supporting our existing businesses, and we are thrilled to see DES’ announcement that will bring more than 45 jobs to Charleston County,” Gov. Henry McMaster said. “We look forward to further strengthening our long-standing partnership with them in the years to come.”

The company works to solve problems on high-performance systems involving mechanical and electrical engineering, testing and evaluation, design and systems engineering, and survivability engineering. DES services the U.S. Department of Defense through vehicle systems integration, automotive design, survivability solutions, reverse engineering and obsolescence issues, while also serving the U.S. Army with medical training systems and innovative armor, Charochak said.

The company’s new 53,000-square-foot facility at 6920 Weber Blvd. in North Charleston will accommodate manufacturing space for large-scale projects and add manufacturing capabilities to its prototype and low-rate initial production shop.

The expansion will be complete in May and operations are already online. Individuals interested in joining the DES team should visit the company’s careers page.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to this project.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A charter school in North Charleston will close its doors after this school year following a history of violations and instances of noncompliance.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A charter school in North Charleston will close its doors after this school year following a history of violations and instances of noncompliance, according to the Charter Institute at Erskine.

Gates School has been in operation since August of 2021, “founded to serve students with a primary diagnosis of dyslexia,” according to the school’s website.

The Charter Institute at Erskine’s Board of Directors, tasked with authorizing charter schools in South Carolina, voted Monday to revoke the charter of Gates School “due to systemic findings of noncompliance of state and federal special education law.”

The board had previously met Mar. 16, 2022 and voted to revoke Gates School’s charter for the same reason, but an appeal hearing from the school gave them a second chance at keeping their doors open and remedying “it’s ongoing noncompliance,” the Institute says.

Live 5 has previously reported on the school’s history of noncompliance, including when the Charter Institute at Erskine paused enrollment just months after the school’s opening due to staffing shortages, specifically special education teachers.

“The Board and our District are tasked with ensuring that every student’s rights are protected under the law and that our schools are complying with all legal and regulatory requirements imposed by our federal and state governments,” Dr. Steven Adamson, President of Erskine College and Chairman of the Charter Institute Board, said. “As we move forward, the Institute and the Board are committed to ensuring a smooth transition.”

As of April 24, 2023, about 95 students were enrolled at Gates School, according to the Charter Institute at Erskine. The Institute says it will notify parents of the closure and work with families to “provide a smooth transition for their students.”

Ashley Epperson, Director of Communications for the Charter Institute at Erskine, provided this statement regarding the school’s violations:

The Gates School’s history of noncompliance has been extensive. As a result of Gates School’s systemic noncompliance, their students with disabilities are owed more than 220,000 minutes of special education services that the school was required by law to provide. The Charter Institute, in an attempt to remedy this systemic special education noncompliance, provided ongoing support, trainings, and site visits to the school. In an effort to impress upon the administration of Gates School the seriousness of these matters, the Institute placed multiple sanctions on the school from 2021-2023, including the issuance of multiple notices of noncompliance, multiple corrective action plans, and multiple enrollment freezes.

Stephanie Sams, Founding Board Chair for Gates School issued the following statement after Monday’s announcement:

Gates School community is heartbroken and disappointed that the Charter Institute at Erskine Board disregarded the information from special education compliance experts that no statutory grounds for revocation exist. Gates School has always been dedicated to appropriate service and exceptional instruction and experiences for our dyslexic learners. Our focus will always remain on them and their best next steps. The Gates School Board and community will be taking under consideration those best next steps although I have been told that parents have already filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.

The Charter Institute at Erskine says this is the first charter the board has revoked. Over the past decade, 14 charter schools have been closed in South Carolina.

The Charter Institute at Erskine is compiling a full list of Gates School’s violations and instances of noncompliance.

Officials with Gates School have yet to respond to a request for comment.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A 40-year-old laundromat in North Charleston has been recently transformed, but what’s special about it is more than just its appearance.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A 40-year-old laundromat in North Charleston has been recently transformed, but what’s special about it is more than just its appearance.

Erin and John Carpenter went on an RV trip around the country during the pandemic, and that’s when they realized how important laundromats were.

After the trip, they moved to Charleston and wanted to get involved in the community. That’s when they saw Reynolds Laundromat on Reynolds Avenue in North Charleston was for sale.

The old laundromat, which has been in business for over 40 years, looked less than desirable. There were broken machines, broken furniture, and lots of repairs that needed to be done.

“John was like let’s do it,” Erin said. “Let’s make it a better place.”

The couple got the laundromat in July of last year and let it exist the way it was for six months. During that time, they listened to feedback about what was wanted and needed by the community.

It took two and a half months to transform the space, and the new Reynolds Laundromat opened up two weeks ago.

They researched laundry prices in the Charleston area and made sure they were offering the lowest prices. They then made it into a place where people sleep, hang out, eat, watch television, use free Wifi and enjoy a safe, clean space.

The grand re-opening celebration was a free laundry day complete with free loads, food, and games. The couple partnered with Lowcountry Blessing Box Project to make it happen.

“Oh, the need for this is great,” Esther Smith, volunteer for Lowcountry Blessing Box Project, said. “This community here, they really do need to be able to come here and get their clothes washed, you know.”

The couple posted a Tik Tok video of their story, and it went viral, receiving 10.5 million views as of Wednesday.

The post got the attention of many in the community including local organizations, who are reaching out and want to get involved to have more free laundry days and events.

“It was really really cool to engage with people who you know maybe live in the area or have been like hey I live nearby, I’d like to donate or I want to help sponsor more free laundry days,” Erin said.

It’s been especially exciting for manager Steve P. Eddie, who has worked here seven days a week for nine years.

“It’s more than just laundry,” Eddie said. “It’s also been a place that no matter what they’re going through, they can come here, be at peace, be safe, safe knowing that we designed this place for them and knowing that it’s beyond laundry.”

The couple is now watching their project grow before their eyes. They hope that more free laundry days are in the future, with hopes of doing them every few months. They also are adding a kids area with books and toys, as well as creating a laundry pickup and delivery service.

“Now to see people sitting at the picnic tables and kids playing in the kid’s area and using the technology and eating at the different things it’s kinda fun to see it come to life,” John said.

Longtime employee Eddie hopes it’s just the beginning for the newly renovated laundromat.

“My vision for this place is for this place to be here a long time,” Eddie said.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Boeing’s South Carolina workforce grew by about 950 in 2022, part of a companywide surge of 15,000 employees around the world.

Boeing shared its year-end employment numbers in conjunction with filing its 10-K financial performance forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The growth of the Lowcountry workforce brings the total headcount to about 6,500 at Boeing South Carolina’s two campuses, according to figures released by the company. The company said in a news release that it plans to hire another 10,000 workers worldwide in 2023.

Part of the Palmetto State hiring took place because delivery resumed for the Dreamliners produced at the Ladson plant. Production of the 787s had continued at a slower pace while the company and Federal Aviation Administration worked to address safety concerns.

Related: Boeing makes first 787 delivery since 2021

The company acknowledged that a return to deliveries accounted for some of the hiring, but not all of it.

Although the Dreamliner program is based at the North Charleston plant, other Boeing operations include:

• Boeing’s engine nacelle design and manufacturing center of excellence, supporting the 777X and 737 MAX programs, among others.

• Boeing Research and Technology South Carolina, the center of the company’s composite manufacturing development activities.

• One of Boeing’s four Information Technology Centers, which provides support to the entire Boeing enterprise across the globe.

• One of the primary U.S. Air Force base locations (Joint Base Charleston) supporting the C-17 fleet with technical and logistics solutions.

• One of three domestic BCA Engineering Design Centers, performing engineering work statement for BCA, BDS and BGS programs and projects.

• Senior Boeing executives leading enterprise roles such as 787 Engineering; 787 Quality; Ethics, Law and Global Compliance; and others.

“Our diverse Boeing South Carolina team demonstrates a commitment to safety, quality and integrity every day on the 787 program and across the many other Boeing programs and projects BSC supports,” Lane Ballard, vice president and general manager of the 787 program and Boeing South Carolina site leader, said in the news release. “I am proud of our growing team in South Carolina, and we will continue to invest in our teammates and the development of meaningful and fulfilling careers for generations to come.”

Boeing South Carolina is one of only three aerospace production sites in the world where twin-aisle commercial airplanes are assembled and delivered. It is the only site in the world that encompasses the full cycle of Dreamliner production, starting with fabrication using carbon composite materials and ending with final assembly and delivery to the customer.

The company has invested more than $83 million with charitable organizations in South Carolina, with an emphasis on education, arts and culture, health and human services, civic engagement and the environment. From their headquarters in Virginia, Boeing today said it would donate $500,000 to earthquake relief in Turkey.