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<p><strong>Firefighters stop vehicle fire, save home</strong></p>
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<p>Burton firefighters and Beaufort County EMS were able to safely extinguish a vehicle fire within feet of a home, preventing any damage to the residence.</p>
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<p>Just past 12:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, the Burton Fire District was dispatched to what at first was reported as a house fire on Bonaire Circle North. A neighbor called 911 after his wife heard popping and explosions, and reported to dispatchers that he believed his neighbor’s home was half engulfed in flames.</p>
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<p>Burton firefighters and EMS personnel from the Shell Point fire station arrived four minutes later and reported that it was in fact a vehicle fire and not a house fire. Fire crews pushed the flames away from the home and extinguished the fire, which was confined to the engine and passenger compartments.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>No injuries were reported. The fire is under investigation.</p>
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<p><strong>City Council approves Fire Department grant</strong></p>
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<p>At its Sept. 14 meeting, Beaufort City Council voted to approve a grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department for $418,060. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant, which will be matched by $41,806 in City funds, will be used to provide paramedic and basic and advanced emergency medical technician training to firefighters.</p>
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<p>Last year, the Fire Department received a DHS grant of $220,824, allowing the department to train 30 firefighters to the EMT-Advanced level.</p>
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<p>This grant allowed the department to provide advanced skills and limited pharmacological interventions to emergency patients. On July 1, the level of medical care the department was qualified to provide went from Basic Life Support (BLS) to Intermediate Life Support (ILS).</p>
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<p><strong>Men’s, women’s clubs hosting GOP barbecue fundraiser</strong></p>
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<p>The Beaufort Republican Women’s Club and the Beaufort Federation of Republican Men will hold a fundraising event from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30 at the Quality Inn, 2001 Boundary Street in Beaufort.</p>
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<p>The event will feature a barbecue buffet by Jimmy Fitts, a silent auction, and a beer and wine cash bar. The guest speaker will be State Senator Chip Campsen.</p>
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<p>Tickets are $25 each, and there will be no tickets at the door. Mail checks to BRWC, P.O. Box 1835, Beaufort, S.C. 29901 prior to Sept. 22. For more information, contact Elaine Gantt at 843-379-0056.</p>
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<p><strong>Public input needed on transportation plan</strong></p>
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<p>The Lowcountry Council of Governments (LCOG) is working to update the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Rural Area LRTP.</p>
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<p>These plans will identify transportation needs for the urbanized and rural areas over the next 20 years and provide a set of multimodal strategies to address these needs.</p>
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<p>In put on the region's transportation needs with a short survey at http://metroquestsurvey.com/tz0i0l.</p>
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<p>The survey closes Friday, October 8. For more information, visit www.lowcountrycog.org, contact Stephanie Rossi, Planning Director for the Planning Department at Lowcountry Country Council of Governments, at 843-473-3958 or email srossi@lowcountrycog.org.</p>
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<p><strong>County accepting applications for 2 percent tax grants</strong></p>
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<p>The Beaufort County Accommodations Tax Board is now accepting applications from organizations in Beaufort County wishing to receive grants from the 2 percent state accommodations tax fund.</p>
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<p>South Carolina law allows for a 2 percent tax levy on the rental of all transient accommodations to help provide financial support to promote tourism and fund tourism-related activities in municipalities and counties within the state.</p>
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<p>As a result, individuals staying overnight in hotels, motels, inns, and vacation rentals pay 2 percent in addition to the statewide sales tax and any local sales and use tax applied to their lodging cost.</p>
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<p>The current year application (2021/2022) is available online at https://bit.ly/3tioIPo.</p>
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<p>Applications will not be accepted or reviewed if received incomplete or after 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 8.</p>
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<p>Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Shannon Milroy at atax@bcgov.net or 843-255-2302.</p>
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<p><strong>United expands service between Hilton Head, Washington Dulles</strong></p>
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<p>United Airlines has expanded its seasonal nonstop service between the Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to daily, year-round service.</p>
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<p>In addition, United will continue to provide seasonal flight options between HHH and other United cities.</p>
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<p>Over the last three years, United Airlines has increased the number of destinations served at HHH, the size of their aircraft, and the duration of their seasonal markets. This move to serve the island, year-round will make it even easier to fly directly into and out of Beaufort County, throughout the entire year.</p>
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