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<p>Waterfront Park playground to be closed April 29</p>
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<p>The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park playground will be closed Monday, April 29 for fire ant treatment. The playground will reopen the next day. For more information, call Linda Roper at 843-525-7084.</p>
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<p>National Day of Prayer approaches</p>
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<p>The 68th National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 2, and the local observance will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at Beaufort’s Riverview Baptist Church located at 2209 Boundary Street. There will be a time for both public and private prayer. The public prayer time will be lead by local clergyman and public officials of various Christian denominations. The focus will be to pray for our nation, its leaders, local and state officials, educators, America’s youth, the unity of God’s people, the American family, and U.S. military personnel. For more information, contact Rev. Leon D. Meadows of Riverview Baptist Church at 843-812-0978 or <a href="mailto:riverviewbcb@embarqmail.com">riverviewbcb@embarqmail.com</a>.</p>
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<p>Beaufort Co. holding 2nd meeting on Bob Jones Field sale</p>
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<p>Beaufort County will hold a second public input meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, about the possible sale of the county-owned Bob Jones Field to Holy Trinity Classical Christian School. The meeting will be held at the school, located at 302 Burroughs Avenue. A previous meeting was held April 11.<br>
Residents do not need to register in advance for the meeting. For more information, please contact Beaufort County Council member Alice Howard at 843-255-2202, <a href="mailto:ahoward@bcgov.net">ahoward@bcgov.net</a> or by mail at Beaufort County Clerk to Council, P.O. Drawer 1228, Beaufort, SC 29901.</p>
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<p>Senate approves proviso to block offshore oil industrialization of state</p>
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<p>By an overwhelming vote of 40-4 on April 17, the majority Republican South Carolina Senate passed a budget proviso to prohibit the use of any state funds by a state agency or local unit of government to facilitate onshore infrastructure for offshore oil. If the state House of Representatives also approves the proviso, it will be the law of the state during the 2019-20 fiscal year that starts July 1.</p>
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<p>“The bipartisan South Carolina voice of opposition to exploring and drilling for oil off our coast is now a scream,” S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Frank Knapp Jr. said in a release. “Our deeply red state is turning purple, not in partisan terms, but in our anger at the Trump Administration trying to force destruction to our beautiful ocean, marine life and local economies from seismic blasting our ocean and turning our pristine beaches into sludge from the inevitable oil leaks and spills from drilling.”</p>
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<p>The proviso was initially announced by Senator Chip Campsen , who represents approximately one-half of South Carolina’s coast, including Beaufort County.<br></p>
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