Myrtle Beach Local News

MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Local
Toddlers home alone in MB	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
A Myrtle Beach woman was jailed Monday night after police found two of her three children home alone. A Myrtle Beach City Court judge released Rebecca Dawn Cote, 31, on a personal recognizance bond Tuesday morning. Cote is charged with two counts of child neglect. Cote told Judge Clifford Welsh that a live-in babysitter was supposed to be staying with her three children while she was at her boyfriend's home eight blocks away.
Myrtle Beach bike rally	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
The motorcycles in the parking lot of Performance Cycles in Little River on Monday all looked different. One had diamond cut detailing, another had chrome finish on all its surfaces, and one even had a picture of Al Pacino in "Scarface" airbrushed on the body. "Hardly anybody buys a motorcycle and does nothing to it," said Richard Pate, owner of the store. "All of the bikes we customize are different - different colors, different motors, different rakes [how the front end is extended from the motorcycle], different details." Motorcycles are very personal things, said Pate, who has been building bikes for 19 years, and that's where the custom motorcycle industry steps in. The Harley-Davidson spring rally in Myrtle Beach is a prime sales time for local custom builders and shops that add custom parts to stock motorcycles.
Ex-sheriff faces federal charge	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
Former Brunswick County Sheriff Ronald Hewett now faces a federal obstruction-of-justice charge stemming from allegations he tried to impede a federal grand jury investigation of his former office. He is scheduled to appear in Raleigh on June 2 to face his federal charge. If convicted, Hewett faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine or both, according to U.S. Code. The new charge follows a local grand jury indictment charging the former sheriff with three counts of embezzlement by a public official and obstruction of justice by a public official.
Board to limit Coastal budget	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
The S.C. Budget and Control Board is expected today to cut in half the dollar amount Coastal Carolina University can spend on each contract and service without getting prior board approval, effectively putting the university on financial probation for at least one year. The board's decision, to be voted on this morning, comes on the heels of a financial audit that shows CCU repeatedly violated state agency spending laws between 2004 and 2007. Among the violations were a possibly improper no-bid contract for student bus services and a contract with a management consultant who double-billed the university for thousands of dollars and failed to provide documentation for some bills.
MB to vote on tax increase	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
Myrtle Beach property owners could be one step closer to higher taxes if the City Council approves a first look at a budget ordinance that includes a three-mill increase today. The city will hold a public hearing today to take comments on the budget from residents. Here's the city staff's plan for where the money would go:
Inside the mind of a tattoo artist	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
Editor's note: This is the first in the "Take Five" series, which will appear Tuesdays in the Money section. The stories will give you a glimpse at what it's like working in various fields along the Grand Strand and introduce you to the people doing the work. It was a relatively calm afternoon at Elite Ink Tattoos when Josh Griswold began tattooing a client with an American eagle that in three hours' time would span the man's entire back. "That's right, go big or go home," Griswold approved, as he started etching the design into skin with black ink, the hum of the needle meshing with the shop's pulsing techno music.
Event takes on teen pregnancy in Georgetown	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
Every three days a Georgetown County teen becomes pregnant, according to figures from the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. The statewide campaign made the first stop Monday morning in Georgetown on its "Road Show 2008," part of National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month. Since the campaign's inception in 1994, the state's rate of teen pregnancy was reduced from 44.4 percent to 31.7 percent in 2005.
Saving the stumping spirit	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
Some say that all politics is personal, and so it was at the 132nd year of the Galivants Ferry Stump Meeting on Monday as politicians of both parties mingled with voters and strategists at the traditional Democratic event. The stump is a combination hoedown, chicken bog supper and old-time political speakin' that was once common in the rural South where voters could not depend on newspapers, radio or TV for learning about candidates. It's still a place where voters can mingle with candidates and grill them face-to-face on the issues, and now that includes hopefuls from both parties, albeit unofficially.
Court sides with casino boats	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
The S.C. Supreme Court ruled 4-1 Monday that casino boat companies do not have to report monthly wagers at gambling machines to the state, a move that some say could make it hard for municipalities to collect casino boat taxes. Horry County instituted a $7-per-passenger tax on two casino boat companies in Little River earlier this year, but John Weaver, the county attorney, said Monday's ruling should not affect the county's ability to collect the tax. The lawsuit pitted SunCruz Casinos, one of the Little River operators, against the S.C. Department of Revenue.
High court overturns mother's conviction	5/13/2008 10:05 AM
The S.C. Supreme Court on Monday overturned a conviction that sent a Conway woman to prison for 12 years. The court ruled that Regina McKnight, who was convicted in 2001 of homicide by child abuse after being accused of killing her unborn child with cocaine, must be granted a new trial. McKnight gave birth to a stillborn, 5-pound girl May 15, 1999. The baby's age was estimated at between 34 and 37 weeks.