STORY 1

From WSAV

A loggerhead sea turtle nest laid on May 11 is the first of this season to hatch on Hilton Head Island.

Sea Turtle Patrol HHI made the announcement Wednesday.

Approximately 30 hatchlings emerged Tuesday night. Sea Turtle Patrol HHI will watch the nest over the next few days to ensure an accurate count.

DNA analysis shows the turtle that laid the eggs in this nest also nested on Hilton Head Island in 2019, 2023 and 2026.

Story 2

From the Island Packet

Firefighters battled a fire at a downtown Beaufort house Monday evening and saved some dragons in the process. Fire crews arrived at 7:30 p.m. to find a working fire at the 2,000 square-foot Wilmington Street residence, according to Ross Vezin, a spokesman for the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department.

Beaufort County EMS and Beaufort police also responded. Crews quickly extinguished the fire but that’s not all. They also rescued three pet bearded dragons being kept in an aquarium inside the residence.

Social media comments applauded the firefighters’ work in saving these pets, with commenters calling them heroes.

Story 3

From the Post & Courier

The heat and humidity are unrelenting, and extreme heat advisories from the National Weather Service are blanketing the counties along the South Carolina coast. Doctors say these conditions can be more than just miserable, they could be dangerous.

And that danger is increasing — between 1999 and 2023, more than 21,000 people died in the U.S. from heat-related illness, according to a study in JAMA Network. Those deaths more than doubled, from 1,069 in 1999 to 2,325 in 2023, the highest number of deaths so far, the study found.

The combination of the heat and the humidity work against people in these hot conditions. The body tries to cool itself by sweating and the evaporation of sweat off the skin, which can release body heat. That becomes harder and harder as heat and humidity climb.

It is already taking a toll in the Lowcountry, said Dr. Tejbir Dhindsa, medical director of the emergency room at Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital. While it is hard to know if it is more than previous years, “we are seeing a lot of heat-related illnesses,” he said. It runs the gamut — from feeling light-headed with some cramping to nausea, vomiting and the kidneys shutting down.

And it is not just the heat and humidity that is dangerous if people aren’t careful about sun exposure, Dhindsa said.

“We actually had to talk to a burn doctor yesterday about someone who had a pretty bad, extensive sunburn that had blistered and caused quite a bit of pain,” he said.

Heat exhaustion can have symptoms of sweating, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, cool and clammy skin, and an elevated body temperature, said Dr. Diann Krywko, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Heat stroke, the more severe condition, can see confusion, slurred speech, loss of consciousness and even liver or kidney failure, she said.

The best advice, doctors said, is to avoid getting to that point in the first place. If you start to feel symptoms, stop what you are doing, go to a cool space, drink a lot of non-alcoholic fluids and try and hydrate.

STORY 1

From Post & Courier

Two city blocks in Beaufort’s historic Northwest Quadrant will soon be converted into a new cultural campus under an expansion plan announced by the Freedman Arts District. The nonprofit organization recently acquired the municipal properties at 1407 King and 600 Wilmington streets to launch the Freedman School of Arts, Crafts & Culture.

Local developer and Freedman Arts District board member Dick Stewart purchased the multi-property facilities through his real estate firm for $1,055,000 and intends to donate the buildings directly to the Freedman Foundation. Located close to the Pat Conroy Literary Center, the two buildings, approximately 8,000 square feet each, will help create a permanent downtown network focused on creative workforce education and neighborhood revitalization.

“We are eager to support the arts and preserve the history of the area,” Stewart said. “It’s very ambitious and I think it is going to have a lasting impact on our area and will serve as a hub and help us connect all the creative outlets we have in Beaufort.”

The project will repurpose a vacant former county government office and an active health department building into public spaces for hands-on learning. As part of the transition, the health department is leasing the space back from Stewart's firm until they finalize their relocation to a new facility.

Story 2

From WSAV

This week was runoffs for the South Carolina Primaries. In the Republican Governor race, Alan Wilson defeated Pamela Evette to earn the GOP bid. David Stumbo defeated Stephen Goldfinch to be the Republican Nominee for Attorney General. Cody Simpson defeated Danny Ford II for the Republican bid to be Ag Commissioner. Nancy Lacore defeated Mac Deford in the Democrat primary for US House District 1. On the Republican side of the District 1 primary Jenny Hosta Honeycutty beat Mark Smith. And in the Republican Primary for Beaufort County Council District 5 seat Joshua Hower defeated Mary Jeans Otto. Election Day is November 3, 2026. Head to BeaufortCountySC.gov/Vote or SCVotes.SC.Gov for more election information and to register to vote.

Story 3

From Explore Beaufort SC

From the depths of the ocean to USCB. A newly discovered species of deep-sea black coral has been named for Dr. Mercer R. Brugler, Chair of USCB’s Department of Natural Sciences and Professor of Marine Biology.

“Leiopathes brugleri,” described by scientists from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and international collaborators, inhabits deep waters from Texas to Florida and the Azores.

The impressive tree-like corals can grow more than 2 meters tall and wide and may live for more than 4,265 years. These corals provide habitat for diverse marine life and are important indicators of ocean health.

The discovery was published in the journal “Coral Reefs” on June 15, 2026.

Dr. Brugler has dedicated more than two decades to studying the evolution and conservation of black corals, and this recognition celebrates his lasting contributions to marine science.

Also of note is some other promising information concerning the Earth’s coral reefs.

Breakthroughs in coral reef research published in mid-2026 reveal that approximately one-third of the world’s reefs are climate resilient. Scientists identified these vital refugia and are actively working on innovative, hybrid restoration projects to protect marine ecosystems.