Multi-platinum-selling country music artist Mitchell Tenpenny will be performing at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Complex on November 1, 2024, as part of his upcoming "Woke Up In A Dream Tour." Tour tickets are on sale this Friday, July 19, at Mitchell10Penny.com.

With 12,500 students, Anderson School Dist. 5 is facing a record number of housing units in their school zones, including T.L. Hanna High School which had just shy of 2,000 students last year.

For the Palmetto State, that means about 3,300 fewer high school graduates are enrolling in college this fall. Nationwide, numbers are down by about 250,000 students, suggesting more students are putting off college or opting not to attend altogether.

The shift, which was allowed after the South Carolina General Assembly gave counties the option to exclude groceries (unprepared foods) earlier this summer, will reduce the amount of annual road funding for the county from $50 annually to around $35 million annually.

The Anderson Observer, news from people you trust, was launched more than 15 years ago to provide daily local news coverage for Anderson County and to serve as an advocate for every individual and organization working to make our county a better place to live and work. We remain the only news organization covering local county and city government, plus news from the other towns and cities in the county, and are committed to continue to serve as a watchdog and public trust for the community as well as an advocate.

Anderson County also continues to grow at historic rates, with an estimated current population of more than 220,000 citizens, adding almost 20,000 since 2020, and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace.

Those who have been a part of service work in Anderson over the past three decades, were familiar with Austin’s smiling face and energy and dedication toward making sure help found its way where help was needed.

Anderson School Dist. 3 Superintendent Kathy Hipp said the district is growing and is ready for the upcoming school year, which will feature their first full-time districtwide mental health professional. The district was ranked the sixth best in South Carolina by Schooldiggercom.

I first met Joe in the mid-1970s, and slowly got to know him professionally and personally in the decades that followed, and eventually we became friends.

It’s expected to be the largest music event in the Upstate since George Strait’s festival in Clemson 25 years ago, with visitors from all 50 states and as far away as Germany.

More than 30,000 are projected to be on hand for “Rock the Country,” a two-day event at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center’s amphitheater set for July 26-27.

Roadwork, concerts, funding for in projects in parks and preparations for the largest music event in the county’s history are only part of the activity, according to Administrator Rusty Burns.

The district is the second largest in Anderson County, with just over 11,000 students, but has one of the lowest per-pupil expenditures in South Carolina, due to Act 388, which was passed by the General Assembly in 2006 with the ostensible aim of providing property tax relief to homeowners, shifting of property tax burden from primary homeowners to business property.

More than 55 kids, from preschoolers to high school students are taking part in this week’s Cricket Camp at the Anderson Sports and Entertainment Center.

It’s little surprise that the man who founded the Anderson Cricket Club two years ago is behind the effort to help local youth learn the sport.

With more than 2,000 students and 22 programs of study, ACTC is looking to continue to expand and add both programs and facilities for the future. Director Hollie Harrell, who has led the school for more than two decades, offers updates on the future, including the upcoming school year, in this interview with the Anderson Observer.

“Anderson County carefully monitors these funded projects to make sure they are going where they were approved to go,” said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns.

Burns said the new and previously funded projects are being carefully audited to assure they are being used for efforts in Anderson County.

SCORF also closely audits the funding from the opioid settlement funds.

Old Blue Eyes is back. After a series of sold-out shows at the end of June, the Market Theatre is bringing back “Frank Sinatra: Fly Me to the Moon” for two more shows this weekend.

The show features Drew Kenyon, who stole the show as Frankie Valley in the theater’s “Jersey Boys” earlier this year, crooning and storytelling as the legendary Sinatra.

Duke Energy is raising rates for residential customers by an average of $12 per month (8.7 percent) beginning Aug. 1. Commercial customers will see rate increases of 4.6 percent.

Small, locally owned community businesses are a challenge in these days of fast-food chains which offer convenience over quality and taste. Here’s hoping Honea Path’s Biscuit Barn will be around another 40 years.

The City of Anderson will swear in a one new council member Monday night and  the swearing in of new terms for three incumbents.

At the 6 p.m. meeting in city hall, Anderson Attorney Gregory R. Steele will take his new place as representative for Seat 6, while incumbent council members Luis Martinez II, Seat 2, James A. Stewart, Seat 4, and John M. Roberts, At-Large Seat 8, will be sworn in for new terms.

With the state’s budget officially approved and the governor’s vetoes out of the way, Anderson County will receive just over $9 million in special project appropriations.

The largest is a shared $1.5 million award from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority to expand and upgrade the Pendleton-Clemson-Anderson sewer line that runs along Clemson Boulevard. It is the main truck for the most congested commercial part of the county and is in need of expansion and upgrades to meet capacity, which is nearly full now, as well as prepare for future development along that corridor.