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President's Day's arrival in February means madness is approaching... March Madness.

March always begins with conference tournaments where automatic qualifying bids to the men's tournament are on the line. March Madness correspondent Andy Katz has predicted each conference tournament champion — before conference brackets are revealed.

Here's how Katz projects the automatic qualifiers, through the games played as of Sunday, Feb. 19.

MORE: These 22 ingredients make up the DI men's basketball selection committee's top-16 rankings

Here are all of Katz's champions in table format:

2022-23 MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON

Yummy!

James Island was once an area full of nationwide chains and fast food joints with a few hidden gems known only to longtime locals.

Not any more. Now there are more options than ever for residents and visitors featuring new food and beverage spots outside of the peninsula from new concepts like rotisserie chicken joint El Pollo Guapo, Point Break Coffee & Drive-Thru, and Wisconsin Meat & Cheese on Folly Road to the expansion of existing local businesses such as Millers All Day and Huriyali. Mount Pleasant’s highly touted Pakistani restaurant Malika Canteen is also joining the James Island crowd March 8 at Charleston Pour House.

“It snowballs,” said Brian Piesner, owner of Coastal Crust and Coastal Snack Bar. “If somebody’s doing well, bringing in nice clientele and is supported, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, we can open down the road and probably do well there.’ ”

While gourmet pizza restaurant Coastal Crust expanded to James Island from Mount Pleasant three years ago, Piesner and company opened a brand new concept, Coastal Snack Bar, in mid-January less than two miles down the street on Harbor View Road.

“Now that we opened the Snack Bar,” he said, “I feel like the shift of excitement is going to be like, ‘Man, what’s going on over there?’ Now all of a sudden, this little pocket of town has some options.”

Coastal Snack Bar brings the same quality of food as Coastal Crust, but with a Caribbean island twist. It offers dishes like a blackened fish sandwich with citrus slaw and mahi mahi or a pecan gorgonzola salad for a healthy balance of sweet, spice, bitter and acid.

Like Coastal Crust, other existing establishments have joined the island. Millers All Day opened a second location in the Terrace Plaza on Maybank Highway in September, following the opening of My Father’s Moustache on the same street in August. West Ashley coffee spot Highfalutin set up shop just a few doors down from Coastal Crust while downtown coffee spot Huriyali opened its second location on Wappoo Drive.

Nate Thurston, co-owner of the popular downtown brunch spot Millers All Day said he realized that while the original location is a hot destination, especially for tourists, there was a need for a place on James Island that is focused on residents. If you’ve driven down King Street toward Broad Street, chances are you’ve seen the line outside of Millers All Day.

“It’s a little bit of a blessing and a curse,” Thurston said. “It’s a great scenario for the business, but it does make it inaccessible to some degree. So for that reason, we wanted to start getting some neighborhood exposure and specifically cater to the locals, which was our goal from the beginning.”

But translating the busy brunch spot to a quieter location can present different scenarios.

“The demographic could not be more different,” he said. “We’ve enjoyed learning to cater to a local community versus downtown which is, you know, alive. It’s very different. But we’re enjoying the diversity of each.”

The James Island Millers deviates from its downtown location by serving its menu from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and incorporating daily dinner specials such as the farmhouse frittata, which is made with rainbow cauliflower, asparagus and sweet peppers and topped with roasted carrots. So, if you missed out on grabbing a Millers Plate — two eggs, Jimmy Red Corn Grits or home fries, biscuit, bacon and pickled vegetables — at the downtown location, head across the bridge to Maybank Highway and enjoy breakfast for dinner.

James Island residents may see these familiar places nearer to home, but there’s plenty of new places to eat, too. El Pollo Guapo serves up gourmet rotisserie chickens on Folly Road. Wisconsin Meat & Cheese brings a new selection of options for a charcuterie board. And Odyssey Bottle Shop offers wine, international craft beers and a place to hang out in a little shopping center on Harbor View Road.

El Pollo Guapo had big shoes to fill when it moved in December into the building formerly occupied by Black Magic Cafe on Folly Road, a James Island staple for 13 years.

“When we first announced that we were coming in, it was a little bit of a mixed bag,” said Roy Reidl, co-owner of El Pollo Guapo. Some were devastated at the news of Black Magic’s closing, while others were excited for something new to the area, he added.

Reidl and his wife Heather are Connecticut natives with three El Pollo Guapo locations in their home state. During the pandemic, however, Reidl realized Connecticut wasn’t the right market, as El Pollo Guapo always had a beach/surfer vibe, he said. He and his family welcomed the beach town and wanted to promote the laid-back lifestyle with a Charleston location. The locations in Connecticut are still open.

“We feel very excited to be a part of the community here and want to give back,” Reidl said. “That’s something that’s really important to us.”

Despite its name, El Pollo Guapo isn’t a Mexican restaurant. It specializes in rotisserie chicken with Latin-inspired seasoning and sides, but you can find a couple tacos options on the menu, too.

Reidl and his family aren’t the only transplants to open up shop on the Island, either. Owners Taylor Ambrosius and her boyfriend Casey Diedrich opened Wisconsin Meat & Cheese in November, bringing a slice of their cheesy home state to the Lowcountry. Ambrosius, a Wisconsin native and Charleston attorney, and Diedrich import childhood favorite brands from Wisconsin to offer to James Island residents.

There’s many people from Wisconsin who live here, or have family in Wisconsin who have been very receptive about the shop, she said. “We’ve also had a lot of people that are from here, or from other places, that have given us a lot of really good feedback.”

The meat and cheese shop brings Wisconsin-original meats, locally made cheese and snack items like Potter’s Crackers, a whole grain, organic line of crackers, crisps and oyster crackers that are produced with locally sourced whole-wheat flour and local milk and butter. Customers as far away as Sumter have visited the area to pick up a piece of their Wisconsin home, according to Ambrosius.

Not too far away on Harbor View Road, Russell and Katherine Dodson said they opened Odyssey Bottle Shop in June to fill a need in the community. The shop specializes in craft beers, both local and international, and wines. It brings in local talent with frequent food truck pop-ups.

“For people on James Island, there just weren’t a lot of options [especially for craft beer],” said Russell Dodson. “Every time we’d ask anybody where they go, it was either a gas station or a grocery store, which you know, the selection isn’t that vast considering what’s out there and available.”

Odyssey Bottle Shop does more than just sell bottles and beer, though. Each week is a new line of international craft beers on tap, along with wine available by the glass and bottle, food trucks parked outside, pop-up smokers in the large back patio and even some arcade games.

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A Lowcountry town is reminding people to keep an eye out for the Asian longhorned beetle. It’s a small bug with potentially big consequences.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry town is reminding people to keep an eye out for the Asian longhorned beetle. It’s a small bug with potentially big consequences.

The invasive species threatens a lot of different trees by chewing away bark and eventually killing the tree. South Carolina is one of four states that is fighting advances by the bug, according to the USDA.

The Town of James Island shared an infographic about the bug, reminding residents to report sightings of the bug because there are special measures that need to be taken if they’re spotted.

A local pest control expert with a focus on the environment, Kevin Reif says he saw one just last week.

“We don’t necessarily get too many calls about it. This is more of a rare thing that we do see, but it is something that we do want homeowners to be aware of. The biggest thing is just identification of knowing what it is whenever you do see it,” Reif explains.

They are recognized for their one-to-two-inch black bodies with long black and white striped antenna. They have six legs and white spots. They often leave pencil sized and perfectly round holes in a tree, along with chewed circles of bark.

If you see one, you’re asked to report it to U.S. Department of Agriculture hotline who track the bug’s movements and population. You should also call a pest control expert who is familiar with the quarantine rules for the bug.

“If a homeowner does find one, put it in a jar if you’re if you’re willing to you can even freeze it just to kind of contain it. The biggest thing is going to be just knowing exactly what it is and then just giving somebody a call,” Reif says.

Reif also says there’s no need to be afraid of them, since they aren’t harmful to people or pets, but do pose the threat to the trees if they go unchecked.

The Town of James Island posted the reminder to be on the looking for bugs on the town Facebook page. The town provided the following statement about their recent post:

“Portions of Charleston County have been under quarantine for a few years, so we need to be sure we remind folks to keep an eye out and report any potential sightings to the USDA. While James Island is not included within the quarantine boundaries, we still need to be diligent in this effort to limit the impact on the natural landscape that makes our area so unique and beautiful.”

Reif says it’s important to report the bug, and ideally trap it to be a part of the documentation and control.

“Our trees are really close together here and sometimes you have limbs touching. And the worst thing that we could see happen is for that beetle to expand. And so if we can mitigate that and kind of quarantine the issue quicker, you’re going to be a big help with that,” Reif explains.

He says the rare calls mean the Asian longhorned beetle isn’t a rampant problem in South Carolina or the Lowcountry, but he has seen them and wants people to know what to do if they do. He says action early will prevent any damages to the environment.

“The biggest threat, it would cause us is really just our trees, our environment here. The birds - they have to live somewhere and a lot of other species use these beautiful trees and oaks to have their habitat in. And so that beetle is causing a much bigger issue on environmental and more of an ecosystem standpoint,” Reif says.

Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers (7-19) vs. UNC Asheville Bulldogs (22-7)

The Line: UNC Asheville Bulldogs -9.5 / Charleston Southern Buccaneers +9.5 ; Over/Under: - (Get latest betting odds)

The Charleston Southern Buccaneers and the UNC Asheville Bulldogs meet Wednesday in college basketball action from Kimmel Arena. Charleston Southern is currently 8-19 overall. The Buccaneers lost to Winthrop in their last game. As for UNC Asheville, they’re 22-7 on the season after a Saturday win versus Gardner-Webb. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have had a pretty rough season so far, and they went just 7-13 over their first 20 outings. Charleston Southern is just 1-6 since then with losses to Gardner-Webb, High Point, USC Upstate, Radford, Campbell and Winthrop in the last six.

In the Saturday matchup versus Winthrop, Charleston Southern took a 40-35 deficit into the break. The Buccaneers were outscored 35-32 from there and lost 75-67. Tyeree Bryan was tops on the team with 23 points and five rebounds.

UNC Asheville Bulldogs

Over on the Bulldogs’ side, they hit a 16-6 run through their first 22 games this year. UNC Asheville is a nice 6-1 since then with wins over Campbell, High Point, Winthrop, Presbyterian, Radford and Gardner-Webb. The lone loss came to USC Upstate.

On Saturday against Gardner-Webb, the Bulldogs held a slim 29-28 edge in the locker room. UNC Asheville closed the game on a 46-35 run and won it 75-63. Drew Pember led the team on a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

ANDREW’S FREE PICK

I’ll lean toward UNC Asheville here. The Bulldogs are on a great run these days; they’ve lost just one game during this calendar year. The scoring has been pretty solid as well, with 70 or more points in nine of their last 11 games. These teams last saw each other back on January 18 in a 73-63 Bulldogs win at CSU Field House. With the Buccaneers struggling lately (and most of the season), I don’t see Charleston Southern getting close in the road rematch.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Mayor Keith Summey is considering possibly removing North Charleston from the Charleston County School District (CCSD).

According to the mayor's office, Summey requested city legal counsel to review the idea of pulling out of the CCSD and having North Charleston take over the schools.

Summey, who left the morning of Feb. 22 for vacation, was not available for comment. He is expected to return on Feb. 27, according to his office.

The mayor's office said the proposal was due to concerns towards the CCSD's treatment of North Charleston students and schools, which had been discussed in 2022.

The CCSD issued the following statement in response to Summey's proposal:

"Mayor Keith Summey’s proposal to withdraw North Charleston schools from the Charleston County School District (CCSD) and instead house them in a department within the City of North Charleston would fail students. Such would duplicate administrative costs and result in less funding per pupil for both academic support and capital improvement."

"Mayor Summey's assertion that the city contributes more than what it receives from CCSD is untrue. In fact, North Charleston has historically received well above the CCSD average funding for construction and facilities maintenance."

"North Charleston’s schools currently account for 30.32% of the district’s total student population yet receive approximately 35.6% of funds allocated for schools. In addition, the average budgeted per-pupil allocation in FY2023 for North Charleston schools was $16,645.18 compared to that for all other CCSD schools at $14,171.06; isolating North Charleston’s schools served through Acceleration Schools boasts a $19,532.61 per-pupil allocation."

"Claims that academic efforts in North Charleston schools have not been successful are also misleading. Most recently, for example, three North Charleston schools were removed from the state improvement designation list while others made significant gains."

"Rather than benefiting students, withdrawing schools from CCSD would exacerbate educational disparities between geographic areas that CCSD has worked to address. Likewise, the assertion that creating a smaller district would ensure children in North Charleston have greater opportunities is simply misguided. Smaller schools and smaller districts have historically been less-able to offer such access and opportunity."

"The District calls on Mayor Summey to address his concerns directly with CCSD leadership so that adults can avoid negative outcomes for students, parents, and educators. The mayor has not reached out to the district directly since February 2022, after which he and Superintendent (Donald) Kennedy met with other district and city officials."

Summey voiced concerns towards the CCSD's treatment of North Charleston's students and schools last February. He said North Charleston was "short-changed" in a letter to the district, which he read aloud in a Facebook video.

At the time, state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis announced consideration of creating a new district for North Charleston's schools. Summey said a new school district is a last resort, but possible.

Summey met with district officials later in February 2022.

"CCSD Board members, staff, and I had a productive meeting and have opened dialogue to improve public education and school facilities in North Charleston," the mayor said.

After the meeting, the CCSD sent a follow-up letter to Summey in April 2022.