July 25 edition

Bond set for two men arrested for sex trafficking

By Delayna Earley and Mike McCombs

The Island News

Bond was set Tuesday, July 23 for Guy Frank Talley III, 27, of Okatie, and Alban Bryan, 63, of St. Helena Island, two of the three men arrested locally in connection with a sex trafficking ring.

According to public records, both bond hearings were presided over by Judge G. Morgan.

Bryan received a $100,000 surety bond with GPS monitoring and house detention, according to Erinn McGuire, Community Relations Liaison with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

She said that he may only leave his home for work, legal or medical appointments.

Talley also received a $100 000 surety bond with GPS monitoring and house detention and can only leave for work, legal or medical appointments.

As of Tuesday afternoon, public records showed both men as still being incarcerated in the Beaufort

2024 WATER FESTIVAL

County Detention Center.

In addition to the three charges previously brought against Talley for Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, a fourth charge was brought against Talley on July 19 for Harboring or Employing an Escaped Convict.

Talley received a $10,000 surety bond for that charge as well.

William James Youmans, 34, of Beaufort, was scheduled to appear

A wet finish

Todd Stowe chosen as 69th Beaufort Water Festival Commodore

By Delayna Earley The Island News

The 68th Beaufort Water Festival came to a close with their Blessing of the Fleet event on Sunday. While the 10-day event was overall a success, according to the newly named commodore Todd Stowe, it was unfortunate that they had to cancel events on Friday and Saturday due to weather.

“We don’t say that four letter word [rain], instead we say that it was very humid,” Stowe said about the weather.

Rainy weather plagued the festival nearly every day, but unrelenting thunderstorms forced festival organizers to have to cancel the Bed Races and Rockin’ the River events on Friday, July 19, and the Commordore’s Ball on Saturday, July 20

The Commodore’s Ball is usually the public event where the newly chosen Commodore is announced and introduced. He or she also traditionally shares a dance with their partner on stage while members of the public cheer on.

While Stowe said he is honored to be named as the new Commo-

SEE FINISH PAGE A10

in bond court on Wednesday, July 24

A preliminary hearing for Youmans and Bryan, originally scheduled for July 19, was continued because the arresting South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) officer, Special Agent Logan B. Fey, was executing a “related warrant” in Savannah according to prose-

A4

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce has a new president. Megan Morris, a native of Beaufort, was selected to lead the Chamber in a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors, according to a press release sent out on July 18 Morris has served as interim president since November 2023 when the previous president, Ian Scott, resigned to take a job in North Carolina.

Megan Morris

“The Board believes Megan has the ambition and energy to move the chamber to the next level of service for our members,” 2024 Chair Nick Messenburg, Site Manager for MCAS Beaufort, said. “She is

SEE CHAMBER PAGE A5

Staff reports

The City of Beaufort has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for consultant services for the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

On June 11 2024, during a City Council Work Session, McSweeney Engineers presented an evaluation report following a periodic

Talley III

Bryan

As his last official act as Commodore of the 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival, Josh Schott tosses a wreath into the river as an honor to those who have lost their lives in local waters during the Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

LOWCOUNTRY LIFE & NEWS

Paige Bouy captured this loggerhead sea turtle heading back to the ocean after coming ashore to lay eggs at 8:56 p.m., June 21 under the Full Strawberry Moon, the first full moon of the summer. It was the 42nd nest of the season on Fripp Island. To submit a Lowcountry Life photo, you must be the photographer or have permission to submit the photo to be published in The Island News. Please submit high-resolution photos and include a description and/or names of the people in the picture and the name of the photographer. Email your photos to theislandnews@gmail.com.

VETERAN OF THE WEEK JAMES L. DAISE

L.

Beaufort’s James Daise, 81, joined the United States Marine Corps in Charleston in 1967. After Boot Camp at Parris Island and training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., he was sent to Camp Pendleton, Calif., before assignment to Vietnam. He served on patrols around Da Nang, especially at Hill 10 on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and at Hill 55 through the Tet Offensive. In 1969 he transferred to Parris Island as an MP and in 1971 was given an early-out as a Staff Sergeant to join the Beaufort Police Department. After 7 years he became a UPS driver for Beaufort County for 11 years and then he joined the Sheriff’s Office. In 1990 he started a 20-year career as the owner of Daise Floor Cleaning Service.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Thank you, editor

I am a retired Colonel from the S.C. Army National Guard, and a USMC Veteran of Desert Shield/Storm. I write to you in that capacity and not as a Family Court Judge.

I appreciate your publication of Larry Dandridge’s weekly articles concerning veterans benefits and the sharing of current military issues through The Island News

I wish we had such an article in our local newspaper, The Herald in York County. Larry has been kind enough to forward his articles to me for further dissemination, and I always credit The Island News for doing so.

I try to stay up to date on veterans issues through the Department of Veteran Affairs

July 25

1924: The “Marine Monument,” later nicknamed “Iron Mike,” is dedicated at the Hostess House on Parris Island. The keynote speaker at the dedication is Major General John A. LeJeune.

July 27

2019: Democratic Presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson shares her message on the campaign trail with approximately 130 people at Beaufort’s United Church of Jesus Christ.

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

emails, but there are many veterans who do not have the technology or ability to navigate digital information sharing and still depend on the printed page to discover the state and federal benefits they are entitled to for serving their country in uniform.

South Carolina has proven to be a military friendly state in so many ways, and I am grateful The Island News reflects such strong support for our veteran community.

Thank you from a grateful retired veteran.

– Col. David G Guyton, SCANG (ret.), York County

Thank you, editor, Part II

I want you to know that I read and share

July 28

1883: Hannah Jones Smalls, first wife of Robert Smalls, dies. She was believed to be 58 years old.

2021: Beaufort-born weightlifter C.J. Cummings competes for the United States in the Men’s 73-kilogram weight class at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Cummings made two of his six lifts for a total of 325 kg, finishing ninth.

July 29

2019: Longtime Thomas Heyward

THE WEEK

the weekly and informative Island News articles on veterans’ benefits by your Larry Dandridge.

Those articles are helpful and make navigating the complicated VA system easier. I have personally corresponded with Larry, and he has helped me immensely, immediately and always for free, whether by phone or email. His advice and answers to my questions have assisted me immensely with my actions to file for service-connected disability compensation.

Thank you and the Island News Team for supporting us veterans and our families.

– Lt. Col. Ken Walls, USA (ret., Vietnam 1968-69; Vietnam/Korea 1972-73), Huntsville, Ala.

Academy softball coach Bob Layman is named the new head coach at Battery Creek.

2020: Longtime City of Beaufort Police Chief Matt Clancy dies at age 56 from complications caused by neuroendocrine cancer.

July 30

2020: City of Beaufort Deputy Police Chief Dale McDorman is named interim Police Chief after the death of longtime Chief Matt Clancy.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

Dog Of The Week Belmont is 7 months old, and he's ready to spend the first day of the rest of his life with someone like you. He will make a wonderful family dog. Belmont is super smart. He learns fast and runs fast. After a nice, brisk walk, he'd love nothing more than to lie by your feet. Belmont is neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Cat Of The Week Curly is sweet, friendly, and

debonair. Meet him at the Palmetto Animal League Adoption Center, and you’ll be helpless to his suave yet cheerful charms. He is a year old, neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

For more information about Belmont, Curly, or any of our other pets, call PAL at 843-645-1725 or email Info@ PalmettoAnimalLeague.org.

– Compiled by Lindsay Perry

James

Daise

BCSO again warns of scammers posing as deputies

Staff reports

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) put out a warning to citizens this week to beware of fraudsters impersonating law enforcement officers.

These scams are not new, they have simply re-emerged in Beaufort County.

According to the BCSO release, within the last week, the Sheriff's Office has received several calls from community members reporting they have been solicited by a person representing the Sheriff's

Office for payment of fines or penalties related to missed jury duty or some other legal obligation.

As a reminder, the Sheriff's Office emphasizes it does not accept payment for fines and penalties related to criminal matters nor will it solicit payment over the phone.

question about the information they are being provided, ask for a callback number and reach out to the BCSO for verification.

If a citizen receives a call they believe to be from a scammer, they are advised to simply hang up. If a citizen has a

The Island News has reported on these scams before. In October 2023, a scam artist posing as a BCSO deputy convinced a St. Helena Island woman that “she had missed a federal jury duty summons and was now facing arrest,” according to an incident report. To

Free community event benefiting veterans to be held in August

Staff reports

The Connecting Point is hosting a free community event aimed at providing immediate services for homeless and at-risk veterans.

The Spirit of Hope Stand Down event will take place on August 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the AMVETS

Post 70 at 1831 Ribaut Road in Port Royal.

Food, clothing and health screenings will be available for those who attend. Referrals for healthcare, mental health, haircuts, employment, housing solutions, showers and essential care and substance use treatment will be available as well. Transportation will be available at 8 a.m. from Walmart on Robert Smalls

NEWS BRIEFS

A reminder to commercial truck drivers about the Woods Bridge

The city sent out a reminder to commercial truck drivers and other operators that it is against the law to cross Woods Memorial Bridge if their vehicle has three or more axles and weighs 40 000 pounds or more.

The bridge is one of several places in the City of Beaufort where through truck traffic is not allowed.

The City of Beaufort reminds commercial truck drivers and other operators to follow the designated through truck routes established by South Carolina Department of Transportation. These routes, which are well marked by signs saying “Truck Route,” must be used unless specific business purposes, such as loading or unloading goods, necessitate otherwise.

Routes where commercial truck through traffic is not allowed in the City of Beaufort include travel to and from U.S. 21 Business/ Boundary Street, S.C. 281/Ribaut

Parkway in Beaufort, Parker’s Gas Station on Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena Island, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort, and Lowe’s on Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort. For more information call Lovel Henderson at 216-355-8331

According to the release, this is the first Stand Down event in Beaufort County.

Road, and U.S. 21/Lady’s Island Drive. These designated routes are marked by signs saying “Truck Notice/No Thru Trucks.”

Violations can result in fines of up to $237 50

Adhering to these routes is not only a matter of regulatory compliance but also a commitment to maintaining the safety and integrity of our community and its historic infrastructure. Non-compliance with these regulations constitutes a violation of the South Carolina Code of Laws, Title 56 -- Motor Vehicles, Chapter 5 -- Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways, which mandates obedience to traffic-control devices.

For any questions or additional information, please contact Capt. Joseph Dobbins, Operations Division, at 843-322-7900

Free Summer Tax Prep Available for Lowcountry Residents Who Missed Deadline

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is offering a free summer tax preparation

avoid any potential penalties, the woman’s husband “went to Food Lion and used a Bitcoin machine to send the suspect $4 520.”

According to the report, the man realized it was a scam when the suspect and his “major” tried to get more money out of him while he was still at the machine.

According to a separate incident report filed that month, a man claiming to be a BCSO deputy called a Lady’s Island woman and told her she had three outstanding warrants for missing jury duty. The

woman said she spoke to two separate people on the phone, realizing it was a scam when the two men asked for two different amounts of money. But it was not before she had already lost a total of $600

“Never provide any personal or banking information to callers if you don't have an established relationship with them,” the release said. Citizens are advised to stay vigilant — scammers are always creating new and clever ways to defraud unknowing victims.

Tax Free Weekend is coming first week of August

Staff reports South Carolina’s annual Tax Free Weekend is scheduled for August 2-4 2024

For three days, shoppers can purchase eligible items such as computers, printers, school supplies, clothing and accessories, shoes and certain bed and bath items instore and online tax-free. According to a press release from the S.C. Department of Revenue (SCDOR), shoppers last year purchased more than $30 4 million in tax-free items during the weekend. Items that are not exempt from the 6% Sales Tax include digital camera, smart phones, jewelry, cosmetics, eyewear, wallets, watches and furniture. Tax Free Weekend was created in 2000 and has been a popular weekend for shoppers to purchase back-to-school supplies. For a detailed list of tax-free items, shopping lists and FAQs, visit dor.sc.gov/taxfreeweekend. If you feel like you were charged Sales Tax on an exempt item during Tax Free Weekend, shoppers are encouraged to first request a refund from the retailer.

program for qualifying residents of Beaufort and Jasper counties who missed the traditional tax filing deadline.

This program – a collaboration between the IRS, Beaufort County Human Services Alliance, and United Way of the Lowcountry (UWLC) – is designed to assist low-income individuals and families, non-English speaking taxpayers, people with disabilities, and seniors (age 60+) in accurately and efficiently filing their federal and state tax returns.

"We understand that filing taxes can be overwhelming, especially for those who have limited resources," United Way Volunteer and VITA Program Coordinator Sherry Halphen said. "Our summer tax preparation program allows residents to receive free assistance from IRS-certified volunteers, ensuring they receive every deduction and credit they deserve."

Program Details: What: Free tax preparation assistance by IRS-certified VITA volunteers.

• Where: United Way of the Lowcountry Bluffton Office (10 Buckingham Plantation Drive, Suite D, Bluffton, S.C. 29910)

Appointments Required: Call 843 321 9071 or email lowcountryvitacoalition@ gmail.com Visit www.uwlowcountry. org/VITA for eligibility requirements and a list of documents to bring with you to your appointment.

DNR to host free fishing clinics at Broad River Fishing Pier

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources is hosting two free fishing clinics: the first will be Saturday, July 27, from 8 until 11 a.m. and the second clinic will be Tuesday, Aug. 13, from 4 until 7 p.m. Both clinics will be held at Beaufort's Broad River Fishing Pier, 1050 Robert Smalls Parkway (map).

participants will be accepted for each clinic.

Register at https://bit.ly/3Y6gZ8H to attend the Saturday, July 27 free fishing clinic. Register at https://bit.ly/3Y1FPXa to attend the Tuesday, Aug. 13 free fishing clinic.

For more information, contact Pam Corwin at SCDNR at 843729-0759 or corwinp@dnr.sc.gov.

A construction reminder

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 25, August 22 and September 26

The fishing clinics are both free and open to the public. Participants must pre-register. Only 12

IPW Construction Group will continue to perform shoulder closures and temporary lane closures the entire length of Laurel Bay Road in Beaufort. Closures will take place between the hours of 6 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Saturday, until the end of the year. During this time, please prepare for and expect minor delays in traffic. Drivers traveling through the area are asked to please be mindful of our traffic control team and the crews working within the area. In addition, the ramp coming off U.S. 21 onto Laurel Bay Road is permanently closed.

– From staff reports

Gullah/Geechee Famlee

Day set for Saturday

Event kicks off Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week

Bond from page A1

cutor Hunter Swanson with the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Youmans and Bryan have had their preliminary hearings rescheduled for August 2 according to public documents.

Talley, who was scheduled to have his preliminary hearing on July 26, has also had his hearing continued. There has not been a rescheduled date posted to public court documents as of Tuesday evening.

All three men are charged with Trafficking in Persons, Victim Under 18 Years of Age.

Bryan and Youmans have also been charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor.

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

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

Staff reports Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation are inviting the world to celebrate Gullah/ Geechee Nation Appreciation Week 2024. This event, celebrated now for more than a decade, will be launched with Gullah/Geechee Famlee Day at noon, Saturday, July 27 at Penn Center on St. Helena Island.

Gullah/Geechee Nation Appreciation Week is a series of in-person and online events celebrating and supporting Gullah/ Geechee businesses, institutions and events. This allows people who are native Gullah/Geechees to authentically celebrate the continuation of their historic legacy while also supporting the Gullah/ Geechee Land & Legacy Fund.

Those who follow www.GullahGeecheeNation.com and the Gullah/Geechee Nation Facebook Fan Page or @GullahGeechee on IG

and X will see the activities that will be highlighted for each day of the celebration. The theme this year is “Gullah/Geechee Tekin a Stand and Healin de Land.”

Gullah/Geechee Famlee Day will feature songstress Adrianne Johnson, DJ Kwame Sha and DJ Apollo, and will be hosted by Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation. Black biker clubs are encouraged to attend and take part in “Gullah/Geechee Bike & Beauty.” The club that best represents Gullah/Geechee culture and the best motorcycle will be awarded prizes.

Gullah/Geechee cuisine, crafts and books will all be sold throughout the day. The York W. Bailey Museum and the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park will all have their doors open for tours. This is an indoor and outdoor event that will take place rain or shine. Folks need to bring their

own chairs, drums and tambourines and put on their dancing shoes.

Tours, workshops and days highlighting Gullah/Geechee restaurants are all part of the schedule of events for the year. The week will culminate at the Black-owned Kravegan in Jacksonville, Fla., with a “party with a purpose” celebrating the release of Queen Quet’s new children’s book, “Gullah/ Geechee Blessin pun de Sea.” Award winning R & B artist Marcus Allen will be performing while folks enjoy outstanding vegan meals. Tickets are limited and must be purchased at https://bit. ly/3WAbE8k.

Folks interested in Gullah/ Geechee Famlee Day should register at https://bit.ly/4c1307c and make sure to wear their Gullah/ Geechee gear. E gwine be a Gullah/Geechee good time!

Summer solstice

Children of all ages flocked to Alvin Settles Pool at Greene and Adventure streets during the summer solstice Thursday, June 20. The annual summer solstice provides the longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere. The Earth tilts on its axis from between 22.1 degrees to a

24.3 about every 40,000 years according to a NASA website. This year’s tilt is 23.5 degrees. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

LEGAL NOTICES

held in person at City Hall, in the Executive Conference Room 2 at 2:01 PM, August 30, 2024. Pre-Bid Meeting: City Hall, Planning Conference Room at 10:00 AM, Friday, August 2, 2024.

“EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY”

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that Masala Mantra Indian Bistro 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 1000 William Hilton Pkwy., Ste. A, Hilton Head SC 29928. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit an ABL-20 protest form by August 15, 2024. Submit the ABL-20 online at MyDORWAY. dor.sc.gov, or email ABL@dor.sc.gov.

NOTICE OF DEFAULT AND INTENT TO SELL

Name and address of Purchaser: SEE EXHIBIT A, A fee simple undivided ownership interest (SEE EXHIBIT A) in the Project as tenants(s) in common with the holders of other undivided interests in and to the timeshare property known as MBV VACATION SUITES, as established by that certain Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions and Vacation Ownership Instrument for MBV Vacation Suites, recorded at Book 3406, Pages 13121365, et seq., of the records of the R.O.D. Office for Beaufort County, South Carolina, as amended or supplemented (the “Declaration”), having Interval Control Number (SEE EXHIBIT A). You are currently in default under certain provisions for the mortgage referenced in Exhibit A. The total amount presently delinquent, with Attorney fees and costs is listed below in Exhibit A. As provided for in paragraph 4. of the aforementioned mortgage, the lien-holder has chosen to proceed with a non-judicial foreclosure procedure in accordance with Article 3 of Chapter 32 of Title 27 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina. PURSUANT TO SECTION 27-32-325, S.C. CODE ANN., 1976, AS AMENDED, YOU ARE HEREBY ADVISED OF THE FOLLOWING: IF YOU FAIL TO CURE THE DEFAULT OR TAKE OTHER APPROPRIATE ACTION WITH REGARD TO THIS

ING YOUR INTEREST IN THIS TIMESHARE ESTATE THROUGH A NONJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE PROCEDURE. HOWEVER, UNDER THE NONJUDICIAL PROCEDURE, YOU WILL NOT BE SUBJECT TO A DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT OR PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED EVEN IF THE SALE OF YOUR TIMESHARE ESTATE RESULTING FROM THE NONJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE IS INSUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE AMOUNT OF THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED. YOU MAY OBJECT TO THE SALE OF YOUR TIMESHARE ESTATE THROUGH THE NONJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE PROCEDURE AND REQUIRE FORECLOSURE OF YOUR TIMESHARE INTEREST TO PROCEED THROUGH THE JUDICIAL PROCESS. AN OBJECTION MUST BE MADE IN WRITING AND RECEIVED BY THE TRUSTEE BEFORE THE END OF THE THIRTY-DAY TIME PERIOD. YOU MUST STATE THE REASON FOR YOUR OBJECTION AND INCLUDE YOUR ADDRESS ON THE WRITTEN OBJECTION. IN A JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING THAT RESULTS FROM YOUR OBJECTION, YOU MAY BE SUBJECT TO A DEFICIENCY JUDGMENT AND PERSONAL LIABILITY FOR THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED IF THE SALE OF YOUR TIMESHARE ESTATE RESULTING FROM THE JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE IS INSUFFICIENT TO SATISFY THE AMOUNT OF THE LIEN BEING FORECLOSED. FURTHERMORE, YOU ALSO MAY BE SUBJECT TO A PERSONAL MONEY JUDGMENT FOR THE COSTS AND ATTORNEY’S FEES INCURRED BY THE LIENHOLDER IN THE JUDICIAL FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING IF THE COURT FINDS THAT THERE IS COMPLETE ABSENCE OF A JUSTIFIABLE ISSUE OF EITHER LAW OR FACT RAISED BY YOUR OBJECTIONS OR DEFENSES. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CURE YOUR DEFAULT AT ANY TIME BEFORE THE SALE OF YOUR TIMESHARE ESTATE, BY PAYMENT OF ALL PAST DUE LOAN PAYMENTS OR ASSESSMENTS, ACCRUED INTEREST, LATE FEES, TAXES, AND ALL FEES AND COSTS INCURRED BY THE LIENHOLDER AND TRUSTEE, INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS, IN CONNECTION WITH THE DEFAULT. Any response or inquiry should be made in writing to King Cunningham, LLC, Attn: Jeffrey W. King, Esq.

who is serving as Trustee in this matter, at the following address: 1000 2nd Ave S, Ste 325, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582. EXHIBIT “A” Owner(s), Address, TS Interest, Interval Control No. (Unit, Week, OEB), Deed BK/PG, MTG BK/PG, Default Amount, Costs, Attorney Fee, Total Amount Due, Per Diem; MARLENE ALMETER BAKER&BRISTO BAKER JR, 989 BURLINGTON DR, AUGUSTA, GA 30909-9247, 0.0073861610410129%, U1303W7O, 3972/3366, 3972/3371, $8,561.20, $459.69, $450, $8,636.20, $4.13.; LESIA SMITH , 1956 COUNTY RD 215, ABILENE, TX 79602, 0.0147723220820258%, U1605-W24B, 4197/1288, 4197/1293, $68,360.92, $459.69, $450, $68,435.92, $33.3.; MANUEL GUY REID&SABRENA S. REID, 13111 VISTA DRIVE, COVINGTON, GA 30014, 0.0073861610410129%, U2106W7O, 4208/1322, 4208/1327, $15,108.11, $459.69, $450, $15,208.11, $8.13.; DANIELLE JANEAU COURY&JAMES WILLIAM DOWNES, 12016 SUELLEN CIRCLE, WELLINGTON, FL 33414, 0.0073861610410129%, U2509-W4O, 4230/1, 4230/6, $13,612.84, $459.69, $450, $13,712.84, $7.36.; MONIQUE RIAS , 3510 HAZEL LN, HAZEL CREST, IL 60429-1614, 0.0073861610410129%, U2310-W3E, 4199/631, 4199/636, $15,357.95, $459.69, $450, $15,457.95, $8.15.; ALAINA GENEAN BROOKS-LEWIS&JAMES EARLINGTON LEWIS JR., 238 STAFFORD AVE, BRUNSWICK, GA 31525-2392, 0.0073861610410129%, U1501W6O, 3632/393, 3632/398, $6,860.89, $459.69, $450, $6,960.89, $2.94.; MICHAEL BARTON RICHARDS JR. , 937 N HOMESTEAD RD, PICKENS, SC 29671-9315, 0.0147723220820258%, U1201-W2B, 3772/596, 3772/601, $16,013.66, $459.69, $450, $16,113.66, $7.59.; CATHY STREETER MANGUM , 901 BALLAST DR., KNIGHTDALE, NC 27545, 0.0073861610410129%, U2303-W3O, 4208/13, 4208/18, $11,513.34, $459.69, $450, $11,613.34, $6.23.; BENJAMIN LEE HAWKS&CHERYL LYNN HAWKS, 820 WINDSOR, GRAYSON, GA 30017-4943, 0.0147723220820258%, U2507-W20B,

3710/1527, 3710/1532, $8,116.63, $459.69, $450, $8,216.63, $2.48.; LORI ANNE CROUSE , 207 WASHINGTON PLACE DR, PERRY, GA 31069, 0.0147723220820258%, U1605-W8B, 4088/86, 4088/91, $33,896.12, $459.69, $450, $33,996.12, $13.79.; SHEILA OAKLEY HIGGINS , 3915 CARNEGIE AVE UNIT 324, MYRTLE BEACH, SC 29588, 0.0147723220820258%, U1303-W52B, 3593/2184, 3593/2189, $15,291.80, $459.69, $450, $15,391.80, $6.97.; LONNIE ANTHONY ROSELL , 1735 MAPLEWOOD DR, EDGEWATER, FL 32132-3011, 0.0147723220820258%, U2106-W12B, 4233/2611, 4233/2616, $37,701.71, $459.69, $450, $37,801.71, $15.42.; SYDNEY RENEE SHORTER&JASON L SHORTER, 3035 ZERMATT WAY, SNELLVILLE, GA 30078-6678, 0.0147723220820258%, U2107W50B, 4229/3376, 4229/3381, $19,957.72, $459.69, $450, $20,057.72, $8.61.; THOMAS JERRY HOGGE&BARBARA GALLIMORE HOGGE, 5313 CALYPSO CT, HOPE MILLS, NC 283489245, 0.0073861610410129%, U2503-W6E, 4163/2460, 4163/2465, $12,600.19, $459.69, $450, $12,700.19, $5.56.; THOMAS JOSEPH CESTRONI , 893 SAINT JAMES AVE, SPRINGFIELD, MA 01104, 0.0147723220820258%, U2206W21B,U2410-W20B, 4263/1758, 4263/1764, $86,167.07, $459.69, $450, $86,267.07, $44.85.; YOLANDA Y. BARKER&NATALIE NICOLE LARKIN, 9259 S LAFLIN ST, CHICAGO, IL 60620, 0.0073861610410129%, U1104W2O, 4208/1403, 4208/1408, $14,505.93, $459.69, $450, $14,605.93, $6.17.; RICHARD WERNER MEYER&ERLINDA HERNANDEZ MEYER, 909 VANDALIA DR., CARY, NC 275191888, 0.0147723220820258%, U1311W22B, 3815/1434, 3815/1439, $51,517.69, $459.69, $450, $51,617.69, $23.06.; JENNIPHER E VENEGAS RODRIGUEZ , 1750 20TH AVENUE DR

Marquetta Goodwine aka Queen Quet, Chieftess and Head of State for the Gullah-Geechee Nation, speaks during Gullah-Geechee Famlee Day 2023 at Penn Center. Bob Sofaly/File/The Island News

Staff reports

Beaufort County Walk for Water set for Sept. 14, 21

1,000 walkers expected to raise money for access to clean, safe water

Registration is open for the eighth annual Beaufort County Walk for Water on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Live Oaks Park in Port Royal and Sept. 21 at Wright Family Park in Bluffton. An estimated 1 000 walkers are expected to participate, helping raise a record $100,000 to fight the global water crisis.

Beaufort County Walk for Water promotes awareness of the global water crisis and raises money to provide sustainable, safe water around the world. All money raised benefits Water Mission, a nonprofit Christian engineering organization based in Charleston that builds safe water solutions in developing countries and disaster areas. The walk hit historic highs last year with more than 700

registered walkers on both sides of the Beaufort River.

Their participation will help dramatically change the lives of thousands of people in desperate need, according to Robert Lasher, Beaufort County Walk for Water committee chair.

“The money the walk raises makes a life-changing difference for generations in communities around the world,” Lasher said. “As little as $50 provides one person ongoing access to safe, clean water,” Lasher said. “$500 can create latrine sanitation for a community, and just over $1 000 can build solar panels for a power source.”

Participants will be encouraged to carry a bucket of water on part of a 3-mile walk to symbolize the burden millions of women and children in developing countries car-

ry daily to collect water that’s often contaminated. That unsafe water has dire consequences: a person dies from

water-related illness every 37 seconds somewhere in the world, according to Water Mission.

Registration is open now on the Walk for Water website at walkforwater.com/ beaufort. Registration is $25

for adults ages 18 and older, $10 for youths ages 5 to 17, and free for children 4 and younger. A $5 discount is available for those who register by Sept. 4 using the code EARLYBIRD on the registration site.

All participants get a T-shirt but must register by Aug. 13 to be guaranteed preferred sizes. In addition, those who register now can double their impact thanks to a limited-time matching gift donation of up to $10,000 Follow Beaufort County Walk for Water on Facebook and Instagram @BeaufortWalkforWater, and on Twitter #bftwalkforwater. For more information, call 843769-7395. For sponsorship information, contact Lasher at 843-906-8118 or rlasher5519@gmail.com.

Beaufort County Council highlights and actions: July 15

Staff reports

The Beaufort County Council held their regular meeting Monday evening, July 15

Below are some highlights from that meeting:

Council Member Alice Howard presented a proclamation to Beaufort County Coroner David Ott recognizing him as SC Coroner of the Year

Approval to authorize the County Administrator to accept an infrastructure planning grant from S.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority for the Alljoy community

Approval of resolution to accept a FAA BIL Airport Terminal Program grant for $5m for Hilton Head Island Airport terminal improvements

Approval of resolution to accept a FAA BIL Airport taxiway rehabilitation project

Approval of resolution to accept a FAA grant for $137 209 for Hilton Head Island Airport airfield drainage improvements

From the Consent Agenda: Approval of an ordinance authorizing acceptance of

drainage easements located in Shell Point

Approval of an ordinance authorizing conveyance of real property from Beaufort County to City of Beaufort associated with US 21 airport area and Frontage Road improvements

Approval of an ordinance amending Beaufort County's Traffic Impact Analysis Policy

Approval of an ordinance providing appropriation of funds from local A-tax committee

Approval of an ordinance providing appropriation of funds from local H-tax committee

SCDOT to hold a drop-in public information meeting in Beaufort County

Staff reports

The S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will hold a drop-in public information meeting on Thursday, Aug. 1, regarding a proposed intersection improvement project in Beaufort County. The meeting will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., at Burton Wells County Park located at 1 Middleton Recreation Drive in Beaufort. SCDOT representatives will be available at the meeting to discuss the proposed project with members of the community. This is a drop-in style meeting and there will be no formal presentation.

SCDOT proposes to convert the inter-

section at S.C. 116 (Laurel Bay Road) and S-597 (Stanley Farm Road) into a single lane roundabout in order to reduce the number of severe crashes and improve safety. This intersection was identified through the Highway Safety Improvement Program using a data driven approach to identify potential safety enhancements through infrastructure improvements.

Those interested are asked to visit https://bit.ly/3SiD144 to learn more.

For more information about this and other proposed SCDOT projects, please visit the SCDOT’s public information meeting webpage at https://bit.ly/3WA9Qwc.

from page A1

assessment of the park’s relieving platform. The report contained several recommendations based on the conditions of the structure discovered during the assessment. To help guide efforts toward pursuing these recommendations, the city is seeking the services of a qualified professional.

Chamber from page A1

“This is the next step in identifying the best approach to a longterm solution to address the recommendations made in the recent Relieving Platform Structural Evaluation – 2024 report,” City Manager Scott Marshall said. The RFQ requirements include:

• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience engineering complex civil, structural, marine, coastal, and waterfront

Matters arising out of Executive Session: Beaufort County Attorney Tom Keaveny announced his retirement; County Council thanked him for his years of service and dedication to the County Chairman Joe Passiment announced that the Daufuskie Island Ferry plan submitted by Lowcountry Ferry Service is being evaluated The Memo of Agreement (MOA) from Hilton Head Island regarding the US 278 expansion project is being

thoroughly evaluated to make sure it meets all state requirements. The project is at 30% completion and Council looks forward to a positive working relationship with Hilton Head Island elected officials.

The next regular County Council meeting will be 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 12. For the complete agenda for all meetings, visit https://bit. ly/3ycPdg6. To watch all meetings in their entirety, visit https:// bit.ly/3SfvdQz.

Beaufort Health Department hosting free breast cancer screenings

Staff reports

The South Carolina Department of Public Health and the Beaufort County Health Department are holding an event offering free breast cancer screenings, mammograms and cervical checks to women who qualify.

To qualify for a free mammogram through the Best Chance Network, women must be ages 21 to 64 and be without insurance or have a high insurance deductible.

According to the press release, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer

type projects, preferably in the Southeast. Previous experience with projects of similar scope, complexity, and magnitude to that of the relieving platform.

Demonstrated knowledge of and experience working with local, state, and federal permitting requirements and processes associated with marine, coastal, and waterfront projects.

among women in South Carolina and is the second most common cause of cancer-related death.

Mammograms can detect breast cancer before there are signs or symptoms and breast cancer is mostly treatable if found in the early stages.

The event will be held on Monday, July 29, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Beaufort County Health Department at 601 Wilmington Street. To schedule an appointment, call 843792-0878

Demonstrated knowledge of available grant and other funding sources.

Demonstrated knowledge of local marine conditions associated with coastal saltwater estuaries and impacts associated with forecasted sea-level rise.

The RFQ is open now and will close at 2 p.m. on Aug. 30. For more details and instructions on how to submit a proposal, go to bit.ly/41Xi5Sm.

The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, completed and opened in 1979, is a major meeting hub and venue for festivals and concerts for the City of Beaufort.

Demonstrated experience working on complex projects that involve local, state, and federal purchasing, procurement, and contracting procedures.

As president, she serves as the

committed to building a team of professionals, internally and externally, to leading and to strengthening the partnership between local, state and national government officials. There are many opportunities ahead for Beaufort, and the Chamber will be at the leadership table to be a part of the solutions.” Morris has worked for the Chamber since August 2021 when she was hired as the Director of Member Services before being promoted to vice president.

executive chief and is responsible for all the aspects of operations for the Chamber. She reports directly to the Board of Directors through the annually elected Chair. According to the release, the chamber professional provides vision, strategic direction and management for the programs and

personnel of the organization.

“I decided several years ago that working to improve the community where I grew up was going to be a career goal for me,” Morris said. “I believe the skill sets I bring to the Chamber will be beneficial as we move forward on the advocacy front at the local, regional state and national levels.

Beaufort is where I want to leave a positive legacy during my tenure as president.”

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

More than 700 registered walkers — on both sides of the Beaufort River — took part in the 2024 Walk For Water. Organizers are hoping for a strong turnout again this September. Photo courtesy of Walk For Water.

The church equips Christians for ministry

’ve been in church all

Imy life and I know people who believe that attending an assembly fulfills the majority of their Christian obligations.

Somewhere down through the centuries the idea of the Ekklesia being a bootcamp to train soldiers and a school to teach disciples how to engage in spiritual warfare and develop their ministries, became watered down into an easy country club lifestyle of comfort and pride.

The word Ekklesia appears in the New Testament 114 times and is often translated as church or assembly. It means to be called out by God into the light of His kingdom, and called out from the darkness of a sinful world. Unfortunately, most members are content to give offerings to pay the one percent to do 99 percent of the work.

We’ve read lately how a

few Christians in Oklahoma and Louisiana, read the memo about putting on the whole armor of God and were not afraid to battle against those who wanted to keep God’s word out of public schools. In Louisiana it is now in litigation that all public classrooms must post the 10 commandments, and in Oklahoma, the same is true including there must also be a Bible in every class.

We realize when prayer was removed from public education in 1962 the church was asleep. The Supreme Court’s decision

prohibited state-sponsored prayer in schools, including Bible reading. Finally, the sleeping giant has awakened and as we can see, there is no reason why every state cannot take back what was lost and more.

Yes, of course, there are parents and lawyers who are fighting against these decisions, because they do not want children to be influenced by Jesus Christ the Almighty God, The Alpha and Omega who just so happens to be the creator of all things and knows all things. And yet these same enemies of divine truth work night and day to flood our education system with a tsunami of woke propaganda that is twisting and indoctrinating the minds of the little ones.

This is not a Republican–Democrat, conservative or liberal disagreement, it is clearly a war between good and evil. We recently cele-

Love God, Love Others, Reach Out

Join Us for Worship & Fellowship

Sunday Morning Worship at 8:30 & 10:30

81 Lady’s Island Drive

Pastor Steve Keeler • (843) 525-0696 • seaislandpresbyterian.org

brated our nations independence, and there are many true stories associated with God and the founding of this nation. Many watch fireworks and eat a hot dog because they love being free to do whatever they want, but hardly understand that our liberty was about loving and serving God.

An Englishman named Thomas Paine came to the colonies at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin and published a book in 1776 called “Common Sense.” It challenged the authority of the British Royal Monarchy, and encouraged the colonies that to be free from oppressive legislation by the King of England they had three choices: Do nothing, rely on their colonial government, or have the people rise up and follow what God was saying even if it cost them everything. They wisely chose the latter and their trail of blood proves it.

It appears God’s church is standing at a similar crossroad today as religious spirits of compromise and fear are trying to manipulate and control the bride and body of Christ. Lukewarm Christians will spend hours watching the news and never lift a finger or bow their knees in prayer. Why not? They do not pray because they are backslidden, and they do not want to get involved for fear of persecution. The enemy whispers to soft and weak religious attitudes; “everything is alright, go back to sleep.”

This is not a seeker-friendly, patty cake devotion that avoids offending those who disagree. It’s time to either stand and allow God to demonstrate His glory, or just keep playing church. We’ve had more than enough cookie-cutter programs from pastors and preachers who are intimidat-

ed to relay what God wants to say in this hour. Where is the prophet and watchman on the wall? Yes, we are divided in our spiritual, political, and social views, but how can a true remnant follower of Jesus possibly ignore or embrace what God is strongly against?

There are only two sides and the line has been drawn. I John 4:4 declares, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” but who understands that God is waiting for someone to walk in this authority with faith, holiness, and obedience? We hear about fairness and rights but very little about truth, sacrifice, discipline, and judgment.

Billy Holland is a Christian minister, chaplain, and author. Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.

“I Can’t

Hear You!”

Hearing God in a Noisy World

Have you ever been in a noisy restaurant?

You are with a friend, trying to have a good conversation and catch up with one another. But with all of the other voices coming from nearby tables, and the music playing over the speakers, it is almost impossible to hear your friend’s voice and understand what he or she is saying.

This is what our daily lives are like.

We are always surrounded by noise of some sort. Many of us never experience true silence from the time we step out of bed to the time we climb back in. We are always hearing voices competing for our attention, often literally on television and on the radio, but also through texts, alerts on our phone, and other distractions.

The noisiest things are usually the least important.

We are given breathless updates about changes to a celebrity’s diet, the latest sports drama, or the most recent political intrigue. We are constantly urged to focus time and energy on things which won’t matter a year or even a week from now. When you think about it, isn’t it rather exhausting? And does it ever bring us the peace that we seek?

God is speaking to us, but we can’t hear him.

He is like the friend in the restaurant, sitting at the table with you. He wants to share with you from his heart; he wants to help you get to know him. But with so many voices and distractions, his voice is drowned out. His voice is a quiet voice, a voice that is heard in the silence of our hearts.

Silence allows us to hear God.

In silence, we come to understand ourselves in a deeper way. We receive new clarity on the events happening in our lives. We can start to think about the big questions in life, such as “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” And in this quiet reflection, we allow ourselves an opportunity to meet God and to be guided by him.

Why not make room for some silence in your day?

There are many ways to build some quiet time into the day. You could enjoy a quiet cup of coffee before leaving for work, thinking about the day ahead of you. You could turn off the radio on the way to work, or take a walk on your lunch break with your phone turned off. As little as ten or fifteen minutes of silence can help give peace and clarity to your entire day!

Seeking God

BILLY HOLLAND

SPORTS & ARTS

A bangbang play

Shockers second baseman Lawson Griffith,

Backing up the play for the Shockers is shortstop Zack McClam. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Beaufort Film Society holding early-bird sale for 2025 BIFF tickets

Staff reports

The Beaufort Film Society (BFS) is holding an early-bird sale event for tickets to the 2025 Beaufort International Film Festival for it’s members.

The Beaufort Film Society will present the 19th annual Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF) from Feb. 18 through Feb. 23 2025 at the USC Beaufort, Center for the Arts at 805 Carteret Street, Beaufort.

This is a members-only sale for All-Events tickets ($235) at more than 20% off the regular BFS price of $299. Nonmembers can join when purchasing the tickets and receive the discount. Minimum membership is $50 per year. For more information, to join the BFS or to purchase titckets, visit https://bit.ly/4bXOi0I.

The 2024 BIFF welcomed thousands of attendees from several countries to Beaufort County for six fun-filled days of movie watching and star gazing. Come experience what has been called by many attendees as well as filmmakers as the "best little film festival in the southeast."

As of June 2024, BIFF was ranked by filmmakers

as one of the TOP 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals by FilmFreeway.

The Opening Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18. There will be no ticket sales at the door for the opening ceremony. The All-Events ticket includes admission to the Opening Ceremony.

All film screenings will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19, Thursday, Feb. 20, Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22 at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, Center for the Arts at 805 Carteret Street, Beaufort. Awards will be presented in the categories of Feature Film, Documentary -- Short and Feature Length; Animation; Short Films; Student Films; Screenplays; Best Muscial Score; and Best Ensemble Cast. There are

ARTS BRIEFS

Lunch With Authors returns in October

It’s almost that time of year again. Join USC Beaufort Center for the Arts for another great season of Lunch with Authors! Meet and dine with a tasty mix of New York Times best-selling authors, award-winning authors, and debut authors. All lun-

also the Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Actor cat egories and the ever-popu lar audience voted awards -- Audience Choice and Best Comedy.

The Festivial will also showcase its Duty and Hon or Category. This category will stand alone from the other categories in that re flect positively on the service and sacrifices of our Unit ed States Military, Law En forcement, Fire and Rescue personnel and other first re sponders and their families.

The Pre-Awards Cham pagne Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 23 at the USCB Center for the Arts. No tickets will be sold at the door for the Awards Ceremony. The All-Events ticket includes admission to the Awards Ceremony.

cheons will be held at noon at Belfair Clubhouse, 200 Belfair Oaks Blvd., Bluffton. The complete schedule and tickets are available at https://www.uscbcenterforthearts.com/lunch-with-authors. Lunch will be served at noon, and there will be books available for purchase and signing before and after the luncheon. Bon appe-read!

Bebbington to appear

Author Jon Bebbington will sign copies of his Spanish-American War thriller The Battle of Fort Scarlet, (a novel of Fort Fremont) from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, July 27 at The Beaufort Bookstore, 2127 Boundary Street. Refreshments will be available. – From staff reports

center, applies the tag preventing Braves runner Joe Fields from stealing second base during their Beaufort County Adult Men’s Baseball League game

Wednesday, July 17, at Burton Wells Recreation Park. The Braves, trailing by three runs, came alive in the bottom of fifth inning to win the game, 14-7.

What is smiling depression?

Smiling depression describes when a person masks depression behind a smile.

Someone with smiling depression looks happy on the outside when, in reality, they may be experiencing feelings of internal hopelessness and sadness.

As they can hide their depression so well, people with smiling depression often fail to get the treatment they desperately need.

People who live with this type of untreated depression may be at a higher risk of hurting themselves and of death by suicide. Although it may be difficult to recognize, doctors can treat smiling depression with medications and other behavioral therapies.

Smiling depression is not a medical diagnosis. Instead, it is a term mental health professionals use to describe people with a depressive disorder who hide their symptoms from others.

People with smiling depression can carry on with most day-to-day activities, yet they are privately living with a serious mood disorder.

Depression is not the same as the blues or occasional feelings of sadness. With normal sadness, there is usually a reason behind it, and it lasts for a short while before going away. With depression, often, the sadness does not lift for long periods, making a person feel there is no possible relief to their feelings of gloom and despair. Depression is an all-consuming and ongoing state that can significantly impact a person’s ability to function.

Depression is a common mood disorder. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about 280 million people worldwide who experience depression. People may try to hide their depression behind a smile for several reasons. These may include: they worry what others will think they do not want to burden others they fear job loss they think the depression will go away if they pretend to be happy they may not realize they are depressed they do not know how to get help

Despite their outward smile and pretension to be happy, people with smiling depression are still experiencing typical symptoms of depression.

Symptoms tend to develop gradually over days or weeks and can vary greatly from person to person. They may include: depressed mood fatigue, lack of energy, or exhaustion bouts of irritability or sudden shift in moods anxiety or tendency to worry recurrent thoughts of death or suicidal ideation or intent feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness obsessive ruminations or intrusive thoughts loss of interest in pleasurable activities changes in appetite or weight avoidance of social interactions or events difficulty with concentration or making decisions sleep problems

Those managing classic forms of depression might have suicidal thoughts but not the energy to act on them.

However, as people with smiling depression are still able to go to work and look as if they are keeping it together, they may have the energy to plan and end their life by suicide.

Although there are many different forms of depression, hiding depression behind a smile can occur with many mood disorders.

Depression is a serious health risk that can have potentially devastating consequences for the individual who has it and their loved ones.

Depression may not always be obvious. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), and the American Academy of Family Physicians, recommend screening for depres-

sion in adults. The USPSTF also recommends the same for anyone 12 years of age or older.

Doctors treat smiling depression similarly to any other depressive disorder. Treatment varies, depending on the severity of symptoms, and often involves a combination of the treatment options.

If someone with smiling depression or any depression cancels plans or does not answer their phone, it is important to reach out to them.

It is helpful to let a person with smiling depression know that they are not alone and remind them that with treatment and time, they will get better.

If a person suspects they might have smiling depression, they should reach out to a healthcare professional or other trusted individual. Asking for support is the best thing a person can do to diagnose and treat smiling depression.

Resources for finding therapists include: the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s Find a Psychiatrist function the APA’s Psychologist Locator the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)’s Find a Therapist service the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ list of certified counselors Good Therapy’s Find a Therapist function the Black Mental Health Alliance Find a Therapist listing for those who are looking for a culturally competent mental health professional

Therapy for Latinx, which helps those who are Latinx or a person of color (POC) find culturally competent mental health professionals

There are free phone or text support is available through nonprofit organizations and charities.

Examples of beneficial telephone hotlines include:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-8255.

• The Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. The National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233, or if a person is unable to speak safely, text LOVEIS to 1-866-33194-74. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357). The Veteran’s Crisis Line: Call 1-800-2738255 and press 1, or text 838255.

A variety of mobile apps are available to support people with mental health conditions. These apps can act as a treatment aid, but they should not replace professional help.

In summary, with treatment, people can learn to manage their symptoms and begin to feel better. Individuals who are unsure of whom to contact about their symptoms should speak to a doctor, who can point them in the right direction.

Sources: https://www. medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ smiling-depression; National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH)

Make smart seafood choices to minimize mercury intake

Fish and shellfish are great sources of lean protein, and many types are rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. But there’s a catch: some species of fish contain worrisome amounts of methylmercury, a toxin that’s especially dangerous to developing brains. That’s why women who are or could become pregnant and young children shouldn’t eat high-mercury fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish. A new study hints that eating too much— or the wrong kind—of salmon and tuna can also boost mercury levels.

One 6-oz serving OR two 6-oz servings OR three 6-oz servings per week of per week of per week of salmon (wild caught, or canned) Atlantic mackerel squid/calamari whitefish/walleye sardines (canned) ocean perch herring trout (wild caught) flat fish anchovies (canned) mussels flounder trout (wild caught) pollock sole salt cod/bacalao

An expanded version of this table is available in the online Nutrition Journal.

Eat seafood, go for variety

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise us to eat eight ounces of seafood a week (12 ounces a week for women who are pregnant). That would deliver enough omega-3 fatty acids to help brain and nerve growth and protect the heart. But eight ounces is more than double the amount of fish the average American eats in a week.

person hoping to follow a hearthealthy diet— supposed to do?

Eating some fish is good. Eating lots of it might not be. The health effects of blood mercury levels somewhat above the healthy range simply isn’t known. So, what’s a fish aficionado—or just the average

The table below can help you make choices. It features low-mercury varieties and includes how much to eat to get suggested levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

If sustainability of fish populations is a concern for you, check out Seafood Watch (Sea-

foodWatch.org) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It aims to help consumers and businesses make choices for good health and healthy oceans.

Low-mercury

seafood choices

There are many different ways to get the recommended weekly amount of omega-3 fatty acids. You can do it with a single meal of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, or multiple meals of species with lesser amounts.

Source: https://www.health.harvard. edu/blog/make-smart-seafood-choicesminimize-mercury-intake-201404307130

How to read nutrition facts labels

If you’ve ever read the nutrition facts on the back of packaged food, then you know there’s a whole lot of information listed and that can be overwhelming if you don’t know what it all means.

Beth Czerwony, RD, registered dietitian for Cleveland Clinic, has some tips to keep in mind when grocery shopping.

“The biggest thing is looking at the portion size

because it can be confusing,” said Czerwony. “Food labels have morphed over time, so you may see two food labels on the back of a package. One is for the entire package and one is for that actual serving.” She said everyone is going to be looking for different things on the nutrition facts label.

For example, someone with diabetes may pay spe-

cial attention to the added sugars and total carbohydrates. Meanwhile, someone doing keto may be more focused on the fat content.

As far as what to avoid, she recommends that you steer clear of any foods that have saturated fats and trans fats in them.

On the flip side, you should pay attention to the fiber; the more the better.

She said it can be helpful to set some parameters for yourself ahead of time, like how many calories you want to consume.

That way you know exactly what to look for and won’t get overwhelmed.

“Sometimes you have to make compromises, sometimes you have to make the best decision based on what

that food is and what’s available and kind of go from there,” she said. “But, over time as you become more proficient in it, and you have a better idea of certain brands and certain stores, it’s going to be a little easier. In the very beginning, it does take a little bit of time and a little bit of investigation to know what you’re looking for.”

She notes it’s important to look at both sides of packaged food because what’s advertised on the front may not include everything that’s actually inside. And when in doubt, it’s best to consult with a dietitian who can create a specific plan for your needs.

Source: ccnewsservice@ccf.org July 17, 2024

HEALTH & WELLNESS

How to ease anxiety when the news is affecting your life

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Turn on the nightly news or sign into your favorite social media site, and you're likely to see reports of scary and disturbing events happening around the world. Knowing what's going on is important, but sometimes it also can feel like too much.

"Repetitive and even near-constant exposure to stressful events, especially those beyond our control, can lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression," says Robert P. Bright, M.D., a psychiatrist at Mayo Clinic (Arizona). "Sometimes the 'bad news' seems to be coming from every angle. It can be very overwhelming."

Stress can lead to burnout

When people are stressed, their adrenal glands release a hormone called adrenaline. This hormone gives energy to get up and fight. But when you're constantly exposed to stress, you can become physically and emotionally exhausted. You burn out.

Burnout can feel like:

Lack of energy.

No motivation.

A sense of hopelessness.

Depressed mood.

Apathy and indifference.

Withdrawal from others.

Eating too much or too little.

Disrupted sleep.

How to cope when the news is overwhelming

Anxiety can build when people feel that a situation is out of their control. But specific coping strategies can help you feel more in control. Try the tips below when worry about the news starts to dis-

rupt your life:

• Limit your exposure to news media. The constant flow of news can heighten fears and anxiety. It can be hard to stop scrolling but try to give yourself a limit. Consider checking the news once in the morning and again in the evening. Avoid staying up late to monitor news. Leaving the

news on can keep stressful events on your mind. Instead, turn it off and let your mind relax for sleep.

• Seek out reputable sources. Turn the news off when you notice the anchors or guests offering opinions rather than confirmed information. You also can block social media accounts that spread information that isn't accurate.

• Find activities you enjoy. Instead of reading or listening to the news, do something you enjoy and find calming. You might feel better after taking a walk, doing a hobby, or eating a healthy meal.

• Connect with others. Reach out to friends and family for support. You could discuss ways to help solve the problems you see in the news. Maybe your group could make care packages, do a fundraiser or volunteer to plant trees.

Help is available

Sometimes stress and anxiety may become more than you can handle on your own. Help is available. Contact your primary healthcare professional if you experience:

Difficulty sleeping.

Changes in eating patterns. Difficulty concentrating on your daily tasks.

Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, sadness that lasts a long time or overwhelming worry.

Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/ connected-care/how-to-ease-anxietywhen-the-news-is-affecting-your-life/

The content offered in this Care magazine® supplement are here to educate consumers on health care, wellness, lifestyle, and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Nothing in the content, products or services should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The articles, references and options contained herein do not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing, or other professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. None of the products or services offered through this publication represents or warrants that any particular service or product is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. We advise readers to always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions regarding personal health or medical conditions. —Care magazine® editor, caremagazine@gmail.com

WELCOMES

Beaufort Memorial Surgical Specialists has added boardcertified physician assistant Bailey Stewart Toulson, PA-C, to its clinical team, enhancing surgical care for area residents.

A Georgia native, Toulson earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry at Georgia Southern University. She holds a Master of Science in Physician Assistant from South University.

At the practice, Toulson will assist board-certified general surgeons in both the clinic and operating room where she’ll perform pre- and post-operative procedures such as prepping patients for surgery, closing incisions and applying wound dressings. Additionally, she will evaluate patients pre- and post-surgery and provide consultations to emergency room and hospital patients.

360, BEAUFORT OKATIE MEDICAL PAVILION, 122 OKATIE CENTER BLVD., NORTH, SUITE 300, OKATIE

2024 WATER FESTIVAL

Finish from page A1

dore, he said he thinks his wife, Patsy, was more disappointed that the Commodore’s Ball was cancelled than he was.

“I was not looking forward to getting up on stage and dancing in front of all of Beaufort,” Stowe said.

Stowe, who has been a teacher in Beaufort County for decades, has volunteered with the Beaufort Water Festival since 1995 when a fellow teacher invited him to come along and help put

up and take down the outer fencing at the festival. When asked what has kept him coming back for so many years, Stowe said that he gets personal satisfaction from volunteering, and it is something he loves to do.

He also said that while he is honored to be the new Commodore, he is sad because it means that he will no longer be able to volunteer with the festival.

“What am I supposed to do with my summers now?” Stowe said.

When asked what his focus will be for the 69th Beaufort Water Festival, he said that they are really

going to be focusing on recruiting new volunteers and plan to start as early as January.

Beyond that, Stowe said that he has been around the festival for so long that he is known as the historian of the Beaufort Water Festival and hopes to bring back several events that have not been held in the past few years.

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

On July 19, 2024, spectators, hopeful for the Annual Beaufort Water Festival Bed Race to start, sit with umbrellas as they wait for the rain to pass. Ultimately, Water Festival organizers decided to cancel the race due to inclement weather. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

The 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival Pirettes wave to the crowd as they pass by during the Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

A Dolphin helicopter and members of the U.S. Coast Guard from Savannah and USCG Station Tybee, Ga., perform a rescue demonstration at the Annual Beaufort Water Festival June 20, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Kensley Wells takes the crowd back to the roaring 20’s with her rendition of Roxie on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, during the Annual Beaufort Water Festival Talent Show. Amber Hewitt/ The Island News

During the Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, July 21, 2024, boat riders hold up signs saying Todd to signify the change of the Commodore. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

An airplane flown by Chef Pitts Airshows pilot, Clemens Kuhlig, performs aerial tricks during the Beaufort Water Festival Air Show Sponsored by Executive Flight Training on Saturday, July 20, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

A young girl holds a plate of Lowcountry Boil at the Beaufort Water Festival Lowcountry Supper on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

The original 1969 Pirettes made an appearance in the 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival parade on Saturday, July 20, 2024, marking 55 years since their debut. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Dancers from Dani’s Dance Dynamics captivate the crowd on stage during the Annual Beaufort Water Festival Talent Show on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

2024 WATER FESTIVAL

A diver with the U.S. Coast Guard holds up a flare for the water while performing a rescue demonstration during the Annual Beaufort Water Festival on June 20, 2024. Amber Hewitt/ The Island News

Although the Annual Beaufort Water Festival Bed Race set to take place on July 19, 2024, canceled, spectators caught a quick glimpse of the beds coming down Bay Street in the rain. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Always a crowd pleaser, The Whistlers perform at the Beaufort Water Festival Lowcountry Supper on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Carson Bruce and fellow Rotarians serve delicious watermelon at the Beaufort Water Festival Lowcountry Supper on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

The Hilton Head Island Airport rescue truck made quite the splash on Saturday, July 20, 2024, in the 68th Annual Beaufort Water Festival parade. Parade goers were sprayed with water as it drove down Bay Street. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

On Saturday, July 20, 2024, Stoneworks School of Rocks made an appearance in the Annual Beaufort Water Festival parade. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

The Annual Beaufort Water Festival 69th Commodore, Todd Stowe and family wave to the crowd as they pass by during the Blessing of the Fleet on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

On July 19, 2024, spectators, hopeful for the Annual Beaufort Water Festival Bed Race to start, sit with umbrellas as they wait for the rain to pass. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

An airplane flies over the Woods Memorial Bridge during the Beaufort Water Festival Air Show Sponsored by Executive Flight Training on Saturday, July 20, 2024.

Amber Hewitt/The Island News

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

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

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

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

SC Democratic delegates enthusiastic about Harris

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s

delegates to the Democratic National Convention are enthusiastic about their decision to back Vice President Kamala Harris — and they think her ability to make history will turn out Democrats in November too, they told the S.C. Daily Gazette on Monday, July 22

“At the end of the day, we have the opportunity to make history by electing the first African American woman to the presidency,” said Trav Robertson, former chairman of the state Democratic Party and a delegate to the convention.

“I think it sends an exciting message to African American women who have long been the backbone of the party that we stand ready to support her,” he continued.

Harris, a daughter of immigrants and the nation’s first woman vice president, is also the first Black vice president and the first of South Asian descent. Her father is from Jamaica and her mother is from India.

“The energy that we’re going to see at this convention … it’s going to be close to what folks experienced in Denver in 2008,” when President Barack Obama was nominated, said delegate Dono-

van Malloy, an attorney and son of state Sen. Gerald Malloy of Hartsville.

“So, we’re just excited because it’s kind of something we’ve been waiting for,” he said.

The overwhelming vote by delegates on Sunday to endorse Harris came just hours after President Joe Biden ended his bid for re-election. His announcement on social media followed weeks of increasing calls from within his own party to bow out after his disastrous debate performance with former President Donald Trump.

SEE DELEGATES PAGE B4

Vice President Kamala Harris walks to the podium after hugging state Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine (right), who introduced Harris, before she gave the keynote address at King Day at the Dome on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbia. Mary Ann Chastain/File/Special to the S.C. Daily Gazette

S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis asks for help from his staff on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, during a Senate Finance subcommittee meeting concerning $1.8 billion that has been discovered in an account. Travis Bell/Statehouse Carolina/Special to the S.C.

Mystery money

DC consultant tapped in search for origins of SC’s $1.8B in mystery money

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — South Carolina

selected a Washington, D.C., consulting firm best known for restructuring companies in bankruptcy to search for the origins of $1 8 billion in taxpayer funding that sat unidentified and untouched in a bank account for more than five years.

The state’s administrative agen-

cy selected AlixPartners for the forensic audit contract worth up to $3 million, according to a “notice of award” posted Thursday on the state’s procurement website.

The contract runs from July 18 through June 30, 2025, according to the notice.

The official contract has not yet been publicly posted and the state Department of Administration did

not immediately respond Friday to questions from the SC Daily Gazette.

AlixPartners will be required to provide an interim report on its findings at the end of September.

The final report is due to the governor and legislative leaders by the end of the year, according to pre-

By Jack O’Toole

Statehouse Report

To understand the debate surrounding Project 2025 – a controversial conservative federal governing blueprint prepared by the Heritage Foundation and its ideological allies, such as South Carolina’s Palmetto Promise Institute – it helps to remember there are two great political contests in America every four years. In the first, the Democratic and Republican parties duke it out to elect a president on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Then, in the second, various factions in the winning party – say, conservative Christians and libertarian free-marketeers in the GOP, or Bernie Sanders-style social democrats and Clintonian moderates on the Democratic side – fight a sharp-elbowed inside game to win control of the newly-elected president’s policy agenda and staffing process before he’s sworn in on January 20

For Beltway think tanks like the Heritage Foundation, once run by former GOP U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint

Report: Medicaid expansion would bring billions to SC

By Jack O’Toole

Statehouse Report

A new report from the Milken School of Public Health at George Washington University finds South Carolina would gain 20,000 jobs and more than $4 billion in annual economic output if it expanded its Medicaid program to cover an additional 360,000 people under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Under the ACA’s Medicaid provisions, the federal government

would pay 100% of the costs of expansion for the first three years and 90% thereafter.

The report, which analyzes the economic impact of Medicaid expansion in all 46 S.C. counties, was prepared for Cover SC, a coalition of almost 200 nonprofits, health care organizations and community partners working to extend medical coverage to the state’s uninsured residents.

“Multiple reports have already shown that Medicaid expansion

would increase health care coverage and improve health outcomes for South Carolinians,” said Cover S.C. Coalition Chair Teresa Arnold. “This new economic analysis now equips us with updated data that projects the robust economic impact of expansion to our state. As advocates on the frontline of this fight, it is up to us to equip lawmakers with timely and comprehensive data to help them see the big picture.” The report comes just two weeks

after S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster vetoed a proposed state-sponsored health care study that would have considered expansion.

“I remain unconvinced that the expansion of Medicaid benefits … is necessary, nor do I believe it is fiscally responsible,” McMaster said in his veto message.

To date, 40 states have opted to expand Medicaid, including North Carolina in 2023. In the months since, more than 500 000 Tarheel citizens have signed up

for the program, which enjoys strong bipartisan support across the state.

“Medicaid expansion is changing lives across North Carolina,” N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper told Statehouse Report in a July 8 statement. “Already leaders in states that haven’t passed it have requested information and testimony from North Carolina leaders and we are glad to share all of it with our South Carolina neighbors.”

Daily Gazette

ART

Budding Artist After-School Art Club

4 to 5 p.m., or 5:15 to 6:15 p.m., Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesday/Thursdays, Happy Art Studio, 10 Sam’s Point Way, Beaufort. Ages 8 to 13. Painting, drawing, clay or crafts. Visit www.happyartstudio. net.

& WRITERS

BOOKS

Author Jon Bebbington

4 to 6 p.m., Saturday, July 27, The Beaufort Bookstore (2127 Boundary Street., Author Jon Bebbington will sign copies of his Spanish-American War thriller “The Battle of Fort Scarlet,” (a novel of Fort Fremont). Refreshments.

CALENDAR

Back 2 School Bash

2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Washington Street Park, 1003 Washington Street, Beaufort. Sponsored by the Just Listen organization. Free school supplies will be distributed to students from K through 12. There will also be face-painting, games and food at the park.

Back to School Bash

3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, July 28, St. Helena’s Anglican Church, The Parish Hall, 507 Newcastle Street, Beaufort. Designed for foster and adoptive children, ages 5 through 14, these events provide a unique venue for special guests to have fun, be introduced to new resources and prepare for the upcoming school year. At the event, children will receive a signature Jockey Being Family backpack and teddy bear, as well as a fully loaded back-to-school supply kit, generously donated by Marines Toys for Tots Foundation. For more information and to register, click https://subspla.sh/6vj8j6s/.

Roots & Rivers Festival

2 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 14, Oyster Factory Park, 63 Wharf Street, Bluffton. Presented by BlacQuity, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Black entrepreneurs, this Coastal Cowboy and Cowgirl-themed event will include live music, line dancing, mechanical bull riding, artisanal vendors, craft beer, food trucks, and new to the festival this year, a Kid Zone and VIP experiences. The festival is set to invigorate coastal Beaufort County by providing a bustling marketplace for small businesses, artisans, and Black entrepreneurs to showcase their products. The festival aims to support the local economy and foster community growth by offering a platform for these talented individuals, creating a positive and inclusive environment for all. The festival boasts a lively beer garden, line dancing, captivating live music performances by Deas Guyz, and more. Early Bird general admission tickets for the Roots and Rivers Festival are now available for $15. For those who prefer to purchase tickets at the gate, they will be priced at $20. A limited number of VIP experiences are also available for $125. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.rootsandriversfestival.com.

39th annual Kiwanis Club of Hilton Head Island Chili Cook Off & Jeep Island Noon to 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12, Lowcountry Celebration Park, 94 Pope Avenue, Hilton Head Island. Event raises funding for local youth charities. Chili cooks will face off to determine the best concoctions in Professional, Amateur, and People’s Choice categories. Winners will earn cash prize donations to the local youth charity of their choice. The Jeep Island expo is a stunning array of Jeeps from around the nation – a must-see for any Jeep enthusiast. Local favorites RetroRoxx, Hilton Head Island’s explosive ‘80s party cover band, will be performing live! To sign up online to cook, sponsor, and buy tickets, go to https://hiltonheadkiwanis.com/chilicook-off. For more information, email the Hilton Head Kiwanis Club at hiltonheadislandkiwanis@gmail.com.

Karaoke with Melissa

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

Karaoke with Melissa

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

Trivia with 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.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Trivia with Tom – Bricks On Boundary

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Karaoke at Willie’s 8 p.m., Thursdays, Willie's Bar and Grill, 7 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Saint Helena

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Island. Come and showcase your singing talents or just enjoy the performances. For more information, visit www.GullahLove. com.

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.

Habersham Farmers Market

3 to 6 p.m., Fridays, Habersham Marketplace. Vendor roster includes B&E Farm, Cottonwood Soap, Flower Power Treats, Hardee Greens, Megs Sweet Treats, Vitamin Bee, Lady’s Island Oyster Company, Pet Wants.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Karaoke with Melissa

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

Port Royal Farmers Market

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

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

Music Bingo with Mike –Bricks On Boundary

6 p.m., Every Saturday, Bricks on Boundary, 1422 Boundary St, Beaufort. Free. Play with a team or alone, win house cash! For more information, visit https:// rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud

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

Karaoke with Melissa

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

DANCE

The Beaufort Shag Club

6:30 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays, AmVets Club, 1831 Ribaut Road, Port Royal. Free lessons for members from 6 to 6:30 p.m. We also host a dance the second Saturday of each month from 7 to 10 p.m. Lessons will run September through May only. Visit our FaceBook page (beaufortshagclub) for current events.

GOLF

Stingray Scramble

9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, Ocean Creek Golf Course, Fripp Island. Team of 4, $650. Individual, $175. Benefits Riverview Charter School. Shotgun start. 4-man scramble. Registration 8 to 8:45 a.m. Registration includes golf, gift, lunch, awards. Register at https://bit.ly/4bUzWPh.

Boy Scouts of America LowCountry Classic

11 a.m., Monday, Sept. 30, The Cat Island Club. Hosted by the Boy Scouts of America Lowcountry District. $150 per golfer or $500 for foursome. 9 a.m. registration; 1 p.m. lunch; 5 p.m. cocktails/awards. Each player hits from the tee; team selects tee shot they wish to play from; each player may then place their ball within one club length, no nearer the hole and in the same condition (rough, bunker, etc.), and play his/her own ball from that point until holed; 2 lowest net scores will count towards teams total. Each player shall receive 75% of their published handicap; maximum handicap is 24. Proceeds benefit Scouting programs in the Lowcountry District of the Coastal Carolina Council, Boy Scouts of America. All the information for players and potential sponsors

can be found at https://birdease.com/ BSACharityGolfEvent or contact Dave Soloman for more information at d.c.solomon@att.net.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

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.

BEMER Circulation Therapy

10 to 11 a.m., Fridays via Zoom. Already own a BEMER? Never heard of it but curious? Join to ask any questions about this leading-edge German technology that enhances blood flow 30% in 8 minutes. Sessions are designed to support those who have their own unit but everyone is welcome. Brought to you by BEMER Specialist -- Human & Equine, Elizabeth Bergmann. Text 410-212-1468 to get the Zoom link. Free.

HISTORY

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

The Historic Port Royal Museum 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or upon request, Thursdays through Sundays, The Historic Port Royal Museum, 1634 Paris Ave. The museum features the turn-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.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors can learn about the fort’s history during the Spanish-American War through interpretive signs, self-guided walking tours with a smart phone, exhibits in the history center, and docent-led tours. For more information visit www.fortfremont.org or contact Passive Parks Manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@bcgov.net.

LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

DIY Lava Lamps with USCB

11:30 a.m., Thursday, July 25, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Journey into scientific adventures with hands-on activities, including a do-it-yourself lava lamp hosted by professors from USC Beaufort. Ages 6 to 12. Space is limited. Registration is required. Call 843-255-6440.

Monday Adventure Movie Matinee

4 to 5:30 p.m., Mondays, June and July, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of adventure movies in our teen lounge. We’ll have popcorn.

“Lego” With Lego

4:30 to 5:30 p.m., every Tuesday, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public. Ages 5 and up. No registration required. Come see our new and improved Lego Club. Choose one of our new Lego kits and get going. Call 843-255-6540 for more information.

Career Navigator

11 a.m. to 1 p.m., every Tuesday, Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort. Free one-on-one resume writing and job application assistance with a Career Navigator from Palmetto Goodwill. No appointments necessary. For more information call 843-255-6458.

MEETINGS

Zonta Club of Beaufort

6 p.m., 4th Tuesday of each month, Smokehouse, Port Royal.

Beaufort Rotary Club

Noon, Wednesdays, Sea Island Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 81 Lady’s Island Drive, Lady’s Island. Catered buffet lunch, followed by a guest speaker. Prospective members welcome. For further information and upcoming speakers, please visit website www.beaufortrotaryclub.org.

The Beaufort Trailblazers –A Volunteer Group

8 a.m., first Thursday each month, Herban Marketplace, Beaufort. Anyone interested in supporting or building offroad/dirt/wilderness mountain biking/ jogging/walking trails near is encouraged to attend. For more information, call 843575-0021 or email universitybicycles@ hotmail.com.

Emotions Anonymous International local group meeting

4 p.m, Thursdays, via Zoom. Emotions Anonymous International, (EAI), is a nonprofit program designed to help people with emotional difficulties. It has a chap-

ter in the Lowcountry and members want others who feel the need to know they are welcome to participate. There is no charge to participate. They are based on the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous and follow a specific format designed to provide the support and tools for navigating life’s painful difficulties. All are welcome. Anyone interested in participating may contact the group via email at EALowcountry@gmail. com or call or text Laurie at 252- 9177082. For more information on EAI visit www.emotionsanonymous.org.

Rotary Club of the Lowcountry 7:30 a.m., Fridays, Sea Island Presbyterian Church, Sea Island Parkway, Lady’s Island. A light breakfast is provided before the program. For further information and upcoming speakers, please visit our website at www.lowcountryrotary.org or contact our President, Bob Bible at reconmc@aol.com or 843-252-8535.

MUSIC

Deas Guyz 7 p.m., Fridays, July 26, Aug. 30, Sept. 27, Nov. 1, Nov. 29; Willie's Bar and Grill, 7 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Saint Helena Island. $35. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit www. GullahLove.com.

Beaufort Drum Circle 3:30 to 5 p.m., Sunday, July 28, Gazeebo, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort. Join a growing group of drummers who meet on the Beaufort River and create beautiful communal rhythms while enjoying the beautiful vista and the pleasant breezes. Everyone is welcome. No experience necessary. You don't even have to drum. Come just listen and enjoy, dance, hula hoop or whatever. Please bring a chair. Extra drums are available for your use.

Habersham Third Fridays Music on Market 5 to 8 p.m., Habersham Marketplace.

OUTDOORS

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

Tours of Hunting Island Every Tuesday, Hunting Island State Park, 2555 Sea Island Pkwy. Free, park entry fees apply. Sponsored by Friends of Hunting Island Keeper Ted and his team. For more information call the Hunting Island Nature Center at 843-838-7437. The next Tuesday is August 1.

RUNNING

4th annual Move Your Mind 5K 8 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 12th, Providence Presbyterian Church on the south end of Hilton Head Island. 5K run and 1M walk on the beach. Free parking and a free pancake breakfast. During breakfast, race awards will be given, and prizes for Brain Trivia will be won. Register today at https://bit.ly/4dbP0IS.

SEWING/QUILTING

American Needlepoint Guild Meeting 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1st Tuesday each month. The Hilton Head Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild welcomes anyone, beginner or experienced stitcher, who is interested in needlepoint to join us for stitching, learning and fellowship. For more information, please contact us at hiltonheadislandchapter@needlepoint. org.

Embroidery Guild of America Meeting Second Tuesday of every month, Palmetto Electric Community Room, Hardeeville. The Lowcountry Chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America welcomes anyone, beginner or experienced stitcher, who is interested in any type of embroidery including needlepoint, crossstitch, surface and beaded embroidery, hardanger, bargello, sashiko, etc., to join us for stitching, learning and fellowship. For more information, please contact us at lowcountrychapter@egacarolinas.org.

SPORTS/GAMES

Inaugural Friends of Caroline Clay Shoot Friday, Oct. 4, Turkey Hill Plantation, Ridgeland. Details are being finalized. Presenting sponsorships available at $2,500 and $5,000. Station sponsors – up to 12 – start at $500. Sponsored 4-person teams $1,000.Contact Keriann for details or to reserve your spot at keriann@fochospice.org or 843-525-6257. Proceeds benefit Friends of Caroline Hospice.

ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Carteret St. United Methodist Church. Games and events will be held weekly. Contact Director and Club Manager Susan DeFoe at 843-597-2541

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

Cell phones banned for Beaufort County students during school hours

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

Beaufort County students can expect new rules regarding cell phones and other personal electronic devices when they return to the classroom on August 7

Under the new guidelines put forth by the Beaufort County School District (BCSD), elementary and middle school students, Pre-K through 8th Grade, will only be allowed to use their cell phones before and after school, and high schoolers, 9th through 12th Grades, will be able to use their cell phones before and after school as well as during their lunch block and only in a designated location, but cannot use their personal electronic devices during their lunch block.

Per the BCSD, a personal electronic device is defined as a device that “has the capability of electronically sending, receiving, storing, recording, reproducing or displaying information and/or data;” such as a computer, tablet, e-reader, portable media player, drone, video gaming system, GPS instruments, digital cameras and camcorders.

A personal communication de-

vice is “defined as having the capability of communicating by means of sending receiving, storing, recording, reproducing and/or displaying information and data, any device that emits an audible signal, vibrates, displays a message, live streams or otherwise summons or delivers a communication to the processor;”

examples of this would include cellular phones, smart watches and headphones.

According to the summary of the guidelines put forth by the BCSD, personal electronic and communication devices must be “turned off and stored in a locker, pocket, purse, backpack or other non-visible secure location from the school start time to the school end time.”

“With the state, it’s unclear if it’s only part of the day or a complete ban. We took our own approach here, but when clarification comes from the state with respect to what they meant, it might require us to

make an additional modification on that. So, we’re hoping to get that description as soon as possible,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said to members of the Beaufort County Board of Education during the June 25 meeting.

Thanks to Proviso 1 103 in the FY 2024-2025 state budget, all South Carolina public schools could see a statewide cell phone policy by no later than January 2025, if schools do not put a phone policy in place they could risk losing state funding.

Rodriguez said that the school board directed him to investigate regulations to prohibit cell phone use during instructional time in May 2024 with hopes to go ahead and implement a plan by the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year to address cell phone usage in class.

“Since the state has tied funding of schools to the proposed cell phone ban, what’s important to note is what they mean by that. Does that mean not at all during the school day, or not during instructional time? If they mean instructional time, then we won’t

have to do anything with our proposed cell phone issue. If they mean at all during the course of the day, then we would obviously have to change the high school one,” Rodriguez said.

The South Carolina Department of Education is currently drafting a model policy to be presented at the State Board of Education’s meeting scheduled for August 13 If it is passed, then the policy would be sent to local school boards to discuss in their next board meetings.

“We understand that limiting cell phones in any form will be a transition for students and as such, we think it’s best to start sooner rather than later,” district spokesperson Candace Bruder said about the BCSD’s decision to not wait for the policy to be passed down from the S.C. Department of Education.

When Rodriguez presented the plan to the Board of Education at the end of June, one concern was enforcement, and he stressed that “single-school culture” is very important when implementing a new rule like this cell phone ban.

Initially, during the school day,

announcements will be made at school sites over the intercom system as well as in the classroom to remind students of the cell phone ban.

To get the word out to parents and families, principals will be sharing information and flyers at the back-to-school events as well, according to Bruder.

“It is not going to work unless the entire school and community are on board with dealing with this, because a teacher is going to have 25 kids in class, sitting right in front of them, and they have to be the eyes and ears, in essence, of this, in their classrooms. The number of administrators in the building don’t match the number of classrooms,” Rodriguez said. Students who violate the Administrative Regulation will be subject to discipline, according to the guidelines.

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

IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME

left, and Ma’Ran Armstong, 6, get some help with their lunch of a

volunteer Iuda

the

County is Wednesday, Aug. 8.

Assembly on Parris Island Gateway, offered free book bags, a hamburger-and-fries lunch and a free hair cut for the kids. Pastor Derick Fisher said 150 book bags — as well as pencils, paper and other school supplies — were given away. The first day of school of public school for Beaufort County students is Wednesday, Aug. 8. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

St. Helena’s Anglican Church hosting Back to School Bash

Staff reports St. Helena’s Anglican Church has announced they will serve as a community host for the Back to School Bash, sponsored by the Jockey Being Family Foundation. Over the past two years, this event has been hosted at 66 sites across 22 states and has positively impacted the lives of more than 8 900 foster and adopted children nationwide.

The third year of Back to School Bash eventswill be held Sunday, July 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Parish Hall at 507 Newcastle Street, Beaufort.

Designed for foster and adoptive children, ages 5 through 14, these events provide a unique venue for special guests to have fun, be introduced to new resources and prepare for the upcoming school year. Perhaps most importantly, it is a chance for the entire community to come together and wrap their arms around these children and families who need us the most in our communities.

At the event, children will receive a signature Jockey Being Family backpack and teddy bear. New this year, the Jockey Being Family Foundation is excited to partner with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. Thanks to their generosity and support,

each Back to School Bash host site will be able provide special guests with a fully loaded back-to-school supply kit, generously donated by Marines Toys for Tots Foundation.

“While we’re extremely proud of the event and its impact on foster and adoptive families,” Jockey Being Family Foundation Vice President Jake McGhee said.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve upon the experience for host sites and our guests. Being able to partner with an organization like Toys for Tots who also cares so passionately about kids in this space has been a blessing. We are pleased to know that instead of spending grant money on school supplies, host sites can now spend that money on other ways to make a more lasting impact on families.”

A goal of the Back to School Bash is that it serves as a catalyst for communities to continuously invest in and champion foster and adoptive children and their families. St. Helena’s is excited to host the Back to School Bash and provide an opportunity for community members to engage in this impactful initiative.

Foster and adopted children and families can get further details on registration and participation at https://subspla. sh/6vj8j6s/.

Back 2 School Bash

The Just Listen organization will sponsor its first annual Back 2 School Bash from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27 at Washington Street Park, 1003 Washington Street, Beaufort. Free school supplies will be distributed to students from K through 12. There will also be face-painting, games and food at the park.

Those interested in donating supplies, or volunteering for this event, can contact Kia at 678-206-5651 or email jl.organization@gmail.com. The group is collecting donations through Friday, July 19

Mazzeo named to dean's list at Tufts Thomas Mazzeo, Class of 2026, of Beaufort, was named to the dean's list at Tufts University for the Spring 2024 semester. Dean's list honors at Tufts University require a semester grade point average of 3 4 or greater.

Tufts University, located on campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville and Grafton, Massachusetts, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States.

Frank Rodriguez

Jameson Taylor, 8, center

hamburger and fries from

Walker during

back-to-school event Saturday, July 20, at Waters at Ribaut apartment complex. Free back packs, school supplies and even hair cuts were made available to the children — all free of charge, made possible by Praise Assembly Church on Parris Island Gateway. The first day of public school in Beaufort

Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Volunteer Shamika Johnson, right, helps patrons with free back packs during a back-to-school event Saturday at Waters at Ribaut apartment complex. The event, sponsored by Praise

STATE NEWS

SC only state not to criminalize ‘revenge porn’

GOP legislators to try for ban again next year

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — South Carolina

became the only state in the country that doesn’t ban distributing nude photos of someone without permission after a law making it illegal in Massachusetts took effect last month.

South Carolina does have a law banning sexual extortion, often called “sextortion,” which is when someone uses sexual photos or videos to blackmail people. The sextortion law, which passed unanimously last year, is named Gavin’s Law after Rep. Brandon Guffey’s 17-year-old son, who died by suicide after scammers posing as a college girl threatened to release explicit photos of him unless he kept sending them money.

That law covers instances in which a person demands something, usually money and/or sex, in order to not release nude photos. But nothing in state law deals with situations in which a person posts or sends such photos without first using them as blackmail, Guffey said.

“There is nothing to stop someone from releasing something without the threat,” the Rock Hill Republican said.

Money from page B1

award postings on the procurement website.

AlixPartners will work alongside a working group formed by Gov. Henry McMaster to investigate the mystery money and identify how it was supposed to be spent.

Delegates from page B1

For instance, a man angry following a breakup might decide to share or sell nude photos his girlfriend sent him while they were in a relationship, said Rep. Chris Wooten, who sponsored a bill last session making that illegal.

eran and former highway trooper.

The state needs a law to protect people, especially young adults, from having their lives ruined because they sent an explicit image to someone they thought they could trust, he said.

It should just be a layup for this Legislature to get something on the books”

That’s where the “revenge” piece of what’s been dubbed “revenge porn” comes in, as it’s often done to embarrass someone or hurt their reputation, he said.

The sharing of explicit images without consent can also lead to human trafficking, when the person circulating the photos uses them as leverage against the person in them. Still, without a threat before the images are circulated, that’s not illegal under the existing sextortion law, Wooten said.

“We’re trying to work with law enforcement and give them another tool in the toolbox to work on the things we’re running into these days,” said the Lexington County Republican, a Marine vet-

That group includes representatives in the State Treasurer’s Office, Comptroller General’s Office, State Auditor’s Office, Department of Administration, Attorney General’s Office and the Governor’s Office. The $1 8 billion came to light in the fallout from a $3 5 billion accounting error by the state’s former top accountant. That blunder, discovered

His path to a second term officially began in South Carolina, which in February held the nation’s first recognized Democratic primary. South Carolina was chosen to lead the nominating calendar this year partially as thanks for resurrecting his campaign in 2020 and because of its large Black voting base.

Party officials touted it as a blowout success. Biden won with more than 96% of the vote against two relatively unknown challengers.

“We understood the importance of being first in the nation,” said Rep. Ivory Thigpen of Columbia, chair of the state Legislative Black Caucus and a delegate to the convention. “It was our responsibility as a state to be decisive.”

But whether the primary results projected the enthusiasm the campaign wanted is arguable, as just 4% of South Carolina’s registered voters bothered to participate.

The campaign’s pre-primary push in South Carolina included several visits by Harris, including as keynote speaker for the NAACP’s annual King Day at the Dome event at the Statehouse honoring Martin Luther King Jr. While having Harris at the top of the ticket won’t turn South Carolina into a swing state, it will help Democrats down the ballot, said Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg.

“I’m sensing nothing but excitement for Vice President Harris at the top of the ticket,” Cobb-Hunter said. “We do have down-ballot races on the local level where this excitement may pay off.” Cobb-Hunter, the longest-serving member in the state House, has been at every Democratic National Convention since 1984 and a delegate at all but one. She’s not

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Wooten said. “That shouldn’t be held over their head.”

His bill, pre-filed in December 2022 and co-sponsored by Guffey and five other Republicans, never even got a subcommittee hearing over the last two years. It officially died when the legislative session ended in May.

That bill joined a long line of similar proposals introduced since 2016 that met the same fate. Other bills referred to it as cyber sexual harassment. None have made it out of the committee process.

That’s not because of opposition, Wooten and Guffey said. Both said they haven’t gotten any pushback on the idea.

in 2022, came from a computer coding glitch in which public colleges’ revenue was mistakenly double-counted for more than a decade in the state’s annual financial report it provides to Wall Street investors.

State financial officials have said the $1 8 billion was overlooked in the wake of a chaotic, decade-long transition from the state’s old accounting system to

a delegate this year, but she said she’ll work “as hard as I can” to make sure Harris is elected.

Trump is expected to easily win South Carolina as a whole in November. The former president beat Biden here in 2020 by nearly 12 percentage points.

But the Democratic Party still needs voters to be energized about supporting its candidates, starting at the top of the ballot. A lack of enthusiasm for the presidential ticket could result in a shellacking of Democrats in the Legislature and other local government races if Democrats simply don’t vote.

“There’s renewed energy for Kamala Harris but still a lot of respect for President Biden,” said Valerie Moore, one of the delegates and chair of the Richland County Democratic Party. “I think that’s a tough thing to do … to keep people excited about the current administration as well as what the future brings.”

South Carolina will send 55

Instead, it’s a matter of legislators not understanding the problem, Wooten said. He didn’t know what “revenge porn” was until he joined a committee that looked at the issue, he said.

Only after working with the Attorney General’s Office and realizing that law enforcement had no way of prosecuting people who spread those images without consent did he start pushing for legislation, he said.

“A lot of people aren’t aware of it,” Wooten said. “A lot of people don’t make a big deal out of it.”

Part of that may come from an older generation of legislators who don’t understand image-based abuse and the harm it causes, Guffey said.

“They just had to worry about a Polaroid (photo) getting passed around,” Guffey said. “They view it as more of a self-caused situation.”

As younger legislators come into the Statehouse, that mindset is shifting, Guffey said.

The biggest question at this point, he added, is what kind of penalty to attach to the law. Guffey said he’d be fine with civil litigation, meaning the person whose images were circulated could sue the one who distributed the pho-

a new one. At some point in the switch over, officials lost track of what agency or entity the money had been meant for. And no one alerted lawmakers to the issue.

The governor’s working group has spent the last few months laying the groundwork for the forensic audit. It has gathered documentation, opened a portal for sifting through thousands of data entries that took place during

delegates, and 10 automatic or superdelegates, to the Democratic convention of nearly 4,000 delegates.

The Palmetto State delegation is in good company in backing Harris. By late afternoon Monday, the Associated Press reported that over 1,000 delegates nationwide have said they plan to back the vice president.

The formal nomination was supposed to happen before the convention in Chicago, which is scheduled from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22, to meet deadlines in Ohio and some other states.

The Democratic National Committee is moving forward with that process with a virtual meeting Wednesday to set up a virtual roll call vote.

Christale Spain, state Democratic Party chairwoman, also chairs South Carolina’s delegation. Spain serves as one of the superdelegates, who do not vote in the first round of a convention. She thinks Harris will easily lock in the nomination prior to the convention.

Spain confirmed that no other potential candidates were offered during the virtual meeting of delegates Sunday evening.

But unlike in other states’ delegations, the vote for Harris was not unanimous in South Carolina.

Spain did not have an exact count of who voted against backing Harris. But she and others said that was largely due to procedural concerns, not concerns with Harris.

Malloy acknowledged being one of the delegates who did not support Harris in that vote.

But he stressed to the SC Daily Gazette that he was entirely behind Harris as a candidate, and that the delegation made the right decision.

Malloy said he wanted to be deferential to Biden and was concerned about timing.

“I’m voting for Kamala Harris

tos.

Wooten said he prefers criminal punishments like other states have used. His latest attempt would have made the “unlawful dissemination of sexually explicit materials” a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1 000 or a prison sentence of up to a year.

Under the new Massachusetts’ law, a person who distributes nude or partially nude photos without the consent of the person in them could face up to two and a half years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.

Wooten plans to reintroduce his bill ahead of the legislative session that begins in January. He and Guffey are both hopeful 2025 will be the year it becomes law.

“It should just be a layup for this Legislature to get something on the books,” Guffey said.

Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.

S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

the accounting system switch, re-ran past checks on financial records to make sure they’re accurate and made a platform to run tests on potential future changes to the accounting system.

For its part, the state has asked AlixPartners to analyze and balance all of the State Treasury’s cash and investments. The company will report to the governor and lawmakers on the accuracy

point blank, period,” Malloy said he told his fellow delegates. “I’m just trying to figure out when is best to announce as a delegation.”

Delegates had different feelings about Biden’s announcement.

Some expressed frustration or anger at what they saw as an unfair push from party leaders.

Others said it was time for Biden to step away from the race as his re-election prospects dropped.

Still others said that either way, they backed Biden’s decision.

Former state Rep. Jerry Govan, who is running for a seat again, said his preference as a delegate would be for Biden to stay in the race, but he respected the president’s decision.

“I feel like he vetted it and he’s come to a decision that he feels is in the best interest for himself, but more importantly the country, and I’m OK with that,” he said.

Some in GOP call on Biden to step down from presidency

Meanwhile, South Carolina Republicans in Congress say Biden’s decision to not seek re-election means he should step down as president immediately. Many Republicans have said Biden is having cognitive issues and is unfit to be president.

Biden made no mention of any health issues in his letter posted on social media, saying only that it was “in the best interest of my party and country.”

Republican Reps. Joe Wilson of Lexington County, William Timmons of Greenville County and Russell Fry of Horry County called for Biden to resign. Rep. Ralph Norman of York County said Biden owed America an explanation on why he is not resigning.

U.S. Rep Nancy Mace of Charleston County introduced a resolution calling on Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment, a clause which allows the vice president and Cabinet to take power from an incapacitated president.

of the state ledger and make recommendations for avoiding future unassigned dollars in the state’s accounts.

Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the S.C. Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier. S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest statefocused nonprofit news organization.

A spokesperson for Mace said on Monday it was not clear when or if it would ever receive a vote.

“This is common sense. If you’re unable to run for re-election, you’re unable to run a country,” Mace told reporters on a phone call Monday morning. “At the end of the day, you know, he’s clearly not running for re-election due to his diminished capacity.”

South Carolina Democrats dismissed the calls for Biden to step aside.

“If Nancy Mace and Joe Wilson think anybody should resign, let them resign first,” said Robertson, the former party chairman.

Who would be her running mate?

Most of the delegates reached by the Gazette on Monday said they had no particular preference for who Harris should pick as a running mate.

“I’m going to support whoever is on her ticket,” said Margaret Sumpter, chairwoman of the South Carolina Democratic Party Council of Black Democrats and a delegate.

Some floated several names — Malloy said he favored “southern Democrats” like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper or Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Marlon Kimpson, a former state senator who currently serves in the Biden administration, was all in on Cooper.

“We’ve got a real shot at winning the state of North Carolina and if Roy Cooper is the nominee, I think strategically that would be a good thing for the party,” he said.

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.

S.C. Daily Gazette is

STATE NEWS

New law leads MUSC to end gender transition procedures

By Jack O’Toole Statehouse Report

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will stop providing gender transition surgeries and hormones for all patients, including adults, due to a new law signed in May. According to the law, “public funds may not be used directly or indirectly for gender transition procedures.”

MUSC Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Patrick J. Cawley confirmed the news in a Friday statement to State-

Project

from page B1

of South Carolina, the first contest is the playoffs. The second is the Super Bowl. And Project 2025, with its detailed, 992-page policy plan and database of pre-vetted potential staffers, is the foundation’s bid to win the big game if Trump wins a second term.

Why Project 2025 matters

So why all the hair-on-fire hullabaloo, if Project 2025 is basically just one conservative group’s long-ball effort to influence a future Trump administration? Experts say there are three good reasons to take it seriously.

First, Trump is a politician with strong instincts – immigration bad, defense good –but few concrete proposals. That kind of policy vacuum creates an ideal political environment at an untethered White House for enterprising ideologues, such as the wonks of the Heritage Foundation.

Second, Heritage has played and won this game before, most famously in 1980, when its pre-election governing plan was largely adopted by the incoming Reagan administration. By December 1982, more than 60% of the plan’s 2,000 recommendations had been implemented.

And third, the policy agen-

house Report. “MUSC Health funds are public funds,” he said. “We are prohibited from providing gender transition services to all patients.”

At the time the proposed law was being debated, supporters touted it as a ban on gender-affirming care for minors, not adults.

"I think this is a good idea to keep our young people safe and healthy,” Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters in January. “If they want to make those decisions later when they’re adults, then that’s a different story, but we must pro-

da outlined in Project 2025 is, as 2012 Republican presidential nominee and current U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney would say, severely conservative. In fact, some of its hard-right proposals have proven so divisive that even Trump very publicly distanced himself recently from the plan, calling it “absolutely ridiculous and abysmal” in a July 5 social media post. So with that history and context in mind, let’s take a look at what’s in the plan –and just as important, what isn’t.

Expanding presidential power In keeping with the currently fashionable view among some conservatives that all executive power is vested in the person of the president – the so-called “unitary executive theory” –Project 2025 recommends several changes that would expand the president’s power across the federal government.

A return to the “spoils system: Since the passage of the Pendleton Act in 1883, all but the very top jobs in the federal government have been held by professional civil servants hired under a merit-based system. Project 2025 would reclassify tens of thousands of those jobs from civil service positions to political appointments, all serving at the pleasure of the president. While this would clearly make it easier

tect our young people from irreversible decisions."

Chase Glenn, executive director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), told Statehouse Report that MUSC’s broad interpretation of the law is “unfortunate” but not completely unexpected.

“We’re extremely disappointed MUSC has landed on this interpretation of the law,” Glenn said. “But by putting this vague language in the bill, legislators have made providers fearful that they might be committing a felony crime by

for a president to implement his policies across the federal government, critics note that it could also signal a return to the cronyism and corruption of an earlier era in American history.

Political dispersal of federal funds: If political appointees move into jobs previously held by professionals, the apportionment of billions of dollars in federal program funds would for the first time be directly controlled by political supporters of the president. This could affect spending in virtually every area of government, including transportation projects, storm recovery efforts, vendor contracts and more.

Politicizing justice: With a more political staff and a clear mandate to bring the entire executive branch under direct presidential control, the bipartisan post-Watergate tradition of Justice Department independence could effectively come to an end, according to a PBS report.

Playing the hits

The bulk of Project 2025 is a conservative wish list that will be familiar to anyone who’s been following American politics since the 1980s. Here are some of the highlights.

Tax cuts: Under the plan, the top income tax rate would be cut from 37% to 30%, and corporate taxes would fall from 21% to

providing this care.”

Glenn, a transgender man who relies on MUSC for medical care, said he’s just one of about 300 patients who will be impacted by MUSC’s decision. He recommended that anyone in need of a new provider visit the Campaign for Southern Equality website for assistance.

“AFFA has partnered with the Campaign for Southern Equality to provide this service,” Glenn said. “They have a special fund and a patient navigator to help

18%. All individual incomes under $170,000 would be taxed at 15%, representing a tax cut for most middle earners but a tax increase for those at the bottom.

Deregulation: The plan also calls for dramatic deregulation of the economy and environment, including an end to all federal preferences for green energy over fossil fuels.

Cutting programs for the poor: Currently, federal Medicaid funds flow to states based on need – in other words, how many people qualify and what medical services they’re receiving. Under Project 2025, these funds would be converted into block grants with strict work requirements, forcing states to cut Medicaid expenditures or raise state taxes to pay for them. The plan also calls for cuts in other federal anti-poverty programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (what most people mean when they say “welfare”), cuts to nutritional assistance and the elimination of Head Start.

Dismantle the Department of Education: If adopted in full, Project 2025 would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, privatize student loans and replace most federal education programs with block grants to the states. It also endorses a dramatic expansion of school choice, including the use of public

people find a new provider.”

For its part, MUSC stressed that it will continue to serve all South Carolinians to the extent allowed by law.

"MUSC strives to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina and beyond," Cawley said.

"While MUSC Health can no longer offer this specific service, we provide a vast array of other complex care, primary and behavioral health services that are accessible to all patients, including transgender patients."

funds for tuition at private religious schools.

Waging the culture war

In calling for a return to the “biblically based, social science-reinforced definition of marriage and family” (Page 481), an end to all forms of “woke propaganda” (Page 9) and the jailing of pornographers (Page 5), Project 2025 is clear in its intention to make the federal government a combatant in the culture war.

Abortion: Under the plan, the Food and Drug Administration would reverse its approval of the abortion pill, Mifepristone (Page 458) , and the Comstock Act would be revived to make any mailing of the product illegal (Page 459). It would also end the federal requirement that health insurance policies cover “Plan B” emergency contraception. (Page 485)

Immigration: Though Project 2025 does not explicitly call for a round-up of illegal immigrants and the establishment of detention camps as some have reported, Project 2025 would create a 100,000-person strong cabinet level agency focused on border and immigration enforcement. The plan would also end student-loans at universities that allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition, and ban non-citizens from federally-subsidized housing.

DEI: Under the plan, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives would be strictly curtailed within the federal government, and federal funds and authority would be used to limit affirmative action in the public and private sectors (Page 582). In addition, it would reinstate the Trump-administration ban on transgender men and women serving in the military. (Page 104)

What’s not in Project 2025

Several false claims about Project 2025 have gone viral in social media since the plan became an issue in the presidential election. So to wrap things up, here’s a list of the Top 10 items that aren’t in the plan, according to an examination of the text and reliable sources on the left and right: An end to no-fault divorce • A ban on all contraceptives A nationwide abortion ban Cuts to Social Security and Medicare Repeal of Obamacare Ending marriage equality Ending birthright citizenship and Muslim immigration Repeal the Civil Rights Act

Defund the Federal Bureau of Investigation Teaching Christian beliefs in public schools

Editor’s Note: The opinions of our columnists in the

A master class in community activism

The effort by a group of residents of The Point to change the Beaufort City Council’s position on Point drainage is a grassroots effort that other neighborhoods and activists far and wide should spend a minute studying.

Here’s the short course.

As has been noted here and elsewhere, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and all the non-political old-timers agree, the seas are rising, especially along the southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Accordingly, without having to publicly acknowledge the politically fraught obvious, Council had no reasonable expectation that the embarrassing flooding on The Point would get better by itself.

They had a problem: on rainy days and on high tides their retention pond was overflowing. At the very center of the tourist attraction that helps the city’s economy relentlessly grow, tourists were getting their feet wet. And this unfortunate circumstance was likely

Tonly to get worse with time.

To address their problem, Council did exactly what city managers all-too-often get councils to do: they quietly spent a chunk of money reaching out to experts, and when the experts came back with a plan, they embraced the plan that they had bought and took to selling it to the affected parties.

My grandmother used to say: “Buy good stuff and take care of it and it will take care of you for the rest of your life.” Engineers don’t always agree with my grandmother, however, especially when there are big fees to be made from designing new stuff. So, what happens when the grandmothers and the engineers disagree?

Here's where it gets interesting. Here’s what warrants study. A group of residents (what became a steering committee) initially disagreed with the plan. They noted that it violated the Department of the Interior guidelines and, they said, what the city really needed to do was to clean out the pipes they already had in the ground.

Here are the steps they then took, more or less in this order, …

1 They studied the problem and came up with a wellthought-out and well-explained alternative plan that they could all live with.

2 They started a petition in support of their position, and they passed it around the neighborhood until it featured nearly 300 signatures.

3 They politely presented their petition to council accompanied by a clear reiteration of their plan.

4 Their alternative plan was written down clearly, they stuck with it, and – importantly – the budgeters said

So, what happens when the grandmothers and the engineers disagree?”

the implementation of said plan would cost the city less than would implementing the plan Council had bought.

5 They were patient and they lobbied Council relentlessly.

6 But they did not stalk, or threaten, or get ugly or get personal and call names.

7 And, since Council had imposed a deadline (when the grant money would expire), they adapted their efforts to the city’s schedule.

8 And finally, they did not ask Council to jettison the plan for which Council had paid good money. They just said:

“Let’s implement our plan first, and if it doesn’t work, yours is Plan B.”

This was a classic neighborhood campaign to bring out into the sunshine the deliberations surrounding what had been a secretive government’s secretly conceived plan.

And it’s not over yet.

Council, apparently with some members still in the thrall of the city manager, have declined to decide the matter. Instead, they have asked the engineers for more studies.

Having spent a lifetime in and around these things, is it unreasonable of me to begin to suspect that what is actually happening in this apparent lull in the action is that Council is stalling until after the election season has passed?

Bill Rauch was the Mayor of Beaufort from 1999 to 2008 and has twice won awards from the S.C. Press Association for his Island News columns. He can be reached at TheRauchReport@gmail.com.

Meeting the moment with grace

o say the past couple of weeks have made history and broken records would surely qualify as an understatement. The latter focus on the seemingly endless days of heat so intense that surely those who refuse to believe in climate change must be rethinking their stance, albeit privately.

As for the making of history, the attempted assassination of Donald Trump as well as the stepping down of President Biden from his candidacy for a second term will surely make 2024 a popular topic in any recorded annals of the 21st century. My initial response to the President's announcement was one of disappointment. Perhaps my age, which is a year older than that of the President, factors into my feelings. For whatever reason, I felt that with the increasing calls for his

removal, the message was, subliminally, “you are no longer useful to us.” I doggedly held on to the notion that “experience has to count for something.” It isn’t that I wouldn’t accept the arguments that many were making; that said, my sense of permitting age to trump wisdom seemed questionable. Now if I wanted to interject a bit of humor into this piece, I might note that placing the words “trump” and “wisdom” side by side is pure delusion. However, there is nothing humorous about any of this, so you

may disregard my comment as dark humor. When calls for Biden’s removal from the ticket came after his dismal debate performance, I was angered for many reasons. First, my contention was simply this: one debate performance does not negate what this man has accomplished in four years. To list these accomplishments is an article in and of itself. Furthermore, he was coming off of two transcontinental flights, with a stop to see his son before leaving the country.

Seeing the President holding his grown son after the latter had recently been convicted of tax fraud was sad. It further reminded anyone with an ounce of sensitivity in his or her body, that the man had lost a wife and young daughter in a tragic car accident and later a son to cancer. This is a person for whom grief has been a frequent visitor.

Secondly, I was dismayed that so many in the Democratic party were so quick to devour their own. Did you see anyone on the other side call for the convicted rapist, the insurrectionist, the man who clearly stole highly sensitive information and stashed it in a bathroom (refusing to return it) to step aside? Of course not; in fact, if anything, they surrounded, and still surround, him with glorification that approximates that of a regent.

As I write, it is Sunday, and the news is fresh and still coming forth. One reporter spoke to Donald Trump about Biden’s stepping down. Trump’s response: “He never should have been in the race in the first place. He should have stayed in the basement.”

Donald Trump’s “brush with death,” apparently did not engender any sense of humility.

ACharacter counts, my dear readers. It counts when you are interacting with family; it counts when you are interacting with those in Congress; it especially counts when you interact with those on the world stage. I need only hearken back to Donald Trump’s charging ahead of Queen Elizabeth I when they were about to be photographed together. Values also count.

Donald Trump has bought into Project 2025, and even more important, the creators of this projected overhaul have bought into him as the standard bearer.

Project 2025’s 1,000 pages plus require much more space than I have here. If you are interested, and you certainly should be, this can be researched. My impression is that it calls for our descent into an autocracy in which there is no discernible difference between

government and religion. Freedoms we have come to take for granted will simply disappear.

And so, President Biden has removed his hat from the ring, and vice-President Kamala Harris is the heir apparent for the Democratic ticket. At this point we don’t know if this will stand, and only time will tell whether or not the move is a positive one. One thing is certain, Joe Biden is owed a debt for his willingness to do what is perceived as good for the country. He leaves us with a legacy of values of which the opposing candidate is bereft. I can only pray that we haven’t traded experience and wisdom for expediency.

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

What’s it going to take to make America safer from gun violence?

nother horrific incident led S.C. Rep. Wendell Gilliard to do what he’s done many times in career: Bemoan the continuing scourge of gun violence and call for change. This time, the spark was the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, which rocked red and blue America.

Something Charleston’s Gilliard said really stood out:

“We must recognize that there are currently over 436 million guns circulating in America, surpassing our population. Since the shooting of President Reagan in 1981, gun violence has remained a serious problem, with a particular focus on assault weapons,” said Gilliard, a longtime proponent of tougher gun laws.

Four hundred thirty six million guns. That’s 100 million more than the number of people in the country. It’s 100 million more than 25 years ago.

And that estimate may be low, according to an analysis by The

Trace, a publication reporting on gun violence: “We found that more than 494 million firearms have been produced for the U.S. market since 1899, and the pace of that production has been increasing. This figure includes imports from foreign gunmakers, but excludes exports by domestic gunmakers.”

In his statement on the violent attempt on Trump’s life, Gilliard said he recalled other fatal shootings, including those of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Bobby, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

“These events not only shook our nation to its core but also sparked a wave of positive change,

as good men and women stepped up and became more actively involved in the political process,” he said. “Now, more than ever, our country needs positive-minded individuals who are committed to making a difference.”

So let’s conclude with what the Charleston City Paper asked in a new editorial: “So what’s it going to take for serious, bipartisan and real action on reducing gun violence in America, a nation that has more guns than people? Another assassination attempt? More school shootings? An attempted coup?

“Our nation, a tinderbox of division, avoided a tragedy when a 20-year-old Pennsylvania shooter failed to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pa. In the days ahead, there will be lots of questions about how the shooter was able to access a line-of-sight shooting position and which security agencies failed and why.

“But what must not be lost in this time of national angst is the

common understanding that we live in a gun culture in which violence is an answer to volatility too much of the time. As Democratic and many Republican leaders have said, it’s time to ratchet down incendiary rhetoric and unify –something current President Joe Biden and challenger Donald Trump agree on.

“Biden: ‘We're neighbors or friends, coworkers, citizens. Most importantly, we are fellow Americans, we must stand together … We can’t allow this violence to be normalized. I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate.’

“Trump: ‘In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united, and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined, and not allowing evil to win.’

“So what can we do, particularly in an environment in which tragic shootings of children in schools all over the country didn’t galvanize the forces of bipartisan change?

“First, we must recognize there

is a partisan divide fueled by the gun lobby. Republican leaders need to wake up and understand they’re being used as pawns too often. Democrats haven’t ‘taken away their guns,’ but instead want some responsible policy offerings, such as bans on the kind of assault rifle used to attack Trump, to be enacted in a bipartisan manner.

“And Democratic leaders can stop vilifying Republicans for standing up for Second Amendment rights. Rather, they can use this moment in time to sit down anew and focus on realistic strategies to reduce gun violence so we don’t have more school shootings and assassination attempts.

“Gun violence is out of control. Let’s use this narrow window of opportunity to pull together as a nation and make America safer, not just greater.”

Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to feedback@statehousereport.com.

BILL RAUCH

ANDY BRACK

CAROL LUCAS

VOICES

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

Menu may have changed, but rocks are the same

It is Wednesday and I’m sitting on my small balcony at the Pisgah Inn, first opened in 1919, now situated at Milepost 408 6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

It’s early, I’ve got a cup of the complimentary, in-the-room coffee (Velvet Hammer) and a view of the mountains stretching North and South.

The view is actually three separate ridge lines that are 10, 20, and 30 miles distant and more or less parallel the ridge line upon which the Pisgah Inn is perched. Clouds are trapped between and below these ridge lines giving one the impression of lakes that make the mountains look like islands.

The cold air sweeping up and out of the valleys makes one think of islands just off Alaska — perhaps the Aleutian Islands.

Yesterday, Susan and I hiked up to Black Balsam

Knob where we sat on a flat, multi-veined rock and shared a bottle of Chardonnay paired with a packet of salt-and-vinegar flavored pistachio nuts. While we sat amid these striated, almost tubular rocks Susan asked, “Where did these rocks come from?”

About the same moment a man, perhaps 45 or 50, walked up with two companions in tow. He was lecturing the other men (and didn’t see us) but after a minute or two he realized that Susan and I were sitting in the middle of his demonstration rock.

“Let me see if I can take a shot at this,” I said to the stranger.

“How about long-tenured, beloved professor of geology; teaching at Western Carolina University; taking a short, mid-summer sabbatical with two equally beloved, but slightly bored faculty.”

He laughed and replied, “That’s what I should have been. That’s the life I should have had. But life got in the way.”

“My wife has just asked me about this rock…”

“This one was formed under immense pressure — most likely way below the bottom of the ocean — at 600 degrees Celsius. Of course that was millions of years ago,” he said as he kneeled down on one knee and ran his hand along the ancient stone.

“Once this rock was liquid, plastic, and that’s what gives it the long, stretched-out shape.”

I reminded him that we were sitting atop Black Balsam Knob, at about 6,000 feet above sea level, and asked him how these below-the-surface-of-theocean-rocks got themselves up and out of the ocean.

“Its not entirely known. Or agreed upon. But I would guess that when the ancient African continent collided with the ancient Laurentian continent — a very long time ago — it pushed this old stone to the surface.”

This is the kind of person you want to encounter when one hikes. Someone who can tell you what was under way in these spectacular landscapes before the earth cooled down and we decided to improve the topography with condominiums, Cherokee-owned casinos and restaurants offering a fine dining experience at 5,000 feet.

All of which brings me to

dining room at Pisgah.

Last night we made our way to the dining room at the Pisgah Inn — a room that comes with immense windows, exposed beams and a history of hearty, trout-focused meals.

This is the same room where I once sat with my law partners trying to formulate a strategy that would bring clients to our small, start-up firm. The same room where my father told me about his time in the Aleutian Islands. The same room where my small family celebrated a successful ascent on Shining Rock.

The same room where I gave my son, Zach, an interesting but wildly inaccurate description of the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.

But last night it was just Susan and myself and our server, Steven, who told us about the “Specials” now available at Pisgah.

Although trout remains on the menu, it has given way to scallops, risotto, beet salad, Maryland styled blue crab and some items that are in the $35 to $40 category. It has given way to wine — at $10 and $15 a glass — that once we only encountered in New York City. It has given way to the food and drink revolution that has percolated up the Parkway from nearby Asheville.

As I spoke with Steven— he grew up in Greenville, N.C., and moved to the mountains 10 years ago — I realized that my dinner tab was going in the direction of $100 “Well” I thought, “The menu may have changed, but the rocks have stayed the same.”

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

Trump should have stayed a Democrat

Lord, why didn't Donald Trump remain a Democrat?

I do not say this because I want him to be a Democrat now that so many people think his re-election is inevitable. I still think he is a low-character lowlife, and I remain dumbfounded as to why he is a competitive candidate for either of the two major parties vying to put someone in the Oval Office.

No, I wonder why Trump didn't stay a Democrat because maybe, just maybe, Democrats would’ve excised him years ago and spared the country much of the turmoil he’s subjected us to over the past eight years.

See, while Republicans will get in line behind their party standard bearers and march in lockstep to support them at the polls, Democrats tend to turn on each other at the drop of a hat. I started to say “eat their young,” but Joe Biden’s isn’t anyone’s idea of young, and he’s been sent shopping for ice floes.

It's a darn shame a president who has accomplished as much as Biden has is being dismissed by his own party for the fatal misstep of getting old. As if his decades

TERRY MANNING

of experience in public office were a liability in helping him achieve the legislative victories he achieved.

But that's what Democrats do.

Ask John Kerry. Ask Al Franken.

Ask Hillary Clinton.

In 2004, Kerry was a leading candidate for president when a group of veterans and former POWs decided to challenge his service record. The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth appeared in a series of soft television ads questioning combat medals awarded to Kerry for his service in Vietnam. Kerry released his service records and subsequent investigation found his medals were vetted appropriately, but it was too late to save his campaign. It's hard to remember a time when the slightest whiff of controver -

sy could disqualify a candidate, but that's what happened to the Democrat Kerry.

Never mind that at the same time, presidential candidate George W. Bush was receiving similar scrutiny about his service record with the Texas Air National Guard. A CBS Report alleging Bush had not fulfilled his military obligations ended up costing longtime newsman Dan Rather his job when it was found he’d been fed forged documents. But the controversy didn’t affect Bush. He went on to beat Kerry in the general election.

The term "swiftboating" still is used to apply to unfair attacks against someone's service record and patriotism.

Former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken was targeted in 2017 by a conservative radio talk show host who alleged he had groped her inappropriately, producing a photo of Franken pretending to touch her in 2006 as proof.

The former comedian apologized, but he fell as an early and high-profile conquest of the #MeToo movement. A political career that seemed destined for higher office disappeared in

Although the Palmetto State has more than its share of health challenges, particularly within our rural population, Big Pharma lobbyists are demanding legislators take action to restrict Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), entities that businesses like mine utilize to obtain bulk pricing discounts for healthcare and to negotiate for the inclusion of the cheapest drugs available within their health plans.

Everyone knows that bulk purchasing saves everyone money. That’s exactly what PBMs do, and the research and statistics on their success speak for themselves.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found that PBMs save consumers quite a bit every year, as

less than a month. Especially after other women shared times when he had shown questionable taste in comments and gestures around them.

I am not defending him against sexual misconduct, if, indeed, that is what happened, but an allegation of inappropriate contact that took place at least a decade earlier? Surely that couldn’t cost someone a valued political position? Franken admitted his lack of judgment and apologized.

Maybe if he’d denied everything, called the women unattractive, and claimed he was the target of a witch hunt, he might have been allowed to stay in office. We’ll never know.

What we do know is the woman who led the charge to get him out of office, and the woman who succeeded him, both think he should have been allowed a formal investigation and not been hounded into resignation.

And Hillary? At the same time she was facing scrutiny over her emails, she was being dragged by the Trump campaign and the National Enquirer over her age (67!) and physical ability to serve.

According to Politico, the

Enquirer quoted sources saying, “The desperate and deteriorating 67-year-old won’t make it to the White House — because she’ll be dead in six months.” That was in October 2015. We know now the Enquirer publisher was printing all of this as a favor to Trump, but a seed had been planted.

A year later, GOP and Democrat radars pinged when the perceived favorite to win the 2016 presidential election fell ill at a 9/11 commemoration. Her campaign released a doctor’s statement that she simply had pneumonia and would recover fully, which she did. But when people already are looking for a reason, anything will suffice.

How crazy is it the same kinds of accusations are being played out again in this cycle, and much more successfully?

I hold out hope enough of the general public will support whoever gets the Democrats’ nod to take on Trump, but the Democrats’ record of supporting their own is suspect.

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

Don’t mess with SC’s prescription drug coverage

did members of the Obama administration. Yet, just days ago, the Federal Trade Commission issued a report that seems to suggest it is getting ready to regulate these groups even though a previous FTC study found they are not a problem. The drug companies, allergic to the concept of having to offer cheaper prices, are also pushing Congress to pass legislation, the PBM Transparency Act, that

would erect barriers to how PBMs currently operate. This legislation is harmful for South Carolina business owners and residents.

While South Carolina’s economy is doing well overall, the state’s small businesses are not without struggles.

According to the most recent Small Business Needs Assessment Survey from the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers and the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business, nearly 85 percent of the businesses that attempted to hire in 2022 reported hiring as a major or minor challenge. More than 40% reported weak sales as a major challenge, while more than three quarters stated that inflation has adversely

impacted their business activity.

Yet, despite these struggles, they continue funding the bulk of South Carolina employees’ health coverage.

The Kaiser Family Foundation uncovered that the average premium for employer-sponsored family health coverage has eclipsed $20 000 annually, and more than 70% of this is financed by business owners directly. That’s a hefty expense.

To ensure we can offer quality, comprehensive, coverage for the great people of the Palmetto State, my fellow business owners heavily depend on PBMs to get us the best deals possible. But if the pharmaceutical industry gets its way and Congress passes the PBM Transparency Act, which

would effectively allow the drug giants to charge whatever they’d like, we will be left with two choices.

One choice would be cutting back on the coverage that we subsidize, which would quickly pose problematic. Studies have shown that 33% of South Carolinians ages 19 to 64 have already stopped taking medication or skipped doses due to cost. These people are relying on us to finance the bulk of their prescription drug coverage. They would be devastated if we would have to make cuts.

The other choice would be keeping our health plans as-is but reducing hiring and business growth in other areas. That is not something that anyone in our state wants to hear — especially now, at a time

when our state treasury is depending on our economy to continue growing to meet all our expenses. We won’t need to make either of these choices if members of Congress do not allow the pharmaceutical industry to continue courting their offices and tosses its PBM regulatory bill in the trash.

Encouragingly, Sen. Lindsey Graham has already championed holding Big Pharma accountable. Other elected officials can do the same. This boondoggle has gone on for long enough.

Royal was born and raised in Charleston. He's a sixth-generation Charlestonian. His entrepreneurial journey began at the age of 15. He now leads Aventus, a minorityowned business providing services to e-commerce brands.

SCOTT GRABER

JOSH ROYAL

LOCAL MILITARY

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, 26 July 2024

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

2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel A. Yang Commander of Troops, First Sergeant R. V. McGee • Parade Adjutant, Staff Sergeant L. R. Tyus Company “H”, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain H. Williams Drill Masters • Gunnery Sergeant M. N. Moreno, Staff Sergeant J. M. Kivett

PLATOON 2040

Senior Drill Instructor

Sgt W. P. Beavers III

PFC Aguilar, Bryan S. *

Pvt Alford, Jacob R.

PFC Bond, Kyle J. *

Pvt Boyles, Hayden W.

PFC Buckner, Dillon C.

PFC Caccamise, Robert J.

Pvt Chumley, Pearson H.

PFC Coffee, Cullen A.

PFC Coker, Nikolas B.

Pvt Collins Jr., Andre J.

Pvt Davis, Keith

Pvt Dowell, Devin W.

Pvt Fukpu, Nopphadon

Pvt Gaillard, Charles B.

PFC Gaspardejesus, Rodrigo

Pvt Gay, Eh

Pvt Gomez, Abraham A.

Pvt Hall, Caleb A.

PFC Jones, Mason, N

PFC Key, Noah N.

Pvt Lacelle, Jaykcob C.

Pvt Lopezbautista, Victor M.

Pvt Margison, Bruce K.

Pvt Marrow, Nyeehm K.

Pvt Mayes, Kastan D.

Pvt Medinasalome, Luis Y.

PFC Reardon Jr., Christopher T.

Pvt Rooslund, Zachary M.

Pvt Rudder, Hayden K.

Pvt Siler, Cory D.

PFC Sparks, Charles L.

Pvt Thompson, Dreshaun L.

PFC Thorpe, Austin J. *

Pvt Waddell, Daylian B.

PFC Waters Jr., Richard M.

PLATOON 2041

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt L. W. Underwood

Pvt Alvaradoalicea, Daniel A.

PFC Arnold, Dakota S.

Pvt Atkinson, Justin M.

PFC Capron, Nicholas I.

Pvt Carroll, Terrell A.

PFC Copeland, Micah A.

Pvt Davis, Zachary X.

Pvt Demers, Brandon J.

Pvt Dial, Asher H.

Pvt Dingler, James W.

PFC Fields, Prince T.*

Pvt Fort Jr., Timpriss S.

Pvt Goodner, Ethan D.

PFC Hibbert, Alexandro C.

PFC Jackson, Jamar D. *

Pvt Jones, Drennan I.

Pvt Leslie, Justin D.

Pvt Linkenhoger, Andrew C.

PFC Lopez, Alvaro

Pvt Macias, Anthony

PFC Nevgloski, Edward T.

Pvt Nunez, Azael E.

PFC Ott, Elijah M.*

PFC Porter, Emmet P.

PFC Prude, Xavier A.

Pvt Randolph, Adam L.

Pvt Reesendiz, Elias

Pvt Reyesgonzalez, Angel T.

PFC Rosa, Michael L.

Pvt Russell, Blake A.

Pvt Ryan, Christopher J.

PFC Summers, Sean M.

Pvt Turner, Jarvis K.

PFC Whatley, Benjamin E.

Pvt Zheng, Zihao

PLATOON 2042

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt K. A. Ragland

Pvt Adkins, Gavin M.

Pvt Bivens Jr., Ronald L.

Pvt Brown, Garrett A.

Pvt Cheeks Jr., Joseph W.

Pvt Dugashardy, Morghen M.

Pvt Godenschwager, Connor D.

PFC Goodman, Jordan A.*

Pvt Grewal, Sundeep S.

PFC Hart, Connor B.

Pvt Hawk, Avery I.

PFC Henschen, William R.*

PFC Huddleston, Joshua W.

Pvt Martinezsevilla, Kevin

Pvt Mcvitty, Ryan E.

Pvt Medeiros, Christian P.

Pvt Mirandahenriquez, Fabio J.

Pvt Mitchell, Amarion T.

PFC Moore, Joseph A.

Pvt Morandi, Austin D.

Pvt Morris, Saiquan L.

PFC Morson, Jahlani L.*

Pvt Oreilly, Caolan P.

PFC Pitts Jr., Marquee S.

PFC Pyle, Jacob A.

Pvt Ramirezherrera, Marco A.

Pvt Richardson, Cameron J.

Pvt Santillo, Robert C.

Pvt Scharlott, Gabriel P.

Pvt Shell V, Thomas A.

Pvt Sosamozo, Edward

Pvt Stafford, Christian J.

Pvt Stepehnson, Jack T.

PFC Swanson, Vincent W.

Pvt Tait, Shane T.

Pvt Verdi, Solomon K.

Pvt York, Cyle J.

Pvt Young, Dylan C.

PLATOON 2044

Senior Drill Instructor SSgt S. K. Dingle

PFC Abdullahwaddy, Sadat A.

Pvt Allen, Nathan L.

Pvt Armstrong, Tyjuan C.

Pvt Bankes, Ryan H.

Pvt Buck, Giovanni R.

PFC Byers, Ian N.

Pvt Ciuk, Adam J.

Pvt Cochran, Connor R.

Pvt Coller, Joseph W.

Pvt Copeland, Travious D.

PFC Duncan, Gaberial G.

Pvt Eastman, Logan J.

Pvt Firkin, Austin L.

PFC Hayes, Jonathan M.

PFC Jones, Jalen *

PFC Jones, Kevin D.

Pvt Jonke Jr., Frank P.

Pvt Khanal, Pravash

Pvt Laubach, Samuel A.

PFC Luces, Ariel L.

Pvt Marunczak, John P.

Pvt Mccool, Sebastian G.

Pvt Moats, Carter M.

PFC Mouketou, Camille N. *

Pvt Nichols, Peyton R.

Pvt Ramirez, Daniel P.

Pvt Ramos, Ivan N.

Pvt Rednock, Devin J.

Pvt Rosarioborrero, Joel

Pvt Sanders, Thomas B.

Pvt Singh, Kyle

Pvt Tagliabue, Riccardo

PFC Vicente, Edwin M. *

Pvt Wan, Jiajun

Pvt Wells, Nathan J.

Pvt Wright, Rickavion E.

Pvt Young, Baylee A.

PLATOON 2045

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt M. D. Mitchell

Pvt Abbe, Andrew L.

Pvt Amayamartinez, Roque A.

Pvt Badji, Jacques K.

PFC Barros, Xavier J.

Pvt Billings, Kashawn J.

Pvt Briggs, Conagher J.

Pvt Canales, Kevin F.

Pvt Carranza, Alejandro

Pvt Cherelus, Widmarc

Pvt Clark, Nicholas E.

Pvt Daws, Devin D.

Pvt Dejesus, Alexis

Pvt Emmett, Owen W.

Pvt Fagan, Spencer C.

Pvt Farmer Jr., William W.

PFC Fontaine, Kagen E.

Pvt Gamez Jr., Victor

Pvt George, Safal

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Pvt Johnson, Cyntrell R.

Pvt Jones, Tymel J.

Pvt Laplaca, Dale S.

Pvt Laubach, Joshua S.

Pvt Lewis, Ethan M.

PFC Lewis, Myles R. *

PFC Lluilematixe, Luis A.

Pvt Mejia, Matheo D.

Pvt Moncayoredrovan, Steven K.

PFC Nessmiller, Luke H. *

Pvt Quinones Jr., Wilfredo

PFC Ridley, Joel A.

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Pvt Skelley, Dominic W.

PFC Smith, Peyton X.

PFC Tyson, Jarian D. *

Pvt Velasquez, Daniel

Pvt Walborn, Dylan T.

Pvt White III, James C.

Pvt Whyte, Thajaun R.

*Denotes meritorious promotion to current rank

Beaufort native to command U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District

By Avery Schneider U.S. Army Corps of Engi-

neers

Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, a Beaufort, S.C., native and a veteran of the Afghanistan war, assumed command Thursday, July 18, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District.

Burnham will lead the district's more than 300 team members, be responsible for projects in 16 commercial and 19 recreational Great Lakes harbors, assume leadership of the Radiological Waste Design Center for USACE's Great Lakes and Ohio River Division, oversee operation of the Mount Morris Dam and Recreation Area and the historic Black Rock Lock, as well as many other roles across a more than 38 000 square mile area of responsibility.

“The Buffalo District has long embodied the values of service, integrity, and innovation. As we mark this transition, we celebrate our past achievements and reaffirm our dedication to excellence in the future. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Lt. Col. Milliman for his exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication. His commitment and tireless efforts have significantly impacted the Buffalo District and the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division,” Division Commander Maj.

Gen. Mark C. Quander said. “As we look ahead, we will continue to build stronger, smarter, and more resilient communities across the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. We are excited to welcome Lt. Col. Burnham and are confident in his and leadership to guide the Buffalo District to new heights. We anticipate continued success and innovation under his command, ensuring the enduring legacy of the U.S. Corps of Engineers.”

Burnham assumed command from Lt. Col. Lyle Milliman, a Leon, N.Y., native and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Milliman had served as the District Commander since April 2024, and as Depu-

ty District Commander for three years prior. "I’m extremely honored and excited for the opportunity to join a world-class organization like the Buffa-

lo District,” Burnham said. “I look forward to continuing the great work Lt. Col. Milliman and the District provides to our communities and stakeholders. I can’t wait to get to work.” Burnham took over the leadership role from Milliman during a formal change of command ceremony at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The change of command is a time-honored Army tradition dating back before the Civil War and emphasizes the continuity of command and unit identity despite changes in individual authority from one officer to another.

"I commend the employees of the Buffalo District for their commitment to excellence, innovative engineering solutions, and a steadfast focus on our mission. The impact the Buffalo District has had and will continue to have on the communities it serves will be felt for years to come,” Milliman said. “The District is in good hands with Lt. Col. Burnham and I am confident that under his leadership, the Buffalo District will continue to achieve great success and make significant contributions to our nation’s infrastructure and environmental stewardship.”

Photos from the ceremony are available at https:// bit.ly/3y6cq3z.

VA Benefits for military service members

According to the “VA Benefits for Service Members” webpage, found at https:// www.va.gov/service-member-benefits/, “If you're serving on active duty in the United States uniformed services, including active National Guard and Reserve with federal pay, you may be eligible for VA benefits both during service and after separation or retirement. You may also be eligible for some VA benefits if you are a traditional or technical National Guard and Reserve member. Find out which benefits you may qualify for — and when to apply. You will also learn about these benefits in your required Transition Assistance Program (TAP) briefing.”

Military healthcare

Active-duty military members can receive healthcare from their supporting military hospital or clinic at any time. These facilities, also known as “military treatment facilities” or “MTFs,” are located on military bases and posts worldwide. To find your local hospital or clinic, you can either use the search tool on the health.mil website at https://bit.ly/46fEIFe or the Tricare Getting care tool at https://bit.ly/4c0FFm6

Military mental health system

As stated on the Military Health System Mental Health Hub webpage, https://bit.ly/46ge52W, the Military Health System has many resources available to help service members, families, or veterans who are struggling with mental health challenges.

Military families' lives are generally very different from others. Service members may be subject to frequent relocations, deployments, and stressful experiences due to combat and time away from their families. Families cope with additional stressors when their loved ones are deployed, managing family life on the home front. Traumatic events such as combat,

assault, or disasters can have long-lasting negative effects like trouble sleeping, increased anger, nightmares, anxiety, depression, and alcohol and drug abuse.

Protecting, optimizing, and defending mental health needs is vital to the well-being and readiness of our military force. Seeking help is a sign of strength and a critical element of individual performance and overall readiness.

The following Military Health facilities (with mental health care) are located within 75 miles of Beaufort’s 29906 zip code: Naval Hospital Beaufort, 1 Pinckney Boulevard, Beaufort, South Carolina 29902-6148, 1-843-228-5600 2 miles from 29906

Joint Base Charleston, 628th

Medical Group, 204 West Hill Boulevard, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina 29404-4704 1-843-963-6880

49 miles from 29906

Naval Health Clinic Charleston, 110 NNPTC Circle, Goose Creek, South Carolina 29445 1-843-794-6001 56 miles from 29906

Ft. Eisenhower (Previously Ft. Stewart), Winn Army Community Hospital, 1061 Harmon Ave, Fort Stewart, Georgia 31314 1-912-4356965

VA mental health care

Veterans can get connected with VA mental health care, regardless of their discharge status, service history, or eligibility for VA healthcare. Veterans also do

not need to be enrolled in VA healthcare to get care. If you are a veteran and need support or treatment for a specific health problem or if you are having problems sleeping, controlling your anger, thinking about harming yourself or someone else, or readjusting to civilian life -- you are not alone. And the VA can help. To access free VA mental health services right away:

Call or walk into any VA Medical Center, any time, day or night. Find your nearest VA health facility at https:// bit.ly/49MraSn. Call or walk into any Vet Center during clinic hours. Find your nearest Vet Center at https://bit.ly/3PJ1r6q. Call the VA at 877-222-8387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. If you have hearing loss, call Teletypewriter (TTY) at 800877-8339

Learn more about accessing VA mental health services at https:// bit.ly/3H8KAoE and learn about Veteran Mental Health Resources at https://bit.ly/3IavUFH.

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Healthcare System

The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center is located at 109 Bee Street, Charleston, S.C. 29401-5799, phone 843-577-5011, and the “Mental Health Care” phone is 843-577-5011 Extension

2. Find the phone numbers for the RHJVAHCS CBOCS at https:// bit.ly/3CUTuUj. VA benefits you can use during and after service include:

1 GI Bill and other education benefits. Find out if you qualify for VA education benefits to help pay for school or training. If you qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, learn how to transfer your unused benefits to your spouse or dependent

children. This benefit is open to service members and veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve). Learn more at https://www.va.gov/ education/eligibility/.

2 Certificate of Eligibility for a VA-backed home loan. Review the requirements for getting a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) to buy, build, improve, or refinance a home. This benefit is open to service members and veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve). Learn more at https://bit.ly/3LCYrFw.

3 Life insurance for you and your family. Find out if you qualify for and how to manage your SGLI coverage and learn about coverage options for you and your family after separation or retirement. This benefit is open to service members and veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve). Learn more at https:// www.va.gov/life-insurance/ options-eligibility/.

Time-sensitive VA benefits should be considered when separating or retiring.

1 Mental Health Resources for Veterans. After leaving the military, veterans might experience difficult life events or challenges. The VA is here to help, no matter how big or small the problem. The VA has resources to address the unique stressors and experiences that Veterans may face. Learn more about VA Mental Health Resources and the following VA Programs at https://bit. ly/4bUUQNN: Make a Connection, Moving Forward, Post 9/11

Transition-Case Management, • Suicide Prevention, VA Reach, Veterans Crisis Line (dial 988 and Press 1), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), VA Solid Start, and Vet Centers.

Additional non-VA resources include the Veteran. com “In Transition Program” at https://veteran.com/ intransition-program/, “Military One Source” at https:// bit.ly/4dfcgFO, “The National Guard Family Program” at https://bit.ly/3SWFl0t, and Transition Assistance Program (TAP) -- Online Courses at https://tapevents. mil/courses.

2 Pre-discharge disability claim. If you have an illness or injury you believe was caused — or made worse — by your service, learn how to file a disability claim through the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program. This may help speed up your claim so you can get your benefits sooner. You'll need to file 180 to 90 days before separation. This benefit is open to service members and veterans (active duty, Guard, and Reserve). Learn more at https://bit.ly/3vmbvaa.

Continued next week.

Larry

LARRY DANDRIDGE

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert Burnham, commander of the U.S. Army U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, speaks to family, friends, and members of the district during a change of command ceremony, Thursdaym July 18, in Buffalo, N.Y. Avery Schneider/U.S. Army

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