Loris

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 …

By Ruben Lowman Horry County officials officially tabled a proposed data center ordinance following a recently-held marathon Infrastructure and Regulation Committee meeting. Despite a push to get ahead of the artificial intelligence boom, the council ultimately decided that they simply do not have the technical expertise to regulate these “resource-consuming hubs” without further research. For residents in the more rural areas of Longs and Loris, who often find themselves on the front lines of industrial expansion, this pause offers a temporary reprieve from the uncertainty of massive computer warehouses moving into the backyard. Councilman Michael Masciarelli admitted that the field …

By Ruben Lowman In a landmark move that signals the rapid transformation of the Grand Strand, the Horry County Council gave first-reading approval recently to a fiscal year 2027 budget totaling $1.04 billion. This is the first time in the county’s history that the budget has breached the billion-dollar mark, representing a massive $172 million increase over the current year. For local residents, the most welcome news is that this record-breaking spending comes without a proposed property tax increase, as the millage rate remains steady at 52.1 mils. County Administrator Barry Spivey noted that just 15 years ago, the budget …