Coastal Observer

Georgetown: Competing interests in mills fuel debate on city waterfront’s future

The city of Georgetown issued a demolition permit this week for the steel mill that has anchored its waterfront since 1969. What will go up in its place depends on what happens on the...
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THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES

Education: Charter school looks for funds to close budget gap

The Coastal Montessori Charter School board is scouring its finances to figure out how to offset an expected $102,699 deficit in the upcoming budget. Chairman Rick Richardson wants the board’s finance committee to take...
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Elections: Lawyer files for District 6 school board seat

Jarrod Ownbey may not be a graduate of a Georgetown County school, but he has a strong interest in the district. His oldest daughter is a graduate of Waccamaw High School, his two younger...
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Sales tax: Collections begin on extra penny to fund capital projects

The sales tax on purchases made in Georgetown County rose 16.7 percent today. And it will stay that way until 2033 unless voters decide to raise it again. That won’t come as a surprise...
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Pawleys Island: Town moves forward with berm to hold high tides at bay

The town of Pawleys Island will build a berm along a portion of Myrtle Avenue in an effort to reduce flooding from extreme high tides. The town is also seeking federal funds to address...
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Education: Resource officers follow zero tolerance policy on safety

People read about threats, fights and other incidents in Georgetown County schools and ask the sheriff “what’s going on?” Nothing that isn’t going on in schools across the state, Sheriff Carter Weaver tells them,...
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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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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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Education: First-of-its-kind marine institute gets under way

Officials praised the creation of the Marine Institute of Technology on the Georgetown campus of Horry-Georgetown Tech as the first of its kind in South Carolina. But the head of a trade group didn’t...
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Education: A classroom as big as all outdoors

The Black River Cypress Preserve in Andrews has quickly become a destination for outdoor learning. Lower elementary students from Coastal Montessori Charter School visited the preserve last week and spent a few hours discovering...
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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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THE WEEK’S FEATURED STORIES

Elections: District 6 school board vacancy sparks three-way race

A retired educator and a former television newsman have joined an attorney in the race for the vacant District 6 seat on the Georgetown County School Board. Jon Tester retired four years ago as...
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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