Hilton Head News

The Town of Bluffton renamed its Watershed Management Building the Jennie Kitty Municipal Building. Kitty worked at the former Bluffton Health Clinic, which is now the Town’s Watershed Management Building. For three decades, Kitty advocated for health initiatives throughout Bluffton’s African American community and the Lowcountry, a news release said. Kitty was born in Port Royal and died this March. She was 90 years old. 

Alex Murdaugh, a well-known Lowcountry attorney who reported that his wife and youngest son were shot and killed in Colleton County in June, was shot Sept. 4 on a road in Hampton County, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED). Murdaugh was treated for a wound to his head. Murdaugh later resigned from the Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth and Detrick PA law firm after being accused of misappropriating funds, according to Bluffton Today.

The Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority, operators of Palmetto Breeze Transit and The Breeze Trolley, has launched a year-round fixed-route transit service with the launch of the new Bluffton Breeze. Bluffton Breeze will operate Monday through Friday, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., serving much of the Bluffton and Buckwalter Parkway thoroughfares. The service is free through the end of 2021, with a $1 per-trip fare beginning in January 2022.

The Beaufort County School District named five finalists for the 2021-22 teacher of the year award. The finalists are Oana Bejan, special education teacher at Hilton Head Island High School; Ann Buckley, special education teacher at Hilton Head Island Middle School; Christopher Crabb, dance teacher at Mossy Oaks Elementary School; Lynne Sunday, media specialist at H.E. McCracken Middle School; and Aimee Whitesell, biology teacher at Battery Creek High School. The District Teacher of the Year will be announced this fall. Megan DeWeese is the current teacher of the year.

The Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra announced its 2021-2022 40th Anniversary Season, which will include nine Orchestra Series programs, two outdoor Pops concerts to launch the season, two Symphony Under The Stars concerts, and the 25th Hilton Head International Piano Competition. The season represents the 10th anniversary of John Morris Russell as music director.

New public pickleball courts are ready for play. The Sea Islands Pickleball Club hosted an event to mark the opening of the county’s newest public pickleball courts at Southside Park and Port Royal’s Shell Point. Beaufort County has added six outdoor pickleball courts in Beaufort, Bluffton, and Port Royal’s Shell Point. Beaufort County Parks and Recreation spent $75,000 to repair the courts, with each location now having one tennis court and two pickleball courts, a news release said. 

A Hilton Head Island woman was bitten by an eight-foot alligator in Hilton Head Plantation, according to the Town of Hilton Head. The woman was transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. A news release said the woman was walking her dog around the lagoon near Rookery Way when the incident occurred.

Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire at a seven-unit residential building on Caesar Place in Allenwood. An occupant was home at the time of the fire and was able to evacuate, along with their pets. There were no injuries reported. Four engine companies, the truck company, one medic unit, the Battalion Chief and additional Staff Officers responded to the fire.

USCB was selected for the French Embassy of the United States’ 2021 Transatlantic Mobility Program, which aims to double the number of students from France and the United States studying abroad in each country by 2025. The program awarded a $10,000 grant to support USCB students in French educational experiences.

Terry Wisdom, a teacher at Bluffton Middle School, died from COVID-19 complications, according to the school. The school said Wisdom, a CATE instructor, “was supportive, dependable, always willing to give of himself to others.” Wisdom was an advocate for his Project Lead the Way content, the Robotics team, and the football and track programs, the school said. 

A Hardeeville man was charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting at a gas station, according to the Hardeeville Police Department. The suspect, Marcus Gordon, 36, was arrested Sept. 8. The shooting left a man injured with gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. 

Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. In a year’s time, that is more than 10 million women and men.

South Carolina ranks 11th in the nation in the rate of women murdered by men, according to the Violence Policy Center (VPC) study, When Men Murder Women, published in 2020. This was the first time in the 23-year history of the study that South Carolina has not been included among the 10 states with the highest rates of women killed by men. 

DEEP WELL PROJECT AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

Isabella Gonzalez, Zien Cordray, Renee Mitchell, Astrid Bautista and Daniella Azar were named Deep Well Project scholarship recipients. Each has earned help with tuition and books at the Technical College of the Lowcountry. Deep Well will also help with childcare, gas cards and laptops or printers if needed. For information about Deep Well’s scholarship program, visit deepwellproject.org or call 843-785-2849.

TOM PEEPLES RETIRES AFTER 43 YEARS SERVING THE LOWCOUNTRY

After 43 years of building homes on Hilton Head Island, the town’s former longtime mayor, Tom Peeples, has retired. 

Born and raised in Ridgeland, Peeples spent a lot of time on Hilton Head as a young boy. His parents bought property on the island in the early 1950s, before there was a bridge to the mainland.

CATCHING UP ON INITIATIVES FOR HILTON HEAD AND BLUFFTON

The Lowcountry is thriving with ever-evolving projects. Here is a look at three initiatives that are underway: