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SEPTEMBER 9–15, 2021
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Beaufort election official helped organize right-wing rally TERRY MANNING
Remember the days after Sept. 11
M
ost people of a certain age can tell you exactly where they were on Sept.
By Mike McCombs In February, Helen Spalding was appointed to a six-year term on the City of Beaufort’s non-partisan Election Commission by the City Council. Now her presence on the commission is in question. Spalding was involved in the organization of the far-right Audit The SC 2020 Vote Rally held Aug. 30 at the Olde Beaufort Golf Club.
11, 2001. Like the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., or the explosions of the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles, vivid sights and sounds enrich our memories of that day in ways that make it unforgettable. I remember it was a Tuesday morning, and I had just risen after working late the night before at the newspaper. I rolled off my side of the bed and reached to grab the remote for the little television atop the dresser. I pressed the red power button and waited to see what the news of the day might be. My wife had left the house already to take the children to school, and my only company was the little flatscreen coming to life. The “Today” show was responding to reports of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Images on the screen showed smoke pouring from the North Tower. Early speculation was there had been some sort of horrible mistake by air traffic controllers. I flipped channels, trying to see what the other networks were broadcasting. I heard my wife’s keys jingle as the front door opened at the other end of the hallway. She called out, “What is going on?!? The people on the radio are saying ...” As she spoke, a second plane appeared on the television screen and vanished into the side of the South Tower. “Turn on the TV!” I yelled. “Somebody is trying to blow up the World Trade Center!” A fireball erupted from the other side of the building and debris rained onto the street below. We watched with the rest of the world as smoke billowed from the
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Beaufort Mayor Murray, BMH doctor sit down to discuss COVID, vaccines as cases remain high in county, state
By Mike McCombs In what he referred to as his “first” Community Conversation, hinting there might be more to come, City of Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray sat down Tuesday, July 31, with Dr. Luke Baxley, a, Emergency Room physician at
The City of Beaufort invites area residents to a ceremony Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
– Staff reports
Sept. 14. As of press time, Spalding had not responded to an email from The Island News seeking comment. According to the City of Beaufort website, “Members of the Beaufort Elections Commission assist at polling places in the City of Beaufort during elections. They also are present during the certification
A Community Conversation
CITY TO MARK 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets to the ceremony.
sation with Spalding later in the week. Spalding could be removed from the position, but the City Council would have to vote to remove her. Murray said that the Council needed time to do its homework and would likely seek legal advice, as well, and discuss the matter in executive session at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. That meeting is slated for Tuesday,
Tony Junker, right, of S&K Signs and Designs, adjusts one of his cameras on Dr. Luke Baxley, left, an emergency room physician with Beaufort Memorial Hospital, prior to the start of the online “Community Conversation” on Tuesday at the home of Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray, center. Beaufort has seen an explosion of new COVID-19 cases. Dr. Baxley said he has written COVID as “cause of death” far more times than he ever thought he would. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
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The 7 p.m. ceremony will pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks and those who saved countless lives. The ceremony will feature the Parris Island Marine Corps Band and the Beaufort Mass Choir. USMC Col. Timothy R. Dremann, chief of staff at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, will speak. Luminarias will be lit in the park as part of the ceremony.
She publicized the rally before and afterward on her social media pages, and her email address was listed on a flier advertising the event as the RSVP contact. Mayor Stephen Murray said that he learned of Spalding’s involvement in the rally on the night of Monday, Aug. 30. He characterized his feelings on the matter as “disappointment” and said he conveyed that message in a phone conver-
Beaufort Memorial Hospital, in Murray’s home to discuss COVID and vaccines as the numbers remain high at BMH and across the county and state. S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 3,757 new cases of COVID and 28
weekend, there were 16,628 news cases reported, along with 164 deaths statewide, according to DHEC. There were 91 new cases reported in Beaufort County on
EDITOR’S NOTE To watch the entire video, visit https://bit.ly/3jRvMzq.
COVID deaths on Tuesday with a positivity rate of 12.3 percent. Over the three-day holiday
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Recruit found dead Tuesday at Parris Island
By Mike McCombs A U.S. Marine recruit was found dead Tuesday morning at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. According to Beaufort County Coroner David Ott, a recruit from 3rd Recruit Training Battalion was “found deceased at about 7:30 a.m., apparently from a fall from the balcony.” He said that is all the information that would be released at this time.
An autopsy is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. According to MCRD Parris Island spokesperson Capt. Philip Kulczewski, the incident is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS). The recruit’s identity will be released 24 hours after the next of kin notification. “Again, this incident is currently
under investigation, no further details can be released at this time,” Kulczewski said in a statement. “The Marine Corps maintains high training standards as well as thorough safety precautions. All safety incidents are taken seriously.” Tuesday’s death marks the second time this year a recruit has died at Parris Island. Nineteen-year-old Dalton Beals of Pennsville, N.J. died in June
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Public hearting held to discuss Shell Point Stormwater rising.
USCB Center for the Arts opens season with All Shook Up.
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Sports Legals Directory Classifieds Games Cartoon
while taking part in The Crucible, the extremely difficult exercise recruits undertake near the end of their training to become Marines. The more-than-two-day exercise concludes with a 9-mile hike. Beals suffered heat injuries and could not be revived.
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Mike McCombs is the editor of The Island News and can be reached at TheIslandNews@gmail.com.