Hilton Head

LaVerne Stewart, who teaches English Language Arts at Hilton Head Island Middle School, was named Beaufort County’s 2022-2023 District Teacher of the Year. Stewart has 22 years of teaching experience. The four other finalists were Kinsey Butler at Bluffton Middle School; Justine Hardy at Battery Creek High School; Karri Kearns at May River High School; and Jennifer Lyles at Coosa Elementary School. Stewart’s mother, Vernell Speaks-Stewart, was also a seventh-grade ELA educator in Beaufort County.

Hilton Head Island Town Council agreed to work with Beaufort County to advance the William Hilton Parkway Corridor Project, including hiring an independent consultant to conduct end-to-end analysis and simulation of the proposed corridor improvements, a news release said.

Municipalities in Beaufort and Jasper counties have created a regional housing consortium and have pledged $3.4 million to kick start the initiative. A Housing Trust Fund is established to support the production and preservation of affordable housing for the area’s teachers, law enforcement, first responders, cooks, and other service industry jobs.

The effects of Hurricane Ian were felt in the Lowcountry, but it did not directly hit the area, and there were no major impact, according to officials. Town of Hilton Head said Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue responded to six downed trees with no injuries or significant damage. Sustained winds of 38 miles per hour and gusts of 52 miles per hour were recorded on Hilton Head Island. Beaufort County saw about 1.5 inches of rain. The storm strengthened (Category 1) as it reached the Charleston area, bringing about eight inches of rain.

Lowcountry voters will head to the polls on Nov. 8. Hilton Head Island voters will choose a new mayor and there are council races. There are also Beaufort County school board and council races. For a sample ballot specific to your district, visit scvotes.org and click “Get My Sample Ballot.”

Brian Mixson, a former fighter in Jasper County, was honored by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Mixson, 32, suffered a stroke while on duty on March 5, 2021. He was transported to a local hospital and died 12 days later. Mixson served as a firefighter and EMT in Jasper County for more than 14 years. He was one of 148 firefighters recognized at an event in October.

The Lowcountry and parts of the state were unnerved Oct. 5 by a number of fake reports of active shooters at schools. The Beaufort Police Department received a phone call at 9:27 a.m. reporting there was an active shooter at Beaufort High School. Officials said the call was a hoax, but before it was determined, police officers and sheriff’s deputies swarmed the school to make sure it was safe. About 40 officers were inside the school at one point, a news release said. The false alarm was one of 22 received by schools in South Carolina that day, Sheriff P.J. Tanner said.

BY JILL HORNER

Did you know someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease every 65 seconds? Did you know in South Carolina there are 106,233 living with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia? Here in Beaufort County the cases of Alzheimer’s have grown by 354% since the year 2000.

HHI RESIDENT RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

Eleanor Lightsey was recognized by Beaufort County Council for her “commitment and dedication to the community” in making it a better place to live, work and play. She served the Lowcountry on various boards such as South Island Public Service District Board, Programs for Exceptional People, Forest Beach Owners Association, Board of Osprey Village, Community Vision of Hilton Head, Lowcountry Autism Foundation, Hilton Head Heroes and Safe Harbor and Turtle Trackers. In her professional career, she was named executive vice president of the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors and became business manager for LowCountry InsideTrack, Ltd.

LOCAL, COUNTRY & STATE RACER

By James A. Mallory

Lowcountry voters will decide on Nov. 8 whether Congressional District 1 stays Republican or flips back to the Democrats. On Hilton Head Island, voters will choose a new mayor from among four candidates. Other state races include governor, U.S. Senator and a State School Superintendent.

DAVID LAUDERDALE RECEIVES PEGGY MAY INSPIRATION AWARD

The Board of the Foundation of Educational Excellence presented the 2022 Peggy May Inspiration Award to David Lauderdale for his “creativity, contributions, and passion throughout the Beaufort County communities over many decades as a journalist.” Lauderdale is a retired senior editor and columnist at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. He served as Hilton Head Island’s St. Patrick’s Parade grand marshal in 2019.

The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra 2022-2023 season will include concert pairs of the nine Orchestra Series programs, free outdoor Symphony Under The Stars Pops concerts, and Hilton Head International Piano Competition. The HHSO will offer the Coastal Home Supper Club series and a new Gullah Cultural Series at its intimate performance space, SoundWaves at Coligny Plaza.

BY AMY COYNE BREDESON | PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY HILTON HEAD BIG BAND

ECLECTIC ENSEMBLE OF HILTON HEAD BIG BAND HELPS SUPPORT MUSIC EDUCATION FOR KIDS

What began as a club for musicians in Hilton Head Plantation more than a decade ago has evolved into a nonprofit organization that uses its combined musical talents to support music education for children in Beaufort County.

BY LILI COLEMAN

For the first time in U.S. history, older people are projected to outnumber children. The year 2030 will mark this important demographic turning point according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 national population projections. By then, all baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1965) will be older than age 65.

STUDENTS HEAD TO HILTON HEAD FOR COLLEGE ETHICS SYMPOSIUM

BY TIM WOOD

There is a nationally renowned event molding feature leaders that has taken place on Hilton Head Island for more than four decades that you may never have heard of.