Local Real Estate Agents, Global Marketing Over 1,500 Locations Worldwide 79.9 Billion in Sales Volume 50,775 Sales Professionals 843-301-0013 BAYSTREETREALTYGROUP.COM
POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
OCTOBER 13–19, 2022
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Bands, Brews & BBQ comes to Port Royal
From staff reports The Beaufort Shrimp Festival was a big success this past weekend. By mid-Saturday, most vendors had sold out of the majority of their menu items while the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park was filled to the brim with patrons. Now it’s time for Port Royal’s party to shine. There will be lots of food, music and fun, as Beaufort Memorial Hospital presents the 2022 Bands, Brews & BBQ with wings, barbecue, craft beers, and live music on Friday and
Saturday, Oct. 14 and 15 on Paris Avenue in Port Royal. This official South Carolina Barbecue Association-sanctioned event benefits FRIENDS of Caroline Hospice. FRIENDS of Caroline is a local, non-profit, Medicare-certified Hospice provider and the only Joint Commission Accredited Hospice in Beaufort. It serves indi-
viduals and families in the Lowcountry and provides hospice care, palliative care, bereavement and caregiver support services to all individuals in the community, regardless of their ability to pay. Friday night is the Wing Throw Down from 6 to 9 p.m. where you can sample wing recipes from participating cookers while enjoying live
music from Mike Ponder and Steel Rail Express. Saturday is the BBQ tasting day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with cook teams from across the Southeast serving their award-winning butts. Don’t forget the beautiful view, live music from local favorites Chris Jones, The Bullgrapes, and The Chiggers. Awards will be presented on Saturday by the South Carolina Barbecue Association. One award quickly gaining popularity is the Hometown Heroes award. Local teams representing
first responders, veterans, educators, and health care workers compete for $500, a flag, and bragging rights for the year. Admission is free. The sampling of wings Friday night and BBQ Saturday will be available by purchasing tickets for $1 each. Beer, wine, water and soft drinks, and food from other vendors will also be available for purchase. The event will take place rain or shine. For more information and volunteer opportunities go to fochospice.org or call 843-525- 6257.
GUNS IN SCHOOLS
Gun at Warriors’ game Whale Branch student charged for bringing handgun to Friday night football game By Tony Kukulich A 16-year-old Grays Hill resident was detained by law enforcement after he brought a handgun onto Whale Branch Early College High School property Friday night, Oct. 7. He is the second Beaufort County School District student in just two days to face a weapons charge for carrying a firearm onto school district property. According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the teen brought the weapon to the school’s football stadium during the game between Whale Branch and Estill High School. Shortly before 10 p.m., Sheriff’s Office deputies were patrolling the stadium when they encountered a student near the concession stand who had dropped something. Deputies approached, and he tried to conceal the item he had dropped. When the teen dropped the item a second time, deputies discovered he was concealing a firearm. The student ran from the scene while the deputies collected and secured the gun. His identity and address were provided by school officials who attended the game. Deputies went to the student’s home where they spoke with the boy and his mother. He was detained and transported to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. He is charged with carrying a weapon on school property.
A large and heavily armed law enforcement contingent patrols Beaufort High School after an active shooter was reported on the school's campus Wednesday. The report was later determined to be a hoax, one of a number perpetrated on schools across the state. Tony Kukulich/The Island News
School shooting hoax brings fear, quick response False reports lead to school lockdowns; law enforcement reaction praised By Tony Kukulich A massive law enforcement response converged on Beaufort High School Wednesday morning after a call to the Beaufort Police Department (BPD) reported an active shooter on the school’s campus. While the call was eventually determined to be a hoax, officials praised the law enforcement response to the incident, noting that the first officers entered the school within minutes of
SEE HANDGUN PAGE A6
the call. Their reaction contrasts law enforcement agencies in Uvalde, Texas, who were widely criticized for waiting more than an hour before they engaged a school shooter at Robb Elementary School who killed 19 students and two teachers in May. “Our law enforcement, our fire department, our EMS did exactly what INSIDE For more photos from last week's incident, see Page A6
NEWS
ARTS
INSIDE
Beaufort County Walk for Water raises more than $77k.
‘Medea’ to open Met season at USC Beaufort’s Center For The Arts.
PAGE A3
PAGE A8
Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–7 Arts A8–9 Health A10–11 Sports B1–2 Education B3
they always train to do,” said City of Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray during a Wednesday afternoon press conference. “We’ve seen incidents around the country where maybe there wasn’t a rapid response. That was not the case in Beaufort this morning.” Beaufort High was not the sole target of a school-shooting hoax Wednesday morning. The South Carolina Law En-
SEE HOAX PAGE A6
Local Events B4 Legal Notice B4 Faith B5 Voices B6–7 Military B8–9 Directory B10