TREY BLACKSHEAR 

Hilton Head Island lost a soccer standout two days before Christmas. Trey Blackshear, 18, was killed Dec. 23 in the Lord of Life Lutheran Church parking lot in Bluffton in what police say was an attempted robbery. Blackshear had just graduated from Hilton Head Island High School on Dec. 19 and was preparing to enroll in college in January to play soccer, according to his obituary. He also played club soccer for Tormenta FC Academy.

The docks at Palmetto Bay Marina have officially reopened after Hurricane Matthew destroyed the marina in 2016. Wet slip rentals will be available beginning at the end of this month. Palmetto Bay Marina, LLC, took ownership of the property in 2019. As the renovations continue, the marina will construct several new aluminum docks with space for about 144 boats. 

A mound of debris has finally been removed from Able Construction in Okatie after forcing 30 nearby residents to evacuate last year. The mound smoldered for months, creating fumes and releasing a foul odor in the area. More than 115,000 tons of debris were removed from the site. DHEC declared Able Construction’s fire a federal Superfund site and has since ordered a closure process for the facility. 

The Town of Hilton Head Island wants to extend a property tax assessment that would raise $65 million if approved by voters in May. The Town Council would use the funds to improve parks, recreation and arts organizations. The tax assessment would replace the special hurricane assessment that taxpayers approved in 2016 after Hurricane Matthew.

IT’S NOT EASY TO MAKE MATH FUN, BUT MICHELLE GORDON MAKES IT LOOK AS EASY AS PI

Do you know which side of the chicken has the most feathers?

If you do, you’re either really good at riddles, or you’re one of the lucky students in Michelle Gordon’s math class at Bluffton High School. The chicken riddle recently was her “joke of the day,” one of many ways she likes to lighten the mood when teaching a subject that many students dread.

BLUFFTON IS THRIVING, BUT GROWTH GETS MIXED REVIEWS

It’s no secret that the town of Bluffton is experiencing a growth spurt. In the late 1990s, it was a 1-mile hamlet with fewer than 800 residents. Today, it’s 54 square miles with a population estimated at more than 23,000.

Its growth is only going to continue. Bluffton is only 44% built out and, when all is said and done, its population might reach 75,000, according to town officials.

ALL SAINTS GARDEN TOUR NAMES GRANT RECIPIENTS

The 2019 All Saints Garden Tour grant recipients included Jasper Backpack Buddies (Antioch Educational Center), Backpack Buddies of Bluffton, Backpack Buddies of Hilton Head Island, St. Stephen’s UMC Outreach Food Bank, Hilton Head Safe Harbour and The Literacy Center. This fall, these charities each received their awards of $5,675 from the 2019 Garden Tour. 

The 33rd annual All Saints Episcopal Church Garden Tour is scheduled for May 16.

After Beaufort County voters approved a $344 million bond referendum in November, the Beaufort County Board of Education has set maximum prices for building additions at River Ridge Academy and May River High School. M.B. Kahn Construction of Columbia will build the bond referendum’s first two projects for a guaranteed maximum price of $20.9 million. Those projects include River Ridge Academy, which will add four classrooms on each of its two existing wings and add a new eight-classroom wing. May River High will add a new two-story wing containing 23 classrooms. 

The town of Bluffton is mourning 5-year-old Ameer Frazier after a traffic accident following the Bluffton Christmas Parade on Dec. 7. Ameer was severely injured at the end of the parade as all the floats and vehicles were disbanding in the Red Cedar Elementary School parking lot. He was transported by EMS to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where he died, officials said. No charges are pending in the accident.