October 5 edition

3 year old shot, killed in domestic dispute

From staff reports

A 3 year old was shot and killed and two others were wounded Sunday, Oct. 1, at Beaufort’s Cross Creek Apartments after a domestic dispute occurred during a child exchange.

Ariana Fair died from her injuries at the hospital, according to Beaufort County Coroner David Ott. Beaufort Police Investigators have obtained warrants for Jona-

than Tyleke Fair, 27, who is wanted on charges of Murder, two counts of Attempted Murder, and Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime. According to the City of Beaufort Police, at approximately 12:41 p.m., officers responded to a shooting incident at Cross Creek Apartments, 325 Ambrose Run.

Upon arrival, officers observed a 26-year-old female with serious

injuries. The victim was stabilized and was transported by EMS to a local hospital.

Officers received a secondary report of a gunshot victim en route to a local hospital. Officers responded to the hospital in reference to two additional gunshot victims related to the incident. Officers located a 25-year-old

SEE DISPUTE PAGE A7

Sutton puts name in hat, will run for mayor of Beaufort

Special election set for December 12; Filing period opens October 6

From staff reports

The filing period for the Special Election to elect a mayor of the City of Beaufort doesn’t open until noon, Friday, Oct. 6, but one person has already thrown his hat in the ring.

Mike Sutton announced on Facebook on Sunday, Oct. 1, he will be a candidate in the Special Election being held on Tuesday, Dec. 12

Walter Doernbach of Bluffton throws a ping pong ball to try and win a game of beer pong during OktoPRfest in Port Royal on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Beer pong is usually played with a table, but this version was attached to a hat worn by Beaufort’s Jeff Wittmershaus, who was representing the Pluff Mudd Hop Heads Homebrew Club. Delayna

Earley/The Island News

29th Annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival returns this weekend

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

It’s that time of year that shrimp lovers look forward to in Beaufort.

The 29th annual Beaufort Shrimp Festival will be held on Friday, Oct. 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7 at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

The festival is held each year to celebrate shrimp season.

There are two shrimp seasons in South Carolina, the first runs from May through August and that is when smaller, brown shrimp are harvested, and the second runs from September to December, when white shrimp are harvested.

Admission to the festival is free, and tickets can be purchased on site to buy food and drinks. Local restaurants and food trucks will be there serving their best shrimp dishes like shrimp burgers, Lowcountry Boil, shrimp fried rice,

shrimp fritters, shrimp and grits, fried shrimp, steamed shrimp and even smoked shrimp.

Participants include Sea Eagle Market, Food Savvy Mobile, Mother Smokin’ Good!, SERG Restaurant Group, Tout Sweet Macarons, Teen Challenge, Cappys and Belly Full by Tyger.

SEE SHRIMP PAGE A7

“Beaufort, we will be having a ‘special election’ on December 12th and I have decided to toss my name back into the hat,” Sutton wrote in his Facebook post. “Filing is October 6th at city hall. Please take the time to vote if your registered in the city. Please share this post and ask others to do the same.”

Mike Sutton

Sutton, a building contractor, ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2020, losing to Stephen Murray. He was the first to announce he was running in that race, as well. He served on City Council from 2006 through 2019 and has served on various city boards and committees. He is married to

SEE ELECTION PAGE A4

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Tucked away on Eddings Point Road on Saint Helena Island is a very special place. Sutcliffe Farm is a sanctuary for rescue animals. For 52 years, Terry and Elaine Sutcliffe have collected a menagerie of pets in need of a home. Ron Callari photographed what might be the animal version of the “Odd Couple.” It’s an unlikely pair who became inseparable – Hambone the pig and Tallulah the cow. 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 highresolution 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 FERNANDO ROLDAN

Beaufort’s Fernando Roldan, 68, joined the Unites States Army in Newark, N.J., in 1975 After basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., he trained at Fort Gordon as a communications specialist. His first duty station was Fort Hood, Texas, followed by duty at Fort Davis, Panama, during which he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for heroism not involving combat.

He was next assigned to Fort Ritchie, Md., from which he was detailed to Forts Monroe, Eustis, AP Hill, Jackson, Sheridan, Benning and Knox, and to White Sands, N.M. Next was overseas duty in Germany near Stuttgart. Following that tour, he was sent to Fort Huachuca, N.M., from which he deployed during Operations Desert Shield and Storm to Saudi Arabia and on into Iraq, where he earned the Bronze Star. Later he

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Don’t follow the ‘same steps as Hilton Head’

I read with dismay the full page ad in The Island News’ September 28 (edition) in which the Community Action Network purports to represent the "silent majority" of Saint Helena Island.

They most certainly DO NOT represent any "majority." This ad claims that the Pine Island plan presented by developer Elvio Tropeano would be in the best interests of the Gullah Community on Saint Helena. Any plan which does not conform to the Cultural Protective Overlay cannot be accepted.

If one such plan is accepted, there is nothing to stop the next developer from asking for the same treatment. Our Island would follow in the same steps as Hilton Head, where the Gullah people are excluded and marginalized.

– Ted Mamunes, St. Helena Island

Stop spreading your own disinformation

The winner of the Hypocrite of the Week Award in the Editorial Division goes to Jim Dickson of The Island News. In his September 21 editorial, Mr. Dickson decries the rise of disinformation, which he mistakenly attributes to the current Democratic administration. (Was he asleep during the previous administration?)

Then in his September 28 editorial, Dickson spreads his own disinformation. Mr. Dickson, you might not agree with John Fetterman’s politics or his choices in apparel, but that does not give you license to spread disinformation about his mental status.

You stated that he has diminished mental capacity. Unless you are in direct contact with Fetterman’s physicians, you have no way of knowing if this is true. Fetterman did suffer a stroke in May 2022 and he now requires a voice-to-text transcription app to process verbal communications. This does not mean

ON THIS DATE

October 5

he has diminished mental capacity.

Mr. Dickson, maybe you should begin practicing what you preach. Maybe you should stop spreading your own disinformation.

– Peter Birschbach, Port Royal

Where will you stand?

My name is Rev. Dr. Elijah Washington, and I am the pastor at First African Baptist Church on St. Helena Island. I am also a retired Doctor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and it has been my privilege to serve the community for 47 years.

Martin Luther King Jr., who frequented the Penn Center on St. Helena Island during the Civil Rights Era, wrote that “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Today, St. Helena Island finds itself in a time of controversy. A developer and investors are litigating against Beaufort County over the right to build a luxury golf resort on the Pine Island property. This type of development is prohibited by a decades old zoning law—the Cultural Protection Overlay—which was written by residents to protect Gullah/Geechee culture.

In March, I spoke at a rally concerning this issue where hundreds of residents gathered at the St. Helena Island Elementary School. I maintain my stance that a luxury, gated golf resort community will detract from St. Helena Island’s cultural assets, rural Sea Island character, and abundant natural resources and waterways.

We must not allow new factions to threaten and create rifts in the community; there is no place for this divisive behavior in our society. 1 Peter 3:8 reminds us how to treat our neighbors when it says “finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.”

I stand by the County and community members who support the CPO zoning. Our

2019: California Senator Kamala Harris, a Democratic candidate for President, holds a town hall meeting at USC Beaufort’s Bluffton Campus. The meeting was originally set to take place at USC Beaufort’s Center For The Arts but was moved because of its estimated size.

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Cat of the Week: Leroy Brown is the sweetest guy around. Don't let his grumpy appearance fool you, he will never turn away a pet or treat. Leroy loves other cats and people of all ages, he would make a great addition to any home. Leroy is 10 years old, neutered, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

PUBLISHERS

Jeff & Margaret Evans

FOUNDING PUBLISHERS

Elizabeth Harding Newberry Kim Harding

EDITORIAL/DESIGN

Editor-in-Chief

Mike McCombs theislandnews@ gmail.com

Art Director Hope Falls ads.theislandnews@ gmail.com

Assistant Editor Delayna Earley delayna. theislandnews@ gmail.com

deployed to Somalia. He retired in 1995 after 20 years as a Staff Sergeant and moved to Beaufort. He is a Life Member of the VFW, DAV and AMVETS.

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

steadfastness and conviction in this time of controversy will be the measure of true character. Ask yourself, where will you stand?

— Rev. Dr. Elijah Washington, St. Helena Island’s Leave other people’s children alone

Take responsibility is spot on. My parents, family, and teachers all told me to read different sources of news, different news programs, and listen. Then and only then do I have sufficient information to form my own opinion. Otherwise I would be a misinformed narrow minded lemming.

I do believe for the most part people running for election have earnest intentions. But once there, they quickly learn how the game of politics works. It's amazing to see how many contradict themselves and go along with something bad just to get support for what they want in their district. Lindsey Graham is exhibit A.

Mac Deford. I congratulate you on your great comments. The so called Republican Party for small government and strong military support, is focusing on tax breaks for the wealthy; in the business of regulating women's rights, only before birth – afterward, they don't give a hoot; and to date, have refused to promote more than 100 officers of our military.

Book banning. Never in my 71 years would I have ever thought that America would be like Nazi Germany. Again, my parents, teachers, family, and clergy encouraged me to read everything I could get my hands on. If there are parents out there who think they know better than state and local educators, and librarians what should be allowed in school, congratulations genius!

Suggestion – you don't like a book for your child? Tell your child and contact local libraries to put your child on a no-access list. Leave every other child alone!

– Don Cass, Beaufort

October 11

2019: Beaufort High School defeats Bluffton, 35-24, at home to give Eagles Head Football Coach Bruce Lybrand his first win as a head coach.

– Compiled by Mike McCombs

Dog of the Week: Tobias the not so cowardly lion. This big guy is eager to please especially if you are taking him on a walk. He is a strong dog who needs someone who can match his strength and size. He is truly a ladies man and knows how to make anyone melt with his beautiful eyes. Tobias is a year old, neutered, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

If you are interested in adopting Leroy Brown, Tobias, or any of our other pets, call our adoption center at 843-645-1725 or email us at info@ palmettoanimalleague. org to set up an appointment.

Sports Editor Justin Jarrett LowcoSports@ gmail.com

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Advertising Sales Director Amanda Hanna 843-343-8483 amanda@ lcweekly.com

Advertising Sales Consultant Sandy Schepis 678-641-4495

Accounting April Ackerman april@ aandbbookkeeping. com Billing questions only.

CONTACT US PO Box 550 Beaufort, SC 29901 TheIslandNews@gmail.com www.YourIslandNews.com facebook.com/TheIslandNews

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor should consist of fewer than 275 words and be emailed with a name and contact information to TheIslandNews@gmail.com

DISCLAIMER

All content of The Island News, including articles, photos, editorial content, letters, art and advertisements, are copyrighted by The Island News and Island News Publishing, LLC, 2022, all rights reserved. The Island News encourages reader submissions via email to theislandnews@gmail.com. All content submitted is considered approved for publication by the owner unless otherwise stated. The Island News is designed to inform and entertain readers and all efforts for accuracy are made.

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Island News, its publisher or editors. Content published from Care Magazine® is intended as a reference and options source only, not as a guide to self-treatment or substitute for profession medical advice. It is provided for educational purpose only. Readers assume full responsibility for how this information is used. The Island News reserves the right to refuse to sell advertising space, or to publish information, for any business or activity the newspaper deems inappropriate for the publication.

Fernando Roldan

Woman found dead in Port Royal house fire

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

A 71-year-old woman was found dead after firefighters responded to a structure fire in a home in Port Royal on Friday, Sept. 29

The woman was identified by the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office as Linda Bailey.

An autopsy was performed on Friday and it was found that she died from inhaling smoke and soot secondary to the house fire.

“Manner of death was accidental,” Beaufort County Coroner David Ott said.

The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department responded at approximately 7:07 a.m. Friday to the fire off of Columbia Avenue, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ross Vezin.

The first engine arrived on scene to find a one-story, approximately 1 200-square-foot residential home engulfed in smoke and flames.

The woman was discovered inside of the home after crews were able to enter to search for victims.

“They made an interior attack to start searching for potential occupants and found a ... deceased fe-

Senator Tim Scott to visit Bluffton on Friday

male,” Vezin said. Vezin said that firefighters had the fire under control within 30 minutes of arriving on scene. At this time, the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Vezin.

South Carolina State Fire and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) helped to respond to the incident and are assisting with the investigation.

In addition to The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department, SLED and S.C. State Fire, Parris Island Fire & Emergency Services, Beaufort County EMS, Port Royal Police Department and Dominion Energy all responded to the scene.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

From staff reports

U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott is holding a meetand-greet campaign event at 11:30 a.m., Friday, Oct. 6 in Bluffton. The event will be held at Corner Perk Brunch Cafe, 1297 May River Road, No. 101. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m. The actual event begins at noon.

Sen. Tim Scott

Those interested in attending are asked to register at https://bit.ly/3LLuovV.

This event is a campaign event being run by the Tim Scott Campaign. For more on the South Carolina Senator’s campaign, visit https://votetimscott.com.

AG Wilson speaks to Beaufort County Republicans

From staff reports South Carolina’s fourthterm Attorney General Alan Wilson was the guest speaker at a dinner Thursday, Sept. 28, sponsored by the Beaufort Republican Women’s and Men’s Clubs at the Quality Inn in Beaufort.

Wilson hit on several hot-topic issues. He leads an 18-state coalition in support of Tennessee’s defense of its Adult Entertainment Act which protects children from lewd and obscene behavior. A district court

South Carolina shellfish harvest season opens

S.C. Department of Natural Resources

The 2023-2024 season for recreational harvest of shellfish (clams and oysters) in coastal waters of South Carolina opened before sunrise on Sunday, Oct. 1 2023. The recreational shellfish season will remain open through May 15 2024, unless conditions warrant extending or shortening the season.

In the event of another hurricane, major rain event, or pollution spill, shellfish beds may be temporarily closed by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC). It is important for harvesters to check with DHEC to verify whether any closures are in effect. This information is available at 1-800-285-1618 and can be viewed on a interactive map at the DHEC website (https://bit.ly/3RzoT76). DHEC will use these resources and your local newspaper throughout the year to announce temporary closures due to unusual rain events or spills.

Recreational harvesting is permitted on all Public Shellfish Grounds and State Shellfish Grounds within areas of open/approved water quality as noted on shellfish maps. Twenty Public and seven State Shellfish Grounds are managed exclusively for recreational gathering. An additional 58 State Shellfish Grounds are managed for both recreational and commercial harvest.

Recreational harvesters should obtain updated

Kaitlyn Hackathorn/SCDNR

Public or State Shellfish

Ground maps at the beginning of each season, as areas open to harvest change from year to year. Maps of designated harvest areas may be downloaded from the SCDNR website or accessed online through the Recreational Map Web Application. Printed maps may also be obtained by calling 843-953-9854 or writing the Shellfish Management Section, Attn: Andy Hollis, SCDNR, P.O. Box 12559, Charleston, S.C. 29422-2559. When requesting maps, please specify the general area where you wish to harvest.

Maps for the 2023-24 season will be available prior to season opening on October 1, 2023

Recreational harvesters must have a Saltwater Recreational Fishing License, available from SCDNR, at many fishing supply stores, and online. The recreational limit is two U.S. bushels of oysters and one-half bush-

el of clams in any one day, limited to two calendar days per seven-day period. One U.S. bushel is equal to eight gallons. There is a maximum possession of three personal limits per boat or vehicle. Clams must be at least 1 inch thick.

Additional rules and restrictions may be found in the SCDNR Rules and Regulations, available where licenses are purchased or online.

Commercial harvest of shellfish requires a commercial saltwater license, mandatory harvester training, and other licenses and permits depending on where the harvest will occur. Call the Marine Permitting Office at 843953-0453 for additional information on commercial harvesting requirements.

All harvesters are encouraged to "cull in place," breaking off and leaving dead shell and smaller oysters on the shoreline – and only taking clusters or singles of larger oysters – where they will continue to grow and provide habitat for future generations of oysters.

If you enjoy eating oysters, remember to recycle your shells. Check online or call 843-953-9397 to find locations near you where shell can be dropped off for recycling. SCDNR uses saltwater recreational fishing license revenues to construct and enhance renewable oyster resources in the coastal counties by replanting recycled shell. All shell collected by the SCDNR is used to restore shellfish grounds in coastal South Carolina.

ruled against the law which applies to some forms of sexually explicit adult entertainment. Wilson filed an amicus brief which seeks to reverse the district court’s judgment.

Wilson spoke about the need for judicial reform in South Carolina. The Judicial Merit Selection Commission (JMSC), which consists of 10 individuals, is involved in the state’s judicial selection process, yet none of the 10 is from the Executive Branch of the state’s government. Wilson

would like for the power to be split equally between the Executive and Legislative branches and checked by the Judicial branch.

And our current administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been sued by Wilson and 17 other states for circumventing our immigration and asylum laws.

Sweet Grass Angels entertained while guests bid on auction items and dined on fantastic barbecue provided by KC Mike’s Smokin’ on Boundary Street.

Tickets selling fast for HBF’s popular Fall Festival of Houses and Gardens

From staff reports

Tickets are available but selling fast for Historic Beaufort Foundation’s popular Fall Festival of Houses and Gardens Oct. 21-22

“The opportunity to experience Beaufort’s historic architecture and gorgeous gardens close-up is a rare treat, and we are so thankful to the gracious property owners who make these tours such as magical experience,” said Cynthia Jenkins, Executive Director of Historic Beaufort Foundation. “The Fall Festival of Houses & Gardens is perhaps the best time to experience Beaufort.”

Tickets are available online at https://historicbeaufort.org/. Organizers encourage early ticket purchases because these tours typically sell out, attracting visitors from across the country.

The Saturday tour will lead visitors through an historic and architectural timeline dating from the 19th century and into the economic recovery of the early 20th century. Saturday highlights include the George Moss Stoney House, built ca. 1823 and remodeled in the 1840s; the Berners Barnwell Sams House, #1, ca. 1810; the Joseph Hazel House, ca. 18151820; and First African Baptist Church, ca. 1861

Another highlight is the John Mark Verdier House, which underwent a comprehensive exterior renovation in 2021 followed by a rare restoration this year

of the Federal Period door surround and entrance.

Tickets for the Saturday, Oct. 21 tour are $65 for HBF members and $75 for non-members. The tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday’s tour and Southern brunch will showcase a 15-acre farmstead and former plantation nestled among pecan trees and mature live oaks less than half a mile from one of Beaufort’s busiest intersections.

This property, which was the center of one of the Lowcountry’s earliest truck farming properties, includes the impressive ca. 1905 farmhouse with wraparound piazzas, a barn and packing shed now transformed for use as an event venue that maintains the property’s rich agricultural character and history. Join us for a rare

glimpse at this important phase of Beaufort’s early 20th century economy and way of life.

Tickets to the Sunday event are $130 for members and $150 for non-members of HBF. The Sunday brunch and tour are from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. All sales are final and the tours will be held rain or shine.

Historic Beaufort Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit education foundation created to preserve, protect, and present sites and artifacts of historic, architectural, and cultural interest throughout Beaufort County. For more information on the entity's mission and history, visit historicbeaufort.org and follow them on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.

The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a home off of Columbia Avenue in Port Royal on Friday morning. A 71-year-old woman was found dead inside of the home. Photo courtesy of The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson was the guest speaker at a dinner Thursday, Sept. 28, sponsored by the Beaufort Republican Women’s and Men’s Clubs at the Quality Inn in Beaufort.

The George Moss Stoney House and Pick Pocket Plantation, featured on the Fall Festival of Houses and Gardens to be held Oct. 21-22. Photo courtesy of Historic Beaufort Foundation

Stewart to be honored for Lifetime of Leadership at Civitas Awards

From staff reports

The Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday, Oct. 3 that Dick Stewart, chairman and founder of real estate investment firm 303 Associates, will receive the Lifetime of Leadership Award at the Civitas Awards reception on Thursday, Oct. 12

The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce. It recognizes an individual for their contributions over decades to the economic prosperity and civic well-being of the Beaufort-Port Royal Region.

The release reads:

“After returning to his hometown following a successful career

in the telecommunications industry, Stewart established 303 Associates in 1998 to manage rehabilitation of Old Bay Marketplace.

Twenty-five years later, the firm has amassed a portfolio of renovation, redevelopment and infill projects – The Beaufort Inn, Saltus House, Tabby Place, Newcastle Square, Beaufort Town Center, Port Royal Center, USC Beaufort Student Housing – that symbolize our historically rooted and future-focused community.

Stewart has applied the same drive that powers his business success to advance numerous civic, business, environmental and philanthropic efforts in the community. He was elected to Beaufort County Council, served as Board Chair of the Beaufort Regional

Chamber of Commerce, and currently serves on the Port Royal Redevelopment Commission. He is a driving force behind the Port Royal Sound Foundation and the founder of the Freedman’s Arts District. His support and engagement was instrumental in establishing USCB as a fullfledged, four-year university and strengthening the University’s footprint in downtown Beaufort.

Stewart’s positive impact on the built environment our community is visible from downtown to Boundary Street to Port Royal. His impact will continue for decades to come in the organizations and institutions he has led, supported and guided.”

The Civitas Awards are the Chamber’s annual event to honor

The circus comes to town

outstanding community leaders, businesses, and organizations in our community. The awards reception recognizes all finalists and announces the winners of each award.

The reception will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 at Tabby Place. All-inclusive tickets for dinner, drinks and entertainment are $65 for members or $75 for non-members and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3rL8K3T.

2023 Civitas Awards Finalists Business Awards

Cornerstone Award Carolina Air

Gay Fish Company

Kinghorn Insurance of Beaufort

Torchbearer Award Beaufort Film Society Beaufort Water Festival

Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort

Trailblazer Award

Greenline Industries

Shellring Ale Works

South Coast Cyber Collaborative

Caretaker Award

100 Women Who Care

Heritage Community Farms

St. Francis Center

Individual Awards

Pillar Award

Pat Harvey-Palmer

Christian Kata

Christian Sherbert

Sentinel Award

Cpl. Jose Martinez

CWO3 Nathan McCallum

Ssgt. Brock Portier

Buzzworthy Award

Monique Dawson

Allison Kindwall

Jessica O'Brien

BJWSA to conduct annual water main flushing

From staff reports Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority (BJWSA), Hilton Head Public Service District (HHPSD) and Broad Creek Public Service District (BCPSD) will temporarily change the drinking water treatment method and flush water lines throughout their service areas for a two-week period starting October 20 The change is part of the routine maintenance program for the utilities’ water distribution systems. There will be no interruption in service as a result of the work.

Customers can use their water as normal, but may notice a slight chlorine taste or odor in the tap water beginning Friday, Oct. 20 through Friday, Nov. 3. Customers in some areas may notice brief discoloration in the tap water as a result of lines being flushed.

If water appears discolored, customers should run cold water for a few minutes. If discoloration persists, BJWSA customers can call 843-987-9200; Hilton Head PSD customers can call 843-681-5525; and Broad Creek PSD customers can call 843-785-7582

In addition, the following wholesale customers will be affected: Callawassie, Moss Creek (Water Oak Utilities), Warsaw-Eustis-Oaks (WEO), Harbor Island, Fripp Island and the military facilities. Contact your designated utility with any questions. Customers who are especially sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine can keep an open container of drinking water in their refrigerators. This will reduce the chlorine taste. Water stored in refrigerated containers should be changed weekly.

Beaufort Memorial to host beauty workshop for breast cancer patients

From staff reports

In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Beaufort Memorial Oncology Services will host a host a special Beauty Techniques Tutorial for breast cancer patients on Wednesday, Oct. 11, from 6 to 7 p.m., in classroom 350 of the Beaufort Medical Plaza at 989 Ribaut Road.

As part of the monthly Breast Cancer Support Group, this personalized workshop is designed for patients to learn beauty techniques tailored to their unique needs. Local experts will be available to demon-

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strate easy, step-by-step techniques for skin care and make-up.

This event is free but registration is required by visiting BeaufortMemorial.org/ SupportGroups.

Breast cancer patients are also invited to participate in the monthly support group, scheduled for the second Wednesday of every month. The hospital also hosts a support group for all types of cancer on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

“Hearing the word ‘cancer’ can be completely life altering and terrifying. It is very common to feel lost

downtown business owner Nan Sutton, who was elected to City Council in 2016 and did not run for re-election in 2020 Sutton also thanked Murray in his Facebook post.

“I also want to say thank you to Stephen Murray for his dedicated

5–11, 2023

and alone during this difficult journey, said oncology social worker Kianna Brown, LMSW. “We hope that, in offering this group exploration of the emotional elements of a cancer diagnosis, we will create a safe space for patients to feel like they are able to be found again – to lift one another. Ultimately, this group is a pathway to finding meaning and purpose again beyond a cancer diagnosis.”

For more information, contact Brown at 843-5227328 or visit BeaufortMemorial.org/SupportGroups.

service and the untold sacrifices he and his family made during his term on Council and as our Mayor,” he wrote. This election will fill the unexpired term of Murray, who resigned as mayor on September 15, at which time Mayor Pro Tem Michael McFee became acting mayor of Beaufort. This term will expire in December 2024

The filing period to run in the December 12 special election will

FWDG announces winners of 2023 Giving Season

From staff reports Lowcountry furniture and mattress store FWDG has announced the winners of its 2023 Giving Season, donating a total of $50 000 to 10 Jasper and Beaufort county nonprofit organizations during the month of September.

The top 10 non-profit organizations who received the most votes during the social media campaign were named winners. Each nonprofit was awarded $5 000 during a reception

close at noon on Monday, Oct. 16

Those interested in running for mayor must be a registered voter in South Carolina and a resident of the City of Beaufort. You can verify your registration status at the South Carolina Board of Elections website (https://vrems. scvotes.sc.gov/Voter/Login) or by calling the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 843-255-6900 Candidates must pick up a Can-

in their honor in FWDG’s showroom on Robert Smalls Parkway.

Those presented checks were Coastal Cat Foundation, Jasper Animal Rescue Mission, The Birdie Rose Foundation, Lovable Paws Rescue, Military Hearts Matter, I AM ME, Thumbs

Up Educational Children’s Center, SOAR Special Recreation of the Lowcountry, Palmetto Animal League, and Memory Matters.

Ashley Hacksher with “I Am Me” posted the follow-

didate Information Packet from City Council Clerk Traci Guldner, whose address is City Hall, 1911 Boundary St., Beaufort, second floor. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

That packet includes a Statement of Intention of Candidacy—Nonpartisan form, which must be completed and filed, along with a $250 filing fee, and returned to the council clerk’s office, by the noon Oct. 16 deadline.

ing statement on the nonprofit’s Facebook page, “Tonight, I am beaming with gratitude! Huge thanks to FWDG and the Mark family for their incredible $5 000 giveaway. With their generosity, we are going to be able to turn our dreams into reality. This will help us complete the bus and continue the mission! Thanks again to all who helped us get here!”

Access photos via our Facebook post at https://bit. ly/3PGT4GL.

Make checks payable to the City of Beaufort.

Candidates must also file by the Oct. 16 deadline two additional forms, a Statement of Economic Interest and Campaign Disclosure, with the South Carolina Ethics Commission. These must be filed online here (https://ethicsfiling.sc.gov/filing/home). Late submissions cannot be accepted in accordance with South Carolina election law.

Dick Stewart

It wouldn’t be a circus without balancing acts to amaze with feats of incredible balance and strength. Alenxander Amamiga balances with one hand on a stack of chairs during the Zerbini Family Circus on Saturday at the fair grounds on Sammie Lane. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Representatives from 10 nonprofits, which were awarded $5,000 by FWDG, pose during a reception in their honor. Submitted photo.

Hunting Island State Park shines with new, improved Nature Center

By Mike McCombs

The Island News

If you haven’t said it out loud before, say it with me — Hunting Island is Beaufort’s jewel.

Whenever someone from out of town asks, “What should I absolutely see while I’m in Beaufort?” the answer almost invariably includes Hunting Island. It might be the only site in northern Beaufort County able to say that.

Whether it’s to use one of the more than 100 campsites or to visit the lighthouse or to walk or bike the trails or to use the fishing pier or to watch birds or to take advantage of its undeveloped and uncrowded beaches — no matter why they come, the number of visitors, from near and far, to visit Hunting Island State Park over the course of a year numbers more than a million.

It’s one of, if not the most popular and most profitable of all the South Carolina State Parks. And believe it or not, it just got even better.

Less than two weeks ago — Tuesday, Sept. 26 to be exact — the ribbon was cut on the renovated Nature Center, spearheaded by the Friends of Hunting Island (FOHI) and supported through their donations and local Accommodations Taxes.

“It’s amazing,” said Linda Miller, President of FOHI. “The spirit, the energy, the people, all of the people, the VIPs, the senior leadership of the State Parks, the Rangers, the kids, the FOHI

board, the volunteers … they have all been amazing.”

The Nature Center, located at the fishing pier on the southern end of the island, features local Gullah artwork; animal exhibits housing alligators, turtles, and snakes; and a variety of artifacts and displays interpreting the area’s history, natural environment, and wildlife.

The finished product is highly educational and visually stunning. And it all started with an underused meeting room and some crayon drawings.

“We actually had our board meetings in here,” former Park Manager Brandon Goff said. “Initially, this room was just for classes. It wasn’t really even open to the public. We might open it up if we had a class come through, a school group or

something like that.”

Goff said discussions started between the park staff and FOHI about how to better use that space.

“We tossed around the idea, ‘How can we make this better?’” he said. “And that’s really where it started. How can we make Hunting Island better?”

As he talked with Miller and FOHI Construction Director Randal Brown in September 2022, Goff began to envision what he wanted the Nature Center to look like. So he drew it out for them … in crayon.

“I tossed an idea out there, and they needed to see a picture,” he said. “And I sketched it with my son’s crayons. And you go from that to this.”

Apparently, the crayon sketches were impressive enough. They had a plan.

Beaufort City Council supported the project through a $30 000 state Accommodations Tax grant, and FOHI’s Board of Directors more than double-matched that, providing $75,000 for the project. Brown began work in March 2023

As the project moved along, Miller credits Brown for bringing the idea to life.

“I have to say, without him this could never have happened,” Miller said.

Goff wouldn’t remain at Hunting Island long enough to see the project to completion. He took the Park Manager position at Ramsey Grove in Georgetown County, a historic plantation soon to be a state park.

“The opportunity to build a park from the ground up, that’s once in five careers that you get an opportunity to do that,” Goff said. “I would not have left Hunting Island State Park for any other park in the state.”

A longtime acquaintance of Goff, Zabo McCants took the position of Park Manager in May. He stepped into the role and quickly grasped the vision Goff and Miller had for the project.

“Linda referred to me as the closer, and I’m happy to be the closer,” McCants said.

As the project reached the home stretch, there was one wall left in the Nature Center that had not yet been accounted for. Miller called Luana Graves Sellars, founder of Lowcountry Gullah, a website-based source of information documenting the

stories and the traditions of the Gullah Geechee people.

“I was really honored when Linda approached me to help create the interpretive (wall) of Gullah information, really starting with the definition of what the Gullah Geechee are and going through some of the traditional aspects and the connection to Hunting Island,” Sellars said.

A stunning visual, the background on the wall is a photo by longtime Post And Courier photographer Wade Spees of two men casting nets from a boat. The smaller panels give information about Gullah Geechee traditions and their ties to the island and the area around it.

“The beauty and the magnitude of … the picture and the way that it speaks was just perfect for the wall that size,” Sellars said, “and then all of the individual panels tell the different stories, using the art to bring a richness to those stories and that information.”

“I’m partial to this wall,” Miller said. “(It) was really a good thing to do for the island, for St. Helena and for the Gullah Geechee community.”

There was a crowd for the ribbon cutting Sept. 26. Dozens and dozens of people admired the vision of Goff and Miller and the work of Sellars, Spees and artist Sonja Griffin Evans on the walls and in the faces of staff members and volunteers present who had taken part in the project.

“The biggest enjoyment was seeing the kids from Hobbit Hill and their experience,” McCants said. “You pull one of our reptiles out … and people they flock to it. It’s something that not everybody gets to do. It becomes an experience and a memory that will last forever.”

Goff credits Miller and the nearly 1 500 members of FOHI for the project’s success.

“Linda was the driving force that kept this entire project going,” Goff said. “This is an example of what the Friends of Hunting Island can do anytime they’re involved with any project. If they’re involved in a project and they decide that they’re going to support it and take a part in it, this is what you get.

State Rep. Shannon Erickson (R-124) summed things up in remarks just before the ribbon cutting.

“When a community decides what they want to do with a space, and has all the support from the top to the bottom, middle, and sides — everywhere — this is what you get. And it doesn’t get any better than what's right here. This place is honoring our past, it is embracing our present, and it is planning and educating for the future. Our environment is key to who we are as Lowcountry citizens.”

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

Park Manager Zabo McCants, Rep. Shannon Erickson (R124) and Friends of Hunting Island President Linda Miller cut the ribbon at Hunting Island State Park’s new and improved Nature Center on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Mike McCombs/ The Island News

Beaufort man pleads guilty to manslaughter in brutal 2020 stabbing

From staff reports

A Beaufort man who stabbed a woman in the neck, killing her during a botched robbery attempt, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and three other crimes, according to the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Jonah Bookmiller, 24, admitted Friday that he killed 31-year-old Heather Simmons while attempting to rob her friend in his Port Royal apartment. Bookmill-

From staff reports

Bookmiller

er also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Christopher Kirkland and two charges of possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. “This was a brutal killing, carried out by someone who thought he would make

a quick score of cash and drugs,” said Trasi Campbell of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “Heather Simmons lost her life as a result, and Mr. Bookmiller must pay the price for his greed and brutality.”

Kirkland and Simmons arrived at his apartment in Abberly Point in Port Royal just before midnight on Nov. 1, 2020. A short time later, Bookmiller, an acquaintance who had purchased

cocaine from Kirkland on several previous occasions, knocked on the apartment door. When Kirkland answered, Bookmiller and a second person attacked him with a knife, stabbing him in the neck. The attackers then turned to Simmons, who pleaded with them, “Don’t do this; I have kids.” She was stabbed in the neck, as well. Kirkland managed to escape but collapsed outside his apartment. Bystanders discovered him there and

tended to him until medical first-responders and law enforcement arrived. Kirkland told Port Royal Police that “Jonah” was responsible for the attack. He was transported to the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was placed in a medically induced coma, though he eventually recovered from the attack.

Port Royal Police Department investigators found a large bag of marijuana, crack cocaine and $5 000 in

Kirkland’s apartment. They have been unable to definitively identify the second attacker, however. Circuit Court Judge R. Ferrell Cothran handed down the sentence.

Campbell is a member of the Career Criminal Unit, which prosecutes the circuit’s most violent and habitual offenders. That team has earned convictions against 468 of the 511 defendants it has prosecuted since its formation in 2009

Reconstruction Era National Historic Network welcomes 4 new sites

The National Park Service announced the addition of four new sites to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network in a Tuesday news release.

This national network connects sites across the country who provide education, interpretation and research related to the period of Reconstruction. The Reconstruction Era (1861-1900) is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood periods in American History and includes stories of freedom, education and self-determination.

These newest additions to the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network include: The Hutchinson House on Ed-

NEWS BRIEFS

October LIBPA Meeting

isto Island, South Carolina, preserves and interprets the home and farm of Henry Hutchison and his descendants. Hutchinson was a prominent Black farmer, entrepreneur, and political leader on the island during Reconstruction, and today the site is managed by the Edisto Island Open Land Trust. The Historic Huntsville Museum in Huntsville, Alabama is housed in one of the buildings designed and constructed by the Brandon family during Reconstruction. The Brandons were some of the city’s most prominent Black businesses owners and political leaders during the time period, and

Beaufort County Assessor Ebony Sanders will be the featured speaker when the Lady’s Island Business & Professional Association meets at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 10. The meeting will be held at the Beaufort Realtors’ Association Headquarters at 22 Kemmerlin Lane, Lady’s Island. Stop by for coffee and conversation concerning the community.

Beaufort County State ATAX Grant Applications available

The Beaufort County Accommodations Tax Board has begun accepting State ATAX grant applications from organizations in Beaufort County wishing to receive grants from the 2% state accommodations tax fund. South Carolina law allows for a 2% tax levy on the rental of all transient accommodations to help provide financial support to promote tourism and fund tourism-related activities in municipalities and counties within the state.

As a result, individuals staying overnight in hotels, motels, inns, and vacation rentals pay 2% in addition to the statewide sales tax and any local sales and use tax applied to their lodging cost.

The current year application (2023/2024) is available online at https://bit.ly/3zzZLE4 Applications will not be accepted or reviewed if received incomplete or after 5 p.m. on November 3

Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Brycen Campbell at atax@bcgov.net.

Beaufort County Legislative Delegation invites applicants for Boards and Commissions vacancies

Beaufort County Legislative Delegation encourages qualified citizens who are willing to serve on a board or commission to

the museum chronicles their transition from enslavement to entrepreneurship. The Peale is Baltimore, Maryland’s community museum. Beginning as early as 1864 the site was home to a series of public schools for formerly enslaved people, and the building was home to the first high school for Black citizens in Maryland. Chubb Chapel United Methodist Church, located near Cave Spring, Georgia was constructed around 1870, and is the last remaining structure from the original Chubbtown, a community of free Black Georgians established in 1864

submit an application. All applicants must be a registered voter in Beaufort County to be considered for an appointment.

The following boards and commissions have legislative delegation-appointed vacancies: South Carolina Commissioners for the Lower Coastal Area – Beaufort Maritime South Island Public Service District

Coastal Empire Community Mental Health Center

Lowcountry Area Resort and Island Tourism Commission

The application can be found at https:// bit.ly/3I1iP0L.

All applications must be received by the close of business, Friday, Oct. 13 For further information or to obtain an application, please contact the Beaufort County Delegation Office at 843-255-2260 or email cmaxey@bcgov.net.

“We’re excited about the continued growth of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network,” Acting Superintendent Steven Kidd said in the news release. “These sites in Georgia, Alabama, Maryland, and South Carolina will help Americans from across the nation learn the Reconstruction stories in their communities.”

With these recent inclusions, the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network now includes 101 sites around the country. The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed into law on March 12, 2019, outlined the creation of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

Monday, Nov. 13 – Bluffton Branch Library

Thursday, Nov. 16 – Hilton Head Island Branch Library

December

Tuesday, Dec. 5 – Lobeco Branch Library

Wednesday, Dec. 6 – St. Helena Branch Library

Wednesday, Dec. 13 – Bluffton Branch Library

Thursday, Dec. 14 – Hilton Head Island Branch Library

In the event of an unforeseeable change in the date, time, or location, the Assessor’s Office webpage will be updated to reflect rescheduling.

County Council hosting a ‘chat’

This network, managed by Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, includes sites and programs that are affiliated with the Reconstruction Era, but not necessarily managed by the National Park Service. This network is nationwide and works to provide opportunities for visitors to connect to the stories of Reconstruction. For more information about the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, visit https://www. nps.gov/subjects/reconstruction/ network.htm.

For more information about Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/reer or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReconstructionNPS.

Each year the public is invited to submit nominations that are then reviewed by an awards committee. In judging nominees, the committee considers excellence in innovation, leadership and accomplishments that influence positive changes affecting the natural environment.

Members of the awards committee represent the S.C. Forestry Commission, S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium.

Nominees must be a South Carolina resident, possess upstanding moral character and exemplify extraordinary dedication to preserving and improving the environment and natural resources of South Carolina.

Areas of accomplishment include, but are not limited to:

Protection, conservation or improvement of soil, water or air

County

Assessor

hosting events for Quadrennial

Property Reassessment

Beaufort County Assessor Ebony Sanders is hosting multiple community events at County Library Branches to allow the public an opportunity to meet with her staff and share questions and concerns regarding Quadrennial Reassessment Notices.

Each event will be from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The dates are as follows:

October

Tuesday, Oct. 3 – Bluffton Branch Library

Thursday, Oct. 5 – Hilton Head Island Branch Library

Tuesday, Oct. 10 – Lobeco Branch Library

Friday, Oct. 13 – St. Helena Island Branch

Library

Monday, Oct. 16 – Bluffton Branch Library

Monday, Oct. 23 – Hilton Head Island

Branch Library

Monday, Oct. 30 – Bluffton Branch Library

November

Tuesday, Nov. 7 – Lobeco Branch Library

Thursday, Nov. 9 – St. Helena Branch Library

County Council is hosting one remaining Community Council Chat – Tuesday, Oct. 24, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Council Chambers – for members of the public to get to know Council members and ask questions.

The chat is informal and registration is not required. There will be a sign up sheet for those interested in speaking however no minutes will be taken, the meetings will not be televised, nor will County staff be on premises. Council members are encouraging all members of the public to attend and ask questions on any topic of concern to them.

SCDNR seeks nominations for environmental award

The State of South Carolina is seeking nominations for an award to recognize individuals who are doing extraordinary work for the natural environment. Nominations will be accepted through October 24

The S.C. Environmental Awareness Award, now in its 31st year, was established by S.C. General Assembly during the 1992 legislative session to recognize outstanding contributions made toward the protection, conservation and improvement of South Carolina’s natural resources.

Protection or conservation of native plants, animals or their habitats

Improvement of natural resource management

Benefits to wildlife (game or non-game)

Increased recreational or aesthetic values

All nominations must include completed nomination forms as well as written responses to the information requests within the form. Completed nomination forms and materials should be emailed to stoneb@dnr. sc.gov no later than October 24

Please contact Ben Stone at stoneb@dnr. sc.gov or 843-953-9062 for additional information.

The 2021 Environmental Awareness Award winner, James Frederick, was honored for his extraordinary work advocating for conservation of the state’s natural resources during his 33 years of service with Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.

View nomination forms and a list of previous winners at https://bit.ly/3PBA4JZ.

From staff reports

–

Diane Brady, center, of Mt. Pleasant, browses a table of books for her grandson during the Girl Scouts Community Free Book Giveaway on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Penn Center on St. Helena Island. Delayna Earley/The Island News

Girl Scout Troop shares importance of reading with community

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

A Community Book Giveaway was held Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, at Penn Center on St. Helena Island.

Girl Scout Troop 4105 held the community event to bring awareness to the importance of books and reading.

“The girls wanted to do

Shrimp

from page A1

The Arts & Crafts Market opens on Friday at noon and closes at 6 p.m.

The main festival begins at 5 p.m. and goes until 10 p.m.

Beaufort musician Ces

Hage will take the stage at 5 p.m. and will be followed by Slippery when Wet – The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute Band at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the Arts & Crafts Market opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.

Dispute

from page A1

male with non-life-threatening injuries and a 3-yearold with life-threatening injuries. The 3-year-old later succumbed to their injuries.

Investigation revealed

something with books because of everything going on in the county with book banning,” said Barbara Hunter, the troop recruiter and event organizer.

Hunter said the day was themed around a quote from Horace Mann, “A house without books is like a room without windows.”

Books were offered free of

The main festival begins at 11 a.m. and will go until 4 p.m.

Country music singer Jason Lee Cook from Charleston will take the stage at from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. followed by The Official Parris Island Marine Corps Band at 1 p.m.

Brett Coleman will play at 2:15 p.m. and Katie Lynn will play at 3:15 p.m.

The Run Forrest Run 5K, which has runners run the course where the movie Forrest Gump was filmed in the early 1990s, will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday at Newcastle Street.

a domestic dispute occurred during a child exchange that escalated into an incident where shots were fired.

Investigators are actively searching for Fair; he is known to frequent the Big Estates and the Yemassee area. The public should not approach Fair as he is con-

charge for all ages, elementary through high school.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Participants will run through downtown Beaufort and over the Woods Memorial Bridge.

According to the Beaufort Shrimp Festival’s website, a Forrest Gump impersonator will be at the start and finish line to take photos.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/ The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna. theislandnews@gmail.com.

sidered to be armed and dangerous. If seen, call 9-11 immediately.

Anyone who may have information about this incident or information on Fair’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact Investigator Andersen at 843-3227941, or the Anonymous Tip Line at 843-322-7938

Steve von Clausburg

Branch Manager, Vice President – Investments

Whitney McDaniel, CFP® AAMS®

Financial Advisor, Vice President – Investments

Katie C. Phifer, CFP® , RICP ®

Financial Advisor, First Vice President – Investment Officer

Claudia Hahne

Client Associate

Wells Fargo Advisors 211 Scott Street Beaufort, SC 29902 Phone 843-524-1114

Building wealth takes hard work and passion. So should managing it.

Amanda Hanna

amanda@lcweekly.com

Sandy Schepis

sandyschepis@gmail.com

Salvation Army’s Fresh Express helps feed community

By Bob Sofaly

The Island News

People were lining up for free food more than an hour before the 10 a.m. opening time Thursday morning at the Salvation Army’s Fresh Express food giveaway on North Street.

Dianne Schaffer of the Salvation Army Beaufort Corps said the demand was so high for the fresh fruit and vegetables that they ran out of food in about an hour.

Salvation Army Beaufort Corps Social Services Director Catherine LeBlanc said the organization was “blessed with the opportunity to serve our community.”

At the Fresh Express event, the Salvation Army handed out fresh produce delivered by the Low Country Food Bank. During these events, residents of Beaufort, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties are able to get the fresh produce and only need their picture ID and bags.

“Today, we were able to serve over 70 families,” LeBlanc said. “We begin each Fresh Express event at 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.. However, today, we were done by 11:30 a.m. We are very pleased that our community showed up and was served.”

The next Fresh Express will be held on October 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Salvation Army at 2505 North Street. All are welcome.

Dianne Schaffer, left, and Mona Howard, of the Salvation Army Beaufort Corps, reach the “bottom of the barrel” of butternut squashes Thursday morning at the Salvation Army’s Fresh Express food giveaway on North Street. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

“We are looking forward to another great giveaway at The Salvation Army and the opportunity to serve our neighbors,” LeBlanc said.

Bob Sofaly has been photographing people and what they do in Beaufort since Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. He can be reached at bobsofaly@gmail.com.

Hopeful Horizons, Zonta Club raising awareness of domestic violence

From staff reports Rose Ewing, a community education and outreach manager for Hopeful Horizons, spoke at Zonta Club of Beaufort’s September general meeting in advance of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Hopeful Horizons, whose goal is to end child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault, provides counseling, legal, advocacy, and case management services which are 100% free and confidential. Last year, the organization served more than 1 200 clients.

For the month of October, Hopeful Horizons, with help from Zonta, will have a “Paint the Town Purple” event. The two groups will be working together to help raise awareness about the public health crisis of Domestic Violence

Zonta members will be assisting Hopeful Horizons by painting a purple stencil on businesses and organization's glass windows or doors to bring awareness to the growing problem of domestic violence.

The goal is to make Beaufort County residents aware

LEGAL NOTICES

of domestic violence resources and to let survivors know they are not alone with the ultimate goal of saving lives.

Know the signs, and if you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, help is available. Please reach out.

Hopeful Horizons’ 24Hour Support Line is 843770-1070 or 800-868-2632

The National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7, in English, Spanish and more than 200 more languages through interpretation services, is 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788

The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra rehearses with conductor Fred Devyatkin on Monday night, Sept. 23 at Beaufort High School’s band room as they get ready for the first concert of their 2023-2024 season. “Hello From Hollywood” is scheduled for 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 8, at the USCB Center for the Arts. The concert will feature work from Beethoven, Mozart, Mascagni and John Williams. For more information go to beaufortorchestra.org. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Hollywood comes to Beaufort Oct. 8

From staff reports The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is bringing a little bit of movie magic to the Lowcountry.

The BSO will be performing its first concert of the 2023-2024 season – “Hello From Hollywood!” – at 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 8 at the USCB's Center for the Arts.

In "Hello from Hollywood!" concert-goers will hear classical and modern

masterpieces from movies as the talented orchestra, conducted by Fred Devyatkin, brings to life a repertoire that spans centuries and genres. Works will include Beethoven's Allegretto from Symphony No. 7, Barber's Adagio for Strings, Mozart's Allegro con brio from Symphony No. 25 and Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo not to mention music from Hol-

lywood favorites like Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and John Williams' Star Wars. Don't miss this extraordinary evening of musical mastery and imagination. Tickets are $40, $15 for students and can be purchased at https://www.beaufortorchestra.org/tickets.html or by calling 800-595-4849 Remaining tickets will be sold at the door, if available.

Pat Conroy Literary Festival returns for 8th year

This year’s event features screening of The Lords of Discipline, Beaufort Mass Choir performance

From staff reports

The 8th annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival will be held on Thursday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 29, as a series of free and ticketed events in Beaufort featuring author discussions, writers workshops, a poetry reading, a screening of the film The Lords of Discipline, and a musical performance by the Beaufort Mass Choir.

Pat Conroy

The festival began as Pat Conroy’s 70th birthday celebration in October 2015 and now continues as an annual signature event of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center.

Presenting writers, poets, and instructors include bestselling authors Ron Rash (The Caretaker), Mary Alice Monroe (The Summer of Lost and Found), Mary Kay Andrews (Bright Lights, Big Christmas), Victoria Benton

Frank (My Magnolia Summer), Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story), Homeira Quaderi (Dancing in the Mosque), and Mitchell Zuckoff (The Secret Gate); screenwriter Thomas Pope (The Lords of Discipline); Galley Books executive editor Carrie Feron; poets Jennifer Bartell Boykin (Traveling Mercy), Freya

Manfred (When I Was Young and Old), and Tim Conroy (No True Route); English professors and literary scholars Valerie Sayers, Sean Heuston, and Ellen Malphrus; and many more.

The festival is made possible by the generous support and collaboration of the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust, the South Carolina Arts Commission, The

Cunningham Team – Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Bank of America, Oyster Cay Collection, Eugene A. Rugala & Associates, Hahn Family Wines, Lowcountry Real Estate, Bay Street Jewelers, Grayco, AlphaGraphics, NeverMore Books, the Rhett House Inn, Lucius and Darryl Laffitte, Rebecca Bruff, Patricia A. Denkler, Mike McFee, Marly Rusoff and Mihai Radulescu, and others.

Tickets are $100, which includes all author events, panels, the film screening, and reception on Friday and Saturday but does not include any workshops. Tickets are varying prices for individual events and workshops and can be purchased at https:// bit.ly/3PEUCkI.

Please register in advance. If a festival event is not sold out beforehand, tickets will also be available for sale at the door on the day of. There is no cost or advance registration needed for students to attend author presentations events.

Schedule Of Events (subject to change)

Thursday, Oct. 26 Noon-4 p.m. – Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

2-4 p.m. – Workshop: Say What? A Playful Dialogue Workshop, Led by Valerie Sayers. Ticketed, $45. (Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https:// saywhatdialogueworkshop. eventbrite.com

6:30-7:30 p.m. – Book Club: My Losing Season book club discussion led by Charlene Spearen and Jonathan Haupt, part of the monthly Pat Conroy Book Club at the Rhett House Inn.

ARTS BRIEFS

Shorts @ High Noon

continues October 11

Shorts @ High Noon, the weekday series of short film screenings of selections from the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF), continues on Wednesday, Oct. 11

Every Wednesday, check-in is at 11:30 a.m., at the Technical College Of The Lowcountry Auditorium (Building 12) at 921 Ribaut Road in Beaufort. Screenings begin promptly at noon and will last approximately an hour.

Admission is free.

SCHEDULE

(Asterisks indicate BIFF 2023 Category Winners)

Oct. 11: Processing Magic (5 minutes, Animated), Bound (13 minutes, Student), Sacrificios (14 minutes, Short), Ms. Rossi 2* (18 minutes, Short)

Oct. 18: The Tale Of Captain Fortyhands (15 minutes, Student), Dancing With Shadows (14 minutes, Short), Ivalu (17 minutes, Short)

Ticketed, $10. (1009 Craven St., Beaufort) https://patconroybookclubatrhetthouseinn.eventbrite.com

Friday, Oct. 27

9:00-10:30 a.m. – Workshop: From Bad to Good to Unputdownable: Workshop Led by Sean A. Scapellato. Ticketed, $45. (Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https://frombadtogoodtounputdownable.eventbrite.com

11 a.m.-Noon – Author

Event: New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash will discuss his new Korean War-era novel The Caretaker in conversation with USC Beaufort writer-in-residence

Ellen Malphrus. Ticketed, $10. Book signing afterwards. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival 2023 eventbrite.com

Noon-4 p.m. – Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

12:30-2 p.m. – Workshop: The Gift of Family: Sharing Memories in Poetry, Prose, or Memoir, Workshop Led by Freya Manfred. Ticketed, $45. (Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https://thegiftoffamilyworkshop.eventbrite. com

2-3:15 p.m. – Author

Event: Leading Ladies in Southern Fiction: A Conversation with Bestselling Authors Mary Kay Andrews, Victoria Frank, and Mary Alice Monroe, moderated by Cassandra King, with special guest, fiction editor Carrie Feron. Ticketed, $10. Book signing afterwards. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfes-

Oct. 25: The Son, The Father (14 minutes, Short), Wicked Image (9 minutes, Short), Wicked Plans (6 minutes, Short), Ghosted (17 minutes, Short)

Nov. 1: Murder Tongue (18 minutes, Short), Past Prologue* (17 minutes, Short), Naptime (10 minutes, Short)

Nov. 8: Overdue (15 minutes, Short), My Over There (13 minutes, Short), A Best Man (13 minutes, Short), Wheel (10 minutes, Short)

Nov. 15: Beaufort Film Society Members will vote on one of three 2024 BIFF submissions t help determine an official selection for the upcoming festival. Proof of membership is required.

USCB Lunch with Author series kicks off with Mary Kay Andrews

This year’s University of South Carolina Beaufort Lunch with Author series will begin at noon Wednesday, Oct. 25 at The Belfair Clubhouse in Bluffton. The author,

tival2023.eventbrite.com

4-5 p.m. – Film Panel: Panel discussion of The Lords of Discipline with screenwriter Thomas Pope, Citadel English professor Sean Heuston, and Pat Conroy's classmate and fellow author John Warley. Ticketed, $10. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival 2023 eventbrite.com

5-6 p.m. – Intermission with refreshments.

6-8 p.m. – Film Screening: The Lords of Discipline Ticketed, $10. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival 2023 eventbrite.com

Saturday, Oct. 28

10-11 a.m. – Film Discussion: The Lords of Discipline screenwriter Thomas Pope in conversation with Ron Tucker, executive director of the Beaufort International Film Festival, on the making of the film. Ticketed, $10. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival2023.eventbrite.com

10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. –Workshop Excavating Memory into Poetry, Led by Jennifer Bartell Boykin. Ticketed, $45. (Pat Conroy Literary

Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https://excavatingmemoryintopoetry.eventbrite. com

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. –

Author Event: The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, with former U.S. State Department Special Agent and diplomat Sam Aronson, in conversation with Landon K. Thorne. Ticketed, $10. Book signing afterwards. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival2023.eventbrite.com

Noon-4 p.m. – Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

2-3 p.m. – Author Event: Writer and human rights advocate Homeira Qaderi, author of Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son, in conversation with author Valerie Sayers. Ticketed, $10. Book signing afterwards. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival2023.eventbrite.com

3:30-4:30 p.m. – Poetry

Panel: Why Poetry Matters, panel discussion with poets

Mary Kay Andrews, will be discussing her new book

Mary Kay Andrews

Bright Lights, Big Christmas Books will be available for purchase and the author will be signing books. Tickets are $60. Deadline to register is October 17

The Lunch with Author series will continue on Nov. 7, with Tracey Enerson Wood and her book The President’s Wife. For additional information go to USCBCenterForTheArts.com or call 843521-4145

About Bright Lights, Big Christmas

It’s a long way from a Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina to a certain street corner in Greenwich Village, but Kerry Tolliver — newly unemployed and romantically unattached — reluctantly agrees to make the trek and live in a tiny vintage camper with her gruff older brother (and his dog, Queenie) out of family loyalty.

Ron Rash (Poems: New and Selected), Jennifer Bartell Boykin (Traveling Mercy), Freya Manfred (When I Was Young and Old), and Tim Conroy (No True Route), moderated by Ellen Malphrus. Ticketed, $10. Book signing afterwards. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival2023.eventbrite.com

3:30-5 p.m. – Workshop: Writing a Great Fiction Query Letter, Workshop Led by Carrie Feron. Ticketed, $100 (Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https://writingagreatfictionqueryletter.eventbrite.com

7-9 p.m. – Reception: Wrap Party at the Pat Conroy Literary Center and preview of the Witness Tree Park, with guest MCs Jeanne Meserve and Jeffrey Blount, with a musical performance by the Beaufort Mass Choir. Refreshments. Ticketed, $35 (Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) https://patconroyliteraryfestival2023.eventbrite.com

Sunday, Oct. 29 Noon-4 p.m. – Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

Selling Christmas trees at the family’s stand on a New York City sidewalk, Kerry begins to feel at home, succumbing to the charms of the quirky neighborhood, and making new friends who become like family … and maybe more. Surrounded by warm childhood memories, sparkling possibility, and the magic of Christmas, will this smalltown girl surrender her heart to the bright lights of the big city?

The author Andrews is The New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House Cookbook and 30 novels, including The Homewreckers, The Santa Suit, The Newcomer, The High Tide Club The Weekenders Ladies' Night Summer Rental The Fixer Upper Deep Dish, Blue Christmas, Savannah Breeze, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies, and Savannah Blues. A former journalist for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Andrews lives in Atlanta.

– From staff reports

Beaufort Symphony Orchestra opens season with “Hello From Hollywood!”

Does beer before liquor really make people sicker?

It’s the fun month of October…showcasing ghost tours, pumpkins, dressing up, and festivals… including those that embrace imbibing more than pumpkin lattés. For those who don’t partake in alcoholic libations, you may read this for knowledge purpose. There’s no judgement here, but if October fests make your liver quiver, read on for some sage advice.

The saying “beer before liquor, never sicker” refers to the idea that consuming alcoholic beverages in a particular order will reduce the risk and severity of a hangover.

A hangover describes the symptoms someone may experience the day after drinking alcohol. These symptoms may include headaches, dehydration, and nausea.

The amount of alcohol a person drinks has a more significant effect than the type of alcohol they consume. To reduce the risk or severity of a hangover, people need to drink less alcohol, regardless of the type. Does drinking order matter?

The traditional myth “beer before liquor, never sicker” has many variations. According to a 2019 study, this saying occurs in many different languages and may originate from old folk wisdom. The saying suggests drinking li-

quor after drinking beer can cause someone to experience more extreme hangover symptoms. However, modern research has disproven this myth.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, certain compounds in alcoholic beverages may affect the severity of hangover symptoms. Dark spirits may contain higher levels of congeners, a compound that occurs due to fermentation, which could worsen hangover symptoms. Some people may also experience headaches after drinking wine due to sulfites, a preservative.

However, hangover severity relates to the amount of alcohol a person consumes, regardless of the type of al-

coholic beverage or the order of drinks. Other factors that can contribute to hangover symptoms include: dehydration acetaldehyde, a toxic alcohol byproduct d disrupted sleep patterns withdrawal from alcohol or other substances combining alcohol with other substances

Tips for preventing a hangover: The only way to completely prevent a hangover is not to drink alcohol or to drink in moderation. Ultimately, only time will help someone recover from a hangover. However, the following tips may also help a person prevent a hangover:

• Stay hydrated: Dehydration can lead to hangover symptoms. Alternating between alcoholic beverages and water may help maintain hydration levels.

• Avoid rounds: Rounds of drinks might make it harder to drink in moderation or to control alcohol consumption.

• Drink in moderation: Adhering to recommended alcohol consumption guidelines is essential. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025, adults of legal drinking age need to limit themselves to 2 alcoholic drinks daily for males or 1 alcoholic drink daily for females.

• Make informed drink choices: While the saying focuses on beer and liquor, the type of alcoholic beverage matters less than the overall alcohol content. Opting for drinks with lower alcohol content may reduce the risk of a hangover.

• Prioritize sleep: Alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns, contributing to grogginess and fatigue the next day. Sufficient rest after drinking may reduce these effects.

Is beer better for you than liquor?

In a 2017 survey, beer was reporter more likely to cause tiredness and relaxation. Neither beer nor liquor is inherently better for hangover prevention. What matters most is the total amount of alcohol a person consumes. Responsible drinking and moderation are key, regardless of the choice of beverage.

Here’s the bottom of the bottle summary:

Despite being widely popular, the phrase “beer before liquor, never sicker” lacks scientific evidence to support the idea that drinking order influences hangovers or how quickly a person

might feel drunk. No matter what drinking order someone chooses, people need to drink in moderation to reduce hangover severity and minimize the risk of health complications relating to excessive alcohol consumption. To prevent a hangover, a person needs to stay hydrated, reduce alcohol consumption, and get plenty of sleep. People who have concerns about drinking alcohol can talk with a doctor for advice.

Sources: https://www. medicalnewstoday.com/articles/doesbeer-before-liquor-help? Medically reviewed by Alyssa Peckham, PharmD, BCPP — By Meara Withe on September 1, 2023

Additional sources:

Frequently asked questions. (2022): https://www.cdc.gov/ alcohol/faqs.htm

Hangovers — Causes, symptoms and prevention. (2023): https:// www.drinkaware.co.uk/ facts/healtheffects-of-alcohol/general-healtheffects/hangovers-causes-symptomsand-prevention Köchling J, et al. (2019). Grape or grain but never the twain? A randomized controlled multiarm matched-triplet crossover trial of beer and wine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/30753321/

How artificial intelligence can help read mammograms

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer for women in the United States, making early detection very important. And that might be easier to do with artificial intelligence, or sometimes referred to as AI. It’s now being used to help doctors read mammograms.

“It’s not anything that the patient would be able to see. It’s something that we see on the detection side,” explained Laura Dean, MD, diagnostic radiology specialist for Cleveland Clinic. “So, it’s basically just an algorithm or annotations that are embedded

into the patient images that we see when we’re reviewing all of the imaging for the patient.”

Dr. Dean said AI can help spot more subtle findings on breast imaging. Research shows it can also help radiologists be more efficient and accurate.

She said another benefit is that artificial intelligence is constantly learning from known or proven cancers, and that information can then be applied when analyzing images.

Dr. Dean uses AI in her own practice and said there have been multiple occasions where it has detected something she couldn’t see.

I think everyone, and me included, we tend to be a little bit skeptical initially when we have a

task that a computer is performing. It takes a little bit of time to learn trust, to kind of learn how

to apply that to our practice,” she said. “But I think it’s really exciting to see how this has helped aid our detection of breast cancer. We, of course, want to find breast cancer as early as we possibly can.”

In addition to self-checks at home, women are encouraged to start getting annual mammograms for breast cancer when they turn 40

Those who are at an increased risk may need to have screening sooner. However, it’s best to talk with your physician.

Source: October 2, 2023; ccnewsservice@ccf.org

The full moon: Effects on human health

By Zawn Villines

Folklore around the world has long asserted that the moon affects human behavior and health. However, much of the research on whether the moon has any direct effect is inconclusive.

Some studies suggest the moon may have a small impact on some aspects of health, such as childbirth. But then other studies have found no connection.

Even when the moon appears to affect humans, it may not be the moon itself that is the culprit. Confirmation bias, which is the tendency to focus on information that supports what a person already believes, may help explain why people claim to observe changes in health and behavior during a full moon.

It is possible that the moon could affect sleep, which may then impact peoples’ energy levels in the daytime.

Prior to artificial lighting, the full moon was a major source of nighttime light. A 2021 study states that for much of human history, people were more active at night during the full moon, and might have synchronized their activities and energy levels to the phases of the moon. This could be because more moonlight meant people could continue working or participating in other activities later into the evening. But there is some evidence that moonlight itself may keep people awake for longer.

The study investigated the effects of the lunar cycle on people living in rural environments

without electricity, in Indigenous communities, and in urban settings. By using sleep monitors, the researchers found that sleep began later and did not last as long on the nights leading up to the full moon. This phenomenon likely occurs because the full moon is the brightest moon phase, reflecting more light from the sun to Earth. Although this light is weaker than direct sunlight, exposure may still cause people to feel more awake at night. Some people believe that the moon affects the menstrual cycle.

Research on this point has reached mixed or weak conclusions.

Moon phases may have an influence on childbirth. A 2021 study of a large data set that included 38 7 million births in France found small but significant variations in birth patterns related to moon phases. Births increased during the full moon, in consistency with folk beliefs.

Does the full moon affect mental health?

People anecdotally report that the full moon affects their mood, but the existing research does not

support this claim.

An older 1985 meta-analysis found no connection between phases of the moon and mental health admissions to hospitals, for example. It also found that phases of the moon explained fewer than 1% of the differences in mental health admission rates.

More recently, a 2019 study of 17 966 people who sought mental health care in an inpatient setting found no connection between admissions, discharges, and the phases of the moon.

It is possible that the moon might affect mood in more subtle

ways, but these are more difficult to measure, and are vulnerable to confirmation bias since people who believe that the moon affects mood are more likely to monitor and observe mood changes.

Some other studies have found a potential link between the full moon, health, and behavior.

A 2016 study looked at prior research on crime and the phases of the moon and then separated indoor from outdoor crime. The phases of the moon did not affect indoor crime. However, outdoor crime rates increased with the light of the moon and were higher during the full moon. Again, more light during the full moon might explain the difference.

In summary, some research suggests that the moon might influence human health or behavior, but many of the studies on this only find a weak or small association.

It is unclear if the moon is directly responsible for these effects. The tendency to fit evidence to suit a person’s beliefs might better explain some of these connections.

Still, folk legend and some forms of spirituality claim that the moon influences behavior. It is possible that science has not captured what some societies have long believed. Without more research, scientists cannot fully discount the idea that the full moon affects health.

Source: Medically reviewed by Kerry Boyle D.Ac., M.S., L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., CYT

Updated on September 27 2023; https:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ fullmoon-effects

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Warriors rout Mohawks, stay perfect

LowcoSports.com

The stars didn’t get too many touches for the Whale Branch Warriors on Friday night, but that’s because they landed enough haymakers early to watch most of the second half from the sidelines.

Bradford Thompson, Darrell Cummings, and KJ Chisholm racked up 219 rushing yards on just 12 carries, and Thompson, Cummings, and Zaire Polite anchored another dominant defensive effort as the Warriors routed Bethune-Bowman 50-6 on the road to improve to 5-0

Whale Branch has outscored its opponents 247-42 and climbed to No. 3 in Class 1A in this week’s S.C. Prep Football Media Poll. This one was over early, as the

Warriors built a 21-0 lead after a quarter and extended it to 35-6 by halftime, using a punishing ground game and ferocious defense despite playing without injured linebacker Alonzo Allen. Thompson led the way on both sides of the ball, breaking a 65 -yard touchdown run to finish with 95 yards on two carries and collecting seven tackles with four behind the line of scrimmage, including a play on which he hit the quarterback to jar the ball loose, scooped it up, and raced to the end zone early in the third quarter.

Cummings collected nine tackles and rushed for 75 yards on eight carries, while Chisholm added 49 yards on two carries — both touchdowns — and threw a 28yard TD pass to Dayaun Brown.

Jermon Bowers scored a rushing touchdown to go with five tackles and a 51-yard interception return touchdown — his second pick-6 in two games.

Polite led the Warriors with 10 tackles and recovered a fumble, while Treshon Hills added eight tackles, Davon Evans had six tackles (two for loss) and forced a fumble, and Dontray Lewis forced

Golden Warriors get the ‘W’

John Paul II’s Bela Crespo gets the first of her 10 kills on the evening against Hilton Head Christian Academy’s Keely Langhals during the first set of their volleyball match Wednesday, Sept. 27 at JPII. The Eagles won the first two sets 25-20, 26-24.

The host Golden Warriors won the third set 25-17 but dropped the fourth set 25-21, giving the Eagles a 3-1 victory. Bob Sofaly/ The Island News

Delaney steps up again for Bucs

LowcoSports.com

For the second straight week, Whale Branch alum Dee Delaney was called upon to fill a void in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary due to injury, and for the second straight week, Delaney

made the most of the opportunity.

After stepping in at cornerback and picking off Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts on an acrobatic play a week earlier, Delaney was pressed into duty at free safety when Ryan

Neal suffered a concussion just

two plays into the Bucs’ game at New Orleans on Sunday. Delaney played the remaining 63 snaps and sealed Tampa Bay’s 26-9 win over the Saints with an interception on a deep pass from Jameis Winston.

"He did a decent job," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told the team’s website. "He did a very decent job. We kind of moved him around [from] corner, strong

SEE NOTEBOOK PAGE B3

and recovered a fumble. Whale Branch forced six turnovers. The Warriors are off this week before hosting Allendale-Fairfax on Oct. 13

Iron Horses run over Eagles

LowcoSports.com

It was understood that Philip Simmons would present a significant challenge to the Beaufort Eagles’ reign over Region 8-3A, but it was difficult to anticipate the level of domination the Iron Horses would display in laying claim to the throne.

KJ Asbury and Sharod Williams combined for 316 rushing yards and Asbury found the end zone three times, as Philip Simmons’ defense frustrated Beaufort quarterback Samari Bonds and took a blocked punt back for a touchdown in a 36-6 rout in Charleston. Asbury scored a pair of first-half touchdowns before Tavien Orellana and Troy Stevenson hooked up for a 45-yard touchdown and Sam Crocker added a field goal for a 23-0 halftime margin.

Jadyn Andrews busted loose on an 80-yard touchdown run to open the second half and get Beaufort on the board. He finished with 178 yards on 18 carries, but the Eagles couldn’t climb out of the big early hole.

Bonds couldn’t get in sync with his receivers, going 3-for-14 for 63 yards and adding 30 yards on six carries as the Iron Horses won the line of scrimmage and collected six tackles for loss and two sacks along with two takeaways and the blocked punt score by Bryce Smalls.

James Denton collected 11 tackles and Robert Johnson had eight tackles (two for loss) and a sack to lead Beaufort’s defense, which will look to get back on track Friday against visiting Battery Creek. The Eagles (4-3 0-1) have won 14 consecutive meetings with the Dolphins (0-7 0-1) with Creek’s last win in the series coming in 2003

Coosa Elementary Teacher named District Teacher of the Year

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

A teacher from Coosa Elementary School was named as Beaufort County’s 20232024 District Teacher of the Year during a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, on Hilton Head Island.

April Bryant, a 5th-grade teacher who moved here in 2019, was announced as this year’s winner during the celebration honoring all the Teachers of the Year from all schools in the Beaufort County School District (BCSD) at the Coastal Discovery Museum.

“It’s such an honor,” Bryant said. “I am among some of the most phenomenal teachers I have seen in my life in my career, and I was very, very shocked that they called my name but feeling beyond blessed that it was me.”

As District Teacher of the Year, Bryant will participate in an advisory council with the District Teachers of the Year finalists from the past three years and will help to come up with plans of action to motivate and support the teachers in the Beaufort County School District.

Originally from Southern California, Bryant began her career in teaching in North Carolina before moving to Beaufort four years ago to be closer to family.

She said the only school she has worked at in Beaufort is Coosa and she was offered that job after interviewing with the school’s principal, Melissa Pender.

“Mrs. Bryant is an indi-

vidual that was born to be in this profession; she is student centered, she consistently shares her craft with other teachers and her classroom serves as a model for others in our district,” Pender said. “We are so happy that she’s been recognized with this honor today.”

According to a media release from the school district, Bryant wrote in her Teacher of the Year application that she believes teachers are successful when they actively establish and build relationships with students, and these relationships are built with a commitment that comes from knowing the students

and their stakeholders in their education.

Bryant currently holds a Master of Science in Education, Pre-K through 6thgrade Literacy and a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Elementary and Early Childhood with a concentration in Behavioral Studies.

She also has a Literacy Endorsement from the S.C. Department of Education and a Gifted and Talented Endorsement from the University of South Carolina.

Within Coosa, Bryant is a Grade Chair, a new teacher mentor, she is on the School Improvement Committee and she works with the Gifted and Talented

program and as an advisor to the National Elementary Honors Society.

There is a three-step process to becoming District Teacher of the Year that begins when teachers of the year are selected at the school level.

From there, teachers who want to compete for District Teacher of the Year submit their applications by the end of July.

Then, a selection committee that consists of parents, former educators and community leaders from across Beaufort County reviews the applications and rates them using a numerical scoring system.

The five finalists for District Teacher of the Year have the five highest scores.

Finally, the finalists are interviewed by a second review committee and are judged based on how well they respond to questions about current educational issues.

The panel selects the District Teacher of the Year in September, and that teacher goes on to represent Beaufort County in the South Carolina state Teacher of the Year program.

Finalists for the state program will be announced in February.

The other four finalists for the award were Josh Fergu-

son at Whale Branch Early College High School, Amanda Freeman at Mossy Oaks Elementary, Karen Tooman at Battery Creek High School and James King at May River High School.

This year Coosa has also received the National Blue Ribbon award and Assistant Principal Renee Roberts was honored as Assistant Principal of the Year.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She 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.

SC school districts on track to meet $3.3B relief funds deadline – what’s next?

By Hillary Flynn

The Post And Courier South Carolina school districts

are on track to spend all the $3 3 billion in federal relief funds they received by the September 2024 deadline.

The Post and Courier surveyed 26 of the state’s traditional 73 school districts, representing 387 649 students or 52 percent of South Carolina’s total student population. All the school districts said they were on target to spend their federal relief funds by the deadline.

If the districts are not able to do so, the money will be returned to the federal government. The money was a one-time infusion primarily meant to help students with COVID-19-related learning loss.

But students in South Carolina and across the nation are still suffering academically. Earlier this month, scores for the S.C. Ready Test taken by third through eighth graders revealed students were struggling in math. Just over half of students met or exceeded expectations in the subject across all grade levels, with fourth graders doing the best, with 57 1 percent passing the subject.

Black students, whose learning was disproportionately impacted during the pandemic, did worse than their White peers, with only around a fourth meeting or exceeding expectations. Fourth graders also did best for this subgroup, with 26 3 percent meeting or exceeding expectations.

Schools are facing other problems that were exacerbated by the pandemic. The teacher-retention crisis plagues the education industry, and students are undergoing a mental health crisis.

While districts appreciated the one-time cash influence, the future of the programs it funded, the jobs it created and the resources it provided are now in flux. Districts are

scouring their budgets to find ways to keep programs that are helping to keep students afloat.

The district first received the money during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some went to the state, but most went directly to the school district. It came in three staggered pots: $216 3 million that needed to be spent by Sept. 30 2022; $940 42 million by Sept. 30 2023; and $2 1 billion by Sept. 30 2024

South Carolina spent $1 87 billion of the cash as of July 31, 2023, according to the Department of Education Stabilization Fund, which tracks these numbers. A Post and Courier analysis found this falls roughly in the middle of the percentage of funds other states have spent. Arkansas has spent the most:

76 3 percent of its cash. Wisconsin spent the least: 37 8 percent.

School districts in all states are facing a fiscal cliff when the money runs out. Marguerite Roza and Katherine Silberstein, researchers at Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab that studies the relief funds, estimate this will equate to a $1 000 reduction of spending per student. High-needs school districts will suffer the most.

Extensions are difficult to get. Roza said they only apply to exten-

sions on vendor services where a contract was already in place. For example, if a school put them toward replacing their roof, but construction was delayed until after the deadline passed, they could apply for an extension.

However, there is a lag between when the application is sent in and when districts learn if it’s granted. Roza said there is a chance districts could find out their application was denied too late and have to return the money to the federal government.

“Everyone is confused, and there’s some frustration with the Department of Education for making this complicated and not clear,” Roza said.

Audrey Childers, a spokeswoman with Darlington School District, said they used some of their money for construction projects, but supply-chain issues delayed them.

“The projects may not be completed by the ESSER deadline,” she said. “This means we could have half-finished, unfunded projects at our schools if the money expires on the deadline.” South Carolina’s school districts are already preparing for the loss.

Beaufort County Superintendent Frank Rodriguez went to Capitol Hill on Sept. 21 with a group of

superintendents from across the country to discuss the difference federal relief funds have made in their districts.

“We’ve been able to utilize those dollars and focus the bulk of them on academic recovery of students; they’ve been of critical importance,” he said.

One way the district did that was by creating extended learning sites students could go to after school to receive extra academic assistance. The district created off-campus sites with community partners and hired retired educators to help students understand skills they were struggling with in the classroom.

Laura Showe, Florence 1’s chief financial officer, said any relief fund expenditures critical to the operations of the district would be incorporated into its general fund budget or other funding programs like Title I, a federal program that provides financial support to schools with a high number of low-income children, or Title IV, a program that tries to help all students graduate from high school. She said that for the fiscal 2024 budget, $300 000 in purchased technology that supports instruction deemed important to students’ continued learning was incorporated into the general fund

budget.

“The district has no concerns (about the deadline) but would like flexibility to use ESSER funds on security since this seems to be the current issue stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

Federal relief funds are earmarked for certain activities, such as “purchasing education technology.” In-school violence has been increasing to pre-pandemic levels, according to a Post and Courier analysis of S.C. Department of Education data.

There were 2,104 physical attacks on S.C. school grounds for the 2021-22 school year, up from 419 the year before. This is close to the 2,185 attacks there were during the 2017-18 school year.

Childers said Darlington was also having issues with the lack of flexibility with the funds.

We may have allocated a certain amount of money for an after-school program based on X-number of students,” she said. “If only half show-up, we only spend half the money.”

She said that under the current plan of “use it or lose it,” they will use the remaining fund to purchase items and supplies to support learning. But what would be more useful to the district is to use the leftover funds to pay for another after-school program next year.

All of the 2023-2024 school-level Teachers of the Year for Beaufort County School District stand with April Bryant, 20232024 District Teacher of the Year winner from Coosa Elementary School, at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Submitted photo

April Bryant, a 5th-grade teacher at Coosa Elementary, reacts as she was named Beaufort County’s District Teacher of the Year for 2023-2024 during a ceremony at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Submitted photo

BCSD Superintendent Rodriguez speaks to Congress

By Delayna Earley

The Island News Beaufort County School District

(BCSD) Superintendent Frank Rodriguez recently traveled to Washington D.C., to speak about the program that he initiated to help students recover academically from the loss of in-person schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of district and state education leaders according to their website, invited him to speak to Congress about the program “We All Want the Same Thing”: Community Partnerships for Learning in Beaufort County.

Rodriguez was in Washington D.C. for two days. He flew up on September 20, presented on September 21, and flew back to South Carolina that evening.

“It went very well,” Rodriguez said. “It was an opportunity to share with staffers [for legislators] at the federal government initiatives that seem to be working and providing progress for students in different school districts across the country.”

There were about six district su-

perintendents and one state superintendent, according to Rodriguez, and Chiefs for Change sought to show a sampling of the programs, that are being funded by federal grants, that were established to help with the academic recovery of students from the pandemic.

“The extra dollars that have been provided to schools have been put to good use … and there are initiatives that have worked that they might want to continue funding, practices that have shown success,” Rodriguez said about the purpose of his trip. “They have identified ours as one of those.”

The program is a major part of Beaufort County School District’s pandemic-recovery work and is a former partnership that has established after school extended learning sites at area churches and other community organizations.

At the extended learning sites, retired educators and current educators who wish to work extra time are available to help students for three hours after school at extended learning sites to help bridge the gap and provide additional support to struggling students.

The program runs four days a week and students are taken

to the extended learning site by a school bus, they are provided with a snack and then a school bus takes the students to their homes at 6 p.m.

The program was established in 2022 and uses federal COVID relief aid to cover the $32,000 per site that it costs to run the program.

Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She joined The Island News in 2022. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage gets

3-year IMLS Museums for America grant

From staff reports Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage is thrilled to announce the award of a nearly $163 000 dollar grant funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Over the course of three years, the IMLS Museums for America grant will enable the Morris Center to establish the Fuel The Mind program designed to reach 3,400 4th-grade students and 120 teachers in Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton and Hampton Counties. The partial funding will be used to support curriculum development, additional staff, volunteer recruitment, and the creation of program evaluation tools.

Notebook

from page B1

“We are very pleased to be one of the two museums located in our great state of South Carolina to obtain an IMLS Museums for America grant this year. The grant funds will allow the Morris Center to expand its staff to create and facilitate school tour offerings, specifically to our local students and educators,” Executive Director of the Morris Center Tamara Herring said in a news release.

Morris Center Staff is seeking a group of 4thgrade teachers to serve on the Educator Content Team. Interested educators can visit: https://www.morrisheritagecenter.org/FuelThe-Mind Content-Team to fill out the form and learn

(safety), free (safety), nickel. He kind of does everything back there for us, but we know he can catch the ball. He studies a lot during the week, and it pays off for him a lot."

Delaney’s first NFL interception came in 2021, but he tripled his career total in the span of a week.

Beaufort girls capture region swim title

The roster includes only nine swimmers, but those nine garnered enough points for Beaufort High’s girls to capture their first region title last week in the Region 8 - 3 A meet at North Charleston Aquatic Center.

Teams from Region 6-5A also competed in the meet with Class 5A Wando collecting 461 points, while Beaufort had a firstplace total of 282 in Region 8-3A, edging Class 5A Cane Bay (270) and easily

more about this professional development opportunity.

The overarching goal of this new initiative is to build a strong community of lifelong learners where individuals can “fill up” on knowledge of the culture and history of the Lowcountry.

Located in downtown Ridgeland on U.S. 17, Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage is a learning and exhibition center dedicated to preserving and cultivating the history, culture and the spirit of Ridgeland and its surrounding counties. Morris Center is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www.morrisheritagecenter.org.

outpacing Region 8-3A runner-up Philip Simmons (123).

The region championship team is made up of Susan Cushman, Amorette Chapman, Elizabeth Claire Jones, Jane Irish, Lydia France, Molly Smith, Michalle Ricks, and Kenolee Samarasekara, and the Eagles are led by first-year coaches Julie Jones and Kelley Eby.

JPII’s Hannagan 11th at state meet

In its first season fielding a girls golf team, John Paul II sent two individuals to the SCISA state meet on Monday and Tuesday at Orangeburg Country Club, and one of them nearly bagged a top-10 finish.

Sofie Hannagan carded a strong round of 81 in the first round to claim a spot in the top five at the midway point before stumbling somewhat with a 98 on Tuesday to finish 11th overall, while teammate Sydney Folscroft tied for 22nd.

Hilton Head Prep claimed the team title by 26 shots with senior Bridget Wilkie shooting 7-under-par 137 over 36 holes to win her third straight individual crown by a whopping 16 shots.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

North Charleston 13, Battery Creek 7

The Dolphins took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter but couldn’t find the end zone again, throwing a pair of interceptions to thwart promising drives. The Cougars punched in a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter and neither offense produced points after halftime.

Next: Battery Creek (0-7, 0-1) travels across town to face Beaufort High on Friday.

Cardinal Newman 49, John Paul II 0

The Golden Warriors hung in for a quarter, trailing 6-0 after 12 minutes, but it was all Cardinals in the second quarter, as they rolled up points in the quarter and cruised to a big home win. Christian Tilton rushed for carries for JPII, which was plagued by five turnovers.

Next: John Paul II ( ) hosts Hilton Head Prep on Friday.

Jefferson Davis 40, Holy Trinity 8

The Mighty Lions were within 16-8 at halftime but couldn’t get anything going on offense in the second half and couldn’t stop JDA’s James Grubbs, who finished with 141 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.

Next: Holy Trinity (3-4 2-1) hosts Newberry Academy on Friday at Whale Branch Middle School.

Beaufort Academy def.

Palmetto Christian (forfeit) BA wasn’t expected to face much of a challenge against the winless Eagles, but they were able to avoid the trip when Palmetto Christian elected to forfeit.

Next: BA (5-1) hosts defending SCISA 2A champion Williamsburg Academy for a showdown between title contenders on Friday.

FRIENDS of the BEAUFORT LIBRARY

Lobeco ■ St. Helena ■ Port Royal

FRIENDS

BOOK

– LowcoSports.com

Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage is a learning and exhibition center dedicated to preserving and cultivating the history, culture and the spirit of Ridgeland and its surrounding counties. Submitted photo

Letting go of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul

Idedicate much of my writing to providing positive and encouraging words of hope and inspiration, but I also must be truthful, we are growing older. I apologize for reminding us about that, but instead of all the negative attributes of aging, we should embrace it more like we are a fine wine that is becoming more delightful and appreciated. Those of us who are noticing a few gray hairs and aching joints, relax and count your blessings. It is God that has allowed you and I to be at this place and time and to enjoy each day with those we love.

Being older allows us to use what we have learned from our past and to apply it to our lives today, and also share this hard-earned wisdom with those who

BILLY HOLLAND

love and respect us. Aging is not about a number, it comes from abandoning our excitement and zeal. The years may wrinkle the skin, but letting go of our joy and enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

As we head into fall, (my favorite time of the year)

I realize many of you who read this column are probably living in this particular season of your lives and have received the blessing of a long life. Speaking for myself, I was so thankful for making it to retirement, (I

was a bi-vocational minister) and for the last few years, it has been a pleasure to go back to school, become involved in volunteer work, writing books and newspaper columns, and leading worship at church, (which I love), traveling, and enjoying my grandchildren.

It’s humbling to realize that many have not been this fortunate. For me, this season of life has been some of my most enjoyable and productive years and I look forward to new adventures, being with family, and to see what other experiences He has planned for me in the future.

I am one of the ministers at our church and we are honored to have an older congregation filled with wonderful people who love God and have served Him for most of their lives. I’m fascinated with how many

people I know who are in their eighties and nineties and are feeling good. I spoke with a man the other day who was sharply dressed, had a sparkle in his eyes, and was having no serious health issues.

As we were talking, I asked how old he was and he said the first week of October he would be 95. I could hardly believe it as he looked much younger. I asked him about his secret to long life, and before he could answer another man who just turned 80, stepped in and jokingly said it was his wild, late-night party life. Ha! I think that taking care of ourselves is important, just like regular maintenance is wise with anything we want to keep in good working order.

Another blessing that many older individuals have is the blessing of a

sharp mind. I know many people whose minds are just as fully functional as any younger person. My mom is 85, and I cannot tell any difference in her mental cognition from when I was a kid. She is in good health, feels good, drives anywhere she wants and lives independently.

I’m a chaplain at a Veteran Health Care facility, and I enjoy talking with the interesting men and women who live there. Many of them are in their 90s and they know more about current world events than I do. They have been around the block a time or two as they say, and are also very knowledgeable about the Bible. I love to hear them tell fascinating accounts of their lives and funny stories. I hope I can maintain a vibrant attitude as they have.

I want to propose a toast to you today and give God all the glory for the good life you have lived and for all the wonderful things He has called you to do. You worked hard and planted a lot of good seeds and are now reaping the blessings of that harvest.

This is a time to celebrate the transition from what we once thought was important to what we now know is truly important. It is said that growing older is like climbing a mountain: the higher you advance the more difficult it becomes, but the further you can see.

Never regret growing older, it’s a privilege that many are denied.

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

Forgiven by God Confession

Haven’t we all found ourselves in need of forgiveness?

Perhaps as a child we sent a baseball through a window, or broke one of mom’s favorite heirlooms. It wasn’t easy, but we had to own up to what we had done and say we were sorry. What a great feeling it was to hear them tell us that we were forgiven, and to know that we are loved no matter what we had done!

In the Gospels, Jesus forgave people’s sins.

To the paralyzed man, for example, he said, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5) This was astonishing to his Jewish listeners because they understood that sins are offenses against God. Only God can forgive sins; a mere man would have no such authority. And yet, Jesus does have authority to forgive sins, because he is not an ordinary man, but God standing in their midst.

Jesus sent the apostles to forgive sins in his name.

After rising from the dead, he greeted the apostles and told them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Echoing the way that God breathed life into Adam, Jesus then breathed on the apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:21-23) Just as Jesus forgave sin during his ministry, he sent his apostles to act on his behalf, forgiving anyone who desired the grace of God’s forgiveness.

Jesus intended for all generations to experience this gift. This experience of his mercy would be needed by all Christians, not just those who happened to live in the time of the apostles. People would always need to experience his mercy and unconditional love, just as they would always need to hear the Gospel proclaimed. This gift of forgiveness has been passed down through the centuries within the Church, the Lord’s family of faith, so that all Christians can experience his forgiveness in a concrete and tangible way. Catholics call this beautiful gift the Sacrament of Confession.

Through Confession, we encounter the Lord’s mercy. Like all human beings, Catholics struggle with sin, damaging our relationship with God. When we need to seek the Lord’s mercy and spiritual healing, we meet anonymously with a priest. We speak our sins out loud and ask God’s forgiveness. The priest will often give some encouragement or advice, and then Jesus forgives us through the priest. The priest cannot share anything that he has heard in confession, because those sins are between that person and Jesus. Confession is truly one of the joys of being Catholic. Wouldn’t it be easier to confess our sins straight to God without a priest? Of course it would, but Jesus knew what he was doing. There is something powerful about speaking our sins out loud, taking ownership of them and bringing them into the light. It can be very helpful to receive spiritual guidance from a priest. And it is a great joy to hear Jesus say to us, through the priest, the beautiful words, “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace!”

The Sacraments Message 5 of 8

The challenge of meaningful leadership

In recent Op-Ed pieces, I described the way Beaufort’s Mayor/Council form of municipal government is structured and operates. Upon election, the Mayor and four Council members are granted exceptional authority to pass new legislation/ordinances, modify and/or eliminate current ordinances, create form-based codes and execute additional legislative responsibilities.

These rights and duties grant them extraordinary authority, obligations and responsibilities, none of which should ever be taken lightly. Each elected member of Beaufort’s government must be fully informed and well prepared if they are to serve the best interests of our citizens.

Most of all, the Mayor and Council members must provide compelling leadership in guiding the ship of state for the good of all Beaufortonians. We should expect nothing less from our elected officials.

Electoral democracy, absent competent and con-

DAVID TAUB

structive leadership, creates an environment of degraded confidence in government’s ability to make wise, responsible and competent decisions. The absence of mature and strong leadership is a recipe for dysfunctional government, unaccountable decisions and unimaginable levels of defective and negligent decrees that negatively affect society.

When citizens lose faith in their government, democratic government ceases to work.

Typically, “ambition” seldom actually leads to “achievement;” the former is Herculean and the latter sadly Lilliputian. This saying is especially true when applied to government and its leaders.

Taub’s Third Law of Government is: “When all is said and done, a whole lot more gets said than done.”

Talk is the cheapest coin of the realm of governance; in reality, making appropriate decisions is golden.

Exercising effective leadership is a difficult and exacting task; I know it all too well from 15 years in elective service, first as a City Councilman and subsequently as Beaufort’s Mayor for almost a decade. The weights of leadership are most challenging when arduous and critically important decisions must be made.

It is of paramount importance to learn and benefit from important lessons gleaned from past failures lest we are doomed to repeat them. Or, as the famous philosopher George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Providing strong and competent captaincy in any enterprise is a taxing and exacting mission, made even more formidable when critically important policy

decisions must be made for the public good. When “good government” contributes to the well-being of its citizenry, this creates respect and confidence in it; neither can democratic government survive without it. Government cannot, nor should it, solve all our problems. The citizenry itself has an important and critical role to play in the interface between those who are elected to govern and those who are governed by them.

Mirabeau B. Lamar, the famous Texas patriot and first governor of the Republic of Texas, best known as the Father of Texas Education, preached over a century ago: “The enlightened (by which he meant “educated”) mind is the guardian genius of democracy.”

And no less a founder of our American experiment with democracy than President Thomas Jefferson made the same observation a century before Lamar: “I know no safe depositor of the ultimate powers of society but the people them-

selves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion.”

Providing strong leadership is the fundamental duty of elected officials; likewise, it is no less the responsibility of citizenship to be informed, a central pillar of “Western” democracy. Citizens have a civic responsibility to be well “enlightened” about, and engaged in, the business of their government. It is an obligation as old as the Athenian invention of “democracy” as a formula for living in a civilized society. Have such historically virtuous notions of wisdom, accountability and steadfast leadership in government become passé in our complicated modern life? I say “No!”

I believe that in today’s challenging civic arena, the virtues of real leadership are mandatory more than ever.” Paul Keating, Australia’s Prime Minister,

provides the litmus test:

“Leadership is not about being nice. It’s about being right and subsequently, being strong.”

Shall we citizens require our local leaders to be right and strong? Of course. Have our local elected officers lived up to their responsibilities of trustworthy leadership? Have we received it? Did the ex-Mayor and other councilmembers exercise meaningful leadership in recent decision making? Have they been strong and right?

Our citizenry shall vote that verdict. The true mark of real leadership by elected officials is to openly acknowledge when making a mistake, to make promises to correct their error of judgment, and to deliver on their promises.

“Well, all I know is what I read in the newspapers.” – Will Rogers. David M. Taub was Mayor of Beaufort from 1990 through 1999 and served as a Beaufort County Magistrate from 2010 to 2015. You can reach him at david.m.taub42@gmail.com.

St. Helena Island must not lose its soul

My name is Rev. Kenneth Hodges, and I am a former State Representative for House District 121 (Beaufort and Colleton Counties). I am the pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort, and I have heard from many community members about their concerns related to the luxury golf resort development proposed on Pine Island. This project would defy the Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) zoning on St. Helena Island.

Golf course and resort developments have historically displaced Sea Island communities from North Carolina down to Florida. For more than two decades, the CPO has safeguarded St. Helena

REV. KENNETH HODGES

Island’s living Gullah/Geechee culture from this fate by prohibiting this type of development. The policy was written by and for the people and has kept the Island rural, allowing important cultural activities like farming, fishing, and hunting to continue thriving.

In June, Beaufort County

upheld the CPO by denying a request to remove Pine Island from the CPO’s boundaries. Plans for three 6-hole golf courses were also denied by staff and the planning commission. The County Council listened to their constituents and arrived at these correct and logical decisions. The developer is now appealing those decisions and trying to negotiate a settlement.

Many Gullah/Geechee people

have called St. Helena Island home for generations and continue to fight for their land. From my perspective, the community has made it clear through hours of public meetings, community gatherings, and testimony that golf courses, resorts, and gated communities do not mesh with St. Helena Island’s Gullah/Geechee culture and Sea Island heritage. Moreover, we live in a society where everyone is expected to fol-

CLIMATE CORNER

low the laws, which are designed to protect the public at large. We do not enact these laws only to rewind them when it becomes inconvenient or because what is being proposed is not allowed. The County Council should hold the line and not waiver in their support of the CPO and Gullah/ Geechee culture.

Finally, I leave you a verse from the gospel. Mark: 36-37 says “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Rev. Kenneth Hodges is the pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church and the owner of LyBensons’ Gallery on St. Helena Island. He is the former State Representative for House District 121

Clean energy at a crossroads in SC

South Carolina is at a critical crossroads next month to set the direction for abundant and affordable energy generation in our state. The decision made soon will define our economic strength and environmental health for decades.

The options rest with state regulators at the Public Service Commission (PSC) as they decide next month whether to accept or reject the long-term energy plan of electricity provider Dominion Energy South Carolina.

There are two clear paths: The first is to build a cleaner, cheaper, abundant, and more reliable electricity future. The second is to double down on the past 100 years of addiction to fossil fuels by expanding reliance on out-of-state fuels for decades to come.

We have been closely following the testimony and rebuttals submitted this year on Dominion’s energy plan. The full testimony and hearings have clearly shown that Dominion is failing to embrace new cost-saving technology and instead over-investing in old energy sources.

Power industry expert witnesses noted that, already, more than 40 percent of Dominion’s energy comes from natural gas and

ANNE TYLER

less than 10 percent from solar energy. By arbitrarily assuming that solar and other clean technologies cannot grow quickly, Dominion produced a plan that will make its ratepayers 60 percent dependent on natural gas for power for decades to come. This plan is financially very risky because, unlike renewable energy, the price of natural gas constantly fluctuates.

A further implication of Dominion’s plan is that it will require major gas pipeline upgrades to bring this fossil fuel into the state in much greater amounts. Unfortunately, no one knows yet how much it will cost for these natural gas pipelines.

It is a cost and timetable that is unknown and excluded from the analysis.

So, what is the alternative to Dominion’s plan?

Expert witnesses in the PSC hearings removed Dominion’s artificial limits on clean energy growth and developed an alternative to Dominion’s plan. The

alternative plan maintains Dominion’s natural gas fleet of power plants as a backup for renewable energy, while expanding solar, batteries, and energy management solutions to replace aging coal plants.

Even better, the expert witnesses demonstrated that the alternative plan would be cheaper than Dominion’s gas-centric plan while still meeting rigorous, industry-standard reliability requirements. It also removes the risks associated with the volatility of natural gas availability and costs.

Beyond the economic benefits of the alternative energy plans presented to the PSC and Dominion, the clean energy plan also reduces carbon emissions by 50% over Dominion’s plan.

Natural gas, which is comprised mostly of methane, isn’t clean. Burning natural gas emits large quantities of CO2. That is why the federal government has already proposed a rule that forces new baseload gas-fired power plants to run only half the time. As one ratepayer suggested during the public hearing, this makes building more natural gas power plants today as risky as investing in a new lead paint factory.

Dozens of lawsuits being filed and won across the US against fossil fuel com-

panies, utilities, and even states themselves add even more to the financial and legal risk.

By contrast, solar and batteries are simply the cheapest, most scalable, and most flexible technical solutions that provide the most reliable and resilient electricity production today. These clean technologies are changing the economics of electricity production.

Best of all, these are not “future miracles” we need to arrive one day on the utilities’ doorsteps. They are currently available and widely deployed. For this reason, in 2022 for the first time in history, more solar was added to energy capacity globally than coal or natural gas.

So, what happens next?

It is now up to the PSC to decide whether to accept or reject Dominion’s plan, or compel Dominion to follow the alternative clean energy plan presented by the expert witnesses. According to statute, the PSC must decide before Thanksgiving.

The importance of their decision cannot be over-stated. We don’t have to look back far to recall how the failed nuclear power plant project (VC Summer) was abandoned in 2017 after 10 years of attempting to construct a nuclear plant that would

PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY COMMITTEE (PURC) MEMBERS

Contact: https://www. scstatehouse.gov/email. php?chamber=B

Members • Sen. Thomas C. Alexander (Chairman), 803-212-6220

Sen. C Bradley Hutto, 803-212-6140

• Sen. Luke Rankin, Sr., 803-212-6610

Rep. William Sandifer, III (Vice Chairman), 803-734-3015

• Rep. Joseph H Jefferson, Jr., 803-734-3015

Representative John Taliaferro West (“Jay”), 803-212-6954 Jurisdiction Contacts

Sen. Tom Davis, 803-212-6080

Sen. George E. “Chip” Campsen, III, 803-212-6340

Rep. Shannon S. Erickson, 803-734-3053

never open. The PSC authorized Dominion to then bill its ratepayers $4 5B to recover these costs over 20 years. We are still paying for this debacle in our monthly bills today.

The PSC now knows that the alternative plan, which maximizes deploying solar and battery storage (and energy management systems), will be cheaper, cleaner, more abundant, and more reliable than the plan

Dominion is asking the PSC to approve.

Knowing these facts, it would be a moral, intellectual, and fiduciary dereliction of duty for the PSC to approve Dominion’s plan.

The PSC hearings are closed now. But our state legislators should compel the PSC to take the right path at this critical energy crossroads for SC.

PSC Commissioners should know, before the November deadline, that state legislators, including the Public Utility Regulatory Committee (PURC), support the cheapest, least-polluting, most reliable electricity plan and not another risky boondoggle that will leave ratepayers on the hook for major natural gas price swings for decades to come.

Please contact the SC state legislators listed below now, and ask them to oppose Dominion’s energy plan and support the alternative reliable clean energy plan.

Anne Tyler worked 40 years in business and technology strategy and solutions, focusing on new technology to drive economic innovation, and was a consultant in the regulated utilities industry in North America for many years. Anne is a member in the Beaufort chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby. She and her husband, Wayne, have lived on Lady’s Island for more than 6 years.

The County Council should hold the line and not waiver in their support of the CPO and Gullah/Geechee culture.

A great ride and fabulous fiction

It is Saturday, and I’m in Port Royal. It is brisk this morning, but I have a long-sleeved wool shirt and my Starbucks — House Blend. I also have Ann Patchett’s latest novel, “Tom Lake.”

Ann Patchett has long been a favorite author. One remembers “Bel Canto” and “State of Wonder”. But my memory always goes back to her interview of Pat Conroy at the Nashville Public Library in 2013 — an interview that can be viewed on YouTube.

“Tom Lake” is the story of a woman, a former actor, who had a romance with a man who thereafter became a movie star. The woman, now married to someone else, lives in Michigan where she and her family raise cherries. It’s harvest time and they are short on hired help meaning that this family must harvest these

cherries on their own. Let us just say this fact gives this novel an overarching sense of desperation.

“Tom Lake” centers itself on a play, “Our Town”, that the narrator (Lara Kenison) first encounters when she is in high school. Lara instinctively understands the “Emily” character as she watches other teenagers audition for the part. Lara abruptly decides abandon to her registration job and read for the part herself.

She gets the role.

On the strength of the Lara’s high school success, she lurches into an acting

career — eventually going to Hollywood and making a movie. That movie, for reasons only known by industry insiders, is not immediately released. While she waits for its release, and for the fame everyone says will surely come, she does summer stock in a mythical place in Michigan called Tom Lake.

The play they do in Michigan is “Our Town.”

While at Tom Lake she falls for a man, Peter Duke, who plays the part of the small town editor in “Our Town.” They swim, smoke cigarettes and have a lot of casual sex. Ms. Patchett spends a good deal of time on facial description, especially the black eyelashes of Peter Duke, and the image of Keanu Reeves came into my head, and I could never erase that image though I tried.

Although the romance in Tom Lake is central to

the story, the details of that long-ago romance come out slowly as Lara reveals that summer of love and loss to her daughters while they methodically and desperately remove the ripe cherries from the endless groves that seemingly stretch into Canada.

It is not clear why, at this moment, she is telling her three mesmerized daughters about this love affair. But her telling is often interrupted by these twenty-something daughters who are curious about their mother’s other life — glamorous, exciting and now nothing but a lengthy, break-time anecdote.

The telling of her s story is paralleled by Lara’s unspoken mental narrative that delves more deeply, and more explicitly, into what happened at Tom Lake. And it’s clear Lara’s is weighing every word, each scene, and being very

careful in the telling of her story. Why?

Some years ago I was at my nephew’s wedding reception having a wine-assisted discussion with my brother. We were talking about our childhood — our relationship with our father. I hoped David would remember minor details I had forgotten.

Not only did he remember details that had evaporated from my own narrative; but in many respects his narrative was completely different. The story that he told had dialogue, movement and characters that did not inhabit my story. It occurred to me that I may have done more than rewrite small parts of my past. I don’t want to use the word “lie,” but clearly I had re-shaped my stories to make them comprehensible. Apparently I wanted my story to have a beginning,

middle and end. I also wanted humor, self-deprecating humor being the best. I wanted structure.

Now, thinking back, I probably buried most of the pain, all of the shame as I tried to re-weave the fabric of my life. And if the truth be told, there was a lot of “non-being” as Virginia Wolf would say. (See New Yorker, July 10-17 2023 “Tell No Tales”). When one has “cotton wool,” empty space, then there is going to be some serious back-filling.

Ms Patchett tells a story about a woman with a past who has to do some editing. Fortunately we get both the expurgated and the actual versions. In the process Ann Patchett gives us a great ride and some fabulous fiction.

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

Good for the goose, good for the gander

Somewhere out in the distance, I can hear a voice calling to me. The tone of that voice holds a bit of sarcasm, a bit of smugness, and the inquiry it is making goes something like this:

“Well, Carol, we have seen how prolific your articles are regarding Republicans, those writings rife with contempt for the folks you deem corrupt. Now that the shoe is on the Democratic foot with the news of Senator Robert Menendez, how does it feel?”

My quick answer is, “Equally contemptuous.”

I find corruption on any level – local, state, or federal – worthy of scorn; furthermore, my disdain extends to both sides of the aisle.

I will not play the familiar game of “but what about?” – you supply the name and the situation – although I have to admit when I began my research, Clarence Thomas came to mind. Instead, I am going to focus strictly on Menendez and the flimsy excuses he provided when he and his wife were indicted on charges of bribery, corruption, and the felony of providing confidential information to a foreign government. Let’s harken back to 2017 and the first round of counts brought

against the New Jersey senator. Menendez was brought up on charges of corruption on the federal level, that of misusing his office for personal gain. This resulted in a mistrial, a hung jury, which means that some voted guilty and others, innocent.

I make this clear because this kind of decision doesn’t mean the defendant was or wasn’t guilty, but that the jury couldn’t arrive at a conclusion. In my mind, the cloud continues to hang over the truth of that first go round.

I might add that the defense in that trial was “simply gifts from friends.”

Sound familiar?

It should because this is the same justification (excuse) provided by the senator this time as well. It seems to me he might have worked a little harder at sounding

more plausible, but that’s just my opinion. Perhaps the first so-called win simply greased the track for his continuance of the same song and dance routine.

Fast forward now to 2023. One would think that after the close call in 2017, this individual would be smart enough to breathe a sigh of relief and “lay low.” Unfortunately, the voters of New Jersey gave him a victory in 2018, and that must surely have stoked his confidence, not to mention his arrogance, because five years later we find the Senator mired in the same kind of legal morass.

As the details of this even more serious allegation are revealed, it’s apparent Robert Menendez didn’t learn his lesson. His current indictment is focused on details like wads of cash stashed in pockets of clothing and multiple gold bars.

As a quick side note regarding his excuse for these, he stated that this tactic was based upon his family history, and the need to do the same when they were in Cuba. Really? That’s the best you can do, senator? Sir, you live in the United States of America and are a member of Congress, for heaven’s sake. National security experts have indicated that the indictment re-

fers to the senator’s disclosure of “highly sensitive” and “non-public” information to Egyptian intelligence. Let’s remember that Menendez is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a post from which he has “temporarily” removed himself. However, during the time he occupied the chairmanship, much of that for which he is now indicted took place then.

One very interesting aspect of this charade is Menendez’s second and current wife. It would seem that the missus has been fairly busy on her own. This is a woman who was facing foreclosure on a home when she first met the senator.

Nadine Menendez apparently had a close friendship with some Egyptians as she began dating Robert Menendez. According to The Washington Post, just eight months after his first trial for federal corruption, he issued an important message to Egyptian leaders: he would sign off on a $100,000,000 arms sale to Egypt. In texts Mrs. Menendez eventually claimed that she was “the middle person” for a lot that transpired, and that she was being paid to be such. She eventually

formed a company to receive these “bribe” payments. For the entire story, you might want to check out The Washington Post’s September 23 edition.

All in all, the story paints a clear picture of lawless arrogance with a lot of tawdry undertones. Thankfully, 30 Democrats have called for the senator’s resignation, the first call set forth by Pennsylvania’s rumpled, disheveled and quite articulate (despite his stroke) John Fetterman. It was he who said, “Menendez is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but he cannot continue to wield influence over national policy, given the nature of the allegations.”

Article 1 Section 5 of the Constitution states that each house of Congress may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member. I strongly suggest the Democrats do just that. Once again, no one is above the law and that includes Robert Menendez.

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.”

This week and every week, newspapers are for you

Americans have more media options than ever. We are inundated with stories, memes, videos and promotions 24 hours a day.

Most of us are on social media, which is built to provide an endless feed of content to keep us glued to our screens. And unfortunately, misinformation is prevalent and much of that content isn’t fact-checked, verified or professionally produced.

The result is that we’re not always shown what we need to know, or the information that is most likely to impact our lives. That’s where local newspapers come in. Your local newspaper takes a different approach.

National Newspaper Week is a good opportunity to recognize the commitment local newspapers make to the communities they serve. Your local newspaper is just that — local. It hires reporters who are trained to provide reliable information about the issues that matter most.

Whether it’s the latest happening from the local

DEAN RIDINGS

school board, changes in real estate zoning, high school football scores or a review of the new restaurant next to the mall, newspapers deliver what’s important to you.

Your local newspaper is far more than just print. In the ever-changing media landscape, local newspapers have evolved to true multi-channel content providers. From websites, to apps, emails, newsletters, video and podcasts, local newspapers are delivering news in innovative ways.

As a reader, you get to choose when and where to get the news you need, and no matter the method, can always be assured what you’re reading is credible and reliable.

Although the format or device readers use to

connect with their local newspaper might vary, it’s clear that newspapers are relied on as the source for local news. A recent national study conducted by the independent research firm Coda Ventures, shows that 79% of Americans use local newspapers to stay informed about their communities and depend on them to feel connected and to decide where they stand on local issues and

to find places and things to do. Further, six out of 10 American adults use newspaper advertising to help them decide what brands, products and local services to buy. It’s clear that local newspapers are vital to healthy communities.

However, it’s true that the newspaper industry has faced significant challenges. Rising costs, national competitors and the impact of Big Tech companies

using newspaper content without compensation have all impacted your local newspaper. Yet, now more than ever, we need their commitment to journalism's core values.

As we recognize National Newspaper Week, let’s focus on the vital role newspapers play and consider how we can support them. Subscribing or advertising in your local newspaper not only supports the newspaper but

is also an investment in the community.

And nationally, the Community News and Small Business Support Act has recently been introduced in Congress to provide local newspapers an opportunity to continue to invest in newsroom staff, which will ensure your community receives the highest level of reporting. Encourage your representatives to support this bill.

Whether you access the content from your local newspaper in print or online, remember that it is produced for you. And behind the articles, columns and images your newspaper produces is a team of local residents that are committed to making your community stronger.

Join me in thanking your local newspaper — during National Newspaper Week — for the good work it does to keep your community informed.

Dean Ridings is the CEO of America’s Newspapers, an organization committed in vision to champion newspapers and all they bring to the communities they serve.

CAROL LUCAS

SCOTT GRABER

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot

Parris Island, South Carolina, 6 October 2023

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

3rd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gregg F. Curley

Commander of Troops, Captain Alan W. Smith • Parade Adjutant, Captain Daniel J. Gasapo Company “I”, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion • Commanding Officer, Captain Alan W. Smith

PLATOON 3072

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt P. R. Mckinley

PVT Abarcalira, Bryan D.

PFC Akalu, Nahom W.

PVT Alejandro, Alexander O.

PVT Altamirano, Josel

PFC Ames, Noah J.

PFC Anderson, Parker G.

PVT Argust, Adam J.

PFC Arias, Kristopher J.

PVT Avilaantunez, Jonathan

PVT Baez, William B.

PFC Baker, Joseph B.*

PVT Baker, Seven C.

PVT Beasley, Trenton D.

PVT Best, Ashton A.

PVT Birr, Hayden D.

PFC Bolick, Caleb L.

PVT Brice, Elijah V.

PFC Cantrell, Rhett A.*

PVT Casasnovas Jr, Michael A.

PVT Clayton, Jaden O.

PFC Connor, Tyree D.

PVT Cook, Bryce A.

PVT Cope, Thomas J.

PVT Cordovabernabe, Jerry

PFC Covington, Kyvon G.

PVT Crisostomohernandez, Francisco A.

PVT Davidson, Gabriel A.

PVT Davison, Peyton K.

PFC Demaranville, Devon M.*

PVT Diaz, Elijah A.

PVT Diazgarcia, Ricardo

PFC Draper, Robert A.*

PFC Ehmig, Justin A.*

PVT Ferguson, Israel D.

PVT Gadlin, Teeniko T.

PVT Gould, Micah A.

PFC Hall III, Johnny F.

PVT Hall Jr, Rudy M.

PVT Haneline, Phillip C.

PVT Harkey, Troy L.

PVT Henson, Marcus A.

PVT Hummel, Damien S.

PVT Hutnik, John C.

PVT Jackson, Henry M.

PFC Keen, Elijah D.

PVT Keller, Nicholas R.

PFC Kennedy, Samuel C.

PFC Kohler, Jackson K.

PVT Kon, Alejandro

PFC Langston Jr, Justin A.

PVT Laveck, Riley W.

PFC Lockhart, Nijahlin J.

PFC Lopez, Aron

PFC Ly, Miguel Z.*

PFC Madrigal, Gabriel A.

PFC Martin, Gunner J.

PVT Martinezpaniagua, Angel R.

PFC Mayo, William Z.

PVT Mazzuca, Joseph F.

PVT Mcdowell, Andrew E.

PVT Mcrae, Houston P.

PVT Minera-Martinez, Kevin A.

PVT Miranda, Julian J.

PVT Newsome Jr, Shanah A.

PVT Ong, Zithye S.

PFC Pearson, Alexander Z.

PVT Pereztomas, Jose E.

PFC Ponds, Tyquavius R.

PVT Porter, Nicolas C.

PVT Potter, Jaron S.

PVT Reed, Jahsean M.

PFC Reichert, Carson M.

PFC Roberts, Jacob A.

PFC Rodriguez, Robert E.

PVT Rodriguezbenitez, Josue

PFC Romero Jr, Kevin J.

PFC Sinelli, Joseph R.

PFC Spearman, Clearance C.

PVT Spells, Joshua B.

PFC Stanley, Joshua W.

PVT Sutton, Kyler L.

PFC Taylor, Taylor W.

PVT Templet, Reid J.

PVT Thawng, Ling

PFC Thomas, Ardaveon K.*

PFC Valenciamosqueda, Jacob

PVT Vazquezhernandez, Samuel

PVT Venegasgarcia, Jose A.

PVT Walker, Riley M.

PVT Werth, Ethan E.

PVT Wistehuff, Justin B.

PVT Zheng, Eric

PLATOON 3073

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt J. E. Peralta

PFC Bailey, Nicholas W.

PVT Bellpaternoster, Lucas W.

PVT Biggs, Zeagan W.

PVT Bozym, Kevin D.

PVT Braswell, Lucca S.

PVT Brewer, Joshua D.

PVT Brunner, Rowan A.

PVT Burchfield, Nicholas K.

PVT Burnette, Dnairyus T.

PVT Butler, Dylan E.

PVT Carr, Cody W.

PVT Carrillosperez, Jose O.

PFC Casciaro, Ethan W.

PVT Cassidy, Andrew J.

PVT Castillomoreno, Chris A.

PFC Contreras, Angel G.

PVT Costello, John W.

PVT Crespocela, Mateo A.

PVT Critzer, Jared M.

PVT Daniele Ii, Philip A.

PVT Dominique, Nathanael D.

PVT Fields, Nathan D.

PVT Fisher, Landon W.

PVT Forrest, Christian A.

PVT Garciarobles, Jorge

PVT Goldring, William I.

PVT Gonzalez Jr, Noe

PVT Green, Samuel T.

PVT Greeson, Jacob M.

PVT Grubb, Dustin K.

PVT Hamby, Brian L.

PVT Harkness, Elisha M.

PVT Hawkins, Justin T.

PFC Heitman, Shawn T.

PVT Hiatt, Evan P.

PVT Hsieh, Harry

PVT Hubbard, Cameron L.

PFC Jeanphilippe, Peter J.

PVT Jones, Christian R.

PFC Jones, Nathaniel J.

PVT Kamara, Fuad J.

PVT Kanelidis, Peter A.

PVT Kealey, Thomas P.

PVT Labonte, Tucker B.

PFC Lane, Zion *

PVT Lawson, Mekhi J.

PVT Leftherissternthal, Harry R.

PVT Leon, Leonel J.

PVT Lopeztorres, Victor A.

PVT Maddox, Dillon T.

PFC Malone, Marcus A. *

PFC Mar, Omar

PVT Martinez, Jeremiah J.

PVT McCalla, Keith G.

PVT Mckinzie Jr, Lee A.

PFC Melton, Jalen D. *

PVT Murphy, Kurbi L.

PFC Norwood, Kadynce D.

PVT Obrien, Harley D.

PVT Paredes, Cameron W.

PVT Passley, Tijean C.

PFC Phelps, Joseph K. *

PVT Phillips, Levi T.

PFC Polanco, Dejesus * PVT Prince, Mykell D.

PVT Ramosmorales, Francisco

PVT Reyesdelossantos, Rafael

PVT Robinson Iii, Elijah A.

PVT Rodriguez, Matthew

PVT Rooks, Kristopher P.

PVT Salmon, Philip N.

PFC Santana, Pedro M.

PFC Saucedo, Ismael A. *

PVT Scheffler, Maximilian G.

PVT Scibilia, Draven A.

Carter

Drill Master • Staff Sergeant Eladji M. Cisse

PLATOON 3074

Senior Drill Instructor SSgt D.S. Conley

PVT Aderemi, Williams

PVT Anzardo, Dominic P.

PFC Avery, Jacob D.

PFC Bahan, Joseph L.

PFC Beaudoin, Bradley C. *

PVT Benoit, Andrew W.

PFC Berriospesante, Erick J.*

PVT Blassingame, Jackson E.

PVT Buckley Jr, Zachary W.

PFC Bullock, Kameron S.

PVT Burgess, Cole W.

PVT Cardonatorres, Daniel O.

PFC Chase, Cameron D.

PVT Chavarria Iii, Jose F.

PFC Chiasson, Mckye J.*

PVT Clark, Cody R.

PFC Colon, Israel E.

PFC Combs, Caleb E.

PVT Crossen, Cole M.

PVT Delacruz, Alexander

PFC Donaldson, Noel A.

PVT Dougherty, Kenneth M.

PVT Dunigan, Ethan T.

PVT Edgil, William L.

PFC Elysee, Isaie*

PVT Elzoghbi, Mohammed S.

PFC Endicott, Cannon J.*

PVT Flagg Jr, John S.

PVT Floreshernandez, Kevin

PVT Galloway, Gershon J.

PFC Georgiev, Jayden D.

PFC Harris, Odarrius C.

PVT Hawes, Alexander S.

PVT Helms Jr, Kerry O.

PFC Herbellooliver, Kevin

PVT Hogan, Brady J.

PFC Isaac, Dkhari J.*

PVT Johnson, Miguel M.

PVT Jones, Isaiah M.

PFC Joseph, Junior V.

PVT Kalinin, Iurii

PVT Khan Sr, Adam A.

PVT King, Shamari A.

PFC Kirby, Aiden L.

PVT Koganti, Sreevamsee K.

PFC Lafollette, Colin M.

PFC Lawson, Jared A.

PVT Lopez, Alex

PVT Love, Dante J.

PVT Maldonadoalvarado, Kevin O.

PVT Martinez Jr, Luis M.

PFC Melchionne Ii, Joseph K.

PVT Mendez, Noah J.

PVT Mendoza, Roberto D.

PFC Mercadoacevedo, Julio F.*

PFC Merkley, Anthony J.

PVT Millangonzalez, Ricardo E.

PVT Moore, Clayton J.

PFC Moretrosado, Angel M.

PVT Negronzayas, Fredd M.

PVT Orjuela, Yesid G.

PVT Patten, Aiden J.

PFC Perezcastro, Edgar A.

PFC Prattsbermudez, Angel M.

PVT Pugh, Kentravion N.

PVT Quiroz, Johnathon

PVT Rameau, Drew J.

PFC Reyes, David

PVT Reyes, Eric

PFC Rivera, Brandon A.*

PVT Rivera, Jacob D.

PVT Rodriguezbarea, Esteban A.

PVT Schoenheide, Josiah E.

PFC Scott, Christopher J.

PVT Sevillaflores, Justin C.

PFC Smith Ii, Christopher D.

PVT Smith, Benjamin M.

PVT Sourivong, Joshua C.

PVT Stanton, Brady J.

PFC Tineosaurin, Eduar

PVT Uscategui, Sebastian

PVT Vandame, Ryan C.

PVT Velasco, Alexander

PFC Vincent, Christopher B.

PVT Wallach, David W.

PVT Willett, Ellis D.

PFC Williams, Demardre L.

PVT Williams, Kalonji L.

PVT Witmer, Ryan J.

PVT Woodall, Lance M.

PVT Zimmerman, Jordan D.

PLATOON 3076

Senior Drill Instructor Sgt J. A. Fecher

PVT Adamsmccoy, Jordan L.

*PFC Agapito, Peter A.

PVT Alemangamarra, Juan J.

PVT Alequin, Joseph A.

PVT Alshekhly, Mazen M.

PVT Arevalo, Christian M.

PVT Balogun, Warith T.

*PFC Barry, Jonah P.

*PFC Bartley, Jonathan P.

PVT Belcher, Samuel E.

PFC Benitezderas, Wilmer

PVT Brantley, Noah D.

*PFC Bravo, Jonathan F.

PVT Campbell, Hadden S.

PVT Canartealcivar, Elhan

PVT Carrizaleslandin Jr, Joel E.

PVT Chea, Victor V.

PVT Choi, Christopher H.

*PFC Chukwurah, Epiphanius C.

PVT Cloud Jr, Michael J.

PVT Collazo, Xavier I.

PVT Cottone, Joshua D.

PVT Cowan, Cameron J.

PVT Davis, Jaoquin D.

PVT Dejesusmartinez, Steven

PVT Dong, Shuokang

PVT Drude, Carmine M.

PFC Eggleston, Jarrod T.

PFC Florentinoduran, Reynaldo

PFC Flores, Edwin

PVT Friedrich, Anthony

PVT Glover, Dyson R.

PVT Glover, Ryan D.

PVT Gonzalez, Xavier M.

PVT Handwerk, Justin A.

PVT Hanna, Geondius H.

PVT Hanna, George H.

PVT Hernandezcalva, Alexander

PVT Hook, Adam R.

PVT Hutchison, Jake T.

PVT Hylton, Akilmbwana O.

PFC Johnson, Aaron D.

PVT Kerr, Skyler A.

*PFC Kilasi, Boaz K.

PVT Lee, Eugene

PFC Liang, Yujian

PVT Lunamendoza, Odilon

*PFC Luoma, Lucas J.

*PFC Lupo, Daniel G.

PVT Lytle, Jaden D.

PVT Marineramirez, Jefry

PVT Maurasse, Stanislas

PFC Maxwell, Joseph S.

PVT Mcgarry, Colin V.

PFC Mcneal, Daniel N.

PVT Metcalf, Jesse J.

PVT Miller, Cade M.

PVT Miller, Luke J.

PFC Mojica, Jaiyel K.

PVT Morales, Omar J.

PVT Naulaguari, Erik S.

PVT Osorioalaniz, Benjamin G.

PVT Pelaezzhinin, Reyli C.

PVT Peters, Michael D.

PFC Pichardo, Bryan M.

PVT Piedra, Alexander

PFC Pollard, Trejon B.

*PFC Pratt, Darren J.

PVT Priddy, Jonathan W.

PVT Quindevelez, Michael S.

PVT Quirozballinas, Usiel J.

PFC Ren, Yuze

PVT Rodriguez, Alvin M.

PVT Rodriguez, Juan A.

PVT Ruiz, Isaac E.

PFC Sabzehi, Rameen L.

PVT Segarra, Wilson Y.

PVT Sheridan, Ryan P.

PVT Smith, Justin I.

PVT Smolinski, Casey A.

PVT Sneed, Ashton L.

PVT Spampanato, Vincent P.

PFC Stell, Garrett B.

PVT Suyas, Rogerick R.

PVT Sweet, Tyler J.

PVT Vargas, Tristen A.

PVT Vasquez, Bryan A.

PVT Wallis, Lian

PVT Williams, Quran

PVT Woods V, Samuel C.

PFC Xu, Nuoyan

PLATOON 3077

Senior Drill Instructor

SSgt B. V. LaBiosa

PVT Airll, Elijah E.

PVT Amadeo, Kristoffer L.

PVT Amer, Mohamed G.

PVT Anthony, Kirtas P.

PVT Arnold, Mason J.

PFC Ashbaugh, Nathan B.

PVT Ayavacamedina, Luis M.

PVT Bandoni, Mason L.*

PVT Bezanson, Jarred C.

PVT Bienaime, Evenel

PVT Blias, Cesar J.*

PVT Bourque, Cody R.

PVT Buskey, James J.

PVT Cammilleri, Salature M.*

PFC Carpentier, Dillon M.

PVT Celacela, Richard S.

PFC Clavijolema, Jackson F.

PVT Cross, Aiden K.

PVT Delgado, Jase M.

PVT Devries, Ethan R.

PVT Dominguez, Jeremy

PVT Doody, Kineo M.

PVT Dubongutierrez, Eulisis

PFC Dwyer, Patrick G.

PVT Eldridge Jr, Desmond L.

PVT Espinosa, Sebastian S.

PVT Galang, Kenzie Q.

PVT Garcia, Kamden L.

PVT Gillett, Gary R.

PVT Green Jr, Timothy E.

PVT Guerin, Tyler A.

PFC Gutierrez, Aidan C.

PFC Hondoy, Aviel E.

PFC Jette, Skyler B.

PVT Johnson, Landon L.

PVT Kaib, Vincent C.

PVT Kapur, Vir

PVT Kingwiggins, Tarence T.

PVT Kretzing, Dustin A.

PVT Kroh, Gabriel B.

PVT Laporta, Jackson M.

PVT Leblanc, Gare

PVT Lewis, Arron M.*

PFC Man, Van R.

PVT Martinezpagan, Joshua

PFC Maskey, Riyan

PVT Mcginnis, Liam S.

PFC Merriweather, Larry K.

PVT Milivojac, Bronson S.

PVT Miller, Jacob B.

PFC Mitrione, Daniel P.

PVT Netzahuatl, Armando

PVT Nguyen, Huy Q.

PVT Nino III, Anthony J.

PVT Ogorman, Keegan J.*

PVT Ozimek, Ryan A.

PVT Parker, Jalawn R.

PVT Potter, Jeffrey D.

PVT Ramirez, Edwin D.

PFC Ramirez, Jacob E.

PVT Reilly, Jack.

PFC Reiner, Thomas S.

PVT Riverafortune, Alberto A.

PVT Rodriguez, Edwin S.

PVT Rodriguezlemus, Jorge D.*

PVT Ross, Lyle G.

PVT Rovinskinov, Dmitri K.

PVT Roznowski, Jaydon J.

PFC Salas, Miguel A.*

PVT Samuel, Nathaniel A.

PVT Sandoval, Angel G.

PFC Santiago, Luis G.

PVT Saunders, Rece S.

PVT Sawson, Logan T.

PFC Schoolfield, Curtez L.

PVT Scott Jr, John E.

PVT Shade, Aydin D.

PVT Siegenthaler, Daniel M.

PVT Simon, Jake T.

PFC Stclair, Zachary R.

PVT Stringfellow, Samuel W.

PVT Swartzenberg, Harrison J.

PVT Tacy, Seth D.

PVT Terrelonge, Tyrese T.

PVT Thomas, Darren P.

PVT Vasquez Jr, Adan

PVT Wills, Seth R.

PVT Wright, Colin B.

PVT Zhunio, Melvin Y.

PLATOON 3078

Senior Drill Instructor SSgt J. Castillo

PVT Acunaaguilar, Edgar

PVT Allen Jr, Anthony J.

PVT Alvarado, Ehtan J.

PVT Amin, Harsh J.

PVT Ansell, Ethan R.

PFC Antunezramos, Cesar A.

*PFC Anye, Willy H.

PFC Arroyolopez, Alvaro

PVT Bailey, Isaac R.

*PFC Baker, Ethan P.

PVT Baldwin, Adam A.

PVT Beers, Peter C.

PVT Biranifilho, Mohamad G.

PVT Bukasa, Dev K. PVT Cai, Alan PFC Caldwell, Jordan R. PFC Cathcart, Mason L.

*PFC Certain, Dakota A. PFC Clark, Lane D. PVT Clevenger, Michael L. PFC Connell, Jordan L. PVT Currie, Connor J. PVT Davis, Bryce K. PFC Dejean, Aivery J.

PVT Diebel, Bruce P.

PVT Dow Jr, Ronnie J. PVT Eliphat, Bobson

PVT Espinales, Dereck J. PVT Fairchild, Colby

PFC Hollis, Mason J.

PFC Holly, Davon D.

PFC Hubbard, Caleb M.

PFC Jablanski, Jadin D.

PFC Johansen, John E.

PVT Jones, Karon D.

PVT Jones, Kyle R.

PFC Lazo, Samuel I.

PFC Lewis, Austin K.

PVT Lovegrove, Duncan A.

PFC Lowe, Matthew W.

PFC Millan, Adrian I.

PVT Moran, Charles W.

PFC Mosley, Jyrel T.

PVT Murray, Aidan J.

PVT Ni, Tian E.

PVT Nduka, Ebubedike W

PFC Olmedo, Jonathan

PFC Ordonezgalavis, Andres

PFC Ordunez, Nicholas

PVT Ortiz, Anthony A.

PFC Pace Jr, Jerome D.

PVT Page, Saiyan L.

PFC Patel, Om M.

PFC Paukovits, John S.

PFC Pelletier, Brady M.

PVT Peoples Jr, David G.

PFC Philhower, Evan S.

PVT Reed, Jackson A.

*PFC Sanchezangarita, Luis M.

PVT Simpson Jr, Rasean

Parris Island Marine honored for saving life of local woman

By Cpl. Colin Harper United States Marine Corps MCRD PARIS ISLAND – Cpl.

Aidan J. MeylerMcauliffe, a Marine with Service Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal on Aug. 7 2023 for his actions while saving the life of a local woman near Hilton Head Island.

Meyler graduated from the Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival (MCIWS) course on June 23 2023, where he was taught water rescue techniques. On July 23 his training was put to the test.

Meyler works at the small engine repair shop on Parris Island. While off duty, he works as a security guard in Hilton Head, where he often helps around the marina. On the day of the incident, while working aboard a ferry off the shore of Hilton Head Island, a storm broke out.

“I have been fishing my whole life, and I had never seen a storm that bad,” said Meyler. “You couldn’t see at all.”

The crew struggled to steer the boat back to port when they noticed a woman floating unresponsive in the water. They steered the boat toward her.

“Once we started getting close, I realized that no one really knew what to do,” said Meyler. “I just started directing people.”

They attempted to throw a lifesaver out to the woman, but the

wind blew it back. Meyler said he knew it wasn’t going to work. He ran to a dry spot in the boat, took off his shoes, and emptied his pockets.

“I ran to the back of the boat and jumped in,” said Meyler. “I found her and swam to her.”

When Myler reached the woman and turned her around, she was fading in and out of consciousness.

“The woman was purple,” said Meyler. “I have never seen a human-being that color.”

Meyler grabbed the woman and swam back toward the boat with her.

“As I was swimming, I thought ‘This is significantly easier than the MCIWS course.’” said Meyler.

“The Marine Corps training prepared me for this.”

Meyler soon got her back to the boat, where the boat’s crew pulled them out of the water. He then began his primary assessment of the woman.

“She was hypothermic and hypoxic,” said Meyler. “I knew I needed to act quickly.”

Meyler took the woman to the driest spot on the boat, dried her off, and covered her up with the shirts of some of the passengers. He directed nearby passengers to stay by the woman and keep her extremities warm.

“The whole time, I made conversational small talk with her,” said Meyler. “One thing you’re trained to do is get as much medical infor-

mation as you can.”

Meyler provided care for the woman for about 45 minutes before they landed at the nearest dock. From there, the woman was put in the care of Emergency Medical Services and survived due to Cpl. Meyler‘s training and split-second decision making.

Meyler was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal by the Headquarters and Service Battalion Commanding Officer, Col. Gregory R. Curtis.

“Cpl. Meyler is a great example of a Marine,” Curtis said. “As a representation of the Marine Corps his actions are one of those things that we strive for.”

U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Aidan J. MeylerMcauliffe, an electrician with Service Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, MCRD Parris Island, poses for a photo, Sep. 27, 2023. On Aug 07, 2023, Cpl. Myler was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal for his actions while saving the life of a local woman near Hilton Head Island. Photos by Lance Cpl. William Horsley/USMC

VA education and training benefits and how to apply

According to the VA’s Education and Training web page found at https://bit. ly/3LIYf89, eligible veterans can use their VA education and training benefits for just about anything, including but not limited to a college degree or to become a chef, cosmetologist, first responder, hotel manager, mechanic, and other vocation specialist.

If you are a veteran and heading to college, the VA’s Yellow Ribbon program can open opportunities at higher-cost private universities. This writer knows the value of VA education benefits. I used my VA education benefits to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., and a Master's degree in Transportation Management from Florida Institute of Technology.

I also used the VA to pay for my FAA multi-engine and single-engine land Airplane and Helicopter Commercial Pilot’s License, Instrument Rating in Helos and Airplanes, and my Certified Flight Instructor Rating in Helicopters, Airplanes, and Instruments while I was serving in the Army during a 24-year career.

As a service-connected 100% permanent and totally disabled veteran, I also recently used the VA’s Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Program to obtain graduate-level creative writing instruction. Learn more about VR&E at https://bit.ly/3Cl4Sbr and in The Island News article on VR&E, published on Oct.

6 2021, found at https://bit. ly/43r9wAJ.

The VA Education and Training webpage

The VA’s Education and Training web page at https://bit.ly/3LIYf89 covers education and training, veterans job training, Post 9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, and Family Members. Veterans can apply for VA educational benefits online, in-person, at the school with the schools certifying official, or by mail. VA can help veteran cover the cost of furthering their education and skills through benefits for tuition, housing, training, and other expenses related to their education. VA’s education and training benefits are provided through these GI Bill® programs: • Post-9/11 GI Bill: Learn more at https:// bit.ly/46w5VCH. The Yellow Ribbon Program will help pay tuition costs for private, out-of-state, or graduate school. Learn more at https://bit. ly/3ZDg7qA. Montgomery GI Bill:

Helps veterans from previous service eras.

Learn more at https:// bit.ly/45ekARU.

Reserve Educational Assistance Program:

This program has been sunset and prior eligible veterans are now eligible under post 9/11 Learn more at https:// bit.ly/45c0aZH.

Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance: Learn more at https://bit.ly/48DFwof.

More on the Post-9/11 GI Bill

If a veteran served after Sept. 10 2001, and otherwise qualifies, the Post-9/11 GI Bill may cover tuition, fees, and training, plus provide the veteran with a housing allowance and money for books and supplies.

The VA’s Education and Training website explains that VA education benefits may be used toward traditional degrees, non-college degrees, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, licensing and certification, and fees to cover tests.

The VA also provides assistance to help veterans transition from military service to civilian employment. Service-disabled veterans may be eligible for one-on-one support, counseling, and training to boost skills and build careers. Explore VA employment services at https://bit. ly/3rzGXmW for details.

Train for a career in a high-demand job or in the high-tech industry Veteran Rapid Retraining Program (VRRAP)

The VA’s VRRAP Program offers education and training for high-demand jobs to veterans who are unemployed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic and have no education and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) benefits. VRRAP ended on Dec. 11, 2022. However, if a veteran is already enrolled in VRRAP, they will continue to get their payments. Learn more at https://bit. ly/45eSciz.

Veteran Employment

Through Technology Courses (VET TEC)

VET TEC pairs eligible veterans with market-leading Training Providers offering sought-after hightech training and skills development. If a veteran has at least one day of unexpired GI Bill entitlement, you may be eligible for VET TEC. Learn more at https:// bit.ly/46w6PPB.

VA Requirements Copies of the veteran's discharge or separation papers (DD-214 or equivalent).

Documentation of an enlistment incentive or College Fund, sometimes called a “kicker” (note: this is not required to apply for the GI Bill). To qualify for a monthly housing allowance, you must attend school more than half-time (e.g., seven out of 12 credit hours per term) and not currently be on active duty in the service.

VA Application Process

The application process for veterans seeking to use their education and training benefits varies for different types of applicants. Before

veterans apply, they should use the chart at https://bit. ly/3tmYjnv to determine the right benefit for them. Be sure to use the GI Bill Comparison Tool at https:// bit.ly/3tmYjnv to research schools and employers based on affordability and value under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Veterans can be eligible for more than one benefit, but in most cases, they must choose which benefit to receive. This decision is final and cannot be changed. Once a veteran identifies the right VA benefit for their needs, it takes about 30 minutes to apply online. Plan ahead and apply early because VA education benefits can take a few weeks to process. Depending on where you live, your application is routed to one of two specialized Regional Processing Offices (RPOs) in Buffalo, N.Y, or Muskogee, Okla.

Eligibility

Some benefits may also be used by active service members, reservists, and National Guard members as well as eligible spouses, children, and survivors of veterans and service members. Consult the GI Bill and Other Education Benefit Eligibility web page at https://bit.ly/3ZGbk7Z, the VA Benefits Booklet at https://bit.ly/45hWMMO or visit the nearest VA Regional Office for character of discharge requirements and more detailed information. Find your nearest VA Regional Office using the VA Find VA Locations at https://bit.ly/3Py0Bry.

Lowcountry Military Education Centers

The Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Adult Education Center phone number is 843-228-7484

The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island Education Office number is 843-228-7754. The Joint Base Charleston (Air Force & Naval Weapons Station) phone is 843-963-4575

The Fort Stewart, Ga. Education phone number is 912-767-8331

The bottom line

Read the information VA Education and Training Benefits web page at https://bit.ly/46D5g2p and ask your local Veterans Service Officer (VSO) or, if you are still in the military, ask your installation, base, or unit Education Officer to help you understand what your VA education and training benefits are. Take advantage of all the education and training you can because more training and education means more opportunities for employment, advancement, prosperity, and happiness.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, exWarrant 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 awardwinning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing freelance writer with The Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164

THURSDAY’S CARTOON

Read with caution; not necessarily the opinions of the editorial staff.

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