Three years after breaking ground, the Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion at Medical University of South Carolina is open.

The $385 million project in Charleston provides state-of-the-art care for children and women.

MUSC’s new facility has 250 beds, about 20% more than its previous children’s center, according to hospital officials. An entire floor is reserved for children with heart conditions, while another is for children with cancer. The neonatal ICU and the cancer unit are designed to keep families together during the hospital stay, with more than 80 licensed b eds and single-patient family rooms. There also are play spaces so kids still have the chance to be kids, including an atrium playroom.

Baseball is back. The National Pastime returned last month and there’s no better way to get into the swing of season then enjoying some great baseball reads. From the thrill of flipping baseball cards to the drama of a pennant-winning home run, Monthly has compiled a list of books and articles that are essential reading as we enjoy the return of Major League Baseball.

Part of Monthly’s mission is to promote and sustain activities that improve the quality of life for Lowcountry residents. Every month in our Community Connection section, we print announcements from charitable funds, non-profit organizations, civic club, social service agencies and others who are working to serve the needs of local youth, families, adults and animals. 

During these unprecedented times, we have sheltered in place not to spread the coronavirus.  We have applauded health care workers, the first-line of defense. But we also need to give a standing ovation to Wisconsin’s citizens forced to put their lives on the line simply to exercise their right to vote.

HE ONLY WANTS TO BE IN SC

Hootie & the Blowfish front man Darius Rucker has strong ties to South Carolina: He’s a Charleston native, and his band got its start in Columbia, at the University of South Carolina. The state feels pretty strongly about him, too, naming him the 2020 South Carolina Tourism Ambassador. Monthly sat down with Rucker to discuss his role as tourism ambassador and his favorite things about the Palmetto State.

Plastics are the subject of two features in this month’s issue—see pages 26-27 and page 192. Online, we’re compiling a running list of local businesses that are using eco-friendly food packaging. These were submitted by our readers: 

A Hilton Head Island newcomer chases a Palmetto bug around the house for hours. In an unlikely pairing, a cat and horse become best friends. Defying international real estate norms, a woman takes ownership of 1 square foot of Scotland.

These scenarios are all part of “Reflections,” the 20th anniversary anthology from the Island Writers’ Network of Hilton Head Island. More than local 50 contributors —including novelists, essayists, poets, photographers and journalists — share their works focused on life in the Lowcountry and beyond.

The Town of Hilton Head Island’s Mayor's Honored Islander Award Program recognizes outstanding Hilton Head Island residents who selflessly serve the community. A committee  appointed by the mayor reviews nominations and selects the winners.

Congratulations to just-announced winners:

NEW BOOK HIGHLIGHTS BEAUFORT COUNTY’S LEADING ROLE

A leadership consultant, history buff and former corporate executive, Hilton Head Island resident Richard Thomas can add author to his resume. Fittingly, his first book focuses on Lowcountry firsts throughout history.

Published by the Heritage Library Foundation, “Backwater Frontier” is a compilation of stories about significant events that took place in Beaufort County and were firsts of their kind in the U.S.