FREE EVENT
Commmunity Bible Church
Family Fun!
STEP
SUNDAY
RIGHT UP
Popcorn! Food! Games! Candy! Jumpers! Hayrides! Pie! Campfires!
OCTOBER 28TH / 4:00-8:00
OCTOBER 25 - 31, 2018 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Plenty of spooky fun on tap for Halloween
November ballot issue would support land preservation
Photo by Paul Nurnberg
One of the questions Beaufort County voters will be asked at the ballot box Nov. 6 is whether to allow the county to issue up to $25 million in bonds to support the county’s Rural and Critical Lands Preservation Program. A yes vote on the issue would allow the county to release up to $25 million “for the purpose of land preservation, by purchasing open land in Beaufort County in order to protect water quality, protect local waterways such as the Port Royal Sound, and local creeks and rivers such as the Okatie,
Broad and May Rivers, wildlife areas, wetlands, natural lands, farmland, coastal areas, shellfish beds, and nursery areas for recreational and commercial fisheries, and beaches, and provide buffers for the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.” The measure calls for all expenditures to
be subject to an annual independent audit and stipulates no more than 20 percent of the funds may be used to improve existing and newly acquired open space and natural areas protected under the program. SEE LAND, PAGE A2
County GOP joins in support of transportation tax The Beaufort County Republican Party (BCRP) Executive Committee has voted unanimously to support the proposed Transportation Sales and Use Tax on the Nov. 6 ballot. “This support is based on the commitment from Beaufort County Council that the sales tax proceeds can only be used legally for projects stated on the ballot,” said a party spokesperson. Sherri Zedd, Chair of the BCRP, stated that these funds are critical to
our county due to the high growth and economic needs of the area. The funds would also qualify us for matching state and federal funds. The proposed one-cent sales tax would remain in place for up to four years or until $120 million is generated, whichever comes first. The revenue would provide up to $30 million for traffic improvements on Lady’s Island between the Woods Memorial Bridge and the Chowan Creek Bridge. Another
$10 would go to installation and repair of sidewalks and multi-use pathways in 24 locations throughout the county to help provide safe walking routes to schools and improved access to residential communities, and $80 million would go to traffic improvements to the U.S. 278 corridor, including repairing or replacing existing spans of the bridges to Hilton Head Island and improvements between Moss Creek Drive and Squire Pope Road.
School board schedules weather make-up days The Beaufort County Board of Education has scheduled three weather make-up days and waived two more days that were missed when schools were closed during preparations for hurricanes Florence and Michael. A total of five instructional days were missed in September and October during hurricane preparations. State law requires districts to make up three days and gives local boards of education the au-
thority to waive up to three additional days. The three weather make-up days approved by the board are Wednesday, Nov. 21 (the day before Thanksgiving), and Jan. 7-8. Instead of classes resuming after winter break on Wednesday, Jan. 9, as previously scheduled, they will now resume on Monday, Jan. 7. District administration made the recommendation based on more than 6,000 responses to online surveys as well as input
A FAMILY AFFAIR
from an ad hoc calendar committee composed of school administrators and classroom teachers. Survey respondents generally favored a shorter winter break over extending the school year into June. District administration made two additional recommendations that were approved by the board: · Switching the half-day of instruction currently scheduled for Friday, Dec. 21, to Wednesday, Nov. 21 (the day
before Thanksgiving). Going to a full instructional day on Dec. 21 (the last day before winter break) will give high schools more time to administer first semester final exams. · Extending first semester two days into January ( Jan. 7-8) to give high schools more instructional time to meet state minimum requirements. First semester will now end on Tuesday, Jan. 8, and second semester will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
PAGE A3
SEE SPOOKY, PAGE A2
INSIDE
STATE CHAMPS Beaufort Chamber of Commerce hosts Outstanding Military Family event.
If Halloween is your favorite holiday, you’re in luck, because there are loads of spooky activities planned in the Beaufort area leading up to All Hallows’ Eve. Here are some of the opportunities you’ll have to stockpile sugary snacks or get your frightful fix: • Children and their families are invited to attend Trunk or Treat from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, at Helena Place Senior Living in Port Royal. Dress to impress for Halloween and collect candy and other treats. Creepy cookies and petrifying punch will be served. Vote for your favorite Halloween costume and coordinating trunk. All who attend are guaranteed to have a boo-tiful time. The event is free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, the party will be moved inside. Helena Place is located at 1624 Paris Avenue in the historic Old Village in the Town of Port Royal (directly across the street from the Port Royal Post Office). Senior Citizens who would like to participate should call 843252-3001, or email rewing@enlivant.com. • Put on your costumes for treats, games, and spooky lighthouse climbs at the Hunting Island State Park Trunk or Treat event from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 26. Children can enjoy trick or treating in a fun and safe environment in the lighthouse parking lot and then create a sand art masterpiece ($5 per person) or climb the historic Hunting Island Lighthouse after dark ($2 per person; must be 44 inches tall). • Flashback Gear, 802 Bay Street, will host Halloween ComicFest from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. Halloween ComicFest is an annual event where participating local comic shops celebrate the season by giving away free comics to fans. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce kids, friends, and family to the many reasons why comics are great. • Kids of all ages are welcome and parents are encouraged to accompany them to Downtown Beaufort for the annual Downtown Trick-O-Treat Halloween Party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. Enjoy an afternoon of games, music, costume parades and candy. Parents and children are invited to come to Henry C. Chambers Waterfront park in costume and spend time with friends and neighbors in an old-fashion Trick-O-Treat celebration. Open and free to the public. • Party Port Royal style with scarecrows, beer, food, and fun for everyone at the fifth annual OktoPRfest from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, on Paris Avenue. The event will feature Bikers against Bullies, the Classic Cars and Trucks of Beaufort, craft vendors, a stage with live entertainment, a Larew Dance Centre performance, Tux the Clown, face painting, a kids’ zone, food vendors, and as always, the OktoPRfest craft beer garden. Each food vendor will have at least one German-inspired meal for purchase. Live entertainment includes performances by Levon Stevens and Louise Spencer, The RK’s, and The Brewer Band. • The Lowcountry Master Gardeners are again celebrating Halloween with scarecrows. Perfect for harvest time, scarecrows have provided chemical-free crop protection since ancient times. But how creative can
Beaufort Academy Girls win 2nd straight SCISA 1A title. PAGE A6
Lowcountry Life A2 News A3 Health A4 Business A5 Sports A6-7 B1 Community
Around Town B2 IGNO B3 Voices B4 Events B5 Directory B6 Classifieds B7