August 2003 - Month in Review Concours announces major sponsor The Hilton Head Island Concours Group announced that Buick Motor Company, celebrating 100 years as the foundation for the creation of big three automaker General Motors, has agreed to be the title sponsor of the 2003 Hilton Head Island Concours d'Elegance. The event's autos will be displayed Nov. 1-2 on the grounds of Honey Horn, while Sea Pines will host social activities. LOCALNEWS 42 violations in dredging disaster Due to the discovery of spoil on area beaches and suspicion of potential permit violations, a sudden halt of dredging in Sea Pines was issued and an investigation ordered. After examining required reports, state officials recently announced that the South Island Dredging Association is guilty of 42 separate violations and that the association faces nearly $500,000 in penalties, under state law. According to state officials, 75 percent of the spoil pulled from the bottom of the marinas and waterways was wrongfully disposed of in the Calibogue Sound, instead of being dumped in an approved offshore disposal site. Insurance woes end at Hilton Head Regional In July, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina reported a possible end to its contract with the Hilton Head Regional Medical Center due to a disagreement over discounts. Concern regarding cancellation of their contract prompted the hospital to submit a counterproposal which Blue Cross accepted July 21. Without an agreement, BlueCross members would have been forced to pay out-of-network rates for elective procedures at the hospital or seek care elsewhere to avoid the higher rates. Off the deep end Remember all those summers spent jumping and diving off the high dive at the local pool? Well, for Lowcountry residents, those days will soon become a distant memory as area pool owners begin eliminating diving boards. Deep end pools are becoming extinct here, as well, and are being replaced with pools no deeper than six feet. The new trend can be attributed to safety concerns, the struggle with ground water depth, and economical benefits of shallow pools which require less maintenance, filtration and chemicals. USC south campus breaks ground The University of South Carolina broke ground on its south campus, just west of Sun City on Hwy. 278, and plans to be ready for students in Fall 2004. The Hilton Head campus will then close, and USC hopes the new university will attract students from outside the local area. The university will offer four year degrees in various subjects, including early childhood education, English, liberal studies, business management, hospitality management and human services. Sandollar souvenirs are illegal Vacationers who love to take home sandollars may face a large fine if their souvenirs are alive and wriggling. The town ordinance, previously not strictly enforced, indicates that the removal of a live sandollar can result in a fine of $1,000. Judging by the number of folks toting buckets of these creatures home, the rule is not understood by all. A live sand dollar is brown and bristly. Those that are smooth and gray are dead and can be removed from the beach legally. Unfamiliar with the town's ordinance, forbidding removal of live creatures from Hilton Head's beaches, some folks don't see the harm in collecting a few "souvenirs." Political legend remembered On July 1, South Carolinians took time to memorialize 100-year-old Strom Thurmond; the longest serving senator (48 years) who retired in January. In 1948, Thurmond ran for president on a Dixiecrat platform of segregation. A man who changed with the times, Thurmond was the first Southern Republican congressional delegate to hire an African American aide in 1971. Thurmond's service, the largest funeral since Sen. John C. Calhoun in 1850, was attended by nearly 3,000. G-8 summit heads to Sea Island In 2004, leaders from the world's major industrial countries will head south. President George W. Bush selected Sea Island, off the coast of Georgia, to host next year's G-8 summit. The resort island, approximately a two-hour drive from Hilton Head, is five miles long and home to The Cloister resort and about 500 private homes. Ironically, Sea Island is where the President's parents spent their honeymoon in 1945 and held their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. West Nile virus hits South Carolina Health officials have confirmed that a man in Oconee County has become the first human to be afflicted with West Nile virus in the United States this year. South Carolina reported one case in 2002, as well. The man, whose name has not been released, is said to be about 65 years old and in good health. He possibly contracted the virus from mosquitoes. Amusement park possible in Myrtle Beach? Move over Mickey. An Orlando-based amusement park producer, not Disney, seems to believe that Myrtle Beach offers an ideal location for his venture. Producer John Binkowski hopes to bring a theme park to the Fantasy Harbour area and is asking the county to rezone 150 acres. Insurance higher in South Carolina Homeowners insurance increases have been attributed to several factors: rising construction costs, Sept. 11 losses, declining investment returns and more frequent natural disasters. Hurricanes, in particular, influence premiums for oceanfront homes. State Farm Fire and Casualty, Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance, South Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance and United Services Automobile Association, increased premiums by an average of 12 percent in 2002.