Saturday, May. 30, 2009
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closeHere are a few headlines from recent news coverage in The Sun News on issues that affect Carolina Forest and Horry County. Go to TheSunNews.com to read more coverage on these issues and keep up with the area's breaking news.
FOLLOWING THE FIRE
Task force eyes details
What happened in the recent wildfire and why were key concerns of those who attended a meeting May 21 of the Highway 31 Wildfire Task Force and Premier Resorts at Barefoot Resort Lakeside Conference Center.
Other concerns included the use of pine straw in landscaping, establishing another exit at the resort and tackling preventive measures to avoid another major wildfire in the area.
In addressing residents' concerns, officials started with a presentation showing where the fire originated on S.C. 90 on April 22, how it jumped to the Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach to S.C. 22, S.C. 31 and on to Barefoot Resort.
"It far exceeded all expectations and grew faster than predictions because we were dealing with weather conditions," Darryl Jones of the S.C. Forestry Commission said. "When the wind changed, and the fire changed, there was very little we could do to stop it."
Janelle Frost, May 22
BIKE RALLY ROUND II
Vendors will be back
Most vendors at the Atlantic Beach Bikefest said they will return next year, despite this year's smaller crowds.
Early counts showed at least 175,000 people attended this year's Bikefest, said Atlantic Beach Town Manager Kenneth McIver. Past years have brought 200,000 and up to 400,000 participants.
The economy and reports that no bike rallies would be held in Myrtle Beach could have discouraged some people from coming, said Mickey James, president of the Myrtle Beach chapter of the National Association of Colored People.
"There weren't as many people congregating," James said. "It's been a big decrease. Maybe because of the economy and the city ordinances. There were two things that we were dealing with that had a significant impact on the number [of people.]"
Kelly Marshall Fuller, May 26
TRYING ON A NEW BRAND
Rally name considered
The owner of a bar in Murrells Inlet is launching an effort to rebrand the spring Harley-Davidson motorcycle rally and eliminate any reference to the city of Myrtle Beach, which passed a host of new rules aimed at curtailing the rally.
Possibilities include calling the event the Grand Strand rally or the Murrells Inlet rally, but nothing has been finalized, said Charlie Campbell, the owner of the Dead Dog Saloon. Centering the rally on the south end would be nothing new - some bikers boycotted Myrtle Beach this year for its anti-rally stance.
Meanwhile, most of the 200 people who filled Myrtle Beach City Council chambers at a council meeting Tuesday expressed support for the city's efforts to tone down the Harley-Davidson spring rally and the Atlantic Beach Bikefest.
"There's not but one reason [the motorcyclists] didn't come back - because someone said, 'We're not putting up with it,'" Beau Bryan, who grew up in the Myrtle Beach area, told the council. "The ones who come and take money from your registers, who leave garbage in your yards, good riddance."
Robert Kelley, a local hotelier and a member of Business Owners Organized to Save Tourism, a local business group that sought to promote the rallies, said Campbell has a good idea.
"We're for anything that can save the business and try to keep some of that revenue here in May," Kelley said.
Lorena Anderson and Mike Cherney, May 27
TAXING FOR TOURISM
MB passes levy
Despite opposition from those who addressed the Myrtle Beach City Council and heckled from the audience, the council unanimously approved a local 1 percent sales tax to fund tourism promotion.
Although about two-thirds of the full house applauded after the vote, the only people who addressed the council at the May 26 meeting opposed the tax.
The tax on retail items sold within the city excludes gasoline, groceries and prescription medication and goes into effect Aug. 1.
All of the money generated will go to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for the first two years of the 10-year tax, after which the city will collect 20 percent of the tax revenue for property-tax relief for owners who live in their homes.
Lorena Anderson, May 27
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