Another sink hole in Water Front Park should make it obvious that there are some serious problems with the way the City of Beaufort has been doing business with contractors and/or developers.

The quality of the work being done during the "renovation" was questioned by several observers, but was dismissed by many City officials as well as business representatives. When some of the workers were found unable to even speak English there were more questions raised that were again dismissed by many.

Beaufort Gazette: "A small section of the sidewalk at the west end of Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park collapsed, creating yet another sink hole,"

Building a "day dock" next to the sea wall in the park may not be the wisest move at this time. Not only should projects be prioritized with repairs coming first, but there is also the possibility of losing a boater to a sink hole as they exit their boat from a "day dock." It's a wonder that someone hasn't been lost during a festival or concert.....lawn chairs and all.

District spokesman announces resignation
Published Wed, Aug 20, 2008 12:00 AM Beaufort Gazette

"Beaufort County School District spokesman John Williams announced his resignation Tuesday, ending a 12-year career with the school system."

This is the first positive sign that things are beginning to change in the school district.

Cris Hawley in USA Today reported that the "Drooping dollar makes trip to Mexico more expensive."

While I'm sure that this will dampen the plans of the multitudes of Beaufortonians who plan to travel to Mexico in the near future, there is a brighter side to this bit of otherwise disturbing news.

Obviously crime has been rising over the years along with the population and things are looking pretty bad when even the County Sheriff makes desperate statements about how the violence has to stop. Seven shootings since early July in a town the size of Beaufort is quite a bit of violence and unfortunately it is not that unusual.

I once had a professor who maintained that a person hasn't really learned something unless they are able to put it in writing. Almost everyone seems to have had the experience of "thinking" that they had learned something in preparation for a test, only to take the test and find out that they didn't know the topic as well as they thought.

Anyone who was around Beaufort or Hilton Head during the economic surge of the 1990s is very aware of the significant numbers of New Yorkers who have been attracted to the area. In addition to their money, they have brought with them expertise in various disciplines and even a new twist and sophistication to the Southern accent.

T. Boone Pickens had better have a lot of money ready for the battle to develop alternative fuels. Of course everyone is aware of the frantic push to get more drilling rights for oil companies before President Bush leaves office.....

But did you know that according to the July/August edition of Public Citizen News, in 2007 the Federal government spent $5.8 billion in 2007 on renewable energy and conservation PROGRAMS, and $30 billion on subsidies to the fossil fuel and nuclear INDUSTRIES?

Lately our country has been embroiled in a debate about pollution, climate change, global warming, etc. that is catching the consumer in the middle by mandating such things a corn ethanol, lower emission requirements for vehicles, safeguards for disposing of chemical wastes, etc.

When confronted about these issues at the international level, the Bush administration balks and cites an arguable point. And that point is that China, India and other places are much more polluted and are doing much less than the U.S. to reduce pollution.

Money Magazine has come out with "America's Best Places to Live 2008." A couple of the consistent characteristics found in those cities are high quality education and cultural activities. In addition to this list there is a list of the top 100 cities in each state. Hilton Head makes the list of "best cities" within SC, but Beaufort doesn't.

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105381/America's-Best-Places-to-Live-2008

Will Beaufort ever meet the Money Magazine criteria for being one of the best cities in SC?