Number of musical performances canceled

POSTAL PATRON LOCAL PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902

JULY 28–AUGUST 3, 2022

Bay Point permit denied again

From staff reports

Environmental advocates, as well as the Gullah/Geechee people, can once again declare victory in their battle to prevent a controversial luxury resort from being built at Bay Point, adjacent to St. Helena Island.

On Thursday, July 21, Judge Marvin Dukes upheld the Beaufort County Board of Zoning Appeal's Sept. 24, 2020, decision to deny a building permit for Bay Point.

In 2020, plans for a $100 million, 50 cottage development faced stiff opposition from groups like the Gullah/Geechee Fishing Association, the Gullah/Geechee Sea Island Coalition and the Coastal Conservation League.

The organizations argued that the Bay Point area was fragile and was one of the few pristine, undeveloped areas in the Gullah/Geechee Nation. They argued the land and surrounding waters were critical for the subsistence of native Gullah/Geechees of St. Helena Island.

Marquetta Goodwine, better known as Chieftess Queen Quet of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, amassed the signatures of 30,000 people in opposition to the development.

According to an Oct. 1, 2020 story in The Island News, conservation leaders cited severe erosion, rising sea levels, increased hurricanes and storms in an area with an already fragile ecosystem as reasons for denying such a development.

After more than a year of trying to make their case for a high-end, ecotourism resort, developers from Bay Point Island were eventually shut out, denied unanimously by the county’s Zoning Board of Appeals at a public hearing.

Mindy Lucas of The Island News wrote, “Board members found it inconsistent with the county’s plan to protect rural resources, incompatible with land in the local vicinity, not designed to minimize the impacts on wildlife, not designed to minimize the impacts on local services, such as emergency or fire protection, and did not meet the definition of ecotourism.” WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY

The bed racing team from Beaufort Nursing and Rehab is soaked as they run the course during the 66th annual Beaufort Water Festival Friday, July 22 in Beaufort. Local band Killin’ Quaid turned in a strong evening performance, but storms caused the cancelation of headliner Hardwired, a Metallica tribute band. Photos by Tony Kukulich

Beaufort Water Festival comes to a close

By Tony Kukulich

By any measure, the 66th annual Beaufort Water Festival was a solid success.

“The community really supported the festival,” said Shawna Doran, who helmed the event as this year’s commodore. “They came out and enjoyed it. I think all of our nights went really well. I was very pleased.”

The 10-day event kicked off Friday night, July 15 with an evening that featured a flyover by aircraft stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort; a fireworks display and concerts by

SEE FESTIVAL PAGE A6 Monsignor Ronald Cellini blesses the fleet Sunday, July 24 during the final day of the 66th annual Beaufort Water Festival in Beaufort.

BY THE (UNOFFICIAL) NUMBERS Number of event days: 10 Number of musical performances planned: 14 Number of musical performances canceled: 1 Number of Pirettes: 16 Number of event coordinators: 10 Number of teams entered in the raft race: 26 Number of shrimp boats in boat parade: 4 Number of photos taken by The Island News: 6,717

Beaufort hotel project inches closer to final approval

An artist’s rendering of a 116-room Desai Hotel planned for 12 County Shed Road. Submitted photo.

By Tony Kukulich

An effort to obtain final approval from the City of Beaufort Design Review Board (DRB) for a new hotel fell short of its goal, but the project team still considered the appearance before the board a win.

The DRB deferred the vote on the project’s final approval, but resolved several key issues favorably for the project team headed by Beaufort-based SM7 Design.

The 116-room Desai Hotel is planned for 12 County Shed Road near the intersection with Parris Island Gateway. There are currently two other hotels, the Home2 Suites by Hilton and the Tru by Hilton, in the area that is bordered to the north by Trask Parkway, to the east by Parris Island Gateway and to the south by County Shed Road.

The new hotel will be positioned to the east of the Tru by Hilton in an empty lot, though a Refuel gas station and convenience store is under construction on a portion of that lot.

Preliminary approval for the Desai was issued with conditions in August 2020. Appearing before the DRB seeking final approval, project architect Tom Michaels of SM7 Design addressed the board’s previously documented issues, including the height of the building.

The building’s zoning limits its height to five stories. The Desai is a five-story tall building, but original plans to have an occupied space on the roof complete with bathrooms counted as the addition of another half story according to Beaufort’s zoning statutes. That design resulted in a five-and-a-half story building, which exceeded the five-story limit.

The new design presented to the board earlier this month eliminated the bathrooms on the roof. With no occupiable, enclosed space, the roof no longer counts as a half floor, and the overall design is now within allowed zoning limits. Removing the bathrooms does not, however, preclude use of the roof as a party space or rooftop bar.

David Hornsby, who represents the owner of the hotel, said he was “delighted” that the removal of the rooftop bathrooms easily resolved concerns over the building’s height.

“The height thing was a concern

SEE HOTEL PAGE A4

NEWS HEALTH INSIDE

Helen Galloway Evans, originally of Grand Forks, N.D., captured this sunset from her backyard on Sea Island Parkway, St. Helena Island. To submit a Lowcountry Life photo, you must be the photographer or have permission to submit the photo to be published in The Island News. Please submit high-resolution photos and include a description and/or names of the people in the picture and the name of the photographer. Email your photos to theislandnews@gmail.com.

VETERAN OF THE WEEK JOHN HAZEL

Beaufort’s John Hazel, 43, joined the United States Marine Corps in Tampa, Fla., in 1997. After boot camp at Parris Island and Infantry (MCT) training, he was assigned to a unit at Camp Lejeune, from which he deployed to Kosovo twice. Then he was assigned to a unit at Camp Pendleton, from which he deployed to Iraq twice.

He then served a tour as a Drill Instructor at Parris Island before returning to Lejeune and a deployment to Afghanistan. He then served a tour with the Naval ROTC unit at the University of Arizona before assignment to Okinawa. He returned to Parris Island as a Senior Enlisted Advisor and retired in 2020 as a First Sergeant with 23 years of service.

Hazel bought Devil Dog Headquarters on Parris Island Gateway in 2019 and operates it today. He also continues to serve his community as Chairman of the Port Royal Parks and Recreation Commission and as Program Director for this year’s Beaufort Water Festival.

John Hazel

– Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 9. For nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Re: Bill Rauch’s July 8 piece about the flying car and Lady’s Island

The Sea Island Corridor Coalition emerged five years ago in response to the concerns of Lady’s Islanders (among others) about runaway and inappropriate development. We have had some successes, and are working on others.

The "third bridge" first proposed back in 1973 just won't go away. Those who love the idea tout the need for easier egress from the Island and a more direct evacuation route, and ignore the estimated $300 million-plus price tag. Those who hate the idea point to the clear invitation it would make for greater development in the largely rural northern end of the Island and down its central core.

The framers of the 2018 Lady’s Island Plan explicitly opposed the construction of a third bridge, concerned (unanimously) that "While an additional access point into Lady’s Island may improve access, it will also create new growth pressure along with a desire for more housing that will ultimately change the character of the rural north."

Those who grew up here, or moved here because of the pace of life and beauty of the environment, will hate a third bridge. Those who want faster access to Charleston and points north will love it. I suspect at some point, you'll get a choice. Remember – here are no flying cars, and with a third bridge, re-creating the Lady’s Island (and points beyond) will not be an option. But be careful what you wish for.

– Charles Newton, Chair,

Sea Island Corridor Coalition, www.seaislandcoalition.com

Article on military discharge a ‘great service’

Thank you for the brilliant summary article on "How can a veteran appeal a less than honorable military discharge?” It should be kept in a file for future use by all as I have done here in North Carolina.

As Command Surgeon for the Army's elite DELTA Force, a medic of mine was forced to accept a less than honorable discharge after I failed to convince the 3-star review officer in his chain of command of the absolute wrong that was being perpetrated. The 3-star wrote a letter to the soldier (after the fact) hoping and wishing his benefits would be allowed. (really).

Years later after multiple denials and family pain, this deserving combat disabled veteran, on his own, appealed and won.

And had I not rescued my son-in-law from an 82nd Airborne-forced discharge and followed him as a doctor until his actual diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis was confirmed in a VA hospital one year after discharge, he would not have his 100% disability and honorable discharge history today.

The Island News and Larry Dandridge have done all those that will read this excellent article a great service. Blessings sir.

– Bob Adams, MD, MBA, Col. (Ret.), U.S. Army Medical Corps, www.swordsandseals.com

ON THIS DATE

July 28

1883: Hannah Jones Smalls, first wife of Robert Smalls, died. She was about 58 years old.

Compiled by Mike McCombs

ATAX grant applications available for 2022/2023

From staff reports

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 (2022/2023) is available online at https://bit.ly/3zzZLE4.

Applications will not be accepted or reviewed if received incomplete or after 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30.

Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Christine Webb at atax@bcgov.net.

PAL PETS OF THE WEEK

Cat of the Week: Adele lives up to her namesake. She loves to talk and sing to you about all of her adventures. She raised an adorable litter of kittens who have found their homes, now she is ready to find her own. Adele is 1 year old, spayed, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped. Dog of the Week: Who has three legs and is wicked awesome? Randy! Randy came to us with an old shot wound that still had the bullet in his leg. He is thriving as a tripod and he does not let it slow him down. He is still learning that people are pretty cool, and has made great progress so far! Randy is 2 years old, neutered, up to date on vaccines, and microchipped.

If you are interested in adopting Adele, Randy, 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.

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

Sports Editor Justin Jarrett

LowcoSports@ gmail.com

Reporter

Tony Kukulich

Tony.TheIslandNews@ gmail.com

SALES/BUSINESS

Marketing Director

Amanda Hanna

amanda@lcweekly.com

Advertising Sales

Betty Davis

betty.islandnews@ gmail.com

843-252-9076

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April Ackerman

april@ aandbbookkeeping.com Billing questions only.

Web Design

Ginger Wareham

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843-641-9478

CONTACT US

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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, 2020, 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.

Lady’s Island man arrested after investigation discovers images of child sexual abuse

By Tony Kukulich

A 19-year-old Lady’s Island resident was arrested after an investigation uncovered evidence leading to charges of exploitation of a minor.

Andrew Graves turned himself in to investigators in Beaufort, Thursday, July 21. He was arrested and booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center. A Beaufort County magistrate set Graves’ bond at $30,000 and, according to county records, he was released several hours later.

The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) began its investigation after receiving leads from the South Carolina Attorney General's Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC). Those leads indicated that images of child sexual abuse were being uploaded to social media sites from computers or electronic devices by an unknown subject on Lady's Island.

The BCSO investigation determined the specific address where the images had been uploaded, and warrants to search that address were obtained from a Beaufort County magistrate.

Investigators served the search warrant at the residence on June 23 and seized numerous devices. Graves was identified as the subject responsible for uploading the imagery through preliminary examinations of the devices and interviews of people at the residence.

Graves was at a summer camp in Clarendon County when the search was conducted. Investigators contacted agents from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to assist with his apprehension. When agents arrived at the camp, Graves was gone.

In the weeks that followed, investigators were in contact with an attorney retained by Graves. During those contacts, additional electronic devices belonging to Graves were seized.

Investigators also served a search warrant for Graves' email account. That search uncovered a large quantity of child sexual abuse imagery, leading investigators to obtain warrants for Graves' arrest for three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor second degree and three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor third degree.

Graves' attorney was advised of the outstanding arrest warrants and arrangements were made for Graves to turn himself in.

Further examinations of Graves' computers and electronic devices will be conducted by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and may lead to additional criminal charges.

Graves’ prosecution on all criminal charges stemming from this ICAC investigation will be handled by the South Carolina Attorney General's Office.

Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Florida man arrested after brandishing firearm in popular downtown restaurant

By Tony Kukulich

A man was arrested Saturday night, July 23, for brandishing a firearm at Luther’s Rare and Well Done on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort.

Beaufort Police Department officers were called to the location around 11:20 p.m. by reports of an intoxicated man causing a disturbance. The man had reportedly also displayed a firearm. Patrons of the popular restaurant pointed out the subject to arriving officers, and Jesse Benjamin Raybon III, a 46-year-old resident of Wellington, Fla., was arrested.

Police performed a terry frisk, which is a quick pat down of the subject’s outer clothing that is allowed if police believe the subject could be armed. A firearm matching the description of the weapon Raybon was reported to have displayed was discovered.

Raybon was arrested on multiple charges including: public intoxication; unlawful carry of a firearm; possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent felony and carrying of a firearm into premises for alcohol sales while consuming.

While being transported to the Beaufort County Detention Center, Raybon allegedly threatened the life of the police officer and his family, resulting in an additional charge of threatening a person or family of a public employee.

According to county records, as of press time, Raybon is being held without bail.

Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Police seek third suspect in shooting

By Tony Kukulich

Law enforcement officials are seeking the public’s help to locate a Beaufort man wanted in connection with a shooting that occurred in Beaufort, Saturday, July 16.

Raul Francisco Doporto, 20, has been identified as a third subject in Saturday’s shooting that left the victim with non-life-threatening injuries. Arrest warrants were obtained for Doporto for attempted murder and aggravated breach of peace. Attempts to locate him have been unsuccessful thus far.

Two men are already in custody and are facing charges related to the incident.

Shiron Brown, a 23-yearold resident of Beaufort, and 25-year-old Grays Hill resident Vincent Williams were apprehended Saturday by deputies from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO). According to county records, both men are charged with attempted murder and aggravated breach of the peace. Brown and Williams are currently incarcerated at the Beaufort County Detention Facility.

“It appears to be a targeted event,” said BCSO spokesperson Maj. Robert Bromage.

The shooting occurred in the vicinity of Pinecrest Lane and Bruce K. Smalls Parkway around 12:30 p.m. The victim, who has not yet been identified, fled the scene in his vehicle. The suspects continued to fire at the vehicle, striking it and two nearby residences.

The victim met deputies and emergency medical personnel at the Shell station located at 2770 Trask Parkway. Deputies were directed to the location of the shooting.

“We found the crime scene and found some shell casings,” Bromage said. “The two suspects were at that location.”

Brown and Williams were arrested and a search warrant was executed for a residence on Pinecrest Lane. The search turned up two handguns and a rifle.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Doporto is encouraged to contact MSgt. Adam Draisen at 843-255-3404 or Crime Stoppers of the Lowcountry at 843-554-1111, if wishing to remain anonymous and for possible reward.

Tony Kukulich is a recent transplant to the Lowcountry. A native of Wilmington, Del., he comes to The Island News from the San Francisco Bay Area where he spent seven years as a reporter and photographer for several publications. He can be reached at tony.theislandnews@gmail.com.

Beaufort Memorial

FELLOWSHIP-TRAINED BREAST SURGEON

To advance the treatment of breast cancer for area residents, Beaufort Memorial has added a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist to its medical staff. Tara L. Grahovac, M.D., has joined the new Beaufort Memorial Breast Care & Surgery Program, seeing patients at the hospital’s Breast Health Center in Okatie and performing surgeries at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. As a breast surgical oncologist—commonly known as a breast surgeon— Dr. Grahovac specializes in the diagnosis, staging and removal of cancerous growths in the breast. Since 2015 she has served as the first specialty-trained breast surgeon within St. Clair Health, an independent tertiary care center in Pittsburgh’s South Hills community. There she helped to expand oncology services while providing direct patient care.

Board Certified – American Board of Surgery

..............................................................

Fellowships

Breast Surgical Oncology Fellow

Magee Women’s Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

Research Fellow – University of Pittsburgh ..............................................................

Residency

Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA

..............................................................

Doctor of Medicine

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

.............................................................. Bachelor of Science – Ohio University

BEAUFORT MEMORIAL Breast Care & Surgery Program

One of several cancer care initiatives between Beaufort Memorial and MUSC Health, the Breast Care & Surgery Program offers expert, comprehensive breast care for a full range of diseases, from benign breast conditions to breast cancer.

The program’s board-certified surgeon works with a team of clinicians—among them radiation and medical oncologists, breast nurse navigators and social workers—to address both the physical and emotional aspects of breast disease and to ensure optimal outcomes for every patient.

Through the affiliation, patients have access to a local, fellowshiptrained breast oncology surgeon, promising clinical trials and subspecialists experienced in treating rare or complex cancers. A full complement of screening and diagnostic services, as well as genetics testing and high risk assessment, is also available.

CALL 843-707-8085 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

122 Okatie Center Blvd. North, Suite 150, Okatie, SC 29909