Eye on Hilton Head

Richard Phillips, the kidnapped merchant marine captain of the Maersk Alabama held captive by Somali pirates in April 2009, will speak about his ordeal at sea from 10 to 11:30 a.m. March 3 at Hilton Head Island High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, 70 Wilborn Road.

The public is invited to hear the harrowing episode which ended in a dramatic rescue by U.S. Navy SEALs and the death of all the captors.

The Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Leadership Class of 2012 will host an oyster roast from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Roastfish and Cornbread restaurant, 70 Marshland Road, Hilton Head.

Move on Music with Lavon Stevens and Band will also perform.

Cost is $20 per person and includes Gullah chicken and rice, oysters, chili, hot dogs, gelato and nonalcoholic drinks. Wine and beer sold separately.

The meeting of the Beaufort County Airports Board scheduled for 1:30 p.m. tomorrow (Feb. 16) has been postponed until 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.

The meeting will be held in County Council Chambers at the Beaufort County Administration Building, 100 Ribaut Road in Beaufort. It will also be broadcast on The County Channel.

The Federal Communications Commissions released an interactive map Friday of areas eligible for $300 million in one-time money to expand wireless access across the country.

The map is based on data from American Roamer, which shows census blocks that are both served and under-served by 3G or better wireless coverage.

No areas of Beaufort County, including Hilton Head, are eligible. However, Jasper County has 14 eligible census blocks where wireless service is unavailable, according to the map.

Hilton Head Island Town Council also approved the following Tuesday:

• Drainage agreement and easement with Community Services Associates across property in Sea Pines Plantation

• Drainage agreement and easement with Wexford Plantation Homeowners Association across property in Wexford Plantation

• Resolution supporting the Municipal Association of South Carolina’s 2012 legislative agenda

• Appointed native islander Alex Brown to the Planning Commission to fill the unexpired term of Charles Young III

Still confused who would represent you on Town Council under redistricting?

Still unsure which ward you be included in with the redrawn boundary lines?

Here's a better, closer look at how Town Council chose to redraw the island's six wards to account for population group during the last decade.

The westbound right-turn lane of William Hilton Parkway at Folly Field Road on Hilton Head Island will temporarily close beginning Monday for storm drainage work.

An adjacent pathway will be temporarily re-routed across Folly Field Road as workers also make safety improvements to the path.

The improvements are being made by the Town of Hilton Head to mitigate severe road flooding at the intersection, according to a news release.

The work is expected to last until Feb. 15.

MONDAY, Feb. 6
Town of Hilton Head Island
Public Safety Committee: 10 a.m.; Benjamin M. Racusin Council Chambers, Town Hall, 1 Town Center Court
Agenda: Discussion of proposed towing and wrecker service ordinance; fourth-quarter 2011 crime statistics from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office
On the web: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov

TUESDAY, Feb. 7
Town of Hilton Head Island
Public Facilities Committee: 2 p.m.; Benjamin M. Racusin Council Chambers, Town Hall, 1 Town Center Court
Agenda: Clearing of disaster-related debris from private easements, streets and multi-family developments

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at 120 Okatie Center Blvd. in Bluffton for beloved search dog Bubba.

Dan Fuller, executive director of the volunteer Urban Search and Rescue team based on Hilton Head Island, said the 12-year-old German shepherd was “put down” Tuesday after a battle with cancer. Bubba participated in search-and-rescue operations up and down the East Coast, including the Caylee Anthony search, the Latoyia Figueroa search and the Petrone/Imbo search.

Details: Call Fuller at 843-247-0904.

The Southern Environmental Law Center targeted the Savannah River as one of the top 10 endangered places in the southern U.S. http://bit.ly/x3C5Fg

On Thursday, the Charlottesville, Va.-based nonprofit legal advocacy group released its fourth annual list of places “that face immediate, potentially irreparable threats in 2012,” according to a press release.

The target areas were chosen based on their “exceptional scenic, ecological, or cultural value,” according to the SELC’s website.