Coastal Observer

Nonprofits: Clemson football coach found his Christian faith on the field

Clemson University football coach Dabo Swinney has advice for high school athletes: chase your dreams and dream big. “You never know. But I do know this: you can’t just dream big,” he said. “You...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Education: Schools seek funds to hire additional staff

As the enrollment of Waccamaw Elementary School grows, principal Ashley Cameron needs more teachers. Cameron asked the Georgetown County School Board this week for money in next year’s budget to hire another special area...
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Health: Collaborative looks for ways to improve care for mental health and drug abuse

Susan Myers is a counselor at Tidelands Health, but last fall she was selling drugs to people already enmeshed in a web of addiction. She was only playing a role in a program called...
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Safety: Crews keep wildfire from reaching Prince George homes

Midway Fire Rescue Chief Brent McClellan has seen a lot of things in his 31 years as a firefighter. But until last Saturday at Prince George he had never seen a mountainous wall of...
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Environment: Class at Andrews High hopes to cast a wider net

Ten students at Andrews High School are enrolled in an agricultural science class this semester. But it’s not an ordinary class. It is the start of the Black River Educational Initiative, a program that...
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Land use: New zoning district proposed to limit redevelopment of golf courses

A zoning change to limit redevelopment of two of the oldest golf courses on Waccamaw Neck is moving forward while Georgetown County rewrites its ordinances. That is likely to require creating a new zoning...
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Environment: Neighbors raise objections to Litchfield sand dredging

Property owners at a historically Black beach have joined a conservation group and the town of Pawleys Island in calling for a public hearing on a plan to dredge sand from Midway Inlet to...
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Pawleys Island: Town considers plan for creekside berm to curb road flooding

A low spot on Pawleys Island is due to rise under a project that the town expects to be the first of many to reduce flooding and improve drainage. Work could start before the...
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Environment: County partnership could aid private beach renourishment projects

Renourishment projects along Georgetown County’s beaches have moved about 6 million cubic yards of sand in the last 45 years. But they haven’t kept pace with erosion, according to data collected for an update...
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Roads: DOT will remove trees along Highway 17 at Brookgreen

The state Department of Transportation is due to start work Monday to cut and trim trees along the shoulder of Highway 17 in front of Brookgreen Gardens. The month-long project along a stretch of...
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Beaches: Mediation fails in dispute over migrating Pawleys Inlet

When beachfront property owners at Prince George first filed suit, their houses were still south of Pawleys Inlet. Now, 12 of the 19 houses are north of the inlet. At high tide, they are...
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Land use: Development moving forward as lawsuit moves through courts

Tripp Nealy and Beth Martin met for the first time this week across a drainage ditch. Their attorneys have met in court. Nealy is about to start sales at Magic Oaks, a 27-lot development...
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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Coronavirus: Five years later, finding lessons from the pandemic’s trauma

Five years ago this week, a global pandemic hit home in South Carolina when Gov. Henry McMaster closed schools. Dr. Desmond Young, a pulmonologist with Tidelands Health, was on the front lines of fighting...
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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