The cost of the holiday light installation with Spruce Lighting and Events would be $125,800, which will include: lighting Main Street, Carolina Wren Park, Church Street Heritage Plaza, North Main Commons, North Linley Park and adding City Hall and South Linley Park as additions this year.

In an effort to address the needs of students who struggle in traditional classrooms, Anderson County School District 5 is utilizing an alternative learning environment at the ACE Academy. The program, one of three non-traditional options offered by the district, aims to provide a structured, supportive and therapeutic approach to education with the ultimate goal of reintegrating students into their regular schools.

Anderson County Council on Tuesday approved investment tax incentives for a new business which is projected to bring a $51 million investment and 54 jobs.

The company, code named “Project Pine,” is a plasma gasification concern, and the jobs will pay $53 per hour.

Anderson County Council on Tuesday gave final approval to a proposal to allow voters the option of funding road/bridge repairs via a one-percent tax through a referendum on Nov. 4.

The county currently has a backlog of more than $350 million in transportation projects related to road and bridge repair. If approved, the new sales tax will provide the funding to address all projects, many of which have been neglected for years due to lack of funding. Between 30-40 percent, roughly $140 million, is expected to be paid by visitors or those passing through Anderson County.

Moving into the new school year, four of Anderson County’s five school districts will offer free breakfast and lunch for all students. Districts 2, 3, 4 and 5 offer the free meals to all, while Dist. 1 will offer the service at seven of their 14 schools. The remainder of that district’s schools will provide free breakfast and lunch for students who meet certain edibility requirements.

Rather than viewing A.I. as a threat to traditional learning, local superintendents and school leadership are positioning it as a resource to enhance efficiency, personalize instruction, and prepare students for the demands of the modern workforce.

The approach, while unified in its forward-looking philosophy, will be implemented with varying strategies across the five school districts in Anderson County.

With more than 1,200 students expected to pass through its doors over the course of the year, the institute, which serves Anderson School Districts 3, 4, and 5, is focused on its mission to "ensure students become college and or career ready and become participants in this global society." The student body is drawn from Crescent, Pendleton, Westside, and T. L. Hanna High Schools, as well as the Anderson 5 Charter School.

Anderson County Council on Tuesday will vote on the third and final reading of the proposal to allow voters to decide on a referendum to allow a one-cent Capital Sales Tax for road and bridges maintenance and repair.

If approved the measure would be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot countywide.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the historic courthouse, and citizens who wish to comment on the measure during the public hearing are asked to sign up prior to the meeting.

The official filing period for a number of local offices in Anderson County's November 4 municipal elections commenced today, with candidates having until noon on August 15 to submit their paperwork.

The filing process requires prospective candidates to submit their documents and fees directly to their respective municipalities. These local governments are then responsible for forwarding the completed materials to the Anderson County Board of Voter Registration and Elections once the filing window has closed.

“We’re proud to say that we continue to be the only two-year college in the state of South Carolina that meets and exceeds all state performance metrics,” said DeHay. “We just got our most recent national benchmark study back, and we're in the 98th percentile in transfer student success, and we're in the 93rd percentile in student success overall.”

In what state health officials are calling a "major milestone in pediatric emergency care," the Anderson County Emergency Medical Services system has been recognized as the first non-transport agency in South Carolina to achieve a "Pediatric Ready" designation. The recognition was awarded by the state's Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) program, a division of the South Carolina Department of Public Health.

The achievement highlights the role that non-transport EMS units play in the critical, pre-hospital phase of care. By meeting the new standards, the agency is now formally equipped to stabilize and support ill or injured children in emergency situations before an ambulance arrives for transport.

The Renaissance Academy, an alternative educational program serving students from Anderson School Districts 1-5 who have faced expulsion or are otherwise deemed at-risk, is embarking on its new academic year with a pronounced emphasis on enhanced intervention strategies.

The institution reported considerable success in its inaugural year, with six students completing their graduation requirements, and an additional student receiving a diploma over the summer. Notably, several of these graduates have subsequently enrolled in two-year institutions, including Tri-County Technical College. Furthermore, 20 students successfully rejoined their home schools after the initial semester; only one of whom returned to the Academy, indicating a 95 percent reintegration success rate.

A new exhibit, “Amerikan Gothic,” opens Friday at the Anderson Arts Center with more than 40 works from a pair of local artists expressing their experience in America.

“Shea Abramo and Nat Morris are the artists and they have come together to create a show that shows what's happening in our world, connecting the past to the present, including socioeconomics and personal relationships,” said Anderson Arts Center Director Erin Spainhour. “I'm very excited to see how this show comes together.”

South Carolina's annual Sales Tax Holidays – the state’s popular three-day sales and use tax break on traditional back-to-school purchases - begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday and tax-exempt purchases can be made through Sunday at midnight.

While providing taxpayers with an exemption on the six percent statewide sales tax as well as any applicable local taxes, the tax-free weekend also benefits in-state businesses by urging taxpayers to do their back-to-school shopping in South Carolina. During this time, taxes will not be imposed on clothing, shoes, school supplies, book bags, computers, printers, bedspreads and linens, and more.

Saving and preserving historic buildings can be crucial for a town’s identity. Their preservation can provide a tangible link to the past.

Preserving them can also be a financially smart decision, as older structures often boast superior craftsmanship and materials, and their rehabilitation can spur economic growth by attracting investors, tourists, and new businesses.

The superintendent of Anderson County’s largest school district, with 21 schools and 12,000 students, said academic achievement and security remain top priorities heading into the new school year.

“Our goal is to ensure academic success for every student and every student reaching their potential,” said Dist. 5 Superintendent Brenda Kelley. “We are on the right track.”

It's difficult to know where to begin in praising Mill Town Players "South Pacific," which opened Friday night at the Historic Pelzer Playhouse, because it is a work of such ambition and magic, with an expansive cast, sweeps the audience away.

“I think we're looking at having six announcements before December,” said Burns. “They are in various states of happening, and they're really good, high quality, and they're diverse. I mean wildly different things, and so we're happy about that.”

“Plus, we have two monsters that we're working on and those are going to take some time to mature. But I think we're in good shape on both of those. But those we're talking about are billions, not millions.”

Anderson County on Thursday approved by unanimous vote, on second reading, a referendum in November asking voters to approve a one-penny capital sales tax to be used exclusively for road and bridge repair in the county.

The approximately $379.6 million generated by the tax would be used to fund proposals for priority projects identified by the county and its municipalities.

The restoration of a landmark building downtown is complete,

Coldwell Banker Caine began the work two years ago on the restoration of the historic federal post office building downtown which served the community from 1909-1940, when it moved to a newer building.