Palmetto Report

(Rock Hill, S.C.) – The Winthrop University softball team is one of countless collegiate sports teams across the country that saw their seasons end early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA announced the cancelation of all spring championships on March 12, but with the fate of regular season games and conference championships in the hands of conference commissioners, many athletes still hoped t...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- A shooting in February at Clinton College, which is roughly two miles from Winthrop University, has drawn attention to the issues of campus safety and school violence. Feb. 16, two male teenagers, one who was 17 and the other who was 18, were shot at the Clinton College gym in Rock Hill around 1 a.m. WSOC-TV reported the gym was rented for a birthday party by a group that was...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Managing personal health among many students can be difficult due to the stress of classes, homework and maintaining relationships and a social life during their time at college. Dr. Shelley Hamill, a master certified health education specialist and professor of health education at Winthrop University, appeared on the Palmetto Report podcast to give her insights on the skills s...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- A report conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found approximately 1 out of 9 Americans (11.1 percent) were food insecure in 2018 and according to experts it's a "huge problem" in Rock Hill and York County. One group working to combat the problem is Pilgrim’s Inn , a nonprofit organization founded in 1984, which also strives to help and empower the homeless, f...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Former Winthrop University President Dan Mahony resigned from his position , effective March 1 after five years of service, in order to become president of the Southern Illinois University system. On Dec. 3, students, faculty and staff received an email from the university's board of trustees informing them about the change in leadership. Mahony -- who spoke exclusively to the...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- The world of sports, and the role of female athletes, has certainly evolved since the days of the peach basket hoop and the moleskin football helmet. Nevertheless, while men’s sports have excelled in drawing fan attention and generating revenue, women continue to struggle to garner similar opportunities. Title IX was passed in 1972 to ensure that no individuals, on the basis o...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) – Rock Hill is working to build one of the very first all-inclusive parks in the nation.  City leaders officially broke ground in December for Miracle Park, a 15-acre, $8 million project that has been in the making since 2017. The park is expected to have five ball fields total, with two of them being "miracle fields" designed for anyone to be able to play on, while the rest...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- With South Carolina’s primary out of the way and the November presidential election quickly approaching, politics has been a hot topic lately in many households. Whether it was one of Tom Steyer’s numerous online ads prior to the primary or an uncle that brings it up the election in passing, it’s nearly impossible to escape the conversation of politics. These discussions can b...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Research by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that over a million children were undercounted during the last census in 2010 and minorities and homeless populations were at a greater risk of being miscounted. The 2020 census begins nationwide this month and the U.S. Census Bureau is working to get an accurate count of every person in local communities, especially those from diverse...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Winthrop University students in the Department of Mass Communication recently were given the opportunity to hear from a media professional who visited the school, as part of an exchange program that connects educators with media organizations.  As part of the program, Tasha Stewart, a senior manager of engagement at WCPO, visited Winthrop to discuss how technology, includi...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- The Winthrop University men’s basketball team has experienced great success this season, but not without adversity. The Eagles, who earned a share of the Big South regular season title after beating High Point Feb. 29, experienced several ups and downs on their way to earning the two-seed in the conference tournament. Winthrop began its season on a four-game road trip, returni...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- With the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary just days away, Joe Biden continues to maintain a narrow lead in the state, according to data from the latest Winthrop University Poll. The poll, released Feb. 21, found 24 percent of likely voters said they support the former vice president, while 19 percent said they favored U.S. Sen. (Vermont) Bernie Sanders. "Overall...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — The Australian bushfires may be taking place thousands of miles away from Winthrop University, but the campus is still feeling the impact, as there are a number of student athletes from Australia. Currently, there are more than 100 fires burning across the country. Tom Pupavac, a junior member of the Winthrop men’s basketball team, is one of at least a handful of Australian stu...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- As voters in New Hampshire prepare to vote in a primary election this week (Feb. 11) and the results of the troubled Iowa caucuses continue to be scrutinized, soon all eyes will turn to South Carolina and its "first in the South" primary Feb. 29. Dr. Scott Huffmon, director of the Winthrop University Poll, says former Vice President Joe Biden continues to hold a lead in South...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Human trafficking is a problem that persists in the Carolinas, as North Carolina is ranked 7th worst in the nation for human trafficking, with Charlotte having the most reported cases in the state. The International Labor Organization estimates 20 to 30 million people are trafficked each year. According to experts, Interstate 85 plays a large role in the amount of trafficking...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Rock Hill offers a number of resources to encourage entrepreneurship in technology, as many people are interested in launching their own startup and becoming their own boss. For example, there is the Technology Incubator at Knowledge Park and the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce , which are both available to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their ideas . “Tech en...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Winthrop University President Dan Mahony will leave his position, effective March 1, to become president of the Southern Illinois University system, the school announced Dec. 3. There had been speculation about Mahony’s future at Winthrop, after he told faculty during a meeting Nov. 22 that his contract expired in 2020, but he was unable to discuss his negotiations with the Bo...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Earlier this year, Rock Hill hosted the annual state convention and civil rights conference for the S.C. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for the first time in 25 years . The four day event, Oct. 10-13, was highlighted by a visit from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was given the Flame of Freedom Award in recognition of his 50 years of service and...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — STEM career fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — have long had difficulty attracting women , especially women of color . For example, Forbes reported that women held just a quarter of the 5 million tech jobs in 2015 and women of color, especially African-Americans and Hispanics, represented less than 10 percent of those positions, according to the nonprof...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Students at Winthrop University, and across the country, are beginning to prepare final exams as the fall semester is quickly coming to an end. At Winthrop, exams are scheduled from Dec. 4-10 and the school’s Academic Success Center is available to offer students academic guidance and tutoring as they prepare for finals. “Throughout the semester, as a student you’re doing what...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Childhood obesity is a " serious problem " in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including among very young children. According to research published in the journal Pediatrics in 2018, 26 percent of children ages 2 to 5 are overweight and more than 15 percent are obese. Researchers, looking at data from 1999-2016, also found more than...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Former elite runner Mary Cain, who trained with Nike’s now disbanded Oregon project from 2013 to 2017, recently made allegations in an op-ed for The New York Times of mental and physical abuse that she experienced during her time at the training group. Cain, 23, said coaches, lead by head coach Alberto Salazar, convinced her that she had to keep losing weight, ridiculed her bo...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Winthrop University is launching a new degree program , which is geared toward adults, including military veterans, who are at least 25 years old and have attained an associate degree or have at least 60 transferable credits. The new bachelor of professional studies program will launch in spring 2020 after it was given the final approval by the Southern Association of Colleges...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) -- Renew Our Community ( known as the ROC ), a nonprofit homeless shelter in Rock Hill, shut down its operations last month due to a lack of funding . The ROC, which was founded by Dale Dove, opened its doors in 2011 as a center that assisted the homeless and others in York County gain access to shelter, clothing, food, training and spiritual support. Over the years, the number o...

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — In the last three years, the resale market for clothing has grown at 21 times the pace of the mainstream apparel market, according to research collected by the online thrift store thredUP. This growing market is predicted to reach $51 billion by 2023, in part because of millennials and Generation Z, who have really turned thrifting, which has been around for a long time, into a...