Out with the old: In with the new?
BEAUFORT
Thank you, Libby Anderson.
The city’s former planning director went before the Beaufort-Port Royal Municipal Planning Commission last week to defend the plans she helped write and, as a citizen, is concerned about their enforcement.
The mild-mannered Anderson held her ground against three major development players — two Trasks and 303 Associates — in her request for action before it’s too late.
Anderson, who was certainly no stranger to the podium since she represented the city’s planning efforts for 23 years standing right there, specifically asked the Commission to recommend to the City Council text changes which would take certain plan approval from the staff and give citizen review boards more authority to weigh in on major development projects.
Her request was directed at the Boundary Street and Bladen Street overlay districts, where the city’s long-range development plans, in her opinion, have been violated, by staff approval on at least two occasions.
To support her argument she pointed to 706 Bladen Street, a residence that was constructed and then approved by the building department with an illegal front porch entrance that extends onto the public sidewalk.
The latest offense is the drivethru on the new Chipotle restaurant in the Beaufort Plaza on Boundary Street. The drive-through lane runs
Pelican Plunge could be biggest yet
Annual event raises money for Friends of Hunting Island
By Mike McCombsFriends of Hunting Island’s 13th annual Pelican Plunge has a shot to be the most successful yet.
The last Pelican Plunge was the biggest so far. The New Year’s Day 2022 event saw more than 500 people rumble down the Hunting Island beach and into the water and raised close to $5,000 for the Friends of Hunting Island (FOHI).
FOHI President Linda Miller is confident the 2023 event, set for 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, will approach last year’s success.
“(Last year) was a banner year, postCovid, and our numbers are running on pace at the moment for a similar turnout,” Miller told The Island News while traveling Tuesday. “Weather is always a factor for last-minute bookings, and temperatures are looking
WANT TO GO?
What: 13 Pelican Plunge
When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.
Arrive at noon, plunge at 1.
Where: Hunting Island State Park Beach, near the Lighthouse.
Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Register at https://bit.ly/3C1ubj1
pretty good; especially after the cold freeze of Christmas!”
Miller said there’s a slight chance of rain on the radar.
“We are following it closely,” she said.
The Pelican Plunge was canceled in 2021 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The postponement has not derailed the event’s growth.
unseasonably warm weather to start the new year off with a plunge into the Atlantic Ocean.
Updated Beaufort Preservation Manual now available
From staff reports
The City of Beaufort has taken another major step in its commitment to its National Historic Landmark District and the Northwest Quadrant with the publication of the new Beaufort Preservation Manual. The updated manual, often referred to as the Milner Report, after the architectural firm that put together the original manual and this latest version, has been posted to the City’s website where it will be easily searchable.
City Council approved the adoption of the manual at its Nov. 15 meeting.
Among its improvements, the new manual: Reflects current best practices in the preservation field; Updates recommended materials for renovations, repairs, new construction; Cross-references and ties into the Beaufort Development Code; Makes recommendations for various repairs and treat-
ments to buildings; and … Includes pictures.
“The Preservation Manual was last updated over two decades ago,” Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said in a news release. “It was long overdue to update this critically important document to help guide the continued preservation of our historic structures in a more accessible and convenient way. City Council is grateful to all involved, especially the volunteers on our Historic District Review Board for their time and expertise.
NEWS
VOICES
Terry Manning: Sometimes it’s good to take a look back.
The process
In the spring of 2021, the City of Beaufort contracted with John Milner Architects, the Pennsylvania firm that produced the original report in 1979, along with various updates and a separate publication called Northwest Quadrant Design Principles. Milner is one of the premier architectural firms in the country that specializes in historic preservation and restoration.
The City paid Milner $29,430,
It’s a sure bet growth issues will still be with us
PUBLISHERS
Jeff & Margaret Evans
FOUNDING PUBLISHERS
EDITORIAL/DESIGN
Editor-in-Chief Mike McCombs theislandnews@ gmail.com
Art Director Hope Falls ads.theislandnews@ gmail.com
Sports Editor Justin Jarrett LowcoSports@ gmail.com
Videographer Delayna Earley delayna. theislandnews@ gmail.com
Volunteers
VETERAN OF THE WEEK TYRONE ‘JACK’ JACKSON
Beaufort’s Tyrone “Jack” Jackson, 68, joined the United States Marine Corps in Montgomery, Ala., in 1973. After Boot camp at Parris Island, he trained at the Military Police School before being assigned at MCAS Beaufort as a Military Policeman. His next assignment was at Subic Bay Naval Station in the Philippines. He returned to MCAS Beaufort for another tour before being reassigned to Parris Island as a Drill Instructor. It was back to MCAS Beaufort after Drill
Instructor duty and before an assignment at Camp Lejeune as an MP, then to MCAS New River as Operations Chief for the MP.
His next assignment was for more than two years to the Ma-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Thank you for Larry Dandridge’s column
My name is Kimberly N. Morgan, and I am a long-time resident of Beaufort County. I am also a reader of your fantastic newspaper, and I wanted to give some feedback on one of your Contributors, Larry Dandridge and his weekly column pertaining to military issues, benefits, etc. But first, I want to give you a bit of context. My husband, Jim, is a recently retired 26-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps; he is also a disabled combat veteran. After multiple combat tours (from) 2003-2020 (in) Iraq and Afghanistan as an EOD Tech (bomb squad), my husband sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), back and shoulder injuries, hearing loss after exposure to multiple IED blasts, as well as several other combat-related medical issues such as PTSD and the development of a tumor and chronic sinusitis likely related to burn pits.
Due to symptoms caused by these medical issues, I am the primary caregiver
ON THIS DATE
January 1
rine Detachment aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), which deployed with him to the Red Sea for Desert Shield/Storm. He returned to MCAS Beaufort for another tour before taking his family to Okinawa for a four-year tour.
His final assignment was back at MCAS Beaufort, from which he retired in 2001 as a Master Gunnery Sergeant with nearly 29 years of active service. He used the GI Bill to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice/Law
for my husband, and I handled his disability claim with the VA. The claims process is very overwhelming and dealing with the VA can be … taxing, to say the least.
In addition to caregiving, I also work full-time and have a very demanding schedule. My husband and I also have a child and home to care for.
I have been struggling to handle the VA claims process and navigate the maze of benefits, offices to speak to, appointments to make, etc., and one afternoon, I came across Mr. Dandridge’s column. It happened to cover a topic relating to VA disability claims, and when I realized that The Island News had a digital archive available of Mr. Dandridge’s past columns, I was overjoyed.
I cannot emphasize enough how much Mr. Dandridge’s columns — and emails and phone calls, after I reached out to him — have helped me navigate the overwhelming process of dealing with the VA, and how much critical information they have provided me with. His contribution to the community via these
Enforcement Administration and he’s worked as a facilities manager in the Beaufort School system.
Today, Jackson is the President of the Beaufort chapter of the Montford Point Marine Association, which inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2022. He’s been married for 41 years to Gloria (Chaplin) of St. Helena Island.
– Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com
Advertising Sales Director Amanda Hanna 843-343-8483 amanda@ lcweekly.com
Accounting April Ackerman april@ aandbbookkeeping. com Billing questions only.
columns is incredible, and I appreciate the fact that The Island News both publishes his columns and makes past columns easily available online.
Mr. Dandridge and The Island News are both amazing assets to Beaufort, and I look forward to continuing to read both the newspaper as well as Mr. Dandridge’s columns.
Thank you, and I wish you and the entire staff at The Island News a very happy holiday.
– Kimberly N. Morgan, Beaufort County
Keep up the good work
Thank you for your coverage of Hanukkah. The local press and periodicals mostly ignore this holiday, so it is very welcome.
I was also happy to see the article from Rep. White, someone who wants to make much needed changes instead of whining about things they do nothing to fix. Keep up the good work.
Elaine Lust, Hilton Head Island
–PAL PETS OF THE WEEK
Cat of the Week: We always wish that our pets could stay small forever. Badtz is the answer to that wish. Badtz is a special needs cat who will stay the size of a kitten for the rest of his life. He has a condition called megaesophagus that means he eats out of Megafeeder 3000 and is held for 30 minutes after each feeding. His care can easily fit into most lifestyles. Badtz is eight months old, neutered, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.
Dog of the Week: Rosie the snowdog is a sweet and happy soul. Rosie is a senior dog who has spent more than 600 days in a shelter. A fun fact about Rosie, she loves bananas. So much so, we fear she may turn into one. She would do well in an adult only home where she can be the center of attention. Rosie is 10 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.
CORRECTION:
If you are interested in adopting Badtz, Rosie, or any of our other pets, call our adoption center at 843-645-1725 or email us at info@ palmettoanimalleague. org to set up an appointment.
CONTACT US PO Box 550 Beaufort, SC 29901 TheIslandNews@gmail.com www.YourIslandNews.com facebook.com/TheIslandNews
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
TheIslandNews@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER
All content of The Island News, including articles, photos, editorial content, letters, art and advertisements, are copyrighted by The Island News and Island News Publishing, LLC, 2022, all rights reserved. The Island News encourages reader submissions via email to theislandnews@gmail.com. All content submitted is considered approved for publication by the owner unless otherwise stated. The Island News is designed to inform and entertain readers and all efforts for accuracy are made. Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Island News, its publisher or editors. Content published from Care Magazine® is intended as a reference and options source only, not as a guide to self-treatment or substitute for profession medical advice. It is provided for educational purpose only. Readers assume full responsibility for how this information is used. The Island News reserves the right to refuse to sell advertising space, or to publish information, for any business or activity the newspaper deems inappropriate for the publication.
Cold weather leads to low water pressure, leaks
From staff reports
Officials of Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA) are issuing a critical notice to its customers after they dealt with leaks and pressure challenges over the long holiday weekend.
We detected leaks at more than 3,000 customer locations over the cold weekend. These leaks have led to low water pressure in some areas of the system.
The low pressures pose a potential risk of a boil water
notice. However, as of now, that notice has not been issued. A boil water notice is different from a precautionary boil water advisory because it requires boiling.
If customers suspect a leak, BJWSA advises to
turn off water at the shutoff valve. This video shows how: https://bit.ly/3G1Cblx
BJWSA is currently reaching out to customers who are experiencing critical leaks.
“We encourage customers to look at their EyeOn-
Water usage to see if you have a leak. If you haven’t already, sign up for EyeOnWater and monitor your usage all the time. You can sign up by following the link from this page: https:// www.bjwsa.org/water-use/,”
BJWSA Director of Public Affairs Pam Flasch said in a news release.
Customers who cannot shut off their valves may call 843-987-9200 to arrange for a technician. Find more information at www.bjwsa.org
CHRISTMAS BABY!
Port Royal Sound Foundation gift among Community Foundation’s grants
From staff reports
In its first competitive grant cycle of the 2023 fiscal year (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023), Community Foundation of the Lowcountry has awarded $412,000 in grants to five local nonprofit orga-
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parallel to Boundary which was prohibited in the Boundary Street Master Plan.
Paul Trask, who manages the Beaufort Plaza redevelopment, took issue with Anderson’s description of his project. Courtney Worrell, co-CEO of 303 Associates, also weighed in and said her development team liked the current review process and felt it provided a collaborative incentive for developers.
Graham Trask, who has his own battles with the county over his proposed Dunkin’ Donut project on Lady’s Island (which has a drive-through) and with the city over some of 303 Associates downtown projects, added his two-cents and
nizations, including the Port Royal Sound Foundation.
These competitive grants are available to nonprofits serving people who live or work in southern Beaufort County. The grants support new or expanded programs
suggested those pushing for the text amendments were “weaponizing the code,” “creating roadblocks” with “ulterior motives.”
He also suggested the request for changes was coming from groups dedicated to “stop drive-throughs.”
If that were the case, that horse is out of the barn.
Drive-throughs are obviously proliferating in this community as they are across the country. Folks prefer not to get out of their cars.
The bigger issue, as Anderson and Jessie White of the Coastal Conservation League and eventually, a majority of the MPC commissioners, agreed is to get these text changes – and the other five or six dozen other text changes suggested by consultants reviewing the Beaufort Code, out in front of what’s gonna be a
that enhance the mission of the recipients.
“We are privileged to work with agencies that serve so many needs in the community,” CFL Vice President for Community Investment Debbie Cahoon said in
long list of issues facing a BRAND NEW city manager and a BRAND NEW planning director.
That’s right, for all those concerned about Beaufort’s development path in the last decade, there’s going to be a new city manager at the helm come January, when Bill Prokop retires.
And there’s going to be a new planning director (his actual title with be Community and Economic Development Director) coming on board from Colorado. Curt Freese, who currently serves as Berthoud, Colo. community development director but did work at one time as a zoning director with our neighbors to the north in Horry County, will be joining the ranks in January.
While there may be two new guys at the administrative helm, there’s going to
a news release. “The projects that were funded this cycle will bring lasting benefit to the Lowcountry.”
The rest of the deserving recipients of the fall 2022 Community Foundation of the Lowcountry grants are
be basically the same City Council — except for the one new member, Josh Scallate — making the ultimate decisions.
And as the MP Commissioners themselves noted, in voting 3 to 1, to move the suggested text amendments forward to the City Council for review, those two individuals are going to have their hands full. And those with financial irons in Beaufort’s development fire, they’re not going to stop while the city’s administrative leaders tackle a learning curve.
It’s really not unlike the situation over in Port Royal where citizens desirous of more restrictive tree protection, begged the town council earlier this month to impose new regulations to try and protect trees. Those citizens know the developments aren’t going to stop.
Memory Matters ($45,000), Mental Health America – Beaufort/Jasper (Up to $90,000 over two years), Programs for Exceptional People (PEP) (Up to $85,000) and Meals-on-Wheels Bluffton-Hilton Head ($20,000).
And they, like a lot of citizens who care about the future of this corner of the Lowcountry, know there’s too much at stake for inaction.
Pine Island correction ST. HELENA – Last week it was stated in this column that no development plans for the proposed 500-acre property off Eddings Point Road have been presented to the county for review. In fact, a request for changes to the area’s Cultural Preservation Overlay District zoning to accommodate the development have been filed and are expected to go before the county Planning Commission the first week in January.
Developers want to remove the Pine Island property, which includes the historic St. Helenaville remains, from the CPO dis-
The next competitive grant cycle will occur next spring. For more information about Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, please visit cf-lowcountry.org or call 843-6819100.
trict since it prohibits gated communities and golf courses.
The Penn Center board of directors and the Coastal Conservation League have already filed objections to the change, noted the CPO regulations have been in place for more than 20 years. This year’s update of the county’s masterplan reaffirmed the CPO standards and recommended additional protections.
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
LEGAL NOTICES
County offers sign-on bonus for new Detention Center, EMS, Sheriff’s Office employees
PUBLIC NOTICE CITY OF BEAUFORT CALL FOR LOCAL HOSPITALITY TAX APPROPRIATION PROPOSALS
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR APPROPRIATION OF LOCAL HOSPITALITY FUND FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023. Each year during the budget process, City Council appropriates 1.1% of the anticipated local hospitality tax funds in accordance with City Ordinance Section 7-13003, which stipulates that the allocation will be awarded by the City Council based on application presentations of non-profit organizations. The City is requesting proposals from non-profit agencies that focus on advertising to increase tourism and revitalization of the Downtown economy that best achieve City Council’s strategic goals and purposes. The FY 2023 allocation is budgeted for $27,500.
APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE AND ARE DUE BY JANUARY 10, 2023 AT 5:00 PM. Link to applications; https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/159/Finance-Department
Applications can be emailed to Jay Phillips –jphillips@cityofbeaufort.org Or delivered to: City Hall, 2nd Floor Finance Department 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF BEAUFORT CASE 2022-ES-07-01393
KAREN LEVANT, PETITIONER V. HEIRS-AT-LAW OF LOUISE LEVANT INCLUDING IRIS LEVANT, ZORA LEVANT, MARIA LEVANT, AND JOHN DOE AND MARY ROE FICTITIOUS NAMES REPRESENTING ANY UNKNOWN HEIRS AT LAW, INCLUDING UNKNOWN PERSONS IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ANY MINORS, PERSONS NON COMPOS MENTIS AND PERSONS UNDER DISABILITY OF ANY KIND OR NATURE WHO MIGHT CLAIM TO BE HEIRS-AT-LAW OF LOUISE LEVANT, RESPONDENTS.
SUMMONS TO THE RESPONDENTS ABOVE-NAMED: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to answer the Petition in this action to determine the heirs-at-law of Louise Levant, which was filed in the office of the Probate Court for Beaufort County, South Carolina, and to serve a copy of your Answer to said Petition upon Petitioner’s Attorney, at their office at 8570 Rivers Ave, Suite 170, North Charleston, SC 29406, within thirty (30) days after the service hereof, exclusive of the day of such services, and if you fail to answer the Petition, judgment by default will be rendered against you for the relief demanded in the Petition.
North Charleston, South Carolina 3 November 2022
Aashini Shrivastav, Esquire Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation 8570 Rivers Ave, Suite 170. North Charleston, SC 29406 Phone: 843-745-7055 Fax: 843-745-7054
ashrivastav@heirsproperty.org
Attorney for Petitioner
NOTICE TO RESPONDENTS, INCLUDING PERSONS UNKNOWN, MINORS, INCOMPETENTS, AND UNDER ANY OTHER DISABILITY TO THE RESPONDENTS ABOVE-NAMED: And to any thereof that may be residents or non-residents of South Carolina, and to the natural, general, testamentary or other guardians therefor, and to the persons with whom they reside or by whom they may be employed if any there be, and to all other Respondents whose whereabouts cannot be ascertained.
TAKE NOTICE, that the Summons, Petition, Order Appointing Guardian ad Litem, Order of Publication, and Notice to Respondents were filed in the Office of the Probate Court for Beaufort County, South Carolina on Nov 8, 2022, and Sarah L. Clingman, Esquire, 1813 Marion Street, Columbia SC 29201, was appointed Guardian ad Litem, her appointment to become absolute twenty (20) days after the service of the Summons.
NOTICE OF HEARING TO DETERMINE HEIRS-AT-
LAW TO THE RESPONDENTS ABOVE-NAMED:
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a hearing has been scheduled for Feb 6, 2023 at 9:30 AM at Beaufort County Probate Court, Beaufort County Courthouse, 100 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, South Carolina, for the purpose of determining heirsat-law of Louise Levant. This action was commenced by Petitioner on Nov 8, 2022 at the Beaufort County Probate Court to have the Probate Court declare that Karen Levant, Iris Levant, Zora Levant, and Maria Levant were the sole heirs-at-law of Louise Levant upon her death on April 3, 2006.
Any objections to the Petitioner’s right to commence this action, as the current owners of the real property that was owned by Louise Levant at the time of her death, or to Petitioner’s prayer for relief declaring the aforementioned persons to have been the sole heirs-at-law of Louise Levant must be filed with the Beaufort County Probate Court on or before Feb 6. 2023 or advanced in person at the scheduled hearing.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION
Notice is hereby given that KFIT LLC intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/or permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer and wine at 93 Arrow Road Hilton Head, SC 29928. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than December 29, 2022. Mail protests to SCDOR, ABL Section, PO BOX 125, COLUMBIA SC 29214-0907 or email ABL@ dor.sFryec.gov
NOTICE OF APPLICATION
Notice is hereby given that Fat Baby’s Pizza & Subs intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/or permit that will allow the sale and on premises consumption of beer, wine, and/or liquor at 1034 William Hilton Pkwy, HHI, SC. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than 1/5/2023. Mail protests to SCDOR, ABL Section, PO BOX 125, COLUMBIA SC 29214-0907 or email ABL@dor.sc.gov
From staff reports Beaufort County Council approved sign-on and relocation bonuses last month for new hires in the Detention Center, Emergency Medical Services Department, and the Sheriff’s Office.
“Public safety positions are historically difficult to fill and have become even more so recently,” Human Resources Director Scott Marshall said. “We hope that this program, along with the five percent pay increase awarded to employees earlier this year, will help fill some critical staffing gaps.”
This policy, effective for
employees with a hiring date of November 1 or later, will provide new employees with a sign-on bonus of $5,000, paid in two installments: $2,500 upon hiring and the other $2,500 after successfully completing a probationary period of employment. The policy also allows a $2,500 relocation bonus for eligible new hires as an incentive to reside in Beaufort County.
Allocating $500,000 from the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, the program will help fill the critical workforce needs and these long-standing public safety vacancies.
This policy will remain in effect until the allocated funds have been fully expended or until December 31, 2024, whichever is sooner.
To be eligible for the sign-on bonus: Must pass all pre-employment screening requirements and complete the employee onboarding process; and Must not have previously received a signon bonus from Beaufort County.
Former employees of the county must wait one year from the last
day of employment and then reapply to the department.
To be eligible for the sign-on bonus with accompanying relocation bonus: Must not live within a 30-mile radius of the Beaufort County Robert Smalls Government Complex located at 100 Ribault Road, Beaufort, South Carolina, at the time of employment application.
Must relocate to an address within Beaufort County, from which they will commute to and from work upon
commencement of employment.
Must establish Beaufort County residency within six (6) months of the hire date.
Provide at least two forms of documentation, such as an updated driver’s license, a lease agreement, mortgage, utility bill, etc., for verification of relocation to a Beaufort County address.
To view all job openings and benefits, visit https:// www.beaufortcountysc. gov/human-resources/index.html
Wood storks on the rise in South Carolina
From staff reports
A record number of wood stork nests were recorded in South Carolina in 2022, the third time in the past four years a new mark was set for the state.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources biologists and technicians counted 3,928 of the wading birds’ nests this year, up about 400 nests from what was a record number in 2021 and nearly twice as many nests as were counted in the state a decade ago.
Wood storks were reclassified from federally endangered to federally threatened during 2014 in response to increasing population trends. Much of the wood stork population’s recent growth in the United States has occurred in South Carolina. While the highest numbers of nests remain in
Florida, the South Carolina Lowcountry – particularly the ACE Basin – has during the past decade become a site with one of the highest densities of wood stork colonies along the East Coast.
The rise in recent years
NEWS BRIEFS
Beaufort County Offices to close for New Year’s
weekend
In observance of the New Year’s holiday, all Beaufort County government buildings will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, for New Year’s Day.
Convenience Centers in Beaufort County will be closed Sunday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day.
Operations at the Hilton Head Island Airport will remain available during the holiday. Beaufort Executive Airport will operate from 8 a.m. to noon on New Year’s Eve.
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of which half was from a Historic Preservation Grant from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.
Shortly thereafter, Milner’s team visited Beaufort and began to work on the update. City of Beaufort staff and the Historic Beaufort Foundation, a partner on this project, worked closely with Milner during this time.
The draft was presented to the City and the Historic District Review Board (HRB) in early 2022, and then began the next part of the process: The HRB set aside special two-hour work sessions throughout the winter and spring to review each chapter and sent recommended changes back to Milner.
On Aug. 31, the HRB voted to recommend adoption
could be attributed in part to storks moving up from Florida during years when the Everglades are less suitable for nesting and foraging. The increased numbers are also a testament to the successful management of impound-
County encourages recycling of live Christmas trees
Recycling live Christmas trees saves valuable landfill space. Beaufort County residents who have decals are encouraged to bring live Christmas trees to any County Convenience Center during normal Center hours. Trees should be placed in the yard waste bins.
For residents who do not have Convenience Center decals, Christmas trees can be brought to the Shanklin Road, Beaufort or
of the new Preservation Manual.
Jeremiah Smith, chairman of the Historic Review Board, said, “Having all the information in one document is certainly a benefit to reviewers and applicants.
A big plus of the revised manual is the inclusion of relevant current materials and the removal of references to outdated materials.
The update included clearer language and using current names of buildings that otherwise may have been confusing.
“A big goal was to make it more readable and more likely that homeowners will use it,” he added. “We want it to be a valuable resource for residents and applicants working in the Historic District.”
The changes
One example of how the manual has been changed has to do with windows, said Jeremy Tate, City of Beaufort staff architect who
ments and wetlands conservation efforts in the ACE Basin, a triumph not only of the work of state and federal biologists but also of private land managers’ increasing willingness to manage wetlands for the benefit of wading birds and shorebirds in addition to waterfowl.
For instance, periodically drawing down the water level in waterfowl impoundments throughout the summer and fall as part of the management cycle to provide feeding habitat for wintering ducks can allow wood storks to move in and feast on shallow pools full of small fish.
Wood storks are larger than other wading birds and require a lot of food in areas they plan to nest. The birds forage for food in tidal impoundments, flooded forests and other floodplains where
receding water forms shallow pools that trap fish and make easy, fulfilling meals for the wood storks.
“We have this diversity of wetlands where storks can feed,” said Christy Hand, wading bird biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
“And it means that if one type of wetland is not optimal for storks, they have several different options.”
Long-term threats to the wood storks’ continued breeding success include the Cuban bulrush, an invasive plant, and the effects of climate change and sea level rise.
Cuban bulrush grows in dense mats that cover water, crowding out native plants and forming walkways for predators such as racoons to raid wood stork nests for eggs.
Simmonsville Road, Bluffton locations only.
Please make sure all ornaments, lights, and other decorations are removed from the trees prior to recycling them.
In anticipation of increased amounts of post-holiday waste and as a courtesy to other County residents, please remember to flatten all cardboard boxes before placing them in the appropriate dumpsters.
Bubble wrap and air pillows can be recycled in the Plastic
worked closely with Milner and the Historic Review Board.
“There has been lots of variety in window materials and manufacturing techniques since the manual first came out,” he said. “For example, vinyl is now used commonly for windows. That is still not appropriate for historic buildings but it may be OK for new construction in the Historic District.”
The updated manual gives other recommendations for aluminum-clad and fiberglass windows as well, he noted.
Another example is roofing material, particularly metal. Terne metal, an alloy of lead and tin, was often used for the roofs of historic homes. It is no longer available. Current options mentioned in the manual include terne-coated stainless steel, copper, painted steel, and painted aluminum.
Any construction or renovation in the Historic Dis-
Bag & Film Collection bins at the Bluffton, Hilton Head, Shanklin and St. Helena Convenience Centers.
Remember too, after the feast, recycle the grease. For more information about recycling household grease and other accepted recyclables at the Convenience Centers, visit https://bit.ly/3jtct1D
For more information on locations and hours of Beaufort County Convenience Centers, please visit www.beaufortcountysc.gov/ recycle or call 843-255-2736.
trict will still be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Historic Review Board, Tate said.
“This manual is a guide but will never provide definitive answers for every decision that the board has to make,” he said.
HBF Executive Director Cynthia Jenkins, who worked with Milner architects on the initial project and the update, noted that Beaufort was one of the first cities in the United States to commission a guide for building and restoration in a nationally recognized historic district. The original report, with its detailed drawings and its focus on the “Beaufort Style,” became a collector’s item of sorts.
“It was not uncommon to find it on people’s coffee tables,” Jenkins said.
“The main thing we were concerned with,” she said, as the City sought to update the manual, “was that it be searchable online and more
WHERE TO FIND IT You can find the 2022 Beaufort Preservation Manual on the City of Beaufort’s website by following this digital link or going to https://bit. ly/3C7MVgS. Use Control F to search for a term, or click on the chapter headings to go to a specific chapter.
user-friendly. Now if you want to look something up, you’ll be able to find it in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes.”
“There is so much we need to protect as we move forward,” Jenkins said. “I hope the new Preservation Manual will help people appreciate the uniqueness of this place, and to understand and embrace it.”
Local nonprofits invited to apply for Hospitality Tax funds
From staff reports
The City of Beaufort has opened its application process for Hospitality Fund appropriations, according to a news release. Nonprofit organizations in the City of Beaufort that focus on advertising to increase tourism to the City and support the local economy are invit-
ed to apply.
City Council annually appropriates 1.1% of the anticipated local Hospitality Tax funds to non-profit organizations associated with tourism. The Fiscal Year 2023 allocation is budgeted for $27,500.
Applications are available on the City’s website
( https://bit.ly/3Wsrqj1) and are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.
They can be emailed to Jay Phillips at jphillips@ cityofbeaufort.org or delivered to Beaufort City Hall, 2nd Floor, Finance Department, 1911 Boundary St., Beaufort S.C. 29902.
Area hoops teams see tournament action
LowcoSports.com
Round 2 of the holiday high school hoops tournaments fires up this week with several area teams in action.
Battery Creek’s boys got started in the Orangeburg County Tournament on Monday with games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, while both Beaufort Academy teams were set to tip off in the War Hawk Holiday Tournament at Colleton Prep on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Eagles will play in the tournament through Friday in Walterboro.
Orangeburg County Basketball Tournament At Orangeburg-Wilkinson
BOYS BRACKET
Monday, Dec. 26
1: Ridgeland 47, Bethune-Bowman 46
2: CA Johnson 57, Lake Marion 54 (OT)
3: Estill vs. Edisto, 6 p.m.
4: Orangeburg-Wilkinson 71, Battery Creek 33 Tuesday, Dec. 27
5: Bethune-Bowman vs. Lake Marion, 3 p.m.
6: Edisto vs. Battery Creek, 4:30 p.m.
7: Ridgeland vs. CA Johnson, 6 p.m.
8: Estill vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
9: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 4:30 p.m.
10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6 p.m.
11: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 3 p.m.
12: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7:30 p.m.
War Hawk Holiday Basketball Tournament At Colleton Prep
GIRLS BRACKET
Tuesday, Dec. 27
1: Colleton Prep vs. Orangeburg Prep, 11 a.m.
2: Calhoun Academy vs. Heritage, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 28
3: Beaufort Academy vs. Game 1 loser, 2 p.m.
4: Patrick Henry vs. Charleston Collegiate, 5 p.m.
5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 29
6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 p.m.
7*: Game 2 loser vs. Bye 8*: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 30
9*: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 2 p.m.
10: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 12:30 p.m.
11*: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 3:30 p.m.
12: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m.
BOYS BRACKET
Tuesday, Dec. 27
1: Colleton Prep vs. Beaufort Academy, 12:30 p.m.
2: Patrick Henry vs. Orangeburg Prep, 3:30 p.m.
3: Faith Christian vs. Calhoun Academy, 5 p.m.
4: HHCA vs. Thomas Heyward, 6:30 p.m.
5: Bethesda vs. Charleston Collegiate, 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28
6*: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 3:30 p.m.
7*: Game 4 loser vs. Game 5 loser, 12:30 p.m.
8: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 8 p.m.
9: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 11 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 29
10*: Game 6 loser vs. Game 7 loser, 11 a.m.
11: Game 8 loser vs. Game 9 loser, 12:30 p.m.
12*: Game 7 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 3:30 p.m.
13: Game 3 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30
14*: Game 10 winner vs. Game 12 loser, 11 a.m.
15: Game 11 winner vs. Game 13 loser, 2 p.m.
16*: Game 6 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 5 p.m.
17: Game 8 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 8 p.m.
*Silver BracketsPREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Plunge
The 2022 event had about 50 more participants than the 2020 event, and was twice as big as 2019.
Miller said registrations for this week’s event have been steady, but that things tend to pick up in the last few days before the Plunge.
According to Miller, one person paid for 16 people on Christmas Eve.
This year, those looking for lunch before or after the Plunge will have access to food trucks – Gullah Express, Sabor de Casa and Mother Smoking Good.
Souvenir T-shirts will be available, and of course, the usual costume contest guarantees that some plungers will wear their craziest outfits.
“Our goals are always satisfied by sharing the joy of this event,” Miller said “Our costume parade grows significantly each year and has become a ‘thing’ with so
many repeat plungers. The T-shirts are collectibles, and we are excited by our 2023 colors and design.”
All proceeds benefit Friends of Hunting Island in the group’s work to support Hunting Island State Park. Miller said the fundraiser isn’t a large one, but it’s the only one FOHI holds each year, “and it has become a Beaufort fan favorite for all ages. Day trippers swarm in for it from as far away as North Carolina and Georgia.”
The New Year’s Day event is traditionally the last day a Friends of Hunting Island membership for the previous year can get you into the park. The Plunge is the perfect time for current members to renew and new members to join. New members will receive free entry to the Park for 2023.
Miller said the Plunge generally increases the membership around 10 percent each year.
“This year we are offering pre-membership sign-up in advance, so (new mem-
– LowcoSports.com
bers’) entrance fee (to the park) will be taken care of ...,” Miller said.
Membership, which costs $60 a year, also offers people the opportunity to select a volunteer category at sign up. Core categories include Lighthouse, Environmental conservation care projects, construction crew projects, sand dune fencing and special building projects, events and the new Shorebird Stewardship Program in conjunction with Audubon South Carolina.
The Hunting Island Nature Center will be renovated in 2023, and this fundraiser will directly impact those efforts. And of course, members can volunteer for the sea turtle program, counting nests and hatchlings.
For those interested in joining Friends of Hunting Island or learning about its sea turtle program, visit the website at https://www. friendsofhuntingisland.org/
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com
Got zinc? Essential facts about this important nutrient
Zinc is a mineral that your body needs for many things, including a healthy immune system and to make proteins and DNA. Zinc also helps the body grow and develop during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Meat, fish, other seafood (especially oysters), and poultry are all good sources of zinc. You can also get zinc from beans, nuts, whole grains, eggs, dairy products, and fortified breakfast cereals. Many dietary supplements, including multivitamin/mineral supplements, also contain zinc.
Q. How much zinc do I need and what happens if I don’t get enough?
A. Women need 8 milligrams (mg) of zinc per day and men need 11 mg; if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you need a little more. Zinc deficiency can cause several problems, including loss of taste and smell, frequent infections, poor wound healing, and hair loss. Difficulties with thinking, reasoning, and memory can also occur in older adults. In infants and children, zinc deficiency can cause diarrhea, slow growth, and loss of appetite. It can also cause reproductive problems when these infants and children become adults.
Q. Are zinc deficiencies common in the United States?
A. Most people in the United States get enough zinc. But if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, you might fall short because
most plant foods don’t have as much zinc as animal foods. Others who might have trouble getting enough zinc include people with digestive disorders or who have had gastrointestinal surgery, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who have alcohol use disorder, children with sickle cell disease, and some infants.
Your health care provider can
help you determine if you are getting enough zinc and what to do if you are not. For example, they might recommend adding more foods that contain zinc into your diet or taking a dietary supplement.
Q. Does zinc help prevent or treat COVID-19?
A. Getting enough zinc is important for a healthy immune sys-
tem but taking zinc supplements hasn’t been shown to lower your risk of getting COVID-19 or help you recover quicker. For example, in one study, people who took zinc supplements regularly did not have a lower risk of getting COVID-19 than those who did not take zinc supplements. In another study, people with COVID-19 were split into four groups and took one of the following for 10 days: 50 mg
zinc, 8,000 mg vitamin C, both supplements, and neither one. Zinc did not shorten the duration of symptoms.
Q. What about zinc and other illnesses?
A. Zinc might help with some illnesses in certain people. For example, lozenges that contain zinc might speed recovery from the common cold if you start taking them shortly after coming down with cold symptoms. In addition, zinc supplements help reduce the duration of diarrhea in children in developing countries. These children are often zinc deficient or otherwise malnourished. It’s not clear whether zinc supplements are helpful for diarrhea in children who get enough zinc, such as most children in the United States.
Q. Does getting too much zinc cause health problems?
A. Yes. Too much zinc can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, upset stomach, vomiting, and loss of appetite. If you get too much zinc for a long time, it can also lower your immunity, reduce levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and reduce copper levels in your body.
Adults shouldn’t get more than 40 mg of zinc per day from foods and supplements, unless your health care provider recommends it.
For more information about zinc, visit https://ods.od.nih.gov/ factsheets/Zinc-Consumer, and talk with your health care provider for specific advice.
Keeping your kids busy during winter break parent PULSE ©
If your little ones are going to be home for holiday break, you’re sure to hear them say “I’m bored!” at least a couple of times, if not more!
So, what are some healthy ways to help keep them entertained?
“I think cooking is a great activity. This time of year, people make cookies, they make special dishes, as well as regular meal menus. I think it’s just a fun activity that families can do together, and you can even sneak in a little math without even talking about it by doing the measurements and letting your child help with that,” said Gina Robinson, MD,
pediatrician for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Dr. Robinson said some other ideas could include making an activities box, taking your child to the library to check out a book or going for a neighborhood walk outside. Speaking of the outdoors, you could go hiking, beach walking or exploring.
And not every activity has to cost money. Many communities offer free events for children.
You could also plan family events, like watching a movie together.
Dr. Robinson does suggest limiting screen time. “I have parents in my office on
their phones just as often as I do the teens, so I think it’s something we can all work on,” she said. “And if parents are home, it’s a great time for them to get off their screens if they don’t have to work or they can take a break from work and do something and have some family time together.”
Dr. Robinson said it’s important to make sure your child still has some structure in their day too, like having a regular sleep schedule. That way the transition back to school won’t be as hard for them.
Source: Cleveland Clinic New Service, ccnewsservice@ccf.org
Medical identity (ID) theft occurs when someone steals personal information—such as your name and Medicare number (this also includes any Medicare Advantage, Medigap or supplemental, prescription drug, or other health ID numbers)—and uses the information to bill your insurance for supplies or services you did not receive. Typical examples are medical treatment, medical equipment, prescription drugs, and surgery. Not only can medical ID theft affect your finances, but this can also endanger your care.
What Can You Do to Stop Medical Identity Theft?
Medical identity theft can
take many forms and is used in many different tactics and schemes. Be cautious if anyone asks you for personal or medical information over the phone, door to door,
through email, or at a health fair. Here’s how to protect yourself:
Never give out your Medicare number to anyone other than your
doctor, health care provider, or other trusted representative.
• Protect your Medicare number as you would a credit card.
Never give out your Medicare number to anyone who contacts you through unsolicited calls, texts, or emails.
Understand that Medicare and Social Security already have your Medicare and Social Security number so if someone calls, emails, or texts claiming they need it, don’t give it to them. Instead, find the organization’s contact information on your own (don’t use caller ID) and call or email them directly to discuss the situation.
Be cautious of anyone who comes to your door, a facility health fair, or even at a church health event offering “free” testing, treatments, or supplies for genetic diseases, cancer, or the coronavirus.
Do not click on links from sources you don’t know, as this could put your computer or device at risk. Make sure the anti-malware and anti-virus software on your computer are up to date.
Be cautious when purchasing medical supplies from unverified or unknown sources, including online advertisements and email/ phone solicitations.
When you fall prey to consumer scams and give out your Medicare number, your Medicare number is considered to be “compromised” as a result of medical identity theft. If this happens, it is recommended to request a new Medicare number from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by calling 1-800 Medicare to prevent any further abuse.
To locate your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) visit: www.smpresource.org, or call 1-877-808-2468
Sources: https://www. smpresource.org/Handler.ashx?Item_ ID=5C33EF98-2524-4492AF35-64A6699A1333; www. Medicare.gov
Gratitude could be good for
mentally and physically
By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News
Overindulgence during the holidays is a tradition rarely praised by health experts. But when it comes to the reason for resolutions, feel free to serve up as much gratitude as you can.
That’s because research suggests expressing gratitude might be not only a nice thing to do, but a healthy one, too.
Gratitude is a simple concept, but it has many facets. It can refer to feelings toward another person or a general sense of reverence, such as for God or nature. It’s studied as both an inherent trait and a temporary emotion. It’s both related to and distinct from compassion. Compassion is about giving help, while gratitude is about receiving it.
Research on gratitude’s benefits hasn’t been as extensive as in some other areas of psychological well-being. Although many aspects of positive psychological well-being have been linked to physical health, the specific effects of gratitude can be difficult to pin down.
But despite the research gaps, it’s important for people to cultivate gratitude, as it may be beneficial for health, both physically and mentally.
A study, published in 2018 in the Journal of Positive Psychology, showing that in
people who had been treated for acute coronary syndrome (where blood flow to the heart is blocked, as in a heart attack), those who expressed gratitude two weeks after the event were more likely to stay on their medications six months later. They showed higher levels of physical activity, too.
A study of people with heart failure, published in 2016 in Spirituality in Clinical Practice, associated gratitude with better mood and sleep. A 2009 study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research also linked it to
better sleep quality.
In 2018, researchers reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology that gratitude exercises improved eating habits among teenagers. In April, a study in Scientific Reports linked gratitude with lower triglyceride levels in adults.
Physiologically, when people are experiencing gratitude, or when they tend to be more grateful overall, they have lower blood pressure and handle stress better. Stress has been associated with many physical and mental health issues.
Gratitude could be something we are hard-wired to experience. Cultivating gratitude does take work. You get better at it with practice.
Luckily, that’s easy. Some people keep a gratitude journal and end each day by writing down at least one positive thing that happened to them. It’s nice to put things down on paper, then go back and see all the good things that have happened over time.
At family meals go around the table and asking everybody about something that they’re grateful for that day.
Just the act of sharing
that with each other can help re-experience the positive feelings, and may help those around you feel positive as well.
Simply waking up and saying a prayer of gratitude, or thinking about something you’re grateful for, can also be really, really powerful.
But, expressing gratitude in a condescending way may backfire, especially around children. Adults can acknowledge their good fortune or privilege in a humble way but singling out others in a “downward social comparison” risks sending a message that not having things makes others inferior. Noting that ‘you’re so lucky because you have stuff that other people don’t have’ is potentially harmful.
While people can find ways to express gratitude amid hardship, that doesn’t mean anybody should deny actual adversity, such as a serious health condition.
Source: https://www.heart.org/ en/news/2022/11/21/feast-ongratitude-this-season-it-couldbe-good-for-you-mentally-andphysically
Processed foods are convenient for a fast meal, but research continues to show how they can negatively impact our health.
Recently, a study revealed ultra-processed foods might increase colorectal cancer risk for some people.
“Men actually have a higher risk when they have a diet pattern that includes a lot of ultra-processed foods,” explained Amanda Bode, RD, with Cleveland Clinic.
The study found men who ate the most amount of ultra-processed foods had a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer when compared to men who ate the least amount.
Bode said the study did not find the same association in women, and it’s unclear why.
Further research is also needed to understand why eating a lot of ultra-processed foods increased colorectal cancer risk in men.
Bode said one theory is additives and preservatives in highly processed foods may impact gut health.
She stresses limiting foods like processed meats, instant soups, packaged snacks and candy is better for everyone’s overall health.
Bode recommends eating more whole grains, fruits,
vegetables, and lean proteins to make sure you get the nutrients you need and reduce your colorectal cancer risk.
“We’re seeing a lot more studies coming out that show eating healthy is important to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, and that’s especially true if you have colorectal cancer in your family,” Bode said.
She suggests trying simple diet changes first, like choosing a baked potato instead of fries and replacing sugary yogurts with Greek yogurt and fruit.
Source: Cleveland Clinic News Service, ccnewsservice@ccf.org
“Most people already value gratitude. The challenge is that we’re just a little bit out of practice.”
– Emiliana Simon-Thomas, science director of the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley
USCB’s Armstrong to perform on Fripp
By Margit ReschHow about watching a genuine, totally intriguing, salacious love affair in a week or two on Fripp Island?
The perpetrator of the affair, Andrew Armstrong, is famous all around the globe. But he is especially appreciated in Beaufort as the Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Series at USC Beaufort (USCB).
So, you want to know, who is Armstrong’s paramour? Or rather, his sweetie? In the Center for the Arts at USCB, it is Miss Flora. On Fripp? Well, she has yet to be given a name. So, please come and help christen her, or rather christen it, i.e., the piano to which Armstrong is going to make love on January 8 on the stage of the Fripp Island Community Centre.
Yes, that is what Armstrong does to a piano, whether it has a name or not: He makes love to it. He dedicates his entire self to the instrument, physically with his agile fingers, and emotionally with his whole heart.
Just watch him lovingly hold his hands over the keys until it is time to touch them, make them sound out. And then listen to her – the piano – articulating a beautiful, imploring, happy, alarming, scary, passionate, questioning, soulful response.
You can come up with more descriptors, which, of course, depend on the kind of music
Armstrong is eliciting from his sweetie. But whatever music that is, he will make it his own – Andrewic, if you will, which means that you are going to have a new, engrossing musical experience, no matter how often you have heard the composition Armstrong is playing.
“I think I’m a junkie in the way that I play,” he admits. “Because generally, if there’s a place in the music where there’s a choice of taking a risk and risking missing notes in order to create a certain tempo or a certain sound quality, as opposed to playing safer, I always choose the former, probably to a fault.”
Armstrong fell in love with the piano early in his life. He was 7 years old when he followed in his sister’s footsteps and learned to play. His dad, a pianist, realized quickly that he imbued every piece of music with his very own interpretation, giving it an Andrewic aura. And soon enough, Armstrong started winning competitions and prizes, including the Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, earning plaudits from Cliburn himself, prizes with which he partially financed
his college education at Columbia University.
After a while, he realized that practicing to win prizes did not prepare him for a musical career, nor did it enhance his musicality. So he dropped out of school, advanced his skills on his own accord, and started playing with orchestras of all kinds, small and large. Soon enough this strategy paid off.
Armstrong was noticed by the conductor of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Günther Herbig, who invited him to perform with the orchestra. Soon he began his own successful chamber music career marked by frequent collaborations with Canadian-born and internationally known violinist James Ehnes, who is now also the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.
Armstrong has also performed with many famous chamber groups like the Alexander, Manhattan and American String Quartets. He has appeared at all major American venues, including Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in prominent concert halls in Latin America, Asia, and Europe such as the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
Summa summarum, he has played in the most distinguished venues all over the world and
amassed rave reviews. Armstrong also has a strong interest in music education and often performs concerts for children, no doubt inspired by his own three kids with wife Esty: Jack, Elise, and Gabriel, and by their two dogs Comet and Dooker. Well, maybe not by the doggies, really.
Armstrong has left large paw prints in South Carolina, not only here in Beaufort, but also as Artistic Director of the Chamber Music on Main in Columbia and as featured soloist at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston.
So you may have heard him and know that he is not only a pianist of sterling musicianship and fabulous virtuosity, but is entertaining and funny and gives interesting educational introductions to the pieces of music he plays. And it is not surprising, is it, that he plays mostly without sheet music.
It doesn’t matter how simple or how complex a Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Debussy or Gershwin composition may be, it is more often than not all in his head. By the way, it was Armstrong who, this fall, christened the new, gently-used piano on the stage of USCB as “Miss Flora.”
Come and watch Andrew Armstrong’s liaison with the Fripp piano at 5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Fripp Island Community Centre,
WANT TO GO?
Who: Andrew Armstrong
When: 5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 8
Where: Fripp Island Community Centre, 205 Tarpon Blvd.
Tickets: Admission at the door is $30 for adults (credit cards accepted). Students are free thanks to the Peg Gorham Memorial Fund.
More: Attendees are invited to a meet-the-artist reception after the performance, catered by Harold’s Chef Services.
The concert is presented by Fripp Island Friends of Music (FIFOM) and supported by the S.C. Arts Commission. It helps fund FIFOM’s Music in the Schools program. Visit frippfriendsofmusic.com for more information, and call or text Vanessa Peñaherrera at 704-8070255 for reservations.
205 Tarpon Blvd. Admission at the door is $30 for adults (credit cards accepted). Students are free thanks to the Peg Gorham Memorial Fund. Attendees are invited to a meetthe-artist reception after the performance, catered, deliciously, by Harold’s Chef Services. This concert is presented by Fripp Island Friends of Music (FIFOM) and supported by the S.C. Arts Commission. It helps fund FIFOM’s Music in the Schools program. Visit frippfriendsofmusic. com for more information, and call or text Vanessa Peñaherrera at 704807-0255 for reservations.
TCL’s Cybersecurity program adds degree Lowcountry Montessori earns grant
New Associate Degree in Applied Science begins in January
From staff reports
The Technical College of the Lowcountry’s burgeoning cybersecurity program will add a new associate degree program.
Recently approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, TCL’s Cybersecurity Associate Degree program will feature 63-credit hours of coursework that can be completed in as little as two years.
The new program, which begins in January, is just the latest in work and planning that began in earnest in 2017 when TCL launched its certificate program in cybersecurity.
As TCL Cybersecurity Program Director Angel Kern said in a new release, building on those earlier efforts and expanding to an associate degree has always been the idea.
“That’s right. The certificate program essentially became the second year in the associate program,” she said, adding that the earlier program was initially designed for people already working in the field who wanted or needed to add cybersecurity to their skill set.
The new associate degree program will provide students who are new to the field with a solid foundation in networking and programming before moving on to information security. Classes will include operating systems, cyber law, ethical hacking and penetration testing among others.
But that’s not all the big news to come out of the department, Kern said. TCL
is also planning to launch a separate certificate program that will serve as an introduction to the field and is working to introduce cybersecurity as a dual enrollment program within high schools.
“The dual enrollment/ cyber essentials program would feature an eightcourse sequence that students can take in their junior and senior years,” she said.
By the time these high school students complete the program, they will have completed their first year of the cyber associate degree program and have those credits out of the way.
And the news doesn’t stop with program additions. The computer labs are getting a fresh look as well.
TCL recently updated a large classroom to serve as the new computer lab by adding new furniture, computers and group workstations.
The lab features: 15 Dell Precision Tower Computers with Intel Core I9 processors with 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB hard drives for virtualization software peak performance and capabilities and 43-inch curved monitors; An interactive white board for in-person and virtual learning; Four student teaming stations with 50-inch monitors and USB/ Power hookups; and ... An isolated network environment for the safety of the college’s network infrastructure
The college is also scouting for space to install a cybercafé where students will be able to interact, work collaboratively on projects and of course, have a coffee.
“They can practice “capture the flag” and other team learning exercises there,” Kern said.
A growing field
All these initiatives could not come at a better time, Kern says, given the increased demand for information and computer security professionals.
In fact, the demand for cybersecurity specialists is so great the U.S. Department of Commerce reported last year that nearly 600,000 jobs were going unfilled.
“And that number is closer to 700,000 (job vacancies) now,” Kern said.
“More and more companies are waking up to the idea that they need more people in place who have these skills and can help reduce their cyber risk/exposure,” she said. “So, we need to get people through these programs faster.”
In the meantime, word is getting out about TCL’s programs in cybersecurity as more students who are enrolling now are brand new to the field, Kern reports.
“And it’s growing every day,” she said.
For more information Interested in learning more or enrolling in TCL’s cybersecurity program? Visit https://bit. ly/3G3icTE. The deadline to register for spring courses is Jan. 5.
EDUCATION BRIEFS
Board approves referendum project architecture firm
The Beaufort County Board of Education has approved Charleston-based Little Diversified Architectural Company to design Hilton Head Island High School’s rebuild.
The 2019 Referendum included funding for the design of the Hilton Head High School rebuild, with the construction portion of this project being part of a future referendum.
As the largest single story school structure within Beaufort County School District (BCSD), the existing Hilton Head High School building was originally constructed in 1983 with multiple additions over the years.
As one of the largest projects in the district’s recent history, “The committee felt community involvement will be crucial to the success of the Hilton Head High School design process,” BCSD Chief Operations Officer Robert Oetting said in
a news release. “We look forward to commencing the design work and engaging the community in the process.”
Beaufort’s Wallace on SMC’s Dean’s List
Rhogue Hart Wallace of Beaufort has been named to the Spartanburg Methodist College Dean’s List for grades earned during the fall 2022 academic semester. Dean’s List students have achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
Located in Spartanburg, S.C., Spartanburg Methodist College is a private, liberal arts college open to students of all religious and non-religious backgrounds.
The college serves approximately 1,000 students and offers six associate degrees, a unique customizable bachelor’s degree with six concentrations, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and nine 100% online associate and bachelor’s degree programs.
Who cares about public notices?
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.
You have the right to know what’s happening in your community.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
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
Trivia with Tom –Agave Mexican Grill
7 p.m., Every other Tuesday, Agave Mexican Grill, 1430 Ribaut Rd, Port Royal. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe. The next Trivia Night will be Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Trivia with Tom – Fat Patties
7:30 p.m., Every Wednesday, Fat Patties, 831 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe. The next Trivia Night will be Wednesday, Jan. 4.
Trivia with Tom –Bricks On Boundary
7:30 p.m., Every Thursday, Fat Patties, 1422 Boundary St, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash and Beer Bucket prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe. The next Trivia Night will be Thursday, Dec. 29.
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.
Drum Circle
6:30 to 8 p.m., 2nd Friday of every month, Gazebo, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Bay Street, Beaufort. Free. Anyone welcome, no experience necessary. Eric Roy, a recent transplant from Connecticut with successful experience in leading drum circles, is our new facilitator. He will start sessions off with 1520 minutes of instruction on djembe playing and teach a selected traditional rhythm & accompaniment for participants to play. In addition, there will be time allotted for spontaneous group drumming. Bring a drum, if you have one, a chair and a desire to have fun. The Drum Circle has several extra drums and many other percussion instruments that anyone can use. To receive updates on future events, send your email to lannyk13@gmail. com. The first session will be on Friday, Jan. 13.
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, March 25. Wardle Family YMCA, Outdoor pool,
1801 Richmond Ave., Port Royal. Well-behaved 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 843-522-9622 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.
MCAS Beaufort Airshow
Saturday-Sunday, April 22-23, 2023, MCAS Beaufort. Visit BeaufortAirShow.com. General admission is free.
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, Fourpart 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/onlineclasses. 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.
The American Revolution: A World War No One Knows
10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 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/onlineclasses. Discover how America was only one relatively compact and insignificant theater of war in what was in reality a World War for England, and that American independence was won only due to military aid from two European powers and distractions provided by four other major nations.
What Civil War Are We Talking About? Southern Honor and the Myth of the Lost Cause
10:30 to 11:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 20, 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/onlineclasses. This presentation explores this 19thcentury manifestation of “fake news” and its lasting consequences on the national memory and understanding of the Civil War.
LIBRARY ACTIVITIES Law Talk
Select times and days, Lobeco Branch Library, 1862 Trask Parkway, Seabrook. To register, call 843-255-6479. Free. Brief topic overview with Question & Answer with volunteer attorney. Saturday, Jan. 14, 11 a.m. to noon, Family Law; Tuesday, Feb. 28, 5 to 6 p.m., Landlord Tenant Law; Tuesday, March 18, 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.
Dungeons & Dragons
4 p.m., Mondays, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843255-6441. Ages 12 to 18.
Lego Club
4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Mondays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843-255-6540. All ages welcome.
Time for Tea
(English
Tea Party)
3 p.m., 1st Monday of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6456.
Knitting/Crochet Class
2:30 p.m., 1st Tuesday each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6456.
Teen Art Club
4 p.m., 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6441. Ages 12-18.
Teen Anime Club
4 p.m., 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6456.
Teen Video Game Club
4 p.m., 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6441. Ages 12 to 18.
S.C. Works Job Coaching
2 to 4 p.m., Thursdays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843-255-6540. Free help with job searches, interviews.
Line Dance Class
3:30 p.m., 1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month, Beaufort Downtown Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, 843-255-6456.
Chess Club
1 to 2 p.m., Saturdays, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island, 843-255-6540. Ages 5 and older.
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 Musicin-the-Schools program. The basic FIFOM membership, $100, has not changed. To become a member, text or call Vanessa Peñaherrera at 704-807-0255 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/.
Polar Plunge
11 a.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, Coligny Beach, 1 Coligny Circle, Hilton Head Island. Free. No registration required. Join in on one of Hilton Head Island’s favorite New Year’s Day traditions rain, shine, or snow. Take a dip, laugh, and people-watch at Coligny Beach. Come early and enjoy the music, community fun, and raffle beginning at 10:30 a.m., with all donations benefiting Charli’s Critters Naturalist Program at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. For more info visit https://colignyplaza.com/polarplunge.
Pelican Plunge
1 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 1, Lighthouse Area, Hunting Island State Park. $10 for adults, $5 for kids.. Registration is from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Register online at https://rb.gy/sfgi4y and receive your ticket via email. Park entry fee is not included in the registration fee, however, Jan. 1, 2023, is the last day to use your 2022 Friends of Hunting Island decal for park entry. Join friends and neighbors to plunge into the refreshing waters of the Atlantic on New Year’s Day. Enjoy hot beverages, snacks, and a fun costume parade. Each registrant receives an “I Took the Plunge” sticker and two coupons worth $1 each to purchase refreshmentssweet snack, hot cocoa, and coffee. Souvenir Pelican Plunge T-shirts will be on sale at the gift shop.
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.
Raid Rehearsal
Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Managed Benefits and Services
Many veterans I talk with do not realize that the Department of Veteran Affairs is made up of three administrations, the VHA, VBA, and NCA – the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), and the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).
This article is Part 1 of of a two-article series that provides a summary of how to apply for VA benefits and services managed by the VBA.
The Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) provides a variety of benefits and services to servicemembers, veterans, and their families. Below are some of our major program offices within VBA.
The VBA manages the VA’s Compensation Service, Pension and Fiduciary Service, Insurance Service, Education Service, Loan Guaranty Service, Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E) Service, the Office of Transition and Economic Development, Office of Field Operations, and the Office of Administrative Review.
Read about the VBA at https://www.benefits.va.gov/ BENEFITS/about.asp
Applying for VBA benefits
There are numerous ways to apply for VA benefits depending on the type of benefit you are seeking. The VA encourages veterans and their families to work with an accredited representative. Accredited representatives are VA-certified Veterans Service Officers (VSO), VA-certified Lawyers, and VA-certified Claims Agents.
Veterans can find and appoint or manage an
LARRY DANDRIDGEaccredited representative at https://www.ebenefits. va.gov/ebenefits/vso-search in eBenefits, which is the My Gateway to Benefit Information service found at https://www.ebenefits. va.gov/ebenefits/homepage
Veterans can find their S.C. County Veterans Service Office at https://bit. ly/3qbLVSL and they can find Veterans Service Officers (VSOs) through Veterans Service Organizations like the VFW, American Legion, DAV, PAV, AMVETs, VVA, and many others.
Pre-Discharge Claims (Before leaving military service)
If you are a member of the armed forces serving on either active duty or fulltime National Guard duty, you should apply through the VA pre-Discharge Claim Program before leaving service. Read about the pre-Discharge Claim Program at https://bit. ly/3vmbvaa
Readiness
Veteran
and Employment (VRE) Claims
How can veterans and service members apply for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VRE) Claims
The best way to file for Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) services is to apply online at https:// www.va.gov/careers-employment/. To submit a pa-
per application, download and complete a VA Form 28-1900, “Disabled Veterans Application for Vocational Rehabilitation found at https://bit.ly/3VseDMi and mail it to your local regional office. Find your local regional VBA Office at https://bit.ly/3WQp0e3 You may also go to your local regional office and turn in your application.
Visit the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) website at https:// www.benefits.va.gov/vocrehab/
Disability Compensation Claims
How to apply for VA Disability Compensation Benefits for Veterans?
The best way to file for disability compensation is to apply online at the VA Disability Compensation website at https:// www.va.gov/disability/. To submit a paper application, download and complete VA Form 21-526EZ, “Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits” found at https://bit.ly/3VpiwBz and mail the application to: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Claims Intake Center, P.O. Box 4444, Janesville, Wis. 53547-4444
Or, you can fax it to 844531-7818 (inside the U.S.) or 248- 524-4260 (outside the U.S.). Veterans can also go to their local VBA Regional Office and turn in their application for processing.
Find your local regional VBA Office at https://www. benefits.va.gov/benefits/ offices.asp. Visit the VA Compensation website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/ compensation/ for more information about compensation benefits.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Claims
How to apply for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Benefits for spouses, dependents, and parents.
If you’re the surviving spouse or child of a service member who died while on active duty, your military casualty assistance officer will help you to complete an Application for DIC, Death Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits by a Surviving Spouse or Child (VA Form 21P-534a). Download the form at https://bit.ly/3hX6ly8. The officer will help you mail the form to the correct VA regional office.
If you are the surviving spouse or child of a Veteran, fill out an Application for DIC, Death Pension, and/ or Accrued Benefits (VA Form 21P-534EZ). Download the form at https://bit. ly/3vhaLDj
If you are a surviving parent, fill out an Application for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation by Parent(s) (VA Form 21P535). Download the form at https://bit.ly/3C94woL
You can apply for the DIC benefit in any of these four ways:
1. Online: The best way to file for disability compensation is to apply online at the VA Disability Compensation website at https://www.va.gov/ disability/
2. By mail: Mail the form to the Pension Management Center (PMC) for your state. Find your PMC at https://www.va.gov/ pension/pension-management-centers/
3. With the help of a
trained professional: Work with an accredited representative (VSO, Lawyer, or Claims Agent). Get help filing your claim by reading the information at https://www. va.gov/disability/gethelp-filing-claim/ 4. Go to a VBA Regional Office: Go to a VA regional office and get help from a VA employee. Find a VA regional office near you at https://www.va.gov/ find-locations/?facilityType=benefits
Visit the VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (VA DIC) page at https://www.va.gov/disability/dependency-indemnity-compensation/ for more information on compensation benefits for survivors and dependents.
Veterans Pension Claims How can veterans apply for Veterans Pension Benefits online, by mail, in person, and with help of a trained and certified by the VA professional?
1. Online: Veterans can apply for pension benefits online a www.va.gov/ pension. To submit a paper application for Pension benefits, download and complete VA Form 21P-527EZ, “Application for Pension” and mail it to the Pension Management Center that serves your state. Find your pension Management Center at https://www.va.gov/ pension/pension-management-centers/ Visit the www.va.gov/ pension/eligibility webpage for more
information about Pension benefits.
2. By mail: Veterans can fill out an Application for Pension (VA Form 21P-527EZ). Download VA Form 21P-527EZ at https:// bit.ly/3YQdXTP. Then mail the completed form to the Department of Veterans Affairs Pension Intake Center, P.O. Box 5365, Janesville, Wis. 535475365
3. In-person: Veterans can also bring their applications to a VA regional office near them. Find your regional VBA Office at https://www.benefits. va.gov/benefits/offices.asp
4. With the help of a trained professional: Veterans can work with a trained professional called an accredited representative (VSO, Lawyer, or Claims Agent) to get help applying for VA pension benefits. Get help filing your claim by reading the information at https:// www.va.gov/disability/ get-help-filing-claim/
Continued next week.
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.
Nativity of Bethlehem
LIVING ON PURPOSE
Christ our hope for the New Year
We are at the end of another year and it always brings thoughts of starting fresh and having hope for the future. Most of us have watched the ball drop on New Year’s Eve which officially declares, “out with the old and in with the new.” At midnight, people from all over the world will celebrate the turning of the next page of their lives.
Over the years, the “timeball” has undergone several changes in design, and the most recent was created for the Millennial celebration in the year 2000 by Waterford Crystal. It’s a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter, and weighing approximately 1,070 pounds. It’s covered with a total of 504 crystal triangles that vary in size and each piece has a special designation: Hope for Love, Peace, Wisdom,
It’s wonderful to have hope as it’s a positive and optimistic attitude to believe that everything is going to be alright. However, there is a difference between wishing and knowing. The time ball might be called the star of hope, but Jesus Christ the Son of God not only came to bring hope, He is literally our only hope. This means that unless He is our Lord and Savior, we do not have
I’ve been surprised to find myself reflecting back upon this year before the end of it. My year-end reflections usually don’t start until New Year’s Day.
Perhaps it has to do with not only the historic magnitude of this year, but also because Kristy and I have done more traveling this year than any other in our 48 years together. That says a lot. We love to travel.
Most of our traveling includes camping; We love the outdoors and we are not wealthy, so economics helps drive the camping requirement. I have particularly enjoyed learning how to camp minimally. That concept is to survive with as little as possible but still having enough comfort to let yourself actually want to keep on camping. This, in turn, makes one especially grateful when you turn to “clamping,” with luxuries like electricity and a clean bathroom.
We took our little camper and tent gear on a 9,400-mile loop around the U.S. this past August.
From Beaufort, we went straight up to Mackinaw and Lake Superior, heading west along Superior’s coast line. Then onto Route 2 that parallels the Canadian border, traveling all the way to Port Townsend located on the Olympic Peninsula.
From there, down the west coast to Crescent City, Calif., then criss-crossing to Joseph, Ore., back up to Port Townsend, then heading south to Stillwater, Okla. From Stillwater, up to Missouri, winding our way east, heading through
a hope of becoming what Jesus died for us to be or the promise of eternal life.
When we are born-again and become a child of God we are given a type of hope that allows us to rest in the reality that He is the absolute truth and everything He has guaranteed will come to pass. When He declares that He can can not only redeem us, but we can spend eternity in Heaven with Him, we have a blessed assurance that means more than any dream or aspiration the world can offer. Christ in us is the hope of glory as we surrender out will to God in the reality of knowing Him as our eternal spiritual Father.
If you have been stressed lately, and your prayer life has recognized more negative resistance than usual, then congratulations,
you are perfectly normal. We are indeed distracted, but much of our stress is our own fault. No one is making us watch television, play games, or be absorbed in social media. We should understand that living a holy and obedient life before God is difficult enough without us refusing to take our responsibility to stay focused seriously.
Scanning the headlines we know there are a lot of strange things going on in the world. I’m often asked about my thoughts pertaining to Biblical prophecy including the topics of rapture and tribulation? I realize that most everyone has speculations and interpretations, but let’s just say that God is in control and everything is moving according to His perfect will. The wise decision would be to make sure we are as
close to God as possible. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
When we think about New Year resolutions, this passage defines how we are to allow God to be the Master and King of who we are and everything we say and do. The foundation of being a Christian is to invite God to control and possess us.
There are many individuals and families that are going through all types of difficulties. Whatever the crisis, disappointments, worries, and fears, there is no higher priority than to consider our spiritual relationship with the Lord. Our creator has given every person an open invitation to come to Him as He longs
to be your best friend. This coming year is filled with unlimited possibilities and He is waiting for you to embrace Him as the Lord and Master of your life.
January means “beginning” and is a wonderful time to receive His forgiveness. He loves you more than anything and there is so much He is waiting to reveal to you. II Corinthians, Chapter 6 reminds us, “Behold now is the accepted time: behold now is the day of salvation.” As a messenger, I will never say anything more important than today is the perfect time to embrace the grace and mercy of God and sincerely give your life to Him.
Billy Holland is an ordained minister, community chaplain, and Christian author. We invite you to read more about God and the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com
this trip even though it was luxurious compared to camping the whole time. This trip was another life-changing experience that I’m still processing now, as well.
I think that is one reason it has taken me so long to write about our travels. Just how these trips have changed me, I haven’t fully grasped.
the Appalachians, drifting toward home.
Whew. What a fantastic, diverse, big country we are honored to live in. We camped the entire six-week journey. It took me two weeks to recover. It was a life-changing trip for me, and I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around it.
In October, we finally got to travel to Europe, this time in the seat of luxury within a Viking “Rhine Getaway.” This was our first visit to Europe and our first river cruise. The trip took more than two years to become a reality because it was a trip we had booked just before the world started shutting down due to Covid.
I must plug Viking here: We received more info and updates in the early days of Covid from Viking than we did from the sitting U.S. government at the time. We loved visiting riverside cities and villages along the Rhine River, touching five countries in the course of two weeks. The line I used at the time with people in conversation during the trip was that I felt I was living in a fairy tale.
We hiked dozens of miles within our ports of call, and it took me another full week to recover from
That’s the personal side of 2022. The insurrection investigation, the Big Lie, the war in Ukraine, the relentless mid-terms, our back-stepping Supreme Court, world immigration, mass murders, natural disasters, the relentless media, Musk and Twitter, world-wide protests, and lest we forget, Trump’s digital trading cards. I could go on with 2022 historical significance, but I’m not sure I want too. Where indeed is the world heading? Why has fighting autocracy seemed so hard to win (not won!) this year?
All I can testify to you all right now is that we indeed must live this life, in this world, together. All through our entire travels this past year, we were enthralled with the wonders and diversities of our country and what we saw of ancient Europe. All people in the world share the same modern day concerns.
Lake Como in Italy was at least two feet below normal. Commerce came to a standstill upon the Rhine this past summer because of low water, (one can’t appreciate that significance until you actually see the amount of commerce and barge traffic that depends on the Rhine River).
Of course we Americans could witness a dry Mississippi here. Could you ever have imagined we might live to see the mighty Mississippi run so low? In Europe we witnessed first-hand what social programs there have done for common people: Low gun crime, very few homeless and drug deaths and excellent public transportation. It seemed to us the Europeans we observed have their priorities correct.
Traveling across the U.S., we met caring, generous people from seemingly different cultures living in towns and cities that varied from state to state. Everyone we spoke with seemed concerned about our country’s social divisions without making us feel that we are divided. And everywhere, Americans concerned and rooting for the Ukraine, freedom and democracy.
People everywhere interested in world affairs with concerns for our environment. Our travels this year have actually shown me, proven to me, we are, indeed, in this life, this world, together, No matter what labels you put on the conditions of our present world, something in nature and the nature of man is changing, and it seems to me the entire globe is not working together enough to solve our most urgent physical and moral problems.
Problems that we all share: Our weather, droughts, war, famine, social decline and our shared world societal decadence.
When I dwell upon the billions of American dollars spent between lobbyists, governmental lawsuits,
proxy, as well as united wars, our greedy corporations and the billions more that people spend on personal entertainments, I always seem to recall the old Aesop fable of the grasshopper fiddling away in the summer as the ants toil away making ready for the long winter.
People are permitted to choose the ending to this fable: The grasshopper is either shunned during the winter by the ants or taken in, where he supplies entertainment, earning his keep safe inside the colony. Depending upon what ending you choose in this fable, the core moral is quite clear: Societies must prepare for the future in order to survive. Societies should plan and invest according to their citizens’ universal needs.
If you are a fiddling grasshopper, perhaps you should not count on an empathetic world in your future – it may be ending within our human species. We know that the human and animal world is now struggling to survive. And even in a true rule of law, a humane democratic world, ants in the natural real world simply devour a weakened grasshopper. Survival of the fittest is not a pleasant way to live, just try off grid camping or being homeless for a week.
Tim and Kristy Wood moved to Beaufort in 1974. He worked as a carpenter in both restoration and new home construction, as well as operating a shop specializing in custom woodwork, Wood on Wood Specs. He is semiretired, involved with fine woodworking and formerly sat on the City of Beaufort Zoning Board of Appeals.
VOICES
Russia’s February offensive will dictate new maps
It is Friday morning, Dec. 23, and this morning its cold. Our endless summer has finally given way to temperatures that motivate us to find our wool lined Carhartt pants; our two-layered Bean-brand guide shirts.
This morning’s temperature reminds us that the teen-aged soldiers in Ukraine will find their warmth wherever they can. For the next two months some will be content to stand near a barrel of burning diesel fuel. Plans of flanking movements will give way to keeping one’s fingers and toes attached.
Between now and April there will be more meetings at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany where Ukraine’s Oleksii Reznikov first met with General Lloyd Austin and with other ministers from around Europe.
These men met at Ramstein in April, 2022, where they talked about the deployment of 177 mm Howitzers, the transition to NATO-compatible ammunition and whether or
SCOTT GRABERnot MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) should be modified to include Ukrainian favorites like stuffed cabbage rolls.
Since that meeting last April, there has euphoria about Ukraine’s ability to fight. But now there is talk of settlement. The Wall Street Journal is saying there has to be “some thinking about what Ukraine will look like when the shooting stops.”
In 1962, Ramstein was a fighter-bomber base where the brand-new F-4 Phantom Fighter was first put into the German sky. From where I lived, I could see these sleek jets streak off the runway at Ramstein gaining altitude as they passed over us at Landstuhl Army Hospital.
I watched those Phantoms but was more interested
in the lissome, dark-haired daughter of a supply sergeant. We met every Saturday night at the teen club where the U.S. Army provided a Lysol-scented room; a sofa; a juke box with artists like Patti Page. (“How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?”)
In my late-stage teen-aged years, I had done nothing remotely noteworthy — but was elected president of the Landstuhl Teen Club.
With the help of the supply sergeant, I acquired a bus, a bus driver, and permission to visit other teen clubs in Heidelberg and Frankfurt. There we would dance to Wurlitzer’s up-graded with singers like Bobby Day (“Rockin’ Robin”).
Next door to Landstuhl there is a small medieval town called Kindsbach. Beneath that town was a 67-room, 37,000-square foot underground command center that would have taken control and coordinated all NATO fighter jets if war broke out in Western Europe. There were hundreds
of computers and hundreds of airmen working underneath the small mountain on which our teen club was located.
I was not aware of the “Kindsbach Cave.” However, I was aware of Vienna and wondered if I could get permission for our army bus to make an overnight trip to Austria. Once again I had to consult with the supply sergeant and explain our unusual fascination with the choral stylings of the Vienna Boys Choir.
Within a 10-mile radius of Landstuhl, there were probably 100,000 combat-ready troops. In those days there was the belief that the Russians were coming
through the Fulda Gap, and our troops would, at best, serve as a speed bump. We believed there would be nuclear weapons used by the Soviet Union — and indeed such plans were found in Poland after its liberation from the Soviet Army.
But now I was focused on Barcelona — getting my little bus to the topless beaches of the Costa Brava. And I succeeded in convincing my girlfriend’s father that it was important for us to mingle with Spanish teenagers and learn a little Basque.
In 1962, I was focused on having as much fun as possible before the nuclear apocalypse. I was surrounded by hundreds of thou-
sands of American troops, most of whom were two or three years older than myself, and were focused on maybe 500,000 Soviet soldiers shivering in their T-64 tanks just across the border.
It is clear that Ukrainian teenagers are now fighting our long-deferred war with Russia. Even though the Ukrainians have stopped Putin’s ill-prepared conscripts and his recently released convicts, House Republicans say they will not continue to pay the billion dollar tab. Their reluctance — they also want an audit — will inevitably lead to a demand for peace talks.
Experts predict a Russian offensive as early as February. Most believe there won’t be any serious talks until that offensive plays itself out. Those gains (or setbacks) on the ground will dictate the shape of the new map.
Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com
After two years of having an opportunity to share my thoughts and viewpoints with the readers of this fine newspaper, I thought I’d look back at things I got right, wrong, or where I was so off the mark it’s hard to even judge.
From October 2020: “To [writer Umair Haque’s] mind, too many Americans have … created a toxic ‘free-dumb,’ what he calls “the absence of any kind of obligation or responsibility to anything greater than narrow, immediate, infantile self-satisfaction.”
Update: As Tupac Shakur rapped: “I see no changes.” Things might be worse now.
From November 2020, praising young people’s resilience: “Generally speaking, it’s the adults who aren’t being the best role models. We are the disgruntled. We are the whiners. We are the ones who refuse to accept that we can’t get everything we want. That sometimes we can be our best and give
our best and still come out on the losing end. We don’t know how to be good losers anymore.”
Update: Young voters helped save this country from a catastrophe in the midterms.
From February 2021: “We have tribalized truth. We overlook lies as long as it’s our champion telling them. We overlook them if they upset those other folks. We tell ourselves and others that God doesn’t require perfect people to do His will, as if that makes every exaggeration, every misrepresentation, every reversal, every flat-out lie some part of a divine plan.”
Update: Well, Herschel Walker lost his bid for Georgia’s Senate seat, so … yay?
From March 2021: “South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott told Fox News that ‘Woke supremacy is as bad as white supremacy.’ I ask you, dear reader, just what in the whosaid-huh is ‘woke supremacy’?”
Update: Scott and other Republicans have claimed there’s no such thing as White supremacy, so… there’s no threat from “woke supremacy,” right?
From May 2021: “A quick review of this short list (of writers whose works I frequent) tells me 1) I respect writers who can make a strong argument, and 2) I need to get more women writers into my daily mix.”
Update: I owe a tremendous debt to those of you who suggested historian Heather Cox Richardson. Her daily recaps of the day’s political events are invaluable.
Also from May 2021: “‘Cancel culture’ seems to apply only when conservatives want to defend things. Not because those things deserve to be defended,
but because a liberal might have raised the initial question. When conservatives target people or institutions, they call it ‘freedom of speech’ or ‘the market at work.’”
Update: Cue Elon Musk ranting about being “free speech” because advertisers are withholding their dollars from Twitter, a platform he paid $44 billion for just to turn it into an uncensored haven for racists.
From June 2021: “Conservative lawmakers aren’t attacking critical race theory because it rewrites the truth; they attack it because it is a verifiable truth that undermines the lies they were taught, have believed all their lives and want to pass on to future generations.”
Update: Still true, but when is the last time you heard anything about CRT? The right has gone back to more familiar letters like L, G, B, T, and Q.
From October 2021: “October is Domestic Vi-
olence Awareness Month. This year, we should all make an effort to become more aware of the toll this violence is taking on literally half of the people on the planet and try to help prevent it.”
Update: South Carolina regularly ranks in the top 10 states for violence against women perpetrated by men considered “intimate partners.” A study released in February of this year put the annual cost in 2021 at more than $350 million in direct and indirect expenses.
From Nov. 2021: “I’m thankful for the continuing gift of music. The Verzuz matchups evolved from their rap battle roots to become celebrations of artists who have given so much richness to our lives with their voices and musicianship.”
Update: And then they sold out and became just another money-grab for people who ask the public to support any mediocrities they are presented
with. I’m sure singer Ray J has at least one wish he would make about his awful performance earlier this year.
Also from Nov 2021: “What we too often find now are media outlets playing a long game that doers of misdeeds exploit to run out the clock on accountability.”
Update: Reporter Bob Woodward recently released audio recordings of his interviews with the most recent former president. He said he wants the public to see the dangers posed by potentially resorting the former president to a position of power. He’s late to the game, but the sentiment seems to be catching on.
Looking back, I haven’t been too far off the mark. So far. I haven’t even gotten to 2022 yet.
Terry E. Manning is a Clemson graduate and worked for 20 years as a journalist. He can be reached at teemanning@gmail.com
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VACATION RENTALS
The Early Church
We are not meant to journey to God all by ourselves.
The current pandemic, forcing us into isolation and social distancing, has been a difficult reminder of our need for other people. We are not meant to be alone, separated from others. We depend on each another not only for our physical needs, such as food and medical care, but also for emotional health. Likewise, we are not meant to be alone on our journey with God. God intended for us to have a spiritual family to accompany us and support us in our faith.
The Bible is the story of God forming a family of faith. As we explored in our message series, “Preparing the Way,” God always intended for us to know and love him through a family of faith. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were to help each other to love God. After sin entered the world, God called Abraham and began a new spiritual family. Abraham’s descendants eventually became the nation of Israel. God promised that one day, he would bless the entire world through Abraham’s descendants. (Genesis 12:3)
Through Jesus, the family of faith becomes open to all humanity. God did something no one could have imagined: he became a human being, Jesus of Nazareth. He was born into the people of Israel. Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth are indeed blessed. The family of faith expands into a worldwide family, through which all peoples can come to know and love Jesus. Through this family, Jesus continues to invite all to share in the victory he has won for us.
The family of Christian believers is called the Church. The original Greek word translated as “church” meant a gathering of people for a specific purpose. The early Christians began to describe themselves with this term. They were not referring to a building for prayer, as we often use “church” today, but Christians united in Jesus as a spiritual family. In the New Testament, we see this word used to describe the worldwide Christian family as well as local communities of Christians.
The Book of Acts describes the first years of the Church. The Acts of the Apostles is the book in the New Testament directly following the four Gospels. In Acts, we see how the Christian faith began to spread throughout the whole world. We experience the joy of the early Christians, and we are inspired by their willingness to risk everything to follow Jesus and to share his Good News with others.
The example of the early Church inspires us still today. In this message series, we will explore some of the important themes and events in the Acts of the Apostles. What mission did Jesus give the apostles? How did Jesus continue his ministry through them? What lessons can be learned from the early Christians that still apply to us today, as we journey with God?
