North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years

By Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach City Council extended the city’s state of emergency ordinance for two months during an emergency council meeting held last Wednesday, July 8. The ordinance, which the city had initially declared back in March when the earliest measures were set in place to counteract the spread of the coronavirus, is now set to expire on September 6, unless city officials deem it necessary to rescind it or extend it further. They previously passed an extension to the ordinance when it was due to expire in May. The state of emergency grants City Manager Mike Mahaney …

By Annie Rigby Janna-Reese is a bright young fourth grader who likes to keep busy, especially now when people are staying home. She has found a way to be creative and share her talent with others by painting rocks and hiding them throughout Loris. She said, “Because of the COVID it’s really boring cause you can’t go anywhere.” While cleaning she came upon a ladybug rock that she painted two years ago inspiring her to start painting and hiding rocks again. When someone finds a lion, tiger or bear, oh my, along with many other characters she creates and re-hide …

By Annie Rigby In response to the many areas surrounding Loris, including Horry County, that have mandated wearing face masks Mayor Todd Harrelson provided a proclamation for the residents and visitors of Loris. The proclamation for the City of Loris reads as follows. “Whereas, the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a new strain of the coronavirus previously unidentified in humans and which can spread from person to person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned of the high public health …

By Ruben Lowman Hospitalizations have been climbing in the area due to a sharp increase in patients being admitted who are infected with COVID-19, local medical systems have confirmed recently. There have also been some issues with staffing at hospitals along the Grand Strand as positive cases continue to increase. As of press time the zip codes of North Myrtle Beach, Little River and Loris each have a little over 340 confirmed positive cases and around 2,100 estimated cases. This is a significant jump from last week, when the numbers were roughly 280 confirmed and 1,700 estimated for each jurisdiction. …

Dale L. Hunnell Jr. of Little River died on Monday, July 6, 2020, unexpectedly after a brief illness. He was a veteran of the United States Air Force and a retired A & P Aircraft Mechanic. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.Dale is survived by his wife of 55 years, Dorothy “Dottie” T. Hunnell; sons, Gary Hunnell (Laurie) and Terry Hunnell (Natalie); grandsons, Justin and Jordan Hunnell and Brice Ropp; granddaughters, Alexandria, Anna and Hailey Hunnell and Makayla Ropp; great-grandsons, Kaden, Zachary and Killian; siblings, Joann Pepe, Carl Hunnell (Dott), Peggy H. Dunn and Dave Hunnell; and several …

Cynthia S. Tilley, 61, of Little River on Friday died July 3, 2020, at her home. Born on Jan. 16, 1959, in Roxboro, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Alfred R. Solomon and Jean Gravitte Norton.Cynthia is survived by her children, Blake Tilley (Casandra) and Brittany Tilley (Ryan) and their father, Allan Tilley; sister, Elizabeth Barts; and two grandchildren, Mackenzie and Avery Morley.The family received friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, in Lee Funeral Home Chapel.A guest book is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.Lee Funeral Home & Crematory of Little River/North Myrtle Beach served the family.

James E. Ference, 82, of Longs died on Saturday, June 27, 2020, at home with his loving wife and family members at his side.Born on May 18, 1937, in Sharon, Pa., he was the son of the late Joseph Ference and Agnes Kaelin Ference.He worked as a metallurgist for the Sharon Steel Company. Once he retired, James loved gardening, landscaping, camping and remodeling. He was always eager to help family and friends with projects. James was a member of the Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus. Described as a “worker bee”, Jim was …

Edward Charles DellaCroce, 77, died on Thursay, July 2, 2020, at his home in North Myrtle Beach. He passed away at the happiest high point of his life.Born on Aug. 4, 1942, in Allentown, Pa., he was the son of the late Genero C. and Rose Toth DellaCroce. He was a store keeper in the United States Navy and was a little league football coach and a member of the VFW, The Italian Club and The American Legion.Eddie was a champion horseshoe player who loved to horseback ride, shooting and collecting coins. He loved to cook and do crossword puzzles. …

Betty Hewitt Floyd Munce, 76, of Loris passed away on Saturday, July 4, 2020, at Loris Rehab and Nursing Center. Born on Oct 14, 1943, in Loris, she was the daughter of the late William Oscar Hewitt and the late Dollie Taylor Hewitt. Mrs. Munce worked as a scheduler with the Talon Division of Textron in Loris, until her retirement. After retirement, she worked for many years in management at the Jones Stores, Inc. She was a longtime member of Loris First United Methodist Church, but will be most remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend.Survivors …

Linda Kinsey Sessions, 79, of North Myrtle Beach passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2020, exactly where she wanted to be – her home.She is survived by son Ray (Karen) and grandson Hunter of North Myrtle Beach, son Joe (Lisa) and granddaughters Kinsey and Mary Nowland of Franklin, Tenn., brother Joe Kinsey of Houston, Texas, sister-in-law Frances Kinsey of Eastover and many loving nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her husband of 56, years Raymond (Tank) Sessions, and brother, Bill Kinsey.She was born in Columbia and was a graduate of Eau Claire High School. Linda moved to North …