Roofer in Myrtle Beach, SC

North Myrtle Beach 4 Conway 0

North Myrtle Beach picked up a 4 to 0 win over Conway on Tuesday behind a dominant showing on the mound. Gabe Priest led the way with 11 strikeouts across five plus shutout innings before Sawyer Smith closed it out to secure the combined shutout. The Chiefs broke through in the third and stayed in control with steady offense and clean defense. Evan Steudl paced the lineup with two hits as North Myrtle Beach totaled nine hits in the win.

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One of the top uncommitted arms in the class. Got the ball for the Chiefs in the region opener and was the star of the show. Went 5 ⅓ shutout innings while fanning 11 hitters. While the velo was 84-85 throughout which for him is a tick down, the stuff did not disappoint. SL is a true out pitch, but also showed the ability to flip it in early counts as well. FB has life to it and is the pitch he leans on. Command of both pitches were on high display, especially after the 1st inning in which he had 2 BB. A lot to like in the 6’2 195 lb frame. Uptick in velo should come later into the spring.

2026 LHP Gabe Priest @GabrielPriest8 @NMBAthleticsGreat early season look at the senior southpaw. Worked around early traffic but settled in nicely. Lived in the zone all night with FB/SL mix. Great feel for SL which got a lot of S/M late in outing. A few of his… pic.twitter.com/utWYd90Ibl

— Prep Baseball South Carolina (@PrepBaseball_SC) March 18, 2026

Sawyer Smith 2026 SS/RHP North Mrytle Beach

The death of a 52-year-old Loris man found in a kangaroo and wallaby enclosure was accidental, the Horry County Coroner’s Office ruled Thursday.

Eric Slate, whose family operated educational and interactive petting zoo 5 Star Farm, had multiple superficial scratches and a deeper laceration to the brachial artery in his May 2025 death.

However, the coroner’s office was unable to determine how the artery was damaged. Possible causes include falling into the fencing, gate screws, sharp signage or animal claws. It also remains unclear when or how the scratches occurred and whether Slate was standing or lying down.

The coroner’s office also listed Slate’s other medical conditions, including severe heart, advanced kidney and liver disease, extensive lung disease and chronic alcoholism.

What to know about Jack the kangaroo

Robert Slate, owner of 5 Star Farm in Loris, came home at 10:55 p.m on May 9, 2025, to find his older brother, Eric Slate, dead inside the pen that held the farm’s red kangaroo named Jack.

After Slate’s death, authorities investigated a possible connection with Jack, a red kangaroo that came to the farm a couple of weeks earlier. Jack was one of three kangaroos and a wallaby in the pen where Slate was found.

Robert Slate said his brother would often go into the enclosure to feed the 4-year-old animal, give it treats, and interact with the kangaroo. But, Slate denied rumors that his brother would ever “rough house” with the marsupial.

After Eric Slate’s death, Jack was quarantined for 45 days and deemed safe, according to the coroner’s office.

In an interview with The Sun News, Robert Slate said he believed his brother’s health issues may have contributed to his death. He also said Eric Slate had been complaining of not feeling well earlier in the week.

“Ultimately it’s a tragic loss,” Robert Slate told The Sun News last year. He described his brother as an animal lover who had a strong bond with the kangaroos.

The Port to Port Expressway expansion project is slated to begin in Mt. Pleasant this Fall.

A $250 million project aims to widen Highway 41 to relieve heavy congestion in the Mount Pleasant area of South Carolina.

As of March 2026, it is moving toward a critical eminent domain vote to acquire the necessary land.

This would be the first initial effort outside of Horry County to expand the Port to Port connector from Interstate 526 in Charleston to Interstate 74 in Wilmington North Carolina.

The Port to Port Expressway portion in Horry County is currently called Highway 31. The Highway 31 portion of the Port to Port Expressway runs from North Myrtle Beach to Murrells Inlet.

Importance of the Port to Port Expressway for Regional Development

Most items in America are shipped out and in through ports.

A port to port expressway will grow the Myrtle Beach area beyond being just a tourist destination.

Construction for the widening of Highway 41 is tentatively expected to begin in late 2026. Highway 41 will ultimately be widened to where it will connect with Highway 31, just north of Georgetown, South Carolina.

On the North Carolina side, The Carolina Bays Parkway extension (proposed Interstate-74) aims to connect SC Highway 31 in Horry County, SC, to US 17 in Brunswick County, NC, easing congestion on local roads like Hickman Road.

The Port to Port Expressway project involves a proposed new, multi-lane freeway linking the SC line to the US 17 corridor in N.C.

Planning studies, including environmental assessments, have been ongoing, with estimated costs for the extension exceeding $550 million per NCDOT. North Carolina will pay to create the direct, high-speed connection between SC Highway 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) and US 17 in North Carolina, bypassing heavily congested local routes.

The only areas holding up the Port to Port Expressway project now run from just North of Charleston through Highway 41’s northern route near the Georgetown, S.C. area. Highway 41 is currently a two lane road and will need to be widened in these areas.

The South Carolina general assembly will need to approve funding for this widening. Legislators in Horry County, other than Representative William Bailey of North Myrtle Beach, have not made this Port to Port Expressway a high priority legislative issue, even though it will generate more opportunities for the Grand Strand than any other legislative measure currently on the agenda.

The Horry County legislative delegation is made up of: Senator Greg Hembree, Senator Ronnie Sabb, Senator Luke Rankin, Senator Stephen Goldfinch, Representative Jackie Hayes, Representative Tim McGinnis, Representative Lucas Atkinson, Representative Jeff Johnson, Representative Carla Schuessler, Representative Heather Ammons Crawford, Representative Carl Anderson, Representative William Bailey, Representative Kevin Hardee, Representative Val Guest, and Representative Case Brittain.

The Wilmington to Charleston Port to Port Expressway is viewed as crucial for connecting the region and opening up access, strengthening the economic ties between the two ports and the Myrtle Beach area.

The Port to Port expressway is estimated to bring in as much as $30 billion annually in new jobs and industries for Horry County once completed.

The Tourism Development Fee has always played a key role in Mayor Mark Kruea’s mayoral platform, even before Myrtle Beach voted him into office, but he says residents likely won’t see a change until next year.

“It’s a conversation that we’ve talked about having for five or six years, and this is the year that we’re actually going to have that conversation,” Kruea said. “It may not be until next year that we go to Columbia with a unified plan, and we’re all conscious that we need to go to Columbia as one voice and say, ‘Lawmakers, here is our plan.’”

Last year, Kruea said the TDF would effectively become a tax hike and told The Sun News, he would revisit the TDF in early 2026 if elected. Headed into this year’s budget retreat next week, the mayor said he’s met with the Chamber of Commerce

“In a perfect world, we would reach some agreement and be able to present a unified plan to Columbia this year, but I genuinely think it’s going to be next year before we can achieve that,” said Kruea.

What’s wrong with the TDF in Myrtle Beach?

Created in 2009 amid economic downturn, the TDF was created to generate money for advertising, fund tourism-related capital projects and provide a property tax break.

Under South Carolina law, 80% of the revenue generated from the 1% local sales tax must be used to promote tourism. The remaining 20% can fund property tax credits and capital improvements, like additional sports tourism facilities or redeveloping the pavilion site.

That’s a problem for Myrtle Beach, Kruea says.

“In the current year’s budget, the city is using all of the 20% for the property tax credit and had to supplement that with an additional $1.2 million just to keep the tax credit where it was the year before, so there was no money left over for tourism-related capital projects,” he said. “In next year’s proposed budget, the CFO is estimating that that $1.2 million to keep the property tax credit where it is will grow to $2.3 million.”

How can Myrtle Beach change the TDF?

Because the TDF is enshrined in South Carolina law, local officials will need buy-in from state leaders to amend the fee. Before taking the issue to Columbia, Myrtle Beach leadership wants to develop a mutual proposal.

“I realize that it is a conversation, and the compromise is going to be necessary to achieve a unified plan,” Kruea said.

It’s unclear how exactly that plan will look. The mayor’s vision involves keeping advertising, tourism-related capital projects and a property tax credit – but altering the ratios.

“We need to talk about how to change the percentages so that they benefit the whole community,” said Kruea. “Granted, the city may need to adjust the property Tax Credit, but we can’t continue using all of the 20% for the property tax credit and having to add extra money to keep the tax credit whole.”

While residents shouldn’t expect change in the near future, once plans for a TDF amendment finally make it to the state level, the mayor is confident that lawmakers and the general assembly will be amenable to the change.

“The conversation is overdue, and I’m hopeful that we’ll come to some sort of excellent compromise when it’s all said and done,” Kruea said.