May 2 edition

Taste of Beaufort coming this weekend

By Mike McCombs

The

Very quietly, A Taste of Beaufort will celebrate its 25th anniversary with an expected 10 000 people this weekend when the event, the City’s annual foodie festival, kicks off the month of May in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4

“The weather is looking good, and the event is ready to go,” City of Beaufort Downtown Manager

Ashley Brandon said.

The event runs from 5-10 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The free festival features musical entertainment, a Kids Corner, a craft market, and food and drinks

from several local outlets, including Sea Eagle Market, Belly Full by Tyger, Mother Smokin’ Good!, and A Taste of Mexico.

Brandon said the local vendors apply, but the regulars generally stay the same.

“It’s always around the same amount,” she said. “Four restaurants and five desserts.”

Friday’s highlight, besides the food, of course, is a concert headlined by Cody Webb. On Saturday,

there will music from Stuck in Time, Parris Island Marine Corps Band, Liz Jane, and Chris Jones.

The Kids Corner will be open on Saturday. And Craft Market hours are from noon to 6 p.m. both days.

For more information, go to the A Taste of Beaufort website at https://atasteofbeaufort.com.

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

Beaufort County Council hopes to hire new Administrator by July

By Delayna Earley The Island News

Beaufort County Council held a series of Special Called County Council meetings on Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30 to “engage in discussion incident to employment, appointment or compensation of a person regulated by a public body,” which means that the council members are conducting interviews for the County Administrator position.

“As Chairman of the Beaufort County Council, I am pleased to confirm that interviews for the vacant Administrator position are underway,” County Council Chairman Joseph Passiment said in a statement to The Island News

on Tuesday, April 30

“We are committed to a through and transparent selection process to ensure the best candidate is chosen to lead our county forward.” The position was previously held by Eric Greenway, but Greenway was terminated in July 2023 Since that time, the job has

been held by Interim County Administrator John Robinson after he was appointed to take over the position when Greenway was terminated.

In February 2024, the county approved the hiring of a Greenville-based firm called Find Great People LLC for $20 000

Frogmore Stew from Sea Eagle Market as seen during the 2023 Taste of Beaufort Event. By Delayna Earley/File/The Island News

Finalists chosen for Beaufort Chief of Police job

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

City Manager Scott Marshall says the search for Beaufort’s next Chief of Police is entering the home stretch.

Marshall said he’s aiming to introduce finalists for the job at a still-to-be-determined date in midMay. He said he’s waiting to hear back on the availability of those finalists, as well as the City Council and the citizen’s panel assigned to provide feedback. The position has remained open since the retirement of Chief Dale McDorman in January, when Deputy Chief Stephenie Price has held the job on an interim basis.

According to Marshall, the City, with the assistance of Find Great People, a search firm the City retained, began with 94 total applicants. After a series of interview rounds, that pool has been whittled down to three, he said.

Marshall said he won’t yet name those finalists or confirm of there are any internal applicants, but he said all three remaining candidates have chief experience.

“I’m looking for the best candidate of the ones who apply, naturally, of course,” Marshall said. “But I’d like it to be someone very personable and someone who can engage with the community.”

According to the job listing posted earlier this year, candidates must “exhibit integrity and

SEE COUNCIL PAGE A2

Rock Rock

Island News

A butterfly released during the 2024 Release and Remember event rests on a sunflower held by Rebecca Garvin on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in downtown Beaufort. The annual event was hosted by Friends of Caroline Hospice. Delayna Earley/The Island News

LOWCOUNTRY LIFE & NEWS

Lady’s Island resident Ali Muller snapped this photo of a heart in the clouds. 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 THOMAS LOVING

Thomas Loving

Beaufort County’s Thomas Loving, 66, joined the United States Marine Corps in Planeville, Ill., in 1975. After Boot Camp at Parris Island and Infantry training at Camp Lejeune, he began a series of assignments, mostly providing security services. He was stationed at Quantico, Va., in Hawaii and at Norfolk, Va., where he was at the Atlantic Fleet Commander’s headquarters and where he also worked with the Naval Sea

Council from page A1

This firm was hired to help search for candidates for the County Administrator position. While Robinson was praised by Passiment in the Feb. 5 County Council meeting for helping to the county navigate the “turmoil” that was left in the wake of Greenway’s termination “with cause,” the council decided to open their search to a wider pool of candidates – but encouraged

May 2

him to apply for the position. Beaufort Councilman York Glover told The Island News that they have had many really “excellent and qualified candidates” that they are working together as a council to eliminate potential candidates down to a select few that they plan on bringing before the public.

“We are in the middle of the process,” Glover said. “It’s a typical process. We start with a lot of candidates and whittle that down to a smaller number. That is where we are now. Then we will whittle that down to an

Cadets. He then served at Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Recruiting Station Grand Rapids, Mich.; MCAS Tustin, Calif.; and MCAS El Toro, Calif.; on Okinawa; and at Camp Pendleton, from which he deployed to Saudi Arabia and was with the first units to invade Iraq during Desert Storm. His final assignment was at MCAS Beaufort, from which he retired as a Staff Sergeant with 21 years

even smaller number before we announce the finalists. We will spend most of the month of May whittling down to a smaller number of finalists.”

In hopes of allowing all council members the opportunity to participate in the interview process, Glover said they have not assigned a specific committee to lead the interview process, but instead are including all members of council.

He said that this has proven somewhat difficult with trying to organize the interviews in a way to accommodate everyone’s

of service. Thereafter, he served as a Police Officer in Bluffton for 10 years and in Hardeeville for another 10 years. Today he is Pastor of New Covenant Baptist Church in Hardeeville.

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

individual schedules.

Glover said that Passiment has set a hopeful deadline of July 1 as the start date for the new County Administrator, which will mark almost one year since Greenway’s termination. “Whether we make that or not, is to be determined,” said Glover.

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.

1903: James Edwin McTeer, known as the High Sheriff of the Lowcountry, is born in Hardeeville. McTeer served 37 years as Beaufort County Sheriff from his initial appointment in 1926 until his retirement in 1963. McTeer was widely known as a root doctor and an expert on witchcraft, according to the Beaufort Gazette

May 3

1825: Laura Matilda Towne is born in Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1862, with help from her friend, a Quaker named Ellen Murray, Towne founds Penn Center on St. Helena Island, the first school in the nation for freed slaves. The school started with nine students in the back of a plantation house.

2019: Team Beaufort weightlifters, including future Olympian C.J. Cummings and future Junior National Champion Dade Stanley, hold an exhibition at CrossFit Beaufort.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Dog Of The Week Meet Pixi! This 1-year-old beauty is sweet, gentle, and super laid back. She's ready to find her next great love. Could that be you? Come see Pixi today at Palmetto Animal League's No Kill Adoption Center in Okatie. She is spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

Cat Of The Week

Cricket is a calm, understated, 6-year-old girl who knows the value of being loved. She will patiently wait for you to find

CORRECTION:

her in Cat Room 4 at PAL. She likes to snuggle under a blanket and will capture your heart with her big, beautiful eyes. If you've been looking for a gentle, nodrama companion, Cricket may just be your girl! She is spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.

For more info on Pixi, Cricket or any of our other Pets, call PAL at 843-645-1725 or email Info@ PalmettoAnimalLeague.org.

– Compiled by Lindsay Perry

On Page A1 of the April 25 edition of The Island News, the joint motion by attorneys for Appellants Pine Island Property Holdings, LLC and Pine Island GC, LLC and Intervenors Roy Brown, Iyetade ‘Oyeilumi, Emory Wayne Rushton, Willie Addae Turral, Lawrence S. Rowland, Patricia Kay Harvey-Palmer, Theresa White, and Richard G. Pollitzer, Jr. to have County Council members (“actual decisionmakers”) available and present for pre-litigation mediation was misstated. The attorneys are Ellis Lesemann and Anne Cunniffe, the attorneys for the Appellants, and Margie Bright Matthews, the attorney for the eight intervenors.

Two people injured in fire at homeless encampment

By Delayna Earley

Island News

The

Burton Fire District, Beaufort/ Port Royal Fire Department, Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fire in a homeless encampment off Parris Island Gateway on Tuesday, April 30, in Beaufort.

Just past 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, emergency crews responded to a report of a brush fire in the area of Glaze Drive, but after further information from the 911 caller stated that the fire was in a wooded area off of Parris Island Gateway by Cross Creek Shopping Plaza.

Tuesday,

The firefighters who arrived on scene found what appeared to be a “homeless encampment” and an injured male and female. The fire was quickly extinguished, and both burn victims were transported from the scene by Beaufort County EMS.

The 37-year-old male and 43-year-old female suffered potentially serious burns in the fire, ac-

cording to a release from the Burton Fire District.

According to Maj. Angela Viens, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the female was transferred to Medical University of South Carolina [MUSC] via air from Beaufort Memorial Hospital and the male was transferred to MUSC via ground.

The woman burned herself walking through the opening of the tent as it was on fire, according to Viens.

Viens said that the same tent had a fire in the past few months and an investigation showed that the previous fire was caused by a heating device that was in the tent.

Burton Fire District has been monitoring abandoned structures and such encampments since the end of 2023 after recognizing an uptick in fires in these areas.

“We have a community risk reduction program, so we monitor the data to make sure that there is no danger to people and to try and educate on proper ways to prevent such fires,” Burton Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Daniel Byrne said.

He was able to confirm that the Burton Fire District has responded to four fires since the end of last year that were caused in such an instance.

The fire is currently under investigation, although it has been determined that there were no accelerates present at the scene.

Suicide at Sands Beach thwarted by Port Royal Police officer, bystanders

By Delayna Earley

Royal

saved a 23-year-old woman who was apparently attempting to commit suicide at Sands Beach.

Officer Karina Fraire-Galindo was patrolling Sands Beach on April 23 at around 6:30 p.m., when she noticed a woman on the floating dock who appeared to be in distress.

She parked her patrol vehicle to check on her as she received a dispatch call about a female at the Sands who was threatening suicide.

Officer Fraire-Galindo approached the woman who was crying and upset while standing on the far edge of the dock. The officer then tried to talk the woman back away from the edge of the dock, but the woman began to re-

sist the officer’s attempt to help her and jumped into the water.

Removing her body armor and weapon, Officer Fraire-Galindo jumped into the water and was able to grab the woman and swim with her back to the shoreline where two bystanders were able to help them get out of the water.

The woman was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital by Beaufort

County EMS where she received treatment.

Officer Fraire-Galindo is a retired Marine who joined the Port Royal Police Department in September 2023

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.

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 photograph of the path that leads to the homeless encampment where a fire took place on

April 30, 2024, in Beaufort. Submitted by Burton Fire District

The Island News

An officer with the Port

Police Department

Port Royal Police officer Karina Fraire-Galindo. Photo courtesy of Town of Port Royal

Deford, Moore talk about climate, energy

Democratic Congressional candidates meet in ‘Climate and Our Environment’ forum

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

Democratic

candidates

for the 1st Congressional District Mac

Deford and Michael B. Moore took part in a forum focusing on Climate and Our Environment on Tuesday, April 23 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort on Lady’s Island.

The event was hosted by and sponsored by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

A panel, made up of members from the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort, Charleston Climate Coalition and the Sierra Club, asked questions in a roundrobin format.

Both candidates said they understood that being elected to Congress would provide an opportunity to make a difference in the area of climate change, cleaner energy and the environment.

“You have the opportunity to touch people,” Moore said.

Deford said, “We can not afford to continue to elect officials that are not going to take (these issues) seriously.”

Both agreed that moving the needle wouldn’t be easy or quick.

“To bring about sustainable change, we need bipartisanshhip,”

Deford said. “We also have to have support at the local level and the state level. People have to buy in. It comes down to educating people.”

Moore said issues related to climate change have to be a priority.

“This is an existential crisis,” he said. By 2100 8 million people will need to be relocated from the coastlines of the Carolinas (because of sea level rise)” he said. “We need these issues to be a cultural phenomenon. People of both parties have to recognize this is something we have to do.”

How to get there is the question, however. Both candidates had things they felt needed to be done

sooner rather than later.

Deford said we need to provide incentives for the private sector to make the change to green energy and to invest in research and development. He also advocated the necessity of updating our power grid to be more efficient and effective, even before we try and integrate more green energy sources.

Moore said there needed to be more stick with the carrot when it comes to utilities. On top of incentives, he advocated more regulation to force utilities to make progress.

In fact, both candidates strongly advocated better enforcement and regulation for utilities, manufacturers and all new industries.

In the area of environmental justice issues, Moore believes more “energy needs to go to the fact that poor, black and brown communities are disproportionately affected by these issues.”

Deford told of a county official in the Lowcountry who told him he

opposed increasing sewer capacity because it invited development, leaving poorer communities relying solely on septic tanks.

“It specifically impacts minority communities,” he said.

Deford also addressed how manufacturers dispose of their waste. Rather than continuing to tax the environment, he believes “manufacturers should be investing in and developing closed systems” to handle their waste.

Sea level rise was among the top risks both candidates said we face in the long-term future.

Moore pointed out that not only is the sea level rising, but in the Lowcountry, in many places, the ground level is also falling. As a result, he cited zoning as a critical factor in addressing these issues.

“We have to stop building in places that are compromised,” he said.

Deford said having the infrastructure to deal with sea level rise was critical, especially with the

Examining the legacy of the USS Port Royal

changing climate trends.

“We now have Category 6 hurricanes,” he said. “It’s about making sure we have the infrastructure that can withstand these events and the support afterward.”

Both candidates believe advancing technology means nuclear energy could be part of the out energy solutions going forward.

“Improved safety, better solutions for toxic waste and small reactors are the way to go,” Moore said, “but it requires fed investment.”

“It requires us to take a look at which nuclear source we’re using,” Deford said. “Thorium-based power is much safer, with less risk of a meltdown, than uranium.”

In the end, until more progress can be made toward cleaner energy sources and reducing carbon emissions, both candidates embraced the “all of the above” energy strategy.

“Going from fossil fuels to renewable energy is not as simple as flipping a light switch,” Moore said.

“It’s going to take time,” Deford said. “But we have to act with some sense of urgency, speed and realistic expectations.”

The Democratic Primary will be held June 11

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

On Tuesday

Medical

From staff reports Tuesday afternoon, April 30, the Burton Fire District and Beaufort County EMS responded to a fire resulting in burn injuries to an occupant.

Just before 4:30 p.m., emergency crews responded to a reported house fire on Broad River Drive in Burton. Initial calls stat-

Police from page A1

ed that smoke and flames were coming from the home. When firefighters arrived, the fire was extinguished but the single-family home was full of smoke.

An adult female resident suffered what appeared to be minor burns in the incident; however, she was treated on scene and did not wish to be transported. Firefighters ensured that the fire was fully out, helped clear the home of smoke, and replaced the resident’s smoke alarms. The cause of the fire was home medical oxygen too close to smoking material. The home sustained minor damages and the resident was allowed to return.

ethical leadership, knowledge of effective policing strategies, such as Community Policing and 21st Century Policing, and expertise in developing appropriate policies and procedures that will positively affect the Department as it works to meet the City’s strategic goals for public safety. Experience addressing complex issues requiring collaboration and partnerships to resolve, like homelessness, could be par-

ticularly of interest.”

Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or a related field; a Master’s of Public Administration or related degree is preferred. They should have at least 10 years of progressively responsible experience, with at least five years in a significant supervisory position.

The chief will oversee a department of approximately 60 people, and report to the city manager. The salary range is from $100 000 to $120 000 a year.

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

afternoon, April 30, the Burton Fire District and Beaufort County EMS responded to a reported house fire on Broad River Drive in Burton.

Michael B. Moore and Mac DeFord, Democratic candidates for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat, make their way to the stage at the forum on the environment sponsored by the Citizens' Climate Lobby and hosted by the Charleston Climate Coalition on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Michael B. Moore and Mac DeFord, Democratic candidates for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat, listen to questions from the audience before responding during the forum on the environment sponsored by the Citizens' Climate Lobby and hosted by the Charleston Climate Coalition on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

During the Historic Port Royal Foundation & Museum’s unveiling of its new temporary exhibit “USS Port Royal” held on Friday, April 25, 2024, Pamela Courtney, Executive Director of Historic Port Royal Foundation, shares insights with Port Royal Mayor Kevin Phillips about the historic connection between Port Royal and its namesake ship. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Disaster avoided in pickup truck fire at gas station

Whitney McDaniel, CFP®, AAMS®

Financial Advisor Vice President - Investments 211 Scott St Beaufort, SC 29902

Investment

SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank ailiate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2020 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. CAR-0523-02164

By Delayna Earley

Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

LEGAL NOTICES NEWS

Port Royal library to be named for Sam Murray

From staff reports In Kevin Phillips’ mind, there was no other choice.

“It’s perfect,” the Town of Port Royal Mayor said of Beaufort County Council’s official resolution to name the Beaufort County Library System’s new sixth library location in the Town of Port Royal in honor of former Town of Port Royal Mayor Samuel E. Murray.

Located at 1408 Paris Avenue, the planned library will be the first for the Town of Port Royal.

Mayor Murray served as a member of Town Council for 18 years and as Mayor for six consecutive terms. While in office, Mayor Mur-

Sam Murray

ray oversaw beautification projects, new infrastructure and expanded the small business community. Mayor Murray was also instrumental in kicking off the redevelopment of the port property.

"It's wonderful that County Council could recognize Mayor Samuel E. Murray for his many years of service to the Town of Port Royal," said Council Member Alice Howard. "His dedication to public education in Beaufort County and his commitment to public service to the Town

of Port Royal helped make the town what it is today. Honoring his memory with this library branch will be a daily reminder of his legacy."

“The Beaufort County Library is proud to have the opportunity to open a new branch library in Port Royal which will be named in honor of Mayor Samuel E. Murray," said Lynne Miller, Chair of the Library Board of Trustees. "During Mayor Murray's six terms he also saw to the redevelopment of Port Royal making it one of the jewels of the Lowcountry.”

“I think its perfectly appropriate.

Mayor Murray was a very dedicated educator most of his career

with Beaufort County Schools and gave three decades of service to Port Royal,” former Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said. “I commend the County Council on quite an appropriate choice.”

Phillips said that it was Port Royal Town Councilman Darryl Owens who first suggested naming the library for Murray. The Town Council passed a resolution in support of the suggestion.

Beaufort County Council officially passed its resolution Monday, April 22

The goal will be to open the Port Royal Branch Library location this summer.

‘Elevating’ Beaufort’s standards

and traffic signal and the purchase and installation of a new strain poles and traffic signal located at 135 Ribaut Road, in front of the City of Beaufort Fire Station #1. The Contractor will be responsible for coordination with the city and utility companies for all utilities planning and construction.

The RFP and additional documents may be accessed on the City’s website, https:// www.cityofbeaufort.org/165/Procurement, Bid Opportunities - or by contacting the Procurement Administrator.

Sealed Proposals must be submitted to: City of Beaufort Finance Department 1911 Boundary St. Finance Department Beaufort, SC 29902

Pre-bid Meeting: May 16, 2024. Submittal Deadline for Bids: 2:00 P.M. ET, JUNE 6, 2024.

“EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY”

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that Hilton Head Hospitality, LLC, intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/or permit that will allow the sale and on premises consumption of beer, wine, and liquor at 36 South Forest Beach Dr., Hilton Head Island, SC 29928. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than May 4, 2024. Submit protests online at MyDORWAY.dor.sc.gov, or email ABL@dor.sc.gov.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that KFIT, LLC, intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/ or permit that will allow the sale and ON premises consumption of beer, wine and liquor at 93 Arrow Road Hilton Head, SC 29928. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than May 4, 2024. Submit protests online at MyDORWAY.dor.sc.gov, or email ABL@ dor.sc.gov.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION

Notice is hereby given that KirinHHI, LLC, dba Fujiyama intends to apply to the South Carolina Department of Revenue for a license and/or permit that will allow the sale and on premises consumption of beer and wine, at 2 North Forest Beach Dr., #108, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928. To object to the issuance of this license and/or permit, you must submit Form ABL-20, postmarked no later than May 16, 2024. Submit protests online at MyDORWAY.dor.sc.gov, or email ABL@ dor.sc.gov.

First sea turtle nest of 2024 reported in Garden City

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

South Carolina’s sea turtle nesting season has begun a couple days earlier than normal with a loggerhead nest reported in Garden City.

Trained volunteers (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources permit number MTP524) with the Garden City Surfside Sea Turtle Guardians located the nest Monday morning, April 29, while walking the beach. They are among the team of over 1 500 volunteers and biologists that will regularly patrol South Carolina’s beaches through October to count, monitor and protect sea turtle nests.

May 1 traditionally marks the beginning of sea turtle season in South Carolina, but recent sea turtle activity indicated nesting might begin early this year.

Last week, volunteers with North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol noted the first ‘false crawl’ of the season, made by a loggerhead female who came ashore but returned to sea without nesting. Other early nest years include Folly Beach on April 29 in 2002 and Kiawah Island on April 26 in 2019

"With warmer winter conditions and observations of mating loggerheads, there was some expectation that nesting would begin soon-

and are protected under the Endangered Species Act in addition to state law. Loggerhead nests comprise the majority of the state’s total number each year.

Sea turtle clutches average 120 eggs and hatch after approximately 60 days. Nesting females may remain in South Carolina waters and continue to nest every two weeks, laying up to six nests per season. Throughout this stressful time, the turtles also abstain from eating.

can respond as soon as possible.

er than May, especially after the initial false crawl reported," said biologist Michelle Pate, who oversees SCDNR's sea turtle nesting program. "We ask that beachfront residents and visitors recreating on our coast turn off lights at night as sea turtles begin this annual ritual of nesting."

Nesting requires a great deal of energy, so female sea turtles do not lay eggs every year. This cyclical pattern of nesting results in fluctuating nest numbers from year to year. It’s not unusual for record-break-

ing years (like 2019; 8 795 nests) to follow low nesting years (like 2018; 2,766).

Overall, sea turtle nest numbers across the Southeast have trended up over the past decade, making biologists across the region optimistic that these threatened reptiles are beginning to recover after several decades of conservation efforts.

Four sea turtle species nest on South Carolina beaches: loggerheads, greens, Kemp’s ridleys, and leatherbacks. All four species are classified as endangered or threatened

South Carolina beachgoers can help the state’s sea turtles by keeping beaches clean, turning beachfront lights out to avoid disorienting turtles, and giving all sea turtles and nests a wide and respectful berth when encountered on the beach.

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Reminders Report all sick/injured/dead sea turtles and nest disturbances to the SCDNR at 1-800-922-5431 so that staff/volunteers

Respect boating laws and boat cautiously, especially in small tidal creeks where sea turtles like to feed. Boat strikes have emerged as the leading cause of death for sea turtles in South Carolina. Keep artificial lights off the beach at night during nesting season – this includes beachfront property lights and flash photography, which can disorient nesting mothers and hatchlings. Always respect sea turtles by observing them from a distance on the beach. Individuals that violate federal law by harming or interfering with sea turtles or their nests can be subject to civil penalties of up to $25,000 and up to a year’s imprisonment. Keep our beaches and ocean clean by avoiding single-use plastics. Plastic bags and balloons are among the most common trash items found on South Carolina beaches and can cause injury or death when sea turtles mistake them for food. Promote and support our program for continued conservation of sea turtles in South Carolina.

The Garden City, S.C., sea turtle volunteers who discovered the first nest of the season pose for a photo (from L-R: Vanessa Smith, Tommy Ginevan, Terry Grahm [and Mazie], Tara Burfening, Vickki Hardwick, Bridget Hardee, Mike Dalton). Photo courtesy of SCDNR

Trees are being cleared on Robert Smalls Parkway next to Copeland Funeral Home to make way for 280 new apartments, the Preserve at Hanover Park, which is described in online marketing material by Columbia-based developer Portage Real Estate, LLC, as "designed to elevate living standards in Beaufort." This site is not to be confused with the clearing not yet started on Burton Hill Road for the 328-apartment Pointe Grand project. Lolita Huckaby/The Island News

Beaufort Memorial Hospital celebrates 80th anniversary

From staff reports

On May 1, 1944, Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) opened its doors as a one-story brick building with just 25 beds and four physicians. Now, as the hospital celebrates its 80th anniversary, it spans 15 facilities from the city of Beaufort to Hilton Head Island, employs more than 1,800 providers and team members, and has more than 600 000 patient encounters per year.

“The evolution of Beaufort Memorial from a small, local hospital into a healthcare system that provides advanced levels of care to three counties is remarkable,” BMH President and CEO Russell Baxley said. “I couldn’t be more proud of this hospital’s 80-year history, or more excited for the progress we have in store.”

Beaufort Memorial’s story began in 1933 when Kate Gleason bequeathed a plot of land along the Beaufort River to the people of Beaufort County to build a hospital. In the eight decades since, the hospital has embarked on a series of expansions to serve the healthcare needs of the area’s surging population.

In the early 1960s, it built a surgical unit and a second story atop the original building to accommodate more patient beds. Then, in the 1980s and 1990s, the hospital added imaging services, a birthing center, a modern emergency room and the

five-story patient tower that is visible from downtown Beaufort.

By the time the tower was completed in 1992, Beaufort Memorial had become the largest hospital between Savannah and Charleston. But the population of Beaufort County, which had quadrupled since 1933, was set to swell further.

“Our mission was and is to enhance the quality of life for the residents in the Lowcountry,” said Baxley, who came to the hospital in 2016. “And fulfilling that mission in a place that attracts so many new residents has required that we are persistent in creating new and innovative ways to provide high-quality care.”

By the late 1990s, the hospital’s leadership looked to establish a footprint beyond the hospital’s main campus. The first was HealthLink on Lady’s Island, followed by

Lowcountry Medical Group in Port Royal, then Bluffton Medical Services in Westbury Park, which opened in June 2006

But the last five years, under Baxley’s leadership, have seen the most dramatic developments.

Since 2019, the hospital launched the region’s first telemedicine service, BMH Care Anywhere; built a 70,000-square-foot medical office building in Okatie; opened the May River Medical Pavilion in Bluffton; acquired an outpatient imaging center on Hilton Head Island; and renovated the cardiac catheterization lab. Plans are also in the works to build a new, micro hospital in Bluffton.

Last fall, the hospital began a multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion of its Surgical Pavilion in Beaufort. The project includes the addition of two

state-of-the-art surgical suites, as well as expansion of existing suites to make space for the latest da Vinci XI Surgical System, a second cutting-edge Mako SmartRobotics™ Surgery System, and the hospital’s first DePuy VELYS™ Robotic-Assisted System for joint replacement. The Mako and DePuy VELYS technology allows orthopedic surgeons to create surgical plans unique to patient anatomy, and use a robotic arm to implant the components with unmatched precision.

Funding for this costly but essential improvement in the hospital’s surgical ca-

Tips for Daily Prayer

pabilities was significantly augmented by $4 3 million in donations raised by the Beaufort Memorial Foundation, which is also celebrating and anniversary -- its 40th -- this year. The Foundation has raised a total of $50 million for essential projects like this since its inception in 1984

“Beaufort County Memorial Hospital was established to ensure Beaufort County residents have access to medical care,” said Associate Vice President and Chief Development Officer Kimberly Yawn. “And the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation was created to expand and improve

“What’s for Dinner?” How to handle

distractions in prayer

services for generations to come.”

One of the largest on-campus projects in recent years, the surgical pavilion expansion is also the one most closely tied to the original, 1940s structure. As demolition began, construction workers uncovered an original exterior wall of the hospital with a fully intact window.

“It was extraordinary to see and touch a part of something that has benefited generations of people and that remains intact today,” Baxley said. “It underscored the permanent importance of the mission and vision of Beaufort Memorial.”

Distractions are completely normal.

It happens to all of us as we pray: we are spending time in prayer, enjoying a nice moment with the Lord, when all of a sudden we think, “I wonder what’s for dinner tonight?” These kind of distractions during prayer are normal, even for people who have a deep prayer life. It’s part of being human. So how do we deal with these distractions when they happen?

Ask yourself, “Is this a visit from God?”

As we discussed in previous messages, God will often gently tug at your heart and mind while you pray. For example, he could bring to mind an event from the past so that you can talk to him about it. Or he could bring a coworker to mind so that you can pray for her or be inspired to reach out to her. Rather than being distractions, these sorts of moments could be a “visit” from Jesus, who is knocking on the door of your heart and waiting for you to invite him in.

If it’s a visit from God, enjoy it.

Sometimes what seems like a distraction at first is actually a visit from the Lord. If you think that this might be the case, then don’t rush on to the next part of your prayer. Instead, take some time to further explore how Jesus might be touching your heart. Enjoy being with him. When it seems that the visit has run its course, you can thank Jesus and continue your prayer time.

If it’s a distraction, gently turn back.

Many times we will experience a thought that is clearly an unhelpful distraction, like wondering about dinner. When this happens, don’t get alarmed or beat yourself up. Just try to gently turn your mind back to whatever you were praying about. It is similar to a mother in conversation with another adult. When her children rush up, trying to interrupt, she doesn’t make a big scene. She just gently tells them to run along and play, continuing her conversation with minimal disruption.

Keep being faithful in prayer!

When one first begins to build a daily prayer life, it is easy to get discouraged by distractions. You might assume that you’re not cut out for praying, but this isn’t the case! What pleases God is not that your prayer is perfect, but that you are seeking to draw closer to him. As you keep being faithful to your daily prayer time, distractions will gradually lessen and become easier to handle. Keep at it, God is worth it!

Beaufort Memorial Hospital as it looked in 1944. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Memorial Hospital

Beaufort Memorial Hospital’s five-story tower was completed in 1992. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Memorial Hospital

NEWS

Blessing of the Fleet

a

NEWS BRIEFS

Construction to begin this week on Allison Road project

Construction will begin next week on the Allison Road stormwater and streetscape project. Utilities have marked their work areas with flags, and silt fences have been installed to help protect the environment. Dominion Energy will begin putting utilities underground with conduit installations.

The Allison Road project is a pedestrian connector streetscape that will include an 8-foot sidewalk on the south side of the road to connect Ribaut Road and the Spanish Moss Trail. The project will include: Installing pipe in a ditch on the south side of the street;

Adding a sidewalk to the south side of the road;

Adding new curbs, gutters and catch basins;

Putting utilities underground except for large transmission lines on the north side of the road;

Resurfacing the road; Adding new streetlights and landscaping; Estimated cost: $3 02 million, funded through a Tap Grant, ARPA funds, a stormwater bond, and partnerships.

Most of the work will take place during weekday hours. Residents and others should be prepared for traffic interruptions. We hope to minimize any inconveniences caused by this project, and the City will post updates on social media as this project takes place. The construction is expected to be completed in the fall.

Paul endorses Mace in 1st District race for Congress

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has endorsed U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in her bid for reelection as the representative for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. "Nancy Mace is the principled warrior we need to continue in Congress defending our freedoms against overreach, opposing endless wars and unchecked spending,” Paul said. “Nancy is a true champion for our constitutional values and civil liberties. I proudly endorse her re-election and urge everyone to support her vital work in Washington, D.C."

Moms Demand Action honors Deford

Gun reform advocacy group Moms Demand Action has awarded Mac Deford the 2024 Gun Sense Candidate distinction.

South Carolina has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country, and guns remain the leading cause of death among children nationwide.

“Amid a crisis where our state leads in one of the highest rates of gun-related deaths, our state legislature has irresponsibly passed permitless carry,” Deford said in a news release. “This law is indefensible, eliminating training requirements and es-

sentially basing the public carrying of firearms on an honor system. It’s absurd — our regulations are stricter for liquor than for guns. You can purchase a gun on a Sunday, but you’re prohibited from buying liquor.”

Deford is the only candidate, Democrat or Republican, in the race for the 1st Congressional District to be awarded the distinction as a Gun-Sense Candidate.

Mace to speak at

The Citadel graduation

Twenty-five years after she made history as The Citadel Corps of Cadets first female graduate, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (RSC1) is set to make another milestone by becoming the inaugural female commencement speaker for the 2024 Corps of Cadets commencement ceremony.

Scheduled for Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 9 a.m., the ceremony will take place in McAlister Field House and will be livestreamed.

Following this event, The Citadel Graduate College commencement ceremony will commence at 3:30 p.m., also livestreamed from the same venue.

SCDOT to host public meeting for SC+EV Initiative

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) will host one of 20 public open house meetings across the state on Monday, May 6 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and the Beaufort Branch Library to provide an update on the state’s efforts to support the electric vehicle (EV) industry and ecosystem as it kicks off the SC+EV Initiative.

The SC+EV Initiative will position South Carolina for the future of electrified mobility through the creation of a reliable and accessible statewide network of EV charging infrastructure.

Attendees are encouraged to drop in anytime to the open house meetings; no formal presentations will be given.

A virtual public meeting will be held in tandem with the public open houses. Members of the public can view the virtual meeting at www.southcarolina-ev.com.

Public comments may be submitted either in person at the meeting, through the project email, connect@southcarolina-ev. com, or by mail to SC+EV C/O SCDOT, 1201 Main Street Suite 800, Columbia, SC 29201

Free Naloxone and training

The Beaufort County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Department will be offering free five-minute Naloxone trainings Tuesday, May 7, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., at both County Alcohol and Drug Abuse locations: Bluffton -- 4818 Bluffton Parkway. Beaufort -- 1905 Duke Street.

The training helps people understand how to identify the signs of opioid poisoning and how to help someone who may be exposed to opioid toxification or illicit contamination.

No appointment is required, and every-

one who takes the five-minute training will receive free supplies of Naloxone. For more information visit www.beaufortcountysc. gov/alcohol-and-drug.

Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club to meet

The Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club’s May meeting will be held Thursday, May 9 2024 at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club located on Lady’s Island off of Meridian Road. The social begins at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 7 p.m.

Well known local Captain Brian McCaffree of Holden On Charters will give a presentation on King and Spanish Mackerels. He will discuss near shore and artificial reef fishing for King and Spanish Mackerels. This will include live baiting, baits of choice, setups, rods and reels. Captain McCaffree will also explain the use of fishing planners. Guests are welcome. Reservations are not needed. For additional information, please contact Captain Frank Gibson at 843-5217340 or email fgibson@islc.net.

USCB’s Skees to speak to Indivisible Beaufort

Murray Skees, Professor of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary courses at USC Beaufort, will be the featured speaker when Indivisible Beaufort meets next at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 11 at the Beaufort Library at 311 Scott Street.

Skees will speak on “Technology’s Influence On Our Attitudes And Behavior: Do We All Live In Our Own Echo Chamber?

Skees has researched and written extensively about how social media, technology, and media consumption trends influence our attitudes and behavior and will share his findings and insights.

The event is free and open to the public.

County invites feedback on stormwater manuals

The Southern Lowcountry Technical Sub Committee is seeking feedback on the jurisdictional Southern Lowcountry Stormwater Manuals. All stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments, suggestions and improvements.

Implementing jurisdictions are working on draft changes, and would like input on any additional proposed edits from residents, developers, engineers and other individuals with technical expertise.

Comments on all manuals will be received through Friday, May 31. Comments may be submitted to wstormwater@bcgov. net.

For more information on current manuals, plans and studies, visit https://bit. ly/3PNgb3r.

For questions and more information, contact Beaufort County Stormwater Department at 843-255-2813

City

of Beaufort taking a survey

Take a quick survey to share your insights

about downtown Beaufort Beaufort is looking for ideas on how to make the city better. The City of Beaufort’s Downtown Operations Department has been working with a committee to explore ways to increase the vitality of downtown. The team has created a survey asking residents and visitors a number of questions to get a better sense of how often they visit downtown, what activities they engage in when you are downtown, how convenient are shopping hours, and more.

Those who visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7R8NB5 to fill out the survey will be automatically entered to win a prize.

Committee seeks feedback on stormwater manuals

The Southern Lowcountry Technical Sub Committee is seeking feedback on the jurisdictional Southern Lowcountry Stormwater Manuals. All stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments, suggestions and improvements.

Implementing jurisdictions are working on draft changes, and would like input on any additional proposed edits from residents, developers, engineers and other individuals with technical expertise.

Comments on all manuals will be received through Friday, May 31. Comments may be submitted to wstormwater@bcgov. net.

For more information on current manuals, plans and studies, go to https://bit. ly/3PNgb3r.

For questions and more information, contact Beaufort County Stormwater Department at 843-255-2813

PSC to hold hearings about Dominion’s rate hike request

The Public Service Commission has scheduled customer public hearings in Docket No. 2024-34-E, involving Dominion Energy’s application for authority to adjust and increase its retail electric rate schedules, tariffs, and terms and conditions. This filing includes a request for an increase to retail electric rates, and the Company’s application can be reviewed at https://bit.ly/3xoFKSg.

The public hearing scheduled for Beaufort County will be held Monday, June 10 at 6 p.m., in the Bluffton Town Council Chambers at 20 Bridge Street. Customers who want to speak must pre-register.

In its application, Dominion proposes an increase of $18 86 or 14 21% for residential customers, an increase of $2 002 25 or 12 32% for commercial customers, and an increase of $57 486 40 or 12 68% for industrial customers. More details can be found in the Notice of Filing and Public Hearings at https://bit. ly/3VHAa7i. For more information, please reach out to the Public Service Commission at contact@psc.sc.gov or at 803-896-5100

– Compiled from staff reports

At the Gay Fish Company’s Inaugural Blessing of the Fleet on Saturday, April 27, 2024, Cindy Gay Carr joins her father, Charles Gay, as he says a prayer following the flag-raising ceremony. A daily tradition, the Gays say, is to raise the flag and say a prayer each morning. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

On the platform at the Gay Fish Company’s Inaugural Blessing of the Fleet on Saturday, April 27, 2024, is a wreath crafted by Norma Cooler. It is made from items she found in various local spots, including

neighboring horse barn, her grandparents’ grocery store, Dempsey’s Farm, the beach, and her own yard. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

The Gay cousins pause for a photo during the Gay Fish Company’s Inaugural Blessing of the Fleet on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

EDUCATION

USCB celebrates Commencement

From staff reports

USC Beaufort celebrated Commencement exercises on Friday, April 26, awarding bachelor's and master's degrees.

The ceremony took place outdoors on the library plaza on the Bluffton campus with USCB Chancellor Al M. Panu presiding. University of South Carolina system president Michael Amiridis addressed the graduates, their families, faculty, staff and honored guests.

USC conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service to entrepreneur, environmentalist and philanthropist Richard (Dick) Stewart of Beaufort, and Rev. Alex Glenn, USCB Class of 2020, delivered the invoca-

BCSD honors more than 100 Senior Scholars

From staff reports

The Beaufort County School District honored 110 high school seniors — including 40 from North of the Broard — for outstanding academic achievement at its annual Senior Scholars celebration on Wednesday night, April 24 Senior Scholars are students who have been enrolled in a Beaufort County School District high school for a minimum of three consecutive semesters by the second semester of the senior year, and who have maintained a cumulative 3 5 grade-point average or higher, are ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes, and earned the equivalent of an 85 percent grade or higher in college prep courses, an 80 percent grade or higher in honors courses, and a 75 percent grade or higher in advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or dual enrollment courses in all quarters of their high school career.

“We’re exceptionally proud of what these outstanding seniors have accomplished during their high school years, and we’re confident their successes will continue into the future,” BCSD Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said.

This year’s banquet speaker was Whale Branch Early College graduate Quintilian Fields Jr., a 2022 Senior Scholar, who is currently an honors student at USC Beaufort (USCB), where he serves as a student ambassador and Resident Assistant (RA). A member of the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society and a dedicated Family Worship Center youth leader, Fields represented USCB at Carolina Day at the State House and was honored as the 2023 USCB Student of the Year.

This year’s Senior Scholar banquet honorees are as follows:

Battery Creek (12)

Brooke Crosby

Sawyer Ellenberger

Josie Fent

Michael Freeman

Ava Cathryn Gerschutz

Tacoya Olivia Heyward

Aiden Hovest

Haley Maroney

Paige Shea

Madisen Thomsen

Alex Vega

Zoe Way

Hilton Head Island

High School (24)

Ellis Adelman

Joseph Baird

Jhasly Berra Cruz

Grace Boyden

Katherine Brogan

Anthony Bynum

Mia Castaldi

Ella Christie

Emilie Fister

Sofia Goulas

Benjamin Gutierrez

Madison Hall

Jake Heitman

Parker Hill

Sami Hindi

Nikhil Krishna

Susana Mogil

Grant Pagatpatan

Jack Quigley

Gray Rezzetano

Jackson Rohr

Bennett Schwitters

Garrett Simons

Isabella Terramoccia

May River High School (31)

Andry Janluca Aguero

Lydia Rose Benson

Walter Josue Briones

Beaufort High School (22)

T’erre Nicole Elaine Adderley

Tyler Andrew Carpenter

Ella Paige Glover

Noah Sheldon Henry

William Hayes Keyserling

Jingyi Li

Bridgit Colleen Long

Simon Aubrey McAlister

Haley Marie Mingledorff

Reese Sophia Myers

Anisha Nayanvihari Patel

Parth Chetan Patel Maylee Suzanne Sides

Alexander West Thomas Kierra Marie Thompson

Rebecca Morgan Thompson

Alexander C. Tielens

Maelyn Sieter Toale

Nathan William Tran

Daniel Bowen Trask

Malcolm Caleb Webb

James Guerin Willis

Bluffton High School (15)

Anthony David Angelino

Joshua Fabian Angulo Lopez

Riley Grace Burkhart

Kaylin Paige Cunningham

Kristina June Cunningham

Mia Grace Doty

Rachel Grace Lawson

Evja Lilly Lundgren Erin Katherine McMahon

Thaddaeus Roald Rios

Marvin Ismael Rodriguez

Alfaro

Natalia Salas

Katie Virginia Sanofsky

Haylie Morgan Star

Natalie Ellen Wilson

Zechariah Alexandria Nicole Campbell

Alora Brynn Cardenas

William Noah Corn

Mia Gianna DiNardo

Dianna Thien An Doan

Natalia Magali Freund

Miller Patrick Hendricks

Brynn Sydney Holland

Eric Rodney Jenkins, Jr.

Sydney Carys Jones

Laura Itzel Lopez Reyna

Kaiya Alana Medrano

Galen Eugene Miller

Zarek Christopher Miller

Kyla Elaine Moore

Ayla Ngan Nguyen

Sean Dinh Nguyen

Molly Elizabeth Nilsen

Diandra Edeliz Rocha Orellana

Jocelyn Dawn Roper

Michael Joseph Sands

Parker Jane Shefsick

Cadence Joelle Sholly

Joshua Matthew Smith

Zoe Hayden Stevenson

Jorge Yair Valdez Reyna

Noah Aaron Wasserman

Olivia Elizabeth Williams

Whale Branch

Early College High School (6)

Grace Alexandria Beasley

Zakk Aiden Cooke

Destiny Victoria Delaney

Xzoriona Aneyiah Frazier

Jaylen Michelle OrellanaReyes

Ayaunna Gabrielle ReidWright

USC Beaufort graduates march to the university's commencement ceremony on the Bluffton campus on April 26. Photo courtesy of USC Beaufort

Whale Branch Early College graduate Quintilian Fields Jr., a 2022 Senior Scholar, who is currently an honors student at USC Beaufort (USCB), was the speaker at the banquet held Wednesday, April 24.

Photo courtesy of Beaufort County School District

EDUCATION

BOE schedules public forum for 2024-25 budget

From staff reports

The second of two public forums is scheduled for community members in northern Beaufort County to learn more about the school district budget being developed by the Beaufort County Board of Education for the 202425 school year.

The forum will be held in the Beaufort High School cafeteria at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 2

Participants at the forum will hear a presentation on the budget and have a chance to work in small groups to explore various areas of the budget. Participants will be able to share their discussions and suggestions.

“Input from our key stakeholders is an important part of the budget process,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release.

“We look forward to hearing from our community members, parents, and employees at our public budget forums.”

The Board hopes to officially certify the district’s 2024-25 budget at its May 21 meeting. Beaufort County Council’s current timeline calls for three readings, with the third and final reading of the district’s budget taking place on June 24

Zoning Board approves Sea Islands Heritage Academy location

From staff reports

The Beaufort County Zoning Board of Appeals approved the special use permit for the temporary site of Sea Islands Heritage Academy at its April 25 2024 meeting. In collaboration with Building Hope, the academy has a signed lease agreement with Grace Chapel AME Church on Lady’s Island to establish a temporary campus for its newly approved Grades 6 through 12 charter school.

“I thank the ZBOA and Beaufort County staff for helping make this school a reality. We will open our doors in August 2024,” Sea Islands Heritage Academy Executive Director Alana Jenkins Marchel

said in a news release. “The partnership between Sea Islands Heritage Academy, Building Hope, and Grace Chapel AME Church exemplifies a shared commitment to our children's education, community, and cultural preservation.”

Utilizing the back parking lot space of Grace Chapel AME Church located at 10 Holly Hall Road, the temporary location will feature modular units to serve 126

6th- and 7th-grade students and staff while the permanent campus is under development. This temporary setup is designed to meet the immediate educational needs of students in St. Helena, Lady’s Island, and Beaufort areas, offering a unique curriculum centered around the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Building Hope, a 501(c) (3) organization with extensive experience in developing educational facilities, will manage all aspects of the site preparation and modular unit placement, ensuring minimal disruption and seamless integration into the church's existing space. This arrangement

includes a commitment to restore the leased space to its original or better condition upon the project's conclusion, with options for the church to purchase the modular units.

Sea Islands Heritage Academy is also in the process of closing on a parcel of land on St. Helena Island. This site will become the permanent home of the academy, with a projected opening for the 2026 school year.

“We look forward to embarking on this exciting journey together, building a legacy of education, heritage, and community engagement on St. Helena Island,” Jenkins Marchel said.

BCSD Superintendent Rodriguez finalist for statewide honor

By Delayna Earley The Island News

Beaufort County School District

Superintendent Frank Rodriguez has been named as one of two finalists for the 2025 State Superintendent of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators.

He is joined in this honor by

Frank Rodriguez

York District Superintended Sheila Quinn. “I am honored to be named a finalist,” Rodriguez said. “I am truly blessed to work with an outstanding team throughout the [Beau-

fort County School District] and to serve our students and our amazing community.”

Rodriguez was named superintendent in 2019

Currently there are more than 21 500 students enrolled in Beaufort County School District (BCSD).

The community comments made on the Facebook post announcing

the honor were overwhelming positive as parents, faculty and staff, and community members wished him good luck and congratulations.

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.

Rules on book challenges moves to House floor

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA

— A regu-

lation creating a statewide system for challenging and removing books from school libraries advanced to the House floor Tuesday, April 23, as the session winds down.

The regulation, approved in February by the South Carolina Board of Education, would rule that “sexual conduct” can’t be in library books, textbooks or any other classroom materials. But to take effect it needs approval by lawmakers.

The proposal moved one step closer to that approval after an 8-2 vote on party lines in the House Regulations Committee. Although Democrats and Republicans raised concerns about the proposed rule’s broad definition, the committee did not ask the Department of Education to make any changes.

“This is it,” Regulations Chairman Jeff Bradley, R-Hilton Head Island, told the S.C. Daily Gazette after

A House committee on regulations hears from Miles Coleman, an attorney for the Department of Education, about proposed state regulations regarding which books are allowed in schools, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Abraham Kenmore/S.C. Daily Gazette

the meeting. “We’ll see what the Senate does.”

The proposed rule would create a unified standard to judge whether books are appropriate for schools all across the state. It would also create a uniform method for parents to challenge books they think are inappropriate and allow for local school board decisions to be appealed to the state.

The regulation was pre-

viously held over in a subcommittee on April 10 for further discussion, with Bradley saying at the time it would likely return to the committee in January. But the subcommittee advanced the regulation a week later.

Civil liberty advocates and educators have testified against letting the regulation move forward in its current form. Many said the definition of sexual conduct

is overly broad and could banish literary classics from library shelves.

School librarians did not testify at either of the subcommittee hearings but have also said the regulation is overbroad.

“School librarians were not consulted in drafting the regulations and while we advocated for several important amendments, the regulation is still too broad and subverts local control,” Tamara Cox, president of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, said in an email to the Gazette after the first subcommittee hearing. “We appreciate that our legislature is approaching the regulations with thought and care and SCASL will continue to advocate for regulations that protect the First Amendment rights of our students and their families.”

Miles Coleman, an attorney for the Department of Education, said that the regulation is easy to understand. Narrowing the definition will

actually make it less clear, leading to lawyers arguing about what is and isn’t allowed, said the lawyer.

“They are not bright clear lines,” he told lawmakers Tuesday.

“It is such a bright line rule. That’s my concern,” said Rep. Spencer Wetmore, D-Folly Beach, of the regulation.

Rep. Raye Felder, R-Fort Mill, asked about adding the word “explicit” in front of sexual conduct. Coleman said the state board considered and rejected that.

“It introduces another layer of uncertainty and complexity,” he said.

Felder asked about whether challenges could start with the Department of Education, rather than local school boards.

“I just worry that this is now putting another burden on local school boards that may or may not have the resources, the capital, the time, the experience, to really review the books that are challenged,” she said. “Whereas

the state department has an entire building with what, 13, 14 floors of people who could do it one time.” Democrats on the committee tried unsuccessfully to kill the bill.

Bradley said his goal is to get the regulation passed in the House by the end of the session, which is just eight legislative days away. Technically, the committee passed a resolution to approve the regulation, which Bradley said could help push it through. The resolution was introduced by House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, R-Pickens, the previous Thursday. But its prospects in the Senate are unclear.

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

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

joined by newcomer Pastor Darryl Bowers

2 Beaufort students honored by College of Charleston

Beaufort’s Nel Brown and Caroline Berg were among more than 70 students honored during the College of Charleston's 2024 Student Achievement, Involvement and Leadership (S.A.I.L.) Award ceremony.

The College of Charleston S.A.I.L. awards honor exceptional student leadership through the Division of Student Affairs, Residence Life, Campus Recreation, Student Life, and the Higdon Center for Student Leadership and Fraternity & Sorority Life. Brown (29907) was awarded the Excellence in Leadership award by the Department of Residence Life, while Berg (29907) received the Hall of Leader award from the Office of Student Life.

The College of Charleston is a public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among

the nation's top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. With more than 10 000 students, the College of Charleston offers the distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.

Heppner presents work at Lebanon Valley Inquiry Symposium

Okatie’s Caroline Heppner presented scholarly or creative work at Lebanon Valley College's annual Inquiry symposium. Heppner preseneted Systematic Review of NCAA Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Injuries.

Heppner, a graduate of Auburn University, is pursuing a master of athletic training in athletic training at Lebanon Valley.

More than 120 undergraduates representing academic departments across campus displayed their work to an audience of

faculty, peers, trustees, and administrators during the symposium. Student work included original research, scholarship, and creative efforts.

Lebanon Valley College, founded in 1866 offers 50 majors in the health professions, sciences, business and digital media, arts and humanities, and education. Hands-on learning, internships, and research are emphasized.

New Board of Directors set for Polaris Tech Charter School

Polaris Tech staff and enrolled families voted April 23-25 to elect a new board of directors at the Ridgeland charter school as it continues to grow into a full K-12 school.

Also, the Polaris Tech Board of Directors appointed three others to fill out the governing board.

Elected members include incumbents Nancy Carter and Roger (Rusty) Sullivan

Senior Pastor at Abundant Faith Christian Ministry in Ridgeland.

Appointed to the Polaris Tech board are incumbent Larry Kulik and newcomers Tim Daniels, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations at USC Beaufort, and Joey Swearingen, Dean of Health Sciences at Technical College of the Lowcountry. All will serve two-year terms. Parents of enrolled students and school staff participated in the two-day election. The new board will take office in July.

Polaris Tech is a state-approved charter school serving kindergarten through high school students from Jasper County and the Lowcountry. It is a free school (no tuition), that focuses on preparing young people for successful work and college. Student applications for all grades K-12 still are available for the coming school year at www.polaristech.org.

– Compiled from staff reports

EDUCATION

BJACE named Palmetto’s Finest

From staff reports Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence (BJACE), also known as ACE, has been named a 2024 Palmetto’s Finest School. This recognition underscores the outstanding achievements of BJACE, its leaders, educators, students, and business partners.

Teachers, school supporters, and education leaders from around the state tuned into SCETV on Tuesday,

April 23, to learn which four schools across the state would take the top honors. The schools underwent an intensive application process requiring self-evaluation, peer review, and two on-site examinations. The application and visits verified evidence of exceptional student achievement, instructional programs, professional learning communities, and school culture. BJACE serves more than

350 students from eight high schools in Beaufort and Jasper counties. Established in 1975, BJACE has been pivotal in career and technical education (CTE) in the Lowcountry. Offering 13 Career and Technical Education programs programs, each leading to recognized industry certifications, BJACE ensures students’ readiness for college and careers. Over the past two years, 100% of students attending BJACE

return to their high schools “college and career ready.”

In addition, ACE offers free dual-enrollment course options in both CTE and ELA. Each year, its students compete regularly, winning numerous Skills USA state championships. With a student-centered approach and a dedicated staff, ACE has an impact on its community with an extensive alumni network and graduates thriving in professional set-

tings throughout the Lowcountry and beyond.

Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriguez appreciates the dedicated focus BJACE students exhibit.

"Every semester I meet with students from BJACE and am always so impressed with their maturity, future plans, and skills and talents,” Rodriguez said in a news release. “They are the best example of why BJACE

is so deserving of this recognition."

SCASA is the professional organization for school leaders in South Carolina, with a membership of more than 5 400. From professional development opportunities and research, to publications and legislative advocacy, SCASA’s focus is to support school leaders in providing the best possible education for South Carolina’s young people.

SC education superintendent to schools: Ignore new Title IX rules

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette

COLUMBIA — South Carolina’s education chief is recommending that school districts disregard new federal Title IX regulations issued by the Biden administration.

In a letter to district boards and superintendents Tuesday, April 23, state Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver called the rule changes “deeply troubling,” arguing they could violate state and federal law and will likely be challenged in court.

The U.S. Department of Education on Friday, April 19, published extensive revisions to the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.

The new rules, which are set to take effect Aug. 1, roll back many of the alterations made under former President Donald Trump that narrowed the definition of sexual harassment. The change then goes further, extending the definition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

“Under the guise of ‘fairness,’ the U.S. Department of Education seeks to expand the long-standing prohibition against discrimination based on ‘sex’ to include ‘sex stereotypes, sex-related characteristics, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.’ ” Weaver wrote in the letter obtained by the S.C. Daily Gazette.

“This is not fairness: it is fiat,” she continued. “By redefining the class of people that Title IX intends to protect, the Biden administration’s rule seeks to change the meaning and purpose of the underlying law.”

The letter marks the second such message sent out by a state education agency head this week. Louisiana’s superintendent distributed a similar message Monday.

In a letter sent to school leaders Tuesday, April 23, 2024, South Carolina Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver, pictured center, told districts not to implement new federal Title IX regulations extending protections against sexual harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Skylar Laird/File/S.C. Daily Gazette

LGBTQ advocates responded, saying the letter from Weaver shows a lack of understanding and compassion, particularly for transgender, nonbinary, and intersex students, “who have witnessed their very existence being politicized.”

“We look to our schools to be safe and equitable spaces for all students — where they have the freedom to be themselves without fear of harassment and discrimination,” said Chase Glenn, executive director for the Alliance For Full Acceptance. “While Superintendent Weaver may not personally support the rights of LGBTQ+ students, she has the responsibility as the top school leader in our state to ensure that all students have equal

rights and protections and a safe place to learn and be themselves.

The flagrant disregard shown for the Title IX rule tells me that our superintendent unfortunately does not have the best interests of all students in mind.”

Weaver blasted the regulatory change as a violation of free speech, saying it compels students and teachers to use a child’s preferred pronoun.

She suggested the rule put female students in danger by requiring transgender students be allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity or share sleeping arrangements on overnight trips.

“We fully anticipate this rule will be tied up in litigation for some

time and, eventually, will be struck down or modified, in whole or in part, by the federal courts,” Weaver wrote, before telling school officials her department recommended districts not implement the rule at this time.

A court could block them anyway before they’re supposed to take effect, she wrote.

Weaver also went on to say changes could extend to athletics.

South Carolina is among 24 states that have passed laws preventing transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

The Biden administration has yet to finalize a separate rule that would ban this practice.

State lawmakers also are weighing a bill that, along with banning hormone treatments for transgender kids, would require school officials notify parents if their child requests to be addressed by a pronoun that does not match their birth sex. If passed into law, the proposal could potentially be called into question.

In response to Weaver’s letter, Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine, D-Columbia, proposed Wednesday inserting into the state budget a clause barring the superintendent from offering any Title IX guidance that conflicts with the federal rules unless the Legislature specifically gives her permission.

Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree called that an awful idea.

“This is a 1,500-page dumpster fire that is headed for the courts,” the Little River Republican said of the Biden administration’s new rules. “That’s where we’re headed. In the meantime, this goes in effect in August.”

Schools need guidance on what to do with the pile of new rules, and the Legislature will soon be out of session. Legislators shouldn’t bar an administrative function, he said.

“Schools are lost as to what this means for them,” he said after taking the podium to oppose Devine’s proposed budget amendment, which was rejected.

“The courts will ultimately decide it, but in the meantime, somebody needs to be in charge,” he said. “We don’t need to make it more gray.”

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 state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Bill lets SC charter schools prioritize military children

Senators advance House speaker’s bill despite concerns

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — A bill that would let charter schools give enrollment preference to children from military families advanced to the Senate floor Wednesday, April 24

The full Senate Education Committee advanced the bill unanimously despite concerns from senators that it would prioritize students who just moved to the state — due to a parent’s new duty station — over longtime residents.

The bill sponsored by House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, passed the House unanimously last month.

The law already allows a few exceptions. Siblings of students currently enrolled or who recently graduated can get preference, as can children of charter school employees.

“Preference is not a random idea,” said Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, R-Little River. “The new idea is extending it to military families because of their unique situation they have when they come to our state.”

Because military members can be assigned to a new base at any time, their children might miss the lottery entirely. The proposal would allow schools to admit those students anyway if a seat opened up, said Sen. Ross Turner, R-Greenville.

Even if students arrived in time to enroll in the lottery,

By state law, public charter schools aren’t supposed to show preference in admissions to any student or group of students. So, any time a charter school has more students apply than it has open seats, a lottery system is supposed to decide who fills them.

the school could still decide to give them priority status.

Military families with Shaw Air Force Base outside Sumter seem to be driving the proposal.

Chiefly sponsored by the speaker, a Sumter Republican, the bill’s co-sponsors include Rep. David Weeks, a Sumter Democrat. Other co-sponsors are GOP Reps. Shannon Erickson, the education chairwoman, and Jeff Bradley, both of Beaufort County, home to Parris Island and MCAS Beaufort.

But it was Shaw that senators gave as the example.

Turner said families assigned to Shaw Air Force Base may not want to enroll their students in Sumter County schools, which has posted below-average academic performance for years.

But Liberty STEAM, the local charter school, is full, with around 1 200 students

waiting for 600 spots. Parents have moved as far away as Camden, about 25 miles from the Air Force base, for better schools, Turner said.

“I think this was really just an extension to let these families moving into Sumter to have, ultimately, a viable option of education,” Turner said.

“I’m all for that,” Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey replied. But “I want the people who are already there to have a viable option for education, too.”

Massey, R-Edgefield, said he wasn’t opposed to giving military families preference, but he worried about doing so at the expense of longtime residents.

“If you’ve got 1,200 Sumter County residents who have applied and who are being excluded, those people are the ones who have been paying the taxes to actually support the school,”

Massey said. The bill would cap the number of students given preference for having a military parent at 20% of the total student population.

Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto questioned how schools would decide which military children would get to attend and which would be left in the lottery if more than that proportion applied.

“If they give it to one and they don’t give it to another, is that person going to be upset?” the Orangeburg Democrat said. “Or is the person who didn’t get in with the lottery going to be upset?”

Ultimately, the bill does not require preference and instead allows it if a school chooses, so decisions like that would be left up to school administrators, Hembree said.

The same committee de-

cided Wednesday not to take up a bill that would have overruled the High School League on student transfers. The bill would have allowed students to switch schools during designated transfer windows and continue playing sports, rather than having to sit out a year. With only seven legislative days left in the session, and the Senate focused on the state budget this week, the bill needed too much work to get through this year, said Hembree, the bill’s sponsor. He promised to try again next year.

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

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. coming

to USCB CFA

From staff reports

The Beaufort Children’s Theater presents Ian Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. on Friday, May 17; Saturday May 18; and Sunday May 19 at the USC Beaufort Center For The Arts at 801 Carteret Street.

Take a fantastic musical adventure with an outof-this-world car that flies through the air and sails the seas. Based on the record-breaking West End production and the beloved film, and featuring an unforgettable score by the Sherman Brothers (Mary Poppins), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang JR. is a blockbuster that audiences will find "Truly Scrumptious!"

The shows on May 17 and 18 are at 7 p.m., while the May 19 show is at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors, military, and faculty and staff; and $16 for children and students. They are available at https://centerfortheartstickets.universitytickets.com/.

Lowcountry Wind Symphony

Lowcountry Wind Symphony performs at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Sunday, April 28, 2024. Amber Hewitt/The Island News

Meet Thibault Gallery’s featured artist

From staff reports Animals will come to life at Thibault Gallery's First Friday event from 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, May 3 as featured artist Caroline Guenthner's brushstrokes break borders, bringing wildlife from her mind's eye to jumping off the canvas.

Guenthner is a wildlife and portrait artist who is also a Wish mom and just recently used her art to raise $10,000 for Make-A-Wish of S.C. Alongside her support of Make-A-Wish, she regularly contributes original works of art to local charities and animal rescues in

an effort to raise money for these organizations. Specializing in the trompe-l'oeil style, her art consists mainly of original oils of wildlife and pets.

"Many people think art is about perfect technique, but I find that the most important aspect of creating is that in makes the viewer feel something special,” Guenthner said. “I enjoy showing my artistic process inside of my pieces, and using my art to create positivity where I can.”

Located in the heart of downtown Beaufort, Thibault Gallery is one of the

focal points of First Friday, showcasing Guenthner’s art along with creations from more than 15 Lowcountry artists. Guenthner will be on hand to discuss her art, philanthropic endeavors, her son's journey, and a special First Friday offer for attendees.

Come enjoy the festivities and take home a gorgeous piece of art with an autograph and a story.

Thibault Gallery is located at 815 Bay Street. For more information, contact gallery owner Mary Thibault at 843-379-4278 or mary@ThibaultGallery.com.

From staff reports John Meckley’s May art exhibit at The Society of Bluffton Artists’ gallery in Old Town Bluffton will reflect the South Carolina Lowcountry’s beautiful marshes and majestic egrets.

“LowCountry Backyard” art exhibit will show from May 6 through June 2 with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, May 10 at the SOBA gallery.

“What inspires my brushstrokes to a canvas here in the Lowcountry are the images of soft, warm breezes floating on top of the many coloring changing marsh grasses,” Meckley said. “Also inspiring is how the white Egrets seem to glide effortlessly in slow motion across the backdrop of the majestic skies,

making the long journey back to their tree top nests.”

Meckley traces his artistic roots back to the age of 13. His inherent love for art blossomed through self-taught techniques, drawing inspiration from the timeless masterpieces of Rembrandt and the esteemed Wyeth family artists.

Meckley's unique style intertwines elements of these revered artists with his own signature of soft, smooth, and warm brush strokes, complemented by a carefully curated palette of warm, earthy tones. His subjects emanate a profound sense of serenity and tranquility, inviting viewers into a world of contemplation and peace.

Meckley's artistic journey took a significant turn at the age of 17

when he clinched his first Juried art show award in Pennsylvania. Since then, his talent has garnered widespread acclaim, earning him numerous accolades in juried exhibitions across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida, and South Carolina. Notably, his exceptional craftsmanship has been recognized on an international scale, with one of his masterpieces proudly adorning the walls of the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

However, it was a pivotal moment two years ago that marked a profound shift in Meckley's artistic focus. Relocating to the picturesque surroundings of Bluffton, he found himself enraptured by the breathtaking beauty of the landscape.

A transformative experience unfolded as he drove across a bridge, with the gentle patter of rain and the radiant glow of the sun casting a surreal ambiance. A vibrant rainbow arched across the sky, while a mesmerizing flock of Egrets danced gracefully across the marshes. In that transcendent moment, Meckley felt an undeniable connection to nature, interpreting it as a divine sign guiding his artistic path.

The final concert of the 2023-2024 season, titled “The Gift of Love,” directed by Donald F. Jemella, mesmerizes the audience as the

Artist Caroline Guenthner and some of her creations. Submitted photos

John Meckley’s “LowCountry Backyard” art exhibit will show from May 6 through June 2 with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, May 10 at the Society Of Bluffton Artists gallery. Submitted photos

VOICES

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

Remember to perform intentional acts of kindness

It’s been an extremely hectic week so we’re reaching into the opinion vault to recall some lessons offered four years ago when the coronavirus pandemic caused a lot of misery. Remember? Kids were stuck at home with online school. Parents missed work that put food on the table. Some companies closed. And it didn’t take long to find there was nothing much left to watch on TV.

But amid the gloom were bright spots of kindness. Neighbors you might not have spoken with in months said hello. You let someone go ahead of you in line at the grocery store. Manners seemed to be back everywhere except in Washington, D.C.

“I’m hearing people are making it and not complaining,” noted cookbook author Nathalie Dupree said in April 2020 “Everyone is being very kind to us, bringing us food, making deliveries.”

The Rev. Kylon Middleton, senior pastor at Mount Zion AME Church in Charleston who now serves on Charleston County Council, discovered similar graciousness.

“I am noticing that people are kinder and more intentional,” he said. “As I walk in my neighborhood, either early morning or later in the day, I encounter folks who are being more intentional about speaking and acknowledging the presence of others.

“Even from afar, I see the warmth and hope in the eyes of those with whom I meet. I see

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Democrats better for ALL the people

As campaign season heats up, I have been thinking about national Party economic priorities. Which Party works harder to share the benefits of our prosperous economy? GOP tax cuts have always been structured to benefit wealthy individuals and corporations, which has vastly blown out wealth inequality and challenged the American middle class.

Democrats know that revenue is half of the budget, and look for fair tax increases to support the social safety net from which we ALL benefit (Social Security anyone? Medicare? Health care?). Biden's vow to increase taxes only on the wealthiest (not on anyone making less than $400,000) sounds fair to me.

Any discussion of rising costs of living (inflation) must include corporate price gouging that benefits only shareholders and top executives. The Biden/Harris team is working energetically to remove the corporate foot from our backs. By investing in and encouraging manufacturing capacity (Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS Act, among others); by taking on corporate monopolies, including meat packers, airlines, internet providers, etc. (FTC and DOJ initiatives); and by supporting workers (protecting and encouraging unions) – the Biden Administration is shifting our national priorities. This shift in priorities is necessary to finally, effectively address wealth inequalities that underlie so many problems.

In the last 50-plus years, misguided economic policy has degraded the fabric of our society. Both Parties bear responsibility for this. But the Biden/ Harris Administration has charted a necessary change in economic

a resiliency of spirit that continues to persevere amidst the uncertainty of our times. I see generosity and consideration in something as subtle as negotiating space on a sidewalk or being mindful at the grocery store to only buy what’s needed so that someone else and their family can have access to basic items.”

Former Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen noted back then that he thought the virus challenged everyone to be better.

“For instance, I may be a hardliner who thinks that ‘stay at home’ is for pansies and that I will not die from COVID-19; but I also have a mother, sister, wife or daughter whom I do not wish to kill or even infect,” he observed.

“Do I really enjoy sitting with 70 000 people at a sporting event; or am I kind of liking time around the house with my family? Lots of things we held as indispensable are turning out not to be so important after all.”

direction, turning the ship of state from demonstrably outdated ideas to a future that will work better for ALL the People. This is a huge operation, and they need and deserve more time to make America great (always aspirational).

– Carol Brown, Beaufort

The Left is part of the Axis of Evil

Gotterdammerung (Got-ter-dam-merung – the total, usually violent, collapse of a society, regime, institution, etc).

That is where the Democrat Party is taking us. The Biden administration is composed of Marxist/Islamo Sinophiles who have deliberately caused social, cultural, economic, and national security chaos.

President Biden is a doddering, corrupt, puppet controlled by the afore mentioned radicals. Obama's Deep State has infested all elements of the government. Welcome to his third term!

The external Axis of Evil is composed of Russia, China and Iran. The internal, in the U.S., is the Left, Radical Islam and China.

– Carter Swenson, Beaufort

Please weed this antiquated mentality

Lolita Huckaby might be a long-time reporter and editorial columnist, but any sheen of professionalism was tarnished in her ill-informed piece “Future of USCB books sparks concerns” in the April 25May 1 issue. That she is being “factual but opinionated” should also be questioned. Although today, when “facts” have somehow become subjective, perhaps she is completely at ease. (Her The-Yankees-

State Rep. Chandra Dillard, D-Greenville, said the pandemic caused South Carolinians to be more purposeful about their time with family members.

“My Facebook is full of examples of parents dancing with their kids (and) sharing generational music and simply talking,” she said four years ago. “Communities have become innovative and collaborative about how to serve our most vulnerable populations. This has gotten organizations out of their silos and combining resources.”

Perhaps what was most interesting was how all of this kindness seemed to be organically contagious — that people were doing it on their own, despite spats about politics and nonsense from state and national leaders.

The Charleston City Paper, for example, highlighted nine stories of kindness that included a Mount Pleasant mom and

Are-Coming! alarmism was also offputting, but I digress.)

A five-minute phone call with any professional librarian would have cleared up any misconceptions about removing books from a university library’s collection. It’s called weeding, and it is part of a healthy collection maintenance program.

Books are removed not simply to make space, but also because the information is outdated or the information is accessible in a more convenient way to the patron (digital). As an example, one of the majors which USCB graduates the most students in is Nursing. Do you think the library should keep “Charting nursing's future: agenda for the 1990s” by Linda H. Aiken and Claire M. Fagin (currently available in print at USCB)?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books like this in every library. Other books ripe for weeding include volumes that are duplicates, or old editions, or irrelevant to the patrons. Sometimes the books are just plain raggedy – stained, torn, water-damaged, broken spines … I assure you each weeded book is handled and judged by a trained professional and the weeding of that individual item can be easily justified.

Fighting ignorance with ignorance leads to more ignorance. And in this case on a grand scale via The Island News

– Warren Cobb, Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS), Certified Archivist (CA), and S.C. Certified Professional Librarian

Pay the teachers

First, I want congratulate your newspaper for being the best I've ever read.

This article about efforts by our

daughter who posted a Joke a Day in their Snee Farm yard, only to be reprimanded by a grumpy homeowners’ association for breaking a sign rule. Charleston police partnered with the city’s parks department to offer safe pop-up Easter egg giveaways for kids. A photographer made fun chalk drawings for backgrounds for neighborhood photos. These examples were exactly how people across our state and nation should have responded. And four years later, a big lesson from the pandemic: Continue to perform intentional acts of kindness. You’ll be glad you did, as Winston Churchill once alluded to: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

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

legislators to hire experts to fill vacancies in South Carolina teacher positions has me scratching my head. I came here 16 years ago from Missouri. I sold my house with 10 fenced acres, a basement, five bedrooms, four and a half baths, a wraparound porch, a three-car garage, with two-car detached, oversized garage as my workshop, storage, etc., for $299,000 I left and filled gas at 1 49 a gallon. I crossed the Broad River bridge and filled up at Circle K for $3 49 a gallon. WHAT?? Stayed in a hotel until (I) purchased a house. One-half acre, three bedrooms, two baths for $245,000, WHAT?

It's the math dummy. You can boost the starting pay for teachers, which was one of the lowest in the country, but what does that have to do with cost of living? Housing, food, taxes, which is $1,400 per year more here than Missouri. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here for many reasons. But darn, give teachers, who are the most influential people for our kids, other than parents and church, a living wage!

– Don Cass, Beaufort

A correction is needed

Under State News, "Clyburn hopes newest student loan plan secures more votes,” … well Democrats at least said the quiet part out loud … this is all about buying votes with taxpayer money. Abraham Kenmore incorrectly and misleadingly stated in his article that S.C. student debts have had $2 6 billion dollars worth of debt "Wiped out." This is factually incorrect and misleading. Debts are always paid. Those student debts have now been transferred to every taxpaying citizen of the U.S. – George Richardson, Beaufort

ANDY BRACK

VOICES

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

Was cutting off the head of slavery enough?

It is Sunday and I’m just returned from St. Marks Episcopal where our small choir did Dona Nobis Pacem — “Give Us Peace.” When they finished this tune I was filled with happiness. Later when I entered into our house on 9th Street, I spoke to my digital friend saying, “Alexa, play Dona Nobis Pacem."

Once again I was filled with wonder — stunned by musical notes believed to be arranged by Mozart. And so “Dona Nobis Pacem” provides the musical back-drop on these late morning thoughts on Abraham Lincoln as presented by Jon Meacham in his 421 page book titled, “Let There Be Light.”

Let’s begin with a disclaimer to those of you who have read the hundreds (thousands?) of titles dealing with the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. I come to to this groaning, well-laid smorgasbord late, so I was surprised to learn that Lincoln had almost no formal education.

This is one President that Harvard, Groton or Yale cannot claim as it’s own. Notwithstand-

ing Abraham’s lack of any formal, institutional learning, he made up for that deficit by reading.

He read anything and everything all the time.

He read Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Burns, Shakespeare. He read religious tracts by Theodore Parker, Joseph Butler and John Milton. He read John Stuart Mill and John Locke. And it all began with Lindley Murray’s “The English Reader” described as “The best schoolbook ever put into the hands of American Youth.”

In a real sense Lincoln assembled and enjoyed a solid, humanities-based education that began with an innate curiosity leading him from author to author, pamphlet to textbook, novels to newspapers. When Generals Burnside

and Hooker were unable to deliver victories on the battlefield he walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Library of Congress where he checked-out books on military strategy.

The bulk of this book, however, deals with slavery and Lincoln’s efforts to eliminate this all-consuming evil. Lincoln’s thoughts on slavery are brought into sharper focus when Meacham writes about Lincoln’s debates with Stephen Douglas in 1854 — both men seeking the nomination from their party to the United States Senate.

In preparation for these debates Lincoln read many tracts but seemed to be focused on Joseph Butler’s “Analogy of Religion;” Thomas Brown’s “Philosophy of the Human Mind;” William Paley’s “Moral and Political Philosophy.” In those debates, Lincoln labeled slavery as “evil,” and morally wrong, but also said of the Black man, “I agree with Judge Douglas that he is not my equal in many respects — certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowments …”

Because of these remarks Lin-

coln has been pilloried for a lack of purity. He has not fallen into Thomas Jefferson territory — he did not own slaves or sleep with them — but he does sustain periodic criticism in somewhat the same way that Woodrow Wilson has sustained incoming fire about his racism.

“Let There Be Light” makes it clear that Lincoln, first and foremost, was determined to leave behind an impoverished, humiliating childhood that he rarely discussed with anyone. In this connection he married well above his station, ran for office as soon as he was sentient and seemed to have extraordinary insight into what his Illinois constituency wanted in their office seekers.

I think that Lincoln knew — and, yes, we’re on thin ice here — that he could not say that the Black race was on par with the white race (in 1854) and get elected.

I’ve always thought that the bullet that entered Lincoln’s brain destroyed the tissue of a remarkably cleaver politician. But now I know it liquified brain cells that knew the voice of Othello (Shake-

speare); Darwin’s ideas in “Origin of the Species;” Thomas Paine’s concepts in “The Age of Reason;” and a thousand other theories and theorems. That bullet also ended any chance that Lincoln could think about the just defeated South; and, importantly, what to do about the newly liberated slaves.

If Lincoln had survived, one wonders if the land re-distribution solution — pioneered on St Helena Island, S.C. — would have provided an economic stimulus for the emancipated freedmen. Or if he would have kept the Federal soldiers in the South for a longer time forestalling the arrival of the Klan. Or if Lincoln’s brain would have found a way to keep Black folk enfranchised and faster educated.

But maybe this transition was going to take a long time regardless of who did the thinking and the legislating. Lincoln cut-off slavery’s head. Maybe he did enough.

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

On Superman, Beyoncè and spring football

My mother asked me once if it’s hard to find subjects for my columns.

The short answer? Yes.

Yes, because typically I like to bolster my perspectives by looking for others of a similar bent to include. I lean on publications I am familiar with and have a track record of reliability. Or maybe, being a blue dot in a red state, it’s my way of reminding myself, “See, it’s not just you!”

The long answer to her question? Also yes, because the news cycle is so jampacked nowadays it’s hard to focus on just one thing that can be discussed with any requisite thoroughness before it spins out of the public consciousness — and will fit the editor’s parameters for column length. So this week, you get a smattering of takes on a smattering of issues.

Free Comic Book Day:

My father started subscribing to the local newspaper when I was a toddler. Why? Because I liked to read the daily “headline news” (his joking name for the comics page), and he thought anything that helped me learn to read was a good thing. He was right. The funny pages were a gateway drug to comic books and the Scholastic Book Club, where I was introduced to Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys, and the Three Investigators. I read sports biographies of the day’s biggest football stars, including yes, even O.J. Simpson, before his fall

from grace. Stephen King followed, then noted works by Black authors.

People don’t read daily papers like they used to, but comic books are still out there, and this Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. Find a comic book shop near you, a real comic shop, not some big-box retailer with a half-shelf overflowing with last month’s issues. In the real comic shops, likely located in a small shopping plaza or strip mall, you can find people who still love comics and can point your budding reader to age-appropriate that can pique their curiosity and fan the spark of their passion for reading.

And if you see something you like, you can grab a book for yourself. They are free, after all.

Beyoncé goes country: I haven’t heard much of her new album, but there

are a couple of songs I like. Without going too deeply into her justified exploration of the genre given its Black roots, I will say I liked Beyoncè’s music when her albums were collections of songs, not social statements. But having done disco on her last album, and country in this one, what genre will she try next? If it’s gospel, take my money now!

Trump on trial: Watching the election-influence trial out of New York, I’ve enjoyed watching the former president finally run into a judge who treats him like any other defendant would be treated. For the most part. He still gets away with a level of misbehavior most defendants wouldn’t dare attempt.

If you’re still of the mind the system is out to get Trump, watching how hard it bends over backward to keep from inflaming his

gang of ne’er-do-well supporters should be adequate proof otherwise. Speaking of justice …

The Supreme Court: I don’t know whether the high court will have ruled on the former president’s quest for immunity by the time this is published — probably not, since delay works in his favor — but it’s hard not to see how the Supreme Court is just another institution that has been corrupted by partisan politics.

The mere notion that a sitting President could order the death of his rivals and be protected by his office from being held accountable should sicken anyone who values, well, anything. We are familiar with the phrase “No man is above the law,” but it’s worth reading the full statement from President Theodore Roosevelt.

“No man is above the law

and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.”

A notable number of justices think the President should only have to obey the law when he or she feels like it. And if the President doesn’t? Well, that’s the President, so what are you going to do? It’s obscene.

The UFL: I am still not sure why the United Football League (uniting the old USFL and XFL) launched while many sports fans were focused on NCAA basketball, the NBA, and Major League Baseball, but the level of play has been pretty good. If nothing else, guys are getting to play instead of sitting on the bench behind high-salary starters. Check ’em out.

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

SCOTT GRABER

TERRY MANNING

Damning with faint praise

As a professor for 31 years, I wrote a lot of letters of recommendation for students I'd had in class. Frequently, this required my needing to search hard for something positive to write or to put a positive "spin" on a rather mundane or spotty record. I did my best. In my spare time I used to fool around, penning fake letters of recommendation that exaggerated such efforts. An example of those letters follows.

Mr. Glen Steinhagen, Principal Spring Street Middle School 17 Spring Street

Merlyville, OH 43726

May 20, 2020

Dear Mr. Steinhagen:

Maryann Drake, whom you may know by one of her nicknames—“Glitter” perhaps, or “Grandma Toke”—has asked me to write a letter of recommendation supporting her application for your eighth-grade social studies

teaching position. Caught by surprise, I could not think quickly of an excuse not to do so. So here it is. For the record, I have known Ms. Drake for only one semester, as a student in my remedial class of basic United States history, though I have seen her in the halls on repeated occasions, talking loudly or making strange noises with one hand cupped in her armpit while flapping the free arm. Recently, I noticed her exhibiting her admirable sensitivity to environmental issues by berating a janitor for not recycling one of the liquor bottles she had left in the ladies room. I have also read about some of her extensive extra-curricular activities, as well as how to reach her by phone, on

the walls of the men’s lavatory.

Academically, Ms. Drake is what one might in fairness term solid, especially when it comes to formulation of an argument. Why, just last week in my class she got into an argument with one of her fellow students over the theory and practice of non-violence that resulted in the poor chap getting a bruised sternum and a severely chewed left ear. Ever gracious, Ms. Drake apologized for her aggressiveness and gave the injured lad a bandage with stars on it and a stick of sugarless gum.

I cannot comment on Ms. Drake’s writing ability, not because I did not assign any writing, but because I could not make heads or tails of anything she turned in. In fairness, she works on a word processing program that has a parental block so it will not print swear words, and she has found that a significant impairment in her regular mode of self-expression. Personally, Ms. Drake makes up for her lack of hygiene by wearing tiny air-freshener earrings, which some find avant gar -

de. Her mode of dress, which one of my colleagues labels “early bad taste,” is eclectic and entirely her own. More fashionable women commonly flock to sit next to her for the comparisons that are quickly drawn.

In terms of Ms. Drake being a role model for our youth, I should emphasize that the three DWI citations you are sure to turn up on any kind of basic web search were either the result of police officers not being sufficiently familiar with the tribulations of everyday life that bring one to abuse alcohol, or the heightened sensitivity to shots and beers one gains from taking antiretrovirals. I understand that one of the citations occurred after Ms. Drake, exhibiting her admirable concern for animals, deemed it prudent to back down a one-way street to tend to a housepet she had inadvertently run over at high speed. When sober, she is mild mannered and, some say, even gentile.

So I write this letter of recommendation for Ms. Drake, urging you to look long and hard at her

application while keeping the following in mind: your hiring her would keep her off the streets during daylight hours, when “soliciting” is particularly frowned upon; would enable her to channel her energies into something more constructive than watching soap operas and composing vulgar limericks; and would perhaps bring to an end her whining about the unfairness of “the system” and how she would have her name in lights by now if only so many jerks in positions like yours – though in honesty, Mr. Steinhagen, she has not spoken of you by name – did not have it in for her.

Yours sincerely,

Bernard V. Trumble, Ph.D. Professor of History Merlyville State College

Donald R. Wright is a Distinguished Teaching Professor of History, Emeritus, at SUNY-Cortland. In 2005-06 he held the Mark Clark Chair of History at The Citadel. He is author of books on African, African-American, and Atlantic histories. Don and his wife Doris live in Beaufort.

Some could use a lesson in dignity

At a time when tempers are hot, and patience is no longer considered a virtue, we have become immune to the rudeness that is so overtly displayed, often by those from whom we would least expect it.

I am the first to admit that my tolerance for some of the things I see, both in print, and in person isn’t what it used to be. While I usually don’t respond openly, I know my displeasure is sometimes evident. As my late husband used to tell me, “Don’t go to Vegas to gamble because what you are thinking is written all over your face.”

So I guess it is a good thing that I wasn’t physically present to observe the incident I am about to relate. At the very least my face would have spoken a thousand words, none of

AAthem complimentary. At the worst, the coverage of the greatest “cat fight” in town would surely have been reported in this news source for which I write. I learned of this incident by way of social mediayes, I know, the source for all good and evil. But the report of downright nastiness and lack of kindness that permeates this story is worth shining a light.

A little background is called for, and the following came from my friend who is

as truthful and forthright as the day is long. She wrote: A young mother in my church (with 3 young children and a deployed Marine husband) is doing her absolute best to make their lives normal. She is an amazing role model to those of us who have left this young mothering phase of our lives behind. Our question is always, “How does she do it?”

Beaufort is a town where the number of these young mothers is legion. We know they are here, but few of us have the opportunity to interact with them. If you are or were a military spouse, I want to offer my thanks for the crucial role you play(ed) by your support for that spouse. It has to be an integral part of maintaining ‘peace and comfort’ on the home front.

When you read what follows, you will understand

why I was so disgusted and why I think it needs to be brought to our attention.

My friend continued. “This happened to her today in a local restaurant. I pray that the women who crushed her spirit see this.”

The young mother spoke of the situation in this way.

To the four older ladies next to my friends and I at brunch:

“I’m sorry that my 1 year old’s cheerful squeals were so disruptive that you insisted on moving tables after giving us many disgusted glances. And I am sorry that when I apologized for being noisy, that you couldn’t muster an “it’s OK”, or “he was just being a baby,” but instead an eye roll and a “Yes, you were.”

Instead of losing it and disrespecting my elders, or explaining to you that my husband is deployed and I’m barely keeping it to-

gether with three children, I went out to my car and cried. Then I came back in and paid for your breakfast. And I hope you never make another young mom feel like how I felt."

And now I will address these women, none of whom I know.

Do any of you have children? Or do you have such short memories that you were unable to relate? Or were your children left at home when you went to lunch with friends? Keep in mind that every woman doesn’t have that luxury. Was the chortling of a 1 year old so intrusive that you couldn’t carry on a conversation? And if that were so, do you not possess the grace, indeed the kindness, to simply move unobtrusively and without condescension?

Apparently the grace and

the kindness lay with the young woman who excused herself to the car to have a good cry. We have no idea of the stress she is undergoing, raising three children alone. That you managed to ruin her time out for a break with friends does not speak well for you. And finally, I will go so far as to say this: that this young girl came back and paid for your lunch is well beyond turning the other cheek. So if you are in church this Sunday, think about what that means and the lesson you should have learned from her. Try being a better person the next time.

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.”

call to reassess of priorities in Washington

s the conflict in Ukraine continues to consume billions of dollars in international funding, a troubling pattern emerges of the Washington machine fueling the industrial war complex while neglecting pressing domestic needs.

While billions are poured into the furnace of overseas conflict, the burden of illegal immigration and the soaring cost of living weigh increasingly heavily on our nation's shoulders.

There's a clear divide between the people and Washington's establishment. Rather than prioritizing public interests, our leaders seem fixated on political games, perpetuating a cycle of endless conflict that only serves to enrich the military-industrial complex. The recent decision by Congress to allocate an additional $60 billion to the Ukraine war, after already disbursing over $113

billion, with most of it specifically designated for military aid, stands as a colossal fumble and a profound letdown to the American people. Washington’s priorities are in shambles: fueling war, hampering our veterans, and housing illegal aliens on the taxpayer dime. While both parties engage in petty squabbles within the halls of power, communities across the country bear the brunt of their inaction, including South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

We have over 42,000 veterans in our district alone, living below the poverty line and with a disability.”

In 2020, there were an estimated 85,000 illegal aliens throughout the entire state of South Carolina. Since then, our border has witnessed more than 9 million illegal crossings and more than 1 8 million known gotaways. With such rampant unchecked immigration, the true extent of the issue and its cost remains obscured, leaving us in the dark about the current numbers and the real financial burden. In South Carolina alone, with the majority of these immigrants having arrived in the last five years, the strain is palpable.

The estimated cost of caring for illegal aliens has surged to approximately $157 billion in total.

The only message we are sending to the American people is that the government is willing to bankrupt their cities to keep illegal aliens comfortable. What about our vets? We have over 42 000 veterans in our district alone, living below the poverty line and with a disability.

This situation is only poised to worsen as Washington continues with business as usual, refusing to close the border and fulfill its obligations. Yet, the D.C. machine persists in prioritizing militariza-

tion and war, perpetuating a cycle of violence and instability that benefits only the military-industrial complex. This is why we refuse to vote in support of sending more aid to Ukraine with no end in sight. The President nor the Left can come with an end-game, and we simply cannot keep this up.

It's time to break free from this destructive cycle. We must redirect our resources towards securing our borders, consider this an invasion, and get serious about caring for our veterans. No change will come until we address the root causes of this border catastrophe. We need to pass H.R. 2, get our spending priorities in check, and we need to mean what we say when we value veterans' sacrifices.

Nancy Mace is the U.S Representative for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

CAROL LUCAS

DONALD WRIGHT

NANCY MACE

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.

SPORTS&RECREATION

Pringle feeling ‘Cocky,’ coming home

By Justin Jarrett LowcoSports.com

Nick Pringle’s collegiate career has been a roller-coaster ride that has taken him from the Lowcountry to the Upstate, then to Alabama and the Final Four after a stop in Western Kansas. But the final stop on the carnival will be closer to home.

Pringle made the highly-anticipated announcement Saturday on social media, then followed it up by signing an NIL deal with the South Carolina Gamecocks on

Monday, adding another dynamic piece to the puzzle for coach Lamont Paris.

After leading Whale Branch to the Class 2A state championship game as a senior in 2020, Pringle headed to Wofford but didn’t find consistent playing time and found himself unsatisfied with his trajectory. He hit the reset button at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College and became the highest-ranked junior college power forward in the country, drawing offers from numerous schools before

opting to join Nate Oats at Alabama.

In two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Pringle had stretches of high productivity, including during Alabama’s run to the first Final Four in program history, but he also found himself on the end of the bench or in Oats’ doghouse from time to time.

With just one season of eligibility remaining, Pringle sought a fresh

start and entered the transfer portal, and after considering his options, he found a home closer to home.

Pringle averaged 5 2 points and 4 1 rebounds across 68 games at Alabama, and after serving two separate suspensions during the season for violating team rules, he returned with a renewed focus and energy in the NCAA Tournament, playing through injury to help the Crimson Tide advance to Phoenix, including a 16-point, 11-rebound effort to help beat Clemson in the Elite Eight.

Hanahan Hawks on Tuesday, April 23. The Eagles won the game,

Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Home Advantage

Baseball, softball playoffs underway

LowcoSports.com

The road to the Class 3 A baseball and softball championships will go through Lady’s Island, as both Beaufort High teams host firstround games before likely having to hit the road if they want to advance to the Lower State bracket.

Beaufort’s baseball team was set to open at home against Georgetown on Tuesday, likely with the winner headed to Gilbert and the

loser hosting Lake City on Thursday. Battery Creek had a trip to top-seeded Waccamaw on the slate Tuesday with another road trip to Dreher or Darlington awaiting Thursday, regardless of the outcome.

The Eagles softball team hosted Dillon on Wednesday, hoping star pitcher Kylie Rast can help them advance to take on top-seeded Swansea on Friday. Battery Creek softball is the No. 3 seed and traveled to Loris on Wednesday, with either Camden or Brookland-Cayce awaiting Friday.

Beaufort High’s Kylie Rast slides headfirst into home plate just ahead of the ball. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Okku Federiko and freshman guard Trent Noah out of Harlan County (Ky.).

Justin Jarrett is the sports editor of The Island News and the

of LowcoSports. com. He was the

of the

for

and the

has a

for sports and community journalism and a questionable sense of humor.

With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Beaufort Academy striker Keileey Good, center right, moves in to score the first goal of the night against a tough Charleston Collegiate defense on Thursday, April 25, at BA’s Merritt Field. The Eagles went on to win the match 2-0. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Duncan, Eagles prepared for deep run

LowcoSports.com

As the Class 3A soccer playoffs kicked off Tuesday, at least one set of metrics considered Beaufort High’s girls the favorites to win it all.

The Eagles held the No. 1 spot in MaxPreps’ computerized rankings, and a meeting with another of the top teams looms in Round 3 — but Beaufort has work to do before worrying about Waccamaw, opening at home Tuesday against Georgetown with a visit from Gilbert or Darlington queued up for Thursday’s second round.

Beaufort leans on sensational junior Selena Duncan, who has racked up team-highs for goals (31) and assists (8) already this season, including six hat tricks.

SEE RUN PAGE B3

Beaufort, WB boys win playoff openers

LowcoSports.com

If Beaufort High’s boys soccer team is going to duplicate its magical run to the Class 3A state finals last season, this time the Eagles will have to do it on the road. They checked off the first stop on the journey Monday night with a 2-0 win at Aynor in the first round, controlling possession throughout before scoring a pair of late goals and locking down on defense to earn a trip to top-seeded Camden

The Whale Branch boys earned the first playoff win in the program’s history Monday with a 6-1 home win over Bethune-Bowman in the first round of the Class 1A bracket, and their reward is a rematch with another region rival. The Warriors travel to No. 3 seed Bridges Prep in the second round Wednesday, and they’ll have an uphill climb. The Bucs won the two regular-season meetings by a 24-1 aggregate score and have

won five straight matches since their lone defeat of the season.

BA boys hitting stride Beaufort Academy’s boys have won four of their last five matches after a 2-1 overtime win over Patrick Henry on Monday. Brayden Savage and Grady Lamm scored goals for the Eagles, who had needed a shootout to take down the Patriots after playing to a scoreless draw last week.

BA had one more regular-season game scheduled Tuesday against St. John’s Christian Academy and then awaits the release of the SCISA playoff brackets.

The Gamecocks also added 7-footer Jordan Butler, a Greenville product who is coming home from Missouri, as well as in-state guard Cam Scott out of Lexington, as well as Finnish forward

founder

sports editor

Island Packet

Beaufort Gazette

6½ years. He

passion

Nick Pringle

Beaufort High’s Kylie Rast gets a big bear hug from her coach and father Scott Rast after she scored the winning run following a spectacular head-first dive into home plate in the bottom of the seventh inning against the

3-2.

Battery Creek’s Darwin Flores, right, gets tangled up with a Philip Simmons player during the first half of their Region 8-3A soccer match Wednesday, April 24, at Dolphins Stadium. Despite their best efforts, the Dolphins couldn’t generate any offense against the more powerful, top ranked Iron Horses, losing the match, 6-0. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

CALENDAR

Karaoke with Melissa

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

Karaoke with Melissa

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

Trivia with Tom – Fat Patties

7:30 p.m., Every Wednesday, Fat Patties, 831 Parris Island Gateway, Beaufort. Free. Team trivia event, win house cash prizes! For more information, visit https://rb.gy/o9nhwe.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Trivia with Tom – Bricks On Boundary

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Bluffton Night Bazaar –a Lowcountry Made Market

5 to 8 p.m., first Thursday of each month, Burnt Church Distillery, 120 Bluffton Road. A highly curated selection of accessories, clothing, home goods, custom gifts and more by local artists and makers.

TECHconnect

5:30 to 7:30 p.m., 3rd Thursday of each month, Beaufort Digital Corridor, 500 Carteret Street, Suite D, Beaufort. Free. The BDC's signature happy hour “meetup” networking event for tech professionals. Connect with like-minded people, fellow entrepreneurs, start-ups and VCs over local food and cold beverages. Call 843-470-3506 or visit https://rb.gy/ e7t2h for more information.

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

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

Highway 21 Flea Market

9 a.m. to 4 p.m., every Saturday and Sunday, Highway 21 Drive-In. Sellers, vendors, handmade items, unique products and yard sale items. For information, email lowcountryfleamarket@gmail.com.

Port Royal Farmers Market

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

Slip and Splash Saturdays

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

Music Bingo with Mike –Bricks On Boundary

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Eric’s Karaoke Krew

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

Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud

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

Karaoke with Melissa

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

WHAT’S HAPPENING

HIGHWAY 21 DRIVE-IN

The movies scheduled for this week (Friday, May 3 through Thursday, May 9) at the Highway 21 Drive-In are Fall Guy (PG-13, 8:30 p.m.) and Abigail (R, 10:45 p.m.) on Screen 1; Tarot (PG-13, 8:30 p.m.) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (PG-13, 10:50 p.m.) on Screen 2; Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (PG, 8:30 p.m.) and Alien (R, 10:50 p.m.) on Screen 3.

Online ticketing is available at hwy21drivein. com on the Now Playing page. Patrons are asked to arrive early on Friday and Saturday nights. Gates open at 6 p.m.

A reminder: no outside food or beverages can be brought into the drive-in.

Upcoming movies include The Garfield Movie (May) and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (May).

DANCE

The Beaufort Shag Club

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

FAITH

Encounter Revolution

7 p.m., Friday, May 3; 9 p.m., Saturday, May 4, Grace AME Church, 10 Holly Hall Road, Lady’s Island. Join the Encounter Revolution on tour and embark on a transformative journey like no other.

Throughout two explosive days you will be immersed in a rich tapestry of teaching, worship and divine encounters, leaving you equipped and empowered to unlock your divine destiny. You will be moved, challenged and transformed through teachings and activations from Dr. Venner Alston. Free and open to the public. For more information, call Carrie Major at 843-812-4399.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Rooted Beaufort Yoga classes

5:30 to 6:45 p.m., Thursdays, Cypress Wetlands, Port Royal; 9 to 10:15 a.m., Whitehall Park or Pigeon Point Park. Rooted Beaufort is a collective of local Yoga teachers who host outdoor yoga classes and donation-based events with proceeds being donated locally on a rotating basis.

BEMER Q&A

10 a.m., Fridays via Zoom. Already own a BEMER? Love it but have questions about your specific situation or curious about what else your unit can do? Join your BEMER Specialist – Human + Equine, Elizabeth Bergmann, to ask questions about usage, components, BEMER gear, what’s new or anything else about our leading-edge circulation therapy and longevity enhancing medical device. These sessions are designed to support those who have their own unit but anyone interested is welcome. Free. Call 410-212-1468 to get the Zoom link.

HISTORY

Beaufort History Museum at the Arsenal

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

The Historic Port Royal Museum

10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or upon request, Thursdays through Sundays, The Historic Port Royal Museum, 1634 Paris Ave. The museum features the turn-of-the-century businesses and industries of Port Royal: Shrimping, crabbing, oystering, the railroad, the school and the mercantile. Great gifts featuring local artists are available. For more information. visit www.portroyalhistory.org, email historicportroyalfoundation@gmail.com or call 843-524-4333.

Tour Historic Fort Fremont Dawn to dusk, Monday through Sunday, The Fort Fremont Preserve, 1124 Land’s End Road, St. Helena Island. Free and open to the public. The History Center is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitors can learn about the fort’s history during the Spanish-American War through interpretive signs, self-guided walking tours with a smart phone, exhibits in the history center, and docent-led tours. For more information visit www.fortfremont.org or contact Passive Parks Manager Stefanie Nagid at snagid@bcgov.net.

LIBRARY ACTIVITIES

Mother’s Day Craft 1 p.m., Saturday, May 11, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Helena Island. Ages 3 to 10. Come make something special for the moms in your life. No registration necessary.

“Lego” With Lego

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

Book Club

5 to 5:45 p.m., every Wednesday through May 22, St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road, St. Hel-

ena Island. Free and open to the public. Ages 6 to 11. Registration is encouraged, but drop-ins are welcome. Books that make you smile. Make friends and share what you are reading. Call 843-255-6541 for more information.

Career Navigator

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

MEETINGS

SCDOT SC+EV Initiative public meeting

5 to 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 6, Beaufort Branch Library. One of 20 public open house meetings across the state to provide an update on the state’s efforts to support the electric vehicle (EV) industry and ecosystem as it kicks off the SC+EV Initiative. Attendees are encouraged to drop in anytime to the open house meetings; no formal presentations will be given. A virtual public meeting will be held in tandem with the public open houses. Members of the public can view the virtual meeting starting April 22, 2024 at www.southcarolina-ev.com. Public comments may be submitted either in person at the meeting, through the project email, connect@southcarolina-ev.com, or by mail to SC+EV C/O SCDOT, 1201 Main Street Suite 800, Columbia, SC 29201. Beaufort County election education forum

6 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, 367 Keans Neck Road, Seabrook. The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections is hosting 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 forums are free and open to the public. No rsvp is required. For more information visit Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration or call Jean Felix, Training and Outreach Coordinator at 843-255-6900.

Beaufort Sportfishing and Diving Club

7 p.m., Thursday, May 9, Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, Lady’s Island, off Meridian Road. The social begins at 6:30 p.m. Well known local Captain Brian McCaffree of Holden On Charters will give a presentation on King and Spanish Mackerels. He will discuss near shore and artificial reef fishing for King and Spanish Mackerels. This will include live baiting, baits of choice, setups, rods and reels. Captain McCaffree will also explain the use of fishing planners. Guests are welcome. Reservations are not needed. For additional information, please contact Captain Frank Gibson at 843-521-7340 or email fgibson@islc.net.

Indivisible Beaufort

11 a.m., Saturday, May 11, Beaufort Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort. Murray Skees, Professor of Philosophy and Interdisciplinary courses at USC Beaufort, will be the featured speaker. Skees will speak on “Technology’s Influence On Our Attitudes And Behavior: Do We All Live In Our Own Echo Chamber? Skees has researched and written extensively about how social media, technology, and media consumption trends influence our attitudes and behavior and will share his findings and insights. The event is free and open to the public.

American Association of University Women

6 p.m., Tuesday, May 14, First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 410 Church Street, Beaufort. The group will present its annual Non-Traditional Student scholarship award, followed by the monthly AAUW meeting. For more information, email jherbertaauw@gmail.com.

Zonta Club of Beaufort

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

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

The Beaufort Trailblazers –A Volunteer Group

8 a.m., first Thursday each month, Herban Marketplace, Beaufort. Anyone interested in supporting or building off-road/dirt/wilderness mountain biking/jogging/walking trails near is encouraged to attend. For more information, call 843-575-0021 or email universitybicycles@hotmail.com.

Emotions Anonymous International local group meeting 4 p.m, Thursdays, via Zoom. Emotions Anonymous International, (EAI), is a nonprofit program designed to help people with emotional difficulties. It has a chapter in the Lowcountry and members want others who feel the need to know they are welcome to participate. There is no charge to participate. They are based on the 12 steps and 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous and follow a specific format designed to provide the support and tools for navigating life’s painful difficulties. All are welcome. Anyone interested in participating may contact the

group via email at EALowcountry@gmail. com or call or text Laurie at 252- 9177082. For more information on EAI visit www.emotionsanonymous.org.

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

MUSIC

Street Music on Paris Avenue 6 p.m., Saturdays, May 4, May 18, June 1, June 15, Paris Avenue between 9th and 10th streets, Port Royal. Free concerts. begin at 6 p.m., and take place. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and their dancing shoes. May 4: Soulful Femme -- a mixture of blues, soul and rock. May 18: Dave Keller – soul singer. June 1: Jonathan Ellison -- mix of gospel, blues and soul, as well as a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll. June 15: Seth Walker -- blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash of country.

Beaufort Drum Circle 4:30 p.m., Sunday, May 12, Gazeebo, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort. Join a growing group of drummers who meet on the Beaufort River and create beautiful communal rhythms while enjoying the beautiful vista and the pleasant breezes. Everyone is welcome. No experience necessary. You don't even have to drum. Come just listen and enjoy, dance, hula hoop or whatever. Please bring a chair. Extra drums are available for your use.

Departure – The Journey Tribute Band 8:30 p.m., Friday May 17, The Fillin’ Station, Lady’s Island. Capacity is limited. Tickets will include food and showgoers’ first cocktail. Ticket holders will also be entered in a drawing to win a three-day, two-night stay at a cabin on the Cartecay River in the Georgia mountains. Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased in advance at https://bit.ly/3JwMMag.

Beaufort Drum Circle 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 31, Gazeebo, Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, Beaufort. Join a growing group of drummers who meet on the Beaufort River and create beautiful communal rhythms while enjoying the beautiful vista and the pleasant breezes. Everyone is welcome. No experience necessary. You don't even have to drum. Come just listen and enjoy, dance, hula hoop or whatever. Please bring a chair. Extra drums are available for your use.

OUTDOORS

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

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

SEWING/QUILTING

Maye River Quilters 10 a.m., Saturday, May 11, Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 1 Cooperative Way, Hardeeville. Social time at 9:30 a.m. To attend as a guest, please email RSVP to mayeriverquilters@gmail.com. For more information and membership forms to join the group, call 978-464-0585.

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

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

SPORTS/GAMES

ACBL Duplicate Bridge Club 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Tuesdays, Carteret St. United Methodist Church. Games and events will be held weekly. Director Gene Ogden. Contact Jane Simpson at 803-226-3491.

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

BA season comes to close

Beaufort Academy’s Van Hefner reaches to return the ball to Holy Trinity’s Selah McGrew during their No. 2 singles match Wednesday, April 24, at Beaufort Academy. Van Hefner went on to win the match 6-0, 6-1. The Eagles won 9-0 over the Mighty Lions. The Beaufort Academy tennis team saw its season end with a 5-4 loss at Mead Hall in the SCISA 1A/2A semifinals Monday, April 30. KJ Browning and Addy Norris each won their singles matches and teamed up for a doubles win, and Aden Harrington and Nathaniel Nash won at No. 2 doubles, but the Eagles needed one more victory to advance to the finals. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Beaufort

girls 1st, boys 2nd in county

LowcoSports.com

Beaufort High’s girls took home the team title and the Eagles finished second in the boys standings Wednesday at the Beaufort County Track & Field Championships at Hilton Head Island High.

The Eagles collected 157 points to edge the host Seahawks (135) for the girls

crown, while Hilton Head (158 5) took the top spot over Beaufort (136) in the boys standings. Yzeult Antia had another incredible day to lead Beaufort’s girls, winning gold in the 800 1600, and 400-meter hurdles, while Anaiya Houseal added gold in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump and placed second in

the long jump, and Aleeyah Echols won the 400 meters. Eric Smart won three golds for Beaufort’s boys, taking the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles and the pole vault, and Amare Patterson swept the 100- and 200-meter dashes, with Battery Creek’s Savion Simmons second in the 100 and third in the 200

Good Neighbor Pickleball Tournament

Brad Schubert, of Parris Island,

to power the ball over the net as teammate Jeff Weber, of Beaufort,

him during their set in the annual Good Neighbor Medical Clinic Pickleball Tournament on Saturday, April 28, 2024 at Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club.

Run from page B1

Bucs get tough draw

Bridges Prep’s girls won nine of their last 10 regular-season games and earned a home game in the first round of the Class 2A/1A playoffs and were set to host Hampton County on

Tuesday, but the draw is brutal beyond the first round. The winner will travel to top-ranked Oceanside Collegiate in round 2 Eagles, Mighty Lions on crash course Whatever happens when the girls from Beaufort Academy and Holy Trinity square off in their regular-season finale Thursday,

both know from experience it isn’t likely to be their last meeting this year.

Although the SCISA playoff brackets won’t be released until later this week, assuming they’re placed on opposite sides of the bracket, a rematch of last year’s state championship game is highly likely — the undefeated Mighty Lions hold the top spot in the MaxPreps rankings with the defending champion Eagles in second.

jumps

watches

Amber Hewitt/ The Island News

Busting plant-based diet myths

By Sonya Goins

Many people eat a plantbased diet for health benefits and cultural and religious beliefs, while others just enjoy the savory taste of fruits and vegetables.

However, there are some people who shy away from a plant-based diet because of misconceptions. Vegetarian diets have the reputation of being bland and not appetizing.

Dr. Christine Nguyen, a Mayo Clinic family physician, talks about myths surrounding plant-based diets. She says, "We might think of whole-food, plant-based foods as your boring old salad that is some lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes."

Myths about vegan diets

Prepared correctly, foods like asparagus, tofu and mushrooms can be savory. One of the biggest misconceptions about a plantbased diet is that it's difficult to get enough protein.

"Common whole-food, plant-based sources of protein include beans, legumes, some nuts and seeds," explains Dr. Nguyen. Some people think this type of diet will lead to nu-

trient deficiencies. Eating a well-balanced diet of fruits and vegetables is key.

"The colors associated with the different fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients that can help

boost the immune function," says Dr. Nguyen. Additional micronutrients, like vitamin B12 and vitamin D, can be supplemented. It's also important to talk to your primary care

clinician about your diet.

Plant-based diet benefits: Reduce heart disease.

Lower blood pressure. Improve gut health.

Weight management. Cutdown on risk of chronic disease. Rich in nutrients. Reduces environmental footprint.

Investigators have studied the relationship between plant-based food intake and various ailments in many studies. Spoiler alert: Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains is good for you.

There are many reasons for following a plant-based diet, but perhaps the most common is health benefits.

A plant-based diet can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and certain types of cancer.

A well-planned vegetarian diet is a healthy way to meet the nutritional needs of people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and

pregnant or breastfeeding women. The key is to be aware of your nutritional needs so that you plan a diet that meets them.

Another consideration is cost. It can be challenging to serve healthy meals on a tight budget. Meatless meals are built around beans, lentils, vegetables, and whole grains. These plant-based proteins tend to be less expensive and offer more health benefits than meat. If making the switch to plant-based meals seems daunting, here are recipes (https://www.mayoclinic. org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/meatless-recipes/) for everything from appetizers to desserts to get you started.

Sources: https://newsnetwork. mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayoclinic-minute-busting-plant-baseddiet-myths/; https://newsnetwork. mayoclinic.org/discussion/consumerhealth-what-could-a-plant-baseddiet-do-for-you/

Beaufort Memorial Urology Specialists to add Urologist, Physician Assistant

The addition of two new providers to Beaufort Memorial Urology Specialists will expand the range of services available to residents of the Lowcountry and beyond.

A board-certified and broadly experienced urologist, Louis Remynse, M.D., brings nearly four decades of clinical and surgical experience to Urology Specialists, where he will diagnose and treat a wide range of chronic and acute urological disorders, among them benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), kidney stones and urinary incontinence. A member of the Society of Urologic Oncology, Dr. Remynse specializes in robot-assisted surgical treatments for bladder, kidney and prostate cancers. In

total, he has performed more than 1 250 da Vinci robotic surgeries.

Remynse comes to the practice from Cedarwood Medical Center in St. Joseph, Mich., and earlier practiced at urology groups and medical centers in Pennsylvania, Maine and Illinois.

Dr. Louis Remynse

The Michigan native received a Doctor of Medicine from University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and completed a residency in urology at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, serving as chief medical resident while there.

Matthew “Matt” Baker, PA-C, PharmD, is skilled as a certified physician assistant and as a pharmacist. At the urology practice works with its clinical team to assess and manage treatment for acute and chronic urological disorders that most frequently can be addressed with medication rather than surgery.

A Yemassee native and self-described “Lowcountry boy,” Baker completed several clinical rotations at Beaufort Memorial during his PA training. He came to Urology Specialists after seven years as a physician assistant at a urology practice in Bluffton, where he gained expertise in cystoscope procedures and active monitoring

of patients with an elevated PSA level and those at the conclusion of their prostate cancer treatment.

Matthew Baker

For the first nine years of his medical career, he was employed as a pharmacist before determining that his heart lay in direct patient care. Baker holds a Master of Physician Assistant Studies from South University in Savannah and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Beaufort Memorial Urology Specialists, formerly known as

Coastal Carolina Urology Group, was acquired by Beaufort Memorial in late 2023, and offers women and men expertise and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary system diseases and conditions, including those affecting the kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, ureters, urethra and male reproductive organs. Remynse and Baker join board-certified urologist Louis Plzak, M.D., and certified physician assistants Kristin Callaghan and Nancy Thomas at the practice, located at 1055 Ribaut Road, Suite 10, in Beaufort.

To make an appointment with Remynse, Baker or any of the practice providers, call (843) 524-7607

The link between dehydration and blood pressure

Not drinking enough fluids can send your blood pressure on a rollercoaster ride

The importance of maintaining a healthy blood pressure gets a lot of attention—and rightfully so. It’s key to keeping blood flowing so it can deliver oxygen and nutrients to every nook and cranny in your body.

The good news? There’s something simple you can do to assist the process and keep your blood pressure stable: Drink plenty of fluids.

Being dehydrated can cause your blood pressure to plummet and then potentially skyrocket in response. In extreme cases, this wild fluctuation could send you into a life-threatening case of shock.

So, how can dehydration increase your risk of experiencing both low blood pressure and high blood pressure? Preventive cardiologist Luke Laffin, MD, explains.

How dehydration causes low blood pressure

Approximately 55% to 60% of your body is made of water. There’s water in your bones, water in your muscles and water in your brain. Basically, there’s a splash of H2O everywhere inside of you.

Not surprisingly, your blood is mostly water—which explains why it flows through your veins like a liquid and drips when you get a cut. There are usually about 5 quarts (1 25 gallons) of blood in your system.

Now, let’s talk about dehydration. When

you’re dehydrated, it means that your body’s water supply is depleted. This can happen for any number of reasons, ranging from sweating a lot on a hot day, to medications or simply not drinking enough. Whatever the cause, that loss of fluid is

felt everywhere in your body—including blood volume. Low blood volume leads to low blood pressure, meaning your organs may not get the oxygen needed to function properly.

In the simplest of explanations, you’re just not filling up the pipes enough for what your vascular system needs,” says Dr. Laffin.

In the most extreme cases, this drop can cause heart or brain damage or even death.

Signs of low blood pressure

Concerning symptoms of low blood pressure may include:

Feeling lightheaded or dizzy.

Fainting or passing out (syncope).

• Nausea or vomiting. Blurred or distorted vision. Fast, shallow breathing. Fatigue or weakness.

Confusion or trouble concentrating.

How dehydration causes high blood pressure

Your body has mechanisms in place to counteract when blood pressure drops to lower-than-optimal levels. That’s a good thing … unless the correction turns into an overcorrection, notes Dr. Laffin.

When you’re dehydrated, sodium levels in your blood typically rise. Your system responds by releasing more of a hormone

called vasopressin, which works to help your body hang on to water.

Vasopressin also can cause your blood vessels to tighten, or constrict, which makes your blood pressure rise. (This becomes more of a concern if you’re already dealing with hypertension, or chronically high blood pressure.)

Best advice? Stay hydrated

Want to avoid blood pressure issues related to hydration? Then, just make sure you’re drinking enough fluids during the day.

As a general guideline, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine recommends consuming 125 ounces (3 7 liters) of fluid per day for men and 91 ounces (2 7 liters) for women.

But your fluid intake needs may be greater, depending on factors such as weather, location, and physical activity. Taking certain medications also may make you more prone to dehydration.

“Staying hydrated helps to keep your body in balance in many ways, including your blood pressure,” says Dr. Laffin. “Understanding that and being consistent about fluid intake can help keep you out of trouble.”

Source: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dehydrationand-blood-pressure

Beaufort Memorial leaders

win Palmetto Gold awards for outstanding

Jaime Cuff, NP, and Kevin Kremer, RN, among top 100 in SC

Beaufort Memorial Hospital

(BMH) Nurse Practitioner Jaime Cuff, APRN, FNP-C, and Registered Nurse Kevin Kremer, RN, BSN, have each earned the Palmetto Gold Award, a designation given by the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.

Established in 2002, the Palmetto Gold Nurse Recognition and Scholarship Program recognizes the state’s 100 top registered nurses each year for the valuable contributions they make to patient care and the leadership they have shown to promote the nursing profession.

Cuff is the director of the hospital’s Preoperative Assessment Clinic (PAC), and Kremer is the director of the Pratt Emergency Center.

Recognizing the need to better prepare high-risk patients for sur-

gery, Cuff was chosen to serve as the provider of the Preoperative Assessment Clinic (PAC), which helps ensure patients with other health conditions and risk factors experience the best possible outcomes and patient safety. Cuff works with about 200 patients per month and sees more than 90 percent of total knee and hip replacement patients. While preparing patients for surgery, the PAC regularly uncovers chronic conditions and other important information that might otherwise delay a surgery or add risk for postoperative complications.

Kremer joined Beaufort Memorial in 2005 and has seen the emergency department grow to serve approximately 50,000 patients annually. Over the last year, he has led an initiative to measurably re-

wise WORDS ©

duce wait times for patients being treated in the emergency room and the time it takes to transfer them to a hospital unit when inpatient care is needed. The new processes expedite a coordinated hand-off of patients to nursing units and alert housekeeping to prepare the room for the next patient, thus reducing the time patients spend in the emergency room and enabling staff to accommodate a growing volume of ER patients. The efforts have also improved overall patient satisfaction.

Cuff and Kremer received their awards at the 22nd Annual Palmetto Gold Gala on April 27 in Columbia. Proceeds from the event support the Palmetto Gold Scholarship Program, which provides funding to nursing students across South Carolina.

Allergy-friendly gardening

For many people with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever), getting hands dirty in the garden and yard has consequences. Sneezing, itchy eyes, congestion and other reactions can turn yard work into misery.

With a few simple precautions, allergies don't have to stand between you and your garden. The best times of day to be outdoors are when the pollen levels are lower. This is typically on rainy, cloudy and windless days. Pay attention to pollen counts in your area by subscribing to the email alerts available from the National Allergy BureauTM (NAB) at www.aaaai.org. The NAB provides the most accurate and reliable pollen and mold levels from approximately 78 counting stations throughout the United States, two counting stations in Canada and two counting stations in Argentina. Avoid touching your eyes or face when doing yard work. You may also consider wearing a mask to reduce the amount of pollen

spores that you breathe in. Leave gardening tools and clothing (such as gloves and shoes) outside to avoid bringing allergens indoors.

Showering immediately after gardening may also help reduce symptoms. Certain flowers, trees and grasses are better suited for the gardens of people with outdoor allergies. These include:

• Cactus

• Cherry tree

• Dahlia • Daisy • Geranium • Hibiscus • Iris

Magnolia

Roses • Snapdragon • Tulip

In general, highly-allergenic trees and grasses include:

Ash

Cedar

Cottonwood

Maple

Oak

Johnson grass • Rye grass

Timothy

The best way to determine which plants trigger your allergic reactions is through skin testing performed by an allergist / immunologist. An allergist can help you develop strategies to avoid troublesome plants and pollen and can prescribe medication to alleviate symptoms.

Allergy shots (immunotherapy) may offer permanent relief from allergy symptoms. Check with your allergist / immunologist to see if this is an effective treatment for you.

Another form of allergy immunotherapy is called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) allergy tablets. Rather than shots, allergy tablets involve administering the allergens under the tongue generally on a daily basis.

Sources: http://www.aaaai.org/ conditions-and-treatments/library/ allergy-library/allergy-friendlygardening.aspx https://www.aaaai.org/toolsfor-the-public/allergy,-asthmaimmunology-glossary/pollen-countsdefined

When to purge old prescriptions care TALK ©

It’s a great time to spring clean your medicine cabinet

According to Neha Vyas, MD, a family medicine physician with Cleveland Clinic, it’s the perfect time to purge those old prescriptions.

“Expired medications have the potential for becoming more toxic and potentially interfering with other new medicines that you may be taking,” she explained. “On the flip side, expired medications may lose their potency and not work as effectively.”

Dr. Vyas said it’s a good idea to check expiration dates, especially on liquid antibiotics, insulin and blood thinners, as these medications may do more harm than good once past their prime. In fact, poisoning can occur from ac-

cidentally taking medication that’s been lingering around the medicine cabinet too long.

Dr. Vyas also reminds us to take prescriptions the way they were intended.

“If you have kept a whole bunch of drugs from 10 years ago, that’s generally not a good thing. You should immediately to talk to your doctor about what the best and most appropriate medicine and most recent medicine is for you,” she advised. She adds that it’s always a good idea to bring medications to your annual exam so your doctor can help you decide which prescriptions to throw away.

Source: newsroom. clevelandclinic.org.

At the Palmetto Gold Awards ceremony: Award recipients Kevin Kremer, RN, and Jaime Cuff, FNP-C (second and third from the left) are congratulated by Beaufort Memorial Chief Medical Officer Kurt Gambla, M.D.; President & CEO Russell Baxley; and Director of Education Joy Solomon. Photo provided

LOCAL MILITARY

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, 3 May 2024

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

3rd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel G. F. Curley Commander of Troops, Captain Rebecca L. Stewart • Parade Adjutant, Sergeant D. E. Edwards Company “L”, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain Rebecca L. Stewart Drill Masters • Gunnery Sergeant E. B. Owrey, Staff Sergeant O. Scott III

PLATOON 3016

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt M. D. Harriot

PVT Averett, Trevor D.

PVT Awogbemi, Paul M.

PVT Barrera, Sebastian

PVT Belflower, Daytona C.

PVT Beyrent, Nicholas C.

PFC Bo, Sheel

PVT Boswell, Jared T.

PFC Boykin, Ashton C.

PFC Bryant, Justin T.

PVT Butler, Justin E.

PVT Cabrera, Rashaun S.

PVT Castile, Brody T.

PVT Chambers Jr, Devulsia L.

PFC Cole, Gabriel C.

PVT Conn, Justin T.

PVT Cox, Cain C.

PVT Daley, Aiden W.

PFC Delaney, Tsion S.

PVT Escamillahernandez, Gabriel

PFC Farley, Isaiah V.

PFC Fincher, James N.

PFC Garner, Kyle W.*

PVT Hammood, Meh

PVT Hardegree, Devin J.

PFC Harrington, Kanon D.

PFC Hernandez, Alejandro A.

PVT Hobbs, Benjamin C.

PVT Jones, Devin M.

PFC Kitchens, Tanner D.*

PVT Kreis, Joseph M.

PFC Lagodny, Andrew V.

PVT Lambert, Lucas D.

PFC Mckibben, Jake A.*

PFC Misch, Noah D.*

PVT Moisan, Kyle W.

PFC Morris, Malik J.

PFC Mullenax, Dshaun P.

PVT Osburn, Joshua F.

PVT Palomoreyes, Juan D.

PVT Perez, Eric N.

PVT Phillips, Marcus W.

PVT Prochnow, Mitchell R.

PFC Pyint, Poe L.

PVT Ramirezlopez, Edward

PFC Reza, Salvio S.

PVT Rowe, Gavin A.

PVT Saunders, Alexander J.

PVT Slater, Ian

PVT Smith, Jackson T.

PVT Telwom, Christopher E.

PVT Torresperez, Jason

PFC Vaughan Iii, Robert L.

PFC Votaw, Ian M.

PFC Warden Jr, Anthonie J.*

PVT Wilhite, Tyler B.

PVT Yazzie, Jonathan A.

PLATOON 3017

Senior Drill Instructor SSgt T. D. Woods

PVT Acostaherrera, F.

PVT Amato, A. I.

PVT Barnett, G. E.

PVT Braimah, A.

PVT Contreras, J. B.

PVT Cunningham, C. M.

PVT Desselle, G. E.

PFC Dubreus, A.

PFC Farrow, E. M.

PVT Garrick, I. L.

PVT Gonzalez, M. M.

PVT Jones, K. R.

PVT Juarezdelgado, E. L.

PVT Lai, J. M.

PVT Larkins, M. S.

PVT Lopez, I.

PVT Martinezmartinez, D.

PFC Maxwell, A. B.

PFC Melendez, N. M.*

PVT Motavasquez, B.

PVT Phelps, E. A.

PVT Portal, D. M.

PFC Rodriguez, I. A.*

PFC Salamanca, J. D.

PVT Samuels, S. K.

PFC Scarlett, A. J.*

PVT Shoemaker, B. E.

PVT Tellomorales, A. P.

PFC Tuchscherer, S. K.*

PVT Vargas, A. J.

PVT Vincent, S. T.

PLATOON 3020

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt S. A. Kasahara

PFC Adams, E. T.*

PFC Adkins, J. W.

PVT Apfelbeck, R. D.

PVT Boccuto, V. F.

PVT Borjas, L. J.

PVT Boskovic, D.

PVT Bracken, C. J.

PVT Brassell, N. J.

PFC Buccino, A. R.*

PVT Burnswell, J. A.

PFC Campbell, K. A.

PFC Chiu, B. W.

PVT Coleman Jr, P. J.

PVT Compton, J. T.

PVT Corbin, J. Q.

PVT Cunningham J. E.

PVT Defino, A. W.

PFC Dufour, S. J.

PVT Dyson, D. L.

PFC Gaddy III, J. G.

PFC Hassanyar, M.

PVT Henderson, J. J.

PVT Keilhofer, T. R.

PFC Martinezrubio, A.

PVT Melendez, D. J.

PFC Mensah, S. G.

PFC Mercado, E. J.

PVT Miller, W. A.

PFC

PFC Morales, J.

PFC Ostertag, C. P.

PVT Parham, R. L.

PVT Perez, K. E

PFC Pontiff, L. A.

PFC Rai, B.

PVT Richardson, Z. A.

PVT Rios, J. D.

PFC Rodriguezsantiago, J. G.

PVT Sadie, K. M.

PVT Siniecioglesias, B. J.

PFC Smith, K. I.

PVT Straughan, N. K.

PFC Thomas, M. C.

PVT Tobarmenjivar, L. E.

PVT Trinh, D. P.

PVT Vallecillovelasquez, W. M.

PVT Villanueva, R. A.

PFC Watson, W. S.*

PVT Webb, K. E.

PVT Whitehead, G. J.

PFC Wredberg, M. A.

PFC Yates, K. A.

PVT Yates III, W. L.

PFC Zavala, E. B.*

PLATOON 3021

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt D. L. Goodman

PVT Almonte, R.

PVT Augustinsthilaire, G. D.

PVT Baker, I. D.

PVT Barreto, S. J.

PFC Blancovargas, M. A.

PVT Brewington, D. T.

PVT Bump, C. R.

PVT Burton, E. M.

PVT Byrd, C. W.

PVT Campbell, D. J.

PFC Cardoza, I. V.*

PVT Cheadle, A. M.

PFC Dansfieldcastillo, J. D.

PFC Ebelle Ii, A.W.

PVT Flores, J. A.

PVT Fraser, J. A.

PVT Fuentes, D.

PVT Gaul, M. A.

PVT Gautieri, J. M.

PFC Goonan, R. B.

PFC Guaman, G.

PVT Hernandezmartinez, A. C.

PFC Herrera, A. A.

PVT Hilbert, M. E.

PFC Hrouda, R. D.*

PVT Hunter, J. A.

PVT Jacker, D. M.

PVT Jerez, E. E.

PVT Johnson, H. B.

PFC Labandeira, E. G.

PVT Lowe, C. R.

PVT Mckoy, D. M.

PVT Mezaespinoza, J. M.

PFC Miraldi, R. E.

PVT Moreno, G. M.

PFC Myers, C. R.*

PVT Olivahernandez, K. A.

PFC Pardy, Y. M.

PVT Paulson, C. J.

PFC Pavlinetz, M. Q.

PFC Podaras, N. J.

PFC Ramirez, E.

PVT Smith, B. A.

PVT Spain, A. J.

PFC Stump, A. B.

PVT Taylor, M. D.

PFC Tillan, C. M.

PVT Tomaselli, T. G.

PVT Variara, G. J.

PFC Velez, G. A.

PVT Villedagijon, H. G.

PVT Vongmisay, S. N.

PFC Yungacabrera, M.

PFC Zivan, B. E.

*Denotes Meritorious Promotion

ENTREES:

Stuffed Poblanos w/ chorizo & mexican rice

Beef or Chicken Taquitos

Carne Asada Rice Bowls

Carne Asada Cauliflower Bowl

Chorizo Queso

Tortilla Chips

PVT Delgiudice, C. J.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Shrimp Cocktail Deviled

LOCAL MILITARY

Naval Hospital Beaufort celebrates 75 years

The last three articles I wrote for The Island News were on VA careers and employment assistance. Although I mentioned in past articles that SC WORKS is an excellent place for military members, veterans, and their family members to get employment assistance, this article and my next article will go into more detail about SCWorks.org. SCWorks.org is a source of help for job seekers, employers, and those looking to advance their careers. The SCWorks.org webpage is found at https://scworks.org.

Through the SC Works Center, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, the S.C. Department of Social Services, the Commission of the Blind, Adult Education, and the S.C. Department of Vocational Rehabilitation leverage the state’s workforce system by providing services such as career guidance, job referrals, and testing and training to meet the needs of job seekers, employers and those looking to further their careers. Specifically, SCWorks.org provides:

Job Seekers: Representatives in the SC Works Centers help match individuals to jobs and provide education and training through partnerships and initiatives.

Employers: SC Works offers assistance finding skilled workers, information about qualifying for tax credits, instructions on how to pay your unemployment tax, and more.

• Workforce Partners: The SC Works system supports collaboration and partnerships throughout the state to build a skilled workforce. There is a SCWORKS Center and Connection Point in all 46 SC counties. According to SC WORKS Veteran Services’ webpage found at https://bit.

ly/3WncwO4, SC Works Centers across the state have a trained and dedicated staff, many of whom are veterans or service members themselves, who are specifically trained to assist military job seekers find civilian employment.

Through SC Works Centers and Connection Points, military members, veterans, and their dependents can access a variety of workforce services. The SC Works Centers and Connection Points are organized into 12 groups, and the three groups along the SC coastline include the Lowcountry group, the Trident group, and the Waccamaw group.

• SC Lowcountry (Group) Works Centers include re-employment services for job seekers, partner services, business services, and resource rooms for use when filing for unemployment benefits or searching for work online. The Beaufort, S.C. Work Center is located at 164 Castle Rock Road, Beaufort, S.C. 29901, Phone: 843-524-3351. The Hampton Work Center is located at 54 Tech Circle, Varnville, S.C. 29944, Phone: 843-266-9254 The Colleton Work Center is located at 1085 Thunderbolt Drive, Walterboro, S.C. 29488, Phone: 843-538-1613

• SC Lowcountry (Group) Connection Points include free public access to computers and tools to guide

jobseekers through the job search process. SC Works Connection Points are located in the Beaufort County Library Beaufort Branch, the Beaufort County Library Bluffton Branch, the Beaufort County Library Hilton Head Branch, the Beaufort County Library Lobeco Branch, the Beaufort County Library St. Helena Branch, the Edisto Beach Library, the Colleton County Memorial Library, the Hampton County Library, the Estill Public Library, the Pratt Memorial Library, the Hardeeville Community Library, and the Cottageville Library. Learn more about SC Works Centers at https:// scworks.org/centers.

Disabled Veterans Outreach Program (DVOP)

representatives

DVOP representatives provide intensive case management services to targeted veterans with an emphasis on meeting the employment needs of veterans who are economically or educationally disadvantaged.

Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER)

LVER Representatives conduct employer outreach to help veterans gain employment and provide individualized job development services to veterans. They market job-seeking veterans as individuals who have highly valuable skills and experience. They also serve as advocates for veterans with businesses and other community-based organizations. Through the support and assistance from our LVERs and DVOPs, veterans can receive priority employment services, which include group and individual career coaching, job referrals, resume preparation, and job train-

ing programs and services.

SC Works Online Veterans not only receive priority service in SC Works Centers but also through SC Works Online Services found at https://bit. ly/44nkA2Z, for the first 24 hours that a job is listed on SCWOS, only jobseekers who have identified themselves as a member of the military community can view and apply for the position. At the webpage https://bit. ly/44nkA2Z, veterans can link to how to use this site, resources for individuals, work search guide, veterans’ portal, and many more helpful sites. You can get a SC Works Mobile App at Google Play and from the Apple App Store. There is also a “work from home” button and an “apprenticeship” Button at the SC Works Online page. Learn more about SC Works Online Services https://bit. ly/44nkA2Z.

Additional SCWORKS Veterans Resources

Veterans Portal: The SC Works Veterans Portal at https://bit. ly/3xW3mh7 is a collection of resources that provides services for veterans, transitioning service members, and eligible spouses to obtain employment. At this portal, veterans can search for jobs by keyword or by Military Occupational Specialty and geographical area.

Department of Labor: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) serves America's veterans and separating from service members by preparing them for meaningful careers, providing employment resources and expertise, and protecting their employment rights.

To visit the DOL webpage, at https://bit.ly/3y27FI0

Department of Veterans Affairs: The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs administers benefits for veterans, their dependents, and survivors. The VA provides careers and employment services (see https://bit.ly/43YEa5K), inpatient and outpatient medical care, and burial in national cemeteries. VBA Regional offices administer disability compensation, pension, home loan guarantees, vocational rehabilitation, educational benefits, life insurance, and burial benefits. For more information, contact the VBA Regional Office near you. Find your closest VBA Regional Office at https://bit. ly/4dbvpt4

SC Department of Veteran Affairs (SCDVA): The SCDVA only lists resources directly linked to South Carolina government agencies, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veteran Benefits Administration (VBA), or SCDVA partner agencies and SC Veteran service organizations. The SCDVA “Employment” webpage is found at https://scdva.sc.gov/ employment. At this site, veterans can find: “Federal Jobs at SC Military Installations, ready-tohire jobs, Careers at SCDVA, and other employment resources for veterans.

Continued next week.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing

LARRY DANDRIDGE

STATE NEWS

Domestic violence victims in SC can wait weeks for legal protections

Dating partners who don’t live under the same roof can’t even qualify for protective orders

By Jessica Holdman SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Domestic violence victims in parts of South Carolina are going weeks without legal protections, particularly in rural counties and the Grand Strand, according to a report by University of South Carolina researchers.

South Carolina is the only state in the country without temporary, emergency protective orders, put in place by judges to safeguard victims who file for them until they can hold a hearing for long-term approval.

The delay allows their abusers to have ready access to a gun while they wait. With a protective order, a judge can require the abuser to turn in their guns for the length of the order, usually six months to a year, and they’re disqualified in background checks from buying a new gun during that time frame.

The lack of temporary orders is “one of the biggest gaps in law,” said University of South Carolina law professor Lisa Martin, who leads student clinics offering legal assistance to domestic violence victims.

That’s especially a problem due to the wide variance across the state in how long it can take a family court judge to hear a victim’s request, another key finding of the USC study. It involved a review of a year’s worth of court documents and protective order filings in 45 out of South Carolina’s 46 counties.

(Berkeley County opted not to participate.) The research was done by Martin’s law students, as well as USC students taking psychology and women’s and gender studies.

They found a statewide average of 14 days between a court filing and hearing. Across those 3 451 cases, 91%

of those seeking protection were women. A quarter of those cases cited the alleged abuser’s access to guns. Researchers did not analyze reasons for the delays.

The time gap grew to more than a month in the worst cases.

In Chesterfield County, 54% of victims waited more than 15 days to get a hearing.

In Edgefield and Union counties, 57% waited that long. It was 62% in Dillon County and 70% in Marion County. In fast-growing Horry County, where judges heard petitions from 114 people seeking protection, 72% of petitioners waited more than 15 days.

In Lee County, only nine victims sought orders but all of them waited 30 to 45 days for a hearing. Only one was approved.

Timing of these hearings is important because abuse victims are most at risk around the time they leave a relationship, according to Sara Barber, who heads the S.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

“There are lives here that

we can help or hurt,” Barber said of the cases featured in the study.

Barber said those who sought protective orders reported terrifying incidents, to include being pushed down stairs or having their head squeezed so tightly their nose bled.

“He said you belong to me until the day you die and you’re not dead, yet!” one court filing read.

Researchers didn’t evaluate why judges denied requests, though they noted that reasons varied from paperwork errors to people not showing up for hearings. They plan to delve into that more in following phases.

‘Left out’

South Carolina has historically rated at or near the worst in the nation in the rate of women murdered by men. The state’s consistent top-five showing led to a Pulitzer Prize winning series by The Post and Courier, published in 2014, calling state leaders out for lack of action.

According to the series, even when victims got orders of protection, enforcement de-

pended on victims calling police to report a violation.

The Legislature responded in 2015 with a law that increased penalties for abusers. It also prohibited those convicted of domestic violence from possessing or buying guns for a period of three years to a lifetime, depending on the severity of the crime.

The state fell out of the top 10 in 2018, before reverting to sixth-worst in 2019. The state’s ranking improved to 23rd in 2020, according to the most recent report by the Violence Policy Center.

“I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about some of these cases,” S.C. Supreme Court Justice John Cannon Few, a former circuit court judge, said earlier this month during a presentation of the findings at the law school.

South Carolina encourages abuse victims to seek court orders as the primary way to protect themselves.

“If that is going to our be central focus, then we have an obligation to make sure it’s working,” Martin said.

just three states where victims must have lived in the same home as the abusive partner to qualify for protective orders.

“What I found glaring is how many people are left out all together,” Martin said.

Task force findings

Adding dating partners to the protective order law was among recommendations in 2019 from a task force originally formed by then-Gov. Nikki Haley. But the part that temporarily takes away alleged abusers’ guns has prevented passage of legislation to do so. The latest bipartisan attempt has been sitting on the Senate calendar since February 2023. Floor debate on the bill chiefly sponsored by Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, has been blocked by Sen. Tom Corbin, R-Travelers Rest. He did not return a message from the S.C. Daily Gazette. But in the past, he’s said a restraining order is no reason to take away someone’s Second Amendment rights.

A bipartisan House bill that would allow judges to issue emergency protective orders has gone nowhere since its February 2023 filing. Martin said she can’t speak to how well police enforce protective orders once they’re issued. But in her experience, they give peace of mind and a sense of acknowledgment from the legal system to those seeking them.

The alleged abuser is supposed to stay away but can keep his guns. Protective orders also decide custody of children and living arrangements.

The state also lacks protections for those physically threatened by a dating partner they don’t live with.

South Carolina is among

As a second phase of their study, the researchers will analyze the use of emergency restraining orders, which are an option in cases of an immediate threat. A judge can issue those within 24 hours, but they aren’t as extensive as protective orders.

“They really can help people feel supported,” Martin said.

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.

SC senators agree to restrict children’s access to ‘prurient’ books

By Abraham Kenmore SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — County libraries would have to restrict children’s access to sexual books under a budget directive approved by the South Carolina Senate and opposed by librarians as overstepping local control.

The proposal aims to prevent children and teens from picking up sexually explicit books in their local library without their parents’ consent.

The directive is tied to state funding. In order to get their share, county libraries would need to certify that books appealing to children’s “prurient interest” don’t appear on the shelves in children and teen sections in any of their branches.

Sen. Josh Kimbrell argued parents should know what their children are checking out. His proposal would allow minors under 17 to access such books if their parents approve.

“It doesn’t ban a book, doesn’t say books can’t be present, doesn’t say you can’t have a book there. It just says you can’t allow these materials to be readily available to a minor whenever there’s not parental consent,” Kimbrell, R-Boiling Springs, told his fellow senators last Tuesday before they adopted his amendment.

He used the term “prurient interest” to match up with what’s already in state law. As defined in the section that makes child pornography and exploitation illegal, “prurient interest” is nudity or sex that arouses “lewd and lascivious desires and thoughts.”

The directive is almost identical to Kimbrell’s proposal two years ago, with one major difference: Teenagers are included too. His unsuccessful attempt in 2022 required parental consent for children under 13.

That proposal was also adopted by the Senate but didn’t make the final version of the budget.

The House removed it after an email blast from the Richland County library director — who was also then-president of the national Public Library Association — urged readers statewide to contact their local House member and ask them to “protect the freedom to

read for all South Carolinians.”

Whether Kimbrell’s proposal becomes law through the state budget is again up to the House.

Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine, D-Columbia, tried unsuccessfully to keep it out of the Senate version, first by lowering the age of consent to youth under 16, then by rejecting it altogether.

“I don’t disagree with parental consent,” she said. “I have young children myself, but I’m trying to think logistically, and I don’t want our county libraries to be penalized.”

Her motion failed 32-9. Four Democrats joined Republicans in voting to keep Kimbrell’s directive.

Part of librarians’ opposition then was that children and teen sections in libraries, particularly in small branches, can be the same area, making a ban for children’s shelves impractical.

Devin argued children and teens could still get a book from the adult sections.

Kimbrell countered his proposal does not penalize libraries if a child manages to get a restricted book. But libraries need to try to keep sexually explicit books from children, he said.

“However they want to do it, they want to put it behind the counter, if they want to put it in the parent

section, whatever they choose to do to make sure there’s parental consent involved,” Kimbrell said. “The idea would be it should not be sitting out in the open.”

Devine, the state’s newest senator, also repeated arguments from two years ago that the directive is too broad. It doesn’t specify what counts as “explicit parental consent” or whether a guardian who’s not a parent can give it.

“There’s just too much ambiguity in this,” she said.

Angela Craig, director of the Charleston County Public Library, called the proposal an unnecessary attempt to take local control away from county library boards that set policies for their branches.

“Many librarians are parents and caregivers. I mean, I’m a parent and caregiver,” said Craig, who’s also president of the South Carolina Library Association. “We completely understand that parents want to have the right to control what their kids have access to.”

But “our collection is calibrated and very thoughtful to the community and guided by these local policies, by local representation from the community,” she said.

Craig also repeated that the language is too vague and open to interpretation, which could cause trouble for employees if someone finds a book objectionable for

whatever reason. Local policies already address what are appropriate books, she said.

“We do not have books of prurient nature in our collection,” she said.

Craig said many librarians are reaching out to their representatives to again explain their concerns.

Kimbrell thinks his proposal stands a better chance this year of making it to Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk as part of the final budget.

Two years ago, his colleagues dismissed his proposal as addressing a nonexistent issue in South Carolina. But he said more legislators are getting complaints from constituents about books in their local libraries.

The House has also changed, as the chamber’s ultraconservative Freedom Caucus has pushed the chamber further to the right on social issues since the 2022 elections.

Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the S.C. Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues. S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Domestic violence victims in parts of South Carolina are going longer without legal protections, particularly in the Pee Dee region, according to University of South Carolina researchers.

STATE NEWS

SC Senate approves K-12 mandate that ‘a boy

use the boys’ bathroom’

Requirement inserted into $13.8B spending plan, despite threat of a lawsuit

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — Students in South Carolina’s K-12 schools would need to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their biological sex at birth under a rule senators inserted into their state budget package.

The proposal approved by senators 30-7 on party lines late Wednesday, April 24, applies to multi-stalled school restrooms and places where students undress, to include locker rooms and gym showers. It also specifies that during overnight school trips, students of different genders can’t sleep in the same room or use the same multi-occupancy bathroom — unless they’re siblings.

All 30 of the Senate’s Republicans voted for it. Some Democrats didn’t vote.

The vote came a day after state Superintendent Ellen Weaver sent a letter to district superintendents and school board members statewide recommending that they disregard new federal regulations expanding sex discrimination protections in Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity. The federal rules are supposed to take effect Aug. 1

will use the girls’ bathroom, the girls’ locker room, the girls’ changing room,” he said.

The proposal, he said, is in response to an 18-year-old senior at Rock Hill High who’s daily using the women’s locker room. Climer didn’t elaborate, and a spokesperson for the school district did not immediately respond to requests from the S.C. Daily Gazette for comment.

Under his proposal, districts that violate the rule risk up to 25% of their state funding.

Technically, the budget clause is not an all-out ban. Rather, it bars school districts from using any state taxes to maintain facilities or pay for trips in violation of the rule. However, since revenue sources for school operations generally all go into the same pot of money, it’s effectively a ban, as Republicans intend it to be. It’s written that way because state budget clauses must pertain to budget allocations.

A court fight?

Sen. Tameika Isaac Devine, D-Columbia, tried unsuccessfully to get Climer’s amendment thrown out as not germane to the budget. She also argued it in-

If that person was born a male and has physically transitioned and is no longer a male, by voting for this we’d be sending a female into the male’s locker room now.”

Sen. Wes Climer, R-Rock Hill, acknowledged taking “a bit of a U-turn” in offering completely different state rules for public schools.

“I don’t have any particular delight in standing here discussing this. In fact, I find it baffling, insane that we’re even having this conversation,” he said after taking the podium to explain his proposal.

This “stipulates in school settings that a boy will use the boys’ bathroom, the boys’ locker room, the boys’ changing room, and a girl

correctly attempts to change state law that declares it illegal to discriminate based on sex or in ways “degrading to human dignity.” But she was overruled.

“We know that this amendment will be a violation of constitutional law, and we could be sued. The state could be sued,” Devine said. “I think we are willfully ignoring that to play to people’s fears.”

She pointed to a 2015 federal lawsuit in which a transgender student in Virginia successfully sued the

na lawmakers are bullying transgender students,” he continued. “They need to get their priorities in order.”

The bathroom requirement was one of many education-related clauses senators added to the budget before voting late Wednesday to send the amended, $13 8 billion spending plans back to the House.

local school board for not allowing him to use the men’s bathroom or locker room.

A federal appeals court agreed with the lower court’s ruling requiring the school board to allow him to use the facilities of his choice. And the Supreme Court in 2021 decided not to hear the case, allowing that decision to stand.

Climer acknowledged a lawsuit is likely, and the same district court that ruled on Virginia’s case may rule the same way.

But he thinks the U.S. Supreme Court would take the case this time, especially since more states are adopting similar rules, so justices could be settling multiple cases.

Regardless, “it was the right thing to do,” he told the Gazette.

“It’s unconscionable that an 18-year-old man is in locker rooms with 14-yearold girls,” he said.

Sen. Deon Tedder, D-Charleston, said if the transgender female student Climer’s referring to has undergone hormone replacement therapy to have more feminine attributes, using the men’s room might be inappropriate.

“If that person was born a male and has physically transitioned and is no longer a male, by voting for this we’d be sending a female into the male’s locker room now,” Tedder said. His arguments will likely come back next week.

Before adjourning Thursday, senators voted to put a bill banning gender-tran-

sitioning surgeries and hormones for transgender youth under 18 on priority debate status. Opponents have repeatedly said no such surgeries are happening in South Carolina.

Ten states require students to use the bathroom of the sex they were assigned at birth, according to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ advocacy group.

That points to a changing climate from the days when North Carolina adopted a similar law, known as the bathroom bill, in 2016, causing nationwide uproar and losing the state major business deals. State lawmakers ultimately undid that law in 2017

Back then, South Carolina lawmakers rejected a similar proposal from a GOP senator, with then-Gov. Nikki Haley calling it unnecessary.

“That ship has sailed,” Climer said.

Jace Woodrum, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, called Wednesday’s latenight approval of a budget clause a way to “sneak an unpopular policy” into state law.

“Right now, in South Carolina, it isn’t easy to be a transgender kid,” Woodrum said in a statement to the S.C. Daily Gazette. “Transgender kids are often bullied, called incorrect names, left out of sports and activities, and made to use restrooms and locker rooms that put their safety at risk.

“Instead of trying to make schools safer and fairer for all students, South Caroli-

They included one letting students from small private schools try out for public school sports teams, mirroring a bill advanced by the Senate Education Committee. With just six legislative days left in the regular session, that’s among bills running out of time to make it through the process. Putting it in the state budget makes it a one-year law. The proposal would allow students using state-funded scholarships for private school tuition continue playing on a sports team not offered at their new school.

Spending differences

Senators debated for two full days on the budget advanced by the Senate Finance Committee, mostly on policy. Very little of the floor debate involved dollar figures.

A final budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 is still weeks away. The House will get another chance to tweak its plan before the two versions go to a six-member committee of House and Senate members to hash out the differences.

One major distinction between the two proposals is how to spend $600 million in surplus sales tax collections that have built up since 2020 in an account for property tax relief. Gov. Henry McMaster recommended lawmakers put it toward fixing bridges.

The Senate plan would put $100 million toward accelerating an income tax cut. The rest would go to road and bridge projects, aside from $53 million set aside for the University of South Carolina’s new medical campus.

The House had proposed spending $500 million on a one-time property tax relief, averaging $359 per homeowner.

Senators also agreed

upon higher raises for state employees than the House passed in its budget. The Senate budget would give all employees making less than $50 000 a $1 375 raise, with everyone else getting a 2 75% boost.

The House plan had recommended a $1 000 raise to anyone making $66,667 or less and a 1 5% raise to employees making more. Both chambers agreed on raising first-time teachers’ pay to $47 000 minimum in the coming year, up from $42,500. They also agreed on a minimum salary schedule, giving teachers annual increases for experience through 28 years in the classroom. That’s one part of the budget now guaranteed. With both chambers in agreement, thoseteacher pay raises are now locked in as final.

New data could show where in SC doctors overprescribe opioids

By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com

COLUMBIA — While the number of opioid prescriptions in South Carolina has decreased in recent years, newly public data could show where doctors are still over-prescribing the highly addictive drugs, state health officials announced Monday, April 29

The interactive online dashboard, to be updated quarterly, is viewable on the website of the state’s public health agency. It also shows which counties are filling the most prescriptions of other controlled substances, including various stimulants and depressants.

The state’s prescription drug monitoring program began in 2008, “with the purpose of improving the state’s ability to

identify and stop dispersion of prescription medications without preventing the appropriate medical use of them,” said Chelsea Townsend, the program’s director. Since then, physicians have been able to see data on average prescription numbers statewide. That has allowed doctors far above the state average to reevaluate whether they are potentially overprescribing the addictive drugs, said Sara Goldsby, director of the Department of Alcohol and Other Abuse Services.

Making that data available publicly can help local and statewide officials make decisions about whether they should be doing more to address substance abuse issues in their communities. Groups working to address drug issues can use it to determine where their resources might be the most

needed, said health department director Edward Simmer.

“I think public knowledge of the severity of the problem and the types of drugs that we’re seeing and what the trends are can go a long way to help shape the responses that our communities make to this terrible crisis,” Simmer said.

That includes helping them determine the best ways to spend their share of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of opioid settlement money being doled out statewide over the next two decades.

The data can also help researchers answer questions, Goldsby said. For instance, even as opioid prescription rates have dropped in recent years, prescriptions for stimulants, such as Adderall, have risen 7% this year compared to the same time period last year,

according to the data.

The reason why is unclear, Goldsby said. County-by-county and demographic data can also show whether certain parts of the state or populations are receiving more prescriptions than others, she said.

“I think all of this data collectively helps us really ask more questions and zero in on the problems that we’re seeing but, even better than that, potential solutions,” Goldsby said.

Skylar Laird

Sen. Wes Climer, R-Rock Hill, explains his amendment on school bathrooms Wednesday, April 25, 2024. Photo courtesy of SCETV Livestream

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