Charleston

Five people pose for a photo with music instruments.

Ranky Tanky honors Gullah culture with Grammy-nominated album

Music

The World’s Marco Werman speaks with Kevin Hamilton and Clay Ross from Gullah music ensemble “Ranky Tanky.”

A palm tree among wreckage

‘Everything is gone:’ Bahamians struggle in Dorian’s devastating wake

Natural disasters
A bishop sprinkles holy water on a coffin covered in the Polish flag

Was this Polish American war hero intersex?

Health & Medicine
Growing high tides have turned this photo — taken from Pompano Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 — into a regular occurrence along the U.S. coastlines.

New report forecasts a troubling picture of rising tides, frequent flooding on coasts

Climate Change
The West Virginia State Capitol building in Charleston sits on the Kanawha River, which is fed in part by the Elk River — the main water supply for nearly 300,000 of the state's residents.

Documentary uncovers contaminated truths behind water crisis in West Virginia, other locations

Science
Items left at a memorial at the Armed Forces Career Center are seen in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

How do we define domestic terrorism? The legal meaning of a loaded term.

Justice

A month after a white supremacist allegedly murdered nine black church-goers in Charleston, South Carolina, the Justice Department has declined to characterize the shooting as an act of terrorism. And many are asking why?

Dylann Roof at his bond hearing

America has no monopoly on racism, it’s just ‘more lethal’

Justice

After the Charleston shootings, gun control remains the “gigantic elephant in the room,” says journalist Gary Younge. FBI data show that African Americans are targeted 16 times more often than whites for hate crimes.

A man reacts while talking to police officer near the scene of shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C.

A call to prayer, a crime of hate, symbols of evil — and donations to a violated house of worship

Conflict

The killer prayed with worshipers for an hour before brandishing weapons and killing them. Social media wondered how South Carolina could keep the Confederate flag flying high outside its statehouse after US, state flags lowered to half-staff in respect.

Cruise Ship Docks May Be Good for Business, but Some Charleston Residents Want Them Gone

Imagine yourself reclined on a cruise ship, sipping piña coladas, and leisurely moving through the ocean to the next stop along your week-long journey. What could be more idyllic? Now, imagine the thick clouds of smoke, the swarms of tourists and all of the noise that cruise ships bring to port cities. That’s the experience […]

The Civil Rights Movement Comes of Age

On Monday, ground will be broken on the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. This $500 million project is just one of the many being erected in major cities dedicated to African American history and the civil rights movement: Atlanta, Jackson and Charleston all have projects in the works. These projects […]