Coastal Observer

Elections: Over half of county’s voters turned out for early voting

Over half of Georgetown County voters cast early or absentee ballots ahead of this Tuesday’s general election, according to data from the S.C. Election Commission. If turnout this year is the same as it...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Tourism: Requests for tax grants exceed funds by $1M

Georgetown County is expected to receive about $1.6 million in accommodations tax funds this year. Twenty-two entities have applied to the county for a share of that money. Those requests total $2.59 million. How...
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Sales tax: Two 1-cent taxes proving a hard sell to county voters

Georgetown County voters have rejected local sales taxes three of the four times they have been proposed. And those were all for 1 cent each. This year, the county is proposing 2 cents, one...
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Environment: Planners still like natural resources plan adopted in 2022

The Planning Commission is sticking by its goals for Georgetown County’s natural resources element adopted two years ago. Members voted 6-0 to send those goals back to County Council, which had asked them to...
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History: Church gets National Register status for one-room schoolhouse

People have always considered the one-room schoolhouse on the campus of Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church to be historic. Now that Holy Cross Faith Memorial School is on the National Register of Historic...
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Elections: Early voters leave 2022 record in the dust

A record number of South Carolina residents wanted to cast a ballot in this year’s general election but didn’t want to wait until Nov. 5. Lines were long at the recreation center in Pawleys...
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Sales tax: Proposal counts on visitors paying their share

After two months of trying to explain Georgetown County’s plan for two 1-cent local sales taxes, Walt Ackerman can sense the moment. It comes with a thoughtful pause and a furrowing of eyebrows in...
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Education: Waccamaw schools at the top in district in state report cards

There were 232 schools rated “excellent” in the report cards released last week by the state Department of Education. Three of those are in Pawleys Island: Waccamaw Intermediate, Waccamaw Middle and Waccamaw High. The...
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Elections: Early voting gets underway across county

Voting for the general election has begun. The county has received 1,998 applications for absentee ballots and mailed out 1,600 ballots. So far, 670 have been returned. Early in-person voting begins Monday at four...
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Environment: Bringing a shoreline back to life

Five years after Morgan Park in Georgetown was chosen as the site of a living shoreline, the work is almost complete. Zulu Marine Services of Savannah is putting on the finishing touches this week....
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Sales tax: Referendum campaign is race to answer voters’ questions

Walt Ackerman has lost count of the number of presentations he has made about the two sales tax initiatives on the November ballot. Mark Hawn estimated he has attended about 30. That’s more than...
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Beaches: Sand will run out before the money does, hazards expert says

Rob Young thought he could improve on the WNC Strong slogan created after flooding from Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc in the mountains of western North Carolina. How about WNC Smart? It hasn’t caught on....
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Georgetown: International Paper announces closure of mill with loss of 674 jobs

The plumes of white steam that have filled the sky over the city of Georgetown since 1937 will vanish by the end of the year. International Paper Co. announced Thursday that it will close...
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BUSINESS NEWS

Observer staff wins 15 state press awards

The Coastal Observer staff received 15 awards for reporting, writing, photography and design, in the S.C. Press Association’s annual news contest. The paper won first place for General Excellence among the state’s medium-sized weeklies....
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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