NEWS: New construction south of Broad to get more costly. PAGE A3
AUGUST 13–19, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Is it a no-win situation? Parents face challenges, difficult decisions as Beaufort County Schools move to virtual education
LAURA KAPONER
My life after COVID-19
I
have Covid. I’m sharing my story in the hopes that those within my community will take pause and think about the choices they are making. If I’m being completely honest, I thought it wouldn’t happen to me. I barely leave my home. I interact with very few people. When I’m in public I always wear my mask and maintain social distancing. Unfortunately I live in a community where up until recently, precautions weren’t being enforced and many people were taking advantage of the lax atmosphere. One day I felt perfectly fine and the next day I didn’t. I experienced feeling feverish without an actual fever, painful body aches, fatigue, and I had trouble breathing. At first I brushed it off as another one of my sinus infections. Two emergency room visits later I was diagnosed with COVID-19. People keep asking me if I know how I got Covid. I don’t. To me, at this point it doesn’t really matter. I’m sick and I need to do whatever is within my power to get
SEE LIFE PAGE A7 THE NUMBERS From S.C. DHEC Totals As of Monday, Aug. 10 S.C. confirmed cases: 100,431 S.C. probable cases: 728 S.C. confirmed deaths: 1,966 S.C. probable deaths: 83 Beaufort County cases: 4,121 Beaufort County deaths: 54 Last week’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1074.4 Previous week’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,418.1 Two weeks ago’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,449.6 Three weeks ago’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,860.2 Four weeks ago’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,663.1 Five weeks ago’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,604.1 Six weeks ago’s 7-day avg. new cases, state: 1,263.6 Last week’s 7-day average new cases, county: 65.4 Previous week’s 7-day average new cases, county: 83.3 Two weeks ago’s 7-day average new cases, county: 83.9 Three weeks ago’s 7-day average new cases, county: 72.4 Four weeks ago’s 7-day average new cases, county: 72.6 Five weeks ago’s 7-day average new cases, county: 52.4 Six weeks ago’s 7-day average new cases, county: 38.9
By Mindy Lucas Amanda Hollingsworth is concerned her daughter, who has autism, will fall further behind with her therapy now that the Beaufort County School District has made the decision to go to an all-virtual model for education. A rising 5th grader now at Mossy Oaks Elementary, her daughter was getting regular, in-person therapy, including both occupational and speech therapy, at Beaufort Elementary. But when South Carolina schools shut down in March from the pandemic, the therapy her daughter was getting shut down along with them. Now this recent announcement made by the school district to temporarily adopt a full-virtual educational model, has Hollingsworth concerned all over again. “All those services? We don’t get anymore, because they aren’t allowed to be in contact with anyone,” she said. The school board’s announcement to start the school year with online-only classes prompted many parents to take to social media – either to voice their support or air their grievances with the school district’s decision. Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said the decision was prompted by the state’s recent health metrics which indicated conditions in the district were getting worse, not better. “Having reviewed DHEC metrics for the past six weeks, we see COVID-19 conditions simply are not improving in our community,” Rodriguez said. “In fact, they have been getting worse.” In South Carolina, DHEC designates transmission risk as “high” in counties where percent positive rates are 10 percent or higher. DHEC metrics released on Monday, Aug. 3, just before the announcement was made, showed that Beaufort County’s percent positive rate was 20.8 percent for the second consecutive week.
Pallbearers with the City of Beaufort Police Department take the body of Chief Matthew Clancy to a waiting hearse following Clancy's public funeral Friday, Aug. 7, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Chief Clancy died Wednesday, July 29, of complications from his fight with cancer. Photos by Bob Sofaly.
Beaufort pays its respects
A community remembers Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy: Beloved husband, father, friend and colleague
By Mindy Lucas Tyler Clancy thought it fitting that his father was named Matthew. “It’s ironic that the Prophet Matthew would proclaim, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they should be called the children of God,’” he told the crowd gathered for his father’s funeral service, held Friday, Aug. 7, at Beaufort’s Waterfront Park. “I don’t think that was a coincidence,” he said, adding that his father, Beaufort Police Chief Matthew “Matt” Clancy, dedicated his life to public service. Several hundred people – including members of the Beaufort Police Department, local officials, members of the military and first responders from around the area – turned out for the public service. Clancy, who spent 27 years in law enforcement, died on July 29 after a long fight with neuroendocrine cancer. He was 56. The program included a number of speakers with countless stories of a man who was respected by all and who embodied the idea of grace under pressure. “Spine, grit, tenacity – all joined together with kindness and love,” said State Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort. Erickson arranged for flags atop the State House in Columbia to be flown at half staff on Friday in honor of Clancy. Born in Kingston, N.Y. and raised on Long Island, Clancy graduated from The Citadel in 1986 with a de-
Capt. Jordan Tripp, right, presents Lisa Clancy with the flag which draped her husband Chief Matthew Clancy’s casket Friday at the Beaufort National Cemetery. Sitting with Lisa Clancy are family members Tyler Clancy, son; Phyllis Sippel, mother; and son Connor Clancy. gree in Political Science. After graduating, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps and went on to obtain the rank of captain. He left the Corps in 1993 to begin his career in law enforcement with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office where he served as deputy sheriff, corporal and sergeant. He joined the Beaufort Police Department in 1997, serving first as a patrol officer, then as a criminal investigator, an investigative lieutenant and deputy chief. He was promoted to chief in 2009. Among the many leadership pro-
grams Clancy participated in over the years was the esteemed South Carolina Diversity Leadership Initiative at the Riley Institute at Furman University. In addition, he was a member of the 220th Session of the FBI National Academy. Respected by his department and city hall colleagues for his commitment to community policing and neighborhood outreach, Clancy was also remembered by his fellow officers for his ability not only to lead but to serve alongside those who reported to him.
SEE VIRTUAL PAGE A9
SEE RESPECTS PAGE A5
Beaufort resident a winner on Wheel of Fortune
Beaufort’s Ellen Turso appeared on Thursday night’s episode of Wheel of Fortune, winning several puzzles and taking home an all-cash total of $27,700. Photo by Carol Kaelson.
By Mike McCombs For Beaufort resident Ellen Turso, being a fan of Wheel of Fortune comes naturally. “My grandmother was a big game show person,” Turso said Thursday morning. “She watched every game show all day long when I was growing up, so I’ve always liked them.” Now Turso can say she’s not just a Wheel of Fortune fan, she’s a Wheel of Fortune winner. Turso appeared on Thursday night’s episode, solving several puzzles and taking home an all-cash
prize total of $27,700. “Your mind is spinning,” Turso, 56, said of her game show experience. “I’m a very good player on my sofa, but they say it’s different when you get there, and it really is.” Turso and her husband, Patrick, attended tryouts in Savannah last year. Once she advanced, he traveled with her in February to Los Angeles, where her shoot was an all-day event. And things were still “normal” then. “It was February,” she said. “Coronavirus was not even really an issue yet.”
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Publix coming, BI-LO up in the air, Harris Teeter wants an extension.
Burton Fire officials advise ‘scan your yard’ for loose debris.
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Turso was randomly chosen to play on a Thursday show. And she appeared during Wheel of Fortune’s “UK Getaway” week, presented in partnership with Collette, a vacation and travel company. Fitting, since she lobbied hard to be on an episode with “European vacations.” “I tried every different way of saying it,” she said. Once taping began, Turso acknowledged that it’s definitely harder to focus than she expected.
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