Home Care In N. Myrtle Beach, SC

If you’re planning to soak up the last of the summer sun from the bed of a pickup truck, it’s important to make sure you’re not breaking South Carolina law.

It is legal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck in the state, but regulations vary by age and circumstance. South Carolina law generally prohibits the transport of people under 15 years old in open truck beds or open cargo areas, but there are exceptions to the rule.

Passengers under the age of 15 may ride in the bed of a pickup truck if an adult is present in the bed or cargo area to supervise them; they are secured by a seatbelt that meets federal safety standards; there is an emergency situation; the vehicle is being operated in a permitted parade, hayride, while hunting or in an agricultural enterprise; the vehicle is being operated in a county with no incorporated area that has a population over 3,500 people; or the vehicle has a closed metal tailgate and is being operated under 36 mph.

For those over the age of 15, there are no specific limitations on the books regarding where or at what speeds it is legal to ride in a pickup truck bed, South Carolina Highway Patrol Master Trooper Brandon Bolt confirmed.

The main thing law enforcement is concerned with when people over the age 15 are riding in a truck bed is ensuring they are seated directly on the floor of the bed, not on a wheel well or on the tailgate, Bolt said.

“It’s not encouraged,” SCHP Cpl. David Jones said. If there are available seats inside the truck, Jones said riders, particularly young ones, are encouraged to sit there for safety reasons.

However, he noted “there’s not much regulation on it” for riders over the age of 15.

Bolt said he usually sees people riding in the backs of pickup trucks in very rural areas, traveling to and from boat ramps or between fields. While there is little statewide regulation for people over 15 years old in truck beds, he said “you’re not going to see it on the interstate.”

But aside from the safety issue, the cost of violating the law only amounts to a misdemeanor upon conviction and $25 fine..

They look like pieces of fiberglass piled up along the sand in the Myrtle Beach area.

While they look and feel like fiberglass, this unusual scene that has been washing up on the beaches in the last week is actually sea butterflies. And while they don’t fly, they do hurt.

Beachgoers have been reporting seeing long, needle-like pieces of shell that look like fiberglass or fish bones coming ashore, gathering in piles where the tide has left debris lines. They are actually shells of a group of swimming snails called pteropods, or sea butterflies.

The snails can cause stings to swimmers when the shells penetrate a bathing suit, according to the University of Florida. The sting feels like that of a bee.

Those on social media in the North Myrtle Beach area have reported that the shells have become stuck in their bathing suit while swimming. Others have said that they have been stung when they stepped on the shells, which feel like needles, on the beach.

Marine biologists report that sea butterflies usually wash ashore during a change in currents or a storm pushing them on the beach.

Hurricane Erin, which passed by the Grand Strand on Wednesday, has caused hazardous ocean conditions such as strong swell — longer-period waves — and rip currents.

Christy James Reise, who lives in Little River, posted on Facebook about her family’s encounter with the sea butterflies.

Reise said that her daughter had several stuck in her feet while they were hunting for shark’s teeth.

“She said they were painful,” Reise said. “She was able to remove them on her own.”

Reise posted a photo of the needle-like shells which were lying on top of the sand.

Reise was among a number of people who have posted about the shells in several Myrtle Beach area groups.

“Hopefully they will be gone soon,” she said.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a $36 million expansion of the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex.

Despite recent storms, crews have continued working on the 90-acre expansion, which is expected to open this fall.

“This has been something we’ve been working on for the last probably four or five years, and to see it now almost to fruition is exciting,” said Matt Gibbons, North Myrtle Beach Parks and Recreation Director.

The expansion includes five new soccer fields, six baseball fields, freshwater ponds, walking trails, playgrounds and picnic shelters.

“We’re known throughout the Southeast,” Gibbons said. “We get a lot of calls from other places asking us about the facility. Teams come down and are shocked — they’ve never seen anything like this. It gives a great impression of our community.”

To help support future recreational planning, the city has also reappointed seven volunteers to the North Myrtle Beach Recreation Commission.

Among them is Dave Kranstuber, who served on the original commission that helped guide the creation of the park and complex.

“We want to be able to connect the residents to the recreation department and give the city feedback on what the community needs in terms of facilities,” Kranstuber said.

While the expansion was originally slated for completion in September, Gibbons said recent weather may push that timeline back slightly.

However, the city still expects the facility to open later this fall.

In addition to the complex expansion, the city plans to break ground in the coming months on a 15-court pickleball facility at Central Park — part of a broader effort to invest in one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

Gibbons says the city is also looking to expand their Christmas Light Show into the new parts of the sports complex this holiday season.

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MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - The Summer Sands Motel is facing several violations in relation to cleanliness and safety.

A July 14 inspection report shows the motel received over 30 violations, with some listed as unfit or unsafe, including issues related to structural risks, electrical hazards, sanitation, and infestations.

The property, located along South Ocean Boulevard, offers long-term rentals for people.

With a property maintenance case on the motel, the next steps are dependent on management.

“The property owner has 48 hours to clean the property to make it fit for human beings to live there or the people who live there will need to vacate the property,” said Meredith Denari, Director of Communications and Creative Services for the City of Myrtle Beach.

Denari added, “They then have 60 days for an engineer to come in to make the proper structural adjustments that are needed and to also address the cleanliness issues of that property.”

Although the future of the motel is uncertain, residents received a letter Thursday notifying them they must make arrangements to relocate so they can be moved out by Sept. 2.

With the notice, residents who call the motel home are worried a the future.

“Our minds are like just going everywhere you know trying to figure out what to do, where we’re going to go,” said resident of Summer Sands Patricia Aurand. “It’s been our home for seven years.”

Others worry about having to find a new place that allows pets.

“We love our pets like our children right. They have pets, he has pets, 90% of us have pets. Where are you going to relocate with a pet?” said resident Michael Ferrusi.

A building official will be visiting the motel on Friday to determine whether or not the property is clean and inhabitable.

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NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - City leaders called a special meeting on Monday, after a store closed its doors months ago and left dozens of outdoor merchandise pieces on the property.

There have been multiple businesses in North Myrtle Beach, including one with elaborate outdoor merchandise, that have been brought to the attention of the city council.

“It is important to us that people are okay with the outdoor furniture, the landscape materials, the vehicles and boats, the things that people use at the beach and outside is protected still,” said Suzanne Pritchard, Assistant Director of Planning for the City of North Myrtle Beach.

In the city’s current zoning laws, each piece of outdoor merchandise on the property of one particular store is exempt, as it states: “hammocks and other merchandise made to be used outside.”

Pritchard expressed they would like to remove that line out of the ordinance and add, “Areas located under a permanent building overhang or porch may also be used for outdoor merchandise display, provided that clear obstructed pedestrian path to all building entrances and exits is maintained at all times.”

Many folks around near the Country Living Amish Store, which has elaborate outdoor displays shared that they believe the example the city is trying to show is that store.

Leaders say outside displays can not exceed 20 percent of buildings linear front facing the main highway and more than 10 feet from the building

If the new ordinance passes, the only businesses that will be affected are ones new to the area, or businesses that closed and plan to reopen.

The first reading of the proposed ordinance will be at the next city council meeting on August 18.

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