City Annexation Could Add 303 Housing Units Near Glenview

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson City Council will consider a request sto annex nearly 100 acres along Simpson and Old Williamston Roads as part of Monday's 6 p.m. meeting at city hal.

The plan calls for the development of "Bailey Creek Commons" which consists of 178 townhouses on the 30.7 acres along Simpson Road and "Bailey Creek Reserves" which proposes 175 single-family houses on the abutting 67.8 acres fronting Old Williamston Road south of Glenview Middle School.

City Council will also consider plans to purchase playground equipment for D.B. Walker Park as part of the meeting.

Full agenda packet here.

Mayor: Pendleton Growing, Ready for Jubilee

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Pendleton Mayor Frank Crenshaw updates downtown development, housing, sewer projects, the old Pendleton oil mill, and economic development and previews the Spring Jubilee in this March 2022 update in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

Reconciliation Project Making Progress Gathering Soil Samples

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative is hoping 2022 is a year of progress.

Currently, mirroring the work of the national Equal Justice Initiative, the group is gathering soil samples at the sites of five lynching victims in Anderson County that took place during the Post-Reconstruction Era of 1894-1911.

Plans are to work with the county on a marker dedicated to the memory of the victims and their families. 

The local reconciliation group includes City of Anderson Mayor Terence Roberts, Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns, the Dr. Rev. Ankoma Anderson of Welfare Baptist Church, John Miller, Stuart Sprague and Director, Diversity & Language Services at AnMed Health Juana Slade.

Original story from March 2021 here.

Dr. Anderson updated the project and plans for the months ahead in this March 10 interview with the Anderson Observer.

Lollis Metal $2.8M Investment to Bring 10 New Jobs

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Lollis Metals Fabrication Inc. (Lollis Metals), a metal fabrication and machine shop, will expand operations in Anderson County with a new $2.8 million investment which will create 10 new jobs.

“Lollis Metals is the type of medium-sized company that serves as the backbone of our local economy," said Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. "I am thrilled to see that they are once again expanding their operations and look forward to working with them for years to come."

Family owned and operated since 1979, Lollis Metals specializes in a wide variety of custom metal components including laser cutting, custom fabrication, robotic welding, forming and more. The company serves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout the mid-Southeast.
 
The expansion includes the addition of 10,000 square feet to the facility to house a new robotic tube laser at the Keys Street location.

The expansion is expected to be completed by December 2022. To apply for a job, visit the company’s contact page.

New Housing, a New Monument Mark Signs of Progress in Iva

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Iva Town Clerk Tim Taylor talks about progress, economic development, events and more in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

P.A.W.S. Joins National Adoption Week with Free Adoptions

Observer Reports

Beginning today, Anderson County P.A.W.S. is teaming up with North Shore Animal League America for Tour For Life 2022 – the world’s largest national cooperative, life-saving pet adoption event – in partnership with Rachael Ray® Nutrish®, for a weeklong celebration featuring adoption specials.

Through Saturday, the shelter will offer no-fee adoptions for felines, no-fee adoptions for large adult dogs and $35 adoption fees for small dogs and puppies.

P.A.W.S. is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from noon–5 p.m.

Bassmaster Classic 2022 Draws Record Crowds

Observer Reports

It was another record year for the Bassmaster Classic, hosted on Hartwell Lake in Anderson for the fourth time this year, with almost 160,000 fans on hand for the three days of events.

Jason Christie, a 48-year-old pro from Park Hill, Okla., brought in 17 pounds, 9 ounces on Sunday to take home the championship and the $300,000 first prize. His three-day total of 54-0 was 5 ounces better than that of second-place finisher Kyle Welcher, who shared the lead with Christie going into the final day. 

“Honestly, when I was sitting at the door waiting to come in and weigh my fish, I thought I had given it away again,” said Christie, who pushed his career earnings with B.A.S.S. to $1,668,011. “Stetson Blaylock had just weighed in a big bag, and Kyle Welcher used to be a professional poker player, so I knew he had more than what he was saying. 

“I knew it was going to be close. I honestly thought there could be a tie, and that was scary for me because I didn’t have any fish left.” 

Welcher earned $50,000 for finishing second with 53-11 while South Carolina pro Brandon Cobb earned $2,500 for overall Berkley Big Bass of the Week with the 6-12 largemouth he caught on Day 2.

S.C. Senate Bill Gives at Least $100 Tax Refund to Filers

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Everybody who files an income tax return in South Carolina — even the more than 1 million people who pay no state income tax — would get a rebate check of at least $100 in a bill being considered by the state Senate.

A subcommittee sent the rebates to the full Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. They make up about half of a $2 billion package that would also cut the top income tax rate from 7% to 5.7%.

The Senate proposal doubles the money put into tax cuts by the House, which unanimously passed its own tax package without a rebate last week.

Tax cuts went from talk to action in the past few weeks after state economists announced that between the booming state economy and money saved from previous budget years, South Carolina lawmakers have an extra $4.5 billion to spend this session.

Election Guidelines Set to Fill Anderson County Auditor Seat

Observer Reports

Following the recent death of long-time Anderson County Auditor Jacky Hunter, the Anderson County Board of Voter Registration and Elections will open filing to fill the seat in this year’s elections. 

Partisan candidate filing opens March 16 at noon and will remain open through March 30 at noon at the County Board of Voter Registration & Elections, 301 N Main Street Anderson, which is open, Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.   

The primary election for this seat is set for June 14. 

The filing form, the “Statement of Intention of Candidacy & Party Pledge (SICPP),” is required for filing and is available in the “Candidate Information” section of www.scvotes.gov and at the county election office. 

A filing fee of $1,761.81 must be paid at the time of filing by candidates seeking the nomination of a party nominating by primary, with checks must be made payable to the appropriate state political party. 

Candidates are also required to file a “Statement of Economic Interest and a Campaign Disclosure” online with the State Ethics Commission at www.ethics.sc.gov. Failure to file these documents may result in a candidate fine but will not disqualify a candidate from an election. Contact the State Ethics Commission for more information.  

For additional information, contact the Anderson County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 864-260-4035.

Senate Unanimously Approves Early Voting in S.C.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House on Wednesday unanimously approved allowing two weeks of early voting and other smaller changes to state election laws, uniting Democrats and Republicans on issues t hat have been contentious in other states.

The 114-0 vote sends the bill to the state Senate. 

Democrats praised Republicans for listening to them and crafting a bill they could support, even if there were a few partisan votes on alterations like making voter fraud a felony and requiring audits of at least 5% of all votes in a county in the days after an election. 

The subcommittee that crafted the bill did “a great job in a bipartisan effort to put a good bill together that we can all live with. I would ask you to please consider not messing the bill up with all these crazy amendments,” Democratic Rep. Leon Howard of Columbia asked his Republican colleagues.  

And Republicans did help defeat changes that might have had Democrats vote against the entire bill like closing primaries to only party members or requiring a driver's license or voter ID number for witnesses who sign absentee ballots.

The biggest change in the bill would be to make South Carolina the 45th state to allow anyone to vote outside of Election Day without an excuse. 

The state would have two weeks of early voting with polls open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A formula that takes into account the number of registered voters and the size of the county would decide the number of early voting sites. 

For many years, South Carolina has allowed people to cast absentee ballots in person, but they had to include an excuse for why they couldn't be at the polls on Election Day. Under the proposal, the state would go back to mail-in absentee ballots and voters would now have to include the last four digits of their Social Security numbers when requesting the ballots. 

The bill allows poll workers to open absentee ballots earlier with penalties if they report results and bans “fusion voting” where candidates can appear on the ballot under multiple political parties. 

“This was truly the work of a lot of different people,” said Rep. Brandon Newton, the Lancaster Republican who helped shepherd the bill through the House.

The bill also would make voter fraud a felony, increasing fines and possible jail time for people who try to vote under a false name, vote more than once or poll managers who intentionally break the law. 

The House did defeat an effort to eliminate voters from clicking on one box and voting a straight ticket for all their party's candidates. But the biggest fight came over whether to only allow voters registered with a political party to vote in that party's primary.

City of Anderson Chooses Charlie King as New Fire Chief

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

UPDATED

The City of Anderson has chosen veteran firefighter Charlie King as their new fire chief. King will officially come on board April 4.

“It is evidence of the quality of our operation that we were able to attract someone with Charlie’s experience,” said David McCuen, City Manager. “In addition to being extremely qualified, he has been a friend to the AFD throughout his career and Anderson is his hometown.”

King served almost 12 years as the Fire Chief at Oconee County Emergency Services/Westminster Station 6, and is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Whitefield Fire Station and the Anderson County HAZMAT team. He is also executive director of South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association, an organization he has served since 2011, where he has served in a variety of roles.

“I am committed to building on the success of the Anderson Fire Department and leading the operation into the future,” King said. “It means even more to me to serve my hometown.” 

In addition, as the Region 1 Coordinator for the South Carolina Firefighter Mobilization Program for the past 10 years, King has been active in training events and significant incidents across South Carolina. 

A graduate of the South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association Leadership Institute and the Maryland Fire Rescue Institute Executive Officer Program, King is married to wife Kristi and they have one son, Carson.

King replaces Chief Randy Bratcher, who retired at the end of 2021.

County to Purchase new Stage for Amphitheater at Civic Center

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council approved almost $800,000 in funding for a new stage for the amphitheater at the civic center Tuesday night, with the goals of attracting higher levels of talent to the venue as well as saving money moving ahead.

The original stage was condemned, and the county has been renting portable stages for outdoor events which are not conducive to attracting some acts which have certain stage requirements.

Council also approved moving ahead with a grant to create a mental health court and a court for veterans accused of crimes. The model will be similar to the county's drug court, which provides an alternative for those whose crimes are the result of their drug addiction. Defendants who participate in the program are required to plead guilty in court and they will be sentenced. The judge will suspend or transfer the sentence to the 18 month program. 

For more information on the meeting, watch this Anderson Observer recap with Anderson County Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders.

S.C. Sees 50 Jump in Overdose Deaths Since Pandemic Started

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Drug overdose deaths in South Carolina increased by more than 50 percent after the COVID-19 pandemic started, state health officials said.

Local officials are not surprised by the news. Anderson has seen a significant uptick in overdose deaths during this time.

Final figures from death certificates show 1,734 people died in drug overdoses in South Carolina in 2020, a 53 percent increase from the 1,131 deaths reported in 2019, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control said.

Officials said 1,400 of those 2020 overdose deaths were caused by opioids and fentanyl was involved in 79 percent of those fatal opioid overdoses.

“While we cannot directly correlate these overdose deaths to the stress and emotional toll these individuals may have experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Carolina’s overdose death data follows national trends that substance misuse has increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” DHEC Public Health Director Dr. Brannon Traxler said in a statement.

State health officials said they are working with the state Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, mental health professionals, law enforcement, federal officials and community groups to fight overdoses.