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.

STORY 1

From WSAV

Hosting thousands of fans last year, the Music Festival of the Lowcountry is coming back in June with another day full of free live music and fun.

J.P. Signature Group Events will
present the Music Festival of the Lowcountry at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront
Park in Downtown Beaufort, SC on Saturday, June 7th from 1:00PM – 10:00PM
featuring headliners including Tony Jackson, America’s Favorite Country Music,
and Who’s Bad – The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience.

Music Festival of the Lowcountry
ignited in the mind of local real estate expert, Jamie Peart of J.P. Signature
Group – Keller Williams. She and her team have provided the Beaufort, SC
community with multiple free events over the last four years including free
pictures in the park and free movie nights during the fall and winter.

Story 2

From WSAV

FishingBooker.com , the world’s largest platform connecting anglers and fishing guides, recently announce its yearly Angler’s Choice Award . This exclusive recognition acknowledges charter operators for their exceptional customer service, reliability, and quality of fishing trips. Out of 8,732 captains who partner with FishingBooker, only 672, or 7.7%, were recognized for their excellence. When looking at the performance of all US states, South Carolina came in as the #5 state by highest share of Angler’s Choice Award-winning captains.

South Carolina boasts 45 winners on this year’s list – an impressive 16% of the 285 captains featured on FishingBooker in the state. That’s a win rate well above the average, and a testament to the state’s thriving fishing scene. Beaufort County has 11 of the award-winning captains operating from its waters. Breaking it down by location, 9 winners operate from Hilton Head Island , and 1 each from Bluffton and St. Helena Island .

Story 3

From Beaufort County

Beaufort County employees recently celebrated Earth Day 2025 this past Friday by volunteering several hours to help clean up litter and debris at various heavily traveled roadways around Beaufort County.

More than 580 volunteers — representing 24 partner organizations and over 200 Beaufort County employees — worked side by side to pick up litter along 40 miles of roadways, collecting an incredible 9,000 pounds of litter across the Lowcountry.

County Administrator Michael Moore and Keep Beaufort County Beautiful Board Chairman Christopher Campbell and the County's state partner, Esther Wagner, Awareness and Education Coordinator from Palmetto Pride made remarks at the luncheon and ceremony that followed. Volunteers also got a chance to visit at a number of local environmental education booths to learn the impact of litter on Lowcountry wildlife and waterways.

Volunteer opportunities are also available with the Keep Beaufort County Beautiful Board- A Keep America Beautiful Affiliate! The Keep Beaufort County Beautiful (KBCB) Board is dedicated to promoting litter prevention, beautification, and environmental stewardship across our community. The Board meets quarterly and welcomes public participation.

For more information visit Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycle.

STORY 1

From the Island Packet

Hilton
Head Christian’s baseball team rode a wave of emotion to a state championship
Friday night. Playing without one of their key players, the Eagles used it as
motivation as they defeated Ben Lippen, 7-3, in the deciding game of the
best-of-three SCISA 4A championship series at Minrow Field. It was HHCA’s
second straight championship and first in Class 4A. The Eagles won the 3A
championship last season. HHCA was without starting INF/OF Stone Burd, who had
a medical emergency shortly before the team got on the bus to leave for
Orangeburg and was taken to the hospital.

Coach Jay Scarboro said there was a thought of postponing the game until Saturday. But after the urging of Burd’s parents, the Eagles played the game. “It was a tough emotional day,” Scarboro said. “… One thing his mom asked us to do was go play our hearts out for him and I feel like our guys did.” Slaide Burd, Stone’s brother, played in the game and carried his brother’s jersey out during pregame introductions. HHCA wore purple ribbons in Stone’s honor and both teams gathered at home plate for a prayer before the game.

Slaide called his brother, who was sent home from the hospital later Friday evening, shortly after the game’s final out. “Meant a lot to me coming here and winning it for him,” said Slaide, a Georgia Southern commit. “Thinking in spirit, he was here and got our back. We knew we had to go out there and play the game for him. That’s what we did.”

Story 2

From the Island Packet

The wait was worth it for the Hilton Head Prep baseball team. After having the deciding game of the SCISA 3A championship series pushed back because of graduation, the Dolphins were up to the challenge Monday and defeated Orangeburg Prep, 5-3, to win the best-of-three championship series. The win continues another strong championship haul for the school, which also won championships in boys basketball, boys golf and girls soccer in the last few months.

The Dolphins (29-3) won the series opener, 3-0, on Wednesday but dropped Game 2, 6-5, setting up the deciding game at Dorchester Academy. Orangeburg Prep led 3-1 heading into the sixth inning before the Dolphins responded with four runs to take a 5-3 lead. Hilton Head loaded the bases in the inning on a pair of walks and a Brody Hausher single. A third walk to Sammy Middleton scored JP Pirkey to cut the lead to 3-2. The Dolphins took the lead on an Orangeburg Prep error that allowed Finnian Rooney and Hausher to score and make it 4-3.

Jackson Stanyard made it 5-3 on an RBI single to right field. Orangeburg Prep got two on in the top of the seventh with one out. But Brandon Espinoza got the final two outs, including the final one by strikeout to win the championship. Espinoza pitched a complete-game, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out five. Sammy Middleton was 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs while Espinoza, Stanyard and Calvin Middleton each had RBIs for Hilton Head Prep. Eli Pantaleon was 2-for-3 with a solo home run to lead Orangeburg Prep.