Loris

By Ruben Lowman In a dual-pronged effort to improve public safety and community recreation, local and state officials have finalized plans for significant infrastructure investments in the Loris area recently. These projects, ranging from high-traffic intersection upgrades to the revitalization of a historically significant park, represent a coordinated response to long-standing safety concerns and a push to preserve the cultural heritage of the rural city and its vibrant community. The most urgent of these developments is the securing of $1.5 million for a new traffic signal and safety enhancements at the intersection of Highway 9 and Camp Swamp Road. The …

By James Pease II The Loris High School DECA business competition team recently competed at the 2026 International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the first year the school has had a team make it to the final rounds. Caitie Black and Luke Martin competed as a team and placed in the top eight percent of 240 teams competing in the Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making event. The pair had to complete a 100 question test and build a solution to a case study that was then judged. Black and Martin competed in the region and state levels in …

By Ruben Lowman Following a board retreat and a comprehensive budget unveiling last week, Horry County Schools’ Superintendent Clifford Jones has laid out a vision for the 2026–27 school year that is as much about “unplugging” as it is about “leveling up.” The headline is a staggering $1.2 billion budget, a record-breaking figure that officials said would also avoid a property tax increase. Jones is also proposing to decrease the use of technology and screens in the classroom and by students in general. The plan includes a 10 p.m. blackout, using the Linewise monitoring system to remotely shut down all …

By Ruben Lowman In a series of decisive votes recently, the Horry County Council effectively halted the Solid Waste Authority’s (HCSWA) multi-million dollar plan to expand the Highway 90 landfill into over 100 acres of protected wetlands. The conflict pits the HCSWA’s dire warnings of a “trash crisis” against a community that is no longer willing to accept wetland destruction as the cost of doing business, with councilmembers seeminly agreeing for the time being. Officials with the waste authority had requested upwards of $30 million for the initial phases of an expansion designed to keep the landfill operational through 2051. …

By Ruben Lowman In a move that surprised both proponents and critics, the Horry County Council’s Administration Committee unanimously voted to table the 1% Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), effectively ending any chance of the measure appearing on the November 2026 ballot. What began as a “win-win” proposal to shift the tax burden onto tourists has succumbed to a mix of bad timing, internal skepticism and a lack of organized political backing. Committee Chair Tyler Servant helped lead the opposition against the proposed penny sales tax, arguing that for the average resident the tax was essentially a “wash.” While a …

By Ruben Lowman The leadership core of the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) has been dealt a blow following the sudden retirement of Deputy Chief Lance Winburn. Winburn’s exit on April 28, after more than 40 years of service, comes as a direct consequence of a newly reopened Internal Affairs (IA) investigation into a 2022 “unarrest” incident that has exposed allegations of political weaponization, civil rights violations and a systemic lack of accountability. Winburn is now the third high-ranking official to leave the department in just over a year, joining former Chief Joseph Hill and former Deputy Chief Brandon Strickland …

By Ruben Lowman Horry County’s ongoing effort to address the chronic drainage failures in the Longs area reached a significant milestone last week, as two major stormwater projects, centered on the high-traffic corridors of Highway 9 and Highway 90, are nearing completion. These initiatives, primarily funded by the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA), represent a strategic investment in the resilience of the Longs community, an area historically prone to severe inundation during storms. The first phase of this regional overhaul involves a $3 million project at the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 57. Crews have completed the installation …

By Ruben Lowman In a historic push for structural reform, Horry County is facing a reckoning over its dual law enforcement system, a setup that makes it a singular outlier among South Carolina’s 46 counties. A coalition of grieving families, former officers and high-ranking officials is demanding that the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) be folded into the Horry County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), arguing at a recent county council meeting that a decades-old “culture of cover-ups” has finally reached a breaking point. The movement is driven by a series of high-profile scandals that critics say reveal a fundamental lack of …

By Tracy Stanton Ronald M. Fowler, a member of the McLeod Health Board of Trustees and previous Chairman of the Board, was presented The Order of the Palmetto, on Friday, May 1, 2026. The Honorable Kevin Hardee, South Carolina House of Representative for District 105, presented the honor alongside his wife, Tina Hardee, Horry County Auditor, and Dr. Tarek Bishara, Chairman of the McLeod Health Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Office of Governor Henry McMaster. Fowler received the highest civilian honor bestowed to a South Carolina citizen at a gathering of family, friends, and McLeod Health Board of …

Students from Grace Christian School celebrated an unforgettable evening at the 2026 prom themed “A Night in Paradise,” with a night full of elegance, fun and celebration. The evening began with students gathering around town to capture formal photos, creating lasting memories before the main event. Dressed in their finest attire, students arrived at 7 p.m. and were welcomed by tropical-themed music that set the tone for the paradise-inspired atmosphere. The venue was decorated to reflect the evening’s tropical theme, complete with several selfie photo stations where students could capture moments with friends and showcase their formal wear. Dinner was …