News

Myrtle Beach Invitational Will Not Take Place In Myrtle Beach

With uncertainty surrounding the safety of playing sports during the current pandemic, a variety of sports organizations have made the difficult decision to postpone or cancel sporting events altogether. The Myrtle Beach Invitational, which was typically held at Coastal Carolina University, will not be held along the Grand Strand this year.

The Myrtle Beach Invitational is a Division I college basketball tournament, usually taking place in November and featuring a variety of basketball teams from across the nation. This year’s tournament would have featured promising teams like the University of Nebraska, University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Missouri.

The cancellation of the Myrtle Beach Invitational will not only bring a hit to basketball fans but also to the city of Myrtle Beach itself.

It is estimated that the invitational brings in around $2 million in sports tourism every year. With tourism to the city already taking a hit, this will inevitably cause more uncertainty for many businesses who were counting on the increased revenue.

As many basketball teams have been pulling out of the invitational, it is uncertain whether or not the invitational will take at all.

News

Parents Now Able to Request Switch to In-Person Learning In Horry County

At a recent school board meeting, Dr. Rick Maxey, Superintendent of Horry County Schools, announced that parents will soon have the option to transfer students from virtual learning to in-person schooling.

The decision comes after many parents expressed their frustration following the first week of virtual learning, with some parents displeased by the lack of structure and others finding it difficult to support their child while also working full-time themselves.

Many Horry County students are currently operating in a hybrid model. These hybrid models consist of students attending in-person school two days of the week and the rest is conducted virtually.

In an effort to maintain safety and social distancing guidelines within schools, the school district will not be able to grant every request for children to return to traditional in-person learning.

However, Horry County School officials will continue to monitor the case numbers to determine whether or not students are able to return to in-person schooling full-time or if virtual learning needs to be implemented across the board.

News

Bus Services to Expand in Horry County

Horry County’s public transit provider, Coast Rapid Transit Authority, will be expanding its bus services over the next few years.

With the addition of six new buses and a variety of new routes, public transit users will now be able to reach a variety of areas outside of the Myrtle Beach and Conway areas, including a highly anticipated new route from Myrtle Beach to Carolina Forest to North Myrtle Beach.

The $7.1 million expansions are being made possible through the money Coast RTA received from the CARES Act that was passed earlier this year. Coast RTA plans to use the $5 million they received from the CARES Act over the next 5 years, focusing a majority of the funds on the route expansions.

Some of the additions will begin as soon as October with other routes being added throughout 2021.

There are still some routes that need to be finalized and the Coast RTA is encouraging members of the public to share their input.

News

Tax Redesign To Be Launched in Horry County

Each year, tax-related confusion sets in on a number of Americans. Those owning property in Horry County can expect a new look to their bills in an attempt to reduce this perplexity. Plus, these changes have the possibility of saving Horry County thousands of dollars each year.

Amid an Administrative Committee meeting held by the Horry County Council, Treasurer Angie Jones claimed that the Assessor’s office and the County Auditor will work together to reduce muddled notices that weren’t specific enough. Taxpayers can expect more straightforward claims to be sent their way.

“Our tax notices have literally, what I call, turned into a monster coupon book,” Jones explains. “We’ve got so many inserts in them. Taxpayers are looking at the inserts and not looking at the tax notice or looking at the tax notice and not looking at the inserts.”

These efforts will go on to save what the county projects to be more than $50,000. Residents can expect personal property tax notices to see similar changes as well.

News

Forbes Names Horry County Schools Amongst Best Employers in SC

Annually, Forbes compiles a list of the best employers per each state. This year, after surveying 80,000 working Americans and over 500 employers, Horry County Schools was named the second-best employer in SC. Southeastern Freight Lines in Lexington took home the first place spot.

As a way of collecting data, the surveys are given through a rolling basis between October 2019 and May 2020. This year especially, it means so much to join the companies listed by Forbes. Within the questionnaire, employers are compared throughout the year “so as to account for any statistically significant variations in the results collected before and after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic,” explained Forbes.

While many companies have struggled to maintain over the course of 2020, Horry County Schools thrives as an employer. With over 5,101 working employees, the Horry County Schools seem to prioritize their staff. Superintendent Rick Maxey holds his seat throughout the Forbes award and calendar year.

In order to best collect the information for this market research study, Forbes partnered with Statista to hone in on the most well-liked organizations per each state. This is the second year such research has been conducted.

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Despite Santee Cooper's claims of improved transparency, Santee Cooper board members continue meeting behind closed doors ignoring lawmakers request to stop.

Santee Cooper Board Continues Meeting Behind Closed Doors Despite Claims Of Improved Transparency

Due to continued scrutiny towards Santee Cooper, the power supply company has pledged to be more transparent in their dealings stating that they would be improving transparency moving forward and reporting publicly.

Despite this claim, it seems that a lack of transparency still exists. While Santee Cooper’s board meetings are live-streamed for the public, there’s a portion of the meetings which are not – the executive session. During the executive session, the board stops the live-stream and resumes upon entering back into regular session, meaning the general public has no knowledge of what is being discussed during this time. Being a common practice amongst many boards, this shouldn’t necessarily raise any red flags; however, records show that Santee Cooper’s Board has spent nearly twice the time in executive session as they have in regular session since the beginning of this year.

As a result of the increase in time spent in executive session, lawmakers requested that the board no longer meet in these sessions on April 9; therefore pushing the board to oblige to their promises of transparency. Lawmakers also made this request to ensure that the intent of the board is clear, if the Santee Cooper board is spending the majority of their meetings in executive sessions then their intent to improve transparency and implement change can and will be questioned by the state.

During April’s board meeting, Santee Cooper obliged to the state’s request to not hold an executive session. However, just one month later an executive session was held in May, going against the lawmaker’s request. This inconsistency by the Board is seen as questionable by many and is not the only red flag seen in recent months.

Lawmakers’ attempt to hold Santee Cooper accountable for their promise to be more transparent has failed yet again, something that Santee Cooper direct serve and electric cooperative customers are all too familiar with. These customers deserve to know where their money is going. They deserve to know if the promise of rate freezes will be true or if this is yet another false promise. They deserve to know how the billions of dollars of debt will be paid if rates are frozen especially when they continue to pay for the failed V.C. Summer project, golf tournament sponsorships, board retreats, a million-dollar CEO salary, retirement for former CEO Lonnie Carter, and other unnecessary expenses that customers see no return on.

It seems as though Santee Cooper has relied on customers to keep paying while not questioning increases in utility rates and remaining in the dark about where exactly their money is going, as some lawmakers turn a blind eye, for too long.

They’ve grown comfortable with secrecy and mismanagement and certain lawmakers have allowed it. For the first time in years, South Carolinians are being brought to light and asking for lawmakers to do something about the state-owned and operated utility and not just let it “reform itself” again.

News

Horry County Census Response Rate is Disturbingly Low

As of today, less than 40% of Myrtle Beach residents have responded to the 2020 Census.

Across Horry County, the response is under 57%. Response rates in Horry County towns and cities include:

Atlantic Beach 15.7%
Aynor 56.6%
Briarcliff Acres: 71%
Conway 55.6%
Loris 56.3%
North Myrtle Beach 24.8%
Myrtle Beach 38.9%
Surfside Beach 34.7%

Billions of dollars in federal, state, county and local government are allocated based on census results. Congressional and legislative seats are also drawn using census data. As a result of the last census in 2010, the coastal area and Pee Dee gained a congressional seat.

It’s not too late to respond. You can still complete the questionnaire yourself  online at 2020census.gov, by calling  844-330-2020, or by returning the paper form you received in the mail.  Respond using the address where you were living on April 1, 2020 and include anyone who was living with you at the time.

News

CCU’s Plan to Return On-Campus

Instead of heading to campus like a typical year at Coastal Carolina University, students will begin their Fall 2020 semesters with online education until at least Sept. 8. After Thanksgiving break, classes will resume online. This decision came as a response to growing coronavirus case numbers in the South Carolina area.

Students have the option to forgo in-person learning for an entirely online semester. This academic plan was announced via a video on Tuesday, July 21. To follow, a 30-day video campaign launch fosters communication between staff and students. In the campaign, the campus safety measures are broken down for viewers.

According to CCU president, David DeCenzo, “the decision to delay in-person instruction for a few weeks provides us with the best scenario to safely resume on-campus operations. Upon our return to campus, it will be essential for all members of Teal Nation to wear face coverings inside buildings, practice physical distancing, and follow the protocols established in our Coastal Comeback Plan to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.”

Those opting for the in-person plan will all be on campus by Sept. 4th at the latest. This optional second move-in allows residents to take their time in deciding what their next move is. Those that opt for a September move-in receive a two-week housing and dining credit incentive.

As of now, a plan for Spring 2021 is being crafted by DeCenzo and other CCU staff members. They will be gradually updating their reopening plans via the Coastal Comeback Plan website.

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