Customers were out in force Wednesday to check out the offerings and ambience at the Lowcountry Produce Market and Cafe that opened in the newly remodeled former Beaufort City Hall on Carteret Street.
Jay Karr

Sea Island Dock Builders of Beaufort is installing a retaining wall at Oyster Factory Park in old town Bluffton. The project, according to Bluffton director of engineering Bob Fletcher, is part of a park renovation plan. The wall is slated to be completed by June 30 and should help stop erosion that damages the parking lot. More parking spaces will also be added. The town later plans to improve walking paths, expand parking in the western area and build a dock parallel to the boat ramp.
Sarah Welliver, the Island Packet

Pfc. Trevor Chambers of Bluffton greets his brothers, Tyler, 14, and Triston, 7, for the first time in three months after graduating from boot camp Friday at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. Chambers was one of five of the 200 new Marines to be selected as an honor graduate.
Sarah Welliver, the Island Packet

Carol Santos takes advantage of temperatures in the upper 50s Friday to trim her rose bushes in her plot in Heritage Farm in Sea Pines. She said an approaching blast of cold winter air scheduled to arrive this weekend should not hurt her bushes, though the cold snap could harm other crops in the garden and nip in the bud any blossoms currently blooming.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Beaufort County school board member Julie Bell talks about teen substance abuse Thursday during a meeting of parents and community and school leaders at Hilton Head Island High School.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Ordinance technicians Pfc. Gabriel Perman, left, and Lance Cpl. Brooke McNabb work on attaching a laser-guided training round to F-18s Thursday at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort for Operation Bold Alligator, the largest amphibious exercise on the East Coast in more than a decade.
Sarah Welliver

Benedict College recruiter Denver Wright, right, talks with Ada Brown, left, about the Columbia-based school Wednesday during a college fair hosted by the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort. The event was free and open to the public and featured college representatives handing out information and answering questions.
Sarah Welliver

Karla Castro-Salazar, left, mother of former Hilton Head High student Estefany Arce-Castro, and Estefany's sister Yariela Arce-Castro get a hug from Joe Maffo on Tuesday morning after a tree was planted in Estefany Arce-Castro's memory. She died in a car accident Jan 5 at 18. Maffo, owner of Critter Management, donated a redbud tree planted at the high school.
Sarah Welliver

A pair of hooded mergansers call out as they patrol the shore Monday of the Beaufort River near downtown Beaufort.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Richard Hubbard chips his ball towards the hole on the 9th green during the final round of The Sea Pines Junior Heritage at the Harbour Town Golf Links Sunday afternoon
Jonathan Dyer/The Island Packet

Cade Fisher, 7, works on an assignment Friday morning at Beaufort Elementary School. Fisher is one of the students enrolled in the school's Montessori program, which focuses on a hands-on approach to learning in multi-age classrooms.
Sarah Welliver/The Beaufort Gazette

Bryana Nguyen watches her tee shot travel down the first fairway Sunday during the final round of the Sea Pines Junior Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links. Nguyen finished second.
Jonathan Dyer/The Island Packet

From left, Tom Upshaw, chairman of the chamber's board of directors, presents Betsy Doughtie, center, and Ida Martin with the Alice Glenn Doughtie Good Citizenship Award on Saturday night during the organization's annual ball.
BOB SOFALY/ Special to The Island Packet

USC Beaufort's Keenan Ivey races towards third base in the fourth inning of Saturday's game.
Jonathan Dyer -- The Island Packet

USC Beaufort's Weldon Smith is greeted by his teammates after hitting a home run in the bottom of the third inning of Saturday's game.
Jonathan Dyer -- The Island Packet

Battery Creek's Chris Bockelman, top, met with success over Cane Bay's Albert Ednilao in their 106-pound match during Saturday's Region 7-AAA wrestling tournament at Hilton Head Island High.
Jay Karr -- The Island Packet

Bluffton's Michael Meyerink steamrolls over Hilton Head High's Hunter Massey in their bout, which Meyerink won, during the Region 7-AAA wrestling tournament Saturday at Hilton Head Island High School.
Jay Karr -- The Island Packet

Hilton Head High's Nick Bautista came out on top in his 195-pound bout with Cane Bay's Chris David during the Region 7-AAA wrestling tournament held on Saturday at Hilton Head Island High School.
Jay Karr -- The Island Packet

Violinist Eric Tsai, accompanied by Jason Tsai, performs during the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra's Youth Concerto Competition concert finals held at St. Luke's Episcopalian Church on Saturday.
Jay Karr/ The Island Packet

From left, Elizabeth Klosterman, chairwoman of the dress drive and Emily Harris, president of the Junior Service League of Beaufort, look through donated prom dresses Wednesday afternoon at Harris Pillow in Beaufort.
SARAH WELLIVER/ The Island Packet

From left, Hilton Head Island Bridge Club charter members Jules Vaiano and Doris Caudy, along with Arthur Ward, play at the club Jan. 26.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

Hilton Head Island Bridge Club member Roni Keisler plays at the club Jan. 26. On the wall behind her is a reproduction of a Norman Rockwell painting of four people playing bridge.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

Hilton Head Island Bridge Club charter members were out in force for a regular tournament at the club Jan. 26. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the club is the 39th largest duplicate bridge club in the country.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

Construction proceeds on a zip-line tour at Broad Creek Marina on Wednesday. Here, Brad Wilson of STEPS, Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich., braces poles for the tour, on which people will ride through the tree canopy on the site, suspended from pulleys riding on inclined steel cables. ZipLine Hilton Head, part of Broad Creek Marina Adventures, is scheduled to open in early spring.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Myra Parker carves turkey as she helps prepare a meal for the first soup kitchen at the Spring Hill AME Church in the Sheldon township community last week. A newly developed ministry called YAMS hosted the soup kitchen.
Jonathan Dyer/The Beaufort Gazette

Residents want the Beaufort County School District to clean up this lot it owns on Alston Road on Lady's Island.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Mitzi Wagner, director for the Beaufort County Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, speaks to guests waiting for a tour of the new Disabilities and Special Needs Day Program and Administration Building Friday morning after the dedication ceremony.
Sarah Welliver

A patron walks past a sandwich board sign outside of Reilley's restaurant on the south end of Hilton Head on Friday. Proposed changes in the town's sign ordinance would allow establishments to use this kind of sign.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

The WJWJ tower at the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

David Friday, a technician with Beaufort-based Glass Express, replaces the windshield of a vehicle on Hilton Head Island on Thursday.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Byron Thomas, 19, a student at USCB Beaufort, holds a Confederate Flag in his dormitory room on Wednesday.
Rachel Heaton, The Island Packet

A blue heron takes off and flies along the edge of the Beaufort River near downtown Monday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Preston Oates walks into the courtroom during his bond hearing at the Beaufort County Courthouse Thursday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Former Hilton Head Island Mayor Tom Peeples was named grand marshal of the 29th annual Hilton Head St. Patrick's Parade during a ceremony Tuesday at The Board Room. Here, Peeples, center, shakes hands with Joe Roces, owner of Merchant Service Center, the parade's presenting sponsor. Looking on is parade committee member Alan Perry. The parade down Pope Avenue is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, March 11.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

A crew works Monday to complete a bridge over the Cypress Wetlands in Port Royal. Major construction is wrapping up on the project, but delays in installing a sewer line and landscaping have pushed the park's opening to May, according to Town Councilman Joe Lee.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Emory Campbell talks about the history of the First African Baptist Church on Sunday during the church's 150th anniversary celebration kick-off at the Mitchelville Freedom Park on Hilton Head Island.
Jonathan Dyer/The Island Packet

Russian pianist Dasha Bukhartseva, 19, is photographed with her benefactors, Mieke and Hendrik Smit, on Friday during a visit to the Smits' home on Hilton Head Island.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

Island businessman Skip Hoagland, mastermind of the newly created Hilton Head Visitor and Convention Bureau, stands by his life-size alligator sculpture outside his Windmill Harbour home on Tuesday.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Sherry Rice watches as Libby Holloway, friend and owner of Antiques and Such on Bay Street, examines an antique vignette Friday afternoon in Beaufort.
Sarah Welliver

A painting of the old First African Baptist Church hangs in the church's entry way Thursday morning on Hilton Head Island.
Sarah Welliver

Rosa Simmons is shown here holding a booklet detailing the history of First African Baptist Church Thursday morning inside the church on Hilton Head Island.
Sarah Welliver

In this file photo, veterans sharing the stage with Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney applaud him as he takes the podium during his campaign appearance on Hilton Head Island. Romney was accompanied by 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, standing just behind Romney.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Edy McGoldrick, 8, holds up the Chinese dragon's head Monday afternoon during a parade in celebration of the Chinese New Year with students from the Chinese immersion program at Hilton Head IB Elementary School on Hilton Head Island.
Sarah Welliver

Taylor Bell uses a heated screwdriver to burn a finger hole into her flute while classmate Keira Grant helps hold it in place Wednesday morning outside M.C. Riley Elementary School. Students will spend the week learning how to make Native American flutes from Hawk Hurst as part of the Artist in Residence Program.
Sarah Welliver

Traffic leaves Savannah as it moves over the Back River Bridge and into Jasper County Monday morning. The S.C. and Georgia transportation departments have applied for permits to construct a new bridge. According to plans the current bridge, which is structurally deficient, will be destroyed.
Drew Martin, The Island Packet

Sun City's George Hooper scans the wet sands of Coligny Beach on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon on Hilton Head Island.
Sarah Welliver

Brooke Fisher, owner of Brooke's Bed and Biscuit dog kennel and Brooke's Haven Animal Rescue washes one of 16 dogs rescued from a hoarder in Savannah Monday afternoon in Bluffton.
Sarah Welliver

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney and 2008 Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain share a laugh as Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during Romney's campaign appearance on Hilton Head Island.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

The Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company's cutter suction dredge works Thursday in the Atlantic Ocean just off the heel of Hilton Head Island dredging up and pumping sand through a pipe to the beach nourishment project in Port Royal Plantation.
Jay Karr

From his perch overlooking the dredge head, leverman Thomas Gillikin controls the the dredge Alaska.
Jay Karr

Newt Gingrich's daughters, Kathy Gingrich Lubbers and Jackie Gingrich Cushman, campaign on behalf of their father during a meet-and-greet session at Bluffton BBQ on Wednesday. Newt Gingrich himself will be in the area tomorrow, making appearances in Sun City and Beaufort.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

New Hilton Head Island resident Donna Lane talks about business on Hilton Head Island with Bruce Oertel, director of marketing for 104.9 "The Surf" Wednesday afternoon during the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce annual Business EXPO at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.
Sarah Welliver

Donna Sparks, right, watches as daughter Tiffany Fortier and grandson Jaccari David, 4, look at pictures Tuesday of her son Adrian Hilliard at her home in Pritchardville. Hilliard was fatally shot Christmas Eve in Bluffton.
Sarah Welliver/The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette

Cpl. Eric Thompson and Trevin Holmes and other volunteers and local Lowe’s employees work Tuesday on removing rubber floor tiles in the gym at the Boys and Girls Club of Beaufort. They are making way for a new multipurpose floor funded by a $50,000 grant from Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation.
Sarah Welliver

Olive Garden manager Daryl Ocain goes over the dress code with a potential employee during an interview Friday at the new Olive Garden in Beaufort.
Jonathan Dyer/The Beaufort Gazette

1/13/12 Jay Karr/The Island Packet--Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, right, and 2008 Republican presidential candidate, Arizona Sen. John McCain, share a laugh as Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during Romney's Friday evening campaign appearance on Hilton Head Island.

Friday's cold weather did not dissuade shorts-wearing Canadian visitor Ron Woltman, accompanied by his dog, Tizzy, from taking his coffee alfresco in a sunny spot outside Java Joe's on Hilton Head Island. A jacket was all he needed to stay "warm as toast," he said. "As long as you're warm on the top, it doesn't matter on the bottom."
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

A dog owner took advantage of the recent warm weather to walk his dogs along Carteret Street in Beaufort.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum addresses the crowd gathered at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club Thursday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum greets the crowd following his campaign appearance at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa on Thursday.
Jay Karr

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, right, is greeted by his brother, Hilton Head Island Dan Santorum, as he arrives for his campaign appearance on the island Thursday. Dan Santorum warmed up the crowd before his brother's arrival at the event, held at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa.
Jay Karr

A Bluffton Police Officer removes crime scene tape as a wrecker removes a truck at a gas station at Bruin Road and Boundary Street Tuesday. The man, who was shot at Bluffton's Hallmark Apartments, drove his truck to the gas station where he was airlifted to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah around 3:30 p.m.
Drew Martin, The Island Packet

Demolition workers made short work of the old Stokes Honda building on Robert Smalls Parkway in Beaufort on Wednesday morning. Here, two excavators scratch and claw at the remains of the building shortly after knocking it down.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Members of Beaufort Water Search and Rescue say a crew removing old railroad tracks has left the broken pilings of a trestle in the Whale Branch River, creating a hazard for boats. The broken pilings can be seen at low tide but are hidden by the rising tide.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Members of the Hilton Head Dance Theatre perform "Snow White" for elementary school students Monday in the Hilton Head Island High School Visual and Performing Arts Center as part of an outreach program to Beaufort County schools.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Retired Army Col. Charles Stockell will be among 17 World War II veterans from across the Southeast to be inducted into France's National Order of the Legion of Honor during a ceremony this week at the Consul General of France in Atlanta.
Jonathan Dyer/The Beaufort Gazette

Attendees gather in the capacious engine bay of Hilton Head Island's newest fire station during an open house after Friday's dedication ceremony.
Jay Karr

Instead of a ribbon-cutting during Friday's dedication of the Town of Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue Division's Station 1, dignitaries uncoupled two sections of fire hose to open the facility. From left, Chief Lavarn Lucas, Town Councilman Ken Heitzke, Mayor Drew Laughlin and Town Manager Steve Riley did the honors. The town's newest station is on Cordillo Parkway near the entrance to Shipyard Plantation.
Jay Karr

Construction has begun on the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Robert Smalls Parkway. Here, workers install drainage pipes on Thursday afternoon.
Jay Karr

Though Bluffton Self Help had a successful Christmas fund, the charity still has one big donation concern heading into the new year: Its food pantry is low. Non-perishable items are in short supply, as evidenced by the empty shelves surrounding volunteer Nancy Meyer in the organization's storage room.
Jay Karr/The Beaufort Gazette

Swimmers charge toward the 57-degree ocean water Sunday during the annual New Year's Day Pelican Plunge on Hunting Island.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

Maria Peroustianis waters her garden plot at Sea Pines' Heritage Farm on Friday. She said that despite a recent frost, the relatively warm fall and early winter has allowed other summertime plants to stay alive, including her tomato plants, which are still producing fruit.
Jay Karr

Bradley T. Roy and Angelica L. Escalante are charged following a Bluffton raid revealing a meth lab.

Fern Moore, president of the board for Hospice Community Thrift is shown here Wednesday afternoon inside the Hilton Head Island store. The nonprofit shop was robbed for the second time this year on Christmas Day.
Sarah Welliver

Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges answers questions from the media gathered for a press conference on the use of traffic cameras at the Ridgeland Town Hall Friday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Ridgeland Police Officer David Swinehamer prepares the iTraffic system for a demonstration at the Ridgeland Police Station Tuesday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Rep. Joe Wilson talks about his 2012 agenda to a crowd gathered at Earl's Body Shop in Beaufort Thursday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

After a morning of heavy rain and wind, the sun came out and Folly Field Beach was filled with visitors looking to make the most of the pleasant weather on Hilton Head Island Tuesday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

From left, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, Royal Bank of Canada Chief Brand & Communication's Officer Jim Little, and Boeing vice president of Human Relations Rick Stephens applaud during Thursday's press conference at which it was announced that RBC will become the new title sponsor for the Heritage golf tournament through 2016 with Boeing.
Jay Karr

A sign on the door of the Lowcountry Economic Network informing customers that the business has been closed.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

The offices of the Lowcountry Economic Network in downtown Beaufort were empty Friday afternoon.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Mallgoers walk past empty storefronts, including the recently shuttered Waldenbooks location, at the Mall at Shelter Cove on Wednesday.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Workers continued preparations for the reopening of the Tanger 1 Outlet Center Tuesday afternoon in Bluffton.
Sarah Welliver

Portuguese man-of-wars sit atop debris Tuesday afternoon near Folly Field Beach on Hilton Head Island. Although they die soon after washing ashore, their venom remains potent for two or three days afterward, said Al Stokes of the Waddell Mariculture Center in Bluffton.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

A flock of hooded mersangers patrols a small pond in Bluffton Monday morning.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

The Scheper house at the corner of Port Republic and Charles Street in downtown was recently purchased and will be renovated to convert the building back into a home. The buyers have had to get a special ordinance passed by city council to return the building to its original use.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

A group of oyster harvesters bring in the day's oysters freshly plucked from the May River Wednesday afternoon near the Bluffton Oyster Co. on Wharf Street.
Sarah Welliver

Bluffton firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that consumed a mobile home on May River Road early Sunday morning.
Photo provided by Bluffton Township Fire District

Oral Phillips of The Tradesmen Group works on repairing the brick wall surrounding the Beaufort National Cemetery on Thursday morning. The $851,00 project includes rebuilding damaged wall sections and mortar joint and foundation repairs. After finishing work Thursday, Phillips was heading home to Columbus, Ohio, for the holidays.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Bam Robinson adjusts the blinking lights on "Bam's Sleigh" Wednesday evening while sharing his holiday spectacle with residents of Summit Place in Beaufort. Since equipping the vehicle with a generator, Robinson has been driving to school functions, retirement homes and more. Robinson estimated the truck to be covered with around 1500 lights.
Sarah Welliver

A blue heron patrols the shore of the Beaufort River during low tide near downtown Beaufort Tuesday morning.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Seagulls flock around Patricia Walden, 9, as she tosses them a few pretzels at The Sands in Port Royal on Monday. Walden was taking a break from looking for shark teeth with her mother, Amy, and brothers Oliver, 6, and Jacob, 11.
Jay Karr, the Island Packet

Members of the Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Township Hazmat Team prepare to enter the building for Hazardous Material/Weapons of Mass Destruction Training on Hilton Head Island Wednesday afternoon. The Hazmat team was joined by Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the National Guard 43rd Civil Support Team for the daylong training event.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Steve Sturman and his wife, Tesa, refugees from the long Alaskan winter, are selling their wild caught Alaskan salmon at the Habersham Farmers Market.
Jay Karr/The Island Packet

An investigator examines the scene of a fatal shooting that occurred Sunday at Canal Apartments on Salem Road.
Jay Karr/The Beaufort Gazette

Longtime Christmas tree farmer Wes Cooler on his lot in Okatie Friday afternoon. At 61, Cooler says he'll soon be unable to meet the physical demands of his job. The farm that's been in Cooler's family for generations is up for sale.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette

Michelle Cutting of Midnight Bakers helps Judy Safay make the difficult decision on what kind of fresh baked goods she'll bring home during the last day for the season of the Farmers Market at Honey Horn Friday morning.
Jonathan Dyer, The Beaufort Gazette