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

Joyce McClaran Orbesen, 87, previously of North Myrtle Beach, recently residing in Cataula, Ga., and Chittenango, N.Y., passed away on Monday, June 29, 2020, peacefully at her daughter’s home in Georgia. Joyce was born on Dec. 4, 1932, in Newark, Ohio, into a large, loving, musical family. She graduated from Libby High School in Toledo, attended Duke University and graduated from Baldwin Wallace College. After marrying her childhood sweetheart, Bradley Orbesen, the couple spent a short time with the Navy in Japan, then settled in the Syracuse, New York, area where Joyce concentrated on raising her family, a daughter and …

By Ruben Lowman The Town of Atlantic Beach made the decision on Monday, June 6, to cancel its annual motorcycle rally and pass an ordinance requiring the use of face masks in public places. The event, officially named “The Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival” but commonly referred to as “Black Bike Week”, attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Grand Strand every Memorial Day, when it has been held since 1980. Town officials previously rescheduled the bike festival for Labor Day, as a result of the effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on the area. Mayor Jake …

By Ruben Lowman During an emergency meeting last Tuesday North Myrtle Beach City Council approved an ordinance mandating the wearing of face masks in public places to prevent the spread of COVID-19. North Myrtle Beach was the first municipality in the county to pass facial covering legislation, which took effect last Thursday, July 2, at noon, followed closely by the councils of Myrtle Beach, Horry and Georgetown Counties and Atlantic Beach. This comes amid an alarming acceleration in positive confirmed coronavirus cases along the Grand Strand since the Memorial Day weekend. Previously, the numbers for new positive tests in Horry …

By RUBEN LOWMAN North Myrtle Beach City Council unanimously approved second and final reading on this fiscal year’s $89 million amended budget, as well as a 7.9 mils property tax increase within city limits, during a council meeting held last week. City officials have been left reeling financially by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic since March and as a result, have been forced to cut around $30 million from the projected budget that emerged from their annual retreat in Pinopolis in February. When passing the ordinances last Monday, June 29, Mayor Marilyn Hatley acknowledged the challenging choices those officials, …

By Annie Rigby Early morning on Tuesday, June 30, a task force of more than 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers participated in the investigation and the arrests of 24 individuals for their roles in a drug trafficking organization operated out of the Cedar Branch area; four additional defendants remain at large. The United States Attorney District of South Carolina, Peter M. McCoy, Jr, said the 24 subjects have been taken into custody and are charged in federal court for their roles in trafficking heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and other drugs. Authorities seized more than a dozen …

By Annie Rigby The Loris City Council met on Monday, July 6, at 5:30 p.m. to discuss issues with the budget and met again at 6 p.m. for the Regular City Council Meeting for July. Council members present at both meetings were Joan Gause, Lewis Hardee, Carroll D. Padgett Jr., Mike Suggs and Jan Vescovi, with Mayor Todd Harrelson presiding over the meeting. Department heads present were Loris Police Chief Gary Buley, Loris Fire Chief Jerry Hardee, Brandon Harrelson, director of facilities, Kenneth Moss, city attorney and operations, and Amanda Causey, acting clerk. Present via Zoom social media program was …

Joseph Waldo Hardee, 90, of Loris passed away on Saturday, July 4, 2020, at CM Tucker Nurse Care Center in Columbia. Mr. Hardee was born on March 1, 1930, in Loris, to the late Thelton Cromwell Hardee and the late Martha Lezettie Cox Hardee. He proudly served his country with courage and honor in the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict. After the military, he worked in the fuel and oil business and owned both a restaurant and convenience store. He was of the Primitive Baptist faith and had a passion for golf, but will be most remembered …

Randy Scott Sigafoos, 44, of Longs died at his home on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. He was born on Oct. 5, 1975 in Doylestown, Pa. , the son of Paul and Carol Durborow Sigafoos. Other than his parents, he is survived by his wife of 10 years, Cori Lubberts Sigafoos.He was a hard worker as manager at Firestone Complete Auto Care in North Myrtle Beach and shared a mutual respect with all his co-workers.He also leaves behind two brothers, Bryan (Traci) Sigafoos of Webster, N.Y.; and Matthew (Savannah) Sigafoos of Longs; five nieces and nephews, Jacqueline, Jessica and Ryan of …

Larry Richard Dennis, 78, of North Myrtle Beach died on Wednesday, June 24, 2020, at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.Born on Sept. 18, 1941, in Guilford County, N.C., he was the son of the late John C. and Thelma E. Melvin Dennis.Mr. Dennis is survived by his wife of 50 years, Vickie Martin Dennis; three sons, Johnny Dennis, Darin Dennis and Larry R. Dennis Jr.; daughter, Lerinda Owens; brother, Don Dennis; and eight grandchildren.Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a celebration of life will be held at a later date.A guest book is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.Lee Funeral Home and Crematory of Little …

Judith I. Correll, 69, of North Myrtle Beach died on Sunday, June 28, 2020, at McLeod Seacoast in Little River.Born on Aug. 31, 1950, in Concord, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Wilson and Jane Booth Isom.Mrs. Correll is survived by her husband of 50 years, Mokey Correll; daughter, Mandee C. Bryant (Darrell E. Bryant); brother, Michael Isom; three grandchildren, Gage, Zackary and Lana; and three great-grandchildren.She loved spending time with her family and friends and she enjoyed reading and shagging.A memorial service will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, in Lee Funeral Home Chapel.In …