By Ruben Lowman The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has officially removed the wood stork from the federal list of endangered and threatened species, a decision that went into effect last month. This landmark delisting follows decades of intensive habitat restoration, both locally in Horry County and along the East Coast, and indicates a significant population rebound for the only stork species native to North America. When the wood stork was first listed as endangered in 1984, the U.S. breeding population had plummeted to roughly 5,000 nesting pairs due to the degradation of wetland habitats and altered water flows in …

By Ruben Lowman The Horry County Board of Education has formalized the purchase of a 60-acre tract of land near Highway 90 and the Hand community for $6.3 million in a strategic move to address the unrelenting population surge across the region. Approved during a board meeting on March 23, the property is located near Bear Bluff Road and Tilly Swamp, which places it squarely in a corridor that has seen explosive residential development in recent years. District leaders, including Chief Operations Officer Ben Prince, confirmed that all due diligence on the site has been completed and while specific building …

By John Smithson NMB girls lacrosse — The North Myrtle Beach High School girls lacrosse team won their only game of the week before spring break, beating Myrtle Beach 20-3. The Lady Chiefs had a long list of players contributing to that win at Myrtle Beach. Leading the Chiefs in scoring in the game was Sydney McClannan with five goals and two assists. Lexi Schmidt got four goals and an assist. Oaklee Castle scored three goals and added three assists. Aryanna Kipybida scored twice and had one assist. Six players scored one goal. Sara Mai also had three assists. Rylee …

By John Smithson The North Myrtle Beach Lady Chiefs softball team went 0-3 in their 6AAAAA region series last week, losing 7-0, 8-3 and 5-0 to the Panthers. The Chiefs began the series last Monday at Carolina Forest and faced Panthers pitcher Kaysen Warehime who shut out the Chiefs on two hits while striking out 14 NMB batters. The Chiefs only had three base runners in the whole game as they could not get to Warehime at all. Sierra Bendik started for the Chiefs and gave up one run in the bottom of the first inning but pitched well until …

By John Smithson The NMB Chiefs varsity baseball team was undefeated going into the first of two region games with the Carolina Panthers. Last Monday the Chiefs began their short series at Carolina Forest and lost in a pitcher’s duel 3-1. The Chiefs faced Panthers ace Parker Reavis in game one. Reavis was undefeated coming into last week’s game and had an earned run average under one. The Chiefs got two runners on to lead off the game against Reavis with Kaden Lank hitting a single to left and Peyton Gallup’s bunt single. Evan Steudl tried to sacrifice the runners, …

The Chiefs varsity tennis team was 2-1 in recent matches. On March 19th the Chiefs defeated Socastee 6-1. Number 1 player Jagger Freeman won 7-5, 6-3. Number 2 player Carter Duncan won 6-1, 6-1. Brent Maillet, Caden Williams, and Blake Maillet won in straight sets and the Chiefs doubles team also won by an 8-4 score. The Chiefs lost 5-1 to Carolina Forest on March 24th.  Jagger Freeman was the only winner in singles with a 6-3, 6-0 win. On March 26th the Chiefs beat St. James 4-3. The four winners for the Chiefs were Jagger Freeman with 6-0, 6-0 …

By John Smithson The North Myrtle Beach High School boys and girls track teams won their home meet on Wednesday, March 25, at The Hank track facilities. They beat Loris and Aynor in the three-team competition. The boys team scored 99.5 points for first place. Aynor had 50 points and Loris had 39.5 points. The girls won with 97.5 points. Aynor was second with 42.5 points and Loris finished with 30 points. The Chiefs finished 1-2-3 in the 100 meter dash. Reo Stevenson, Jonathan Evans and Jayden Wilson were the top three. Loris’ Kenny King won the 200 meter dash. …

By Ruben Lowman The Horry County Council is signaling a major shift in how the area funds its infrastructure as councilmembers recently moved to approve a new sliding scale for impact fees on new residential construction. During annual budget discussions held on Wednesday, April 1, the council debated how to ensure that the rapid expansion across the county pays for the services it requires without overburdening existing taxpayers. Since the original fees were established in late 2021, the county has successfully funneled over $40 million into capital improvements, including fire stations and public park facilities. However as development continues to …

By Ruben Lowman Horry County leaders are moving forward with a new ordinance designed to regulate the use of electric scooters and other personal power-driven mobility devices in unincorporated areas throughout the county. The proposal, which was discussed during a County Council transportation committee meeting last Tuesday, March 24, aims to address a growing number of safety complaints from residents in high-traffic neighborhoods. The draft ordinance is closely modeled after rules adopted by the city of Myrtle Beach last year, which were implemented following a spike in collisions and safety incidents involving scooters and similar motorized vehicles. Under the proposed …

By James Pease II Many families celebrated their Easter early this past Saturday at Home Sweet Farm’s Easter Egg Hunt and Grand Reopening in Loris. The farm was open to the public from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and had a wonderful turnout. There was much to do including an Easter Egg hunt that started at 11 a.m., strawberry picking and photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. The farm store was also open during the event with a wide selection of fresh produce, baked goods and local goodies. Coffee and food trucks were also available including Jersey Boyz BBQ, Taqueria …