Vets Helping Vets of Anderson’s “Lost City Regatta” welcomed a fleet of cardboard boats and their crews and others Saturday to the Shores of Asbury as part of an event featured food, live music and a pirate costume contest all for a good local cause.

VHVA began as a community of 14 Veterans who were suffering from PTSD. When the Veterans Administration, which facilitated meetings to aid these veterans, discontinued the meetings in 2014, local veterans met the challenge and not only found a new place to meet but saw the need to expand services and support for their brothers and sisters who served the nation.

Around 200 kayaks were in the water to paddle the 9-mile stretch of the Saluda River, which takes approximately 3-5 hours, and debarks in Piedmont.

Proceeds from the event support the Area 14 Anderson Special Olympics.

The task force identified the need for more shelter beds in Anderson County. Currently, Anderson has the highest percentage of unsheltered homeless people. This represents 78 percent of the homeless population in the area. Meanwhile, Spartanburg County has three times the number of shelter beds as Anderson and even Oconee County has more shelter beds.

Thomas Garrison, a multi-generation farmer in Anderson County, said he believed the hype around hemp.

Garrison, who’s farmed in Pendelton since graduating from Clemson in 1980, was among the group who pushed for a 2017 law that allowed farmers in the state to grow hemp, a plant that’s the same species as marijuana but lacks the THC that gets people high.

Despite being one of the state’s hemp pioneers, he abandoned the crop after just two seasons. He didn’t even seek a permit in 2020. Garrison told the SC Daily Gazette his venture into hemp was probably the worst in his 45 years as a farmer.

Old-school country music performer Jamey Johnson is making a stop in Anderson Sept. 4 at the Anderson Civic Center as part of his national “Last Honky Tonk” tour.” It’s the only South Carolina stop on the tour. Tickets are available now at www.andersonevents.com 

“The civic center will be transformed into a Honky Tonk for the night,” said Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns. “This is a great concert win for Anderson and offers a great night out for fans.”

Some leglislators have said they will turn down the increase and have until Monday to declare their intentions.

S.C. Rep. Blake Sanders, Dist. 9, and S.C. Rep. Don Chapman, Dist. 8, have announced plans to use the additional funds to award grants in their respective districts.

Anderson County Council moved ahead with the proposed $292 million 2025-2026 fiscal year budget on Tuesday, which will include funding for Tri-County Technical College, 13 positions for the new detention center, raises for law enforcement and a likely three-percent raise for all county employees.

The budget is still a work in progress and will be revised before the final vote to approve. The current proposed budget does not include a county millage increase.

The United Way’s “Teaming For Teens Anderson County” is a group which represents agencies - law enforcement, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Social Services, the 10th Circuit Solicitor's Office, non-profits, the faith community, and the education community - most familiar with the challenge to find solutions, many of which are centered around undiagnosed mental health issues and poverty and their impact on some families. The group is now working on a short-term strategy to put in place this year and a long-term strategy to meet some of the challenges over the next five years.

The $64 million project could have a profound impact on the area and facilitate both commercial/industrial economic development and residential growth. The county, and the Pendleton area in particular, have witnessed exponential growth in the past decade, growth which shows no signs of slowing, and Clemson expects their population to double in the next decade.

The new facility is expected to offer state-of-the-art technology, improving reliability and operational efficiency for the next 10 years and beyond. The work is on schedule and expected to be complete by August of 2026.

The purpose of a library board is not to appease the political dogma of an individual, but to help the librarians provide a superior collection at the public library for all members of the community, which includes those who do not share their current own beliefs or line up with their agenda.

Building a solid collection of materials is the heart of any library system, and should be taken both seriously and with consideration toward all community citizens. The current approach seems to be aimed at books dealing with sexual identity, or books that explore racial themes, particularly those that depict the experiences of people of color, are the chief target of criticism.

The Metzdorfs, who could have chosen any city in America to call home, chose Honea Path because of the beauty of the area and “the people.”

The couple is the recipient of a new house built by Homes for Our Troops, a national non-profit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. The Honea Path home was built by Glenn Construction of Anderson, and the Metzdorfs could not say enough good things about the Glenn family and their work on the new home.

Anderson County Council Districts 2 and 3, in conjunction with Anderson County Planning & Community Development will host a zoning informational meeting Monday at 6 p.m., at Neal's Creek Baptist Church Family Life Center, 3204 Amity Rd, Anderson.

Recently 15 percent of residents petitioned a zoning request for the Neals Creek Voting Precinct.

The totally renovated 4,000-square-foot space that formerly housed the fire department features an open layout, more room for books and computers, study rooms, a large meeting room for community use, and plans for expanded programming.

A fiscal year budget with no millage increase, Anderson County’s population grows past 218,000 with the labor force topping 100,000 for the first time, new events at civic center and updates on various projects countywide top this month’s interview with Administrator Rusty Burns.

County council is currently working on a FY budget of nearly $300,000 million, which includes increases for law enforcement and potential raises for employees.

In SC, 28% of listings in March were considered affordable for “moderate income” buyers

A new state law lets cities set their own rules for where and when golf carts can be driven on South Carolina’s roadways but requires a new rule for passengers: Children under 12 must buckle up.

As initially proposed, the bill authorized any county to pass an ordinance allowing golf carts with headlights and rear lights to be driven at night. The purpose was to expand on permission that a 2016 law gave only to certain barrier islands.

The rain forced the celebration inside, but Honea Path continued the town’s long tradition of honoring those who fell in service to the country with the annual Memorial Day Service on Monday.

A salute to those who died, with their names read one-by-one, a children’s choir, and a history of the Memorial Day celebration were part of the event held indoors at the Honea Path Watkins Community Center.

Today is Memorial Day, a time set aside to honor those soldiers who gave their lives in service to our country.

I was once among those calendar fundamentalists who made a loud and pointed distinction between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but a couple of friendships decades ago changed my mind.

World War I: Robert Latham, Morge Hayes

World War II: Jerome Simpson, Melvin J. Green, James Martin, Loyd W. Watkins, James W. Loftis, Fred M. Newton, Theron J. Brown, James Carlisle Bryant, Lawton W. Smith, Walter T. Davis, Fred H. Werner, Aubrey J. Mcgill, Ira Eugene Wiles

Korean War: James W. Dunn, Bobby J. Smith

Vietnam War: Horace Jones, Clyde T. Martin, Melvin Bowman

The Cold War: Albert Glenn Dunse

Three local teams finished in the top 10: Emmanuel University’s Levi Seagraves Scooter Ligon finished fourth, Lander University’s Cole Taylor Clay Taylor came in seventh and Erskine College Lane Clark Tallis Morrison finished tenth.