A former editor at The Post and Courier has helped launch a new online-only publication. Ann Thrash, a features editor the daily newspaper before taking a buy-out in September, launched Charleston Currents on Nov. 3 with publisher Andy Brack, a former press secretary for U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings. Charleston Currents is an “e-newsletter,” Thrash says, focused on “positive news and community commentary.” It’s modeled after Gwinnett Forum, a publication run by Brack’s father in the Atlanta area. It also focuses on good news and “idea exchange.” The editorial goal of Charleston Currents is an easy-to-read design featuring to-the-point stories and brief columns offered twice a week. The business model is similar to public radio in that underwriters pay the cost of doing business in exchange for logo placement and editorial coverage. Brack, who also ran and lost against U.S. Congressman Henry Brown in 2000, says there is no conflict of interest: “If someone writers a letter critical of an underwriter, we will run that letter.” The point of Charleston Currents, Brack says, is to encourage points of view and spark debate within the community. —John Stoehr