Monday, November 18, 2024
It is time for Horry County Council to bring the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA) more into line with the actual status of that agency.
Over the past six months, council has taken some good first steps toward establishing more control over its maverick authority on Hwy 90.
But, the work is not done.
Public corruption cases are all the news in South Carolina lately and it’s time for the name Southern Holdings to be as scrutinized as Harrell, Metts or Pinson among others.
The Southern Holdings case stems from actions by the Horry County Sheriff’s Department and Horry County Police Department in June 2000 and August 2000, as well as subsequent events.
Southern Holdings, Inc. and several stockholders of this closely held corporation are plaintiffs in the case. Horry County, Horry County Police Department, Horry County Sheriff’s Department and various individuals are defendants in the case.
Any time you study an issue that evolves from the original Southern Holdings case, you get tangled in a web of lies, deceit and public corruption.
Casino gambling emerged from the shadows and directly entered South Carolina political discussions yesterday when S.C. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford disclosed his plan for funding road repairs in the state.
Rutherford said he plans to introduce a bill into the General Assembly next year to allow casino gambling in Myrtle Beach to create a revenue stream for roads.
From what we understand, Rutherford’s plan is for commercial gambling casinos not Indian gaming, but it fits into the overall discussions that have been going on around Horry County for the past six months or so.
Horry County’s so-called movers and shakers want casino gambling legalized. This is just another option.
Latta Town Council made good on its promise to request a SLED investigation into “suspicious activity” at Latta Town Hall.
According to reports, two SLED agents were inside Latta Town Hall for approximately three hours Tuesday. After a review of information gathered during the visit, SLED will determine whether a full investigation is warranted.
The investigation was requested by a majority of town council members after Latta’s change from a “strong mayor” to “strong council” form of government was approved by referendum vote last week.
Latta Town Hall was ordered sealed by town council Friday morning after the referendum vote was certified.
Recent changes in state law have made as much as an additional $5 million in accommodations tax money available for law enforcement in the Myrtle Beach area for the month of May.
This money is specifically targeted at providing additional police officers from around the state, and possibly from out of state, to handle crowds during the Atlantic Beach Bikefest over Memorial Day weekend.
Obviously there was insufficient law enforcement in Myrtle Beach during this past Memorial Day weekend when crowds got out of control in the south end of the city.
But, more and better policing is needed in Myrtle Beach throughout the year.
A special called meeting of the Latta Town Council Friday night voted unanimously to reinstate Crystal Moore as Police Chief of the town.
Latta Mayor Earl Bullard was not in attendance at the meeting.
Bullard fired Moore on April 15th, ostensibly for not signing seven “reprimands”, but more probably because Bullard did not agree with Moore’s lesbian lifestyle.
In his first few months on the job, Latta Mayor Earl Bullard has managed to turn this small, rural town upside down and bring it into the national spotlight by ignoring the will of his citizens.
Bullard ran unopposed for mayor in December 2013 and officially assumed office January 1, 2014.
After being elected, Bullard was quoted in local media as saying he was looking forward “to working with the citizens because the citizens are what make this town what it is.”
When Rep. Tracy Edge looks back on his 2014 primary election defeat, he can thank the Horry County Solid Waste Authority (HCSWA), at least in part, for the result.
According to its check register, HCSWA donated $5,000 of public money, in Fiscal Year 2013-14, to sponsor two tables at the Conservative Voters of South Carolina (CVSC) annual Green Tie Luncheon fundraiser.
CVSC targeted Edge for defeat, directly supporting his opponent Greg Duckworth.
Neither side seemed to come away with a clear advantage from yesterday’s S.C. Supreme Court arguments to determine whether the state grand jury investigating possible criminal ethics violations by S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell should continue.
Last month, S.C. Circuit Court Judge Casey Manning ruled that a state grand jury investigation into alleged ethics violations by Harrell should be terminated.
S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn Manning’s ruling and allow the investigation to continue, leading to yesterday’s hearing.
The S.C. Supreme Court will hear arguments beginning at 1:30 p.m. today on the continuing controversy over who has the right to investigate possibly illegal actions by S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell.
The case originally dates from an alleged ethics complaint brought to S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson by the libertarian South Carolina Policy Council. It included allegations that Harrell used his influence as Speaker to obtain a contract for his pharmaceutical supply business and improperly appointed his brother to a judicial candidate screening committee.
(In South Carolina, the legislature appoints a panel that screens judicial applicants and sends recommendations back to the legislature which votes on the recommendations for final approval of the judges. To further complicate the situation, many of the applicants are former legislators.)
The complaint also questioned the use of approximately $324,000 of Harrell’s campaign funds to reimburse himself for costs associated with trips in his personal airplane.
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