NEWS: Cottage on Bay Point falls after King Tide rolls in. PAGE A5
NOVEMBER 19–25, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
School district sets Jan. 4 date to resume face-to-face instruction five days a week From staff reports The Beaufort County School District will resume face-to-face educational instruction five days a week beginning Jan. 4. The announcement came at the Friday, Nov. 13 Board of Education meeting. “It’s always been our goal to resume five days a week of face-to-face instruction,” Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez noted the challenges of hybrid instruction. “It’s hard for some students academically and socio-emotionally,” he said. “It’s hard for teachers who are delivering both virtual and in-person instruction, and it’s hard for parents to try and juggle it all.” The district decided to return to face-to-face instruction after reviewing COVID-19 infection rates in other South Carolina school dis-
tricts that have resumed face-to-face instruction. “What we and other districts are finding,” Rodriguez said, “is that most COVID-19 cases among students and staff are from engagement in outside events and activities.” “While we have many safety precautions in place at schools, I urge our citizens to continue taking the necessary precautions against the COVID-19 virus so we can open our
buildings and keep children and educators safe.” Rodriguez acknowledged the physical distancing challenges of returning to a traditional schedule in some of the district’s more crowded schools. “District and school-based administrators are working to mitigate these challenges.” Sixty-two percent of Beaufort County School District students currently participate in hybrid instruc-
tion, with the remaining 38 percent receiving virtual instruction. If a family wishes to change their student’s preference from virtual to face-to-face instruction, they will be able to do so for the second semester, which commences Feb. 2. All requests for changes will be handled by schools directly during the window of Nov. 16-24, allowing administrators and educators sufficient time to plan accordingly.
McFee says he’ll run for Murray’s Council seat
Joe Pilon, right, salutes during the playing of Taps by Spec. 4 Travis Daughtry of Hunter Army Airfield, during the funeral for Vietnam veteran Glenn R. Goff III of Hardeville in 2019 at Beaufort National Cemetery.
Paying our respects
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Four unclaimed veterans to be laid to rest Friday at Beaufort National Cemetery
he public is invited to pay tribute to the lives of four military veterans whose remains have gone unclaimed and who will be laid to rest with full military honors at noon Friday, Nov. 20, in the Beaufort National Cemetery. Two of the veterans are from Beaufort County and two are from Dorchester County. The memorial was arranged by Beaufort County Coroner Edward Allen and Dorchester County
Coroner Paul Brouthers. Veterans, VFW members and American Legion members are invited to attend the tribute with their covers. If you plan on attending the memorial service, for your own safety and for the safety of others, please wear face coverings and observe social distancing recommendations per the Centers for Disease Control.
By Lolita Huckaby Roadside political signs may be down and stored, but City Councilman Mike McFee is getting his ready for another run. McFee, a member of Council since 2008, announced at Tuesday night's Council meeting he will be running for the seat now held by Stephen Murray. Murray will give up his council seat to take the Mayor's office Mike on Dec. 8, offi- McFee cially leaving one of the four council seats empty. And McFee, who finished third in the six-way race for two council seats on Nov. 3, is interested in it. "I've been encouraged by a number of friends and associates who think I should go for it," McFee said. State law says the special election will take place in late Febuary or early March, 13 weeks after Murray officially resigns. Top council vote-getters were retired Bay Street business owner Neil Lipsitz and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mitch Mitchell who will be sworn in on Dec. 8. With two new faces on
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Plan for Lady’s Island Harris Teeter continues to move forward By Mindy Lucas Plans to build a Harris Teeter grocery and convenience store on the corner of Sea Island Parkway and Sams Point Road took another step forward last week. The City of Beaufort’s Design Review Board (DRB) gave preliminary approval at their regular meeting on Nov. 12 to a revised site and landscape plan for the project. A building on the site has sat empty after Publix moved across the road in 2014. Plans for a Harris Teeter on the corner lot have been in the works since 2016.
Previous plans showed a 56,000 square-foot grocery store which sits back from the intersection with parking in front. In addition, a sixpump gas station/convenience store will be built on the corner of Sams Point Way, across from a Wendy’s currently under construction. Design plans submitted on Thursday remained mostly the same with only slight changes to a loading dock in the rear of the store and slight changes to landscaping and lighting throughout the site. Project planners with Andrews Engineering said they reconfigured
the loading dock to make it easier for semi-trucks backing into the docks off Sams Point Way, a two-lane road between the site and neighboring Food Lion. The new configuration will also save more trees, they noted. In August, a spokesperson for the North Carolina-based grocery said it did not have an opening date or any additional details to share yet, though did confirm the company still holds the lease for the property. Final plans including architectural renderings will be submitted to the DRB in December, project representatives said.
Photo to right: An overlay of a planned Harris Teeter on the corner of Sea Island Parkway and Sams Point Road show where the store would be located in relation to a building currently on the property. A convenience store/ gas station is also planned for the site. Image from plans submitted to City of Beaufort.
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Beaufort Photography Club overcomes Covid setbacks.
Two sets of sisters graduate recruit training at Parris Island.
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