News

Coverage of timely local, regional, and breaking news in Beaufort County and the South Carolina Lowcountry. Includes community updates, government decisions, public safety alerts, traffic and weather impacts, and key issues shaping life in Beaufort, Port Royal, Lady’s Island, St. Helena Island, and surrounding Sea Islands. Designed for residents and visitors seeking authoritative, hyperlocal journalism from Beaufort’s newspaper of record.

PRIMARY 2026: Doug Seifert & ‘JoJo’ Woodward, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Sheriff

News /

Ahead of the June 9 primary election, The Island News sent detailed candidate questionnaires to those running in several contested local and state races impacting Beaufort County voters. Doug Seifert and Joey “JoJo” Woodward Jr. offered sharply different views on the current direction of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, with both Republican candidates emphasizing public safety, transparency and support for deputies while differing on priorities, leadership style and the agency’s current performance.

PRIMARY 2026: Doug Seifert & ‘JoJo’ Woodward, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Sheriff Read More »

PRIMARY 2026: Joshua Hower, Joe Maiorano & Mary Jeans Otto, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 5

News /

Ahead of the June 9 primary election, The Island News sent detailed candidate questionnaires to those running in several contested local and state races impacting Beaufort County voters. Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 5 — Joshua Hower, Mary Jeans Otto and Joe Maiorano — all centered their campaigns on concerns about rapid growth and preserving the Lowcountry’s character, though each candidate offered different ideas for managing development, infrastructure and government oversight.

PRIMARY 2026: Joshua Hower, Joe Maiorano & Mary Jeans Otto, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 5 Read More »

PRIMARY 2026: Michael Rivers Sr. & Shannon Nehemiah DeLoach, Democratic candidates for SC House District 121

News /

Ahead of the June 9 primary election, The Island News sent detailed candidate questionnaires to those running in several contested local and state races impacting Beaufort County voters. Democratic candidates for S.C. House District 121, Michael Rivers Sr. and Shannon Nehemiah DeLoach, both emphasized affordability, infrastructure and protecting historic Gullah-Geechee communities in their responses, while offering different perspectives shaped by their professional and political backgrounds.

PRIMARY 2026: Michael Rivers Sr. & Shannon Nehemiah DeLoach, Democratic candidates for SC House District 121 Read More »

PRIMARY 2026: Michael Andersen & Thomas Grygowski, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 4

News /

Ahead of the June 9 primary election, The Island News sent detailed candidate questionnaires to those running in several contested local and state races impacting Beaufort County voters. Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 4, Michael Andersen and Thomas Grygowski, both centered their County Council District 4 campaigns on growth, infrastructure and protecting Beaufort County’s character, though the two candidates often approached those issues from different perspectives.

PRIMARY 2026: Michael Andersen & Thomas Grygowski, Republican candidates for Beaufort County Council District 4 Read More »

Port Royal looks to revive MCIP funding for port redevelopment

Education, News /

Officials with the Town of Port Royal say they are attempting to revive a long-planned funding mechanism tied to the redevelopment of the former State Ports Authority property, but the proposal is now facing pushback from members of the Beaufort County Board of Education who argue the move could divert millions of dollars away from public schools.

Port Royal looks to revive MCIP funding for port redevelopment Read More »