There’s never been a year like 2020. There’s never been a better time to say thank you
Dear Grand Strand,
A few weeks ago, I introduced myself and told you about the changes and challenges occurring in the journalism industry and here at The Sun News. A part of that was also expressing my excitement as to what’s next, but there’s something I must do first before we end the year.
I want to say thank you to you. Thank you for subscribing. Thank you for supporting journalism and your local paper. Thank you for staying informed and engaged with your community.
As you look ahead with us, we ask you to share what stories you’d like us to devote time to in the coming year. You can do so here. Your feedback, ideas and tips are invaluable, and we are listening.
Thanks to you, we were able to expand our team and increase our coverage this summer. Through your donations and a grant from Report from America, we were able to add Mary Norkol to write about homelessness and affordable housing.
Mary has written about a man nicknamed “Cowboy,” who was in need of a home, those who have struggled with addiction, housing affordability and the city’s future. Her story on plans for an Horry County domestic violence shelter shuttered by COVID-19 exposed the need for a safe space in our community for those bruised. These are just some of the stories you’ve helped us do.
Mary and the other new reporters hired over the summer have been great additions and have added to the great work being done by our staff. Chase Karacostas, who covers tourism, teamed up with our government reporter, J. Dale Shoemaker, and veteran projects and education reporter David Weissman, to dig into an unofficial shag festival that contributed to a rise in cases and a handful of deaths in North Myrtle Beach.
Chase has written extensively about beach access, homeowner associations and the toll the virus has had on the holiday season. Dale has let you know about the environmental concerns that possibly threaten plans to bring another hospital to the county and how much money some businesses received from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program. David has exposed the attempts of a landlord evicting residents in the throes of a pandemic. The landlord later stopped with evictions.
No one covers crime and breaking news like Alex Lang. He was first at the scene when a Myrtle Beach police officer was shot and killed. Alex shifted his focus early in the year, and brought you diaries from your neighbors on how they were adjusting to a new normal of some kind.
You wouldn’t have known about Horry County’s longest serving volunteer firefighter if Gerard Albert, our breaking news and general assignment reporter, hadn’t made it a point to tell the story of James Hodge that illuminated the honor of all first responders. Gerard also told you who and when the first rounds of virus vaccine would be administered.
And what a historic year for Coastal Carolina University’s football team? Al Blondin, our longtime sports reporter chronicled the meteoric rise of the football team. He and David Wetzel, a veteran reporter and editor have made business openings and closings a priority so you’d know where to eat, shop and visit.
Our photo and video editor, Jason Lee, has captured some of the rawest and truest moments of 2020. Jenna Farhat, who has the ambitious task of covering Georgetown County, has told you how their schools are adjusting to remote learning. And Maya Brown, who joined us just last week as the new Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach reporter, brings new ideas, perspectives and good energy to an evolving newsroom.
It’s been a year of news dominated, above all else, by the COVID-19 pandemic, which also fundamentally changed the way The Sun News staff did its work and covered the news. Throughout the pandemic, our staff, like employees in so many offices, shifted entirely to remote work.
But our journalists, masked and practicing social distancing, never stopped reporting the news for you. Throughout this extraordinary year, our journalists have been there for you, on the front lines of some of the biggest stories of our lifetimes.
And you’ve been there for us, following our work, sharing it on social media, sending us news tips, subscribing to The Sun News in print or online, supporting us as we used innovative ways to expand our coverage of the Grand Strand. I want to thank you for that support, which has sustained our journalism in an extraordinary time. We truly could not do this work without your support.
As this year comes to a close, we’re also working with United Way of Horry County to help assist our neighbors who are dealing with food insecurity. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many families are facing financial hardship and hunger. To make a donation to the United Way to help more Grand Strand families access the food they need, go here: https://unitedwayhorry.org/give/
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 1:19 PM.