Local Briefs

Former state Rep. Harriet Keyserling will speak during the University of South Carolina Beaufort's commencement ceremony and receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.

Commencement is at 6 p.m. May 1 in the Brantley and Helen Harvey Plaza on the Bluffton campus.

In 1974, Keyserling became the first woman elected to the Beaufort County Council, and she served in the state House from 1977 to 1993. Her son, Billy Keyserling, is mayor of

Beaufort.

Democrats to hear from state director

Jay Parmley, executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, will be the guest speaker Tuesday for the Democratic Club of Beaufort County South of the Broad.

Parmley will present an update on the "state of the state party," as well a discussion of how local groups can coordinate activities with those of the state party. A question-and-answer session will follow hisremarks.

The club meets at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 111 Mathew's Drive, Hilton HeadIsland. Its meetings are open to the public.

"Talk to Tom" event planned for Beaufort

State Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, will hold a forum at 6:30 p.m. Thursday about the state of South Carolina politics at the Beaufort Readiness Center, 1 Calvary Lane, Beaufort.

The "Talk to Tom" forum will focus on the political discussions in the legislature and will be followed by a question and answer session.

Schools to receive stimulus money

The Beaufort County School District will receive $737,000 in federal stimulus grants and loans to improve building energy and lighting systems, state officials have announced.

The state's 85 school districts will share $20.3 million, with larger energy users and projects that are ready to begin taking immediate priority. Allocations range from $59,000 to about $2 million.

Eligible projects include retrofits for energy efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning systems, and energy management systems.