Applying for SNAP in South Carolina is not for the faint-hearted. The income gates are calibrated with a precision that makes eligibility a feat of arithmetic: a single adult cannot earn more than $1,632 before deductions, and must not bring home more than $1,255 net, while the ceilings stretch methodically for larger families—$2,215/$1,704 for two, $2,798/$2,152 for three, and so on, the numbers climbing by increments of $583 gross and $449 net for each extra mouth at the table. For many, the paperwork, calculations, and required documentation quickly become a maze; every line has consequences.

Local relief agencies, accustomed to steady if manageable demand, anticipate new faces, new pleas for assistance, especially as the cost of milk and bread continues its gentle, relentless ascent. There’s a rising sense that the county, like the nation, is becoming a place where the only thing more certain than higher grocery prices is the growing reliance on food banks—a system of mutual aid now asked to perform miracles.

“This project is rooted in something simple yet powerful: hope,” said Annie Sutton, the library’s director, overseeing the planting with the gracious gravity of someone who knows that libraries, much like groves, cultivate more than just what can be checked out or shelved. “Each fabric tie, handwritten with a wish, a dream, or a prayer, shows the heart and hope of our community.”

The Fall Harvest Festival, with arts and crafts booths, music, food, children’s events, has grown exponentially over the past few years, and is approaching crowds equal to the Pendleton’s Annual Spring Jubilee.

A recent study by Clemson University found that visitors traveled from several states to Pendleton for the event. Based on cell phone locators, the event has attracted people from as far as New York, Virginia, North Carolina. Georgia, even Tennessee.

The Anderson County Museum hosted its annual Monster Mash Saturday, shining light on the institution's offerings and importance to the community, which include a variety of children's programming.

And we've got a great little town. We're making a lot of progress. I think we've got a good town council. We've got a lot of good things that we're doing. So, I want to continue that. Keep that momentum going.

I didn’t set out to run for mayor. I set out to fix what wasn’t working.

“Irma Vep,” in this incarnation, feels both generous and mischievous, a send-up of genre and a love letter to theatrical ingenuity. In a season awash in cobwebs and camp, it’s a reminder that the best Halloween tricks can come from pure performance—the transformation of two actors into an entire haunted world.

T.L. Hanna 31, Easley 14

Westside 41, Laurens 9

Crescent 45, Chesnee 36

St. Joseph’s Catholic High School 42, Palmetto 21

Powdersville 42, Carolina Academy 0

Wren 58, Southside 0

BHP 52, Pendleton 22

The annual Belton Ghost Walk featured a treat bag full of tasty and spooky stories this year about things that go bump in the night in and around Belton.

The Senate Thursday failed to advance a Republican measure and rejected unanimous agreements on two related bills from Democrats that would have paid federal employees and contractors who have continued to work amid the government shutdown, which entered day 23. 

The stalemate constituted the latest example of how dug in to their arguments both parties are as the shutdown that began Oct. 1 drags out, as well as the heightened political tensions in the upper chamber when it comes to striking a deal to resume government funding.  

AOP Clubhouse, in conjunction with Clubhouse International, will launch their work next summer providing a safe place to improve recovery outcomes with serious mental health issues with the creation of a community-centered “Clubhouse” in Pendleton which will serve Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. The initial site for the program will be the Pendleton Community Center, though the hope is to eventually purchase a building of their own.

Over the past several hours, days and months, we’ve watched a troubling trend unfold across our local governments in South Carolina. From town halls to county courthouses, good people, those dedicated public servants who love their communities, are stepping down, walking away, or choosing not to run again. It’s a warning sign we should all take seriously.

T.L. Hanna at Easley

Westside at Laurens

Chesnee at Crescent

Palmetto at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School

Powdersville at Carolina High School

Southside at Wren

BHP at Pendleton

A special election, mandated by law to occur 13 Tuesdays from the vacancy date—tentatively January 20—is the next chapter in this unfolding story. The filing period, a brief two-week window yet to be announced, will determine the field of candidates eager to shape West Pelzer’s future.

Almost 11,000 households which make up 22,657 individuals are expected to feel the pinch in Anderson County.

Blake Sanders represents District 9 in the South Carolina House of Representatives and is a licensed Landscape Architect with 20 years of experience in planning and community development.

The Town of West Pelzer, Town of Pendleton, Town of Pelzer, City of Belton, Town of Honea Path, Town of Iva, and the Anderson County Capital Sales Referendum for Roads are on the ballot this year.

Pendleton’s annual Scarecrow contest is back, bringing creativity and community spirit to the town square and surrounding area this fall as part of the bigger annual fall harvest festival set for Saturday. This year marks the first time the Town of Pendleton has organized the event on its own, after taking over from local organizations that previously coordinated it.

The Salvation Army of Anderson County is gearing up for its annual Red Kettle campaign and calling on community members to volunteer as bell ringers this holiday season.

Board members say the familiar sound of ringing bells outside local retailers provides more than Christmas cheer — it’s the organization’s largest source of funding for its emergency shelter operations. This year, residents are encouraged to form Bell Ringing Day teams, pairing up in groups of two for volunteer shifts throughout the Christmas season.