TheSunNews.com: Local

Plenty of Memorial Day events on tap for Myrtle Beach area

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:21 EDT

If you go – Memorial Day observances/services

‘PARADE OF AMERICAN FLAGS’

What | Display of at least 76 U.S. flags along 3 1/2 miles of U.S. 17 Business through Murrells Inlet

Myrtle Beach police investigate mail thefts

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:43 EDT

Someone took mail from mailboxes Wednesday on one Myrtle Beach street and police are searching for the culprit.

Three people at three homes on Camellia Drive told Myrtle Beach officers that someone stole mail they left in their mailboxes for pickup by a post office employee, according to separate police report.

The mail was reported stolen between 7:30 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. Wednesday by residents living in the 4900 and 3900 blocks of Camellia Drive, police said. In each incident, the resident raised the flag on their mailbox and left their mail.

Issac J. Bailey | The courage to lead the 7th district

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:05 EDT

In anticipation of Thursday night’s scheduled Burgess Community 7th Congressional District candidate forum at St. James High School, I wanted to come up with a clever question that would force those vying to represent us to reveal themselves beyond talking points and a recitation of all the things that most of us already want to hear.

We all want lower taxes when possible.

We all want more jobs that pay higher wages, especially given the recent report showing that the Myrtle Beach metro area’s average annual salary of roughly $31,000 is the lowest in the country.

Standoff ends in arrest in Little River

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:21 EDT

A standoff that lasted nearly three hours Wednesday on Sea Mountain Highway ended with a man wanted on criminal sexual conduct charges surrendering to law enforcement officials.

Walter Eugene Johnson, 38, is accused of molesting a 17-year-old girl in Greenville County, according to Kelvin Washington with the U.S. Marshals.

“The [U.S.] Marshals and the officers from both departments were able to locate him briefly and take control of the first floor of the house,” Horry County Police Sgt. Robert Kegler said. “The second floor of the house was not cleared and there was a possibility that the suspect was in there.”

Hawaiian show in the works for Surfside Beach theater

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:15 EDT

An authentic Hawaiian production with hula dancing, ukulele demonstrations and a fire knife performer is in the works to kick off the lineup this summer at the new Grand Theatre.

“Aloha Y’all,” a version of an outdoor show that has been performed in Maui for about two years, aims to showcase the Hawaiian culture in a two-hour, family-friendly show at the Surfside Beach theater, which was formerly Legends in Concert then Celebration Music Theatre.

About 15 performers from the original show in Maui, called Polynesian Village, are relocating to Myrtle Beach for this production, the first show in the Grand Theatre since Journey Church moved in earlier this month having services on Sundays and plans for professional productions the rest of the week.

Severe weather expected in Myrtle Beach area tonight

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:49 EDT

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued until 9 p.m. Wednesday for Brunswick, N.C., Horry and Georgetown counties, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

Storms are expected throughout the afternoon and some could be severe and produce large hail and damaging winds, according to forecasters.

At 2:30 p.m. Wednesday forecasters upgraded the alert to a severe thunderstorm warning, which is in effect until 3:30 p.m., because Doppler radar indicated a thunderstorm was moving 15 mph northeast near Pee Dee Crossroads, or about seven miles west of Conway. The storm was expected to impact Conway, Hickory Grove, Homewood and Adrian.

Surfside Beach postpones budget vote, plans special meeting

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:37 EDT

Taxes aren’t changing in Surfside Beach, but the budget still hasn’t been voted on.

Town Council unanimously adopted the tax rate, at 40 mils, Tuesday, which means the property taxes in the town are staying the same.

Council set up a special meeting on June 4 to look at the budget, ensuring that the 2013 budget will be adopted by the end of next month.

Things to do in the Myrtle Beach area on May 24

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:39 EDT

Art show, sale continues

The Waterway Art Association’s 21st annual Art Show and Sale continues daily through Monday, with an artist reception and awards presentation 6-8:30 p.m. today. Details at www.waterwayart.org.

Details | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the new Brunswick Community College Extension, on U.S. 17 in Calabash, N.C., for free.

Police | Counterfeit $50 bills used at Myrtle Beach pizza shop

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:20 EDT

Police

MYRTLE BEACH

Myrtle Beach man charged with illegally tattooing in the city

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:18 EDT

A 34-year-old Myrtle Beach man was charged with illegally tattooing in the city limits, according to authorities.

Christopher David Giggey was charged with tattooing when police found him standing outside a motel in the 200 block of South Ocean Boulevard at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to an arrest report. Officers had issued a warrant for Giggey’s arrest after beginning an investigation into illegal tattooing on Friday.

Police began investigating complaints of tattooing after seeing a man walking on Fifth Avenue South with a tattoo power supply in his hand and going into a room at 301 N. Ocean Blvd., according to a police report. Officers learned a friend of the man had tattooed him for free.

Police | Myrtle Beach parents charged after drug tests

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:32 EDT

Police

MYRTLE BEACH

Boeing’s first 787 built in S.C. takes maiden flight

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:12 EDT

South Carolina’s burgeoning aeronautics industry flew by another milestone Wednesday as the first Boeing 787 manufactured in the state completed its maiden flight.

The first aircraft from Boeing’s new $750 million assembly plant in North Charleston lifted gracefully into a hazy blue sky shortly after noon. It returned more than five hours later after clocking about 2,000 miles – mainly over the Atlantic – and flying to 41,000 feet.

Six Boeing employees were on board the white plane with a red tail stripe and hundreds of workers gathered around it as the aircraft returned from its first flight.

Helicopter tours from Broadway at the Beach to start this week

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:15 EDT

A company offering helicopter tours of Myrtle Beach is setting up at Broadway at the Beach with plans to start flying Friday.

Helicopter Adventures will offer aerial tours of Myrtle Beach, though officials were tight-lipped on the details Wednesday as crews were busy putting the finishing touches on a building for the operation off 21st Avenue North behind NASCAR SpeedPark. A red helicopter was taking off and landing on a pad in a fenced-in field behind the new building.

Officials with the company and representatives of Burroughs & Chapin Co. Inc., which owns Broadway, declined Wednesday to give details about the new tours, including prices and tour length, saying more information would be released during a news conference at 10 a.m. Thursday.

SC Senate Democrats fail in efforts to defund voter ID

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:18 EDT

Democratic state senators failed Wednesday in their efforts to remove funding from the proposed 2012-13 budget for the voter ID lawsuit, as floor debate on the spending plan continued for a second full week.

The Senate defeated 24-17 an amendment stripping $1 million from the attorney general's office for its fight with the federal government on a state law requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Subsequent attempts also failed.

Republicans have argued the law is about preventing voter fraud. The federal government blocked the law in December, saying it could keep minorities from casting ballots. Attorney General Alan Wilson then sued in February.

Horry County housing commission to consider supporting homelessness plan

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:23 EDT

Getting Horry County Council to throw its support behind a 10-year plan to get rid of homelessness is the next goal of the Horry County Affordable Workforce Housing Commission.

But at least one member of the commission is concerned about the outdated data on which the plan is based.

Wednesday was just the latest round of talks centered on helping the more than 1,000 people listed as homeless in Horry County.

Unofficial results again have Evans as Atlantic Beach’s new mayor

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:05 EDT

Atlantic Beach’s do-over election Tuesday ended the same way the Nov. 1 contest did, with Councilman Jake Evans defeating incumbent Retha Pierce for the mayor’s seat.

According to unofficial results, Evans received 53 votes to Pierce’s four. Fellow challenger and Town Councilwoman Windy Price got one vote.

“I can’t thank the governor and the state and the county enough,” Evans said, alluding to Gov. Nikki Haley ordering that Horry County and state election officials oversee Tuesday’s special election. “The people of this community are closer together than they’ve been in a long time, and they deserve better than what they’ve been getting.”

Bikers, military events fueling busy Memorial Day weekend in the Myrtle Beach area

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:56 EDT

The Grand Strand is on track to have a busy Memorial Day weekend -- though not as buzzing as forecasters originally thought – and falling gas prices are prompting some to hit the road for the holiday, officials said.

This week leading up to the holiday weekend in the Myrtle Beach area is a bit off from the same week last year, though lodging occupancy will pick up starting Saturday night and continue to be up through next week, said Taylor Damonte of Coastal Carolina University’s Clay Brittain Jr. Center for Resort Tourism.

Occupancy during that period is expected to be up about 7 percent over the same week last year, he said. The holiday weekend won’t be as busy as originally thought because travelers didn’t make the same amount of last-minute bookings as they have been.

Myrtle Beach police investigate pizza shop robbery

Tue, 22 May 2012 19:12 EDT

Myrtle Beach police are investigating an armed robbery at a pizza shop, according to a police report.

Officers were called at 10:15 p.m. Sunday to Hungry Howie’s at 1601 S. Kings Highway for an armed robbery, police said.

Police learned a man came into the business, grabbed an employee at gunpoint and forced her to open the safe, according to the report. The suspect took cash and ran out of a side door.

Nightclub moving into former Waccamaw Pottery in Myrtle Beach area

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:33 EDT

A country music-themed nightclub plans to open this week in the former Waccamaw Pottery complex near Myrtle Beach, the first business to move in since new owners bought the former shopping center about six months ago aiming to revive it.

Block Party Nightlife has transformed a 6,000-square-foot spot into a nightclub that will feature concerts by houseband Ricshaw and special performances, starting in July, by regional and national acts, owners said, declining to name the bands because final deals haven’t yet been signed.

The nightclub, which aims to target revelers ages 28 to 55 and is across the street from The Boathouse Waterway Bar & Grill, received its liquor license Tuesday and will open at 4 p.m. Thursday, said Suzanne Burgess, one of the nightclub’s owners. The club will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week, and there’s no admission charge unless a regional or national band is on the bill.

Myrtle Beach DMV to offer driving test appointments

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:00 EDT

The Myrtle Beach branch of Department of Motor Vehicles on 21st Avenue North is one of 12 offices in the state that will be offering driving tests by appointment.

The S.C. DMV said Monday the road tests, required for Class D passenger and Class M motorcycle licenses, are time-consuming – lasting 20 to 40 minutes each. The number of those tests given, according to the DMV, triple in the summer months, often creating a bottleneck of drivers awaiting their turn.

Starting June 4, the Myrtle Beach location and 11 others in the state, will offer appointments Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.