COVID Low+MYR Airport+Property Taxes+Holiday Prep+Flea Mkt Fire

Hello, Grand Strand! It's Friday and the kick-off to Memorial Day Weekend! In today's news, we'll talk about the area's low COVID-19 case counts, Myrtle Beach Airport's return to normal passenger numbers, property taxes not increasing, preparations for the holiday weekend, and the North Myrtle Beach Flea Market catches fire for a second time.

But before we get to that, let's look at Friday's weather:

Hot, sunny, and dry - highs in the 90s and lows in the 60s and 70s, with moderate drought conditions continuing.

Today's top 5 news stories for Myrtle Beach:

1. DHEC proudly announces that Horry County is at a low COVID-19 incidence rate due to our area's declining number of new cases. This week, the county shows just 44.9 new cases out of 100,000 people within a two-week timeframe. (WBTW)
2. Myrtle Beach International Airport reports a return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers ahead of the Memorial Day rush. This is fantastic news for local tourism -- an industry that was more or less crushed in 2020. (WBTW)
3. Property taxes won't increase for the new fiscal year, according to MB City Council. Other fees will also remain as-is, including recreation program and solid waste service fees. But water and sewer rates, as well as stormwater utility fees for Myrtle Beach will go up a bit. (WMBF)
4. Patience everyone! North Myrtle Beach gets ready for the official start of summer as our little town of 16,000 swells to over 100K overnight. Vacationers are more than ready to get back to normal. (WMBF)
5. For the second time this year, firefighters were called to a blaze at North Myrtle Beach Flea Market. The two-alarm fire broke out Thursday late afternoon, causing crews to close Highway 17 northbound completely. There were no injuries. (WMBF)

Friday, May 28th events:

• Memorial Day Weekend Sidewalk Sale at Broadway at the Beach Various merchants at Broadway at the Beach will participate and offer sidewalk and in-store deals. (10:00 am)
• Stunt Shows at RedLine Powersports. As part of BikeFest, Team No Limit will put on a stunt show in the parking lot. (12:00 noon)
• Chocolate Chip & Co at Town Center Park in Ocean Isle Beach. Put on your dancin' shoes and get ready to par-tay with CC&C. Bring a chair. It's free. (6:30 pm)
• Miracle Max and the Pet Monsters at Island Bar in Surfside. Head-bang into the eighties once again with your favorite band, and mine! (6:30 pm)
• Join Jim Quick and Coastline at Local on the Water for some genuine "swamp soul" music. (7:00 pm)
• Head over to Whiskey Beach for the sultry R&B and soul sounds of Soultriii (9:00 pm)

Myrtle Beach Patch Notebook:

• We've been talking about Richard Sexton's 750-mile autism marathon lately, so check out this video of his arrival and celebration in Surfside Beach. (Details here)
• Hotels along the Grand Strand have increased their rates amid prediction of significant boost in tourism. (Details here)
• New unemployment claims in SC drop to a post-pandemic low .(Details here)
• A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly-named Cathy E. Floyd Horry County Solicitor's Office occurred this week after a delay due to COVID. (Details here)
• Garden City has created a memorial to fallen HCPD officer Michael Ambrosino in the Indigo Creek neighborhood where he had his patrol route. (Details here)
• MB Chamber of Commerce congratulates teen entrepreneur (Details here)
• Horry County municipalities are scratching their heads trying to figure out how federal pandemic funds were allocated. (Details here)
• Check out these tips from AAA for savings gas on your Memorial Day road trip! (Details here)

Thanks to our sponsors for supporting local Myrtle Beach news!

Featured business:

• James Wright Cleaning and Degreasing service

That's the news for today. Have a safe Friday, and check in over the weekend for more updates.

-Kathy

About me: The best decision I ever made was relocating to the Myrtle Beach area from New England a few years ago, with my three dogs and three cats. I enjoy dogs, cats, road trips, photography, writing, vegetarian food, live music, bicycling and above all my daily walks on the beaches in and around the Grand Strand.

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