Myrtle Beach Sun Times News Paper

Celtic-themed pub to debut in Myrtle Beach

A Celtic-themed pub deemed too risque for an Illinois town opens Thursday at Broadway at the Beach, raising the eyebrows of some store managers at the complex but giving others optimism that the new venue will help boost business.

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, a Tempe-Ariz.-based chain known for its "kilt girls," is opening its first S.C. location on the 21st Avenue North side of Broadway.

The 8,500-square-foot pub has seating for up to 275 inside with more seating on an outside deck overlooking the lake. It will feature the trademarks of the Tilted Kilt brand, including a bar with about 40 brews on tap, Celtic-inspired cuisine such as shepherd's pie and, of course, the servers - known for their scanty attire of short, plaid kilts that match the bra that peeks from under white camp shirts tied to show off their abs, capped off with white knee socks.

Some say it's not an image that fits with family-friendly Broadway, especially outside the complex's nightclub-centric Celebrity Square.

"I'm just concerned because we are more of a family side of Broadway," said Kathy Turner, who works at a nearby store. "It is a little risque."

Michael Ford, general manager of the new restaurant, said the eatery is designed to accommodate anybody, and the servers' attire isn't more revealing than outfits you might see walking along the beach.

"We are PG-13," Ford said.

But that was a little too risque for Evanston, Ill., which rejected a Tilted Kilt there after about 2,000 residents signed a petition against it, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl turned down the eatery's application for a liquor license, saying it does not comply with community standards, according to the newspaper.

"First time we've been denied," Ron Lynch, 60, who launched the chain in 2005 after visiting the prototype in a Las Vegas hotel, told the Chicago Tribune. "It's kind of a shocker."

Tilted Kilt, which opened in 2003 in the Rio hotel in Las Vegas, is in growth mode, with 50 open restaurants and another 25 in development. In Myrtle Beach, the restaurant did not have to get approval from Myrtle Beach's Community Appearance Board because it is considered an interior building at Broadway, not visible from the street, city spokesman Mark Kruea said. It did have to get the usual building permits and inspections, he said.

The eatery in Myrtle Beach, decorated with limericks painted on the walls, old movie posters and memorabilia from locally owned Pine Lakes Country Club, is one of several new restaurants moving into Broadway this summer aiming to shake up the venue's restaurant lineup. Tilted Kilt replaced Tony Roma's, which had operated at the complex since it opened in 1995 but closed in mid-September after its lease was not renewed. Tony Roma's manager said at the time that business had been steady; it was the chain's only S.C. location.

The Carolinas | Denmark Tech president resigns - Local - The Sun News

The president of Denmark Technical College has resigned amid an investigation of the school employees' use of state-issued credit cards.

The (Orangeburg Times and Democrat of Orangeburg reported that Michael Townsend Sr. quit during a school meeting Tuesday.

Townsend says his decision is not related to the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education's probe into the school's use of state purchasing cards.

Officials found $14,000 in improper charges on the cards including personal meals and gasoline. The review also found nearly a third of the $24,000 in authorized charges weren't properly documented.

Earlier this month, Townsend said the school and its employees would be held responsible for any card misuse. He says he thinks most of the charges came from employees not being properly trained on the cards' use.

Anyone who ever wanted to drive to work like a billionaire now has a chance, thanks to the estate of textile magnate Roger Milliken.

The United Way of the Piedmont is holding bidding online through 4 p.m. Friday for Milliken's 2001 Cadillac DeVille.

Milliken's family donated the car shortly after his death in December.

The car has less than 20,000 miles on it. The family says Milliken only drove it to work at Milliken & Co. in Spartanburg and to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, where he served as chairman.

Bids can be submitted at www.uwpiedmont.org at the "Roger Milliken Cadillac Auction" link.

A member of a well-known barbecue-making family in Darlington County has been found shot to death.

Authorities said Wednesday that 44-year-old Richard Gardner was found dead at his home, which was also known locally as Skeet's Bar-B-Q.

Coroner Todd Hardee ruled Gardner's death on Tuesday a homicide, but said releasing any more details might hurt the investigation.

Deputies haven't named any suspects and said they didn't have a motive for the killing.

Eight people in the waiting room of a medical clinic in Williamston were hurt Wednesday after a disoriented 91-year-old man hit the gas in his car instead of the brake, sending the vehicle over a curb from the parking lot and into the building, authorities said.

Four people in the lobby were critically injured and taken to a Greenville hospital, Anderson Emergency Medical Services spokesman Scott Stoller said. Six others, including the driver of the car and his wife, had less severe injuries and were taken to a hospital.

SRDS newspaper advertising source

Best of Newspaper Design 31

Newspaper circulation analysis

Insiders' Guide to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, 10th

Newspaper rates and data