County Council Oks Guidelines for Redistricting

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council approved a resolution on Tuesday concerning guidelines for the redistricting of county council lines based on the numbers provided by the 2020 United States Senate. 

The county will seek to equally divide the 203,718 citizens into the seven county council districts.

Anderson County Council Governmental Affairs Director Steve Newton said the ideal target size for a district would be 29,103, with an upper limit of 30,558 and a lover limit of 27,648. 

“I don’t perceive any kind of radial changes,” said Newton who added that no maps have been drawn yet. “We want to keep districts as stable as possible, without within these guidelines.” 

Some districts, such as that of Dist. Six Councilman Jimmy Davis, which includes the Powdersville area and is home to more than 33,000, is likely to shrink, while districts two and five, which represent areas that include much of the City of Anderson, are likely to gain citizens, said Newton. 

Here are the guidelines council approved at the meeting concerning redistricting:

• Adhere to the court ordered constitutional requirements of one person, one vote and do so by following constitutionally mandated equal protection requirements and accepted population variances;
• Adhere to all applicable sections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, as amended, and the controlling court decisions thereunder;
• Ensure that parts of proposed Districts are contiguous;
• Respect Communities of Interest;
• Attempt to maintain constituent consistency;
• To the extent practicable, ensure that the districts are geographically compact; Seek to avoid splitting voting precincts; and
• Solicit public input.

A draft of the proposed changes could be ready for council’s review in December, with redrawn maps finalized in January 2022, well ahead of the November 2022 elections. 

The county will also seek to avoid the splitting of voting precincts, but acknowledges it may be necessary in some areas.

The final maps must be approved by the state office of research and statistics.

Belton, Honea Path, Iva, Pelzer, Pendleton, West Pelzer Elections Tuesday

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

If you live in Belton, Honea Path, Iva, Pendleton, Pelzer or West Pelzer, Tuesday is election day.

To see a sample ballot for your election, visit SCVotes.org.

The following races are set for Nov. 2:

Belton

Council Ward 1 Mark Spence

Council Ward 3  Brandy Vaughan, Tammy Kay

Council Ward 5, Lynda McCoy (Incumbent), Heather Adams 

Honea Path

Council Ward 1 A. Earle Ashley (Incumbent),

Council Ward 3  Jean Perrett (Incumbent),

Council Ward 5  Dorothy “Dot” Evans(Incumbent),

Iva

Mayor  Bobby Gentry (Incumbent),

Council Ward 1 Elmer Powell

Council Ward 2  Dwayne Kelley (Incumbent),

Council Ward 3  Mary B Forrester (Incumbent),, 

Council Ward 4   Paul Hart (Incumbent), 

Pendleton 

Mayor Frank Crenshaw (Incumbent),

Council Ward 1 Lyn Merchant

Council Ward 1 Bruce L. Kalley (Incumbent),

Council Ward 3 Vince Gaulin, M. Denise Jackson (Incumbent),

Pelzer

Mayor, Will Ragland (Incumbent),

Council Skip Goldsmith (Incumbent) , Mike Matthews (Incumbent), Donna Ide, Matt Turner 

West Pelzer

Council  Jeff Lee, Johnny C Rogers Sr, (Incumbent)

For more information on absentee voting, contact the Anderson County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 260-4035 or visit their website at www.andersoncountysc.org.

Brock Elder Wants to Boost Sports Opportunities at Wellington Park

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

It started when Brock Elder noticed a lot of kids playing pickup soccer on the old grassy areas at Wellington Mill Park.

The park, which for decades has been a hub for baseball, basketball, softball and soccer in the community, needed some work. Elder called Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns and, working closely with Anderson Parks Manager Matt Schell, put together a plan to upgrade the park.

Elder had earlier been inspired by a program by Kyle Martino, who ran in the 2018 U.S. Soccer Federation presidential election and also works on air with NBC Sports in their coverage of the English Premier League, recently launched the non-profit Over Under Initiative with the goal of increasing access to sport in urban neighborhoods.

The organization refers to a solution for public playing surfaces which would provide soccer goals underneath basketball hoops. By converting basketball courts and other blacktops to multi-sport spaces, the Over Under Initiative is providing more play opportunities for kids most in need of these proven benefits.

Martino and his team tracked activity at thousands of public basketball courts across New York City, and found that hundreds of the courts were vacant every day for hours on end, effectively wasting opportunities for the community to use those surfaces for soccer or other sports.

“I was terrified to find out, simply the incredible life benefit of being involved in teams sports has become a luxury of a few and not a right of all,” Martino said on The SoccerWire Podcast. “I founded the Over Under Initiative because I knew access to youth sports was the big problem that’s becoming a health crisis with childhood obesity tripling since the ’70s… I was out to figure out, what is this problem keeping kids out of sports, and Over Under Initiative was the answer.”

Through the Initiative, Martino and his team have worked with cities not only in New York, but also in Grand Rapids, Mich. and now Anderson to provide multi-sport athletic courts in urban areas.

Martino is expected to visit Anderson for the grand opening, which is tentatively set for mid-November if delays in shipping of equipment can be overcome.

Elder talked about the project, his involvemnt in soccer, and more in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

Return of Charter Air Service Welcome at Anderson Airport

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Charter air service has finally returned to Anderson Regional Airport.

AClemson Air Charter (CAC) is now offering chartered flight services to the general public at the Anderson Regional Aiport. 

“We couldn’t be happier to have Clemson Air Charter joining the family at Anderson Regional," said Anderson County Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders, who is also a pilot. "People have been wanting this kind of service for years and we are happy to deliver.”

Call (864) 276-7047, visit their office at the Anderson Regional Airport terminal, located at 5805 Airport Road, or visit www.clemsonair.com for more information.

“These are the types of aviation-related businesses that we’ve been working hard to recruit to Anderson Regional Airport," said Anderson Regional Airport Manager Brett Garrison. "Operations such as this help us provide better service to the community while also enhancing the utility of our facility.” 

CAC owner and operator John Von Kaenel, who has more than 15 years of experience as a commercial airline pilot and charter operator, talked about offering Anderson-area residents air travel for business or pleasure in this inter view with the Anderson Observer

Halloween Not Just American Holiday

It's Halloween — a time when ghouls, ghosts and goblins are said to roam the landscape and the barrier between the living and the dead becomes permeable. 

But though Halloween and its trick-or-treating traditions have gone global, almost every culture has its share of homegrown spirits and frights. From the flesh-hungry demons that terrify in Native American culture to the Frankenstein-like creatures formed from Earth in Jewish lore, here are five spooky spirit traditions from around the world.

1. All Hallows' Eve
All Hallows' Eve takes place in Western countries around the world on Oct. 31. The tradition is now linked to the Nov. 1 Christian holiday of All Saint's Day, in which people pray for the souls of departed loved ones. But many believe the roots of the holiday come from Celtic harvest festivals, most notably Samhain, which marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. During Samhain the barrier between the spirit world and the ordinary one was said to be especially thin, allowing fairies and other spirits to wreak havoc on crops and livestock if not placated with offerings and treats. The souls of dead relatives were also said to revisit their old homes, so a place would be set for them at the dinner table. [13 Halloween Superstitions and Traditions Explained]

2. Hungry ghosts
In traditional Chinese culture, the seventh month of the Chinese calendar is Ghost month, a time when spirits and ghosts emerge from the lower realms. On the 15th day of the month (this year it occurred in August), the dead are supposed to visit the living. The spirits roaming the streets are said to have been neglected by their kin and therefore have long, needle-thin necks due to starvation.

Because the gates of both heaven and hell are open, so the legend goes, living relatives perform Buddhist or Taoist rituals to wash away the suffering of the dead. In countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, residents will make colorful paper incense sticks in the shape of dragons, burn fake hell currency and offer various paper goods to their ancestors.

3. Kite festival
Throughout Central America, families gather in cemeteries on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 to honor the dead. But in Sumpango, Guatemala, people also create elaborate, giant kites of paper or bamboo, some of which can be 20 feet (6 meters) across. On All Saint's Day, people go to a huge hill overlooking the biggest cemetery in town and release the kites. The kites are then ripped to shreds by high winds, symbolizing the cycle of life and death.

4. Cannibal spirits
In Native American culture, cannibalism was associated with inviting malevolent spirits into your body. Algonquin-speaking tribes feared the so-called windigo, a demonic creature that may take possession of someone's body. The windigos were said to stalk during winter and times of famine. People could essentially invite the windigo into them by partaking in cannibalism, or the evil spirits could enter their bodies during a dream. 

5. Earthen monster
In Jewish lore, human beings can invoke a Frankenstein-like monster called a golem into existence by fashioning a body out of Earth and then walking around it while either reciting the letters that form the secret name of God or writing the Hebrew letters for truth on its forehead. According to Jewish tradition, Adam, the first human being, was a golem, without a soul, for the first few hours of his existence. To destroy the golem, the creator would either walk backward and recite the letters of God's name backward, or erase the letters on its forehead. In some legends, Jews in 16th-century Prague created a golem to fight off anti-Semitic attacks.

S.C. Ag Museum Goes Whole Hog with BBQ Exhibit at Farm Fest

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

The Bart Garrison Agricultural Museum of South Carolina is going whole hog Nov. 6, with tasty exhibit on the history of smoke, heat and meat.

How barbecue is prepared leaves regional stamps on Southern communities, and the new, temporary exhibit based on this delicious history of local barbecue begins at 10 a.m. Nov. 6 at the museum in Pendleton.

“Swine to Sauce: A History of Barbecue in South Carolina” aims to educate visitors on the history and practice of pork production and preparation, including the African Americans and Native Americans influence traditional whole-hog barbecue.

The event is set in correlation with the return of museum’s annual Farm Fest, which celebrates the legacy of family farms in the history of the area, including a showcase of Upstate Century Farms.

“The BGAMSC team has been preparing barbecue for years and is excited to share both the history and the passion that we hold for the pursuit,” says Andrew Stevenson, grants and fundraising coordinator. “We are polling folks about their favorite sauces and offering visitors special recipes from around the state.”

The Farm Fest event includes hay rides, kids crafts, farm animals, a tractor show/demonstration, tours of the historic Woodburn House and other activites and vendors.

Tickets are $5 and are available here. For more information, call (864) 646-7271 or email josh@lakehartwellcountry.com 

Council to Consider Tax Incentives, Zoning Requests

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council will consider three zoning changes a two proposals for tax incentives for businesses as part of Tuesday's meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

Council will also vote on proposals from the Oct. 29 finance committe meeting.

At a 6 p.m. ceremony, council will honor law enforcement with a resolution.

Full agenda here.

High School Football Scores

Crescent 50, Liberty 7

Palmetto 43, Carolina 0

Westside 49, Pickens 7

Hillcrest 44, T.L. Hanna 28

Wren 49, Pendleton 0

Powdersville 43, Soutside 12

Daniel 38, BHP 7

David Beasley: Two Men Could End World Hunger

Wire Reports

A small group of ultra-wealthy individuals could help solve world hunger with just a fraction of their net worth, says the director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

Billionaires need to “step up now, on a one-time basis”, said David Beasley, who is the former governor of South Carolina, in an interview on CNN aired Tuesday — citing specifically the world’s two richest men, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

“$6 billion to help 42 million people that are literally going to die if we don’t reach them. It’s not complicated,” he added.

Tesla chief executive Musk has a net worth of nearly $289 billion, according to Bloomberg, meaning that Beasley is asking for a donation of just 2% of his fortune. The net worth of US billionaires has almost doubled since the pandemic began, standing at $5.04 trillion in October, according to progressive groups Institute for Policy Studies and Americans for Tax Fairness.

A “perfect storm” of several crises, such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, mean many nations are “knocking on famine’s door,” Beasley said.

Half of the population of Afghanistan — 22.8 million people — face an acute hunger crisis, according to a WFP report released Monday. Rampant unemployment and a liquidity crisis means the country is teetering on the edge of a humanitarian crisis and 3.2 million children under the age of five are at risk, the report concluded.

A series of new reports from the Biden administration issued a stark warning last week: The effects of climate change will be wide-reaching and will pose problems for every government.

Among the reports, the administration details how climate change is driving migration, the first time the US government is officially recognizing the link between climate change and migration. The WFP has warned about this swell of movement in the past, particularly in the “Dry Corridor” region in Central America.

“For example, take the United States and the region in Central America, the Dry Corridor, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua — just down in that area alone,” said Beasley Tuesday. “We’re feeding a lot of people down there and the climate is just changing with hurricanes and flash flooding; it’s just devastating.”

In Ethiopia, the WFP estimates that 5.2 million people are in urgent need of food assistance in the Tigray region, where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has led a major offensive against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since last year. Thousands of civilians have since been killed, while more than 2 million have been displaced.

Humanitarian organizations like the WFP have struggled to get supplies to those in need in the region, compounding the crisis.

“I don’t know where they’re getting the food from,” said Beasley in the wide-ranging interview. “We’re out of fuel. We’re out of cash, in terms of paying our people and we are running out of money and we can’t get our trucks in.”

City Council Moves Forward on Distribution of ATAX Funds

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson City Council approved, on first reading, distribution of $136,700 of Accomodation Tax (ATAX) funds as on Monday. Full list here.

City council also approved:

Rezoning of 218 Tribble Street, 508 and 520 Fair Street, and 1.98 acres located off Clinkscales Street from Heavy Industrial to General Commercial designation.

On first reading, a request to rezone College Parke townhomes and an adjacent lot off Old Williamston Road from Planned Development District to Multi-Family Residential.

Local Artists to Show Work Inspired by Halloween

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Three local artists will hold a showing of their darker side with a Halloween exhibit Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. at La Bella in downtown Anderson.

City to Consider Distribution of ATAX Funds Monday

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson City Council will consider recommendations for use of Accomodation Tax (ATAX) funds as part of Monday's meeting at 6 p.m. in council chambers. Council will also consider rezoning requests as part of the meeting. Full agenda here.

The city’s total to allocate this year is $136,700.18, while the total amount requested by these organizations was $225,600. Here is the proposed distribution of the funds, which will be voted on Monday:

West Pelzer Farm Fest Celebrates Agriculture

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

A large crowd showed up Saturday for West Pelzer's annual Farm Fest, an event aimed at celebrating and education local folks on the importance of agriculture in Anderson County and South Carolina.