March 13 edition

CELEBRATING LAFAYETTE

DMarch 2025 festivities marking the bicentennial of Lafayette’s 1825 visit. Photo courtesy of Historic Beaufort Foundation Lafayette’s 1825 visit offers model for liberty today

uring the American Revolution, a wealthy French teenager was willing to risk his fortune and his life for people he had never met who lived an ocean away. Why? Because of their stirring fight for freedom from British colonial rule.

Against the wishes of his family and the French crown, Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de LaFayette (1757-1834), financed a ship and crossed the Atlantic to join our cause. He was 19 years old.

He was commissioned as a major general in the Continental Army, became an influential member of General George Washington’s staff, endured the brutal winter at Valley Forge, and befriended Alexander Ham-

SEE LIBERTY PAGE A4

known historical interpreter

be part

City, HBF, others mark 200th anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Beaufort

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

Most Americans can’t tell you who Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier was.

Even if you use his more familiar title — the Marquis de La Fayette or simply General Lafayette in the United States — you will still get a lot of blank stares these days. A discussion of Americans’ knowledge of their own history is best saved for another time.

INSIDE Art at upcoming exhibit painted specifically for Lafayette Day, Page A9

But this week and next, many in the City of Beaufort will have their minds on Lafayette. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French Nobleman and military officer who, at 19 years of age, volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by Gen. George Washington, in

the American Revolutionary War. He played a role in convincing the French crown to aid the prospective nation in its battle for independence from England.

Becoming a close friend and aide to Washington, Lafayette commanded the troops in the decisive siege of Yorktown in 1781 the final major battle that secured American Independence, and he

SEE VISIT PAGE B6

Council’s Okatie rezoning decision misleading

BEAUFORT

Beaufort County Council’s committee members got some bad press last week from the Savannah television news reporters who called them out for turning down a rezoning request which could have paved the way for more housing for disabled veterans and first responders.

True, the council has received more than its share of “bad press” in the past two years, considering its efforts to disassociate with the former county administrator. But in the case of last week’s

report from the council’s Natural Resource Committee, there truly is … more to the story. The committee, following the recommendation from the County Planning Commission, plus the

SPORTS

Justin Jarrett: “USCB lucky he’s building his vision here.”

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EDUCATION

Beaufort County School District gives update on student response to cell phone ban.

PAGE A8

planning staff, voted to disapprove a rezoning request which would have converted a 50-acre acre tract on S.C. 170, across the road from the back entrance to Sun City, from rural to neighborhood mixed use.

In defense of their request, representatives of Mosaic Development proposed a development agreement for the Mews Village which would allow two dozen of the 200-plus residential units to be designated for first responders and disabled veterans, in association with the nonprofit Lowcountry Veterans Housing Foundation.

The committee members, like the planning commissioners, heard from a half-dozen neighbors who asked the local officials to uphold the original rural zoning of the area, especially in light of the growing traffic congestion in the area and the lack of funding to improve that congestion.

“Beaufort County is being destroyed by a million small paper cuts,” said one resident who urged the county to deny the change. Another resident even asked the county to consider a moratorium on all new developments, urging them to take an inventory

HEALTH

Beaufort Memorial now accepting applications for Rising Star Youth Volunteer program.

PAGE A15

of all permitted developments including those not yet built.

“I think you’d be surprised,” she added.

At least two committee members, Chairwoman Alice Howard and Vice-Chair Anna Maria Tabernick, stressed that their vote to deny had nothing to do with providing affordable housing for veterans or first-responders.

“It’s just not the right place,” Howard summarized.

Tabernick noted that when she first met last year with the

LOLITA HUCKABY

Well

Mark Schneider, in costume as the Marquis de Lafayette, will

of Beaufort’s

ELIZABETH CHEW

LOWCOUNTRY LIFE & NEWS

At Friends of Caroline on Friends Lane near the Ridgeland/Okatie border, Habersham’s Ron Callari took a photo of their grand piano in the reception area. On the Memorial Wall behind is a decorative heart that allows Beaufort residents to purchase and place a plaque on the wall for a loved one. While many prefer to be at home for hospice care, that option is not always possible. So in 2022, Caroline’s Cottage opened the doors to its first patients. Their in-patient unit offers a homelike setting with large rooms, outdoor private patios and no restrictions on visiting hours. 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 JAKE MARCAIO

American Legion Beaufort

Post 207 brings you Jake Marcaio, 38, who joined the U.S. Army in Monmouth, N.J., in 2009. After Basic Training at Fort Benning, Ga., he transferred to the 10th Mountain Infantry at Fort Polk, La., from which he deployed to Afghanistan. While on that deployment he was seriously wounded by an IED, receiving a

ON THIS DATE

March 18

1825: General Lafayette arrives in Beaufort to a 13-gun salute and speaks to citizens from the John Mark Verdier House, also known as the Lafayette Building. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier – better known as Marquis de La Fayette or simply General Lafayette in the United States – was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including Yorktown. In 1824, Lafayette returned to the U.S. and traveled through 24 states and the

District of Columbia.

Purple Heart Medal. After recovery, he transferred to Fort Drum, N.Y., from which he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq where he was on the security team at the main gate to the city and on the Quick Reaction Force. He separated in 2016 as a Sergeant and used the GI Bill to earn a BS degree in Information Science and Technolo-

gy from USC Beaufort. Today he works with a government contractor evaluating data that helps improve soldier efficiency.

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

2009: Author Pat Conroy, for whom Beaufort played a prominent role both in his works and his life, is inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Among Conroy’s works are The Water Is Wide, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.

March 19

1965: Robert Smalls High School graduate Kenny Washington scores 10 points and grabs 7 rebounds in the UCLA Bruins’ 108-89 win over Wichita State

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Dog of the Week

Titus is a lovable, 3-year-old goofball with a heart as big as his paws. A true gentle giant, he moves through life with an endearing amount of clumsiness. He's always ready to shower you with affection ... and a fair amount of drool. Even so, his soulful eyes and floppy jowls make him impossible to resist. Despite his size, Titus is as sweet as they come, always leaning in for cuddles and wagging his tail like an overgrown puppy. Titus is pure love wrapped in a giant, furry frame. He is up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Cat of the Week

Inki is a vibrant, inquisitive girl with eyes full of hope

in the NCAA men’s basketball semifinal at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore. UCLA (27-2) advanced to the national championship game against Michigan.

2016: The Pat Conroy Literary Center is incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The center houses a collection of Conroy memorabilia and seeks to continue his legacy.

2019: Justin Jarrett tenders his resignation as Editor of The Island News. He ran the newspaper through April 2 – Compiled by Mike McCombs

and wonder. She's super friendly and always up for a lively conversation. Inki loves

watching cat TV or the wildlife right outside her window. She'll make a great companion for someone looking for an engaging, affectionate cat. Make Inki your new best friend and she's sure to add some sparkle and endearing chatter to your home. She is 3 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

For more info on Titus or Inki or any of our other pets, call PAL at 843-645-1725 or email Info@ PalmettoAnimalLeague.org.

– Compiled by Lindsay Perry

Jake Marcaio

Barge hits Woods Bridge

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), which owns and maintains the Woods Memorial Bridge in downtown Beaufort, confirmed that the bridge’s wooden fender system was hit Tuesday morning by a working barge. The bridge itself was not damaged, and traffic was not impacted. SCDOT had just completed repairs to the fenders last month. Submitted photo

Beaufort man facing charges related to sex trafficking ring posts bond

By Delayna Earley The Island News

William James Youmans of Beaufort, who is facing charges for Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor and Trafficking in Persons, Victim under 18 Years of Age – 1st Offense, posted bond on March 5

Youmans, who was originally arrested in June 2024, was released on a combined $50 000 surety bond and is required to stay under house arrest with GPS monitoring and can only leave for work, medical and legal. Additionally, he is

not to have any contact of any kind with the victim and cannot leave the home from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. He is not allowed any firearms or drug use.

Youmans was arrested along with Alban Bryan, 63, of St. Helena Island and Guy Frank Talley III, 27, of Okatie, by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) in connection with a human trafficking operation in Beaufort County.

A fourth man, 50-year-old Terrance Lamar Fields of Beaufort was arrested by the Hardeeville City

Police for Trafficking in Persons, Victim under 18 Years of Age – 1st offense, as well.

A woman, Sylvia Ilaife Meredith, 20, was charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in connection with this case, according to the Hardeeville Police Department.

Jaquan Duvall Barnes had escaped from the Jasper County Detention Center and was later arrested in Florida and charged in connection with the sex trafficking ring as well.

Guy Frank Talley III was set to appear before Circuit Court Judge Robert Bonds on Wednesday, March 12, at 9:30 a.m. after his lawyer Dayne C. Phillips filed a motion to modify his bond conditions. Attempts to reach his lawyer went unanswered.

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.

THE MOST ADVANCED CARE OPTIONS

Staff reports

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) charged Corey Wayne Ellis, 33, of Beaufort with Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor – Third Degree on Friday, March 7, 2025

The SLED investigation was requested by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. According to an arrest warrant signed March 6 by Judge Robert Ferguson Jr., in October 2024 at a location in Beaufort, Ellis made physical contact with the victim with the “intent to arouse, appeal or gratify the sexual desires of himself or the [underaged] victim.” The warrant also states the victim participated in a forensic interview where they disclosed the defendant touched them on two separate occasions in October 2024

The charge in this case — Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor – Third Degree — indicates a defendant older than 14 years of age committed or attempted to commit a lewd act with a victim younger than 16 Ellis was booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center at 8:36 a.m., Friday, March 7. He was released on bond just after noon on March 7

The case will be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

At Beaufort Memorial, our advanced orthopedics and spine care team is committed to helping you be your best and enjoy life without pain.

Whether neck or back pain is slowing you down or your activities are limited due to hip or knee pain, our board-certified specialists will personalize your care using sophisticated diagnostic and treatment options. Our advanced techniques and technologies, including Mako SmartRoboticsTM and VELYSTM robotic-assisted joint replacement, will improve function and relieve pain quickly. Many surgical patients even go home the same day.

Visit BeaufortMemorial.org/Ortho for help addressing your pain.

At Beaufort Memorial you’ll also find:

• Joint preservation therapies

• Numerous non-surgical treatment options

• A personalized approach to restoring mobility and joint function

• Pre-operative education classes that engage patients and caregivers in the healing process

• An Optimization Program that follows you through the process to ensure the best outcomes

• Outpatient and in-home rehab services to get you back to doing what you love faster

Man faces charge for allegedly throwing woman from car

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

A Beaufort man is fac-

ing a felony assault charge after allegedly throwing a woman from a moving vehicle on Lady’s Island Highway on Thursday, March 6 according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Robert Manuel Martin, 48, was charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Deputies responded to the scene near the intersection of Sea Island Parkway (U.S. 21) and Airport Circle at around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning.

At the scene, near the entrance to the Beaufort Executive Airport and the Lady’s Island Walmart, deputies found a woman who had serious injuries from hitting the pavement after being thrown from a moving car. The woman told deputies that Martin had thrown her from his vehicle. The woman was taken to the hospital, and Martin was arrested later in the day after being pulled over for a traffic stop. He was also charged with driving with an open container of alcohol and possession of cocaine according to Beaufort County Detention Center records.

Circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation.

Martin was released Friday after paying $30 000 in surety bonds.

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.

Liberty

from page A1

ilton and South Carolinian John Laurens. He encouraged French King Louis XVI to send critical military support and led a division at the Battle of Yorktown, where the British surrendered in 1781

As I have talked with people over the last year about the Marquis de Lafayette’s role in the American Revolution, colleagues have had to remind me to explain who he was. Despite his 21st-century reappearance with Hamilton and Laurens in the blockbuster Broadway musical “Hamilton,” Lafayette is no longer a household name. That is a shame. He remains a hero.

More than 40 years after the Revolutionary War ended, Lafayette certainly was a

Lowdown from page A1

Measure passes first hurdle to stem liquor liability crisis

By Jack O’Toole StatehouseReport.com

Ever since S.C. liquor liability insurance premiums started spiking in 2020 — forcing an increasing number of small bars and restaurants out of business — Statehouse observers have wondered whether lawmakers would use the crisis to push through a sweeping “lawsuit reform” bill, or craft a narrower fix for the immediate problem.

On Thursday, a unanimous S.C. House came down firmly on the “narrow” side of that debate, even as the S.C. Senate appeared to kill a broad lawsuit reform bill sponsored by Sen. Majority Leader Shane Massey (R-Edgefield).

House leaders quickly touted their approach in a statement after the vote.

“This is a targeted, effective solution that businesses support and need now,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wes Newton, R-Beaufort, said after the vote. “A similar bill passed the House last year, but the Senate refused to take it up. We addressed the concerns raised, built consensus with stakeholders, and delivered a more comprehensive bill that will provide real relief while maintaining

accountability in alcohol service.”

According to House leaders, the bill “quickly and directly addresses the liquor liability crisis” with several targeted actions, including:

An end to joint and several liability for alcohol sales: Under the House bill, bar and restaurant owners who are found to be 1% responsible for the harm caused by a drunk driver could no longer be forced to pay 100% of the damages.

Creation of a liquor liability risk mitigation program: Bars and restaurants would be incentivized to adopt responsible alcohol service policies to lower their insurance premiums.

Mandatory training: All servers and managers would be required to complete state-approved training to serve alcohol responsibly and recognize the signs of intoxication.

Beaufort’s John Marshall said the issue of liquor liability insurance is “one of the reasons that I sold my interest” in Old Bull Tavern in 2022 Marshall said his liquor liability insurance went from less than

$4 000 to more than $80 000 in one year.

“The long and short of it is legislators have made it impossible for small businesses,” he said.

Marshall said if a person had drinks at several different restaurants, no matter how much the drank or how much money they spent at each individual bar or restaurant, all of those businesses are “all equally responsible,” according to the current law, should that person drive drunk and cause damages.

“Any of the restaurants could be penalized by the whole amount, no matter how much they were responsible for it,” Marshall said.

Marshall said that in the current situation, if you make 30 percent of your revenue off alcohol sales, a restaurant owner could likely be looking at a liquor liability insurance premium of more than $80 000

In addition to passing their own narrowly-focused legislation, House leaders announced the formation of a new committee to consider larger reforms to S.C.’s liability laws — a strong signal, according to one Statehouse insider, that members have no appetite for

sweeping changes.

In that vein, freshly-installed

Committee Chairman Bill Herbkersman, R-Beaufort, noted members would be taking their time to make sure S.C. lawsuit reform efforts don’t end up mirroring Florida’s 2023 legislation — a law that Massey’s bill is often compared to.

“South Carolina will take a deliberate approach, hearing from all sides before considering broader reforms,” Herbkersman said in a statement. “This committee will ensure we’re learning from other states, particularly Florida, to avoid unintended consequences and create meaningful, long-term solutions.”

On the other side of the Statehouse, Massey expressed frustration when senators refused to kill an amendment that would effectively gut his bill.

“We’re done,” he told his colleagues after the vote. “It’s over. Congratulations, y’all, it’s done. There will be businesses closed now because of this.” The House bill will move to the Senate next week.

The Island News Editor Mike McCombs contributed to this report.

BCSD investigating Grays Hill shooting, assault

Staff reports

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is investigating a shooting and an assault in Grays Hill last week.

On March 5 2025, at 11:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a report of a gunshot victim at a Jasperstone Circle home in Grays Hill. According to the BCSO, deputies found a 37-year-old woman with a non-life-threatening leg wound and a 64-year-old man critically injured from an assault. Both were transported to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for treatment.

household name. In March 1825 during a 13-month return visit to the United States, he spent just less than two weeks in South Carolina, stopping in Cheraw, Camden, Columbia, Charleston, Edisto Island and Beaufort. As the nation he helped to establish approached its 50th birthday, Lafayette, the last surviving Revolutionary War general, had written to President James Monroe expressing his longing to “seek those friends of my youth with whom I may still enjoy the most pleasing recollections, to revisit the happy shores of an adopted country, which has so well fulfilled our early and most sanguine expectations, and where I find, in a third and fourth generation, testimonies of benevolence that fill my heart with the most affectionate and devoted gratitude.”

developers, at the request of state Sen. Tom Davis, there was no mention of any special designations for disabled veterans or first responders.

To their credit, the committee members also rejected a rezoning request for 121 acres farther west on S.C. 170 and Cherry Point Road, adjacent to Okatie Elementary School, the county animal services center, River Oaks and Malind Bluff residential developments.

Although the developers of

Lafayette may have invited himself, but President Monroe and the U.S. Congress readily obliged. In January 1824, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution requesting President Monroe, himself a Continental Army officer and friend of Lafayette, to provide a ship to convey Lafayette to our shores.

Lafayette and his party arrived in New York on August 16. Greeted and feted as a rock star or Hollywood icon in all (the then) 24 states of the union, Lafayette attracted rapt public attention and overwhelming hospitality—processions, artillery salutes, speeches, dinners and balls — from aging Revolution veterans, military and civic leaders, the press and Americans of every stripe. He visited Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon, laid the cor-

Cherry Point Landings included a proposal for a development agreement which would include a land swap with the Beaufort County School District to accommodate a future middle school in the area, the committee agreed, again with the planning commission and the planning staff that the potential of 258 residences and 350,000 square feet of commercial development was too much for the already congested highways. Both committee recommendations for disapproval will go to the full council for review.

As the county leaders scratch their heads and figure out what to do about traffic, it will be interesting to see how they treat these

A third individual on the scene at the time of the incident was not injured and was interviewed by investigators. This incident remains under investigation; however, there is no threat to the public.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office encourages the public to report suspicious or criminal activity

nerstone of the Bunker Hill monument, and participated in ceremonies marking the anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown.

This month’s bicentennial of Lafayette’s 1825 visit to Charleston and Beaufort provides us with an opportune moment of reflection as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Revolution. Why was the American cause so attractive to the young Frenchman in 1776 and the memory so important in 1824-5? Why should we care about his visit today?

In short, we should care about Lafayette’s visit because of the way Lafayette saw us.

During the Revolutionary era, Lafayette made it clear that while he championed the cause of American liberty from Britain, he also supported the manumission of slaves. In the 50 years

large rezoning requests from south of the Broad.

Phillips reassures citizens of Safe Harbor’s future

PORT ROYAL – Not to worry.

That was the message Mayor Kevin Phillips gave citizens and investors who might have concerns about news that Safe Harbor Marinas is being sold.

Financial publications recently announced the sale of the international marina corporation to asset manager Blackstone Infrastructure for $5 65 billion.

The impact of the sale on development plans for Port Royal’s 300-plus acres of waterfront property, as well as the city of

by calling our non-emergency dispatch line at 843-524-2777

For those wishing to remain anonymous, tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County via the P3 Tips app, online at www.TIPSBFT.com, or by calling 1-844-TIPSBFT (1-844-847-7238).

between the Revolution and his return, he participated in abolitionist activities in the United States and France.

During his return trip, Lafayette was accompanied by his son, George Washington Lafayette, and his secretary, Auguste Levasseur. In 1829, Levasseur published a two-volume account of their journey. Of their visit to James and Dolley Madison’s Montpelier plantation in Virginia, Levasseur wrote that Lafayette “who never fails to take advantage of an opportunity to defend the right which all men, without exception, have to liberty, introduced the question of slavery among the friends of Mr. Madison.”

Of their time in South Carolina, Levasseur wrote “the state of things in relation to slavery in South Carolina, is the more distressing from its singular

Beaufort’s lease agreement with Safe Harbor for the Downtown Marina, has not been publicly discussed, but Phillips took Wednesday night’s Council workshop to assure interested citizens.

“This doesn’t change anything,” the mayor announced.

The most recent settlement agreement with Safe Harbor requires regular updates and Phillips said the city staff is working with Safe Harbor representatives to set up the next meeting.

The marina company also is expected to present an updated development master plan within six months and has agreed to an easement to allow the Spanish Moss Trail to cross Ribaut Road

contrast with the character of the inhabitants of that state. The Carolinians are particularly distinguished for the cultivation of their minds, the elegance of their manners, their politeness and hospitality towards strangers.”

Throughout his time in America, Lafayette emphasized that though he loved the United States, he opposed slavery. He loved and respected Americans and he wanted them to live up to the founding edict that liberty is a natural human right for all people.

Lafayette’s ability to see America for better and for worse should still be a model for us today.

Elizabeth Chew has degrees from Yale University, the University of London and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is CEO of the S.C. Historical Society. More can be found at https://schistory.org/.

through Safe Harbor property. Part of the original masterplan included a 140-plus boat slip marina and residential development. Safe Harbor is already operating the 240-boat dry stack storage facility on the property and plans are underway for the town to rebuild the shrimp docks.

Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions.

TechStars Startup Weekend set for March 21-23

Staff reports TechStars Startup Weekend, one of the Beaufort Digital Corridor’s signature events, is slated for Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23 at the Digital Corridor office at 500 Carteret Street D in Beaufort.

The event, sponsored by the Technical College of the Lowcountry, will award prizes of up to $10 000 in value and can teach potential entrepreneurs how to launch a startup in three days.

So what happens at TechStars Startup Weekend?

On the first evening, the event facilitator breaks the ice and participants, who must be 18 years old, get to know their fellow attendees. Anyone who would like to pitch a startup idea is given 60 seconds to give it a go.

These startup ideas are generated at the event. Participants are not supporsed to bring already formed startup ideas to the table.

Afterward, participants vote on their favorite ideas and join their

NEWS BRIEFS

Penn Center hosting a Community Sing

teams. Throughout the weekend, participants will continue to work within their teams as they attend workshops on business plan building, customer validation, marketing, and pitching. At the end of the weekend, the teams will present a pitch deck (PPT) to a panel of judges for a chance to win a prize package valued at $10,000, including the development of their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) sponsored by LowCountry Games.

Participants should prepare for the event by researching the event schedule, understanding the types of ideas that can be pitched, and practicing their pitch.

Everyone who attends the event as a participant is expected to come to the event without a team and then join and participate with a team at the event. This is important

Penn Center Inc., is hosting a Community Sing celebrating Women’s History Month – Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations at 5:30 p.m., Sunday, March 16 at Frissell Community House at the Penn Center National Landmark District, 16 Penn Circle West, St. Helena Island. The event is co-hosted by Lady’s Island Baptist Church and Isrealite Baptist Church.

to preserve the Techstars Startup Weekend educational experience.

The ideal team consists of members from diverse backgrounds and experiences who collaborate to build a great minimum viable product (MVP). The more people you have on your team to help you do market research and business model development, the quicker you’ll develop an MVP to pitch on Sunday.

TechStars Startup Weekend is designed to be the most effective platform for growing new businesses from the ground up over the course of a weekend. A key facet of the weekend, and a central value for participants, is the spirit of complete collaboration, buy-in, and ownership.

As mentioned, existing businesses in the mix undermines this spirit, in addition to creating an unequal playing field alongside those ideas that are truly conceived at the grass-roots level. The local organizers have the right to disqualify any existing ideas pitched during the event at any time.

A free will offering will be accepted to help the Histoy and Cultural Department at Penn Center. Light refreshments will be served.

Indivisible Beaufort meets March 22

Mac Deford will be the guest speaker at Indivisible Beaufort’s next meeting at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 22 at the St. Helena Island Library at 6355 Jonathon Francis Sr. Road on St. Helena Island.

The event is free and open to the public.

10 more books to be reviewed by state Board of Education

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

The South Carolina Board of Education will be considering whether to remove 10 more books from public school libraries across the state on Thursday, March 13

All 10 of the books being reviewed were submitted by Beaufort County resident Elizabeth “Ivie” Szalai, who originally submitted a list of 97 books in 2022 to be reviewed by the Beaufort County School District. Under the state’s regulation, books can be banned statewide if they contain

visual depictions or descriptions of sexual conduct.

As the books have already gone through a review process in Beaufort County and were returned to school libraries, the state will now decide their fate.

The 10 books that are being reviewed are “Collateral,” by Ellen Hopkins, “Empire of Storm,” by Sarah J. Maas, “Half of a Yellow Sun,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “Hopeless,” by Colleen Hoover, “Identical,” by Ellen Hopkins, “Kingdom of Ash,” by Sarah J. Maas, “Last Night at the Telegraph

By the end of the weekend, participants should plan their execution around what they'll be judged for on Sunday, such as customer validation, execution and design, and business model.

What do you need?

Participants should bring a laptop/portable computer with a power cord, though it’s not mandatory; business cards (or a business card app); your phone -- feel free to take pictures or video of the event; lots of energy.

Tickets There are two types of tickets available at https://bit.ly/techstars2025: The “Team” ticket is $25. This all-inclusive ticket is exclusively for participants who will join a team to compete for prizes in the pitch contest over the three-day weekend. Participants don't need prior pitching experience and will be taught everything they need to know about forming a startup. This ticket includes Fri-

Poll workers needed; training available

The Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County will be holding 10 new poll worker training classes.

All of the classes will be held at the main office, located at 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort, S.C. 29906. The classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the following dates: Saturday, March 22; Wednesday, April 23; Wednesday, May 14; Saturday, May 24; Wednesday, June 18; Wednesday, July 16;

Club,” by Malinda Lo, “Living Dead Girl,” by Elizabeth Scott, “Lucky,” by Alice Sebold and “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins.

To date, the Board has reviewed 17 books and has removed 11 of them, including four books challenged by Szalai in January.

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.

day night events (including dinner), Saturday workshops and one-on-one mentoring (including breakfast, lunch and dinner), and Sunday workshops, one-onone mentoring, final pitches, and judging (including breakfast, lunch and a Finale Night catered reception).

The “Watch The Show” ticket is $45. This ticket is for those who want to see what Techstars Startup Weekend is all about, but aren't participating as a startup team member or competing for prizes. Audience members are invited to attend Sunday’s Finale Night with a catered reception, pitches, judging, and awards.

Students and military save $15 Use code TSW25STUDENT or TSW25MILITARY at checkout (must register with a school or government email). As this is a fundraising event, all ticket sales are final, and we are unable to offer refunds. For more information or questions, contact info@beaufortdigital.com.

Saturday, July 26; Wednesday, Aug. 20; and Wednesday, Sept. 17

To sign up for a class, visit https://beaufortsc.easypollworker.com/home.

HELP of Beaufort

hosting fundraiser

HELP of Beaufort is hosting a Smoked Ham fundraiser. The northern Beaufort County food pantry is selling Smoked Hams for $45. Order and pay online at www. helpofbeaufort.org, or call 843-524-1223

From staff reports Investigators with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office are asking for information in connection to two separate shooting incidents that occurred on Monday, March 3, 2025, and Tuesday, March 4 2025, according to a news release. At about 7:30 p.m., Monday, March 3, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a report of shots fired on Saxonville Road on Saint Helena Island. When deputies arrived, they found a home had been shot at multiple times. Through the investigation, deputies learned a 32-year-old male victim had arrived at an area hospital suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim was inside the home at the time the

shots were fired from the road. He was treated and released. Then at about 1:30 a.m., Tuesday, March 4 2025, the Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a report of shots fired, this time on Martin and Phoebe Way on Saint Helena Island. Deputies found a home had been shot at from the road. Also, another home in the area on Luther Warren Drive, received damage from gunfire. No injuries were reported in these incidents. Anyone with information regarding either shooting is encouraged to call Staff Sergeant Tunis at 843-255-3426. For those wishing to remain anonymous, tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County via the P3 Tips app, online at www.TIPSBFT.com, or by calling 1-844-TIPSBFT (1-844-847-7238). BCSO

Beaufort Human Library returns for 5th edition April 6

Staff reports

For the fifth time, the Beaufort Human Library project will promote empathy and understanding across communities by offering the public opportunities to “check out” more than a dozen volunteer Human Books who will be sharing their personal stories of facing challenges and striving for acceptance. These engaging conversations will cover topics including education, military service, healthcare, gender, race, addiction, abuse, and advocacy, among others. The

dialogues focus on building bridges of understanding, person to person, through storytelling. The Beaufort Human Library will be held on opening day of National Library Week, from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 6, in MacLean Hall, Building 12 of the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL), at 104 Reynolds Street in Beaufort. Free and open to the public, the event is

hosted by TCL; the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center; DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization; and volunteer community organizers.

The afternoon begins from 1 to 1:45 p.m. with this year’s featured Human Books: sisters Lynn Bryant, a retired educator, and Victoria Smalls, a cultural preservationist. Following that featured conversation, all the

volunteer Human Books will be available throughout MacLean Hall to be checked out for 30-minute small group conversations from 2 to 4 p.m. Attendees (the “Readers”) may choose to participate in a new conversation every half-hour throughout the afternoon. Advance registration is not required, nor are attendees required to stay for the whole afternoon. Check out just one Human Book, or four, or any number in between. Volunteer Librarians and student Bookmarks from DAYLO will be on hand to

help guests navigate their Beaufort Human Library experience and answer questions.

In addition to Lynn Bryant and Victoria Smalls, this year’s Human Books include community members Paulette Edwards, Ashley Gardner, Karen Gareis, Col. Richard Geier (U.S.Army, ret.), Marie Gibbs, Connie Hipp, Gwenn McClune, Brea Parker, Gene Rugala, Sissy the Entertainer, and Beth Young. To learn more about the Beaufort Human Library, visit www.facebook.com/beauforthumanlibrary.

100 Women Who Care donate to St. Helena Gullah Community Housing Project

Visit from page A1

was known at the time as a “Hero of the Nation.”

In August 1824, Lafayette returned to the young United States as the only surviving major general from the Revolution. Invested in the Americans’ great experiment, Lafayette began a “Farewell Tour of the Nation” in Staten Island, N.Y. His tour included 24 states, ending Sept. 6, 1825, in Washington, D.C., where he celebrated his 68th birthday at a White House banquet with President John Adams.

That “Farewell Tour” included a stop in Beaufort.

In his March 18 1825, visit to Beaufort, Lafayette arrived to a 13gun salute by the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery and mounted officers from the St. Luke’s Guard. Carriages then carried Lafayette and his family through a triumphal arch for a welcome address by the Beaufort mayor. Shortly after, a reception and ball ran into the early morning hours.

In an article entitled “Reception of Gen Lafayette in Beaufort,” The Charleston Mercury documented the hero’s arrival:

The General was expected to arrive at Beaufort on the morning of the 18th, but did not reach there until half past 10 o’clock on the night of that day. He was received by a Committee of the citizens consisting of Dr. James Stuart, and Messrs; John A. Stuart, Richared de Treville, and by the Beaufort Artillery and Volunteer Guards. As the Steam Boat came in front of the town, a salute of 13 guns was fired; and the Committee was introduced to the General by the Hon. James Hamilton. He was then conducted to the reception room – the Military and the carriages (in which were the General and his family, and the Military gentlemen that accompanied him from this place) forming a procession, preceeded by Music. The carriages were flanked on the right and left by single file. A detachment of St. Luke’s Troop of Cavalry, and the Officers of the Battalion, mounted under the command of Maj. Jacobs, flanked the whole progression.

There is very little documentation that exists, but historic anec-

dotes indicate that Lafayette greeted Beaufort townspeople from the steps of the Verdier House — also long known as the Lafayette Building — on Bay Street. In recognition of his stop in Beaufort, Historic Beaufort Foundation will erect a marker, as part of The Lafayette Trail, marking the path Lafayette’s tour of America followed, in front of the Verdier House.

“Lafayette’s visit 200 years ago has always been seen as one of the most significant events in the city’s history, HBF Executive Director Cynthia Jenkins said. “The short visit by General Lafayette and his son, George Washington Lafayette, on March 18, 1825 left an indelible mark in the memory of Beaufortonians. For two centuries we have referred to the house John Mark Verdier built ca. 1804 as the Lafayette Building.”

The bicentennial celebration of Lafayette’s visit started last week and through March 18 will include lectures, dances, living history interpretations and a visit by renowned historical interpreter Mark Schneider.

Official planning for the celebration has been underway since August and includes lectures, informative display boards for City Hall, the Beaufort History Museum, and the John Mark Verdier House Museum, program activities with the Beaufort County Library, school events and more.

The highlight will be a re-creation on March 18 of Lafayette’s arrival and procession through downtown Beaufort featuring Lafayette interpreter and U.S. Army veteran Mark Schneider. For more than 25 years, Schneider has worked at Co-

lonial Williamsburg portraying the French aristocrat.

A warning – Bay Street will be closed Tuesday, March 18 from 9 a.m. until noon p.m. Scott Street will be closed from 9 a.m., until 3 p.m

At 10 a.m., a boat carrying Lafayette will arrive at the day dock in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. There will be a 13-musket salute and a cannon salute. The Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard will display the Colors and there will be the singing of Hail Columbia .

A parade procession onto Bay Street will take Lafayette and his party to the Verdier House, where local and state dignitaries, as well as “Lafayette” himself, will address the crowd. The unveiling of the Lafayette will happen there, as well, before the party parades down Scott Street through the living history demonstrations to museum exhibits at the Beaufort History Museum at The Beaufort Arsenal.

The events will culminate Tuesday evening with a dance sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum reminiscent of the dance planned for Lafayette when he arrived in Beaufort in 1825

“This 200-year anniversary of Lafayette’s visit is an important reminder to Beaufort, the Lowcountry, to South Carolina and even our nation about the contributions this Frenchman made to our young country,” Beaufort Mayor Phil Cromer said in a news release.

Scheduled activities

Scheduled activities and tickets, where needed, are listed on Historic Beaufort Foundation’s website at

Beaufort County, that has an immediate need for funding. The St. Helena Gullah Community Housing Project was awarded $11,700 in January by members who understood the impact that this money could have on their organization. They desperately sought funds to address critical, essential housing repairs within St. Helena’s Gullah community. These repairs transform the lives of residents by creating safe, habitable and healthy places to live. Drastic home repairs can force homeowners to move out of their home if they can’t afford the expense. 100 Women Who Care did not want to see residents leave communities where they have deep roots. There are more than 80 homes in need of repair -- from septic tanks and HVAC to safe floors, secure windows and running hot/cold water. Their goal is to repair 30 homes a year that do not meet the federal and state guidelines for funding. This money will go a long way to helping them achieve this result. To find out more about this project, visit https://www.sgchproject.org/ and to learn more about 100 Women Who Care at 100wwcbeaufort.org. Photo courtesy of 100 Women Who Care

https://historicbeaufort.org/lafayette-bicentennial/ and at the Bicentennial web page – LafayetteBicentennial-BeaufortSC.org.

Highlights include:

“In the Footsteps of Lafayette: An Artistic Expression” – Lafayette-inspired Art Exhibit/Sale at the John Mark Verdier House – sponsored by Elevate Art, (letselevateart@ gmail.com for more information).

March (all month long) –Lafayette Traveling Display – City of Beaufort, Beaufort History Museum, John Mark Verdier House.

Monday, March 17, 7 p.m. –

“How Liberty Found a Country: Conversations with an historian & the Marquis” – Mark Schneider & historian John McCardell – St. Helena’s Anglican Church Parish House, tickets required.

Tuesday, March 18 – 10 a.m., re-creation of Lafayette’s 1825 arrival of Lafayette. – Boat arrives to Waterfront Park, 13-musket salute, cannon salute, Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard Display Colors; Singing of Hail Columbia at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park; • Tuesday, March 18 – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Parade Procession, Bay Street; Welcome from Lafayette and state and local dignitaries – Verdier House; Unveiling of Lafayette Marker; Living history demonstrations & museum exhibits – SAR, DAR, Coastal Heritage Society, Beaufort County Library, 19th-century ballroom dancing (Revolution Ballroom & Beaufort County School District); Museum Lafayette Exhibits – John Mark Verdier House & Beaufort History Museum, Elevate Art (at the Verdier House) Tuesday, March 18 – Dedication of SAR/DAR marker.

Tuesday, March 18, 5:30 to 8 p.m. – Dancing with Lafayette – Beaufort History Museum. Beaufort Arsenal, tickets required. • Tuesday, March 18 – Farewell to Lafayette Ceremony – City of Beaufort, Beaufort Bicentennial Committee, Craven Street.

A

Check the City’s website for updates.

The public is invited to come out and witness the re-creation of history Tuesday, March 18 in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and along the procession route on Bay and Scott streets

“This has been a celebration eight months in the making,” HBF Assistant Director Lise Sundrla said. “It’s amazing how the community has come together in such a short time to ensure a fitting celebration for one of the most significant events to occur in Beaufort’s great history.”

The Historic Beaufort Foundation, the City of Beaufort, the Beaufort Convention & Visitor Bureau, American Friends of Lafayette and The Lafayette Trail, Inc., have collaborated along with some 50 local, state, regional and national groups and individuals to celebrate the Lafayette Bicentennial.

Other partners and contributing organizations so far include the Beaufort History Museum, Beaufort County 250th Committee, Sea Island Carriage Tours, Revolution Ballroom, the Thomas Heyward Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Paul Hamilton Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Beaufort County Library –Beaufort District Collection, Elevate Art, Society of the Cincinnati, S.C. Rep. Shannon Erickson and the Beaufort County School District. Also contributing are Coastal Heritage Society – Savannah, Williams Group PR LLC, Best Western Sea Island Inn, Rhett House Inn, Springhill Suites, Allen Patterson Builders, and the Davenport House – Savannah.

People and groups interested in donating to the bicentennial activities should contact Historic Beaufort Foundation at info@historicbeaufort.org.

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

Victoria Smalls Karen Gareis

USCB lucky he’s building his vision here

On a Saturday afternoon in July 2022, I received an email from an assistant basketball coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania named Ron Fudala, who was upfront — and correct — about the fact that I didn’t know who he was, and made clear that he knew who I was — and what I had done.

The tone was positive, kind and casual, and his praise of my efforts to preserve local sports coverage in an underserved media market came off as genuine. He gave some background about himself and then cut to the chase: He knew I spent six years at USC Beaufort and wanted to know if it was the place where he could build the program he envisioned.

The conversation we had over the phone later that afternoon left my head spinning. Fudala was everything USCB could dream for in a coach and more. I told a few close friends that they had a slamdunk candidate, and if he was the floor, there was no ceiling.

Unsurprisingly, Fudala aced the interview process and was announced as the Sand Sharks’ first men’s basketball coach a week shy of three months later. He arrived in the Lowcountry fulltime that November and hit the ground running, selling his vision to young men around the country who seemed up to the task of building a program from scratch and enduring the hardships that

come with being a pioneer.

“Excited to build something special here and rally the community around a terrific product,”

Fudala said in a text on Oct. 14 2022, the day his hire was officially announced.

His first team did that to a large extent, turning plenty of heads by scoring 357 points in its first three games, albeit against subpar competition, and giving a glimpse of what Fudala’s vision might look like when fully realized.

Then the Peach Belt gauntlet ground them up. Fudala’s freshman-laden squad faltered down the stretch, losing its last nine games after a 10-7 start, and star center Marcus Overstreet and sharpshooting guard Larry Bulluck hit the transfer portal almost as soon as the season ended.

Fudala didn’t flinch.

He and assistant coach Luke Dyer got back on the recruiting trail and built around the returning players who were bought-in. They landed a leader of men in Florida Atlantic transfer Alejandro

Ralat, who played in a Final Four for the Owls, and found another freshman phenom in Dominic Eason, among others, and got back in the gym.

When the Sand Sharks knocked off North Georgia in The Cove on Jan. 18 for their first win over a top-25 opponent — a feat that is unheard of for a second-year program — it was only the beginning. USCB finished fourth in the Peach Belt, clinching a first-round home game in the conference tournament with a thrilling 87-83 win over Augusta in the regular-season finale at home, and then the Sand Sharks held off Lander, 62-57, to advance to the semifinals.

Fudala was fired up, at one point pausing our postgame interview on the Sand Shark Gameday Network to let out a primal scream with a collection of raucous USCB baseball players who had done a tour of duty in the student section.

“That’s what I’m talking about!,” Fudala screamed as he pounded his fists on the table in a fit of joyous rage.

The Sand Sharks had one more win in them, and it was the biggest one in program history — so far. USCB shot an incredible 18-for-36 from 3-point range on Saturday to stun top-seeded Columbus State, 91-87, taking down the sixthranked Cougars on their home court and snapping their 10-game winning streak. The run finally ended Sunday with a 92-76 loss to

USC Aiken in the championship game, but that just gives Fudala more fuel for the offseason.

“Wild ride, my man,” Fudala texted me after he came up for air Monday morning. “Want to keep making our community proud and keep getting better.”

Fudala’s lust for competition is rivaled only by his intellect, and to watch them woven together into the ultimate form of team basketball is pure art. Always dressed sharply in a suit and tie, Fudala assumes various stances throughout the game — sometimes kneeling with his hand to his chin like The Thinker, others jumping and spreading his limbs

as though he were a sixth defender. His players are compelled to match his energy, in part because there are a bunch of guys sitting on the bench waiting their turn, but mostly because they believe fully in their leader. And I get it. I got it the moment I heard him speak about his vision. Ron Fudala is a winner, and we’re lucky he’s building his vision here.

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

Local teams battle on soccer field

JUSTIN JARRETT

USCB men’s basketball coach Ron Fudala speaks to his team during a timeout in the midst of the Sand Sharks’ 62-57 home win over Lander in the first round of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. Fudala’s Sand Sharks finished 21-10 and reached the PBC Tournament championship game in just the program’s second season. Mallory Parrish/USCB Athletics

Battery Creek’s Kareem Simmons and Whale Branch’s Alejaundro Ortega struggle for control of the ball at Battery Creek High School on Friday, March 7, 2025. Battery Creek ultimately won, 7-1. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Beaufort High’s Aaron Thomas and Hardeeville’s Fernando Ramirez battle for control of the ball at Beaufort High School on Friday, March 7, 2025. Beaufort High won, 2-1. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Beaufort Academy’s Nych Underwood and Bridges Prep’s Ivan Gray battle for control of the ball at Beaufort Academy on Thursday, March 6, 2025. Bridges Prep won, 4-1. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

EDUCATION

BCSD gives update on student response to cell phone ban

By Delayna Earley The Island News

The numbers are clear, Beaufort County students have done well in adhering to the cell phone restrictions introduced this year.

During the Beaufort County Board of Education Meeting on March 4

Mellow Lee, Deputy Superintendent, spoke to board members about how the community, parents and students have taken to the cell phone ban during school hours that was implemented at the start of the 20242025 school year.

All South Carolina public schools were required to follow the statewide cell phone ban by no later than January 2025, but Beaufort County enacted theirs in August 2024 so they could get ahead of the ban.

They created their original policy with the intention of amending it once the S.C. Department of Education made their policy more clear. Originally, cell phones and personal electronic devices were banned during school hours in elementary and middle schools, and high schoolers were able to have their cellular devices during their lunch break.

But the district adjusted the rules in January 2025 to comply with S.C. state regulations, which included no longer allowing cell phones during lunch break for high school students.

Per the Beaufort County School District (BCSD), a personal electronic device is defined as a device that “has the capability of electronically sending, receiving, storing, recording, reproduc-

ing 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 device 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.

Lee said that they have found that the lack of cell phones in the classroom this

year has led to improved academic performance, reduced bullying and better mental health outcomes for students.

In August 2024, there were 210 infractions, in September there were 246, in October there were 219 in November there were 137 and in December there were 79

Following the winter break, there were 109 violations in infractions in January and 75 in February, all together totaling 1075 infractions so far in the 20242025 school year.

These numbers are just looking at cell phone violations and how they relate to the discipline matrix in the first three levels of discipline, once a student surpasses three violations they go to a different level and

those violations are not reflected in these numbers.

Additionally, these numbers do not calculate the number of students who have had infractions but the number of infractions, as Superintendent Frank Rodriguez pointed out when talking to board members.

“Our successful implementation is largely due to our parent support and student compliance,” Lee said.

“We are very appreciative to our community support, and we believe that our focus on instruction will lead to greater achievement for our students.”

Some board members were impressed, but others had questions regarding the low number of infractions for cell phone usage, especially as this is the first year for the ban.

“I’m puzzled about how we were able to get those numbers down in January and February,” said Board member Will Smith. “I just don’t see how the numbers came down so quickly when we just started the no cell phone usage [during lunch for high schoolers] in January.”

Lee said that initially, there were a lot of infractions as students got used to the rules, but as the year has continued the numbers have shown that students are more accepting of the new rules than expected.

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.

Glenn, Miller receive inaugural USCB Alumni Awards

Staff reports

Television sports host Poppy Miller and federal cybersecurity chief Jeremiah Glenn have won inaugural alumni awards from the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

Glenn, Class of 2009, received USCB’s first Distinguished Alumni Award. He serves as the Chief of Cyber Threat Intelligence Services in the Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he leads the nation’s cybersecurity intelligence strategy and mission.

A decorated U.S. Navy war veteran, Glenn also served in the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs under President Barack Obama. He earned his bachelor’s

degrees in Business and Psychology from USCB. He also holds a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management from The George Washington University, and he completed a Senior Executive Fellowship with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School.

Glenn is pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration in Business Intelligence at Marymount University. He is from Alexander City, Ala.

Miller, a 2017 USCB graduate, received the university’s first Young Alumni Achievement Award. She is a studio host for CBS Sports soccer coverage, including the European Champions, the Europa, and the Ital-

Healthy eating

On Friday, Feb. 28, Chef Paul O’Toole created a healthy, delicious snack for a group of school children at St. Helena Elementary School. The event was inspired by the school’s Healthy Choices Club, started by 1st-grade teacher Rosalin Blair with the goal of providing students with opportunities to develop healthy habits through food and exercise. Adopt-aSchool of Beaufort County (AdAS) partnered with Blair as part of its ongoing mission to provide volunteers and community support to St. Helena Elementary School. Dataw Island resident and AdAS President Peter Zamuka, said “Chef Paul surpassed our expectations by providing a fun and instructive experience for the members of the school’s Healthy Choices Club.” Blair, agreed and added, “The children look forward to our monthly club day. They are very excited to help prepare what Chef has in store as well as the delicious outcome at the end of each visit.” O’Toole is a member of the The Honorable Order of the Golden Toque. His culinary career spans 40 years and includes a role in Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to Schools program. He has visited many schools in the eastern United States providing inclass demonstrations and lessons on the benefits of healthy eating choices. Although he has retired, Chef O’Toole plans to continue to schedule these visits to SHES to share his love of food and cooking.

ian Serie A leagues. Miller has worked as an SEC Network host and commentator and a reporter for Major League Soccer.

The former USCB Sand Sharks women’s soccer standout also worked in TV broadcasting for the Charleston (S.C.) Battery professional soccer club. A native of Nottingham, England, Miller earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from USCB.

USCB’s Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes the achievements of graduates from the past 11-plus years. The Young Alumni Achievement Award salutes the notable success of graduates from the past 10 years. USCB is celebrating its 20th anniversary since becoming a baccalaureate degree-granting institution.

EDUCATION BRIEFS

Flynn named to Presbyterian College's Dean's List

Presbyterian College proudly salutes the success of its students by recognizing outstanding academic achievement. Ashley Flynn of Fripp Island is one of those students after being named to PC's Dean's List for the Fall 2024 semester. Students who make the Dean's List earn at least a 3 5 to 3 9 grade point average for the semester.

PC provides students of all faiths, identities, and backgrounds with a transformative education that equips them for impactful careers and empowers them to serve as powerful forces for positive community and world change.

Lander announces President’s, Dean’s lists for Fall 2024

To qualify for the Lander University President’s List, a student must earn a 4 0 GPA for the semester. Meanwhile, to qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must earn a 3 5 to 3 9 GPA.

Beaufort area students on the President’s List include Rose Castillo (Beaufort), Molly Smith (Beaufort), and Calvin Garcia (St. Helena Island)

Beaufort area students on the Dean’s List include Carolina Alvarez (Beaufort), Serenity Goethie (Beaufort), Caroline Malphrus (Beaufort), Avery Snyder (Beaufort), Camden Vuocolo (Beaufort), and Marjorie Wallace (Beaufort).

Lander University is a comprehensive public university in Greenwood that focuses on preparing today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce.

13 from Beaufort area named to Dean's List at UMGC

More than 16,000 University of Maryland Global Campus students were named to the Dean's List for the fall 2024 term, including 13 from the Beaufort area.. To be eligible for the honor, a student must complete at least six credits during the term, earned a grade point average of at least 3 5 for the term, and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3 5 at UMGC.

The area students named to the Dean's List were Tylor Arnett, Beaufort (29902); Mark Brazzell, Beaufort (29902); Momo Castorena, Beaufort (29906); Artyoom Cobb, Beaufort (29906); Rogelio Garcia-Roman, Beaufort (29906); Kristen Haynescosio, Beaufort (29906); Jason Hill, Beaufort (29902); John Imms, Beaufort (29904); Jocelyn Lomba, Beaufort (29902); Diana Martinez Portuhondo, Beaufort (29906); Dillon Mckee, Beaufort (29906); Kevin Oquinn, Seabrook (29940); and Jeffrey Pinkney, Beaufort (29906).

University of Maryland Global Campus was founded more than 75 years ago specifically to serve the higher education needs of working adults and military service members.

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 fall 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, Mass., and in Talloires, France -- is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions.

10 from Beaufort area make SNHU President's List

It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates the following area students on being named to the Fall 2024 President's List. The fall terms run from September to December.

Full-time undergraduate students who have earned a minimum gradepoint average of 3 700 and above for the reporting term are named to the President's List. Full-time status is achieved by earning 12 credits over each 16-week term or paired 8-week terms grouped in fall, winter/spring, and summer.

Area students honored include Kevin Valentia of Seabrook (29940), Mae Benton of Beaufort (29907), Xhesika Donovan of Beaufort (29907), Whitney Hardman of Beaufort (29906), Matthew Erazo of Beaufort (29906), Hope Bello of Beaufort (29906), Elisabeth Geines of Beaufort (29906), McKenzie Simpson of Beaufort (29906), Lakika Smalls of Beaufort (29906), and Norbert Trznadel of Beaufort (29904).

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with a 92-year history of educating traditional-aged students and working adults.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

Poppy Miller, Class of 2017, is the first recipient of USC Beaufort's Young Alumni Award. Photo courtesy of USC Beaufort

Jeremiah Glenn, Class of 2009, is the first recipient of USC Beaufort's inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award. Photo courtesy of USC Beaufort

18th Century Treasures!

ARTS BRIEFS

Conroy Center’s virtual Open Mic Night to feature Susan Tekulve

The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be presented as a virtual event, live-streamed to its Facebook page, on Thursday, March 13, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The featured presenter is multi-genre author Susan Tekulve, whose newest book is “Bodies of Light,” her first full-length poetry collection. Hosted by poet Melissa Whiteford St. Clair, Open Mic will also feature short readings of three to five minutes each by other writers in many genres.

Those interested in reading as part of virtual Open Mic in the future should email the Conroy Center at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org .

An Evening with Novelists

Dawn Major and Kim Poovey — in Conversation as Their Characters

The Conroy Center will host an evening with authors Dawn Major and Kim Poovey portraying characters from their respective novels, introduced by host Mary Ellen Thompson. Free and open to the public, this special event will be held at the Conroy Center at 601 Bladen Street on March 20 at 5 p.m. Books will be available for sale and signing. Please call in advance to reserve a seat at 843-379-7025

Major is an associate editor for the Southern Literary Review. Poovey is a storyteller, Victorian reenactress, and has written nine novels.

Silent Book Club Beaufort

Silent Book Club Beaufort, a unique take on the traditional book club, will hold its next meetup on Saturday, March 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center at 601 Bladen Street. A relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the

student book club DAYLO (Diversity

Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature.

Watercolor Workshop with Ian Welch

The Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage will host a watercolor workshop with artist Ian Welch on Saturday, March 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 10782 S. Jacob Smart Blvd., Ridgeland.

This beginner-friendly workshop is perfect for those curious about painting or looking to rediscover their artistic side. Welch will guide participants through basic watercolor techniques—no experience necessary.

General admission is $70, and registration is required by March 20. Purchases are non-refundable and cannot be transferred to a later class date. Register at https://shorturl.at/rvfhJ.

An Evening with Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle

The Conroy Center will host an evening with Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle, authors of “A Curious Heart: The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Boatwright Coker,” at 5 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, at the Conroy Center at 601 Bladen Street. The event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve at 843-379-7025

Written by Elizabeth Boatwright Coker's daughter, Penelope Coker Hall, and granddaughter, Eliza Wilson Ingle, “A Curious Hear” tchronicles the life and work of the award-winning author. In this poignant literary biography, Hall and Ingle give readers a front row seat to the remarkable life and career of award-winning author Elizabeth Boatwright Coker (1909-1993).

Drawing liberally from Elizabeth’s own letters, journal entries, book passages and interviews, A Curious Heart reveals for the first time the inner life of this complex, Southern woman who dreamed of becoming a published writer.

Janson to headline Concert In The Park

Staff reports Country music’s Chris Janson has been announced as the performer for the Concert In The Park during this summer’s Beaufort Water Festival.

Janson will perform Saturday, July 12, along with special guests Alli Walker and Beaufort’s Chris Jones. The gates will open at 6 p.m., and the music will start at 7 p.m. No strollers, coolers or professional photography are allowed.

Janson’s hits include “Buy Me A Boat,” “Fix Me A Drink,” “Good Vibes,” and “Done.” In addition to his own material, Janson has performed on albums by Holly Williams and Lee Brice and has co-written singles for Tim McGraw, LoCash, Randy Houser and Hank Williams Jr. Sponsors include Sparklight, Jack Daniel’s, Corona, Butler Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep & Ram, and BOB 106 9 For more information, visit BftWaterFestival.com.

Art at upcoming exhibit painted specifically for Lafayette Day

Staff reports With the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s visit to Beaufort coming Tuesday, March 18, the exhibit "In the Footsteps of Lafayette: An Artistic Expression" will be on display from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday, March 18 to Tuesday, March 25 at the Verdier House Museum at 801 Bay Street in Beaufort.

Selected artists from Beaufort County, as well as some guest artists from Pennsylvania, will represent Elevate Art and the Historic Beaufort Foundation at this event.

The exhibit will remain on display for seven days following the celebration. All of the paintings are painted specifically for this event and will be for sale at the Historic Beaufort Foundation. A percentage of the sales will go toward the organization’s future events and historic preservation.

The Lafayette Day festivities will include a reenactment of Lafayette’s arrival by ship, accompanied by his dog, as well as a grand welcome featuring a delegation in period costumes, military music, a gun sa-

lute, a parade, flower decorated carriages, and flower-adorned arches. Mayor Phil Cromer will present Lafayette with the Key to Beaufort, and he will deliver a speech at the Verdier House Museum, where "In the Footsteps of Lafayette: An Artistic Expression" will be showcased.

The day will conclude with the Lafayette Ball at the Beaufort History Museum at The Arsenal — an unforgettable experience.

The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra performs the third of its four concerts of the 2024-2025 Season, “18th Century Treasures!” on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the USCB Center for the Arts. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

“The Marquis de Lafayette, 1825” was completed by Sandra Atkins using needle and felted wool. Photo courtesy of Historic Beaufort Foundation

FAITH

Holy Trinity announces inaugural, annual seminar

Staff reports

Holy Trinity Classical Christian School has announced its inaugural annual Spring Seminar entitled "The Splendor of the Truth in the Brave New World" to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, April 11 on their campus in Beaufort.

This one-day conference will not be about Classical Christian education so much as an experience of it. Deep biblical truths, great literature, interesting presentations, and thought-provoking conversations will all be delivered in an engaging and accessible way.

The day begins with Morning Prayer.

Sessions 1 & 2 will be presented by the Rt. Rev. Mark Lawrence, retired Bishop of Diocese of South Carolina (ACNA), and Rev. Joe Lawrence, HTCCS Chaplain and Humanities Department Chair.

After lunch, a few selected students will present their senior theses. The closing session will feature lively discussion, Q&A, and worship.

The event will be hosted in Hathaway Hall at 2712 Jones Street in Beaufort. Registration is $80 per person and includes a continental breakfast and a catered lunch. Space is limited.

Arrival of Lafayette Parade Procession

Living History Demonstrations

Waterfront Park/Bay & Scott Sts. March 18th, 10AM - 3PM

Joe Lawrence Mark Lawrence

To register and learn more about the spring seminar, please visit www. HTCCS.org/spring-seminars/. Registration deadline is March 30. For questions, contact Director of Advancement Minnie Bullock at mbullock@htccs.org or 843-522-0660

Founded in 2012, Holy Trinity Classical Christian School (HTCCS) is committed to the pursuit of truth, wisdom, scholastic excellence, and the love of learning. For more information about the classical, Christian experience offered at Holy Trinity, visit www.htccs.org.

What does let your glory fall mean?

Some Christians might think this is a silly question because asking for God’s glory to fall is such a popular phrase in church environments. Since we notice entire congregations singing about it in their worship services, we assume that everyone knows what it means, right?

It depends on the depth of an individual's knowledge and personal experiences. We realize we are all still learning and growing in our understanding of God and the Christian’s narrow path, and I believe this is a topic that is worth taking a closer look.

I’ve had the privilege of leading worship throughout my adult life, and since worship is such an important part of our relationship with God, I take it very seriously. I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to inspire me when selecting songs and believe just as pastors seek direction with their messages that God can reveal how He wants to touch His people. To me, church is not just a place we gather just because it’s Sunday, but it’s a holy and special opportunity where God’s people can see the demonstration of God’s glory.

Our worship music includes the deepest expression of adoration to God and this is wonderful, and let us never come to the place where the words become mundane and boring. It’s seldom mentioned, but the level of what the Lord demonstrates in churches and how much of a blessing we receive is based on the attitude of the individual.

If a person comes to church with a heavy heart, bombarded with stress and worries from their job, finances, health, family,

BILLY HOLLAND

or relationship problems, these distractions will prevent them from absorbing the personal awareness of His presence and His miracle power to deliver and heal. How can we receive or be used without faith or expectation?

I’ve experienced this myself and whether on stage where I’m dialed into God’s presence, or seeking the Lord in the audience, it takes a lot of concentration to stay focused on Jesus. We often forget that God may not be pouring out His Spirit because the majority of the congregation is struggling with sin issues which in turn causes us to avoid sincerely crying out for Him to flood the atmosphere with His glory. Another reason that will hinder a service and cause it to be nothing more than a religious ritual is placing an emphasis on a traditional program instead of allowing God to manifest His will in the meeting.

Just as a farmer plows the ground before he sows the seed, we have the responsibility to pray for discernment and sensitivity before we enter the sanctuary to be prepared for what the Lord wants to do. When you have time, look at the lyrics of songs such as, “Revelation Song,” “I Am Not My Own,” “I Love Your Presence,” “You Are My King,” “I Surrender All,” and “Living Sacrifice.”

These are amazing examples of the seriousness of what we are promising and

asking of God. These are vows we are making and if we are not even thinking about what we are saying it’s only a religious facade.

When we sing, “Let your glory fall upon us,” we are saying our lives are pure and holy and we are ready to do whatever it takes to please Him. It’s not just religious jargon. Remember when the high priest would enter into the holy of holies, they would tie a rope around his ankle in case he was not sincere and he would die and they would pull his body out.

Have we considered that God wants His people to enter into His sanctuary with this same reverential fear? He has not changed and still requires this same attitude of respect at all times.

You see it’s easy to sing songs and listen to devotions, but do we mean what we are singing and are we going to follow and obey the instructions from those who help teach us?

Our lukewarmness enjoys the comforts and security of a predictable gathering but becomes uneasy and apprehensive when God shows up. Are we hiding from Him?

The next time we sing songs like, “Set A Fire,” “Holy Spirit You Are Welcome,” “Break Every Chain,” and “Show Me Your Glory,” let us realize this is our testimony and approach these declarations with the same humility and brokenness as when we receive holy communion. I’m sure it will help transform and renew our minds and create a stronger awareness of His presence more than ever.

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

LOCAL MILITARY

Dandridge receives award

Weekly columnist honored with VA Commendation of Meritorious Service

Staff reports The Island News weekly columnist and Lowcountry veterans advocate Larry Dandridge was awarded the Veterans Administration’s “Commendation of Meritorious Service” by the CEO of the Ralph H. Johnson (RHJ) VA Medical Center and Healthcare System

Scott Isaacks, at 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 5 2025

Lt. Col. Dandridge (U.S. Army retired) was honored in the auditorium of the VA Medical Center in front of RHJVA staff and department heads. The award citation said RHJ VA leaders gathered to honor and recognize the exceptional contributions of W. Larry Dandridge, who exemplified extraordinary leadership and unwavering dedication to the service of our nation, its veterans, and their families.

Isaacks and the citation praised Dandridge for his commitment to excellence in service, which spans 21 years as a Patient Adviser, Patient and Family-Centered Care (PFCC) Instructor, Fisher House Charleston Ambassador of Goodwill, Employment Assistant Adviser, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Coastal S.C. Association of the U.S. Army Representative to the RHJVA, Patient and Family Advisory Committee Member, and Stakeholder Committee Member at the RHJVA Medical Center and Healthcare System.

Isaacks said Dandridge has tirelessly advocated for our nation’s

heroes and loved ones' health and well-being. The citation noted that Dandridge’s valor was recognized in November 2023 when he was bestowed with South Carolina’s Highest Service Award -- The Order of the Palmetto. The citation also mentioned that the S.C. House of Representatives honored Larry in House Resolution H.5224 on Feb. 13 2020, reflecting his ongoing support for troops and veterans and his active role in legislative advocacy.

Some of the things that Larry has done for veterans over the past two decades include:

Working tirelessly to help obtain a parking garage, get a parking lot leased in West Ashely, establish a valet parking program, and end a parking shortage (and veterans missing appointments due to a lack of parking) at the main campus of the RHJVA Medical Center.

Advising on using world-class methods (leveling and balancing workload, moving services off the main campus, establishing a suggestion and complaint system in each clinic, a place for everything and everything in its place, etc.) to improve processes continuously.

• Helping veterans write strong resumes, improve job searching, utilize SCWORKS.ORG, learn to network, improve thank you note writing, and

find good jobs for dozens of veterans and their spouses.

Writing the award-winning “Blades Of Thunder (Book One),” donating profits from book sales and speeches, giving more than 150 speeches, and doing book signings raising more than $4 5 million dollars to buy the land Fisher House Charleston is built on. His book sales and speeches have raised more than $90,000 in funds and supplies for the Friends of Fisher House Charleston 501c(3) and Fisher House Charleston.

Helping to raise another million dollars to refurbish the old carriage house behind the Fisher House Charleston and to operate the facility.

Raising more than $2,000 with other veterans’ support organizations (WID, AUSA, Chas. RiverDogs) to buy newspapers for the inpatients and outpatients to read at the RHJVA Medical Center.

Establishing the first AUSA Charleston Chapter, “Wounded, Ill, Injured, and Needy Troops/Veterans Fund,” which provided same-day grants totaling more than $50 000 to veterans referred to AUSA by RHJVA OIF/OEF Social Workers and others.

Serving briefly as a Veterans Service Officer for the Charleston County Veterans Affairs Office.

Promoting, participating in, and writing newspaper articles supporting the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Writing more than 200 articles for the The Island News, ALL ABOUT SENIORS, and over 20 other magazines and newspapers on veterans’ benefits, how to apply for those benefits, and how to appeal bad VA decisions.

Serving for 21 years as the VP for Veteran Affairs (and President three times) for the Charleston, now Coastal Carolina Association of the U.S. Army Chapter.

Serving two years as the Charleston Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA) chapter VP for Veteran (Personal) Affairs.

• Raising more than $30 000 through AUSA and donating it to the RHJVA Medical Center Volunteer Program.

Encouraging Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, Exchange clubs, Kiwanis clubs, community, military history clubs, DAR Chapters, veterans service organization posts/chapters, and

Helping found and support the Tri-county Veterans Support Network (TCVSN), serving as AUSA Coastal SC Chapter point of contact for basic needs, employment assistance, and more.

others to adopt Fisher House Charleston and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and volunteer there. Personally, helping hundreds of veterans through meetings, speeches, phone calls, emails, and texts to better understand their federal and state veterans’ benefits and how to apply for those benefits (and appeal bad VA decisions) -- constantly referring them to the S.C., Ga., N.C., and other state Veterans Service Offices and Veterans Service Officers.

Dandridge’s citation reads, “Let it be known that in recognition of his (Larry’s) extraordinary service, dedication, and unwavering support for veterans of this great nation, W. Larry Dandridge is hereby awarded this ‘Commendation of Meritorious Service’ as a symbol of gratitude from the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System, with a deep appreciation for his service and commitment to enhancing the lives of veterans across The United States of America. The citation is signed by the Director of the VHA Southeast Network Director, Dr. David M. Walker; the Acting Director of the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement, Mr. Wesley R. Walls; The Director/CEO of the RHJVA MedicalCenter and Health Care System, Mr. Scott Isaacks, and The Program Manager of Volunteer Service, Mr. Dwight D. Kress.”

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, 14 March 2025

Recruit Training Regiment • Commanding Officer, Colonel C. B. McArthur 2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel A. Yang Commander of Troops, Captain N. A. Ewing • Parade Adjutant, Captain M. A. Ventura Company “F”, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain N. A. Ewing Drill Master • Staff Sergeant E. Sarmiento

PLATOON 2008

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt J. K. Ridener

Pvt Alzamora, Jeanpierro F.

Pvt Beare, Jacob H.

PFC Berry, Stephen L.

Pvt Cason, Walker D.

Pvt Chambers, Triston L.

Pvt Chen, William

PF Collins Iv, Thomas

Pvt Datsomor, Brandon K.

Pvt Davis, Jonathan S.

Pvt Davis, Kyle M.

Pvt Eubanks, Austin K.

Pvt Evans, Malachi M.

Pvt Flournoy, Rylan R.

Pvt Getty, Mark W.

Pvt Hodge, Javon K.

Pvt Hussaini, Ali

PFC Jones, Malachi L. *

Pvt Lovejoy, Cameron C.

Pvt Malone Iii, Robert E.

Pvt Maruscak, Jacob A.

Pvt Mcdaniel, Julian M.

Pvt Mwangi, Owen

PFC Nieto Jr, Anthony

Pvt Ocanamendoza, Enrique

PFC Parker, Ethan C. *

Pvt Paterson, Ayden M.

Pvt Rambo, Steven J.

Pvt Rochaangulo, Sebastian

PFC Roldan, Dylan A.

PFC Solomon, Casey J. *

Pvt Sumlin Jr, Marcus S.

Pvt Tart, Travis D.

Pvt Thompson, Mikhail M.

Pvt Vargas, Daniel R.

Pvt Waters, Demetrius S.

Pvt Woodruff, Hezekiah F.

PFC Young, Michael J.

PLATOON 2009

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt D. D. Primm

Pvt Anne, Samba A.

Pvt Archin, Alex G.

Pvt Arguetaguzman, Jordan J.

Pvt Arizmendinavedo, Ivanky A

PFC Ball, Garrett G.

Pvt Barthakur, Manav N.

PFC Bean, Lukas F.

Pvt Boley, Matthew J.

PFC Colston, Leonard A.

Pvt Cox, Juan C.

PFC Cruz,Yhair *

Pvt Diallo, Elhadji

Pvt Doyle, Troy C.

Pvt Guevaramendez, Abdel Z.

Pvt Guzmangomez, Mateo J.

Pvt Jacques, Bensjy

Pvt Johnson, Ethan

Pvt Keding, Bryce C.

PFC Kyle, Trace M. *

Pvt Marconi, Jacob T.

Pvt Marconi, Jared J.

PFC Marrerocalderon, Felix J.

Pvt Mccullough, Julian

Pvt Mcmillan, Joshua C.

PFC Mumford, Reece A.

Pvt Oconnell, Corey J.

Pvt Oliverassantiago, Pedro L.

PFC Radtke, Charles J.

PFC Riveramercado, Derick.

Pvt Rogers, Lucius A.

PFC Seng, Darinn V. *

PFC Spurlock, Addison C.

Pvt Sunkett Jr, Samuel B.

Pvt Thompson, Kieshawn M.

Pvt Turner, Troy T.

Pvt Valladeres, Gabriel A.

Pvt Wallace, Liam T.

Pvt Whittemore, Jaxon L.

Pvt Williams, Jeremiah B.

PLATOON 2012

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt C. C. Chestnut, II

Pvt Aldarondo, John

PFC Arrascue, Kenny J.

PFC Barksdale V, Dallas T.

PFC Boggess, Ethan C.

Pvt Bright, William S.

Pvt Britoluciano, Elijah E.

PFC Brown, Connor J.

Pvt Brown, Lucas K.

PFC Brown, Phaethon W.

PFC Burkett, Hunter W.

PFC Capes, Daniel*

Pvt Carvalho, Alan O.

Pvt Chapman, Daniel S.

Pvt Cliett, Donovan L.

Pvt Conley, Christophe J.

Pvt Cox, Ottis S.

Pvt Decoursey, James L.

PFC Dorescarlouine, Christian K.

PFC Dubiel, Devin J.

Pvt Espinal, Jefferson E.

PFC Farnell, Zachary E.

Pvt Gross Iii, Daniel L.

PFC Guzmanlopez, Erick D.

PFC Hughes, Micah D.

Pvt Hurt, Jayden L.

Pvt Lang, Caleb A.

PFC Lockwood, Boston L.

Pvt Marynicz, Gage S.

Pvt Medrano, Adrian E.

Pvt Myers Iii, Donald J.

PFC Rosa, Lukas C.

Pvt Sanchez, Daniel E.

Pvt Shivers, Francis J.

Pvt Shivers, Patrick D.

Pvt Streety, Isaiah C.

Pvt Taylor, Joshua C.

Pvt Thompson Iii, James M.

Pvt Wiley, Cameron A.

PLATOON 2013

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt J. W. Wooten

PFC Baker, William J.

PFC Bartow, Carsen M.

Pvt Bonilla, Denison J.

Pvt Cachayhuertas, Jose F.

Pvt Cancel, Donovan F.

PFC Carlino, Michael S. *

Pvt Cisneros, Yonysel

Pvt Detillion, Carlin T.

PFC Falvo, Dominic J.

PFC Flowers, Kahlil C.

Pvt Fuentes, Elias D.

Pvt Garcia, Garrett M.

PFC Garcia, Isael M.

Pvt Goebel, Gavin B.

Pvt Gomezbaez, Leafar A.

PFC Guevara, Juan C. *

Pvt Gutierrezcolon, Donovan E.

Pvt Hernandez, Jaden M.

Pvt Kc, Abishek

PFC King, Jonah M.

Pvt Langston, Kevin A.

PFC Leach, James R.

PFC Li, Jack

Pvt Link, Jason S.

PFC Manchester, Nolan P.

PFC Mun, Seongje*

PFC Omar, Omar

Pvt Pokigo, Filip J.

PFC Roblerovelazquez, Franklin A.

Pvt Rodrigueznatal, Yael F.

Pvt Samuels, Briscoe B.

PFC Segarravelez, Kennyel G.

PFC Solispena, Jonathan

PFC Taylor, Ashton M.

PFC Taylor, Chasetin J.

PFC Toure, Amadou I.

Pvt Willis, Brayden J.

*Denotes Meritorious Promotion

LOCAL MILITARY

Now is the time to file a

military service-connected disability VA claim

Aquarter of the VA’s workforce is comprised of veterans. According to the PBS NewsHour YouTube video at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=FtQNVoEWsP4

the Trump administration announced its plans to cut thousands more employees (as many as 83 000 more) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Also, according to Military. com, the VA Chief of Staff, Christopher Syrek, stated in a recent memo that the department’s initial objective is to return to 2019 staffing levels of 399 957 — or about 83 000 fewer employees than the VA has now.

Massive cuts in the VA workforce will hurt veterans. It does not take a staffing expert to predict that these wholesale and sudden cuts will adversely affect VA services, delay claims, slow down services, and cause many veterans to lose their jobs. This article is part one of a two-part series encouraging veterans to file for VA service-connected disability compensation and their other hard-earned VA benefits and services before this massive VA layoff.

Get moving and file your claims

With this dark cloud hanging over the VA, VA employees, veterans, and VA services -veterans with service-connected disabilities caused by or worsened by military service wounds, injuries, illnesses, traumas, and Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) contamination and exposure injuries should move now to file military service-connected disability compensation claims. Veterans should also notify their Congresspeople and state leaders if they disagree with these massive layoffs and see their services being reduced or delayed.

Submitting a claim with the VA is complicated

Do your homework. Veterans should use a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) or a VA-accredited Attorney or Claims Agent to help them prepare, submit, and manage their claims. Veterans should also become educated advocates for themselves by reading the information at www.va.gov, on the VA websites below, and in the Island News articles listed below. VA websites on filing for service-connection disability compensation.

How to file a VA disability

claim: https://bit.ly/3wYGMRJ.

How to File a VA Disability Claim VA YouTube Video: https://bit.ly/45lZEck. Eligibility for VA disability benefits: https://bit.ly/3GxrxTG.

• Intent to File a Claim for Service-connected VA Disability Compensation or Pension, Survivors Pension, or DIC (VA Form 21-0966): https://bit.ly/3Rzq8Qk, https://bit.ly/3W9mzlP, https://bit.ly/40PxbMT, and https://bit.ly/3DtFaWE. Types of disability claims and when to file (Original claim, Increased Claim, New Claim, Individual Unemployability Claim, Secondary service-connected Claim, Special Claims, Supplemental Claim, Pre-discharge Claim Program): https://bit.ly/3m6K3M9 Standard Disability Claim: https://bit.ly/3Z7UGNg.

• Fully Developed Claims program: https://bit. ly/3CTtFV0 Pre-discharge claim (90 to 180 days before leaving the military): https://bit. ly/3vmbvaa. Separation Health Assessment Form: https://bit. ly/4etMQ7H. About VA Form 21-526EZ (Application for Disability Compensation and Related Compensation Benefits): https://bit.ly/3xtZZLp.

• Evidence needed for your disability claim: https://bit. ly/3w6YGAN. File additional forms for your disability claim: https://bit.ly/3XgpDxU. Supporting forms for VA claims: https://bit.ly/3KPYQ7I.

• About VA Form 21-10210

(Lay/Witness Statement): https://bit.ly/3sPpxD8

• Submit a lay or witness statement to support a VA claim: https://bit.ly/3YNARMi.

• Request your military service records (DD214, medical, and personnel):

https://bit.ly/41ydmaU or https://bit.ly/41DdFlq. Request Veteran Records through eVetRecs at the National Archives website: https://bit.ly/4b3r5KD.

• Getting military records through the Department Defense website (USAF discharged after 1 Oct 2004, U.S. Army after 1 Oct 2002, USMC after 1 Jan 1999, USN after 1 Jan 1995): https://bit.ly/3WHL4Zy.

• Evidence needed for your disability claim: https://bit. ly/3w6YGAN.

• Statement in Support of Claim (About VA Form 21-4138): https://bit. ly/3Y6KSmY and https://bit. ly/4kAJC6x. Exposure to hazardous chemicals and materials (Agent Orange, Asbestos, Burn pits, and other specific environmental hazards, Gulf War Illnesses in Afghanistan, Project 112/ Project SHAD, Radiation, Mustard Gas/Lewisite, Birth defects: https://bit. ly/3Rrz3E8 Get help from a VA-accredited representative (Attorney or Claims Agent) or VA-accredited VSO: https:// bit.ly/3WwDXmN.

• Find a VA-accredited representative or a VA-accredited VSO: https://bit. ly/4g9yGdW or https://bit. ly/3QnCk5M. Learn more about VA-accredited representatives (Frequently Asked Questions): https://bit.ly/3TcLOoK.

• Appointment of Veterans Service Organization (VSO) as Claimant’s Representative (VA Form 21-22): https://bit.ly/3Tf6D0z. Appointment of Individual (Attorney or Claims Agent) as Claimant’s Representative (VA Form 21-22a): https://bit.ly/3DtRJkO.

The Island News articles on filing for service-connected disability compensation Things you (Veterans) need to know about Veteran Service Officers, by Larry Dandridge, Sept. 4, 2024: https://bit. ly/3OgLZwl.

How to file a VA disability claim (Part 1 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Aug. 16, 2023: https://bit.ly/4cWYzvh.

How to file a VA disability

“Massive cuts in the VA workforce will hurt veterans. It does not take a staffing expert to predict that these wholesale and sudden cuts will adversely affect VA services, delay claims, slow down services, and cause many veterans to lose their jobs.”

LARRY DANDRIDGE, on the impact of VA staffing cuts on veterans' services.

claim (Part 2 of 2), Aug: 23, 2023, by Larry Dandridge: https://bit.ly/3VZZGU4

How to get copies of a veteran’s military service records. (Part 1 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, May 24, 2023: https:// bit.ly/4bCdcTD.

Suggestions for Veterans filing a Service-Connected Disability Compensation Claim (Part 1 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Sept. 13, 2023: https:// bit.ly/4ePHyox.

Suggestions for Veterans filing a Service-Connected Disability Compensation Claim (Part 2 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Sept. 20, 2023: https:// bit.ly/4eSh7OR.

Filing additional forms for military service-connected disability claims (Part 1 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 20, 2024: https://bit.ly/4fHbtzj.

Filing additional forms for military service-connected disability claims (Part 2 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 27, 2024: https://bit.ly/3DznusH.

How do I get a copy of my DD214, military service personnel, medical, dental, and other records? (Part 2 of 2), May 31, 2023, by Larry Dandridge: https://bit.ly/45X7RVC.

What Veterans Should Know about VA Claim Exams (Part 1

EDITOR’S NOTE This article is the first in a series of two.

of 4), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 15, 2023: https://bit.ly/3R0jfcA.

More of what veterans should know about VA Claim Exams (Part 2 of 4), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 22, 2023: https:// bit.ly/4izOlUe.

More of what veterans should know about VA Claim Exams (Part 3 of 4), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 29, 2023: https:// bit.ly/3DwWmug.

(Final) Tips on Preparing for Compensation & Pension (C&P) Exams (Part 4 of 4), by Larry Dandridge, Dec. 6, 2023: https://bit.ly/4fz7xAz.

Filing additional forms for military service-connected disability claims (Part 1 of 2), by Larry Dandridge, Nov. 20, 2024: https://bit.ly/4fHbtzj.

Filing additional forms for military service-connected disability claims (Part 2 of 2), Nov. 27, 2024, by Larry Dandridge: https://bit.ly/3DznusH.

Lay Witness (Buddy) statements are important to submit with VA Claims for service-connected disability, by Larry Dandridge, July 26, 2023: https:// bit.ly/3Tean5w.

VA service-connected disability for scars, by Larry Dandridge, Feb. 26, 2025: https:// bit.ly/43AWWBP.

What is Veterans Administration (VA) Individual Unemployability (IU) and how do I file for it?, by Larry Dandridge, July 7, 2021: https://bit.ly/3VZDPKc. Should veterans continue to apply for disability after they reach a 100% rating from the VA? by Larry Dandridge, Oct. 26, 2022: https://bit.ly/4hmOn0H.

Continued next week.

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

LARRY DANDRIDGE

Protect your hearing from loud outdoor noise exposure

As summer progresses and more of you will be spending a greater amount of time outdoors. At the same time, the numbers of Americans facing hearing loss is at a record high and rising annually. Outdoor activities can pose a significant threat to hearing health. More than 40 million Americans have some type of hearing loss with approximately 10 million of those attributable to sound-induced hearing loss—exposure to loud sounds. The American Academy of Audiology states that prolonged exposure to sounds above 85 decibels can damage hearing; louder sounds damage hearing in a shorter period of time.

To put that into perspective, noise from fireworks can reach up to 155 decibels. A jet plane taking off is estimated to be 150 decibels. Shooting a gun is around 140175 decibels (depending on the gun). A report in Environ Health Insights looks at noise exposure from the use of outdoor equipment with regard to recommendations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

But it’s not just the decibel levels that matter. The amount of time of the exposure is also important. If you spend multiple hours on a loud riding mower, running a chain saw, working a weed eater, leaf blower or other equipment, you may experience hearing loss. According to the Centers for Dis-

ease Control, loud noise over 120 decibels can cause immediate harm to hearing.

According to the National Institutes of Health NIDCD, approximately 15 percent (37 5 million) of American adults aged 20 to 69 have some trouble with 50% of older adults experiencing hearing loss. Approximately 28 8 million could benefit from the use of hearing aids.

While age is still the greatest factor in hearing loss, many younger people also experience hearing problems due to exposure to loud sound including music, hobbies, and occupational noise. Among adults aged 70 and older with hearing loss who could benefit from hearing aids, fewer than one in three (30 percent) has ever used them. With adults aged 20 to 69 only approximately 16 percent of those who would benefit from hearing aids has ever used them.

The inner ear contains delicate hair cells which do not regrow, explained Catherine Palmer, Ph.D., president of the American Academy of Audiology and audiology program director in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “Once these are damaged by noise, the result is permanent hearing loss. It’s important for people to use hearing protection when riding all-terrain vehicles, shooting firearms, and using pow-

er equipment and tools. Large sporting events and concerts are also a risk for hearing loss without appropriate protection.”

Damaging noise, however, is not only generated by outdoor activities. Many children and adults spend longer amounts of time in the summer using earbuds. Audiologists caution that stock earbuds can produce sounds from 80 to 125 decibels. Some earbuds advertise that they produce sounds as loud as 110 decibels—a number that could cause potential hearing damage, especially with exposure over time. Audiologists caution the public to use portable music safely, or risk hearing loss and potentially tinnitus (ringing in the ears). To ensure safe earphone use, consumers

should consider using devices and headsets that provide data about safe volume settings. The newest devices will provide a warning if sound is turned up to levels that could be dangerous. To measure the decibel level of sound around you can use one of the many apps available.

Some signs of hearing loss may include: Ringing, buzzing, or hissing noises in the ear after the loud noise. Muffled hearing after exposure to noise.

Having to turn up the volume of the television, radio, or stereo and having other family members complain that the volume is too loud.

Difficulty understanding people speaking to you and asking people to repeat themselves.

Difficulty with phone conversations and understanding the other person.

Inability to hear the doorbell, the dog barking, and other household sounds.

People telling you that you speak too loudly.

Ringing in the ears.

Ear pain.

Children are just as vulnerable and parents need to be vigilant in teaching them the importance of hearing health EARS: (E) Earplug use, (A) Avoiding loud sounds, (R) Reducing the volume of sound, and (S) Shortening time in loud sound.” Palmer added.

The American Academy of Audiology recommends that, anyone experiencing the above symptoms should make an appointment with an audiologist.

Reference: The American Academy of Audiology is the world's largest professional organization of, by and for audiologists. Representing the interests of approximately 14 000 audiologists nationwide, the Academy is dedicated to providing quality hearing care services through professional development, education, research, and increased public awareness of hearing and balance disorders. For more information or to find an audiologist, go to www.howsyourhearing.org.

Navigating bird flu concerns

Bird flu is rapidly spreading throughout poultry in the U.S. At the time of this article, approximately 163 million birds have been affected by the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Fears of further infections in chickens have led to the mass culling of flocks, causing a shortage of eggs and a spike in prices that have impacted consumers and small businesses throughout the country. Dairy cattle are also affected, with the virus having been isolated from raw milk.

For many still reeling from COVID-19, bird flu’s effects on livestock have sparked concerns of another pandemic. Right now, however, only 70 people have tested positive for bird flu in 12 states. These infections have mostly involved farm workers who were in close contact with poultry or dairy cows, but physicians and researchers are monitoring the situation to see whether the virus begins to spread to a larger population. According to clinical microbiologist Reeti Khare, PhD*, the main way this would happen would be

through mutation. Because bird flu is an RNA-based virus, it changes more rapidly.

“COVID and the flu are RNA viruses, which is why we are concerned every year about new mutations, new strains,” said Dr. Khare.

Another problem with influenza is that its strains also can infect a variety of hosts— chickens, ducks, cows, humans. So now, you’re not just dealing with two human strains; you’re shuffling a chicken strain with a human strain, and so on. Eventually, you’ll wind up with a ‘Frankenvirus,’ which can get spread easily and cause severe disease.”

An example of the virus’s versatility can be seen in the way bird flu has infected cats through exposure to unpasteurized or raw milk from cows with bird flu at dairy farms. Because this form of transmission could affect humans as well, infectious disease expert Jared Eddy, MD, cautioned against consuming unpasteurized milk. “The pasteurization process kills the virus,” said Dr. Eddy. “By drinking raw milk, you’re putting yourself at risk.”

When it comes to human-to-human transmission of bird flu, there are still no confirmed cases. “We have seen sustained transmission of this bird flu in cows, but fortunately this hasn’t happened yet in humans,” said Dr. Khare. “We also don’t know how people are getting it yet, whether it’s through respiratory transmission or other secretions. But the larger the load you’re exposed to, the greater the chance of infection. Farm and dairy workers who are exposed to the bird flu virus in larger quantities are more likely to catch the virus right now.”

Why Bird Flu Is Not Spreading in Humans Yet

“If we have millions of birds infected and less than 100 humans, that suggests the virus is not very transmissible yet,” said Dr. Khare. So why isn’t bird flu spreading among humans?

The answer lies in biology. In order for a virus to infect a cell, it needs to bind with certain receptors. “It turns out that bird flu infects

receptors that aren’t present in the upper respiratory tract of human beings,” said Dr. Khare. “We have those receptors deeper in our lungs. So, if we get a big enough exposure and it gets into our lungs, then we’ll get sick. But it has to pass through your upper respiratory tract first.”

However, it’s possible that a new bird flu strain capable of binding with receptors in the upper respiratory tract could emerge. “When that happens, you’re looking at a more worrying scenario,” said Dr. Khare. “Fortunately, this time we’re more prepared with vaccines, masks and antivirals.”

Bird Flu Infection and Prevention

Because bird flu infections among humans have been limited, there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to the symptoms and average severity of the illness. To date, only one person has died of bird flu in the U.S., and that person had underlying medical conditions.

The symptoms being reported among people infect-

ed with bird flu include:

Body aches

Conjunctivitis (“pink eye”) and subconjunctival bleeding (broken blood vessel in the eye)

Cough Fever

Lower respiratory tract infections

Limiting close contact with birds and livestock is the best way to keep yourself safe from bird flu infection. “It’s also a good idea to keep your domestic animals away from wild birds so that they don't get sick from them, and then you won’t potentially get sick from them,” said Dr. Eddy.

Again, at this time bird flu is only being transmitted from animals to human beings. There have been no cases where humans transmit the virus to other humans during the current outbreak.

However, if the virus mutates and becomes more transmissible between humans, a limited supply of flu vaccines reasonably well-matched to bird flu are currently on standby. These vaccines are currently not

available for the general public. However, if the virus becomes widespread among humans, physicians expect to be better prepared than they were for the COVID pandemic, when there was no vaccine ready to go. Additionally, the normal flu vaccine may offer some protection, while also helping to decrease the chances of bird flu mixing with typical flu, according to Dr. Eddy. So, if you didn’t receive your flu shot at the height of the season, now may be the perfect time to visit your doctor or pharmacy.

Reeti Khare, PhD, D(ABMM) is a clinical microbiologist at National Jewish Health. Dr. Khare serves as the Director of the Infectious Disease Laboratory.

Source: https://www. nationaljewish.org/education/healthinformation/flu/ navigating-bird-fluconcerns?utm_medium=email&utm_ source=engagingnetworks &utm_campaign =HealthInsights+March+2025 &utm_content=Health+Insights++March+2025

Keeping your child safe from measles

An infectious disease specialist highlights the importance of getting your child vaccinated for measles now that more cases are being reported.

New cases of measles are continuing to be reported across the United States, and that’s sure to cause concern for many parents. So, what can they do to help keep their little ones safe?

“When we look at all the kids who are getting measles, both now and in all the previous years, the vast majority of them are not vaccinated or only have one vaccine,” said Frank Esper, MD, pediatric infectious disease specialist

for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

“It is very rare for you to actually see a child with who received both doses of the vaccine to actually get measles.”

Dr. Esper said that’s why they strongly encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated.

The measles vaccine was developed back in the 1960s and is now given as part of the MMR vaccine.

The MMR vaccine provides protection against measles, mumps and rubella – all three are highly contagious viruses.

Dr. Esper caid MMR vaccine isn’t just important for self-protection but also for others who are unable

to receive it, like babes under the age of 12 months old. There are some people who can't receive the vaccine because

they're immune compromised or they're allergic to a component of the vaccine. And for those people, they really depend on all of us to

be vaccinated to protect them,” said Dr. Esper. “It's called a ring of protection, so that if there's a child in the house who can't receive the vaccine because they're receiving cancer chemotherapy, or they were born with a weakened immune system, their other family members can all get vaccinated to protect that one child.”

Last month a child, who was unvaccinated, died from measles in Texas. It’s the first measles-related death reported since 2015

Source: https://newsroom.clevelandclinic. org/2025/03/04/keeping-your-childsafe-from-measles

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Tips for being a nurturing parent

A healthy, nurturing relationship with your child is built through countless interactions over the course of time. It requires a lot of energy and work, but the rewards are well worth it. When it comes to parenting, there are few absolutes (one, of course, being that every child needs to be loved) and there is no one “right way.” Different parenting techniques work for different children under different circumstances. These tips provide suggestions as you discover what works best in your family. Do not expect to be perfect; parenting is a difficult job

Help your children feel loved and secure. Even during these trying times, you can take steps to strengthen your relationships with your children, including:

Make sure your children know you love them, even when they do something wrong.

Encourage your children. Praise their achievements and talents. Recognize the skills they are developing.

Spend non-screen time with your children. Do things to-

gether that you both enjoy. Listen to your children. Learn how to use nonphysical options for discipline. Many alternatives exist. Depending on your child’s age and level of development, these may include simply redirecting your child’s attention, offering choices, or using “time out.”

Realize that community resources add value. Children need direct and continuing access to people with whom they can develop healthy, supportive relationships. To assist this, parents may:

• Use community services for family needs, such as parent education classes or respite care. Communicate regularly with childcare or school staff. Participate in youth or religious groups.

Seek help when you need it. Being a parent is difficult. No one expects you to know how to do it all. Challenges such as unem-

ployment or a child with special needs can add to family tension. If you think stress may be affecting the way you treat your child, or if you just want the extra support that most parents need at some point, try the following: Talk to someone. Tell a friend, healthcare provider, or a leader in your faith community about what you are experiencing. Or join a support group for parents near you.

Seek respite care when you need a break. Everyone needs time for themselves. Respite care or crisis care provides a safe place for your children so you can take care of yourself. Call a helpline. Childhelp USA® (https://www.childhelp.org) offers a national 24hour hotline (1-800-4-A-CHI LD/1-800-422-4453) for parents who need help or parenting advice.

Seek counseling. Individual, couple, or family counseling can identify and reinforce healthy ways to communicate and parent. Take a parenting class. No one is born knowing how to be a good parent. It is an acquired skill. Parenting classes can give you the skills you need to raise a happy, healthy child. Call the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA) at 843-524-4350 or email kids@capabeaufort.org for information about local parenting classes, held regularly. For additional information, visit https://www.capabeaufort.org. Accept help. You do not have to do it all. Accept offers of help from trusted family, friends, and neighbors. Do not be afraid to ask for help if you feel that you need it.

Safe Children and Healthy Families Are a Shared Responsibility. For additional information, please visit: H ttps://capabeaufort.org/programs/parenting-classes/ http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/index.cfm https://www.childhelp.org

New interventions to treat chronic pain reduce reliance on medication

About 21% of Americans suffer from chronic pain. In addition to physical therapy, medications and injections, pain management specialists use a variety of advanced interventional techniques to treat back and major joint pain. These minimally invasive procedures are used when a patient isn’t a good candidate for surgery or doesn’t want to have surgery. Jerry Markar, MD, a UCLA Health pain medicine physician in North Hollywood, describes some of these techniques.

This is a newer interventional procedure to get excited about:

“Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can help patients with chronic knee pain who aren’t candidates for surgery or don’t want to have surgery,” Dr. Markar says. “They may be experiencing pain despite knee surgery, or they might have chronic osteoarthritis or traumatic injuries to the knee. First, we block the genicular nerves using a local anesthetic,

and if it provides significant pain relief, we know the pain stems from these genicular nerves. If that’s the case, we use radiofrequency energy to heat and destroy small areas of nerve tissue. This prevents the nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. The relief usually lasts anywhere from six-to-24 months, after which the procedure can be repeated, if necessary.”

Other interventional techniques:

One of the newest techniques, called basivertebral nerve ablation, helps patients with vertebrogenic back pain—which stems

from damage to the endplates of the vertebrae (bones of the spine). Damage to vertebral endplates causes pain when you sit, bend or lift. “This technique, also called the Intracept procedure, uses radiofrequency energy to heat the basivertebral nerve,”

Dr. Markar says. “It’s only applicable to patients with certain anatomical features that we can see on an MRI and doesn’t work for everyone. However, it’s safe, effective and long-lasting, so it may prevent the need for other more invasive surgeries.”

Pain medicine physicians can also treat back pain with spinal cord stimulation. This procedure involves implanting a pulse generator and small battery pack connected to electrodes near the spinal cord. The device produces mild electrical pulses, which disrupt the pain signals.

Another therapy now covered by Medicare treats pain caused by lumbar stenosis, a narrowing of the space through which the spinal cord runs. Lumbar stenosis often manifests as pain radiating down the legs

while standing and walking. This narrowing caused by thickening of the ligaments in the spine can be treated with an outpatient procedure called MILD, or minimally invasive lumbar decompression, using a small instrument about the diameter of a pen to remove some of the ligaments and create more space. Patients interested in the MILD procedure can seek a referral from their primary care physician.

Patients with chronic pain should know that pain medicine physicians have an arsenal of tools to reduce their reliance on medications, especially opioid therapies given the potential risk factors related to opioids in chronic pain conditions, including dependence and tolerance,” Dr. Markar says. “Even if we can’t completely eliminate pain, our goal is to turn down the volume of pain. This can make a big difference to a patient’s quality of life.”

Source: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/publication/ new-interventions-treat-chronic-pain-reduce-reliance

Beaufort Memorial now accepting applications for Rising Star Youth Volunteer program

For its fourth summer, Beaufort Memorial Hospital will be hosting a select group of area high school students as “Rising Stars” to learn about career opportunities in health care and the pride that comes with serving the community in such a meaningful way. Beaufort Memorial is accepting applications until April 4 for students looking to take part in one of two Summer 2025 Rising Star Youth Volunteer program sessions. The two sessions will be held June 9-20 and July 7-18. High school students will document 60 volunteer hours over the twoweek-long sessions, earn Basic Life Support and Stop the Bleed certifications and see first-hand what it is like to work in a variety of health care settings, such as

hospital units, physician offices, adult and pediatric physical therapy, cancer services, operating room and cardiac rehabilitation.

In addition to spending time working within clinical areas, Rising Star Youth Volunteers will learn about the variety of positions found in Beaufort Memorial’s five career clusters: Hospitality, Business, Support Services, Diagnostics/Therapeutics and Direct Patient Care. Upon completing the program, volunteers will receive a certificate of participation and a letter confirming volunteer hours for their college applications.

The health care industry involves a wide variety of career paths, both clinical and non-clinical,” said program coordinator Kathy Bingham. “The Rising Star

Youth Volunteer program allows high school students to learn about each career cluster at Beaufort Memorial, giving them valuable tools to help them determine where their passions lie and their future career path.”

To be eligible for the Rising Star Youth Program, volunteers must be currently enrolled sophomores, juniors or seniors in high school, at least 15 years old by June 9, 2025, and fully vaccinated against hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); varicella; tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap).

Additional eligibility requirements, as well as program guidelines, a full list of important dates and application information can be found at BeaufortMemorial. org/RisingStar.

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

Come out, come out wherever you are!

Iknow that somewhere in this big beautiful nation of ours that there are still some real Democrats remaining. Wherever you are, please come out, your country needs you now like never before.

The Democratic Party has been led down a path of destruction by the far left Progressives. “The Toxic Ten” — Sanders, Warren, Pelosi, Schumer, Durbin, Booker, Shiff, Ocasio, Blumenthal, and Waters — have somehow kidnapped the Democratic Party and led it in a direction that very few want to follow.

Some would say that the Republicans also have some work to do, and I don’t think that I could disagree with that. Our country is far better off when we have a strong two-party system. That

Ameans a strong and viable Republican Party, and a strong and viable Democratic Party.

I am sad to say that today we are far from that, but it’s not too late, if reasonable people will step forward to lead. I know that you are out there, and now thanks to the Progressive agenda being totally exposed for the failure that it is, it’s safe to speak up without fear of being canceled and expelled.

No President in my

memory has ever been 100% right on everything. They have some good ideas, some OK ideas, some bad ideas and some very bad ideas. Believe it or not, our current President is no exception. The country is much better off if we have a strong loyal opposition party that can recognize the good, and help those plans become reality. They also should recognize the bad and especially the very bad and put forth better ideas that can be agreed upon and enacted.

The opposition party today is just that, opposition, with no new ideas or plans except to be opposed to anything the President does. A good example of that was the conduct of the Progressives at the President's address to the Congress last Tuesday.

They just looked foolish and petty.

They no doubt disagreed with much of what he had to say, and that’s OK, but there were some parts that any reasonable person would have to applaud. Instead they sat on their hands or held up childish signs. It is not encouraging to think that these are the people who are helping to run our country. There has to be some moderate Democrats out there that are willing to put aside just being opposed to Mr. Trump and listen to what the people want, and come up with ideas and policies that will advance the county and their party.

Hakeem Jeffries seems to be a reasonable person who is able to work with Leader Johnson if he had more support. Senator

Fetterman is a person that should be listened to as well. I was also impressed with Senator Elissa Slotkin’s speech after the joint session. She comes across as smart, sincere, and thoughtful. While I didn’t agree with some of what she said, I sure did like the way that she said it. I think any reasonable person could work with her. There must be many more like her who should be given a chance to lead, and replace the “Toxic Ten.”

Both sides have “hand grenade throwers” that only cause trouble, and seem more interested in getting on the Six o'clock News than advancing the work of the nation.

Maxine Waters, Al Green, Pramila Jayapal, Alexandra Ocosio, Nancy Mace, Marjorie Green and Chip

Skipping down Columbia’s craziness lane

bout this time every year, the South Carolina General Assembly has been in session long enough to figure out the craziness trajectory of the year.

On a scale of 1 (not crazy) to 10 (nutso), this year is probably a 7. But lawmakers still have three months left to startle, amaze and polarize us.

Right off the bat is the Republican obsession with diversity, equity and inclusion, which they minimize by using yet another acronym, DEI. For some reason, creating opportunities for all and treating people fairly has become an anathema to the mostly-white, Christian nationalist Republican party.

Making headlines these days is a bill that would prohibit state agencies, including colleges and universities, from “promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.” And while that may sound ominous but not horrible, it is, in fact, Orwellian in that it would keep all government bodies in the state,

Tincluding city councils and school districts, from “contracting with any company with DEI programs. Even the subcontractors would have to certify they don’t operate such programs,” according to one analysis.

What’s really crazy is to think about what that actually means – state agencies that work to bring big companies to the state couldn’t actually do business with those companies if they have DEI policies. And state and local governments also couldn’t do business with existing in-state powerhouses like BMW, Michelin, Milliken and Bosch. Although more than 70 of the House’s 88

Republicans are co-sponsors, the bill’s trajectory is unclear as a House committee took no action on March 4 after five hours of testimony that mostly opposed the measure. Perhaps something less onerous will result.

Meanwhile the House continued its annual tradition of trying to outdo itself on abortion. Some GOP lawmakers are pushing now for what amounts to a total abortion ban, without exceptions for rape and incest – even though leaders of the Republican caucus are asking them to slow down and wait to see what courts say about the constitutionality of a similar measure under consideration.

If you’re trying to understand what’s going on, the argument highlights a schism in the GOP in which uber-conservatives are looking for ways to tar and feather more moderate Republicans to get culture war votes to pillory fellow caucus members on the 2026 campaign trail.

Next on the legislative list is

the continuing plea by bars and restaurants for lawmakers to do something about the skyrocketing cost of liquor liability insurance that is putting some of them out of business.

State senators, who have been fiddling unsuccessfully with solutions for a couple of years, are considering one broad measure that would “reform” the state’s tort system – even though they’ve messed with that for two decades to take away regular people’s rights to recover in myriad ways.

But that measure may be on life support, the S.C. Daily Gazette reports, because it deals with too many issues. The S.C. House last week approved a narrower measure focused on places that serve alcohol. GOP House leaders also said they’d form a study committee to deal with the bigger issues – a signal that they’ll fight over the scope of any big bill from the Senate.

As conservative officials in Washington mess with the scope of government by fiddling with

Roy among others come to mind. Both parties can do better and hopefully will. I don’t think that all hope is lost for the Democrats. I believe with new quality leadership they will come back strong and play an important part in our country’s future and hopefully it will be soon. There must be a modern day “Tip” O'Neill out there somewhere.

Born, raised and educated in the Southwest, Jim Dickson served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in Vietnam before a 35 -year business career. Retired to St. Helena Island, Dickson and his wife are fiscally conservative, socially moderate and active in Republican politics, though they may not always agree with Republicans. Having lived around the country and traveled around the world, Dickson believes that the United States truly is the land of opportunity.

everything from national parks and foreign aid to tariffs that are expected to make things cost more, be on the lookout for Columbia lawmakers to govern in the same spirit. Already being discussed are so-called government efficiency measures, an anti-vaccine mandate, reshaping charter school guidelines, book bans and more.

Meanwhile, protests are picking up – with more than 500 people gathering in early March in Charleston to rail against harsh federal proposals and scores more who lined up to attend an abortion bill hearing in Columbia.

Maybe the GOP in South Carolina soon will start remembering its own wails and moans from a generation ago when conservatives thought less government intrusion in people’s lives was better. Wouldn’t that be radical?

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

I say, bring on the meritocracy

he other day, I read an opinion on how DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) efforts have done little to nothing to benefit corporate America measurably.

Rebutting pro-DEI arguments he described as “wishful thinking,” Harvard professor Roland Fryer wrote in The Wall Street Journal that most studies align business success with diversity without proving diversity was a cause of that success.

Fryer quotes an article from the Harvard Business Review wherein Robin J. Ely and David A. Thomas make the statement: “We know of no evidence to suggest that replacing, say, two or three white male directors with people from underrepresented groups is likely to enhance the profits of a Fortune 500 company.”

That leads Fryer to conclude, “If the most successful businesses also face the most pressure to improve

DEI metrics, it’s plausible that increased profits may cause diversity efforts, not the other way around.”

That’s an interesting interpretation: The most successful companies support diversity because they already enjoy success, not because they think diversity will help them become more successful.

An aside: Because that’s what the biggest companies do, right? Things that don’t help their bottom line. But I digress. Fryer asserts, “When the right people are placed in the right jobs, and people with talent are appropriately rewarded for developing their skills, the economy

runs more efficiently.”

I agree with that. Where I differ with Fryer is his implication that the “right people” are white men most of the time, if not all the time.

Ely and Thomas, a white woman and Black man respectively (and conveniently), never explicitly write that diversity isn’t a help to companies because the “wrong people” (unqualified people from underrepresented groups) are being put into jobs over white men.

What they did state is most companies, at least as of 2020 when the article was published, were missing out on the richer benefits of diversity because they were playing a numbers game that counted hiring diverse candidates as a touchdown when all they really were doing was getting down to the opponent’s 10-yard line.

Ely and Thomas write that companies that took that short-sighted approach

were potentially costing themselves a bottom-line boost, but that profit shouldn’t be the only way to measure the success of DEI: “Scholarly researchers have rarely found that increased diversity leads to improved financial outcomes. They have found that it leads to higher-quality work, better decision-making, greater team satisfaction, and more equality.”

However, this is only if the company is willing to change in ways that show it is listening to and learning from its diverse voices. Failing to make substantial change, they write, actually undermines team effectiveness.

They describe a situation at a consulting firm: “White women and people of color, despite having been recruited from the same highly competitive MBA programs as their white male counterparts, regularly were assigned the more mundane projects. They got

stuck doing tasks they had long ago mastered, which led many to leave the firm.”

Becoming concerned about the firm’s competitiveness, the firm’s partners reviewed their standard practices and found that not only were white men given the best assignments, they received more coaching, were more readily forgiven errors, and were given more chances to improve their performance.

These were not the firm’s best associates. They benefitted from looking like the white men who hired them. When the firm gave similar accommodation to the women and people of color who worked there, their talent pool became and stayed more diverse.

When some white men see others getting benefits they assumed were theirs exclusively, they cry foul. What’s the old quote, “When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression?”

This is where we are

now, where an educator can write a public diatribe stating DEI needs to “die” in favor of MEI, “merit, excellence, and intelligence.” Where the current President of the United States looks at pale skin, thin noses, and blonde hair and decides those traits signal merit, excellence, and intelligence.

I would welcome a true meritocracy, a colorblind world the people love to claim. Skill against skill, degree against degree. We might all be surprised to see it looking more like the WNBA than the NHL. No, what too many folks want is a world where their skin tone is the only “merit” they need, no matter how underqualified and mediocre they might be otherwise. They must be reminded that the “C” in C-suite doesn’t stand for Caucasian.

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

ANDY BRACK

JIM DICKSON

TERRY E. MANNING

Editor’s Note:

Is this really where we want to be?

Somehow I have managed to douse the fire that overrode my hair last week (and the week before, and the week before that). If it isn’t extinguished entirely, I think I can safely call it a controlled burn. The outrage, and indeed the rage, was greatly tempered by the number of countries coming forth with their support of President Zelenskyy.

As those numbers increased in the days after the “Friday Morning Ambush,” more and more heads of state stepped forward to embrace, literally and figuratively, the “illdressed” (thereby disrespectful) man who had unknowingly walked into one of the most embarrassing public displays of ignorance our country has witness in decades. So, yes, the flames began to die down. Thank God, those in other countries, our allies (hopefully they continue to be), came to the fore, but sadly, that left the U.S. holding the bag, so to speak. By default, we became aligned with Russia, North Korea, Iran and other dictatorships.

Is this really where we want to be? Have we become that blind to what a dictatorship can mean for our country? Or is it that we simply don’t give a damn? I’ll leave that to you to decide, dear reader.

Moving along to the next MAGA highlight, the Presidential speech to Congress and the nation; I need to put it out there

I‘Anthat I refused to watch. All of you who force yourselves to read my column with your sense of disgust firmly in place, this is where you hoot and holler, and maybe toss the paper aside; perhaps you need to grab a fire extinguisher as well. You are perfectly entitled to ask how I can possibly write about something I did not observe, and in most cases, I would agree. However, my mental health is very important to me. Knowing what I know about No. 47, I wasn’t about to be self-inflicting. After all, I had just extinguished a fire; why would I venture near the flames again? And when I later saw it was 90-minutes long, I was glad my masochism hadn’t kicked in.

Thus I relied on blurbs that arose in the coming days. Please know I accessed a cross-section of sources, including FOX news. Basically, 47’s speech focused upon what he has accomplished (or thinks he has) in the few weeks he has been in office. While that is the usual approach of any president when addressing Congress,

not all include so many statistics that are verifiably incorrect, lies one might say.

For instance he stated, “Illegal border crossings last month were, by far, the lowest ever recorded. Ever.” He continued on Truth Social that Border Patrol apprehended 8 326 people last month. However, U.S. government data shows that Border Patrol routinely averaged below that number in the 1960s.

He went on to elaborate “Over the past four years, 21 million people poured into the United States. Many of them were murderers, human traffickers, gang members.”

That figure, which Trump cites regularly, is highly inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 10 8 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico from January 2021 through December 2024

While much of his speech focused on the border “crisis”, including victims of the ‘mass’ murders, he did manage to address his beloved tariffs. He stated, “Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening. And it will happen rather quickly. There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that. It won’t be much.”

Interesting how, with the dramatic drop of the DOW Jones, those tariffs were quickly withdrawn and put on hold.

As for the take offered by FOX

News, they too, focused on the “illegal alien” aspects of 47’s speech, but at no time did I see any evaluation or opinion put forth. This I took to be much better than their “business as usual.”

The second aspect of that 90-minute speech came with what I am going to call “A Tale of Two Greens.” I see this as a cross between “A Tale of Two Cities” and “Anne of Green Gables.” You may see it differently.

Democratic Rep. Al Green was censured for his outbursts during the President’s address to Congress. Green, of Texas, stood at the very beginning of Trump’s speech after the president boasted about his electoral victory, calling it a mandate. Green yelled, “You have no mandate! You have no mandate to cut Medicaid!” while pointing his cane at the president to punctuate his point.

It’s worth noting that House Speaker Mike Johnson justified the censure on Wednesday by saying Green “chose to deliberately violate House rules in a manner that we think is probably unprecedented in history — interrupting a message of a president of the United States, who is an honored guest.”

Sorry, Mikie, but you have a very short memory, and I will provide support for that contention. As an afterthought, that comment reminds me of the old commer-

cial, “Give it to Mikie, he’ll eat anything." But I digress.

Backtrack to Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address in 2022

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. repeatedly interrupted and interjected soon to be accompanied by her sidekick, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Greene was heard grumbling through the entire part of Biden's speech about COVID policy before she shouted a remark about women's sports when Biden mentioned new laws targeting transgender Americans and their families.

Greene and Boebert then tried to start a "build the wall" chant — a reference to former President Donald Trump's calls to construct a wall across the southern border — when Biden referred to securing the border and reforming immigration law.

It’s worth noting that MTG had previously been condemned for her appearance at the America First Political Action Committee conference, which was organized by a prominent white nationalist and where attendees chanted in praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Enough said. Meanwhile, I’ll keep the extinguisher close by.

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.”

unfair amount of punishment’

t is Sunday, early, and I’m in our dining room staring into the darkness.

This morning I’ve got the New York Times and a review of “Somewhere Toward Freedom — Sherman’s March and the Story of America’s Largest Emancipation” by Bennett Parten (Simon and Schuster, 253 pages, $29 99).

Parten has written yet another account of Sherman’s march through Georgia. However, Parten’s book is focused on the 17,000 newly-freed slaves that followed Sherman’s rag-tag army as it battled, burned and looted its way from Atlanta to Savannah in 1864

SCOTT GRABER

Apparently Sherman was annoyed with these “camp followers,” did not allow them to enter Savannah, then put them in barges and sent them to “Port Royal” where they were “housed in rough tents, or they slept outdoors, often without blankets. At least 1,000 of them died of exposure.” I am not certain about this, however, I think many of these refugees were camped at Camp Saxton, now the U.S. Naval Hospital, where I suspect they were jubilant but worried about what would happen next. Sherman then decided that they should be “settled” in a 30 mile-wide strip of land, commencing in Charleston and running down the coast to Jacksonville. The problem was that Sherman was soon off to Columbia and Fayetteville, N.C., and did not “own” that 30-mile-wide stretch. Although he was beating up

on the Confederates whereever he found them, he didn’t “control” that much rebel real estate.

But this issue of resettlement had been simmering since 1862 when runaway slaves first fled into “Port Royal” — then a small captured outpost on the Atlantic.

During its occupation various persons in the Federal government came up with the idea of a tax sale that would detach the local cotton-growing plantations on St. Helena and Port Royal islands from their departed Confederate owners to the benefit of (at least some) of the freedman.

And so there were a series of sales, and years later I would go up to the National Archives (in Washington) and actually examine the “Head of Family Certificates” that were issued to the successful Black bidders. Northern businessmen also got in on the tax sales —

Edward Philbrick bought-up 11 plantations in the belief that the “freedmen” would now, happily, work the land for wages.

But by 1864 — lingering in the smoke-filled air at Camp Saxton — was the idea that there was going to be a much larger land transfer, across the South, where the former slaves would acquire most or all of the cotton-growing plantations.

In Washington, D.C.. Thaddeus Stevens, a member of the House of Representatives, envisioned a massive transfer of property (to the ex-slaves) that would destroy or debilitate the Southern aristocracy and would become the means of empowering the entire Black race. And for a while it looked like this redistribution of wealth might happen — that there would be, in effect, reparations for the sin of slavery. But President Andrew Johnson was not on

board. He believed that the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery; and now that slavery was ended the former Confederate plantation owners could come back and keep (and farm) their real estate.

But in Beaufort the question of the tax sales lingered.

“The incessant litigation over the status of the Direct Tax lands troubled Negroes and white alike. Throughout the Reconstruction period the dispossessed whites worked under the leadership of Richard DeTreville to break the tax laws under which their estates had been effected. Using the house in Beaufort [in] which Robert Smalls had been reared as a slave and which the Negro leader had bought at the government tax sales, DeTreville fought the case through the state courts and lost. When the claim on the Prince Street house came into the possession of William DeTreville upon the

death of Richard DeTreville, the case at last, in 1878, reached the Supreme Court, where it was defeated. The freedman and Northerners who had benefitted from the tax sales retained their land, and Port Royal became, in respect to landownership, very much what the Gideonites had hoped it would become,” wrote Willie Lee Rose in her 1964 book, “Rehearsal for Reconstruction.” “As years passed,” Rose continued, “the animosities of war cooled, at least as far as the victors were concerned. In Beaufort County nothing demonstrated the mellowing attitude better than the growing sense that the local Southern white people had, in the loss of their property, suffered an unfair amount of punishment.”

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

Your pitiful left

Each year my wife and I come to Beaufort to visit family. We stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, shop and visit the sites. I always pick up one of your newspapers, ... though they are packed with the Socialist Drool of so called “journalists” defending the most corrupt and outright evil administration in my 71-year lifetime.

Today, I grabbed one though my wife said “it’s just going to irritate you.” Well, it was the very same far-left crap as usual. But this time I enjoyed their whining. Murderous, bloodthirsty gangsters and killers are being shipped out of our country. The unprotected border is being secured. The insanity of male athletes destroying women’s sports is being reversed, and most importantly, our nearly destroyed military is being

cleansed of “Woke” madness. God Fearing Democrats and numerous other voter groups had Enough! The DOGE is eliminating the insanest spending imaginable! Thank God.

– Joel T. Foster, Roebuck, S.C.

WE should thank Ukraine

As Republican journalist David Brooks said of the recent Oval Office meeting between Presidents Trump and Zelensky, I also felt moral shame for our country, the country that I dearly love.

President Zelensky has shown gratitude to the United States numerous times for our military assistance, including during an address to Congress soon after the Russian invasion. But here’s the point. Rather than insisting that he approach us on bend-

ed knee, WE should thank the Ukrainian men and women who are fighting and dying for freedom and democracy, values that our country previously always stood ready to defend.

Time to let our Senators Graham and Scott and Representative Mace know that this is not what we expected when we elected President Trump. We must support democratic institutions here and abroad.

– Terry Murray, Beaufort ‘Making America the skunk of the world’

Elon Musk jokingly wielding a chainsaw at CPAC, while indiscriminately firing thousands of government workers is no laughing matter.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk appear to be a

tag-team duo of callousness, self-dealing, amorality, and misinformation.

In his first term, Trump delivered the largest tax cut in U.S. history to the super wealthy and corporations, exploding the federal deficit in the process. If approved, Trump's current Project 2025-inspired tax cuts are expected to add another $7 trillion to the national debt.

The thousands of workers they fired can no longer contribute to their state retirement systems, or to Social Security via FICA, which will have a trickle-down effect.

To my fellow Americans who voted for Trump, one of my favorite TV shows, Sanford & Son, comes to mind. After Lamont (Demond Wilson) is conned by another junk dealer, Fred (Redd Fox) tells him, "Son, you've been had. Bad."

When South Africa finally dismantled its apartheid system, Nelson Mandela said, "No longer will we be the skunk of the world."

Musk and Trump are making America the skunk of the world.

– Vasilisa C. Hamilton, Columbia

Utterly disgraceful’

I’m amazed and frustrated that the current administration is siding with Russia against Ukraine. I am also disappointed with Senator Graham for supporting the administration behavior in the Oval Office. The Administration obviously set it up as an ambush. How a president of a democracy can support a dictator is utterly disgraceful.

-- David Gisch, St. Helena Island

CAROL LUCAS

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What if Jesus believed he was God, but he actually wasn’t?

As one reads the words and deeds of Jesus in the Gospels, one sees that he claims to be God. One possibility is that Jesus truly believed that this was the case, but he was mistaken. In other words, he was delusional or crazy, like someone today who believes himself to be from outer space. But such an explanation does not fit the evidence one finds in the Gospels.

Jesus displayed great mental clarity.

He does not exhibit typical signs of mental disorder. He does not act or speak irrationally, jumping to false conclusions or exhibiting paranoia. Jesus acts logically and with a clear sense of purpose. His teaching is clear, down-to-earth, and cuts right to the heart of his listeners. Men and women of all backgrounds are attracted by his message, both then and now. His words are not those of a madman.

Jesus was emotionally balanced and stable.

Those who are mentally disturbed are often unable to display emotion appropriately, but this is not the case with Jesus. He weeps when his friend Lazarus dies. (John 11:35) He displays appropriate anger when he sees God’s temple in Jerusalem being misused by merchants. (Matthew 21:12) He demonstrates tremendous calm and self-control, even forgiving his executioners as he is dying. (Luke 23:34)

Jesus had healthy friendships and interactions with others. Those who are disconnected from reality do not typically interact well with others or form healthy, long-lasting relationships. An insane person might deceive others for a short time, but those around him or her will soon perceive that something is off. Jesus interacts well with people of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life. He has healthy friendships with men and women, and he has particularly strong and close friendships with the twelve apostles. If Jesus were crazy or mentally unbalanced, the apostles would never have stayed three years at his side.

Jesus backed up his spectacular claim with miracles. If he were not actually divine, then his attempts at performing miracles would have failed. When he commanded the wind and the waves to be silent, the deadly storm would have continued unabated. (Mark 4:39) When Jesus told the paralyzed man to rise and walk, the crowd would have seen the man struggle unsuccessfully to stand. (Mark 2:11) But this is not what happens. Jesus calms the storm and restores health to the paralytic, along with countless other miracles. A delusional person cannot do such things.

Jesus cannot be dismissed as a lunatic.

As one reads the Gospels, one does not find reasons to conclude that Jesus was delusional or insane. It is quite the opposite: one gets the impression that Jesus was one of the most well-balanced and mentally healthy individuals one could ever hope to meet.