My heart is hurting this week as several people very close to me are dealing with either the serious illness or the death of their beloved family dogs. It is so strange that all of this happened within one week. I have noticed over the years that pets tend to leave us in the winter. I don’t know if that’s a coincidence, I suppose it is, but it’s just an observation based on my own experiences. It was a year ago that we were dealing with Newman’s illness. He passed away in February. Two years before that, we lost Cali in January (2021).
I have spent the last several days on the phone talking or texting with my peeps to try to support and comfort them all through these difficult times. For some reason, people seem to turn to me when they have a sick dog or cat. I am so honored to be “that person”. I have gone through the heartbreaking grief of losing a pet, or having a very ill pet (some of whom recovered, yay!) so many times. I wouldn’t change it for the world, and I know I’ll do it again, as so many of us will. We love our pets. They are family. So, if you have it in your heart, please send up some special prayers for those who are going through this now or any other time.
Now let’s get on to some slightly happier pooch news from right here in Myrtle Beach.
Grand Strand Dog News
Roxy, a 6-year-old pooch who has lived at Grand Strand Humane Society since she was a year old, and was the shelter’s longest resident, finally got adopted! Roxy had special requirements as she needed to be an “only” dog with no cats and no kids. Now, while I encourage everyone to support their local shelters, the nice surprise with this one is that she was adopted not by anyone local, but by a couple in Florida who own 26 acres and have no other pets. Due to the shelter’s requirement that adopters have fenced-in properties, the community came together to raise extra funds so that the Floridians could add a fence to their acreage for Roxy. GSHS’s Executive Director said it was the best thing she’s experienced in the many years she has been with the organization. SWEET! Congratulations, Roxy, her new parents, and Grand Strand Humane!
In less happy news about Grand Strand Humane Society, Horry County Council has rescinded its support of Santee Cooper’s land donation for the shelter’s much-needed new location after nearby residents raised concerns. The shelter has been met with resistance at least one other time, when it wanted to rebuild near Carolina Forest. Executive Director Jess Wnuk has a good point — with the explosive growth in housing over the past few years, it’s practically impossible to find a chunk of land that won’t be near a neighborhood. The shelter has been searching for a suitable place to rebuild for several years. Santee Cooper had announced it was donating ten acres to the shelter about a month ago, but now those plans appear to be suspended.
Mardi Growl!
February 10th will be St. Francis Animal Center’s second annual Mardi Growl from noon to 4 p.m. in Georgetown. Salty Dogs Rescue will also participate in the adoption extravaganza.
Macaroni Mania!
Bring your appetite to the 6th Annual Macaroni Mania festival that will raise funds for The Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach. The event happens February 24th at the North Myrtle Beach Sports Complex from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
More Grand Strand News:
Yellow?!
The infamous Yellow House (now blue) in Myrtle Beach is likely on its way out. According to WMBF News, a judge has issued a permanent injunction against the owner of the property at 407 5th Avenue North in the city. The property has been considered a “nuisance” after police were called to the house for various incidents including a shooting and a stabbing. The home owner had rented rooms to tenants for many years.
Let’s not go down to the lobby
The main post office in Myrtle Beach at 505 N. Kings Highway has announced that the lobby will be closed in the evenings until further notice due to increasing safety concerns. The lobby hours are still pretty good though: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Turning heads instead of letters
Can I buy a vowel? North Myrtle Beach’s own Vanna White paid a visit to her hometown this week and grabbed a meal at Flynn’s Irish Tavern on Main Street! Vanna, best known for starring on the TV game show, Wheel of Fortune, is a NMB native who went to NMB High. She graciously posed for pics at the tavern where she has dined numerous times in the past.
Horry County updates
The Horry County Council approved renovations for the Inlet Square Mall in Murrells Inlet which has been nearly empty for the past several years. Plans indicate that the property will become a business park after the mall is demolished and redeveloped. The project will take about two years. The Belk store will most likely stay open during the process.
Meanwhile, (see above) the Council went back on its initial support of a new shelter location for Grand Strand Humane Society.
The Horry County Board of Elections is testing voting equipment in anticipation of the Democratic Presidential Primary set to take place February 3rd in South Carolina. The Republican Primary will happen February 24th, statewide.
The latest from New England
Heading north, let’s take a look at what’s happening in my ol’ hometown(s).
Bye-bye to 50 years
The owners of Worcester’s beloved Kenmore Diner, Jimmy and Pauline Yantsides, are retiring after running the popular eatery for five decades. The diner will continue operations under new ownership. On Monday, the couple offered free breakfast for all customers.
Worcester’s Finest
The Worcester PD is down to just 46 officers, thanks to some who were injured on duty, plus a big drop in interested people joining the department. They’ve had to come up with some different ways of recruiting. The number of people taking the test to become a Worcester Police Officer has plummeted from its once booming enrollment of 10,000 test takers. But taking the test is only one small part of becoming an officer. Folks need to pass a civil service exam which is only given once a year. Then, there’s a waiting period before the person can begin at the police academy. After that, it’s at least six months until graduation, and THEN they can join the department.
The PD took to social media, career days at local schools, and job fairs to step up its game and spread the word that they’re looking for new talent.
Revitalization plan in the works in Northboro
Thursday night, the Select Board of Northborough will see downtown revitalization plans for the first time. The plans will focus on three possible scenarios to revamp the so-called downtown area: Blake Street from Main to Pierce Streets; Main Street along the Assabet River; or Main Street, South Street and Gale Street and the Town Common. The meeting is being held online.
State of the waters, not good
The Association to Preserve Cape Cod released its annual State of the Waters Report, and it is not looking good. The report indicates that the Cape’s 890 freshwater ponds and 53 saltwater bays are polluted with fertilizer and stormwater runoff as well as untreated wastewater coming from septic systems. These pollutants add to the growth of so-called nuisance vegetation such as toxic algae and invasive weed species. The report said that the number of bodies of water ranked as “unacceptable” this year is about the same as last year, and indicates that measures introduced last year to remediate the situation have not yet taken hold in any meaningful way. But don’t fear: drinking water is rated as excellent according to ratings submitted by the group.
God Bless you for loving dogs. 🤗✨🙏💖
Hey readers, I have some sad news. One of the dogs I mentioned in this week's newsletter has passed away. Cooper (not my dog, who happens to have the same name) of the happenin' hotspot "Cooper's Tavern" in Little River, SC died on Tuesday, but it wasn't announced until yesterday. The restaurant owners are heartbroken, but they are carrying on his legacy. Their place is extremely popular -- parking lot always full! In fact, they had a 15th birthday party FOR Cooper the dog a few weeks ago -- right around the holidays. I tried to get near the place with MY Cooper, in the remote hope that I could get a photo of the two Coopers, but there was no way. The parking lot was packed, my Cooper is handicapped, and can't walk more than a few feet. I couldn't get close enough, so we turned around and went home. So, a missed opportunity, and now Cooper of the Tavern is gone. (sniffles)