APB ISSUED FOR TOWN MORON. CITY GRIPPED WITH FEAR, WHO WILL PROTECT THE GUMBALL MACHINES?

Police are on the lookout for a man wearing a turtle neck sweater who goes by the name Bazooka Joe. Police are monitoring gum ball machines all over the city.

Gumball machine stolen from store
Kurt Knapekkknapek@thesunnews.com
An employee at Southern House Pancake in Myrtle Beach told police that someone broke into the store and stole a two vending machines, according to a report.
When the employee went to the store around 5:40 a.m. Sunday, she found two glass doors broken out. A gumball machine and rubberball vending were missing, according to the report.
Nothing else was stolen from the store, according to the report.
Police are investigating.

Here's another hurrah for the dudes in go-carts. Yep, a good bunch of guys and they're great fun to watch at parades. To all the Shriners, I just want to say thank you for all your hard work. Besides that, do you have any idea of the skill and nerve it takes to drive a jet down the highway? I’d be drinking grain alcohol out of a mason jar too if I had to maneuver one of those things down a parade route. If you want to know the truth about it though it seems to me that the Shriners have had it right all along. I mean with the gas prices through the roof we should all be driving those little cars don’t you think?

73-year-old Shriner busted with special-recipe 'apple pie'
Man, girlfriend caught selling grain-alcohol concoction
By Glenn Smith
The Post and Courier
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
MOUNT PLEASANT — A sweet-tasting grain alcohol concoction has an elderly Shriner and his girlfriend in trouble with the law after officers caught them hawking Mason jars of the brew at a temple party, authorities said.
Call it the case of the mischievous moon-Shriner, an investigation pitting fuzz against fez.
On March 15, undercover officers were sent to the Omar Shrine Temple on Patriots Point Road after receiving a tip about illegal booze sales at a party there, police said.
Officers found Janie Broome, 55, selling Mason jars full of brown liquid from the back of a Chevy Suburban outside the temple. The vehicle was owned by her boyfriend, C.A. Gatlin, 73, a longtime Shriner serving as master of ceremonies for the annual St. Patrick's Day Hillbilly Clan #82 celebration, according to a police report.
The undercover team purchased two jars full of the drink known as "apple pie," a mixture of grain alcohol boiled with apple cider, apple juice, brown sugar and cinnamon sticks, police said. Each jar sold for $20.
Investigators seized five Mason jars from a cooler in the Suburban and another 58 jars from the couple's home in Hanahan, police said.
Sgt. Steve Meadows said officers didn't charge the pair right away because they wanted to figure out just what was in the mixture. They have determined it was have determined it was store-bought booze mixed with other ingredients at home. Investigators plan to charge Broome and Gatlin with illegal sale of a legal liquor, Meadows said.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Gatlin said he and Broome were on vacation and didn't want to answer questions until he returned home. He then hung up.
While undercover officers were at the party, they saw two men smoking marijuana outside the building and three more men passing a joint in a car, according to police reports. Officers arrested the party-goers, seized a small amount of marijuana and nabbed one of the men for possession of mushrooms as well, police said.
Verle Bohrn, recorder for the Omar Temple, said all the illegal activities occurred outside the building itself and that the Omar Shrine Temple doesn't condone this behavior. The event was open to the public, and none of the people arrested on drug charges belong to the century-old local organization, he said.
Gatlin has been with the Shriners for 30 years or more, and the "apple pie" sales likely won't affect his status. "He might get a slap on the wrist a little bit, but that's about it," Bohrn said.

Well here they go trying to kill off one of the few good paying jobs in the state.

S.C. bill would ban lap dances
The Associated Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. --Exotic dancers would have to stay six feet from strip club customers and those businesses would have to close at midnight under a bill being considered by House lawmakers.
Scott Bergthold is a Tennessee-based lawyer who told a House subcommittee on Thursday that late operating hours for strip clubs creates more crime and problems for police.
Bergthold says stripper dances may be protected by courts, but not when they touch customers, which is commonly known as a lap dance.
He says there's no constitutional right to lap dances.
The House Judiciary Committee will next take up the proposal.

We’re Finally At The Top Of A List Yall!!!

The results of CQ Press's annual Crime State Rankings are in and South Carolina has come in at a very respectable # 4. This just goes to show that only total danger freaks brave the wilds of South Carolina so if your living in South Carolina and your reading this go ahead and pat your bad self on the back. My Mama always told me to find something you're good at, and strive to be the best but there's a problem: we could lose the title if we run out of people (I think that's how Detroit let their ranking slip). Better put more money into drawing more tourism. Maybe there should have been a better classification with the listing of most dangerous towns in South Carolina for crack heads and most dangerous for non-crack heads. Seriously though, I thought with all the guns everyone seems to have that our state would have been much safer. Having lived in South Carolina my whole life I think that I should be awarded some type of survivor medal but in all reality, who wants to be safe all the time? Where’s your sense of adventure? As we like to change our license tags every year or so I think that I will submit that very tag line to the DMV for the newest batch of tags.

· No. 4: South Carolina
Whatever happened to Southern hospitality? Sunny South Carolina is charged with the highest assault problem in the Most Dangerous States list Rankings in Crime (out of 50)

Assault: 1

Burglary: 7

Murder: 4 (tie)

Motor Vehicle Theft: 15

Rape: 12

Robbery: 18

Conway aka Pirate Town

I know that like most of you when I think of Conway I think of pirates. That’s why I totally understand why there is a large mural of a pirate on one of the buildings in downtown Conway. I’m just trying to remember what big pirate battle happened in Conway? Let’s see, there was the battle of Ocracoke in which Blackbeard was killed but that happened off the coast of North Carolina. Oh yeah, there was the huge pirate battle of Nigril Bay with Captain Calico Jack and Captain Jonathan Barret in which Barret captured the ship and hung Rackham but hold on a minute, that was in the Bahamas. Aaaarrrr, my brain is hurting from trying to figure out what kind of scurvy dogs used to pillage the backwoods of Conway. Maybe someone in Conway really likes Sponge Bob Square Pants and is paying tribute to the pirate that sings the opening song. I’m not sure but I do intend to get to the bottom of the pirate mystery surrounding Conway. Alas, in a startling display of anti-pirate sentiment the city stated that they would arrest me if I dressed like a pirate and harassed boaters from the banks of the river. I would have thought that they’d been happy that I was adding to the pirate mystique of Conway. I promised to run off into the woods before anyone could catch me and then when someone tried to report me they could act all shocked and tell them they had just seen the famous ghost pirate of Conway but they wouldn’t go for it. Bunch of scallywags says I.

Happy Birthday Myrtle Beach

The big news this week is that Myrtle Beach has turned 70 years old. I'm sure that there were swanky parties held all over town. I didn't go to any of them, mainly because I wasn't invited so I decided to hold my own little party in my own little style. The energy was electric and the excitement was at a fever pitch in my back yard. Unfortunately I had to cut things short as Lost comes on at 8:00 but I did manage to get a few photos for your enjoyment. I have also included a copy of the Sun News article about the subject. If you go to the last few lines of the article you will notice that some guy who is on some committee for the city speaks about how Myrtle Beach will be a great city "some day". Thanks for the vote of confidence Mr. Negative.

Myrtle Beach turns 70
Mayor provides update on city By Lorena Anderson
Mayor John Rhodes was too nervous to eat a piece of Myrtle Beach's 70th birthday cake Wednesday night.
He was preparing to deliver Myrtle Beach's first ever state of the city address at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
"I believe you will agree that, together, we have accomplished much in a very short time," he told the more than 250 people who turned out to hear his speech at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, learn more about the General Plan update process and celebrate the day the city officially incorporated.
Rhodes' speech highlighted the city's past achievements and future challenges as it kicked off the next round of General Plan updates, due in 18 months.
The city has accomplished 510 of its 589 objectives laid out in the last round of updates in 1999.
The city is the hub of the Grand Strand region, and what happens here ripples outward to the rest of the area.
That's why city planners want people to get involved and join one or more of the subcommittees that will help shape the plan that guides the city's growth and how it serves residents' transportation, education, housing, cultural, property and economic needs.
Rhodes' speech offered up highlights of the past few years, including:
placing underground utilities along sections of Ocean Boulevard, Mr. Joe White Avenue, Kings Highway, Harrelson Boulevard, Grissom Parkway and 21st Avenue North;
the city's recreation opportunities, including the remodeled Pepper Geddings Recreation Center, Canal Street Recreation Center and the Base Recreation Center, and the ongoing $6 million renovation of Crabtree Gymnasium, Grand Park at The Market Common, two indoor pools, a tennis center, a public golf course, about a dozen ball fields, four dozen landscaped parks and a dog park, in addition to
9.5 miles of beach;
new roads such as Farrow Parkway, Robert M. Grissom Parkway, Harrelson Boulevard and Mr. Joe White Avenue, the not-yet-open Fantasy Harbour Bridge and the planned interchange at U.S. 17 Bypass and Farrow Parkway;
and The Market Common, an urban style work-live area that opens in three weeks, and which the city hopes will become another destination spot in town.
It was when he started talking about his love for the city that Rhodes choked up.
"I hope you love living here as much as I do," he told the audience.
But there are challenges ahead, he reminded people, including finding that elusive balance between being a city where people live and work and being a tourist destination.
"That duality is what we are," Rhodes said.
That's why, city planner Diane Moskow McKenzie told the audience when she took over after Rhodes' standing ovation, it's vital for people to have a say in how the city develops.
"We need your vision," said Don Shanks, city Planning Commission chairman.
Jane Brown, who lives in North Myrtle Beach but works at the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, said she came out because strategic planning sessions at her job got her thinking about the city's planning.
"I'm looking at the focus groups and seeing which ones I might be interested in," she said.
Colbert Brown Jr., a longtime Myrtle Beach resident, said he wants to join the "population" subcommittee to help growth management for those who live here and those who will move here.
Marshall Hay, who works for the Hoffman Group and has lived in Myrtle Beach all his life, said he is excited to be part of the Comprehensive Plan process.
"This is going to be a great city one day," he said.
"We want it to be as fine a place for people to live as possible."

Slow News Day For Me

Am I the only one to notice the trend of stores paying someone to stand by the road to hold a sign all day long instead of just sticking it into the ground? I happened to see signs for a furniture store this week that was going out of business. They had, what appeared to be, 2 homeless people standing there holding the thing all day. Now, granted, I did see the signs so I guess it worked but they were a little entertaining. It started in the morning with them standing there holding the sign, by mid-day they were smoking their cigs and kinda leaning on them. The last time I went by, one of them was sitting on the ground, in the weeds, with the sign kinda propped up but she was still holding on to it like she only got paid if she was actually touching the sign.

This brings me to another very annoying marketing campaign. Those crazy people from Liberty Tax Service that stand on the corner of a busy intersection waving and dancing like fools. They should be dressed in leech costumes, since that more accurately represents the tax system than "patriotic" costumes. I like to give these guys trouble as they look like they were homeless until they landed this gig. They are always on the corner of 17 Bypass and Glens Bay Road. There's even one guy who has been there for the entire tax season, rain or shine. He has gotten to know the people that don't wave or acknowledge him, so now he either flips off random cars or grabs his crotch. Funny coming from a guy in a statue of liberty costume.

Police Academy 8: Mission to Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach Police Academy is set to graduate a new class of cadets. Go ahead and admit it, you know the burning question in all of our minds is can any of them do any cool sound effects? On a side note I tried to do this by myself. I marched through the streets w/ my rifle, but the police didn't seem to appreciate it... Guess I should have taken their little class first.

Learning what it's like to be a police officer
Citizens' academy sheds light on police duties

By Jonathan Tressler
Amy Hayes was 32 before she learned that cops are people, too.
She said she grew up, like most people, being a little afraid of police officers. But that all changed when she participated in the Myrtle Beach Police Department's 15th Citizens' Police Academy last year.
The academy's 16th class, which began Jan. 28, is in session now.
"I feel like, as a kid, people tell you things like 'if you don't behave, we'll call the police,'" the Myrtle Beach graphic artist said.
She said her stint in the Citizens' Police Academy really changed her perspective.
"It's made me realize that they're people just like you and me, just doing a job," she said. "And it takes a special type of person to be able to do that job."
The Myrtle Beach Police Department's program puts its participants in the driver's seat, literally, giving them a chance to maneuver police cars through an obstacle course, learn about crime scene investigations, go on up to 35 hours of ride-alongs and use the department's firearms simulator, reports Lt. Tommy Chestnut, who's headed the program for about 4½ years.
The department started its Citizens' Police Academy in September 2000 to help the community learn more about what it is to be a police officer and hopefully make their interactions with police more positive, according to the department.
"It's kind of like a public relations tool," Chestnut said. "We wanted to give people a chance to find out what law enforcement is all about."
A few other departments around the state offer similar programs, including the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department, the Columbia Police Department, the Richland County Sheriff's Office and the University of South Carolina police, according to the National Citizens Police Academy Association.
The Georgetown County Sheriff's Office also began a citizens' police academy about three years ago, said Sgt. Neil Johnson, the Sheriff's Office public information officer.
"It's more of a classroom setting where they learn what we do. Everything we do, they hear about," Johnson said.
Lisa Joyner of Myrtle Beach said she learned about the city's program from a security guard at the Breakers Resort, where she works as a reservations supervisor.
"Over the years, I've thought about a law enforcement career, so when I heard about this, I thought 'Why not?'" Joyner said. "Now that I'm taking it, I can say it definitely gives you much more of an appreciation of what they go through."
Joyner scored the best time without knocking over any cones on the police car obstacle course held Feb. 23.
Chestnut said it's the same "precision course" the department's officers use to keep their skills sharp behind the wheel.
"We time it so they try to step it up a little, but time is not the main factor," Chestnut said. "If you hit a cone, it represents a person, another car, a tree, etc. If an officer hits any of those things on the way to a call, it becomes a call itself."
Myrtle Beach resident Joe Ball scored the second-best time in the obstacle course. He said he stumbled upon the academy because he was "just looking for something to do."
"It just seemed like it would be a good experience, just to get to know another side of Myrtle Beach," Ball said. "So far, in my experience, it's turned out to be a lot more fun than what I had thought."
The next session of the Myrtle Beach Citizens' Police Academy is slated for September.
Applications are available online at www.cityofmyrtle beach.com/policecpa.html.
To participate, citizens must:
be at least 21 years old;
live or work in Horry County;
complete a personal history form;
undergo a background investigation, including a criminal history check.
Successfully completing the course does not qualify participants for any special police details or duties, Chestnut said.

Let's Set the Record Straight

Growing up in South Carolina I don't usually even pay attention to Civil War reenactments as they are pretty common but after reading about the latest one that was held in Florence I got to thinking about how to add a whole new level of complexity and make it more exciting for the masses. I want to see Trekkie's and pirates team up against the civil war reenactors. That'd be really cool and would certainly up attendance to these events. It is a little known fact that the Klingon's aided the Confederacy during the war and would've been victorious had the Romulans not interfered and given the Union their cloaking device. Certain people that claim to be historians choose to completely deny that this ever happened but as a true southerner I demand that the truth be told!

Attendees brave wind for glimpse of history

Saturday, Mar 08, 2008 - 07:04 PM Updated: 07:21 PM
By Jamie Rogers
FLORENCE -- Spectators turned out in large numbers and endured strong, blistering winds Saturday for the annual re-enactment of the Skirmish of Gamble’s Hotel — a famous Civil War battle that was fought in South Carolina.The skirmish took place nearly 150 years ago, but re-enactors have been bringing the events of that day back to life for 17 years at The Columns Plantation in Florence.Dillon resident Christopher Corbett attended the skirmish re-enactment with his family for about five those years. For the first time, Corbett portrayed a soldier during the event Saturday.“I just thought it was kind of interesting ... every year we’d come here and watch, and I figured I’d come and join in,” he said.Corbett, 19, attends The Citadel in Charleston. He said he has participated in one other Civil War re-enactment, which was held in Aiken.“It’s real fun, you get to meet a lot of people. You learn about the weapons. ... (and) the uniforms,”Corbett said. “They change stuff up (every year). It makes it more interesting.”Corbett’s father, whose name also is Christopher, said he’s enjoyed watching his son do something they both share a common interest in.The elder Corbett said he would like to try re-enacting one day, if his wife will get in on the act, too.“I might be out here next year, but she’s going to have to get a ball dress — and then I’ll get a uniform,” he said.Columbia resident Donald Bennett wasn’t a part of the Saturday’s event, but he has had roles in Civil War re-enactment during the past.“We’ve got to remember what we came from, who we are and what we are,” Bennett said.The Skirmish of Gamble’s Hotel re-enactment featured members of the 23rd South Carolina Volunteer Infantry playing the roles of artillery, infantry and cavalry soldiers who fought in the battle. Re-enactors also did first-person impressions of civilians who lived during the time period.The skirmish originally took place at a Florence railroad station near the city’s downtown area March 5, 1865.Five hundred Union soldiers, under the command of Col. Reuben Williams, marched into Florence and attempted to destroy the railroad depot. The Union soldiers, however, were driven back by a group of Confederate soldiers, with the help of 400 civilians and members of a home guard.

Drunk driver apprehended by police...after he crashes into a police car

If you insist on driving drunk, try to avoid crashing into a police car. Not only does it make it easier for them to catch you, but, frankly, it just pisses them off.



Posted on Thu, Mar. 06, 2008
Police car struck by drunk driver
Kurt Knapekkknapek@thesunnews.com
A man suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol crashed into an Horry County police car Wednesday night, according to Lt. Jay Brantly.
The officer's vehicle was parked near the site of where a pedestrian was killed as he was walking across U.S. 17 Business near Lake Arrowhead Road.
The officer was directing traffic at the time of the crash and was not injured, Brantly said.
The S.C. Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, according to Lance Cpl. Sonny Collins.

Rain and strong winds cancel tornado drill

Posted on Wed, Mar. 05, 2008
Tornado drill set for Thursday
Tonya RootThe Sun News

The National Weather Service will host a statewide tornado drill Thursday, officials said.
The drill, which was postponed from Tuesday because of severe weather, will help get residents prepared to respond in case a tornado does form in the area, officials said.
Jim Rex, state superintendent of education, has encouraged all school officials statewide to participate in the drill. Officials at nursing homes, hospitals, county and municipal agencies, and amateur radio operators also are expected to participate in the drill, which tests the information-dissemination system for weather warnings, and gives participants the opportunity to test their safety plans.
Severe Weather Awareness Week, which ends Saturday, is sponsored by the S.C. Emergency Management Division and the weather service in an effort to remind people that severe storms, tornadoes and flash floods are significant hazards in South Carolina and residents need to take proper safety precautions.