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Fourth of July
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1/2 OFF FIRST EXAM
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843-524-4551
www.SeaIslandAnimalHospital.com
*Senior, Military and First Responder Discount*
*On Lady’s Island behind Sonic
JULY 2–8, 2020 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC
COVID-19 hitting the young harder By Mike McCombs While COVID-19 has taken quite a toll on older South Carolina residents, younger South Carolinians shouldn’t hold a false sense of security. Dr. Joan Duwve, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Director of Public Health said in a Friday, June 26 press conference that as part of the surge, COVID-19 cases are up more than 400 percent in adults ages 21-30 since April. "We are aware of clusters of cases among teenagers and young adults ... including on trips to our beautiful beaches," Duwve said. "They didn't wear masks, and they didn't social distance." "First thing I'd like to say ... particularly to young people is, this is a dangerous, deadly disease," Governor Henry
Christina Meadows, center, and friend Rose Cook walk along Bay Street on Monday. Both agree with the City of Beaufort’s new mandate to enforce facial masking and social distancing. Both said it will take a community effort to get through the pandemic. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
City of Beaufort passes mask ordinance By Mindy Lucas City of Beaufort officials really want you to start wearing a mask in public. So much so that members of city council held an emergency meeting on Monday, June 29 to pass an ordinance requiring face covers when in
public buildings, including all stores and restaurants, within city limits. The ordinance, which went into effect on June 30, also requires employees of those establishments to wear masks. Council members and city officials at the emergency
SEE CASES PAGE A5 THE NUMBERS As of Monday, June 29 S.C. Confirmed cases: 34,546 S.C. Conformed deaths: 717 Beaufort County cases: 1,148 Beaufort County deaths: 18* Last week’s 7-day avg. new cases: 1,263.6 Previous week’s 7-day avg. new cases: 883.7 *Per S.C. DHEC – Beaufort County Coroner’s Office reports 20 deaths.
meeting cited the alarming rate of increased cases of Covid-19 both in South Carolina and Beaufort County. As of June 28, South Carolina had 1,366 new cases in a 24-hour period, while Beaufort
SEE MASK PAGE A5
New ‘Sound of Freedom’ too much some residents say
Change in runways, noise from new F-35Bs and increased activity at MCAS impacting quality of life, residents say
By Mindy Lucas Like a lot of visitors to Beaufort, Jayne Violette and her husband fell in love with the city from the very beginning. The couple loved the rich history, the culture of the place and its small town charm. What’s more,
as “pro-military” people, they even loved that there were military bases close by. “We wanted to be in a town that celebrated patriotism,” she said. So when looking for a new place to move to, naturally Beaufort came to mind. In 2014, the couple found a small cottage off North Street, near the city’s historic district and after moving to the area permanently from Summerville, the two soon settled into their new lives in the Lowcountry. They chose their home careful-
STAY TUNED
ly, Violette said, after researching flight patterns from the fighter jets flying in and out of nearby Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort (MCAS). “We chose it to be On the map far away enough to Air Installations appreciate the jets at Compatible a distance,” she said. Use Zones But all that Planning Map, page A6. changed toward the end of 2019, when MCAS closed its main runway for a repair project and diverted all air traffic to its “crosswind” runway.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Newly passed budgets could impact your wallets.
Local fireworks stands seeing brisk business by people who still want to celebrate July 4.
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“Our house would literally rattle,” she said. “The pictures on the walls would shake. We couldn’t sit outside.” The repair project is just the latest issue, said Violette and other residents who have spoken up recently. A new fighter jet and increased flights over Beaufort are only adding to the problem, they say. “We kept hearing this is only temporary, that it would go away. But it never did,” she said. In March, the couple sold their house and moved to Bluffton where they now live on a quiet street in
Sun City. But Violette is still a little heartbroken at having to leave her chosen city. “We had this idyllic living arrangement,” she said. “We had that for a few years, and then it slowly went away.”
A Change in Runways Situated to the east of U.S. Highway 21 and stretching some 12,200 feet in length, Runway 5/23 was purpose built with the prevailing winds in mind.
SEE FREEDOM PAGE A6
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