Roofing company in Myrtle Beach, SC

A longtime Myrtle Beach resident hopes to share local culture with newcomers by opening a horse barn and event venue.

Joshua Clardy, of Clardy Family Ministries, plans to open The Stables and Pack House by the end of 2025. He bought a 60-acre plot of land along S.C. 90 in between Thomas and Bear Bluff roads to build a new community spot.

The Stables will include a barn with 24 horse stalls where people can board horses, take horseback riding lessons and receive veterinary care for their large animals, among other horse activities, Clardy said. Christine Long, of Pineview Veterinary Hospital in North Carolina, will have a space in the barn.

The Pack House will be an events venue designed to look like an old-style tobacco barn. The 18,000-square-foot space will be large enough for weddings, parties or even corporate retreats.

The Stables are anticipated to open in summer 2025 and The Pack House in the fall or winter, Clardy said. He’s currently working on clearing the land to begin construction.

Clardy is excited to develop along S.C. 90, as that area has started experiencing growth like other parts of Horry County.

“There isn’t much there right now,” he said.

The Horry County local said he’s hoping to share the area’s history and culture with newcomers. Clardy’s family has been in Horry County since the 1800s and spent generations farming.

“Horry County was built on farming,” Clardy said. “It has lost that culture, especially with the growth that is happening.”

The tobacco barn is a call back to the history of tobacco farming in the area and the horse barn is a way to encourage newcomers to experience parts of the farm lifestyle. Adding in an events venue also made sense because as an ordained Baptist preacher, Clardy has traveled for weddings and to sing southern gospel.

“I’m most excited about spreading our culture of Horry County and how we grew up to all the new folks in the area,” Clardy said.

The Sun News

Emalyn Muzzy is a breaking news reporter for The Sun. She covers everything breaking and everything new in the Myrtle Beach area. She graduated from the University of Minnesota is 2022 with a degree in journalism and Spanish.

Servers at a North Myrtle Beach resort have filed a federal lawsuit, claiming they weren’t paid minimum wage and overtime.

William Fortner and Autumn McManus filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court of South Carolina against 21 Main North Beach LLC and Lovin’ Oven Catering of Suffolk LLC.

The defendants operate North Beach Resort, 719 North Beach Blvd., in North Myrtle Beach, according to the suit.

A message left with both businesses were not immediately returned.

The North Beach Resort offers guests on-site dining options and venue spaces that employs servers and bartenders, the suit says.

The suit involves servers and bartenders who worked at 21 Main Prime Steakhouse; Cabana Club Pool Side Bar & Grill; North Beach Pizza Co.; and 21 Main Events.

Fortner and McManus filed the claims as a collective and class action under the Fair Labor Standards and South Carolina Payment of Wages Act, on behalf of themselves and other bartenders and servers who work or have worked at the resort’s dining venues.

The suit claims that the defendants violated federal and state wage laws because they paid Fortner and McManus and other bartenders and servers sub-minimum wage, failing to provide them with required notice of their intent to rely on tip credit. Servers and bartenders were also required to surrender portions of their tips to pay for cash register shortages and share tips with supervisors or managers and work more than 40 hours without paying them overtime, the suit said.

Fortner, who worked as a bartender at Cabana Club Pool Side Bar & Grill, North Beach Pizza Co. and 21 Main Events from 2018 through May 2023, was terminated in direct response to attempting to address the wage issues with defendants, the suit said.

McManus also worked as a server and bartender at the same venues from September 2021 through September 2023, as well as an assistant manager at 21 Main Prime Steakhouse.

Plaintiffs were paid different hourly wages for overtime, the suit said.

The suit, filed on Oct. 15, 2024, is asking for a jury trial.

It has been more than three months since someone captured the Mega Millions grand prize, but a ticket that was recently sold in the Midlands was one number away from ending the streak, South Carolina Education Lottery officials said in a news release.

While the top Mega Millions payday is reaching record levels the person who narrowly missed out on that prize in the Dec. 17 drawing will be rewarded with a $40,000 jackpot, according to the release.

Now a search is underway for the winner.

The five-figure winning ticket was sold at the Quick Pantry gas station/convenience store at 1096 John C. Calhoun Drive in Orangeburg.

The winning numbers from the Dec. 17 Mega Millions drawing were 56, 66, 67, 68, 69 and Megaball: 18.

The winning ticket matched four white ball numbers and the gold Megaball number, lottery officials said. The Megaplier number was 4, and because the player purchased that additional option their prize was quadrupled from $10,000 to $40,000, officials said.

The odds of matching four white balls and the gold Megaball are 1-in-931,001, according to the release.

The winner has 180 days to claim the prize, according to lottery officials.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

“Sign the back of your ticket and put it in a safe location until you’re ready to come forward to claim the prize,” lottery officials said.

For complete information on claiming prizes, go to sceducationlottery.com.

The convenience store will receive a commission for selling the winning ticket, when it is turned into lottery officials.

Overall, there was no grand prize winner last Friday, and the jackpot for Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing has risen to $944 million.

Tickets are $2, and could cost more with additional options.

The odds of winning Mega Million’s grand prize are 1-in-302,575,350.

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

The latest round of restaurant inspections by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture found live roaches and spiders, molding cheese, black build-up in an ice machine and more.

In general, SCDA gives restaurants scoring between 88 and 100 points A grades, restaurants scoring 78-87 points B grades and restaurants scoring 77 points or fewer C grades. However, the department sometimes lowers grades for restaurants that have consecutive violations, are under enforcement action or are under pending enforcement actions, including imminent health hazards, permit suspensions or permit revocations.

Of the 231 restaurant inspections conducted in Horry and Georgetown County between Nov. 22 and Dec. 16, SCDA gave eight restaurants B grades and two restaurants C grades. However, only four restaurants actually scored below 88 points. Here’s what inspectors found.

La Olanchana

4245 Socastee Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29588

Score: 80

At a Nov. 22 follow-up inspection of La Olanchana on Socastee Boulevard there were live roaches and spiders throughout the facility, dirty food equipment stored as clean and improperly thawed beef. The inspector also observed cooked chicken held at temperatures that were too cool, eggs stored at temperatures that were too warm and cups without handles used to scoop food.

There were also cobwebs throughout the kitchen, holes in kitchen walls and dirty shelves and window sill areas in the kitchen. At a subsequent follow-up inspection conducted on Dec. 12, La Olanchana scored 95 points and an A grade.

Crown Reef Conference Center

2913 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Score: 82

A routine inspection of the Crown Reef Conference Center on Dec. 12 found several violations, including a dirty slicer with dried food build-up stored as clean, liquid egg stored at an insufficiently cool temperature, improper chemical storage and standing water in the kitchen.

The inspector also noted dirty cookline equipment, dust accumulation on a rack over the central prep table and brown splash accumulation on kitchen walls. A follow-up inspection was scheduled for Dec. 22.

Mura Restaurant and Bar

1390 Farrow Pkwy, # 2-3, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Score: 82

A Nov. 26 routine inspection of Mura in Myrtle Beach observed several violations, including loosely-covered raw chicken stored over ready-to-eat foods, kimchi stored at temperatures that weren’t cool enough, and ready-to-eat foods like tuna and cooked egg stored without date markings that an employee said were several days old.

The report also notes that a sink didn’t have readily available soap or paper towels, a box of single-use containers were stored on the floor, mops weren’t hung to dry after use and the inspector said the facility was “overly cluttered with excessive supplies.”

In follow-up inspections on Dec. 6 and 13, Mura scored 91 points and then 99 points, consecutively.

Loco Gecko

2913 S. Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach, SC 29577

Score: 84

At a routine inspection of Loco Gecko in the Crown Reef Resort and Waterpark on Dec. 12, an inspector observed molding cheese, dirty cutting boards and ice cream scoops, black build-up in the ice machine and ready-to-eat foods like coleslaw and cooked onions stored without dates marked for safe consumption.

In the kitchen, there was dirty cookline equipment, damaged walls, brown splash accumulation on kitchen walls and black build-up on kitchen floors. The inspector’s comments also notes an “un-permitted kitchen area” of which SCDA was unaware. A follow-up inspection was scheduled for Dec. 22.

MS

The Sun News

703-944-4132

Maria Elena Scott writes about trending topics and what you need to know in the Grand Strand. She studied journalism at the University of Houston and covered Cleveland news before coming to the Palmetto State.

Shocking Data Reveals America’s Most Dangerous & Safest Roads. SC is 5th deadliest state for drivers in 2024

SC is 5th deadliest state for drivers, with 20.7 crash fatalities per 100,000 residents

The percentage increase of this figure exceeds the national average by 52%, indicating significant concerns regarding road safety.

Rhode Island is recognized for its exceptional safety record, with a remarkably low rate of 4.8 crash fatalities per 100,000 residents.

Accident and injury attorneys caution drivers as they receive a warning about the safest and most perilous driving locations in America, as revealed by a recent report. A spokesperson for Levine And Wiss, PLLC commented: “States with lower fatality rates serve as a model for the rest of the country on the practices drivers and pedestrians alike should adopt to prevent injury or even death. However, even if your state ranks on the safest list, that doesn’t mean drivers and pedestrians shouldn’t be vigilant.

All it takes is one wrong maneuver or a moment of relaxation behind the wheel that can lead to catastrophic consequences therefore it is paramount that drivers adopt strict responsibility at all times.”

SC is 5th deadliest state for drivers

According to recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the research conducted by Levine And Wiss, PLLC, a firm specializing in accidents and injuries, highlights a significant variation in road safety throughout the United States. The study categorizes states based on the rate of car accident fatalities per 100,000 individuals, identifying the states with the highest driver vulnerability.

Mississippi holds the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the highest number of driver deaths, with a shocking rate of 23.9 deaths per 100,000 residents – a staggering 76% above the national average of 13.6 deaths per 100,000 residents. This alarming statistic raises significant concerns regarding road safety in the Southern state. Comparatively, Mississippi’s road fatality rate is nearly five times higher than that of Rhode Island, which boasts the lowest rate in the entire country.

Wyoming has the second highest road death rate, with 23 fatal crashes per 100,000 population, which is 69% higher than the national average.

New Mexico holds the third position in terms of road fatalities, with a rate of 22 deaths per 100,000 residents. This places the state 62% higher than the national average for car crash fatalities.

In 2022, Arkansas has a crash fatality rate of 21.1 per 100,000 residents, which is 55% higher than the national average. Arkansas currently holds the fourth position in terms of crash fatalities.

South Carolina holds the fifth position in terms of overall ranking, recording a rate of 20.7 deaths per 100,000 residents. However, it surpasses the other top five states in terms of the total number of fatal crashes. In the year 2022 alone, South Carolina reported more than 1,000 crash fatalities.

Rhode Island has the lowest road fatality rate among all states, recording only 4.8 deaths per 100k residents. This figure is 65% below the national average, showcasing the attainability of safer roads through effective measures.

New York ranks as the second least dangerous state for drivers in the country, reporting a rate of 6.0 fatalities per 100k residents. Massachusetts closely follows with a rate of 6.2 deaths per 100k population. In both states, the crash fatality rate is less than half of the national average.

New Jersey and Minnesota hold the fourth and fifth spots correspondingly, boasting rates of 7.4 and 7.8 deaths per 100,000 residents. These rates are 46% and 43% lower than the national average, respectively.

Despite passing a 12 cents per gallon gas tax for rural roads, SC is 5th deadliest state in 2024.

Distracted driving, including texting, map use, and cell phone use are contributing factors as to why SC is 5th deadliest state for driving.