MB man found qualified for DOT commission

Myrtle Beach businessman Danny Isaac was cleared as a candidate for a seat on the state Department of Transportation Thursday, along with three others.

A fifth candidate dropped out.

Isaac is seeking the 1st Congressional District seat on the DOT commission. The unpaid positions are influential because they set policy and priorities for road projects and transportation spending. Read more

Viers chosen for panel to work on immigration

House backs cut in taxes for couples

State Rep. Thad Viers, who wrote more than a dozen immigration bills in the past two years, was appointed Tuesday to the conference committee that will work out differences in House and Senate versions of immigration reform.

Also on Tuesday, a House subcommittee approved an income tax cut for married couples and a boost to road maintenance funds. In the Senate, a key committee deferred action on bills that would allow nonprofit groups to have gambling nights and sell raffle tickets. Read more

Get your fill of party politics

If the continuing primary season doesn’t satisfy your need for party politics, here’s a sample of local party gatherings this month:

The Horry County Democratic Party will hold its county convention March 10 to select new party officers and delegates to the state convention. Anyone is welcome to attend, but only delegates selected at the recent precinct reorganization meetings can vote. Read more

Immigration bill on tap next week

The state legislature will resume discussion of its pending immigration bill this week, with a local legislative crusader against illegal immigration overseeing its final stage.

Three members each of the state House of Representatives and Senate will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday to try to resolve differences in their different versions of the immigration bill. Both chambers agree on a variety of measures to crack down on illegal immigrants through law enforcement, but disagree over the methods private employers should use to check the citizenship of new employees. Read more

Body to vote on bankrolling S.C. 31

A bill aimed at easing the tangle of red tape needed to register a boat that has been inactive or is of uncertain ownership will be up for a hearing Tuesday by a subcommittee of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

State Rep. Billy Witherspoon, R-Conway, sponsored the bill. He said it has been in the works for five years to solve situations such as the inheritance of a boat. It’s hard to get new titles for them, he said.

The proposal requires people to publish a legal ad seeking comment on the boat, and if there is none, it can receive a new title, Witherspoon said. Read more

Viers sparks DHEC response on Mexican prescriptions

Following a story in the Herald about Mexican general stores selling prescription drugs over the counter, state Rep. Thad Viers contacted the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control concerning the problem.

The Mexican stores, or tiendas, routinely sell drugs that are normally sold only by doctor-issued prescriptions at regular pharmacies. Most of the drugs being sold, according to DHEC, are antibiotics or others that are not controlled substances.

The drugs are made by American manufacturers but are sold under Spanish names.
A DHEC spokesman told Viers that since the prescription drugs being sold are not controlled substances, there are no actual legal violations that can be enforced by DHEC or federal Drug Enforcement Agency investigators. Read more

AVX incident spurs call for DHEC audit

Strand lawmakers want answers on accountability to affected area

Grand Strand lawmakers have asked a state auditor to investigate whether the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control effectively prosecutes polluters and whether the agency should do more to notify people whose properties might be affected by contamination.

“We’re particularly concerned about the accountability of DHEC to local governments and affected citizens,” said state Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach. “If contamination flows onto your property, how accountable is DHEC in informing you of the impact.” Read more

Letters to the editor

S.C. PROBLEM

Thanks for Viers’ immigration efforts

I want to commend S.C. Rep. Thad Viers for his stance on fighting illegal immigration. I have been reading with great interest Viers’ efforts on this front. I am very impressed with his attention and focus on this obvious problem in our community and state. It is refreshing that one of our elected officials is listening to those he represents. His legislation he hopes to pass into law will be good for South Carolina. Read more

A Call to Account | Local legislators shine in initiating an audit of DHEC

Seven Horry County legislators did well last week to sic the state’s Legislative Audit Council on the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. The good folks at the DHEC won’t agree, but an audit is in the agency’s own best interest.

The agency admits that its past handling of the toxic groundwater pollution in south-central Myrtle Beach leaves something to be desired. Its leadership professes to be on top of the problem now, with a comprehensive groundwater testing program in full swing and the likely polluter, AVX Corp., in line to pay cleanup costs. DHEC, they say, has taken accountability for ensuring that the toxic substance in question, trichloroethylene, gets cleaned up. Read more

Electrical problem blamed for apartment fire

MYRTLE BEACH

Electrical problem blamed for apartment fire

An electrical problem in a storage closet at a Myrtle Beach apartment complex is being blamed for a fire that forced tenants outside Tuesday night, police said.

The fire at Dunbar Villas, 1212 Dunbar St., was reported at about 8:30 p.m. No one was injured in the fire, according to assistant Myrtle Beach fire chief Dan Cimini.

Two storage closets were destroyed in the blaze, according to the report. Read more

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