- Greg Hambrick
Staff Writer
Greg Hambrick writes for the Charleston City Paper. He covers the 2008 elections, City Hall, and other Charleston news. He likes musicals and comic books. He's not surprised that people don't vote when you have lazy, half-invested fingers pointing toward the polling place.
Category Archives: News (Sofa Store Fire)
Sofa Store Report Faults Leadership, Training, Building Safety
May 15, 2008 – 2:12 pm
The Sofa Store Report will be officially released this afternoon, but an advance copy obtained by the AP lays out key findings. The report points to some things we already knew, like that training and command procedures were not up to snuff in Charleston.
But the report also claims, in stark terms, that the leadership in […]
Chief Rusty To Retire June 27
May 14, 2008 – 9:40 am
The city announced today that Chief Rusty Thomas is retiring near the end of June.
“I feel as though the best thing I can do right now to help this department that I love so much heal from the tragedy of June 18 is to step aside as chief,” Thomas wrote to Mayor Joe Riley on […]
City Releases Draft of Federal Report on Sofa Super Store
May 8, 2008 – 7:41 pm
City officials released the draft report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health regarding the June 18 Sofa Super Store fire. Recommendations will not be released until the final report is complete, but the draft version provides a summary of the events that led to the death of nine Charleston firefighters in the […]
Mayor to Release Sofa Store Study May 15
May 6, 2008 – 12:33 pm
Mayor Joe Riley announced today that he would, in fact, release the independent fire review team study report on the Sofa Super Store fire next week. Late last week (like, 6:30 Friday), Riley announced he was delaying the report, and has since received harsh criticism.
Commissioned by the city last year, the report is expected to […]
Sofa Store Report: Hold On, I’m Comin’
May 6, 2008 – 8:47 am
It’s going to be lively at the Charleston City Council meeting tonight as firefighters, at least two city councilmen, and a rumored assortment of the families of those lost in the Sofa Super Store fire on June 18 rally for the city to go ahead and release the independent report on what happened that day.
The […]
City Reaches $1.85 Million Deal for Sofa Store Site
April 18, 2008 – 3:28 pm
City Council will be asked next week to approve the $1.85 million purchase of the Sofa Super Store site, where nine Charleston firefighters died last June. Mayor Joe Riley had made his intention to purchase the site soon after the fatal fire. In a letter to City Council members Thursday, he asked them to act […]
Firefighting Blogger Visits Sofa Store Site
March 25, 2008 – 10:52 am
Pete Lamb, a blogger who generally focuses on firefighter training, visited Charleston over the weekend and stopped by the Sofa Super Store site where Charleston lost nine firefighters.
In my visit to the area I was able to meet with some area firefighters. It is hard to describe their collective feeling.
There are some folks who believe […]
U.S. 17 Stretch to be Named for Charleston 9
March 25, 2008 – 10:30 am
The stretch of Savannah Highway from around the Folly Road intersection to Sam Rittenberg will be the Charleston Nine Memorial Highway.
It’s a terrific and necessary symbolic gesture, but I’m pretty sure people won’t rearrange their internal maps and begin calling it the Charleston Nine — mainly because, as the Post and Courier points out, the […]
Municipal Greed Stalls State Sprinkler Bill
March 19, 2008 – 11:40 am
On June 19, less than a day after the Sofa Super Store fire killed nine Charleston firefighters, Chief Rusty Thomas was asked if sprinklers would have helped with the fire. He said yes. But when he asked if sprinklers would have saved the lives of his men — barely able to hold back tears, he […]
House Bills Target Sofa Store Faults
January 15, 2008 – 1:27 pm
A bill introduced last week would require buildings with trussed roofs to be identified on the outside with some sort of plaque saying as much.
One introduced today would make it easier for businesses to afford sprinkler systems. It’s similar to a bill introduced by Sen. Glenn McConnell. Both are push backs to a call for […]
