Beaufort County Financial Audits Made Public

Beaufort County This Week

****STORY 1*****

Three Hampton County natives, now serving with Beaufort County Emergency Medical Services, recently earned top awards at the Annual South Carolina Emergency Medical Services Symposium.

Last week, the S.C. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Association held its annual South Carolina EMS Symposium at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach. South Carolina EMS agencies and professionals are eligible to receive awards recognizing their professionalism, along with their efforts to go above and beyond to serve their community. All nominations are reviewed and vetted by a panel of professionals from outside the South Carolina area.

This year, Beaufort County EMS personnel received awards for Paramedic of the Year, Advanced Emergency Medical Technician of the Year, and Emergency Medical Technician of the Year – a feat rarely if ever accomplished by one state EMS agency, said Beaufort County EMS spokesperson Ginger Marshall.

All three winners, while employed by Beaufort County, are Hampton County natives and can be found volunteering in their community as well. The winners are as follows:

2023 South Carolina Paramedic of the Year – Heather “Nickie” Jarrell

2023 South Carolina Advanced Emergency Medical Technician of the Year - Jason Schroyer

2023 South Carolina Emergency Medical Technician of the Year - Eddie “Catlin” Schroyer

****STORY 2******

Public outcry and pressure from local lawmakers has prompted the The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (SCPRT) to walk back a previous decision to permanently close a popular Hunting Island boat ramp — at least for now.

When South Carolina State Parks announced that Russ Point on Hunting Island would be permanently closed beginning April 1 due to deteriorating road surfaces resulting from erosion, many boaters pressed their elected officials to have the decision reviewed and reversed. According to Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, whose district includes Hunting and Fripp islands, that’s exactly what is going to happen.

The public pushback and conversations Campsen said he had with SCPRT Director Duane Parrish led to a change of heart from SC State Parks, which is part of the agency, Campsen told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet Wednesday morning. SC State Parks, Campsen says, now plans to study fixing the road and keeping the boat ramp open.

***STORY 3****

A financial audit shows taxpayer dollars were used to purchase everything from snacks to wearable tech in Beaufort County.

The audit looked at purchases made on county cards from 2019 to 2023.

All this in the wake of the firing of county administrator Eric Greenway in September of last year.

About three months later - the 14th circuit solicitors office asked South Carolina’s Attorney General to open investigations into Greenway’s conduct, including allegations he misspent tens of thousands of dollars.

****STORY 4***

Community ties and Gullah Geechee heritage will be major pillars of a new charter school coming to Saint Helena Island.

Sea Islands Heritage Academy was approved by the Public Charter School District Board of Trustees in April 2023 and recently announced its inaugural school year is planned to begin in August.

For Executive Director Alana Jenkins, the opening has been a years-long process.

Jenkins spent a decade at charter schools in New York City as a teacher, a dean of students and an assistant principal of humanities. She's also a fellow at BES, a national nonprofit that "identifies and prepares leaders to transform education in their communities