Loris

By Kaye Collins The South Carolina Department of Public Health announced that the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program is modifying its milk purchase requirements to extend benefits to more families. Starting on Monday, Dec. 8, officials indicated that WIC will exclusively cover store brand milk or the least expensive milk available. This adjustment pertains solely to milk purchases and does not affect infant formula. Officials have stated that store brand milk offers the same nutritional value and quality as name brand options, but at a reduced cost, enabling WIC to provide greater benefits to families. Stores have displayed …

By Kaye Collins The Loris Lions varsity football season ended Friday, Nov. 28, with a final score of 38 to 7. The Lions made the trip to Charleston to compete against the Oceanside Collegiate Academy Landsharks in the Class 3A state championship game. The Lions, along with their coaching staff, had an outstanding season leading up to the game, boasting a perfect 13-0 record, which marks the highest number of wins in Loris High School’s history. For the second consecutive year, the Lions have claimed the title of Region Champions and advanced to the Lower State finals in the 2024 …

By Kaye Collins The 12U football team of the Loris Recreation Department received a spirited and enthusiastic send-off for their lower state championship game against Latta on Monday, Nov. 24. This was marked by an unplanned parade along Main Street, featuring an escort from the Loris Police, a ladder truck and tanker from the Loris Fire Department followed by the coaches and players traveling in separate vehicles. Supporters lined the streets, waving their Loris Lions flags and encouraging the team towards a win. This team earned an 8-1 record, one step closer in the playoffs than last year, they finished …

By Kaye Collins The Loris Chamber of Commerce announced through Facebook last week that their annual Christmas Parade scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5, was cancelled due to the forecasted inclement weather. After several months of preparation and securing the date Mother Nature delivered a rainy and lower temperature for the night. “While we are disappointed to cancel the Christmas parade so many residents of Loris look forward to attend each year,” explained Samantha Norris, executive director of the chamber, “we are also disappointed.” She shared that a parade takes a tremendous amount of coordination to move safely and successfully, from …

By Kaye Collins The Christmas list of God’s Gift begins with the generosity of others. Stella McDowell created the Facebook group God’s Gifts, allowing community members to share their needs or donate items. All offerings within this nonprofit group are provided free of charge. For many years, God’s Gifts has made sure that teenagers aged 13 to 18, both boys and girls, can enjoy the spirit of Christmas. “The demographic we assist frequently outgrows Toys for Tots and might not experience a Christmas without the kindness of the community in supplying gifts,” McDowell remarked. They are in search of unwrapped …

By Kaye Collins Open Hearts Community Outreach (OHOC) offered the community a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The doors at Ernie’s Diner opened with a volunteer welcoming all who entered Ernie’s Diner to share a meal. Families, friends and individuals sat down at the tables and were served turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cornbread, dessert and a drink of their choice. This year, the number of drive-through vehicles collecting meals surpassed that of patrons who dined inside the restaurant. “We provided 697 meals, I feel our event was a tremendous …

By Kaye Collins It has been a year since Horry Electric Cooperative (HEC) introduced a new rate structure for three key reasons. The first was to empower members to manage their bills. Secondly is to ensure that member bills reflect the traditional billing practices of HEC. Thirdly they guaranteed that members contribute fairly for the electricity they consume in their homes or businesses, as well as for their share of the peak demand they place on the system. Since the introduction of the new rate structure in May 2024, they have dedicated themselves to educating their members. HEC has invested …

By Kaye Collins The City of Loris Board of Zoning Appeals is scheduled to conduct a Public Hearing on Wednesday, December 10, at 6 p.m. regarding the request for a variance aimed at clarifying and defining the dimensional requirements for parcels designated as Common Open Space [Pin(s) 176-00-00-0030]. The hearing will take place in the Council Chambers at the Loris City Hall located at 4101 Walnut Street. Attendees can access the meeting through the side entrance door on Railroad Avenue. Individuals who wish to speak before the Board are required to sign up in person before the meeting commences. For …

By Kaye Collins The Horry County Council met on Tuesday, Nov. 18, where they approved the proposal to shorten the hours of operation for the Horry County Recycling and Solid Waste locations. The new hours will take effect in January 2026. With reducing the hours of operation, council approved to include Easter Sunday in their holiday schedule. There are 25 centers located in Horry County that close at 7 p.m. six days a week. Two of these centers operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, 18 centers are open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays and …

Horry-Georgetown Technical College (HGTC) invited residents of Loris and surrounding communities to a Community Forum on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 5 p.m. at the Main Street Theatre at 4149 Main Street in Loris. The purpose of the meeting was to gather community feedback as the college explores the possibility of creating a new campus or learning center in northwest Horry County. The open forum gave residents, business owners, elected officials and potential students a chance to share their perspectives on local higher education needs. College leaders will use the input to help determine the types of programs and services that …