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

Ruby Mae Griggs Grainger, 84, of Loris passed away on Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, at McLeod Loris Hospital. She was born on June 11, 1936,  in McColl, S.C., to the late Hilton Griggs and the late Eliza Levinder Griggs. Mrs. Grainger was a longtime member of Ocean View Baptist Church and attended the deaf class. She was a loving homemaker and a blessing to all who knew her.  Survivors include her caretakers, David Elliott and Amy Shelton; very close personal friend, Margene Todd; nephews, Clint Grainger and wife Carolyn, Danny Goins, Johnny Goins and Jerry “Garnet” Goins; nieces, Robin Goins, …

By Ruben Lowman Thomas G. “Tommy” Dennis was named North Myrtle Beach Chief of Police by Public Safety Director Jay Fernandez on Monday, Sept. 14, after serving as interim police chief since early in the summer. In announcing Dennis’ promotion, Fernandez said that, “Tommy performed in the role of interim chief of police just as we thought he would. He is effective, fair-minded, has the ability to see the big picture and at the same time can zero in to help resolve specific challenges. He effectively relates to all types of people. We are glad for Tommy and know that …

By Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach officials addressed residents concerns regarding rules for short-term property rentals within city limits at a recent council workshop. The issues involving short-term properties and their renters that have been taken up by the council consist of excessive noise, parking and trash complaints. Many of the complaints revolved around rental properties that are advertised online and located in residential areas. The popularity of rental websites like VRBO and Airbnb have turned many properties into mini-hotels of sorts during the peak tourist season in the summer, and spurred permanent homeowners and tenants to ask the city …

By Ruben Lowman The Alabama Theatre at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach reopened its doors to the public for the first time in more than five months last week as a result of the constraints placed on performing venues during the coronavirus pandemic. The theatre will return with its world-famous “One The Show” and plans to have headlining concerts by featured performers beginning next year. Bands and artists such as The Righteous Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Temptations, The Drifters, The Platters and Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, the Little River Band, The Four Tops and much more have already …

By Ruben Lowman Horry County Schools announced on Monday, Aug. 31, that all schools will begin the 2020-21 academic year utilizing hybrid learning, which means that students will attend class in-person two times a week and utilize online learning for the rest of their coursework over the week. The expectation over the past month has been that the hybrid option would be selected, based on the disease activity reports that have been released by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The decision for which particular educational plan was selected came down to the incidence rate of coronavirus …

By Ruben Lowman Horry County Voters Registration & Elections announced this week that they will be creating new in-person voting sites for individuals who are planning on filling out absentee ballots for the upcoming election. County officials felt the inclusion of offering absentee voting in-person was necessary in order to compensate for an expected surge in demand given the current coronavirus restrictions that have become commonplace over the past several months. There will be three voting sites set up in strategic locations throughout the county to effectively process what is presumed to be a significant increase in voters filing absentee …

By Mary Templeton There were smiles galore as members of Yaupon Garden Club met Tuesday, Sept. 1, for their first meeting of the year. Social distancing at McLean Park was made possible through the generosity of the city of North Myrtle Beach. President Graceann Phillips welcomed everyone as they enjoyed a picnic lunch. She recognized Lou Haywood who introduced the speaker, Jim Grainger, grounds superintendent for the city of North Myrtle Beach. He gave an update on the progress at the sports park as well as other recreational areas throughout the city. President Phillips congratulated the club on the 20 …

By Annie Rigby After months of meetings to discuss and plan for the 41st Loris Bog-Off Festival the Loris Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors prepared and submitted their proposed plan to the South Carolina Department of Commerce (SCDC). Any event anticipating 250 or more people “must be able to comply with social distancing guidelines and best practices;” and requires the approval from the SCDC. The plan included following the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to host this year’s festival. Generally the SCDC responds within five …

By Annie Rigby The NCUSSSA 10U and 12U tournaments were held on Saturday, Sept. 5, beginning at 3 p.m. and ending at 2 a.m. at the Loris Sports Complex. Each team played two full games. Depending on how the teams score they are placed in a bracket. A bracket is where they place in rank; if they lose one game they go home if they continue they will go to the championship which began at 11:30 p.m. Normally the tournaments begin at 8 to 9 a.m. however this was a night tournament. The Vipers are 8 to 10 years old …

By Ruben Lowman North Myrtle Beach City Council met on Monday, Aug. 31, and passed a resolution approving the city to join a lawsuit against Horry County over the collection of the hospitality tax, as well as extending the emergency ordinance mandating the wearing of facial coverings while inside most establishments. City council approved the resolution which directs city manager Mike Mahaney to sign a Settlement Agreement in Principle and join nearly every other municipality in the area in a lawsuit brought against the county by the city of Myrtle Beach in March 2019. Myrtle Beach city officials stated that …