IILOCAL NEWSII
“in the know ” A prominent Lowcountry attorney was involved in a shooting, a building was named for a Bluffton health advocate, and the community mourned the loss of a beloved middle school teacher. Here’s what made news during the previous month:
BLUFFTON BREEZE
BLUFFTON RENAMES BUILDING FOR LONGTIME HEALTH ADVOCATE The Town of Bluffton renamed its Watershed Management Building the Jennie Kitty Municipal Building. Kitty worked at the former Bluffton Health Clinic, which is now the Town’s Watershed Management Building. For three decades, Kitty advocated for health initiatives throughout Bluffton’s African American community and the Lowcountry, a news release said. Kitty was born in Port Royal and died this March. She was 90 years old.
LOWCOUNTRY ATTORNEY INVOLVED IN SHOOTING Alex Murdaugh, a well-known Lowcountry attorney who reported that his wife and youngest son were shot and killed in Colleton County in June, was shot Sept. 4 on a road in Hampton County, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Murdaugh was treated for
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PICKLEBALL COURTS
a wound to his head. Murdaugh later resigned from the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA law firm after being accused of misappropriating funds, according to Bluffton Today. His license was suspended by the S.C. Supreme Court. SLED opened an investigation into the allegations that Murdaugh misappropriated funds. On Sept. 14, SLED arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting of Murdaugh. A news release said a Colleton County man, Curtis Smith, was charged with assisted suicide. The affidavit said the suspect was directed by Murdaugh to shoot him. Murdaugh admitted to giving Smith a firearm and told him to kill him so his life insurance policy would be paid out (valued at $10 million) to his other son, according to SLED. Murdaugh was arrested Sept. 16 and charged with insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud, and filing a false police report.
PALMETTO BREEZE TRANSIT LAUNCHES “BLUFFTON BREEZE” TRANSIT SERVICE The Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority, operators of Palmetto Breeze Transit and The Breeze Trolley, has launched a year-round fixed-route transit service with the launch of the new Bluffton Breeze. Bluffton Breeze will operate Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., serving much of the Bluffton and Buckwalter Parkway thoroughfares. The service is free through the end of 2021, with a $1 per-trip fare beginning in January 2022. The Bluffton Breeze features more than 50 published bus stops, including wheelchair lift-equipped buses, airconditioning, and two mobile apps to track buses and pre-pay.
FINALISTS NAMED FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT TEACHER OF THE YEAR The Beaufort County School District named five finalists for the 2021-22 teacher of
