MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Breaking News

Crash clogs U.S. 17

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:54 EDT

Southbound traffic on U.S. 17 Bypass has been blocked in Litchfield Beach because of a crash involving a motorcycle and another vehicle, authorities said.

At of 11:45 p.m. traffic was being directed around the crash scene.

Two people were injured. One person was taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital and the other was flown to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

Monday's High School Playoff Scores

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:45 EDT

Baseball

(At) Boiling Springs 4, Conway 3 (8) | Boiling Spring hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie it at 3, and won it on a Josh Stevens solo walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth to take the first game of the best-of-three Class AAAA state championship series.

Girls soccer

Myrtle Beach holding public hearing about budget, tax increase

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:48 EDT

The Myrtle Beach City Council will hold the first public hearing about the city’s proposed budget and three-mill property tax increase at 2 p.m. Tuesday in City Council Chambers.

The council is considering an increase to fund two additional police officers for the growing neighborhoods around The Market Common; dedicating $355,000 a year to the Coast Regional Transportation Authority and hiring two recreation workers for Pepper Geddings and Canal Street recreation centers. The rest of the money raised through the increase would be stored in the city’s general fund reserves for one-time expenses and emergencies.

The hearing is part of considerations of this year’s proposed $138 million budget. The city must have a balanced budget in place by the time the new fiscal year starts July 1. There will be more public hearings before the budget gets a final OK.

Conway police seeks help in theft

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:07 EDT

The Conway Police Department is seeking help in finding a person involved in stealing a wallet from a store Saturday night.

Officers responded to Big Lots at 1641 Church Street in Conway shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday when a woman reported that her wallet was stolen, said Catina Hipp, the department's public information officer, in a news release.

The woman told police that she laid her wallet on the counter as she paid for her merchandise and then exited the store without getting her wallet, Hipp said. She realized she left her wallet after getting to her vehicle. She returned to the store and could not find it, Hipp said.

New stores coming to B&C centers

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:56 EDT

Twelve chosen to prep all-state teams

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:37 EDT

Horry and Georgetown counties are represented by 12 players on the 2008 all-state soccer teams chosen by the S.C. High School Soccer Coaches Association.

Waccamaw, which saw both its boys and girls team advance to the Class AA Lower State finals, are represented by a total of seven players. The boys all-state picks are forwards Justin Blomdahl and Miles Clemons, midfielder Rhyne Garrity and defender Michael Gilligan. The girls picks are forwards Callie Dennis and Taylor Player and midfielder Shelby Averett.

Socastee, the Region VI-AAA boys champion, had three representatives, and, not surprisingly, it was the team's deadly triumvirate of scorers: forwards Orlando Clarke and Justin Watson and midfielder Bobby Belair.

Johnny's Suzuki closes

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:41 EDT

After less than a year in business, Johnny's Suzuki on U.S. 501 has closed, laying off 25 employees and putting the dealership and franchise up for sale, a company official said.

The dealership's last day was Friday, said Randy Cox, used car director for Johnny's Automotive. The company has six other dealerships and eight franchises in other parts of South Carolina, including one that is scheduled to open in July in Easley.

The company's top workers were stretched too thin throughout the state to keep the Myrtle Beach dealership open, Cox said. Sales this year have been fair, he said.

Murrells Inlet shellfish beds closed

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:38 EDT

The shellfish beds in Murrells Inlet and North Santee Bay in Georgetown County have been closed to harvesting because of excessive rainfall and the potential for contamination, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Sunday.

“Rainfall can wash contaminants into shellfish harvesting areas, causing a temporary degradation of water quality,” said Mike Pearson, manager of DHEC’s Shellfish Sanitation Program.

“These areas have been closed as a precaution and will remain closed until monitoring shows fecal coliform bacteria concentrations to be acceptable,'' he said.

Georgetown teen remains missing

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:40 EDT

A Georgetown girl who vanished from the Bayview community remains missing, according to her family.

Megan Marie Lance, 17, has not been seen since she left her family's home on April 26.

She was supposed to spend the night with a friend, said mother, Teresa Helms.

Man charged with firing weapon at apartment complex

Mon, 12 May 2008 13:37 EDT

Conway Police Officers charged 26-year-old Dennis Earl Green of Little River with two counts of assault with the intent to kill and one count of discharging a firearm into a dwelling in connection with a shooting that occurred around 5:30 a.m. Saturday.

The incident happened at the Conway Burroughs Apartments, on 12th Avenue in Conway.

No one was injured in the shooting.

S.C. Supreme Court overturns McKnight conviction

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:51 EDT

A Conway woman's conviction for having a stillborn child, with cocaine found in the baby's system, was overturned Monday by the S.C. Supreme Court.

Regina McKnight, who was charged in 1999 with homicide by child abuse, was not given adequate counsel because there were other factors that could have caused her child's death, according to an opinion issued by the state judges.

McKnight was rejected on an earlier appeal to the S.C. Supreme Court.

Mosquito activity increase in Georgetown

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:12 EDT

Mosquito officials in Georgetown County are urging citizens to prepare for mosquito season.

Mosquito activity has increased in Georgetown County, since several inches of rain have fallen this month.

``As the weather begins to warm, regular spring cleaning activities can help reduce mosquito populations.'' said Timothy Chatman, an employee with Georgetown County Mosquito Control.

Injured motorcyclist in good condition

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:36 EDT

A motorcyclist injured in a collision Saturday night is in good condition, according to officials at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Richard Coble was taken to MUSC after Saturday's crash.

Roger Winburn, 46, of Darlington, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gale warning issued for today

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:15 EDT

Gale-force winds are expected in the Carolinas today, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Winds are expected to gust at least 35 to 40 mph today, in Horry, Georgetown and Brunswick counties.

The warning is extended through tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Now he's Dr. Cyberpunk

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:32 EDT

CONWAY | William Gibson, the novelist who coined the term "cyberspace" and whose novels anticipated the Internet age while home computers were still rare, received an honorary doctorate Saturday from the university in his hometown.

Describing his "significant contribution to American letters" and "pioneering role in the genre of science-fiction," Coastal Carolina University named Gibson a doctor of humane letters during its 2008 commencement ceremonies.

"I was born here in the middle of the previous century, and spent the last 30 years writing about imaginary versions of the current century," said Gibson, 60, in a short address. "Somehow I never expected to see Conway in the 21st century. I think it looks very good indeed, and I'm proud to be born here."

S.C. lags on national report card

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:08 EDT

South Carolina ranks in the bottom half of states with its average scores in math and reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, according to scores released today.

The test, also known as the nation's report card, is the only nationwide standardized test that lets states see how they compare to other states.

Scores in math and reading for fourth- and eighth-graders are released every two years.

Tropical Storm Karen forms in Atlantic

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:55 EDT

Two school buses in two wrecks

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 20:25 EDT

S.C. Highway Patrol troopers responded to two separate crashes involving school buses on today, officials report.

In the first, the side-view mirrors of a school bus and another vehicle hit each other on Forestbrook Road this afternoon with 50 Forestbrook Elementary School children on the bus, Horry County school officials report.

No one was injured in the incident, which happened shortly after school let out and the bus was taking the children home. There was no damage to the bus, said Teal Britton, Horry County Schools' spokeswoman.

Woods fire cause for evacuation

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:46 EDT

Fire officials in Brunswick County, N.C., alongside crews from the N.C. Division of Forest Resources and Brunswick County emergency management personnel, battled a 50-acre brush fire this afternoon that forced about 10 households to evacuate, said Ocean Isle Beach fire chief Robert Yoho.

The blaze started off Hale Swamp Road and westerly winds spread it toward Ocean Isle Beach Road, and fire officials were summoned at 2:45 p.m., Yoho said.

He said the residents who were told to leave their homes, and sought shelter with neighbors, were released back to their own homes by about 5:30 p.m.

Police investigate shots fired

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:42 EDT

At least four people heard someone fire two shots from a moving vehicle in the 2000 block of Ocean Boulevard early Sunday morning, according to a Myrtle Beach Police Department incident report.

One witness flagged down officers and said he was on the sidewalk in front of the Camelot Hotel and "heard a couple of gunshots fired just as a dark in color [sport-utility vehicle] and another, smaller car were approaching northbound on Ocean Boulevard," about 12:20 a.m.

The witness told police the cars were in different lanes, the report shows.