Granite Countertops in Murrels Inlet, SC

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF) - A number of fire and rescue departments in the Grand Strand are mourning the loss of a beloved first responder.

The Murrells Inlet-Garden City Professional Firefighters Association said that Lt. Matthew Piontkowski passed away from what was described as line-of-duty cancer early Friday. He was surrounded by his family in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, the group said in a statement.

If you have any pictures or videos of our fallen brother Matty P please leave them here on this thread. Here are some sent in by former member David Hackman.

Posted by Murrells Inlet Garden City Professional Fire Fighters Association on Friday, June 9, 2023

“Brother Piontkowski has made an impression on each individual he has had contact with throughout his entire career,” the group said. “He will be truly missed, but never forgotten.”

The association also thanked a pair of International Association of Fire Fighters chapters in Cleveland for their support of Piontkowski during his time back in Ohio.

“He was a brother, mentor, friend, and coworker to many first responders in Horry and Georgetown Counties, eaving a lasting impression on everyone he encountered throughout his career,” the Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District said in its own statement.

Piontkowski formerly served with Horry County Fire Rescue from 2010-2017, according to the agency. HCFR added that he made “many long-lasting bonds with the crews that have made up our ranks.”

Midway Fire Rescue also shared its condolences, calling Piontkowski an “incredible paramedic, mentor, co-worker, friend and more.”

Stay with WMBF News for updates.

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You can help chef Danny Smith of Murrells Inlet, S.C. practice for the World Food Championships in Dallas this November.

In September and October, the chef will prepare two seven-course meals at Benjamin’s Bakery in Surfside Beach to practice his timing for the annual competition. Smith describes his cuisine as new American and when not competing, he works at Benjamin’s Bakery and as personal chef.

At the World Food Championships, Smith will have an hour and a half to prepare a seafood dish incorporating the required ingredient, Sam’s Club king crab. The event provides only an oven, stove and counter space – Smith will bring all his pans, equipment and ingredients.

“I just like to work with food so much and this really gives you a chance to go outside of your normal restaurant and do fun stuff,” Smith said.

The World Food Championships “is the largest competition in Food Sport, where culinary competitors of previous events convene for a chance at winning the ultimate food crown and a share of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money,” the competition’s website states.

The event attracts more than 1,000 competitors from many states and multiple countries, the website adds.

This is the fifth year Smith qualified for the event. Last year, he made it to the second of two rounds in the seafood division. Smith “caught the fever of competing” in 2010 and has entered 35 cooking competitions since then.

Smith said the World Food Championships have a “family atmosphere,” with contestants watching each other grow year after year.

“The most rewarding thing is once you get into your station and the clock goes, you can’t get that kind of a feeling doing anything else that I can ever think of,” Smith said.

Dates for the upcoming seven course meals at Benjamin’s Bakery have not yet been released. For more information, check Danny Smith’s Facebook page or call Benjamin’s at 843-477-1100.

If the referendum passes, the taxes will go toward providing more personnel for the Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire District.

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF) - Residents in Murrells Inlet and Garden City will vote on a referendum next week that would increase taxes to support more personnel for the fire district.

“When I call the fire department, I want them to come,” said Al Jordan, president of the Greater Burgess Community Association. “That’s the bottom line.”

The Greater Burgess Community Association is supporting the referendum. Jordan says that last year, Murrells Inlet Garden City Fire District was unable to get a unit to 300 calls due to not having enough staff members.

MORE INFORMATION | Find your polling location

“That’s unacceptable, that’s almost once a day,” said Jordan.

The referendum would increase taxes over the next five years. Initially, an owner-occupied home would see a tax increase of $56.

According to Gene Connell, president of the fire district’s board of directors, this extra money would increase staffing by 30 percent.

“What we’d like to do would be able to have additional ambulance services, said Connell. “The call for ambulance services is daily here; we had 8,000 calls last year in the district.”

Connell said this is especially important because the district is home to several people over 59 years of age. And, there is a diverse set of needs.

“It’s a wide-ranging district,” he said. “We have high-rise condominiums in the district, we have Waccamaw hospitals in the district...we have to be able to service a very diverse group of people.”

However, Connell said the turnout for past referendum votes has not been high. Usually, only around 2,000 people vote in a district of more than 10 times that number.

“We have an opportunity to vote to have better fire protection and paramedic service, and the idea of not doing that strikes me as crazy,” said Jordan.

The referendum vote takes place on July 25.

CLICK HEREto find your polling location.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.

Headed to Myrtle Beach? We hope you carve out some time to explore the funky eateries and bars along Main Creek in Murrells Inlet. While there, here's one spectacle you definitely want to take in: Goat Island.

The Palmetto State has its own island filled with adorable creatures, at least for part of the year. Goats are brought to the island each April, where they stay through November, helping to control the isle's vegetation. The island is also home to peacocks and enjoys visits from ducks, pelicans, and more. Needless to say, herding these goats up each autumn is quite the scene. The 20,000-square-foot island by Murrells Inlet is more than just a sanctuary for goats—even once believed to be a popular locale for pirates to hide.

To see Goat Island, head to Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, a wooden boardwalk with many bars and restaurants. This spot is the ideal vantage point for viewing Goat Island. Your best bet for checking out these adorable creatures? Go to Drunken Jack's, where you can observe the goats and peacocks on Goat Island, right across the way. Fun fact: The owners of this popular watering hole actually put the goats on Goat Island.

"Goat Island is such a unique spot, from its centuries-old pirate history to its modern-day home to goats and peacocks—all within eyeshot from the restaurants along the popular MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet, just south of Myrtle Beach's main drag," Julie Ellis, PR and communications manager of Visit Myrtle Beach, shared with Southern Living. "The island's stories and its quirky inhabitants have been entertaining visitors for years, and we love that it is a tradition that continues to live on." Check out a cute video of the goats in action below.

Who knew one of the South's most popular vacation destinations had such a unique island? We'll definitely be making a detour to check this out next time we're in town. Meet you at Drunken Jack's for a Salty Goat cocktail and a view.

MURRELLS INLET — The effects of sea level rise have already been seen as South Carolina’s barrier islands experience more frequent flooding. Salt marshes are feeling the heat, as well, according to coastal researchers.

During a recent Murrells Inlet’s Community Creek Talk event, a packed crowd listened as researchers laid out the present and future of the inlet’s natural geography that gives it one of the most iconic views in South Carolina.

“I wish I could give you a more uplifting report, but there is no question that estuaries are being stressed both by changes in environmental conditions and by human activities,” said Dennis Allen, research professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina and resident director of the Baruch Marine Field Lab near Georgetown.

Effects of sea level rise have already been seen in South Carolina with more frequent flooding of barrier islands and the stress on trees from saltwater encroachment, Allen said. Salt marshes like those of Murrells Inlet have generally not been able to keep up with current rates of sea level rise, as they must acquire sedimentation at a similar rate to rising waters.

Allen told the crowd at Murrells Inlet Community Center that the key to the future of South Carolina’s coastal salt marshes is expansion to the west onto higher land. There has been indication that the salt marshes have been able to do this on the South Carolina coast, Allen said, except in places where the higher land has already been taken over by development.

USC research associate professor Erik Smith, also of the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, said during the talk that Murrells Inlet has significant water quality concerns, especially with fecal bacteria contamination from pets and wildlife.

“Some of the shellfish beds have been closed for quite some time,” Smith said. “For much of the open water portion of the bay, have at it, it’s fine. But for a good bit of the north, the south, and right along the inner coast, those areas are closed. And those areas are closed entirely due to the potential for microbial pollution.”

Katie Finegan of the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium and Maeve Snyder of the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve told the audience what can be done to improve the inlet’s health, including reducing polluted runoff, recycling and the use of non-toxic products.

Finegan also noted that the consortium received a $500,000 grant to conduct a four-year study of “thin layer placement,” in which sediment removed during dredging is sprayed over existing marsh instead of being removed offshore or placed on a beach.

“What this technique is doing is helping them keep up with sea level rise artificially by introducing sediment into the system, so they’re not drowned out,” Finegan said.

The technique has not been tried in South Carolina, but has been the subject of experimentation in North Carolina, Finegan said.