Anderson City Council on Monday unanimously approved the annexation and rezoning of 139.5 acres on Shockley Ferry Road across from Silver Brook Cemetery to single-family residential which is expected to have 235, 7,000-square-foot lots. The houses will be required to meet all city requirements and will have a density of 1.75 houses per acre.

All seven council members took part in the interviews.

The latest five are the second of three rounds of five of the 15 finalists being considered for two, newly created at-large board seats for the library system. Council expressed a need for broader representation for the board based on the county’s rapid population growth.

The city is looking at the initial stage, a six-foot wide sidewalk linking the two campuses, aimed at improving pedestrian safety. The city and university are working with Seamon Whiteside engineering to design this initial phase of the project. Monday’s proposal is to award the construction bid for the roughly one-mile sidewalk to Southern Concrete and Construction for $396,000 and will be paid for by the accommodations tax.

Anderson County Council interviewed five candidates for the Anderson County Library Board of Trustees on Tuesday in an executive session during a special called meeting in the historic courthouse downtown. Six council members took part in the interviews, with Councilwoman Cindy Wilson absent from the meeting.

These five are the first of 15 finalists which will be considered for two, newly created at-large board seats for the library system.

A new drama debuted near the historic Pelzer Auditorium this week, and while the Mill Town Players were part of the cast, they were at the mercy of an off-site director with mysterious and vague intentions.

The Market Theatre’s 10th Annual 24-Hour Musical will be announced Friday, and local actors and theater crew are leaning forward ready to start the sprint to the show.

The United Way of Anderson County’s Annual Meeting honored location partners who support the work of the agency.

CEO Carol Burdette, who will step down in December after 25 years of leading the group, told how she became involved in the United Way and saluted some of those who inspired her in her work.

“Anderson County and its staff have done a great deal of work over the last 18 months on Anderson County Roads Study and Anderson County Bridge Study,” said County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “This is now for the people to vote, ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”

Anderson County Council will vote on approving use of Anderson County Transportation Committee funds for 17 roads as part of Tuesday’s meeting in the historic courthouse downtown. The $6 million from the ACTC will be matched with $600,000 from the current county budget.

On Tuesday, Summa Joe’s Searing Pans will open at 11 a.m. with pizzas, sandwiches, soup and salad. Due to limited storage and preparation space (Mr. Rivers Breakfast Joint next door is still under repair), no specialty pasta dishes, shrimp or scalloms will be available, but most of the menu will return.

The positions are paid, and training is provided. Download application here.

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With tuition costs lower than those of 1999, Tri-County Technical College continues to grow as the school marks its 62nd year of serve going into the 2024-2025 school year.

Additional music events are already in the works, and not only for country music fans (a criticism that has long dogged bookings of concerts here.) While it’s a little early to release the information, it is a marker of how word of the success of “Rock this Country” could make Anderson County a new destination for festivals and other large events.

The Mill Town Players breathed life into a muddled “Bonnie & Clyde” musical on opening night, thanks to skilled, energetic and robust performances by just about everyone who hit the stage and solid direction.

Burns also outlined recent growth in the county and offered some insight into the upcoming one-penny roads referendum, which will be on the ballot in November.

Nonpartisan candidate filing for the November 5 general election begins Friday 12 noon and remains open through Aug. 15 at noon.

Candidates can file for office at the County Board of Voter Registration & Elections, 301 N Main Street Anderson, SC 29621, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  

Bobby McGowens, a long-time educator and legendary local athlete, takes the helm this year at the alternative school program that serves students in all five school districts in Anderson County who have been expelled, court ordered or placed by a home school for remediation.

While providing taxpayers with an exemption on the six percent statewide sales tax as well as any applicable local taxes, the tax-free weekend also benefits in-state businesses by urging taxpayers to do their back-to-school shopping in South Carolina. During this time, taxes will not be imposed on clothing, shoes, school supplies, book bags, computers, printers, bedspreads and linens, and more.

On Saturday, the Pendleton Community Center held an event to showcase the upgrades and repairs to the landmark site just off the square.

The board of directors worked to bring in financial support for the effort, including a recent $50,000 “Hometown Grant” from T-Mobile. The current upgrade stage provided new roofing, new siding for the exterior and some interior renovations.

The annual event was sponsored by  Quantella & Company of REAL Broker LLC, the back-to-school giveaway, who said the need continues to grow each year.