“What makes South Carolina beautiful?” asked Miss South Carolina Kelly Sloan as she sat before nearly 30 students at Thomas Hart Academy on Wednesday afternoon. “You!” shouted one child sitting Indian-style on the library carpet.

Four Chesterfield County men face federal charges in connection with the theft of pine straw from Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Attorney W. Walter Wilkins said in a press release.

The suit accuses paper mill of releasing hazardous substances and toxic waste into the air, land and water, causing serious health effects to both humans and animals,

Residents will have the opportunity to build a rain barrel and learn about “rain harvesting” at a workshop hosted by the the city of Florence and Carolina Clear.

Carolina Clear, Clemson University’s stormwater pollution education and awareness program, is trying to gauge what Pee Dee residents understand about their local water quality and what effects their actions can have.

The city of Darlington is under a consent order from the S. C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) concerning its Black Creek wastewater treatment facility and could face a fine of up to $11,900 if corrective action isn’t taken.

A swimming advisory has been issued for a section of Surfside Beach.

The Town of Surfside Beach is hosting its first annual Ocean Expo in August.

Wildlife officials euthanized a whale that washed ashore Friday morning in Myrtle Beach.

Steven Webber, an attorney representing Marlboro County in the fight against MRR Sandhills LLC’s proposed landfill, spent about 40 minutes during a public forum Thursday trying to reassure residents that county council is going to continue to fight the so-called “megadump” after the S.C. Administrative Law Court dismissed two of the county’s appeals Monday.

A Marlboro County Council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Marlboro County Courthouse.

The S.C. Administrative Law Court has dismissed Marlboro County’s petition regarding a proposed landfill.

Two groups are challenging Duke Energy’s request for a water quality permit so it can relicense five dams along a South Carolina river.

David Weaver and Jeffrey Hollister are the two man ALERT (After-hours Litter and Emergency Response Team) crew. The two full-time employees patrol for litter and other problems in Myrtle Beach.

Old S.C. National Guard armored personnel carriers latest machinery to find a final resting place on the ocean floor off Little River.