Loris

By Annie Rigby Loris Fire Department (LFD) Chief Jerry Hardee addressed the city council on Monday, July 20, in a special council meeting of the department’s need for the a new fire apparatus light rescue truck. Hardee said the vehicle that is used to respond to a fire call is 24 years old. He said, “If you have 20 years with a fire apparatus you’ve done good.” He continued, “We need something more dependable and reliable to respond to a call.” Questions were raised regarding the bidding process versus state approved agencies to purchase the light rescue truck. Hardee explained …

By Annie Rigby Amanda Causey was offered the position of clerk for the city of Loris after the Loris City Council met in executive session on Monday, July 20. Causey said, “It is an honor to work alongside the talented employees at the city of Loris.” She stated it is more than just a job, more than just a city; it is her home and hometown. She said there is much work to accomplish and as a team it will be done. Mayor Todd Harrelson said, “I think the city of Loris is blessed to have Amanda as the new …

By Ruben Lowman During a virtual board meeting held on Monday, June 13, Horry County Schools (HCS) officials announced they would be delaying the beginning of the upcoming school year by three weeks as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020-21 school year will officially begin on Tuesday, Sept. 8. There will be 180 days on the calendar and the last day of school is scheduled to be June 16. HCS Chairman Ken Richardson had previously stated that he intended to push back the start date to give him and his reopening task force more time to evaluate and …

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. …

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 …

By Annie Rigby Kenya Wright, owner of Cotton Pickin’ Cute Boutique, has moved two doors down to 4160 Main Street She opened on Wednesday, July 1, at 10 a.m. Wright said, “The move is mainly due to issues with the air conditioning unit in the original store at the corner of Main and Broad Street.” She said her landlord was accommodating to her making the move into the new shop and understanding the issues they experienced with the air not working properly; she stated he was more than happy to work with her. The new store’s amazing plus is the …

By Annie Rigby The Loris City Council met on Monday, June 29, at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the Special Council Meeting is open to the public and press via Zoom, the social media outlet through the App or dial in to attend the meeting. Mayor Todd Harrelson stated in last week’s meeting that social distancing was a priority, only council members and city staff are able to meet in person. Present at the meeting were council members Joan Gause, Lewis Hardee, Terrence Hardee, Carroll D. Padgett, Jr., Mike Suggs, Jan Vescovi …