Coastal Observer

Brookgreen Gardens: Holiday display, though quieter, remains vivid

While the candles and lights are the most visible pieces of Nights of a Thousand Candles, other rarely noticed items are just as important. “Fishing line, zip ties and electrical tape are the unsung...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Land use: 0 to 182 units? Commission says no, 5-0

Swapping 167,000 square feet of planned commercial development at Pawleys Island for 182 apartments would run counter to the goals of Georgetown County’s future land-use plan, members of the Planning Commission say. The commission...
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Nonprofits: Director retires after 50 years as Tara Hall plans changes

After 50 years of working at Tara Hall Home for Boys, Jim Dumm is retiring. “It’s bittersweet,” Dumm said. “But I’m ready for it.” The nonprofit is a residential facility for troubled boys. The...
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Litchfield Beach: Dredging plan draws concern over sea turtles

A third request for a permit to place sand on the south end of Litchfield Beach was the first to generate positive comments, but it also drew new objections from a state agency and...
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Education: School board rejects plan to bring students back for four-day week

For the second time in a month, a proposal to bring some of Georgetown County’s students back for in-person learning four days a week was defeated by the school board. Under the hybrid-plus plan...
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Environment: Study documents a decade of impact of plastic waste on marine animals

The loggerhead sea turtle that was found washed ashore in Midway Inlet on a June morning five years ago was missing part of its right front flipper. That was the least of its problems....
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Politics: Out of 37,035 votes, 246 didn’t count

Votes cast by 246 people in Georgetown County in the Nov. 3 election did not count, most of them due to confusion over the requirement for mail-in absentee ballots to have a witness signature....
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Land use: Margin gets tighter as duplexes move ahead

Pleas to deny a zoning change to allow development of 10 units at the corner of Waverly and Kings River roads picked up two more supporters on Georgetown County Council, but those were not...
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Safety: Sheriff will leverage landslide to hire more deputies

Sheriff Carter Weaver will take this week’s election result to Georgetown County Council in an effort to fund additional deputies, particularly on the Waccamaw Neck. “A vote for me on Tuesday is going to...
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Education: District insider and newcomer will represent Waccamaw Neck on school board

The Waccamaw Neck’s two new school board members are ready for the biggest challenge facing the district: getting students back inside classrooms full-time during the COVID-19 pandemic. “How do we properly prepare our children...
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Politics: Turnout nears 80% as absentees exceed Election Day ballots

By a show of hands, most of the 70 people spread out over the courts in the Waccamaw Regional Recreation Center had already voted. That made last week’s GOP stump meeting more like a...
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Politics: Questions for school board candidates

There are five candidates seeking two seats on the Georgetown County School Board in districts that represent the Waccamaw Neck. The nine-member school board is nonpartisan, so people in District 1 and District 6...
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Education: Charter board names interim after drawing fire for ousting new director

One week after firing its director, the Coastal Montessori Charter School board named Rosemary Gray as interim director. “I will work hard for you and with you,” Gray said after the announcement on Monday....
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BUSINESS NEWS

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., Howard Auditorium, Hawkins Street, Georgetown. For details, go to georgetowncountysc.org.

Pawleys Island Town Council: Second Mondays, 5 p.m. Virtual meetings.For details, go to townofpawleysisland.com.

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COASTAL OBSERVER