The ballot for Charleston's mayoral race is set, with six candidates in the mix — five of whom will try to sway voters they are a better choice that two-time incumbent John Tecklenburg.
Only one surprise surfaced as the filing period closed at noon Aug. 21. Julia Marsh, a 24-year-old Presbyterian College alum who largely focused on returning the John C. Calhoun statue to public display, failed to file.
"Miss March has decided it is in the best interest of Charleston if she endorses another candidate; it is to be determined who," an email from her campaign to The Post and Courier read.
Also on the Nov. 7 ballot are races for half the City Council seats, four of which are contested.
Voters will also see ballot items for a $70 million parks bond and a citywide race for public works commissioner.
This will be the first election where council members will be picked in newly re-drawn districts. Those seats, drawn using 2020 census data, reflect the growth happening on the city's outer edges. As a result, the peninsula has gone from having four representatives to three, and Johns Island will have its own resident district for the first time.
Voters can find their council district by searching their address at gis.charleston-sc.gov/interactive/mapnet/ and selecting the “City Council Districts Fall 2023” map layer.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 8. Early voting begins Oct. 23 and ends Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.
In races where no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a run-off between the top two candidates will be held Nov. 21.
William Cogswell
Charleston mayoral candidate William Cogswell. Provided
Real estate developer William Cogswell served as a Republican in the Statehouse representing House District 110 from 2017 to 2022. During that time, the district included the peninsula’s South of Broad neighborhood and parts of Mount Pleasant. Some of his notable real estate projects include the redevelopment of the old Cigar Factory on East Bay Street and his ongoing effort to transform the former Naval Yard in North Charleston into a mixed-use development.
Mika Gadsden
Charleston mayoral candidate Mika Gadsden. Provided/Ruta Smith
Activist Mika Gadsden hosts a regular livestream about local and regional issues on the social media platform Twitch. As a leader of the nonprofit Friends of Gadsden Creek, the group sued the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the WestEdge Foundation Inc. in 2021 over WestEdge’s plans to build a real estate development over a tidal creek and marshland on the Charleston peninsula.
Debra Gammons
Charleston mayoral candidate Debra Gammons. Provided
Debra Gammons has been a visiting law professor at the Charleston School of Law since 2009 and is director of the school's Office for Diversity Initiatives. She was elected the first Black president of the Charleston BAR Association and served in the role from 2020-21. She serves on student advisory boards for both the College of Charleston and the CSOL.
Clay Middleton
Charleston mayoral candidate Clay Middleton. Provided
Public affairs professional and S.C. Army National Guard member Clay Middleton has held numerous government positions from the local to federal level. A Citadel alumnus, Middleton previously served as director of the City of Charleston's Office of Business Services and as a longtime aide to U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
Peter Shahid
Charleston mayoral candidate Peter Shahid. Provided
Charleston City Councilman Peter Shahid has served council’s District 9, the northeast portion of West Ashley, since 2016. Shahid has been involved in several revitalization efforts in West Ashley, including redevelopment plans for the Citadel Mall property and the former Piggly Wiggly site purchased by the city in 2017. He is sole practitioner of the Shahid Law Office.
John Tecklenburg (incumbent)
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. Provided
Former commercial real estate professional Mayor John Tecklenburg has served two consecutive terms as mayor since first being elected in 2016. After bringing in experts from the Netherlands for a year-long planning workshop called The Dutch Dialogues, Tecklenburg hired one of the effort's founders, Dale Morris, to lead the city's first-ever Office of Resiliency. In a new approach to managing flood risk, the office works in conjunction with another new department, the office of Storm Water Management. Tecklenburg also led the city through the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest in the wake of George Floyd's murder.
Boyd Gregg (incumbent)
District 1 Charleston City Councilman Boyd Gregg. Provided/Nathan Morgan Photography
City Councilman Boyd Gregg has served on council for one year after winning a special election to fill the vacated seat of City Councilwoman Marie Delcioppo, who resigned from the seat representing Daniel Island in October 2021 due to health issues. Gregg is a civil engineer and self-described fiscal conservative.
Bill Antonucci
District 3 Charleston City Council candidate Bill Antonucci. Provided
A newcomer to Charleston's political scene, Bill Antonucci is a semi-retired Air Force veteran. He runs a tax preparation business and performs audits for both insurance companies and financial institutions. He spent most of his professional career as a technical instructor for automobile manufacturers. District 3 is a new seat on Johns Island.
Stephanie Hodges
District 3 Charleston City Council candidate Stephanie Hodges. Provided
Johns Island resident Stephanie Hodges is a registered dietician. She owns and runs her own public health and nutrition policy consulting business, The Nourished Principles. She has been involved with efforts to educate Johns Island voters about candidates running to represent the area at various levels of government.
Jim McBride
District 3 Charleston City Council candidate Jim McBride. Provided
Jim McBride spent 25 years as an active duty member of the Marine Corps. He holds a position in business development for a company that develops technology to help connect veterans with health care services.
Karl Brady Jr. (incumbent)
District 5 Charleston City Councilman Karl Brady Jr. Provided
Councilman Karl Brady Jr. is running for a second term serving District 5. With new maps taking effect this election cycle, his district is shifting off of Johns Island to exclusively cover outer West Ashley. Brady was formerly director for development for the South Carolina branch of Teach for America before founding and serving as CEO for DIG Nonprofit Solutions. He is vice chair of City Council's Traffic and Transportation Committee and a member of the West Ashley Revitalization Commission.
Ron Call
Charleston City Council District 5 candidate Ron Call. Provided
Retired chemical engineer Ron Call is making his first run for public office in Charleston. Previously a Rock Hill resident, Call served on the city's trails committee and was part of the effort to build Rock Hill's River Walk. He moved to Charleston seven years ago.
Tarah Swetnam
District 5 Charleston City Council candidate Tarah Swetnam. Provided
Tarah Swetnam is a photographer and owner of remodeling business the carpenter's son. She has lived in Charleston since 2006. She was a stay-at-home mom for 16 years and volunteered at local high schools as well as the pay-what-you-can café, Destiny Community Café.
Owen Vogel
District 7 Charleston City Council candidate Owen Vogel. Provided
Ardmore-Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association President Owen Vogel is making his first run at city office. Vogel is a retail marketing professional and has spent five years working in various positions in the solar industry.
Keith Waring (incumbent)
District 7 Charleston City Councilman Keith Waring. Provided
Councilman Keith Waring has served on City Council since 2011. He is the son of former City Councilman Louis Waring Jr. Keith Waring is a financial planner and also serves on the board of commissioners for the Charleston Water System. He is the chair of City Council's Public Works and Utilities Committee. The seat covers central West Ashley near Citadel Mall.
Francis Marion Beylotte III
District 9 Charleston City Council candidate Francis Marion Beylotte III.
Fifth generation Charlestonian Francis Marion Beylotte III is making his first run for city office after running twice for Charleston County School Board in 2018 and 2020. Beylotte spent 25 years as a researcher at the Medical University of South Carolina before leaving to work in the private sector as a medical research monitor.
Mike Gastin
District 9 Charleston City Council candidate Mike Gastin. Provided
Mike Gastin, owner of a business consulting firm, has spent most of his career in marketing. He has served on several nonprofit boards including the Entrepreneurs Organization, Agape Christian Counseling, the Rochester Credit Bureau and the American Marketing Association. He is a resident of Sandhurst.
This is the seat Shahid is vacating to run for mayor. It is centered around West Ashley near the North Bridge.
William Gilliard
District 9 Charleston City Council candidate Roy Gilliard. Provided
Finance professional William "Roy" Gilliard is making his first run for local office. He is the brother of S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, who previously served on Charleston City Council. Roy Gilliard has worked for the Charleston Housing Authority, E.I. Dupont Co., and is chair of the Charleston Youth Leadership Council.
Kenneth Marolda
District 9 Charleston City Council candidate Kenneth Marolda. Provided
A member of the West Ashley Revitalization Commission since 2020, Kenneth Marolda is seeking public office for the first time. He was president of the Avondale Neighborhood Association in 2020 and 2021. He founded civic engagement nonprofit West Ashley Connects and CHS4Ukraine, a group that organizes aid efforts for Ukrainian families and soldiers.
William Tinkler
District 9 Charleston City Council candidate William Tinkler. Provided
William Tinkler is following in the footsteps of his father Paul Tinkler, a former city councilman who represented parts of West Ashley. William Tinkler is an attorney specializing in catastrophic injury cases, as well as business and property disputes. He grew up in the Sandhurst neighborhood and now lives in Parkshore III.
Ross Appel (incumbent)
District 11 Charleston City Councilman Ross Appel. Provided
City Councilman Ross Appel is an attorney specializing in land use policy. A Windemere native, Appel was first elected to City Council in 2019 and is a member of a number of City Council committees, including the Real Estate Committee and the Community Development Committee. Prior to getting elected to City Council, he served on the city's Board of Zoning Appeals. The area includes Avondale and Windermere.
Jeff Fine
Public Works Commissioner candidate Jim Fine. Provided
Charleston County School Board District 9 Constituent Board member Jeff Fine entered the race for public works commissioner and told the Post and Courier he would resign from his position on the CCSD constituent board if elected. He is an internet sales representative and also referees high school football games in the Charleston area and leads trainings for students interested in sales and marketing.
Thomas Pritchard (incumbent)
Charleston Public Works Commissioner Thomas Pritchard. Provided/Charleston Water System
Attorney Thomas Pritchard has served on the Charleston Water System Board of Commissioners since 1999. The group meets monthly to make decisions regarding contracts, property purchases and water rate adjustments.
Frederick Spa
Charleston Public Works Commissioner Frederick "Blake" Spa. Provided.
Frederick "Blake" Spa works for Johns Island-based landscaping business Good Natured Gardening and is co-owner of travel company Maluna Travel. He completed the Charleston Water System's Citizens Academy in 2022, which prompted his interest in running for Public Works Commissioner.
Galecto has axed the development of its lead pipeline candidate, GB0139, after announcing that the Phase IIb trial for the drug failed to meet the primary endpoint in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The news decimated Galecto’s stock price, with the stock down over 71% at the market close on 15 August, compared to the market close on the previous day.
Galecto put on a brave face with its CEO stating, “As of 31 July, 2023, Galecto had approximately $49m in cash, cash equivalents and investments. Given the impact of the results from the GALACTIC-1 trial on our future plans, we are currently evaluating resource allocation with the goal of extending our cash runway into 2025.”
The placebo-controlled Phase IIb GALACTIC-1 trial (NCT03832946) had a lot of momentum, with the trial having no issues in patient recruitment even during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, all of this was for nought as the trial failed to show a change in the rate of decline of forced vital capacity, a measure of lung function, from baseline at 52 weeks.
Reported treatment-related serious adverse events, including worsening of disease, were seen in 7.8% and 1.4% of the patients in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively. The detailed results of the trial are planned for presentation at a future medical conference.
Following a Type C meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a placebo-controlled Phase IIa trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of GB1211, an oral galectin-3 inhibitor for the treatment of patients with decompensated non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis, is planned to begin in early 2024. Though, the trial initiation is contingent on Galecto obtaining additional funding for the trial.
GB1211 is also being evaluated as a combination therapy with Roche’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in an open-label Phase II trial (NCT05240131).
The topline results from the open-label Phase IIa trial for GB2064 (NCT04679870) in myelofibrosis (a rare blood cancer) are expected in late 2023.
Osivax, a biopharmaceutical company developing vaccines to provide broad-spectrum protection against highly mutating infectious viruses, today announced that The Lancet Infectious Diseases published results from the company's OVX836-003 study under the title, "Immunogenicity, safety and preliminary efficacy evaluation of OVX836, a nucleoprotein-based universal influenza A vaccine candidate: randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled, Phase 2a trial." The research article presents results of the study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of OVX836, a broad-spectrum influenza vaccine, at three dose levels in healthy adults (NCT05060887). An efficacy assessment of OVX836 was also planned as an exploratory endpoint. The publication can be accessed at the following link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(23)00351-1/fulltext.
Applying Osivax' proprietary oligoDOM® technology platform, OVX836 is designed to target the nucleoprotein (NP), a highly conserved internal antigen. Unlike surface antigens, the NP is much less likely to mutate, alleviating the need for annual vaccination updates. OligoDOM® enables the transformation of the NP into a highly immunogenic antigen to trigger powerful T-cell immune responses.
In the OVX836-003 study, a total of 137 healthy subjects aged 18-55 years received one intramuscular injection of the study vaccine or placebo as follows: 33 received OVX836 180 μg, 35 received OVX836 300 μg, 36 received OVX836 480 μg and 33 received a placebo. The OVX836 vaccine was safe and immunogenic at all dose levels. OVX836 elicited significant humoral and cellular NP-specific immune responses, including CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. Most of the immunological markers (anti-NP IgG, NP-specific IFNγ SFCs, NP-specific CD4+ T-cells) showed a dose-dependent response from 180 µg to 480 µg. Induction of a measurable CD8+ response against a non-adjuvanted recombinant protein vaccine is challenging in humans and rarely reported, thus warranting the further evaluation of OVX836 in larger Phase 2b/3 clinical trials. Importantly, OVX836 provided an 84% level of protection against PCR-confirmed symptomatic influenza compared to placebo.
A separate cohort of 100 older adults (65 years old and older) was vaccinated (same doses and randomization ratio as younger subjects) and will be reported separately, with full results expected by Q4 2023.
"The favorable safety profile, and strong dose-dependent immune responses observed in this study underscore the potential of OVX836 as a promising influenza vaccine," commented Isabel Leroux-Roels, PhD, Principal Investigator at the Center for Vaccinology (CEVAC). "Notably, the observed signal of protection appears to be in line with the universal influenza vaccine target product profile set by the US National Institutes of Health, which is highly encouraging and certainly warrants closer evaluation in additional clinical trials."
"The publication of our Phase 2a data in the highly estimated Lancet ID journal is a significant appreciation and recognition of the robust nature of our study results," added Alexandre Le Vert, CEO and Co-Founder of Osivax. "We are strongly encouraged by these findings, particularly given that very few vaccine candidates pursuing a T-cell mechanism of action targeting the NP have elicited vaccine efficacy at this point in time. As such, we look forward to advancing OVX836 toward the next stages of clinical development as a truly universal influenza vaccine."
Source:
Journal reference:
Leroux-Roels, I., et al. (2023) Immunogenicity, safety, and preliminary efficacy evaluation of OVX836, a nucleoprotein-based universal influenza A vaccine candidate: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2a trial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00351-1.
Tamil Nadu Medical Services Recruitment Board (TN MRB) has deferred the online application deadline for recruitment to the post of ECG Technician in Tamil Nadu Medical Subordinate Service. Eligible candidates can apply for the vacancies on the official website mrb.tn.gov.in till August 28, 2023.
Earlier, the application deadline was August 21, 2023. The recruitment drive aims to fill a total of 95 ECG Technician posts.
Here’s the postponement notification.
Age Limit: 18 years to 32 years as on July 1, 2023. Upper age relaxed for reserved category candidates.
Educational Qualification: Must have passed PUC under old regulations or a pass in Plus 2 course with eligibility for University course of study. Must have passed a one-year certificate course in Electro Cardiogram or Treadmill Technician conducted by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Here’s the official notification.
The applicants from SC/ SCA/ ST/ DAP(PH)/ DW category are required to pay a fee of Rs 300, whereas Rs 600 is applicable to other category candidates.
Direct link to apply for ECG Technician post 2023.
For more details, candidates are advised to visit the official website here.
Kottayam: The Kerala Government has given approval for new paramedical courses at the Government Medical College, Kottayam.
The new courses include Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), BSc in Radiotherapy and Radiodiagnosis, BSc in Medical Imaging Technology (MIT), and Diploma in Endoscopy (DET).
The courses are yet to receive affiliation from Kerala University of Health Sciences. For the first time, a physiotherapy programme at a medical college has received state clearance.
Physiotherapists are in huge demand in various departments, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, palliative care and gynecology in both government and private hospitals.
Internships are offered for students opting for these courses. Admissions will be based on the Kerala Rank List for nursing and paramedical courses drawn up by the LBS Centre For Science & Technology.
Candidates who have scored above 50% in Class 12 (Science stream) can apply.
