MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Residents in one Mount Pleasant neighborhood are sharing concerns after learning about at least two recent coyote attacks.

Over the weekend, News 2 heard from a man, Timothy Snipe, who saved his chihuahua, Roxie, from a coyote attack outside his home while still in his bathrobe. The story has since gone viral.

Now, the Town of Mount Pleasant is responding to the incident after Snipe’s neighbors say the animals are approaching their homes and continue to be a problem for the community.

“This could have been much worse and I’m glad Timothy is okay,” said Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie.

While Mayor Haynie said he loves wildlife, he knows the safety of residents and their pets is a top priority for the town.

“We do everything we can to have a healthy ecosystem and we never want those experiences to be negative,” Mayor Haynie said.

One neighbor who lives next to Snipe says they’ve had several encounters with coyotes in the past. “We hear them every night when we come back, especially when there’s sirens. They sound like monkeys,” the neighbor said.

He says since Snipe had that experience, he’s been way more vigilant about protecting his dog, “Keeping him on a leash and stuff like that and trying not to keep so many scraps of food out,” he added.

When asked, Mayor Haynie said he believes the coyote population in Mount Pleasant is too high.

“There are a lot of sightings and you see a lot of that on social media, but attacks or experiences like this do seem to be rare,” Haynie said.

Haynie says if coyotes were ever to become a bigger threat in Mount Pleasant it would be up to the State Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to do something about it.

“Wildlife management is a state issue, the Department of Natural Resources and state law prevails. We encourage people to be safe around wildlife,” Haynie said.

People in Snipe’s neighborhood said they’ve contacted DNR about getting coyote traps put out in their neighborhood.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Twelve acres of land along Park Avenue Boulevard in Mount Pleasant could soon be the site of a proposed attainable housing complex.

“It is in the perfect place in Mount Pleasant ‘cause there’s six schools around there, two fire stations, we’re getting ready to build a public services facility at Lieben Road, the hospital is there, and major retailers like Costco,” explained Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie.

Next week town council will vote on the first reading of amending the Carolina Park Planned Development document to allow for attainable housing at that location.

The mayor said the proposed homes will be in the $300-400,000 price range and will be available for purchase, not rent. To qualify, he said future homeowners will need to fall within a certain percentage of the area median income.

“This is our first responders, our teachers, our healthcare workers. And to be a healthy and complete community, we need to welcome people like that instead of excluding them by the $1 million average home sale price we had last month,” Mayor Haynie said.

The parcel was purchased by Seacoast Church years ago for a second Mount Pleasant campus, but Glenn Wood, the administrator for the church, said they realized it wasn’t the right fit.

After receiving multiple offers, he said they decided to sell it to an attainable housing developer.

“We just feel like it’s a great opportunity for the town to be able to have housing that teachers, fire departments, nurses, you know and honestly even our staff ‘cause some of our staff has to live outside of Mount Pleasant and commute in just because of the cost of real estate,” Wood said. “And so, its an opportunity, we felt like for the town to be able to have some attainable housing and you know I think it’s a great use of the land and a great opportunity.

Prosperity Builders, the developer of the project, already has another attainable housing project in Mount Pleasant called Gregorie Ferry Towns.

Mayor Haynie said if the plan passes the necessary steps, they could break ground as soon as the summer.

Tell me about your professional background and how you feel it makes you a good fit to be a council member.

I've been teaching in Charleston County since 2016. This is my 24th year teaching. The local aspect of teaching, most of my career has been in teaching elementary school, but still the local aspect of working in the community where I live has always been something that I really like. Now I'm in North Charleston, so it's the greater community where I live. I think this is a theme of why I've chosen to run for Town Council because I would like to see Mount Pleasant make its own decisions on a local level and be responsible for them and with citizens participating in the process. I lived in France for seven years and I have a Bachelor of Science in French and psychology and a master's degree in educational technology. I've just always been part of the local community and have worked well with others.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing the town today, and what plans do you have to address this?

I have a daughter, a six-year-old, and we went to James Island yesterday to go rock climbing in James Island County Park. I would like to see the green spaces improved in Mount Pleasant to make it something where travelers don't have to go across town to go to the (County) Park. I know that there’s a bike path in … Laurel Hill County Park and just a dirt road going in a half-mile circle and there are things that we can put back there that would be places you can take your kids and take your family.

The other thing is I think that health all across the United States is a problem. We pay more for healthcare. We have more healthcare issues related to obesity and diet. I would like to be somebody who spreads the message of healthy eating and healthy lifestyles lead to better lives. We have a great little local market there at Boone Hall...we have the Farmers Market on Tuesday and Boone Hall is open the rest of the week.

The results of the Public Input Matters survey found that throughout all seven districts in town, respondents feel that traffic in Mount Pleasant needs to be improved. What are some concrete solutions that you feel can address this?

The traffic in Mount Pleasant and housing in Mount Pleasant — I don’t know if ‘victims of our own success’ is the right word for it. We have a very unique geography here. We are a virtual island in that there's no shortcuts. There's one way in and one way out. You may come across I-526 or I-26 or you go north towards McClellanville and Georgetown up (Highway) 41. There just isn't room.

I know that the Town Council has a plan and they've already hired a company to look into certain traffic solutions. As a new council member, I'm not sure if I would be able to offer anything different to what they have already decided on.

Another area Public Input Matters survey takers responded to was housing availability. Forty-one percent of respondents felt that affordable housing options should be increased. How do you feel this can be accomplished?

I think it speaks well to the people in Mount Pleasant that we want things for people like affordable housing, but whether or not there is a feasible solution to providing that affordable housing — where are we going to put affordable housing? It makes sense that people want affordable housing but do they want the affordable housing in their backyard?

I want to live locally, I want to buy locally, want to shop locally, but we can't escape the fact that a lot of our local decisions are made on a state and national and global level. How does Mount Pleasant make affordable housing when the interest rates are 7.75 percent? There are things happening on a national level that we just can't control that can make our job of creating affordable housing next to impossible.

Is there anyone who has served as a role model to you, either from politics, past experiences or family members, that you look to and consider while you run for office?

One thing my dad always taught us was sometimes doing the right thing is the hardest thing to do, but you can take solace in the fact that it's the right thing to do. I am a part owner of a restaurant in Washington, D.C. with my brother Eric and when Washington D.C. decided to impose the vaccine mandate on restaurants … we were the only restaurant in Washington, D.C. to actively say no, we're not going to check people's health papers. It was very hard on my brother to do that, and he's such a big part of the local community. What I just really admired was his courage and even though it financially wasn't the best decision. Financially, it wasn't a great decision, but it was the right decision to make and his principles are something that I truly admire and I try to follow that example in my own life.

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Three area hospitals have been sold in a $2.4 billion deal to North Carolina-based Novant Health by the previous owner, Tenet Healthcare of Dallas, Texas.

The sale of East Cooper Medical Center in Mount Pleasant, Hilton Head Hospital in Hilton Head and Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville includes the associated physician clinics and other operations, according to a news release from Novant Health.

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome our new team members and grow our presence in South Carolina,” said Carl S. Armato, president and CEO, Novant Health, which is headquartered in Winston-Salem. “Novant Health’s long-term vision is to transform the health and wellness of these communities through expanded specialty services and clinical expertise. We are energized and united behind our cause to create a healthier future together by building connections with patients and clinicians in coastal South Carolina.”

The East Cooper Medical Center includes 15 physician clinics. Hilton Head Hospital includes the Bluffton Okatie Outpatient Center and 12 physician clinics. Coastal Carolina Hospital in Jasper County includes the Tidewatch Free-Standing Emergency Department in Bluffton, according to the news release.

Novant Health said continuity of care is a priority and appointments and procedures will continue as scheduled during the transition period. “We are working closely with our new Novant Health team members to ensure a seamless transition for patients and team members,” Joel Taylor, market CEO of Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, said in the release. “We are eager to move forward together in support of our teams and know decisions will be made with our community’s needs at the forefront.”

“There’s a lot to be excited about when planning for our future,” Tyler Sherrill, CEO of East Cooper Medical Center, said in the release. “Novant Health is known for elevating clinician leadership to provide patients with a trusted health care experience through world-class technology, personal connections and convenient access to care.”

Tenet Health also owns a cluster of imaging centers and urgent care clinics in York, Rock Hill and Fort Mill, but those South Carolina properties were not part of the deal for the coastal hospitals.

“We understand that taking care of our patients starts with taking care of our people, so I’m delighted to join a leadership team that strives to not only be a healthc are provider of choice but also an employer of choice,” Ryan Lee, CEO of Coastal Carolina Hospital, said in the release. “I look forward to expanding the resources available to our team.”

Novant Health supports health and wellness programs in the community, including health education/screenings, community health workers and mobile cruisers. Each year, Novant Health provides hundreds of programs that serve patients, neighbors and some of their communities’ most vulnerable citizens, the company said in the release.

The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,900 physicians and more than 38,000 team members who provide care at more than 800 locations, the release said.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Get carried away at Mount Pleasant’s new southern market and eatery!

Located in the heart of town, Get Carried Away offers everything you need whether it’s a delicious grab-and-go meal or stylish glassware for your next dinner party.

Happening Saturday, Feb. 3rd, the store will celebrate its grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and your new favorite hangout spot for an afternoon spritz and sandwich.

We caught up with the owners, Sassy and Brian Henry, to learn more about their business ahead of this weekend’s celebration.

“A lot of what we do is entertaining and hosting,” said owner, Brian. The idea for the shop has been derived from their love for food, hosting, and entertaining family and friends.

Get Carried Away’s first location was founded in Pawleys Island, but the Henrys decided to expand services to reach a larger audience. “We felt like Mount Pleasant was a comfortable jump,” Sassy said.

The Henrys want to accommodate Charleston’s vacationers and local folks.

Sassy went on to say, “When people are on vacation and going to the beach, they don’t want to have to cook entertaining-type foods for large groups of people.”

The market offers a variety of items for the typical vacationer to pick up on their way to the beach house or for the everyday locals to sip and shop.

Not only does Get Carried Away offer takeaway meals and a wide selection of beer and wine, but you can also find everyday groceries there such as meat, seafood, fruits, dips, milk, eggs, and so on. And of course, you can’t miss out on their famous chicken salad or pimento cheese!

You can get carried away in their home section, too, if you’re not careful. It features gorgeous glassware, decorative napkins, kitchen towels, candles, and much more! “We’re trying to keep it all food and beverage oriented,” Sassy mentioned about the products featured in the home section. It’s worth checking out if you’re looking to elevate your tablescape.

The fun doesn’t stop there! You and your family can join the Henrys on Saturday, Feb. 3rd from 12:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. for the grand opening of ‘The Perch,’ their outdoor patio and bar. The celebration will include a complimentary Lowcountry boil as well as their homemade crowd-pleaser appetizers.

‘The Perch’ will provide a full lunch and drink menu this spring with specialty cocktails: The Perch Punch, Coleman Cosmo, Old Village Fashioned, and the Moultrie Margarita.

Get Carried Away is located at 644 Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. They’re open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.