<strong>2012 county tax bills to be available online</strong>

Starting Friday, Nov. 2, real estate and personal property 2012 Tax Bills (excluding motor vehicles) for Beaufort County owners will appear online at www.bcgov.net. Those same tax bills will then be mailed out and will arrive November 8 or later.

Residents can pay for those bills received online at www.bcgov.net, or at any of the Treasurer’s Office locations by cash, check or credit card. In addition to those locations, residents can also pay in person at select BB&amp;T bank branches.

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<strong>Local food business featured on CNBC</strong>

One of Beaufort’s own small businesses, Sea Islands Local Outlet (SILO), was recently featured in a nationally syndicated article on CNBC. The article, titled “As Americans Rush to Fresh Food, Supermarket Chains Follow,” highlights several national big-box stores attempting to capitalize on the growing market for local foods, but it suggests grass roots businesses like Beaufort’s SILO and San Francisco’s Good Eggs Inc. may be a step ahead of them in bringing local food to consumers. The main difference between the big and small models is the community-building component of SILO and Good Eggs.

SILO opened its Beaufort’s shop front in the Habersham Marketplace in July 2011 and offers a membership program, similar to a co-op, that allows members to place weekly orders directly from local farmers and food producers via the business’ website. The community building components include tactical experiences including cheese making classes, cooking demonstrations, meet and greets with farmers, and other events at the shop that aim to educate the public about where their food comes from.

Sea Islands Local Outlet is located at 7A Market in the Habersham Marketplace. For more information, visit www.silo-beaufort.com.