🌱 Charleston Priest Charged With Sexual Abuse + Rare Dress At Museum

Good morning, neighbors! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Charleston Daily. Here's what you need to know about what's happening in the community today.

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But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny and beautiful. High: 67 Low: 40.

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Here are the top three stories today in Charleston:

1. A former visiting priest to Charleston has been charged with the sexual abuse of a minor. Father Jamie Gonzalez-Farias, a former visiting priest with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston, is due for arraignment this afternoon at federal court in Columbia. Gonzalez-Farias was transferred to the district of South Carolina in 2015. According to court documents, the alleged crimes happened in the fall of 2020. (ABC News4)
2. North Charleston Fire Department investigators are still working to determine the cause of a fire Saturday night. The fire happened at the Fairwind-Oakfield Apartments this past weekend, around 8:50 p.m. on Saturday. As of Sunday, authorities are still trying to determine how many people were displaced because of the fire; no firefighter injuries were reported. (Live5 News)
3. A rare 270-year-old dress is coming to the Charleston Museum in May. The pink silk gown will be a crown jewel of the museum's expansive, 10,000-piece textile collection — and a relic intimately connected to the city's past and present. The robe à la française dress was worn in the mid-1700s in England by Eliza Lucas Pinckney, a member of Charleston's wealthy planter class. The dress recently underwent extensive conservation in 2016. (The Post And Courier)

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Today in Charleston:

• Family Kayaking At Mingo Point (10:00 AM)
• Downtown Charleston Walking Food Tour At French Quarter and French Market (2:00 PM)
• Charleston Soul Project - The Charleston Pour House (6:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• There's still time to register for the Black Ink Book Festival! The free festival will feature New York Times best-selling author Namina Forna as the keynote speaker. Register online at blackinkcharleston.org. (Charleston County Public Library via Facebook)
• Charleston County Public Library's Toddler Storytime promotes movement and well-being for little ones. Check out the full schedule of Toddler Storytime events online. (Charleston County Public Library via Facebook)
• The Charleston City Council has been working on legislation in an effort to make King Street safer. Councilmembers have spent the last few months of 2022 drafting new policies aimed at preventing alcohol-fueled violence in the city's bar district. (Charleston Scene via Facebook)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you around.

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.