Anderson, Belton, Williamston, Iva and the Denver community managed to dance between the raindrops and put on their finest seasonal adornments, while Honea Path, Pendleton, and Pelzer/West Pelzer parades were washed out by the cold, heavy rains that greeted the first two weekends of December.  

At their final meeting of 2023, Anderson County Council will give final vote to the $8.3 million bond issue for repairs to the historic courthouse. The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. at the Anderson Civic Center, since court is currently in session at the historic courthouse.

Robbie Binnicker has spent most of his lifetime in the halls of the schools of Anderson School Dist. 1. But when the final school bell rings for the 2023-2024 school year, Binnicker, who now serves as superintendent, will turn in his keys and move to the coast. 

“I am so excited to see new investment, new jobs and better opportunities coming to this part of Anderson County,” said Anderson County Council Dist. 2 where the facility will be located. “I have no doubt that Carolina Structural Systems will find that our workforce goes above and beyond the call of duty and will be proud partners in making this investment a tremendous success.”

This list is revised and updated. As much as I have always loved the music of the season (my collection of more than 7,500 mostly pre-1960 holiday tunes continues to grow), I understand why so many others do not. Much of what fills the radio and department stores this time of year is painfully bad.

Sanders reflects on his tenure and recaps 2023, and Riddle looks ahead to the year ahead in these interviews with the Anderson Observers.

Mayor Will Ragland said aging system was expensive to run, and costly to citizens of Pelzer before selling to the Greenville Water System this year. Ragland also said the move had saved Pelzer residents 30 percent on water, as well as removing the burden on the town ro repair and maintain the near-century old water lines.

With the South Carolina Presidential Primary less than two month away, the Anderson County Voter Registration and Elections office is searching for candidates to assist in the early voting precinct.

The mapping software would not only make the layout of every school in the state available instantly, but would also allow dispatchers to update the maps in real time — marking possible locations of suspects, students who need rescuing or other important data.

The City of Belton witnessed steady growth across the board in 2023, according to Mayor Eleanor Dorn.

A $9 million infrastructure grant, new housing starts, expanding recreation programs and events marked the year for the city.

A grant to renovate the empty building on the town square for a new museum, and work on moving the Anderson County Library to the square was also started this year. 

Greenville & Western Railway Company, LLC, in partnership with the Belton Interfaith Ministerial Association (BIMA) and the Presbyterian Food Bank of Pelzer and Williamston (PFB) hosted the Santa Express to collect food for those in the community who are in need this season.

The 50-acre Kayfield Farms property has been sold to a new developer who is asking the city to reduce the number of lots to 124 and to increase the average lot size. Requested changes to any approved Planned Development District must be approved by council.

The full plates of food are also a family affair, with many relatives - including his mother (and her banana pudding).

Hope Missions of the Upstate is teaming up with other Anderson charities to provide more than 300 backpacks loaded with essentials for our neighbors, friends and family in the community who need help.

“We are very delighted with this announcement and are always happy when investment is spread across Anderson County,” said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns.

Voters will be asked to fund road repair and maintenance with a penny sales tax, which would generate enough revenue over time for the county to catch on fixing roads. With more than 1,500 miles of county-owned roads, no serious efforts have been made in decades to properly fund road repair/maintenance, which has created a crisis across the county keeping roads safe and navigable. 

The City of Anderson continued the trend of rapid growth in 2023. New housing, both downtown and throughout the city limits, new businesses, successful events, and expanded recreation opportunities reflected the growth.

Anderson County took on the job of maintaining the trees which were planted on the state parkway which opened Nov. 8, 2013. Since the trees are on a state road, they are not the county’s responsibility, but as they grew and became unwieldy, the county tried to cut the trees back and keep them from canopying over the roadway creating potential hazards for drivers.

The market is scheduled, rain or shine, Dec. 8, 9, 15 and 16 from 4:30-8:30 p.m.