It is officially “Panic Buying Season.” The calendar insists it’s late December, but your brain is still stuck in mid-October, scrolling through an endless digital catalog, fingers twitching toward the “Add to Cart” button, eyes glazing over as you contemplate the logistics of two-day shipping. The siren song of convenience is hard to resist—especially when the alternative is leaving the house, facing the chill, and possibly having to make eye contact with another human being.

The calendar insists that Christmas is about a birth in Bethlehem; the sky, with its early darkness and low arc of light, suggests a second plot line, in which the holiday is also a yearly celebration of the sun changing its mind.

The premise is disarmingly simple.  Elementary school children eat free; their parents pay three dollars for a plate, a price that seems designed less to cover costs than to insist gently that everyone has skin in the game.  Every child gets to see Santa, every child gets a toy, and there are “other characters” roaming the room—costumed figures who add a touch of low-budget pageantry to the proceedings.

There is nothing flashy about this version of growth.  It is incremental, almost stubbornly local: one library, one meeting room, one rehabilitated building at a time.  But in a town like Iva, that is how progress announces itself—not in ribbon cuttings for multinational companies, but in the sight of people walking across the street with books, and in the knowledge that there are now more reasons to gather than to leave.

As pennies vanish from the American landscape, many businesses are clamoring for federal guidance on how to handle cash transactions in a penniless world.

Should retailers round up or down? Should they round in favor of the customer? Or in favor of the business?

The memorial exists to provide a dignified final resting place and public acknowledgment for people who died in Anderson County whose remains were unclaimed or whose families’ lacked means for burial.  Historically, indigent burials took place in a potter’s field until that space filled up; the civic center site and wall continue that function while making remembrance more visible to the community.

Anderson County Council marked a half-century of emergency medical service Tuesday, honoring Medshore founder Greg Shore for what he called “a dream” career built on partnerships, accreditation and countless lives saved. The recognition came during the county council meeting at the Anderson Civic Center, where Shore said the 50 years since he launched the private ambulance company have “gone by so fast,” crediting employees and local partners for the company’s success and its role in the county’s EMS system.

The property generated $245 in tax revenue last year and is expected to bring in between $500,000 and $1 million in the next 18 months.

Anderson County Council approved first reading of a fee-in-lieu-of taxes for an unidentified existing company promising a minimum of a new $125 million investment with at least 125 new jobs.

Burriss Nelson, director of economic development for Anderson County, said the final pieces of the agreement are in the works, but that he expects the company to far exceed the numbers in the original agreement.

County Council is recognized Mattison as she steps down from the bench, honoring more than 40 years of county service and her decades as a magistrate judge with a resolution that noted that her career has left a lasting mark on Anderson County’s judicial system and its citizens, whose lives and communities have been directly affected by her decisions, fairness and steady presence in the courtroom.

In his year-in-review interview with The Anderson Observer, Burgess speaks of the town’s progress not in the language of statistics or grand announcements, but in the measured cadence of someone who has watched Williamston grow from a place of modest means to a community with its own rhythm and identity. The year began with a renewed commitment to infrastructure, as Williamston repaired aging roads and upgraded its water and sewer systems, investments that may go unnoticed by the casual observer but are as vital.

On the incentives front, Council will weigh a fee‑in‑lieu‑of‑tax and special source credit agreement for a project identified only as “Project Next,” which would trade standard property tax payments for negotiated fee payments and credits tied to infrastructure investment.  A separate inducement resolution would designate a Duke Energy Carolinas power‑generation project as economic development property under the state’s simplified fee‑in‑lieu statute, allowing a future fee agreement, potential special source credits, and inclusion in a joint industrial park.

The icy Sunday-afternoon wind blowing into Iva did little to diminish the community turnout for the final Christmas Parade among the county’s cities and towns, with families lining the streets for a day of holiday displays and a glimpse at Santa Claus.

The Greenville & Western Railway Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation, operates 12.74 miles of rail line in Anderson County, and CEO Steven Hawkins sees the Santa Train as a way to give back each year. “It’s about community,” Hawkins said. “It’s about making sure no one goes hungry during the holidays.”

“It’s a very beautiful cemetery,” said Luker, “but I discovered there were over 400 veterans buried here—and we didn’t have records for all of them.” With the support of her DAR colleagues and community volunteers, she set out to change that. What began as a modest effort—placing 75 wreaths in the first year—has grown into a tradition, with more than 400 wreaths laid this year alone.

With its elegant ballroom and storied presence, The Grand 1891 is expected to quickly become a destination for those who want their celebrations to feel both warm and unforgettable.

The most visible change is the construction of Courtney Park, a new subdivision that will add 125 single-family homes and 18 townhomes to the town.  Ragland said the site is bustling with activity, with earth-moving equipment working daily and the project expected to be finished by late spring.  Alongside the new homes, Pelzer has also undergone major upgrades to its water and sewer systems, tearing up streets in the process.  Ragland called these improvements “transformational,” setting the stage for new businesses and investment in the town.

Anderson County communities are in line for more than $140,000 in state parks and recreation money under a slate of projects endorsed by South Carolina Senator Richard Cash, chairman of the Anderson County Legislative Delegation.  The proposed awards, using Park and Recreation Development (PARD) funds, would support park upgrades and playground improvements in Anderson County, Belton, Iva, Pendleton, West Pelzer, Williamston and the Piedmont Public Service District, with local governments providing a required 20 percent match.

The project, known as the Church Street Heritage Plaza pedestrian space and referenced in city documents as part of a broader streetscape effort, is less about expansion than about subtraction: taking away cars from Main Street for a more walking-friendly path. Several months ago, the city closed the street to vehicles on a trial basis, an experiment as modest as setting out a few extra chairs to see who sits down.  Merchants along the corridor, accustomed to the episodic churn of events and pop-ups in the space, responded with something that sounds suspiciously like enthusiasm, and the city’s planning staff heard enough of it to move from improvisation to a formal plan.

Anderson County Mayor Terence Roberts says a sweeping update of the city’s comprehensive plan approved early in 2025, including new sign and tree ordinances, is reshaping how Anderson will look and grow for decades to come.