Granite Countertops in Murrels Inlet, SC

With goats, chickens and a 3,000-square-foot warehouse with thousands of pounds of pet food, one Murrells Inlet pet organization seems to have it all.

Keep Our Pets Food Bank, a 501c3 organization established in 2012, is a nonprofit that provides low-income residents with high-quality pet food, feeding up to seven pets per household.

The organization is part of a larger, worldwide organization called Greater Goods, which supplies organizations such as Keep Our Pets Food Bank with food from manufacturers all across the U.S.

Bill Donahue, founder of the organization, says they’ve even received horse and rabbit food.

“Anything that goes into the mouth of an animal, we’ll distribute it somehow,” he said.

He attributes the growth of the food bank — which now distributes about 36,000 pounds of food to shelters and around 1,100 clients a month, to hard work.

Donahue and his wife, Jennifer, share a love and passion for animals, and have been working with them their entire lives, both separately and together.

Jennifer Donahue even has her own business, Tarot by Jennifer, where she does tarot readings for pets — mostly cats and dogs.

“The two of us, you know, are unbeatable now,” Bill Donahue said.

The couple purchased a new property at 625 Belair Ave. in Murrells Inlet about 10 months ago and have added a number of renovations as well as furry friends.

Bill Donahue says they have invested around half a million dollars into the location. As a 501c3, its revenue mainly comes from benefactors, but much of the investment came out of Bill’s own pocket, he said.

On the property, the couple keep five chickens, two goats, three warehouse cats and a border collie mix named Ryker.

The warehouse on the property keeps just about any pet food brand one can think of.

An official grand opening will be March 25, and will include a silent auction, food from Danny’s Barbecue, jewelry vendors and several pet adoption agencies, including a kitten rescue.

The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

One main reason people end up surrendering their pets is due to a high cost of living and a high cost of pet food, Donahue said. About 6.3 million pets enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Keep Our Pets Food Bank is the only pet food bank like it in South Carolina, according to Bill Donahue. His hope with the organization is to keep the pets with their owners at home, and put “shelters out of business.”

Highway 31 is funded to the NC state line through previously colllected Ride III taxes and could soon extend south to Murrells Inlet.

Tomorrow, the Horry County Council Infrastructure & Regulation committee will consider a resolution in support of funding the “Southern Evacuation Lifeline” (SELL) at a quoted cost of $450 million.

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The latest estimates put the actual cost of SELL at $600 million.

We spoke with Horry County Councilman Al Allen, Chairman I & R, “The SELL project has been spoken about for many years. It is a desperately needed evacuation route for residents living from Surfside Beach to Pawleys Island in catastrophic events that include Hurricanes. These residents have no quick evacuation rout at this time.”

Allen added, “It will also serve as very critical infrastructure for internal Horry County, creating a higher quality of living for all residents.”

This proposed interstate-standard Highway 31 would connect S.C. Highway 22 to U.S. Highway 701 South and terminate at either Highway 707 near Holmestown Road or the U.S. Highway 17 Bypass in Murrells Inlet.

Several key members of the Ride IV commission inform MyrtleBeachSC News that Highway 31 is already funded to the NC state line at a price tag of $125 million in Ride III taxes collected.

EMAIL TO CONCERNED RESIDENTS

Efforts by a few local special interest groups are attempting to stop the project before it can continue. In response to one concern, Horry County Councilman Tyler Servant sent the following email.

____________________________________

Donna,

Thank you for the email and I hope you are doing well. I-73 and the SELL Road are not mutually exclusive, in fact Horry County needs many new roads and upgrades (Highway 90 etc). This is something that I will always fight for. Pitting local road projects against one another does not benefit anyone and only dilutes the efforts of our entire area. Obviously, this has happened in the past and continues be an accepted practice by some.

Being a representative for the South Strand there is not a more important roadway for hurricane evacuation, economic development, public safety, inter-connectivity, affordable housing and access to medical care for rural communities than the SELL Road phase one (bridge to 701 from Murrells Inlet). This is something that I campaigned on every election. We are all displeased with the fact that I-73 in not under construction (my grandfather started leading the fight with many others for I-73 over 30 years ago), but it cannot come at the cost of other roads that our area desperately needs. Thanks again for the email and have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Tyler

J. Tyler Servant

Chairman Administration Committee

Horry County Council-District 5

__________________________________

NC FROM WILMINGTON TO SC STATE LINE

Lauren Haviland, Public Information Officer, North Carolina Department of Transportation says, “The NC side of this project isn’t as far along as Horry County, but our next priority meeting will be held in 2024.”

MAP OF CURRENT NCDOT PROJECT

The current NC maps have Highway 31 traveling North from S.C. 9 merging into Highway 17 in Shallotte, N.C. The ultimate desire, however, is to have the route connect with Interstate 40 in Wilmington, giving tourists and locals easy access from Wilmington to Pawleys Island.

“Those plans are not currently in the NC STIP, but we will be re-evaluating in 2024,” says Haviland.

WHAT IS THE NC STIP?

The STIP is a multi-year capital improvement document which denotes the scheduling and funding of construction projects across the state over a minimum 4 year time period as required by Federal law. North Carolina’s STIP covers a 10 year period, with the first six years (2020-2025 in this version) referred to as the delivery STIP and the latter four years (2026-2029 in this version) as the developmental STIP. Per 23 CFR 450.216 & 23 U.S. Code § 135 STIP’s must also:• Be submitted to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) & Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for approval at least every 4 years• Be fiscally constrained by year• Include all capital and non-capital projects using Title 23 USC or Title 49 USC funds, other than certain safety, planning, and research funds• Include metropolitan TIPs from Metropolitan Planning Organizations• Provide public comment opportunity on STIP document• And include the following information:o Project description and terminio Estimated total cost (NCDOT includes Utility, R/W, and Construction costs)o Federal funds to be obligatedo Responsible agency (such as municipality)North Carolina’s STIP is updated every two years and developed in concert with federal and state revenue forecasts, North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT’s)Strategic Prioritization process, preconstruction and project development timetables, and in adherence with federal and state laws. North Carolina state law requires Board ofTransportation (BOT) action to approve the STIP.This is the third STIP developed under the Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law passed in June 2013. This landmark legislation elevates the use of transportation criteriaand the input of local communities to determine project priorities and directs the use of dollars for transportation projects.

WHAT IS THE TIMELINE ON I-73?

South Carolina has critical road infrastructure needs that must take precedence over I-73.

Of the 9,395 bridges in the state, 499, or 5.3 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. All of the bridges must be made sound immediately.

S.C. Speaker of the House, Murrell Smith informed delegates beholden to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce that I-73 will not be funded until these bridges are repaired, I-526 in Charleston, S.C. is repaired, I-26 to Spartanburg repairs are completed, and I-95 needed repairs are done.

I-73 Timeline

This puts a timeline for I-73 at fifteen years minimum before any work can begin. Horry County residents will be required to shoulder the burden of much of that construction costs.

The NC Highway 31 project will now largely be paid for by N.C. residents, with Horry County residents paying none of those costs.

Interstate 40 in Wilmington

Interstate 40 in Wilmington already exists. The road runs through Arkansas, Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Greensboro, Durham/Raleigh, down east to Wilmington.

Should tomorrow’s Horry County I&R meeting go well, an interstate quality road from Arkansas to Wilmington to Pawleys Island could be coming sooner rather than later.

comments

Let's get to it:

PHILIP TURNER FROM WARNER ROBINS, GA: My question is about the jersey numbers the Steelers have retired. I have seen a few ask about it, and I haven't seen anyone mention No. 70, Ernie Stautner's number. Wasn't his number the first one the Steelers retired? ANSWER: The first jersey number retired by the Steelers was Ernie Stautner's No. 70, and it happened at halftime of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 25, 1964, at Pitt Stadium. The Eagles won the game, 34-10, in front of a crowd of 38,393. Joe Greene's No. 75 was retired at halftime of a game vs. the Ravens on Nov. 2, 2014, at Heinz Field. The Steelers won that game, 43-23, in front of a crowd of 63,971. Franco Harris' No. 32 was retired at halftime of a game vs. the Raiders on Dec. 24, 2022, at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers won that game, 13-10, in front of a crowd of 64,761.

BARRY PATTERSON FROM FREDERICKSBURG, VA: Considering the amount of time, energy, and money spent on scouting the soon-to-be draft picks, will the NFL ever be inclined to add more people to the game day rosters and to the practice squad? It seems each year the same people barely miss and are brought back. ANSWER: This is a popular position of fans, but don't you think that if either the players, or the union, or management shared this opinion then the size of the rosters on game day and the practice squad would be increased? I'm first going to explain why the size of the rosters on game days do not include all 53 players on the active roster. It's very rare when any team has all 53 of its players healthy enough to play in a game, and so what's going to end up happening if all players on the roster are eligible for the game is that more often than not is a game between one team with more healthy players than its opponent. That's a fairness issue right there, and so to make that as infrequent an occurrence as possible, the inactive lists were created. That way, there are many, many more games played between teams with the same number of physically available players. As for practice squads, there were 16 players on each team's practice squad in 2022, so that means a team was "in control" to some degree of 69 players each week of the regular season? If you multiply 69-times-32, you get 2,208 players. That should be enough.

JAMES WONDERLING FROM MCKEES ROCKS, PA: I believe Cedric Wilson was a wide receiver on the Steelers team that defeated the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. What were his regular season and Super Bowl stats for 2005? ANSWER: Cedric Wilson entered the NFL as a No. 6 pick (169 overall) in the 2001 NFL Draft by the 49ers. After his rookie contract expired after the 2004 season, San Francisco chose not to tender an amount for an extension and Wilson became an unrestricted free agent. His first season with the Steelers was 2005, and Wilson served as a third receiver on a team where Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle-El were the starters. Wilson finished third on the team with 26 catches on 53 targets for 451 yards (17.3 average) and no touchdowns. In Super Bowl XL, Wilson caught one pass for 20 yards.

FRANK FOGGIA FROM SAULT STE MARIE, ONTARIO, CANADA: Everything I read on social media is casting Dan Moore Jr. as a lost cause and targeting that position as requiring change. I'm not sure I agree. Does it not take time for an offensive lineman to develop? ANSWER: My first bit of advice is to shop for evaluations somewhere other than social media. From there, consider that the Steelers played in 3 Super Bowls during the 2000s with Marvel Smith, Max Starks, and Jonathan Scott, respectively as the starting left tackles. That's proof a team doesn't need the next Anthony Munoz at left tackle to contend for a championship. I am of the opinion that Dan Moore Jr. has improved significantly over the 33 regular season starts he already has on his resume, and he won't be 25 years old until late September. It's not against the law to wait more than 15 minutes for a player to develop, especially at a position as demanding as an NFL left tackle. But if you'd rather follow the mob, try to consider the source.

BRIAN HENDERSON FROM MURRELLS INLET, SC: With Brian Flores and Jerry Olsavsky no longer on the Steelers defensive coaching staff, and the new hire of Aaron Curry as the inside linebackers coach, do you see team preparing for a major changeover in the strategy of acquiring players at that position, with the possibility of unrestricted free agents Devin Bush, Robert Spillane, and Myles Jack moving on? ANSWER: If the Steelers choose to do anything that would qualify as a "major change" in an aspect of their defense, that kind of a decision would come from the coordinator level of the defensive staff and above.

DANA FISHER FROM ROCKPORT, ME: Who, if anyone, do you think could be franchise tagged this year? ANSWER: If you're referring to the Steelers' unrestricted free agents, I would expect that number to be zero.

KEVIN WHITE FROM CEDAR FALLS, IA: I'm curious about your thoughts on the quarterback situation we have considering the following facts: Kenny Pickett was in the concussion protocol at least twice, Mitch Trubisky carries a $10.6 million cap hit next season, and Mason Rudolph is an unrestricted free agent and won't be back. Is it crazy to think of grabbing a quarterback with one of our early draft picks "just in case" Pickett doesn't pan out or continues to get concussed? ANSWER: Sorry, but I cannot be convinced it's a good idea to use a premium draft pick on a quarterback the year immediately after using the 20th overall pick of a draft on a quarterback.

JAMES GILMAN FROM ROCHESTER, NY: The Steelers have three West Coast games next season. If two are back-to-back, would it be wise for them to stay out there instead of traveling back and forth? ANSWER: There's a whole lot more to an NFL team and support personnel spending two weeks of a regular season three time zones away than just the travel. I cannot even pretend to know the specifics and the logistics of such a move, especially when you consider that every first-class football practice facility in the general area of those NFL cities figures to be in use by some team at some level. Chuck Noll took the team to the West Coast early on a couple of occasions with varied success but staying for 2 weeks and playing 2 games isn't something I ever recall.

STEVE SAMICK FROM ST MARYS, PA: On draft day when trades are made, does Steelers President Art Rooney II have to approve the trade, or can Coach Mike Tomlin and/or General Manager Omar Khan make the deal ? It sometimes appears that the trades happen quickly. ANSWER: Within the Steelers organization, neither the general manager nor the head coach has complete authority during the three days of the NFL Draft. That's just not the way things work.

LAWRENCE DOUGLAS FROM TARENTUM, PA: You mentioned that we have Diontae Johnson, George Pickens and Calvin Austin lll on the roster, but what is the situation with Anthony Miller? He's a former second-round pick, and his injury situation seems to have made him lost in the shuffle. What is his contract situation? ANSWER: Anthony Miller is an unrestricted free agent. The Steelers signed Miller after the Houston Texans cut him on Oct. 6, 2021, and since then he has played 25 offensive snaps and made one reception for 2 yards. He did enter the NFL via the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft (the 51st overall selection) from Memphis. He won't turn 29 until early October, which is in his favor, but he also hasn't been available or productive since coming to the Steelers.

ROMAN ROGER FROM PITTSBURGH, PA: How many linemen, offense or defense, have worn the jersey No. 65 since 1933? ANSWER: There have been 20 players who have worn jersey No. 65 for the Steelers, and 19 of them have been linemen, either offensive or defensive. In reverse chronological order, those players are John Mastrangelo (1948), Lou Allen (1951), George Hughes (1951-52, 1954-55), Ralph Jecha (1956), Bob O'Neil (1957), John Nisby (1957-61), Tom Bettis (1962), Bob Nichols (1965), Lloyd Voss (1966-71), Tom Beasley (1978-83), Ray Pinney (1985-87), Jim Boyle (1987), John Jackson (1988-97), Alan Faneca (1998-99), Rich Tylski (2000-01), Jeremy Parquat (2007-08), Al Woods (2011-13), Jerald Hawkins (2016-17, 2020). Tom Bettis wore No. 65 for the Steelers in 1956, but he is listed as a linebacker; and Kraig Urbik wore No. 65 as a No. 3 pick in 2009 who was waived on the final cut of the preseason but went on to play in 100 NFL regular season games as a guard over the next 7 years for Buffalo and Miami.

MARK BIGENHO FROM PLUM, PA: With the Lost Angeles Rams cutting inside linebacker Bobby Wagner, do you think the Steelers can sign him for a reasonable price? ANSWER: "Reasonable" is a relative term. Bobby Wagner is an 11-year veteran inside linebacker who has been voted first-team All-Pro 6 times, as well as being one of 3 inside linebackers voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s team. Bobby Wagner also will be 33 in June, and over his 11 seasons he has played in 184 games (regular season and playoffs). In his 168 regular season games, Wagner has played 10,698 defensive snaps and another 722 on special teams. Reports are that Wagner has been paid a bit more than $92 million in salary and bonuses since entering the NFL. Is Wagner content with that number, or is he looking for one big splash before he retires? If the Steelers have to present the highest offer in order to sign Wagner, it won't happen.

BRENT CROASMUN FROM PADEN CITY, WV: I have been watching Steeler games from the 1978-79 seasons on YouTube as of late. Some of these games have Jack Fleming and Myron Cope dubbed in for the announcing. The play-by-play by Fleming and color commentary by Cope are second to none. How many years did these two guys work together broadcasting Steeler games on the radio? ANSWER: Jack Fleming's tenure doing Steelers games on the radio began in 1965 and continued through the 1993 season. Since Myron Cope debuted as the color commentator in 1970, Cope and Fleming were a team from 1970 through the 1993 season.

ROBERT LAVIN FROM PEORIA, AZ: Do you know if the Steelers plan on bringing back their Men's Fantasy Camp in the near future? I was a participant years ago and it was an amazing experience getting to be around the training camp facilities in Latrobe and interacting with former and a few current players who helped run the camp. ANSWER: There are currently no plans to resurrect Men's Fantasy Camp.

WPDE — The devastating earthquake that rocked parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday has left more than 15,000 people dead and that number is expected to rise.

Now, rescue teams are racing against the clock, searching for survivors that are trapped under the rubble.

South Carolina has had multiple earthquakes this year, not close to that magnitude recently, but over a century ago, we did come close.

In 1886, a 7.3 earthquake rocked Charleston, and the shaking was so strong it was felt in New York and Cuba.

TRENDING: 'Nothing but faith'; 1 month after cardiac arrest Horry Co. mom making progress

State Geologist Scott Howard said that the chances of it happening again isn’t impossible, but not likely – at least for right now.

"We're in an area which is referred to as a stable region or a stable craton, and they're interplate earthquakes. These are more plate-to-plate type interactions that are going on in Turkey," Howard said.

According to SCDNR, about 70% of earthquakes in the state take place on the coastal plain.

Most of those happen in the Charleston area because that's where a major fault is located.

So far this year, there have been nine recorded earthquakes in the state but they were weak.

TRENDING: Goats on 'Goat Island' will not return to Murrells Inlet this year

"We think there are pre-existing structures down in that area that are being reactivated in the existing stress field that is currently active," Howard said.

Horry County Emergency Management spokesman Thomas Bell said that during an earthquake there are three things people should do.

"Drop, cover and hold on. So in the event of an earthquake, if you’re inside a building drop to the ground, find a sturdy structure to crawl under – a desk, a table, something like that – and hold on until the shaking stops," Bell said.

Bell said most deaths are from objects falling and hitting people.

That’s why he’s emphasizing the importance of being prepared.

"We just want people to know that the ground moves and you need to know what to do if it’s shaking," Bell said.

While an earthquake is not predictable, it is important to have some of these objects handy in a disaster kit -- non-perishable food, water, a flashlight and a non-electric can opener.

For more information about earthquake preparedness, click here.

What makes an intersection the worst?

Constant back ups? Drivers running red lights? Collisions leaving travelers with a busted bumper or worse?

We asked readers which are the worst intersections in the Myrtle Beach area and they answered. We also have the data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS) on where you’re most likely to get in a wreck.

Fifty readers nominated 29 different intersections from Little River to Murrells Inlet in our survey. The four listed here were the most commonly cited. SCPDS data comes from the most recent years available, 2018 through 2020.

While U.S. 17 Bypass passes over Farrow Parkway, traffic comes to a halt at the disliked intersection of Highway 17 and Palmetto Pointe Blvd. in the Socastee area. In her 2 years in the area, reader Sandra Coen has been “nearly hit by cars ignoring the stop signs on the frontage road.”

Readers say this four way stop sign in Murrells Inlet backs up cars enough to block nearby U.S. 17 Bypass. “I’ve waited over 20 minutes to get through intersection,” wrote long-time resident Jen Snow.

When exiting Robert Grissom Parkway going south, the short ramp onto U.S. 17 Bypass North means the left lane stacks up and drivers must quickly merge with passing traffic.

“Cars traveling in the fast lane on Grissom have to get over into the right lane to avoid a serious accident,” noted long-time resident Richard Galante.

Over 10% of the respondents to our survey chose this intersection as the worst in Horry County. With multiple left turn lanes and heavy traffic, our readers complained of long lights and drivers cutting others off and running red lights.

Reader Michelle wrote she has “had numerous near misses. Some by people stopping fast at a yellow light or someone from another direction running a red.”

This intersection made the SCDPS list of five worst intersections in Horry County in 2018 and 2020, but not 2019, which was, in general, a bad year for collisions in the area.

When asked if she had ever been in an accident at this intersection, resident Meghan Smith wrote, “No thank goodness.”

Close to Carolina Forest High School, wrecks at this intersection cause back ups to and from the beach. This intersection halfway between S.C 31 and Conway has made SCDPS’s list of top five intersections in Horry County every year the list has been published.

This intersection near Little River tied for the most injuries and fatalities (73) from 2018 through 2020. Sun News readers noted that drivers need to merge quickly to make it through the intersection.

“Cars try to cut in line from business entrances that connect to 57. They have limited visibility because of the backups that lead to near misses on frequent basis,” replied reader Phillip Skeen in our survey.

The most dangerous intersection in Horry County, according to SCDPS data, is consistently the convergence of U.S. 17 Bypass and S.C. 544 near Surfside Beach.

From 2018 through 2020, the intersection led the county in total collisions (240) and tied for the most injuries and fatalities (73). Drivers coming in and out of the busy SayeBrook Town Center and South Strand Commons are at risk.

Long-time resident Kenneth Youmans noted “roughly 1 accident a week from people making a left turn out of the shopping center” at Strand Market Drive.