L.J. Washington has his picture taken with an L.A. Galaxy player whom he was told he resembled. Washington, 14, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting while playing video games in his living room on New Year’s Day 2024 in Burton. Photo from Club Beaufort de Fútbol Facebook page
Arrests made in 2024 murder of Battery Creek freshman
Staff reports
The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office has made two arrests in connection with the January 2024 murder of 14-year-old Jerrieme Jermaine “L.J.” Washington, a Battery Creek High School freshman who was killed at his home on New Year’s Day.
Sheriff's Office Investigators obtained and served arrest warrants on 18-year-old Jeremiah Warren and 20-year-old Alex Bush. Both subjects were charged for their involvement in the murder that occurred on Castle Rock Road in the Burton area of Beaufort County back in 2024
On Thursday May 15, Jeremiah Warren was charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, and Aggravated Breach of Peace. Warren was already in custody at the Beaufort County Detention Center on another charge of Murder in connection to a September 2024 shooting that occurred at Magnolia Park Apartments in Burton and took the life of 17-year-old Arianna Mulligan.
On May 10 2025, Alex Bush was charged with Accessory Before the Fact to a Felony.
Nashaun Benjamin, 20, is also named as a suspect in the Castle Rock Road shooting. He is currently in Federal Custody on Weapon charges, but he will also be charged for Murder, Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, and Aggravated Breach of Peace.
In 2024, deputies arrived at Washington’s home on Castle Rock Road after 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 1, where they found Washington suffering from a gunshot wound.
Life-saving measures were unsuccessful, and he died at the scene, according to an alert sent out by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSD) on Tuesday, Jan. 2 Washington was playing video games inside of his home when gunfire erupted from the roadway, according to the alert, and struck the home and a vehicle that was parked in the driveway.
The two other people inside of the home when the shooting occurred were not injured.
This investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact lead investigator Sgt. Jennifer Petrone at 843-255-3440. For those wishing to remain anonymous, tips can be reported to Crime Stoppers of Beaufort County via the P3 Tips app, online at www.TIPSBFT. com, or by calling 1-844-TIPSBFT (1-844-847-7238).
Honoring those who gave all
A look at Memorial Day weekend in Beaufort
By Mike McCombs
The Island News
Once again, it’s the time of year when, as Americans, we pause to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and our freedoms, as Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day.
Of course, the event most affiliated in people’s minds with Memorial Day in Beaufort is the annual parade.
The Beaufort County Veterans Affairs, in partnership with the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, will put on the annual Memorial Day parade beginning at 10 a.m. Lineup of all groups, floats and individual participants begins at 9 a.m.
The parade route starts in front of Beaufort National Cemetery, will head down Boundary Street, curve onto Carteret Street, turn right onto Bay Street, and eventually end at the intersection of Boundary and Bladen Streets.
Rev. Sam T. Spain Sr., the pastor of the historic Lady’s Island Baptist Church for longer than 30 years and
The Gullah Traveling Theater will perform the musical “Decoration Day” this weekend at the 40th Annual Original Gullah Festival. Submitted photo
a retired Master Gunnery Sgt. in the U.S. Marine Corps, is the Vice Commander of the Sons Of Union Veterans, Camp 10 of Beaufort.
“I pray that it goes well,” Spain said of this year’s parade.
Spain said that several times in the past few years, there were “a lot of entries, but not a lot of people on the sidelines.”
DSS: ‘Runaway’ Beaufort preteen victim of human trafficking
By Delayna Earley The Island News
Months after a Beaufort preteen went missing for several days, it has been determined through an investigation by the South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) that she was likely the victim of human trafficking. It has been three months since 12-year-old Emily Hollis disappeared from her parents’ home in Beaufort, an event that sparked a heated online discourse regarding the usage of the term “runaway.”
What happened In February 2025, Hollis was reported as a runaway by the Beaufort Police Department after she went missing from her home and was known to be in the company of 16-year-old Chase Eskeets. Eskeets and Hollis were re-
ported as runaways by the Beaufort Police Department based off the evidence found at the scene and known evidence, according to Lt. Lori Evans with the police department.
According to Hollis’ parents, she had met Eskeets on Snapchat about two weeks before she disappeared while using a phone that was given to her by one of her friends, information that was not made aware to them until after she had been safely returned home.
The youths were found in Jacksonville, Fla., after several days, but not before the community expressed outrage toward the police department’s labeling of Hollis as a runaway given her age.
The Hollis family was contacted by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Special Agent Logan Fey, who assisted
them by putting them into contact with SCDSS, a common practice with runaway or missing children’s cases.
After interviewing all the involved parties, including several hour-long interviews with both parents, SCDSS sent a letter to the Hollis family saying that based on their findings, their case had been indicated for human trafficking.
The Determination Fact Sheet, which is a form sent to parties with the findings from an investigation with SCDSS, states that Beaufort County DSS will “indicate against” the perpetrator.
SCDSS conduced a forensic interview with Hollis, and in the interview, she made disclosures of trafficking, according to the Determination Fact Sheet.
According to her parents, Hollis received a phone from a friend af-
ter hers was taken away as a punishment for an unrelated incident.
The phone, which was not known to her parents, had the popular social media app SnapChat on it, which is what Hollis used to begin communicating with Eskeets.
During the time they communicated, Eskeets allegedly spoke to Hollis about leaving home and 15 days after they became friends on SnapChat they left Beaufort.
“From what she’s telling us, he was doing the whole schmoozy, ‘you know everybody hates you. You’re not meant for this town. Your friends aren’t … whatever,’” said Kiel Hollis, Emily’s father. “We grounded her, so of course she was angry. She’s angry about that, and when she got that sep-
SEE VICTIM PAGE A7
The Parris Island Marine Corps Band sets a patriotic mood while leading the Memorial Day Parade down Boundary Street on Monday morning, May 27, 2024. Thousands of onlookers lined the street to listen to patriotic music and watch traditional floats roll by. Bob Sofaly/File photo/The Island News
LOWCOUNTRY LIFE & NEWS
Beaufort’s John Miller was about to cut the Gladiolus for his wife's flower vase when he spied the frog and snapped this photo. 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 RUSS LITTLE
American Legion Beaufort Post 207 brings you Russ Little, 65, who joined the United States Marine Corps in Detroit in 1978 After Boot Camp in San Diego, he trained at 29 Palms in artillery. He was assigned to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where he made six-month deployments to the Western Pacific aboard USS Tarawa (LHA-1) and USS Duluth (LPD-6). His follow-on tour was as a Drill Instructor at MCRD
Russ Little
San Diego. He next served at Camp Pendleton from which he deployed to Okinawa. He also
ON THIS DATE
May 23
2019: The Beaufort County Board of Education approves a fouryear contract with Frank Rodriguez, the veteran educator selected to become the new Beaufort County School District Superintendent. Rodriguez was a regional superintendent in Palm Beach County, Fla.
May 26
1925: In the early hours, according to the Beaufort Gazette, on the river side of Bay Street, a fire ravaged the blocks between West and Scott streets. Numerous businesses, including the River View Hotel, the Austin Grocery Company and the E.E. Lengnick department
PAL PETS OF THE WEEK
Dog of the Week
Rosie is an incredibly sweet, 8-year-old lady with a calm, gentle presence. She’s the definition of an “old soul,” with a wise gaze and a soft demeanor that draws people in. Rosie is wonderful on leash, making walks an easy and enjoyable experience. She also gets along well with other dogs. Her warm and loving nature makes Rosie simply irresistible. She is spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.
Cats of the Week
Lil Zilla and Tulil were adopted from Palmetto Animal League as kittens. Now at 6 years old, they are looking for a second chance at love. This brother and sister have short front legs making them unique and irresistibly charming. Both are super sweet
won the Western Division Rifle Match and was selected for Warrant Officer. He again won the Western Division Rifle Match before being assigned to Parris Island as the Range Officer. He then was Range Officer at Marine Corps Security Force Pacific. While there he was awarded the Marine Distinguished Marksman (Rifle) Medal. His final two tours were as Range Officer, firstly at MCAS Cherry Point and lastly at
Parris Island. While serving, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He retired in 1998 as a CWO2. In 2009 he began 13 years as a civil servant at Parris Island, retiring again in 2023 – Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 207 For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.
store, were destroyed.
2021: Beaufort attorney Mary Sharp is sworn in as the President of the South Carolina Bar.
May 27
2019: Beaufort High School varsity boys basketball coach Will Lowther is dismissed from his coaching position and placed on administrative leave from his teaching position after his arrest for allegedly transferring alcohol to a minor in an April 6 incident in which he met with a minor on a dating app.
– Compiled by Mike McCombs
with soft, beautiful fur. Stop by to meet them today at PAL’s No Kill Adoption Center in Okatie. They are neutered/spayed, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped.
For more information on these and other pets, call PAL at 843-645-1725 or email Info@ PalmettoAnimalLeague.org.
– Compiled by Lindsay Perry
Do you value your free hometown newspaper – made by locals, for locals? Free news isn’t cheap. Please help support The Island News!
Donations gratefully accepted at www.yourislandnews.com or The Island News, PO Box 550, Beaufort, SC 29901
Arrest made in Sunday murder of 33-year-old Sheldon man
Staff reports The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the Sunday murder of a Sheldon man.
On Sunday, May 18 2025 shortly before 8 p.m., the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office was informed of a gunshot wound located in Sheldon on Kelly Road.
When deputies arrived at the residence, they discovered deceased 33 -year-old Rashaun Snell suffering from several gunshot wounds.
Upon further investigation, deputies learned that Snell and 32-year-old Unique Ford had a verbal altercation that resulted in Ford shooting several times at Snell. Ford then tried to flee the scene in a green sedan but continued to flee on foot after crashing his vehicle.
himself into the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, May 19 2025
Once learning this, deputies obtained three warrants on the 32 -year-old Ford for Murder, Possession of a Weapon during a Violent Crime, and Aggravated Breach of Peace. Ford turned
SBA honors Beaufort’s Wilson
Staff reports Forget the best of Beaufort. Rita Wilson can claim best in the state.
The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) named Wilson the "2025 South Carolina Female Small Business Person of the Year" earlier this year and honored her, along with other winners, earlier this month during National Small Business Week (May 4-10).
The S.C. District Office of the SBA presented the award Friday, May 9, during an award luncheon in Columbia. Rita was nominated by Martin Goodman of the SC Small Business Development Center Beaufort. Rita Wilson and her husband, Barry Wilson, are the owners and operators of AlphaGraphics Beaufort.
“The awards showcase the achievements of these outstanding small businesses and lenders who are making a difference in our state by creating jobs,
increasing economic prosperity, and helping their communities thrive,” South Carolina SBA District Director Melissa Lindler said in March.
This investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact lead investigator Sergeant Mabrena Hicks at 843255-3441
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office encourages the public to
South Coast Cyber Summit
At Beaufort Memorial, our advanced orthopedics and spine care team is committed to helping you be your best and enjoy life without pain.
Whether neck or back pain is slowing you down or your activities are limited due to hip or knee pain, our board-certified specialists will personalize your care using sophisticated diagnostic and treatment options. Our advanced techniques and technologies, including Mako SmartRoboticsTM and VELYSTM robotic-assisted joint replacement, will improve function and relieve pain quickly. Many surgical patients even go home the same day.
Visit BeaufortMemorial.org/Ortho for help addressing your pain.
At Beaufort Memorial you’ll also find:
• Joint preservation therapies
• Numerous non-surgical treatment options
• A personalized approach to restoring mobility and joint function
• Pre-operative education classes that engage patients and caregivers in the healing process
• An Optimization Program that follows you through the process to ensure the best outcomes
• Outpatient and in-home rehab services to get you back to doing what you love faster
S.C. Female Small Business Person of the Year Rita Wilson (center) is flanked by Small Business Development Center (SBDC) State Director Michele Abraham (left) and Melissa Lindler, SBA district Director (right), at an awards luncheon Friday, May 9 in Columbia. Submitted photo
Keynote speaker Rep. Jeff Bradley highlights the vital importance of education in preparing the future workforce to address emerging challenges at the fourth annual South Coast Cyber Summit on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Tabby Place in downtown Beaufort. Amber Hewitt/ The Island News
Staff reports
BMH’s PATH program recognizes first cohort of high school graduates
For 13 high school seniors across Beaufort County, Beaufort Memorial was the first step toward a career in healthcare, as the first-ever high school cohort graduated from the hospital’s PATH career development program on May 13
In January, Beaufort Memorial and the Beaufort County School District (BCSD) partnered to offer an opportunity for high school seniors countywide who are enrolled in a Health Sciences completer program to participate in the hospital’s PATH program (People Achieving Their Highest) tuition-free.
Graduating seniors at the May 13 ceremony included:
Patient Care Technicians (PCT)
Rihanna Cooler
Alani Crawford
Ja’Miah Fields
Luciana Garcia-Figueroa
Kalia Jenkins
Evelin Leija
Clinical Medical Assistants (CMA)
Kayla Arias
Jasmyn Charles
NEWS BRIEFS
Final Coffee & Convo with the City Manager
Adeline Gibbons
Kayla Jones
Aysha Perez
Jasmyn Reames
Abigail Reynolds
“I hope, whether you are here for the summer and going on to school or whether you’re ready to start your career in healthcare, you trust Beaufort Memorial and serve your community,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO
Russell Baxley. “I can’t think of anything more special. This community is special, this hospital is special, and this school district is special.”
Frank Rodriguez, Beaufort County School District Superintendent, emphasized the impact of the partnership between the two organizations.
“When organizations come together to innovate, you can create some really great opportunities, and I think for our students, this is an innovation that will yield tremendous results – not only for the community, the hospital and the school district, but most importantly, for you, the graduates,” he said, addressing the 13 teens.
Students with perfect atten-
Meet Beaufort City Manager, Scott Marshall, over a cup of coffee. This is your last chance this go around to engage in casual conversations, share your ideas, and ask any questions you may have about our beautiful city of Beaufort.
The final Coffee & Convo will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m., Friday, May 30, Mameem & Maudie at 81 Sea Island Parkway. Grab a coffee, come on in, and share your thoughts. We look forward to seeing you there. Let's make Beaufort an even better place to live together.
Poll workers needed; training available
The Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County will be holding 10
Alice cross GlAwson Beaufort
Alice Cross Glawson passed away peacefully on December 24 2024, after a years’ long battle with Alzheimer’s/dementia that was complicated by the 2020 Covid lockdowns. The family arranged a graveside service on Saturday, May 17, to be officiated by St. Helena’s Reverend Jim Cato, at the cemetery adjacent to the Historic Church of St. Helena, where Alice will be laid to rest with her predeceased husband of 47 years, Joseph Jackson Glawson, Jr. (“Jack”).
May 17 was targeted in this case as May 17 1963, was the date of Alice and Jack’s marriage. The wedding was conducted in Charleston’s historic St. Phillips Church. While not remarried, they will be reunited for all eternity.
Alice was also predeceased by the following family members: her mother and father, Ella Bush Cross and Luther Cross; her brother, Roger Earl Cross; her brother-in-law, Frank Braxton Costa; her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Laurie Glawson and Joseph J. Glawson; her sisters-in-law, Adelaide Glawson Quattlebaum and Isabel Glawson Fulton.
Alice is survived by four siblings — Carolyn Cross McLean, Margaret Cross Costa, Michael
dance were recognized at the ceremony, as well as five students who have accepted positions at Beaufort Memorial and will be joining the staff following their high school graduations. Alani Crawford, a senior at Whale Branch Early College High School, will be working as a patient care technician on the hospital’s third floor.
“I’m very excited, and I’m proud of myself,” Crawford said. “I
worked really hard this semester, and I’ve learned a lot and I’m getting rewarded for it.”
For these five students, Beaufort Memorial will be an integral part of their career journey right out of high school. Other students are planning to attend college and pursue that pathway to a career in the medical field.
Beaufort Memorial Chief Nursing Officer Karen Carroll, DNP,
RN, NEA-BC, said that no matter the students’ next chapter, Beaufort Memorial is honored to be a part of their journey.
“The only person who can stop you from achieving your goals is you. You can be a great asset to this organization, to wherever you go to school,” she told the graduates. “We are happy to help you on your journey and give you that starting point.”
new poll worker training classes.
All of the classes will be held at the main office, located at 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort, S.C. 29906. The classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the following dates: Saturday, May 24; Wednesday, June 18; Wednesday, July 16; Saturday, July 26; Wednesday, Aug. 20; and Wednesday, Sept. 17
To sign up for a class, visit https://beaufortsc.easypollworker.com/home.
County VA to offer End of Life Planning Seminars for veterans, families
Beaufort County Veterans Affairs is hosting one more End of Life Planning Seminar for veterans and their families.
The seminar addresses things veterans and their families can do today to ensure their personal effects are in order. It will also discuss Veterans Affairs benefits that sur-
viving spouses may be entitled to receive.
The seminar will be offered at either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m., Tuesday, May 27 at the Beaufort Library at 311 Scott Street. RSVPs are required for space and resource purposes. Please contact Crystal at 843-2556880 to reserve your seat. For questions and more information please contact Beaufort County Veterans Affairs at 843-255-6880
Leadership Beaufort application window open
The application window for the 41st class of Leadership Beaufort (August 2025-May 2026) is now open. Visit https://bit.ly/3EnhSlz to learn more and access the application. Deadline to submit applications is Friday, May 23. The program builds community trustee leadership through an in-depth view of cultural, economic, historic, social, educational, environmental and government resources.
United Way of the Lowcountry offers additional free tax prep days
United Way of the Lowcountry's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is offering additional free tax preparation days to help qualifying residents of Beaufort and Jasper counties file their federal and state tax returns accurately and efficiently.
In Beaufort, the service is available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays, June 23 and August 25 at the United Way of the Lowcountry Beaufort Office at 1277 Ribaut Road. Limited spots are available, and in-person appointments are required. Visit www.uwlowcountry.org/VITA to reserve your spot, check for eligibility requirements and to find a list of necessary documents to bring.
– Staff reports
Lewis Cross, and Susan Cross Porteous. In addition, Alice is survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Alice and Jack met and married in Charleston while both were working at the newspaper then known as The News and Courier.
Jack was an ace News Reporter and Alice an Administrative Assistant. During their marriage, they relocated for work to Charlotte, N.C., and later to Burke, Va., before retiring and moving back south to Jack’s home city of Beaufort, S.C. where in 1984 they purchased a house at 501 Duke Street, located in the historical section of Beaufort known as “Old Point.” They cherished the opportunity to rehabilitate, renovate and improve the neglected, sad, and broken house they had purchased.
The first task at hand was to hire experts to completely lift the two-
story house to facilitate an entire replacement of the foundation which was old and crumbling badly.
A completely new two-story wing was added to the west side of the house, which Jack had envisioned, then designed and built. They were recognized by the town officials for “doing it the right way.” The finished house was used to illustrate an “appropriately oriented addition” in a supplement to The Beaufort Preservation Manual, that was included in a compilation by John Milner Associates.
No longer is 501 Duke Street a sad house. It was reborn. Alice and Jack educated themselves on the correct ins-and-outs of renovating a historical house, ever mindful of the building codes and methods for proper restoration, following all of the rules and searching high and low for “period appropriate” materials and techniques. Upon completion, not only did they cherish the results of their labor of love, thereafter they so enjoyed living at 501 Duke Street happily for many, many more years.
This particular home held quite a bit of history, having been owned in 1883 by Beaufort’s historic figure and favorite son, Robert Smalls, a former slave who gained heroic fame during the Civil War (freeing himself, his family and others from slavery) and even more remarkably
Mr. Smalls was later elected to Congress. It is not an overstatement to say that Alice and Jack were perfect together, and that now Alice rejoins Jack, gathered in the arms of our Lord God for their next chapter.
It was Alice’s wish that anyone who is interested in giving a memorial honorarium be provided the following information/ statement, and suggest contacting the Church at the following address:
“Honorarium in memory of Alice Cross Glawson” Preservation Trust for Historic St. Helena’s Church P.O. Box 1043
Beaufort, S.C. 29901
PhiliP rAndel
July 18, 1947-May 10, 2025 Ridgeland
Philip is survived by his wife Catherine; son Sean (Althea) of Tucson, Ariz.; Bryan (Dawn) of Beaufort, S.C.; grandsons Pearce and Andrew.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 30 2025 at 10 a.m., in Beaufort National Cemetery, 1601 Boundary Street, Beaufort, S.C. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Philip Randel, please visit our floral store at https://bit.ly/4dpBwuc.
Philip Edward Randel, 77, passed away peacefully on May 10 2025 with his wife of 56 years by his side. He was born on July 18 1947 in Brooklyn, N.Y.. Growing up, he resided in Florida before his family moved to Tucson, Ariz. Phil joined the U.S. Army and served both in Germany and Vietnam. His training in the Army led to a position with the Arizona Copper Mine Industry. His final career choice was with Ace Hardware, both at the retail and corporate level.
The first cohort of high school seniors graduated from the Beaufort Memorial PATH program on May 13. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Beaufort County School District Superintendent Dr. Frank Rodriguez. Photo courtesy of Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Conservation easement protects Essex Farms in perpetuity
Staff reports
The Open Land Trust, together with the Rhodes family and the U.S. Navy recently protected 898 acres in Dale, South Carolina known as Essex Farms through a voluntary conservation easement, according to a news release from Beaufort County.
The conservation easement ensures the land will remain primarily undeveloped and dedicated to agriculture and forestry for future generations. The Rhodes family will continue to own the land, pay property taxes, and retain the right to sell, give away, or bequeath the property. However, the conservation easement is permanent (in perpetuity) and remains in effect regardless of future ownership.
Fifth-generation Landowner Molly Rhodes observed that “My
Weekend
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“I am hopeful, especially if we don’t get into any rain, that people will line the streets,” he said.
In case of inclement weather, the parade will be canceled.
According to Spain, the Grand Marshal of the parade is Rev. Venice Young, one of the oldest ministers in Beaufort.
family has a strong conservation ethic and we are excited by the opportunity to preserve this land in perpetuity.”
The conservation easement was funded with support from the Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program, a program that funds land protection to ensure land uses do not interfere with or restrict military operations or long-term mission sustainability of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, thereby maintaining optimal training environments and readiness. Essex Farms lies within the flight path of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
Space Program, and its first dedicated to farmland preservation. Of the total acreage, 816 acres (91%) contain highly productive soils, ensuring the land will remain available for farming and forestry.
“With support from federal and state partners, our local dollars can go further and protect irreplaceable resources like farmland in Beaufort County for future generations,” said Tim Evans, Green Space Program committee member for the Northern Geographic Region.
landowner, will provide incredible public benefit to anyone who depends on a healthy rural economy or clean water in the ACE Basin,” said Raleigh West, Director of the SC Conservation Bank.
Additional funding was provided by the Beaufort County Green Space Program and the South Carolina Conservation Bank, each contributing 14% of the total project cost. This marks the third project funded by the Green
A ceremony at the Cemetery At the end of the Memorial Day parade there will be a ceremony at noon inside the Beaufort National Cemetery on Boundary Street.
National Cemetery officials ask that attendees please use the side entrance off Rogers Street, so as not to disturb the setup for the ceremony.
“We’re asking the public to come in the side gate by Rogers,” the official said. “Either come early and park by
the tennis courts, or come in early from the side entrance. The big tent will be by the main flagpole.”
The keynote speaker for the ceremony is Gen. Lloyd “Fig” Newton, a retired fourstar U.S. Air Force general.
The 40th Original Gullah Festival
The annual Gullah Festival will take place from Thursday, May 22 through Sunday, May 25 at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. The festival is free, though
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF ESTATES
The S.C. Conservation Bank recognizes its contribution to the conservation easement helps the landowner manage their property best long-term. “Knowing property like Essex will be protected forever, and managed well by the
individual events may require an entry fee.
Events include ELIMU Educators & Journalists Excursion; the Caribbean White Party; Arts, lifestyle & food vendors; live entertainment; a kiddie village; and American Revolutionary Da’ Gullah Village.
There will be blacksmithing, indigo nking, rice farming and carpentry workshops, as well.
For a complete festival schedule, visit www.originalgullahfestival.org.
‘Decoration Day’ performances
Essex Farms lies within the Lowcountry Sentinel Landscape and in the ACE Basin conservation area; specifically, this conservation easement protects 2 3 miles of shoreline along Barnwell and Briars Creeks, draining into the Wimbee and Combahee River system. The property is proximate to an additional 20,000-plus acres of land protected forever, including Nemours Wildlife Foundation, Duncan Farms, Oak Point, Coosaw Plantation, the Talley Tract, Dopson, Bowers Farm and Chisolm Plantation.
The Gullah Traveling Theater will perform “Decoration Day,” a powerful theatrical production that honors the rich history and cultural traditions of the Gullah people, at the 40th Annual Original Gullah Festival on Thursday, May 22, and Saturday, May 24
Performances will be at 7 p.m., on Thursday, May 22, and 3 p.m., on Saturday, May 24, at the USCB Center for the Arts at 901 Carteret Street in Beaufort.
Decoration Day is an award-winning performance that brings to life the origins of our nation’s beloved Memorial Day traditions. Through moving performances, soulful music, and vivid storytelling, the show highlights the role that formerly enslaved Gullah people played in decorating the graves of faithful fallen soldiers.
The production explores themes of freedom, resilience, and community, offering audiences a deeply immersive and inspiring experience that commemorates an important chapter in Gullah and American history.
Tickets are $55 for adults, $15 for youth (ages 7-17), and free for children (ages 0-6). Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.gullahkinfolktravelingtheater.org.
Sunday service
On Sunday, May 25, there will be a 3 p.m. church service at Central Baptist Church, sponsored by the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War, the Daughters of the Union Veterans of the Civil War and the Women’s Relief Corps.
After the service, there will be an escort and the crowd will make its way down to the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park and throw flowers into the Beaufort River in honor of the nation’s dead at sea.
Flags In, Flags Out
This year's Flags In event for the public to place U.S. flags on gravesites at Beaufort National Cemetery will be held beginning at 6 p.m., on Friday, May 23 at the main flagpole.
After a short welcome, gravesite flags will be dis-
tributed to be placed on all 24 000 gravesites. If weather is bad, the event will be postponed until 8 a.m., Saturday, May 24
This year's Flags Out event — removal of the gravesite flags — will be held beginning at 9 a.m., Tuesday, May 27
For more information, contact the Beaufort National Cemetery at 843-5243925 or Beaufort.NationalCemetery@va.gov.
SCDNR boat inspections In an effort to keep people and waterways safe during the Memorial Day weekend, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Law Enforcement Division will be conducting courtesy boat inspections at public boat landings around the state, including two in Beaufort County.
The Memorial Day holiday kicks off the summer boating season and is one of the busiest times of the year for South Carolina lakes and waterways, and officers want to do everything possible to keep everyone’s weekend fun and safe.
On Sunday, May 25, SCDNR boating safety and enforcement officers will be at Broad River Landing from 9 to 11 a.m.
On Monday, May 26, they will be at Lemon Island Boat Ramp from 9 to 11 a.m. Officers will perform quick but thorough inspections for required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registrations. Those who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections. Instead, they will be given an opportunity to correct the problem before they launch their boat. SCDNR officers will also be available to answer questions and give boaters tips on how to stay safe on the water.
To report boating violations such as reckless operation or an intoxicated boat operator, call the SCDNR toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431 or dial #DNR on your cellular phone.
Mike McCombs is the Editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.
Heather R. Galvin, Probate Judge, Beaufort County, SC
The Open Land Trust, together with the Rhodes family and the U.S. Navy recently protected 898 acres in Dale, South Carolina known as Essex Farms. Submitted photo
Estate planning is a process, not just a bunch of paperwork
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Fostering family harmony should be seen as an ongoing estate-plan-
ning task. These five tips may help you improve family communication and make other parts of the process easier and more effective.
1. Check in on family
Start with an assessment of current family dynamics. Are members of your family able to communicate openly and respectfully? Are there specific issues, such as second marriages, that may be causing tensions? Ask others to weigh in, too, to get different perspectives.
If you’re hesitant to start a discussion about estate planning, that itself may be a sign that something needs to be addressed.
Even if certain hurdles feel intractable, identifying those issues improves your chances of fostering greater cooperation among family members. You may not be able to fix anything, but at least your plan accounts for difficult family dynamics.
2. Open an honest dialogue
Many people are intimidated by discussions about money, so it’s best not to approach estate planning as a one-and-done conversation. Instead, it might be easier to tackle a few things at a time.
Start by sitting down together and sharing your goals and aspiration for your estate plan. At the end of the meeting, ask to continue the conversation and perhaps suggest a time for the next chat.
Even if your family is good at talking things out, some aspects might need more attention. Are some heirs more engaged than others? Do you sense any entitlement or lurking conflicts? Acknowledging such issues may help prevent problems down the road.
3. Work on your listening
It may be your estate plan, but your heirs are the ones who will have to live with it. So, invite them
Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department receives an ISO Class 1 rating
Staff reports
The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department announced last week that it has achieved a Class 1 Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating from the Insurance Ser vices Office (ISO), the highest rating possible. This distinction places the department among the top fire protection services in the nation.
“This rating shows how hard our fire department personnel work daily to pro tect the City of Beaufort and the Town of Port Royal,” Fire Chief Tim Ogden said. We are graded on our training, response times, equipment, water supply system, and 911 dispatch. Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority scored almost full credit for water supply, and Beaufort County 911 Dispatch scored perfect once again on their grading. Our collaboration
Victim from page A1
arate phone, she was able to get SnapChat and see all her friends going out, having fun, and she was getting lonely. She was getting jealous. She was getting sad. She became vulnerable.” He said it created a depression that made her an easy target. The report also lists that she tested positive for illegal drugs.
Report only raises more questions
What were not included with the Determination of Facts from SCDSS, were any answers as to what this means for Hollis, if legal action was going to be taken or what the next steps were.
Upon receipt of the Determination Fact Sheet from SCDSS, the Hollis family contacted the Beaufort Police Department, who told them they no longer had jurisdiction over the case as it had been handed over
with these agencies and automatic aid support from neighboring fire departments shows how working together can benefit our community.
In the last inspection in 2017, the department scored a Class 1; in our re-inspection in 2024, it will remain a Class 1. According to the most recent data, only approximately 498 fire departments in the United States have achieved an ISO 1 rating, and only 17 departments in South Carolina.
The rating can also positively impact the community by potentially lowering property insurance premiums for residents and businesses, as insurers often use ISO ratings when calculating rates. The lower the class, the better the rates are for homeowners and businesses in Beaufort and Port Royal for their property insurance premiums.
to the Jacksonville, Fla., Sheriff’s Office.
“The case was reviewed by Beaufort Police Department with South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) and found that if any incident of human trafficking occurred, it occurred outside our jurisdiction and was referred to the appropriate agency, Jacksonville, Fla., Sheriff’s Office,” said Lt. Lori Evans with the Beaufort Police Department.
This answer raised questions with the Hollises as they had been told by Special Agent Fey by text shortly after receiving the letter from SCDSS that “SLED is not actively working [the] case. It’s still being handled by the locals because it was not relinquished by their agency or the Solicitor’s office.”
“We assisted with getting them in touch with Jacksonville and necessary partners to cross report the incidents down there,” Fey said. Additionally, the Hollises raised the question how can it be determined that “any incident of human trafficking” occurred outside of
Beaufort County, when their daughter was here in Beaufort when the conversations over SnapChat -- where they alleged their daughter was groomed into leaving home --took place, therefore making the origin of the alleged crime Beaufort County.
When contacted by The Island News to ask if the investigation conducted by SCDSS could lead to further investigation and potential charges related to human trafficking, Lt. Evans said that “DSS reports disclosures from the juvenile. If trafficking was disclosed to DSS it was documented on their referral information sheet, but DSS does not have the authority to define or charge the elements of an offense.”
The Hollises also said that they have been told that their case should have been sent directly to the S.C. Attorney General’s office, which handles human trafficking cases in the state, but Kathryn Moorehead, the director of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force Criminal Division confirmed by email with The Island News
to tell you how they feel about your efforts to discuss the family’s wealth—or your plans for the estate. Try to really hear what they have to say. If you do, there’s potential to deepen your connection with them.
4. Put it in a letter
On top of regular, deliberate estate-planning conversations, consider writing a letter that will be shared with your heirs when you pass away. This can be a place to reinforce your estate-planning intentions and your vision for the family money, as well as serve as a reminder of what you’ve done together. It might also help your survivors move forward with unity and purpose.
5. Consider outside help Family dynamics can feel daunting, but working with a wealth advisor, an estate lawyer, or even a
counselor who specializes in family communications can help ease tensions and keep you moving forward—together.
Fred Gaskin is the branch leader at the Charles Schwab Independent Branch in Bluffton. He has over 35 years of experience helping clients achieve their financial goals. Some content provided here has been compiled from previously published articles authored by various parties at Schwab.
Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. Diversification strategies do not ensure a profit and do not protect against losses in declining markets.
Employees of Schwab are not estate planning attorneys and cannot offer tax or legal advice, or create and prepare legal documents associated with such plans. Where such advice is necessary or appropriate, please consult a qualified legal or tax advisor
that as of Tuesday, May 20, “this case does not involve [their] office” and questions should be directed to SCDSS and local law enforcement.
‘Let it play out’ Beaufort City Councilman Josh Scallate, said that he believes that at this point the agencies involved should be allowed to let the processes play out.
In February 2025, all members of Beaufort City Council signed and published an open letter to the community – a rare occurrence -- responding to the outcry against the police department for using the term “runaway.” In the letter, members of Council offered their support to the police department for handling the case in the manner that they did. Now that there’s an indication that Emily Hollis was trafficked as opposed to a “runaway,” nobody seems to want to talk about it. Despite seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel, the Hollises said they are exhausted with the run-around they have been getting from
the various agencies they have dealt with since this ordeal began.
They have not been able to get any straight answers, and the answers they have been able to get have contradicted each other, leaving them with a lot more questions and very few answers.
“I never want to make the police look bad,” said Autumn Hollis, Emily’s mother. “Believe me when I say we only want change. This is an issue concerning our entire nation. Like we have stated multiple times, over multiple interviews and podcasts, our story is not unique. The police action, or lack thereof, happens all over the U.S. Parents need to understand this is the reality if your child is labeled a runaway. Time is of the essence. According to the National Network for Youth, one in five runaway and homeless youths are victims of human trafficking. With an estimated 2 300 missing children per day in the U.S., that’s more victims than anyone would care to think about. That’s a lot of victims police are not
putting the resources into looking for them as they would a ‘missing child.’” The Beaufort Police Department maintains that “resources are relatively the same when it comes to a missing person or runaways.”
“We issue local BOLOs (Be on the Lookout), share information with other entities across the state and nation via a national database,” said Lt. Evans. “If a sighting or last known location is known, the law enforcement agencies in that area are directly notified as was done in this case.”
Autumn Hollis said that her family just wants to make sure that in the future, families are not made to endure what they have and are given the proper support in finding their child and bringing them home.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette,
Attendees enjoy games, prizes, cupcakes and family fun during the Port Royal Cypress Wetlands Birthday for the Birds on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
Boy Named Banjo brings its sound to Beaufort
Staff reports
The USCB Center for the Arts welcomes Boy Named Banjo, one of Nashville’s most exciting genre-bending bands, for a live performance that fuses bluegrass soul with rock-and-roll swagger. Their upcoming performance promises a fresh blend of folk, bluegrass, rock, and country influences—all delivered with the heart and harmony that define their sound.
Boy Named Banjo's rapid rise has taken them from Tennessee porches to stages across the country. They've played at iconic venues and festivals such as the Ryman Auditorium, Bonnaroo, Stagecoach, Austin City Limits, the Grand Ole Opry, and AmericanaFest — and now add Beaufort to that list as part of the Center for the Arts Touring Artists Series.
Launched while two members, Barton Davies and William Reames, were still just students in high school, Boy Named Banjo got its start busking on the streets of Nashville, where a passing tourist inadvertently named the group by yelling, “Play that banjo, boy!” as Davies picked outside Robert’s Western World.
Performing initially as a trio with fellow classmate Willard Logan on mandolin, the group began life as an
Boy Named Banjo brings their high-energy blend of bluegrass, folk, rock, and country to the USCB Center for the Arts for a one-night-only performance on May 30. Submitted photo
old-school string band, but their sound quickly evolved into something more adventurous with the addition of bassist Ford Garrard and drummer Sam McCullough, who joined after returning home from college.
Come experience Boy Named Banjo as they bring their Nashville sound to the Lowcountry. In Beaufort for one night only May 30 at 7:30 p.m. — a night of foot-stomping music that is good for the soul.
Tickets are $40 for adults, $35 for seniors and military, and $20 for students. Get your tickets today at uscbcenterforthearts.com before they are gone!
ARTS BRIEFS
Book-signing event for ‘Questionable Behavior’
Lowcountry resident Larry Chewning will be holding a signing event for his new book, “Questionable Behavior,” from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 23 at the Beaufort Bookstore. Chewning’s book is a collection of short stories about college life in the South in the 1970's. Many of the stories are humorous and many are heart warming stories of survival in the environment of "work hard and play hard."
From epic parties and college romance to pulling all-nighters, these stories will resonate with anyone who attended college in the South and belonged to a fraternity or sorority. "If you grew up in the South during the mid-twentieth century you can relate to this story," Chewning said.
Seeking
Lowcountry Jazz Band to play free concert
The 18 piece Lowcountry Jazz Band is presenting a free concert, “A Tribute To The First Lady Of Song: Ella Fitzgerald,” at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 25, at the Church of the Palms at 1425 Okatie Highway in Okatie. Featured vocalists are Mary Manges and Josh Hamilton.
The concert features Big Band classics that Ella loved and recorded solo and with Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong: “Cry Me a River,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” “What a Wonderful World” and Ray Charles’ rousing duet of “America.”
– Staff reports
Nursery Supervisor/Coordinator
Supervises our Nursery on Sunday mornings from 8:00 to 12 Noon. Background check required.
For more information
Pastor Steve Keeler • (843) 525-0696 skeeler@seaislandpresbyterian.org
EDUCATION
Graduating Class of 2025
Caitlyn E. Creamer
Certificate Graduates
Javier Abarca
Jordan Adams
Regina Aguilar
Geobana Alvarez
Jonathan Barragan
Christopher Allen Bauknight
Cindi Becerril
Patrick William Bothe
Christopher John Boyko
Brayden Joseph Brooks
Taylor Courtney Brown
Mia Bush
Facundo Campa Silva
Hannah Elizabeth Chestnut
Noelle Elizabeth Chisholm
Anna-Lee Breland Cooke
Shalani Cruz-Santana
Victoria Demarco
James Evan Denton
Angela Rose Digennaro
Leslie Julissa Escalante
Brandon Estrada Mendez
Shantoria Deborah Fields
Ariana Tenisha Fields
Jackson Davis Floyd
Marcia Edell Frazier
Tyasia Gadson
Kimberly Michele Gant
Joselle Garcia
Samari Valerie Gardner
Zariya Essence Green
Lauryn Rose Gulledge
Alexandria Latavia Gutierrez
Angela Diane Hernandez
Emily Herrera
Sha'kiyah Deianna Jefferson
Kenyon Daniel Jenkins
Kevin D'mone Jenkins
Joshua Alexander Kimberly
Reeve Ashton Kook
Deborah Ann Kulak
Earlene Mills
Ka'mari Zanathan Mitchell
Casey Nicole Montgomery
Dustin Murray
Paula M. Napolitano
Janine M. Newman
Dajhandra Shanay Newton
Jennifer Leigh Phillips
Dianna Rivadeneira
Ilani Rivera
Tracy Denise Robinson
Gaven Alexander Ruiz
Stacy Eileen Saenz Flores
Lily Jocelyn Sancho
Aimee R. Smith
Nicholas Jeffery Sullivan
Acacia Aleshia Taylor
Jasolene Elaine Torres
Hallie Jean Van Camp
Christian Xavier Vasquez
Deriyon Alaysia Watts
Jakai Andre Williams
Emily Wilson
Jolene Marie Zajicek
Diploma Graduates
Chelsea Bunton
Maggie Nichole Burchart
Victoria Ashley Campbell
Maria Alexis Carroll
Kimberly King Dennison
Katelyn Fastenau
Lauren Taylor Hartley
Alison R. Kave
Melissa M. Lebaron
Darlin Guadalupe Lopez
Candice Chapman McIlrath
Emily Hayden Moberly
Anna Maria Murphy
My'asia Murray
Jordan Vaccaro Quinlan Maritza Romero
Associate Degree Graduates
Taylor R. Adams
Amanda Lee Adcox
Allanis Ansiso
Josephine Abi Cabrina Arraj
Zachary Alexander Atkinson
Juan Andres Bailey
Thomas C. Bailey
Anna Barnard
Carol Barrientos
Timothy C. Barry
Mark Anthony Baskerville
Jacob Beach
Audra A. Beasley
Emma Grace Belcher
Chloe-Ann Judith Bell
Emily Mariela Berganza
Kaitlin Elizabeth Biggins
Christopher Adrian Bockelman
Nasim Jamil Bond
Dylan Adam Boyles
Gracilyn Brasko
Kody Ryan Briggs-Roberson
Latriciana Latoya Brown
Allison Brown
Connor Harrison Brown
Trinity Brown
Ricardo Bruno
Shandrika Burrison
Briana Raejeane Burroughs
Katrina Shea Butler
Vincent Juan Butler
Pablo Caballero
Linkin Ray Cain
Aidan Jesus Camacho
Melvin Darnell Capers
Bette Ruth Cappelmann
Christopher J. Caprio
Maiya Nicole Carter
Shaun Alan Chaney
Sabrina Anne Chavez
April Alicia Cook
Megan Amber Cottrell
Mina LeShay Countz
Elizabeth Katleen Covert
Jelissa Antol Cox
Alani Janae Crawford
Karen Cuellar
Claire Curry
Angela Marvia Curtis
Brittany Nicole Cushman
Mark Robert Dambach
Alyssa Daugherty
Amanda Davis
Twishekia Monique Delaney
Harrison Blake Dill
Delphia Randi Doyle
Jessica Dupree
Deveon Rondragus Eady
Shavontay Elmore
Katherine Essick
Floshei Joy Estandarte
Emily Ellen Evegan
Nichole Cheree Everett
Zoe Farley
Raivonne Niage't Ferguson
Suzette L. Fields
Latisha Tiamara Fields
Michael Pierce Folk
Jason Alexander Frazier
Spencer E. Frazier
Jordan Gadson
Lyla Caroline Gainey
Dorian Elizabeth Garza
Olivia Gee
Walter Nichoas Gnann
Hannah Cadlen Goldman
Amber Mechele Gonzalez
Robert Michael Gorczyca-Groff
Zachary Goudeau
Jazmine S. Green
Kohle Joseph Greene
Jacqueline Grey
Aisis Alexis Guerrero
Shannan Dupree Hale
Kai-Lynne Hargrett
Nilah Serenity Harriman
Candice Tena Harvey
Kaitlyn Effie Haynes
Darnelle Dwayne Hazard
Rhonda Heyward
Landon B. Hightower
Michele Moete Holmes
Alexis Briana Housey
Ellery Faith Howell
Melissa Ann Howlingcrane
Karen Mariann Huerta
Nicholas S. Hughes
Jessica Renee Beach Hughes
Katherine Grace Hurtt
Trey M. Iacovelli
Mia Alexia Rose Israel
Ijheri Jefferson
Justin Jamal Jenkins
Katlyn Jenkins
Precious Tahesha Johnson
Amaria Valencia Johnson
David V. Johnson
Elora Madison Jones
Tania Rochelle Jones-Brunson
Dave Joseph
Cameron Lorenzo Judge
Ava Sarai Juliano
Abbigail Justice
Dominique Karczewski
Shelby Renee Keating
Nathan Gibson Kelley
Valerie M. Keys
Christina Maria Kim
Mary Elizabeth Kizer
Zoe Monique Krikelas
Adam Daniel Kromm
Patrycja Kulig
Emma Lynne Kwisnek
Ana Cristina Laboy
Brian Clinton Ladson
Jordan Lane
Porscha Lane
Jessica Marie Lansdowne
Maria Fabiola Lara
Freddie Lawton, III
Layla Sofia Lawyer
Shirley Evette Lee
RaSheika Myleka Lee
Joanna Lin
Pamela Michelle Lopez
Sophia Sabina Lopez
Anna Dinh Ly
Megan Antonette Uffens MacHen
Linda Gathoni Magondu
Gesselle Analia Martinez
James Thomas Mason
Robert E. McBride, III
Adrianne McFaul
Christine McLaughlin
Lance Elliott Mixson
Jack Taylor Moneymaker
Kimberly Renee Moody Ribsskog
Bryson Faith Moore
Itzel Amarelis Morales Cisneros
Evan Michael Moreno
Mitchell Thomas Moriarty
Victoria Alexis Murphy
Caleb Robert Michael Newell
Alora T. Newton
George Thomas Norton, V
Julienne Oben Nga Essono
Lisa Ochmanowicz
Matthew Joseph Ortiz
Dominique Jordan Padilla
Lizbeth Palacios Perez
Asiyih C. Pellegrino
Victoria M. Pelletier
Casandra Denise Perry
Hannah Perryman
Nadija Ohpelia Peterson
Ceara Joy Phillips
Kyle Davis Potter
Remy Xavier Poulin
Jacob Thomas Preston
Melissa F. Pridgen
Daphne Arianna Ragusa
Carmela S. Ramirez
Maria Paulina Ramirez
Damaris Ramos
La'Niya Nyasia Ramsey
Katherine Jean Reynolds
Jamie Russell Rhett
Olivia Richardson
Joseph Marshal Rivera
Trystin A. Roberts
Sindoda Roberta Lawyer
Klaudio Rodas-Bodner
Marina Alexandra Rodriguez
Brayten Allen Rogers
Megan Rose
Latorria MaShell Ross
Alexis Michelle Ruiz
Ezrye Celestina Ruiz
Hanalei Joy Russell
Brooklyn Davannah Faye Ryherd
Savannah Sampson-Shah
Jazmine Sanchez
Bryson Aiden Santiago
Tymeca Sawyer
Ashley E. Scheafer
Alicia Schiller
Giana Scholten
Amanda Rae Shearon
Darien Sheppard
Mary C. Sikes
Tierra Simone Simmons
Niyobie Judea Jewelle Singleton
Elisette Valencia Audelo Sinor
Valentina Sirio Diaz
Abbey Slingluff
Tangela Latavia Slones-Major
Jillian Hitzel South
Katy Nycoel Spell
Sadie A Squillace
Nyshika Staley
Kim Deese Stone
Ryan Strauss
Margaret Ann Surprenant
Patrick S. Sutcliffe
Rylee Mackenzie Tamminen
Sarah Michele Tanis
Kourtlyn Ann Taylor
Abria Thompson
Cristina Abby Travers
Kirra Mae Trotta
Monserrat Trujillo
Latoya Lashay Tyson
Tyler Richard Van Camp
Charlotte R. Van Den Heuvel
Timothy Scott Vanderhoof
Dayanara Michell Vasquez
Evelyn Renee Vasquez
Joseph Patrick Wall
Mary C. Wallace
Gerald Anthony Ward
Alana Skye Washington
Adolphus Weems
Keyana Marie Westmoreland
Colleen White
Sierra Nanette Whited
Nevaeh Grace Wiggins
Kierstyn M. Wildy
Ayshia S. Williams
Marcie Dene Williams
Colyn Michael Wilson
Abigail Lynn Wollwerth
Lauren Wood
Kandace Marie Wright
Courtney Paige Yabut
Joslyn Marie Young
Cynthia Marie Ytuarte
Because names of candidates for graduation were furnished for publication prior to commencement, it is possible that some persons listed may not have completed award requirements or may have been added after publication. This printing of a candidate’s name constitutes neither graduation nor the granting of an award.
EDUCATION
SCDE seeks public input for arts proficiency standards
Staff reports
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is seeking public review and feedback on the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Visual and Performing Arts Proficiency Standards.
“The established cyclical review process provides an opportunity to ensure South Carolina’s high-quality standards are based on current research and proven practices to meet the varied educational needs of our state’s students,” said Kristi Austion, Ph.D., Director of Assessment and Standards.
“We invite everyone to review the draft document and share your insights by 5 p.m. on [Friday] May 30, 2025 Your feedback is invaluable, and it can be submitted anonymously through our easy-to-use survey.”
Links to the draft document [https://bit.ly/3H5vW4j] and public review survey [https://bit.ly/4kxP5KJ] can be found on the South Carolina Department of Education’s Visual and Performing Arts Standards webpage [https://bit. ly/3SgbGzj].
Following the public review period, necessary revisions will be made to the draft document. The standards will then be submitted to the State Board of Education for final approval. Questions regarding this process can be directed to Roger Simpson in the SCDE Office of Assessment and Standards at rsimpson@ ed.sc.gov.
Lowcountry Montessori Graduation ceremony
COMMENTARY
Appreciating teachers
League of Women Voters Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated annually across the nation to recognize the dedication, commitment and hard work of teachers for their students, families and communities. Held during the first week of May, it is a time to express appreciation for our Beaufort County teachers and recognize their tremendous efforts to positively impact the lives and futures of our students.
During its second annual Teacher Appreciation Week celebration, the League of Women Voters of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Area and Beaufort joined together to recognize the Beaufort County teachers by installing updated Teacher Appreciation Week signs in front of the Beaufort County public and private schools on May 5, the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week. The signs were installed by volunteer League of Women Voter members who fully support, respect and appreciate our Beaufort County Teachers every day. Stars were added to the signs to reflect this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week theme: “Reach for the Stars.” The signs remained on display in front of the Beaufort County schools until Friday, May 9, the last day of Teacher Apprecia-
Beaufort Mayor Phil Cromer presents a Teachers Appreciation Week 2025 proclamation to Nancy Gilley, Lolita Watson, Jeanne Elmore, Maureen Woodlock and Bernadette Hampton of the League Of Women Voters, Beaufort, S.C., Area. Submitted photo
tion Week. In addition, this year the Town/City Councils of Hilton Head Island, Bluffton and Beaufort formally proclaimed the week of May 5t through May 9 as Teacher Appreciation Week 2025, expressing their appreciation and support of Beaufort County teachers and everything that they do for our students.
Special Teacher Appreciation Week proclamation certificates were presented in honor of the hard work and dedication of our local Beaufort County teachers. The framed proclamation certificates were then presented to Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriquez.
The goal of this special project in Beaufort County was to honor our Beaufort County teachers and let them know how much the Beaufort County Leagues of Women Voters understand the importance of everything that our teachers do for our Beaufort County students as well as their impactful positive effects on the futures of our students, their families and our local communities. If you are interested in learning more about our local League of Women Voters, you can contact the LWV of Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Area at LWVHHI/BA.org and the LWV of Beaufort S.C. Area at: LWVBeaufort.org.
$2,500 grant
Staff reports
As part of its 7th annual “Dream Bigger” social media campaign, Sparklight has awarded a $2,500 grant to Beaufort Academy. With the grant from Sparklight, Beaufort Academy will purchase programmable robots to enhance STEM education for its middle school students. The robots will help students develop critical coding, problem-solving and collaboration skills, preparing them for future careers in STEM fields.
The grant will also support Beaufort Academy in fostering an engaging, technology-driven learning environment.
"We are thrilled to win the Dream Bigger grant from Sparklight,” said Jesse David-
son, a science and math teacher at Beaufort Academy. “STEM at Beaufort Academy, and the Sphero robots we’ll purchase with this funding, will give our students invaluable hands-on coding experience. Winning this grant was a true community effort, bringing our school together in an incredible way to support our students and their future in STEM.”
“We are thrilled to support Beaufort Academy in their efforts to bring STEM education to life in such a meaningful way,” said Jane Shanely, Sparklight Senior Director, Southeast Region. “At Sparklight, we believe that by empowering students to use technology for social good, we can help to build a brighter future for students and the communities we serve."
Graduates and their families gather in Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park during the Lowcountry Montessori Graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
Graduates prepare themselves for the Lowcountry Montessori Graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
Carlie Horn shares a hug with her mom and school director, Amy, just before the ceremony. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
Sparklight awards a $2,500 Dream Bigger Grant to Beaufort Academy. Submitted photo
7th: Malik Moultrie, WB (Shot, 13.26m) 8th: Jordan Cowan, WB (LJ, 6.48m); Jasmine Reed, WB (400H, 1:13.59)
SATURDAY, MAY 17
Baseball SCHSL 4A Lower State Semifinals South Florence 2, Beaufort 0 (SF leads series 1-0) Beaufort 9, South Florence 1 (Series tied 1-1) South Florence 9, Beaufort 3 (SF wins series 2-1)
Built on the Apostles Leadership in the Early Church
The Founding Fathers knew our nation would need leaders. When our nation began, the Founding Fathers recognized that we would need elected leaders. The need for leadership would not only be for the first generation of Americans, but for the entire existence of our country. The presidency, for example, was designed to be an office that outlived George Washington. The nation would always be led by a president, a successor to Washington.
Jesus knew humanity even better than the Founding Fathers.
He knew that his family of faith, the Church, would always need leaders. He called and trained the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, but their office would continue past their lifetime. The authority he gave them was not only meant for the first generation of Christians, but to be passed down through the generations, so that his family of faith would always be led by successors of the apostles.
The ministry of the apostles was meant to continue.
At the start of Acts, Peter reminds the apostles that they need to choose a replacement for Judas, “to take over this apostolic ministry.”
Guided by God, they chose Matthias, who “was added to the eleven apostles.” (Acts 1:12-26) This event shows that the apostles understood their ministry to be an ongoing office, greater than any one of them as individuals. Matthias was the successor to Judas in his office of apostle.
As the Church grew, more leaders were needed.
As Christianity spread to new lands, the apostles would train new leaders to continue their ministry in each area. Through the laying on of hands, the apostles would pass on their authority to these leaders, whom they called bishops, meaning “overseers.” The bishops would often, in turn, pass on this authority to a new generation of leaders through the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands is a Scriptural gesture for the conveying of authority. Moses, for example, laid his hands upon Joshua as he made Joshua his successor. (Numbers 27:23)
Timothy received his authority from Paul. After mentoring Timothy for many years, Paul made Timothy a bishop. Paul encouraged Timothy, reminding the young bishop of the gift he received from God “through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Tim 1:6) Paul also tells Timothy to “not be hasty in the laying on of hands,” meaning that he must be careful in choosing additional leaders. (1 Tim 5:22) Here one sees three generations of leaders: Paul, Timothy, and those to whom Timothy will pass on authority.
In Acts, Jesus provides leaders for his Church family. People were not starting their own churches, leading a congregation on their own authority. Divine authority was given by Jesus to the apostles, who themselves passed on this authority to carefully chosen leaders. In this way, the ministry of the apostles would continue in each generation. Jesus would always be with his people, guiding them and teaching them as a united family of faith.
The Early Church Message 7 of 8
Beaufort High’s Hudson Mullen puts the ball in oplay against South Florence at Beaufort High School on Friday, May 16, 2025. Beaufort won, 9-1. Amber Hewitt/The Island News
SC Supreme Court ruling keeps abortion ban at 6 weeks
Justices: Legislators clearly intended law to take effect with electrical impulses that begin six weeks into pregnancy
By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — A state Supreme Court ruling Wednesday maintains a six-week abortion ban in South Carolina.
Issuing their third ruling on abortion since 2022, justices unanimously decided state law’s definition of “fetal heartbeat” — the sound of which makes an abortion illegal — applies to when an ultrasound first detects cardiac activity.
Attorneys for Planned Parenthood argued the ban that took effect in August 2023 should apply at nine weeks rather than six, since the heart doesn’t actually form until roughly the ninth week of pregnancy.
Justices disagreed, noting repeatedly that the debate in the Statehouse and prior arguments before the justices themselves referred to the law “consistently and exclusively” as a six-week ban.
“The answer to the question is clear: the General Assembly was referring to the occurrence of electrical impulses that mark the early onset of ‘cardiac activity’ as we interpret ‘fetal heartbeat,'” Justice John Few wrote in the opinion signed by three justices. Justice Gary Hill agreed with the majority but wrote his own opinion.
Like in the law itself, which doesn’t specify a number of weeks when abortion becomes illegal, justices’ ruling does not set a timeline.
But “the biologically identifiable moment in time we hold is the ‘fetal heartbeat’ under the 2023 Act occurs in most instances at approximately six weeks of pregnancy,” Few wrote.
That’s clearly what legislators intended, justices wrote.
Even legislators opposed to the law believed the ban started at six weeks, as indicated by their proposed amendments. For instance, three amendments debated on the House floor would have held a father responsible for child support starting at six weeks of pregnancy.
“While none of these Amendments passed, they each clearly
indicate the members proposing them — again, opponents of the Act — considered the 2023 Act to be effective upon events occurring at approximately six weeks of pregnancy,” Few wrote. Paige Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, vowed to continue fighting “to ensure patients receive the care they need and fight for their ability to control their own bodies, lives, and futures,” she said in a statement.
“Justice did not prevail today, and the people of South Carolina are paying the price,” Johnson said.
Much of Planned Parenthood’s argument in its latest challenge before the state’s high court centered around the exact wording of how the law defined a “fetal heartbeat.”
A fetal heartbeat, under the 2023 law, is “the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart.”
Those electrical impulses are not “steady” or “rhythmic,” as the law requires, attorneys for Planned
Parenthood argued. At that point, the pregnancy is still considered an embryo, not a fetus. And no heart forms until several weeks later in the pregnancy, meaning there is no “fetal heartbeat,” attorneys argued.
But the words “steady” and “rhythmic” have no medical definition, Few wrote.
Legislators have previously used the words “embryo” and “fetus” interchangeably, and attorneys for Planned Parenthood didn’t give an exact moment when the pregnancy changes from one to another. And it’s unclear exactly when a heart is considered “formed,” Few wrote.
One word did have a clear meaning, justices decided.
Under the law, most abortions are no longer legal after “the unborn child’s fetal heartbeat has been detected.” That suggests “an actual, observable event,” Few wrote.
“The only point in the progression of a pregnancy when cardiac activity goes from ‘cannot be detected’ to ‘detected’” is the mo-
ment a doctor can hear the electrical impulses that occur around six weeks, Few wrote.
Gov. Henry McMaster praised the state high court’s latest decision as again upholding the law, as justices did in 2023
“Time and time again, we have defended the right to life in South Carolina, and time and time again, we have prevailed,” McMaster said in a statement. “Today’s ruling is another clear and decisive victory that will ensure the lives of countless unborn children remain protected and that South Carolina continues to lead the charge in defending the sanctity of life.”
Attorney General Alan Wilson called the ruling “a resounding win” and pledged to fight for the law “in every courtroom” no matter how many times it’s challenged.
Taylor Shelton, the plaintiff in Planned Parenthood’s case, quickly learned she was pregnant but couldn’t get an appointment for an abortion before the six-week cutoff, attorneys have said in court filings. Attorneys argued that Shelton, who traveled to North Caroli-
na to receive an abortion, should have been eligible for one in her home state.
Many people don’t yet know they’re pregnant by six weeks in a pregnancy, said Jace Woodrum, executive director of the state American Civil Liberties Union. Some doctors are reluctant to provide lifesaving care to pregnant women out of fear that they’ll be prosecuted under the law, he said. Under the law, doctors who violate the ban face the possibility they’ll lose their license, spend up to two years in prison and/or have to pay a $10 000 fine.
“The extreme ban on most abortions is endangering the lives of pregnant South Carolinians and driving medical care providers away from our state,” Woodrum said in a statement.
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal
Mace calls trans movement a ‘cult’ in hearing for teen accused of threats
By Shaun Chornobroff
SCDailyGazzette.com
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace thanked a judge Friday for denying bond to a Greenville transgender woman accused of threatening her life, saying she and her children live in constant fear.
“My kids live in fear of being killed. … They live in fear of their mom being shot,” Mace told reporters after the bond hearing in Greenville.
“I live with that fear every day as well.”
Magistrate James Hudson denied bond to Roxie Wolfe, who is charged and booked as Samuel Theodore Cain, after Mace read a statement to the judge about feeling terrorized by transgender activists. The mother of two teenagers asked the judge to provide them “peace of mind” and show that South Carolina “will protect women.”
“I believe the trans movement is radicalized. It’s a cult,” Mace told Hudson, reading from her phone.
The congresswoman, who is mulling a run for governor next year, has fostered a
reputation as a staunch opponent to the transgender rights movement — what she called “the so-called trans movement” — and has repeatedly used language considered slurs.
She went on to tell the judge she believes transgender people are “mentally ill” and violent.
“As a public official we accept public scrutiny. We do not accept terror,” Mace said.
Hudson then denied bond, telling the defendant, “I do believe you are a credible threat.”
The accused 19-year-old Greenville resident asked to speak during the brief hearing, but the judge advised against it.
“We’re not here to discuss the situation or for you to defend yourself,” Hudson said.
Wolfe did not have an attorney. Hudson told the 19-year-old to fill out paperwork and let the court know if a public defender is needed.
The accused could receive bond at another hear-
ing before a Circuit Court judge, though when is not yet known. A condition of bond will be a ban on contacting Mace in any way, Hudson said.
Wolfe was arrested Thursday for an April 26 post on X threatening to “assassinate” Mace with a gun, according to an arrest warrant from the State Law Enforcement Division. Four days after the post,
the 19-year-old admitted to federal authorities to authoring and posting the threat, the warrant said.
While the arrest warrant says Wolfe is a white male, the Greenville resident has identified on social media as a transgender woman, using she/her pronouns.
The maximum penalty in South Carolina for threatening the life of a public official is a $5 000 fine and five
years in prison. Wolfe is the first person charged in South Carolina with threatening Mace, but the congresswoman has publicly talked about other death threats. Last month, she said she was among the named targets of a Pennsylvania man who posted online as “Mr. Satan” as he threatened to kill President Donald Trump and “anyone who stands in the way.”
She has also cited safety concerns in explaining why she hasn’t held an in-person town hall this year. Mace, who represents the coastal 1st District, said she didn’t know when she learned about the April 26 post on X where the possible gunman lived and had to make immediate changes to her plans.
As she stood in the hearing Friday, she told reporters afterward, “all I could think about was his family” and her children. As a mom, she said, “it was heartbreaking to watch, to see this young man and what he’s made his life out to be.”
“This is a serious charge. There should be serious consequences,” Mace told reporters. “It’s a serious matter. It’s also illegal. It’s a crime. Nobody, whether they’re elected or not, should live in fear anywhere in the country.”
Shaun Chornobroff covers the state legislature for the S.C. Daily Gazette, a part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
From left, Taylor Shelton, the plaintiff in the case; Vicki Ringer, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic; and Catherine Humphreville, attorney for Planned Parenthood, stand outside the Supreme Court building on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. Skylar Laird/S.C. Daily Gazette
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace speaks to reporters after a bond hearing at the Greenville Detention Center on Friday, May 16, 2025. Mark Susko/Special to the S.C. Daily Gazette
STATE NEWS
Bill that aims to keep restaurants open passes
By Shaun Chornobroff SCDailyGazzette.com
COLUMBIA — Legis-
lation that aims to drive down insurance premiums that have skyrocketed for businesses across South Carolina will soon be law.
A 41-1 vote Wednesday night, May 7, in the Senate sent Gov. Henry McMaster a bill he’s certain to sign. Earlier this year, he urged legislators to send him a solution to an unfair legal framework that’s crippling businesses.
When the week started, it was unclear if the effort would again fizzle for the year. But a compromise emerged Tuesday, which the House passed on an unrecorded voice vote.
Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey urged his colleagues to give final approval.
“This is the best we were going to get this year,” he said, adding “I don’t think we’d do any better next year.”
The compromise gives bars and restaurants options, as well as requirements, for reducing their minimum insurance coverage for serving alcohol.
It also reforms state rules for personal injury lawsuits that allows businesses to be held 100% financially responsible in a lawsuit even if they’re barely at fault.
The agreement allows leaders in both chambers to check off a majority priority of the session.
However, it goes further than the House intended.
In March, House GOP leaders insisted they wanted to focus this year on helping restaurant owners.
And it’s not as broad as the bill that passed the Senate, which dealt with a host of business insurance and litigation issues, including medical malpractice. That piece is gone, as is a proposal to double bare minimums in auto insurance coverage.
“At the end of the day, this is about not holding our bars and restaurants hostage,” House Judiciary Chairman Weston Newton told the chamber Tuesday in advocating for passage.
Massey believes more legislation will be required in a few years to further bring down rates.
Lowering the minimum
A 2017 state law has gotten a lot of the blame.
It requires bars and restaurants that serve alcohol after 5 p.m. to carry insurance policies covering
at least $1 million in damages in case a customer is overserved and causes an accident — what’s called liquor liability. That caused premiums to rise and insurers to leave the state. As the insurance options dwindled, the cost of policies kept rising.
Business owners have told legislators they struggle to stay open. Others said high insurance rates caused them not to expand or open at all.
The compromise would leave the $1 million minimum in state law but allow policies to be far lower.
For example, it would require all businesses that sell alcohol by the drink to have their servers complete alcohol training, which would lower the minimum policy by $100 000
For bars that stay open between midnight and 4 a.m., they must use scanners to verify that customers’ IDs are legit, which would shave another $100,000
But closing before midnight, an option, would reduce coverage by $250,000
Restaurants that make most of their money from food instead of alcohol could also get a break. If less than 40% of sales come from alcohol, policies can lower by $100 000
By broadening the House bill to lawsuits, Newton said, the compromise addresses another reason for restaurants’ hike in premiums: rules known as “joint and several liability.” That refers to the possibility of businesses being required to pay the full amount of a court-ordered award even if they’re just 1% responsible for whatever happened.
Business owners said it forces them to pay — and perhaps puts them out of business — for things that aren’t their fault.
Personal injury lawyers, including those in the Legislature, have argued the law needs to ensure victims can be fully compensated for their loss following a tragedy.
And they’ve pointed to a 2005 law in calling additional changes to “joint and several liability” unnecessary. That 20-yearold law was touted as creating fairness in litigation by holding businesses fully responsible if they’re more than 50% at fault. If no single business or person meets that threshold, fault is divided proportionately between all those involved in the case.
But that law doesn’t at all help bars and restaurants in lawsuits involving alcohol, which were specifically excluded from the proportional rules. It also doesn’t help other businesses in practicality if plaintiffs only sue whoever or whatever can pay the biggest award, as often happens.
The compromise deletes the exclusion for alcohol and requires the verdict form given to a jury to include everyone at fault for determining their share of responsibility, including people and businesses that weren’t sued.
“That’s a big win,” said Massey, who led the fight in the Senate for a broader bill.
Under the agreement, if a business intentionally or recklessly causes harm, it can still be held fully responsible.
The president of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance praised the compromise as “something we can not only be proud of, but something we know helps those who need it most.”
It’s “stronger than current law, making the business landscape more predictable, fair and good for South Carolina families, businesses and consumers,” said alliance president and CEO Sara Hazzard.
No guarantees
But some legislators said they remain concerned that there’s no guarantee the agreement will lead to lower insurance rates.
Rep. Justin Bamberg noted that as South Carolina businesses struggle, insurance companies continue to thrive.
He reiterated a consistent complaint made in both chambers about a lack of testimony from the insurance industry.
“You know who we didn’t hear from? Anybody high up in the insurance industry,” the Bamberg Democrat said.
“Wouldn’t show up, wouldn’t talk to anybody, wouldn’t give the secret sauce because it’s a ‘trade secret’ about how they even label our state. How they label people at risk, how they determine premiums,” he said.
Shaun Chornobroff covers the state legislature for the S.C. Daily Gazette, a part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
VOICES
Editor’s Note: The opinions of our columnists in the Voices section are not necessarily the opinions of The Island News
When Beaufort had next to nothing
It is Friday, early, and I’m sitting at our wooden, worn-smooth, brownplanked farm table. Recently, last month to be more accurate, I was sick — pneumonia — but this morning I’m well and slightly optimistic as I look upon the early morning marsh.
Some of you know that I write a column for this newspaper each week. Actually I have written some sort of column since the 1970s when I covered the Lowcountry for a statewide newspaper called Osceola.
These columns became, over the years, a weekly imperative that usually meant spending part of the weekend on the telephone; working through a rough draft; or reading the “History of Civilization, Part IV” hoping to make a connection with, say, an unfortunate decision by County Council.
Although I didn’t really believe Beaufort County was the “Cradle of Amer-
ican Civilization” like my friend, Professor Larry Rowland, I did understand that Beaufort County played an oversized role in the mid 1840s and the years leading up to the Civil War. What fascinated me more than our antebellum history was the growing tide of retirees who decided to make Beaufort County their final destination. After an uncertain start in the 70s, Hilton Head began to grow and that growth inevitably spilled-over into northern Beaufort County. I found that many of these retirees had done remarkable things in their lives. I found, for example,
the man who had kept George Patton resupplied as he raced across Europe. I found the retiree who had designed the Ford Mustang; another who had known both John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, another who had handled Exxon’s fleet of world-wide tankers, another who dropped flares atop buildings in Dresden (to guide the bomb-laden B-17s), another who doused out those flares as they fell on her Dresden apartment building.
And so, in those early days, I found people who had chosen Beaufort County over Vero Beach or Lake Havasu City — people who were not put off by the poverty, hurricanes and the reliable arrival of the “noseeums” in March.
And then one October morning when Susan and I were in Ontario, Canada, we learned that Beaufort had been named “Best Small Town in the South.” We were incredulous.
Up to that moment, South Carolina’s most famous destination was the “Mexico Shop” at South of the Border.
Alright, OK, Charleston had Fort Sumter and had always attracted a few Lost Cause disciples who took their sacramental cup of She Crab soup at Henry’s. And for years Myrtle Beach had its Sun Fun Festival and a small coterie of snow-addled Canadians seeking a mid-afternoon round of miniature golf.
But in those long gone days, the City of Beaufort had next to nothing.
I remember writing about those first “Best Town” awards and thinking its nice that Beaufort — once considered a “hardship tour” by the U.S. Navy — was now a destination and, from time to time, a movie location where young Boomers like Kevin Kline and Glenn Close could “settle-in.”
In any case, my columns shifted away from enter -
prising retirees who had forsaken Florida’s “Villages.” Now I focused on the controversies surrounding St. Phillips Island and Harbor Island. Columns dealing with the Comprehensive Plan — a desperate effort to slow down the building. Columns dealing with the orgy of opportunistic annexations designed to gut the Plan. Then, when the dust had settled, columns describing the stationary SUVs ticking over on Carteret Street every afternoon.
The latest iteration of this story are the folks flooding into the apartment communities transforming Burton and creating a “This looks a lot like Charlotte” landscape as tourists seek “Big Chill” authenticity rumored to exist on the Point.
April’s City Council agenda included a moratorium on new development. The purpose of this “pause” would have given the Planning staff time to
see if there is an alternative to this current wave of “Looks a lot like Cleveland” multi-family architecture. Beaufort’s Council quickly deferred any moratorium discussion preferring to embrace Bluffton’s model. Years ago I Iived in postwar Germany — a landscape the Eighth Army Air Force fire-bombed, wiping away every habitable house. After the war, the Germans restored the kathedrale and the bahnhof (train station), then surrounded a Vatican City-sized historic area with new, four storied, beige-painted apartment buildings for miles in every direction. That German model is not unlike a modern, updated version that can be seen in the (long-leveled) pine forests that now surround Bluffton.
Scott Graber is a lawyer, novelist, veteran columnist and longtime resident of Port Royal. He can be reached at cscottgraber@gmail.com.
New documentary digs into American Revolution
Legendary documentary film director Ken Burns this week said South Carolina was one of two violent colonies where it would have been really hard to have lived during America’s war for independence. The other was New Jersey.
Both states saw a lot of bloodshed. In fact, Burns said one in five Revolutionary War battlefield deaths as a whole occurred here in the Palmetto State, which had more battles and skirmishes than any other state.
Too many people don’t realize how pivotal South Carolina was in the nation’s struggle for freedom from autocratic British rule. South Carolina's location caused the British to stretch supply lines on a continent much bigger than most thought then.
Charleston’s wealth was attractive to the British, who captured it in 1780 after shelling the city for a month. More than 5 000 colonial soldiers – a Southern
LETTERS
‘Particularly puzzled’ and ‘sad’
army – surrendered, leading the British to think the tide shifted toward them. But then came pesky backcountry fighters like Daniel Morgan, Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion.
Burns, in Charleston for a preview of his team’s new “The American Revolution” documentary that comes out in six months, said South Carolinians of 250 years ago faced a gruesome civil war inside a war for independence. Neighbors took revenge on neighbors. Loyalists killed patriots, who killed Loyalists and British soldiers who sacked the state.
Do we not live in a great country? Folks who do not like something or someone can make signs and stand on the curb to peacefully protest. Even more wonderful is the fact that newspapers can print photos of the protesters every time they are back on the street. This news gives many of us pause as we contemplate the messages these folks proclaim and scratch our heads.
I am particularly puzzled by the "100 days of Hell so far ..." sign held by a man who looks fed and clothed and can express his rights. I subscribe to the belief that we make our own hell (paraphrasing Jean-Paul Sartre), and I am sad that TDS has brought this gentleman to such a low estate.
– Louise Mathews, Beaufort
‘Thank you many times over’
On behalf of myself and fellow combat wounded veterans of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 1775, thank you many times over for the invaluable veteran-assist letters within The Island News
“It’s an eight-year story of how the United States came into being,” he said during a press conference at the College of Charleston with SCETV, which will present the six-part, 12-hour series. “It’s not always a pretty story, but it’s a complicated and interesting one.”
Burns and his team say they hope the film helps Americans reconnect with their history.
“We think that understanding where you've been, particularly this most important of stories, helps you understand where you are and where you're going,” he said. “Too often, we have told only a top-down version of our past. And what we have tried to do in all of our films for the last nearly 50 years of filmmaking in public media is to tell a bottom-up story as well – one that is not an unforgiving revisionism that throws out those top-down figures, but merges the two together.
He said he believes the new
Larry [Dandridge] is a true SME (subject matter expert) that I wish was in my life 20 years ago to navigate the cumbersome bureaucracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs. These articles are so valuable that I print and discuss the publications routinely at each monthly Purple Heart meeting. Godspeed.
– Joe Ramos, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Public health and disease prevention matters
As a kid I won the lottery! The lottery of childhood diseases, that is. I had them all: Measles (both kinds), mumps, chickenpox and whooping cough. I especially remember the measles because I had to stay in bed in a very dark room for fear of damaging my vision. The whooping cough episode was spent on the living room couch, coughing so often and so hard that I could barely breathe. Of course this was all before we had vaccines for these common childhood diseases, and I was fortunate to have survived those bouts of illness.
As a healthcare provider, with nine years post high school education in my profession, and many years of practice,
film is the most important in his career.
“The American Revolution is the most important event in human history, since the birth of Christ.”
People are often fond of thinking there’s not really much new that happens – that history repeats itself.
But the birth of the United States, where people chose rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over an autocratic monarch, was new and different.
No nation up until that time had been built on principles. Instead, they were based on inheritance, conquest or tyranny.
“There was something new under the sun that began here in these 13 former colonies that has been a beacon for the entire world,” Burns said. “And our film is an attempt to understand how it started, what its antecedents were and what took place during the revolution.”
I fail to understand why anyone would choose to put their child through the experience of a vaccine preventable disease. We vaccinate children in infancy and early childhood not just to protect THEM, but to protect those who cannot receive vaccines due to being immunocompromised. Those immunechallenged children cannot produce the antibodies that vaccines cause to be produced, leaving them susceptible to the diseases when exposed to them.
While any child can have complications, or die, from experiencing measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox or whooping cough, immunocompromised children are at a significantly increased risk of severe illness, complications and death when exposed to these childhood diseases.
And it is not just children who are at risk. Adults, immunocompromised or not, can catch these diseases if they have no antibodies to protect them, and the outcome can be devastating. You either have the antibodies through experiencing the disease or by getting the vaccine, but some people cannot risk either route of acquiring protection due to their weak immune systems.
Vaccination rates for childhood illnesses have shown a decline in recent
Burns dodged a question about what Revolutionary War leaders like John Laurens and Christopher Gadsden, both of Charleston, would think about some leaders today who are turning to authoritarianism – particularly since patriots fought and died to shrug off the cloak of autocracy.
“What is so surprising to me is just how much people [back then] were willing to risk everything for this concept, a brand new concept of liberty and freedom of representation in a real sense. … We're the first anti-colonial movement and we were rebelling against the arbitrary power and authoritarian aspects of the British government over us.”
“The American Revolution” premieres nationwide on public television on Nov. 16
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
years, with the predictable outcome of outbreaks of diseases, such as measles, in some states. Sadly, three children have died from a vaccine-preventable illness. We need what is called "herd immunity" by having a vaccine rate of over 90%.
Beaufort County Schools stand at an amazing rate 95 1% (South Carolina Department of Public Health 2023). Through the required school immunizations, Beaufort County is doing an excellent job of protecting our children, and even some adults, from winning the lottery of experiencing preventable childhood illnesses. Public health and disease prevention matters! – Barb Nash, Beaufort Transgender, delusional people [In] response to Mr. Birschbach's trans support letter to the editor. So, if one delusional male who can't compete with males decided he wants a scholarship, he says he is a FEMALE, and beats 100 females for that scholarship, that is OK? Spoken like a true delusional Liberal! How about all participants take a DNA test? – Jim Beck, Dataw Island
SCOTT GRABER
ANDY BRACK
Editor’s Note: The opinions of
If we cannot stop the wind ...
Have you ever tried to fight the wind? We can take shelter, brace ourselves against unforgiving gusts, and shield from wind-powered debris. But fighting it, avoiding it, or strategizing a response for its next move is far more difficult. The damage it inflicts often depends on where you are, how exposed you are, and what you’ve built to withstand it.
Of course, there is a positive side. Wind can propel our kites on a summer’s day. Mystical music dances in the breeze from colorful chimes. Sailboats depend on it to set out on their journeys.
Do the positives outweigh the negatives?
As a mother of a young child, my instinct to protect is as natural as it is to inhale. The desire to shield and shelter her from danger is secondary only to breathing.
TWe are facing a headwind that whistles through the tallest pines of her generation — one that my generation helped strengthen. It moves through the cracks of our most delicate corners, exploiting weakness in the very structure of our society.
Parents can’t shelter their children from its reach, nor can they see its motive or intent — only its aftermath. Social media has its positives. But again, do they outweigh the negatives?
It is my generation that pro-
duced this unstoppable energy. Its grip on all aspects of daily life was shaped by our need to be connected. Our need to know, to see, to do more resulted in our current fears: fears to protect our children from being seen, from being known, from having the worst done to them.
They have watched us giggle at videos, post photos of them from birth and beyond. They’ve seen us scroll, watching as our relationships become more virtual than virtuous. We forget they are listening and learning.
We would be judged — condemned, even — if we dropped our children off alone at an athletic stadium filled with strangers. Yet we hand them a phone and trust that everything they encounter is well intentioned, safe, and developmentally appropriate.
We wouldn’t take them to an adults-only island, but they have
free reign on TikTok to hear and see adult behaviors — without context, filter, or guidance.
How do we rationalize this untethered access? Has it become as natural to us as the wind? Are we so accustomed to the pleasure and pain of powerful gusts that we assume our children know the difference between shelter and sinister?
Even the children without access to this energy still feel the breeze of being the odd one. The children without TikTok are excluded from the jokes, dances, and virtual gatherings of their peers. As parents, we tell them it’s not appropriate. Yet every aspect of our own lives is tied to social media. We say, “It’s not a big deal.” But it is.
The language of youth no longer lives in the hallways of school, the sidelines of athletic fields, or the spindles of their bicycles. It is formed in the palm of their
hands — shaped by strangers from around the world. And those strangers have full access to the raising of our children.
As middle school enters our family, the wind is howling. My inability to fight what I can’t see is a blistering cold unlike anything I have known. I know the wind can pierce her thickest jacket, tilt her favorite sail, and find its way through cracks I don’t yet know exist. My generation created the storm her generation must weather.
If we cannot stop the wind, we must build stronger walls. And if we cannot stop the storm, we must at least teach our children how to read the sky.
for the
Time for a little spring cleaning
he toughest part of this job nowadays is keeping up with the pace of newsworthy events. Here are some thoughts I have been kicking around with not much success fleshing them out into independent pieces.
‘Sinners’ is fantastic
Add Ryan Coogler to the short list of filmmakers whose releases I insist on still seeing in a proper movie theater. His latest, “Sinners," rewards all aspects of communal viewing.
The story of the Smokestack twins’ return to their Mississippi hometown to open a juke joint slowly transforms from a rich look at the importance of blues music to the Black experience into a horror story playing off racial dynamics of America in the 1930s — and today. It is similar to Quentin Tarantino’s “From Dusk till Dawn” but broadens the relatively narrow scope of that 1996 film into a nuanced consideration of the lingering effects of racial oppression.
The Irish vampire Remmick, portrayed by actor Jack O’Connell, is too bored
in his immortality to feign the hunger or sensuality we are accustomed to in cinematic vampire seductions. He appeals directly to the idea of escaping the shared victimhood forced upon him and the town’s poor Blacks by Christian bigots. It would be an interesting invitation were it not for the whole having-your-soultrapped-on-Earth thing.
Michael B. Jordan delivers a near seamless performance as the twins, Smoke and Stack. Delroy Lindo is as believable as ever as blues musician Delta Slim. Newcomer Miles Caton as the aspiring singer Sammie boasts a voice that sounds like it sprang fully formed straight from the red clay of the Mississippi delta. The soundtrack. The cinematography. Actress Wunmi Mosaku, Lord have mercy. Anyone warning you against this movie by say-
ing it is about devil worship is missing the point. A lot of points, actually. It’s a great film. Check it out.
Well-heeled refugees It’s hard to describe how I felt watching cable TV coverage of the arrival of socalled refugees from South Africa.
Unlike the haunted faces in various shades of brown that come here from other parts of the world, this group of slightly curious flag wavers looked more like they had possibly come from a yachting mishap. For the president to try to justify the fast-track to U.S. citizenship they have been given by claiming they are victims of “genocide” is nothing short of shameless.
How are they being targeted for “genocide" when they help comprise the 7 percent of the country’s population that still controls 78 percent of all land there.
How do they qualify under Lady Liberty’s appeal to the world “wretched refuse” or “huddled masses yearning to be free” when they are from a group that owns 10 times the wealth of its African residents?
(That’s approaching double the 6-to-1 ratio of white-toBlack wealth in this country, for comparison).
No, Trump is doing with them what he accused Democrats of doing in providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants from Latin America: Building a base of voters he thinks will support him when the time comes.
That big stupid jet
What else would you expect from a politician crass enough to accept a “gift” of a $400 million jumbo jet from Qatar? It violates every notion of resisting even the appearance of impropriety for a person in a position of influence.
Several years ago, a lobbyist in Alabama introduced himself to me in my position as a newsroom editor by bringing along a Clemson trucker cap. I told him I couldn’t accept it, but he plopped it on a cabinet and left my office smiling, “I’ll just leave it here.”
It stayed there, untouched, until I left that job. And then I found out the cursed thing didn’t even fit. (Maybe he tried it on his pinhead first.)
I’m sure President Trump thinks a jumbo jet is a natural “fit” for his grand self-image, but even his supporters are grousing that it isn’t an appropriate or fit gift. The man already has more money than most of us could spend in a lifetime, but I guess greed, like rust, never sleeps.
Codger-in-Chief
I'm more than a little frustrated by the impassioned dialogue over how leaders of the national Democratic Party and White House staff allegedly hid former President Joe Biden's diminishing physical and mental state before last year’s election.
I don't disagree with the idea that it should be
FANTASY OR TRUTH?
reviewed, but where is this scrutiny with the current occupant of the Oval Office? They might have tried to hide Biden, but we see and hear a faltering Trump every day. He’s as nutty as squirrel excrement, and none of these people are saying a doggone thing about it.
A doddering commander-in-chief bolstered by a competent, well-intentioned staff that was delivering for the American people is a drop in the ocean compared to the existential threat we face now. I wish the national media would focus on that and leave Biden alone.
Terry E. Manning worked for 20 years as a journalist. He can be reached at teemanning@gmail.com.
“De plane! De plane!”
I’m sure many of my readers remember this catchphrase used to announce the guests that were about to arrive on Fantasy Island. It was delivered by the charismatic Tattoo (Herve Villechaize), known for his short stature (3 feet, 9 inches) and a very distinctive accent. Standing beside the little guy, watching the plane land, was Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalbán). I discovered that to help keep the character's exact nature a mystery, the producers deliberately never gave Mr. Roarke a first name. While we may remember this fantasy drama, I’m not sure many of us knew the thinking that went into its creation. I certainly didn’t, but what I found was sufficiently fascinating to include in this piece. More on that later.
Of course we all waited to see what characters would be delivered to the island that week, and more importantly, what kind of drama they brought with them as well.
So what is my point in this reminiscence? I’m sure many of you who have read thus far have
determined where I am headed.
The news was rife this past week with details about “de plane.”
As usual, most Republicans, especially those who fawn over 47 in all situations, were silent. However, amazingly enough, there were some with a modicum of common sense, albeit temporary, who claimed this was just wrong.
For instance Josh Hawley, you know the fist shaker who gave his assent to the Jan. 6 rioters. Even good old Josh couldn’t tolerate accepting “the palace in the sky,” and argued it would be better if Air Force One were built in the United States. Point well taken.
Then there was Ted Cruz who warned about "significant espionage and surveillance problems," and highlighted Qatar's history of supporting groups like Hamas.
Susan Collins, who often isn’t quite sure where she stands in the political scheme of things, came down on the “no-go” side by criticizing the transaction as "rife with political espionage" and raising ethical and constitutional concerns.
Sadly, Susan, neither ethics nor the constitution is high on 47’s list.
Rand Paul of Kentucky expressed concern about the appearance of impropriety and the potential impact on future arms sales with Qatar … finally a Republican who gets right to the nitty gritty of things.
Rick Scott hedged his bets when he stated he wouldn't want the President flying on an unsafe plane and then noted Qatar's support for Hamas. Absolutely, Rick. Sometimes we have to “just say no” to our kids for their own safety's sake -- hard as it must be to say, “no” to “Donnie two dolls.”
But your little P.S. regarding Qatar’s support of Hamas was a nice recovery. Finally, it was Senate Majority Leader John Thune who pointed out there would be "plenty of scrutiny" of the deal. Do you
think, John? I’d say justifiably.
Of course, Democrats were on this immediately, and most of them questioned the “the gift” and the unspoken strings attached. Maybe even more important, I believe it is fitting to provide some perceptions from across the pond, the BBC. They stated the following:
In his eagerness to accept a plane from Qatar, Donald Trump has achieved a remarkable feat, uniting many partisans across America's bitter political divide.
The problem for the White House is that unity is happening in opposition to it.
Predictably, Trump's opponents in the Democratic Party slammed the president after he indicated he would accept a luxury jet from the Qatari royal family.
More noteworthy – and potentially more troubling for the president – is that some of his strongest supporters also have serious reservations about the deal.
Maga influencers have described the move as a "bribe," grift, or an example of the high-level corruption that Trump himself has consistently prom-
ised to root out. The White House says that the new plane – which could require years and millions of dollars to refit and upgrade – will be transferred to Trump's presidential library at the end of his term.
So why did I use Fantasy Island to kick off this piece? I discovered the following which sheds a bit of light. Years after the series was off the air, in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Montalbán finally revealed that his motivation was imagining Roarke as a fallen angel whose sin was pride, and that Fantasy Island was Purgatory.
Furthermore, when the owner and operator of this luxurious island invites guests of all types to live out their most elaborate fantasies, chaos quickly descends. I will leave it to you, dear reader, to connect the dots. Perhaps we might consider a rephrase to read, “de horse, de horse,” the Trojan horse, that is.
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.”
Cherimie Weatherford is a long-time real estate broker, small business owner, wife and mom in beautiful Beaufort. She is the Director of Operations and Programs
Freedman Arts District.
CHERIMIE WEATHERFORD
TERRY MANNING
CAROL LUCAS
35 years of physical excellence
Longtime Parris Island trainer prepares to retire
By Lance Cpl.
William Horsley
Marine Corps
U.S.
CMCRD
PARRIS
IS-
LAND – In the fall of 1989, Hurricane Hugo loomed off the coast of South Carolina, preparing to batter the shoreline. The hurricane did not deter Tim Bockleman, who visited Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island for the first-time days before Hugo made landfall. Bockleman was here for a job interview.
"I came down for an interview during a hurricane. I figured that might at least qualify me to work around Marines,” said Bockleman.
After a few more interviews and meetings, the Corps hired him. Thirty-five years later, he is still here and preparing to retire as the Recruit Training Regiment's supervisory physical fitness training advisor, a position that ensures recruits receive the best physical training while at the depot.
“I advise regimental commanders and subordinate commands on issues relating to recruit physical conditioning and injury prevention,” said Bockleman. With a background in allied health, Bockleman has
“It exposed me to what the recruit training cycle looked like, and for me to learn how injuries occur, how physical training occurs, what the expectations were to get the recruits in shape, and how the Marines approached it at the time,” said Bockleman.
Initially, Bockleman's focused on recruits pulled from training due to injuries. Over time, his focus shifted from care to injury prevention. As the Corps hired more physical trainers, he took on a more supervisory role and began advising on the schedule.
While Bockleman's responsibilities evolved, so did the understanding of the human body and physical training. Bockleman was part of that change on Parris Island.
search from the depots, the larger Marine Corps, the other services, and even foreign services to ensure we always strive for the best possible training environment.
“It's very easy for any of us to get locked in on a certain way of doing things,” said Bockleman. “But then we see research that says that's the way we used to do it, but that's not the best way. There is an even better way of doing it.”
Bockleman and many others have worked tirelessly over the years to improve the transformative process that recruits undergo at the depot.
land saw the relief and appointment of Sgt. Maj. David Watts, the sergeant major of the Recruit Training Regiment.
“It is absolutely cool to see Marines come here again and again throughout their career,” said Bockleman. “I remember Staff Sgt. Watts, then later 1st Sgt. Watts, and now Sgt. Maj. Watts, and it’s a cool experience seeing these Marines come back.”
Bockleman never served in the Marines, but he has worked alongside them for decades, learning about everything that makes Marines.
advocated physical training for entry-level Marines for decades. From his position, Bockleman supervises six physical trainers who manage the training of the individual recruit training battalions.
"They are part of that key role of educating the cadre as well as recruits on how to improve their physical performance during training sessions," said Bockleman. Bockleman advises on scheduling recruit train-
ing to maximize the time for training, recovery, and progression.
“These young men and women came down here for a goal, to become a Marine, and we owe it to them to do the best we can to help them achieve that goal,” said Bockleman.
When Bockleman was hired, he was embedded with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, to learn the ins and outs of recruit training.
"There are things we do now that, decades ago, we were counter to because we thought that was the best answer," said Bockleman.
Bockleman and his team maintain a united front with all the physical trainers in the training pipeline, coordinating with the trainers at MCRD San Diego, Officer Candidate School, and both Schools of Infantry. These trainers are in near-constant communication about re-
"There are so many things that have occurred here," said Bockleman. "Not only from my input but from the Marines and drill instructors interacting with recruits, developing them into Marines, that's a pretty awesome process."
Over the years, Bockleman has seen many Marines come and go and then return.
“I had a recruit come here, then came back as a drill instructor, and then later on as a captain through the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program.”
On May 1, Parris Is-
“If you dig a little deeper, you find that Marines are really just like the rest of us; they have just had some different things built into them that help them stand out as Marines,” said Bockleman. “Later on, I learned that it was things like core values and esprit de corps.”
Very soon, Bockleman will leave Parris Island for what will likely be the last time. He looks back over the last 35 years as a changed man.
“To be a civilian and to have been deeply embedded for so many years, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have been a part of that,” said Bockleman.
More on what veterans should know about nexus letters, VSOs
Some medical specialists are familiar with the nexus letter requirements and understand the VA’s disability review process. When scheduling an appointment with a doctor or specialist, ask about their experience with Nexus letters. Since no one knows more about your military service, service-connected injuries, illnesses, wounds, conditions, scars, HAZMAT exposure/ injuries, symptoms, pain level, pain frequency, disabilities, past treatments, witnesses, and medical history than you, it is wise for you to draft a nexus letter for the doctor or other medical specialist to use in finalizing their nexus letter. The doctor will know what technical terms and medical language to use in finalizing the letter.
What are the basic elements of a nexus letter?
According to the VA webpage “Evidence Needed for Your (Original) Disability Claim” (https://bit.ly/3w6YGAN), the VA requires veterans seeking service-connected disability compensation to meet three criteria.
1. The veteran must have a currently diagnosed disability.
2. The veteran must demonstrate that the disability was caused or aggravated by an inservice wound, injury, illness, trauma, event, scar, or hazardous material (HAZMAT) exposure/ injury.
3. The veteran must provide a medical nexus connecting their disability to an in-service trauma, event, wound, injury, illness, or exposure to hazardous materials (HAZMAT).
Note: In certain situations, the VA may conclude that there’s a link between a veteran’s military service and his or her disability even if there is no evidence. This usually applies to:
A chronic (long-lasting) illness that appears within a year after discharge
(Learn more at https://bit. ly/4kcU2bZ), or ...
• An illness caused by contact with contaminants (toxic chemicals) or other hazardous materials (Learn more at https://bit. ly/3Rrz3E8), or ... An illness caused by your time spent as a POW (Learn more at https://bit. ly/3H0nPpD).
Ask a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) for help VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) services are free. Veterans should ask a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO), a VA-accredited Claims Agent, or a VA-accredited Attorney (Agent and Attorney services are usually not free) to help you understand your veterans’ (VA/federal and state) benefits, file for VA benefits, including help you draft and obtain a Nexus letter.
Veterans can find S.C. County VSOs at https://bit.ly/3qbLVSL or https://scdva.sc.gov/countyveterans-affairs-offices.
Find Georgia County/Regional VSOs at https://bit.ly/44KMVA7 or https://veterans.georgia.gov/ locations/veterans-field-serviceoffice-near-you.
Find North Carolina County VSOs at https://bit.ly/4ghZqHW or https://www.milvets.nc.gov/ benefits-services/benefits-claims.
Search for VSOs nationwide Veterans and their families can also search for VAaccredited representatives (VSOs, Attorneys, and Claims Agents) nationwide at the VA’s “Accreditation Search” webpage https://bit.ly/3QnCk5M or https://www.va.gov/ogc/apps/ accreditation/index.asp.
VSOs at Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) Regional Offices Veterans can also search for VA-accredited representatives (VSOs) at Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) Regional Offices at https://bit.ly/3WQp0e3 or https://www.benefits.va.gov/ benefits/offices.asp. Columbia, S.C., VSOs co-located with the VBA Regional Office frequently travel throughout the state to help veterans. Contact them at:
Disabled American Veterans (DAV) – 803-647-2422
American Legion/SCDVA –803-647-2434 Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) – 803-647-2443 Paralyzed Veterans (PVA) –803-647-2432
Winston-Salem, NC, VSOs are co-located in the NC Regional VBA Office. Located at 251 N. Main Street, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Contact phone numbers are available online at https://bit. ly/4km48Yl. Contact them at: American Legion, Suite 420 336-631-5471; Disabled American Veterans, Suite 151 336-631-5481; Paralyzed Veterans of America, Suite 430, 336-2510836; • Veterans of Foreign Wars, Suite 490, 336-631-5457; National Association of Black Veterans, Suite 169 336-2510776; or ... NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Suite 190, 336-251-0677
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) VSOs can be found online using the VVA Service Officer Locator at https://bit.ly/4gfK0E8
The S.C./ N.C. VVA VSO is Paula Tuero-Flesch at 301-244-4980 email ptuero@vva.org.
American Legion (AL) VSOs can be found online at the AL’s FIND A VETERAN SERVICE OFFICER webpage at https://bit.ly/4kqeZjp. The Department of S.C. AL VSO is Patricia WortherlyFoye at 6437 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, S.C. 29209, Phone: 803-647-2434, Email: Patricia.Wortherly-Foye@
va.gov.
• The Department of Georgia AL VSO is Tonjala Moton Williams at 1700 Clairmont Road, Decatur, Ga. 30033 Email: tonjala.motonwilliams@vs.state.ga.us, Phone: 404-983-5516
The Department of N.C. AL VSO is located at 251 North Main Street, Room 410, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27155. The contact is Justin Nicholson, Phone: 336-6315471
American Veterans (AMVETS) VSOs can be found online at https://bit.ly/3PUOWno. Al Malone is the S.C. AMVETS VSO at AMVETSVA Regional Office 6437 Garners Ferry Rd. #1117 Columbia, S.C. 29209 Phone: 803-647-2421 Fax: 803-6472308 Email: george.malone@ va.gov. Bobby Rand is the Ga. AMVETS Region 3/Georgia VSO at ARD 2-NGLNO AMVETS-VA Regional Office 1700 Clairmont Road #1-349 Decatur, Ga. 30033-4032 Phone: 404-929-5346 Fax: 404-929-5396 Email: bobby. rand@va.gov. The N.C. AMVETS Region 3/Ft. Bragg VSO is Rebekah Covas at P.O. Box 71258, Fort Bragg, N.C. 28307, Phone: 910-396-6826, Email: rebekah. covas2@va.gov. The N.C. AMVETS Region 3/Winston-Salem VSOs are Russell Woodall, Garry King, and David Turner at AMVETS-VA Regional Office 251 N. Main Street #470 Winston Salem, N.C. 27155 King: 336-251-0822 Woodall: 336-251-0823 Turner: 336251-0787 Fax: 336-251-0858, King: garry.king@va.gov; Woodall: russell.woodall@ va.gov; Turner: david. turner6@va.gov. Disabled Veterans of America (DAV) VSOs can be found online
at https://bit.ly/40RaPKz.
The DAV S.C. VSO is located in the VBA Regional Office in Columbia, S.C., phone: 336631-5481
The DAV Ga. VSO is located at the VBA Regional Office in Decatur, Ga., phone: 404-9295956 The DAV N.C. VSO is located at the VA Regional Office in Winston-Salem, N.C., Phone: 336-631-5481
Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) VSOs can be found online at https://bit.ly/4mmHyA0
The PVA SC VSO is collocated in the Columbia, S.C. VBA Regional Office at phone 803-647-2432 and email charlest@pva.org. The PVA Winston-Salem VSO is located at the VBA Regional Office in Winston-Salem, phone: 336-251-0836
The PVA Augusta VSO is collocated with the Charles Norwood VA Medical Center, located at 706-823-2219, and can be reached via email at jennifera@pva.org.
The bottom line
There is not enough room to include everything in one article about the essential things VSOs do for veterans. It is sufficient to say that military members, veterans, and their family members, caregivers, and survivors should always utilize a VSO to help them understand their benefits, file claims, and file appeals of VA and state decisions they disagree with. Next week's article will provide a sample Nexus letter and conclude this three-part series.
Continued next week.
Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant 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
LARRY DANDRIDGE EDITOR’S
Tim Bockleman, the Recruit Training Regiment's supervisory physical fitness training advisor, holds his retirement gift May 8, 2025, in Roundtree Hall on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Bokleman is retiring from his position after 35 years on the depot. Staff Sgt. Brendan Custer/USMC
LOCAL MILITARY
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Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina, 23 May 2025
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The Board of Trustees of Historic Beaufort Foundation (HBF) thank all who made the 2025 Bicentennial Lafayette Soirée a grand success. Since the 1980s, HBF has held the annual Lafayette Soirée in recognition and celebration of the Marquis de Lafayette’s 1825 visit. Despite the rain, hundreds enjoyed a magical evening under the oaks in the gardens of the iconic Dr. Joseph F. Johnson House, also known as The Castle, ca. 1861. We are forever grateful to our property owners and hosts Dave and Nancy Russell for opening their gardens in support of Historic Beaufort Foundation and our primary annual fundraiser.
The vision and passion of Soirée Chairman Rob Johnston created an unforgettable evening for all. The culinary o erings were exceptional, featuring a French-inspired main course and appetizers skillfully crafted by Chef Paul Angel Fierro of our signature caterer Lowcountry Produce Market & Café. More delectable appetizers were provided by Chef Ryan Moore of Saltus River Grill, and Je Beasley of Maggioni Oyster Company. The evening was enhanced by The Lafayette String Sextet (a South Carolina Philharmonic Ensemble) performing 19th century French and American patriotic music, while the Andrew Thielen Big Band served as our key entertainment. Together, these activities created a truly memorable experience.
Our silent auction was a highlight of the evening thanks to the generosity of numerous business partners and friends. We extend our sincere appreciation to all who donated to this successful fundraising e ort, including those who contributed curated luxury vacations, local staycations, evening cocktails at Beaufort’s beautiful historic homes, gift packages, golf outings, fishing and hunting excursions, original artwork, and many other exceptional items. The quality and
A Friend of Historic Beaufort
variety of these gracious donations contributed to our successful fundraising that evening.
None of our events would be possible without the hundreds of hours spent behind the scenes in planning and coordination by dozens of dedicated volunteers, partners, and HBF sta . We are thankful to all who contributed their time and expertise, including our committee chairs: Meg and Rob Wynne (Sponsorship); Anne Marie Wilson and Donna Dehncke (Food and Beverage); Laurie Alioto, Donna Dehncke, Kristin McConnell, Melanie Clem, and Julie Sanford (Silent Auction); and Amelie Cromer, Margaret Kincheloe, Liz Blair, and Stella Scott (Floral & Design). We also appreciate the Floral & Design team members: Alexis Bomar, Jodie Miller, Tei Tober, Peggy Reynolds, Brenda Litchfield, Mary Bassett, Susan Bledsoe, Ruth Anne Lawson, and Amy McNeal. Additional thanks go to Susan Dickey, Amy McNeal, Robin Leverton and Shay Mikell for managing check-in, as well as to AMIkids, Beaufort High AF JROTC, the US Marines, Lewis Robinson, and Janet McCauley and Kathy Campbell of Beaufort Tours, and David Cohen.
In keeping with our mission, to preserve and protect Beaufort’s National Historic Landmark District we are delighted to dedicate proceeds from this year’s Bicentennial Lafayette Soirée to benefit a collaborative program to rehabilitate historic properties within the Northwest Quadrant and the Old Commons Neighborhoods.
As a 501(c)3 nonprofit education foundation and membership organization HBF relies on our members, friends, partners and donors to achieve our mission to preserve and protect Beaufort’s unique historic, architectural and cultural heritage.
