GOVERNMENT

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — At 6:35 p.m. on Monday, a thunderstorm cluster popped over Florence County and quickly strengthened, producing 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts, lightning, and pea-sized hail within a half hour of igniting. The storm became stationary at approximately 7:45 p.m., meaning it stopped moving almost entirely and...

FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Hurricane season has officially begun and heavy rainfall is impacting several communities in the Pee Dee. Minus Lane in Effingham is one of seven communities in Florence County that was washed out on county-maintained roads. Niki Williams lives on Minus Lane and said flooding...

DILLON COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — Dillon County council members passed the first reading of an ordinance last week that would set the stage to allow residents to vote in a referendum on whether alcohol should be sold on Sunday. The council will hold a meeting this week for the...

In the heart of Dillon County, South Carolina, a vision decades in the making has finally come to fruition with the opening of a brand-new, state-of-the-art elementary school. Representative Jackie Hayes and Superintendent Ray Rogers, both pillars of the community, shared their excitement and pride during a recent discussion about this monumental achievement.

Miss South Carolina USA Gracen Grainger will soon be competing for the title of Miss USA. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant, where Gracen will be competing for the title of Miss USA, will air on The CW Sunday, August 4, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.. She is the only contestant to ever appear in the Miss USA pageant from Dillon County, SC.

Summer Reading has come to an end at the Dillon County Library System. This year’s Summer Reading theme was Adventure Begins at your Library. The Dillon County Library system has truly proved this to be true this year. The library offered many interactive programming that allowed everyone to be creative, move, laugh and above all else, just have fun. All the programming was all inclusive. We offered many crafts such as Mason Jar Wind Chimes, Tea and Art, Side Walk Drawing, Pop Sockets, and Tattoo a bag. We had programs were speakers came in and taught and informed you about different things. We had the Pee Dee State Park Rangers to teach children all about animals, the sounds they make, and about the State Park themselves. We had Sherrie Adams from Dance Dimensions come in and teach different routines to children that showed how important movement and dance is. The Carolina Art Guild donated cookies to the library. Members of the Guild were present to teach and help to decorate cookies to show that art is an important part of learning. We also had a Stuffy Day Care were the beloved stuff animals of our younger patrons visited the library, and took part in activities. Each activity was documented and was given to the owner as well as a packet that included gifts and a certificate for each animal that took part in the daycare. To show patrons how important it is to learn your library, we did a Pirate Scavenger Hunt. Each person hunted for clues using the Dewey Decimal System. Each clue leads them to other clues. The “X” marked the spot at the end and they received a pirate’s reward. We also offered two themed parties that was open to everyone. We had a 60s and 80s party. Each party had music from that decade, food, picture station, and prizes that all were themed. This year Summer Reading just showed how important the library is to our community. The library is always offering new items, technology, books, and programming that everyone is welcome to. As fall begins, so does our fall programming. If you are looking for something for your child to do, the library is it. If you have not been in the library lately, please stop in and see us. We would love for you to see the new areas, and check out our new material.

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Recent rains across much of South Carolina has cut into drought conditions across many counties, including those around the Grand Strand and Pee Dee. The state Drought Response Committee on Wednesday downgraded 13 counties from “severe” on July 9 to “moderate” — among them Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Georgetown and Horry. […]