Home Care In Murrells Inlet, SC

MYRTLE BEACH — The popular coffee giant Starbucks recently closed hundreds of stores across North America, including four in South Carolina.

Areas that lost cafes include the Pee Dee, one on the Grand Strand and two in the Upstate.

What we know

The Starbucks locations in Anderson, Darlington, Murrells Inlet and Taylors shuttered the week of Sept. 27.

Specifically, the following stores closed:

The door of the S.C. Highway 707 location in Murrells Inlet had a note left behind for former patrons, offering a QR code to direct them to other available locations.

"This week, we made the very difficult decision to close this Starbucks location," the note on the Murrells Inlet café stated. "We know this may be hard to hear, because this isn’t just any store. It’s your coffeehouse … where memories were made and meaningful connections with our partners grew. We’re deeply grateful for these moments, and for the community that’s been built here."

In the note, management added that they are "working closely to support" the site’s former baristas and staff through the transition.

"Our commitment to creating welcoming, memorable experiences remains unchanged," the note stated. "We hope you’ll visit us at a nearby Starbucks where we’d be honored to continue bringing joy and coffee to your day."

Customers can find a current list of active locations on the Starbucks app.

Starbucks closes hundreds of stores

The four South Carolina stores were among 250 that the coffee giant shuttered in North America.

The company announced the closures on Sept. 24, adding in a statement that the coffeehouses represented about 1 percent of the chain’s more than 18,000 around North America.

If you are a fan of live music, chances are good that you've seen guitarist and singer Skyler Whitfield in action – either solo or with his band, the Sky Whitfield Band – bringing his brand of Americana, rock, folk, outlaw country, Celtic and original music to venues across the Grand Strand and beyond.

Whitfield, now a Socastee resident, moved to the area from Greensboro, N.C., to study music at Coastal Carolina University – attending for two years.

"I had the choice of either taking out a loan and try to get this degree that really only helps when you’re teaching – or go to work and actually play the gigs," he said. "I decided to do that."

Whitfield said he took piano lessons as a kid, but the instrument he chose in elementary school for school band could seem unusual.

"I was a fourth grader lugging around a full-size concert tuba," he said. "It was probably bigger than me at the time."

Originally, Whitfield told the band teacher, Mike Love (same as the Beach Boys singer), that he wanted to play drums or percussion. Love told him that the band could use someone on the low brass section.

"I played tuba until the ninth grade. It wasn't exactly helping me out in the ladies' department, so I switched to guitar," Whitfield said.

It could be said that Whitfield’s first instrument was his voice. He sang in church and his mother is a theater director.

In high school, Whitfield was in a band called Sweet Relief – concentrating on high-voltage Southern rock.

"I was always influenced by bands like The Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers. I’ve always loved Southern rock. That was an elemental part of my music choices growing up, he said, adding that 60s folk-era music was also influential – and he was also exposed to a good deal of country music, in large part because his father was born in southern Georgia and raised in southern Virginia.

When he became an adult, Whitfield said he got heavily into the blues.

"I wanted to discover who invented that sound first,” he said, citing musicians like R.L. Burnside, Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Mississippi Fred McDowell and more.

From there, Whitfield became enamored with slide guitar.

"My fingers were a little too stupid to rip a solo just with my left hand – but I discovered the slide and always liked how that sounded, Whitfield said. "The guitar I play primarily is called a resonator. It’s sort of a mix between an acoustic and electric and a dobro (he plays dobro, too). It’s got the metal head, so it's resonant on its own – and then I set it up to where you can plug it in, and it’s just been my main thing ever since."

During his solo shows, you’ll hear the Southern rock influences – and his shows always start with a Steve Earle song, of whom Whitfield is a huge fan. He said he doesn’t play a ton of modern covers, but you will likely hear fare from Tyler Childers, Marcus King or Colter Wall. Whitfield employs a kick drum and alternates between his resonator, a traditional acoustic and lately his traditional dobro.

"I try to throw in at least one original every 20 minutes or so – and sort of introduce the song. I don’t like to weigh people down with stuff they’re not familiar with, but it’s fun to throw them in there,” Whitfield said.

In addition to his solo and band gigs – Whitfield frequently sits in with an outfit out of Cherry Grove called Root 65 Band.

"They’re all older guys from Guilford County (N.C.). I met them by happenstance. They do more traditional bluegrass and country – and I enjoy playing with them too. We have an ongoing joke about how I met them. I was delivering acid to the guitar/mandolin player – the sulfuric kind for his pool business."

Catch Whitfield solo at Wahoo’s Fish House in Murrells Inlet on Oct. 8 from 5:30-9 p.m.

For complete info, hit up www.skylerwhitfield.live.

Gullah culture, history and spirituality

On Oct. 2 (and again on Oct. 21), join Emmy-nominated performing artist, author and cultural interpreter Ron Daise at Brookgreen Gardens for a discussion about Gullah Geechee culture, history and spirituality – as depicted through characters and scenes in his book, "Raptors in the Ricelands" – his first historical novel.

Daise, also vice president for creative education at Brookgreen and creator of Nick Jr. TV’s "Gullah Gullah Island" (with wife Natalie Daise), will cover the family secrets and conflicts set in his novel, challenging cultural beliefs.

"Spiderwort, Root Medicine, and Spiritual Healing" takes place in the Jennewein Gallery from 1-2 p.m. Admission is free with registration for members. Non-members get in free with Gardens admission and registration. For more, visit www.brookgreen.org.

Literary luncheon in Pawleys

Thanks to your friends at Litchfield Books, you can rub elbows with award-winning author Scott Gould at Caffe Piccolo in Pawleys Island on Oct. 9 as he presents his latest offering, "Beneath a Fallen Sky."

Gould is the author of seven books and his honors include an Eric Hofer Award for fiction, a Memoir Prize for books, the Larry Brown Short Story Award, the S.C. Arts Commission Artist Fellowship in prose and more.

The event runs from 10:45 a.m. until 1 p.m. For $38, your ticket includes an intimate talk and Q&A with Gould, a top-notch lunch, author meet-and-greet and the opportunity to purchase the event book. For more, visit www.litchfieldbooks.com.

Fine feathered friends

On Oct. 9, explore the diverse habitats of Hobcaw Barony and the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center – both of which are homes to a jaw-dropping variety of coastal birds. "Birding Both Sides of the Bay" is a guided birding tour that will take you to a variety of locations – salt marshes, mature longleaf pine forests, brackish and freshwater managed wetlands and the grounds of Bellefield Plantation.

Expect to see shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, woodland species, woodpeckers (including the red-cockaded woodpecker), forest birds and more. The tour begins at Hobcaw Barony and runs from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Admission is $38. For complete details, visit www.hobcawbarony.org.

MURRELLS INLET — The concerns are familiar ones in Horry County.

Roads and traffic congestion, stormwater drainage and flooding, overcrowded schools and overburdened utilities rank among the chief fears of residents in Burgess, a once-rural community that could be reshaped by a proposed 2,000-home development.

Developers want to build the high-end homes along S.C. Highway 707 between Blackmoor Golf Club and St. James High School. They have compared the project to upscale Myrtle Beach-area communities like Sayebrook and The Market Common.

But when they recently met with about 60 members of the Greater Burgess Community Association (GBCA) and area HOA leaders, many in attendance at the South Strand Recreation Center were unswayed by the proposal.

"It's going to be a hard sell to this community," said association board member Linda Ingram, who helped organize the Aug. 27 meeting so local neighborhood leaders could inform their residents. "We are fed up with (Horry) County Council allowing so many developments in this area without building the infrastructure to support it."

A second chance?

The owners of the 1,426-acre tract (The May Company and Bestle LLC) admit to approaching it wrong when they tried to develop the property in 2021. That plan called for nearly 4,000 homes and over a half-million square feet of commercial space without full consideration of its potential impact on the community.

Burgess residents strongly opposed the plan to the point that developers pulled the project in 2022 and started over, making concessions to alleviate neighbors' concerns. They took nearly five years, listened to dozens of local residents, and dealt with 15 agencies to repackage their plans.

"This is our family's last tract of land and we want it be one of the finest we ever build," said Ben Wall, the grandson of late Lowcountry land holder Craig Wall Sr., whose group's list of projects in the area includes Prince Creek in nearby Murrells Inlet and Litchfield Plantation in Litchfield Beach. “We’re excited about this project.”

Developers brought in a new team, including retired vice president of the Jackson Companies Steve Alger, who closed his career by developing Sayebrook, a massive multi-use project just south of Myrtle Beach.

"They came to me and said, 'We want to do something like (Sayebrook) and we want you to help us build something special,'" Algers said of his decision to unretire and take on the project. "We went back, talked to the community, listened to their concerns and developed a master plan to be a good neighbor."

A different approach

In addition to cutting the size and scope of original proposal in half, the group also sweetened the pot for its neighbors.

Concessions include donating land for a YMCA, an Horry County Recreational Park, an Horry Electric substation and an offsite fire station on Bay Road. The group says it also plans to invest in utilities and stormwater infrastructure, as well as conserve 686 acres of wetlands along the Waccamaw River in perpetuity.

But the biggest selling point may be the creation a Residential Investment District (RID) to levy a tax on HarborTrace residents and businesses to pay for offsite improvements along the Highway 707 corridor. Developers say the $90 million fund (over 20 phases) will be earmarked for five nearby intersections.

"We want our residents and commercial properties to pay for the impact they have on the community," Alger said.

The HarborTrace plan calls for a 175-foot natural buffer between neighboring homes in the Blackmoor subdivision and minimizes conflicts with the golf course. It also avoids street connectivity with other neighborhoods to prevent through-traffic — another major point of contention with the original plans.

But despite the smaller development and better deal on the table, even half is too much for some residents.

"There are obviously a lot of concerns about a lot of issues that they addressed, but I think the big one is traffic," said Steve Theiss, president of the Burgess association. "This project will create more traffic than what they're saying, and Highway 707 is already out of control. Adding thousands of more cars will only make things worse."

An airing of grievances

At times, the two-hour meeting echoed the same complaints Horry County residents hear anytime a new development is proposed — too many people living in an area too small with no thought given to infrastructure.

Residents correctly pointed out that multiple area schools are over capacity. Developers countered the high-end homes would primarily appeal to retirement-aged empty-nesters.

Others questioned the localized flooding in the low-lying areas surrounding the proposed development. Builders highlighted the construction of a stormwater plan designed to retain and safely remove excess water.

Members of the nearby Freewoods community, a historic Black settlement dating back to the post-Civil War era, expressed concerns about the destruction of their ancestors' graves and flooding on their property.

"I've lived here my whole life," said 76-year-old Gloria Lance, "and every time one of these gets built, we get more flooding."

A New Jersey transplant jokingly acknowledged his hypocrisy but contends the community is at capacity.

"I came from somewhere else too, so I understand more people want to move here," he said. "But you can only fit so many people in this community."

Neighbors also challenged the wisdom of building another large development amid others like Blackmoor and TPC due to issues with hurricane evacuation.

Developers cited the proposed S.C. Highway 22 Southern Connector and say the proposal would generate only 10 percent more traffic on Highway 707 than the backup plan.

A ‘threat’ or Plan B?

Developers have some leverage in the form of the existing zoning, which would allow them to build 1,400 townhomes and commercial retail spaces on the property without providing all the extras — no YMCA, no park, no improvement district, no fire station and no electric substation.

"Something is going to happen to this land," lead engineer Mike Wooten of Bolton & Menk told the crowd. "It's going to get developed; it's just a matter of what it's going to be."

In fact, the current zoning would even allow the landowners to strip mine the site for topsoil.

"With all due respect, that comes across as more of a threat," one attendee told the developers.

"It's not a threat," Alger responded. "That's simply what is allowed under the current zoning."

The back-and-forth concluded with a 30-minute discussion without the developers in the room, and it went about as expected: "NO!" several shouted when asked if they were willing to support the zoning change.

Developers have been consulting with county planners and are expected to present their request to the Horry County Planning Commission in the near future. If it fails, work could begin on townhomes relatively quickly.

"Do we want to do that? The answer is 'No'" Alger said. "We want to build something special the community can be proud of and that maintains the character of the community."

No formal rezoning request has been filed with Horry County Government yet.

In 2024, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project notified Georgetown County of its intent to sue for poor water quality. Members of Preserve Murrells Inlet raised concerns about construction sites impacting water systems but received little support from other agencies, prompting them to seek legal action due to bacteria contamination in the Murrells Inlet Estuary. (Credit: WPDE)

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Concerns that stormwater runoff and construction-related pollution were harming Murrells Inlet Estuary have led to an agreement between Preserve Murrells Inlet and Georgetown County government that would create a new county committee focused on improving stormwater projects.

The effort began after members of Preserve Murrells Inlet noticed construction sites causing damage to local bodies of water. The group filed a complaint with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project seeking help.

In 2024, the South Carolina Environmental Law Project gave Georgetown County a 60-day notice of its intent to sue, citing poor water quality standards. Preserve Murrells Inlet members had tried to call for action after seeing construction sites hurting water systems, but other agencies did not help, leading them to contact the law project about bacteria from construction sites getting into bodies of water, including the Murrells Inlet Estuary.

“So one pathway of this, bacteria is that it can hitchhike on sediment and then when it rains that, that, that washes the sediment into the water bodies, including the estuary,” said Monica Whalen, a staff attorney with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project.

The law project took the complaint to the Georgetown County Council, where the agreement was reached.

According to the South Carolina Environmental Law Project, the purpose of the agreement is to evaluate, address and improve Georgetown County’s implementation of its Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System permit. The agreement specifically focuses on bacteria from feces and other sources of pollution entering the estuary.

TRENDING: French bulldog found dead after being abandoned in crate along road

Whalen said bacteria concerns were identified in multiple ways, including volunteer water monitoring.

“There's multiple different ways that it was discovered. One way was through CCS volunteer monitoring or water quality monitoring program. So they have volunteers that go out and collect water samples. And through that they monitor the bacteria levels,” Whalen said.

After the committee is created, it will regularly review water quality data and provide solutions to problems it identifies.

“Once this committee is formed, they'll be meeting monthly. And these meetings, I believe, will be, accessible to the public. Like, the public will be able to weigh in and provide their input. And yearly they'll be providing recommendations to the, the county,” Whalen said.

As part of the settlement, Georgetown County will provide $50,000 for a study to support the committee’s work.

If the agreement is approved by a court, the committee will be created within 45 days of the court’s approval date. If approved, the committee will include residents and officials with backgrounds in stormwater management and water quality expertise.

MURRELLS INLET S.C. (WPDE) — The annual Fall Haul cleanup is this weekend in Murrells Inlet.

You can help beautify the area and keep trash out of the water, plus learn about a special surprise at this year's event.

Nature and tranquility: It's what makes Murrells Inlet a little slice of heaven nestled on the South Carolina Coast.

The community bands together to keep it clean, which they will do this weekend during the annual Fall Haul cleanup event

"This is a long staple in Murrells Inlet. It’s a way for the community to come together and just give a little love to Murrells Inlet,” said Stacy Johnson, with the Fall Haul Cleanup.

“Every piece of trash we pick up makes a big difference. Because if we pick it up and put it in a trash bag it doesn’t end up in the creek later on," Johnson said.

Johnson said the effort aims to involve as much of the community as possible, including people who can help from the water.

We try to get as much of the community as possible. And hey, if you have a boat, boats in the water, boots on the ground,” she said.

The event will also include education, activities and crafts.

The cleanup is led by an organization that has worked to improve the area since 1997, known as Murrells Inlet 2020. On Saturday, the group will begin using a new name.

We are changing our name of Murrells Inlet 2020 and we are making it Murrells Inlet 29576, because we want to show everybody we’re not here for just a year anymore we’re here long term to stay,” said Johnson, executive director of Murrells Inlet 29576.

The fall haul cleanup is Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Volunteers can meet at the Murrells Inlet office on Highway 17 business.