Friday marks the first day law enforcement in S.C. will be enforcing penalties for violations of the Carolina Squat Ban. Senate Bill 363 was signed into law in May of last year. It prohibits the operation of vehicles with front fenders raised by four or more inches compared to their rear fenders. The law went into effect in November, but a six-month grace period was granted in which law enforcement only issued warning citations. However, the grace period officially ended Friday. Now, police will write tickets for violators. A $100 fine will be given for a first offense, a second offense is $2 ..read more

The 69th annual Sun Fun Festival kicks off Friday evening in Myrtle Beach. The event features many family-friendly activities including free games, face painting, arts and crafts, photo opportunities and more. There will also be live music throughout each day of the festival. The event is taking place at Plyler Park and the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk on Ocean Boulevard. Festivities will start at 5pm and wrap up around 10. Before ending though, at 9, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team will conduct an aerial display. Festivities pick back up at noon Saturday wrapping up again at 10pm. Then ..read more

The S.C. Senate passed a bill Thursday that would ban all gender treatments for minors in the state. The House created the bill and previously passed it on to the Senate. The legislation known as the ‘Help Not Harm’ bill, would prohibit minors from undergoing or seeking gender transition treatments. Any minor who receives treatment before August 1 will be allowed a weaning-off period but all care must end by January 31. The bill also prevents public funding from being used for gender-affirming care, including coverage such as state medicaid programs. In addition, under the measure, school off ..read more

We now have an update on a manhunt that was underway after a police pursuit and two separate crashes occurred on Monday. Georgetown County deputies were in pursuit of a stolen car along Martin Luther King Drive in Pawleys Island when one of the deputy’s vehicles collided with an uninvolved vehicle. The driver of the stolen vehicle later crashed a little further up the road. The driver and passenger of the suspect vehicle fled into a wooded area. A 17-year-old boy who is wanted in Ohio has since been arrested. The juvenile will now be returned to Ohio to face charges. Deputies are still search ..read more

One man is dead and another was left injured after a drive-by shooting in Marion. Thursday evening, one victim was shot on McMillan Street and the other was shot on Wallace Circle. One of the victims was reportedly inside a pick-up truck when he was struck and the vehicle crashed into an apartment unit. One man did not survive his injuries and the other was taken to a hospital. Their current condition is unknown at this time. While officers were investigating the incidents, gunshots could be heard throughout the city, but no other injuries were reported. Further details remain limited as the ..read more

For the first time in decades, Planet Fitness is raising the cost of its basic membership. The no-frills membership has been priced at $10-per-month since 1998. It is soon set to cost $15-per-month. The hike will take effect this summer. However, current members, who joined at $10-per-month, will continue to pay that amount until their membership expires. If renewed, the new $15 price will then be implemented. Planet Fitness is only raising the price of its Lowest Tier that lets members use a single gym location. The gym chain said the membership price hike comes after price-testing in multip ..read more

As of Thursday, TikTok will now automatically label videos and images made with artificial intelligence. AI-generated content on the app will now be tagged with “Content Credentials,” a digital watermarking technology from the ‘Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity.’ TikTok said, “The credentials attach metadata to content, which we can use to instantly recognize and label AI-generated content.” The app already labeled content made with its in-app AI effects but the new label will be added to AI content uploaded from other platforms as well. The update comes as lawmakers and exper ..read more

The Senate passed a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill Thursday. The $105 billion measure would renew authority for the FAA for the next five years. The funds are expected to improve aviation safety, enhance protections for passengers and workers as well as invest in airport and air travel infrastructure nationwide. The bill raises maximum civil penalties for airline consumer violations from $25,000 to $75,000. It also aims to address a shortage of air traffic controllers by directing the FAA to implement improved staffing standards and expand hiring. In addition, the legisl ..read more

The testimony of Stormy Daniels wrapped up Thursday in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial. Daniels alleges her and Trump had a sexual encounter in 2006 and was paid off to keep quiet about the affair. The former president is accused of falsifying financial records to cover up the said payments. Trump’s attorney’s claim Daniels had financial motivation regarding speaking out about the alleged encounter years later. Daniels pushed back on claims she was untruthful about the encounter, stating that the story is true, even as she was confronted with inconsistencies in some of the small deta ..read more

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to President Biden’s weapon shipment pause to the region. Last week, the U.S. halted sending a shipment of bombs to Israel. The pause came after Israel’s military moved forward with offensive plans in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where millions of Palestinians are sheltering. Israel has taken control over a border crossing in the area claiming Hamas uses it to conduct terrorist acts. Netanyahu said Biden made a mistake after pausing the shipment. The leader explained that israel would fight with its “fingernails” if necessary. The Israeli ..read more