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By Ruben Lowman Sea turtle nesting season began in South Carolina this month and will continue until the end of October. That means we will hopefully be seeing these endangered and ancient creatures soon here in North Myrtle Beach. I recently spoke with Linda Mataya of the North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol in order to find out more information about these beautiful animals. Her organization of all-volunteers has been helping to protect, monitor and study sea turtles who make North Myrtle Beach beaches their temporary home during the summer months since 2010. She recounted to me that they walk …

By Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach seniors have the option to participate in an in-person graduation ceremony, including a group commencement that will take place on the high school football field. Students can choose between a socially-distanced group ceremony with up to two guests, or an individualized ceremony including eight of their loved ones. The announcement came late last week, quickly following Horry County Schools’ confirmation that district principals would have the ability to choose how their graduations would be conducted. HCS had initially stated that they would be holding virtual graduations for the Class of 2020 across the county, …

This is a view of the original Loris Community Hospital and how it looked when it was built in 1950 by a local physician and a small group of concerned citizens. By Jennifer Hulon In 1950, a small group of concerned citizens and a local physician had a plan to build a hospital. Today, that vision has flourished and the tradition of partnership between McLeod Health and the local community continues to build a remarkable future together. On May 15, 2020, McLeod Health Loris celebrated its 70th anniversary of providing excellent medical care to the residents of Loris and surrounding …

Pictured from left to right are Melissa Jones, Administrative Nursing Supervisor; Van Aguilar, RN; and Nancy Barnes, McLeod Health Loris Chief Nursing Officer. McLeod Health Seacoast in Little River and McLeod Health Loris in Loris recently awarded two nurses a Daisy Award for their outstanding service and care. Haleigh Milligan, RN, a staff nurse on the Medical/Surgical floor at McLeod Health Seacoast, and Jose “Van” Aguilar, RN, a staff nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at McLeod Health Loris, were recently announced as the May DAISY Award recipients. Milligan and Aguilar are the first recipients of the DAISY Award at …

Bryson Jones looks up at the firefighters waving to him from the ladder while his family and friends cheer him on. By Ruben Lowman and Andrea Maestre Bryson Jones is a very special young boy. And last Friday afternoon he was treated to his very own special ride-by parade from North Myrtle Beach police officers, firefighters and volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who all wanted to give him some hope and encouragement right now. We first reported on his story early last year, shortly after he learned that the Make-A-Wish Foundation would be turning his dream of going to Disney …

By Pat Dowling The North Myrtle Beach COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force formed by the mayor and City Council on April 20 met for the first time on April 21. Listen to the complete meeting recording at https://youtu.be/nAA0barN9qg. The members of the task force and the categories they are involved in are Mendel Bell (medical spa and interactive media), Frank Boulineau (retail), Brandon Cox (vacation rentals), Jim Eggen (accommodations), Johnathan Fussell (hospitality), Joe Gosiewski (residents), Chad Hatley (development, motels and the Grand Strand Business Alliance), Cheryl Kilday (North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce & CVB), Mike Mahaney (city), Jeff Martini …

Food Lion in Little River provided a substantial amount of food and treats to the health care drive. From left to right are Paula Yanis, Cheryl Korzik and JoAnn Stevens from Rotary and staff employees at Food Lion. Food Lion is a strong supporter of food for the needy in this community. A box lunch for 50 staff people at Tidelands in Little River was prepared and delivered by the Little River Deli.  Pictured from left to right are Ernie Johnson from Tidelands, Vickie Harrison from the Rotary Club, Joe from the Little River Deli who delivered lunch and JoAnn …

Lillian Freeman of Little River has been given an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy in Maryland. She plans to major in Nuclear Engineering and minor in Arabic. By Lillian Freeman Lillian Freeman, a student at North Myrtle Beach High School, has been given an appointment to attend the United States Naval Academy. The United States Naval Academy is the United States Navy’s premier four-year college located in Annapolis, Maryland. The process to apply to the Naval Academy includes an application, essay, fitness test, medical exam and a nomination from a member of either the Senate or House …

By Izzy West The Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center has postponed the 39th Annual World Famous Blue Crab Festival held along the historic waterfront until October.  “Due to the uncertainty that surrounds the Covid-19 pandemic, the Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center has chosen to postpone the World Famous Blue Crab Festival and combine it with the Little River ShrimpFest currently scheduled for October 10-11, 2020,” says Jennifer Walters, president /CEO of the Little River Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center.  “We continuously monitor the guidance of local, state and national officials and agencies and …

By Ruben Lowman and Andrea Maestre Driving along the Grand Strand recently has been a rather discomfiting experience, especially if you are a local. There have been plenty of cars out at most times, but yet there aren’t very many places actually open for them to go to. Parking lots have now become dead zones, storefronts frozen to a more tranquil moment before the crisis erupted, hastily-erected signs flashing with the latest developments concerning COVID-19. It feels a bit like riding through a ghost town, only if there were still a lot of people who lived there. Over the past …