<strong>County offices closes Monday<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>for MLK Day</strong>

All Beaufort County offices, to include Convenience Centers, Library branches and Parks and Recreation facilities, will be closed Monday, Jan. 18, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. All County offices will resume their regular hours Tuesday, Jan. 19.

<strong>American Airlines adding seasonal flights between Hilton Head, Boston</strong>

Beginning on April 10, American Airlines will begin flying seasonal Saturday flights between Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

The new route will complement year-round American Airlines service to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and seasonal service to Washington Reagan Airport (DCA), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW) and Philadelphia (PHL).

<strong>County hosting virtual grand opening for Widgeon Point Preserve</strong>

Beaufort County is hosting a (virtual) Grand Opening celebration for Widgeon Point Preserve at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15 that will be streamed on the Beaufort County Channel.

Beaufort County Councilman Brian Flewelling will provide opening remarks and ribbon cutting, and the County Passive Parks Manager and the Stewardship Director for the Beaufort County Open Land Trust will take viewers on a virtual park tour.

Widgeon Point Preserve is located at 43 Okatie Hwy, Okatie (map) and is co-owned by Beaufort County and the Beaufort County Open Land Trust, with the County providing management and maintenance of the property through the County’s Passive Parks Program. The Preserve is 170-acres of forested habitats, salt marsh, and hummock islands on the Broad River in Port Royal Sound.

Passive recreation amenities on the island fronting Okatie Highway include public access with a permeable concrete parking lot, sidewalks, a picnic pavilion, a bird blind, restrooms and a rustic barn for event rental. The back island fronting the Broad River has a •-mile looped nature trail and picnic tables beneath an open-air barn

The Preserve is open to the public Monday through Sunday from dawn to dusk by an automatic timed gate. The rustic barn can be reserved by submitting a facility rental application to the County’s Passive Park Manager. For more information about the Passive Parks Program, please call 843-255-2152.

<strong>County hosting virtual public meeting</strong>

Beaufort County will host a Virtual Public Meeting to reintroduce projects as developed in the 2017 Lady’s Island Corridor Study and as approved in the 2018 One Cent Sales Tax Referendum. The Virtual Public Meeting will be hosted from Jan. 18 through Feb. 14 at www.beaufortcountypenny.com/meetings.

A Virtual Townhall will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 21. This will include a brief presentation and Question &amp; Answer session. Please register at www.beaufortcountypenny.com/meetings for the Question &amp; Answer session through Jan. 19.

For questions or persons requiring additional assistance due to language barriers, contact the Capital Projects Department at 843-255-2700.

<strong>City seeks 2 people to serve on Elections Commission</strong>

The City of Beaufort has openings for two people to serve on its Elections Commission.

The Elections Commission meets twice a year, and terms last for six years. Commission members work with the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections to be present when election votes are certified. Interested candidates must live in the City of Beaufort.

Those interested should fill out a form at http://bit.ly/3r3dz3z.

Those selected with be asked to serve during the March 2, 2021, Special Election in the City of Beaufort. The election is for the unexpired City Council term of Stephen Murray, who is now mayor of Beaufort.

<strong>Cut fiber line causes Verizon outage on Monday</strong>

On Monday, Jan. 11, a Verizon fiber line was cut somewhere in South Carolina, causing some interruptions in service for wireless customers across the state and in Beaufort County.

Verizon customers were still able to contact Sheriff's Office dispatch, but many callers experienced poor reception.