Beaufort Gazette (Sunday)
MLK, and filling in the blanks for SC Lowcountry Gullah
Martin Luther King Jr. had a lot on his mind when he visited Beaufort County in May of 1967. It was his fourth trip to the secluded campus of the Penn Center on St. Helena Island, where he and his top aides in the civil rights movement could regroup,...
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A new restaurant, 2 other eateries will open soon at Compass Commons in Bluffton. Here’s when
The highly anticipated Compass Commons development in Bluffton’s New Riverside Village is finally inching closer to completion. Located at the corner of New Riverside Road and S.C. 46, the project has been in development since 2020. Construction...
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Correct the hot dog stand mentality of area development
The passing of Don Guscio of Bluffton last month should remind Hilton Head Island to tend to something important: its soul. Don was a landscape architect. He got his degree from the University of Georgia and moved to the South Carolina Lowcountry in...
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What Trader Joe’s says about chance for a Hilton Head store
Every few months on Facebook or Nextdoor, a thread pops up with a similar question — when is Hilton Head Island getting a Trader Joe’s? The posts tend to elicit the same reaction every time: Someone posts a link to the Trader Joe’s store request form,...
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Christmas gift of folk artist Sam Doyle keeps on giving
Today, unwrapping it all is like discovering Christmas as a child. It was a day when four shining stars of the South Carolina Lowcountry merged in a moment of great joy in the Bluffton Christmas parade. Actually, at the time, now some 45 years ago,...
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Hilton Head’s oldest walls can talk, if we’re smart enough to listen
Some special walls are doing some special talking on Hilton Head Island. And these walls have of late have had some surprising things to say. The walls are made of tabby, an historic “concrete” made of lime, sand, water and oyster shells. The walls...
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Beloved Bluffton barber dies after battle with colon cancer
Joe Gancio, a husband, father , friend and namesake behind a popular pair of Bluffton barbershops, died Wednesday after “the hardest battle with colon cancer,” according to friends and family members’ social media posts. “Words can’t express the grief...
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Golfweek: Hilton Head-area courses are some of SC’s best
The Hilton Head area has some of the best private golf courses in the state, according to a new analysis of members-only courses released in November. Golfweek, a golf media company that’s part of the USA Today network, released its rankings of the...
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Beaufort could star again on national TV: Where and why
National TV shows hosted by well-known stars are calling on Beautiful Beaufort by the Sea again. Producers from CNBC’s educational documentary program, “Now We Know,” are the latest to approach the coastal South Carolina city about appearing on a...
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As SNAP aid stalls, Bluffton neighbors shoulder the need
A mother steers her cart down the aisle, with the help of her young son who can barely reach the handle. An woman wraps her coat tightly as she opens the fridge to grab eggs and milk. A man, still dressed in an apron from his shift at a nearby grocery...
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Trump’s call for nuclear testing revives Cold War debate
President Donald Trump’s unexpected declaration Thursday that he was ordering the U.S. military to resume nuclear testing prompted visions of a return to the worst days of the Cold War, when the United States, Russia and China were regularly detonating...
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Hardeeville housing boom: Fastest-growing city in SC
For decades, Hardeeville has been a place that millions of people pass through each year, but few people live in. Now, Hardeeville leaders want to change that by building homes — and lots of them. Developers broke ground last week on a new...
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Mass shooting changed everything for St. Helena residents
A week after four people died and 16 others were shot at a bar on St. Helena Island, the Lowcountry is reeling from the pain and grappling with unanswered questions. On Sunday morning just before 1 a.m., shots were fired at Willie’s Bar and Grill in...
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USC Beaufort to receive nearly $4M grant for nursing program
The University of South Carolina Beaufort has received a four-year, $3.8 million federal grant intended to address a growing nursing shortage throughout the Palmetto State. The project aims to support up to 64 nursing students with emphasis on...
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Want a job AI can’t do? Hilton Head builder shares advice
This article is part of a series profiles of local business owners in major sectors of the Hilton Head economy. Check back for more in the coming weeks. At a time when many residents of South Carolina are questioning whether their jobs will be taken...
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Takeaways from securing of indictment against Comey
In the span of a few hours Thursday, President Donald Trump went from claiming no knowledge of a possible indictment of former FBI director James Comey to celebrating it as “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” In reality, Trump had handpicked the prosecutor –...
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Infuriated Lady’s Island residents tired of high water
A great egret coiled its neck and snapped its beak into the pond water as it hunted for tadpoles. A month ago, this same setting at 4 Needlerush Court was the well-manicured lawn of Mark and Carol Presnell. Today, the couple can watch a variety of...
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Don’t send troops to Ukraine before deal is set, Putin warns
President Vladimir Putin of Russia warned Friday that Western forces would be “legitimate targets” if they arrived in Ukraine before a peace agreement was reached, directing a threat at European leaders a day after they said they were willing to send...
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At Annunciation Church, terror and heroism during attack
The excitement of new beginnings seemed all around Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic School in south Minneapolis: The first week of the school year. A new principal, and a new priest at the adjoining parish. Signs posted outside the church...
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As shorelines erode, the humble oyster lends a helping hand
South Carolina’s coastlines are falling apart, and it’s happening alarmingly fast. But one of the biggest projects in South Carolina Department of Natural Resources history is relying on the humble oyster to restore the Lowcountry shoreline. The final...
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DC sues Trump admin over takeover of city police
The District of Columbia government filed a federal lawsuit Friday challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to take over the city’s Police Department. The suit argues that both the president’s executive order Monday federalizing the Police...
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Before FEMA: 1893 hurricane killed 2,000-plus on Hilton Head
In the modern era where smartphones have become a means of barraging the masses with constant alerts of severe weather, it is hard to imagine a world where Hilton Head residents wouldn’t know about a natural disaster lurking around the corner. Today,...
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Trump sets 10% minimum global tariff, raises Canada rate
President Donald Trump announced a slew of new tariffs, including a 10% global minimum and 15% or higher duties for countries with trade surpluses with the U.S., as he forged ahead with his effort to reshape international commerce. The baseline rates...
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Vacation rentals: Residents feeling outnumbered
When John and Stephanie Brighton purchased their home on a shady road in South Forest Beach, they knew that new houses were going to be developed on their street. If the new houses simply meant more neighbors to share friendly smiles with and help out...
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$47.5M beach renourishment takes planning, a bit of luck
A plan to place almost 700 Olympicsized swimming pools full of sand on Hilton Head’s beaches has, in some ways, been decades in the making. The large barge and the rest of the necessary equipment for the $47.5 million dollar beach renourishment are...
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Longtime Hilton Head athletic director dies unexpectedly
Hilton Head father, husband, athletic director, coach, and fishing enthusiast Joe Monmonier died Wednesday, Hilton Head Island High School announced on their Facebook page. In the statement posted Thursday, Hilton Head Island High School Principal...
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Erosion eats away South Carolina island; residents retreat
Katie and Tammy Helmuth sat on the remote stretch of Daufuskie Island beach for four days. Derelict houses, disconnected plastic pipes and jagged pieces of metal stuck out of the sand, keeping tourists at bay. For those four days in the June sun, the...
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Iranian official says nuclear facilities ‘seriously damaged’
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Thursday that the country’s nuclear facilities had sustained “significant and serious damages,” the first official acknowledgment of the extent of the damage caused by U.S. strikes on three nuclear...
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Israel’s supply of missile interceptors may shape the war
Aside from a potentially gamechanging U.S. intervention that shapes the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, two factors will help decide the length of the Israel-Iran war: Israel’s reserve of missile interceptors and Iran’s stock of long-range...
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For sale: Hardeeville fireworks shop with elephant statues
Along with the fireworks store behind it, a quirky and iconic roadside attraction in downtown Hardeeville is now on the market. The lucky buyer gets a turnkey retail location and two life-size elephant statues with a storied history and dedicated...
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The man whose weather forecast saved the world
“If he had got the forecast wrong,” Peter Stagg said from his home an hour from Bordeaux, France, “I could have been sitting in German France – not France France.” Stagg was speaking about the pivotal role his father, Group Capt. James Stagg, played...
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Volunteers help track horseshoe crabs during spawning season
The horseshoe crab was about to make the same journey his species had made since before the dinosaurs roamed the earth. But as the young male horseshoe crab scuttled through Edisto Beach’s murky water towards the sand, a hand reached down, scooped him...
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Many retirees push ahead plans to file for Social Security
The morning after his 67th birthday, Marty McGowan filed for Social Security. That wasn’t his original plan. He had intended to wait until he was 70 to claim benefits, in exchange for a heftier payment that would have yielded an extra $800 a...
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A whole new chapter for Beaufort’s Ann Head
The story ends with Ann Head’s disturbing death. “Unlike her fiction, her ending was never resolved,” her daughter Nancy Thode writes in a biography of her mother that launched in Beaufort on Saturday. Ann Head is a little-known native of Beaufort...
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On Pritchards Island, sea turtle nesting sites in peril
As sea turtle nesting season starts to heat up, any turtle mamas that make the trek up the Pritchards Island beach may encounter some extra obstacles. The rapidly eroding island owned by the University of South Carolina-Beaufort is one of many sea...
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Workers rise to occasion to fix church steeple
The iconic steeple at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort is being restored to its former glory, maintaining not just one of the city’s oldest historic church buildings but also a fixture of its skyline. The work was proceeding this week as members...
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Preserve in Beaufort County protects sea island cotton field
Tucked off a dirt road on the edge of Coosaw Island, the stretch of salt marsh looks unassuming at first glance. But upon closer inspection, visitors can see a well ordered grid dug into the earth. These structures make up the remains of a sea island...
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Sneak peek at RBC Heritage fashion on pro-am day
Pro-Am day for RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing marks the official start of spectator festivities and this year’s 57th edition was no exception. From southern chic dresses, posh athleisure and of course, plaid, spectators and professionals alike...
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Program aims to boost southern flounder’s dwindling population
Two eyes stare up from the bottom of a large, blue tank. Aside from the bubbling of a filter, the water is still. The southern flounder inside lie in wait, just as they would in the pluff mud of local waters. But in the wild, there are fewer of them...
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Boats still litter Beaufort shore 6 months after Helene
A breeze brings instant relief at David Maw’s blissful backyard, which overlooks the Beaufort River where marsh grass is beginning to turn vibrant green and the glassy water is smudged only by the reflection of clouds and moored sail boats. Lawn chairs...
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Republicans resort to personal appeals to head off DOGE cuts
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., learned that his district might lose a Social Security Administration field office and the National Weather Center’s primary storm prediction hub the same way many other Americans did: through a public webpage the Department of...
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Shelter Cove gangway collapse shows gaps in marina oversight
With the tragedy of Sapelo Island’s dock collapse last October that killed seven people and last week’s accident at Shelter Cove, many are wondering just how safe are our local waterfront amenities and who’s responsible for inspections. Nearly...
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Trump’s 1st 50 days: Cuts, deportations, court pushback
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office – a symbolic measuring stick for a new president – are halfway through. Trump is leading a charge to cut federal spending, the federal workforce and foreign aid in his return to the White House, while...
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TS Conductor to bring 400-plus new jobs to Hardeeville
A manufacturer of an advanced conductor technology will bring more than 400 new jobs to Hardeeville with a $134 million investment, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced Thursday. The company, TS Conductor, will occupy a new 301,275-square-foot...
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Musk’s bureaucracy takeover began before Trump’s first day
On the last Friday of September 2023, Elon Musk dropped in about an hour late to a dinner party at the Silicon Valley mansion of technology investor Chamath Palihapitiya. Musk’s visit was meant to be discreet. Still skittish about getting involved...
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Hilton Head water pipeline must move for bridge work
Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head are due to provide the state with a viable funding plan for the U.S. 278 corridor project in the next 40 days, but an underground variable has been quietly lurking: one that ensures the island’s population...
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Trump moves to impose reciprocal tariffs as soon as April
President Donald Trump ordered his administration to consider imposing reciprocal tariffs on numerous trading partners, raising the prospect of a wider campaign against a global system he complains is tilted against the U.S. The president on Thursday...
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Beaufort County faces deadline for US 278 corridor project
With a March 31 deadline approaching, Beaufort County and the Town of Hilton Head must choose among six options for the U.S. 278 Corridor project or risk losing over $120 million in funding. The project, designed to replace the eastbound Mackay Creek...
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New plastics ban could affect store bags, straws, Styrofoam
For years, the most controversial topic in grocery shopping has not been organic veggies versus non-organic, nor the angst over the scarcity and never-ending rise of egg prices. It’s been concerns about the plastic bags used to tote groceries from the...
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St. Helena farmer freezes blueberries to save them from cold
Biting wind and freezing temperatures greeted Cal Hucks and his Coosaw Farms crew at the blueberry grower’s St. Helena Island fields Tuesday. A rare snowstorm was bearing down on the Lowcountry and threatening to wipe out more than 100,000 of Coosaw’s...
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Pilot accused of DUI refused blood test, police say
The pilot at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport who was removed from the cockpit and charged with driving under the influence before a flight Wednesday morning admitted to drinking “light beers” the night before and reportedly refused to take a...
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Cold weather chills marine life in Beaufort, Hilton Head
It’s so cold that some sea turtles are becoming “cold stunned,” making them lethargic and unable to swim. Meanwhile, shrimpers are fretting. The valuable spring roe crop, currently growing in area estuaries, may be jeopardy if the freezing temperatures...
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Freezing temperatures are coming to Hilton Head, Beaufort
Cold air from Canada is likely to make South Carolina’s coastal communities uncomfortably cool next week with temperatures up to 15 degrees below seasonal averages in the forecast. Showers and high temperatures in the mid-60s will greet residents...
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2 fires in 4 days reported at same Sheldon house
Authorities are investigating two fires at the same Sheldon house over a span of four days that are now under investigation. The second fire, which came on Christmas Eve, left the house a total loss. Both fires are considered suspicious, said Chief...
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10 new seasonal brews to try from local breweries
Looking for a new holiday beverage? These local breweries in Hilton Head have special offerings for the holiday season you won’t want to miss out on. Here are some new craft brew options available at these popular Hilton Head spots. HILTON HEAD...
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New Beaufort County CFO aims to rebuild public trust
When Pinky Harriott was asked to return to her local government roots as Beaufort County’s chief financial officer, she faced a pressing question: did she want to step back into a county plagued by secrecy and a lack of accountability? “There’s no...
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Daufuskie Island photos will hang on Whitney Museum walls
Starting December 5, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City’s West Village will feature an exhibit of photographs taken on Daufuskie Island. The exhibit, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and the Last Gullah Islands, includes 13 black-andwhite...
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Beaufort starstruck over Lafayette’s visit 200 years ago
During the American Revolution, French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette, still a teenager, became a hero after he was injured fighting for the Continental Army against the British. He even served alongside General George Washington during Valley Forge...
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SIB extends U.S. 278 corridor funding deadline
The State Infrastructure Bank has extended Beaufort County’s deadline by four months — originally set for 15 days — to create a funding plan for the $190 million shortfall in the U.S. 278 Corridor project, according to state Senator Tom Davis. The new...
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Beaufort moves to address pressing waterfront issues
Picturesque Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park on the Beaufort River in downtown Beaufort is sometimes called Beaufort’s crown jewel. Besides serving as the location where the city hosts many of its festivals, its promenade is a favorite place to walk...
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Sheriff explains secrecy behind audit report
Beaufort County’s long-awaited audit report on spending and contracts — a document produced as a result of “malfeasance” under former County Administrator Eric Greenway’s — remains under wraps after months of frustration and unanswered questions from...
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Massive land protection effort in works for SC
With a huge federal grant approved, conservation groups and state agencies are moving to protect tens of thousands of acres from development in eastern South Carolina, an effort they say is the largest land conservation effort of its kind in the...
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As polls open, county rolls out new designs for Ribaut Road
Thousands of Beaufort County voters have already cast early ballots and while others prepare to head to the polls in a matter of days, one of the biggest decisions they will make is approving or denying a 1 percent sales tax increase to improve local...
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Lowcountry ferryboat out of service for over a month
Jake Shafer, who has lived on and off Daufuskie Island since 2018, takes the ferry at least once a week. He was on the Manatee II when it broke down during Labor Day weekend on the trek to Hilton Head Island. About 30 minutes into the trip, he said,...
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9 beached boats stuck in mud along Beaufort River
When surveying the shoreline of the Beaufort River along Bay Street in Beaufort these days, images of the beached S.S. Minnow from the 1960s TV hit Gilligan’s Island comes to mind. Several boats, lying on their sides, are stuck in the muddy marsh...
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Beaufort’s blue crabs a delicacy but they’re also ‘mean as hell’
Beaufort native Brett Everett races across the glassy surface of the Morgan River in a 22-foot boat on a muggy 71degree morning, using the Lowcountry waterway to drive deep into the salt marshes. But Everett and his crew, William Beveride and “Lucky”...
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