Coastal Observer

Education: Safety committee looking for consistency in buildings that vary in age

After 19 students and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, Georgetown County School District officials started giving tours of schools to first responders to familiarize them with...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Education: School district continues to see enrollment drop

The Georgetown County School District expects to have 209 fewer students in the 2025-26 school year. More than half of the decrease in enrollment is expected in Waccamaw Neck schools, according to a report...
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Beaches: Pawleys Island considers $50 fee for golf cart permits

When it only cost $10 to get a golf cart permit from the town of Pawleys Island, 667 were issued. Last year, the town issued 850 at $25 each. Town Council stopped short of...
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Georgetown County: Five-year pay plan proposed to reduce staff turnover

A five-year plan will raise pay for Georgetown County employees 16 percentage points over the first three years in an effort to catch up with inflation and reduce turnover. But it still won’t make...
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Education: School board takes deeper look at safety

A special committee of the Georgetown County School Board will spend the next seven weeks studying safety and security in schools. The committee was approved last week after more than 20 minutes of discussion...
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Politics: Protesters take to their feet to tell Trump ‘hands off’

A crowd estimated at around 500 people walked the Bike the Neck path along Highway 17 in Pawleys Island as part of a national protest against Trump administration policies, drawing cheers and jeers from...
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Environment: Preserving a legacy, property owners object to sand dredging plan

Naomi Holmes stood at the podium and closed her eyes. “I was 13 years old when my family drove us from Georgetown to see the devastation of McKenzie Beach. I saw Mr. and Mrs....
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Safety: Crime data helps sheriff make case for pay raises

Data published last week by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office confirms what residents and local officials know from experience: the off-season no longer exists. “We used to lock it up Labor Day to Easter,”...
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Land use: Appeals court denies motion seeking sanctions in zoning suit

The state Court of Appeals last week denied a motion to dismiss an appeal of a lawsuit over the rezoning of property on Pawleys Creek and a request to sanction the neighbors who filed...
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Education: Special election will fill District 6 school board seat

Kristie Baxley has resigned her District 6 (Pawleys Island/Litchfield) seat on the Georgetown County School Board. Baxley’s resignation was approved by the board this week. Baxley and her husband sold their house in Litchfield...
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Environment: Agency schedules hearing on Midway Inlet dredging permit

A hearing next week will solicit public comments on a plan to dig sand from Midway Inlet to help renourish a portion of Litchfield Beach. The Peninsula at Inlet Point South Homeowners Association is...
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Waccamaw High: Stunt riders deliver message on bullying

Usually it is basketballs or volleyballs flying through the air inside the gymnasium at Waccamaw High School. But this week it was men riding BMX bikes doing tricks as part of the No Hate...
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Land use: Golf course owners want to negotiate for higher density

Tom Stickler and Stephen Goldfinch agreed that the wording of a new zoning district for the Founders Club and Litchfield Country Club golf courses needs more work, and were pleased that the Georgetown County...
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BUSINESS NEWS

Observer staff earns top honors in news contest

Coastal Observer staff won 20 awards for writing, photography and design – including the President’s Cup for excellence among mid-sized weeklies – in the S.C. Press Associatioin’s annual news contest. It was the 10th...
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LOCAL EVENTS

Meetings

Georgetown County Board of Education: First and third Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Beck Education Center. For details, go to gcsd.k12.sc.us . Georgetown County Council: Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m., Council Chambers, 129 Screven St., Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org. Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Town Hall, 323 Myrtle Ave. For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com. , .

COASTAL OBSERVER