On Base

Advocates of Beaufort County's libraries said Monday that budget cuts are frustrating residents and limiting public access to information.

Brig. Gen. Lori Reynolds became the first female commander of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on Friday but said nothing of the accomplishment during her change-of-command ceremony.

South Carolina is receiving praise for making it easier for military and overseas voters to cast their ballots.

The Pew Center on the States applauded legislators for passing the S.C. Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voters Act this year, according to a news release from the Washington, D.C., nonprofit organization.

The legislation was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Nikki Haley and mandates that service members and citizens overseas receive their ballots faster and earlier, according to legislative records.

The Beaufort Air Show is right around the corner — April 30 and May 1 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. The folks at the air station have put together a tongue-in-cheek promotional video that's worth two minutes of your time:

The air station also has put together a video about prohibited and permissible items, which can be viewed here:

Those looking to get their jet fighter fix don’t have to wait until the 2011 Beaufort Air Show at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort later this month.

More than 100,000 people are expected to flood the gates of Joint Base Charleston on Saturday for its Air Expo, headlined by the Air Force’s elite Thunderbirds aerial precision team. The event is free and open to the public.

The Thunderbirds, which fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon, are scheduled to arrive in Charleston on Wednesday to begin practicing for their weekend performance, according to a news release.

Beaufort-area families living in military housing have a new way of finding out what’s going on in their communities.

A Beaufort man and founder of a national nonprofit organization wants two men vying to represent South Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District to put their money where their mouths are.

Steve Danyluk, founder of the Independence Fund, is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, Democratic candidate Rob Miller and their supporters to raise money to help 50 veterans severely wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan attend the Beaufort Shrimp Festival in October.

Saturday marked the beginning of another chapter in the storied history of Beaufort’s National Guard unit.

During a ceremony Saturday morning at the Beaufort Readiness Center, Capt. Brendan Cooney relinquished command of the 131st Military Police Company to Capt. Scott Shelley, an Upstate native and Iraq veteran.

The Blue Angels, expected to return to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort’s air show in 2011, will lack one part of its repertoire.

The Blue Angels’ C-130T Hercules, known as Fat Albert, will perform its jet-assisted takeoff for the last time at an airshow Nov. 14 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.