December 22 edition

Ten more committees begin review of books removed from BCSD

ing challenged by a group of parents earlier this fall.

By Mike McCombs

Ten more Library Materials

Review Committees got started reviewing books Thursday, Dec. 15, to determine if they can be returned to the library shelves in the Beaufort County School District (BCSD) or if they will stay removed.

The books are a part of the 97 books that were removed after be-

These 10 committees will review Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them by Erin Gruwell, Looking for Alaska by John Green, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Go Ask Alice by Anonymous, Thirteen Reasons Why by

The committees will vote on these books on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.

The committees got started a day after Committees No. 5 and No. 6, meeting at Okatie Elementary School, voted to return their books to the shelves.

Committee No. 5 voted unanimously, 6–0, to return The Lovely Bones to the shelves for Grades 6

through 12, while Committee No. 6 voted, unanimously, as well, 4–0, to return Stamped: Racism, Antiracism And You to the shelves for Grades 6 through 12.

Committee No. 6 was split, 2–2, failing to return Stamped to the shelves for Grades K through 5.

“To watch these people engaged in these two committees today, talking, giving pros and cons — they’ve done their homework. They’re making decisions,” BCSD Chief Instructional Services Officer Mary Stratos said. “I personally feel it’s a productive process.”

The first four committees all returned their books to the shelves, as well, in some fashion.

Speak was returned to library circulation by a vote of 4–1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Kite Runner and The Handmaid’s Tale were returned to circulation unanimously, 6–0, for Grades 9 through 12 only.

At the Tuesday, Dec. 13, Board of Education meeting, BCSD Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said he felt the committees

Beaufort’s homeless in for cold Christmas weekend

Sea Island Presbyterian will open shelter

By Delayna Earley

We may not get a white Christmas here in Beaufort, but we are predicted to get freezing temperatures. In particular, the cold weather will be extremely rough on those who have no place to go.

Sea Island Presbyterian Church plans to combat the cold weather by opening a cold weather shelter on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as the weather is expected to get to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

They are partnering with local businesses and non-profit organizations to provide a warm place to stay, beds, access to showers and a hot meal in the evening and for breakfast.

The church has also reached out to the community for help in providing casseroles and other food for meals, warm clothes, gloves, coats and socks at the shelter for those in need of such items.

“This is the biggest response that I have seen, likely because it is tied to the holiday season and because of COVID-19,” volunteer John Murrie said. “My phone has been on fire all day with people in the community wanting to help.”

The shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and will remain open through the night and will close at 8:30 a.m. the following morning.

The shelter will not be open during the day, but it is open to anyone who needs a warm place to sleep for the night.

Captain Wanda Long with the Salvation Army said that they will be providing cold weather packets to members of the community who choose not to go to the shelter.

The packets will include thermal socks, hand and feet warmers and

1st 6 committees have returned their books to circulation

Jay Asher, Impulse by Ellen Hopkins, Crank by Ellen Hopkins and Glass, also by Ellen Hopkins.

VETERAN OF THE WEEK “GRIFF” NORMAN

Beaufort’s “Griff” Norman, 84, joined the United States Navy in Pittsburgh in 1955. After boot camp at Bainbridge, Md,, he trained to be a Hospital Corpsman. His first assignment was at Naval Hospital Beaufort, first in the wards, then the lab and finally at the rifle range at Parris Island.

He expanded his training at Bethesda, Md., to be fully qualified to work in the lab. He then served aboard the carrier USS

WASP (CVS-18). His next tour was at the Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy.

In 1961 he separated from ac-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

More great reading from our excellent local newspaper. Mike McCombs’ piece on the various forums exploring the “book banning” madness, his review of the Beaufort Democrats’ resolutions on access to books and Lolita Huckaby’s column on the same subject gave us information that is so important to knowing what is happening in our community and how we can join the battle to ward off this assault.

And Mike’s review of how high school senior Isabella Troy addressed this issue to the Board of Education with courage and real knowledge was inspiring. And impressive as always were David Taub’s thoughts on gun madness and Terry Manning’s intriguing questions about Herschel Walker’s political debut. Scott Graber is

ON THIS DATE

December 24

1856:

December 28

1979:

tive duty and joined the USMC Reserves, still as a Navy Corpsman. In 1965, when that unit was disbanded, he transferred to the Air National Guard to provide aeromed (air ambulance) services. In 1967, he was recalled to active duty with aeromed deployments within the United States and to Panama.

Later he transferred to Security Police with the Air National Guard, then in 1973 to the Army

National Guard as a Military Policeman (MP). A follow-on assignment was with the Army Reserve in Military Intelligence. He retired in 1988 with 25 years of service. Today he is with our DAV and the Montford Point Marine Association.

– Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com

always worth reading and Carol Lucas reminds us of how critical it is to know historical facts because “silence is not an option” when the subject is the January 6 riot at the Capitol.

And it’s good to know what State Representative Joe White of Lexington wants to do in changing legislature rules so we can be a “voice of reason” in opposing his reactionary ideas. What would we do without The Island News to keep us informed?

– Barbara Temple, Beaufort

Protect sealife before it’s too late

Regulating vessel speeds along the U.S. east coast to protect right whales is a critical step in saving this endangered species and balancing our fragile aquatic ecosystem. And in the long run, it is an

important step in economic growth and development.

Abducting fish and other animals — sensitive, complex living beings who feel pain just as we do — from their ocean homes is an unsustainable industry, harmful to the environment and harmful to our health. Fish flesh stores dangerous contaminants that can cause liver damage, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage; dioxins, which have also been linked to cancer; and radioactive substances. The corporate world of lobster and crab fishing often leads to serious food-safety violations.

Automobiles rendered the horse and buggy obsolete. Personal computers did the same to the typewriter business. It’s time to invest in innovative, cruelty-free industries before it’s too late for right whales and other sealife.

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Jeff & Margaret Evans

FOUNDING PUBLISHERS

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Editor-in-Chief Mike McCombs theislandnews@ gmail.com

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Videographer Delayna Earley delayna. theislandnews@ gmail.com

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

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Cat of the Week: Boris loves belly rubs. Boris spent his first few months at PAL being treated for a burn on his neck. He is now handsome, healed, and ready for his new family. He loves other cats and people of all ages when they visit his cat room. Boris is a year old, neutered, up to date on vaccines and microchipped.

Dog of the Week: Harley is one of our longest residents at PAL. She is a bright and wonderful dog who has been overlooked by many. Harley needs a home with a person or couple who can treat her like the queen she is. Harley is 5 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

CORRECTIONS:

In

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.

Elizabeth Harding Newberry Kim Harding

“Griff” Norman

Robert Smalls married Hannah Jones, an enslaved hotel maid five years his senior. It was Smalls’ first marriage.

Longtime Beaufort County Sheriff James Edwin McTeer died of pneumonia, emphysema and other symptoms of old age at the age of 76 at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Sheriff for 37 years from his appointment in 1926 to his retirement in 1963, McTeer was widely known as a root doctor and an expert on witchcraft, according to the Beaufort Gazette

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

What would we do without The Island News?

– Scott Miller, The PETA Foundation

Jim Bright, background, keeps a close watch on his G-gauge model train as it makes its way around the track during the final day of the annual Beaufort Model Railroaders display at the Beaufort County Library on Scott Street. There were enough model trains on display to require two rooms. Bob Sofaly/ The Island News. 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

The residence of The Island News’ Veteran Of The Week for the Dec. 15 edition was incorrectly listed. John Norman is a Port Royal resident.

A photo cutline in the Dec. 15 edition of The Island News incorrectly stated why Phil Cromer left Beaufort City Council. Cromer retired after eight years on Council, choosing not to run for re-election. Amelie Cromer’s name was misspelled, as well.

a story in the Dec. 15 edition of The Island News about well-water testing in the vicinity of MCAS Beaufort, the amount of PFAS in well water which would trigger a lifetime health advisory was misstated. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are testing wells in an effort to find levels of PFAS at or above 70 parts per trillion.

– Mike McCombs

Trees — we never get tired of talking about the ones we love

Last week we were focused on book bans.

This week, let’s focus on trees.

The Port Royal Town Council came close to giving their tree-hugging citizens an early Christmas gift when they brought up for consideration a revision to the existing tree protection ordinance that would have tightened regulations. The ordinance was similar to the town of Hilton Head Island’s which is considered relatively restrictive in the world of tree protection.

Port Royal’s actions was prompted by the controversies this summer when a developer wanted to remove two significant oak trees from a tiny parcel on 12th Street to accommodate several townhouses. That activity followed on the footsteps of a permit earlier in the year when development plans threatened a 300-year-old tree that had already been designated landmark in South Carolina’s tree world.

Folks got upset and halted plans for the property off Paris Island Gateway and went to court to mediate the damage at the lot on 12th street. But the movement had started and the need for more protection was obvious when considering the pending development Port Royal faces with plans for the Battery Creek acres ripe for new

LOLITA HUCKABY

home construction, not to mention other large parcels dotted with “for sale” signs.

Par for the course, a citizens committee was formed, worked quickly to craft an ordinance and get it to the Town Council as soon as possible. The first of two readings to pass the ordinance cleared council, a public hearing was held last week but … second and final reading (which means it becomes the law) was not to happen. That Christmas present was not to be delivered.

Council members were hesitant to give the ordinance a final blessing, although supporters pointed out it could be edited, over time, if “issues” were found. The Council did agree to impose a moratorium on any more tree removal permits until the proposed ordinance can be put into place.

It’s no diamond ring for those hoping for more but at least they’re still talking.

Trees were also on the Beaufort City Council’s final meeting of the year last week, the same

meeting the elected officials welcomed a new member and announced a new city manager.

This time is was Dominion Energy with more plans for more tree removal, all in the name of making sure the community doesn’t lose power when those storm winds blow.

At least the power company was giving future notice, unlike past massacres, aka, treetrimmings, when the contract killers showed up and start whacking. The company even provided a nice, color-coded map where the trimming will take place, available on the city’s web page when time for the work to begin gets closer.

The city has a project director assigned to monitor the activity – the ever-steady Neil Pugliese –with a game plan all lined out on how citizens should be warned of the coming activity. The process is still going to be painful to watch but until those in charge figure out a way to pay for putting those lines underground, well, we apparently have to grin and bear it.

Will Pine Island plans be the 2023 poster child for citizens’ angst?

BEAUFORT – Staying on the topic of trees versus development, talk last week of a proposed 500-acre residential golfing community

on St. Helena Island included concerns not just about the removal of trees but the alteration of a historic rural community.

The Coastal Conservation League brought the proposed project, which has been discussed privately for quite some time, into the public arena with a community meeting to discuss the Pine Island buyers’ plans to build a resort-like golfing community with fewer than 100 homes off Eddings Point Road.

Plans for the development which might require a change in area’s conservation district zoning have not been presented to the county yet but opposition is already in the works, including petitions which have drawn hundreds of signatures.

The issue of environment and development is, of course, not unlike what’s been playing out in Beaufort County for the last several decades. There was the fight over Bay Point Island, on the other end of St. Helena Island that tied up attorneys since the county zoning board rejected those development plans two years ago.

There is some hope that the special “Green Space” sales tax voters approved in November will be used to purchase some of these special undeveloped places targeted for new homes, shopping centers, car wash-

es and storage units.

But it’s going to take some time for those dollars and the regulations on how those dollars will be spent, to be worked out. In the meantime, TIMBER ...

Some odds and ends

BEAUFORT – A few other “news” items you might have missed in the hurry-flurry of the season.

Beaufort County Council made it illegal to use storage containers as residences, even for those cute little “tiny homes” you might see on TV.

Port Royal Council made it illegal to dig holes at The Sands more than a foot deep while using a metal shovel. While you can use a plastic shovel, you still are required to fill in the hole so some innocent person won’t fall and break a hip.

Unfortunately, some “bad apples” are ruining it for others who enjoy looking for sharks teeth at what used to be a “locals” spot.

P.S. There’s a $500 fine for violators.

Beaufort City Council selected a new city manager last week, hiring Beaufort County Human Resources Officer Scott Marshall instead of Deputy City Manager Reece Bertholf who many considered the odds-on favorite.

The council narrowed the list of 23 applicants down to three – Marshall, Bertholf and a man from Newberry

Harbor River Bridge project wins award

From staff reports

As mentioned by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce in it’s weekly newsletter, the S.C. Department of Transportation’s (SCDOT) Harbor River Bridge project has won a 2022 America’s Transportation Award, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

The $70 million project won in the innovative technology category for the ability to keep the road open throughout construction of the new 3,353 foot span.

Here’s the award entry as it reads at https://americastransportationawards. org/ :

Carolina Department of Transportation—U.S. 21 over Harbor River Bridge Replacement Project

“For over 80 years, the U.S. 21 Harbor River Bridge was the only way thousands of residents, workers and tourists could access a string of three barrier islands on the South Carolina coast. Unfortunately, the low swing-span bridge was deteriorating and sometimes would not close, stranding motorists for hours.

“As a result, SCDOT created a design-build delivery plan that kept traffic moving throughout construction by using barges to create an access road across the salt marsh and open water.

to replace Bill Prokop, who announced in September he was ready to retire after seven years with the city and enjoy the weather.

So after conducting a nationwide search and multiple hours of closed doors discussion, the council ended up with a new administrator from right across Ribaut Road, instead of one from in-house.

There were also some official good-byes said as Beaufort City Councilman Phil Cromer said farewell, fulfilling his campaign promise to serve only two terms, or eight years which probably seemed a lifetime on some days.

Across the street, in the county government center, goodbyes were said to County Council members Paul Sommerville, Stu Rodman, Brian Flewelling and Chris Hervochon. The four provided a total of 47 years of service; Rodman and Sommerville started together in 2007, spending a lot of time brainstorming at that wooden dais.

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

Missing Seabrook man found safe

From staff reports

Forty-one-year-old Donald Youmans of the Seabrook community, reported missing by family members on Monday, Dec. 12, was “located safe and unharmed” on Wednesday, Dec. 14, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. His last contact with family members before being reported missing was on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

Donald Youmans

South

“In addition, SCDOT completed a robust assessment to ensure the project included partici-

pation in SCDOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Program. The new $70 million Harbor

Island Bridge is a high-level crossing, so vessels can now pass under the bridge without interruption.”

The new $77 million Harbor River Bridge towers over the 82-year-old swing bridge when it opened in 2021. The old bridge was dismantled to create offshore artificial reefs aimed at helping the fishing industry. Bob Sofaly file photo/The Island News

City’s new community development director starts in January

From staff reports

Curt Freese, an experienced manager in municipal planning and development, will begin his tenure as director of the City of Beaufort’s Community Development Department in January, according to a news release from the City.

“I am excited to be part of the Beaufort team,” Freese said in the release. “The City is so rich in history, charm, and beauty that I consider myself lucky to obtain such a position. Beaufort’s forward thinking form-based develop-

Shelter

from page A1

emergency blankets, among other necessities.

“The timing of this is very special as we honor the birth of the Christ child, whose parents were turned away and not welcomed in their time of need, and now we are able to open our own doors to help those members of our community who are in need,” Pastor Steve Keeler of Sea Island Presbyterian Church said. “The doors are open to anyone who needs help.”

Those interested in volunteering can contact the church at 843-525-0696 The shelter will be located at 81 Lady’s Island Drive, Beaufort, S.C. 29907.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. 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

ment code does much to enhance and promote its charm.”

City Manager Bill Prokop said, “We look forward to having Curt join us. The Community Development Department is one of our most important. It touches developers, builders, homeowners, business owner and contractors, plus our various boards. It’s important to have the right person leading it, and we have found that person with Curt.”

Freese, who is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, was most recently the

director of community development for the Town of Berthoud, Colo., where he has worked since 2015. Berthoud is a town of 12,000 north of Denver.

Freese managed building, planning, development review, water dedication, oil and gas permitting, and engineering for Berthoud. While there, he led and drafted a form-based update of the town’s development code.

Freese has also worked as executive director of the Henderson, Ky., City-County Planning Commission, where he oversaw planning and GIS for a community of 49,000. He was also a zoning specialist for the City of Covington, Ky., and zoning administrator for Horry County, S.C.

Freese, who is from Cincinnati, Ohio, has a bachelor’s in history from the University of Cincinnati, and a Masters of Community Planning from UC.

Freese has worked in communities with historic districts, in-

cluding Berthoud and Covington, which has one of the largest historic districts in the country.

As he begins his tenure, “my focus will be to continue to provide excellent design and development, transparency to the public, and focus on more attainable housing for all citizens,” Freese said.

He and his wife, Alanna, have a son, Michael.

Interim Community Development Director Ricardo Gianni will work with Freese for several weeks to help in the transition.

Road To Redemption

Penn Center finally got to host the Road To Redemption play Sunday afternoon at Frissell Hall. The historic play dealing with the early days of Penn Center and its culture was postponed earlier in the year due of COVID-19 concerns. But the show must go on, and school children from St. Helena Island schools took on the parts of leading community leaders throughout the years since the original Penn School was opened in 1862. Antoine Patrick, center, portrays Hastings Gantt. Gantt sold to Penn Center, in 1862, the original 50 acres of land on which Penn School was built to help educate recently freed enslaved people. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer

Authority: Protect plumbing in advance of freezing weather

From staff reports

With freezing temperatures predicted to arrive in the Lowcountry later this week, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) encourages customers to take steps to prepare their homes and avoid frozen pipes – and potential costly repairs.

“In anticipation of these extreme low temperatures forecast this long holiday weekend, we recommend that customers take a few simple steps to help protect their pipes from freezing,” General Manager Joe Mantua said in a news re-

lease. “Implementing these tasks ahead of time can save the stress and cost of dealing with potential damaged pipes.”

Property owners are responsible for maintenance of water service lines from the meter to the home, as well as any in-home pipes. Frozen water lines typically occur in areas such as crawl spaces or along the outside walls where unprotected plumbing tends to be more vulnerable to the elements.

Customers are encouraged to do the following: Disconnect garden hos-

es from the spigot. Turn off and drain irrigation systems.

Check attics, crawl spaces, and outside walls for uninsulated water pipes, especially in unheated areas. Consider wrapping pipes with insulation sleeves. Newspaper or fabric can also be used.

Seal cracks and holes in outside walls and foundations with caulking to keep cold air away from pipes.

Once cold weather arrives, follow these tips:

Murdaugh indicted on tax evasion charges

From staff reports

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Friday, Dec. 16, that the South Carolina State Grand Jury had issued new indictments against Richard Alexander Murdaugh. Alex Murdaugh was indicted for nine counts of Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax.

In the indictment, venued in Hampton County, the State Grand Jury charged Alex Murdaugh with nine counts of Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax. For tax years 2011–2019, Murdaugh

failed to report $6,954,639 of income earned through illegal acts thereby causing state taxable income to be underreported to the State of South Carolina.

Murdaugh owes state tax totaling $486,819.

The crimes charged in the indictment carry the following classifications and penalties:

Willful Attempt to Evade or Defeat a Tax is punishable by up to five years in prison and/or fine of up to $10,000, plus the cost of prosecution

Altogether, through 19 indictments containing 99

charges against Murdaugh, the State Grand Jury has indicted Murdaugh for schemes to defraud victims of $8,789,447.77 and $486,819 to the State of South Carolina.

This State Grand Jury investigation is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the South Carolina Department of Revenue, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Attorney’s Office. The case will be prosecuted by The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Set the thermostat to a minimum if leaving town.

Keep a slow trickle of water flowing through faucets supplied by pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces. This will help prevent the water in pipes from freezing. Keep kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around pipes.

Locate the main water shut-off valve inside your home so that it can be shut off quickly in the event of a

water pipe leak. This valve is often located in a utility room, closet or in the basement or crawlspace.

If pipes do freeze: Shut off the water immediately. Don’t attempt to thaw pipes without first turning off the main shut-off valve.

Thaw pipes with warm air. You can melt the frozen water in the pipe by warming air around it with a hair dryer or space heater. Do not to leave space heaters unattended and avoid the use of kerosene or

open flames. Be careful turning water back on. Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for cracks or leaks.

If a pipe breaks and customers are unable to isolate any leaks during repairs, BJWSA can turn off water at the meter, but charges will apply for the visit. BJWSA cannot make repairs beyond the meter box. After the leak is repaired, call 843-9879200 to report the leak and inquire about a possible billing adjustment.

SLED reminds holiday shoppers to stay smart about scams, fraud

From staff reports

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) would like to remind everyone to be vigilant while holiday shopping.

“The end of the year is unfortunately when many local law enforcement agencies see their communities impacted by scammers,” SLED Chief Mark Keel said in a news release. “Financial fraud can happen to anyone. Please take a moment to look out for yourself, as well as check in with your family and friends. Report any suspected fraud or theft so these scams can be investigated.”

What can you do to stay safe?

Be cautious of digital money transfers (Venmo, Zelle, etc.) Make sure you know the person and independently verify that person is indeed asking for a transfer.

Verify that you are shopping at reputable, established vendors. Be cautious of signing in through social media accounts to shop.

Never send an online password or personal financial information to an unexpected email or text message.

Check credit card and

bank accounts daily on a secure internet connection. Be cautious of banking or shopping on public WiFi networks.

If you can, use a credit card instead of a debit card when shopping online.

Report any suspicious account activity or requests for money transfers to your local Police Department or Sheriff’s Office and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

More information about the FTC can be found here: https://www.identitytheft.

Curt Freese

A Christmas story

Local man’s light display again draws photographer to home 26 years later

By Bob Sofaly

Glen Williams of Dogwood Street in Shell Point began his elaborate yearly Christmas home decorations in 1982 when he and his wife Kathy lived in Ridgeland.

Fourteen years later they moved to their current home on Dogwood Street and continued the tradition of wowing neighbors with a yard full of Christmas-themed decorations.

Williams said he uses what others throw away to build his decorations or make modifications to those purchased in a store. “I look down and see a length of PVC pipe and think how I can use it. Or a piece of metal, anything that I can use I pick it up and bring it home,” he said.

Kathy Williams said she has nothing to with building or hanging the decorations.

“That’s his baby. I stay out of his way and help him clean up when Christmas is over,” she said. “He doesn’t get on the roof anymore either.”

Williams said people stop by and say they used to enjoy his lights when they were children and still like

to come by every year to see them. “That’s why I do this,” he said. “But I don’t know how much longer I can keep it up.”

Williams said he used to start decorating the day after Thanksgiving. Santa and his sleigh with a full complement of reindeer was suspended over his house. Other decorations were also

on his house or suspended over his yard to compliment ground-based decorations, including a flight operations tower to guide the Jolly Old Elf in.

But these days Williams has cut back.

“It still takes me threeand-half weeks. But I don’t get on the roof at all and the number of decorations has

Low Country Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter donates stocking stuffers to Bluffton Self Help

From staff reports

The Low Country Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter donated 100 Stocking Stuffers to Bluffton Self Help’s Holiday Toy Shop on November 29.

The project was coordinated by Kappa Delta Philanthropy Chair Linda Fletcher. At the November chapter meeting, 18 Low Country KD’s came together at the home of Bobbie Elder to work on the holiday philanthropy project.

During the holidays, Bluffton Self Help collects toys from community partners and local organizations. After Thanksgiving, half of Bluffton Self Help’s building is transformed into a toy shop, just like the North Pole. The Toy Shop is organized by age and consists of games, clothing, stocking stuffers and more. A few weeks be-

fore Christmas, parents are able to come shop for gifts for each of their children.

The Low Country KD Alumnae Chapter is a diverse group of community-minded women who live in Jasper and Beaufort Counties. The Low Country Chapter is one of 224 active KD alumnae chapters across the country.

NEWS BRIEFS

City to close offices for holidays

The City of Beaufort will close its offices on Friday, Dec. 23, and Monday, Dec. 26, in honor of the Christmas holiday.

Offices will also close on Monday, Jan. 2, in honor of New Year’s Day.

LWV meeting set for Jan. 12

The League of Women Voters Beaufort will hold a General Meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Sea Island Presbyterian Church Meeting Room on Lady’s Island. The public as well as LWVB members are encouraged to attend.

The League is a non-partisan group whose mission is to identify and discuss relevant subjects and to educate ourselves about current topics affecting our lives in order to make our voices heard. The League meets every second Thursday of the month.

The January 12 meeting will be about the topics members have

The local Alumnae Chapter has been recognized for community service and programs by Kappa Delta, a national organization for collegiate and alumnae women. The Low Country KD’s have received three Alumnae Chapter Achievement Awards, which are given to the top 15 alumnae chapters in the U.S.

decreased,” he said. “It takes a lot of effort to do this, and I don’t accept help from anybody. This is ‘my baby’ and I do it all myself. But I’m getting too old to carry on.”

Williams was telling this photographer from The Island News about his house being featured in the local newspaper the first year he and his wife moved to Dog-

wood Street. He retrieved a framed page from a December issue of The Beaufort Gazette in 1996.

The photographer – yours truly – couldn’t believe that he had taken the same photo of the same house 26 years earlier. Both of us stood silently for a moment pondering the irony of the event. Both of us just stood there

shaking our heads in disbelief.

It was not exactly a traditional “Christmas Miracle.” But what are the odds?

Merry Christmas!

Bob Sofaly has been photographing people and what they do in Beaufort since Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. He can be reached at bobsofaly@gmail.com.

A HAPPY HOLIDAY

suggested as projects for 2023. We are looking forward to a lively discussion and timely contributions from attendees as to how we can best address and advance positions that are important to our community.

VITA volunteers needed

United Way of the Lowcountry (UWLC) is looking for volunteers who are interested in helping Lowcountry residents – who need extra support and guidance – file their tax returns for free.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program – a collaboration between the IRS, Beaufort County Human Services Alliance and United Way of the Lowcountry – supports individuals and families with low-to-moderate incomes, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speakers with free tax preparation.

VITA volunteers are community members trained to help their neighbors file their taxes for free and claim every tax credit available to them. Their service supports

workers in caring for their families, withstanding unexpected economic challenges and bolstering their overall financial well-being.

Last tax season, a team of 49 volunteers saved 1,797 Lowcountry residents more than $450,000 in tax preparations fees alone and placed more than $2.6 million in refunds back into residents’ pockets.

Non-tax certified volunteers can serve as greeters and screeners; interpreters; and computer specialists/troubleshooters. Tax certified volunteers are needed as site coordinators; tax preparers; and quality reviewers. There is also a special need for bilingual Spanish speakers for all positions.

Free training is offered both online and in the classroom. Tax sites are open the first week in February through mid-April during weekdays, weeknights and Saturdays. Hours are flexible, allowing volunteers to choose time slots that fit their schedules.

To learn more about volunteering for the VITA Program in 2023, email lowcountryvitacoalition@ gmail.com or call 843-379-3064.

Community Foundation of the Lowcountry accepting nominations for award

The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry has teamed up with one its most generous supporters to create the Joan and Wade Webster Community Impact Award. The award will recognize an individual within the Foundation’s four-county service territory (Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper) that has made a recent significant contribution to improving the quality of life in the Lowcountry, and has demonstrated visionary leadership in a community activity or on behalf of a community organization.

This is not a lifetime achievement award. The award winner will receive a $10,000 grant to bestow to a charitable organization based in the Foundation’s service territory, as well as a keepsake to memorialize the honor.

Nomination forms are available to download on the Community Foundation website at https://

cf-lowcountry.org/. The fillable PDF should be completed and emailed to info@cf-lowcountry. org. Answers to the three questions/statements should be included in the body of the email. You can also pick up a nomination form at the Community Foundation office located on 4 Northridge Dr., Suite A, Hilton Head Island. The deadline to submit your nomination is January 17, 2023.

The inaugural Joan and Wade Webster Community Impact Award will be presented at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry’s Annual Community Meeting held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at Hilton Head’s Arts Center of Coastal Carolina.

The following are ineligible for the award: current board and staff of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry; individuals currently serving in a public elected office; and individuals who are paid staff of a nonprofit. If you have questions, or need more information, please contact Rob Ennamorato at rennamorato@cf-lowcountry.org or 843-681-9100.

Glenn Williams poses with a framed “tear sheet” from a newspaper with a photo of his house from 1996. The same photographer unknowingly took both photographs 26 years apart.

Christmas time is time for joy and stringing thousands of lights on one’s home. Here, Santa is getting ready to take off with Rudolph in the lead from the Dogwood Street home of Glenn and Kathy Williams. The Williams’ home is full of lighted seasonal decorations. Photos by Bob Sofaly/ The Island News

The South Carolina Youth Advocate Program (SCYAP) is a nonprofit agency working closely with the S.C. Department of Social Services (SCDSS). For 32 years, the SCYAP has recruited, trained, and supported therapeutic foster families for children who have suffered significant trauma. This holiday season, the Great Grand Family Foundation partnered with the SCYAP, to host a winter wonderland dinner for 20 local foster families. With the help of the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, the BCBCC Ambassadors and others in the community, including Polowana Backwoods Kitchen, the children in the program had their first Christmas since 2019. Photo courtesy of Joelethia Robinson.

Kappa Delta Aluma Philanthropy

Chair Linda Fletcher is pictured with a BSH volunteer representatives as she dropped off the Stocking Stuffers at Bluffton Self Help. Submitted photo.

Beaufort, Jasper counties, municipalities create regional housing trust fund

Beaufort County Council selects

From staff reports

CommunityWorks in partnership with Beaufort and Jasper County and municipality governments have created a regional housing trust fund (RHTF) in response to the need for affordable homes throughout the Lowcountry.

More than $3.4 million was pledged to start the initiative, with a slated launch date in January 2023.

The vision of the RHTF is to create new units or rehabilitate existing units for households at or below 100 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) with a particular focus on households at 60 percent AMI. Governing bodies for Beaufort County, Jasper County, the Town of Hilton Head Island, the Town

of Bluffton, the City of Beaufort, the Town of Port Royal, the City of Hardeeville, and the Town of Yemassee joined to approve resolutions establishing the RHTF.

Beaufort County Council selected CommunityWorks, a South Carolina statewide Community Development Financial Institution to administer and manage the trust fund, which will be a nonprofit entity.

CommunityWorks launched the Greenville Housing Fund (GHF) in partnership with the city and the county, which became a separate entity in 2018 as a response to a community-wide report highlighting Greenville’s lack of affordable homes. Since 2017, the GHF has grown

CommunityWorks

its investment from $3M to $13.5M, creating or preserving more than 1030 units of affordable housing.

“Though CommunityWorks has launched a housing fund, seeing so many municipalities come together to create more affordable housing is atypical,” said LaTorrie Geer, CEO of CommunityWorks. “It’s exciting to see the Lowcountry’s commitment to a better community for all through their work and planning to create the RHTF.”

CommunityWorks has hired Regional Program Director, Brad Mole, to manage the RHTF from his hometown of Bluffton. Mole will focus on increasing awareness of the fund, leveraging outside funding from banks,

corporations, philanthropic institutions, and federal, state, and local governments. He will work in tandem with a newly appointed board to meet the strategic goals of the trust fund.

The councils of each government entity appointed a qualified representative for the board as follows:

Courtney Hampson, Town of Bluffton, Chief Executive Officer of Bluffton Self Help; Dick Stewart, City of Beaufort, Director of Port Royal Sound Foundation and retired wireless company founder; Dixie Lanier, Port Royal, real estate and affordable housing professional; Matt Davis, the City

to run fund; board named

of Hardeeville, Deputy City Manager of Hardeeville; Matthew Garnes, Town of Yemassee, Town Administrator of Yemassee; Michelle Gaston, Jasper County, federal financial management experience professional; Tony Alfieri, Town of Hilton Head Island, retired banking professional with extensive experience in Low-income housing tax credits; Victoria Smalls, Southern Lowcountry Regional Board appointee, Community Development Coordinator for the Town of Bluffton; and ... Wendy Zara, Beaufort County, retired banking

professional with years of affordable housing advocacy experience.

“Beaufort County is excited to launch this endeavor for the Lowcountry citizens. The type of housing we’re talking about is workforce, affordable housing, not government-subsidized housing,” Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway said in a news release. “What we’re looking at doing is to provide affordable housing options for folks that work in some key areas of our economy that provide services to the citizens so that they can also live in the area where they work.”

To stay up to date on the RHTF visit the CommunityWorks website and sign up for email updates.

Man arrested, charged with attempted murder State Fire Academy graduates

From staff reports

Tommie Lee Gill Jr., 27, was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 17, and charged with three crimes, including attempted murder.

At about 10 a.m., on Saturday, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputies were called to Possum Hill Road in Burton for reports of shots fired.

Once on scene, deputies learned that Gill, a passenger of one vehicle, had stopped in the road where his ex-girlfriend was pulled over. According to the BCSO, an argument ensued and Gill pulled out a handgun, firing it into the air. When Gill’s ex-girlfriend attempted to drive away from the scene, Gill began firing at the vehicle. Gill then left the area.

Deputies quickly located the vehicle Gill was in and conducted a traffic stop on Trask Parkway near Bruce K Smalls Drive. A brief pursuit ensued before ending at the end of Moses Road. That’s where Gill and the other unknown male bailed

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were “functioning as they should.”

“I think the committee members did their job,” he said. “They were thorough about reviewing (the books) and they had their voice in it.”

So far, each committee has been short at least one member when it came time for a final vote on its book. Four have been short one member, one has been short two members and one of the committees Wednesday was short three members.

Given the time committed to the task at hand, BCSD Director of Communications Candace Bruder-Brasseur said it’s not surprising that some members couldn’t complete the process, whether it be reading the book or making it to the final meeting, but that the process would continue to move forward.

To recap, 97 books were removed from the shelves of libraries and classrooms in the BCSD in October and are to be reviewed for their appropriateness by the committees. The reviews were triggered by the complaints from a group of parents that the books were obscene and inappropriate, though the list of books, submitted

out of their vehicle and took off running.

A search for Gill and the other unknown male immediately began and included a K-9 Unit, the Bloodhound Tracking Team, and Air 2 of the Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit. Following an extended track through areas of swamp and pluff mudd, Corporal Toomey and K-9 Niko located Gill. The unknown male was never located.

Gill was arrested on the following charges: attempted murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, discharging a firearm into a vehicle and fleeing to evade arrest or detention. Gill remains incarcerated at the Beaufort County Detention Center.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Sgt. Matthew Wilfong at 843255-3308, the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency dispatch line at 843-524-2777 or Crimestoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111 if wishing to remain anonymous.

by former Beaufort County Councilman and prominent GOP politician Mike Covert, is nearly identical to a list compiled by a political group, Mom’s For Liberty.

The committees must consist, per state guidelines, of a school librarian, a district teacher, a parent (other than the complainant), a school administrator, a district-level administrator, and a member of a School Improvement Council in the district. The BCSD added a seventh member to the committees — a community member.

The committees are then randomly selected by Rodriguez and are tasked, according to the BCSD, “with reading their assigned book in full and then meeting as a group to share and discuss findings. The value of the book is to be examined as a whole, considering the impact of an entire work, transcending individual words, phrases, and incidents.”

The committees meet and complete their reviews utilizing the BCSD Review Committee Checklist and issue a written report of their findings to the appropriate parties, including the Superintendent and the Board of Education.

Any appeals will be heard and decided by the Board of Education.

The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s South Carolina Fire Academy graduated 22 recruits Friday, Dec. 9, from its eight-week firefighter candidate school in Columbia. These firefighters underwent a 320-hour training program of classroom and hands-on firefighting skills development. Among the graduates are John Gaffney of the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department (second from right, middle row) and Riley Thomson of the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire District (far right, middle row). Submitted photo.

Santa Claus at Penn Center

Billing method for trash services to change

From staff reports

The City of Beaufort is changing the method it uses to bill residents for trash and recycling services.

Beginning in January, Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority (BJWSA) will no longer bill for those services. The City of Beaufort currently contracts with BJWSA to bill customers for trash services monthly. That fee was $20 a month. So beginning in January, Beaufort residents will see their water/ sewer bills decrease by $20.

The City of Beaufort will now work with Beaufort County to add a solid waste fee to its property tax bill. The fee will be added to next year’s property tax bill, so residents will pay the fee retroactively. The fee will be established with the budget that will be approved for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023.

Capital Waste Services is the vendor that provides the trash, recycling, and yard debris services for the City of Beaufort residents. It also provides free trash and recycling bins to each residence. Bulk and white goods pickups are also provided for City residents, free of charge. In other parts of Beaufort County, residents are charged extra for these services.

Environmental groups, MCRD Parris Island get $1.2 million to establish living shorelines

From staff reports

The long-term resilience of Beaufort County’s military installations got a boost earlier this month with the announcement of a major grant to reduce climate impacts at Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island and surrounding communities.

The Coastal Conservation League, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Sustainability Institute (SI), MCRD Parris Island, and The Pew Charitable Trusts were awarded nearly $1.2 million to establish living shorelines near MCRD Parris Island in an effort to improve the area’s natural infrastructure. Unfolding over four years, the project will employ a diverse group of volunteers in oyster reef construction.

The completed project will have a total restored footprint of approximately 3.1 acres, which will ultimately protect about 390 acres. The grant was awarded through the

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund and was announced Tuesday, Dec. 6.

“Parris Island values our partnerships with the local community and environmental organizations,” Parris Island Environmental Division Director Tracey Spencer said in a news release. “This grant funding provides us the op-

portunity to continue our artof-the-small by implementing nature-based solutions to enhance resiliency within the Lowcountry.”

“We are excited for the opportunity to help preserve MCRD Parris Island and to work as partners with the Department of Defense,” said Faith Rivers James, Executive Director of the Conservation

League, which established a Beaufort office in 1994. “We look forward to continuing our work in the South Coast, engaging and educating community members about the importance of protecting and restoring the local estuarine natural resources.”

Living shorelines are an increasingly popular strategy for addressing erosion by stabilizing shorelines with natural materials. In South Carolina, that often means using two of the most dominant features of the estuarine environment: oyster reefs and salt marsh grasses.

SCDNR biologists have been constructing living shorelines using recycled oyster shells for two decades and, more recently, planting Spartina grass to restore salt marsh. This restored habitat reduces storm surge impact, absorbs floodwaters, dissipates wind and wave energy, improves water quality, and provides habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife.

“Living shorelines like these at Parris Island can also play a vital role in current efforts to protect a million-acre swath of salt marsh from North Carolina to northeast Florida that is at risk of disappearing under rising sea levels and that is crucial to recreational and commercial fishing, waterfowl hunting, birding, and other activities,” said Lora Clarke, an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ conserving marine life in the United States project.

The project at Parris Island will rely heavily on volunteers to build the living shorelines and will use a “train the trainer” model to further expand the project’s impact.

“We’ll be working closely with the Sustainability Institute to train its AmeriCorps service members to coordinate and implement community-based volunteer events,” said biologist Michael Hodges, SCDNR’s lead on the project.

The project sites were identified through stakeholder collaboration and are located along significant waterways in Beaufort County on the Beaufort River (Intracoastal Waterway), Battery Creek, and Archers Creek.

Access to MCRD Parris Island is available only via a causeway, U.S. Highway 21, that is extremely vulnerable to flooding. Similarly, the surrounding community — including infrastructure and community resources like Beaufort Naval Hospital and Fort Frederick Cultural Reserve — is threatened by flooding events.

Neighboring communities are mission critical to the infrastructure that supports the human capital needed to maintain Parris Island.

Enhancing the habitat that helps strengthen the resilience of communities surrounding Parris Island will improve the resilience of the installation, and ultimately of the region and nation.

Dataw Island Marina wins a 2022 Boaters’ Choice Award Two rescued from afternoon wreck

From staff reports

Marinas.com announced today that Dataw Island Marina is a recipient of the 2022 Boaters’ Choice Award, an honor recognizing the marinas that consistently provided excellent service to the boating community in 2022.

For the sixth year in a row, Marinas.com has leveraged its thousands of user reviews to determine the 2022 award recipients.

The 2022 recipients list includes a diverse range of marine businesses, from private yacht clubs to public service yards, and locations from the west coast to Marinas.com’s hometown

of Newport, R.I.

The Dataw Island Marina is located three miles from the Intracoastal Waterway within the private gated community of Dataw Island, although the marina complex is open to the public, as is the onsite Morgan River Grill.

With fuel for the body and the boat, the Dataw Island Marina has again become a locals’ favorite since its reopening in 2019, when the Dataw Island Owners Association purchased and rebuilt the facility. Marine Tech Services manages the operation and runs a full-service boat yard, offering in-water and

on-land services, as well as haul-outs and launches.

“Since the Boaters’ Choice Award is earned through positive reviews given by satisfied customers, it’s quite an honor to receive one,” Marine Tech GM Kristy Carr said in a news release. “It’s truly a testament to the investment and commitment of the Dataw owners, and the talent of our staff, and we thank them all for their roles in making this an excellent marina.”

The Dataw Island Marina is a full-service facility located where the Morgan River and the Jenkins Creek meet.

Santa Claus can be seen just about everywhere lately as he gets ready for Christmas. Here, with the help of the Lady’s Island/St. Helena Fire Department, he gets an earful of ideas from S’Nylah Chaplin, 4, left, and brother Davonte Ward, 1, on Thursday night, Dec. 15, at Penn Center. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

The Burton Fire District, Beaufort County EMS, and the MCAS Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle collision Wednesday, Dec. 14, on Trask Parkway and Parker Drive in which two occupants had to be rescued. Just after noon, responders arrived on scene to a two-vehicle collision with both vehicles sustaining heavy damages. Firefighters had to utilize hydraulic tools to remove both drivers, both appearing to have sustained potentially serious injuries.

Photo courtesy of the Burton Fire District.

Volunteers form an assembly line to move bags of oyster shells into place along the shoreline. This is one of several strategies that will be employed at MCRD Parris Island to improve the natural infrastructure of the area’s shorelines. Kaitlyn

Hackathorn/SCDNR

Council OKs at first reading cost-of-living raise for employees

From staff reports

City Council approved at first reading on Dec. 13 a budget amendment that would give a cost-of-living adjustment to City of Beaufort employees. If approved at Council’s next meeting on Jan. 10,

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For more information about the 17th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival, visit beaufortfilmfestival.com.

The Beaufort Film Society is a nonprofit, 501 (c) 3, member-supported organization, dedicated to providing the highest levels of entertainment and education to the public from all areas of the film industry.

BIFF 2023 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

FEATURE FILMS

Bobcat Moretti

Directed by Rob Margolies, West Hollywood, Calif.

Everybody Wants to Be Loved

Directed by Katharina Woll, Berlin, Germany Publish or Perish

Directed by David Liban, Centennial, Colo.

The Year of the Dog

Directed by Andrew McGinn, Michael Peterson, Robert Grabow

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

Mississippi Messiah

Directed by Clay Haskell, Dylan Nelson, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Storming Caesar’s Palace

Directed by Hazel GurlandPooler

Fred Chappell: I Am One of You Forever

Directed by Michael Frierson

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

Bendix: Site Unseen

Directed by Anthony Scalia, Loki, N.J.

Changes in the Wind

Directed by Gerret Warner, Wilson, N.C.

2023, the 5% adjustment would go into effect in mid-January.

The adjustment was needed to keep City salaries competitive with other area and regional governments, City Manger Bill Prokop told City

Council at a Work Session on Nov. 29. The adjustment in salaries, along with an adjustment in the health insurance premium rates paid by employees, will cost approximately $378,000 this budget year, Finance Director Alan Eisen-

man told City Council. That is being covered by higher-than-budgeted city revenues and flat expenses. The City will not be using American Rescue Plan Act funds for the adjustments, nor will it dip into its General Fund balance.

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

“We want our folks to be well compensated with inflation, housing costs, and other economic factors,” said Mayor Stephen Murray at the meeting Tuesday, noting that it was important to keep up with the cost of living.

In the Bubble With Jaime

Directed by Emily Harrold, New York Kambana

Directed by Samul Pastor, Alicante, Spain The Colours of Life Directed by Daniel Stanislawski, Wroclaw, Poland

Veterans Journey Home: Kalani’s Story Directed by Frederick Marx Waniyetu Wowapi: Winter Count Directed by Richard Steinberger, Beaufort

ANIMATION

Ed’s Last Will Directed by Lisa Wen Dou, John Xiaoliang, Beijing China

Family Tree Directed by Zin Yan, Sarasota Fla.

Processing Magic Directed by Vale Stanley, Jo Knorpp, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sonata

Directed by Madison Crisp, Abby Davenport, Fern Singleton, Vic Sosa, Winston-Salem, N.C.

STUDENT FILMS

An Ideal of Liberty Directed by Noel Paganotti, Salt Lake City (University of Utah)

Bad Hombrewood

Directed by Guillermo Casarin, Burbank, Calif. (University of Southern California)

Bombay Beach Directed by Starsi Howell, West Hollywood, Calif. Chapman University)

Double Take Directed by Eli Canter, Brookline, Mass. (Boston University)

Sacrificios Directed by Larissa Salazar, Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)

Someone You Loved

Directed by Elly Sitong Shou, Beijing, China (Beijing Normal UniversityHong Kong Baptist University)

Suga Brown Directed by Clarke Phillips, Winston-Salem, N.C. (University of North Carolina, School of the Arts)

The Tale of Captain Fortyhands Directed by Kyle Farmer, Placentia, Calif. (Chapman University)

Toy Phone Directed by Gabe Braden, Orange, Calif. (Chapman University)

Wei-Lai Directed by Robin Wang, Los Angeles, Calif. (University of Southern California)

SHORT FILMS

A Best Man

Directed by Dylan Tuccillo, New York

Aaron With Two A’s Directed by Michael Goldburg, West New York, N.J.

Bound Directed by Jaye Pniewski, Woodstock, Ga.

Captive Directed by Preston Peterson, Jason Boesch, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Crumb Cake Directed by Anthony Robert Grasso, Nutley, N.J.

Dancing With Shadows Directed by Deborah LaVine, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Florida Moves Directed by Damon Maulucci, Sarasota, Fla.

Ghosted Directed by Sam Milman, Peter Vass, Pasadena, Calif.

Hitbaby Directed by Abigail Breslin, North Hollywood, Calif.

Ivalu

Directed Anders Walter, Charlottenlund, Denmark

Kyle Vs. Karen Directed by Jim Morrison, Long Island, N.Y.

Ms. Rossi: Ms. Rossi Takes

The Cake Directed by Pat Battistini, Santa Clarita, Calif.

Murder Tongue Directed by Ali Sohail Jaura, Karachi, Pakistan

My Over There Directed by Bob Celli, New York

Naptime Directed by Robert Postrozny, Los Angeles, Calif.

Overdue Directed by Melissa Skirboll, Long Island Past Prologue Directed by Brian Russel, Fairfield, Conn.

Points Directed by Tony Glynn, Forest Hills, N.Y.

Sharps Directed by Chris Sexton Fletcher, Bradenton, Fla.

Strangers Directed by Scott Morris, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Call

Directed by Tom Balsamides, Montvale, N.J.

The Errand

Directed by Amanda Renee Knox, Los Angeles, Calif.

The Principal’s Assembly Directed by Jordan Ancel, Rehoboth, Mass.

The Son, The Father Directed by Lukas Hassel, New York

The Voicemail Directed by Maurice Simmons

Uncommon Negotiator Directed by Brian Glasford, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Wheel Directed by Honora Talbott, Los Angeles, Calif.

Wicked Image Directed by Caitlin Scherer, Maplewood, N.J.

Wicked Plans Directed by Lee Chambers, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

SCREENPLAYS

Cat Island

Written by Millie West, Columbia

Emmett of Exendia

Written by Michael Andrew Blomquist, Toluca Lake, Calif.

Lupe Q and the Galactic Earworms

Written by Javier Badillo, Nat Marshik, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Orson

Written by Jaret Egol, Winter Park, Fla. Saint Dorothea

Written by Chris King, Roseville, Calif.

BEST ACTOR NOMINATIONS

Mike Baez, Hitbaby (Short Film)

Rob Grabow, The Year of the Dog (Feature)

Timothy McCracken, Publish or Perish (Feature)

Josh Mikel, Florida Moves (Short Film)

Tim Realbuto, Bobcat Moretti (Feature)

BEST ACTRESS NOMINATIONS

Barbara Bain, Dancing With Shadows (Short Film)

Jeanine Bartel, Overdue (Short Film)

Anne Ratte-Polle, Everybody Wants to be Loved (Feature)

Vivica A. Fox, Bobcat Moretti (Feature)

Karen Pittman, Toy Phone (Student Film)

BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

Abigail Breslin, Hitbaby

(Short Film)

Hazel Gurland-Pooler, Storming Caesar’s Palace (Documentary Feature)

David Liban, Publish or Perish (Feature)

Rob Margolies, Bobcat Moretti (Feature)

Katherine Woll, Everybody Wants To Be Loved (Feature)

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST NOMINATIONS

Captive (Short Film) Crumb Cake (Short Film) Ghosted (Short Film) Ms. Rossi 2: Ms. Rossi Takes the Cake (Short Film) Wicked Image (Short Film)

BEST MUSICAL SCORE

Chris Gabriel, Ghosted (Short Film)

Wendell Hanes, Storming Caesar’s Palace (Documentary Feature)

Spencer Hauck, The Tale of Captain Fortyhands (Student Film)

Chris Kalafus, Past Prologue (Short Film)

Ilan Rubin, Bobcat Moretti (Feature)

BEST COMEDY NOMINATION

Aaron with Two A’s (Short Film)

A Best Man (Short Film)

Double Take (Student Film) Ghosted (Short Film)

Hitbaby (Short Film)

Kyle Vs. Karen (Short Film)

Ms. Rossi 2: Ms. Rossi Takes The Cake (Short Film)

Naptime ( Short Film)

Points (Short Film)

Publish or Perish (Feature) Sharps (Short Film)

Wei-Lai (Student Film) Wheel (Short Film)

Wicked Image (Short Film) Wicked Plans (Short Film)

Kurt and Abby Suckow, along with an estimated 4,000 volunteers throughout the day, placed a wreath on each headstone on Saturday during the annual Wreaths Across America at Beaufort National Cemetery. Photos by Bob Sofaly/ The Island News

Chief Warrant Officer 4, Larry Hyatt, U.S. Army retired, plays Taps during the Wreaths Across America ceremony Saturday at Beaufort National Cemetery. After Taps, an estimated crowd of about 4,000 people distributed a Christmas wreath to cover every grave at the cemetery. More than 26,000 veterans lie at rest in the cemetery.

Fainting symptoms without fainting: WHAT TO KNOW

When a person has fainting symptoms but does not actually faint, it is known as presyncope. Holiday stress can precipitate this condition. Presyncope is the stage before fainting, which can make someone feel lightheaded, weak, warm, sweaty, or nauseous. Heart palpitations and blurry vision may also occur.

Many conditions and circumstances can cause presyncope. The most common causes do not relate to heart problems and include side effects of medications, dehydration, or stress. However, sometimes, heart conditions do cause presyncope.

What is presyncope?

Syncope is the medical term for fainting. Presyncope, or near syncope, means a person has almost reached the point of fainting. It is the stage that occurs just before losing consciousness. Someone with presyncope may feel the effects for seconds or minutes. Some people believe that presyncope is less serious than syncope, but this is not necessarily the case. Some causes of presyncope are relatively mild, while others can be life threatening.

Symptoms of presyncope

A person having a presyncope episode may experience:

dizziness and lightheadedness a feeling that the room is spinning blurry or tunnel vision nausea or vomiting headache sweating heart palpitations abdominal discomfort or stomach ache confusion or disorientation slurred speech

They also have an increased risk of falling, even if they do not actually lose consciousness.

Causes of presyncope

A reduction in the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain can result in presyncope. This reduction is known as cerebral hypoperfusion. This can occur for many rea-

sons, but broadly, the causes can be due to cardiac or noncardiac factors.

Noncardiac presyncope

This is the most common type of presyncope. It includes vasovagal presyncope, which occurs because of the vagus nerve. This is a large nerve that runs from behind the throat down through the abdomen.

If the vagus nerve becomes overactive, it can result in low blood pressure, reducing blood flow to the brain. A common cause of this is orthostatic intolerance. This is where a person experiences symptoms, such as dizziness, from standing due to insufficient blood flow. A person experiences orthostatic hypotension when their blood pressure reduc-

es by at least 20 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) systolic, or 10 mm Hg diastolic, within 3 minutes of standing or sitting up.

Some factors that make presyncope more likely include dehydration, bed rest in older adults, certain medications, such as those that affect blood pressure or fluid levels, underlying conditions, such as those that affect the nervous system. In some people, stress or strong emotions can also trigger presyncope.

Cardiac presyncope

Presyncope can occur due to mechanical problems with the heart, or an irregular heart rhythm. If this is the case, presyncope could signify a more serious condition. A person with cardiac presyncope may experience palpitations. It can happen while they are sitting, lying down, or exercising.

To diagnose presyncope...

a doctor will ask about a person’s symptoms, review their medical history and any medications they take, and perform a physical examination.

If someone has symp-

toms when they stand up too fast, the doctor may ask them to sit down and stand up to see if they have orthostatic intolerance.

As there are many causes of presyncope, a doctor may first try to rule out life threatening causes. This may involve tests to check the function of the heart, such as an echocardiogram.

Treatment for

presyncope...

varies depending on the cause and severity of symptoms. For example, it could involve fluids and rest for dehydration, or medication or dosage changes for side effects of drugs.

A doctor may also suggest physical counter-pressure maneuvers to stop the symptoms. A 2020 systematic review suggests that this way of moving a person’s body into different positions could stop them from fainting during an episode of presyncope. If the cause is harder to identify or presyncope keeps happening, doctors will need to investigate further. If they believe a person is at risk of adverse outcomes, they may decide to admit the individual to the hospital.

Other conditions

The symptoms of presyncope, such as feeling lightheaded, hot, or weak, can be similar to those of other conditions. Other things that may cause these symptoms include stress or anxiety, anemia, nutritional deficiencies, low blood sugar, heat exhaustion. A doctor will be able to test for or rule out these other explanations.

Summary

Presyncope occurs when a person feels like they are about to faint but do not actually lose consciousness. Someone with presyncope may experience lightheadedness, weakness, excessive sweating, and heart palpitations.

There are many potential causes of presyncope. Most are relatively mild and treatable, but if the cause is heart-related, a person may need to go to the hospital.

Because the causes of presyncope vary so much in severity, it is essential that people who are experiencing presyncope contact a doctor.

Source: https://www. medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ fainting-symptoms-but-didnt-faint

Everywhere That People Care The trusted Care magazine is now back in print as a regular contributor to The Island News, with Karen Mozzo as editor. Together we’ll deliver information, references, and options for a healthier life.

Options & References for a Healthier Life

Have yourself a merry holiday season

Seven tips for staying sane and savoring this special season

To put it mildly, the holidays can be hectic. CARE magazine® shares some realistic advice to keep you from being overwhelmed during this busy season.

Without a doubt, the holidays are a crazy time of year. From the end of November to the beginning of January, most of us rush around nonstop, trying to fit in dozens of events, activities, and responsibilities. And even though most of us look forward to this special season all year long, it’s still easy to stretch yourself too thin in the midst of all the festivities. That’s why it’s very important to take care of yourself as well as taking care of everyone else.

Most of us don’t realize just how demanding the holiday scramble can be until we’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or even sick. The good news is, with a little prior planning and prioritizing, you can enjoy and cherish the things that are most important to you without having to run on fumes to make it through New Year’s Eve.

When you decide to have yourself a merry little Christmas, you’ll make more memories to cherish, you’ll be a more valuable help to your family, and you’ll be in a good position to enter the new year already on a roll.

1. Make a list and check it twice. Realistically, you can focus only on one or two big goals at a time, no matter how adept you are at multitasking. Sit down (right now) and decide what is most important to you this holiday season and prioritize those things. If spending time with your family is at the top of your list, for example, put them first and consciously make sure that other things remain on the back burner. Or if eating well and maintaining your health is a primary goal, plan out a strategy beforehand so that you won’t be blindsided by buffet-table bounty. Most importantly, remember that you can’t do it all.

2. Give yourself the gift of health. When you’re this busy

and stressed, it’s easy to become run down and spread yourself too thin. And on top of the strain that the holiday bustle can bring, it’s also cold and flu season…so make sure to take care of your physical needs. Get in some light exercise, even if you can work in only a short walk a few days a week. Also, be sure to drink lots of water, eat healthy foods, and avoid gorging on treats at every opportunity. Lastly, make a point to get enough sleep (DVR that late-night holiday special if you have to).

If you do all of these things, you’ll enter the new year on a healthy foot. And that means that you won’t have to start all over on January 2nd and make a brand-new set of “lose weight and live healthier” resolutions.

3. Go on a date…with yourself. We tend to be more or less constantly surrounded by

other people during the holidays; after all, it’s a season devoted to being with the ones you love! However, even when it comes to family and friends, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. To make sure you don’t become socially drained mid-season, make a point to do something by yourself every now and then. Maybe it’s sitting down to enjoy a cup of coffee in the middle of Christmas shopping or going to see a romantic comedy without your kids. (A dinner with just your spouse can also serve this function if you’d rather not fly solo.) When you unwind and take a breather, your perspective will stay clear, and your stress won’t become too overwhelming.

4. Plan ahead. Everyone talks about how the holidays “catch them by surprise” every year. In order to keep from be-

ing overwhelmed and overbooked in the coming weeks, you need to look at your calendar right now. Start scheduling social engagements as soon as you become aware of them and give yourself plenty of time to fulfill your own responsibilities so that you aren’t frantically gluing tinsel onto your daughter’s pageant costume at 2:00 a.m. the day before her big stage debut. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy seasonal events instead of just getting through them.

5. Let yourself off the hook and be okay with that. Unless you’re Martha Stewart, you’ll never have a picture-perfect holiday season. (Truthfully, most of us can identify more with Clark Griswold’s mishaps in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as the beloved character tries to create a “good old-fashioned family Christmas.”) To save your

sanity, realize ahead of time that you might forget to buy a gift for Great-Aunt Maude, that the dog might break a few low-hanging Christmas ornaments, and that you might not be able to make all eight dozen cookie recipes you’ve collected. That’s normal, so don’t beat yourself up. Keep your focus on what’s really important and you’ll be less tense and harried—as well as more resilient.

6. Say “no”. Many of us have trouble saying no for a variety of reasons: We don’t want to let others down, we don’t want to be seen as weak, we’re afraid to refuse, etc. However, until you learn to say “no” when you need to, you’ll never be in the driver’s seat of your own life. You don’t have to do it all—nor should you. You don’t have to chair every event, host every party, and buy every gift on your kids’ lists. Again, decide ahead of time what’s most important to you and prioritize those things. Then you can feel okay about saying no to some of the rest.

7. Give yourself a gift (or two). Chances are, you’re probably finished shopping for some of the items on your gift list. As you’re choosing the perfect presents for your spouse, kids, friends, and more, don’t forget yourself. Whether it’s an afternoon pedicure or a plush new robe to wear around the house during the chillier months, remember that it’s both okay and healthy to invest in yourself. Spending a few dollars or minutes on yourself might seem like a relatively small thing, but it can make a happy difference.

Ultimately, you don’t have to completely overhaul the way you approach the holidays to savor the upcoming season instead of feeling stressed by it. By putting some prior thought into what you find most meaningful and important, and by acknowledging the importance of your own health and sanity, you’ll find that this can be ‘the most wonderful time of the year!”

In the news . . .

One thing that should be on your holiday shopping list this year is a reminder to watch for and avoid imitation products. Fake electronics and toys can be untested, uncertified, and unsafe.

CSA Group, a leader in anti-counterfeiting efforts, offers gift-givers an easy checklist for safe shopping:

Check the packaging: Counterfeit packaging often has poor design, misspellings, and unclear printing. Ensure there is contact information for the manufacturer in the event that there is an issue with the products.

Check the name: A product with no brand identifier or trademark may be a counterfeit.

Reputable companies want you to know whose product you’re buying. Buy from rep-

utable retailers with clear exchange or return policies.

• Check the “look and feel”: Fake products are often too light and flimsy.

• Check for the mark: Avoid electrical products missing a label from a recognized cer-

Everywhere That People Care

tification organization such as CSA Group.

Reality check: If a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is. More safety tips are available online at CSA Group: Product Certification & Standards Development –https://www.csagroup.org

The trusted Care magazine is now back in print as a regular contributor to The Island News, with Karen Mozzo as editor. Together we’ll deliver information, references, and options for a healthier life.

The Hospital Auxiliary (HHHA), a nonprofit dedicated to assisting those in need in Hilton Head, Bluffton and the surrounding areas, has been awarded a $30,000 grant from Power:Ed, a philanthropy of SC Student Loan Corporation.

This gift marks the second round of funding from Power:Ed and will support 10 nursing scholarships at USCB and TCL for

the 2023 school year to help create a local talent pipeline to address the healthcare workforce shortage.

In the first two quarters of FY2022-23, Power:Ed awarded 12 grants to South Carolina education and career readiness nonprofits, including HHHA, totaling over $450,000. Grants are administered quarterly, and the next grant funding deadline is January 1, 2023.

Hilton Head Hospital Auxiliary awarded $30,000 grant from Power:Ed to expand its nursing scholarship program to serve more students

Pictured L to R: Marge Sieben; Claire Gibbons, Power:Ed Director; and Vicki Gorbett, HH Hospital Auxiliary President.

Options & References for a Healthier Life

Medical scams targeting seniors:

Telehealth Fraud

Due to the recent expansion of telehealth services and the ease in which this fraud can be committed, criminals are exploiting this new technology for fraudulent purposes. Medicare will cover telehealth services, including office visits, psychotherapy, consultations, and certain other medical or health services that are provided by an eligible provider who isn’t at your location, that are performed via an interactive, two-way telecommunications system (like real-time audio and video).

Report potential telehealth fraud, errors, or abuse if:

You receive an unsolicited phone call from someone wanting to verify your pain symptoms. This is more than likely a telehealth doctor trying to approve you for durable medical equipment (DME) that you do not need or did not request.

• You receive an unsolicited phone call from someone wanting to verify your fami-

ly history of cancer.

This is more than likely a telehealth doctor trying to approve you for a genetic testing kit that actually needs to be ordered by your treating physician.

Learn how to read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Medicare statements outline payments made on a beneficiary’s behalf for Medicare covered services. There are two primary types of statements received by Medicare beneficiaries: Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) and Explanations of Benefits (EOBs).

Beneficiaries enrolled in Original Medicare receive MSNs.

Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans receive EOBs.

• Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare prescription drug (Part D) plans receive EOBs.

MSNs and EOBs explain:

What the health care provider billed for

The amount approved by Medicare for payment

How much Medicare paid

What the beneficiary may be billed for

The Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), which provides information on Original Medicare claims, is one of the key tools that the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program uses for catching fraud, errors, and abuse. Re-

viewing and understanding MSNs is crucial for both Medicare beneficiaries and for SMPs.

How to detect potential fraud, errors, or abuse Review yours or your loved ones’ Medicare statements as soon as they arrive to ensure all of the services listed were actually received. Keep a record of medical visits, tests, receipts

for services, and equipment received. A My Health Care Tracker, available from your local SMP, can help you keep a record of these services.

Compare your statements to your receipts, records, and My Health Care Tracker. If you notice any mistakes, or have questions, call your provider or plan with your questions. If

EDITOR’S NOTE

This is a time of year when thoughts turn to giving… just be careful you’re not getting taken. Especially if you’re an older health consumer. Care magazine® will be spotlighting several medical scams that even savvy seniors can fall for.

you still have questions or need further help, contact your local SMP (select your state on the left and click “search”). Medicare’s Medicare. gov website allows beneficiaries in Original Medicare to log into (or create) a secure Medicare account to view their most recent MSNs, track claims made on their behalf, and check payment status. Creating a free, secure account with Medicare allows you to review all bills processed within the past 36 months.

Sources: https://www.smpresource. org/Content/You-Can-Help/ReadYour-Medicare-Statements.aspx; https://Medicare.gov

Nine holiday tips to control sugar binging

Sugar is as addictive as tobacco or alcohol—and one of the toughest habits to kick because it’s a staple of the Standard American Diet (SAD). The average American adult consumes 140 pounds of sugar and about the same amount of white flour each year.

1. Remember, pleasure is good! The key is to enjoy your sugar, as opposed to simply feeding addictive cravings, and binging.

2. Chocolate is a health food. But it’s not low-calorie. So go for quality, not quantity.

3. Pace yourself. Slowly savoring a small square of chocolate enables you to feel satisfied and satiated. So, sometimes less is more.

4. If you just try to go cold turkey without addressing the underlying cause of the sugar addiction, you’re likely to be miserable to be around and also fail at cutting back.

5. If you’re fatigued, instead of reaching for sugar as an “energy loan shark,” create healthy

The holiday season has arrived. Celebrations and gifts will be at the forefront of the festivities. Once all of the gifts are torn open, there are bound to be mounds of wrapping paper in each and every home, which can mean damaging waste for the environment.

Wrapping paper, boxes and ribbons tossed straight into the garbage can mean that pounds of added trash will end up in landfills across the country. According to the Clean Air Council, an additional 5 million tons of waste is generated during the holidays in the United States. Four million tons of that waste is wrapping paper and shopping bags. There are smarter solutions to dealing with holiday clean-up.

The first step is choosing environmentally responsible wrapping materials. Glossy, metallic, or embellished wrapping paper may not be easily recycled—or

energy. Begin your morning with a combination of a good vitamin powder like the Energy Revitalization System and a 5 g scoop of SHINE ribose.

Our published research shows that ribose increases energy

by an average of 61 percent after three weeks, and this simple drink effectively turbocharges your healthy energy.

Our recently published study also showed that HRG80 Red Ginseng increased healthy

“Sugar addiction

day-to-day

diabetes,

medical

even recyclable at all. Instead, look for wrapping paper that is made from recycled materials and can, in turn, be recycled once more.

Consider wrapping gifts in plain, brown mailing paper and decorate the outside with earth-friendly paints.

Next, nix the tissue paper inside of gift boxes. It doesn’t really serve a functional purpose, except for further delaying the reveal of

the gift inside. Tissue paper alone accounts for a lot of extra trash. Skipping it means a person will be saving money and the environment. Here are some other green cleanup tips.

• Designate a child or adult to gather the discarded wrapping materials and sort the piles into trash. Ribbons and bows can be reused,

energy by 50%!

6. Get irritable when hungry, aka, “hangry”? Fatigue of your adrenal “stress handler” gland is driving the sugar craving. Try increasing your salt and protein intake and drink a cup of licorice tea each morning.

7. Have chronic sinusitis or irritable bowel syndrome? If so, you may have Candida/yeast overgrowth that’s driving the sugar

as can many gift boxes and bags.

Shred paper items that are bound for the trash to reduce their volume and require fewer trash bags for transport.

Find out if a shipping store will take foam peanuts and air-filled wraps to be recycled.

Be sure to collect expired batteries and recycle them at a facility that does so.

• Christmas trees can be taken down and sent for mulching. Many communities collect trees after the season is over for this purpose.

Because there is bound to be some extra garbage during the holidays, individuals can take steps to

craving. Treating the Candida and taking a good probiotic is a good one-two punch.

8. In your 40s or 50s with anxiety and depression? These may be caused by estrogen or testosterone deficiency, and bioidentical hormones can make a world of difference.

9. Stevia can be an excellent sugar substitute for those who like the taste.

curb trash in other aspects of their lives this time of the year. Some ideas include using cloth napkins and actual dishes and cutlery instead of disposable items. Before purchasing new gift paper, sort through last year’s collection

to see what items can be reused. Cutting the front off of holiday cards and using them as gift tags is another way to recycle.

Clean Air Council, https:// cleanair.org

contributes to

cardiovascular disease, anxiety and a plethora of other

problems, and in

life it can just make you feel miserable.” He says common complaints include fatigue, getting irritable when hungry (causing major stress in relationships), chronic sinusitis, digestive problems (irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon), weight gain with inability to lose weight even on a diet, and poor concentration and memory.

– Board certified internist Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D.

Everywhere That People Care The trusted Care magazine is now back in print as a regular contributor to The Island News, with Karen Mozzo as editor. Together we’ll deliver information, references, and options for a healthier life.

Source:

Choose environmentally responsible wrapping materials.

Christmas trees can be taken down and sent for mulching.

VOICES

Every voice matters

Recently, the Pat Conroy Literary Center (PCLC) presented a program aimed at addressing the controversy over whether to remove certain books from Beaufort County school libraries. The extensive list of books under consideration for removal was compiled by a group of parents concerned that the subject matter of these books was inappropriate for students, especially in middle school grades. The outcome of this controversy is important as it will determine not only what library books are available to students but also who has the right to decide what another person can or cannot read.

The Literary Center works most effectively in the community by offering a forum for many different voices to be heard. Last Sunday we focused on the dangers of censorship, but in

CASSANDRA KING

a future program, we want to hear more from parents, students and teachers.

As the organization’s honorary chair, a retired teacher, passionate reader and writer, and the widow of Pat Conroy, I felt behooved to expand on the Literary Center’s stance as it relates to the many conversations about literary censorship going on today.

“Every voice matters,” is more than a PCLC slogan; it’s a vital component of our organization.

As a nonprofit dedicated to promoting education

and the literary arts, the PCLC felt an obligation to examine this issue more thoroughly, especially since one of our main missions is our advocacy of reading. Banning books in school libraries was something that Pat and I discussed many times.

A former teacher, Pat valued parental involvement and believed it benefited both students and educators immensely. As a voracious reader, however, his position was simple: if you don’t like a book, don’t read it, but don’t deny others that opportunity by banning it.

If an objectionable book appeared on a school reading list, he took the same stance as our current school policy: it is your right to ask that a different book be provided your child.

Pat’s life was forever changed by the books he read as a young man and

by the support he received from his Beaufort English teacher, Gene Norris.

Pat’s gratitude to his teacher was enormous and publicly expressed.

Many of us likely had teachers who were there for us when we were finding our way in the world. Inspired by the relationship of Pat and Mr. Norris, the PCLC is dedicated to being there for the teachers of today, who have an incredibly difficult job. We want to support educators and librarians in any way we can, but mainly by respecting them as trained professionals capable of making informed decisions on educational matters.

In Beaufort County, we are blessed to live in a community where we can work together toward a common goal: the best education possible for the next generation. Our country is facing a

critical shortage of teachers and we need to examine the reasons why. Another directive of the PCLC is our work in encouraging future teachers through scholarship and training opportunities.

If our teachers don’t feel supported and respected by their communities, we can expect them to seek better paying, more satisfying careers. When that happens, we all lose.

Lastly, it’s important to remember that books are much more than mere tools for learning. While textbooks provide essential information, books of fiction offer something much more complex but certainly no less valuable. Through the stories of others, students learn empathy and compassion. Reading books written by the marginalized allows students who also feel marginalized to feel less alone in their own struggles.

When these diverse voices are silenced, something essential to a child’s emotional makeup is left out. Exposure to different viewpoints helps develop critical thinking skills throughout a lifetime. Because we are living through a time of unparalleled division and acrimony, it’s more important than ever that we commit to examining the role each of us plays in forming the citizens of tomorrow.

Thank you for allowing me to have my say on this very important issue, and I look forward to more discussion to come.

Cassandra King Conroy is an award-winning author of five novels, a book of nonfiction, numerous short stories, magazine articles, and essays. She has taught creative writing on the college level, conducted corporate writing seminars, and worked as a human interest reporter. She lives in Beaufort.

You can thank me and TikTok for the cold spell

God help me, but I think I agree with Republicans who are pushing to ban the social media app TikTok from government-issued equipment.

I apologize in advance if this winter is colder than normal, with Hell freezing over and all that.

But I honestly am not comfortable with the idea of TikTok or any other nonessential and potentially insecure software being on the phone or laptop of a state or federal employee with access to information stored on government servers. Especially if that software is owned by a company headquartered in Beijing.

University of Virginia Professor Aynne Kokas spoke about this on National Public Radio: “TikTok is … part of a larger Chinese government effort to expand extraterritorial control over digital platforms. So the Chinese government has allowed for and has encouraged Chinese firms to actually engage in national

TERRY MANNING

security data audits of any data that’s being gathered by a Chinese firm.”

So it’s not inconceivable the Chinese government could be auditing information gathered from TikTok users engaging with the platform on government-issued technology. FBI Director Christopher Wray said this in a recent speech and even proposed China could manipulate TikTok’s algorithms for nefarious purposes.

Similar concerns arose during the Trump administration, and now Republicans in leadership positions across the country are moving to enact bans, including in South Carolina.

Free speech advocates worry if the government targets one social media

platform for censorship, then what’s to stop it from targeting others — or all of them.

I figured I would ask a knowledgeable source. Here are a few excerpts from our question-andanswer session.

Q: Is it a good idea for state governments to ban TikTok?

A: While there may be valid concerns about the app, banning it outright is not the solution. Instead, governments should work with the company to address any potential security or privacy issues. Additionally, banning TikTok would deprive individuals and businesses of a valuable platform for creativity and communication.

Q: But why would a government employee need TikTok on their phone?

A: There could be several reasons. For example, they may be using the app to create and share educational or informational content related to their work. They

may also be using the app to connect with constituents and build a more personal relationship with them. Additionally, they may be using the app to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in their field.

Ultimately, the decision to use TikTok on a state-issued phone would depend on the individual and their specific job responsibilities.

Q: You do, at least, acknowledge security risks? What about classified information?

A: If a government employee has access to classified information, it is important for them to follow all relevant security protocols to protect that information. This may include restrictions on the use of certain apps, such as TikTok, on their state-issued phones. It is ultimately up to the employer and relevant security agencies to determine what steps should be taken to protect classified information.

If an employee is unsure about whether or not they are allowed to use a particular app on their state-issued phone, they should consult with their supervisor or the agency responsible for managing security protocols.

Q: But surely TikTok is the biggest risk right now?

A: It is difficult to say which software apps are more of a security risk than TikTok without knowing the specific security measures in place for each app. As I mentioned earlier, any technology has the potential to present security risks, and it is up to the company and government regulators to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place.

Additionally, the level of risk associated with a particular app can vary depending on how it is used and who has access to it.

For example, an app that is used for managing sensitive financial information may present a greater security risk than a social media app like TikTok.

Q: What specific app might be a bigger risk than TikTok?

A: As a large language model trained by OpenAI, I am not capable of conducting independent research or accessing current information about specific software or security risks. I can provide general information and opinions based on the data I have been trained on, but I cannot provide definitive answers or expert opinions on complex topics like software and security risks.

Q: Thanks.

So there you have it. The artificial intelligence behind ChatGPT made some pretty good points about not getting too worked up over TikTok.

Damn my human brain, though, for thinking it still makes sense to be careful.

Terry E. Manning is a Clemson graduate and worked for 20 years as a journalist. He can be reached at teemanning@gmail.com

What seems like light years ago, during the 2016 Republican primaries, 50 Republican, former national security and foreign policy advisers, went public about what they saw as a lack of character and temperament in then candidate Donald Trump.

Penning a letter to major newspapers, they predicted his unfitness for the office of president would make him “a threat to national security.” Warning that, “Mr. Trump lacks basic knowledge and belief in the United States Constitution, U.S. laws, and in U.S. institutions, including religious freedom, and freedom of the press.”

That “threat to national security,” became evident on Jan. 6, 2021. Members of Trump’s own administration provided testimo-

ny to the House Select Committee hearing investigating the attack on the United States Capitol, exposing his complicity in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reported more than a dozen groups took part in the Capital riots. Composed of such seditious alliances as the Proud Boys and

Oath Keepers, whose views are based upon white supremacy, antisemitism and antigovernment militias sometimes acting as shock troops.

Trump’s propaganda attracts such groups, as they share the same dystopian vision. Violence and pathological lying are virtues at the altar of authoritarian/fascist dogma.

Believing he was their ticket to a place at the table, the insurrectionists were not coming for dinner, they came with Trump’s blessings, to commit domestic terrorism and treason.

Very few Republicans in today’s congress demonstrate any courage. When Trump’s coterie of an armed, violent mob assaulted the capitol, they did not denounce it, they did not repudiate it. By

their silence when confronted by barbarism, they have proved to be supplicants in Trump’s moral wasteland. They chose the role of apologists, becoming examples of how quickly Cowardice can spread like contagion.

The no longer Grand Old Party, witnessed neo-Nazis sweep through the corridors of Congress with signs reading “Six million dead is not enough” and “This way to Auschwitz.”

They watched Confederate flags marching thru the Capital, reminding African-Americans, that Black Lives Do Not Really Matter. They called this a normal day.

Historical memory reminds us of the dangers we face as a democracy. The red flags are there, serving as precursors of what may come, as to whether we survive as

a democracy, or not.

Precursors help us to recognize the characteristics and warning signs associated with the nascent rise of authoritarianism and fascism. January 6 is that precursor. When the former President advocates for “terminating” the United States Constitution he is talking about ending Democracy. He wants to replace it, with himself. We want to believe that it cannot happen here. That ours is a secure and stable nation, a “Beacon of Hope.”

On January 6, 2021, Hope’s beautiful light flickered.

Dru Clements is a retired educator and a native of Beaufort. During her career, she served as a volunteer teacher at the University of Central America and the office for Disabled War Veterans in Managua, Nicaragua.

Sunday 8:30 am, 10:30 am at 81 Lady’s Island Drive

Pastor Steve Keeler (843) 525-0696

seaislandpresbyterian.org

Editor’s Note: The opinions of our columnists in the Voices section are not necessarily the opinions of The Island News

VOICES

It’s coming, it’s only a matter of time

It is Saturday, and I’m in the carpeted lobby of a hotel in Wilmington, N.C.

There is a small bistro that offers cappuccino, bagels and overpriced fruit to the sleepy folk looking for early-morning caffeine. These people stand in line silent, semi-conscious, glancing at a television monitor tuned to the Weather Channel.

Yesterday, Susan and I left Beaufort early, traveling north on U.S. 17 and happily passing through rice fields, wetlands and pine forests before hitting the new condos and the Kiawah-choked traffic just south of Charleston. The Mark Clark Expressway offered us a much needed panorama of the Cooper River. But feeds one directly into the payday loan, nail salon, burger-selling banality that is consuming Mt. Pleasant.

When I was a cadet Mt Pleasant was a collection of shrimp boats, seafood

restaurants and home to hot, fresh, Krispy Kreme donuts. That quaint little village is no more.

Taking U.S. 17 also gave us Georgetown, that offered-up International Paper and a huge, recumbent, semi-retired steel mill. But if one turns on Front Street (just past the steel mill) one discovers a compact waterfront with a wooden boardwalk; fried shrimp and beer-selling pubs; and a historic district with columned homes reminding us of Georgetown’s long gone rice-growing aristocracy. Georgetown is followed by Myrtle Beach.

It is hard for me to find words that properly describe this overdeveloped stretch of commercial mayhem except to say “Myrtle Beach” has become a synonym for communities afflicted with terminal, Stage-3, get-youraffairs-in-order bad taste. If you want to see the dark side of capitalism; or a catastrophic absence of urban planning a pass through downtown Myrtle Beach will check each of those boxes.

In the midst of this contagion is a small stretch of beach that is free of highrise hotels; the towel, sun screen and sunglass shops that constitute most of the Myrtle Beach morphology. This enclave is called Atlantic Beach and for years has been a beach that serviced South Carolina’s Black population.

Atlantic Beach is small — one-half square mile and having only a four block width along the ocean — that

was never amalgamated into North Myrtle Beach. It is characterized by modest, single-storied brick houses surrounded by oak trees. There is a 1950s styled motel and a beach, with actual dunes, but without the typical wall of 12 story-high hotels that block-off access to the strand.

Atlantic Beach was founded in the midst of the Depression when George Tyson bought 47 acres of beachfront from R.V. Ward for $2,000. Tyson bought another 49 acres and sold lots to black doctors, lawyers and businessmen from Conway, Lumberton, Florence and Fayetteville. He also built a nightclub, called the Black Hawk, that attracted Black patrons who danced to the tunes of Ivory Joe Hunter and Jackie Wilson.

Neighboring Ocean Drive, Crescent and Windy Hill beaches share a road that parallels the strand. This

road passes through Windy Hill (on the north) but then stops. The road skips Atlantic Beach resuming at neighboring Crescent Beach. The road is symbolic of the segregation that was the law in the 40s and 50s.

But things began to change in the late 1960s. Thanks to Heart of Atlanta v. United States decided by the Supreme Court in 1964, Black folks could now stay at any hotel that engaged in interstate commerce. And just about every hotel in America wanted that kind of commerce.

And so the sons of those black doctors from Fayetteville, and the daughters of those black businessmen from Lumberton began to vacation elsewhere — and Atlantic Beach began to die.

At first the loss of population was small; but then it became precipitous. In 1980 there was an effort to boost tourism — espe-

cially tourists owning a Harley-Davidson Softtail — the Town hosting an event called Bike Fest. But today there are only 195 Black folks who remain on or near the beach. And, of course, there is now talk of multi-storied hotels that often come with the “Lazy River” amenity allowing children to float around in inner tubes while their parents drink Pina Coladas in poolside hot tubs.

Yesterday, Susan and I walked through an uninterrupted, unimproved dune field and down to an almost empty the beach marveling at the natural beauty. But then we looked up and down the beach knowing it was only a matter of time before surrounding contagion would arrive.

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

Book banning or protecting minors from obscenity?

Iwish for just a few minutes that readers would take the time to read some of the passages of the most egregious books submitted for review to the Beaufort County School District. Among the most aberrant books are Lucky by Alice Sebold; Push a novel by Sapphire; Sold by Patricia McCormick; and Tricks by Ellen Hopkins.

I would include some of the excerpts but I can almost guarantee that they would not be published because they are pornographic. For those that say books are not pornographic, Merriam-Webster defines pornography as the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement; material (such as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement.

I often see, “You must not read books.” Actually, I am an avid reader and enjoy several of the authors that were submitted. I am

of yesterday that were under siege. There is a vast difference in the content. Even Pat Conroy’s most sexually explicit scenes don’t hold a candle to what is in some of these books.

Somewhere it became acceptable for young adult literature to contain extremely adult content. None of us is saying grab your matches, let’s burn them all. They are still available in the public library or for purchase. And I would venture to say that plenty of books cover the topics that might be necessary to help a minor in certain situations that do not have sexually explicit content.

and earlier. Take for instance the recent Balenciaga debacle. What kind of person is OK seeing a child posed with a teddy bear dressed in bondage? Would any fashion powerhouse have attempted to publish something like that 10 years ago? Just because it’s not a picture or video does not mean that it is any less damaging. For those that it might help, how many might it cause trauma to or set them up to become a victim?

Schools have always had criteria in place for what is appropriate and what is not. School devices have filters on them so the very same things that are found in obscene books are not allowed to be accessed on those devices. I haven’t seen anyone petitioning for those filters to be removed. So why is it so farfetched that books should be held to the same standard?

Somehow, those of us concerned are being labeled as racist and phobic when in fact the

Books of today are not the books of yesterday that were under siege. There is a vast difference in the content. Even Pat Conroy’s most sexually explicit scenes don’t hold a candle to what is in some of these books.”

ed. It was morally motivated. I have continually been linked to Moms for Liberty, but ironically, I have only been to three meetings. And as to the website www.booklooks.org that I used for guidance, I did not know it was linked to Moms for Liberty. I simply agreed with the ratings of the website.

I am not working with Moms for Liberty on this effort nor are they behind it. In fact, it was one friend who asked me to search for some books mentioned in a blog post from Palmetto State Watch. I had searched for books that I would see mentioned here or there

some research on your own. Don’t just blindly believe what others are saying about us. That we are trying to stifle access to intellectual freedom. See for yourself the material that is available to minors and then ask if you would feel comfortable with a 14 year old or younger reading it. Because some of these titles are available in K-8 schools.

Call me old-fashioned if you will, but our children are our future. If we don’t protect their innocence today, we shall live in a world of deviants tomorrow.

Editor’s Note: The opinions of our columnists in the Voices section are not necessarily the opinions of The Island News

SCOTT GRABER

IVIE SZALAI

Who cares about public notices?

You have the right to know what’s happening in your community.

Public notices – information local governments are obligated to provide citizens – are required to be published in local newspapers to provide a public record that’s accessible to everyone.

Public notices keep you informed about your government. But, in some states legislators are trying to keep public notices from appearing in local newspapers. This severely impacts government transparency and, in turn, limits the public’s right to hold them accountable for their actions.

Let your state legislators know that you value being able to access notices in your newspaper and that they are worth the investment.

Protect public notices i in newspapers and protect your right to know.

America’s Newspapers is a national association supporting journalism and healthy newspapers in our local communities. Find out more at www.newspapers.org or follow us on Twitter @newspapersorg or on Facebook @americasnewspapers.

Penn Center holds annual Live Nativity Scene

By Delayna Earley

The Penn Center held their annual live nativity scene on Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Frissell Community House on St. Helena Island.

The nativity scene is a portion of the Mystery Play which was produced from 1916 to 1953 according to the program handed out at the performance.

Like in the Mystery Play, the live nativity scene began with members of a choir

Rabbi Mendel Hurtz of Chabad House of Bluffton, dances with his daughters Leah, Rochel and Leibel during the traditional Lighting of the Menorah to kick off the eight days of Hanukkah on Sunday at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Chabad of Bluffton will travel around Beaufort and Jasper Counties lighting one “candle” of the menorah every day at dusk for eight days, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkua.

Bob Sofaly/The Island News

singing carols from behind a closed curtain. After several carols, the curtain opened to reveal a live nativity scene complete with angels and the three wise men.

The original production was held in Darrah Hall, also at the Penn Center.

First night of Hanukkah brings light to Beaufort on Sunday

By Delayna Earley

Light

and a performance by Magic Mark.

“Hanukkah is about bringing light into the world,” Rabbi Hertz said, “bringing good acts, good deeds and making the world a better place.”

This is the second year that Chabad Greater Hilton Head has hosted a public menorah lighting. This year they also held public menorah lightings on Hilton Head Island and in Ridgeland.

LIVING ON PURPOSE

What does Christmas mean to you?

I’ve read articles over the years about how Christmas is a combination of Christian and pagan symbolism along with some folklore traditions and for the most part, this is true.

I also realize that most people do not want to hear about such things.

Beyond the bah-humbug, I will admit that even though Christmas is not as much fun now as it was when I was a kid or when our children were young, I still enjoy the season. I remember lying under the tree and how I was mesmerized looking up at all the twinkling lights.

To me, Christmas has always been a special time and, heaven forbid I use the term, “magical,” but as a child, my overactive imagination had no problem believing the fables especially after I learned about Saint Nicholas that knows everything and can give every child in the world exactly what they want.

Now that we are adults,

BILLY HOLLAND

it seems we still hold onto the memories of Christmas past and even have a little excitement left for Christmas future no matter how old we are.

I was thinking about some of the things I do not enjoy about Christmas like for example, the traffic when trying to shop is a headache, and how it seems people are not always in a “Currier and Ives” festive mood. The high level of stress and anxiety to make sure everything is perfect can turn our joyous celebrations into something that resembles a torture chamber. The pressure of making sure the house is decorated just right, the food

is delicious, and finding the perfect gifts, takes an exhausting toll on all of us.

And let’s not forget about the intense commercialism that bombards us with advertising and turns everything into a money-driven frenzy. But, for the sake of all those involved, we will continue our merry traditions until we cannot do it anymore because spending time with our loved ones for the holiday makes us all happy.

What is there not to like? The lighted tree, feasting at banquet tables with the richest delicacies of the year, and everyone enjoying themselves are the ingredients for a wonderful occasion. Let us not forget seeing the excited faces of the little ones as they unwrap their presents. We remember the carol that reminds us, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

Still, in the back of my mind, I keep thinking about the spiritual parts

and pieces of a supposedly Christian holiday. After all, I was also taught this was when Jesus was born. The concept of syncretism is the perfect opportunity to blend all types of ancient traditions and rituals with our sacred faith. We have a nativity with Jesus as the Savior for those who believe and Santa Clause with his magical powers for those who believe.

I understand for those who are not Christians, this is no big deal because a party is a party, but the Bible says that the more we learn the more we are accountable for. Besides, everyone is going to do whatever they want. We all strain at a gnat and swallow a camel every now and then, right? Then if we pull the plug on Christmas, we can become so legalistic and narrow-minded that we offend everyone and end up living alone. I cannot see how this helps anything. Is trying to find a reasonable

balance just another word for compromise?

I wonder how many would celebrate Christmas if it was only about Jesus coming to save us. What if there were no Christmas trees or the magical man dressed in red with a white beard? What if Mr. Kringle was without supernatural powers like being omnipresent and the ability to shape-shift and visit every home in the world in one night?

Without the sparkling lights, Frosty the snowman, candy canes, the ham and pecan pie, the music carols, Rudolf, and a large pile of wrapped gifts, Christmas

day would probably pass by quietly like Groundhog Day. Advent is a time of reflection and gratitude about Christ coming to save us from our sins. He seems helpless as a baby in a manger, but one day every person will acknowledge Him as Lord and give an account of how they lived. Somewhere between the wise men, the winter solstice traditions, and flying reindeer, may we find our reason for the season.

Dr. Holland is a Christian author, outreach minister, and community chaplain. To read more about the Christian life visit billyhollandministries.com

Penn Center held its annual Nativity Scene on Sunday at Frissell Community House. The Nativity Scene is a traditional part of the old Penn School Mystery Play first developed in 1916. The current adaptation has been performed every year since 1971. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

VIDEO For a short video related to this story, follow this digital link or go to https://youtu.be/8u8Eseae_O8.

came to downtown Beaufort on the first night of Hanukkah. Rabbi Mendel Hertz with Chabad Greater Hilton Head hosted a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, Dec. 18, at Henry C. Chambers Park in Beaufort. The event featured the lighting of a 9-foot menorah, free donuts and latkes, music

Beaufort girls surge back to .500

By Justin Jarrett LowcoSports.com

After a gauntlet of four Class 5A opponents and a strong Class 4A foe left his Beaufort Eagles girls basketball team staring at an 0-5 record, Reggie Jones might have wondered to himself why he returned from a one-year hiatus to reclaim the helm.

His players have reminded him.

The Eagles have surged to five straight wins to even their record, including back-to-back nail-biters this weekend.

They endured a tough shooting night in a 39-33 overtime win at Colleton County on Friday, as their

top two scorers combined to go 3-for-38 from the field, but Quinn Wilson led the way with 15 points, seven rebounds, and seven steals as the Eagles gutted out a road win.

Wilson continued her hot hand with Quinn Wilson 17 points, five steals, and 12 deflections in a 34-32 win at May River on Saturday as Beaufort erased a threepoint deficit entering the fourth quarter.

The Eagles (5-5) get a break before a third matchup this season with Ashley Ridge, and they’ll get a chance to see how much they’ve grown against a Swamp Foxes team that won the first two meetings.

PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Dolphins push win streak to 5: Battery Creek’s girls ran their winning streak to five games with a 49-14 rout of visiting Whale Branch on Friday. It was the second blowout win over the Warriors in eight days with a 69-35 trouncing of Colleton County sandwiched in between. Kiara Wilson has a monster night against the Cougars with 34 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while Genesis Wilson added 12 points and six steals. The Dolphins (5-3) are back in action this week in a tournament.

John Paul II 51, Habersham 31: John Paul II’s girls continued their hot start with a win over visiting Habersham on Friday. The Golden Warriors were in a close game late, leading by eight entering the fourth quarter, but they dominated the final eight minutes. Brady Mahoney recorded her first career tripledouble with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 steals, while Lily Termini had a big night with 12 points and five steals, and Cayce Graves made big contributions all over the court. JPII (7-1) is off until Jan. 5, when the Golden Warriors travel to Beaufort Academy.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Battery Creek 45, Ridgeland-Hardeeville

43: Battery Creek’s boys snapped a sixgame losing streak with a win at Ridgeland on Tuesday. The Dolphins led by nine after the first quarter and maintained that margin until the fourth quarter, when the Jaguars made a late charge.Battery Creek (2-8) plays Orangeburg-Wilkinson in a tournament Monday.

BA wins Savannah tourney: Beaufort Academy’s boys brought home a tournament title from Savannah last week, beating First Preparatory Christian Academy 60-53 in the semifinals on Thursday before edging host Bethesda Academy 48-42 in the championship game Friday. The Eagles (3-3) are off until Jan. 3 at Colleton Prep.

Bridges continues to win: Bridges Prep’s boys ran their winning streak to five games with a 42-39 win over St. Joseph’s Catholic to open a holiday tournament Tuesday. The Bucs had a solid week, picking up home wins over Palmetto Scholars (63-25) and

Bridges

Eagles still finding legs, chemistry

By Justin Jarrett LowcoSports.com

Jeremy Huff had the good sense to push back the start of his Beaufort Eagles boys basketball team’s regular season this year after the Eagles’ run to the football state championship game left him short-handed to start the season a year ago.

It didn’t help much.

The Eagles went all the way this time, and Huff again was left with a skeleton crew for preseason training and has been assembling the team on the fly since the football players returned to the fold. It’s a work in progress, and the work has been messy at times.

After splitting a homeand-home series with Whale Branch last week, the Eagles started showing

signs of rounding the corner with a 58-48 win at Colleton County and a 54-50 double overtime victory at May River this weekend, but they hit the wall in their fifth game in eight days, a 54-34 loss to former region rival Lucy Beckham on Tuesday at the PSB Charleston Showcase.

A trio of leaders have emerged in big man Michael Dennison, who committed to play football at MIT on Tuesday, Beaufort Academy transfer Sully Gay, and quarterback-turned-guard Samari Bonds. Gay had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the way at Colleton County, but Bonds added 18 points and seven boards, and Dennison had 17 points and 12 rebounds.

It was more of the same at May River, where Den-

nison racked up 19 points and 12 rebounds, Gay added 17 points and eight boards with five steals, and Bonds scored 14 points and grabbed five boards.

The legs were clearly drained by Tuesday, and the Eagles had another tough test Wednesday against Pinewood Prep before they get some much-needed rest. They’ll have one non-region tune-up against Ashley Ridge on Jan. 3, then launch in Region 8-3A play, and by then, they should look like a region title contender.

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.

ON THE MAT

53-46.

Bob Sofaly/The Island News

May River (53-46) to split the season series with the Sharks. Bridges (6-2) was set to continue tournament play Wednesday against Dixie.

Whale Branch holding its own: Despite playing in the state’s smallest classification, the Whale Branch boys are holding their own against the big boys so far this season.

After splitting a home-and-home series with Beaufort High last week, the Warriors finished off a season sweep of Battery Creek with a 71-31 rout Friday to finish 3-1 against their crosstown rivals in Region 8-3A.The Warriors (4-2) are off until Jan. 3, when they host Allendale-Fairfax.

– LowcoSports.com

Local football stars announce college plans

By Justin Jarrett LowcoSports.com

From Alabama to Texas and all the way to Boston, football stars with Beaufort roots made news this week.

Former Whale Branch and Wofford running back Irvin Mulligan has a new home, and Beaufort High multisport standout Michael Dennison and former Eagles defensive lineman Eamon Smalls both joined Mulligan in announcing their college choices on social media Tuesday.

Mulligan will continue his collegiate career at Jackson State University

after three seasons at Wofford in which he compiled 1,329 rushing yards with an average of seven yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. He led the Terriers in rushing in 2021, racking up 859 yards on 124 attempts with eight touchdowns, and topped 100 yards in six of 10 games, but he did not play this season.

Dennison is a star on the football field and the basketball court for the Eagles, and his work in a tight end/h-back role was key to Beaufort’s success running the ball all the way to a Class 3A state title. He

will take his talents on the field and in the classroom to MIT to play Division III football for the Engineers.

Smalls played his senior season in Texas after helping the Eagles reach the state title game as a junior.

He initially committed to West Virginia but reopened his recruitment this fall and announced Tuesday he will become a Blazer at UAB, where Super Bowl champion quarterback Trent Dilfer recently took over as head coach.

Beaufort star Kacy Fields is also weighing a number of options, including

NCAA Division I opportunities at Jackson State and South Carolina State, as well as several Division II offers.

The early signing period for Division I football runs from Wednesday through Friday with the regular signing period for all divisions opening Feb. 1.

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.

Beaufort’s Sully Gay can’t get his shot off as Whale Branch’s Queashawn Fields moves in for the block during overtime Wednesday night at Whale Branch. The host Warriors went on to win the hard-fought game, 62-59, and improve their record to 3-2 overall while the Eagles dropped to 1-7 overall. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Prep’s Anari Wilson, left, goes up to block the shot of a May River Shark during the second quarter of their non-regional basketball game Friday night at Bridges Prep. The home Buccaneers bested the visiting Sharks,

Beaufort’s Brandon Bolles gets the upper hand on Ashley Ridge’s Connor Gorski during their 145-pound bout Wednesday night during a tri-match at Beaufort High School. Bolles had a 12-11 lead by the third period but got pinned with just seconds to go. Ashley Ridge downed the Eagles, 55-18. Winners for Beaufort were John Bechtold (195), Justin Weinberg (285), and Antonio McKnight (132). In the other contest, the Eagles defeated Bluffton, 45-36, as Ryli Corbin (106), Tayriq Legree (120), McKnight (132), Jack Miller (138), and Brandon Bolles (145) all won for Beaufort. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Coosa Caroling

Coosa Elementary staff spreads holiday cheer with new tradition

By Delayna Earley LADY’S ISLAND

– Coosa Elementary School hoped to share some holiday spirit with their students and families as they started a new musical tradition despite a wet evening.

Members of the faculty and staff traveled to several locations in their district and sang carols on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

“We are just coming out, spreading a little cheer and giving back to our families,” Coosa Elementary Principal Melissa Pender said.

The carolers went to four dif-

ferent locations in the area: Tidal Creek Fellowship, Harbor One Apartments, Broomfield Park and Coosa Elementary School. The evening events almost didn’t happen due to the rainy weather.

Lowcountry Montessori’s Campbell finishes master’s studies

From staff reports

Beaufort resident Samantha Campbell has been applying the tools of science, education and conservation to become a leader in the conservation community. In December 2022, Campbell concluded a master’s course of study with a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in the Biological Sciences from Miami University through Project Dragonfly.

Since joining the Global Field Program (GFP) master’s in 2020, Campbell has traveled to Baja and India and conducted projects that have made a difference in the Beaufort area.

Throughout Campbell’s time in the GFP, Campbell developed a Master Plan –a kind of personal mission

statement for what Campbell wanted to accomplish in the program. In many of Campbell’s master’s courses, Campbell designed projects that supported this plan, which culminated in a final portfolio, “Restorative Landscaping,” presented in a Capstone course.

Campbell works as a gardening and ecology educator at Lowcountry Montessori School.

The GFP master’s degree and Earth Expeditions courses are designed for educators and other professionals from all disciplines and settings interested in making a difference in human and ecological communities. Because the GFP combines summer field courses worldwide with

online learning communities, this master’s degree can be completed part-time from anywhere. More information about the GFP is located at MiamiOH. edu/cas/graduate-studies/ project-dragonfly/global-field-program/index. html

Miami University’s Project Dragonfly reaches millions of people each year through inquiry-driven learning media, public exhibits and graduate programs worldwide. Project Dragonfly is based in the department of biology at Miami University, a state university in Oxford, Ohio. Miami was established in 1809 and is listed as one of the eight original Public Ivies.

Despite sending out a message to Coosa families saying that the event would be canceled if the rain got to be too bad, the faculty and staff decided to carry on with their scheduled performances.

“The big joke is that I always have these crazy ideas, but they normally come to fruition,” Pender said. “The staff, they are good troopers and always willing to try something.”

The carolers met several times to practice the songs, which included seasonal favorites like Jingle Bells, We Wish You a

Merry

Delayna

in

TCL honors associate degree nursing graduates

From staff reports

The Technical College of the Lowcountry recognized 11 associate degree nursing (ADN) graduates during its Dec. 9 pinning ceremony at the Beaufort Mather Campus.

During the ceremony, graduates received their pins and lamps, a nod to Florence Nightingale who

carried a lamp to light her path as she cared for the sick and dying soldiers during the Crimean War.

TCL’s two-year ADN program prepares graduates to practice as registered nurses. Students experience on-campus learning using high-tech simulation equipment and receive intense additional hands-on

practice at clinical sites located throughout Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton and Colleton counties.

The graduates are Brooks Baldwin, Kimberly Beamon, Dionne Campbell, Ashley Chandler, Jaleesa McQueen, Ana Erika Mendoza, Bailey Moore, Elliana Ramirez, Rhonda Richey, Chelsea Selner and Amy Smith.

Library, SC Bar offer Law Talk Series at local library branches

From staff reports

The Beaufort County Library (BCL), in collaboration with the South Carolina Bar, is co-hosting a Law Talk Series to be held at various library branches beginning in January and continuing through spring.

The Law Talk program is a legal education program designed to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities under S.C. law. The program is the result of a partnership between the S.C. Bar and S.C. public libraries. The S.C. Bar sponsors the Law Talk program, while libraries host the sessions.

While the Law Talk program is free and open to the public, registration is encouraged. Each Law Talk session is presented by a volunteer S.C. licensed attorney or judge and lasts approximately one hour and provides a general overview of a legal topic.

LAW TALK SESSIONS

(Also found in the What’s Happening section)

Beaufort Branch

To register, please call 843-255-6481; all sessions from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 24 – Wills, Estates, and Probate Tuesday, Feb. 28 – Estate Planning

Tuesday, March 28 –Advance Health Care Directives

Tuesday, April 18

Starting a Business

Bluffton Branch

To register, please call 843-255-6503.

Tuesday, January 24 –5:30 to 6:30 p.m.,

Starting a Business Wednesday, February 22 –10 to 11 a.m., Elder Law and Advance Directives Wednesday, March 22 –10 to 11 a.m., Estate

Planning and Execution

Tuesday, April 11 –5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Special Education Tuesday, April 25 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Consumer Law Tuesday, May 9 – 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Employment Law Tuesday, May 23 –5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Immigration and DACA

Lobeco Branch

To register, please call 843-255-6479.

Saturday, Jan. 14 – 11 a.m. to noon, Family Law Tuesday, Feb. 28 – 5 to 6 p.m., Landlord Tenant Law Tuesday, March 14 – 5 to 6 p.m., Wills, Estates, and Probate

Saturday, April 29 –11 a.m. to noon, Heirs Property Saturday, May 20 –11 a.m to noon, Starting a Business or Nonprofit

Hilton Head Branch

To register, please call 843-255-6525; all sessions from noon to 1 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 15 – Cyber Security and Data Privacy Wednesday, March 15 –Wills, Estates, and Probate Wednesday, April 19 –Advance Health Care Directives

Wednesday, May 17 – Real Estate and Foreclosure

St. Helena Branch

To register, please call 843- 255-6540; all sessions from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 17 –

Starting a Business

Tuesday, Feb. 7 –Expungement

Tuesday, March 7 –

Credit Card Debt

Tuesday, April 4 –Social Security Disability Tuesday, May 2 –Getting Arrested

The Beaufort County Library is the public library system of Beaufort County, South Carolina. Its mission is to serve and support the community for learning, for leisure, and for life.

With five branch libraries, two bookmobiles, and a special local history and archives collection, the Library provides open and guided access to a wide variety of media and programs to inform, inspire, and empower people in their pursuit of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and cultural understanding.

Explore more by visiting www.beaufortcountylibrary.org or call 843-2556430.

For more information on Law Talk Series or other Beaufort County Library programs or events, please contact Theresa Furbish, Programs and Events Librarian, at 843-255-6442 or

theresa.furbish@bcgov.net

For the most current listing of Beaufort County Library events, please visit the Library’s Event Calendar at https://www. beaufortcountylibrary.org/ calendar

The South Carolina Bar was established by the Supreme Court of South Carolina (S.C. Appellate Court Rule 410 ) and serves more than 17,000 members and the public. Its mission is to uphold integrity and honor of the legal profession, advance the science of jurisprudence, promote high quality legal education and services to its members, and continually improve the administration of justice throughout the Palmetto State.

For more information on the South Carolina Bar, please visit scbar.org. Customers may also follow on Facebook and twitter.com/ SCBAR/

Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Pender said that the turnout was lower than they hoped because of the weather, but they still plan to make the event an annual one.

Earley lives

Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. 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

Faculty and staff from Coosa Elementary School sing carols outside of the school on Wednesday, Dec. 14, for students and their families as part of their inaugural Coosa Caroling event on Lady’s Island. Delayna Earley/The Island News

VIDEO For a brief video related to this story, follow this digital link or go to https://youtu.be/E9Gf_V1ZHYs.

Parris Island Christmas

Anger and Irritability Management Skills (AIMS) for veterans and their families

Do social interactions make you irritable?

Has anyone ever told you that you have an anger problem? Everyday setbacks and people we interact with can give us reasons to be angry.

Although these feelings are normal, they have unhealthy consequences and can lead to domestic violence, divorce, the trauma of loved ones, depression, grief, anxiety, loss of employment, financial hardship, dysfunctional families, and in the worst-case physical injuries, death, or imprisonment.

Learn how to overcome and control anger

If you want to learn how to overcome challenges more easily and relate to people in difficult situations, or simply feel better there is a VA-recommended course for you, called Anger and Irritability Management Skills (AIMS).

AIMS uses scientifically proven methods to help you learn to get through tough times. The program is interactive and full of veterans sharing their personal stories using a program to learn better control of their anger and emotions. Read all about the AIMS Corse at the VA’s AIMS webpage https://www.veterantraining. va.gov/aims/index.asp

The AIMS is 100% free,

LARRY DANDRIDGE

anonymous, and requires no registration and zero personal information.

Veterans and their family members can access the AIMS Course at https:// www.veterantraining.va.gov/ aims/index.asp from their computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Veterans and their family members can take the program anyplace, anytime. Veterans can even find the AIMS Application at the GOGGLE PLAY Store or the APPLE APP STORE.

People, and life, can give you plenty of reasons to be upset, but you do not have to let those emotions control you. AIMS can help. For more information about the AIMS Course go towww.VeteranTraining.VA.Gov/aims

AIMS will help

Taking the AIMS Course will help veterans to get along better with people, help control their reactions to irritating events, and help them avoid the negative consequences of becoming too angry.

The AIMS Course and the VA link https://www. veterantraining.va.gov/ aims/index.asp includes a short quiz to learn if you experience the negative consequences of irritability and anger. AIMS will help those taking the course to develop an anger control plan. The course has a link to allow access to course assignments and the documents and worksheets available in the AIMS course.

Videos and other resources

The AIMS Course also offers dozens of videos available (like Using Deep Breathing) and an opportunity to replay the games in the course to refresh the skills learned in the course. Finally, the AIMS Course and the VA link https:// www.veterantraining.va.gov/ aims/index.asp provides the person taking the course a link with a list of helpful resources and a guide (AIMS Guidebook) that will assist anyone who wants to encourage a veteran taking the AIMS Course.

based on the experiences of veterans and service members, they can be helpful for anyone who is looking for help learning problem-solving skills, managing anger, or dealing with parenting issues. The resources may be specifically helpful for the caregivers or loved ones of Veterans.

Although the AIMS course may help veterans and their families with their difficulties, they are not intended to replace treatment by a healthcare professional.

How to schedule a VA Mental Healthcare appointment

If a veteran is already using VA medical services, he or she can ask their primary care provider (or a specialty care provider) to help make an appointment with a VA mental health provider. If a veteran is not already using VA medical services, veterans should contact the nearest VA medical center or Vet Center to talk about their needs.

are hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD. High levels of anger are related to a natural survival instinct of fight or flight. When faced with an extreme threat, people often respond with anger. Anger can help a person survive by shifting his or her focus. The person focuses all of their attention, thought, and action toward survival.

Anger is also a common response to events that seem unfair or in which a veteran (and others) has been made a victim.

Research shows anger can be especially common if a person has been betrayed by others. This may be most often seen in cases of trauma that involve exploitation or violence.

Course. If the AIMS course does not help the veteran should make an appointment with their nearest VA Mental Health Facility.

Crisis Help Options

If you are a veteran in crisis or concerned about another veteran connect with a qualified Veteran Crisis Responder or get help by: Calling the VA’s Veterans Crisis Line at “988”, then press “1” to speak with a responder qualified to support veterans. Veterans can also text 838255 or chat online with the Veterans Crisis Line. If you have hearing loss, call 800-799-4899, Going to your nearest VA medical center. It does not matter what your discharge status is or if you are enrolled in VA health care.

Spreading

the word about AIMS, FAQs, and feedback

provisions

Other helpful features at https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/aims/index. asp, at the AIMS Course site, include a FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION (FAQ) button, a SPREAD THE WORD button, a FEEDBACK button, and an ABOUT THE PROJECT button.

AIMS is for families and caregivers, too While VA Training Resources like the AIMS Course were designed

Veterans can find the nearest VA location or in-network provider by using the online search tool at the VA’s FIND VA LOCATIONS site at https:// www.va.gov/find-locations/ The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Health Care System’s Mental health phone number is 843-7897311. For more information on scheduling a VA healthcare appointment, visit https://www.va.gov/health/ appointments.asp

Anger and irritability are PTSD Symptoms

According to the VA ( https://www.ptsd.va.gov/ understand/related/anger. asp), anger and irritability

In people with PTSD, their response to extreme threats can become “stuck.” This may lead to responding to all stress in survival mode. If a person has PTSD, they may be more likely to react to ANY STRESS with “full activation.” They may react as if their life is threatened. This automatic response of irritability and anger in those with PTSD can create serious problems in the workplace and in family life.

AIMS Course does not fulfill court requirements

The AIMS course does not offer a “certificate of completion” and is not designed to fulfill court requirements.

The bottom line

If veterans want to get along better with people, control reactions to irritating events, and avoid the negative consequences of becoming too angry, they should try taking the AIMS

If you are in the Lowcountry of SC or GA, Call the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center’s main number at 843-577-5011 or the Mental Health Clinic at 843-789-7311. Calling 911. Going to the nearest emergency room.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant 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 free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Eastern Recruiting Region commanding general, Brig. Gen. Walker Field, hosted the annual Christmas Reception on Saturday, Dec. 3, aboard MCRD Parris Island. The reception allowed guests the opportunity to tour Quarters One, a historic landmark and the commanding general’s residence. Following the tour, guests enjoyed a small concert at the Lyceum featuring the Parris Island Marine Band along with Gunny Claus and his elf, Pvt. Franklin Norbet Elf. The reception also allowed the depot the opportunity to collect toys in the annual Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots campaign. Cpl. Zachary Foshee/USMC

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, 21 December 2022

Recruit Training Regiment • Commanding Officer, Colonel B. W. Ward 4th Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel A. R. Dones Commander of Troops, First Sergeant P. J. Gartland • Parade Adjutant, SSgt M. N. Moreno Company “O”, 4th Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain N. H. Paduda Drill Masters • Gunnery Sergeant T. Moore, Staff Sergeant C. D. Sanchezlaucer

PLATOON 4054

Senior Drill Instructor SSgt R. Tavarez

Pvt Aguilargonzalez, Andy

Pvt Auger, Nash D.

Pvt Babb, Kevin P.

PFC Ball, Landon M.*

PFC Balleto, Lucas G.

Pvt Barrera, Justin A.

Pvt Bergman, Blake J.

Pvt Bibianoruiz, Nehemias

PFC Bickford, Corey A.

Pvt Butt, David W.

PFC Byaruhanga, Byona

Pvt Cardona, Mynor M.

Pvt Carroll, Cody R.

Pvt Cifuentesroblero, Alexandro

PFC Combs, Brendan M.

Pvt Contrerasamador, Jose A.

PFC Delgado, Manuel

PFC Devaughn, Matthew S.

PFC Douangdara, Jesse

Pvt Ellis, Ethan J.

Pvt Estrada, Jonathan

PFC Floyd Jr, Edward J.

Pvt Glover, Zachary B.

Pvt Hall, Connor A.

Pvt Hamilton, Mark J.

Pvt Hammock, Robert P.

PFC Hefferly, Luke M.

Pvt Hernandezalvarenga, Erikson I.

Pvt Huff, William J.

Pvt Huffman, Patrick J.

Pvt Jacobs, Kendan M.

Pvt Juarez Jr, Carlos B.

Pvt Kalsnesmagee, Jonas

Pvt Khamdy, Eros M.

Pvt Lasalle, Anthony L.

Pvt Lawrence, Caleb A.

Pvt Lutze, Jack L.

Pvt Martinromero, Jorge J.

Pvt Mathis, Jeremy A.

Pvt Mbye, Muhammed

Pvt Mendez, Antonio W.

Pvt Moralescabrera, Jason E.

Pvt Moralesvargas, Benito

PFC Morris, Uriah J.

Pvt Musser, Samuel A.

Pvt Naylor, Noah B.

Pvt Olivo, Javier

PFC Ortiz, Angel J.

PFC Parrish, Gabriel S.

Pvt Pate, Cole D.

Pvt Peregrinaneri, Armando E.

PFC Perezsantiago, Wesley G.*

Pvt Perry, Wyatt A.

Pvt Pimenta, Vinicius P.

PFC Rahlan, Y K.

Pvt Ramos, Brayn O.

PFC Ramos, Joshua A.

Pvt Reyesmunoz, Adrian

PFC Richard Jr, James C.

Pvt Rock, Deacon W.

Pvt Rosadowalter, Thailan O.

Pvt Roundtree, Romeo S.

Pvt Russum Jr, Norris V.

Pvt Sadler, Joseph F.

PFC Salado Jr, Francisco J.*

PFC Sullivan, Trevis J.

Pvt Torres, Eli S.

PFC Torres, Manuel O.

Pvt Vandermark, Liam J.

Pvt Watkins, Dustin A.

PFC Wheeler, Christopher B.

PFC White Jr, Santabius B.*

Pvt White, Austin K.

Pvt Whitehead, Drake E.

Pvt Woodburn, Hayden P.

PLATOON 4055

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt K. E. Juarez

Pvt Allendanner, Kamiah T.

PFC Antoninopascual, Jennifer*

PFC Barker, Leasia C.

Pvt Barnhart, Grace A.

PFC Beavan, Roslynn L.*

Pvt Black, Alexandria R.

Pvt Brooks, Jenna L.

PFC Calvert, Kindsey C.

PFC Casanova, Julia M.

PFC Chandler, Payton G.

Pvt Clifton, Aaliyah

PFC Collier, Shannon E.

PFC Contreras, Yesi L.

Pvt Cruzvasquez, Darlin I.

PFC Draper, Philomena B.*

Pvt Eskridge, Sara A.

Pvt Fellers, Payton R.

Pvt Givhans, Joyce K.

PFC Glover, Sydney E.*

PFC Griffin, Ericka C.

Pvt Gruber, Maison O.

PFC Guist, Izabella S.

Pvt Guzmanrodriguez, Genesis J.

Pvt Hernandez, Kimberly D.

Pvt Hinojosa, Jesslyn S.

Pvt Jackson, Rheagan J.

PFC Johnson, Synirah S.

Pvt Kruashvili, Fotine

PFC Kunkelmaus, Savannah M.

Pvt Locke, Sabrina K.

Pvt Lopez, Edith

Pvt Makowski, Cassidy R.

Pvt Martelchonay, Joselyn A.

Pvt Murphy, Allyssa L.

Pvt Nguyen, Joelle

Pvt Parker, Kobie N.

Pvt Perezgarcia, Grace F.

Pvt Sanchez, Angie C.

PFC Sandoval, Ruvid E.

PFC Staton, Hayleigh L.

PFC Tejada, Samantha B.

Pvt Terrell, Tamarah J.

Pvt Vasilakopoulos, Anastasia M.

Pvt Younkin, Alina N.

Pvt Zucco, Magnolia E.

PLATOON 4056

Senior Drill Instructor

Sgt M. J. McGill

Pvt Adams, Hayden M.

Pvt Barnett Iii, Clayton J.

PFC Benedetti, Edmund L.

Pvt Bumbalough, Dustin L.

Pvt Cantrell, Reid A.

Pvt Carden, Jacoby M.

Pvt Cashionbauer, Jerry W.

Pvt Castro, Davis C.

PFC Chica, David A.

Pvt Cox, Travon R.

PFC Cruz, Jose M.*

Pvt Culbreath, Andrew C.

Pvt Cuna, Joseph C.

PFC Curtis, Kedric M.

Pvt Delmonte, Christiandavid R.

Pvt Dougherty, Tyler D.

Pvt Duffy, Michael C.

Pvt Dunovant Jr, Sean E.

PFC Eberhard, Reno R.

Pvt Edwards, Taylor B.

Pvt Fahie, Wayne N.

PFC Gallardo, Zackariah A.

PFC Garner, Dalton E.

Pvt Gibbs, Darren J.

Pvt Gomez, Juan

Pvt Guillen, Jack F.

Pvt Guzmandiaz, Dereck J.

Pvt Guzmangarcia, Marco A.

Pvt Hah, Hsa T.

Pvt Hendon, Johnny B.

Pvt Hicks, Jonathan T.

Pvt Hoover Jr, John W.

PFC Howard, Nathan A.

Pvt Hudson, Gage A.

PFC Hurst, Dakota S.

Pvt Keyes, Jordan X.

Pvt Kinsley, River W.

PFC Konaniec, David I.*

Pvt Lappert, Jaden H.

Pvt Lazaro, Ean A.

PFC Maldonadoboria, Michael J.

PFC Marshall, Peyton R.

Pvt Mathew, Curtis

Pvt Mejiazabala, Kevin A.

Pvt Millsaps, Kyle R.

PFC Morales, Diego

Pvt Mullins, Caleb N.

Pvt Palmer, Nathaniel R.

Pvt Parma, Aaron G.

Pvt Ramjag, Rastafari R.

Pvt Rios, Isahi

Pvt Robinson, Gage A.

Pvt Robles, Alan

Pvt Ruiz, Richard M.

PFC Russell, Matthew C.

Pvt Salmons Jr, Jon W.

PFC Sanders, Aaron C.*

PFC Simmons, Kuper J.

Pvt Sio, Gabriel

PFC Smith, Aaron M.

Pvt Smith, Carl D.

Pvt Smith, David B.

PFC Snider Iv, Jack M.

Pvt Spraker, Austin N.

Pvt Storey, Jalyn A.

Pvt Sturdivant, Phillip

PFC Thompson, Kaleb R.

PFC Trotman, Etienne

Pvt Tubach, Jefferson P.

Pvt Turner, Matthew J.

Pvt Velazquez, Jose G.

PFC Warren, Connor E.

PFC Williams, Kevin S.*

Pvt Willmarth, Calvin R.

PLATOON 4058

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt C. Morel

Pvt Acevedo, Demond L.

PFC Alicea, Xavier B.

Pvt Allbright, Brennen H.

Pvt Amarante, Charlie D.

PFC Ault, Craig A.

PFC Babatunde, Micheal M.*

PFC Body, Clayton T.*

Pvt Bogard, Jadyn D.

PFC Brunson Jr., Shaleek S.*

Pvt Burkett, Ondra D.

PFC Carlisle, Jackson C.

PFC Carrero, Ethan N.*

PFC Carstensen, Bryan J.

Pvt Childers, Adam T.

Pvt Christian, Justin W.

Pvt Corriveau, William

Pvt Diaz, Ezequiel

Pvt Diehl, Carter J.

Pvt Donovan, Thomas W.

PFC Elieadams, Khalil J.

Pvt Fajardo, Kevin R.

PFC Fowlkes Jr., Ari L.

Pvt Frase, Alton E.

Pvt Frazier, Dalton S.

Pvt Galvez, Nicholas D.

Pvt Garrison, Justin J.

Pvt Gonzalezperez, Gabriel PFC Hernandezgonzalez, Kevin A.

Pvt Hernandezzavala, Jose L. Pvt Herrins, Brayden D. Pvt Hicks, Emeri A.

Pvt Hoey, Samuel

Pvt Htet, Nyan Y.

Pvt Hurlburt, Tyler O.

Pvt Jacques, Chance M.

PFC Jeanpierre, Wenson

Pvt Kolley, Stephen W.

Pvt Landry, Brandon E.

Pvt Lespier, Logan J.

PFC Levesque, Zachery S.

Pvt Lewis, Jashawn M.

PFC Licwinko, Ian P.*

Pvt Lindley, Aidan J.

PFC Manuel, Benjamin A.

Pvt Marah, Nathan M.

Pvt Marin, Nicolas E.

Pvt Martinezdiaz, Carlos D.

Pvt Miller, Aaron D.

Pvt Moralescassola, Jose C.

Pvt Netherton, Jason S.

Pvt Numa, Clarens

PFC Ortiztorres, Jaziel Y.

Pvt Pedersen, Jacob A.

Pvt Perezsantos, Yahir G.

Pvt Philibert, Chris

Pvt Pittman, Jalen M.

Pvt Platabautista, Rodolfo

Pvt Rivera, Javier

PFC Rodriguez Jr., Carmelo*

Pvt Rodriguez, Michael F.

Pvt Rodriguez, Miguel E.

PFC Rodriguezolmeda, Antonio J.

Pvt Rogers, John N.

Pvt Ryan, Aidan M.

PFC Sewer, Amari N.

PFC Shirley, Andrew N.

PFC Sholtis, Benjamin A.*

Pvt Solis, Anthony

Pvt Takersley, Issac, L.

Pvt Tilghman, Julian M.

PFC Tineo, Simon E.

Pvt Turner, Gabriel W.

PFC Vitrago, Christopher

PFC Wells, Stephen B.

PLATOON 4059

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt D.H. McAdoo

PFC Brockenborough Jr, Carlos*

Pvt Calle, Henry J.

Pvt Charlton, Toby D.

Pvt Cobelle, Matthew C.

Pvt Cole, Kanon M.

Pvt Cornell Jr, Brian E.

Pvt Cramer, Charles W.

PFC Crank Johnathon

Pvt Cruz, Cesar

PFC Cugini, Michael A.

Pvt Duransantana, Jean P.

Pvt Evans Jr, Ericke L.

Pvt Ferdinand, Caleb E.

Pvt Foss, Max C.

Pvt Grier, Desmian

Pvt Gonzalez Jr Jr, Antonio M.

Pvt Guzman, Noel A.

Pvt Halder, Simeon

PFC Hanna, David A.

PFC Hardcastle, Landry L.*

Pvt Harris, Mikal J.

Pvt Heltonnelson, Seth A.

Pvt Hollamon, Javeon L.

Pvt Hudson, Christophe I.

Pvt Islas, Luis A.

Pvt Iturriagaturpo, Erick

Pvt Jaramillo, Jesse J. Pvt Kakou, Alexander

Pvt Lampin, Justin W. Pvt Liu, Vincent Pvt Lofton, Shelton C.

Pvt Lopez Iii, Miguel A.

Pvt LopezOchoa, Diego

Pvt Martin, Timothy J. PFC Mcclanahan, Jacob C.

Pvt Mcdonald, John M. Pvt Mclune, Keith C. Pvt Meigs, Brayden G.

Pvt Monk Jr Jr, John A.

PFC Montijoortiz, Anthony S.

Pvt Morris, Timothy PFC Morsillo, Anthony J. PFC Navarro, Jose F.

Pvt Neumeyer, Alex R. PFC Nita, Jacob C.

Pvt Noel Jr Jr, James A.

PFC Nunnelley, Taylor C.*

PFC Obrien, Cole J. Pvt Ortiz, Jesus

PFC Osorioospina, Cristhian J.

Pvt Pelletier, Michael A.

PFC Penatecampoverde, William E.*

PFC Peyton, Jarod M.

Pvt Perez, Nelson

Pvt Pickett, Ethan T.

Pvt Pintado, Steven B.

Pvt Pollard, Exzavia S.

Pvt Pruden, Jiheed A.

PFC Rao, Giovanni C.

Pvt Ritter, Samuel J.

Pvt Salaeh, Ahmad

Pvt Salinas, Joseph J.

Pvt Savage, Jerome J.

Pvt Scarboro, Jaeden A.

Pvt StLouis, Nielsien

PFC Sontheimer, Liam K.

PFC Stlouis, Nielsein

Pvt Strawbridge, Jacob A.

PFC Tkacz, Artur P.

Pvt Tomiuk, Ihor

Pvt Trimble, Kyle K.

Pvt Washington, Calvin

Pvt Williams, Jesse J.

Pvt Wixon V V, Frederick A.

PFC Woods Nicholas R.

PLATOON 4060

Senior Drill Instructor

Sgt S. A.

Hamilton

Pvt Abundis Jr, Miguel A.

Pvt Alan, Vazquez

Pvt Almazan, Miguel A.

Pvt Alvarez, Jairo J.

Pvt Alvarezluis, Christian

PFC Aristilde, Wesner*

Pvt Aritalarios, Rafael E.

Pvt Bernard, Ryan D.

Pvt Bishop, Cayden S.

PFC Bishop, Jack A.*

PFC Bixler, Kasen D.*

Pvt Boggs, Williams

Pvt Boso, Dalton L.

Pvt Botellosaenz, Yovany

Pvt Burruss, Walter G.

Pvt Chariyaruk, Silas

Pvt Clark, Nicholas R.

PFC Cooper, Alex J.

PFC Cooper, Dean T.

Pvt Daniels, Bryce W.

PFC Davis, Brandon X.

PFC Deiches, Christian T.

PFC Diaz, John A.*

PFC Duran, Andrew A.*

Pvt Escotto, Dalbert

Pvt Estevespupo, Cesar R.

Pvt Garciafalcon, Emanuel A.

Pvt Genao, Jessie F.

Pvt Giraldolambert, Bryan A.

PFC Golding, Everald S.

Pvt Griggs, Coby J.

Pvt Guevara, Joshua A.

PFC Harley, Damion M.*

Pvt Illares, Kevin R.

Pvt Jeanbaptiste, Jeremiah A. PFC Johnson, Algeron W.*

Pvt Juarez, Anthony

PFC King, Ryley M.

Pvt Laurent Jr, Michel J.

Pvt Leitzel, Alex J.

Pvt Lockard, Brian E.

Pvt Lukolic, Ruzhdi O. Pvt Malla, David S.

Pvt Mcdonald, Peter J.

Pvt Mcleod, Peter R.

PFC Molligan, Hezekiah J.

Pvt Morales, Jake W.

PFC Morilloalevante, Pedro J.

Pvt Muniz Jr, Tomas

Pvt Niedzielski, Alexander E.

Pvt Nieves, Gabriel A.

Pvt Perno, Shawn M.

Pvt Quezada, Jeremy P.

Pvt Reed, Cole H.

PFC Reinfrank, Austin J.*

Pvt Reitmire, Jordan T.

Pvt Rivera, Robert D.

Pvt Roberts, Elijah L.

Pvt Rosa, William L.

Pvt Salazarpatino, Jefferson

Pvt Sattizahn, Skyler A.

Pvt Sisay, Abraham H.

Pvt Skaggs, Uariah D.

Pvt Smith, Anthony M.

PFC Stover, Isaac J.*

PFC Sullivan, Aidan E.*

Pvt Tovar, Sinohe C.

Pvt Turciosclimaco, Jaime J.

Pvt Vanzant, Tristen T.

Pvt Vasquez, Kevin

Pvt Velardesolono, Abhram

Pvt Velasco, Joseph F.

Pvt Vetrone, Douglas A.

Pvt Williams, Emmanuel T.

Pvt Williams, Richard N. PFC Wimpye, Triston J.*

ARTS

Gifts From the Boneyard

10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 1-31, 2023, Port Royal Sound foundation (PRSF) Museum, 310 Okatie Highway, Okatie. The Friends of Hunting Island (FOHI) and The Port Royal Sound Foundation (PRSF) are hosting an art exhibit called, “Gifts From the Boneyard, Art Inspired by Hunting Island’s Landscape.” The featured artist is Barbara James, a local fabric artist. Photographers Joan Eckhardt and Andy Stephens are also contributing pieces. Proceeds from sales will go to FOHI and PRSF. Opening gala from 4 to 6 p.m., March 2, 2023.

CALENDAR 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.

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.

Highway 21 Flea Market

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

Brain Boosters Class

1 to 3 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 12, 19, & 26, Okatie Pines Retirement Community, 142 Okatie Center Blvd N, Bluffton. $99 Fee. Three week brain-wellness course for active adults that promotes positive lifestyle strategies for improved brain health. Instructed by Memory Matters’ Community Education Director Debbie Anderson.

Beaufort Oyster Festival Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 21-22, 2023, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort. www.BftOysterFestival.com.

Herbal Tea from Native Plants of the Sea Islands

5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Call 843-255-6487 to register. Free. Learn how to find and create teas from native plants with artist & environmentalist Monique deLaTour; history, origins, and uses of Yaupon, and more.

YMCA Puppy Plunge

9 to 11 a.m., Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25,

WHAT’S HAPPENING

HIGHWAY 21 DRIVE-IN

The movies scheduled for this week (Wednesday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 28, closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) at the Highway 21 Drive-In are Avatar: The Way of Water (PG-13, 7:30 p.m.) on Screen 1; Puss N’ Boots: Last Wish (PG, 7:30 p.m.) and The Grinch (PG, 9:10 p.m.) on Screen 2; and Avatar: The Way of Water (PG13, 6:30 p.m.) and Avatar: The Way of Water (PG-13, 9:50 p.m.) on Screen 3 (Friday and Saturday).

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 A Man Called Otto (January) and The Amazing Maurice (February).

March 25. Wardle Family YMCA, Outdoor pool, 1801 Richmond Ave., Port Royal. Wellbehaved canines of all breeds and sizes are welcome. Cost is $10 per pup. All proceeds benefit the Y’s Learn to Swim program. Owners will be required to sign a waiver before entering the enclosed, exterior pool area (use the side entrance gate), must be present with their pups at all times, and humans are not permitted to swim in the Puppy Plunge. The YMCA asks that pets be up-to-date on all vaccinations. Event is weather dependent so check the YMCA social media or call the Y front desk at 843522-9622 the morning of the Puppy Plunge to check any status update.

Lowcountry Christian Women’s Connection Luncheon and Program

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 15, 170 Hampton Hall Blvd., Bluffton. ‘Jazz it Up Feature/Speaker-Tempe Brown; Mini Jazz & Blues Concert. Prepaid Reservations: Luncheon is $28 Luncheon is $28 payable to CWC Bluffton and send to Carol Mock, 607 Argent Way, Bluffton SC. 29909 or email Julie.ott.az@gmail.com.

HISTORY

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-of-the-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., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. 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.

Heritage Library Family Tree Maker Classes

10:30 a.m. to noon., select Mondays, Four-part Zoom seminar. $50 for Heritage Library members, $55 for non-members. A series of 4 online classes to help you make the best of Family Tree Maker Software. To register, go to https://heritagelib.org/ online-classes. Jan. 16, Session 1: Overview and the First Steps. Learn how the program is organized and the proper setup to get the most from the software. These classes assume you have basic computer skills.

The software is available both for MAC and PC users. Jan. 23, Session 2: Getting Started: People and Media Tabs. Learn to add people, set relationships, add and categorize media, set profile pictures, link media to several people at once, backup your files, and more. This class gets you started on the process of documenting your family history with this software. You must have purchased Family Tree Make 2019, installed it on your computer, and done the preliminary required setup covered in Session 1. Jan. 30, Session 3: Introducing the Web Search. Learn to search websites through Family Tree Maker, add favorite search sites, and add information directly to your tree. Additional information on Media and maps will be included. Feb. 6, Session 4: Creating A Final Project: Find and Fix Errors, Get Started With The Publish Tab. Participants will learn how to find and fix duplicate information and errors; learn what reports can be created from the software; how participants can share work; and how to create a book.

Rediscovering the Discovery of America

10 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, Room 115, USCB Hilton Head Campus, 1 Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Island. $8 for Heritage Library members, $10 for non-members. To register, go to https://heritagelib.org/ online-classes. This presentation explores the actual facts behind the myths that have framed American history for centuries.

Beaufort County Historical Society: Civil War Union Bands

(St. Helena)

11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 19, St Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Rd, St Helena Island. Limited seating, registration required. For registration, please go to https://www. beaufortcountyhistoricalsociety.com/events on or after Jan. 5. Presentation by Dr. Michael Johns, musician and music historian. Learn about the wartime sounds and instruments heard in camp, during battle and in social settings at the time of the Civil War.

The New York Campaigns

1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24, Room 213, USCB Hilton Head Campus, 1 Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Island. $8 for Heritage Library members, $10 for non-members. To register, go to https://heritagelib.org/ online-classes. Explore the history of the Revolutionary War in New York.

History & Happy Hour with Captain Jack Stoney

5 to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 24, USCB Hilton Head Campus, 1 Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Island. $25 per person, with cash bar. To register, go to https://heritagelib. org/online-classes. Meet Captain Jack Stoney, privateer and wealthy landowner of early Hilton Head and enjoy the cocktail of your choice and hors d’oeuvres. Captain Jack will delight you with his descriptions of life on the island before, during and after the Revolutionary War. Cash bar with food provided by The Heritage Library.

Beaufort County Historical Society: Civil War Union Bands (Hilton Head) 11 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Jan. 24, Hilton Head Branch Library, 11 Beach City Rd, Hilton Head Island. Limited seating, registration recommended. For registration, please go to https://www. beaufortcountyhistoricalsociety.com/ events on or after Jan. 10. Presentation by Dr. Michael Johns, musician and music historian. Learn about the wartime sounds and instruments heard in camp, during battle and in social settings at the time of the Civil War.

Beaufort County Historical Society: Battle of Port Royal Island, 1779 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2, Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott St, Beaufort. Limited seating, registration recommended. For registration, please go to https://www. beaufortcountyhistoricalsociety.com/ events on or after Jan. 19. Presentation

by Col. Neil Baxley, former Marine and head of Beaufort County’s Emergency Management Division. Come learn about the strategy, tactics and significance of this American Revolution battle fought near the Marine Corps Air Station 244 years ago. South Carolina’s first land based engagement between professional British, militia and Continental forces resulted in a Patriot Victory.

Beaufort County Historical Society:

Stuarts Town

1 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, USCB Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St, Beaufort. Presentation by Chester de Pratter and his archaeological team. Participate in a community forum to reveal the findings and the significance of those findings from the 117 shovel tests conducted in Beaufort’s downtown Point area.

Gullah 101

2 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 8, Room 115, USCB Hilton Head Campus, 1 Sand Shark Drive, Hilton Head Island. $8 for Heritage Library members, $10 for non-members. To register, go to https://heritagelib.org/ online-classes. Let us introduce you to the spiritual, musical, linguistic and storytelling world of the Gullah culture.

MEETINGS

Maye River Quilters

9:30 a.m., Jan. 9, Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. To attend as a guest, RSVP at mayeriverquilters@gmail.com. For Information and membership forms, call 843-705-9590.

The Beaufort Trailblazers –A Volunteer Group

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

League of Women Voters

6 to 7:30 p.m., second Thursday of every month, Meeting Room, Sea Island Presbyterian Church, 81 Ladys Island Dr, Beaufort. Free. The Public as well as LWVB members are encouraged to attend. The next meeting is Thursday, Jan. 12. The meeting will be about the topics members have suggested as projects for 2023.

Zonta Club of Beaufort

6 p.m., 4th Tuesday of each month, Smokehouse, Port Royal. Until November 22, we are participating in a service project with a global organization called Free the Girls. We are currently collecting new and gently used bras to help women rescued from trafficking start their own businesses selling the bras. Last year our club collected more than 600 bras and we are hoping to beat that number this year. Our collection sites are Amy Bowman State Farm Agency, 1284 Ribaut Rd., Myrna B. Breland, CPA, 1 Professional Drive, Port Royal, and Nourishing Health Acupuncture and Herbs, 34A Savannah Hwy.

MUSIC

Music on Malphrus –Kirsten Maxwell

7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 7, The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Lowcountry, 110 Malphrus Road, Bluffton. General Admission $25. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.

Fripp Island Friends of Music Concert Series

5 p.m., specific Sundays, Fripp Island Community Centre, 205 Tarpon Blvd., Fripp Island. Individual shows are $30. Consider becoming a member of Fripp Island Friends of Music (FIFOM). Membership gives you access to all five concerts, including the post-performance reception where you meet the musicians while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared fresh by Harold’s Chef Services. It also helps fund FIFOM’s Music-in-the-Schools program. The basic FIFOM membership, $100, has not changed. To become a member, text or call Vanessa Peñaherrera at 704807-0255 or email vandy116@gmail.com. Go to frippfriendsofmusic.com for more information. Schedule: Jan. 8, Andrew Armstrong (piano); Feb. 26, The Tony Lee Group (jazz); March 26, Kim Richey (singersongwriter).

NEW YEAR’S

Roaring 20s New Year’s Eve

9 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 31, Revolution Ballroom. Attire is 1920’s theme. Advance registration is required. Early Bird tickets (until Dec. 15) are $45 per person. Tickets after Dec. 15 are $55 per person. Tickets are non-refundable. Get tickets at https://www. revolutionballroom.com/event/newyear/.

OUTDOORS

Port Royal Cypress Wetlands tours

10 to 11:30 am., Saturday, Dec. 31; 4 to 5:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27; 10 to 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 11; 4 to 5:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24, Port Royal Cypress Wetlands. Bring your holiday guests to a free guided tour of the wetlands sponsored by Friends of Port Royal Cypress Wetlands and led by Master Naturalist Jill Moore. Moore is full of information about alligators, turtles, trees, plants, and the variety of birds that call the wetlands home. This is a great opportunity to learn about this magical place. Tours are limited in size so sign up now. Kat Bray, Tour Coordinator, info@foprcw.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS. Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not – 24 Hour Response – Maximum Tax Donation – Call (888) 515-3810

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS. EASY, ONE DAY updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip flooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 844-524-2197 Tuesday, December 27, 2022 is the last day to redeem winning tickets in the following South Carolina Education Lottery Instant Game: (SC1359) $50, $100 OR $200 Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 833-230-8692

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance – NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-855-397-7030 www.dental50plus.com/60 #6258

AUCTIONS

28th Annual Construction-Truck Auction. Tue, Dec. 27th at 8AM. See meekinsauction.com. NCLN 858. 10% BP-onsite; 12%-online

ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION in 99 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25-word classified ad will reach more than 2.1 million readers. Call Randall Savely at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

EDUCATION

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-6021453. (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

HELP WANTED – DRIVERS

ADVERTISE YOUR DRIVER JOBS in 99 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Your 25word classified ad will reach more than 2.1 million readers. Call Randall Savely at the S.C. Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE

Never clean your gutters again! Affordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever! For a FREE Quote call: 877-324-3132

NEED NEW FLOORING? Call Empire Today to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 844-254-3873

Switch and save up to $250/year on your talk, text and data. No contract and no hidden fees. Unlimited talk and text with flexible data plans. Premium nationwide coverage. 100% U.S. based customer service. Limited time offer – get $50 off on any new account. Use code GIFT50. For more information, call 1-866-275-0142.

Prepare for power outages today with a GENERAC home standby generator. $0 Money Down + Low Monthly Payment Options. Request a FREE Quote. Call now be-

fore the next power outage: 1-844-775-0366

The Generac PWRcell, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888-655-2175

Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 20% off Entire Purchase. Plus 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-855-875-2449.

Up to $15,000.00 of GUARANTEED Life Insurance! No medical exam or health questions. Cash to help pay funeral and other final expenses. Call Physicians Life Insurance Company – 855-837-7719 or visit www.Life55plus.info/scan

Trouble hearing your TV? Try TV EARS’ Voice Clarifying Wireless TV Speaker. Better than a soundbar and/or turning the TV volume way up. Special, limited time $50 off offer. Call TV Ears. Use code MBSP50. Call 1-833-856-0470

STAINED GLASS CLASSES IN BEAUFORT

Southern Sky Glass Studio is forming morning and afternoon classes for adults 18 and older. Beginning to advanced classes. Cynthia Buckley 508-280-9792 or southernskyglassstudio@gmail.com

TELEVISION & INTERNET SERVICES

DIRECTV Stream – Carries the Most Local MLB Games! CHOICE Package, $89.99/mo for 12 months. Stream on 20 devices in your home at once. HBO Max included for 3 mos (w/CHOICE Package or higher.) No annual contract, no hidden fees! Some restrictions apply. Call IVS 1-855-237-9741

DIRECTV for $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-844-624-1107

DISH Network. $64.99 for 190 Channels! Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-877-542-0759

FREE high speed internet for those that qualify. Government program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet service. Bonus offer: Android tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free shipping & handling. Call Maxsip Telecom today! 1-855-851-8201

VACATION RENTALS

ADVERTISE YOUR VACATION PROPERTY FOR RENT OR SALE to more than 2.1 million S.C. newspaper readers. Your 25-word classified ad will appear in 99 S.C. newspapers for only $375. Call Randall Savely at the South Carolina Newspaper Network, 1-888-727-7377.

YOUR AD HERE

Email Amanda Hanna (amanda@lcweekly. com) to place your classified ad here!