Area News

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Scattered rainfall that began late last week and continued into this one has brought an end to burning bans for Columbus and Horry counties.      Horry County lifted its ban Monday morning, a news release sent just before 10 a.m. said.      Columbus County was included in a regional ban covering 18 eastern…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Felony death by vehicle charges are among those served on a Whiteville pastor in connection with an auto crash that claimed South Columbus art teacher Joy Timmons and her husband Brad Timmons on Friday.      Gordon Lee Griffen, 57, of Bitmore Road, Whiteville, was charged with two counts of death by motor…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Fire that damaged a two-story home on Pireway Road in Tabor City was set, Columbus County Fire Marshal Shannon Blackwell said Monday.      “It was an intentional fire,” Blackman said.      Neighbors spotted smoke coming from a front corner window on the second floor of the home on Pireway Road at Live Oak…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Tax evasion warrants have been served on a Loris area contractor, the South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) said Monday.      Nick Angelo Kaltsunis, 50, was arrested by SCDOR Monday, charged with four counts of attempting to evade or defeat a tax, an agency news release said.      Agent affidavits allege that Kaltsunis…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com UPDATE:      Funeral services for Jolena Joy Long Timmons, a beloved art teacher at South Columbus High School, and her husband Donald Bradley Timmons, will be held in the auditorium at SCHS at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 6.      Visitation for the couple, married on Jan. 20 of this year, will be from…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Tabor City Police have her picture, and they are asking for help in identifying a woman accused of stealing five packages of ribeye steaks Saturday afternoon from the Tabor City IGA.      This woman is accused of stuffing the steaks under her shirt and walking out of the store, and driving away…

A new festival debuts in Loris tomorrow, the Loris Heritage Festival replacing the Spring Festival that had been held in April. Expect handmade items, farmers market, vintage vendors, food, kids area, entertainment, and more. Activities will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. along the railroad tracks in downtown Loris. Meeting Street and Railroad…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      Very hot, dry weather has prompted a burning ban for Columbus County, a day after a ban was initiated in Horry County.      Bans on outdoor burning are also in place in other area counties.      Effective at 5 p.m. Thursday, the Columbus County ban burns all open burning within 100 feet of…

There were injuries, none apparently serious, in this two-vehicle crash on US 701 at Complex Street in Tabor City about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. An increasingly common location for crashes involving vehicles crossing or turning from Complex Street, state transportation officials have a long-range plan to install an overpass. In the meantime, Tabor City Police and…

By DEUCE NIVEN tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com      An order in the long disputed Columbus County sheriff’s race was issued by the State Board of Elections (SBOE)Wednesday, affirming the board’s decisions during a May 6 hearing held in Raleigh.      The order affirms the SBOE decisions that irregularities in last November’s general election were not sufficient to change the outcome…