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I'm a lifelong Jersey girl choosing to retire in South Carolina. It's where my adult daughter is planning to live — and it's cheaper.

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I'm a lifelong Jersey girl choosing to retire in South Carolina. It's where my adult daughter is planning to live — and it's cheaper.


This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kathie Zucker, 57, and her decision to move to Charleston, South Carolina, from the New York City suburb of Butler, New Jersey. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

I started to seriously look to move to Charleston in the fall of 2023.

Before that, my husband and I would talk about it and drive to different areas. Then we figured out areas we liked.

It’s a hard decision to make. You just say to yourself, “My husband and I are entering the second phase and moving toward retirement eventually. I’m an insurance agency manager. I’m too young to retire right now, but is New Jersey where I want to eventually be?”

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And the answer was no.

On top of that was the cost of living in New Jersey. The property tax situation when you retire is still significant. I mean, you’re talking $9,000 a year — just increase after increase.

I’ve been to Charleston extensively to stay with my daughter. She transferred there from another school in Virginia. But it wasn’t really on my radar as a place to retire — more so Florida, or somewhere like that.

But the more I went to visit her and the more I saw of what it offered, the more I could visualize my husband and I retiring there.

We did consider Florida, but we ruled it out. For maybe a quick minute we considered North Carolina and ruled that out. But we definitely wanted something on the seaboard here in the east.

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I wanted to be closer to my daughter — and the beach

My family had vacationed in Isle of Palms, which is near Charleston, for many years. But until my daughter went to school there, I never really went down and experienced it. It’s funny that’s where I ended up.

I wouldn’t say my daughter living there was the sole consideration for moving. Out of 10, I would probably have to say it’s a seven. Wanting to be near your adult children was important for me and my husband because she’s our only child. But then I think if she was in a place we definitely didn’t want to be, we wouldn’t move.

If she was in Virginia, where she originally started school, we probably would have looked in that area. But if she was in Ohio, there’s not a chance I’d go to Ohio.

She loves it down there, so it’s a great place for her to call home.

I wouldn’t say it felt like a place immediately that I could live. Being from New Jersey and living outside New York City my whole life, it’s very diverse and there are a lot of different things to do.

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While obviously not as big as New York, there are also things to do in Charleston. You can hike, there are cultural events in the city and also outside the city, there’s an area called Summerville that also has those things. I could very much picture myself in there because of the variety of things the area has to offer.

Also the weather — no snow, none of that to deal with. The weather and being outdoors all year round. When I was younger I used to be a winter person where I liked to ski and all that. But now I like being able to enjoy life and be outside and in a mild climate with lots of activities.

Our house in South Carolina isn’t cheaper, but we got more bang for our buck

I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I was in that house for 27 years.

Opendoor purchased the home from me free and clear for somewhere around $493,000. The company then put the home on the market a couple of weeks ago and it was sold within a week to another buyer. (Editor’s note: The Zillow listing says the home sale is pending for $540,000.)

We bought the house for $143,000 in 1997. It was about 1,300 square feet, ranch style, with three bedrooms and two baths.

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Our house in South Carolina is in a suburb called Moncks Corner, about 30 miles from Charleston proper. The feel of the town is a lot like Butler, except with beautiful weather and palm trees. There’s a huge, huge lake two miles from where the house is being built. I can get to the beach easily — the beaches are free — and I can get to the city easily.

Obviously it’s not New York City, but it’s still a city and just a more laid-back life. You have great food, and some entertainment.

In general, the cost of living is less there and there are far lower taxes on property and payroll.

But it’s not as much in savings as you would think. That area is really booming. It’s growing and there’s building like crazy.

The house that we bought in Charleston was $433,000, but the square footage is more than we had in New Jersey. It’s a brand-new build in a brand-new development, which goes towards the quality of life. We could not have afforded that build in New Jersey.

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Altogether, there are three bedrooms and two full baths on the first floor, and then a lofted area makes it four bedrooms. So if we have guests, or my daughter comes home to live with us, it’s almost like an additional self-contained space away from the main parts of the house.

It’s really nice to have that area of the house that we didn’t have in New Jersey, and the yard is actually a little bit bigger than we had in New Jersey.

Would we have moved here if our daughter was here? Probably not, because I hadn’t been to the area. She’s a senior now and an athlete, so I go down to Charleston at least four or five times a year to see her events and stay with her or in a hotel.

But I’m not so sure if, had I not had those experiences and been down there, that Charleston would necessarily have been on my list.



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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’

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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’


New disclosures of a foul-mouthed tirade by Rep. Nancy Mace in the Charleston airport have roiled the South Carolina governor’s race and ignited angry accusations between the lawmaker and one of her competitors in the Republican primary.

Her rival, state AG Alan Wilson, called Mace a “spoiled brat” who treats cops like “servants,” at a time when the two of them are furiously competing for support from voters – and President Trump.

Mace back in August called herself “Trump in high heels” and acknowledged “I would really like his support for governor.” So far, Trump hasn’t given it – to anybody.

An investigative report by the Charleston Airport Authority quotes police officers and TSA agents who say Rep. Nancy Mace used foul language while trying to get expedited security processing FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

Mace this week slammed an internal Charleston Airport Authority investigation that probed her profanity-laced “spectacle” Oct. 30, when Mace chewed out police officers and TSA agents over expedited security for her outbound flight, after a planned VIP escort fell through.

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New details are still coming to light – including an earlier incident in April where Mace allegedly blew up at agents who wouldn’t let her bring a family member through expedited security, according to the investigation report. 

“This is the only airport that gives me s–t,” she complained, according to one of the numerous law enforcement officers interviewed as part of the probe.

The investigative report was obtained by The Post through a public documents request.

One interviewed TSA agent quotes Mace as telling a cop following the botched Oct. 30 escort for her arrival at an airport gate, “I’m sick of your s–t, I’m tired of having to wait.”

Another officer, an explosives tech, described Mace as being “very nasty, very rude.” She said she could hear Mace calling police officers “f–king idiots” and “f–king incompetent” and stating that she was a “f–king representative.”

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“This is the only airport that gives me s–t”, Mace said, according to testimony in the report AP

Yet the airport was “not busy at all” at the time of the incident, the officer said.

A TSA agent said during the interaction Mace “literally was on that phone talking and texting her life away” as well as “saying rude things,” according to the investigative report.

One TSA officer who had been at the airport 23 years told investigators “every VIP or whomever, dignitary, that we’ve been across and had to deal with, we never, never had this problem.”

Mace hired an attorney and threatened weeks ago to sue the airport over the October incident, but has yet to do so.

One officer noted that the airport was not crowded the morning of Oct. 30 when Mace had her meltdown FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

The report revealed the April confrontation when agents wouldn’t let Mace bring a family member through expedited security. TSA later let her take family members with her when she got screened.

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“I thought that the way she acted showed a sense of entitlement – [that] she is entitled to special protection, she is entitled to special treatment. When she doesn’t get special treatment, she throws a tantrum. To me that harkens back to a child not getting their way,” Wilson told The Post in an interview.

“These are public servants, not personal servants,” he said of law enforcement at the airport.

State AG Alan Wilson said Mace was behaving like a “spoiled brat,” and is challenging Mace in a fierce race for governor of South Carolina. AP

Mace told CNN in an interview this week the report had been “falsified,” without providing evidence. In response to Wilson’s “brat” comment, she wrote: “Imagine being ‘Attorney General’ and flying 500 miles for the sole purpose of dismissing death threats against a single mom.”

She told The Post she has received numerous credible death threats, and said on Friday a judge denied bond to a man accused of making online threats against her. She said during the April incident TSA had violated its own policy allowing federal officials to bring a guest and separated her from her child.

Mace has been taking her case to the airwaves in a week where she trashed the House Republican leadership in a Washington Post op-ed.

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A consultant to Mace’s campaign, Austin McCubbin, resigned Dec. 1, accusing her of turning her back on MAGA and trying to “hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul [and Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”



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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews

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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews


“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”


by NATHAN BALLENTINE

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For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.

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That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.

When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.

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The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.

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“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”

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A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.

Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.

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Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.

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RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT

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As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.

Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.

A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine (Provided)

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts


Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.

Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

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