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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
County Council votes against gated communities, golf on St. Helena Island By Delayna Earley The Island News Beaufort County Council officially confirmed the revisions to the St. Helena Island Cultural Protection Overlay (CPO) following its third and final reading during the County Council meeting in Beaufort on Monday, May 8, 2023. St. Helena Island residents and supporters, most of whom were wearing stickers in support
of the CPO, from around Northern Beaufort County cheered as Beaufort County Council passed clarifying revisions 9-2. “These revisions are so important because they make it very clear what the people of St. Helena want,” said Councilman York Glover, of St. Helena Island. “It’s not about keeping development out, it’s about what these things represent. They don’t want to become
another Hilton Head Island and lose their Gullah Geechee identity.” The revisions to the CPO make it clear that there shall be no gated communities or golf courses built on St. Helena Island. This third reading and vote came after two previous readings of the CPO by county council. The decades-old ordinance was originally written in the late 1990s and
was intended to uphold the wishes of the residents of St. Helena Island to keep their island mostly rural and to preserve the deeply rooted Gullah Geechee culture that exists there. The revisions to the ordinance came after developer Elvio Tropeano purchased the Pineville property on St. Helena Island and proposed building an 18-hole golf course on the 450 acre property along with 65 homes.
The project also proposed preserving a historic area known as St. Helenaville, which is connected to Pine Island by a causeway. Tropeano sought an exemption to the CPO to build the gated community or homes and 18-hole golf course, later changing his proposal to three 6-hole golf courses instead. The revisions to the CPO
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VIDEO For The County Channel’s video from this meeting, follow this digital link or visit https://bit. ly/44GHuT3.
Inmate who died jailed in relation to Michigan murder BCDC officials calling death a suicide
Andriy Petrynenko, with Krystyna’s Authentic Polish Food, prepares a Polish Sampler plate during the 2023 Taste of Beaufort Event on Saturday, May 6, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park in Downtown Beaufort. By Delayna Earley/The Island News
Gloomy weather didn’t dampen Taste of Beaufort By Delayna Earley The Island News Rain and cloudy weather may have plagued the annual Taste of Beaufort event last weekend in Beaufort, but that did not stop locals and visitors alike from coming to the waterfront festival to enjoy some good food and music. The City of Beaufort hosted the Taste of Beaufort event on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, 2023, at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park. Admission to the festival was free
and patrons could purchase tickets to buy food and beverages on site. “The rain did put a dampness on the festival on Friday, but overall people still had a great time,” Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray said. This year, most of the vendors were food truck vendors, some local and some based in surrounding areas such as Charleston. “I think one of the challenges is
Frogmore Stew from Sea Eagle Market as seen during the 2023 Taste of Beaufort Event on Saturday. SEE WEATHER PAGE A5 By Delayna Earley/The Island News
By Mike McCombs The Island News Just as it appeared the Beaufort Police Department may have played a part in shining some light on a 35-year-old unsolved murder case in Michigan, the case took another dark turn over the weekend. On Saturday, May 6, an inmate in the Beaufort County Detention Center (BCDC) died by what authorities are calling suicide. According to a release from Beaufort County, the inmate was found unresponsive in his cell by corrections officers during a routine check. Despite immediate efforts to revive the inmate, he were pronounced dead at the scene. The inmate was identified by Beaufort County Deputy Coroner Debbie Youmans as 53-year-old Robert Odell Waters of Beaufort. “It is an ongoing investigation, Waters and any other information will be released by law enforcement,” Youmans said. As is standard procedure in cases involving the death of an inmate in custody, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is in charge of the investigation.
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Beaufort High’s boys soccer team earns shot at state title.
Battery Creek senior selected for Conroy Center’s Future Educator Scholarship, named SC Teaching Fellow.
Town of Port Royal holds a birthday party for hundreds of baby birds.
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