The budget passed 104-15. It faces one final routine vote Wednesday before heading for the Senate.

Summary of the current library situation in Anderson County.

Interviews:

SCDOT Tyke Redfearn

S.C. Sen. Mike Gambrell on expanding broadband

Francesca Milford, director of City of Anderson Shared Kitchen

United Way CEO Carol Burdette and Clubhouse International Joel Corcoran on a new mental health clubhouse

Stuart Sprague, Anderson Area Recognition and Remembrance Initiative

Noah Taylor, Founder and artistic director Market Theatre

Sybil Todd, Founder of White Knight Entertainment and Cosplay 

The 29 citizens who attended Monday night’s Anderson County Library board meeting were civil, and used their indoor voices at the first meeting of the board since Anderson County Council approved a resolution to add two-at large seats to the seven-member panel in the near future. (See story on application process here).

The application, found here, includes questions about employment history, ownership of property in the county, ownership of a library card, work/civic/volunteer service, and reasons for interest in the board.

Early voting will be available Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Anderson County Board of Registration and Elections, 301 North Main Street, Anderson. Early voting replaces in-person absentee voting. Absentee by-mail voting is also available. Contact 864-260-4035 or visit www.scvotes.gov for more details.

If council approves the financing on Monday, groundbreaking is tentatively set for April, with work beginning as early as November.

The bill advanced unanimously Thursday from a House subcommittee would create an 11-member commission to design and raise money for a monument to Smalls and decide where on Statehouse grounds to put it.

“It’s just a game changer in our part of the world,” said S.C. Sen. Mike Gambrell, R-Anderson, who finally got broadband at his house in January after years of no service. Gambrell said he had heard nothing but positive comments from constituents on the broadband expansion.

The tight harmonies, shared first by Shawn Ropp as Tommy DeVito, Michael Crittendon as Bob Gaudio and Dalton Cole as Nick Massi, grew tighter as the 2.5-hour performance unfolded, and by the time they hit “Who Loves You” near the end, the sonic experience of the vocals is something to behold.

The law goes into effect immediately. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will spend the coming months preparing to offer the free classes for gun owners the Senate added to the bill as a compromise, according to a statement from the department.

But even as the justices ponder the case, lawmakers in the House are looking to expand the program beyond the law's provision for vouchers of up to $6,000 for up to 15,000 students a year.

“Celebrer le Musee” will feature a full French meal (The Bradbury Bistro is providing dinner, with spinach and artichoke Cremieux and baguettes, coq au vin, French baby carrots, and lemon tart), a silent auction and other activities to raise funds for educational programs. Music from the Combo Kings is also part of the schedule.

Four blue-collar kids from Jersey in the early 1960s found fame and fortune from their harmonies, and became one of the most successful and long performing groups in pop music history, with hits that include “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and “My Eyes Adored You” and “December, 1963 (Oh What A Night)”.

Thirty-one citizens spoke for more than an hour on the proposal, 21 against and 10 in favor of adding two at-large library board members, before council voted on the measure.

Since 2007, DST has begun on the second Sunday in March and ended on the first Sunday in November. Hawaii and Arizona are the only two states that do not observe daylight saving time.

This year’s winners were:

Pam Christopher, was awarded South Carolina Chamber Executive of the Year

Carol Burdette, President and CEO of United Way of Anderson, was honored with the Duke Citizenship & Service Award

Lois Philyaw, middle left, is presented the Ambassador of the Year

Jonathon Brissey, Young Professional of the Year

Steve Dean, New Foundations Home for Children, Non-Profit Director of the Year

A new resource to help those whose lives have been impacted by mental health issues in the works for Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.

The board currently has seven members, each appointed from the seven council districts by county council members. An overflow crowd was on hand at the Feb. 20 meeting, with supporters and opponents of the move taking nearly an hour of public comment time to express their views.

“Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”– Iron M

The fruity- or candy-flavored e-cigarettes that have caused vaping by youth to skyrocket are already illegal. Only e-cigarettes that taste like tobacco or menthol are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and they’re generally marketed as a way to help adults quit smoking.