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DECEMBER 23–29, 2021
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Mace pays visit to ‘Monkey Island’ US Rep. invites media to Morgan Island in effort to end experimentation
Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace, center left, discusses animal cruelty issues that have recently come to light regarding primates on Morgan Island (seen in background) with reporters Thursday afternoon. Mace alleges that Morgan Island, often referred to as Monkey Island, is a primary source of primates for animal experimentation. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
By Mike McCombs U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who represents the 1st Congressional District of South Carolina, said she had long known about “Monkey Island,” as Beaufort County’s Morgan Island is often called. But like most Beaufort County residents she said had talked to, Mace said she was under the impression the rhesus macaques that live there were “retired” and no longer used for medical testing.
That is until last month, when an organization called the White Coat Waste Project contacted Mace and informed her monkeys from Morgan Island were, in fact, being used for medical testing on the taxpayers’ bill. The information Mace received led to her trip to Beaufort last Thursday, Dec. 16, when she met with members of the media and traveled by boat to Morgan Island to call attention to her efforts to end taxpayer-funded experimentation on monkeys from Morgan Island. “I want it to stop,” Mace said. If the experimentation isn’t stopped immediately, Mace is hope-
ful for steps toward ending the testing and spare the taxpayers the cost. “I can not look at the pictures of what they’re doing to these monkeys,” Mace said. “It’s gruesome. It’s disgusting. And I want to educate the folks in the Lowcountry about what’s happening, what’s happening here, what’s happening in their own back yard.” Justin Goodman, Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy for White Coat Waste, a watchdog group fighting to stop taxpayer-funded animal experiments, said the organization, about a month ago, was review-
SEE MONKEY PAGE A4
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
JOANN ORISCHAK
Public should demand more scrutiny of school district
B
eaufort County School District teacher Amanda Patel filed a class-action, Breach of Contract lawsuit against her employer, the Beaufort County School District, on December 8, 2021. The complaint can be found on the Beaufort County Public Index. Essentially, the complaint asserts that the BCSD has shortchanged teachers the hourly rate promised them per their contract and district regulations for dual modality (teaching both in-person and virtual simultaneously). The Complaint also alleges that the Board of Education violated its adopted Salary and Stipend Schedule by awarding certified staff a one-time $1,000 bonus to teachers in lieu of the hourly rate due them per the Schedule. The $1,000 one-time bonus was proposed and voted on by the board in response to Gov. McMaster’s “Dual Modality Law.” The “Dual Modality Law” provides in part: In the event that a school district determines it necessary for a teacher to deliver dual modality instruction, the school district must provide additional compensation to the teacher. This is not an inconsequential lawsuit. On the contrary, any teacher compensation dispute in the midst of a widespread teacher shortage is anything but. So why hasn’t this been reported in local news outlets? I’ll get to that in a minute. Taking on Goliath, aka the BCSD, is an extraordinary risk for an established, well-regarded teacher like Ms. Patel. After all, retaliation is not unheard of in our district’s annals for those who’ve ventured down this perilous path. But what underscores Ms. Patel’s extraordinary bravery is that she not only filed the suit on behalf of her-
SEE ORISCHAK PAGE A6
Aria Rintz, 6, carries a wreath half as big as she is during the Wreaths Across America event Saturday. Children large and small and veterans of all ages laid wreaths on each headstone, spoke the veteran’s name and maintained a brief moment of silence for each person interred at the Beaufort National Cemetery. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
‘Everybody gets a wreath’ For 1st time, every headstone at Beaufort National Cemetery has Christmas wreath
By Erin Bowman The announcer’s voice rang out over Beaufort National Cemetery Saturday morning over the rumble of four tractor trailers and 230 escort motorcycles.
“And there they are, the Wreaths Across America trucks! This started out with seven wreaths at the beginning and now look at these trucks!” For the first time since the pro-
gram began in Beaufort in 2007, every one of the 26,000 interments at the cemetery is graced with a wreath. “Everybody gets a wreath. They are all veterans, these
are my brothers and sisters,” Wreaths Across America coordinator David Edwards said. More than 1,000 people –
SEE WREATH PAGE A5
Maritime Center renamed to honor Sharon, Dick Stewart
By Margaret Evans On Monday, Dec. 21, a large group of family, friends, supporters, and staff of the Port Royal Sound Foundation gathered on Lemon Island to celebrate the renaming of its Maritime Center in honor of founding members Sharon and Dick Stewart. The Stewarts were introduced by the Foundation’s Executive Director Jody Hayward and Board President Dean Moss, then each made remarks. Sharon Stewart spoke passionately about her lifelong love of the water.
Special Pull Out Section Holiday Gift Guide
Dick Stewart followed, saying, “A mentor once told me, when possible, I should speak after the senior manager. I’m pleased to follow the CEO and president of our family, my best friend, and the love of my life. Thank you, Sharon.” He then spoke about the early days of the Foundation, saying its birth had coincided with the birth of his first grandchild, Alex (10), who was in attendance. The Maritime Center, he said, was “born” just a couple of months after his second grandchild, Drew (7), also
in attendance. He thanked his grandchildren for their inspiration, saying that without them, he and his wife would not be receiving this honor. “Their birth caused us to reflect on the world we want for future generations,” he said. “The Maritime Center is located in the center of Port Royal Sound,” Stewart continued. “It sits on the shores of the clean Chechessee River. We hoped this Center would be
Sharon and Dick Stewart with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren at the renaming event at the Port Royal Sound Foundation. SEE CENTER PAGE A3 Photo by Jeff Evans.
EDUCATION
INSIDE
Polaris Tech seeks to expand to K-12 school for 202324 school year.
Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–7 Health A8–9 Arts A10 Education A10 Voices A11
PAGE A10
Military A12 Faith A13 Sports B1–2 Legals A3–B11 Directory A12 Classifieds A13