Two candidates are vying for the South Carolina House Dist. 9 seat in Tuesday the S.C. Primary Runoff. Early voting is under way.

Former West Pelzer Mayo/Landscape Architect/City Planner Blake Sanders and Attorney James Gaylean.

Both were offered the opportunity to answer a series of questions for votes leading up to the runoff election. Only Sanders responded, despite multiple attempts and requests of Galyean to answer the same questions. The format is simple, with the candidates allowed to answer the questions in their own words without editing, save for grammar and to conform with the Associated Press Style Manual.

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As Summer begins, the Town of West Pelzer is focusing on security.

Mayor Jim Riddle said the town is exploring technology to protect online information, and has hired a new police chief who he said will be another good move for the town.

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In the United States House Dist. 3 race, Sheri Biggs will face Mark Burns. The two are vying to fill the seat which will be left vacant by Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-SC, who chose not to run for another term.

Burns received 35.72 percent of the primary election vote, 8,195 votes, and Biggs 33.24 percent, 5,842 votes.

In the race to fill the S.C. House Dist. 9 seat which will be left vacant by long-term legislator S.C. Rep. Anne Thayer, who is retiring, will feature attorney James Galyean and former West Pelzer Mayor Blake Sanders.

Sanders received 41.66 percent (1,852 votes) of the vote in the primary, to Galyean’s 38.78 percent, (1,763 votes). Rick Bradshaw, who received the remaining 551 votes in this race has endorsed Sanders in the runoff.

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Today is Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, which commemorates the emancipation from slavery in the United States.

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Anderson County Council gave final approval to the request on Tuesday from the City of Belton to transfer law enforcement responsibilities to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office. 

The plan could be in place by July 1.

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The Anderson County Library celebrated Juneteenth a little early this year, with an event in the Electric City Makerspace on the second floor of the main branch in Anderson.

Dr. Raen Parker Washington led the event, which included art projects, history lessons and other celebrations. Washington, an artist, poet and writer, even created an original poem based on the words from those in attendance.

The event also featured a selection of books from the library celebrating Juneteenth and the African-American experience.

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The House and Senate were supposed to return to the Statehouse this week to approve a more than $14 billion state budget ahead of the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

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Belton’s move to turn over law enforcement responsibilities to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is one of the top news stories for the city moving into summer.

Belton is also looking to new business which builds home construction beams and will bring new jobs paying more than $28 dollars an hour to the city.

Mayor Eleanor Dorn updates these stories and more in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

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The $2.65 million grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to Honea Path for environmental remediation and cleanup efforts at the abandoned Chiquola Mill site tops the news from the town moving into summer.

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Council will not vote on the third reading of the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget as part of Tuesday’s meeting. The South Carolina General Assembly is still finalizing the state budget for the upcoming year, which prevents the council from finalizing the county’s budget.

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It’s Fathers Day, the day to celebrate dear old dad.

It all started on July 19, 1910, when the governor of the State of Washington proclaimed the nation’s first “Father’s Day.” However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official, that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States.

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The Mill Town Players’ "Barefoot in" the Park" is a carbonated, wacky comedy, with a small cast bubbling with big jokes and a running bit that leaves the actors breathless and the audience laughing.

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Green Pond Landing will host the 15th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship Thursday-Sunday, with more than 400 teams signed up from around the world. Including Canada, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

More than $3 million in prizes and scholarships are the big fish for the four-day tournament.

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A new gym, library plans moving forward, new businesses and housing, and a new home for the Iva museum, are all part of the progress in Iva going into Summer.

Town Manager Tim Taylor talked about the town’s growth in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

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The Cheney project is well under way and will feature a planned community with 120 housing units and mixed retail, all matching the design and look of the 121-year-old mill. Construction could be completed by the fall of 2026.

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All registered voters, whether they voted in the primary or not, are eligible to vote in the runoff elections. Primary turnout was 20.1 percent, but runoffs historically have much smaller turnouts. Only voters who voted Republican in the primary will be allowed to vote in the runoff since there are no Democratic Party runoff elections.

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The new City of Anderson $84.7 million budget includes the $13.75 Linley Park Project, which not only expands and improves the park but corrects stormwater issues and restores Whitner Creek. This project is made possible by the city’s hospitality tax, which began in 2001 with a collection of $50,000, and is now close to $50 millon annually.

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Two primary races will be decided in runoffs, after Republican candidates in the S.C. House Dist. 9 and U.S. House Dist. 3 contests failed to produce a candidate with 50 percent of the vote.

In the S.C. House Dist. 9 race, Blake Sanders and James Gaylean were neck-and-neck with around 40 percent of the vote (as of 10 p.m. no official result numbers), and in the U.S. House Dist. 3 race to fill Jeff Duncan’s seat, Mark Burns will face Sheri Biggs in a runoff.

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The current budget, which must be approved on second reading June 24 to take effect, does not include a tax increase, but some fees will rise.

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The Belton Area Museum offers something inspiring for the kid in all of us.

“Creative Construction” features elaborate Lego displays, plus other classic building kits such as Lincoln Logs highlighting the creative side of building with materials made for kids. The exhibit will be open through Aug. 24. For more information, call 864-338-7400 or email beltonmuseum@bellsouth.net

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