Of the county’s 94,241-member workforce, 91,241 were employed last month. The county’s rate, tied for eight lowest in South Carolina, reflects the statewide bump in unemployment in October.

Her love for Pendleton and creating handmade cakes, candies, pies and more have brought joy to Blackwell and those who stop by for a sweet treat. Holiday hours at the Pendleton Candy Company are 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays.

It's the most wonderful time of the year, time to deck the halls, haul out the holly and get ready to light up this year's county Christmas tree downtown which now tops 46 feet. Piedmont and Williamston have already held events, and more county civic celebrations of the holidays with Christmas parades, tree lightings and other events on the horizon.

The Village of Piedmont kicked off the holiday season with Winterfest on Sunday, which was met with a warm crowd and cold temperatures.

In addition to music, food, hot chocolate and Santa, the event featured the annual Christmas tree lighting.

The tree and town hall behind it eventually were alight with Christmas cheer, as Santa visited the crowd while snow fell from the wintery machine setting the tone for the season. The Palmetto Elementary School Choir brought music as the town honored its first citizen of the year as part of the festivities.

Once the renovation is complete, the goal is to offer not only physical objects to display, but to digitize the records and publish the catalog online for researchers across the country. It also plans to serve school student groups and educators as they delve into local history topics.

The total expenses for the tree, which now tops 46 feet, since 2015 come in at around $50,000. The costs related to purchase, setup, removal and disposal of a live Christmas tree on the courthouse square over the same period would have topped $150,000.  The holiday savings will continue to grow in Anderson County’s Christmas fund for at least another seven years, since the artificial tree is under warranty until 2030.

The Anderson Observer’s Gratitude Project offers some of your friends or neighbors talking about the transformative nature of gratitude. Some of the videos are available here.

Council also approved a $8.3 million bond to make long overdue repairs to the historic courthouse. The bond replaces a previous bond the county paid off recently. Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders recapped the meeting for the Anderson Observer.

The group loves the books and other efforts across the county and is always looking for volunteers to run the bookstore in the main library in Anderson and for other activities and events.

Anderson County Council will vote on amending the 2016 Comprehensive Plan including of the population, economic development workforce, and a new element of resilience and all maps and materials as part of Tuesday’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse. The plan is being updated after updates in data and from information gathered at a series of citizen input meetings held in each council district over the past year.

It kicks off Thanksgiving Day and will be open 5:30-10 p.m. through Christmas Day. Admission is $10 per car $25 for 15-passenger van or larger.

Today, let’s be grateful for those who have chosen public education as their mission in life. It’s a tough time to be in the classroom and administrative offices of public schools these days.

Today she runs Anderson’s tallest downtown establishment, a place with unmatched views and a chill vibe that is making the restaurant a bright spot for meals and gatherings.

The library launched its new LEAP (Learn, Adventure, Experience, Play) at those sites on Friday, and the offerings offer opportunities for learning and fun. Those with a library card, which is free to anyone living in the county, can now check out video games (and systems), pickleball equipment, fishing rods, video tablets, musical instruments, bird watching kids, magnetic chess sets, passes to parks and museums and more.

Smurfit Kappa is expanding its U.S. footprint by establishing the company’s first South Carolina operation. The Irish firm currently operates at 350 sites in 36 countries, with 46,000 employees worldwide, and specializes in cardboard packaging manufacturing, producing 11 billion square meters of such products a year. The company is also active in the paper-making and recycling sectors.

Today, let’s give thanks to the helpers in our charitable organizations, those who devote their lives to improve the lot of our neighbors, friends and family members who are in need. 

Creative volunteers from across the community have decorated trees to make them available for auction in plenty of time for hall decking this holiday season. A sneak preview is set for Wednesday, the luncheon is set for Thursday, followed by a "Tree-Mendous Party" event Friday and "Goodies with the Grinch" Saturday.

Donald Trump remains the top choice of South Carolina Republican registered voters for the Republican Party presidential nomination among the narrowing field of contenders, according to the latest Winthrop University Poll.

On Monday, AIM and the United Way of Anderson will host at communitywide distribution of a Thanksgiving meal package from 9 a.m-2 p.m. at the Anderson Civic Center.