Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Blogs

Chicago's Olympics bid: All things go

Posted by jvrabel at 10:58 am, Thursday, October 1st, 2009
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Because he had nothing else to do this week, President Barack Obama took a trip to Denmark to convince Olympic honchos to hold the 2016 Summer Games in Chicago. Now, Chicago already has a lot going for it, with its wind and broad shoulders and hilarious “base-ball teams,” but we here at the Guide feel that President Obama needed to raise the stakes a bit.

Residents ask questions about Beaufort's 2009 Comprehensive Plan

Posted by jvachon at 4:46 pm, Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
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More than 90 people packed Beaufort’s courtroom Tuesday and listened as Craig Lewis, a representative of the Lawrence Group, highlighted key parts of the city’s 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

Lewis took questions from the audience after the presentation. Below are some of those questions and his responses (which have been paraphrased).

• Question: Are there two or three core decisions the city can make to revitalize the Northwest Quadrant?

Council laments lack of state dollars for local schools

Posted by mcovington at 7:40 pm, Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
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The Beaufort County Council voted 7-3 Monday to deny a school board request to boost its tax rate this year — but the real culprits in the lack of local school funding are in Columbia, some council members said.

“We spend more time in here debating millage rate than we do focusing on issues that under EFA funding formula, we generate and ship to Columbia in excess of $100 million and we get not a dime back here,” said Council Chairman Weston Newton, who voted against the tax increase.

S.C. Supreme Court approves Drug Court Judge

Posted by pdonohue at 1:37 pm, Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
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The S.C. Supreme Court issued an order last week officially naming Lady’s Island attorney Carol Ruff the new judge of Beaufort County Drug Court.

The order, issued by Supreme Court Associate Justice Costa Pleicones, gives Ruff, 42, the power to “impose sanctions for violations of the conditions of the drug court treatment program,” the order reads.

Fat, happy and dumb: One possible outcome of the new media landscape

Posted by jkidd at 10:25 am, Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
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RSS feeds allow readers to filter and collect news that interests them. New cell phones and PDAs make information from a variety of sources more accessible than ever before. Social-networking and file-sharing Web sites allow easy publication and distribution of user-generated content.

Former Beaufort High star Blake Gruel to return to baseball after cancer operation

Posted by bparker at 1:25 am, Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
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Just three days ago, Blake Gruel was laying in a hospital bed, slurping down popsicles while recovering from surgery to remove a cancerous thyroid.
Now, the 18-year-old is back at USC-Sumter and one week away from returning to the baseball field for the Red Ants, according to a text message he sent me on Monday evening.

Gruel's quick recovery is just another testament to the upbeat and determined spirit he conveyed when the news first broke of his diagnosis with thyroid cancer just a few weeks after enrolling at USC-Sumter.

YMCA hosts second annual Puppy Plunge

Posted by Hannah HC at 12:44 pm, Monday, September 28th, 2009
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dog

The Wardle Family YMCA hosts its second annual Puppy Plunge for dogs and their owners from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 3. Dogs of all breeds and sizes are welcome to take a dip in the outdoor pool.

Admission to the Puppy Plunge is $5 per dog. Dogs must be well behaved, current on all required vaccines and leashed until inside the pool area. Owners must be present at all times and humans are not permitted to swim in the Puppy Plunge.

Saturday Morning Punter: I've got good news and bad news for area football teams

Posted by jjarrett at 1:21 pm, Saturday, September 26th, 2009
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I can only come up with one explanation for what is unfolding under the Friday night lights of the Lowcountry this season -- we've stumbled into a bizarro world in which up is down, left is right, and defense is almost non-existent.

How else to explain how two traditionally strong defenses in Hilton Head High and Ridgeland could find themselves in a 49-42 shootout, how Hilton Head Prep could score 50 ... and lose, how only four area teams could have winning records at the midpoint of the regular season ... and two of them are Ridgeland and Hardeeville (which combined for five wins in 2008), and how the longest-tenured sports writer at the Beaufort Gazette and The Island Packet could be in last place in the staff picks competition?

News Bites: Fall Festivals Aplenty

Posted by jpaprocki at 11:18 am, Friday, September 25th, 2009
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Mark your calendars because just about every weekend until November has a foodie festival of some sort. Shrimp festivals, oyster roasts, chili and cajun food ... it's all here. Read on to get the lowdown on the next few weeks.

As always, if you know of something cool going on, log in below and let me know about it. Also, don't forget to visit our Facebook and Twitter directory to check out what local restaurants are up to.

Movie Review: 'Fame' is fleeting

Posted by jvrabel at 10:50 am, Friday, September 25th, 2009
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‘Fame,” the original high school musical, is a sometimes toe-tapping remake that gleefully borrows scenes, situations and character types from the 1980 original.

But in filtering that gritty, edgy drama about the true costs of pursuing a life in the performing arts through a Disney-fied “HSM” lens, this film scrubs away all the grit. This “Fame” is a film without the guts to show an “Idol”-ized America that, as Debbie Allen so memorably said, “Fame costs, and right here’s where you start paying.”



‘Fame’

★★

Starring Naturi Naughton, Asher Book, Charles S. Dutton. Directed by Kevin Tancharoen. 1:44. PG (teen drinking, sexual situation, language).

Click here for a listing of local theaters.