Last Updated on 5/30/2012

Published on 1/2/2009

January

January 2: Georgetown police officers begin the new year urging business owners to be on the lookout for counterfeit money after several fake bills were reported within the City. One arrest is made and more are likely as the investigation into the fake $100 bills continues. Georgetown Police Capt. Nelson Brown said 51-year-old Randy Sanders of South Kaminski Street was arrested after he reportedly tried to use a fake $100 bill at the Sunoco station at the corner of Highmarket Street and Merriman Road. This was the fourth business that had been hit.

January 11-14: Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Fred Thompson visit Georgetown following the Republican Presidential Debate held in Myrtle Beach. Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards visits the county as part of his “Bring it Home” tour. Edwards greets supporters and potential supporters at Coastal Carolina University in the Litchfield area. Also, Sen. Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, visits Georgetown Jan. 14 as part of a homecoming tour. Mrs. Obama’s grandmother is from Georgetown.

January 25: The Georgetown County School District says it is taking steps to control the gang-activity problem that has been on the increase in recent years. In an effort to try to deal with the problem, the School Board gives first reading to a new “Gang Activity of Association” policy that gives principals permission to hand down stricter penalties for gang activities. The new policy states that any student “wearing, carrying or displaying gang paraphernalia or exhibiting behavior or gestures which symbolize gang membership...shall be subject to discipline action.” 

February

February 8: A Murrells Inlet man who was described as both a “gentle giant” and a cold-blooded killer during his trial will spend at least 15 years in prison for the baseball beating death of his girlfriend. A jury  convicts Vladmir “Walt” Pantovich, 57, of manslaughter for the March 7, 2006, death of 49-year old Sheila McPherson. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison by Circuit Court Judge Ben Culbertson.

February 10: Georgetown County firefighters are extremely busy fighting fires in rural parts of the county. On Sunday, a 300-acre woods fire in the Plantersville community fill the skies with smoke and threatened several homes. As of 6 p.m. that day, no homes were burned by the fires. Because of the size of the blaze, Midway Fire Department and the S.C. Forestry Commission were called to help fight the fire.

February 13: Outdoor burning by residents is being blamed for two of the big forest fires that destroyed hundreds of acres in the Choppee and Plantersville communities. About 60 firefighters from all over the county help fight a blaze on Sandy Island that leveled two houses. Because the island is only accessible by boat, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s Office provide vessels to transport equipment.

February 15: Costs for treating wastewater sludge will be reduced for Georgetown County under a recent proposal. Members of County Council heard a report that it could cost Georgetown County about $240,000 a year to process the sludge at the county landfill. A proposed change could cut costs and generate some $214,000 in revenue for the county.

February 18: Originally slated to begin in January, the construction of the Murrells Inlet bike bridge is now underway. Once complete, this bridge will provide a safe connection between the  bike path from Huntington Beach State Park to the bike land on U.S. Highway 17 Business on the south end of Murrells Inlet.

February 20: Chairman Joe Crosby says he hopes to work out a compromise that will keep the U.S. Department of Justice from suing the Georgetown County Board of Education over its method of electing members. Crosby received a letter from the Justice Department that threatened to sue the county schools for violations of the Voting Rights Act because no African Americans were elected to the board in 2004 or 2006.

February 27: For the third time, Lowe’s Home Improvement Store is attempting to build its first location in Georgetown County. A member of Georgetown City Council, who asked not to be identified, said attorney Richard Smith, who is representing the company, reported that Lowe’s was looking again at the 25-acre parcel of land between the Wal Mart plaza and Summit Drive in Kensington but that the home-supply giant wants the property to be annexed into the city first.

March

March 11: The Horry County bomb squad is called to the Georgetown County Courthouse Monday afternoon to check on a suspicious package that was found after an employee received a threatening phone call. The courthouse is evacuated at about 2:0 p.m. because the caller told an employee there was a bomb in the building, according to Georgetown County Assistant Sheriff Carter Weaver. The package, an upside-down cooler, is found in a crawl space under the basement. Weaver said the cooler was empty and there was no damage to the courthouse.

March 14: Simpson Lumber Co., formerly Sampit Lumber Mill, announces that it plans to lay off 38 workers, reducing the number of workers from 137 to 99. The workers were told management based their decision on who to terminate on six different criteria, including seniority and whether or not a person is able to operate more than one machine. Mill manager Sandy McCorvey says the layoffs are “necessary due to an industry-wide market downturn for wood products.”

March 14: Rep. Vida Miller and Rep. Carl Anderson work with House Speaker Bobby Harrell and the Ways and Means Committee to have the Georgetown County School District’s budget $3.8 million budget restored in the $7.2 billion state budget. The Georgetown County School District had been in danger of losing the state funded-money prior to the talks and a letter sent by School Board Chairman Joe Crosby to the local Legislative Delegation stressing the needs for those funds to remain the District’s state allocations.

March 15: A tornado strikes the Browns Ferry area Saturday evening. Red Cross officials helped in the Browns Ferry area, as well as in Williamsburg County and in other areas of the state. A damage assessment showed that 10 homes in the Lane community are unlivable. Four are totally destroyed and six suffer major damage. In all, at least 15 tornados touch down in South Carolina that Saturday.

March 19: It is reported that a $300 million plan could boost the Port of Georgetown. U.S. Rep. Henry Brown (R-Hanahan) said on Tueday that the unnamed industrial prospect has “really exciting potential.” The industry, it is reported, could mean $300 million in capital investment and 300 jobs. The manufactured goods would be exported through the Port of Georgetown even though some of the facilities would be inland.

March 24: The plans to build an apartment complex geared towards middle class families in the Maryville area is shot down by Georgetown City Council because of the zoning change it would require. Pelican Point, a 56-unit development, was proposed for an area adjacent to South Island Assisted Living. Michael Hartman, a developer from Florida, tried to have the R1 zoning on the 6.4-acre site rezoned to R5 for the “affordable workplace housing” development. The tenants would have been, according to Hartman, workers who earn $22,000 to $35,000 annually.

April

April 7: A ground-breaking ceremony is held for a new boat landing to be named in former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell’s honor. The Carroll Ashmore Campbell Marine Complex is being built at the southern foot of the Maryville Bridge along Sampit River. The 20-acre complex will cost about $6 million to build.

April 9: MeadWestvaco Corp., one of the region’s largest and oldest private-sector employers, announces it is selling its 71-year-old North Charleston paper mill and other assets to KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. for $485 million in cash. According to company spokeswoman Pam Wheeler, for right now, the Andrews MeadWestvaco plant is safe from closure.

April 18: Georgetown City Council votes 5-2 to allow the S.C. Department of Transportation to restripe the area of Highway 17 from Highmarket to Winyah Streets in order to put left turning lanes at the two intersections. In order to make the lanes work, according to DOT engineer Mike Bethea, the parallel parking lanes on the area in front of Parish Motors and other nearby businesses will have to be eliminated.

April 21: Pawleys Island is named one of the South Carolina areas most affected by beach erosion, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. According to the 2008 State of the Beaches Report, the southern end of the island has been affected, where houses have minimal protection. The parking lot, which provides most of the public beach access in Georgetown County, is also in jeopardy.

April 25: Georgetown County planners vote during a special meeting and public hearing at Plantersville Elementary School to pass an amendment to current zoning ordinances for the U.S. Highway 701 Corridor. Approximately 75 peole attend the meeting, and several local residents voice concerns that this change would destroy the rural lifestyle they have come to know.

April 28: A 46-foot-long catamaran runs into the north jetty in Winyah Bay early Wednesday morning. Three North Carolina sailors were aboard, but all remained calm as heavy winds and waves drove the boat further and further onto the rocks. No one was injured.

May

May 2: Georgetown County Council has given conceptual approval to a nearly $90 million recreation plan that calls for, in part, finding a new place for the facilities currently at East Bay Park. It will be up to Georgetown City Council to decide what to do with the property once it is no longer used for recreation.

May 5: A group of bicycling police officers who are on tour in honor of their fallen comrades stop in Georgetown Friday morning to remember slain Maj. Spencer Guerry who was killed in the line of duty 14 years ago. The Police Unity Tour (PUT) began their 1,000-mile trek in Brunswick, Ga. last month and are biking to Washington D.C. where they will hold a final service at the National Police Officer’s Memorial.

May 12: It’s reported that local schools can no longer control their operating revenue under a chance in state law and that, therefore, a school tax hike is possible. The Georgetown County School District is looking to raise the operating millage rates up to the maximum. The district’s operating millage rate will increase from 91.3 mills to 94.7 mills, primarily for businesses and second home owners.

May 14: One house is completely destroyed and seven others damaged by a fire that spread along the beach in DeBordieu Colony. According to Bob Beebe, public information officer with Midway Fire Rescue, more than 60 firefighters from four area departments respond to a house fire call at around 1:30 p.m. None of the houses were occupied and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries during the blaze.

May 16: City Council gives first reading approval to a measure annexing 28 acres into the city. The land, adjacent to Wal-Mart and Wendy’s on U.S. Highway 701/Fraser Street, would be the site of a Lowe’s store and smaller retail parcels.

May 19: Georgetown chemical company 3V Inc. is ordered to pay $20,075 in fines by May 28 under a settlement with the S.C. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violations. The chemical plant was originally issued $60,925 in fines for 12 safety violations in April 2007 in connection with two incidents in 2006 that killed one person and injured three others.

May 26: A wedding reception party attended by several dozen people turns into a nightmare when the deck of a Pawleys Island beach house on which they were standing collapsed. Emergency crews from Midway Fire Rescue and several other stations from across Georgetown County rush to the scene and set up a makeshift triage unit in the roadway in front of the Atlantic Avenue house.

June

June 2: County budget work continues when Georgetown County Council gave second of the three needed approvals for the $61.2 million 2008-2009 operating budget while making adjustments to the current budget. County Administrator Sel Hemingway said the budget, as presented, can be funded without a tax or fee increase.

June 9: Georgetown Hospital System has an option or “Memorandum of Land Purchase Contract” for a portion of Weehaw Plantation near Georgetown. The land would be the site of a new hospital to replace the “landlocked” campus built in 1950. The site is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 701 and Wedgefield Road, across from the Francis Marion Store and Brown’s Ferry Road.

June 11: With no Democratic opposition in November, Georgetown County Sheriff Lane Cribb assures himself of a fifth term in office with a landslide victory over challenger Jay High in the Republican primary. Unofficial results have Cribb’s victory total at 3,055 to 681. That gave the sheriff just under 82 percent of the ballots cast.

June 13: Neighbors of a community office building at Wedgefield Plantation have filed a lawsuit, seeking a temporary restraining order to stop construction. Wedgefield Plantation residents Arnold and Stephanie Johnson say the office building is being built on a lot restricted to single-family housing and is in violation of Wedgefield’s own covenants.

June 16: Pawleys Mayor Bill Otis announces to members of Town Council at their regular meeting that enough property owners have agreed to participate in an underground wire utility project to make that project a reality. The Town has been approved for a $40,000 grant from the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to place utility wires underground in the historic district. To pay the remainder of the cost of the project, the Town agrees to split that amount with property owners, who will pay approximately $2,500 each.

June 23: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports in its annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for Georgetown County industries along the Sampit River that 7.76 million pounds of chemicals and wastes were generated during 2007. The EPA says TRI data is a “starting point” in evaluating exposures that may result from releases and other waste management activities which involve toxic chemicals.

June 27: The search for the 1526 wreck of Luccas Vazquez De Ayllon’s Capitana near the entrance of Winyah Bay is set to resume. South Carolina State Underwater Archeologist Chris Amer says the search will cover eight square miles.

July

July 2: Ground is broken for the Georgetown County Family YMCA. The new facility is set to be built on S.C. Highway 51 (Browns Ferry Road), about a half-mile from its intersection with U.S. Highway 701 (North Fraser Street). Many of the supporters of the YMCA gathered at the site for a ceremonial groundbreaking, with about 20 people wielding shovels.

July 4: Within the next month, ArcelorMittal USA plans to demolish a tall tower used to process iron ore at its Georgetown plant, creating a space for a new office building within the plant’s grounds. The changing exterior of the steel mill signal bigger, long-term changes within, company officials say.

July 7: Pawleys Island Town Council gives its first OK to adopt the 2006 International Building Code. According to Pawleys Mayor Bill Otis in a special meeting, this ordinance is necessary so council can make a change to the town’s ordinances, which the S.C. legislature has recently allowed coastal municipalities.

July 11: The Georgetown County Museum has been accepted into the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), a program offered through the American Association of Museums (AAM) in Washington, D.C. The museum’s application was one of 100 accepted from a pool of 133 nationwide applications, and the process, according to Georgetown County Museum Director Ron Venters, was “quite intense.”

July 18: Lynn Mueller, a recent addition to the Board of the Downtown Business Association (DBA) is heading up a signage project designed to increase visitors to the City of Georgetown. Mueller and his committee want to develop a series of tasteful and history-oriented signs along the entry corridors to the City of Georgetown to get people who might otherwise pass through town to make a turn and visit the Historic District, museums, restraunts and shops.

July 21: The two Georgetown County deputies who have been on administrative duty since being involved in a deadly shooting have been cleared of any wrongdoing by the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. As a result of the ruling, the deputies have been allowed to return to the patrols, said Sheriff Lane Cribb.

July 25: The Georgetown Coutny Democratic Party was hit with a $100 fine by the S.C. Ethics Commission for a failure to report violation. The Party did not list an in-kind contribution from the United Steelworkers of America on disclosure forms, according to documents.

July 30: At a community meeting, Georgetown County School District Superintendent Dr. Randy Dozier announced that the school district has agreed to participate in a project designed to get students excited about science and introduce them to potential career opportunities. The JASON Project, a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Geographic Society, connects students with explorers and real-life scientists in an effort to motivate them to learn about sciencec and pursue careers in scientific research.

August

August 1: A recent report which states that South Carolina beaches are the most polluted in the nation is wrong, according to local and state officials. DHEC spokesperson Clara Boatwright says that the DHEC staff works very hard to make sure that everyone is safe when they visit South Carolina beaches and that they make every effort to find any exceedences as far as pollution is concerned.

August 8: The Georgetown County chcapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says conflict of interest has blocked the installation of a sewer system in the Plantersville area and is now asking the U.S. Justice Department to intervene. According to local NAACP President Morris Johnson, a plan has been in place to run sewer lines to the villages but the funding is being held up by some who say the sewer system would lead to development.

August 11: For the second time, Lowe’s Home Improvement Store decides not to build a new store in Georgetown. Georgetown Mayor Lynn Wood Wilson says that the decision was based on the national economic environment and that the home improvement store therefore does not plan to open as many stores.

August 18: The Georgetown County School Board race is set to be the most crowded in history as 22 candidates have filed to run for seven positions that will be in the November ballot. This is also the first time Georgetown County voters will have the opportunity to elect members fo the School Board to represent their particular districts.

August 22: Santee Cooper and Clemson launch an experiment at Hobcaw Barony to see if South Carolina’s coastal winds are suitable as an alternative for generating electricity. The 60-meter pole, called a mobile meteorological tower, erected near Clambank Landing on North Inlet, is designed to show whether offshore winds are strong enough to turn wind turbines profitably.

August 25: A donor gives a $50,000 donation to the Mitney Project in the West End of the City of Georgetown. The announcement of the donation is made by fundraising chairman Jeanette Ard at a luncheon at the Maryville Social Hall. The organization seeks to revitalize the West End of Georgetown and improve the lives of children in that area.

August 27: Board members of the Winyah Auditorium Corporation set a goal for themselves of about $2 million to finish the renovations  and restoration of the historic structure on Highmarket Street in Georgetown. The former school structure is set to become a cultural arts center for all of Georgetown, and will be home to performing arts, instruction, meetings, recitals and other performances.

September

September 5: Four Andrews Town Council members and Mayor Rodney Giles vote to award a $178,041 contract to FBi Construction, Inc., based in Florence, to complete phase one of the Downtown Improvement Project. It is reported that this first phase should be finished within two weeks.

September 8: Heavy rain is cited as the biggest problem caused by Tropical Storm Hanna as it skirted the Georgetown County coastline. One man drowned, and a fire on Screven Street damages two historic buildings.

September 12: Georgetown City Council votes unanimously to approve a motion to buy out City Administrator Steve Thomas. Councilman Rudolph Bradley read a statement that the City is authorized “and makes available funds” of $40,000 “to be used as valuable consideration to secure a general release from City Administrator Steve Thomas as he completes his service on behalf of the City of Georgetown.”

September 15: 3V Chemical Co. in Georgetown is once again under investigation by the S.C. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This time the probe is into an explosion at the Pennyroyal Road company that was reportedly caused by the ignition of chemicals as they were being mixed by plant workers.

September 19: More than 360 Pawleys Island residents sign a petition to protest the proposed construction of a 12-unit condominium complex on Ocean Highway at Center Marsh Lane. After more than an hour of discussion and public input at a Georgetown County Planning Commission meeting, the issue is deferred at the request of George Taylor, the property owner.

September 24: For the second time in two weeks, the Hazardous Materials teams from the Georgetown City Fire Department and Midway Fire Rescue are called into action. The Georgetown City Fire Department received a call at the Georgetown Wastewater Treatment Plant after a container inside a building on the property was discovered to be leaking chlorine.

September 29: Maryville students raise $400 to send to Burnet Elementary School in Galveston, Texas, which was filled with more than two feet of water as a result of Hurricane Ike. The students were allowed to wear hats to school if they donated a dollar to the cause.

October

October 8: A Belle Isle Community home is destroyed by fire after fire hydrants malfunction. When the first firefighters arrived, the fire was in the garage and quickly spread to the roof. It took more than 90 minutes for the fire to be considered under control but fire crews remained on the scene for several more hours putting out hot spots as they would flare up.

October 13: Two Frito Lay delivery trucks traveling in opposite directions collide on U.S. Highway 701 in northern Georgetown County. S.C. Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins said the delivery truck driver who was northbound was not able to stop in time for a car in his lane that was about to make a turn, so the driver swerved to the southbound lane and hit the other Frito Lay truck nearly head on.

October 20: ArcelorMittal Steel in Georgetown announces the layoff of 98 employees for at least three weeks. United Steelworkers of America Local 7898 President James Sanderson said that the plant’s steel-making division is shutting down until Nov. 3.

October 24: It is announced that ArcelorMittal Steel in Georgetown is laying off 60 more workers. A company spokeswoman said that the production cuts are a temporary measure in response to the global economic slowdown. The layoffs are occurring the same week as a new four-year contract with the company’s workers was ratified.

October 29: It is announced that the 158 workers laid off at ArcelorMittal Steel in Georgetown will be out of work longer than was first reported. The first reports indicated that the layoffs would end around Nov. 3. A memo sent out states that one group of workers will return on Nov. 10 and another will return on Nov. 17.

November

November 12: Many of the workers of ArcelorMittal Steel in Georgetown who were laid off are expected to begin returning to work. The remainder are expected back on Nov. 17, according to Adam Warrington, communications manager for the company. The plant is scheduled to operate on a reduced schedule Monday to Thursday.

November 14: After weeks of delay that has negatively affected some businesses, the Andrews downtown revitalization project is back on track. FBi Construction is working on new sidewalks and curbs, the state Department of Transportation will put in signal lights, and Progress Energy will put in two new street lights. The project is expected to be completed in four to five weeks.

November 19: In less than three hours, three homes in Georgetown County are destroyed by fire killing one man and a family pet, injuring three and causing three families to have to find new homes as the holiday season approaches.

November 21: The Georgetown County Recreation and Leisure Services Department invites people to come out to East Bay Park for the weekend and try a hand at frisbee golf. An 18-hole course is set up for players to test their skills. There is no charge for playing, and Georgetown Community Specialist Jamie Mau says the game draws a friendly, easy-going crowd who welcome and encourage new players.

November 26: The Nature Conservancy secure funds from a wide array of sources in order to purchase more than 640 acres of environmentally and historically significant lands in the Plantersville community. Pee Dee Land Trust agrees to hold and monitor the conservation easements.

December

December 3: Workers at ArcelorMittal in Georgetown are informed that the mill will cease operations until Jan. 12 because of a lack of orders for their product. Company spokesman Adam Warrington said ArcelorMittal recently announced it will cale back global production by about 35 percent.

December 5: The Georgetown County School District’s budget shortfall stands at about $1.5 million as a result of state budget cuts. Superintendent Dr. Randy Dozier says he hopes the General Assembly will make school district budgets a high priority when they reconvene in January.

December 8: Debby Feck, manager of International Paper Co.’s Georgetown plant, announces that the No.1 Paper Machine will be idle for two weeks beginning Dec. 13 due to a lack of uncoated freesheet paper orders. Feck says that the mill will allow affected employees to use any unused vacation during the downtime as they wish.

December 10: The Santee Cooper Board of Directors approve a $2.63 billion budget for 2009 at its regular monthly meeting in Moncks Corner. The budget includes $2.03 billion for the electric system, $6.4 million for the water systems and $588.9 million for capital expenditures.

December 10: The Georgetown Architectural Review Board ok’s the revamped drawings of a proposed $14 million Harborside Inn near Front and King Streets. ARB members had previously approved a demolition permit on condition that acceptable construction plans be submitted first.

December 17: It is now illegal to abandon a watercraft or an outboard motor on public land or water in South Carolina. A new state law goes into effect that makes the owner of an abandoned watercraft that has been left unattended for more than 45 days, liable for a misdemeanor carrying fines up to $5,000 and up to 30 days in jail.

December 22: Georgetown City Council unanimously agrees to hire the Waccamaw Regional Planning and Development Council for $39,447 to administrate a $500,000 community development block grant under the village renaissance program. The grant is for the West End neighborhood revitalization project, also called the Mitney Project.

December 26: Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC) files a lawsuit in Federal Court against the City of Georgetown, the S.C. Secretary of State and Southern Coastal Cable, LLC, claiming violations of the state’s Competitive Cable Services Act and the Federal Cable Act. HTC has been trying to expand its services within the City of Georgetown, but those efforts have been blocked by City Council.