March 28 edition

Come

Landscape

Town of Port Royal takes legal action against Safe Harbor

By Scott Graber The Island

It

On Wednesday, March 20, 2024 the Town of Port Royal filed a Petition asking that the Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas

grant a permanent and temporary injunction prohibiting Safe Harbor from using certain parts of its newly acquired property for “dock manufacturing.” The Town’s petition also asked the Court to require that Safe Harbor remove all machinery, equipment and materials used for dock manufacture from the site.

In its Petition the Town alleged that the original Planned Unit Development Agreement dated August 9 2017, and thereafter amended, allows commercial, retail, light industrial, among other uses. But the “Respondent began using the Property for the manufacture of large floating docks, an activity requiring large scale machinery and equipment …”

Property became wedged between a large slab of concrete and the decking’s steel mold, materials onsite for Dock Manufacture.”

The Petition then says the worker died.

The Town further alleged “the public began complaining that the Dock Manufacturing use appeared industrial in nature” and subsequently a “worker on the

As The Island News reported at the time, George Rundell, a 21-year-old employee of Harbormasters International, was killed November 14 2023, when he was “struck and pinned by a large steel concrete form” late in the morning

at the construction site at the former Port of Port Royal located at 517 Paris Avenue. Afterward, in the petition, the Town alleged it sent written notice to Safe Harbor saying that “Dock Manufacturing exceeds the scope of permitted light industrial use in violation of the PUD” and demanded that Safe Harbor stop its manufacturing activity and re-

SEE LEGAL PAGE A8

Beaufort resident Dan D'Orazio took this photo from the pier at Hunting Island at 5:21 a.m., Saturday, March 23, before the sun came up. The slow shutter speed soaked up all the light from the moon and made it look like day. 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 NATHAN NOWELL

Nathan Nowell

Beaufort’s Nathan Nowell, 34, joined the United States Navy in Anderson, S.C., in 2008 After Boot Camp and Medical Corpsman school in Great Lakes, Ill., he trained as a Field Medic at Camp Pendleton, Calif. His first tour was with the Marines in Iwakuni, Japan. He next served at Parris Island in the Medical Clinic. He separated in 2013 and began studying under the GI Bill, earning a full degree as a Registered Nurse. He worked in the Trauma Center at a hospital in Greenville before resuming his GI Bill medical studies at MUSC, eventually earning a Doctorate as a Nurse Practitioner. In 2021 he joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a commissioned Flight Nurse, while also serving in the ER at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. In 2022 he joined the staff at the VA Clinic in Beaufort. He is currently preparing for an extended assignment with the USAF.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Respect St. Helena’s Cultural Protection Overlay

Beaufort County’s denial of plans for a gated golf resort on Pine Island were correct because those plans violate the rules of St. Helena Island’s Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) zoning and the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, which reflect the community’s vision for the future.

Following those denials, Pine Island Property Holdings, LLC filed two lawsuits against Beaufort County, even though it purchased the property with full knowledge of the CPO’s prohibition on golf courses, gated communities, and resort development. Shortly after, last fall, a new group emerged under the name “Community Coalition Action Network (CCAN)” and using the tagline “Support St. Helena.” Beware. This group is closely affiliated with the Pine Island golf developer.

In fact, I attended the CCAN grand opening event in November and confirmed they are actively working to undermine the CPO, which was written by and for the people of St. Helena who desired a different fate than that experienced by the Gullah/Geechee on neighboring islands like Hilton Head.

You may see a survey in your mailbox or around town from this group, soliciting input for “The Future of St. Helena Island.” What this group and the Pine Island golf developer fail to grasp is that the St. Helena community has already spoken. Our future is already laid out in the CPO and “Spotlight: St. Helena” in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

We can acknowledge and work to address the challenges facing St. Helena Island

ON THIS DATE

April 2

like economic empowerment, investing in our youth, and heirs’ property preservation without violating our community-based zoning and the comprehensive plan. These problems can and should be addressed on our own terms–not under pressure from a wealthy developer and his co-conspirators.

– Inez Miller, St. Helena Island

In response to Paul Hyde’s article

I am writing as a concerned South Carolinian to comment on Mr. Hyde’s recent article “Anti-vax legislation puts South Carolinians in danger.” (https://bit. ly/4abf5Xn)

My initial reaction to the article was that it appeared to be based on one piece of data, the 2021 COVID death rate ranking S.C. No. 10 in the U.S. (CDC website). What I also noted from the same database was that S.C. ranked No. 22 in 2020. We also rank No. 42 in overall life expectancy i.e. we don’t have the healthiest population regardless of COVID. I believe there are several questions Mr. Hyde should have considered prior to writing this article supporting the COVID vaccine.

General health, age, race for SC – how do these impact the death rate?

What percentage of SC deaths involved the multiple co-morbidities that make COVID so much more deadly?

How many of the 22,000+ COVID SC deaths were vaccinated people? How many were vaccine related deaths?

There are a number of researchers, doctors, and epidemiologist looking into the efficacy

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

of the vaccines, the negative side effects, contamination (DNA fragments have been found in vaccine batches), and much more. I have listed some of these scientists for reference.

Dr. Jay Battacharya, MD, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, Stanford University Professor Jessica Rose, Research Epidemiologist

Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, MD, Ph.D., Epidemiologist, UC San Francisco Professor Martin Kulldorff, Ph.D. Epidemiologist, Biostatistician

I believe there will be many long-term effects of these vaccines that won’t manifest themselves for years to come. The initial findings by the above researchers are not promising in this regard. For this reason, I believe the caution exhibited in the Legislature’s vaccination legislation is warranted and should be supported.

– Hall Brodie, Lands End/St. Helena Island

Congratulations

Congratulations (to The Island News) for the many awards received at the South Carolina Press Association’s awards ceremony in Columbia. They were well deserved. The newspaper is easy to read, filled with interesting articles, local news, sports, announcements, and what’s happening in the area. The community is richly blessed to have journalists who adhere to the rules of good journalism. Most sincerely.

– Janelle Proctor

2019: The Island News hires Mike McCombs as its Editor-in-Chief. McCombs replaced Justin Jarrett, who resigned.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

is 3 years old, spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Cat Of The Week

Gummi has a big personality in a little body. He’s a lap cat

who loves attention. He is very charming and a favorite among PAL staff. As he is FELV+, Gummi will need to either be the only cat in your world or share space with other calm FELV+ cats. He is 8 years old, neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

If you are interested in adopting Jolene, Gummi, or any of our other pets, call PAL at 843-645-1725 or email Info@ PalmettoAnimalLeague.org.

DOCTORS:

We commend them for their unrivaled commitment to healing - and their efforts to build a healthier future for our community.

From our first four general practitioners to the 190 medical and surgical specialists now on staff at our not-for-profit hospital, our doctors—men and women of judgment and skill and humanity—have enabled us to offer residents of the Lowcountry care of the highest order for the past 80 years.

March 30 marks the observance of D octors D ay, a tradition started in 1933 by the Barrow County Auxiliary, in Winder, Ga., to recognize doctors for their dedication to saving lives. Twenty-five years later, a resolution commemorating Doctors Day was adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1990 National Doctors Day was officially established by Congress.

On this day, and every day, we at Beaufort Memorial salute our doctors, exemplary healers one and all.

Pair found dead of gunshot wounds Friday night in St. Helena home identified

By Mike McCombs The Island News

The two people found dead Friday night, March 22, in a St. Helena Island home in what the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office’s (BCSO) preliminary investigation indicates is a double murder, have been identified by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.

Deputy Coroner Andrew

Landing from page A1

Why close the landing?

McNeese told The Island News on Monday, March 25, that the victims had been identified as 41-yearold Christiana Alkire and 38-year-old David Gardner. According to McNeese, both were residents of the Pearl Harbor Lane home, and both suffered multiple gunshot wounds. McNeese could not confirm how long the two victims had been dead when

The decision to close the landing came from South Carolina State Parks, and according to Sam Queen, a spokesperson for S.C. State Parks, it was not an easy decision for the organization to make.

“We’ve just reached the point where economically it’s not feasible for us to continue to provide the maintenance required to keep it open,” said Queen. “The road is deteriorating because of erosion and has continued to deteriorate at a more and more rapid rate as it’s getting beaten by the tides.”

She said that they made the decision out of concern for the safety of the public because currently it is not a safe place for visitors to access.

The landing will be gated off, according to Queen, and Hunting Island State Park staff will still have access to use the landing for any sort of park purpose as needed.

Queen said that because Hunting Island is a barrier island, it takes a rougher beating from nature than other islands.

The number of parking spaces have continued to shrink over time due to erosion, and the state’s most recent estimate to fix the more dangerous, washed-out parts of the road would be around $75,000, said Queen.

She reiterated though, that it would be a temporary fix, not a permanent one. Since the repair estimate was made, there has been additional damage as well, so that number will likely now be higher.

Additionally, it would also cost money to keep up with the day-to-day maintenance, such as clearing the road of debris following storms, small fixes to fight erosion and the cost of personnel to do the work.

Queen said that the decision to close the landing was made very recently, in the past few weeks, which is why the sign was just posted recently.

The local management at the park worked with the S.C. State Parks director and the agency director to finalize the decision to close.

While the decision to close was made internally, Queen said some local agencies and elected officials, such as S.C. Rep. Shannon Erickson, were aware of the state’s plan to close the landing before the sign was posted.

“This was not an easy decision at all for the park to make,” Queen said. “We knew that this would impact locals and local busi-

their bodies were discovered.

Shortly after 9 p.m. Friday, deputies were called to the Pearl Harbor Lane home after family members went to check on a relative out of concern.

According to the BCSO’s release, Alkire and Gardner had not been seen or heard from in a few days, which was out of character. This prompted a welfare check

by the family. When deputies entered the residence, a 38-yearold man and a 41-year-old woman were discovered deceased, both suffering from gunshot wounds. The circumstances surrounding the deaths are currently under investigation and preliminary information indicates that both were murdered.

BCSO spokesperson Maj. Angela Viens told The Island News Saturday morning that she had not been informed by investigators “there were any signs of forced entry” or that there were indications of a robbery. She also said indications were that this was not a situation where one victim killed the other and then committed suicide.

nesses who utilize that space. This is something we took really seriously.”

She added that the people who work at Hunting Island State Park are a really dedicated and “special team” and that they are taking the brunt of the backlash from the decision to close the landing.

“There is no physical way we can beat the water,” Queen said. “The erosion is just going to continue and any investment that we make is going to continue to be wiped away by the water.”

The sign alerting the public to the closing of the boat landing was installed at the landing on Friday, March 15, which set off a social media storm of community members who say they feel like they were blindsided and let down.

Why does it matter?

Russ Point Landing is the closest public boat landing to the ocean, according to Craig Reaves, owner of Sea Eagle Market. That makes it very valuable.

that the ramp is owned by the state, he feels like the discussion surrounding the closing should have been made public instead of being held behind closed doors.

Erickson said in an email to The Island News that she toured Russ Point Landing with Hunting Island State Park Manager Zabo McCants, and he pointed out the main problem areas that lead to the decision to close the landing.

The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information related to this investigation to contact Investigator Jennifer Petrone at 843-255-3440, or if wishing to remain anonymous and for a possible reward, Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111 Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.

in 2021 on all the landings in the area, it was determined through ownership and title research that the landing was actually owned by the State of South Carolina.

The letter sent by Greenway to the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism states that since the land is not owned by Beaufort County and there is no agreement between the State and Beaufort County for them to continue to provide maintenance for the landing, it was requested that the State agree to take over maintenance effective July 1, 2022

“It is the County’s desire to have Russ Point remain open and accessible to the citizens and visitors of the community to continue to be able to use the boat landing,” the letter reads, “but understand it is ultimately the State’s discretion as to how the property is used in the future.”

Erickson said that she suspects that “fluctuations in management at Hunting Island and the considerable previously existing park maintenance needs since receipt of that letter have added to some delay in strategizing and planning for repairs in the area.”

“The determination of the landing closure is a symptom of the great need, scope for repair and public concerns,” said Erickson.

Beaufort County Councilman York Glover, whose district includes the landing, said as far as he knows, he was not aware of the closing of the landing nor was he aware it being turned back over to the State, but he did know that Greenway had wanted to deal with property within the county that was not owned by the county.

Russ Point came up on that list of property, along with Port Royal Landing and Wallace Creek Landing, among others.

“The assumption was that the county was working on trying to get some agreements with landowners about leasing the [property] so that the boat landings would still be available to the public,” Glover said. “There was never a discussion about closing any of the boat landings, even though we didn’t own the landings and there was obvious maintenance that needed to be done.”

Glover said that when the initial boat landing survey was done, they did discuss how the public overwhelmingly wanted to keep the boat landings open and wanted additional boat landings to be opened to increase the accessibility to the waterways.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for tourism to keep these boat landings going because the public used them,” Glover said.

Glover said that he has had many constituents reach out to him about the closure and he has scheduled a public meeting for him to meet with and listen to the concerns that members of the public have.

“Access to the water is very important in Beaufort County,” Reaves said. “I think a lot of our boat landings need work and attention, but to find out that they were just going to shut down Russ Point caught a lot of us off guard.”

Erickson said that McCants showed her the critical line flag markers placed by S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s (SCDHEC) office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) and told her that they had only been given the option for an approved underlayment fabric and rip-rap to slow the erosion –which is not enough to stop the substrate from washing away the hard surface road, which if not mitigated, would lead to the bisection of the peninsula and cut off access to the boat landing from the road. She said that she is doing everything she can to work with the different agencies at play to save the public water access at Russ Point.

Interim County Administrator John Robinson will also be in attendance to share an update on the Russ Point Boat Landing.

The meeting will be held on April 4 2024, at the St. Helena Branch of the Beaufort County Public Library from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Holy Week

Holy Week

Holy Week

Reaves said a lot of recreational boaters, as well as commercial boaters, utilize that boat landing and can easily access the Atlantic Ocean out of Fripp Inlet versus having to travel along waterways from a more inshore landing.

“I am dedicated to helping S.C. Parks, Recreation and Tourism and our community maintain this public water access. We are at the beginning of discerning what that entails and no one can predict a timeline at this juncture,” Erickson said. “I believe our Beaufort County Legislative Delegation is on board to find ways to maintain this important resource.”

Palm Sunday Mar. 24 9 & 11 a.m.

Palm Sunday Mar. 24 9 & 11 a.m.

Maundy Thurs. Mar. 28 7:30 p.m.

Maundy Thurs. Mar. 28 7:30 p.m.

Good Friday Mar. 29 Noon

Maundy Thurs. Mar. 28 7:30 p.m.

The next usable landing, Machette Flats boat landing on Butches Road on St. Helena Island, is also in desperate need of repair, according to Reaves, and it puts boaters further inland to have to boat and navigate through “treacherous stuff.”

What about Beaufort County?

Russ Point Landing is owned and managed by Hunting Island State Park and thus S.C. State Parks, but this was not always the case.

Glover joins Erickson and S.C. State Sen Tom Davis, who has also expressed a desire to help the landing remain open on his social media, in saying that he will do all he can to resolve this issue and hopefully keep the landing available and open to the public. He said that while he is not an engineer, he cannot imagine a landing that will not have to deal with erosion happening that close to the ocean, but that does not mean that it is not necessary to have one.

Good Friday Mar. 29 Noon

Good Friday Mar. 29 Noon

Easter Vigil Mar. 30 7:30 p.m.

Additionally, Russ Point provides the fastest water access to the ocean for search and rescue efforts by local agencies.

Easter Mar. 31 9 & 11 a.m.

Easter Vigil Mar. 30 7:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil Mar. 30 7:30 p.m.

Despite the actions taken by local elected officials and the outrage from the community on social media, for now, the sign remains and there is no change in the S.C. State Park’s plan to close the landing on April 1

1104 11th St., Port Royal www.stmarksc.org

1104 11th St., Port Royal www.stmarksc.org

1104 11th St., Port Royal www.stmarksc.org

While this was a concern for Reaves and many of those who posted about the landing’s closure on social media, Queen said that they plan to have the ramp accessible to local officials with permission as needed as long as the ramp is able to be used.

Reaves said that while he understands

Beaufort County maintains 25 boat landings and 17 public-access points, and until 2022, Russ Point Landing was managed by the county until former Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway sent a letter to the S.C. State Parks in June 2022 telling them that they would not be responsible for maintenance of the landing.

Beaufort County managed the landing for a very long time, but following a study done

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.

A photo of the sign announcing the closing of Russ Point Boat Landing as seen on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at Russ Point Boat Landing on Hunting Island. Delayna Earley/The Island News

Tuck Scott with Bay Street Outfitters, loads his boat onto a trailer on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at Russ Point Boat Landing on Hunting Island. Scott said that he leads about half of his fly fishing expeditions out of Russ Point, and he isn’t happy that the landing is closing. Delayna Earley/The Island News

Suspect identified in 2023 Port Royal vehicle theft

reference case #23PR16136

By Mike McCombs The Island News

As a result of forensic evidence uncovered in their investigation, on Thursday, March 21, the Town of Port Royal Police identified a suspect in relation to a Summer 2023 car theft.

Anyone with information on Hills’ whereabouts is advised to call the Port Royal Police non-emergency dispatch number at 843-5242777 or file an anonymous online tip at https://www. portroyal.org/ 285 /Submit-a-Police-Report. Please

According to a Friday news release, warrants for Kidnapping and Grand Larceny of a Motor Vehicle have been obtained for 33-year-old Quantrell Hills of Beaufort.

Last summer, Hills allegedly stole a car with an occupant inside and crashed it before fleeing on foot.

Around 9:40 p.m., Thursday, July 13, Town of Port Royal Police officers were assisting the Beaufort Police with a single-vehicle accident on Battery Creek Road.

While on that scene, Port Royal officers were dispatched to a stolen vehicle report from Yummy restaurant at 1370 Ribaut Road. As more information was dispatched to officers, it was discovered that the vehicle involved in the accident on Battery Creek was the vehicle that had been stolen, and that there was an adult occupant in the vehicle when it was taken.

According to the occupant, he was waiting in the backseat of the vehicle that had been left running while the driver went into the restaurant. A subject entered the vehicle and drove off toward Battery Creek Road.

When the vehicle crashed, the suspect got out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The suspect was described at the time as a Black male with a skinny build, about 6 feet tall, with short unkempt hair and a close cut beard. The subject was wearing a dark t-shirt with grey on it. The occupant of the vehicle was unharmed during the incident.

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

Easter is coming – here is what is happening in northern Beaufort County

By Delayna Earley The Island News

Easter is right around the corner, and while there have already been several holiday-themed events over the past two weekends, Easter weekend offers up family fun in Beaufort as well.

Easter is happening a little earlier than normal this year, with the holiday falling on Sunday, March 31 – but the big weekend for Easter fun happened on March 23 and 24

Kicking off the festivities was Beaufort Academy’s Great Helicopter Easter Egg Drop on Lady’s Island where they dropped more than 17 500 plastic candy-filled eggs from a helicopter onto the Beaufort Academy’s Football Field.

Balloon artists, bounce houses, vendors, face painters, a petting zoo, music and many local food trucks made for a fun, family friendly event.

Calls for rain made the event planners move the date from Saturday to Sunday, but it did not seem to make much of a dent in the attendance.

Tidal Creek Fellowship also held their Easter Festival at Henry C. Chambers

Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort on Sunday, March 24

The free event featured inflatables, face painting, arts and crafts, snow cones, games, popcorn, giveaways, and prizes.

Highway 21 Drive In held their first Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday and scattered 10 000 eggs for kids to grab.

They also offered face painting, bounce houses and photos with Peter Cottontail.

While there have been several egg hunts and Easter-themed events over the past few weekends, there is still time to enjoy some holiday fun.

On Saturday, March 30, a free Easter Eggstravaganza will be taking place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature egg hunts for kids, contests, puppet shows, face painting, bounce houses, a petting zoo, a picnic lunch and lots of candy. The event will be held at Community Bible Church located at 638 Parris Island Gateway in Beaufort.

Also on Saturday, St. Helena Baptist Church is hosting a free Breakfast with the Easter Bunny from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A blood mobile will also be

TIDAL CREEK EASTER FESTIVAL

on site from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. to give the gift of life, according to their Facebook event page. The church is located at 1600 Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena Island.

St. Helena’s Anglican Church will be holding their Easter Celebration and Egg Hunt on March 31 at 9:15 a.m. on the lawn at USC Beaufort. They suggest that people bring their own chairs for the service and Easter baskets for the egg hunt that will follow directly.

The annual Community Easter Sunrise service, hosted by First African Baptist Church and First Scots Presbyterian Church on Sunday, March 31, will be held from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

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.

It wouldn’t be the annual Great Helicopter Egg Drop without a helicopter to drop thousands of plastic eggs Sunday, March 24, at Beaufort Academy’s Merritt Field. A chopper from FLY HHI Hilton Head Island Helicopter Tours, drops some of the candy filled eggs for hundreds of waiting children. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Attendees of all ages select cups filled with Easter candy from the stage during the Tidal Creek Easter festival on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Wendy Greene, Children’s Ministry Director ay Tidal Creek Fellowship, offers Easter goodies to 1-year-old Royalty Habersham McGowan, as mom, Ahderah McGowan, watches over during the Tidal Creek Easter festival on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Police make second arrest in 6-year-old’s death

By Delayna Earley The Island News

A second arrest has been made in the March 3 shooting death of 6-year-old Frankie Washington at Cross Creek Apartments in Beaufort.

Desarai Bennett, 22, has been charged as an accessory to the reported accidental shooting.

On March 3, police were called to the Cross Creek Apartment complex responding to a child with a

gunshot wound. Washington, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, was transported to an area hospital with his critical injury. According to his obituary, Washington died at Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C. Bennett was arrested and charged on Tuesday, March 19 with filing a false police report of a felony, criminal conspiracy and accessory before the fact to a vio-

lent felony. Three days prior to Bennett’s arrest, St. Helena resident Benjamin Shamar Seabrook IV, 18, was also arrested and faces charges related to the shooting. Seabrook faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, unlawful conduct toward a child, tampering with physical evidence or biological material and filing a false police report. Bennett had no criminal record

prior to her arrest on Tuesday, but Seabrook faces charges for a February 2024 arrest for felony assault and battery, possession of a weapon during a violent crime and carjacking. Seabrook was arrested on February 3 for those charges and was released later that day on a $50,000 surety bond. He bonded out again with a $20,000 surety bond for the each of the initial five charges, three

days following his March 15 arrest for Washington’s shooting. According to court documents, a sixth charge, criminal conspiracy, was added to his list of charges on March 20

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.

Penn Center hosts a Meeting at its table

on Saturday, March 23, 2024

During a book talk and signing event on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at Penn Center’s York W. Baily Museum, Wanda S. Lloyd, Co-Editor of “Meeting At The

From staff reports Penn Center’s York W. Baily Museum held a book talk and book signing for Meeting At The Table: African-American Women Write on Race, Culture and Community on Saturday.

In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arber, and the worldwide protests that followed in 2020, co-editors Tina McElroy Ansa and Wanda Lloyd created a project

that would bring voices of African-American women together to honestly and transparently share how race and culture affected them in ways related to their families, their careers and their communities.

Beaufort County holding election education forums

The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections is hosting five community forums to educate and inform the public on the upcoming election season.

Topics will include what's on the ballot, voter registration – how to register, confirming voting status, deadlines to register, polling locations including new voting sites, and how to become a poll worker.

The forum schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, April 3 6 to 8 p.m., Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way, Bluffton

Lowdown

from page A1

us at least five new apartment complexes totaling some 1 600 new apartments are in the works just in the Burton area alone.

One of those, the Preserve at Hanover Park with 280 units, has been approved but clearing not begun on that wooded area right across Robert Smalls Parkway from Harbor Freight. Those numbers don’t include the 2 7 acre tract on Harding Road which is being annexed by the city, with plans for 37 new homes.

The council, at their meeting last week, after discussing things like desirable tree canopy, long-term maintenance for new trees, commercial parking requirements and conflicting arborist’s reports, got around to talking about the cost to protect the trees.

While the city’s ordinance currently charges $100 per caliper inch for removal of a “landmark” tree, it only charges $50 per caliper inch for “specimen” trees (rather than the straight $100 per tree which was information provided by the city and used in this column last week). In other words, to remove a 12” specimen live oak would

Wednesday, April 10 6 to 8 p.m., Frissell Hall, Penn Center, 16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island

Wednesday, April 17 6 to 8 p.m., Port Royal Town Hall, 700 Paris Avenue, Port Royal

Thursday, April 25, 6 to 8 p.m., Hilton Head Branch Library, 11 Beach City Road, Hilton Head Island

Tuesday, May 7, 6 to 8 p.m., Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 367 Keans Neck Road, Seabrook The forums are free and open to the public. No rsvp is required. For more information visit Beaufort

cost $600 in fees while a 24” live oak, $2,400 (Likewise, information coming from the city’s presentation: the county’s fee of $250 is per caliper inch for “specimen” trees, not per tree.)

The elected officials know the ordinance must discern between large commercial developments, which would include apartment complexes, and the individual homeowner who has a tree that needs to be removed because it’s hanging over their roof.

But it’s discussion of fees that always seems to be the sticky part when tree ordinances are discussed. Elected officials generally express support for protecting the trees but also generally come back and quibble over how much to charge for protection.

That was certainly the case in the town of Port Royal when a year ago, there was lively debate over the fees, which then-Mayor Joe DeVito feared would limit impact economic development, if they remained as some as the highest in the state.

Port Royal Town Council went ahead and passed an ordinance which increased the fees from $100 per caliper inch for “landmark” trees to $750 per caliper inch. For “specimen” trees, the fee was increased from $50

County Board of Voter Registration or call Jean Felix, Training and Outreach Coordi-

at 843-255-6900

City Council’s Glover hosting community meeting

Beaufort County Council Member York Glover (District 3) is hosting a community meeting Thursday, April 4, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Beau-

County Library St. Helena Branch, 6355

Francis Drive. Guest speakers and topics will include:

to $500 per caliper inch. Now they’re thinking about changing those fees.

All these ordinances include different requirements for mitigation and even credits for “saved” trees but the bottom line – when the developers will step up and protest new regulations – is the fee.

Beaufort’s City Planning Director Kurt Freese worked mightily to keep the discussion focused, and some “ballpark” figures of $250 per caliper “landmark” trees, $150 per caliper for “specimen” were put on the table.

The council’s going to have further discussion at the April code work session with input from the city’s Parks and Trees Advisory Committee which has been working on its own change recommendations. The proposed changes will go to the City planning Commission before coming back to the Council for formal adoption. It’s not a simple process but protecting things that need protecting, never are. It’s not unlike “nailing Jello to a tree,” as City Manager Scott Marshall pointed out.

Interim County Administrator John Robinson will share an update on the Russ Point Boat Landing Assistant County Administrator of Information Technology Patrick Hill will update residents on expanding broadband access through provider Comcast in the St. Helena area.

The meeting is open to the public and registration is not required. For questions and more information, please email Council Member Glover at yglover@bcgov.net or call 843-812-2909

– Compiled from staff reports

The consultants came back with a list of the 26 landings and a capital improvement wish list costing millions of dollars.

The now-controversial Russ Point Boat Landing at the foot of the Fripp Island Bridge was not on the list because it turns out then-County Administrator Eric Greenway, as a result of the survey alerting them to the fact, notified the S.C. Department of Parks and Recreation that they instead owned the landing. And “they,” being the folks in Columbia, when it was pointed out that the landing was eroding decided it needed to be closed, thus the public hue and cry.

Former County Attorney Lad Howell, from back in the day when things seemed a lot more simple, even came to the County Council meeting in May 2022 and suggested they tread lightly on the issue of public boat landing ownership since many relied on agreements made with basically a handshake years earlier. Alas, his words were not heeded and the county legal staff took action to clear up the ownership issues.

When you can’t win for losing: The saga of Russ Point BEAUFORT – The county planners and administrators probably thought they were doing a good thing back in 2021-2022 when they hired consultants to draft a 500-plus-page study of public boat landings

For example, Town of Port Royal officials were notified the week before July 4 that the county didn’t actually own the popular Sands boat landing and planned to close it. The town eventually went into negotiations with Safe Harbor Marinas, which apparently did own the surrounding property, and got a clear title. With the also popular Pigeon Point public boat dock (which is owned by the city) out of order for the summer, pressure on local opportunities for the growing number of boaters is increasing everywhere. Just like pressure on our roads.

State officials all the way to the Governor’s office are being lobbied, and the elected delegation is getting a chance to show their clout by getting the Russ Point landing renourished and back open. Going back to Howell’s advice, maybe, … maybe, just maybe … they should have left it alone.

Lolita Huckaby Watson is a community volunteer and newspaper columnist. In her former role as a reporter with The Beaufort Gazette, The Savannah Morning News, Bluffton Today and Beaufort Today, she prided herself in trying to stay neutral and unbiased. As a columnist, these are her opinions. Her goal is to be factual but opinionated, based on her own observations. Feel free to contact her at bftbay@gmail.com.

Table: African-American Women Write on Race, Culture and Community,” shared a passage from her essay in the book. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Editors Tina McElroy Ansa and Wanda S. Lloyd interact with guests while autographing books at the event for “Meeting At The Table: African-American Women Write on Race, Culture and Community,” which took place during the book talk and signing

at the York W. Baily Museum, hosted by Penn Center. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Meet and Greet with 1st Congressional District candidates set for April 10

4 local non-partisan groups holding event at Port Royal’s Shellring Ale Works

From staff reports

Local non-partisan organizations Indivisible Beaufort, Families Against Book Bans, Lowcountry Pride and League of Women Voters of Beaufort are hosting a Meet and Greet Forum for all candidates running for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat, currently held by Republican Nancy Mace.

The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 at Shellring Ale Works, 1111 11th St,

Port Royal. It will provide a platform for constituents to engage with the candidates in an open and inclusive setting.

The Meet and Greet Forum aims to foster dialogue, promote civic engagement, and empower voters by offering them the opportunity to interact directly with the individuals seeking to represent them in Congress. All candidates running for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat have been invited to attend the forum

and share their platforms with the community.

All registered candidates are invited to participate. As of March 21, Mac DeFord (D), Michael B. Moore (D) and Catherine Templeton (R) have committed to attend. Bill Young (R) is unable to attend but will send a written statement to be read as well as his responses to the forum questions.

"We are proud to collaborate with local non-partisan groups to host this Meet and Greet Forum

at Shellring Ale Works," Lowcountry Pride Co-Chair Angela Wright said in a news release. "This event underscores our commitment to promoting transparency, encouraging voter participation, and providing a space for meaningful dialogue between candidates and constituents."

The non-partisan nature of the event ensures that all candidates have an equal opportunity to engage with voters, present their ideas, and address key issues that

Black Chamber welcomes EforAll pitch contest

of Commerce on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

allowed presenters, or “pitchers,” to present their business ideas, hear expert feedback,

and win prizes. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Beaufort teacher works to fulfill dream despite cancer diagnosis

By Delayna Earley The Island News

ABeaufort teacher is following her dream to launch her own home décor business, despite having recently been diagnosed with cancer.

After quickly rallying friends, family and members of the community to help, Karen McKinley plans to hold the grand opening of her storefront, Haus Elise, on Friday, March 29, in Habersham.

McKinley has been a special education teacher at Robert Smalls Leadership Academy for several years and intended to retire at the end of this year.

Having always garnered a love for interior design and home remodeling, McKinley signed a lease and had already begun planning her next big adventure in life –owning a store in the Marketplace of Habersham, where she can sell antique furniture that she had refurbished herself along with other vintage décor items.

Long time special education teacher Karen McKinley had been looking forward to her life after retirement. Cancer has thrown a wrench in the works. Delayna Earley/The Island News

But shortly after signing the lease on her storefront that she had planned to open during the summer, she was diagnosed with

inoperable pancreatic cancer. Despite the uncertainty of her battle, McKinley remains resolute in her dreams to open this store

and keep it open as often and for as long as she can.

McKinley, who is a mother of six children and has lived all over the world, is no stranger to challenges, and said that she thinks that having a goal is helping her to get through the pain and fear she feels due to the cancer.

Five percent of all sales from Haus Elise will be donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Network, a non-profit cause that is close to McKinley’s heart, especially as she embarks on both her journey with chemotherapy to try and shrink her tumor and store ownership at the same time.

The grand opening will last from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 29, at 3A Market in Habersham.

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.

are important to the residents of South Carolina Congressional District 1. Shellring Ale Works' welcoming atmosphere will provide a casual setting for attendees to interact with the candidates in a relaxed and informal environment.

"We invite all members of the community to join us at Shellring Ale Works on April 10 to meet the candidates, ask questions, and participate in the democratic process," Families Against Book Bans Chair Melinda Henrickson said.

BCSO asking for help solving 2-year-old murder case

From staff reports

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) is asking for the public’s help in solving a two-year old murder case. Two years ago, 52-yearold Malcolm Donaldson was killed in a tragic case of mistaken identity.

On the evening of March 23, 2022, Malcolm left his home, intending to pay tribute to his departed friend at a celebration of life nearby. As he was making his turn onto Lexxus Lane from Milledge Village Road in the Burton community of Beaufort County, gunfire took his life.

The investigation revealed multiple shooters were involved, and revealed that Donaldson was not the intended target. He was singled out because he shared a similar car model with the actual target.

“He wasn’t involved in anything criminal. He was a hard-working man who absolutely loved his family and that was apparent when we were doing the background investigation looking into him and his activities,” BCSO Capt. Angela Crumpton said. “It is very, very sad. I don’t believe anything that he did caused what occurred to him. He was simply a victim that showed up and was mistaken for somebody else.”

Lindsay Housaman of the BCSO Public Affairs Office created a video to tell the public about Donaldson’s story, the ongoing work on his case, and the pursuit of crucial information by both his family and law enforcement. It can be viewed at https://bit.ly/43vnouN.

If anyone has any information that they believe could assist in the resolution of this case, they are encouraged to come forward and contact Capt. Angela Crumpton at 843-2553409 or Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-5541111. Confidentiality is guaranteed for those who prefer to remain anonymous.

The pitch winners and EforAll staff pose for a photo after the EforAll pitch contest held at the Beaufort Black Chamber

The contest

network

An a-meow-sing rescue

City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department saves kitten stuck inside power pole

By Delayna Earley

According

Royal Deputy Fire Chief Ross Vezin, the City of Beaufort Public Works Division was also notified and was to assist in the rescue.

It took roughly three hours for the cat to be freed.

A phone on a belay system was dropped down the hole to locate the “scared and hungry kitten” and after using many different tactics to try and rescue the kitten, it was eventually safely extracted using a rope and a fishing net.

According to a post made to the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department’s Facebook page, the cat did not need medical treatment and quickly ran away from the scene once it was freed.

“Before fleeing the scene, firefighters educated the cat on the dangers and risks associated with entering confined spaces without the appropriate safety plan in place and a means of egress identified,” the post said.

Battalion 1, Engine Company 1 and The City of Beaufort Public Works Department all responded to the rescue, and Public Works Director Nate Farrow and Public Works Operations Manager Bryan Durrance responded to the scene after their workday to lend a hand.

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.

14th annual Beaufort Twilight Run

From staff reports

The 14th annual Beaufort Twilight Run – the Lowcountry's

running

hosted by and benefiting Riverview Charter School – went down Saturday, March 23 in Habersham. Complete results are available at https://bit.ly/4auuBNT.

Legal from page A1

Presented by Fred Gaskin Priorities shift as you age. No big surprise there. As a Schwab Financial Consultant, I’ve seen an uptick in clients, particularly Baby Boomers, striving to be good stewards of their assets. Many support causes they believe in and are eager to learn how to incorporate charitable giving goals into their broader, longterm financial plans. We find that helping clients develop a thoughtful charitable giving strategy can lead to more impactful giving, as well as smart tax savings.

One of the most common ways my clients choose to make the most of their giving is through a donor-advised fund, which is a private fund administered by a third party on behalf of donors, for the purpose of managing charitable donations. You can open this type of account with a tax-deductible contribution and then request grants to public charities over time. The contributions are irrevocable, but you pick the charities that will benefit, as long as they are 501(c)(3) organizations. You can contribute a variety of tax-deductible assets, including appreciated securities, real estate and cash, and the fund sponsor handles the administrative details.

For clients who are interested in making meaning-

ful contributions while also adding another source of retirement income, charitable remainder trusts may be an appropriate choice. A charitable remainder trust is an irrevocable trust that you set up and make a contribution to in cash, investments or property. The trust provides you and other income beneficiaries you may select with distributions from the trust annually for life or a period of time up to 20 years. After that period, the remainder of the trust passes to the named charity. There are various types of charitable trusts, and the rules governing them can be complex, so they can be expensive to set up and will require an attorney to draft the trust document.

There are a number of additional vehicles to carry out your giving goals as well. But remember, if you make charitable donations with a more holistic plan in place, you will likely have a better impact on the organizations you donate to and your overall financial picture.

And as you consider where to make your donations, check an organization’s tax status. Nearly all 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, but it’s always best to ask the charity you plan to donate to about its tax status or you can check the IRS’ online

databased for qualified organizations.

As I’ve pointed out in prior columns, the hardest part for most clients in these situations is just getting started. Investing a little bit of time organizing your charitable giving process can make a great impact over time. Additionally, you’ll realize that by thoughtfully considering your charitable giving process, you’ll have more confidence and importantly, a better understanding of what you need to do to manage your future.

Fred Gaskin is the branch leader at the Charles Schwab Independent Branch in Bluffton. He has over 35 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial goals. Some content provided here has been compiled from previously published articles authored by various parties at Schwab. For more information visit www.schwab.com/bluffton or call (843) 473-3620

A donor’s ability to claim itemized deductions is subject to a variety of limitations depending on the donor’s specific tax situation. Information presented is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as personalized investment, tax or legal advice as individual situations vary.

Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, Charles Schwab recommends consultation with a qualified tax professional, CPA, or financial planner.

The Town’s Petition was accompanied by a letter from Town Manager Van Willis to Safe Harbor’s Carla Ferguson, dated March 20, 2024, that went into detail regarding the “Light Industry” that was contemplated by the 2017 and 2021 PUD Agreements saying, “At no point did the Town contemplate that industrial scale manufacturing and fabrication of dock facilities (especially for use in different Safe Harbor locations) would be permitted for the property.”

3, 2024 move its equipment.

The letter also mentioned the existence of a “waterfront public walkway/promenade” that will extend through the Marina Village and Port Village Districts connecting to the Boardwalk. Willis’ letter states that any “public walkway/promenade would unavoidably cross the area currently being used for Dock Manufacturing. Light Industrial uses

within the permitted areas of the Property must be compatible with the public access and usage contemplated for the Property, Dock Manufacturing is wholly inconsistent with these open space requirements.”

Safe Harbor has 30 days to respond to the allegations in The Town’s petition. The Island News reached out to Safe Harbor via email and did not receive a response.

The Town’s disputes with Safe Harbor are beginning to snowball.

This expanding disagree-

ment may also come to involve the Spanish Moss Trail’s path from Ribaut Road to the Fish Camp Restaurant.

Dean Moss, Executive Director of the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail Association, told The Island News that his organization needs a 24-foot wide pathway; and Safe Harbor only wants to dedicate an 8-foot wide strip. Moss said The Town gave Safe Harbor a proposed Easement that detailed the route of the Trail below Ribaut Road, but that easement has not

been signed. “The South Carolina DOT was also insistent about where the proposed trail crosses Ribaut Road,” Moss said. “That location puts the bike trail atop the old rail bed as it enters Port Royal. Safe Harbor wants the Trail’s path further east of this location.”

“It is my understanding that the Town has hired an appraiser who will value the land to be taken; and that Port Royal will file a condemnation procedure in the near future,” Moss said.

And of course, there is the

ongoing dispute between the Town and Safe Harbor’s preliminary determination that the Bluff Neighborhood property will be developed as a “build-to-rent” endeavor rather than a build-and-sell project. There has not been much progress in settling that dispute, although Safe Harbor has previously said that it is not wedded to the “build-torent” concept.

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

City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department and City of Beaufort Public Works rescued a kitten that had become trapped in the bottom of a power pole at the intersection of Greene Street and Union Street in downtown Beaufort on Thursday, March 21, 2024. Photo courtesy of City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department

As runners eagerly await the start of the 1-Mile Youth Fun Run at the 14th annual Beaufort Twilight Run on Saturday, March 23, 2024, they stand poised at the starting line, ready to begin. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

biggest

festival,

Charlee Grace and Norah, both 5 years old, along with their 3-year-old sister Sadie, all from Beaufort, eagerly gathered for a photo before kicking off the 1/4-Mile Fun Run at the 14th annual Beaufort Twilight Run on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at Habersham. Amber Hewitt/ The Island News

With no ruling yet on 1st District lawsuit, SC asks high court to keep voting lines for ’24

NAACP, ACLU argue there’s still time to redraw district lines

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — South Carolina lawmakers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow voting to proceed this year under congressional maps redrawn in 2021, regardless of how justices rule on a lawsuit accusing the Legislature of racially gerrymandering the lines to keep a Republican in the coastal 1st District.

With just 11 weeks until South Carolina’s GOP and Democratic primaries and no ruling from the nation’s high court on a case that stems from 2022, the state wants permission to again use the challenged lines. South Carolina chapters of the NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union, however, argue there’s still time for the state to draw a new voting map, should the justices uphold a lower court’s decision.

They also contend keeping the lines for another election cycle would reward the GOP-controlled Legislature for doing nothing while awaiting justices’ final say.

wrote in a February 2023 order telling the state it would not press pause on it’s earlier ruling.

“Contrary to defendants’ pleas, 13 full months of legislative inaction does not warrant a stay,” lawyers for the two organizations wrote in court documents. “And even if an emergency exists — it does not — it is of defendants’ own making. Appellate brinkmanship should not be rewarded.”

As of Monday, five candidates, including incumbent Reps. Nancy Mace and Jim Clyburn, have filed to run in the impacted districts:

lawyers for the state wrote.

But the state has missed that absentee ballot deadline before, even during ordinary election years, the ACLU and NAACP said.

The organizations also challenged the time frame the state says it needs to adjust to a new map, arguing the three-to-five-month estimate was based on redrawing of state legislative — not congressional — districts.

Finally, the groups said, the state has quickly passed maps before. Plus, lawmakers already have other potential maps on hand that would pass constitutional muster.

A panel of three federal judges ruled in January 2023 that state lawmakers drew the coastal 1st District, held by GOP Republican Nancy Mace, in a way that discriminates against Black voters. Their decision sided with the NAACP, ACLU of South Carolina and Taiwan Scott, a Black Hilton Head Island resident who lives in the 1st District, who sued after the Legislature approved new lines following the 2020 census.

U.S. Supreme Court and has been awaiting a final decision since October 2023, when oral arguments took place.

The State Election Commission would need three to five months to implement a new map if one were drawn, according to court filings.

In their ruling, the federal judges pointed to 30 000 Black Charleston County residents who lawmakers moved out of the district in an effort to make the seat — which Mace put back into GOP control in 2020 by a slim margin — a safer bet for Republicans. The new lines swept in GOP strongholds in Beaufort and Berkeley counties while cutting out some Charleston suburbs and the entire downtown peninsula.

The state appealed to the

Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said in January 2023 that “we don’t need to draw anything until five members of the Supreme Court say we have to,” the Associated Press reported.

‘Chaos and uncertainty’

State lawyers contends the delay has “invited chaos and uncertainty into South Carolina’s congressional elections — all to the untenable result of ‘voter confusion.’”

The NAACP and ACLU say that argument doesn’t hold water, especially given that the three-judge panel put the state on notice early last year.

“On the outside chance the (appellate) process is not completed in time for the 2024 primary and general election schedule, the election for Congressional District No. 1 should not be conducted until a remedial plan is in place,” the judges

District 1, which under the redrawn map includes voters in Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Colleton, Beaufort and Jasper counties And neighboring District 6, which now stretches from the peninsula north of Columbia, that has long been held by Clyburn

The two-week filing window for June 11 primaries ends April 1

‘A tight schedule’

The Election Commission needs time to get voter logs and ballots to county-level election boards. And election boards must mail absentee ballots for members of the military by April 25 to comply with federal law.

“This is a tight schedule,”

South Carolina’s 1st District has long been reliable for Republicans. However, a population explosion on the coast turned it more purple. In 2018, Democrat Joe Cunningham flipped the seat to blue for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Two years later, Mace ousted him by 1 percentage point. Lawmakers redrew the lines ahead of the 2022 election and Mace easily won against Democrat Annie Andrews.

Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the S.C. Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier.

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

Controversial SC political figure Richard Quinn Sr. dead at 79

By Jessica Holdman

Seanna Adcox

Thursday morning, March 21, at Lexington Medical Center surrounded by family, longtime friend Bill Stern, chairman of the State Ports Authority, told the S.C. Daily Gazette.

A cause of death was not disclosed, but the one-time kingmaker and go-to lobbyist, who got caught up in a Statehouse corruption investigation that ended his sway over state politics, had been in declining health for years.

Friends remembered him as a soft-spoken, gentle soul who put family first and whose legacy extended far beyond the people he put in office.

“It’s a huge loss for our state. We all lost a very dear friend,” said Stern, whose friendship with Quinn dates back to his initial 2000 appointment to the State Ports Authority, a Quinn client.

“He was the man. He was bigger than life. When it came to consultants, he was in a league of his own,” Stern said. “But first and foremost, he was a family man. He loved his family dearly.”

For decades, Quinn was seen as the state’s most influential political and business consultant, helping elect governors, attorneys general, and state and federal lawmakers. He was an instrumental figure in South Carolina’s first-in-

the-South contest in determining the GOP presidential nominee. And his deal-making extended beyond political campaigns to major businesses and state agencies such as the University of South Carolina.

His lengthy client list included the late Sen. John McCain, who lost the state’s GOP presidential contest in 2000 but won in 2008 and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who won the state in 2012. Other Republicans who can credit wins to Quinn include the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, his son Attorney General Alan Wilson, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.

“Richard was exceptionally bright and had a keen political mind,” Graham said in a statement. “He helped me get my start in South Carolina politics and was instrumental in building the modern Republican Party. Richard was a force in South Carolina politics for decades.”

Gov. Henry McMaster, also a client for many years over various campaigns, called Quinn “one of the finest men I’ve ever known.

“Richard Quinn was brilliant, generous, compassionate — and devoted to his family and friends,” McMaster said in a statement. “His contributions to our state’s progress are immeasurable. He was my friend.”

Quinn’s height of power came in the 1990s, amid South Carolina’s Republican takeover of state government.

His fall came in 2017 when he and the firm he founded, Richard Quinn & Associates, were swept

Wilson referred to Quinn as a “titan in South Carolina politics.”

He, too, used the term “brilliant.”

“He was a brilliant strategist whose contributions to our state will be felt for decades,” Wilson said. “I knew him as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was an amazing man whose loss will be felt by many.”

into a years-long Statehouse corruption probe that resulted in the indictment of six GOP state legislators, including Quinn’s son. Only one went to prison. Others resigned as part of plea deals, received probation and paid fines.

It was through his investigation of Quinn that First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe came to know the man beyond his reputation as a political kingmaker. The Democrat was tapped as special prosecutor for the Statehouse probe in 2014 by Alan Wilson, who at the time cited an unspecified conflict of interest, which turned out to be Quinn.

“Two things I remember about him with his death today are how much he loved his family and that he was a prominent figure in South Carolina politics,” Pascoe said, adding that his prayers were with the family.

His brilliance may have contributed to his downfall. The millions of dollars Quinn collected and spent on clients’ behalf became central to the Statehouse investigation that started with the 2014 prosecution of the longtime state House speaker. In 2017, a grand jury indicted Quinn on charges of criminal conspiracy and failure to register as a lobbyist. He and his son, former House Majority Leader Rick Quinn, struck plea deals that required the senior Quinn to testify before a grand jury. It was during that testimony in 2018 that prosecutors accused him of lying, leading to a new round of criminal charges — 11 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Quinn in 2023 entered an Alford plea, in which he did not admit guilt but agreed a jury would likely convict him.

Aging and in poor health, a judge sentenced him to 18 months of home detention. Stern said the ordeal still angers him. “It’s sad that’s how he ended his life with that hanging over him. Personally, I was outraged and disappointed, as a lot of his friends were,” he said, adding that Quinn saw it as politics. “He dealt with

that with

and took it in stride.”

A map of South Carolina’s congressional districts, which were redrawn in 2021 following the 2020 Census. The boundaries of the 1st and 6th congressional districts are disputed in a lawsuit alleging racial gerrymandering. Screenshot from S.C. Senate

The deep allure of Trump’s sheer audacity

Let me be clear about one thing: While Black people tend to embrace conspiracy theories more readily, they are far from the only group that does so.

There would be no QAnon; no “Stop the Steal;” no anti-vaccine movement; New World Order; replacement theory; Pizzagate; 9/11 coverups; or any number of other theories out there without the enthusiastic and sometimes manic support of non-Blacks.

These theories are propagated eagerly by people across social classes who feel they have been cheated or deprived of something they think they deserve. It only makes sense someone would figure out how to harness and utilize all this resentment energy.

Allow me to present to you: Donald John Trump, our conspiracy nut in chief. He never misses an opportunity to spin inconvenient truths into unfortunate lies. Except his conspiracies only ever seem to have one victim — himself — and proposed remedies would only ever benefit the same.

To hear him tell it, he has never

lost. At anything. He either won, or he was cheated. This ranges from the 2020 presidential election back to and beyond the days his TV show “The Apprentice” didn’t win at the Emmys. He extends this logic to his legal woes.

Trump tries to leverage his false victimhood to build a consensus of people he hopes feel a connection to his perils. To some extent, it’s working. Polls within the past couple of weeks show Trump would get the thumbs-up from as much as 20 percent of Black potential voters.

HIT Strategies CEO Terrance Woodbury broke it down for The Washington Post: “There’s about 32 percent of the Black electorate that’s just cynical, frustrated,

closest to the pain … They feel like they’ve been failed by both sides and they’ve been failed by a system. And that’s a part of Donald Trump’s ‘the system is broken’ message that appeals to them.”

Tragic, but understandable. What is politics if not finding people you think speak for you?

Who you think feel your pain?

In Trumpworld, this manifests in pretending he feels his supporters’ rage and asking them to empower him to act upon it.

Trump’s legal antics have been a decades-long high-wire act where we have watched him commit any number of outrageous acts and escape accountability by virtue of his bluster, bankroll, or combination of the two.

Black people aren’t necessarily immune to the appeal of Trump’s audacity. I have written before about the former coworker who responded to a colleague’s profane outburst by beaming and saying, “I like him. He don’t give a [expletive].”

Well before he got into politics, Trump was commonly referenced in rap lyrics as a symbol of dec-

adent wealth. His name fit right alongside those of Frank Lucas, Bumpy Johnson, Nicky Barnes, Freeway Rick Ross, and Larry Hoover. If you don’t recognize those names, that’s not a bad thing. These men were gangsters.

To people who grew up absorbing tales of these cutthroats and kingpins, Trump fits the profile.

Even now, rappers Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Sexxy Red support him for his efforts at prison reform. Some of these rappers likely support Trump’s tax cuts aimed at high earners like … rappers with record company checks, perhaps?

And others, as Woodbury said, are in the group of voters who don’t understand still supporting a Democratic Party they feel has under-delivered relative to the support it has enjoyed from the Black community.

But they are falling for appearance over reality. Most of Trump’s “prison reform” has been pardoning these rappers or their buddies for nonviolent offenses, while he has done nothing to address systemic sentencing inequities that harm minority communities.

And yes, the Democratic Party has under-delivered, if you’re looking for gestures that scream “For Blacks Only.” Generally speaking, Democrats have attempted to raise the tide in a way that lifts all boats — attempts like rolling back tax cuts so the wealthy can pay their fair share.

Or President Joe Biden’s push to lower drug prices; investments in infrastructure that have produced record-breaking numbers of jobs; and promoting advancements in clean energy.

Compare that to minority outreach efforts hyping gold high-top sneakers and AI-generated images of Trump hanging out with Black people.

Black history in this country should help us recognize Trump thinks of potential Black voters as just another commodity to be bought, used, and discarded.

We’ve been there before; we don’t have to go there again.

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

1984: Banner year or horrifying prediction?

Where were you in 1984? As I tried to answer my own question, I realized that for me it was pretty easy. I was teaching English in the same classroom I had occupied for the previous 11 years.

My older daughter was two years from high school graduation, and we were starting to look at colleges. Pretty much a mundane lifestyle lived by many at that time.

So then I decided to research that year to determine what I may have missed, what was exciting … or not. One article declared it was a banner year, from Ronald Reagan’s re-election to Bruce Springsteen’s epic Born in the USA

Other memorable happenings included the Apple release of the first Mac. In 1984, no one called the computer a Mac; they called it a Macintosh (after the kind of apple).

The longest baseball game was played, lasting 8 hours and 6 minutes, 25 innings.

By the way the Chicago White Sox won it, 7-6

Some other interesting

facts were of a financial nature. You could see a movie for $2 50. The average household income was $21 000, and the typical home cost $72,000 Furthermore, you could fill your gas tank for $1 10 per gallon.

On the musical side, Prince’s When Doves Cry topped the charts. Other hit singles included What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner, Footloose by Kenny Loggins, and Jump by Van Halen.

You may be thinking, “This is a small, fanciful trip down memory lane, but what’s the point?” I would have to agree except to say that my initial research was to find information about the George Orwell book 1984, and that took me to the above

information. A side trip, so to speak.

So to my original quest: the Orwellian look into the future, published in 1949, and the foretelling of what the author believed our world would look like just 35 years later. Please keep those figures in mind as you continue to read.

The opening sentence of the novel reads “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Those of us who write have been told numerous times to use a ‘hook,’ a sentence that will grab the reader immediately. This one certainly fits the bill, including the bad luck associated with the number.

The dynamic entrance into the world of Oceania tells the story of Winston Smith, a citizen of a miserable society that is trying to rebel against the Party and its omnipresent symbol, Big Brother. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth, and his job is to alter the history of Oceania to fit the government's current narrative.

The primary theme of1984 by George Orwell (a pen name for Eric Blair) is to

warn readers of the dangers of totalitarianism. The central focus of the book is to convey the extreme level of control and power possible under a truly totalitarian regime. It explores how such a governmental system would impact society and the people who live in it. Anyone starting to get a sense of where I am going with this?

Interestingly enough, the classic dystopian novel was challenged in 1981 in Jackson County, Fla., because the book was declared "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter."

The novel offers insight to those under the leadership of oppressive regimes; this book has been banned and even burned. I might add that nothing appears to have changed in Florida in 40plus years, but I digress. I found one critic who stated the following: “No novel of the past century has had more influence than George Orwell’s 1984. The vocabulary of the all-powerful Party that rules the superstate Oceania with the ideology of Ingsoc (Newspeak for English Socialism) — doublethink, memory hole,

unperson, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Thought Police, Big Brother — they’ve all entered the English language as instantly recognizable signs of a nightmare future. It’s almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984.” Throughout the Cold War, the novel found avid underground readers behind the Iron Curtain who wondered, “How did he know?”

The book was challenged alongside other subversive and dystopian stories such as Orwell's Animal Farm and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, but has since become known as one of the most significant rationalizations for freedom of speech and expression. I pulled out my old brownpage copy of 1984 and many memories popped up, as well as the realization that I now had to use cheaters to read the very small print. I taught all of the above mentioned novels in my English classes over the course of 32 years, and to my knowledge, no student was irreparably

harmed. Hopefully the theme of the dangers of totalitarianism resonated sufficiently at the time. However, if we are to believe it was a banner year, as indicated at the beginning of this piece, it may well have slipped past as just another English assignment.

As I wrote this evening, a song popped into my head, unsolicited. “In the year 2525, if man is still alive, if woman can survive …” Will it take that long?

Today we are faced with an onslaught of “perversion of truth.” People are being asked to deny, negate, and erase what they have seen and heard with their own eyes and ears. Many are buying into this. We can only hope and pray that those with sound judgment and a will to speak openly, thousands of Winston Smiths if you will, choose to step forward and make their voices heard.

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.”

TERRY MANNING

CAROL LUCAS

Permit-less carry will likely increase gun violence in South Carolina

South Carolina lawmakers were recklessly determined to approve permit-less carry this year, even though it’s likely to increase gun violence in our state.

At the very least, it won’t help reduce our state’s tragically high rate of gun deaths.

For a moment, it seemed like permit-less carry might fail over disagreements between the state House and state Senate.

In the end, however, the two bodies resolved differences, joined hands like Thelma and Louise, and drove off a cliff, maybe whooping as they flew.

They rejected reason, evidence and common sense.

They also defied local and state law enforcement officials who earlier had opposed permit-less carry.

The bill quickly moved to Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk, and he signed it.

That immediately allowed South Carolinians 18 and over who can legally buy a handgun to carry it without a permit and without training of any sort, according to reporting by the S.C. Daily Gazette’s Skylar Laird.

South Carolina became

the 29th state to allow permit-less carry, following the lead of the most violence-ridden states in the nation.

Lawmakers left the age for permit-less carry at the legal age to buy a gun in South Carolina: 18. An 18-year-old can’t buy a beer but can purchase and now carry a gun in public.

Meanwhile, gun violence remains the leading cause of death for American children.

More guns in public will mean more gun violence in South Carolina.

Gas on a fire

Our state already has the 11th highest gun death rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s 2021 data, the latest available.

Permit-less carry only tosses gas on a fire.

In an average year, 1,044 people die and 2 358 are wounded by guns in South Carolina, according to the gun safety group Everytown. Our state has the sixth-highest gun violence rate in the nation.

“When we loosen restrictions on carrying guns in public or eliminate the permitting process all together, all reputable studies show that this is extremely bad for public safety,” said Kelly Drane, research director with Giffords, a gun safety group. “We see increases in violent crimes, increases in firearm homicides, and increases in nonfatal shootings.”

The Top 10 states with the highest gun death rates in the nation, with the exception of New Mexico, all allow permit-less carry.

The states with the lowest gun death rates in the nation, meanwhile, mostly prohibit permit-less carry.

It’s not hard to see a tragic pattern here: More guns and looser restrictions mean more gun violence.

Law enforcement officials generally oppose permit-less carry because it’s often impossible to know whether someone with a gun in

...there’s nothing in the Constitution about allowing young, untrained people to carry a gun in public.”

public has bad intent or not. Officer-involved shootings also increase in states with permit-less carry laws.

While state lawmakers were debating permit-less carry, a far-right group had been “pummeling GOP opponents of permit-less carry with phone calls and fliers,” according to the Gazette’s Seanna Adcox.

But lawmakers have the responsibility to consider facts and common sense as well.

Supporters of permit-less carry refer to it as “constitutional carry,” though there’s nothing in the Constitution about allowing young, untrained people to carry a gun in public.

A stark irony is that gun advocates themselves know that training is needed to safely operate, clean and store a deadly weapon.

A top concern about permit-less carry is not only that homicides will increase

but accidents will, as well: such as the 2019 incident where a father accidentally shot and killed his 11-yearold daughter in Easley.

Violent crime increases

A 2022 study found that permit-less carry laws can substantially increase homicides and firearm violence.

A 2019 study concluded that permit-less carry was associated with up to a 15% increase in violent crime rates a decade after implementation.

Mississippi has had a permit-less carry law in place since 2015 and has the highest rate of gun deaths in the nation, according to the CDC. In that state, gun homicides increased 129 percent from 2011 to 2020

Wyoming has had permit-less carry on the books since 2011, and that state has the fifth highest rate of gun deaths in the nation. Gun mortality increased

54 percent in Wyoming between 2011 to 2020

Granted, the new South Carolina law includes a few positive reforms. It enhances penalties for illegal gun use. It also offers free training classes for gun owners but does not mandate them. We should not be loosening gun restrictions but tightening them up, such as closing the Charleston loophole, mandating universal background checks, enacting red-flag laws and requiring the safe storage of guns. Instead, we’re moving in the wrong direction.

Permit-less carry, a colossal self-inflicted wound for South Carolina, makes us all less safe.

Paul Hyde is a longtime journalist and teacher in the Upstate. He worked 18 years for the Greenville News as a columnist, editorial writer, education reporter and arts writer. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Clemson and Harvard universities. He has written for the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News and USA Today, among other publications. He currently is a regular contributor to the Greenville Journal, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Classical Voice North America.

PAUL HYDE

It is Thursday, early, and I’m at my wood-planked, dining room table watching the sky light up over Lady’s Island. It’s cold but one knows that later today the long-dormant “nosee-ums” will arrive.

This morning the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) tells us that Arizona is trying to decide whether or not to allow non-lawyer financiers — hedge funds — to buy into their law firms.

“Every other business is allowed to take growth capital to pay their expenses,” says Ted Ferrell, who runs Litigation Funding Advisors, which consults in the legal finance market. “The question is how much smart money wants to get in bed with lawyers?”

“It turns out, plenty,” says the Journal

Do you believe in (hedge-fund) magic?

This piece is paired with another article telling us that the Rockland Regional Medical Center, a unit of Stewart Health Care System, has a problem with 3,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats that have taken up residence in the building. According to the WSJ, Stewart has been sued by the bat-removal company, Rentokil, for this allegedly unpaid (bat removal) bill of $936,320

But this $936 320 is not Stewart’s only financial headache. According to today’s Journal they owe money to other vendors including $50 million in unpaid rent to their landlord, the Medical Properties Trust.

Some years ago Stewart sold their hospital buildings to MPT in order to get some ready cash,

then leased them back. That, presumably, solved their immediate cash flow problem. But now they are faced with “$200 million in unpaid bills of other sorts.”

I want to be clear that I did not take a single economics or business course while I was in college. Nor did I take any course in finance, taxes or mergers in law school. Terms like “private equity” and “leveraged buy-outs” are not in my vocabulary. I am, candidly, one of those antediluvian luddites who believe that mixing money and medicine is not a good thing. But I do know something about profits and law firms.

I know that there is big money to be made in specific areas of the legal cosmos. Right now those profits seem to be in personal injury litigation, class action lawsuits and firms that help state and municipal governments prepare bond offerings. I know that

most corporations are “risk averse” and routinely pay huge hourly fees to make sure they are not sued for some kind of omission or error or unfortunate behavior as regards women and minorities.

“The idea behind Arizona’s program is to bring in capital to make it possible for legal businesses to open that otherwise wouldn't be able to. Many states have been looking to unconventional solutions to address the dearth of lawyers to help people with critical services such as evictions, divorces and immigration law …”

So, let’s see if I’ve got Arizona’s reasoning right.

Arizona is thinking that opening-up their law firms to private equity; to hedge fund investment; is going to make those firms get in the business of fighting unreasonable landlords, representing folk who find themselves in unconscionable, high-interest contracts

with unscrupulous creditors, helping poor people.

Apparently Arizona thinks that hedge fund managers are not going to invest in lawyers who sell their car wreck settlement services on television. They’re not going to invest in large firms that protect corporations from their own avarice. No. they’re going to seek out those marginal, one-man firms that help undocumented workers get green cards or suddenly divorced women get adequate child support.

It is my experience that many lawyers emerge from law school with a desire to “give something back.” In the olden days some would go into legal aid programs where they might stay for three years or so. It was also my experience that large law firms sometimes encouraged their justhired lawyers to put in a certain number of pro-bono hours.

But these uneven, hit-ormiss efforts do not come close to meeting the need for free or inexpensive legal advice for those on the fringe. In South Carolina, for example, a recent survey shows there are 66 lawyers — out of 13 000 in this pro-bono category doing 18 700 “intakes” and representing 13,715 clients. Everyone, including the S.C. Bar Association, knows this is not anywhere near adequate.

But Arizona somehow believes that allowing investors to buy equity in law firms will transform its mergers and acquisitions lawyers into advocates for the unwashed. It believes the magic of the “Market” will turn frogs into handsome, principled princelings.

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

As an early childhood educator, I love reading the novels of the great young adult author Roald Dahl. One of his quotes from Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator that always makes me smile came to mind recently, “You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that.”

Sadly, “what ifs” seem to be the focus of a recent article written by Seanna Adcox (https://bit.ly/4csAHjB) that focuses on opposition to school choice and the Education Scholarship Trust Fund.

Last year, when the General Assembly adopted the long-awaited education scholarships, I promised my colleagues that the Act was only a beginning — it was a great effort that must be made even better. That is what the House of Representatives has done with House bill 5164

After the 2026-27 school year, the restrictions placed on families who are already homeschooling or sending their children

The General Assembly can do more than one thing at a

to private schools are finally removed. These South Carolinians deserve as much help as their neighbors who desperately seek choice beyond what the zip code determines.

Also lifted are artificial caps based on family revenue, but, unfortunately, the article seems to miss the commonsense guardrails included in the bill and, instead, uses “what-ifs” to defend the status quo.

But what if the bill forgets about children in poverty or with disabilities? First, families needing assistance remain at the front of the line. After existing recipients apply, early applica-

tion windows open for students whose parent or guardian is an active-duty member of the military and will be living in South Carolina, whose families have a Medicaid card, who meet the definition of “exceptional needs child” or who are in custody or guardianship of the Department of Social Services.

But what if it costs too much?

The bill clearly leaves the level of funding up to the General Assembly on a yearly basis. And, as the article fails to mention, there are only so many school classrooms available and not every school will want to participate. A worst-case scenario is just that — a scenario.

But what if it some “shady” schools open because of the bill?

Smartly, the existing scholarship law requires the State Department of Education to approve education providers but, beyond that, how about we place our trust in the families who want to find other options for their children. The free market is

time

not perfect by any stretch, but what we are doing to too many students stuck in schools that do not fit their needs is certainly not perfect either. The Act and bill are clear that providers cannot unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin except that independent or religious educational providers can still use exemptions allowed under federal law.

In addition, the bill and law require independent schools to have a curriculum that includes courses required to obtain a state high school diploma and comply with state accountability standards. Except for certain homeschool families, students must take either the state assessment or a national norm-referenced assessment approved by the Department.

But what if the money is wasted or spent improperly? Families that receive a scholarship will have to be good stewards of the funds. The bill defines qualifying expenses, and items such as tui-

tion and fees, textbooks, internet connections, fees for exams, tutoring services, and computer hardware and these families will have to provide receipts showing the dollars were spent properly. Here is my “what if.” What if we sit around and wait or, even worse, do nothing more than we have already done? That is a “what if” to which no one has a good answer. My response is that there is no way we can tell the more than 5 000 applicants that their lifeline to a better future is cut. Instead, we have to continue to push for options that best meet the needs of South Carolina’s young scholars. As I said on the floor, and will continue to say, my colleagues in the General Assembly can do more than one thing at a time. We will support choice while we continue strengthening efforts for traditional schools.

Beaufort Republican Shannon S. Erickson represents District 124 in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

SCOTT GRABER

Christ is risen and what it means for everyone

Throughout history, no one has made a greater impact than Jesus Christ. So, who is this person called Jesus? He was not just a man; He was God.

It’s widely known Jesus was born of a virgin 2,000 years ago, but He existed long before that. As the Son of God and second part of the Trinity, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega which means He is from the beginning and has no end. His being infinite is beyond our comprehension and exalts God as the highest authority.

Jesus the Christ means He is the anointed one, the promised Messiah. All other gods and idols have been created, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has always been and will always be.

Jesus said in John 8:58, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was – I am,” which explains that His physical birth in Bethlehem and His agonizing death on Calvary was a calculated plan to come down from heaven and rescue believers that needed to be saved from their sins.

In this holy week, we think

OBITUARY

Ralph Milledge MoRRis iV

We are sad to share that long time Beaufortonian Ralph Milledge Morris, IV known by family, friends, and locals as ‘Milledge’ passed away on February 28, 2024, at his home with loved ones at his side.

BILLY HOLLAND

of Jesus dying on the cross and how after three days He arose triumphant over death and paid the ransom for those who are hopelessly lost. The crucifixion and resurrection prove how much God loves us and wants to save us! Jesus resurrecting from the dead is truly the greatest event in the history of mankind.

Of all philosophies, ideas, and imaginations within every civilization, there is only one truth when it comes to the Almighty God of the Bible being the creator of all things and the judge of every person’s heart. This is why He is called the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

He is Omnipotent which means He is not limited in power or authority. He is Omniscient which reveals He is the only one who has

Milledge was born in Columbia, SC on June 19, 1945, to his late parents Martha Hopkins Morris and Ralph Milledge Morris, III (Humble Buck). He is survived by the love of his life and beautiful wife of 45 years, Janet S. Mark, his daughter, JoAnn Davis (Chip Coughlin), his siblings David Morris (Rebecca Bradshaw), Martha Lynn Webb (Charles) and Robert Morris (Abby). Milledge will also be remembered with love by his in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews with whom he shared much time and love.

As a young man Milledge grew up on Lady’s Island surrounded by the beauty of the low country. He loved everything about our coastal area and water ways. He had sea legs that could handle the toughest and roughest seas yet as an experienced boater he was able to make everyone on board feel as though the waters were

complete knowledge, wisdom, perception, awareness, and understanding. He sees everything and knows the hearts of every person that has ever been born. God is also Omnipresent, meaning He sees and hears everything with the divine ability to be everywhere at the same time including knowing the future.

When we realize that no other religion has anything spiritually or historically comparable to the Bible, we wonder how anyone could not want to know God and be born again. It’s because every person at one time was spiritually blind and unable to see the spiritual truth.

We must hear God’s word which allows the Holy Spirit to convict our conscience, then God graciously opens our eyes, and we are compelled and drawn to repent and worship the Savior. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

Romans 1:16 also declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Further understanding is found in II Corinthians 4:4 where it speaks of the lost not being able to comprehend the love, mercy, and grace of God. “Satan, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Many will ask, “Why did Jesus need to suffer? Could He not just snap His fingers and save everyone?” When Adam and Eve lost their standing with God in the

calm. He was a talented athlete, masterful water skier, Captain of the Beaufort High School football team, a scholar, an entrepreneur, a creator and builder and he enjoyed all these with a spirit to be reckoned with! Milledge was a progressive thinker and though often a man of few words, there were many topics he would discuss for hours.

After graduating from Beaufort High School, he attended the Citadel and later graduated from the University of South Carolina.

Milledge joined the Navy and upon returning to the low country he attended and graduated from Clemson. Before, during, in between and following, he spent his free time on the water working as a fisherman, a deckhand

Garden, humans continued to enjoy their free will and it’s this ability to choose that allows us to give our heart and strength completely to Him or walk away. We are constantly deciding between good and evil. We are not forced to sin and neither will God make us love Him.

For those of you who do not know Jesus as your Lord, I pray you will ask Him to save you today. We realize the gospel of Christ appears to be relatively simple as Romans 10:13 proclaims that “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” but the concept of

His grace does not erase human accountability, neither is it based on human works. What Jesus did is not an automatic ticket to heaven for everyone, it’s an opportunity to know our Creator and be in blood covenant with the Lamb that was slain. May we not abuse God’s mercy as an excuse for our disobedience because the true definition of covenant requires both parties to honor their vows.

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

and exploring the waters and coastal areas of the southeast and Bahamas.

Eventually, his explorations brought him to waters much further from home where he worked as an Alaska King Crab Fisherman on the Marcy J out of Kodiak, AK, where he fished the Bristol Bay area for several years. Later, he returned to Alaska to fish the Kenai Peninsula as a seasonal Salmon Gillnetter on his boat the Jade X, where numerous family and friends worked alongside Milledge while enjoying an amazing Alaskan summer. To balance the seasons, he spent fall and winter with his family running the Family Tree Christmas Tree Farm on Lady’s Island.

Milledge introduced family members, friends, and newcomers to what he loved-the outdoors, Mother Nature, adventure, and all that the eye can behold from the deck of a boat. Milledge believed that even if you were in the hull and knee deep in fish (or ice) it was better than a day on land. He generously shared his life lessons, boating prowess and knowledge to anyone who expressed an interest. Milledge spent much of his time maintaining and enjoying Pritchards Island where generations of his family have

tended to the camp. There are many stories and tales of his ability to govern the waters and change things for the better that locals will recall. Just imagine a Water Festival weekend with ten or more boats tied to his 53-foot trawler with Milledge at the helm delicately weaving his way without a hitch to get closer to the band on the sand bar, all so his family and friends could enjoy what he grew up enjoying.

Despite attending The Citadel and receiving degrees from USC and Clemson, Milledge was as humble as his father’s nickname. He encouraged and generously aided his family in achieving an education to suit their personal goals. A desk job never fit him, but being on the water and surrounded by nature did. You could see this in his infectious smile which drew others to him. He recruited countless of these same folks who shared his work ethic and opposition to office life to join him on his adventures at Pritchards and even in preparing the perfect Christmas Tree. He taught many that arduous work, being outdoors and creating something that made others smile was more important than a paycheck. Milledge had a huge heart, rarely showed negativity and an incredibly generous spirit.

OBITUARIES

The Island News will publish obituaries up to 300 words for no charge. This service also includes a photograph. The Island News will have a charge of .25¢ per word of obituaries beyond 300 words. Please contact jeff.theislandnews@ gmail.com for more information.

For those he mentored (or some may say tortured) all received lasting life lessons such as how to live frugally, the importance of recycling and repurposing, how to tie a knot, mend a net, enjoy healthy eating that included his favorites-beans and greens, understanding the benefit of exercise and a relentless desire to be outdoors.

Milledge’s family plans a private memorial soon.

Donations in honor of Milledge may be made to any of the following:

Checks made payable to Loggerhead South will be included in Pritchards’ annual USC endowment donation (1 Cotton Court, Beaufort, SC, 29907), Open Land Trust (https:// openlandtrust.org/typesgiving/), the Humane Society of Beaufort County (http://www. humanesocietyofbeaufortcounty. com) or a charity of your choice.

Easter Menu

Red Wine Braised Lamb Roast • Shrimp & Crab Casserole

Sides: risotto, scalloped potatoes, roasted green beans, banging brussel sprouts, mashed cauliflower, potato salad, cornbread salad

Blueberry French Toast Casserole

Croque Monsieur Croissant Bake

Quiche: crab, ham & asparagus, tomato feta spinach

Fresh Strawberry Roll • Chocolate Swiss Roll

136 Sea Island Parkway, #5 • 843.379.3303

thebeaufortkitchen.com

Constant coverage of news events can overwhelm the body

Knowing what’s going on in the world is important, but it also can get to be too much.

“Repetitive and even near-constant exposure to stressful events, especially those beyond our control, can lead to feelings of hopelessness and depression,” says Dr. Robert Bright, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist. “Sometimes the ‘bad news’ seems to be coming from every angle. It can be very overwhelming.”

Some people are so discouraged that they feel attempts to change things for the better are futile. Others are motivated by what they see and hear and develop a deeper passion to improve the world and make it a better place, Dr. Bright says. Stress can lead to burnout.

When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands excrete adrenaline, also called cortisol. The hormone gives you the energy to get up and face the threat (fight) or run away

to a safe place (flight). But when you’re constantly exposed to stress, you become physically and emotionally exhausted. You burn out.

Burnout can feel like:

Low energy.

Lack of motivation.

A sense of hopelessness. Depressed mood.

Apathy and indifference. Withdrawal from others.

Eating too much or too little.

Disrupted sleep.

How to cope when the news is overwhelming.

Anxiety can build when you feel that a situation is out of your control. But problem-solving and flexibility through coping strategies can help you feel more in control. Try these strategies when worrying about what’s going on in the news threatens to disrupt your life or well-being.

Limit your exposure to news media.

The constant flow of news can heighten fears and anx-

iety. This is true even if it’s just on in the background and you’re not paying close attention to it, like at a gym that has TVs tuned to different 24-hour news networks viewable from every treadmill.

It can be hard to stop scrolling for news updates but try to find limits that work for you. You could set a timer, so you only spend five minutes looking at social media. Unfollow any social media accounts that bombard you with disturbing headlines. Consider checking news only at specific times—like once in the morning and again in the evening instead of mindlessly scrolling through news updates on your phone.

Avoid staying up late to monitor news.

Keeping the news on can keep scary events top of mind. Turning off the news lets the mind relax for sleep, Dr. Bright says.

If you’re afraid that you might miss something if you turn it off, it’s not your fault. The news is designed to draw you in just like your favorite HBO shows. Learn to resist that temptation.

Beaufort Memorial Orthopaedic Specialists combine Beaufort area offices

Beaufort Memorial Orthopaedic Specialists is consolidating its two Beaufort area offices into the Port Royal location on Ribaut Road.

Effective Monday, April 1 2024, the practice of Dr. Edward Blocker and physician assistants Sarah Blau and Paul Schaefer will be located at the Beaufort Memorial Port Royal Medical Pavilion at 1680 Ribaut Road, joining Drs. Kevin Jones and Vandit Sardana, and nurse practitioner William Schreffler who currently see patients at that location. This move follows the December retirement of long-time orthopedic surgeon Dr. Leland Stoddard. Patients who have appointments scheduled in Beaufort with any of the providers on or after April 1 should go to the Port Royal office.

Paul Schaefer Sarah Blau Dr. Edward Blocker

Seek out reputable sources. Turn the news off when you notice the anchors or guests offering opinions or speculating about what could happen rather than providing confirmed information.

If you’re not sure about the story: Do a web search on the “expert.” You might find that the doctor sells a line of supplements and doesn’t seem to have any special expertise in infectious diseases. Check other news sites. Are they reporting the same thing? Check reputable websites, that might end in .gov, .edu or .org, to see what they’re saying on the topic. If you suspect that you’re getting less-than-credible information, you can turn it off. You can always check back later when confirmed details might be available.

Be skeptical on social media.

Anyone can spread information on social media.

Click and read the entire article before sharing it yourself. Sometimes the headline is “clickbait,” meaning it’s designed to get attention. Even legitimate news organizations dial headlines up to 11 to get attention. The headline might not accurately reflect what the article is even saying—but it does help the organization reach its page view goal for the month.

If something you see surprises you, get curious about it. You can do the same checks listed above.

If the article is inaccurate, report it. That’s one easy action you can take to prevent the spread of harmful misinformation.

Do something.

Yes, sometimes world events are too big for one person to make a difference. But it adds up when multiple groups are inspired to do something positive. Pick a cause that matters to you and see if you can meaningfully contribute to a solution. Gather your friends and family to help. Focusing on what you can do helps give a sense of control.

Take care of yourself.

You are not responsible for

The internet holds a vast amount of medical information. It’s important to not use what you read online to diagnose or treat health conditions. Instead, discuss your concerns with your healthcare team. But if you want additional information, use these tips to tune in to reliable online sources.

• Check the address – Sites that end in .gov are from government agencies. Sites with .edu are from academic institutions. Sites with .org are generally nonprofit organizations.

fixing every situation. Sometimes you need to take a break to take care of yourself. If the news feels overwhelming, turn it off. Step away and find calming activities you enjoy. You might feel better after taking a walk, participating in a hobby, or connecting with a loved one. Taking care of you also gives you the energy to come back the next day and try to make a difference.

Help is available.

If stress, anxiety, or depression are impacting your life, professional help is available. A mental health therapist can help you with coping strategies or medication if needed. Contact your healthcare professional if you experience: Difficulty sleeping. Changes in eating patterns.

Difficulty concentrating on normal tasks. Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, prolonged sadness, or overwhelming worry.

Source: https://mcpress.mayoclinic. org/mental-health/constantcoverage-of-scary-news-events-canoverwhelm-the-body

Beaufort Memorial Orthopaedic Specialists treat patients with a wide variety of orthopedic problems, ranging from congenital defects to osteoarthritis resulting from the aging process. A full range of care for bones and joints is offered, including robotic-assisted minimally invasive hip and knee replacement surgeries and general orthopedic procedures for trauma, hand, and sports injuries.

For more information or to schedule with any of the Orthopaedic Specialists providers, call 843-524-3015

Can collagen supplements help with aging?

Many people take collagen supplements, hoping to capture the fountain of youth. But can these products really reverse the aging process?

Collagen is a protein in the deeper layers of the skin, which help(s) give it volume. Scroll through social media, and you're bound to see ads and videos promoting the benefits of collagen. As people age, collagen production decreases, and many people turn to collagen supplements. Many products claim that they can reduce the signs of aging by getting rid of wrinkles and saggy skin. Do they work?

At this time, there is no strong evidence that any over-the-counter oral or a topical collagen supplement is beneficial for anti-aging.

Collagen is concentrated in bones, ligaments, tendons, skin, blood vessels and internal organs. It helps provide elasticity and strength. As you age, you begin to lose the collagen within your body, and it becomes harder for you to make more.

At least 30% of your body’s protein content is made from collagen. Collagen is made from amino acids, which are the building blocks for protein: always glycine, often with proline and hydroxyproline. These amino acids are grouped together into collagen’s characteristic triple helix. For this triple helix to be formed, you need to have enough vitamin C, zinc, copper, and manganese in your body. Within the human body, more than 20 types of collagens have been identified, with three types making up the vast majority. These are the types you’ll usually find in a collagen supplement:

• Type I

If you are planning to take a collagen supplement, either in liquid or powder form, it is important to mention that the triple helix that makes up collagen is unable to be absorbed in its whole form. It will first be broken down into individual amino acids within the gastrointestinal tract before reaching the bloodstream. The body will then reassemble and form new proteins where necessary and use as needed.

These new proteins may not contain the same amino acids that were initially ingested in the collagen supplement, and it is unknown if these restructured proteins will target the area a supplement manufacturer is advertising. Therefore, it is undetermined if the body will use a collagen supplement that is purported to help skin, hair, nails, and joints to actually make collagen that would do so.

Dairy, especially parmesan cheese.

Legumes.

Non-genetically modified soy, such as tofu.

Spirulina.

Animal sources, such as red meat, poultry, pork, fish, and eggs.

To support the formation of collagen, it is also important to ensure adequate intake of foods that contain vitamin C, zinc, copper, and manganese. These nutrients can be found by eating a varied diet rich in fruits and vegetables, including green leafy and root vegetables, along with nuts and seeds—especially pumpkin and cashews.

• Type II

This type is cartilage. The supplement comes from chickens. Type III

This type is found alongside type I in skin, blood vessels and internal organs. The supplement comes from cows.

This type is found in bones, ligaments, tendons and skin for elasticity and strength. The supplement comes from cows (bovine) and fish.

From a general health perspective, it is important to ensure adequate protein within your diet. As you age, your protein needs increase slightly to maintain lean body mass. Consuming foods that contain the primary amino acids that make up collagen may help support skin, hair, nail, and joint health as you age. These foods are good sources of amino acids commonly found in collagen: Bone broth. Unflavored gelatin.

Topical collagen can be challenging for the skin to absorb because of its chemical structure. Instead, it’s suggested that making simple lifestyle changes may increase collagen. Being mindful of what can damage collagen production is important. Crucial changes include limiting excess sugar and alcohol intake, avoid smoking or secondhand smoke exposure and other environmental pollutants and wear sunscreen.

Remember, it is important to let your health care provider know if you are taking a collagen supplement—or any supplement.

Sources: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/nutritionfitness/

When your kids want what others have

It can be hard to say no when your child wants something that is expensive, or you don't think they need. A psychologist offers tips on how to navigate those conversations.

If you’re the parent of a tween or teen, you’ve probably been asked at some point to buy them whatever is popular at school, like the latest name brand tumbler, skincare, or smartphone.

But, what if the item is too pricey or you don’t think they need it?

“Kids get hung up, like we all did when we were kids, we all think we have to have the latest whatever it is, and it seems like it’s getting harder for parents to simply say no,” said Vanessa Jensen, PsyD, psychologist for

Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

“Have to and want to are different things, and I think parents need to have those discussions from the time they’re wee ones until they are adults.”

Dr. Jensen said while it’s okay to say no, it can also be helpful to have a conversation with your child about why they really want that item.

You could then offer to have them add it to their Christmas list or buy it for their upcoming birthday. This can teach them patience.

Parents also shouldn’t feel bad when they do say no. Your child will eventually get over it. Dr. Jensen said by giving your child everything they want, no matter the price, it could make them selfish. “I encourage parents, if your child is giving you, I call it, the ‘ugly look’—they’re mad at you, but they’re not using mean words and they’re not

losing control. You can say, ‘I know you’re disappointed, I understand. I probably would

be too, but I am glad you’re holding it together. Let’s go find something else to do.’ So, it’s acknowledging the feeling without much attention or emotion and then distraction,” said Dr. Jensen.

She said if you do wind up buying your child the item they wanted and they eventually stop using it, avoid the “I told you so’s.”

Instead, use it as a teachable moment about why it’s still okay to use that item even if it’s not what’s cool at school anymore. Or, if they worked hard to get that item, you can acknowledge their efforts.

Source: https://newsroom. clevelandclinic.org/2024/03/18/ when-your-kids-want-what-othershave

Irregular heartbeat? Can you still drink coffee?

By Michael Precker American Heart Association News

When Dr. David Kao, a cardiologist, and an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, tells patients they have atrial fibrillation—an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm that can lead to stroke, blood clots or other health issues—their first question is usually "Do I have to give up coffee?" His answer often surprises them: No.

"They're thrilled," said Kao. For many people with heart disease, "coffee has been part of their daily routine forever, and they're already giving up so much. It just keeps people feeling normal in one way, when in a lot of ways, they don't feel normal anymore."

Blame their assumption on caffeine, which gets coffee lovers going in the morning and may keep them alert when the daily dol-

drums set in. Studies have generally found that caffeine consumed in usual amounts is either associated with no heightened risk or a reduced risk of incident atrial fibrillation. The bad reputation that caffeine

who are more sensitive to caffeine.

Those patients should be careful. It can make you feel worse. Of course, you'll get jittery if you're drinking too much. But for the average person, coffee likely is not detrimental to their health.

Kao, the senior author of the analysis, invokes the research to reassure patients who develop heart problems and blame coffee.

"People think they may have been harming themselves the whole time," he said. "They've been a lifelong coffee drinker, and they think that's why they have atrial fibrillation, which does not seem to be the case. I think that's a relief that it's not their fault."

Up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day—roughly four or five cups of coffee—can be safe for healthy adults, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

However, this cup of good cheer does come with a few caveats. There are always some patients

has is not deserved. Caffeine has actually been shown to be safe for the heart. Moreover, it may even do some good. A 2021 study published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure suggested that caffeinated coffee may actually reduce the risk of heart failure. The research analyzed three studies and showed that "increased coffee consumption appeared to correlate with reduced risk of developing heart failure later in life."

It is important to note that the coffee friendly AFib recommendations don't extend to every heart condition or high blood pressure. To be sure, talk to your doctor.

Nor do they extend to every kind of coffee. Kao said most studies focus on caffeinated black coffee— not decaffeinated coffee or instant coffee, where the processing may remove some of the health benefits.

"I think the jury is still out on the decaf question," he said. "It would be really helpful to know."

The same holds true when it comes to another major source for caffeine in the U.S.: sodas, especially those with artificial sweeteners.

"We just haven't broken it down enough," Kao said.

Who cares about public notices?

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

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

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

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

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

THE HARD WORK OF ALL ATHLETES DESERVES RECOGNITION Brand

RECREATION

Tuesday, March 13,

Rivalry week buoys

Beaufort baseball

LowcoSports.com

A dominant performance on the mound last week salvaged a rough run for the Beaufort High baseball team, and revisiting a rivalry kept the momentum going. After Hudson Mullen blanked Philip Simmons to earn a key Region 8-3A split, Dylan Rast and Gunner Hollingsworth turned in strong pitching performances, and Beaufort’s bats broke out as the Eagles swept Battery Creek 16-1 and 11-2 in a home-and-home series.

Rast struck out eight in a four-inning complete game Tuesday, allowing just two hits and two walks, while Will Herron, Jadyn Andrews, and Tanner Altman each had two of Beaufort’s 12 hits in a 16-1 rout.

Hollingsworth helped Beaufort finish the sweep Thursday — a day earlier than scheduled due to heavy rain in the forecast for Friday — by racking up 14 strikeouts over six innings against his former team, limiting the Dolphins to four hits and a walk in an 11-2 win. Rast and Logan Brutcher

each had two hits and scored twice.

The sweep was sandwiched around an 11-1 win at Savannah Christian on Wednesday in which Malcolm Webb allowed just one hit over five innings, while Herron went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, and Brutcher and Rast each had two hits and drove in two runs.

The Eagles’ four-game win streak ended with a 10-0 loss at Bishop England on Monday, dropping Beaufort to 7-6 heading into the H.I.T. Tournament starting Monday in Charleston.

USCB baseball skid continues

LowcoSports.com

Just three weeks ago, the USCB baseball team was riding high after two wild walk-off wins in a doubleheader sweep of No. 16 Georgia Southwestern, the team picked to win the Peach Belt Conference title. It must feel like a different lifetime for the Sand Sharks after the offense didn’t deliver enough in a three-game sweep at the hands of visiting Augusta kept USCB winless in 11 games since catching lightning and stunning the Canes twice on a hopeful Sunday in Hardeeville.

Pitching was the culprit early in the losing streak, but the starters

kept the Sand Sharks in all three games against the Jaguars — the bats just couldn’t break through. USCB managed only four hits in a 6-2 loss in Sunday’s opener and turned seven hits into just one run in a 6-1 defeat in the second game of the doubleheader. The Sand Sharks outhit Augusta 12-9 in Monday’s finale, but they stranded 11 runners, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 6-4 defeat.

Aiden Driscoll-Sadusky knotted the game in the fifth with an RBI single, but the Jaguars regained the lead with a three-run ninth and got out of the jame in

the bottom half.

Driscoll-Sadusky collected three hits on the afternoon, while Carson Weathers and John Leland both had multi-hit performances and Weathers also collected two RBIs.

Starter Brandon Martin threw seven strong innings, allowing three runs with three strikeouts.

Aiden Cooper (3-1) took the loss, allowing two runs in the decisive ninth inning.

The Sand Sharks (7-21 2-10 PBC) host Lander for a threegame PBC series this weekend. Game 1 is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at Richard Gray Sports Complex in Hardeeville.

B1

Battery Creek shortstop Brooke Crosby makes short work of a well hit ground ball against Beaufort High School on Tuesday, March 19, at Beaufort. The Lady Eagles went on to best the Dolphins 5-1. Bob Sofaly/ The Island News

Eagles survive Dolphins’ best shot

LowcoSports.com

Veteran Battery Creek softball coach Bob Layman knew he would need to get creative to find a way to beat Beaufort High with Kylie Rast in the circle, and the wily coach nearly outwitted the dominant ace.

After Rast struck out 14 Dolphins in a one-hitter to lead the Eagles to a 5-1 win Tuesday at Beaufort, Layman kept the pressure on the defense by playing small ball in Thursday’s rematch, and Creek pitcher Stella Schubert did enough to keep the Dolphins in it.

In fact, Creek took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when Rast’s throw to first on a bunt skipped up the rightfield line and Haley Maroney sprinted home with the go-ahead run, and the Dolphins were one out away from securing the victory. With two outs in the seventh, Arianna Smith beat out an infield single and came around to score the tying run on Ali Aiken’s double to the gap in left-center.

The Dolphins (5-3) still had a chance to win it in the bottom of the inning, but Rast had other ideas, sitting Creek down in order with two strikeouts. Both teams went quietly in the eighth, but Beaufort broke it open with five runs in the ninth and Rast retired the side quickly to seal it.

Rast retired 15 straight after committing the error that gave the Dolphins the lead, and she finished the night with 18 strikeouts while allowing just one hit and three walks and hitting one batter over nine innings. The North Greenville signee also went 2-for-5 with a tworun double in the ninth.

The Eagles (7-1) kept it rolling with an 18-4 win at Bluffton on Monday, as Saylor Waldorf went 4-for-5 with a triple, a homer, four runs, and three RBIs, and Caylin Adkins was 4-for-5 with a double, two runs, and three RBIs to lead a 16-hit attack from Beaufort. Adalyn Johnson struck out six over four innings for the win and went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and five runs.

Beaufort High’s Malcolm Webb mimics swinging a sledge hammer, to which the dugout responds “BOOM,” after stealing second base safely against Battery Creek High School on

at Beaufort. The Eagles went on to win game 16-1. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

USC Beaufort’s Seth Robinson, left, can’t field the throw while being backed up by Hudson Morgan as North Augusta’s Parker Ingram safely steals second base. Bob Sofaly/ The Island News

Some lawmakers call arts funding a waste; Supporters call it essential

House budget proposal includes $2.6 million for SC Arts Commission to continue investing in schools

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com COLUMBIA

It was because of the state Arts Commission that David Platts, now its director, became a musician.

When Platts was 10 years old, in 1977, his class traveled from Saluda County to Batesburg-Leesville in Lexington County to see a concert series sponsored by the state agency. That experience was what made Platts serious about pursuing music, leading him to learn to play the piano, become a music teacher and, eventually, head up the same commission.

“Those kinds of experience can be life-changing for you,” said Platts, agency director since 2019. “You never forget the first time you do something like that, and it makes an impact on you.”

Because of that, Platts, along with artists and other proponents of the Arts Commission, defend the state agency as an essential supporter of education and economic development.

Their comments follow last week’s efforts by the uber-conservative House Freedom Caucus to cut all additional funding from the agency’s budget.

Freedom Caucus members suggested other cuts too during last week’s debate of the House’s $13 2 billion spending plan.

But it was the Arts Commission — and, specifically, a sculpture of a gummy bear and “erotic” paintings — that Freedom Caucus members repeatedly derided as examples of what is not a core government function and does not deserve public dollars.

“Gummy bear art, I think we can all agree, is a waste of taxpayer money,” said Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Goose Creek.

The artists of the ridiculed artwork were among recipients of state grants of up to $1 800 each.

Freedom Caucus members contend it’s not the government’s job to promote art. Private donors can decide what is or isn’t art.

“I do not believe government is the best place to keep pushing people to do art,” said Rep. Josiah Magnuson, R-Campobello. “I think the best place is the private sector. I think people are creative on their own, and we don’t have to force them to be artistic.”

Commission supporters disagree. The point of the commission is not to sponsor individual pieces of art, they said, but rather to help children become more well-rounded while encouraging artists to continue their work.

“Creatives don’t just happen,” Platts said. “It’s very rare that you have someone who just sort of has this gift that doesn’t have to be fostered.”

Gummy bear sculptures

The scorned gummy bear sculpture is part of a collection by Charleston artist Olivia Bonilla. She was among seven artists awarded between $1,200 and $1 800 each in the commission’s latest round of grants through its Emerging Artists Program.

To be eligible for the grants awarded twice yearly, South Carolina artists must have limited experience and portfolios. The awards also bring mentoring to help them further their careers.

Previous winners in the program, in its fourth year, have included painters, photographers, poets and singers.

Bonilla’s collection of stylized resin sculptures features towering cupcakes, skulls covered with ice cream, a giant cherry — and, yes, rainbow gummy bears.

“My sculptures depict the idea of a sugar-coated existence, a reflection of excess and indulgence within popular culture,” Bonilla’s website reads.

Addressing the criticism, Bonilla told the S.C. Daily Gazette the gummy bears were meant to simply add a little joy to people’s lives. But her $1 800 grant won’t go toward another food-based piece. She plans to use the money to sculpt a figure of a child to symbolize the importance of fostering creativity at a young age, she said.

“Without creativity, without the arts, without that kind of innovative and forward thinking, things fall flat and are less interesting,” Bonilla said.

Another grant winner in the last round was Brad Silk, a Taylors artist who paints nude and partially nude portraits of LGBTQ people.

“I aim to contribute to a broader cultural dialogue that recognizes and values the Queer experience, fostering empathy and appreciation for the diversity of Queer stories,” Silk, who uses they/them pronouns, writes on their website.

Rep. Adam Morgan, a Taylors Republican, called it “lewd, erotic art” that’s not the best use of money taken “out of people’s pocketbooks.”

But Silk, who is using a $1 500 grant to create a series of sculptures, said the portraits are no different than nude paintings artists have done throughout history.

“They’re not lewd, they’re nude,” Silk told S.C. Daily Gazette. “They’re just portraits of people and their bodies.”

Platts added that “we don’t just willy-nilly hand (money) out.” Awards to individual artists are decided by a panel of judges who look at artists’ work and consider their goals with the money, Platts said.

Besides, he added, grants to individuals make up just over 1% of the agency’s $9 million budget. Most of it goes to nonprofits and schools for arts opportunities.

Learning through art

At the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, students learn to read more complex materials not by sitting at desks and sounding out words but by acting out plays.

That curriculum, known as Spark, is part of the Arts Grow SC program, which the Arts Commission started in 2021 using federal COVID aid meant to help with student learning loss.

In all, the Arts Commission got $20 million in COVID aid to assist K-12 learning, awarded by then-state Superintendent Molly Spearman from her agency’s share of federal aid. In her announcement, the former music teacher recognized arts’ “unique ability to engage students of diverse backgrounds across all subject areas.”

The commission used it to buy art materials, train teachers in how to incorporate art into their lessons, and pay for arts-focused afterschool and summer programs, Platts said.

By federal law, that money had to be spent by fall 2024. The House budget proposal adds $2 6 million to the Arts Commission’s current budget to continue the program: $600,000 in recurring money (to continue in future budgets indefinitely) to pay the salaries and operational expenses of six regional coordinators and $2 million in one-time money for office leases and grants.

The federal money set up the program, Platts said: “What we really want to be able to do is sustain that work that we have built.”

It’s not yet decided exactly what the six hubs will look like or where they’ll be in the state, Platts said. Those decisions will depend on what makes it to the final state budget.

He likened the idea to having

health departments and Department of Motor Vehicle offices located across the state, so they’re convenient to more people. The goal is to reach more communities with local programming help and partnerships with nearby colleges.

Education was already a big part of the commission’s preCOVID mission. By law, the commission must spend at least 70% of its state funding on grants that support “learning and enrichment opportunities for children and communities.”

Nonprofits receiving its grants for years include the Charleston nonprofit Engaging Creative Minds, which runs summer and afterschool camps that integrate arts with science, technology and math programs.

In the nine years it’s received aid from the commission, Engaging Creative Minds has grown from one summer camp in Charleston County to a series of programs in school districts across Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester and Clarendon counties. That’s largely because of the commission’s support, said executive director Robin Berlinsky.

Art programs teach children how to work well together, how to find creative solutions and how to better understand each other, which are all important skills employers look for once children leave school, Berlinsky said.

“Why would you pull those funds, which ultimately diminish the power of the education system?” Berlinsky said.

Economic development

Before the Newberry Opera House reopened in 1998, the town of Newberry was dying.

When Anne Pinckney Smith moved to the town with her husband in 2003, she said, little happened downtown, and businesses weren’t moving to a small town past its prime.

But in the 20 years since the Newberry Opera House Guild was created to promote the restored theater, the town has completely transformed, said Pinckney Smith, executive director of the opera house that dates to 1882. She attributes that growth to the economic boom the restored building brought the town, with the help of $40 000 annually in aid from the Arts Commission.

The cozy, 426-seat venue with great acoustics started to draw big-name performers and tourists, which in turn encouraged businesses to move to the small town, revitalizing it as a cultural center, she said.

“That alone proves the power of the arts and how the arts can transform towns,” said Pinckney Smith, noting that the commission is the

theater’s third-biggest donor.

Statewide, the arts generate billions of dollars in revenue for the state, according to a 2023 economic impact study paid for by the commission. It found that the nearly 82,000 South Carolinians in arts-related jobs, including at museums, performing arts companies and in photography, directly contributed $7 5 billion to the state’s economy.

“How many things do we get to invest in that improve educational performance, create jobs and economic prosperity, and also improve the quality of life of our citizens?” Rep. Leon Stavrinakis, D-Charleston, said on the House floor last week in response to Freedom Caucus proposals. “I would say you’d be hard pressed to name a lot of other investments we make that do that level of good across multiple criteria.”

Prior attempts to yank funding

Still, the Arts Commission has long been a target of GOP lawmakers.

Before the Freedom Caucus existed, arguments about the arts agency not being a government function came from former GOP Govs. Mark Sanford and Nikki Haley. Both consistently tried to strike agency funding from the budget, but their vetoes were overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Still, in 2012, Haley was successful in shutting the agency down completely — temporarily, anyway. That year, the Legislature didn’t send the governor a state budget until just before the fiscal year started. So, the budget took effect with Haley’s line-item vetoes, which wiped out all state and federal funding for the Arts Commission, forcing it to close until legislators returned to Columbia two weeks later to overrule her.

The Legislature hasn’t let budget negotiations drag on that close to the July 1 fiscal start since.

While the commission supports programs and artists in the state’s largest cities, its biggest focus is on bringing the arts to rural communities, where few other artistic programs exist. Having grown up in a rural area, Platts knows what it’s like to not have an orchestra or theater or museum nearby, he said.

“We’re the only state agency whose job it is to support the arts across the state,” Platts said. “There’s nobody else doing it. We’re it.”

Skylar

Charleston County students work to produce a film as part of nonprofit Engaging Creative Minds’ science, technology, engineering, arts and math program. The nonprofit expanded with the help of funding from the state Arts Commission. Photo provided by Engaging Creative Minds

Olivia Bonilla’s solo exhibition, which was part of the body of work that recently won her an $1,800 Arts Commission grant. Photo courtesy of S.C. Arts Commission

A gummy bear sculpture made by Charleston artist Olivia Bonilla. Photo courtesy of Olivia Bonilla

Freedman Arts District Chalks It Up, receives $100,000 grant to create museum, center

From staff reports March has been a big month for Beaufort’s Freedman Arts District. The District announced earlier this month that it has received a significant anonymous monetary donation, which will be used to fund the creation of a museum and cultural arts center within the District.

Then, Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, the District’s inaugural Chalk It Up! Festival was a rousing success. The weather was perfect, and the crowds were impressed and inspired.

Brittany Williams, of Buford, Ga., was the first-place winner, claiming the $500 top prize.

The runner-up was Princess Smith, and Mary Ward won the People’s Choice award.

The grant – $100 000 –provides the seed funding necessary to conduct planning and feasibility studies to launch an arts museum and center in Beaufort. This museum will celebrate distinguished, local artists and inform residents and visitors about the rich artistic heritage of the area. “The Board of Directors and I are very grateful for this generous gift. This transformative donation will propel the creation of our center, while fostering the mission of the Freedman Arts District, which includes providing arts and cultural experiences, education, and programming,” Executive Director Angela Dore said in a news release. “It will inspire

art enthusiasts and creatives to be part of the celebration of the people, the culture, the history, and the environment that make Beaufort a truly special place. I am thrilled that this donation will advance the fulfillment of our vision of an arts museum to anchor a culturally rich, artistically diverse, exciting arts district.”

For more information on the Freedman Arts District, visit www.freedmanartsdistrict.org.

the weather!” Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Beaufort County High School

Regional Art Exhibition opens April 1

Coastal Discovery Museum hosting the exhibition through May 7

From staff reports Hilton Head Island’s Coastal Discovery Museum will be hosting an exhibition of juried artwork by Beaufort County high school students. The exhibition will be on display in the museum’s main gallery from April 1 through May 7. An opening reception is scheduled for April 3, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with awards at 6 p.m.

The third annual Beaufort County High School Regional Art Exhibition showcases more than 100 works by local high school students from public and private schools, including Battery Creek High School, Beaufort Academy,

ARTS BRIEFS

Registration Open for Broadway Bound

summer camp

Join CFA and Beaufort Children's Theatre for a summer camp bound for fun!

Registration is open for the 2024 Broadway Bound summer camp being held June 17 through 28

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Children aged 8 to 12 are invited to register.

Campers – led by Camp Directors Anna Booman, Valencia King and Christa Booman – will engage in all aspects of musical theatre, while gaining self-confidence and the ability to express themselves as they learn basic acting skills, vocal instruction, and choreography. The highlight of the camp will be the children’s creation of their own show!

The cost of camp is $275 for the two weeks. A T-shirt is included. Limited scholarships are available. The deadline to register is May 31. The final camp performance will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 27. The camp will wrap up the next day at noon.

Please download, complete and print the participation packet

Beaufort High School, Bluffton High School, Hilton Head Island High School, Hilton Head Preparatory School, Island Academy of Hilton Head, and May River High School.

"This year’s exhibition is exceptionally strong across the board –from painting and drawing to photography, ceramics, mixed media and digital art,” Director of Exhibitions Elizabeth Greenberg said in a news release. “It’s gratifying to see how the visual arts are thriving in Beaufort County schools.”

Karen McKenzie, Director of Teaching and Learning for the Beaufort County School District,

noted the benefits of arts education. “The arts are an integral part of our schools and an important component to the programs we provide our students,” she said. “And research consistently draws strong correlations between the arts and increased student achievement.”

Jurors Lisa D. Watson, a Savannah-based artist, and Angela Dore, Executive Director of the Freedman Arts District in Beaufort, selected the works from 200 entries.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum sponsored a competition to design the show’s postcard invitation. This year’s

winning design was created by Lyla Alford, a student at Hilton Head Preparatory School. The Coastal Discovery Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is an educational and cultural organization whose mission is to provide experiences that inspire people to care for the Lowcountry. Founded in 1985, and located on Hilton Head Island’s historic Honey Horn grounds, the Museum offers exhibitions, programs, lectures, handson workshops and events, covering Lowcountry history, culture, art, and the environment. For more information, visit www.coastaldiscovery.org.

found at https://bit.ly/3PCkjTR and bring it to camp. To register and pay for the camp, visit https:// bit.ly/3VzbMF1

International

Mermaid Day Friday

Celebrate International Mermaid Day at noon, Friday, March 29, on the USCB Center For The Arts Lawn. Join the CFA for a special Water Blessing Ceremony with beloved healer and spiritual teacher Ifetayo White.

Attendees are invited to bring a few flowers (natural only please), bells, or chimes and join the procession to the water’s edge where those gathered will pay homage to

mystical goddess and sea maidens who inhabit the waters.

Share in a time of remembrance, speak the names of and make offerings to the memories and spirits of ancestors you want to acknowledge. Prior to the celebration, visit the Center for the Arts gallery for the last weeks of the “Mermaids, Africa to America” art exhibit which closes that day.

Marianne

Stillwagon brings “Carolina Colors” to SOBA Gallery

Marianne Stillwagon is the featured artist at The Society of Bluff-

ton Artists (SOBA) gallery in Old Town Bluffton. Her exhibit will run from April 1 through April 28 with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 9. These events are free and open to the public. Stillwagon’s upcoming show uses a variety of acrylic paints with the main focus on bold colors that create an emotional response from the viewer.

“Since moving to South Carolina in 2015, I have been inspired to paint the colors of the Lowcountry – in both realistic as well as abstract modes,” she said.

For more information, visit http://mstillwagon.faso.com/. Visit www.sobagallery.com for a complete calendar of events and other information or call 843-757-6586

– Compiled from staff reports

Lindsay Moan puts the final touches on her piece Sunday at the first Chalk It Up! Festival in Beaufort. Photo by Jeff Evans/The Island News

Art by Beaufort High's Korinne Mueller.

Artist Tatiana Zalapskaia, lower right, said she was having the time of her life during the first Chalk It Up art festival Sunday afternoon along King Street. Zalapskaia, who immigrated to the U.S. from Murmansk, Russia five years ago, said, “this is the greatest country in the world and (Beaufort) is the best town. Everybody is so friendly and helpful.”. She looked up at the blue, cloudless sky and exclaimed, “… and

USCB CENTER FOR THE ARTS

FAB Firsts coming to USCB Center for the Arts

By Lila Meeks USCB Chamber Music

For 44 years, USCB Chamber Music has brought amazing talents to the Lowcountry, five Sundays each season. But this season, for the final concert, USCB Chamber Music has added a Thursday civil rights photo exhibit, talk, and reception; a Saturday Youth Concert; a Sunday student art show and the world premiere of a new piece of music; and a Monday morning high school student concert and awards ceremony.

Firstly, Thursday, April 4 at 4 p.m., historians Chris Barr and Val Littlefield will join Alison Shearer – our first saxophonist and first female composer – for a brief discussion of how Beaufort’s history fits with the 1960’s civil rights efforts that were so movingly captured by Alison’s father John Shearer, who at 17 years old, was the second black photographer hired by LIFE magazine and later by LOOK magazine.

Following the talks, the speakers will join audience members to view a collection of John Shearer’s works, “American Moments,” that was recently bought by USCB, as well as the artwork of high school students which are part of a S.C. Arts Commission, USCB Arts faculty, and USCB Chamber Music collaboration. The lecture, the reception, the art, and the photography exhibits are free.

Moving right along, Saturday, April 6 at 3 p.m., we will gather with Miss Shearer and six additional worldclass talents for Beaufort’s first Youth concert. One uninterrupted hour of classical music magic.

With the help of a sax, flute, viola, cello, double-bass, piano, and two violins, we’ll hear from “The Carnival of Animals” and tap our feet to a gigue by Bach. Gather up children, grandchildren, assorted waifs, and resistant teens for what we hope can become an annual part of the Chamber Music season. Children ages 5-18 are admitted free, while adult tickets are $25 We ask that you not bring children younger than 5, and you must reserve the number of seats needed. Seating will be first come first serve on the day of the concert.

Next on Sunday, April 7, at 4 p.m., view artworks of the

Emerging Artists Competition winners: The Sound of Art, and selected photography of John Shearer: American Moments. Last January, Andrew Armstrong gave a memorable performance of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” while regional high school artworks that were inspired by Mussorgsky’s music were displayed on the stage.

In this, our second year of a S.C. Arts Commission grant, students’ artworks were selected and sent to American composer Alison Shearer, who, ala Mussorgsky, used it to help inspire her creative process. Both exhibitions are free.

Later Sunday, April 7, at 5 p.m., join Artistic Director, host, and pianist Andrew Armstrong and composer, saxophonist, and flutist Alison Shearer for our final concert of the season and the world premiere of “Apollosis.” In all, seven international artists will perform works by Dohnanyi, Rachmaninov, Vaughan-Williams and others. (See the accompanying story.) Go to uscbchambermusic.com for complete artist, program and ticket info.

Finally, on Monday, April 8, at 10 a.m., area high school students will attend a repeat of Sunday’s concert and the awarding of

prizes and scholarships for Emerging Artists winners, followed by a viewing of The Sound of Art and American Moments exhibitions.

The University and the community are grateful to Walda Wildman and Katherine Wells for commissioning the musical composition “Apollosis” and the South Carolina Arts Commission for underwriting the production of the student art show and the student concert. These two seasons where we have recognized the inspirational qualities of both the visual and the musical arts and their mutual affinity have proven rewarding to our young artists, our musi-

USCB Chamber Music to hold big season finale

cians, and our community. This success will surely lead to future collaborations and increased opportunities to heighten the ARTS in our community.

The USCB Emerging Artists Competition is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is supported by funding provided to the South Carolina Arts Commission from a partnership with the S.C. Department of Education from American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds.

By Michael Johns USCB Chamber Music

USCB Chamber Music has an unparalled 44-year history of bringing great chamber music performances and internationally acclaimed artists to Lowcountry audiences, but it has never presented a schedule-packed weekend of USCB Chamber Music-sponsored events like the one that will unfold from April 4 to 8

The season-ending concert will be held at 5 p.m., Sunday, April 7 Alto saxophonist, flutist, and composer Alison Shearer makes her Beaufort debut and will be joined by violinists Abigél Králik and Karl Stobbe, violist Joan DerHovsepian, cellist Ani Aznavoorian, and bassist Marguerite Cox. Artistic Director, pianist, and host Andrew Armstrong has gone over the top in providing a concert filled with brand-new and traditional, jazz and classical, relaxed and kinetic music for saxophone, flute, strings and piano.

The concert begins with a trio of late 19th-/early 20th-century works from the United States and Europe representative of late-romantic expressivity, virtuosity, brilliance, and scene painting. Boston composer Arthur Foote's gentle, rhapsodic fantasy, A Night Piece, for flute and strings, is a study on the tender, non-threatening aspects of nighttime. Ernst von Dohnányi, a dominant force in Hungarian music, is represented by Serenade for String Trio, Opus 10, a short, multi-movement suite

of driving counterpoint and tuneful, Magyar-inflected melodies. Cécile Chaminade, a talented and wide-ranging French composer and pianist, specialized in writing evocative, carefree vignettes for the parlor and salon. Capriccio, Opus 18, for violin and piano, is a lighthearted idyll that seems to float on air. The first half closes with the world premiere of Alison Shearer's Apollosis, for alto saxophone, strings, and piano. The University and the community are grateful to Walda Wildman and Katherine Wells for commissioning Apollosis. It is a fool's errand to put in print how a new work from a creative artist will sound. Apollo was the classical Greek and Roman god of music, dance, and poetry for starters, but he also was the god of archery, sun, light, truth, prophecy, healing, and disease. There are many possible avenues to explore.

Two things are certain: there will be jazz influences, and it will be exciting to be in attendance for the birthing of a new artistic creation.

Rachmaninov's haunting Vocalise, Opus 34, No. 14, arranged for alto saxophone and piano, follows intermission. Originally for wordless-voice, its unhurried suspension, aching lyricism, and lack of text have made it an appealing utterance for a vast assortment of instruments. Concluding the concert is a major, youthful work by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Piano Quintet in C minor. Scored for piano and a quartet of violin, viola, cello, and bass, its three bold

movements explore the textual possibilities of this combination. Written and rewritten over three years, it provides a glimpse into the composer's maturation-path towards forming his distinctly English style revolving around folksong and broad, sweeping vistas of sound.

The artists bring enormous talent and wide ranging expertise to Beaufort. Alison Shearer will provide introductory remarks about, and perform in, her world-premiere composition, and be a featured soloist on woodwind cousins: flute and alto saxophone. Shearer has toured extensively around the U.S., Canada, and South Asia, performing at jazz fetivals, arts centers and clubs large and small. She formed her own quintet in 2015, and its debut album, View From Above, received immediate critical acclaim.

Violinist Abigél Králik earned multiple performance degrees from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Itzhak Perlman and is now Artist in Residence at the Queen Eliizabeth Music Chapel. She is well on the way to a major solo, chamber music, and recording career.

Karl Stobbe, one of Canada's most accomplished violinists, has been cited by London's Sunday Times as “an artist with soulful musicianship” and Gramophone Magazine has praised his playing as “full of spirit and energy. … exciting, fearless. ...”

Violist Joan DerHovsepian has

an extensive chamber music, festival, and teaching resume, and is newly appointed to the Principal Viola position of the Houston Symphony. This performance marks a return to the Lowcountry: Ms. DerHovsepian served as principal viola of the Charleston Symphony for two seasons. Cellist Ani Aznavoorian returns with her warm sound, spotless technique, impassioned interpretations and many new honors garnered since her last appearance on the series. Bassist Marguerite Cox also returns to the Lowcountry where she served as acting principal bass of the Charleston Symphony and participated in the Spoleto Festival. As a Rice University undergraduate she received degrees in Double Bass Performance and Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities, then received a double-bass Master's degree (the first!) from the Curtis Institute of Music. Complimenting this accomplished group is Andrew Armstrong, Artistic Director, pianist extraordinare, host, and series

musical-majordomo, who does everything from presenting and acting on ideas to casually yakking it up onstage, then sitting down, flipping the switch, and instantly performing with complete concentration, commitment, and incandescent artistry.

Armstrong has again provided a masterful mashup of musical marvels. Experience in-the-moment creativity with musicians who are crafting major careers and arrive in Beaufort with performance-earned reputations that they will deliver an intriguing, soothing, probing, joyous, and memorable concert. The last two concerts were near or complete sell-outs, a plateau that is the goal and envy of every presenting organization. Don't take a chance at missing this exciting event; reserve your seat today for the Lowcountry's premiere chamber music series.

There are three ways to enjoy the concert: in person and virtually by Live-Stream and On-Demand. All virtual concerts are professionally produced, creating great viewing opportunities. On-Demand is accessible four days after the concert and available to view at your leisure for three weeks.

For concert, artist, event, and ticket information, go to www. uscbchambermusic.com or call 843-208-8246, Monday through Friday. The concert is at 5 p.m., Sunday, April 7 at the USCB Center for the Arts, 801 Carteret Street, Beaufort in the downtown historic district.

A photo from the Civil Rights era featuring Muhammad Ali and Beaufort’s Joe Frazier, captured by John Shearer, who at 17 years old, was the second black photographer hired by LIFE magazine. Photo courtesy of USC Beaufort

“Ecoutez” by Bluffton High School’s Angeles Santos Martinez. The work won first place at the 2023 Emerging Artists Competition. Photo courtesy of USC Beaufort

BCSD, TCL offering expanded dual enrollment opportunities

Tides program launching this fall on TCL’s Beaufort, New River Campuses

From staff reports Beaufort County School District (BCSD) and Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) recently announced the BCSD Tides, a new dual enrollment partnership that will allow qualified BCSD rising 9th-grade students to enroll in a full-time dual enrollment cohort at TCL’s New River Campus or Beaufort Mather Campus.

Launching this fall, each cohort will consist of at least 20 students. Like traditional dual enrollment courses, students will earn both high school and college credit for completing TCL classes taught by TCL instructors. Dual enrollment classes are free to district students. Uniquely, BCSD Tides students will complete the program as a cohort beginning in 9th grade and can graduate high school with two associate degrees and a technical certificate from TCL.

“The BCSD Tides program reflects a deepened partnership between BCSD and TCL in providing district students with more innovative and unique opportunities to excel while in high school as well as advance their academic and professional futures,” BCSD Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said.

Transfer Pathway

Associate of Science: University Transfer Pathway

Minors

Associate of Applied Science/ Computer Technology – Programming

Associate of Applied Science/ Computer Technology – Networking

Associate of Applied Science/ Cybersecurity

Associate of Applied Science/ Business Administration

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Associate of Science/Allied Health Science – Medical Assisting Associate of Science/Allied Health Science – Entrepreneurship/Small Business Certificate

ricular activities and athletics.

Student eligibility is based on the following:

Enrolled in BCSD; Must be a legal U.S. citizen or legal resident; Must have a 3 0 GPA (on a 4 0 unweighted scale); and Additional criteria as determined by TCL Admissions and BCSD

For more information on how to apply, interested parents/guardians and students are encouraged to attend one of two sessions, depending on their home address of record:

“The new partnership is a great way to leverage college resources to benefit more students. TCL’s college classes along with our state-of-the-art technology, business and health sciences programs are perfectly aligned with Beaufort County School District’s commitment to provide its graduates with post-secondary opportunities and our own commitment to meet the region’s workforce needs,” TCL President Richard Gough said. Students will choose one of two associate degree pathways as a major for their 9th- and 10thgrade years and then will declare an associate degree minor with a technical program emphasis for their junior and senior years.

cific technical area, fully preparing them for whatever college or career path they choose after high school.”

“What’s most exciting to me is that by the time these students finish their 10th-grade year, they will have already completed an entire associate degree – or two years of college,” TCL Vice President for Academic Affairs Laura Dukes said. “Then, they have a chance to earn another associate degree with an emphasis in a spe-

“BCSD Tides’ extended dual enrollment model is the cumulative result of both learning institutions’ commitment to elevating student learning experiences through technology and teaching,” BCSD Chief Instructional Services Officer Mary Stratos said.

The program’s rigorous faceto-face instruction meets South Carolina requirements for a high school diploma, Stratos said.

BSCD Tides majors and minors are:

Majors

Associate of Arts: University

Qualifying students attending Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and May River high schools will be eligible for the cohort housed on TCL’s New River Campus and will have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities and athletics at their home high school. Qualifying students attending Whale Branch Early College High School (WBECHS) will be eligible for the cohort affiliated with TCL’s Beaufort Mather Campus. Qualifying students attending Beaufort and Battery Creek High Schools will be eligible for this cohort if they “choice” into WBECHS, where they will have the opportunity to participate in WBECHS extra-cur-

South of the Broad New River Campus 6-7 p.m., Thursday, March 21, Room 126 Attend in person or via Zoom at https://bit.ly/3Vqx7jQ. (RSVP is required.)

North of the Broad • Beaufort Mather Campus 6-7 p.m., Thursday, March 28, Building 12 Auditorium Attend in person or via Zoom at https://bit.ly/3PntHdZ. (RSVP is required.)

Or visit https://www.tcl.edu/ bcsd-tides-program.

For more information, please contact Latoshia E. Middleton, BCSD Director of School Counseling, at 843-379-6918 or latoshia.middleton@beaufort.k12.sc.us; or Taylor Welborn, TCL Director of Recruitment & Admissions at 843-5258336 or dualenrollment@tcl.edu.

‘Universal’ school choice approved in SC House before pilot even begins

By Seanna Adcox SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA

The bill approved 69-32 long party lines (with two Republicans voting “no”) seeks to exponentially expand South Carolina’s K-12 scholarship program before it even starts. Applications for the first round are still under review. Payments to parents aren’t set to start until July.

And the state Supreme Court has yet to settle whether the idea is even constitutional.

But House Republicans were unfazed by questions about the rush from pilot year to “universal” availability.

Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, said opponents feared last year this was where the Legislature was heading, but he’s stunned Republicans are “audacious enough” to pull the switcheroo so quickly.

“What frustrates me is that the arguments laid out in support of the legislation last year are out of the window now. They’re gone,” he said, referring to the passionate pleas to help poor children trapped in failing public schools. “Before the first scholarship is ever awarded, we have this bill that absolutely blows a hole a mile wide in everything that was discussed last year.

“The other thing it blows a hole in is our state budget,” he said.

Under the law signed last

May, 5 000 low-income students will receive $6,000 scholarships that their parents can use in the coming school year for private tuition, tutoring, transportation, textbooks and other classroom expenses. That will cost $30 million. By 2026, the cap rises to 15 000 students from higher-income homes. But income still factors into eligibility, with a ceiling of $125 000 for a family of four, for example. Under the bill, the scholarship amount would increase yearly, while all income eligibility rules would be gone by 2026. Instead of costing taxpayers $90 million in 202627, the program would cost

an expected $106 million, according to the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office. What it would cost after that is unknown.

The bill would also remove the eligibility rule that students entering the program must either be currently attending a public school or entering kindergarten.

Instead, starting in 2027 all K-12 students would be eligible for the taxpayer-funded scholarships. That includes the estimated 57 000 South Carolina students already in private schools and 33,000 children educated at home. Based on similar, existing programs in Arizona and Florida, state fiscal experts predict that 12% of South Carolina’s public school students will also want to sign up, which would be 95,000 students.

Do the math, and the cost could top $1 4 billion annually.

However, actual costs would depend on whatever the Legislature decides to spend. While all students would be eligible, how many slots are ultimately funded would be part of the budget debate. The only thing known is that the annual cost would be somewhere north of $106 million.

“It will go through the budget process just like any other education funding,” said House Education Chairwoman Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort.

As for timing, she said, applications for the inaugural year showed more interest than allowed slots.

Applications for 7,907 students were submitted by last Friday’s deadline. As of

but an attempt to bar for-profit schools from participating also failed. About 310 private schools, public school districts, online education programs and private tutoring services have been approved for the program’s inaugural year. A dozen are based outside of South Carolina, to include Texas, Colorado, Florida and Maryland, according to a list posted online by the state Department of Education, dated March 5. (The law allows students to use the money to enroll in another public school, as long as it’s not in their same school district.)

Monday, one in 10 had been denied for lack of eligibility, according to the state Department of Education.

Responding to accusations that last year’s law was supposed to be a pilot, Erickson said, “If I said ‘pilot,’ then I was mistaken. It was a start. It was a beginning. It was a way to start and see what interest there was.”

Democrats chastised Republicans as being fiscally irresponsible.

“No one knows what the financial impact is going to be.

That’s dangerous,” said Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to gamble with the financial future of the districts in our state to accomplish a political objective.

“This is not about fiscally conservative or not conservative,” he added. “It’s about fiscal responsibility.” In a debate that often seemed topsy-turvy, Democrats warned that the public aid would result in private schools increasing their

costs. Even $6 000 won’t cover the cost of tuition for many private schools. The poor students who proponents used to argue they were trying to help will be especially impacted if private schools can simply hike their costs willy nilly, Democrats said.

“Private school tuition will increase. It happens when the government gives out money,” said Rep. Kambrell Garvin, D-Blythewood, a former teacher. “Private schools will see the opportunity to make more money.”

But Republicans rejected amendments that aimed to prevent schools from pricing students out or required the state to pay the full tuition costs for Medicaid-eligible students.

They also rejected attempts to cap annual increases in student participation or require participating private schools to accept all students.

Democrats warned that an influx of shady, for-profit schools would pop up to make money off the system,

Republicans didn’t have to put up a fight during Democrats’ hours-long opposition. The outcome was already known in a chamber where Republicans have supermajority control.

A perfunctory vote Thursday, March 21, sent the bill to the Senate, where its chances this year are slim at best. GOP leaders in the deliberative body contend an expansion is premature. They want a court ruling and — assuming justices allow last year’s law to proceed — data on how the program’s working before making any adjustments.

Seanna Adcox is a South Carolina native with three decades of reporting experience. She joined States Newsroom in September 2023 after covering the S.C. Legislature and state politics for 18 years. Her previous employers include The Post and Courier and The Associated Press.

Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriguez (left) and Technical College of the Lowcountry President Richard Gough.

Submitted photo

From left, Democratic Reps. Kambrell Garvin of Blythewood, Annie McDaniel of Winnsboro, Russell Ott of St. Matthews and Gilda Cobb-Hunter of Orangeburg talk during the opening week of session Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbia. All were among Democrats who voted against expanding South Carolina’s K-12 voucher program. File/Mary Ann Chastain/Special to the S.C. Daily Gazette

National Vietnam War Veterans Day is March 29

Friday, March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day.

On this day, Americans unite to thank and honor Vietnam Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

Check with your local Veterans Service Organization Chapter or Post (VVA, VFW, NAGUS, USMC League, MOAA, TREA, AAAA, Fleet Reserve, LowCountry Leathernecks, American Legion, MOWW, Navy League, AMVETs, VHPA, VHCMA, Order of Purple Heart, DAV, PAV, American Red Cross, etc.) for Vietnam War Veterans Day events in your area.

According to Federal Law, 38 CFR 3 2, Periods of War, the United States military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. Approximately, 2 7 (to 3 4 million) American men and women served in Vietnam and more than 58 000 servicemen and women lost their lives in Vietnam. More than nine million military men and women served on active duty during the Vietnam War.

Vietnam Vets were mistreated American military members and their families were mistreated by many Americans during and after the Vietnam War, blaming brave Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen/women, and Coast Guard members for the war and falsely claiming they committed atrocities. Fortunately, for the past 20-plus years, Americans have respected military members, veterans, and their families.

Vietnam Vets are the largest group of living veterans

The VA Office of Research & Development webpage, found at https://bit.ly/3vB0J3o, states

Vietnam veterans represent the largest group of American veterans in terms of service era but they are passing away quickly. Up

to two thirds of Vietnam vets may already be gone.

Mental health problems

While the majority of Vietnam veterans successfully readjusted to postwar life, a substantial minority of Vietnam-era veterans have suffered from a variety of psychological problems, and have experienced a wide range of life-adjustment problems. Learn more by reading the last four The Island News articles on VA “Mental Health Services in the archives at www.yourislandnews.com.

Herbicides used in Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military used more than 19 million gallons of various herbicides for defoliation and crop destruction in the Republic of Vietnam. Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning Jan. 9 1962 and ending May 7 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

Agent Orange Registry and your local VA EHC

The VA established an “Agent Orange Registry” to study the health effects associated with exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange. Veterans who served in Vietnam, or in other areas throughout the world where herbicide was sprayed, and who are interested in participating in an Agent Orange Registry health exam should speak to the “Environmental Health Coordinator

(EHC)” at their local VA medical center. Learn more about the registry at https://bit.ly/400xMrG.

Local EHCs

Lowcountry S.C. and Georgia Vietnam veterans should contact the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Healthcare System (RHJVAMC&HCS) Environmental Health Coordinator (EHC) about registry evaluations, health concerns related to military exposures, and to obtain supporting letters to submit with claims for service-connected disability compensation. The RHJVAMC EHCs listed at the VA EHC webpage https://bit.ly/3JAp4cy are Chantale Ford and Jimilla Reid, 843-818-6999 x343233, email VHACHAENVIRREG@va.gov.

The Dorn VA Medical Center and Health System EHC is Garrett Fisher, and he is located at 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, S.C. 29209, phone 803-776-4000 x54146, email Garrett.Fisher@ va.gov.

VET Centers Congress established the VA's “Vet Center Program” in 1979, after recognizing that a significant number of Vietnam-era veterans were still experiencing readjustment problems. Today, the Vet Center program provides a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to Vietnam veterans and veterans of other periods of armed hostilities after the Vietnam era. A national directory of the VA's 300 Vet Centers can be found on the VA’s “FIND VA LOCATIONS” webpage https:// bit.ly/3PJ1r6q. Learn more about “VA Vet Centers” at: • VA Vet Centers (Readjustment Counseling) web page https://www.vetcenter.va.gov.

The Island News article titled, “What is a Vet Center?” dated Jan. 10, 2024, found at https://bit.ly/3ITu3FE.

PACT ACT and Vietnam Veteran Health Benefits

Vietnam Veterans and their families need to read about the “The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act” (PACT) ACT and other “Agent Orange Exposure and VA Disability Compensation” at: The PACT Act and Your VA Benefits” webpage https:// bit.ly/3ARbVrn. This act added the following two new Agent Orange presumptive conditions: 1. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) and Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS).

The VA’s “Agent Orange Exposure and VA Disability Compensation” webpage https://bit.ly/4cwo0Ew. The VA considers a condition presumptive when it’s established by law or regulation. If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you don’t need to prove that it started during — or got worse because of — your military service. The VA’s “Birth Defects Linked to Agent Orange” webpage https://bit.ly/3Yq3kFU. The VA’s “Vietnam War Veterans Health Issues” webpage https://bit.ly/3Jxjwjl. If you are a Vietnam Veteran you may be at risk of diseases related to Agent Orange, Hepatitis C, Hearing Problems caused by noise, and illnesses and injuries caused by occupational (job-related) hazards.

The VA’s “Request Your Military Service Records (including DD214)” webpage https://bit.ly/41ydmaU.

The VA’s “Get Your VA Medical Records Online” webpage https://bit.ly/3kCgBgH.

The VA’s “Find Out How to Apply for VA Health Care” webpage https://bit.ly/3B7x5Dz.

The bottom line

If you are a Vietnam veteran and you have any of the following presumptive diseases cancers caused by Agent Orange including bladder cancer, chronic B-cell leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers (including lung cancer), or some soft tissue sarcomas or other presumptive illnesses including AL amyloidosis, Chloracne (or other types of acneiform disease like it and you must be at least 10% disabling within one year of herbicide exposure), diabetes mellitus type 2, high blood pressure (hypertension), hypothyroidism, ischemic heart disease, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), Parkinsonism, Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, early onset (must be at least 10% disabling within 1 year of herbicide exposure), or porphyria cutanea tarda, or cancer or illness not on the VA’s Presumptive Conditions list, you need to file a claim for military service-connected disability benefits. And you need to use a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) to help you with your claim.

LARRY DANDRIDGE

Recruits with Kilo Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, complete the Crucible

event in which the previous 11 weeks of training are put to the test. Pfc. Ayden Cassano/USMC

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