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Community Corner

🌱 TikTok Threat Arrests At Forestbrook + Socastee Bridge Update

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening this weekend in Myrtle Beach.

Kathy Mandell's profile picture
Kathy Mandell, Neighbor
(Patch Media)

Rise and shine, Myrtle Beach! Let's get you all caught up to start this weekend off on an informed note. Here's what's going on in town Saturday and Sunday.

A glimpse of your weekend weather:

  • Saturday: Warm with clouds and sun. High: 72 Low: 62.
  • Sunday: Rain in the morning. High: 67 Low: 38.

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Here are the top 5 stories in Myrtle Beach today:

  1. Police have arrested two Forestbrook Middle School students in connection with the TikTok social media challenge that called for people to announce school threats nationwide on Friday. The two were charged on Thursday night, and there was increased law enforcement presence across the Grand Strand on Friday. Specific details about the arrests show that the two made threatening posts on social media on Thursday. (MyHorryNews.com)
  2. Disabled veterans will be exempt from Horry County stormwater fees, effective in fiscal year 2023. The County Council approved a resolution in the veterans' favor this week. The stormwater fees essentially doubled when Council approved an increase earlier this year. Veterans are pleased to have one less financial burden to be concerned about. (WBTW)
  3. The new FEMA flood zone maps are now in effect across Horry County after almost six years of haggling. The Bucksport neighborhood, as well as developments along the Intracoastal Waterway are those most affected. The new maps re-draw the flood zones, causing some homeowners to have to obtain flood insurance when their property has never experienced flooding. The hotly-contested amending of the maps began in 2016. (wpde.com)
  4. In Socasteee, the Enterprise Road bridge that was hit by a truck traveling on Highway 31 a few days ago will be closed until at least the end of February. That means Socastee will be divided in half that whole time. Having to take the long way around when going from point A to point B is something Socastee locals have seen before — the same area was closed for nine months while Highway 31 was being extended to the Georgetown County line in 2016. (WMBF)
  5. A grim report from the Horry County Coroner indicates that with community growth also comes more work for the coroner's office. Robert Edge says there has been a huge increase in the case load for his office, leading him to require more staff to handle the increase. Edge is hoping the Horry County Council will approve funding for three new positions: two more deputy coroners and an administrative staff member. He would also like to move to a new facility in the future. (WBTW)


This weekend in Myrtle Beach:

Saturday, December 18

  • Christmas on the Farm @ Freewoods Farm (10:00 AM)
  • Death Washes Ashore book signing by Caleb Wygal @ Forever Revolutionary (11:00 AM)
  • The Winter Warmer Backyard Bacchanal @ Crooked Hammock Brewery (2:00 PM)
  • Night of A Thousand Candles @ Brookgreen Gardens (4:00 PM)
  • Dive-In Theater: The Polar Express @ Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach (5:00 PM)
  • Great Christmas Light Show including Santa's Village @ NMB Sports Complex (5:30 PM)

Sunday, December 19

  • Mike O'Donnell @ LuLu's NMB (1:00 PM)
  • Pictures with Santa @ Precious Paws Boutique (2:00 PM)
  • Night of A Thousand Candles @ Brookgreen Gardens (4:00 PM)
  • Great Christmas Light Show including Santa's Village @ NMB Sports Complex (5:30 PM)
  • Will Ness Band @ Dead Dog Saloon (6:00 PM)
  • Jim Quick & Coastline Christmas Show @ Local On The Water (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

  • With an estimated price tag of over a million dollars, the Carolina Forest rail line upgrade may be just a dream. Horry County Council would like to upgrade the aging rail line and bring service to Carolina Forest businesses, but funding may be an issue. (Myhorrynews)
  • Neighbor to Neighbor volunteers are checking in on Horry and Georgetown County senior citizens as part of its Connect Calls program. The organization brings housebound seniors to appointments, and runs errands for them — but a new feature that began during the pandemic is a weekly wellness call by telephone. (wpde.com)
  • Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is welcoming new investors for December: CareNow Urgent Care medical clinic, Digidesign Co. a web page design/marketing company, and Grand Strand Music Festival, a festival and event company, are three of the new participants. Also on board is a petsitting company, a Pampered Chef consultant, a senior services provider, contractors, and more. (Patch)
  • Plans for redeveloping the Wizard Golf Links into a 700-home community are apparently permanently stuck in a sand trap. The project has been abandoned altogether, after a huge backlash from the community prevented a rezoning change necessary for the developer to move forward. (Myhorrynews)
  • Myrtle Beach airport is expected to get $5.1M from the new infrastructure law. Approximately $32 million will be allotted to South Carolina for its airports for fiscal year 2022. Florence Regional Airport will receive over a million dollars, and Charleston International Airport will get the biggest infusion of dollars at over $7 million. The funds will be used for runway, taxiway, and terminal improvements. (WMBF)
  • Wondering about hospital capacity in the Myrtle Beach area? A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Horry County will fill you in on the latest figures. These auto-generated numbers are as of December 3rd, and represent a rolling seven-day average. (Patch)

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That's it for Saturday, Myrtle Beach. Be careful out there — I heard on the radio that today is the busiest shopping day of the holiday season. Bring your patience and stay safe! See you all Sunday for another Grand Strand update!

— Kathy Mandell

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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