Focused on You We’re passionate about taking care of our customers. Our hospitality, supported by our knowledgeable Banking, Commercial, and Mortgage teams, is what sets us apart.
843-522-1228 | ffbf.com
Located in Port Royal and Lady’s Island.
POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
SEPTEMBER 5–11, 2024
WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Beaufort County subpoenaed by state grand jury Spokesperson: 4 subpoenas issued; County cooperating By Delayna Earley The Island News A South Carolina grand jury has issued a series of subpoenas requesting that Beaufort County supply financial records related to possible contract, purchasing and procurement misconduct. Beaufort County spokesperson Hannah Nichols confirmed that the county had received four state grand jury subpoenas and “the county is cooperating fully and will comply with the subpoenas to provide all requested documentation.”
The subpoenas include demands for documentation related to purchasing cards related to expense of county employees, spending under former Beaufort County Administrator Eric Greenway and a contract for construction work at a Port Royal inclusive playground, according to reporting by The Island Packet. An audit conducted by Greenville-based law firm Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd after County Council terminated Greenway with cause in July 2023 found that there were
“flagrant violations” of the county’s procurement code. The results of this audit were delivered in early Spring 2024 but despite requests from law enforcement, the news media and members of the public, the results were only made available to law enforcement on Monday, Aug. 26. As for the Port Royal park, known as Bruce Edgerly Park, the equipment was originally purchased and installed without council’s approval, which
violated Beaufort County’s procurement code. Additionally, the construction of the bathrooms at the park cost the county almost $350,000 and were built by Nix Construction, who was the sole bidder for the for the project, which brings the total cost of the project to just over $1 million dollars. Duffie Stone, the 14th Circuit Solicitor, sent a letter to Attorney General Alan Wilson in November 2023 asking him to impanel a state grand jury for the
investigation into Greenway’s alleged misconduct. In an interview with The Island News, Stone said that he asked Wilson to impanel a state grand jury after a Beaufort County employee refused to talk to an agent with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) during their investigation after the employee had consulted with an attorney who works for Beaufort County.
SEE JURY PAGE A3
LOWCOUNTRY LOWDOWN
LOLITA HUCKABY
State grand jury wants look at P-cards, etc.
I
BEAUFORT
t’s about time. Word came last week in The Island Packet that a state grand jury also wants to take a look at the county’s financial records dealing with purchases during the administration of former County Administrator Eric Greenway. The subpoena was reportedly issued last Wednesday, two days after the Beaufort County Council voted unanimously to partially release the financial audit done by an independent law firm. The Council took action after months of closed-door discussions and finally complaints from Sheriff P.J. Tanner that the report from Haynesworth Sinkler Boyd should be shared with his office and investigators in 14th District Solicitor Duffie Stone’s office.
The Ted Turner House on St. Phillips Island. Photo courtesy of S.C. State Parks
Island escape
New tour brings more visitors to Turner House on St. Phillips Island By Skylar Laird SCDailyGazette.com BEAUFORT — The first time John Alexander visited St. Phillips Island, off the coast of Beaufort, what struck him most was its wildness. “It was like Jurassic Park, going out there. The shock of the old trees and no people around — it feels like you’re on a desert-
ed island for a while,” said Alexander, a general manager for Coastal Expeditions. Since South Carolina opened the once-private island as a state park three years ago, visitors have rented the home built there by billionaire Ted Turner 21 times, according to the state parks department. Three of those were test runs of a weekend-long trip run by
Coastal Expeditions. Now, the boat tour company is expanding, with hopes of bringing more people to the island. Turner, who founded CNN and has put much of his money into conservation efforts, bought the 4,680-acre island in 1979 to protect it from development. He built
SEE LOWDOWN PAGE A7
SEE ISLAND PAGE A4
ARTS
HEALTH
STATE NEWS
INSIDE
‘Oklahoma!’ coming to USCB Center for the Arts.
Dealing with stress from the election season.
SC commission has 5 months to choose design, location for Smalls monument.
PAGE A9
PAGE A11
PAGE B5
Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–7 Education A8 Arts A9 Health A10–11 Sports B1
Voices Faith State News Military Directory Classifieds
B2–3 B3 B4–5 B8–9 B10 B11
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
on the Sound
Supporting Education & Research Initiatives
Scan the QR code or visit: PortRoyalSoundFoundation.org/NOTS
Saturday, October 19th | 6PM PRSF thanks our 2024 Sound Stewards Presenting Sponsor: The Boathouse