AnMed Health’s 21st annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Saturday served not only as a children's introduction to doctors and nurses, but as a community open house for the new Piedmont facility.

Families lined up to visit the event, some with stuffed animals in hand while others were given a teddy bear, to demystify doctor and hospital visits for children (and their parents) through a series of activities and displays offering simulation of medical procedures with the teddy bear, or other stuffed animal as the patient.

The legislation, H.3276, passed the House and Senate earlier this year and sent the final version to McMaster last week. Those in violation of the law face a $100 fine for a first offense, and other infractions within a three-year period would cost them $200 and two points on their motor vehicle record.

A 180-day warning period would begin Sept. 1, during tickets would not be issued.

Anderson County is one of seven counties in South Carolina to close offices Friday to mark Confederate Memorial Day, S.C. is one of seven Southern states that still hold a day for the memorial. It is only an official holiday in three states.

It’s a good time to reflect upon and study the history surrounding the reasons for the continued support for the day, a uniquely American holiday, particularly in the South.

Though statues in general have largely lost their place as a public tribute, Confederate statues still dot town squares across the South, where more than 700 statues and memorials reside, including the one on the courthouse square in Anderson. Workers installed the Confederate memorial in downtown Anderson in 1902.

In 2022, the S.C. Senate passed a bill that would make Juneteenth a floating holiday, but it died in the S.C. House. In March 2022, the Senate also passed a bill that would allow public employees to choose Juneteenth as a paid holiday, but the House sent it to a committee where it died without a hearing.

The vote means data centers also will continue receiving sales tax credits for the computer equipment they purchase.

Utilities’ efficiency programs won’t be held to a set standard in terms of energy savings.

And power companies won’t be required to give landowners an earlier notice when construction of power plants, power lines, substations and pipelines impact their property.

The vote was not along party lines. The “no” votes came from three Democrats and eight Republicans

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson Vets Helping Vets of Anderson will host “The Lost City Regatta,” May 17 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at The Shores of Asbury, 1600 Asbury Park Rd. to benefit the organization’s mission.

The event will feature a cardboard boat race (to register visit VHVA.org), music, a pirate costume contest, games and food. Admission is free and the public is invited.

In 2020, Anderson County’s 2020 pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population was 5.89, the highest in South Carolina and markedly higher than the state’s rate of 3.65. The number of pedestrian fatalities highlights the need for sidewalks, biking trails and/or lanes, safer routes to school, and ADA accessibility in Anderson County. 

The county’s goal is to engage the community, and working with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, develop a plan that results in zero pedestrian deaths by 2045.

The Anne Frank Center, support programs for foster children, and treatment for sickle cell disease were among the proposals for state aid the House rejected Tuesday amid a pause in budget earmarks.

Rep. Jermaine Johnson knew his proposed additions to the state budget package stood little chance of passing.

But the Columbia Democrat wanted his colleagues to hear more about the aid they were dismissing by refusing to fund any earmarks.

His 37 amendments — all unsuccessful — were offered as the House revised its $14.4 billion spending package ahead of negotiations with the Senate on a final budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. Spending that’s already the same in both chambers’ plans, such as teacher raises, is locked in.

Council approved Matt Reeves, Jamie Cantrell and Garrett Beatty as the county’s members of the commission. All three have extensive business experience and have agreed to serve. The municipal members are expected to be appointed in the next two weeks.

The commission will be tasked not only with prioritizing roads, but crafting the actual referendum, which will include the priorities for the funds. That referendum would then require three readings by the county council to be put on a ballot for November.

If approved the tax will raise approximately $35 million per year for county roads, municipal roads and bridges. Currently Anderson County has a $350 million backlog of road/bridges work that is largely unfunded.

It’s graduation season, and Anderson County high schools have scheduled their ceremonies beginning next week.

Here’s a roundup of the dates and times for the county’s public high school graduations

Civil Rights leader Andrew Young is scheduled to speak at Anderson University’s Spring Commencement exercises Friday at 9 a.m. on the school’s Alumni Lawn.

Young’s career includes ministry, civil rights activism, politics, diplomacy, and international humanitarian work.

A commission consisting members from county council, the City of Anderson and other townships in the county is in place to craft the actual referendum. If approved the tax will raise approximately $35 million per year for county roads, municipal roads and bridges. Currently Anderson County has a $350 million backlog of road/bridges work that is largely unfunded.

The Belton Area Museum is sailing the high seas with their new exhibit, “Pirates: Preface to Independence.”

The exhibit opened Sunday, with displays of items used from the 1600s through the late 1700s, including nautical items, swords, coins, seafaring equipment, navigational tools for the sea, and shackles. Also on display are modern day pirate-themed books, artwork, decor, and other memorabilia.

But it is in such complicated details that the men and women who serve in our local governments serve us best. Many are not elected officials, they are civic employees who grind away at the bureaucracy and minutiae that are required to keep our infrastructure in place, our water running, toilets flushing, law enforcement and fire departments ready, elections running and efficient, roads repaired, bring in new jobs, protect us from those who have less than honest intentions and numerous other small public services that most would likely go unnoticed unless they were neglected.

AnMed Health’s 21th annual Teddy Bear Clinic on Saturday served not only as a children's introduction to doctors and nurses, but as a community open house for the new Piedmont facility.

Families lined up to visit the event, some with stuffed animals in hand while others were given a teddy bear, to demystify doctor and hospital visits for children (and their parents) through a series of activities and displays offering simulation of medical procedures with the teddy bear, or other stuffed animal as the patient.

The Anderson Free Clinic, with offices in Anderson and Honea Path, provides a healthcare home for the uninsured and underserved population in Anderson County, including those with long-term health issues, or dental/vision and mental health needs.

For more information, visit here or call (864) 226-1294.

West Pelzer is growing, with new housing starts and businesses finding a home in the town known as the “Upstate’s Front Porch.”

The town, which is also a bird sanctuary, is busy with events moving into early summer, including the annual dog show.

A community “Comprehensive Safety Action Plan” is scheduled Monday from 5-7 p.m. at the main branch of the Anderson County library to help identify potentially dangerous intersections and other areas which deserve attention, particularly in underserved neighborhoods.’

The meeting will seek community suggestions on areas where improvement is especially needed for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, which are still the primary source of transit for many to get to work.

A majority of Americans, including most Republicans, oppose major cuts in federal funding for Medicaid, according to a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF.

The survey shows that 76 percent of those questioned wouldn’t support  Congress slashing the amount of spending dedicated to the state-federal health program for lower-income Americans and some people with disabilities.

A tireless advocate for her constituents and the city as a whole, Thompson, who is now 91,  has been a pioneer in Anderson, from even before her election as the first African-American to serve on Anderson City Council in 1976. She also spearheaded efforts to move from all at-large seats on city council to election by districts for better representation.

For more than half a century Thompson has had a long-standing and influential voice in local government and as president of the South Carolina Municipal Association.