<b>Eddings Point<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>Boat Ramp<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>closed for repairs</b>

The boat ramp at the Eddings Point Boat Landing will be closed temporarily for repairs. A notice will be sent once repairs are complete and the ramp reopens. The landing remains open to the public.

For more information, please contact Beaufort County Public Works Director Neil Desai at 843-255-2740.

<b>CERT training scheduled for March</b>

Beaufort County residents interested in learning more about self-sufficiency during a disaster are invited to participate in the Community Emergency Response Team Program. Participants will learn to provide emergency assistance to their families and neighbors.

CERT classes are free of charge. The next series will start Tuesday, March 10. Classes will be held at the Technical College of the Lowcountry (Room 125), 100 Community College Drive, Bluffton (map).

The course will be taught in four class sessions from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and one Saturday exercise class from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.:

Tuesday, March 10 – Personal Preparedness and Hazard Mitigation

Thursday, March 12 – Disaster Medical I

Tuesday, March 17 – Disaster Psychology/Terrorism Response

Thursday, March 19 – Disaster Medical II / CERT Organization

Saturday, March 28 – Fire Suppression /Disaster Search Techniques Exercise

For more information or to register send an email to cert@bcgov.net or call Major David Zeoli, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office at 843-812-8035 or Stephanie French at stephanief@bcgov.net or 843-441-5958.

<b>MCRD Parris<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>Island holding<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>live-fire training</b>

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island will be conducting extended live-fire training from 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Feb. 26-27. The marsh and waterways in the range impact area to include Archers Creek,

Ribbon Creek, and Edding Creek will be closed to boater traffic.

For questions regarding firing times and waterway closures, please contact the Weapons and Field Training Battalion Range Control at 843-228-3170.

<b>Boyles confirmed<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>as SCDNR head</b>

The South Carolina Senate by unanimous vote confirmed Robert H. Boyles Jr. as director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).

“I am humbled and excited for the privilege of serving as the next director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources,” Boyles said in a release. “I look forward to working with our staff, our many constituent groups, partners, and leaders across the state to help build a durable natural resources stewardship ethic for South Carolina. We have many challenges, but I am confident that we can work together to help improve conservation of our natural resources for us and for our children.”

Norman Pulliam of Spartanburg, SCDNR Board chair, called Boyles “a man of great integrity who will lead this department to new heights of natural resources conservation. We went through a national search to find a new director, and Robert came out on top. He was the unanimous choice of both the selection committee and the full board. Robert will continue the great leadership that was exemplified by his predecessor, Alvin Taylor.”

Boyles has served as interim director since May 2019, when former director Alvin Taylor retired. In November 2019, the SCDNR Board chose Boyles as the next director, subject to confirmation of the S.C. Senate.

<b>SC tourism<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></b><b>enjoys record year</b>

Tourism in South Carolina is now a record $23.8 billion industry, supporting one in every 10 jobs and generating $1.8 billion in state and local taxes, according to figures released Monday, Feb. 17 by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

SCPRT Director Duane Parrish announced the new impact in a “State of the Tourism Industry” presentation during the Governor’s Conference on Tourism &amp; Travel at the Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes. The figures represent tourism business activity for the 2018 calendar year, the latest for which there is a comprehensive analysis.

<b>Rucker named SC tourism ambassador</b>

Three-time Grammy Award winner and South Carolina native Darius Rucker will serve as an official ambassador for South Carolina tourism in 2020, under a new partnership with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Working collaboratively with SCPRT, Rucker will share his music and name recognition to strengthen the state’s tourism brand, leveraging his national and global appeal to promote South Carolina as a preferred travel destination.