Carol Weir

USCB wins gold award for military friendly campus, programs

The University of South Carolina Beaufort has earned the 2022-2023 Military Friendly School Gold designation in the small public school category. The superior Gold award is a boost from last year’s Bronze designation and recognizes USCB’s exemplary…

Local SCETV-USCB collaborative television show goes national

“Quiet on the set! I have an announcement: ‘By the River’ is going national!” Very few college students get the chance to be part of a national television show. But with this news, the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Dr. Caroline Sawyer and…

USC Beaufort student wins prestigious National Hispanic Health Scholarship

By Carol Weir When Mariela Moreno Nava’s younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia at age four, the family’s medical odyssey began. Because they lived in a tiny town far from a major hospital, her mom and sister stayed in a Ronald McDonald House…

USCB wins Gold Military Friendly Award

By Carol Weir The University of South Carolina Beaufort has earned the “2022-2023 Military Friendly School” Gold designation in the small public school category. The superior Gold award is a boost from last year’s Bronze designation and recognizes…

Citizen scientists: Volunteers help protect water quality in Beaufort County

By Carol Weir Would you like to get involved in protecting local waterways as a citizen scientist — no experience or special knowledge required? In a program new to Beaufort County, local residents are collecting samples, performing simple water…

USC Beaufort biology students analyze sewage for Covid-19 clues

By Carol Weir Special to The Island News Can sewage from bathrooms around the Lowcountry predict the next local coronavirus hot spot? Student researchers at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) are monitoring the spread of COVID-19 by…

The future is now: USC Beaufort goes high tech for history

By Carol Weir Students and faculty from the University of South Carolina Beaufort are using new digital technologies to tell the stories of African Americans in Beaufort County during the Reconstruction era. The university is employing new,…

Local student and new citizen assists Rep. James Clyburn

Antonia Quintero of Hilton Head Island recently became a U.S. citizen – and she celebrated this milestone by immersing herself in national politics. Quintero, who was born in Colombia and grew up in South Carolina, just spent a semester working for…

The future is now

USCB student wins County Council seat, likely youngest elected official in S.C. history By Carol Weir Noah Alexander is only 19 years old, but his drive to help Hampton County evolve has already made headlines. Alexander is the youngest member of…

USCB Center for the Arts relies on creativity during pandemic

“Excuse me – is this seat taken?” USCB’s Center for the Arts hopes the answer is yes. A creative fundraiser launched by the center puts wooden characters in many of its theatre’s seats to enforce social distancing regulations and to earn money for…

Shark tracker

USCB STUDENT FROM HILTON HEAD JOINS SHARK RESEARCH TEAM Could bacteria on the skin of sharks be a source of new antibiotics for humans? The answer to this and many other questions may come from research conducted by scientists affiliated with…

For the Animals

WOUNDED WILDLIFE FIND NEW HOMES AT LAURA’S LITTLE CRITTER BARN Growth in greater Bluffton has displaced the area’s wild animals, whose habitats have been upended by landscaping crews, traffic, construction and other human activities. When those…

Delayed but Determined

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY FULL SPEED AHEAD AT THE GLEN Carolina Ramirez usually has a smile on her face, and she giggled when she said, “We’re calling this ‘the waiting house.’” Her home at Hilton Head Regional Habitat for Humanity’s The Glen neighborhood…

Neighbors in Need

BLUFFTON SELF HELP PROVIDES AID FOR MANY “This is the most generous community I’ve ever worked in,” Kimberly Hall said as she finished loading donated groceries onto a shelf. Hall, who is executive director of Bluffton Self Help, pointed to Holly…

School district serves up food, comfort to students during pandemic

At Red Cedar Elementary School one recent morning, families who came to pick up free breakfasts and lunches being offered by the Beaufort County School District got more than just food. The students and parents who received the meals were the focus…

Strength in Numbers

AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER CAN HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS How often have you set a goal but never quite got around to doing anything to achieve it? Or maybe you’ve found yourself making progress, but then something got in the way and you got off…

Intriguing Immigrants - Mayra Rivera-Vázquez

MAYRA RIVERA-VÁZQUEZ The Political Activist When Mayra Rivera-Vázquez’s husband started looking for jobs in the U.S. as a federal employee, she had one requirement: the new assignment had to be near the East Coast, so she could look at the ocean and…

A Gift of Learning

NICHOLAS D. LUCCHESI SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCED AT USCB Anew scholarship fund at the University of South Carolina Beaufort honors a Lowcountry young man who loved the university and provides opportunities for other students. The full-tuition scholarships…

Drive Time

CLASSIC CARS TAKE TO THE STREETS OF BLUFFTON IN CONCOURS DRIVING TOUR The Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival has a reputation as the “fun” Concours event among automotive aficionados from coast to coast. This year, as leaders…

Annelore Harrell

BLUFFTON’S UNOFFICIAL HISTORIANWILL MAKE YOU SMILE What qualities make life fun? For Annelore Harrell, the ability to laugh at fate’s twists and turns — and at herself — are high on the list. Taking the long view also helps, which is fairly easy for…