Beaufort Briefs

  • Artist Uncorked hosts ribbon-cutting ceremony
    A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Artist Uncorked is planned for 11 a.m. Wednesday at 322 Moss Creek Village in greater Bluffton. The business allows customers of all ages to create artwork in a relaxed atmosphere.
  • Bluffton woman robbed while checking mail
    A Bluffton woman said she was assaulted and robbed Monday morning while checking the mail in front of her home on Castle Point Road, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
  • Send us your graduates' photos
    Show off your grad's achievements by emailing photos from that proud day to The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, and we'll post them in an online photo gallery.
  • Class to discuss nutrition for seniors
    The Beaufort-Jasper Economic Opportunity Commission will sponsor a nutrition education class from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday at the Salvation Army at 2505 North St. in Beaufort.
  • Airport debuts electric vehicle charging stations
    The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport recently installed two charging stations for electric vehicle drivers. Each station is capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously with 240-volt connectors. The stations are on the lower level of the long-term/hourly parking garage and are reserved for electric vehicles with special signs.
  • New salon opens in Okatie
    Christine Stephens, former co-owner of House of Color Salon in Bluffton, recently opened the new salon Karisma at 149 Riverwalk Blvd., Suite 5, in Okatie. Stephens has worked in the industry for more than 20 years.
  • Bluffton Bobcat mascot stolen from football field
    Thieves took a 250-pound statue of a bobcat -- the mascot of the Bluffton High School football team -- last week. Bobcats football coach Ken Cribb said the mascot, hand-crafted by the parent of a football player, was stolen from the football stadium last Wednesday night. "They must have come with a truck, ladders and tools," Cribb said. "They would have had to jump the fence, climb on top of the tunnel, get through the bolts and chains and lower it down." The incident has been reported to the Bluffton Police Department, but Cribb has also said the school will take the statue back, no questions asked.
  • Tuesday's crime reports
    The following reports were released Tuesday by the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Bluffton Police Department:
  • Hilton Head man, 19, wanted on sexual assault charges
    A 19-year-old Hilton Head Island man is being sought on two counts of criminal sexual conduct with a 13-year-old girl, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. Austin Anthony Mandikas, whose last known address is Hilton Head Beach Club at Tanglewood Drive, is accused of sexually assaulting the girl at two locations in February and March, the Sheriff's Office said. Mandikas is known to have ties to Georgia and may be traveling in a white Ford Explorer. He is a white male, about 5-foot-7, 130 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact Cpl. J. Garcia at 843-255-3412 or dispatch at 843-524-2777.
  • Homeowners insurance policy review workshop planned
    The S.C.. Department of Insurance will host a free consumer homeowner's insurance-policy review workshop for greater Bluffton residents from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Technical College of the Lowcountry's New River Campus.
  • Heirs property seminar set
    A free seminar about the rights, responsibilities and risks of owning heirs property, and the steps you can take to protect it, will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. May 29 in the Whale Branch Early College High School cafeteria in Seabrook.
  • SC House candidates to debate Tuesday
    Candidates running for the S.C. House District 120 seat -- Weston Newton, Laura Sterling and Jerry Stewart -- will debate before the Republican Women of Southern Beaufort County's regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Truffles in Bluffton.