September 30 edition

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SEPTEMBER 30–OCTOBER 6, 2021 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM

COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY

McMaster rallies his base in Sun City speech State Sen. Davis continues to tout Jasper Port at Beaufort County GOP gathering

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster discusses myriad topics Friday during his stop to speak to the Republicans of Sun City. Photos by Bob Sofaly.

By Mike McCombs South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster visited Beaufort County on Friday, Sept. 24, speaking to a packed pavilion at a Republicans of Sun City gathering. The event, not on McMaster’s official calendar, was essentially a campaign rally a year ahead of the 2022 S.C. gubernatorial race. McMaster attacked President Joe Biden’s leadership and touted the state’s success against COVID-19. “Does anybody think that if Donald Trump was president, we’d be seeing what we’ve seen (In Afghan-

istan)?” McMaster asked the crowd. “He’s been making some noise down there (in Florida), so he’s alive. Maybe we’ll see him again, who knows,” McMaster said of Trump, eliciting cheers from the crowd. The Governor also attacked Biden’s vaccine mandate for larger businesses. “Just the spectacle of the President saying we must get a vaccination,” McMaster said. “It’s unconstitutional.” McMaster touted South Carolina’s “different approach” to the COVID-19 pandemic as successful,

asking without Republican governors, “Where would we be now?” “We’ve got more people working this year than last year and almost as many as the year before …,” McMaster said. “We’re never going to choose … closing someone’s business is like taking someone’s property from them,” he added. The Governor touted the state’s passage of a “heartbeat bill,” restricting abortions, and assured his supporters the state would never defund the police or teach Critical Race Theory.

Sen. Davis still riding high on Jasper Port State Senator Tom Davis of Beaufort, who introduced McMaster, also criticized President Biden and the “radical” Democrats – “Our DNA as a country is under Sen. Tom attack” – but a subDavis stantial portion of his time in front of the microphone was spent discuss-

SEE MCMASTER PAGE A6

Shrimp Festival back in Beaufort By Mike McCombs “It’s gonna be awesome.” Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray found it difficult to hide his enthusiasm when talking about the 27th annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival, scheduled for this weekend at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Last year’s event was one of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s been a long year and a half,” Murray said. “(Every major event has) either been canceled or dramatically changed. It is important to

Felicity Klinger, 3, had to get a unicorn painted on her face during the annual OctoPRfest on Saturday in Port Royal. Little Felicity was taking in the festival with her mom, Callie Klinger. Photo by Bob Sofaly.

T

OktoPRfest returns

he weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the return of OktoPRfest to downtown Port Royal on Saturday. The fall event, sponsored by the Town of Port Royal and the Old Village Association of Port Royal, was making a comeback after a year away because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of festival-goers enjoyed the

German cuisine, cold beverages and live entertainment from the Rhinelanders and the Dark Waters Project, while the younger crowd made the most of the kid-zone. Next up on the area’s festival schedule – this weekend’s Beaufort Shrimp Festival on Friday and Saturday in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. See Page A7 for more photos.

Judge blocks SC from enforcing law banning mask mandates

From staff reports A Federal District Court on Tuesday evening blocked South Carolina's ban on mask mandates in schools. The court ruled that South Carolina’s budget provision prohibiting schools from imposing mask mandates for students and teachers discriminates against students with disabilities in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act

and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. “Federal disability rights laws are clear: If students with disabilities need schools to require masks in order for them to have equal access to their education, the state cannot stop schools from requiring those masks,” Director of the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program Susan Mizner said in a news release. “The court’s decision today makes clear

that state legislators and Gov. McMaster can’t sacrifice the health and safety of students with disabilities for the convenience of others. Our plaintiffs and parents across South Carolina have spoken up on behalf of their children to make a simple request: that schools be able to follow basic public health guidelines without losing critical state funding.” U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis affirmed in her decision that

“No one can reasonably argue that it is an undue burden to wear a mask to accommodate a child with disabilities.” “Years ago, ramps were added to schools to accommodate those with mobility-related disabilities so they could access a free public education,” she added. “Today, a mask mandate works as a sort of ramp to

SEE SHRIMP PAGE A4

Pedestrian, dog hit by truck, killed in Shell Point By Mike McCombs A pedestrian and his dog were hit and killed while crossing Parris Island Gateway just before 8 p.m. Monday night. The pedestrian was identified by the Beaufort County Coroner’s office as 56-year-old Sean Kelley. According to the S.C. Highway Patrol, Kelley was walking westward, crossing Parris Island Gateway near Dowlingwood Drive in the Shell Point area, when he was hit by a white pickup truck heading south on Parris Island Gateway. According to SCHP Lance Cpl. Nick Pye, neither the driver nor the passenger of the truck were injured. Pye said both were wearing seatbelts. The incident remains under investigation by the SCHP, Pye said.

SEE JUDGE PAGE A6

NEWS

ARTS

INSIDE

Annual Puppy Plunge returns to YMCA beginning Oct. 23.

Metropolitan Opera’s Live HD broadcasts return with Boris Godunov.

PAGE A4

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Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–7 Business A7 Health A8–9 Sports A10 Education A10–11

Arts A11 Voices A12 Legals A13–15 Military A16–17 Directory A18 Classifieds A19

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

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