STORY 1

County Council Vice Chair Anna Maria Tabernik (District 6) and Council Members Lawrence McElynn (District 10), Paula Brown (District 8), Thomas Reitz (District 11), Joseph Passiment (District 5), Logan Cunningham (District 7), and Mark Lawson (District 9) will host a community meeting with guest Sheriff P.J. Tanner.

The meeting will be 5:30-6:30
p.m., Tuesday, July 22, at Beaufort County Library Bluffton Branch, 120
Palmetto Way (map).

Sheriff Tanner will answer
questions on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) program. The forum will be
question and answer only.

For questions and more
information, please contact Council Vice Chair Tabernik at 843-986-7380 or anna.tabernik@bcgov.net.

Story 2

The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that a raccoon found near West Cedar Road and Oakland Drive in St. Helena Island, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. One dog was exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.

The raccoon was submitted
to DPH's laboratory for testing on July 10, 2025, and was confirmed to have
rabies on July 11, 2025. If you believe you, someone you know, or your pets
have come in contact with this raccoon or another animal that potentially has
rabies, please call DPH's Beaufort office at (843)
525-7603during normal business hours
(8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday) or after hours and on holidays at (888)
847-0902 (Select Option 2).

It is important to keep pets up
to date on their rabies vaccination, as this is one of the easiest and most
effective ways to protect against the disease. This raccoon is the first animal
in Beaufort County to test positive for rabies in 2025. There have been 43
cases of rabid animals statewide this year. Since 2002, South Carolina has
averaged approximately 144 positive cases a year. In 2024, two of the 81
confirmed rabies cases in South Carolina were in Beaufort County.

Contact information for local
Public Health offices is available at dph.sc.gov/RabiesContacts. For more information on rabies
visit dph.sc.gov/rabies or cdc.gov/rabies.

STORY 1

From WTOC

There’s always a lot of debate around the concept of NIL money in college athletics. But when the money is used to inspire change, there’s no debate around that being a positive. Seabrook, South Carolina native Xavier Chaplin is doing just that -- working to inspire change. The former football star at Whale Branch Early College High School spent the first three years of his college career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Auburn this past winter. On Saturday, he was back in his hometown, at his alma mater, giving back to his community. The offensive lineman hosted a Back to School Drive, where he handed out backpacks filled with school supplies, gave kids the chance to get a free haircut, held a Q&A all about mental health and wellness, and gave out raffle prizes, as well as five $500 scholarships. Chaplin was a starter for the past two seasons with the Hokies. In 2023, he started all 13 games and registered 813 snaps, with just 5 sacks allowed and was named Third Team All-American by College Football News. In 2024, Chaplin played a total of 607 snaps across 12 games, allowing just two sacks. He picked up an ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honor during his redshirt sophomore season and was named All-ACC Honorable Mention. Despite all of his success at Virginia Tech, Chaplin said he felt Auburn was the best fit for him in his progression. We here in Beaufort County will look forward to watching him on the Plains this season. Auburn will begin the 2025 football season on Friday August 29 when they will travel to Waco, Texas to face the Baylor Bears.

Story 2

From Bluffton Today

The Town of Bluffton has received a 2025 South Carolina Historic Preservation Award for its Historic Preservation Grant Program, the town said in a news release. This is the second consecutive year the Town has earned this prestigious, statewide honor for its historic preservation projects, programs and policies. Since 1995, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Preservation South Carolina, and the Office of the Governor have recognized exceptional achievements in preserving, rehabilitating and interpreting the state's architectural and cultural heritage through a series of annual statewide awards. The Preservation Service Award, which Bluffton received, specifically honors projects and activities that make exemplary contributions to historic preservation efforts. Bluffton was one of 16 honorees statewide recognized June 18 for advancing preservation through its local initiatives. Town representatives accepted the award during a ceremony at the South Carolina State House in Columbia. In 2024, Preservation South Carolina awarded former Mayor Lisa Sulka the South Carolina Elected Official Award in 2024. The award, presented by Governor Henry McMaster, recognizes elected officials for significant achievements in supporting historic preservation in South Carolina.

Story 3

High School Football Season is almost upon us as Beaufort County sweats into the fall sports season. Media Day has been scheduled for July 22nd and will run from 11am to 3pm at the University of South Carolina Beaufort Rec Center on campus. Last year’s event featured athletes and coaches from 10 area high schools engaging media members and creating multimedia content. In partnership with Beaufort’s Own, BCTV will again provide local high school sports coverage across Beaufort County this fall.

STORY 1

From WCSC

One of the issues South Carolina lawmakers say they hear about all the time from constituents is the shape of the state’s roads.

They have some ideas on how to improve them, but want to first hear directly from South Carolinians on what challenges they face during their daily commutes.

It will be part of the work of a new committee at the State House, which will take a closer look at the South Carolina Department of Transportation. House Speaker Murrell Smith, who established the new South Carolina Department of Transportation Modernization Ad Hoc Committee, said its formation is not meant to criticize SCDOT but to improve and modernize it.

“This job is not to fix potholes. This is not to widen roads. Those are all being done right now. But it’s to build a foundation for long-term growth, safety and opportunity,” Smith, R – Sumter, said.

It comes as South Carolina’s growth shows no signs of stopping. But its infrastructure has not always kept up.

“When our road system was built, it was probably built with 2.5 million to 3 million people in mind,” Smith said, compared to the approximately 5.5 million people estimated to now call South Carolina home. “We have 71,000 miles of state roads, being one of the largest road systems per capita in this whole country, and so we have a lot of challenges.”

Areas where the Speaker wants the committee to focus include congestion, permitting reform, and SCDOT’s organizational structure. He also wants them to figure out whether South Carolina needs to revisit its decades-old toll statute and look at how it raises money to fix infrastructure. This includes potential new resident fees and raising the registration fee that electric vehicle owners pay.

Story 2

From WSAV

****STORY 1*****

Former Beaufort Mayor Billy
Keyserling received South Carolina's highest civilian honor last night. Awarded
to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement,
service and contributions of national or statewide significance, Keyserling
received the honor at a meeting Beaufort's City Council. Keyserling was
recognized for 50 years of dedicated public service, including 12 years as
Mayor of Beaufort from 2008 to 2020. Keyserling served 16 years on Beaufort
City Council in addition to two terms in the South Carolina House of
Representatives. Representative Shannon Erickson had the honor of endowing
Keyserling, whose candidacy was advanced by resident Stacy Applegate. A local
realtor, Keyserling graduated Brandeis University Magna Cum Laude and later
earned a Master's Degree in Public Communication from Boston University. An
avid boater, Keyserling was friends with author Pat Conroy, whom Keyserling
sailed to visit during his time on Daufuskie Island. Keyserling's personal
photographs of Daufuskie were used in the first print of the book "The
Water is Wide", which his mother transcribed from handwriting to
print. Known for riding a scooter to work and his "Straight Talk
with Billy K" television program, Keyserling championed advancement for
arts, humanities and environmental causes during his time in power. Keyserling
was integral in establishing the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
and Network in Beaufort, a federal landmark. His tenure as Mayor is marked by
the completion of the Boundary Street Project, which constructed Beaufort's
current City Hall. Congratulations to the Honorable Billy Keyserling.