County channel airs Coastal Kingdom
Tune in to the latest episode of the Emmy-nominated television program, Coastal Kingdom, Wednesday, February 29 at 8 p.m. or Saturday, March 3 at 11 a.m. on The County Channel.
“Lowcountry Predators” includes footage of golden silk spiders, king snakes, softshell turtles, mantis shrimp, stone crabs and many other predators. Coastal Kingdom is a collaborative effort between The County Channel and the LowCountry Institute on Spring Island. The show is filmed entirely in the Lowcountry and showcases local habitats and the amazing creatures that live in them. Because it is based on S.C. science standards, the series is especially appropriate for students. For more information, visit www.coastalkingdom.com.
The County Channel is a service of Beaufort County government. It is streamed on the home page of the County website, www.bcgov.net and broadcast on Charter Cable channel 20, Comcast Cable channel 2, Hargray Cable channel 9 and 252.

SC Dept. of Revenue warns against tax scams
During the individual income tax filing season, there is often an increase in tax-related scams.
The SC Department of Revenue is reminding taxpayers to be aware of fraudulent phone calls, text messages, emails or other forms of communication that may ask for personal identifying information such as birth date, social security numbers, address, mother’s maiden name, driver’s license number or other private information.
The SC Department of Revenue typically contacts taxpayers via standard mail and then a phone call for follow up when requested. Occasionally communication will be made by email if an employee is responding to a taxpayer’s inquiry.
Taxpayers should be cautious during this tax season of persons contacting them to offer tax advice or help with filing their taxes. Individuals with concerns can contact the SC Department of Revenue directly at (803) 898-5000 or visit www.sctax.org.

Three blazes keep firefighters busy
At about 1:30 on Feb. 22, the Lady’s Island St. Helena Fire District was dispatched to the report of a house fire in the Storyteller Road neighborhood of St. Helena. Not long after units arrived there, additional units were dispatched to another house on fire in the area of Ephraim Road also on St. Helena. As if that wasn’t enough, yet another house fire was then reported in the Brickyard Road neighborhood of Lady’s Island.
All told, all on duty firefighters for the Lady’s Island St. Helena Fire District were called to action, and even more came in off duty from home to help out. The silver lining to this story is that no injuries were reported and no one was displaced from any of the emergency calls.