Hilton Head Island • Bluffton �� islandpacket.com packet.com TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2014 81° 72° Probably not a good day for a picnic. 4B SERVING THE LOWCOUNTRY • 75¢ Facials starting at $59 on Hilton Head Island University of South Carolina Beaufort to go tobacco-free next year 3A LOWCOUNTRY ECONOMIC ALLIANCE FEWER EYES ON THE WATER Closure of Charleston Coast Guard facility concerns Beaufort County officials By MATT McNAB • [email protected] • 843-706-8125 S hawn Rhodes says a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter saved her life on a sunny July day two years ago. As the waves swelled and crashed around the inflatable rafts containing Rhodes and the eight other family members who had been sucked out into St. Helena Sound, helicopter crews spotted them from above. The waves, strengthened by an approaching storm, had hidden the deflating rafts from rescue boats. If not for the helicopter’s presence, the rescue boats might never have found them. “We would have died,” Rhodes said. Please see EYES on 7A Leaders reverse funding decision After denying a request last month to contribute $200,000 to the LEA, Beaufort County Council votes to give $195,000. By ZACH MURDOCK [email protected] 843-706-8147 In a 180-degree turn, Beaufort County Council narrowly decided Monday that it will contribute $195,000 to the Lowcountry Economic Alliance this year. The vote reverses the council’s move last month to deny a $200,000 contribution to the alliance, decided by a 5-5 tie vote, with Councilwoman Laura Von Harten absent in that decision. However, Chairman Paul Sommerville said the vote left the matter unsettled. On Monday, he brought up the revised contribution. A debate lasting an hour and a half showed how divisive the subject of economic development funding has become among council members, with several heated exchanges and another narrow vote — this time ending 6-5 to fund the alliance, with Von Harten as the swing vote. Von Harten, who has gone back and forth on her support for the alliance, said the council should review the possibility of partnering with another group, such as the Southern Carolina Alliance. However, she ultimately decided funding the LEA now will keep economic development efforts afloat while the council undoubtedly spends Please see REVERSE on 7A THE 6-5 VOTE PAUL ZOELLER • postandcourier.com In June 2013, Josh Straitiff, of Buffalo, N.Y., second from left, and Daniel Kelley, of Huntsville, Ala., left, thank members of the U.S. Coast Guard at Johns Island Executive Airport after they were rescued from a sailboat during Tropical Storm Andrea. IN THE U.S. w ro . Rd am y. BUS. Willion Pkw 278 Hilt Dr. Site for new shopping center were center shopping revealed Monday. The engineer who filed the plans, d. Are Chick-fil-A and another Larry t R Barthelemy of Hanahan, dege r Ta Walmart coming to Hilton Head clined to disclose who is developing the site. He said he didn’t know Island? ey ans All unnag Developers want to build a 7-acre what Dgrocery or retail stores were shopping center at Palmetto Bay planned. illiam wy. BUS. W on Pk 278 plans, filed Oct. 3, and Target roads, according to a Barthelemy’s Hilt r. D d oo Marietta, Ga.-based Crown Deproposal submitted to the town. The nwshow Gree center will include a grocery store, a velopment Group as the developer. gas station and two other stores. N Please see GROCER on 7A Few additional details about the to et lm d. Pa ay R B e p Po od nwo Gree lley gans A Dunna e N e. Av e. Av Please see EBOLA on 7A d. tR e rg Ta Site for new shopping center Grocer sets sights on Hilton Head A new grocery store is part of the proposed development plans at Palmetto Bay and Target roads. By DAN BURLEY [email protected] 843-706-8142 p Po about whether U.S. health officials need better measures to identify hospitals that may not be able to handle complex diseases such as Ebola. “Ebola is a serious disease,” said Dr. Mark Rupp, who heads the . Rd For more on Ebola in the U.S. and in West Africa, go to 7A. PROPOSED SHOPPING CENTER? Ar w ro DALLAS — A second Ebola case in Texas — identified Sunday as a hospital worker who cared for the Liberian man who died last week from the disease — is raising fresh doubts about the preparedness of the U.S. health system to handle the deadly outbreak. It is also prompting new questions MORE INSIDE Ar By NOAM N. LEVEY, MOLLY HENNESSY-FISKE and KURTIS LEE Los Angeles Times to et lm d. Pa ay R B New Ebola case raises health system worries PROPOSED SHOPPING CENTER? A new grocery store is part of the proposed development plans at Palmetto Bay and Target roads. • FOR: Gerald Dawson, Brian Flewelling, Laura Von Harten, Bill McBride, Jerry Stewart and Paul Sommerville • AGAINST: Cynthia Bensch, Rick Caporale, Steve Fobes, Tabor Vaux and Stu Rodman You’ll find it all in THE ISLAND PACKET u|xhGIG Dy70 01sz\ Volume 44 • No. 287 Founded 1970 ON THE WEB INSIDE TODAY’S ISLAND PACKET QUOTE OF THE DAY To submit photos to Your Photos Your Life, go to bit.ly/your-pics. Bluffton High alumna Mackenzie Cooler is named Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive time. 1B “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” James Joyce