JANUARY 2–8, 2025
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Port Royal fire Saturday sends one to hospital
Firefighters with the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department battle a single-story residential structure fire in Port Royal on Saturday, Dec. 28. Submitted photo/City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department
By Delayna Earley The Island News City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department battled residential structure fire in Port Royal that may have been caused by a space heater. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire off Ritter Circle just after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28. The first responders who arrived on scene first found smoke and flames coming from the one-story residential structure. The only occupant of the home
was transported to Beaufort Memorial Hospital with burn injuries before being transported to the Medical University of South Carolina Burn Center, according to Deputy Fire Chief Ross Vezin. He also said that the fire is believed to have been started by a space heater, but the cause is still officially under investigation. “Space heater fires are common and one thing to take away from any type of heat or open flame is, ‘If it has heat, leave 3 feet,’” said Vezin.
The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department, the Burton Fire District, Parris Island Fire & Emergency Services, Beaufort County Emergency Management Services, Port Royal Police Department and Dominion all responded to the incident. Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.
LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
LOLITA HUCKABY
Ho-ho-ho … still talking about trees In respect for the holidays … and the fact that local government bodies have closed shop for the end of the year, I am using the excuse to look back at a previous end-of-theyear column and reflect on where we are now. Happy New Year! From December 2022 ...
L
BEAUFORT ast week we were focused on book bans; this week, let’s focus on trees. The Port Royal Town Council came close to giving their tree-hugging citizens an early Christmas gift when they brought up for consideration a revision to the existing tree protection ordinance that would have tightened regulations. The ordinance was similar to the town of Hilton Head Island’s which is considered relatively restrictive in the world of tree protection. Port Royal’s actions was prompted by the controversies this summer when a developer wanted to remove two significant oak trees from a tiny parcel on 12th Street to accommodate several townhouses. That activity followed on the footsteps of a permit earlier in the year when development plans threatened a 300-year-old tree that had already been designated landmark in South Carolina’s tree world. Folks got upset and halted plans for the property off Paris Island Gateway and went to court to mediate the damage at the lot
Anthony Grasso and Maggie Alexander pose for a photo just before the award ceremony at the Beaufort International Film Festival on Feb. 25, 2024, at USCB’s Center For The Arts. Amber Hewitt/File/The Island News
Coming soon
Beaufort Film Society announces selections for 19th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival By Delayna Earley The Island News February in Beaufort means the Beaufort International Film Festival (BIFF), and the filmmakers who have been selected to participate in this year’s festival have been announced. Judges have selected 54 films and five screenplays from the more than 500 submissions from 33 countries that were entered for consideration to be showcased in the 19th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival. The selections span genres of documentaries, feature films, short films, student films, screenplays and animation. The official selections for this year are:
SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A4
FEATURES
geles, CA
Bound: Directed by Isaac Hirotsu Marcella: Directed by Peter Miller, New York, NY Woofter, New York, NY One Must Wash Eyes: Directed by Segal: Directed by Vernon Alfredo Sepideh Yadegar, Vancouver, Brit- Davidson and Ryan Krayser, Calabasas, CA ish Columbia Seance: Directed by Vivian Kerr, Los Angeles, CA
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
1001 Cuts: Directed by Sarah M. Silent Life: The Story of the Lady Temkin, Washington, DC In Black: Directed by Vladislav Breakfast in Beaufort: Journeys Alex Kozlov, Los Angeles, CA Through Time: Directed by Ray Where Were You: Directed by PhilSmith, Blythewood, SC lip Abraham, Altadena, CA I'm Still Here: Directed by Stephen Stinson and Sam Miller, BirmingDOCUMENTARY FEATURES ham, AL Echoes of Loss: Eight Days In Israel: Directed by Rob Mor, Los AnSEE FILM PAGE A6
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INSIDE
Beaufort Memorial honors nurse Nancy Morrison with DAISY Award.
Healthcare trends that will transform medicine in 2025.
Paul Hyde: “A good Christmas for critters: Vet school elicits paws applause.”
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