On assignment

Heading Home!

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope everyone has their costume ready!

I'm skipping the costume this year and instead catching a plane home. Funny enough, everytime I say, "I'm headed home." People ask, "Which one?" I laugh, but its true...I have a lot of homes. Moving around will do that to you. I'm still working to make South Carolina my new one....

There's two great parts about being "the new person." One, locals are usually very excited to show you why their town is the greatest. You South Carolinians are right...the "eternal fall" is very close to perfect, hush puppies are a great substitute for bread and the "Carolina Moon" is pretty amazing.

But, what's also nice about being new...is finding things that maybe local's don't try. My hometown is exactly the same. My parents go to the same places I remember going as a kid and there is something nice about "everyone knowing your name." So as you have all helped me to work my way to local status maybe I can help you too! Have you tried "Twelve?" Its a newer restaurant on 17 business. Its on the right if your heading south...almost Murrells Inlet. Its got a great atmosphere, yummy food and friendly folks working making sure your food and time spent there is the best it can be.

But home, this weekend is Boston. My family is still there and I can't wait to see them.  Thanks again for helping me figure out the ins and outs of SC...I'll figure it all out eventually!  If you head North...to Boston or Upstate NY...or west to Idaho... Let me know! Have a great weekend!

 Kerri O'Hara | kerriohara@gmail.com

What we're covering October 31, 2008

Good morning from WMBF News.

We've learned that Postal Way, that road that's suppose to connect Carolina Forest Boulevard with Gardner Lacy Road in Carolina Forest. This road should help take some traffic off Highway 501 and help people in Carolina Forest get around easier. The director of infrastructure for Horry County says the road is on schedule, though it was delayed. Steve Gosnell says the paving date for postal way has been moved to November 1st. Tonight an update on Postal Way.

Voters in Florence and Lake City will have a chance to say yes or no to alcohol sales on Sunday's. A referendum on the ballot next Tuesday will give voters that option. Some are opposed to the idea of allowing for the Sunday sales and we'll be looking to hear both sides of the argument and what this could mean for Florence County, tonight on WMBF News.

In Pembroke this morning community leaders gathered to name a road that runs through Robeson County. I-74, The American Indian Highway, as it is called now was revealed this morning at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The name of the road is to honor the large American Indian population living in Robeson County. Tonight on WMBF News we'll take you to the ceremony.

Live Local Late Breaking news all day on WMBFNews.com and starting at 4, we hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com

What we're covering October 30, 2008

Good morning from WMBF News.

In a matter of days voters will head to the polls and election workers expect a big turn out. So election workers are ecouraging everyone to be patient when going to vote. Also it could be along night of counting the votes. So far this season areas have a seen a record number of people voting by absentee ballot, which means they expect a large number of people to turn out for election day. We're going to look at what you can expect on election day and some of the rules you need to follow when going to vote.

Many people are worried about sex offenders on Halloween night and today we're going to look at some of the rules to keep you and your kids safe. We're going to head to a neighborhood where folks may not even realize they live near a sex offender. A look at how you can find out who lives near you coming up on WMBF News today starting at 4.

In Florence today Lindsay Housaman is looking into the referendum on the ballot in Florence & Lake City about Sunday alcohol sales. Voters in Florence & Lake City will be able to decide if restaurants should be allowed to serve alcohol on Sundays, doing away with the state's blue laws. Tonight we'll look at the details of what this will mean on WMBF News starting at 4.

Live Local Late Breaking developments all day on WMBFNews.com and and starting at 4. We hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com

The Texting Challenge

A couple of months ago my news director, Matt, gave me a few pages from an Internet Slang Dictionary and Translator.  I thought, "Oh Matt, this story is so old.  There's been slang around for years."  Then I looked at the terms or acronyms: GNOC, MIRL, NIFOC, PAW, TDTM.  Those are just a few -- and the translations are things I didn't even know kids knew about.  I don't consider myself out of touch, but I guess I don't know exactly what kids are up to these days.  So, I agreed, yes we have a story here. 

I figured we had a story about high school age kids using this slang.  Nope, fooled again.  The mother and son we found for the story?  Well, he's in 6th grade and she keeps a pretty close eye on everything he's doing.  She too was shocked by some of the translations for our texting and Internet slag.

I then talked with some middle school principles who are pretty savvy about the whole thing.  The one I interviewed for the story had not seen some of the slang/acronyms on our list either.  She says she now has a whole new list to share with her staff and PTO.

So how do YOU fair?  Take my texting challenge on WMBFNEWS.Com before our special airs Thursday at 11.  We'll email you your results -- and those results may surprise you. 

What if the polls are wrong?

So what if all of the media's polls suggesting Barack Obama is about to win the presidency are wrong? It's a scary thought for each of the network's polling units, I'm sure. Their reputations depend on them being right.

However, modern conveniences and changes in societal structure are making it harder for pollsters to track us all down. Many twenty and thirtysomethings only have a mobile phone these days. No landline for the pollster's computer to find them. Plus, with families stretched thin between work, band practice, basketball practice, church, and volunteer work, it's hard to find moms and dads home at night. Or if you do, many don't have the time to take a poll that can stretch on for thirty minutes.

There's a really interesting article in this morning's Washington Post addressing this issue. You can read it here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/28/AR2008102803675.html?nav=hcmodule

It raises the question that maybe the presidential race is closer than political reporters and pollsters believe. Perhaps, the story suggests, we could see another 1948-style race in which Harry Truman (in this case John McCain) defeats Thomas Dewey (this year Barack Obama.)

The hope is, with so many polls being done this year that we've got a pretty good idea of what's happening on the campaign trail, whichever candidate happens to be leading.

But then again, these are the same people who in 2000 used exit polls to tell us Al Gore had won Florida.

And we all know what happened then.

Matthew Nordin | mnordin@wmbfnews.com

What we're covering October 29, 2008

Good morning from WMBF News.

Police continue to search for clues as to how a body wound up in a wooded area in Florence.Yesterday, police were called to an area off West Evans Street where a man reported finding a body. Family members of a third missing woman in Florence County are worried that she may have been found, but not in the way they had hoped. On Tuesday, Florence Police recovered human remains only a mile from Janie Mae Dixon's home. Dixon has been missing since Sept. 8.

The Attorney Generals office says Myrtle Beach Police have arrested an Ohio man for one count of Criminal Solicitation of a Minor. According to a news release from the Attorney Generals office, Stephen M. Krum was arrested during an undercover internet sting conducted by the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Bond has been set at $5,000 for Krum. Police say Krum solicited sex from a boy he knew was 16 years old using the internet.

A 14 year old Darlington County boy, charged with killing his pregnant mother and shooting his sister was in court this morning. The 14-year-old boy has been charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of his mother and the unborn sister she was carrying. The mother was eight months pregnant. Fourth Circuit Solicitor Jay Hodges says he wants to try the teen as an adult.

Live Local Late Breaking news all day on WMBFNews.com and starting at 4. We hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com

What we're covering October 28, 2008

Good morning everyone from WMBF News!

A third woman is still missing in the Florence area. Today WMBF News Reporter Lindsay Housaman has headed out to find out where this investigation stands. She has been with the Police Chief in Florence for much of the morning gathering the newest information on this case as well as on the 2 bodies that were found in Florence. One of which still has not been identified.

Just one week from Election Day we're going to take a look at just how many people have already voted. It has been a very busy time over at the Horry County Elections office getting ready for next Tuesday and help people vote absentee. So far nearly 11,000 people have cast an absentee ballot in the November 4th Election. The county says that's a new record and today we're going to look at the numbers.

And a heart warming story out of Horry County today where a lady's home is going to be improved to make her home more weather efficient. According to a news release sent to WMBF News, "Luella Washington, a disabled Conway resident, was facing the approaching winter heating season in a home that would have left her unprepared. Among the items on her weatherization to-do list that she cannot afford to check off are sealing cracks and gaps, repairing windows, applying weather stripping and doing more improvements to make her home energy efficient, lower her heating bill, and keep her warm this winter." We'll have more on this story tonight starting at 4.

Live Local Late Breaking developments all day on WMBFNews.com and tonight starting at 4. We hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com

What we're covering October 27, 2008

Good morning everyone from WMBF News!

There's a big fight going on for who would represent much of the South Carolina coast in Washington, DC. Current U.S. Representative Henry Brown is in a tough fight by Democratic challenger Linda Ketner. Today we're going to look at this close race, and why it is so important for both parties to win. Laura Thomas is out tracking down this information and will have this report today starting at 4.

Governor Mark Sanford is making 2 stops along the Grand Strand today. We plan on taking time to talk to him about the state budget and the cuts that state agencies are going to have to make. Brandon Herring is going to focus on money taken away from tourism and how the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce plans to deal with that. We'll look for this story from Brandon later today.

In Darlington County we've learned that a pregnant woman was killed over the weekend and the coroner's office has ruled the case a Homicide. The woman and the unborn child died and we are waiting to hear results of an autopsy. Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee says 38 year old Sherryle Terry of Cross Swamp Road, near Lamar, was found shot to death in her home. Lindsay Housaman is looking into this to bring us Live reports later today.

Live, Local, Late Breaking coverage all day on WMBFNews.com and from 4-6:30 on WMBF News. We hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com

Back from the Lone Star state

"Keep Austin Weird is the slogan of the Texas capital. Years ago there were people in cowboy boots all over the place, but now there are a lot more hippies and college students. The University of Texas is right in the middle of downtown Austin, and It's one of the biggest Universities in the nation...not to mention we visited on a huge football game weekend...not the best idea if you want to dodge traffic.

I'm not a big mall shopper so my ideal vacation is spending time outside. Even though I didn't see Lance or Matthew McConaughey running together...I did walk through the very same trails they did. It's great because an eight mile path runs along Lake Austin. People were out exercising all the time. 

Kayaking on Lake Austin was beautiful. We saw tons of wildlife including egrets and huge turtles swimming all around us. The cliffs along one side of the lake were really impressive too. You can't forget a little hiking in the hillside. It was really hilly, which is odd in Texas, and we saw all kinds of snakes and deer too! 

After a long day of exploring, we couldn't forget to chow down on a little Tex Mex...Mmmm the chips were warm and just melted in my mouth, and the salsa was so fresh. Then of course after filling up on Tex Mex for lunch we had to eat a little BBQ for dinner. It was delicious! No matter where we ate the portions were huge. Even our drink glasses and bread were supersized!  The food, the outdoors, and the people were so much fun and I'll never forget them! 

Tayleigh Davis | Tayleighdavis@wmbfnews.com 

 

 

What we're covering October 24, 2008

Good morning from WMBF News.

So far this year there have been 10 homicides in Horry County, one of them still remains a mystery. Today, Laura Thomas is heading back to the scene of the crime near Loris where police continue to investigate the death of kelly Joe Elliott. Police found the man dead in his home on September 14th and so far no one has been arrested. We'll look at where this investigation stands tonight.

In Florence today Lindsay Housaman is back with investigators as they piece together what happened with the deaths of the two missing Florence women. One man has been arrested, he made an appearance in court yesterday. Police say even though there has been an arrest made in the case, the investigation is still ongoing and is asking anyone with information to contact them. The number for the Florence Police Department is (843) 665-3191. Today, we hope to learn more about what happened.

We are going to stop in at a meeting for the Southern Evacuation Lifeline today in Surfside Beach. The project would create a southern evacuation route through Horry County. That meeting starts at noon at the Surfside Library. We'll be looking to find out where the project stands.

Live Local Late Breaking information all day on WMBFNews.com and starting at 4. We hope you'll join us.

Kyle

Kyle Grainger | Kgrainger@wmbfnews.com