Superintendent Kathy Hipp, a figure who has been a part of the district for a remarkable thirty-six years—and is, in essence, a product of its very classrooms—speaks with the seasoned perspective of one who has witnessed the ebb and flow of generations.

"As we move into the fall, one big goal with the board is looking at the potential to replace our middle school,” said Hipp. "This has actually been years in the making, but some things are now coming together."

"The concern with spotted lanternfly is its potential impact on our forestry and agricultural industries," said Steven Long, Assistant Director of DPI. "Early detection is critical to prevent economic and ecological losses." Clemson officials are mobilizing with state and federal agencies to locate and eradicate the pest, which may involve accessing private property for surveillance and treatment.

“We had a really, really good year,” said Young. “We've got great people in Anderson 1. Our students accomplished a lot of great things this past year.”

While preparing for the upcoming school year, the district is also looking at some major changes in 2025-2026.

Oak Hill Elementary will be opening in the summer of 2026, setting in motion a series of shifts in elementary school movement, including a redrawing of attendance lines for the district’s three elementary schools.

The proposed sales tax, if approved by voters, would be dedicated exclusively to funding repairs and maintenance for Anderson County's 1,554 miles of roads and 162 bridges. It would be levied for an eight-year period, after which its continuation would require another voter referendum.

“We found that people are actually checking out more items now than they were 10 years ago,” said Anderson County Library Director Annie Sutton. “And the big increase there is the digital use of eBooks and audiobooks.”

Sutton said the library’s digital collection was so popular that many residents who have moved away from Anderson pay an annual fee for a library card to retain access to the collection.

Smith defeated challengers Luther Moon and Tina Scott in the special election for the position which was vacated earlier this year by Christopher Burton.

The unofficial results show Smith with 331 votes, Moon with 61 and Scott with 28.

Anderson County Council will consider recommendations of road priorities the verbiage of a referendum from the County Capital Sales Tax Committee on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the historic courthouse downtown.

Council must approve both, on three readings, before submitting documents to the South Carolina Election Commission to send a referendum to county voters in November asking for a one-penny sales tax for roads/bridges repairs.

Fifty-two votes were cast in early voting for tomorrow’s special election to fill the seat of mayor of Honea Path. Early voting ended Friday.

Three candidates are seeking the mayor’s office, after former Honea Path mayor Christopher Burton stepped down April 15: Luther Moon, Tina Maria Scott, and Dr. Jimmy Smith. (click names for interviews)

It's all part of planning ahead for the district, which boasted good scores on all accountability metrics and assessments in the 2024-2025 school year, said Superintendent Jason Johns.

“We have seen gains across the board,” said Johns. “In all areas, our students are actually learning at a higher level than they were pre-COVID.”

A new library downtown, updates on the old dime store on the square and a flurry of activities are among the highlights for the Town of Iva moving into summer.

After good turnouts for events in the spring, including the Spring Express and Memorial Day service, the summer brought a July 4 celebration and the state Dixie State Softball Championships which attracted participants from all over South Carolina.

Austin Carty was a writer long before he took to the pulpit.

A voracious reader, Carty, the senior pastor at Boulevard Baptist Church in Anderson, had published a collection of essays before entering seminary, but the seeds of his literary genesis are now an integral part of his life as both author and minister.

Pendleton’s Cheney Lofts and Mill Lofts Annex Apartments are opening soon, saving a piece of the history and providing 120 new housing units on the edge of downtown Pendleton.

The two newer apartment buildings, with 72 units, are expected to open Aug. 1, and the 48 units in Cheney Lofts will begin pre-leasing in mid-August and open in September, said John Gumpert of Camden Management Properties, the firm doing the renovations and construction. Gumpert said rents are expected to start at approximately $1,500 per month.

Following a year in which Anderson School Dist. 4 boasted five of six schools last year with excellent state school report cards, the highest graduation rate (92 percent) in history for the third year in a row, and college and career readiness scores of more than 84 percent the district is continues to prepare for growth moving into the 2025-2026 school year.

“We’re wanting to get as involved as we can in the community and being as supportive as we can for all our businesses,” said Greer. “We’re looking forward to more business roundtables and other events to listen to our businesses and see what they need. We just want to serve our businesses the way we should.”

The vexing truth, it seems, is that Anderson County has never quite stumbled upon a consistent fount of revenue for the ceaseless, unglamorous work of road and bridge upkeep. Indeed, the frustration is not new.

We celebrate this day because it marks the birth of freedom with the presentation of the Declaration of Independence, a unique document for several profound reasons, primarily because it articulates a new political philosophy and lays the groundwork for a revolutionary form of government.

It asserts that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." This principle of popular sovereignty—that political power ultimately resides in the people—was groundbreaking. It challenged the prevailing European notion of the divine right of kings and established the idea that governments are legitimate only if they have the approval of the people they govern.

Duke Energy is again seeking to increase electricity rates, this time for all of its 857,000 South Carolina customers across the upper third of the state.

Less than a year after the utility last raised rates in the Upstate, power bills for those Duke Energy residential customers there could go up, on average, by $10.38 a month in March 2026. In the Pee Dee, residential customers could see a $21.66 monthly hike starting February 2026, roughly three years since the utility last raised rates for those customers.

South Carolina’s new driver’s license will feature state symbols, including yellow jessamine, the Carolina wren and the loggerhead sea turtle, an homage to the state’s flora and fauna.

In addition to the Palmetto State imagery, the new design released Tuesday will contain more than 40 advanced security features, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Residents with licenses won’t need to get an updated card until their existing one expires.

If approved, the one-percent sales tax would generate close to $380 million to fund a list of road/bridge projects the county and its municipalities have identified as the most critical places of need. The commission approved the list of projects as well as a bond issue of up to $20 million to accelerate the work.

West Pelzer, Anderson County’s smallest town, continues to grow, despite challenges of finding a place for businesses and new housing.