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SEPTEMBER 22–28, 2022
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COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
County committee rejects Sea Island Parkway expansion to four lanes
An initiative that would have widened this section of U.S. 21 near the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge to four lanes was killed when the Beaufort County Public Facilities Committee voted to take no action on the plan. Bob Sofaly/The Island News
By Tony Kukulich Beaufort County officials voted to take no action on a plan that would have expanded the Sea Island Parkway on Lady’s Island from three to four lanes from the Woods Memorial Bridge to Walmart. The vote, which leaves the plan dead in the water, came during a meeting of the Beaufort County Public Facilities Committee on Tuesday, Sept. 20. “The council chose to eliminate the worst of the plans, the four-lane aspect,” Chuck Newton of the Sea Island Coalition. “It just did not work.” The effort to realign the flow of
traffic in and out of Beaufort High School is one of nine projects that comprise the Lady’s Island Corridor Traffic Improvement initiative. County staff put five alternative plans forward earlier this year to improve traffic around the school. Over time, all of those plans were removed from consideration due to either intense public opposition or cost. “We had all of these options that we looked at,” said District 2 Council Member Paul Sommerville. “One by one it became obvious that they were not going to work.” During the August Public Facilities Committee meeting, staff came
forward with Alternative 0, a plan that attempted to improve the flow of traffic in the vicinity of Beaufort High School by expanding Sea Island Parkway to four lanes. At the time, the Alternative 0 was little more than a concept without a project sketch or financial analysis. “The engineers brought up this notion of (Alternative) 0,” Sommerville added. “There was no specifics at all.” In response, the committee approved a motion by Sommerville directing county staff to return to the
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2 more companies pick Beaufort Commerce Park building fully leased as companies ready to start operations From staff reports Two new companies are beginning operations in Beaufort Commerce Park and are expected to bring 82 jobs to the area over the next few years. Norman USA and Critical Role are each leasing half of the 64,000-square-foot spec building located at 74 Schein Loop. The fully leased building was developed by Magnus Development Partners and construction was completed earlier this year. The construction of an additional building on the site is being planned. “The addition of these two companies to the Beaufort Commerce Park demonstrates that the city’s commitment to improving the park – from adding infrastructure to the construction of the spec building – is paying off,” said Mayor Stephen Murray. “We are determined, over time, to diversify our economy beyond the military and the hospitality industry, so that young people can see a future for themselves and their families.” Headquartered in La Palma, Calif., Norman USA manufactures and distributes window treatments worldwide. Its site in Beaufort – its first on the East Coast – will be used for distribution of its products.
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Democratic candidate for the S.C. 1st Congressional District, Dr. Annie Andrews, left, makes her remarks to an enthusiastic crowd Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Andrews is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Nancy Mace. Bob Sofaly/The Island News
House call
Andrews differentiates herself from Mace in race for House seat By Tony Kukulich When Democrat Annie Andrews visited St. Helena Island on Tuesday, Sept. 20, to talk about her race for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, her appearance coincided with the release of her first TV commercial. Drawing on her experiences as a pediatrician, Andrews
put the issue of gun violence at the center of that TV spot. “I have cared for far too many children who have been shot,” she told supporters gathered at the Gullah Farmers Cooperative on Tuesday. “I don’t have the luxury of looking away.” Andrews is a professor of Pediatrics at MUSC in Charleston and has been a pediatrician there since 2009.
She is married and a mother to three young children. “I think that Dr. Andrews, as a practicing pediatrician, cares a lot about our children,” said Kathleen Hughes, chair of the Beaufort County Democratic Party. “A lot of the issues that affect the Lowcountry start at that age, and she sees them very clearly in her position as a pediatrician – from education to things
FAITH
SPORTS
INSIDE
Holy Trinity hosting prayer gathering at Waterfront Park.
Beaufort edges May River for 3rd straight win.
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62ND ANNUAL
Fall
Bazaar
OCTOBER 1 3 10 AM -
PM
Craft fair • Silent auction • Greenhouse plant sale International food court • Beer garden • Sweet shoppe Kidz world inflatables and games • Petting Zoo Church tours – view the new stained glass windows!
like gun safety and healthcare. We have a lot of issues that need solving, not only for adults, but starting in early development. I really think that she really has a holistic view of those and can bring that to Congress.” While Andrews said she knew she wanted to be a doctor and a mother as far back
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Family Fun, Fabulous Finds, Food and Drink! 70 Lady’s Island Dr, Beaufort Across the Street from Publix