Latest news with #BrendaBethune
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Nearly a dozen injured in shooting at busy tourist area of Myrtle Beach
A shooting in the popular South Carolina tourist town of Myrtle Beach left 11 people injured, and police fatally shot one person, authorities said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Myrtle Beach officers responded to a disturbance involving multiple individuals Saturday night in which someone began firing a weapon. In a statement, the department said that 'based on the immediate threat,' an officer then shot one person, who died from their injuries. Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune told WBTW-TV the officer responded appropriately. The Horry County deputy coroner identified the person shot as 18-year-old Jerrius Davis, according to WBTW. 'Our officer saw what happened, and when he saw that an altercation was taking place and a gun was being shot, the officer responded very quickly and in my opinion, saved lives,' Horry County Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said. 'Last night could have been so much worse.' TRENDING STORIES: Flight to Ohio forced to deplane after bomb threat Semi crashes into 3 vehicles before bursting into flames on I-70 Local sergeant found under the influence of alcohol while on duty A telephone message left with Myrtle Beach police was referred to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which said in an email that its investigation was active and ongoing. It provided no further information. The department said 11 people who sustained injuries were receiving medical treatment. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
India Today
27-04-2025
- India Today
One dead, 11 injured in mass shooting at South Carolina's Myrtle Beach
A mass shooting in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Saturday night, left one person dead and at least 11 others injured. The incident unfolded around 11:50 p.m. on North Ocean Boulevard, a popular tourist area, near Ripley's Believe It Or Not, just off the to authorities, officers responded to a disturbance involving multiple individuals, during which one person began firing a weapon. In response, an officer opened fire, fatally wounding the described the chaotic scene, with one woman seen clutching her leg in pain while officers rushed to her aid. The Myrtle Beach Police Department later confirmed that the suspect, who was shot by the officer, died from their injuries. The police also clarified that the officer was not injured in the incident. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is conducting an independent investigation into the shooting, while the Myrtle Beach Police Department will carry out its internal shooting occurred in the city's entertainment district, at the start of the busy tourist season. Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune assured the public that the situation could have been much worse. 'Our officer responded quickly, and in my opinion, saved lives,' she said. 'This was an isolated event and doesn't reflect the overall safety of Myrtle Beach.'advertisementCouncilman Gregg Smith echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that it was an isolated incident and not representative of the usual experience for visitors. Police Chief Amy Prock also noted that major crimes in the area have decreased significantly since 2015, thanks to improved technology and community policing some visitors expressed concern over the shooting, such as Nikki Petracco, who stated it made her rethink future trips to tourist areas, others like Washington D.C. visitor Sebastian McMillon remained undeterred. 'There's trouble everywhere,' he said. 'We can't let fear stop us from enjoying our vacation.'As the investigation continues, the mayor urged the public to refrain from making premature judgments, promising that the final SLED report would be made public once completed. It's expected to take about three weeks to gather all the necessary Rep. Nancy Mace also responded to the tragedy, expressing her condolences for the victims and their families. 'South Carolina stands strong, and we will not tolerate violence of any sort in our communities,' she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What would it take for Myrtle Beach to implement voting districts? Here's what council said
Reality Check is a new Sun News series holding those in power accountable, shining a light on local issues, and answering readers' essential questions. Have a question or concern we can answer? Email online@ The City of Myrtle Beach currently does not have any voting districts. This means that all council members are elected at-large to represent everyone equally within city limits. Implementing voting districts was discussed in some detail during the last local election cycle. However, they haven't come to fruition yet. Some constituents in favor of voting districts have argued that there's not representation in places where council members don't live. Recently at an in-person town hall about pedestrian safety at The Market Common, Mayor Brenda Bethune called the area the 'crown jewel of the city.' County property records for current city council members show that none of them live in the Market Common area or the Arts and Innovation District, which remains a city funding priority. Within the last year, Bethune put her house up for sale and bought another home in the Grande Dunes area of the city, an area of town where the majority of the council members currently live. According to lead city spokesperson Meredith Denari, changing voting districts isn't up to local law, but state law, S.C. Code Ann 5-15-30. 'According to state law, the election method can be changed by referendum initiated by petition of 15% of registered voters or by council action,' Denari said in an email to The Sun News. The procedure for changing the election method is provided in S.C. Code 5-15-30, she explained. 'If City Council decides to change the method of council election and passes an ordinance to do so, the referendum must be held no more than ninety days and no less than thirty days after the second reading of the ordinance,' she wrote. 'Council can call a special election at any time.' Denari said that if City Council wished to change the election method to voting districts, or wards, it would be a delicate process. Although pre-clearance is no longer required by the Department of Justice, as specified in Shelby County v Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013), changing election methods in Myrtle Beach would need a close analysis to ensure minority voting rights aren't negatively impacted, according to Denari. 'If council calls a referendum to adopt election by wards, the geographic area of each ward would not be drawn until after the referendum,' she said. 'A great deal of time and money would be spent to ensure the demographics of each ward satisfied the Voting Rights Act.' The Sun News sent an email to city council members asking what they think about voting districts. Mayor Brenda Bethune wrote that voting districts were discussed among council members with a former city attorney several years ago. 'There are many factors to consider, and some that may have negative impacts on our residents,' she wrote. 'I can only share why I believe our current system is more beneficial to our entire City.' Bethune wrote that the current structure ensures that every member of city council fairly represents the entire city. 'When making decisions, we do so based on what is best for everyone within our city limits. Residents have 7 members of Council representing their best interests vs only having one,' she said. 'I think this keeps Council focused on doing what is right for all of our residents rather than what they may think is best for only their district.' In comparison, Horry County Council has districts. According to District 2's councilman Bill Howard, that's because they're the largest county in the state. 'You're not comparing apples to apples,' Howard said over the phone on Wednesday when asked about Myrtle Beach's council having at-large representation. 'There's no way you could be at-large in Horry County.' He said that for Myrtle Beach it's not an issue that council members are at-large because it's a smaller region than Horry County. Bethune added that there may also be some legal issues that could arise from creating districts in Myrtle Beach, but noted that she 'will let our City Attorney address those.' Myrtle Beach is similar to Loris, Aynor, North Myrtle Beach and Conway in that they all utilize an at-large system for elected council members. Council member Gregg Smith argued that the issue of establishing voting districts arises with each election cycle. 'During my initial campaign, I liked the idea, and it seemed to resonate with voters. It's easy to that a change to having voting districts is a better option and something that will make the voters' lives better,' he wrote in an email to The Sun News. 'However, after serving on the council for the past seven years, my enthusiasm for districts has waned. I am concerned that districts could create divisions among different areas of our city, potentially leading to unequal representation for some residents at the city level.' Smith said that dividing the city into districts would mean residents have fewer representatives on the council to address their issues. Additional challenges he mentioned include the costs and administrative complexities of ensuring equitable district divisions, the risk of gerrymandering, the possibility of residents being represented by an ineffective council member and the potential for uncontested council seats. 'Currently, our at-large election system ensures that each council member is accountable to and dependent on the support of all city residents. If a council member is unresponsive, residents can turn to other representatives,' he said. 'Moreover, our elections consistently attract challengers, where the top three vote getters are the ones elected.' Smith ended his email by saying he is open to reconsidering his position if presented with new information. 'Should compelling evidence emerge demonstrating that districting would significantly benefit our community, I would be happy to lend my support,' he said. Council member Bill McClure wrote back and said that voting districts are still on his agenda, and he'd be happy to discuss them further. Mayor Pro Tem Mike Lowder and council members Mike Chestnut, Debbie Conner and Jackie Hatley did not respond to The Sun News' request for comment for this story.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Incumbent South Carolina politician announced they're running for mayor. What we know
Incumbent Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune announced during an event on Thursday night her plans to run for mayor in November. 'When I started this journey in 2017 I did it with a really bold vision, and I did it because I was passionate about changing my community that I was born and raised in,' Bethune said. 'I saw a lot of things that were not being paid any attention to, and things that I thought were important, not only to our residents, but to our visitors and for the future of Myrtle Beach.' Bethune said she will continue to focus on making Myrtle Beach better in the future. 'We we are making so much progress and changing quickly, and I want to keep going in that direction,' she said. 'We're headed in the right direction, and I want to keep the momentum going.' On Thursday morning, The Sun News briefly spoke to Bethune on the phone. She said she had been planning to publicly announce her campaign on Thursday for a while. 'It was important to me to start early, let people know what my intentions are,' she said. Bethune said running campaigns can be expensive, and that she's already started her fundraising efforts. ''I've been asked by a lot of people, 'What are you going to do? Are you going to run again? Are you going to run for something else?',' she said. 'And you know, my heart is right here in Myrtle Beach, so I wanted to get started so that we can just keep awareness out there.' If elected, Bethune said that her priorities will include investing money into the city and maintaining strong relationships. 'I want to point out that when we talk about downtown, that is not just something that benefits the businesses and the residents in the downtown area, that is going to benefit our entire community, especially when we talk about trying to attract professionals who want to come here,' she said. Bethune some of her accomplishments since first getting elected as mayor include strengthening relationships with the state and Horry County and decreasing violent crimes across the city by over 40%. 'Everything we are investing in is for the future and making transformational changes for generations to come, because we want this to be a place where people, young people, all people, want to live, work, invest and raise their families,' she said. On Thursday morning, Bethune said the best way for constituents to contact her is through her email or Facebook messenger. The election is on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.
