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From Earlier This Week

• Band loses equipment after island gig
  A band lost its equipment in the Sea Pines Circle after playing a show last week at Stage's, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's report released Wednesday. (full story)
• School district to pay $563,500 to 8th molestation victim
  BEAUFORT -- A victim of a convicted child molester and former teacher will get more than $500,000 in a settlement approved by the Beaufort County Board of Education on Tuesday. (full story)
• Subject of movie "Radio" broadcasts sound advice for island students
  In the movie "Radio," a developmentally disabled man is teased and ridiculed by townspeople. But under a football coach's watchful eye, "Radio" grows and ultimately inspires those around him to become better people. (full story)
• Today's meeting considers recycling options
  The discussion about the future of recycling on Hilton Head Island will continue today, and town officials hope to end up with some direction about what residents want. (full story)
• Body found floating in island lagoon identified
  The body of a man pulled from a south Hilton Head Island lagoon last week has been identified. (full story)
• Bluffton woman's suit charges sexual discrimination at fire district
  A former volunteer firefighter with the Bluffton Township Fire District has filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit, alleging the department used a tainted application process to keep her from becoming a paid employee. (full story)
• Can Daufuskie's "oyster homes" be saved?
  The old tin-roofed houses hearken back to a time on Daufuskie Island when the oyster business was thriving, a native island population flourished and tourists were almost unheard of. (full story)
• School district announces personnel changes
  The leader of Beaufort and Jasper counties' technical high school is stepping down after five years to become the school district's head of technical education. (full story)
• US 278 crash victim remains hospitalized
  One woman remains in the hospital after a four-vehicle accident at U.S. 278 and Buck Island Road in Bluffton on Tuesday morning. (full story)
• Police: Shoplifting suspect rams officer with car, found hiding in portable toilet
  A 47-year-old Burton man is accused of ramming an off-duty sheriff's deputy with his vehicle after being confronted about a shoplifting allegation, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's report Wednesday. (full story)
• Bluffton may owe less to state for illegal tickets
  Bluffton probably owes the state less money than originally thought for issuing illegal "town tickets" and keeping all of the money, the state Treasurer's Office said this week. (full story)
• Does legislative proposal put our coast at risk?
  Conservationists in South Carolina are alarmed over the possibility the legislature could strip the coast of more than 30 years of protection and open it to unlimited development. (full story)
• Police: man with two girlfriends beat one to make room for the other
  A 38-year-old Bluffton man is accused of severely beating his exhausted girlfriend because she wasn't leaving his home quickly enough after a nightabusing alcohol and crack cocaine, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff's report. (full story)
• Live on Hilton Head? Your property taxes may be going up
  Hilton Head Island residents could see a portion of their property taxes increase for the first time ever this fall as the town prepares for what it expects will be a tough economic year ahead. (full story)
• Would the tourists return in the aftermath of an island hurricane?
  The 2008 hurricane season worries the Beaufort County Emergency Management director more than any other past season. (full story)
• U.S. 278 accident snarls traffic, send two women to Savannah hospital
  A four-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. 278 and Buck Island Road in Bluffton sent two women to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah on Tuesday morning. (full story)
• It's alive! Not really, but the i-STAN is a great way to train USCB nursing students
  He's not human, but he can talk, breathe, blink, bleed, urinate, sweat and have a heart attack -- and all at once, if necessary. (full story)
• Traffic stop nets crack cocaine stash
  Bluffton police discovered a large amount of crack cocaine during a traffic stop Monday, the department said Tuesday. (full story)
• Police charge teens in island break-ins
  Arrests have been made in a string of car break-ins in Hilton Head Plantation that contributed to a recent spike in crime statistics in gated communities, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office. (full story)
• Local copper thefts rise with prices
  LADY'S ISLAND -- Rising copper prices seem to be fueling more metal thefts. (full story)
• Bluffton considers hiking fees
  If a new proposal becomes law, Bluffton town residents and developers could face increases in town fees, including a doubling of the current stormwater utility fee. (full story)