Horry County Sheriff’s Office warns of telephone scam

By Todd Garvin
August 29, 2013


The Horry County Sheriff’s Office is warning local residents about a scam in the area.

A caller or callers will call residents and identify themselves as a deputy with the sheriff’s office and that they have a summons that need to paid. The caller will then solicit credit card information over the phone.

What makes the scam effective is that the phone number on caller IDs is the actual number for the sheriff’s office, but software exists that can clone numbers, officials warn.

Sheriff’s office officials stress that no one in the office will ever ask for money over the telephone, and that all payments should be made at the local magistrate’s office.

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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/08/29/3676048/horry-county-sheriffs-office-warns.html

 

States find new ways to resist health law

By Sandhya Somashekhar
August 28, 2013

Several Republican-led states at the forefront of the campaign to undermine President Obama’s health-care law have come up with new ways to try to thwart it, refusing to enforce consumer protections, for example, and restricting federally funded workers hired to help people enroll in coverage.

And in at least one state, Missouri, local officials have been barred from doing anything to help put the law into place.

The actions have drawn less attention than congressional efforts to cut off funding for the law, or earlier state decisions to refuse to set up online insurance marketplaces or reject an expansion of Medicaid, which sharply limited the law’s reach.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/states-find-new-ways-to-resist-health-law/2013/08/28/c63f8498-0a93-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html?wprss&google_editors_picks=true

 

HORRY COUNTY ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF REDESIGNED WEBSITE

Conway, South Carolina – Horry County has announced the launch of a new website redesign at http://www.horrycounty.org. The redesign includes technological and aesthetic enhancements with improved navigation, better organization of content that also incorporates current web technologies.

 

Horry County Information Technology/GIS staff has been working for nine months on the redesign, which is intended to better meet the needs of customers and visitors by making the site more functional, cleaner and appealing for site visitors. In addition, the site has been updated to feature the new branding elements similar to the county’s government access channel which was introduced in 2012.

Golf.com World Am attracts most participants in 5 years to Myrtle Beach

August 25, 2013

By Alan Blondin

MYRTLE BEACH — An 8 percent increase in participation for the 2013 Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship could be partially attributed to the event celebrating a round anniversary number, with this year’s event being the 30th.

But tournament operator Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday is hoping the anniversary is playing only a small part and it’s more of a sign of things to come and response to the tournament becoming a better value.

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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/08/25/3668343/golfcom-world-am-attracts-most.html

Wildfire Team To California

August 23, 2013

HCFR Wildfire Team Members Deployed to California

Conway, S.C. (Friday, August 23, 2013,  11:30 a.m.) – Three Horry County Fire Rescue have begun their deployment to the Rim Fire in California.

On Friday, August 23, 2013, Captain Tim Rainbolt, Lieutenant Bryan Turner and Firefighter Nick Bender headed to Columbia, S.C. to meet up with a team from the South Carolina Forestry Commission.  This team will deploy, and offer assistance to the firefighters in Yosemite National Park.

“Horry County Fire Rescue is very proud of the Wildfire Team that we have,” stated Scott Thompson, assistant chief of operations for Horry County Fire Rescue. “These three individuals represent an entire team of dedicated members of the Department, whose expertise are in wildfire.  Our thoughts and prayers will be with our brothers in California and we wish them a safe return.”

Rainbolt, Turner and Bender will be assisting with the wildfire until Saturday, September 7.

For more information about Horry County Fire Rescue, please contact 843-915-5190 or visit www.horrycountyfirerescue.com.  For more information on how to prevent the spread of wildfires, visit www.scfc.org.

New movies this week in Myrtle Beach-area theaters

August 22, 2013

New this week

You’re Next | When a gang of masked, ax-wielding murderers descend upon the Davison family reunion, the hapless victims seem trapped ... until an unlikely guest of the family proves to be the most talented killer of all. NR. Starring: Sharni Vinson, A.J. Bowen and Nicholas Tucci. Critic’s rating: n/a

The Mortal: City of Bones | Clary Fraydiscovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. PG-13. Starring: Lily Collins, Robert Maillet and Kevin Durand. Critic’s rating: n/a

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http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/08/22/3658757/new-movies-this-week-in-myrtle.html

Weather Channel Now Also Forecasts What You'll Buy

Company's Data Helps Fine-Tune When and Where Advertisers Should Place Spots

By  KATHERINE ROSMAN

August 14, 2013

The Weather Channel knows the chance for rain in St. Louis on Friday, what the heat index could reach in Santa Fe on Saturday and how humid Baltimore may get on Sunday.

It also knows when you're most likely to buy bug spray.

The enterprise is transforming from a cable network viewers flip to during hurricane season into an operation that forecasts consumer behavior by analyzing when, where and how often people check the weather. Last fall the Weather Channel Cos. renamed itself the Weather Co. to reflect the growth of its digital-data business.

The Atlanta-based company has amassed more than 75 years' worth of information: temperatures, dew points, cloud-cover percentages and much more, across North America and elsewhere.

Company scientists found that the first day of above-average heat in Chicago results in a surge in air-conditioner sales. Meanwhile, in often-muggy Atlanta, people sweat out hotter-than-average temperatures for two days before making a run to the appliance store. "The old paradigm of business and weather was cope and avoid. With technology, the paradigm is now anticipate and exploit," says Paul Walsh, a former United States Air Force meteorologist who is now the Weather Co.'s vice president for weather analytics.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323639704579012674092402660.html?mod=e2gp