August 3 edition

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Marine found not guilty on 5 of 6 counts

Charges stem from 2021 death of recruit

By Tony Kukulich

tkukulich@postandcourier.com

PARRIS ISLAND — After 10 days of court proceedings, Marine Staff Sgt. Steven Smiley stood before a military judge and jury to hear the verdicts on multiple charges stemming from the June 2021 death of a recruit.

Pfc. Dalton Beals was, at the time of his death, under the command of Smiley, who was serving as a senior drill instructor at the Marine Corps

Training Depot, Parris Island, in Beaufort County.

Smiley faced six charges, including negligent homicide, dereliction of duty resulting in a death and violation of a lawful general order.

Eight Marines empaneled for Smiley's court-martial trial acquitted him on all charges related to Beals' death. He was found guilty of one violation of a general order for calling the recruits under his command names that included "sweet

bacon," "pigs" and "war pigs."

When the "not guilty" verdicts were announced late in the afternoon of July 28, Smiley appeared

Greenway fired as Beaufort County Administrator

Robinson promoted to interim county administrator; Audits, reviews ordered as investigation gains traction

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

Beaufort County Administrator

Katelyn Lawton, 6, and her five-year-old sister Michaela were very careful not to disturb their painted faces as they drink bottled water during the Back to School Bash on Saturday at The Parish Church of St.

Beaufort County prepares to go back to school

Eric Greenway

Eric Greenway’s employment was terminated following a Special Called County Council meeting on Friday, July 28, 2023, at Beaufort County Council Chambers in Beaufort. Greenway was put on administrative leave with pay on Monday, July 24, following the first of a string of Special Called meetings that have been held over the past week.

John Robinson, the Assistant County Administrator of Public Safety, was appointed as the acting county administrator at that time, but as of July 28 he has been temporarily promoted to interim county administrator.

In Monday’s meeting it was decided that Robinson would receive an additional $3,000 a month while he held the county administrator role.

Greenway, who initially took the job in June 2021, is leaving two years into his five-year contract.

SEE AUDIT PAGE A5

The court-martial trial of Marine Staff Sgt. Steven Smiley began in a Parris Island courtroom Monday, July 17, 2023. Smiley was acquitted of charges stemming from the death of Pfc. Dalton Beals, a recruit under Smiley's command, on June 4, 2021. Tony Kukulich/Post And Courier

Families get ready for school year with Back to School events, upcoming tax-free weekend

Helena. The two girls, both students

Allan Lassiter of Lady's Island captured the July full moon over the Beaufort waterfront from the bluff along Bay Street. To submit a Lowcountry Life photo, you must be the photographer or have permission to submit the photo to be published in The Island News. Please submit high-resolution photos and include a description and/or names of the people in the picture and the name of the photographer. Email your photos to theislandnews@gmail.com.

VETERAN OF THE WEEK REGINA SMITH-JEFFERSON

Beaufort’s Regina Smith-Jefferson, 57, joined the United States Army in Brooklyn in 1985. After Basic Training at Fort Dix and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson, she was assigned as an administrative specialist at the Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Her next assignment took her to Korea followed by a three-year tour at Fort Belvoir, Va., where she was the Ex-

Island News’ Hanna wins awards

From staff reports

Regina Smith-Jefferson

ecutive Secretary for the Base Commander.

During Desert Shield/Storm she deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. She returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., and was separated in 1991. She came to Beaufort and used the GI Bill to first earn an Associate Degree in computer technology at TCL and then a BS in Management Information Systems at MCAS Beaufort. She then joined the Civil Service and has continued

ISLAND NEWS

PUBLISHING,

LLC

PUBLISHERS

Jeff & Margaret Evans

FOUNDING PUBLISHERS

Elizabeth Harding Newberry Kim Harding

EDITORIAL/DESIGN

Editor-in-Chief

Mike McCombs theislandnews@ gmail.com

Art Director Hope Falls ads.theislandnews@ gmail.com

Assistant Editor Delayna Earley delayna. theislandnews@ gmail.com

Sports Editor Justin Jarrett LowcoSports@ gmail.com

to work at Parris Island for 30 years. She is married to Army veteran, Carl Jefferson, and she is the First Vice-Commander of American Legion Beaufort Post 207

– Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 207. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

God bless you Carol Lucas

SALES/BUSINESS

Advertising Sales Director Amanda Hanna 843-343-8483 amanda@ lcweekly.com

I've attended multiple (services) – Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Church Of Christ, Catholic, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I found hypocrisy in all. I decided to just have a personal relationship with God and forgo organized religion. I testify my faith to others. I pray daily several times.

I absolutely love Carol Lucas!

Amanda Hanna

Amanda Hanna, marketing director for The Island News and Lowcountry Weekly, was awarded first and third place Palmy Awards by the South Carolina Press Association on Friday, July 7, 2023. The Palmy Awards recognize journalism’s best advertising professionals in the state.

Hanna began working for Lowcountry Weekly in December of 2014 and added her expertise to The Island News in October of 2018 The staffs of The Island News and Lowcountry Weekly would like to congratulate Hanna on her awards and thank her for her dedication her creativity and her professionalism helping local businesses in our community. Nice job!

ON THIS DATE

August 5

I hated English in high school and wrote a 500-page essay on why. The English teacher read my essay in class and gave me an A+.

Ms. Lucas reminds me of my civics and current events teacher. I was in heaven in that class as we had open debates and discussions on many topics. She was a great facilitator. I often had different views than others as Springfield, Mo., was a very conservative town. I would have been blessed to have been taught by Ms. Lucas. Her definition of faith was so

2021: Beaufort’s Kazoobie Kazoos, one of just two kazoo factories in the United States, holds a grand opening for its remodeled Kazoo Museum, which highlights the history of the kazoo and features, among other things, a U.S. flag made from 3,000 plastic kazoos.

August 6

2019: The Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette announce they are discontinuing their Saturday print edition.

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Cat of the Week: Osia is the queen biscuit maker in Room 1. She is often found curled up on a soft blanket watching her roommates wrestle and tumble around the room. Osia is a sweet and laid back cat who would do well in any home. She would not mind another cat or two in her home. Osia is 2 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

spot on. It’s hard to explain something you can't see, hear, or touch, but is absolutely real. I mourn your loss, ma’am. I'm 71 and have lost many. Experience helps in most aspects of life, not in the loss of a loved one. God Bless you Carol Lucas.

– Don Cass, Beaufort

Our trees are for sale

More cutting of our tree canopy, which never stops, leaves us with the opportunity to see the obvious problem. The throwaway fines of the tree removal policies of Port Royal, Beaufort, and the County, do not stop the greedy builders from clear cutting every corner of the landscape, or “come ya” property owners who come here for the natural beauty and then proceed to cut down century-old live oaks.

So, News Alert – fines do not work. Hello, fines only annoy builders and enrich government. They have never

August 9

worked for us. Look around. They are only another cost of doing business, more paperwork, and a false sense of security for us.

Therefore, protecting the tree canopy which is the anchor of our natural environment, requires serious consideration of serious penalties for any damage to the beautiful oaks living among us. Criminal or civil penalties which stop the cutting are used elsewhere with amazing results in communities which are really trying to prevent the destruction of the environment. Our trees have always been for sale. The price just goes up now and then. Still cheap for builders and affluent people who must be laughing at the idea of current tree “protection” policies of locals.

Oh, and local governments collect more money/fines as they sell our forests. Oops. Who knew?

– Jerry Floyd, Saint Helena Island

2021: The City of Beaufort Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBOA) grants developer Dick Stewart and 303 Associates a code variance to allow the building of a three-story apartment building at the corner of Charles and Port Republic streets.

2021: Interim coach Cory Cottrell is promoted to permanent head coach for the USC Beaufort men’s and women’s golf teams.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

Dog of the Week: Addison is a young and smart pup who would love a family. She is a hound mix who is very quick to learn new skills. She is a great walker and really loves to play with her toys outside. Addison is 5 months old, spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

If you are interested in adopting Osia, Addison, or any of our other pets, call our adoption center at 843-645-1725 or email us at info@ palmettoanimalleague. org to set up an appointment.

Accounting April Ackerman april@ aandbbookkeeping. com Billing questions only.

CONTACT US PO Box 550 Beaufort, SC 29901 TheIslandNews@gmail.com www.YourIslandNews.com facebook.com/TheIslandNews

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor should consist of fewer than 275 words and be emailed with a name and contact information to TheIslandNews@gmail.com

DISCLAIMER

All content of The Island News, including articles, photos, editorial content, letters, art and advertisements, are copyrighted by The Island News and Island News Publishing, LLC, 2022, all rights reserved. The Island News encourages reader submissions via email to theislandnews@gmail.com. All content submitted is considered approved for publication by the owner unless otherwise stated. The Island News is designed to inform and entertain readers and all efforts for accuracy are made.

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Island News, its publisher or editors. Content published from Care Magazine® is intended as a reference and options source only, not as a guide to self-treatment or substitute for profession medical advice. It is provided for educational purpose only. Readers assume full responsibility for how this information is used. The Island News reserves the right to refuse to sell advertising space, or to publish information, for any business or activity the newspaper deems inappropriate for the publication.

Temps remain high as we open August, investigations of county allegations

BEAUFORT

August. We’ve made it to August, through the 67th Water Festival and record-breaking temperatures with no hurricanes breathing down our necks … yet.

The local elected council members have officially taken a little summer break from their duties — except for riding in the Water Festival parade and cruising around together in boats. But wait, what could stir the community back into life but a scandal? And that’s exactly what the County Council folks have on their hands.

Two weeks ago, it was questionable whether the community had “gone berserk” over allegations of wrong-doing by County Administrator Eric Greenway. But the community interest escalated quickly last week when the County Council on Monday announced they were suspending Greenway indefinitely, with his $210K salary (plus benefits) while allegations of impropriety were being investigated.

By Wednesday, the Council had met again, primarily in executive session, and decided they better hire their own outside attorneys (the council legal department has three bonified attorneys on staff) and do their own investigation.

By Friday noon, Greenway was fired “for cause” after his elected bosses unani-

mously decided they had heard enough and it was time for him to go. (That happened with a 10-0 vote since Councilman York Glover was absent.)

Looking back on how Beaufort County government got to this place, the accusations seemed to have started with the proposed Pine Island development. It was brought to light, initially, by an anonymous concerned citizen who discovered Greenway and Pine Island developer Elvio Tropeano were playing golf together on Fripp Island … and told the County Council members about it.

Opponents of the Pine Island project had been muttering for weeks that something fishy was going on with the way those plans were progressing, that it was apparent Greenway and county staffers had been talking with Tropeano about the project long before it came before any review boards.

And while playing golf together might not be illegal … at least not in South

Carolina … it sure didn’t look “right.”

Some of those concerned citizens while looking around on the internet grew even more suspicious that where there’s smoke, there may be fire and sure enough, more questions about Greenway’s operations bubbled to the top. Questions that went beyond that golfing date with Tropeano. In fact, complaints forwarded to the County Council via email were more about some of the purchases and hirings Greenway had coordinated.

As anyone who is following this story knows, Sheriff P.J. Tenner and Solicitor Duffie Stone were presented information and decided to pass this hot potato to an outside investigative group, i.e., solicitors from outside our 14th District.

The council voted to appoint John Robinson, one of the newest administrators hired and formerly the city of Beaufort assistant fire chief, as interim administrator bypassing about a dozen individuals higher up on the administrative chain of command.

Lisa Lynch who had been hired by Greenway to serve as the county’s Wellness Director and lead on an education program for the county’s opioid addiction recovery program, issued a statement after she was fired last week when news of the investigation started being

made public. She stated Greenway sexually harassed her and her firing was the result of retaliation when she agreed to work with the law enforcement investigation as a witness.

And of course, the “drama” doesn’t stop with the county, at Greenway’s former desk.

Across the street, at City Hall, we still have the ongoing saga of Dick Stewart and 303 Associates versus irate citizen Graham Trask. Stewart has now filed a lawsuit against Trask for delaying his three-story-with-a-rooftop-bar hotel (now referred to as “the Red Menace”) and parking garage. Building projects for which he now has the needed permits, though no ground has been broken.

There’s the issue of City Council versus Historic Beaufort Foundation, a matter which has been put on hold until later this month when the elected council members go back to work and decide whether to take the advice of the Municipal Planning Commission and leave the development review board as is, or go in the direction they’re obviously heading, removing the requirement that HBF gets to make recommendations to the Historic Review Board. No wonder some folks are going to the movies to watch “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer.” Watching gov-

Darren E . Mullins, M . D. FELLOWSHIP - TRAINED MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST

Dr. Darren E. Mullins has joined Beaufort Memorial Oncology Specialists in Beaufort, part of the hospital’s nationally recognized Keyserling Cancer Center. He brings extensive knowledge of the full range of established and emerging therapies—among them chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy—to the treatment of a wide variety of cancers.

The Tennessee native had spent the whole of his medical oncology career in the South before accepting an offer in 2017 to establish a new practice and service line at Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, Alaska.

No stranger to the Palmetto State, Dr. Mullins first moved to the Lowcountry in 1999 and later founded Waccamaw Oncology in Georgetown/Murrells Inlet where he practiced from 2002 through 2013.

He joins board-certified nurse practitioners Katy Jones and Susanne Baisch at the Beaufort practice, and fellow board-certified medical oncologist Dr. Stephen Tiley, who leads the Okatie practice located at the New River Cancer Center.

ernment at work, as many have said, is like watching sausage being made. It can be messy.

Debate over books drags on as school bells get ready to ring BEAUFORT – Two more weeks before the county’s public school students head back into the classrooms and guess what, the district leaders are still talking about books. (Beaufort Academy students start back Aug. 15.)

It’s been a long, hot summer for book-banning talk, both pro and con, and the process of reviewing contested books, which began last October, is still going on.

Thus far, the majority of 97 books initially removed from the school library shelves have been returned. But the committees established by the school board to review the challenged books are still meeting, and those who don’t like the process are still complaining.

In fact, one citizen made news in late June for tossing a bag of chicken feed to the feet of the school board, calling them “chickens” for not doing more to ban what he considers offensive material.

The 11-member school board had a couple of special meetings to discuss how to censure that citizen, but they also decided it would be a good idea to ban

pocketbooks and backpacks from board meetings … just in case.

It almost seems ironic that such prohibitions for a board meeting would have to be in place, like security measures taken at all the school campuses because we just don’t know who might be coming into the schools with evil intent. Ironic, if it wasn’t so sad. Beaufort County School District with its 19 campuses will begin the new year with a new Robert Smalls Leadership Academy (formerly the middle school), four new principals and a $439 million bond referendum looming in November.

A lot of important issues to be faced by the elected board leaders as they try to support a complete education program in safe environments. Too bad it’s the chicken-feed throwing dad and the book ban discussion — which, remember, is taking place around the country — that are the issues that get attention.

Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.

Board-certified - Medical Oncology

Fellowship - Medical Oncology

University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville (now known as UVA Health)

Residency - Internal Medicine

University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis

Doctor of Medicine

University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham

Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry (cum laude)

University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

ABOUT THE BEAUFORT MEMORIAL Keyserling Cancer Center

Awarded full accreditation with special commendation from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons, Beaufort Memorial’s Keyserling Cancer Center in Beaufort, as well as its New River Cancer Center in Okatie, provide access to medical oncology, radiation oncology, cancer surgeries, and lab, imaging,

infusion and breast health services. Both centers are affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC Health) and its experienced subspecialists to provide additional treatment options when needed, as well as access to promising clinical trials, allowing local treatment for even the most complex cancers.

LOLITA HUCKABY

Teenage pilot lands plane on roadway on Lady’s Island

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

A pilot experiencing technical difficulties landed a plane safely on the roadway on Lady’s Island late Monday night, July 31

According to Beaufort Executive Airport Manager Eric Townsend, around 11 p.m., 19-year-old flight instructor Edison Rivers and his student, 18-year-old Ian Szczepek, were flying in a 1964 Cessna 172F on approach to the airport, which is controlled by MCAS Beaufort, when the pilot reported they were having engine trouble.

Rivers was able avoid power lines and safely land the plane near the intersection of Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island Drive, near the Publix Super Market.

“It was not a crash, it was an emergency landing,” Townsend said. “Everybody walked away just fine, the plane was in tact.”

There were no injuries. After the landing, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office notified Townsend that a plane had landed in the roadway, and the plane was towed back to Beaufort Executive Airport, less than a mile and a half away.

The plane is owned by Beaufort Flight Training, where Rivers is an instructor.

Townsend said the flight was a situation where the student was getting night flight training, required by the FAA to earn a pilot’s license, and emphasized the pilot

did did a “fantastic job,” a sentiment echoed by Beaufort Flight Training President James Atkins.

“He did a hell of a job,” Atkins said.

“He knew the highway was there. Good pilots know their options if the engine quits,” Atkins

GULLAH-GEECHEE FAMLEE DAY

Szczepek is a senior in high school.

“What’s neat about this … both are partially through their qualifications to become pilots for the airlines. We’re training pilots for professional careers,” he said. “We’re a thorough program. (The power failure) was an anomaly. Sometimes it happens, but pilots are trained to anticipate these situations. Rivers performed phenomenally.”

The Cessna 172F is a fixed-wing, single-engine, piston aircraft that seats a pilot and up to three passengers. Atkins said they didn’t know yet why the plane had lost power.

“We’re still looking at that,” he said. “It’s being investigated by our maintenance contractor.”

While there might be questions about the plane, Atkins is confident in his pilot.

Marquetta Goodwine aka Queen Quet, Chieftess and Head of State for the Gullah-Geechee Nation, discuss keeping the Gullah Nation alive despite recent attempts to take land for material purposes and denouncing the “advancement of materialism for money at the expense of blood and sweat of our Gullah ancestors” during an hour-long Libation Ceremony under a sprawling “Wisdom Tree” oak tree during Gullah-Geechee Famlee Day on Saturday at Penn Center. About 200 people formed a circle and locked arms for part of the ceremony. Later, Queen Quet poured water from a blue bottle in remembrance of ancestors that had passed on while their names were shouted out during the pouring. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Marine from page A1

to weaken at the knees. He gripped the table in front of him to steady himself and seemed to struggle to maintain his composure. His family members seated in the gallery behind him wept.

Colby Vokey, a Dallas-based attorney who represented Smiley along with two military lawyers, said he was pleased with the outcome as he spoke with reporters at the conclusion of the trial.

"They came to the right decision," Vokey said. "To accuse Staff Sgt. Smiley in the death of recruit Beals was ridiculous in the first place."

Smiley could have been sentenced to confinement of up to two years, a reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of pay and a dishonorable discharge for violating a general order.

After a 30-minute deliberation, the panel sentenced him to reduction of one rank, to sergeant.

For Beals' family, the verdicts brought no wave of relief. Stacie Beals, mother of Dalton Beals, said she was shocked and a little numb after the verdicts.

"Obviously it wasn't the verdict that we wanted," she said. "I think my son deserved better than that."

Training on Parris Island

Beals, a 19-year-old native of New Jersey, reported to Parris Island on March 12, 2021. He was assigned to Company E, Platoon 2040

Beals reportedly progressed normally through the 12-week training program. By early June, the only thing that remained between the recruits of Platoon 2040 and their full acceptance as Marines was the Crucible, a physically and mentally demanding 54hour event designed to push them to their limits.

The first day of the Crucible, June 3, was completed without incident. The following day, temperatures were noticeably higher.

As the second hike of the morning got underway on June 4, several

said. “They were coming in parallel to it. When the engine quit, he just saw the highway there, knew where the power lines were there, and he just put it down safely. He still had control of the airplane.”

Atkins said Rivers is a fully qualified instructor at 19 years old and

“(He’s) going to start flying again tomorrow,” he said. “Safety and proficiency is our objective, and we want to train the next generation of aviators.”

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

Shell Point fire displaces family of four

From staff reports

Just past 10 p.m., Tuesday, July 26, a Shell Point resident was alerted to a fire in his Walnut Street home by neighbors banging on the door. The resident stated he went outside to find his his attached garage, with a vehicle inside, engulfed in flames.

Burton firefighters from the Shell Point fire station were first to arrive on scene and began to suppress the spreading fire, which was being fed by gasoline from the vehicle, as additional arriving fire crews made entry into the home to stop the fire from spreading inside. Parris Island Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS and the Beaufort County Sherriff’s Office also responded.

Firefighters were able to cut the fire off, which was spread through the attic, just inside the main home before extensive fire damages could occur to the residence, although the home sustained minor smoke damages throughout.

The Red Cross was noti-

recruits began to exhibit signs of heat-related issues. Beals’ fellow recruits noticed he, too, was beginning to struggle.

According to testimony, Beals was at one point hunched over and gasping for air. The recruits tried to get Beals to drink water, but he refused.

While resting in a staging area, Smiley approached Beals and asked how he was doing. Beals responded that he was fine, and Smiley moved on. Beals later wandered away the staging area. That was the last time he was seen alive.

Lt. Col. Ian Germain, arguing for the government, asserted that Smiley had lost accountability for his recruits. "Recruit Beals died alone in the woods because Staff Sgt. Smiley was not doing his job," Germain said in his closing argument. Was it heat or his heart that killed Beals?

An autopsy of Beals conducted by the Medical University of South

Late Tuesday, July 26, the Burton Fire District, Parris Island Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS and the Beaufot County Sherriff’s Office responded to a house fire on Walnut Street which displaced a family of four adults. Photos courtesy of Burton Fire District

fied to assist a family of four adults who were displaced as a result of the fire. No injuries were reported. Burton fire investigators are investigating the fire but believe it to be unintentional.

This was the third house fire for Burton firefighters this month. On July 3, Burton, Beaufort, MCAS, and

Carolina in downtown Charleston determined that he died due to hyperthermia.

Dr. Gerald Feigin, a New Jersey-based pathologist, testified that Stacie Beals asked him to conduct a second autopsy on her son.

Feigin attributed Dalton Beals' death to his severely damaged heart, saying that with scarring he observed it was one of the worst hearts he'd ever seen.

"I don't know how he lived so long with a heart that bad," Feigin testified. "He could have died at any time."

The jury gets the case

Over the course of the two-week trial, more than 30 witnesses were called to testify. The case was handed to the jury on the afternoon of July 28. Smiley was never called to testify.

Jurors deliberated for about three hours before returning their verdicts.

Smiley was given an opportunity to make a statement before the jury began sentencing delibera-

Parris Island fire crews battled a fully involved house fire on Trask Parkway, and days later on July 9, Burton and MCAS firefighters extinguished a house fire in an unoccupied building in the rear of a Grays Hill home. No injuries were reported in either of those fires.

tions. He spoke of his family and his plans to move to Wisconsin to become a firefighter.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your son," Smiley said, addressing the Beals family. "If something like that happened to my son or daughter, I don't know what I'd do."

Smiley has been in a legal limbo since the 2021 incident. While he was removed as a senior drill instructor, he was never jailed and continued to work at the base in a role that did not involve recruits. His enlistment came to an end, but he was not allowed to leave the Marines until his legal matters were settled.

Now, with the single conviction, he is not eligible to reenlist. He will leave the Marines as a sergeant. Beals was posthumously promoted to private first class.

"He would have made an amazing Marine, and that got cut short," Stacie Beals said of her late son.

‘It was not a crash, it was an emergency landing’

A pilot landed a single-engine plane near the near the intersection of Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island Drive, near the Publix Super Market late Monday night, July 31, 2023. Photo courtesy of Burton News Today.

Yemassee man arrested, charged in April murder

From staff reports

Tuesday morning, July 25, Beaufort Police officers arrested 19-yearold Lavent Frazier of Yemassee. Frazier was charged with murder in connection to the shooting death of 21-year-old Daveion Reed at Cross Creek Apartments on April 9, 2023

Officers from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

Two men arrested in Port Royal after report of shots fired

From staff reports

and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office Violent Crime Task Force assisted in the arrest.

judge, to be heard at a later date.

Frazier

Frazier was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center where his bond was deferred to a Circuit Court

On April 9 2023, at approximately 8:43 p.m., Beaufort Police officers were dispatched to 325 Ambrose Run (Cross Creek Apartments) to respond to the report of a gunshot victim. Upon arrival, officers located one victim, who was later identified as 21-year-old Daveion Reed.

Officers immediately started to render aid to the victim. Reed was

transported by Beaufort County EMS to Beaufort Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

As of Sunday night, Frazier remains confined at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

If anyone has any additional information, please contact Sgt. Fritz at 843-322-7913 or stay anonymous with the Tip Line at 843-322-7938

Honoring a veteran

Two men were arrested Tuesday, Aug. 1 2023, after Port Royal Police Department officers responded to a reports of shots fired.

At approximately 1 p.m., officers were dispatched to the Shell Point Apartment complex for a report of shots fired, according to a release from the PRPD.

Responding officers observed a vehicle matching the description of a vehicle involved in the incident and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle a short distance from the complex. When the vehicle stopped, a passenger got out and ran from officers.

After a short foot pursuit, officers detained and arrested Gerrell Daise and charged him with Fleeing to Evade Arrest and Giving False Information.

Investigators also identified and located an additional suspect, Eric Mungin, at the scene; he was arrested and charged with Discharging a Firearm Within Town Limits. There were no reported injuries and the investigation is ongoing.

As of Tuesday night, both men were still confined at the Beaufort Detention Center.

Robert “Bobby” Sellars, left, of the National Association of the Purple Heart, accepts the U.S. flag from Airman First Class Lauia Holman during the funeral for Air Force veteran Thomas Moore, who served in Vietnam. Moore’s body was never claimed by family, and very little is known about him, so the public was invited to attend his funeral. About 150 people showed up to give Moore a proper send off Tuesday afternoon at Beaufort National Cemetery. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Sgt. John Hogue at 843-986-2220 or they may anonymously file an online informational report on the police department website at https:// www.portroyal.org/ 285 / Submit-a-Police-Report. Please reference Case No. 23PR17920

Beaufort Police Department to host first Open House

By Mike McCombs The

Island News

The Beaufort Police Department is holding its first Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 1901 Boundary Street.

The event is meant to be “fun and informative,” giving citizens the opportunity to meet members of the department and gain a better understanding of what they do.

“The Open House is for the community to interact with officers in a non-enforcement capacity so they can get to the know the people and the jobs of the officers who have the privilege of serving their community,” said Lt. Col. Stephenie Price, Deputy Chief and spokesperson of the Beaufort Police Department.

“This is a first ever community event of its kind for the Beaufort

Police Department and we hope to engage our citizens, particularly our community children who have questions which they may not get many opportunities to ask. We want to provide an experience of curiosity engagement between them and our officers.”

Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Price said the event will feature

giveaways, craft tables, crime and safety information, games, hot dogs and drinks, along with demonstrations of crime scene investigation techniques, courtroom procedures, virtual de-escalation scenarios and the newly established canine unit. Several community partners will be on hand to assist, including CAPA, Exchange Club of Beaufort, Hope Haven and Hopeful Horizons.

cuit solicitors’’ offices.

“I hope this is an annual event,” Price said. “The officers have really done an excellent job of putting together a great event for the children and the community. They are excited to showcase their work and answer any questions.”

Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

“We have voted to terminate him with cause,” County Council Chairman Joseph Passiment said during Friday’s meeting. “This still is a personnel matter and we are advised by our legal counsel we cannot talk about it yet. We will talk about it when we are told we can.”

Because he was fired with cause, Greenway does not get any severance pay or a buyout.

The investigation begins

In addition to putting Greenway on administrative leave, Council passed four motions during the July 24 meeting. The motions called for reviews of all 2023 contracts, 2023 purchases, a review of procurement codes and an audit of the P-Card system.

The P-Card is a charge card that enables authorized S.C. employees to make necessary work purchases, according to the S.C. Division of Procurement Services website.

On Wednesday, July 26, a Special Called Finance Administration and Economic Development Committee meeting was held to address the four additional motions that came out of the Monday meeting.

“We are not doing a witch hunt,” Committee Chairman Mark Lawson said during Wednesday’s meeting. “We are not out there to go after people. We are just here to find facts and to find out where we are with things.”

Lawson stated that the committee has been tasked with finding an outside group to come in and handle the four motions that came from Monday’s meeting.

He continued to say that everything has a silver lining, and this gives them the opportunity to go back through and look at where they are with each of the regulations.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the committee passed a motion to have an RFQ prepared by Friday, July 28, and to begin advertising that RFQ on Monday, July 31, for 15 days to look for a law firm to oversee the review of the 2023 contracts and purchases, the procurement codes and to audit the P-Card system.

“Obviously, our biggest thing is that we want to do this in an expeditious way so that we’re not waiting for this forever, both in finding someone to help us with these items, but also in getting answer that we need,” Lawson said.

The committee also requested to receive a monthly report on P-Card usage to be proactive and accountable,

not to look over employees’ shoulders, said Lawson.

Additionally, members of the committee agreed that it was necessary to freeze access to relevant programs and accounts to preserve evidence while an investigation is conducted.

Our goal is not to make this a huge overall reach,” said Lawson. “We’re going to start out with a very methodical, smaller type search and if something leads us further, then we will have to go further.”

Greenway initially came under scrutiny on July 3 when it was made public that a criminal complaint for misconduct in office was filed against him on May 11, 2023, with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Beaufort County Sheriff

P.J. Tanner and 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone determined that the complaint would be investigated by the Public Integrity Unit, a team of prosecutors and investigators from the 1st and 14th Cir-

The incident report states that the alleged offenses took place between 8 a.m. on January 9, 2023, and 4 p.m. on May 11 2023, but there are no specific complaints listed and no details of any alleged crimes.

Sheriff Tanner declined to comment any further when he spoke to The Island News on July 3

Lisa Lynch’s complaint

Lisa Lynch, who was hired by Greenway in April 2023 as the county’s Director of Wellness, released a statement through her lawyer on July 26, alleging that she was terminated on Tuesday, July 25 2023, in retaliation because she agreed to work with law enforcement as a witness to some of Greenway’s suspected criminal activity.

According to Lynch’s statement, Greenway pursued her romantically before and after hiring her, that is until about two weeks after she started her job with the county.

Lynch attended a party with her significant other and while at the party she ran into Greenway.

She said that he became agitated and made it clear that she had offended him by bringing her boyfriend to the party.

It was after this that Greenway allegedly sent her a string of emails and text messages threatening her and her job, as well as threatening her family and professional associates.

After that party, Lynch claims that things got much worse for her at work.

She said in her statement that Greenway and his “underlings” intentionally made her work life unbearable to try and force her resignation.

“I have no doubt that I was terminated for my reports of harassment, my complaints of the same and my participation as a witness in the criminal investigation,” Lynch said in the released statement.

In South Carolina, the common law offense of mis-

conduct in office is defined as occurring “when duties imposed by law have not been properly and faithfully discharged.”

Furthermore, to constitute a crime, such conduct must be willful and dishonest.

Legally, there are three kinds of misconduct – malfeasance, which means acting illegally; misfeasance, which means acting legally but corruptly; and nonfeasance, which means not carrying out a required duty of office.

Greenway said to The Island News on July 3, that he had only been made aware of the complaint that morning and he had no comment.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Get to know Josh Schott –

the 68th Beaufort Water Festival Commodore

By Delayna Earley The Island News

The sun has set on the 67th Annual Beaufort Water Festival.

The stage has been taken down and packed up, there are no longer any metal fences in downtown Beaufort and the more than 400 volunteers that participated in this year’s 10-day long festival have all returned to their normal lives and jobs.

In September, planning will begin on next year’s festival.

Josh Schott, the newly announced commodore of the 68th Water Festival, is looking forward to getting started with the planning for next year but is also taking the month of August to just spend time with his family.

Schott, a Beaufort native, has been married to his wife, Brooke, for 18 years.

They have two children, Ava, 15 and Joshua, 20

Ava, who is a rising sophomore at Beaufort High School, was a Pirette during the 2023 festival.

Schott works for Dominion Power and began volunteering with the Beaufort Water Festival in 2001 according to the Water Festival’s website.

“I used to just go down and help where I was needed. Just odds and ends here and there,” Schott said about the first years that he volunteered. “Then I fully committed to volunteering in 2012.”

This past year, he fulfilled the role of Program Coordinator and was essentially the right-hand man to 67th Commodore James Nutt.

Nutt and Schott have been volunteering together for years, and according to Nutt, Schott seems to follow in his footsteps with the positions and work that he has done with the Water Festival.

“James and I have always worked together on different things, but my first

Josh Schott and his wife Brooke stand for a portrait at the Change of The Watch ceremony on Saturday, July 22, 2023, in downtown Beaufort. SK Signs, Designs & Marketing/Submitted

year as a coordinator in 2015, I was the Water and Air Coordinator and James was the Water and Air Coordinator the year before me,” Schott said.

Schott follows in another set of footsteps as well – his dad, Wilmot Schott, was also named Commodore in 2009 “It’s a good community event,”

Schott said. “I enjoyed it as a kid and now I see my kids enjoy it.”

When asked about what he hopes to see for the annual festival in the coming year, he said that he mostly wants to see them continue to move in the same direction that this past year’s festival was heading.

“I just hope for a great festival

and just continue to build off of the successes from this past year,” Schott said.

Schott said that his favorite event of the week is Opening Ceremonies because you can see all the work that has been put into putting the festival on and there are families out watching the fireworks.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

No limit on damages from Beaufort County Detention Center class-action lawsuit

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

Between 5,000 to 6,000 women in Beaufort County should have received a notice from a lawyer in July letting them know they could be part of a class-action lawsuit against Beaufort County. The lawsuit was filed in 2020 and alleges that women were routinely subjected to strip and body cavity searches in front of male guards while detained at the

Beaufort County Detention Center, but men were not searched in the same manner.

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Beaufort County violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

It has since been classified as a class-action lawsuit in July 2022

Cheryl Munday and Margaret Devine are the main plaintiffs in the lawsuit, but now represent any of the

women who respond to the notice.

There are limits on the amount of money that a person can get from the state, but there are no limits when it applies to federal claims related to the Constitution.

If the plaintiffs win, Beaufort County could have to pay millions of dollars to plaintiffs as well as any related attorney’s fees. These women have until September 11 to respond and opt out of the lawsuit.

First BMH facility on Hilton Head to open in October

From staff reports Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) has acquired Island Imaging, an independent imaging center on Hilton Head Island. The center will reopen as Beaufort Memorial Island Imaging on October 1, 2023

While upgrades to align IT infrastructure and equipment to the BMH network will be taking place prior to the transition, imaging patient appointments will continue as normal, with the same services offered, including 3D mammography,

CT, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and bone densitometry.

Island Imaging opened at 40 Palmetto Parkway on Hilton Head Island in 2013 and has been accredited by the American College of Radiology for CT, 3D mammography and screening chest CT for lung cancer. The center’s radiologists, David Estle, M.D., and Patricia Shapiro, M.D., will continue through the transition. All 15 of the imaging center’s employees have been offered positions to continue in their same role

at the center with Beaufort Memorial.

“Beaufort Memorial’s dedication to patient-centered care and commitment to the overall health and well-being of the community makes them a perfect fit for the future of Island Imaging,” Dr. Shapiro, one of Island Imaging’s founding physicians, said in a news release. “Our staff is excited to join the team of one of the nation’s top hospitals and have access to the depth of resources that brings.”

Any who opt-in will be represented by the plaintiffs.

All women contacted by the lawyers for the class-action lawsuit were strip searched between February, 27 2015 through May 5 2020

Damages could be awarded to all involved. Or the court could require or the judge could request that the women receive damages individually.

Devine and Munday were

both charged with DUI between 2019 and 2020, but the charges were eventually dismissed.

The lawsuit alleges that women were subjected to full-body pat downs while being booked at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

In June, the plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment asking that the court rule that the county violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment with-

NEWS BRIEFS

out a trial jury. The court has not responded to the motion yet. Beaufort County and the plaintiffs could still settle, but if they don’t, a trial will take place in U.S. Federal Court.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

6:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 7

The topic will be Spadefish. Well known local captain and sports writer Collins Doughtie will discuss lite tackle, baits of choice, use of pop corks, and anchoring and location.

Beaufort Boat & Dock Supply, Butler Marine, and Danny Walsh and the Achurch Real Estate Group again are the monthly $50 drawing sponsors. Remember to weigh in your favorite catch at the Beaufort Boat & Dock Supply located at 1734 Ribaut Road, Port Royal during regular hours. Congratulations to Danny Walsh, last month's winner. He won again. Winners must be present at the next month’s meeting to receive the cash award.

Guests are welcome. Reservations are not needed. For additional information, please contact Captain Frank Gibson at 843-522-2122 or email fgibson@islc.net.

It’s time for First Friday again

This Friday, downtown merchants' stores will be open later than usual (but usual for the first Friday of the Month) until 8 p.m., for First Friday.

Bay street will be closed from 6 to 8 p.m.

Some shops will have sidewalk sale tents set up, and some artists will be creating and selling art on the street. No live music this time, but DJ Mike Partain will be playing from 5 to 8 p.m.

Members of the public can find all First Friday information at https://www.facebook.com/FirstFridayBeaufortSC.

BSDC’s next meeting set for August 10

The Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club’s August meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club located on Lady’s Island off of Meridian Road. The social begins at

LIBPA Meeting set for August 8

The Lady’s Island Business & Professional Association will meet at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 8, when Senator Chip Campsen will be the featured speaker. Stop by for coffee and conversation concerning the community. The meeting will be held at the Beaufort Realtors’ Association Headquarters at 22 Kemmerlin Lane, Lady’s Island.

Senator accepting internship applications

U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is now accepting applications for internships in his Washington, D.C., North Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville offices for the fall of 2023. Interested students can apply through at https://www.scott.senate. gov/constituent-services/internships. For additional questions, email internships@ scott.senate.gov or call 202-224-6121.

– From staff reports

Island Imaging, an independent imaging center on Hilton Head Island, will reopen as Beaufort Memorial Island Imaging on October 1. Submitted photo.

Burton Fire battles early Saturday morning blaze in Grays Hill

From staff reports

Just before 3:30 a.m., Saturday, July 29, the Burton Fire District, the MCAS Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a house fire in Moultrie Circle in Grays Hill, after a fire was spotted under a mobile home by a neighbor, who was able to call 911 and get the resident out. It is not believed the home had working smoke alarms. Fire crews arrived and found smoke and flames under a single-wide mobile home. Firefighters were able to catch and quickly extinguish the fire as it spread up

into the home causing limited damages inside. An adult female resident was displaced but did not need assistance from the Red Cross. No injuries were reported.

Damages are still being assessed, but fire damages were limited to a bathroom area of the home. Fire officials state the situation could have been much worse had the fire not been seen by the neighbor.

This was the second fire in a day for Burton firefighters. Just before 9:30 p.m.. Friday evening, firefighters responded to an activated fire alarm at a residence on Castle Rock Road.

Fire crews found a smokefilled home caused by a pan left on the stove. The fire had self-extinguished prior to the fire district’s arrival, but not before causing minor damages to the cabinets around the stove. Fire officials said fire damages were limited due to no combustibles, such as cooking oil or paper products, being around the stove area. Firefighters assisted the homeowner, who was outside in the backyard at the time, with removing smoke from the residence.

Earlier this week, Burton and Parris Island firefighters extinguished a house fire on Walnut Street in

Shell Point just after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, which displaced a family of four adults. Earlier in the month, on July 3, Burton, Beaufort, MCAS, and Parris Island fire crews battled a fully involved house fire on Trask Parkway, and days later on July 9, Burton and MCAS firefighters extinguished a house fire in an unoccupied building in the rear of a Grays Hill home. No injuries were reported in any of those fires. The Burton Fire District has responded to 23 reported house fires so far in 2023, compared to 21 reported fires at the same time in 2022

MAKING MUSIC

Evette, Erickson speak to Beaufort’s Republican women

From staff reports

South Carolina’s Lieu tenant Governor Pamela Evette and South Carolina House of Representatives member Shannon Erick son were guest speakers at a luncheon Friday, July 28 sponsored by the Beaufort Republican Women’s Club at the Dataw Island Club.

Evette was elected as the 93rd Lieutenant Governor of the State of South Carolina on November 6, 2018, and is the first woman to hold that office. Her start-up company, Quality Business Solutions, Inc., is listed on Inc., 5000 as one of the country’s fastest growing small businesses.

She entertained BRWC members with the story about her transition from the business world to government and she inspired with her commitment to education and her platform to get youth working again, to get them “skilled up” and to get them involved.

Evette spoke about the companies that have been drawn to our state.

“Our technical colleges

from page A1

The event was hosted by BCSD, but it partnered with local government agencies and private-sector business partners to provide attending families with valuable information about the upcoming school year.

White said that they had more than 60 community partners sharing their resources and educating the families on how they can help the students in school.

There were also booths representing each of the elementary, middle and high schools from the BCSD available to answer questions from students and their families.

In addition to providing information about the upcoming school year and available services, the district had bags of school supplies available to anyone who signed up to receive one.

The district prepared more than 1,000 bags of supplies to be handed out, but White said that a lot of the vendors brought supplies to hand out to students as well.

“The response had been great,” White said about the

Hundreds of children and their parents took part in the Back to School Bash on Saturday at Beaufort High School. The event was open to all school children in the Beaufort County School District from both sides of the Broad River. The first day of school for Beaufort County public schools will be Monday, August 21. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

event. “The parents and students are very excited about the supplies, and you can really see the excitement for the start of the school year.”

She said that their hope is that for everyone to leave the expo with the supplies and information that they need to have an excellent school year.

To help streamline the process, the county did ask for families to pre-register online in advance of the event, but they did allow families to also register in person in order to receive the supplies.

“We want to keep track of the numbers and the

communities that they are coming from so that we can continue to build and add to those supports,” White said.

According to the Student Services office, 811 students attended the event, and 964 parents from all over the district were at the expo.

This is the second Back to School Expo that Beaufort County has been able to hold since COVID-19 disrupted life in Beaufort.

There were door prizes from local restaurants and businesses and free dental and health services provided to the public by Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Com-

prehensive Health Services and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

The district’s food vendor was present, as well as the District Food Services, to answer any questions regarding the free- and reduced-lunch application process.

Free transportation was provided to the expo from both north and south of the Broad River in hopes of giving everyone a chance to attend if they wanted to.

“The goal is to move (the event) to a new place throughout the county each year to give everyone the

pull these businesses here,” Evette said.

Evette said she believes that women will make the difference in the future, they are not one-issue people. Her closing thought was that it is our duty to protect our eroding coastal environment.

Erickson is Chair of the House Education and Pub-

same access,” White said.

The Back to School Expo hosted by BCSD was not the only back to school event being hosted in Beaufort on Saturday.

The Parish Church of St. Helena also held their second annual Back to School Bash, which is held to help support families with foster and adopted children.

The event is part of a larger national event hosted by the Jockey Being Family nonprofit organization and The Parish Church of St. Helena hosted the event local to Beaufort.

“There are 46 Back to School Bashes going on around the country,” Jai Dowell, coordinator for the event and Director of Local Missions for The Parish Church of St. Helena said. “And the event is continuing to grow.”

The Back to School Bash at The Parish Church of St. Helena began at 10 a.m. and went until 2 p.m.

While this event was hosted by St. Helena Church, other local churches and organizations expressed interest to Dowell about wanting to partner with them to help host the event again next year.

The Parish Church of St. Helena had prepared 75 book bags with school supplies in them for the event, but those went so quickly that a volunteer was sent out to buy more.

lic Works Committee. As one of several women in the state who hold important government positions, she said, there are now “women at the table on key issues.” She mentioned that the Transparency and Integrity in Education bill is in the House and Senate Conference Committee.

Tax-Free Weekend

If you missed all the fun last weekend, don’t forget that this coming weekend, from August 4 though 6 here in South Carolina, is Tax-Free Weekend.

Early Saturday morning, July 29, the Burton Fire District, the MCAS Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a house fire on Moultrie Circle in Grays Hill. Photo courtesy of the Burton Fire District ilies and really help them to get ready and prepared for the start of the school year,” BCSD Student Services Officer Juliet White said.

“For 72 hours, tax-free items include computers, printers, school supplies, clothing and accessories, shoes and certain bed and bath items,” according to the S.C. Department of Revenue’s website.

According to the site, last year, shoppers spent more than $26 2 million dollars on tax-free items during the Tax-Free Weekend.

During the weekend, eligible items can be purchased in store and online without having to pay the 6% sales tax and any applicable local taxes.

Items that are not exempt from sales tax include digital cameras, smartphones, jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, wallets, watches and furniture.

For more information about the Tax-Free Weekend, visit the S.C. Department of Revenue’s website at www.dor.sc.gov.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette speaks Friday, July 28, 2023, to the Beaufort Republican Women’s Club at the Dataw Island Club.

Rebecca Williams, left, seems to be getting into a groove while Tracy Green adds her own vibe with a cowbell during the Drum Circle on Friday at Henry C. Chambers Park. The Drum Circle happens under the pavilion every second Friday and is open to all who just want to bang on a drum. No experience is needed, and other percussion instruments are available to all. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Finding a Beaufort home at last

Housing was a challenge for BMH employee before hospital stepped in

By David Miller Special to The Island News

Chayanne Celiant came to Beaufort looking to enjoy the Lowcountry lifestyle and pursue an opportunity to further her medical experience at Beaufort Memorial while finishing her bachelor’s degree. Moving in with her best friend was meant to only be a temporary situation for Chayanne and her 5-year-old son Kingsley.

However she was unaware of the challenges of finding an affordable rental in the area.

“Beaufort is so expensive, especially for a single mom looking for a two-bedroom place on a single income,” she said, acknowledging that realization made her uncertain about her future in Beaufort. “I didn't know how I was going to pay $2,500 a month for a two-bedroom place nearby. I was starting to kind of panic.”

Chayanne joined the Beaufort Memorial Emergency Department as an ER Patient Care Technician at the beginning of 2023 and quickly became a valued part of the team. Nursing staff, physicians and advanced practice providers rely on her and the other ER technicians to help keep the flow of patients running smoothly by monitoring vitals, collecting samples for lab tests, attending to patients’ comfort and providing other needed assistance.

While she enjoyed the job, she was seriously considering a move to Florida or Wisconsin with family, until she discovered what was

to be her employer’s first step into workforce rental housing.

Chayanne was one of over two dozen Beaufort Memorial employ-

ees who qualified and applied for the opportunity to be included in a lottery for a deeply discounted rental property that the hospital had secured from Beaufort County.

When she received the news that her name was drawn, she was in disbelief.

“I'm super thankful for the rental opportunity,” she said. “There are a lot of employees – single mom or single dad families or people who are in tough situations – that could really benefit from more housing in the area. I'm really hoping that Beaufort Memorial is able to do more to help other employees.”

That is certainly the intent of hospital leadership.

“One house isn’t really going to make a dent in the overall problem that we have here in Beaufort,” Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley said. “This was a small step towards addressing the housing affordability crisis in Beaufort County. We’re continuing to move forward with multiple initiatives to help employees struggling with the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing in the area.”

Since the beginning of 2022 Beaufort Memorial has been looking for ways to make home ownership more affordable for employees.

So far, there have been six employees who have taken advantage of a buyer-assistance program

that offers up to $10 000 towards a down payment or closing costs on a home purchase in the area. And the hospital continues to pursue other workforce housing efforts, including partnering with a developer to build affordable housing units for employees north and south of the Broad River.

In addition to housing initiatives, Beaufort Memorial also partnered with Hobbit Hill Preschools in 2021 to open The Learning Center, a subsidized childcare and remote-learning center for children of hospital staff. The daycare is set to move in to a newly constructed, freestanding location within walking distance of the hospital’s main campus before the end of the year.

As for Chayanne, now settled into her new home, she is grateful for the opportunity to provide a better life for her son and work toward her ultimate goal of becoming a physician assistant.

“This opportunity gave me the ability to stay here and stay at a job that I actually like in a city that I actually like,” she explained. “Being able to have personal space for my son and me, just to have and build our bond, it’s great. And it's so close to Beaufort Memorial!”

“I’m glad we’ve made such a difference in Chayanne’s life,” said Baxley. “And I’m looking forward to making this kind of a difference for many others.”

Street Music on Paris Avenue returns Aug. 12

From staff reports Street Music on Paris Avenue is back Saturday, Aug. 12 for the Fall 2023 season, its 31st season in Port Royal.

On August 12, the Bennett Matteo Band will take the stage. Led by guitarist

and writer Gino Matteo and vocal powerhouse Jade Bennett, the band brings dirt funk and desert soul to the Lowcountry all the way from Los Angeles.

On August 26, Blackcat Zydeco featuring Dwight

Carrier comes to town. One of the most exciting Zydeco accordionists of this era, Carrier’s unique musical style fuses Zydeco, blues, country, and R&B influences.

On Septmber 9, Angela

Look at that Moon

Easterling makes her way to Port Royal from the Upstate. Easterling brandishes her songwriting chops with rootsy, refreshing, homespun tunes. Her act is not quite country, not quite folk, but altogether unique

and engaging.

On September 23, J.P.

Soars & The Red Hots make their presence known. Playing the blues not only requires diligence and dedication, but also an inherent sense of purpose and pas-

sion. Guitarist and vocalist J.P. Soars no doubt has the sense of both. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m., so bring your dancing shoes, your chairs and settle in between 9th and 10th streets in Port Royal.

Beaufort Executive Airport hosting TSA PreCheck Enrollment Event

From staff reports Beaufort Executive Airport is hosting a TSA PreCheck enrollment event in collaboration with IDEMIA, a TSA PreCheck authorized enrollment provider. Travelers will be able to enroll at 39 Airport Circle, Beaufort from through Friday, Aug. 4. Services will be available each day from 9 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

It’s always amazing what one can see during a mostly cloudless night in Beaufort. Here, a nearly full moon breaks the horizon between a couple pine trees Sunday evening, July 30. The full Sturgeon moon rose Tuesday, Aug. 1, while the full Blue moon will rise August 30. The full Harvest moon will peak Saturday, Sept. 23. Look closely and one can see an almost pinkish tint to the moon’s surface. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

and a photo. IDEMIA offers TSA PreCheck enrollment for $78 and if approved, travelers get a five-year membership with the program.

Following the in-person enrollment appointment, most applicants receive their Known Traveler Number (KTN) in about three to five days. The KTN number must be added to flight reservations to enjoy TSA PreCheck benefits.

The program is open to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents. The enrollment process is quick, convenient and even faster when the application is completed online beforehand. The in-person enrollment requires that applicants provide proof of identity, proof of citizenship, fingerprints

TSA PreCheck was created in December 2011 as a way to provide low-risk travelers with a smoother experience through airport security. It’s a great option for travelers looking to save time. Enrolled members do not need to remove shoes, laptops, 3-1-1 liquids, belts, or light jackets. They also

access TSA PreCheck dedicated screening lanes at more than 200 participating U.S. airports nationwide.

“This is another great example of working together to provide more convenience for our customers at their hometown airport. We’re happy to host this event to make travel a little easier,” Beaufort County Airport Director Jon Rembold said in a news release.

If you are unable to make the Beaufort Executive Airport enrollment event, but are still interested in enrolling in TSA PreCheck, please complete the application online (https://bit. ly/3DFvfd0) and schedule an appointment at one of our 550+ enrollment centers nationwide.

Conroy Center hosting Book Club Convention in September

From staff reports

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host the 7th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Culinary Institute of the South at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton.

Ideal for book club members, those interested in joining a book club, or anyone who simply loves the joy of reading, the Lowcountry Book Club Convention is presented in partnership with NeverMore Books and the Technical College of the Lowcountry, and made possible by the generous support of the Pulpwood Queens Books Club, the largest book read-nmeet club in the U.S.

This year’s presenters include musician, educator, and

bestselling novelist Brendan Slocumb, author of The Violin Conspiracy (A Good Morning America Book Club Selection) and Symphony of Secrets ; master entertainer and chef Johnathon

Scott Barrett, author of Cook & Celebrate: A Collection of Southern Holiday & Party Culinary Traditions ; and teenage entrepreneur Sidney Keys III, creator of the Books N Bros Book Club (featured in Forbes Magazine).

The Convention will begin this year with a panel discussion highlighting five Lowcountry novelists with new or recently released books: Donna Keel

Armer ( The Red Starfish ), Laura Elizabeth ( All Is Now Lost ), Nan -

cy Ritter ( Slack Tide ), Lynn Seldon ( Carolina's Ring ), and John

Warley ( Jury of One ).

An optional gourmet box lunch will be provided by Catering by Debbi Covington. Books by presenting authors will be available for sale and signing. The Culinary Institute of the South will also be offering guided tours of their facility for the convention attendees. The registration fee includes all-day access to all author events and a tour. Tickets range from $15 to $40 and are available at https://bit. ly/3rCOsZY.

Schedule of Events

9 - 9 : 30 a.m.: Check-in begins.

9 : 30 - 10 : 30 a.m.: Lowcountry novelists panel, featuring

Donna Keel Armer ( The Red Starfish ), Laura Elizabeth ( All Is Now Lost ), Nancy Ritter ( Slack Tide ), Lynn Seldon ( Carolina's Ring ), and John Warley ( Jury of One ), moderated by Conroy Center Executive Director Jonathan Haupt.

10 : 30 - 11 a.m.: Book signing break.

11 a.m.-noon: As featured in the Good Morning America Book Club – musician, educator, and novelist Brendan Slocumb (The Violin Conspiracy and Symphony of Secrets) in conversation with Jonathan Haupt.

Noon-12:45 p.m.: Book signing break & lunch. Gourmet box lunches by Catering by Debbi Covington. (Register by Septem-

ber 20 for lunch.)

12 : 45 - 1 : 45 p.m.: Master entertainer and chef Johnathon Scott Barrett, ( Cook & Celebrate: A Collection of Southern Holiday & Party Culinary Traditions ) in conversation with Mary Martha Greene ( The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All ).

1 : 45 - 2 : 15 p.m.: Book signing break.

2:15-3:15 p.m.: As featured in Forbes Magazine – Sidney Keys III, author of Books N Bros and founder of the Books N Bros book club, in conversation with local students 3:15-3:45 p.m.: Final book signing break and tour of the Culinary Institute of the South.

Beaufort Memorial employee Chayanne Celiant struggled to find an affordable place to live with her son Kingsley until the hospital stepped in. Submitted photo

Adult baseball

Warriors lure Jasper County coaching legend Jeremiah Faber back to bench

By Justin Jarrett LowcoSports.com

When Antwaun Wade left Whale Branch’s basketball program after one highly successful and extremely energetic season in Seabrook, the Warriors took a big swing at finding a successor who would continue the momentum. They found him waiting one county over.

Legendary Jasper County and Ridgeland-Hardeeville coach Jeremiah Faber will end his four-year

retirement to return to the bench at the helm of the Whale Branch boys, taking over a program that is on steady footing despite Midland Valley plucking the rising star Wade as its next head coach.

It’s a big-splash hire for new Whale Branch athletics director Kaysee Sullivan and ensures

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one of the area’s most consistently successful boys basketball programs remains a contender. The Warriors lose leading scorer Queashawn Fields but return their next nine top producers, including five players who averaged at least 7 8 points last winter.

Faber has a proven track record of winning with a style reminiscent of Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell,” marked by swarming pressure defense resulting in transition buck-

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ets, and the Warriors have the right personnel — and the right mindset instilled by Wade — to flourish under his tutelage.

Faber compiled a 560-265 record across parts of four decades in Jasper County, claiming 11 region titles and taking the Jaguars to the state title game in 2016 2018, and 2019, but a state title has eluded him — and that was just enough to lure him back to the bench.

The Warriors have come close,

too, reaching the SCHSL 2A final in 2020 behind star Nick Pringle, who is now making his name with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Perhaps Faber and the Warriors can get back to the pinnacle together and finish the job.

Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the founder of LowcoSports. com. He was the sports editor of the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette for 6½ years. He has a passion for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.

Jeremiah Faber

Athletics’ second baseman Matt Gornichec makes a clean play but Sand Fleas speedster Julias Thompson was still safe during the third inning of their Beaufort County Adult Baseball League game Monday afternoon at the Burton Wells Athletic Complex. Despite Thompson’s efforts, the Athletics came away with a 7-5 win. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

The benefits of meditating in bed

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there is emerging evidence that meditation may have beneficial health effects. These include potential improvements in stress, anxiety, and depression. Meditation may also improve sleep quality. There may be several possible benefits to meditating in bed, including:

Comfort: Meditating in bed helps people feel comfortable and relaxed in a familiar environment.

• Relaxing space: Many people associate their bed with rest and relaxation. This sense of calm may help a person to focus without distractions.

• Convenience: Meditating in bed after waking up or before going to sleep is a convenient way to fit meditation into a person’s day.

• Starting the day positively: Some people may benefit from meditating in bed after waking up. This could help people set their intentions for the day, feel less stressed, and be more positive about the day ahead.

• Sleep: Engaging in

meditation at night may improve sleep quality. A comfortable, calm environment may help people relax and focus on meditating. Although everyone’s idea of an ideal space is different, the following tips might help: Make the bed as comfortable as possible. Have plants in the bedroom.

Maintain a clean and tidy space. Use soft or warm colors and lighting. Avoid using screens before bedtime. Keep the room cool.

• Use pleasant fragrances from scented candles and essential oils.

Stick to a regular sleeping and waking routine.

Reduce distracting noise.

There is a lack of research into how environments affect meditation. However, quiet and cool environments can improve sleep quality. The same is true of a regular sleep routine.

How to meditate in bed

There are several meditation techniques people can try in bed. Using a meditation app can be useful for learning how to meditate.

Meditation techniques in-

clude:

Mindfulness: Mindfulness meditation works to induce a present-focused and nonjudgmental headspace. It encourages people to focus on the breath and sensations in the body. It also involves observing thoughts and feelings without dwelling on them.

Body scan: A body scan meditation works by attending to different body parts, focusing on how they feel. The process is systematic, starting from the top of the

head and ending at the tips of the toes.

Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique works by tensing and then relaxing muscle groups. An individual can work through different muscle groups in a sequence, attending to the feeling of relaxation.

Sound meditation: Where an individual focuses on external sounds. These might be nature sounds, chants, or singing bowls. The idea is that a person returns attention to these

sounds if their focus starts to drift elsewhere.

Breath awareness: Breath awareness meditation involves paying close attention to the flow of breath. The individual attends to the rhythm, sounds, and physical sensation of the breath.

Loving kindness: It fosters calming feelings of compassion and love toward the self and others. Individuals can do this by repeating positive phrases. They can also imagine making posi-

tive statements about themselves and others.

Guided visualization: Guided visualization works by following verbal instructions or by recalling images. How often to meditate

There is no right answer to this question. One argument is that any meditation is better than no meditation. If a person is only able to meditate once a week, this should not be a barrier to trying out the therapy.

People can consider starting with a few mindfulness sessions per week and increasing the frequency if they feel it is necessary. Meditation may also be a tool someone uses on an as-needed basis.

Sources:

Davis, D. M., et al. (2012). What are the benefits of mindfulness? http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/pst-48-2-198.pdf

Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know. (2022). https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ meditation-and-mindfulness-whatyou-need-to-know Noonan, S. (2014). Mindfulness-based stress reduction. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC3894868/ https://www.medicalnewstoday. com/articles/how-to-meditate-inbed

Adjusting sleep schedule as kids head back to school

It’s hard to believe the first day of school is right around the corner, and you can bet a lot of kids are going to have a hard time waking up—especially if they didn’t have a regular sleep schedule over the summer.

So, what can parents do to help ease that transition?

It’s important to start that transition early so there’s not a big jump for whenever you get back to going to school, and there’s not going to be that whiplash where you’re kind of real tired maybe for the first few weeks of school,” said Brian Chen, MD, sleep specialist for Cleveland Clinic.

By Sonya Goins MayoClinic.org

Dr. Chen said if a child’s wake up time is a lot different than when school starts, that transitional period is even more important.

Otherwise, the child could wind up dealing with sleep deprivation, making it harder for them to concentrate in class.

It can also impact their energy level and performance in sports.

He said the transitional period for every child is going to be different depending on when they normally wake up.

However, there are some simple tips everyone can follow:

“Tips for transitioning include getting a good night’s sleep, not

drinking too much caffeine or sugary drinks during the day, or not having a meal too late at night,” he advised. “Same goes for exercise, try to do it during the day and not too late at night—anything that would be stimulating that would cause you to be unable to fall asleep.”

Dr. Chen said if your child’s sleep schedule doesn’t seem to be improving with time, you should contact their pediatrician for further guidance.

Source: https://newsroom. clevelandclinic.org

Dark skin tones also at risk for melanoma

Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, develops in the cells (melanocytes) that produce mela-

nin—the pigment that gives your skin its color. Melanoma can also form in your eyes and, rarely, inside your body, such as in your nose or throat.

The exact cause of all melanomas isn't clear, but exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases your risk of developing melanoma. Limiting your

exposure to UV radiation can help reduce your risk of melanoma. Melanoma can be treated successfully if it is detected early.

The myth that people with dark skin are immune to melanoma, a type of skin cancer, has persisted for many years. It's a dangerous misconception that has caused some people not to be diligent about protecting themselves against dangerous UV rays.

"Melanin is the protein component of the skin that gives our skin color," says Dr. Dawn Davis, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist.

Darker skin tones have more melanin. The pigment protects against sun damage and lowers the risk of skin cancer. Some people with dark complexions think melanin shields them from getting cancer. But Dr. Davis says that's a myth.

"All patients, including patients who are skin of color, have a risk of melanoma. Children can also have melanoma," explains Dr. Davis.

When melanoma develops in people of color, it's often diagnosed at a later stage and is more aggressive. But that could be be-

cause skin cancer in people with darker skin may appear in unexposed areas.

"Under your armpits, in your genital area, under your nails, fingernails and toenails, and on the palms and soles," says Dr. Davis.

People of color, including children, should wear sunscreen and perform regular skin self-exams.

How to reduce the risk of melanoma

The longer you're exposed to the sun, the great-

er the risk for developing skin cancer. There are several things people can do to protect their skin: Wear sunscreen of at least 30 SPF. Perform regular skin self-exams. See a health professional for abnormal growths or warts. Wear protective clothing.

Source: Interview with Dr. Dawn Davis, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist; https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

A finger-prick test may help detect Alzheimer's disease earlier

Recently, researchers designed a method to analyze finger prick tests for Alzheimer’s that can be taken at home without the need for clinician oversight.

At-home blood tests may be the first step to diagnosing Alzheimer’s earlier. Around 6 million people in the U.S. currently live with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this figure is projected to increase to almost 13 million.

While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, studies show that early diagnosis and intervention

A less expensive and quicker way to diagnose:

“These [home test] tools will become available to the public soon. We expect FDA approval of blood measures of Alzheimer’s in the next 1 to 2 years. We are entering a new and exciting era of Alzheimer’s disease with new diagnostic and treatment approaches that will change how we practice dramatically.”

— Dr. Jeffrey Burns, neurologist and co-director of the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center

are crucial for delaying its onset. Current diagnostic methods include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cognitive tests, and physical

exams. However, they have restricted accessibility as they require visiting a clinic with trained personnel and complex delivery and storage procedures for samples.

The accuracy of such tests also varies. A study found that around 25% of patients clinically diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s during their lifetime did not have evidence of Alzheimer’s at autopsy.

Research also shows that up to 50% of patients with any form of dementia are not formally diagnosed while alive.

Improving the accuracy and availability of Alzheimer’s testing could help physicians diagnose the disease sooner and prescribe interventions to potentially delay disease pro-

gression.

Another study found that blood tests can yield over 85% accuracy in detecting Alzheimer’s, whereas standard physical examinations deliver accurate diagnoses around 55% of the time.

The findings were presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and online.

How accurate are blood tests for Alzheimer’s?

Whereas primary care physicians identified Alzheimer’s-related changes or

correctly diagnosed Alzheimer’s 55% of the time, blood tests did so over 85% of the time. If this method is validated—a simple finger prick of blood put onto a card that can be shipped directly from a patient’s home at room temperature—it could increase the number of patients screened for Alzheimer’s and may help catch the disease early, when interventions can have a greater impact.

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/a-fingerprick-test-may-help-detect-alzheimers-disease-earlier

Important safety tips to protect yourself from lightning

August and September are active severe weather months for coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

Indoor Safety Tips

Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you might still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck by lightning while indoors.

• Avoid water. Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel through a building’s plumbing. The risk of lightning travelling through plumbing might be less with plastic pipes than with metal pipes. However, it is best to avoid any contact with plumbing and running water during a lightning storm to reduce your risk of being struck. Don’t touch electronic equipment. Do NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet, such as computers, laptops, game systems, washers, dryers, or stoves. Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring. Equip your home with whole-house surge protectors to protect your appliances.

• Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete. Stay away from windows and doors and stay off porches. Do NOT lie on concrete floors or lean on concrete walls during a thunderstorm. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

• Don’t use corded phones. Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. Do NOT use them. However, it is safe to use cordless or cellular phone during a storm.

Outdoor Safety Tips:

Although no place outside is safe during a thunderstorm, you can minimize your risk by assessing the lightning threat early and taking appropriate actions. The best defense is to avoid lightning. Here are some outdoor safety tips that can help you avoid being struck.

• Be aware. Check the weather forecast before participating in outdoor activities. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure suitable safe shelter is readily available.

• Go indoors.

Remember the phrase, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Find a safe, enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe shelters include homes, of-

fices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up.

• Seek shelter immediately, even if caught out in the open. If you are caught in an open area, act quickly to find shelter. The most important action is to remove yourself from danger. Crouching or getting low to the ground can reduce your chances of being struck, but it does not remove you from danger. If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, the following actions might reduce your risk of being struck by lightning:

» Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.

» Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.

» Never shelter under an isolated tree. If you are in a forest, shelter near lower trees.

» Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.

» Immediately get out of

and away from water. This includes swimming pools, the ocean, ponds, lakes, and streams.

» Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).

Separate from others.

If you are in a group during a thunderstorm, separate from each other. This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes the ground.

• If you are out in the open water and a storm rolls in, return to shore immediately.

If you are on a boat in open water when a thunderstorm rolls in, return to shore immediately and seek shelter.

If you are unable to return to shore, boats with cabins offer some protection. If caught in a storm in a small boat with no cabin, drop anchor and get as low as possible.

Don’t stay in open vehicles.

During a thunderstorm, avoid open vehicles such as convertibles, motorcycles, and golf carts.

• Don’t stay in open structures. Avoid open structures such as porches, gazebos, baseball dugouts, and sports arenas. These structures won’t protect you from lightning.

Avoid open spaces.

Stay away from open spaces such as golf courses, parks, playgrounds, ponds, lakes, swimming pools, and beaches. Seek shelter immediately.

• Don’t stay near tall structures.

Stay away from tall structures, such as telephone poles and trees; lightning tends to strike the tallest object around.

And thanks to information posted by Shea Gibson, a Charleston-based meteorologist, there is now a FREE LIGHTNING TOOL: NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center (aka SPoRT) has released a new, interactive tool to help you track—and just maybe— predict lightning. The map view is available at https://weather.ndc. nasa.gov/sport/lightning-viewer/. It not only shows you where lightning is happening, but how long since the last lightning strike. This tool will let you know when that 30-minute window has elapsed. Follow Shea on Facebook at Shea Gibson-Meteorologist.

Sources: https://www.weather.gov/safety/ lightning; https://www.ready.gov/thunderstorms-lightning; https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/lightning/ safetytips.html;

—Care magazine® editor, caremagazine@gmail.com

health or medical conditions.

843-940-7665

CALENDAR

Karaoke with Melissa

8 p.m. to midnight, Tuesdays, Highway 21 Bar, 3436 Trask Pkwy, Beaufort. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Sharing Hearts Support Group

5:30 to 7 p.m., second Tuesday of every month, 2201 Boundary Street, Suite 208, Beaufort. Free. Come tell your 10-minute story of a life lesson or healing message using your own creative expression through a song, poetry, reading, art or verbal storytelling. Come away with an uplifting sense of support and connections or to just listen. Register by leaving a voicemail with name, phone and number of attendees at 843-525-6115 or send email to reneesutton@healthierhealing. com. Notification will be done of any location change due to seat requirements. Next event is on Tuesday, June 13.

Karaoke with Melissa

7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Beaufort Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd, Beaufort. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Trivia with Mike – Fat Patties

7:30 p.m., Every Wednesday, Fat Patties, 831 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with either Parker or Eric.

Trivia with Mike – Bricks On Boundary

7:30 p.m., Every Thursday, Fat Patties, 1422 Boundary St, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash and Beer Bucket prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew 7 p.m., Thursdays, Amvets Post 70, 1831 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Free. Public is welcome. Enjoy Karaoke. Dinner will be available.

Bluffton Night Bazaar — a Lowcountry Made Market

5 to 8 p.m., first Thursday of each month, Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Road. A highly curated selection of accessories, clothing, home goods, custom gifts and more by local artists and makers.

Rooted Beaufort Yoga classes

5:30 to 6:45 p.m., Thursdays, Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal; 9 to 10:15 a.m., Whitehall Park or Pigeon Point Park. Rooted Beaufort is a collective of local Yoga teachers who host outdoor yoga classes and donation-based events with proceeds being donated locally on a rotating basis.

Wet Willie's Trivia Night

7 to 10 p.m., every Thursday, Wet Willie's, Beaufort Town Center. Win awesome prizes while you sip the worlds greatest daiquiris and munch on delicious bites.

TECHconnect

5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 3rd Thursday of each month, Beaufort Digital Corridor, 500 Carteret Street, Suite D, Beaufort. Free. The BDC's signature happy hour “meetup” networking event for tech professionals. Connect with like-minded people, fellow entrepreneurs, start-ups and VCs over local food and cold beverages. Call 843-470-3506 or visit https:// rb.gy/e7t2h for more information. The next meeting is on August 17.

Wet Willie's Bingo Night 7 to 10 p.m., every Friday, Wet Willie's, Beaufort Town Center. Win free giveaways, merchandise, and more cool prizes.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew 9 p.m., Fridays, Highway 21 Bar, 3436 Trask Pkwy, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy Karaoke with Lt. Dan.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew 9:30 p.m., Fridays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy Karaoke with Parker.

Karaoke with Melissa 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Fridays, R Bar & Grill, 70 Pennington Dr, Bluffton. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

Drum Circle

6:30 to 8 p.m., 2nd Friday of every month, Gazeebo, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort. Free. Anyone welcome, no experience necessary. Eric Roy, a recent transplant from Connecticut with successful experience in leading drum circles, is our new facilitator. He will start sessions off with 15-20 minutes of instruction on djembe playing and teach a selected traditional rhythm & accompaniment for participants to play. In addition, there will be time allotted for spontaneous group drumming. Bring a drum, if you have one, a chair and a desire to have fun. The Drum Circle has several extra drums and many other percussion instruments that anyone can use. To receive updates on future events, send your email to lannyk13@gmail.com.

Highway 21 Flea Market

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, Highway 21 Drive-In. Sellers,

WHAT’S HAPPENING

HIGHWAY 21 DRIVE-IN

The movies scheduled for this week (Friday, Aug. 4 through Tuesday, Aug. 8) at the Highway 21 Drive-In are Barbie (PG-13, 8:45 p.m.) and Meg 2 The Trench (R, 11 p.m.) on Screen 1; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG, 8:45 p.m.) and Transformers Rise Of The Beasts (PG-13, 10:30 p.m.) on Screen 2; and Haunted Mansion (PG-13, 8:45 p.m.) and Talk

To Me (R, 11 p.m.) on Screen 3.

Online ticketing is available at hwy21drivein. com on the Now Playing page. Patrons are asked to arrive early on Friday and Saturday nights. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.

“Our family at the Hwy. 21 drive in feel a responsibility to our community,” a statement from Highway 21 Drive-In management reads. “We are concerned about many things in these trying times and in making the right decisions. We are concerned with our employees, our patrons, our business, our community’s businesses, and the health and well-being of all.”

A reminder: no outside food or beverages can be brought into the drive-in.

Upcoming movies include Gran Turismo (August) and The Equalizer 3 (August).

vendors, handmade items, unique products and yard sale items. For information, email lowcountryfleamarket@gmail.com.

Port Royal Farmers Market

9 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, year round, Naval Heritage Park, 1615 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Rain or shine. You will find fresh, local, seasonal produce, shrimp, oysters, poultry, beef, pork, eggs, bread and cheese, as well as plants, ferns, camellias, azaleas, citrus trees and beautiful, fresh cut flower bouquets. There are prepared food vendors serving barbecue, dumplings, she crab soup, crab cakes, paella, coffee, baked goods, bagels and breakfast sandwiches. No pets allowed. For more information, visit http://www. portroyalfarmersmarket.com/, visit @ portroyalfarmersmarket on Facebook or call 843-295-0058.

Slip and Splash Saturdays

10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturdays, Battery Creek Pool, 1 Blue Dolphin Drive, Beaufort, and Bluffton Pool, 55 Pritchard Street, Bluffton. $5 per person. Stay busy for hours climbing on our inflatable challenge track.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

7 p.m., Saturdays, The Beaufort Moose Lodge, 350 Broad River Blvd., Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with Lt. Dan. Come early at 6 p.m. for Steak Night.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

9:30 p.m., Saturdays, Rosie O’Grady’s, 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 2, Beaufort. Free. Enjoy karaoke with Eric.

Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud

9 a.m. to noon, 1st Saturday each month, Port Royal Farmer’s Market, Corner of Ribaut Road & Pinckney Blvd, Port Royal. Free. DAYLO Students and other volunteers will read to young children, who are encouraged to bring their favorite stuffed animals. The next Reading is Saturday, Aug. 5.

Karaoke with Melissa

8 p.m. to 12 a.m., 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month, Peaceful Henry’s Cigar Bar, 181 Bluffton Rd, Bluffton. Enjoy food and drinks during Karaoke with Melissa.

DON’T FEAR THE LAWSUIT!

Navigating the Judicial Process

1 to 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 3, Via Zoom. Led by TCL Paralegal Program Director & Attorney Brian McDaniel. RSVP required. This free 90-minute seminar will discuss the litigation process in South Carolina so that you can be better prepared to protect yourself and your business. Whether you have a breach of contract or personal injury claim, learn the options for filing or defending yourself in court, what to expect and the pros and cons of doing so. RSVP at https://rb.gy/888cx.

Pat Conroy Literary Center’s Annual Children’s Book Fair

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 8, Weezie Educational Pavilion, 130 Okatie Highway, Okatie. Free. Dinah Johnson will be the special guest author at the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s annual Children’s Book Fair. Presented in partnership between the nonprofit Conroy Center, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, the Storybook Shoppe children’s bookstore, and DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, this special event is open to the public. Johnson will give a reading from Indigo Dreaming at 11 a.m. Student volunteers from DAYLO will be hosting a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud throughout the event. All Hands on Deck, the student anthology from the 6th annual Camp Conroy will also make its debut at the Children’s Book Fair. The Bluffton-based Storybook Shoppe will have a selection of other popular lowcountry children’s books available as well.

Saint Peter’s 63rd Annual Fall Bazaar

10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7, St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 70 Lady’s Island Drive, Beaufort. The bazaar committee seeks Lowcountry artists and crafts people to sell their creations at the bazaar. Booths may be set up inside or outside. Fee is $100. The Bazaar will also feature International Foods, Sweet Shoppe, Beer and Wine Garden, Kids Zone with inflatables, games, and petting zoo, and a Silent Auction. Proceeds benefit the Lowcountry Outreach Cen-

ter. For an application, contact parishlife@stpetersbeaufort.org.

Sips & Seafood Party 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27, Hewitt Oaks, 205 Stillwell Road, Bluffton. $175. Bluffton Self Help’s annual fundraiser. The funds raised provide education, basic needs, career development, and a sense of hope. Last year alone, this event helped 194 families to remain in their homes, keep the lights on, and to get through a difficult time. It supported 413 neighbors as they earned an education through English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education, and GED Preparation classes. Our guests and sponsors provided 168 neighbors with the opportunity to meet one-onone with client advocates through 672 meetings to connect to resources, develop goals and work toward reaching personal success. Through The Market 858 households received 431,428 pounds of fresh produce, dairy, meat, eggs, non perishable groceries, hygiene items, diapers and more than 20,000 articles of clothing enabling them to stretch their budget and have better health. Purchase tickets at https:// rb.gy/kq7ef.

HISTORY Beaufort History Museum at the Arsenal

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturdays, 713 Craven St, Beaufort. General Admission for Adults $8, Seniors $7, Active Duty Military and College Students with ID $5. Children/Teens younger than 18 Free. Explore and experience more than 500 years of Beaufort History with knowledgeable docent guided tours.

The Historic Port Royal Museum

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or upon request, Thursdays through Sundays, The Historic Port Royal Museum, 1634 Paris Ave. The museum features the turn-ofthe-century businesses and industries of Port Royal: Shrimping, crabbing, oystering, the railroad, the school and the mercantile. Great gifts featuring local artists are available. For more information. visit www.portroyalhistory.org, email historicportroyalfoundation@ gmail.com or call 843-524-4333.

Tour Historic Fort Fremont Dawn to dusk, Monday through Sunday, The Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land’s End Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public. The History Center is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors can learn about the fort’s history during the Spanish-American War through interpretive signs, self-guided walking tours with a smart phone, exhibits in the history center, and docent-led tours. For more information visit www.fortfremont.org or contact Passive Parks Manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@bcgov. net.

Port Royal Lecture Series: Who Was Here? Native Americans Before and During European Settlements

6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1004 11th Street, Port Royal. $25 per person – Seating is limited. Lecturers are Stephen Criswell, Professor Chris Judge, and Evan Nooe, University of South Carolina Native American Studies Center. Buy tickets at https://historic-port-royal-foundation.square.site/.

LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

Dungeons & Dragons 4 p.m., Mondays, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6441. Ages 12 to 18.

Lego Club 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Mondays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843255-6540. All ages welcome.

Teen Art Club 4 p.m., 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843255-6441. Ages 12-18.

Teen Anime Club 4 p.m., 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843255-6456.

Teen Video Game Club 4 p.m., 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843255-6441. Ages 12 to 18.

S.C. Works Job Coaching 2 to 4 p.m., Thursdays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843255-6540. Free help with job searches, interviews.

Chess Club 1 to 2 p.m., Saturdays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843255-6540. Ages 5 and older.

Chess Meet Up 11 a.m., 2nd Saturday of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6456. Instructor Henry Otto Seim will show beginners the basics or play a friendly game with more experienced players. All skill levels welcome. Extra boards will be set up.

Chess Meet Up

11 a.m., 3rd Saturday of each month, Lobeco Branch Library, 1862 Trask Parkway, 843-255-6479. Instructor Henry Otto Seim will show beginners the basics or play a friendly game with more experienced players. All skill levels welcome. Extra boards will be set up.

Gardening with Native Plants

2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 8, Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street. Join Victoria Bergesen, president of the Lowcountry Master Gardeners, for an informative workshop on the benefits of native plants.

Healthy Snack Attack:

A T(w)een Event @ Lobeco Library

4:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 10, Lobeoc Library, 1862 Trask Parkway. A hands on demonstration (and food tasting) of fun healthy snacks you can make in minutes. We'll also show off some of our favorite teen cookbooks available for check out! Best for ages 12 to 18. Registration Required. Call 843-255-6479 or stop by to sign up. Free.

Cooking Matters at the Store:

Shopping on a Budget

11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 11, Lobeco Library, 1862 Trask Parkway. Join the Lowcountry Food Bank for a FREE, interactive in-person class as we discuss reading nutrition facts labels, understanding unit prices, and more. Participants will receive a $10 gift card for attending! Registration required. Call 843-255-6479 or stop by to sign up.

Garden with Purpose:

Canning and Preserving

4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22, Lobeco Library, 1862 Trask Parkway. Call 843255-6479 or stop by to register. Free. Laura Lee Rose, retired Clemson Extension Agent, provides tips on planning a garden to produce the perfect crops for canning and preserving.

Free Law Talk

5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22, Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street. The talk’s topic will be heirs property.

Debt Management Workshop

4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 24, Lobeco Library, 1862 Trask Parkway. The experts from the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Savannah will share information and resources to help you manage your debt. Registration Encouraged. Call 843-255-6479 or stop by to sign up. Free.

MEETINGS

The Beaufort Trailblazers –

A Volunteer Group

8 a.m., first Thursday each month, Herban Marketplace, Beaufort. Anyone interested in supporting or building offroad/dirt/wilderness mountain biking/ jogging/walking trails near is encouraged to attend. For more information, call 843-575-0021 or email universitybicycles@hotmail.com.

Zonta Club of Beaufort

6 p.m., 4th Tuesday of each month, Smokehouse, Port Royal. No meeting for July.

Maye River Quilters

10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 5 at Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. Social time begins at 9:30 a.m. To attend as a guest, email RSVP to mayeriverquilters@gmail.com. For more information and for membership forms, call 843-705-9590.

MUSIC

Street Music on Paris Avenue

6 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 12, Aug. 26, Sept. 9, Sept. 23, Paris Avenue, Port Royal. All shows are free. Bring your own chairs. Stage is between 9th and 10th streets. Aug. 12, the Bennett Matteo Band; Aug. 26, Blackcat Zydeco featuring Dwight Carrier; Sept. 9, Angela Easterling; Sept. 23, J.P. Soars & The Red Hots.

OUTDOORS

The Beaufort Tree Walk

Lady’s Island Garden Club invites you to take a meandering walk through the Historic “Old Point” and enjoy some unique and noteworthy trees. The “Walk” takes about an hour, is a little over a mile starting at the corner of Craven & Carteret streets in Morrall Park and concluding in Waterfront Park. Booklets with map and information about each tree are available free at the Visitors Center in the historic Arsenal on Craven Street.

Tours of Hunting Island

Every Tuesday, Hunting Island State Park, 2555 Sea Island Pkwy. Free, park entry fees apply. Sponsored by Friends of Hunting Island Keeper Ted and his team. For more information call the Hunting Island Nature Center at 843838-7437. The next Tuesday is August 1.

SPORTS/GAMES

ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Carteret St. United Methodist Church. Games and events will be held weekly. Director Gene Ogden. Contact Jane Simpson 803-226-3491.

Beaufort Masters Swim Team

6 to 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, Wardle Family Port Royal YMCA. Coached practices. Ages 18 & older, all skill & speed levels, no prior swim team experience needed. Visit lowcountryswimming.com for more information.

Being honest with God and ourselves

In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information and the mental toll of it. Relevant items of information include a person’s actions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, values, convictions, and things that are going on all around us.

Cognitive dissonance is typically experienced as mental and emotional stress when an individual participates in an action that goes against what they know is right. According to this theory, when two desires or ideas are not consistent with each other, people will try to justify and compromise until they become consistent enough to be accepted. This discomfort is triggered by the person’s knowledge clashing against new information when it’s introduced, wherein the individual tries to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their guilt.

This might sound like a lot of psychological gobbledygook, and you might be asking, what does all of this have to do with me and the way I live? I’m glad you asked. We all have a lot of personal and secret thoughts going on in our minds and how we deal with it goes a long way toward being a more stable, balanced, and spiritually content person.

I’m not excited about it, but we are constantly exposed to negative voices and influences that we might consider, but I hope we refuse. The point is coming to the place where we are honest with God and ourselves. Many of our headaches and anxieties are self-inflicted and our temptations often come from areas where are weak and vulnerable. The

BILLY HOLLAND

devil has been watching us for a long time and there is no reason for him to stop using tactics against us that are always successful.

Take for example, we know that we should stop wasting so many hours each day playing on our phones and television, but we do it anyway. Why? Because we want to. Of course, if we really believe this is a serious problem we would turn them off, but instead, it’s much easier to ignore it with a compromising and enduring attitude. This is cognitive dissonance.

The general idea of living on purpose is to examine every aspect of our lives and develop a desire to become the best version of ourselves we can be. Or in other words, it should be important to us that we are the person that Jesus died for us to be.

The subconscious discomfort we are talking about is an internal misery that does not need to be a part of our lives. We want peace and the more we please God and follow His voice, the less we are convicted and condemned for our willful disobedience.

We realize we need to take control of our mental and spiritual condition instead of allowing our fleshly desires and emotions to control us. In the same way that Adam and Eve were ashamed in the Garden, we also feel that guilt when we do not obey what God is saying. It’s an

illusion to expect spiritual joy, and contentment to fall out of the sky. Rather, since we have been given free will to make our own decisions, our destiny has everything to do with whose voice we follow.

This is not to say that God does not have a plan for us or fails to intervene. But much of the time He blesses what we give Him. Our responsibility to serve Him is refusing sin and being willing to guard our most precious assets – our mind, spirit, and the Holy Spirit within us.

What about how we feel about food and its association with our weight? Some analyze every bite and go to the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Counting calories gives them the security to know they are being good. Others could care less about being healthy and are willing to take as many medications as necessary to maintain their existence.

Those who smoke realize it’s linked to cancer, but are convinced they can get away with it. The same is true with alcoholism. And what about the ones who secretly watch pornography and then try to secretly justify their behavior?

Whatever our vices and struggles, our contradictions are trying to convict and warn us. God sees and knows everything, and when His truth does not line up with our actions, asking Him for help is the best decision we could ever make.

Billy Holland is an ordained Christian minister, community chaplain, and author. Discover more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com. You can help support this ministry at PayPal.Me/psalmz103.

The younger generation is blurring lines

It is Saturday, early, and I’m just in from a swim at the Sands.

I swim off the beach, with rubber shoes, against the tide. As I watched the sun come up over Lady’s Island, my thoughts darted hither and yon but came back to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning affirmative action — overturning the concept of giving a college applicant points for being Black.

We remember this concept originated in the 60s — Lyndon Johnson admitting that black college applicants could not compete with white applicants and the American government was going to fix that problem. Lyndon reminding us we were atoning for slavery and its invidious iterations.

Sandra Day O’Conner later adding the fix would take 25 years. Our current Supreme Court now says that if you award these extra points to

SCOTT GRABER

Black applicants and hurt any other group — Asian Americans in particular — you violate the Constitution. Its decision also says that a Black applicant may mention a traumatic race-based experience in her essay, but skin color can’t be the basis for admission.

When I applied to George Washington Law School (in 1967) I believe I got extra points because I was from South Carolina.

GW advertised itself as a “National” law school — that it had students from every state in the Union — but most of its applicants were from the Northeast, many

from the Ivy League.

There were few applicants from the South and fewer from South Carolina.

I think I was chosen, in part, to bring some regional diversity into the student mix.

It was about the same time GW decided that women were under-represented at the law school, and I think that they were recruited getting extra points if points were needed.

And now those extra points are radioactive. One also wonders about federal construction contracts limited to Black contractors — and whether there will be similar efforts to end these “set asides.”

But affirmative action did get Clarence Thomas and a host of other minority applicants into Yale, Harvard and Chapel Hill. Studies further show that affirmative action has gotten these folks into top tier “white shoe” law firms and into upper-level corporate governance.

But these same studies show that Blacks (and women) do not then move into the C-Suite; or acquire partner status in proportional numbers. Blacks and women get their boarding pass, but so far few have won the penultimate prize. In proportional numbers. Not yet

Some say that this failure confirms the system is racist.

Confirmation of this systemic pathogen is currently underway at NPR where almost every story — be it barbecue or bank lending — has a racial component. Yesterday we learned that there is a long standing history of keeping Black cooks out of North Carolina’s “whole hog” barbecue pits.

NPR’s efforts are countered by Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott and Nikki Haley who dispute the systemic charge and will, no doubt, be mailing fund raising letters to North Carolina’s white barbecue- and cole slaw-eating primary voters.

In the meantime the drumbeat for reparations marches on with California leading the way. California’s proposed legislation provides a variety of benefits for those who can point to ancestors who were transported from West Africa.

Overall, however, 68% of Americans still say “no” to cash payments paid directly to descendants of slaves. Baby Boomers (born 1946 to 1964) are 79% against (reparations) versus 17% in favor. Americans between 35 and 50 years of age are also against by a margin of 73% to 25%. Millennials, however, are more receptive.

Millennials are those born between 1980 and 1994. While they are against reparations 49% to 40%, 11% of these middle-aged folk are not sure. This means that more than half of the current Millennials are willing to consider cash payments.

Millennials have had an uneven record when

it comes to voting; but as these people move into middle age they will bring their perceptions of race and recompense with them. Perhaps they will tilt the table in favor of reparations as the Baby Boomers evaporate taking their opposition to the promised land.

My own, admittedly anecdotal evidence confirms that inter-racial dating is the norm in most American high schools. Should that morph into inter-racial marriage, and mixed race children, then, maybe, “identity politics” will fade. This seems to be the trend in the United Kingdom. Maybe the kids will fix this problem by blurring the colors, cooling the racial rhetoric, changing our tormented landscape one child at a time.

Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com.

What would you do to rescue your mother?

What would you do to save your mother? To what extent would you change your lifestyle if you knew your mother would benefit?

If your answer resembles something similar to, “I would do anything for my mom,” then listen up because in this case I am talking about Mother Earth. I am referring to the entity that gives us food, water, glorious sunrises and sunsets, and so very often a sense of tranquility. I could continue to list the thousands of amenities given to us, countless ones that we take for granted, but you get the idea.

“Global climate change is not a future problem. Changes to Earth’s climate driven by increased human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gasses are already having widespread effects on the environment: glaciers and ice sheets are shrinking, river and lake ice is breaking up earlier, plant and animal geographic ranges are shifting, and plants and trees are blooming sooner.”

– NASA Global Change Website, June 19, 2019

Note the date. Back then, and even more disturbing, decades before, the alarm bell was being sounded. But by 2021 we were

consumed by another problem, up close and personal, that of COVID. In the midst of the pandemic our focus shifted, and while justifiably so, we sadly took our eye off the ball of fire above us. Given the fact that statisticians have stated that June of 2023 is the hottest month on record for the world, it’s apparent we need to refocus and address this head on.

Remember how we used to rely on the seasonal calendars provided by the Farmers Almanac and how accurate they were most of the time? Perhaps it is because of the unusual heat we have been enduring the past few weeks that I was motivated to take a look at statistics on the subject.

Certainly the daily news has consistently reported from various parts of the country the records that have been shattered. How many U.S. cities have suffered from triple-digit temperatures for a prolonged number of days? It is also

not the U.S. alone that is sweltering. While the heat index draws daily attention, it is the problems inherent with such that are causing people like myself to pay closer attention. Sadly we had to be pushed right up against the furnace to gain our undivided attention. And if we don’t do more than just acknowledge its existence, the next move may be being pushed into that furnace.

Admittedly some shifts are natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have become the central driving force. Perhaps a good place to look for an explanation of how we got to where we are is the population explosion.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the total world population crossed the threshold of 1 billion people for the first time. Since then, growth rates have been increasing exponentially, reaching staggeringly high peaks in the 20th century and slowing down a bit thereafter. The total world population reached 7 billion just after 2010 and is expected to count 9.7 billion by 2050. Today (Monday, July 31, 2023) the population is stated as 8.1 billion.

Now expand your thinking to include the necessities required to sustain that burgeoning number. Consider all that goes into “real estate development” alone when

spaces are designated for housing, beginning with the clear cutting of trees. The energy needed for those homes and the transportation of that population, by land, and air, and sea, bring about additional complexities.

But even more crucial is the greater demand for food and water.

With the warming of the earth comes dramatic ecological degradation. Droughts with subsequent soil erosion; wildfires; massive rainfall that produces floods; more intense hurricanes; rising sea levels as a result of melting ice caps and glaciers. All of these can be attributed to the effects of a warming earth.

And this doesn’t take into consideration man’s obsession with everything plastic. Inhabitants of the oceans are dying. Coral reefs in the past 30 years have been destroyed. There are some who project that one million species, not just those that live in the ocean, face extinction.

I read one supposition that said, “Right now, we need 1.7 planets to support the demands of earth’s ecosystem. I had to mull that around a bit, but my guess is that with today’s population, we need over half again what this planet is capable of providing. And with the anticipated increase of the world’s inhabitants, that figure will rise.

“The scientific evidence is unequivocal: climate change is a threat to human well being and the health of the planet. Any further delay in concerted global action will miss the brief, rapidly closing to secure a livable future.” – International Panel on Climate Change

Every person should be terrified by the above quote. I don’t pretend to be a scientist, and I know there is no simple answer. Most of us can endure the very hot summers. Some, certainly not all, can probably afford the increase in prices that will surely come with diminishing supplies. But what about my grandchildren and my great grandchild? What will their lives be like?

I can only join the number of those whose awareness has been heightened and ring the alarms whenever and wherever I can. I won’t fall back on the untenable response of, “What about other countries?” That is an excuse we can ill-afford.

Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”

A brief history of South Carolina’s municipal government, Chapter 1

Iwas fortunate to serve as Beaufort’s Mayor for almost 10 years. Over the next few weeks, I will share several personal experiences and offer insights relating to how the ins and outs of our City’s government operated before, then and now.

Shortly after World War II, a dedicated group of folks organized what became the Municipal Association of South Carolina (MASC). Once created, the MASC began to lobby the state legislature on behalf of all South Carolina municipalities.

From its inception, the major goals of the MASC were to conduct research, publish information, and train municipal officials to provide good government. Today, it remains the primary voice for modernization of municipalities. I was honored to be a member of the MASC during a portion of my tenure as Beaufort’s Mayor.

How did S.C. counties and cities operate prior to Home Rule? Each county’s delegation, consisting of

its senator and its House members, was that county’s governing body. County delegations made appointments and prepared the supply bill (or budget) for their respective counties. Each supply bill was enacted into law by the General Assembly. It was not until then that South Carolina amended the 1895 state constitution to better define and expand the powers of local governments, especially counties.

In its simplest sense, Home Rule is the exercise of independent authority by elected local governments. Home Rule legislation passed by the S.C. General Assembly, and federal revenue sharing legislation, began a busy decade of the 1970s

creating basic and very important changes for municipalities.

In 1973, S.C.’s legislature approved Home Rule changes in Article VIII of South Carolina’s constitution. Although the revised S.C. constitution allowed the legislature to approve by general law up to five types of government for municipalities, the General Assembly authorized just three models of government under the adopted Home Rule Act. (S.C. Code of Laws, 5-5-10).

Under the Home Rule Act, the General Assembly provided that each municipality would adopt one of the three optional forms of government approved by S.C.’s Legislature. While the council’s legislative functions are the same in all three models, state law or council policy specifically authorizes who may perform either executive and/or administrative functions. The Home Rule Act enabled local citizens to vote to choose the governmental form they preferred to have. The

state legislature sets other local government requirements, such as the number of council members, the length of terms, and conduct of elections, as well as procedures for changing the form of government.

When Home Rule was codified by the State legislature, municipalities voted between March 1973 and June 1975 to select one of the specified three government models, which best corresponded to the government in effect by the particular municipality. That is, the denizens of SC’s cities voted to choose if they wished to have the council form, the council-manager form, or the mayor-council form of local government.

To their credit, the citizens in the City of Beaufort voted to be governed by a Manager-Council form of government.

The Manager-Council model vests the Mayor/ Council to make policy, sometimes called legislative powers. Whereas the manager has sole administrative authority.

The City manager makes all personnel decisions, prepares an executive budget, and implements Mayor/Council’s legislative decisions and policies. State law mandates that the manager possesses administrative powers that the Mayor/Council do not have. This primary division of authority and power of decision-making between the manager and the Mayor/Council is of central importance in how S.C. municipal governments operate. By Home Rule, the number of council members ranges from five to nine, with staggered-terms, usually of four years. Municipalities set their election dates by local ordinance. Many municipalities choose to hold their elections on the general election date in November in odd-numbered years so to avoid being overshadowed by state and national elections.

Fewer than 35 municipalities in South Carolina chose the council-manager form, although the very first

city in the U. S. to adopt the council-manager form was in South Carolina. The first Mayor to operate under this model in 1975 was Henry C. Chambers, born and raised in the City of Beaufort. He served until 1990, and stepped down after 22 years of service. Thereafter, I, David Taub, served from 1990 to 1999; William “Bill” Rauch, served from late 1999 to 2008; William “Billy” Keyserling served from 2008 until 2020; Stephen Murray is the current Mayor.

So, what has Home Rule and the Manager-Council form of government meant for the City of Beaufort?

I certainly believe our voters made the absolutely correct choice for its government. Stay tuned for more.

“Well, all I know is what I read in the newspapers.” – Will Rogers.

David M. Taub was Mayor of Beaufort from 1990 through 1999 and served as a Beaufort County Magistrate from 2010 to 2015. You can reach him at david.m.taub42@gmail.com.

CAROL LUCAS

DAVID TAUB

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit

Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot

Parris Island, South Carolina, 4 August 2023

Recruit Training Regiment • Commanding Officer, Colonel C. B. McArthur

2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel C. J. Kearney

Commander of Troops, Captain J. L. Caraballo • Parade Adjutant, Captain Aysha K. Merrill Company “G”, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain J. L. Caraballo

Drill Masters • Gunnery Sergeant L. M. Hinton, Staff Sergeant M. M. Jordan

PLATOON 2056

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt D.V. Hye

PFC Allen II., E. J.

PFC Arellano, E. R.

PFC Burton, R. K.

PFC Ceesay, A.

PFC Chea, J. S.

Pvt Cogdill, A. N.

PFC Diaz, C. A.

Pvt Donkor, D. K.

Pvt Dotson, J. B.

Pvt Floyd II, G. D.

PFC Fraire, D. *

PFC Harrison, J. M.*

PFC Johnson, N. B.

Pvt Johnson, T.

PFC Joo, J.

Pvt Lindo, D. V.

PFC Lopezherrera, D.

Pvt Martinez, J. M.

Pvt Martinezbautista, E.

Pvt Matthews, Jr D.

PFC Meier, C. L.*

Pvt Meza, I.

Pvt Moore, T. B.

PFC Moussavou, D. Y.

PFC Patterson, J. A.

Pvt Pearson, Jr B. K.

Pvt Perkins, J. R.

PFC Phillips, N. M.

PFC Ramsey, P. R.

Pvt Ryals, X. D.

PFC Schunk, C. D.

Pvt Scott, E. E.

Pvt Staley, J. N.

PFC Strong Sr., N. J.

PFC Todd, A. U.

Pvt Vega, Jr. C.

Pvt Wyatt, B. I.

Pvt Wynn, B. D.

PLATOON 2057 Senior Drill Instructor GySgt G. Lopez

PFC Buckner, D. C.

PFC Dacosta, G. M.

Pvt Dashiell, T. K.

Pvt David, J. A.

PFC Davison, J. A.

Pvt Derieux, T. M.

Pvt Dunville, A. J.

Pvt Edwards, C. C.

Pvt Giraldolambert, C. E.

PFC Harris, T. K.

Pvt Hergert, G. H.

Pvt Hooper, C. W.

Pvt Hunt, J. C.

Pvt Jaikaran, T. D.

Pvt Jefferson, T. N.

Pvt Jennings, R. C.

Pvt Kahyaoglu, O.

Pvt Kemp, E. D.

Pvt Lawrence, C. G.

Pvt Lee, H. M.

Pvt Marquezpantaleon, O.

Pvt Murrill, J. D.

Pvt Navacardenas, C. D.

Pvt Pachecogarcia, M.

Pvt Panchanacedeno, J.

Pvt Pedro, K. M.

Pvt Pender, J. D.

Pvt Phillips, M. J.

Pvt Sequeira, M. A.

Pvt Shrewsbury, J. L.

Pvt Solis, E. A.

Pvt Tejeda, J. V.

Pvt Tenorio, J. J.

Pvt Tortora, K. S.

Pvt Tucker, T. T.

Pvt Williams, J. J.

PLATOON 2058

Senior Drill Instructor Sgt A. A. Ochoa

Pvt Abad, D.*

Pvt Aguilarramirez, I.

Pvt Boatwright, D.

PFC Borjas, S.

Pvt Bringham, L.

Pvt Campbell, M. A.*

PFC Changzapata, N. A.

Pvt Craig, M. R.

Pvt Delgado, A.

Pvt Dyer, L. J.

Pvt Fisher, K. J.

Pvt Freer, J. V.

Pvt Haas, H. S.

Pvt Hayes Jr, Q.

Pvt Heywangsimspon, A. R.

Pvt Hickerson, D. C.

PFC Jaques, T. T.

Pvt Lattin Jr, D. J.

Pvt Laballe, J. A.

Pvt Leng, C.

Pvt Leonluis, D. J.

PFC LopezLopez E. D.

Pvt Martinez, J. M.

Pvt Mattingly, B. W.

Pvt Mims, B. R.*

Pvt Nadal, G.

Pvt Niccoli, B. J.

PFC NievesMorocho, A. S.

PFC Parekh, R. C.

Pvt Pfaff, A. G.

Pvt Pierre, W. J.

Pvt Pruitt, H. L.*

Pvt Ray, J. O.

Pvt Reid, J. J.

PFC Romeo, J. G.

PFC Schaff, R. J.

PFC Southwell, K. D.

PFC VelardeMedina, A. G.

Pvt Whitney, T. J.

Pvt Wilson, R. A.

Pvt Wilson Jr., S. O.

PLATOON 2060

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt R. G. Schweitzer

Pvt Adair, C. D.

PFC Akintayo, A. G. *

Pvt Allen, J. E.

Pvt Berry, A. W.

Pvt Canales, L. A.

Pvt Candebat, D. P.

Pvt Castanedavelasquez, P.

Pvt Castroburuca, V. J.

PFC Cruz, A. I.

Pvt Desir, F. C.

Pvt Dominey, D. M.

PFC Fontenot, H. E.

Pvt Freirecastro, J. E.

PFC Garcia, C. T.

Pvt Gilbert, J. A.

Pvt Gomezponce, D.

Pvt Gros, K. A.

Pvt Guyon, C. J.

Pvt Harper, C. H.

PFC Horne, A. J. *

PFC Hurley, G. A.

Pvt Johnson, D. S.

Pvt Laferriere, E. W.

PFC Maple, G. W. *

PFC Mcnamara, A. P.

Pvt Morris, D. A.

Pvt Munozhernandez, D. J.

PFC Riverareyes, D. M.

PFC Rosenblath, C. T. *

PFC Sanchez, H. C.

Pvt Sanchezcruz, K. J.

Pvt Sarpong, L. N.

PFC Shermanyoung Jr, R.

Pvt Sweeny, M. L.

PFC Verrett, B. J.

Pvt Whitten, Z. J.

PLATOON 2061

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt J. S. Lanier

PFC Black, C. K.*

Pvt Boomer, D. T

PFC Chrencik, G. M.

Pvt Cruz, J. A.

PFC Daisey, O. C.

Pvt Diaz, A. G.

Pvt Fay, S. A.

Pvt Fissourou, D.

PFC Hartman, E. C.

Pvt Hungerford Jr, J. H.

Pvt Imerovski, A.

Pvt Innauratomoss, G. R.

Pvt Jaen, D. A.

PFC Johnson, E. G.

PFC Joynt, J. Z.

Pvt King, T. G.

PFC Kroljic, G. P.

Pvt Littlefield, T. M.

PFC Lopez, C. R.

Pvt Mcdougald, K. X.

PFC Miele, N. C.

Pvt Molinacuevas, D. J.

PFC Murray, D. J.

PFC Ortiz III, C.*

Pvt Perez, J.

Pvt Reyes, E.

PFC Rickel, P. J.*

PFC Sillavan, C. T.*

PFC Sokunbi, M. A.

PFC Strickland, A. D.

Pvt Uata, D. T.

Pvt Vegis, C. M.

Pvt Walker II, S. M.

Pvt Williams, A. J.

Pvt Wirth, K. D.

Pvt Young, J. R.

*Denotes Meritorious Promotion

To

Taking on the Crucible

Recruits with Golf Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, complete the Crucible on July 24, 2023, on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Following a culminating 15-kilometer hike to the parade deck, recruits are given their Eagle, Globe and Anchor and officially become United States Marines. Photos by Lance Cpl. Ava Alegria/USMC

Service-connected sleep apnea

If you developed sleep apnea while in military service or your sleep apnea was worsened by your military service, you should be able to claim sleep apnea as a service-connected disability.

Convincing evidence

However, you are going to have to give the VA evidence that the sleep apnea began while you were in service or worsened while you were in service. The best evidence will be a military medical record of you reporting the condition (symptoms) and seeing a doctor, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, medic, or other medical specialist about the problem.

You will need to prove that your sleep apnea began or worsened while in the military. The best proof will need to be either military medical records or other military records like evaluation reports, line of duty investigations, or other such records. Other forms of evidence could be doctors’ opinions, lay witness statements (spouse and battle buddies’ observations), civilian medical records, VA medical records (there is not much chance you saw the VA while on active duty), Line of Duty Investigations, accident reports, Operational Hazard Reports (OHRs), incident reports, counseling statements, personnel records (evaluation reports, etc.), and other military records.

Proving you have sleep apnea is the easier part.

The hard part of your claim will be proving that you developed sleep apnea while serving in the military or that your sleep apnea was

worsened by your military service.

What is sleep apnea?

According to the Mayo Clinic webpage, https://bit. ly/3rQZlHN, sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder and medical condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea.

The symptoms of sleep apnea include loud snoring, episodes in which a person stops breathing during sleep (which would be reported by another person), gasping for air during sleep, awakening with a dry mouth, morning headache, difficulty staying asleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, difficulty paying attention while awake, and irritability.

Complications

(Secondary Conditions)

According to medical experts, the following health and safety conditions can be caused by or worsened by sleep apnea.

High blood pressure or heart problems, daytime fatigue, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver problems, fatigue, and complications with medicines and surgery.

Abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, and an increased waist circumference.

Increased risk of recurrent heart attack, stroke, and irregular heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation. Increased risk of motor vehicle and workplace accidents.

Do not forget to file for Secondary Health Conditions

If you have a VA service-connected sleep apnea award (VA disability rating) and you have any of the above complications, you may be able to file for service connection as a secondary condition for one of those conditions (complications). You can also file a claim for sleep apnea as a secondary condition (broken nose during military service, etc.).

Not caused by HAZMAT

According to the VA SITREP YouTube Videos on sleep apnea, sleep apnea is not caused by Agent Orange, burn pits, or other hazardous materials exposure. Sleep apnea is caused by a person’s anatomic posterior pharynx (back wall of the throat) and their weight and genetics.

PTSD does not cause sleep apnea

According to the VA’s YouTube Video, the SITREP, titled Does Sleep Apnea Make PTSD Worse? – PTSD does not cause sleep apnea but sleep apnea could make PTSD worse.

Ask a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for help

VSOs are experts in VA benefits and how to file for those benefits – and how to appeal VA decisions that you disagree with. VSOs are background checked, have to pass a comprehensive ex-

amination, and are trained by the VA, the State Department of Veteran Affairs, and Veterans Service Organizations like the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Veterans (AMVETS), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and others.

Veterans can find S.C. County VSOs at https:// bit.ly/3qbLVSL and they can find Georgia VSOs at https://bit.ly/44KMVA7

They can search for VA-accredited representatives nationwide at https://bit. ly/3QnCk5M and they can search for VA-accredited representatives at VA Regional Offices at https://bit. ly/3TahNn1

Some S.C. VSOs in the footprint of The Island News include:

• Beaufort County: 100 Clear Water Way, Beaufort, S.C. 29906, 843-255-6880, FAX 843-255-9445, website https://bit.ly/3ryd5qS (Dr. Caroline P. Fermin is the new Director of that office).

Beaufort DAV Chapter VSO Michael Vergantino, 843-301-2543 and mlv1030@gmail.com.

• Jasper County: Alton Jenkins, 651 Grays Highway, Ridgeland, S.C. 29936, 843726-7727, ajenkins@ jaspercountysc.gov and jcwebsite@jaspercountysc.gov. Colleton County: 219 S. Lemacks Street, Suite 124, Walterboro, S.C. 29488, Janet Smith, 843-549-1412, cvao@ colletoncounty.org.

• Charleston County: Lonnie Hamilton III Public Service Building, Suite B-154 4045 Bridge View Drive, N.

Charleston, S.C. 29405

David LeBlanc, 843974-6360, vaoffice@ charlestoncounty.org.

Hollywood and Edisto Island: American Legion Post VSO Charlie Tupper, 843-709-7523 Charles.R.Tupper@ gmail.com.

• Hampton County: Sharon Johnson, 201 Jackson Ave. West, Hampton, S.C. 29924, 803-914-2085/2087, sjohnson@hamptoncountysc.org.

• Dorchester County: Johnny K. Brown, 500 N. Main Street, Summerville, S.C. 843832-0050, JKBrown@ dorchestercountysc. gov (also in St. George at 201 Johnson St., St. George, S.C. (Tuesdays only), 843-563-0116

• Berkeley County: Gerald Baxley, 212 Oakley Plantation Drive, Moncks Corner, S.C. 29461, 843-377-8506, gerald. baxley@berkeleycountysc.gov.

Some Georgia VSOs in the footprint of The Island News. Chatham County, Ga.: Office Manager Miguel Rivera (Bi-Lingual), 912-920-0214, Ext. 2412191, FAX: 912-9212016, Miguel.rivera5@ va.gov, 1170 Shawnee Street, Savannah, Ga. 31419. Also, VSO Sheri Shellman, 912-9200214 Extension 412194, and VSO Robert Jones 912-920-0214 extension 412193. This office is located in the Savannah VA Outpatient Clinic.

• Liberty County & Hinesville, Ga.: Shannon Daniels, 912-408-2948, shan-

non.daniels@vs.state. ga.us, and Dennis Boothe, 912-408-2900 ext. 352750, dennis. boothe@vs.state.ga.us, 500 East Oglethorpe Highway, Hinesville, Ga. 31313. Located inside the Hinesville VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Brunswick Ga.: Veterans Field Service Office (located in the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic), 93 Benchmark Way, Brunswick, Ga., 31520, Office Chief Stephanie Jordon, Phone: 912-2647360, Email: stephanie. jordan1@vs.state.ga.us.

Helpful References

US Department of VA YouTube Video 2 Sep 2021, #theSITREP, How is Sleep Apnea Treated?

US Department of VA

YouTube Video 31 Au 2021, #theSITREP, Do Military Exposures Cause Sleep Apnea? US Department of VA

YouTube Video 30 Aug 2021, #theSITREP, Does Sleep Apnea Make PTSD Worse? Sleep Apnea Disability Benefits Questionnaire, https://www.benefits.va.gov/ compensation/docs/Sleep_ Apnea.pdf.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, exWarrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing freelance writer with The Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164

LARRY DANDRIDGE

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The Last Things

What Happens After Death?

What do Catholics believe happens at death?

At death, each person is immediately judged by God. We will be judged according to our actions here on earth, as Jesus describes in the parable of the sheep and the goats. (Matthew 25:31-46) If we die spiritually in union with God, we will be eternally united with him. If we die spiritually separated from God, we will be eternally separated from him by our own free choice.

How does one become united with God?

Baptism is the normal way that God has chosen to make us a new creation and give us the gift of his divine life. We are then in a state of union and friendship with God. We can strengthen this union with God through prayer, acts of love, and accepting the daily opportunities he offers us to grow closer to him. When we sin, we need to repent and ask the Lord for his forgiveness.

What will heaven be like?

People often imagine heaven as a sort of endless amusement park, where one can do all the things one likes to do on earth. This is not the case, thankfully; any earthly activity would get boring quickly! Heaven is a state of perfect union with God, for whom our hearts were made, and it is this union that is the cause of our rejoicing in heaven. We will know and rejoice with everyone else in heaven, the angels and the saints.

How can a loving God send people to hell?

Since heaven is the state of being united to God, only those who actually love him can be part of it. Even God cannot force anyone to love him, since authentic love cannot be compelled. Hell is a state of eternal separation from God, and it is this separation that is the primary source of hell’s misery. If a person is in hell, it is not due to a lack of love on God’s part, but rather to that person’s own free decision to reject God’s love.

Don’t Catholics believe in something called purgatory?

Yes. Many who die in a state of union with God, and therefore are destined to heaven, still have a number of spiritual faults and sinful attachments. Nothing unclean or impure can enter heaven. (Rev. 21:27) Thankfully, in his great mercy, God allows us to be spiritually cleansed or purified prior to entering heaven, and it is this cleansing that we call purgatory. Everyone being cleansed in purgatory is happy because they are being prepared for heaven.

Where can I learn more about such topics?

In these messages we are necessarily limited in the detail we can go into on any particular topic. To learn more about particular Catholic teachings, it is helpful to go straight to the source. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, an official summary of all Catholic teachings, can easily be read online. Catholic Answers (www.catholic.com) is another very helpful place to find answers to particular questions; just type in a question or subject!