Spartanburg City News

Having recently been sworn in after winning election to the District 6 seat in November, Erica Brown is one of two new members to join Spartanburg City Council this year. Recently, we got the chance to sit down and get to know a little about Brown and the local issues she's passionate about, including the Northside Intiative and downtown development. Listen below and enjoy!

Here on the City Podcast, we've devoted a lot of time to the Northside Initiative. We've given our listeners a basic overview of the area and some of the challenges facing our neighbors there, and heard a compelling argument from former Spartanburg Mayor Bill Barnet about why the Northside matters for the future of our city. All the while, we've tried to convey the enormous scale and importance of...

On parts one and two of our podcast series looking ahead to 2014 in Spartanburg, we covered some of what we expect will be the biggest changes in store for us this year, from new City Council members, to the renovation of one our city skyline's most important buildings, to the much-anticipated launch of this year's Main Street Challenge. As great as all of that is, we may have saved the best for l...

In the first part of our podcast series taking a look at some of the things to look forward to in the coming year, we talked with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about some of the policy issues your local government will focus on in 2014, starting with welcoming two new City Coucnil members. Today, on part two of our podcast, we talk about some of the important downtown residential and business...

On yesterday's podcast, we talked with Assistant City Manager Chris Story about some of the highlights of 2013, and as long as the list of great things that happened in our city over the last 12 months is, we're convinced that things in 2014 will be even more exciting. In fact, we're so enthused for the upcoming year that we couldn't fit all of it in one podcast, so rather than depriving our loyal...

There's no denying that 2013 has been quite a year for Spartanburg, especially for our city's blossoming downtown. With 24 new businesses opening, new attractions and events, and the wildly successful Main Street Challenge, we couldn't fault anyone for calling 2013 the most important year for Downtown Spartanburg in recent memory. Today on the podcast, we sit down with Assistant City Manager Chris...

The statistics on educational achievement and economic growth are pretty clear, and for Spartanburg Academic Movement Executive Director, Dr. John Stockwell, those statistics mean that Spartanburg has work to do. As of 2008, fewer than 20 percent of Spartanburg County adults had earned a bachelor's degree, a figure that puts our community below both the state and national average. Tackling that pr...

Yesterday, we posted a podcast with former Mayor and current Northside Development Corporation Chair, Bill Barnet. If you haven't listened to it yet, we highly recommend taking a half-hour out of your day to give the entire episode a listen. Within that podcast though, was something we think is pretty special, something that deserves to be highlighted. One of the questions we asked was a simple on...

In previous podcasts, we've talked with City Community Services Director, Mitch Kennedy about the Northside Initiative, getting the nuts and bolts view of what the large redevelopment program entails, as well as focusing in on one aspect of the initiative, the Healthy Food Hub, which recently broke ground. Today, on the heels of recent news from the Mary Black Foundation of a $1 million grant towa...

Going back to its beginnings in 2006, the Hub-Bub Artists-in-Residence program has been one of the crown jewels in Spartanburg's cultural crown. Every year, four artists from around the country came to Downtown Spartanburg to live free and create, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to our great city. Now, after a one-year hiatus, the much-loved AiR program is making a return, refashi...

December is here, and with the holidays upon us, it's time for another conversation with Champan Cultural Center President and CEO, Jennifer Evins about some of the center's great offerings this month. Listen to learn more, and be sure to check out the Chapman Cultural Center's calendar for a complete list of what's happening this month.

Among the many places people gather in Downtown Spartanburg to grab a meal or a drink, Little River Coffee Bar is certainly one of the busiest. Serving up espresso drinks and coffee in the Grain Distirct alongside its sister shops Cakehead Bakeshop and Hub City Bookshop, there's hardly a morning at The Coffee Bar where you won't see a who's who of important local figures getting their caffeine fix...

It was easily one of the most popular attractions in town last year, and on November 15 Skating on the Square returns to Morgan Square in Downtown Spartanburg. Today on the podcast, we sit down with City Special Events Manager Mandy Merck to get details about what to expect this year when you head downtown to hit the ice.

After getting the "nuts and bolts" perspective of Assistant City Manager Chris Story on the recently approved $2.3 million Downtown streetscaping plan we thought it might be helpful to take a look at things from a different angle. How does this collection of eight streetscaping projects look to someone who spends more time than most seeing our city on two wheels and two feet? Today on the podcast,...

What's going on with our friends at Hub-Bub in November? Today on the podcast, we sit down with Executive Director Cate Ryba and Showroom Director Stephen Long to find out. On November 15, there might be a little "Sympathy for the Devil" at The Showroom, or maybe even a "Street Fighting Man" and a "Honky Tonk Woman" riding around on a pair of "Wild Horses." We can't say for sure, because the set l...

Big changes are in the works for some of Downtown Spartanburg's most important streets. At their most recent meeting, City Council gave approval to a $2.3 million streetscaping plan that eight projects to be completed over the next two years. Among the plans highlights are extending the Mary Black Foundation Rail Trail into Downtown, providing a curb-protected bike lane for Converse Street, and a...

Next month is a busy one for our friends over at the Hub City Writers Project, with multiple great events to add to your literary event calendar every week. Though a 10-minute podcast isn't nearly enough time to get to all of that, we sat down with HCWP Executive Director, Betsy Tetor to talk about the biggest events coming next month, including the release and signing for a new book of Christmas...

No matter what time of year it is, there's always something going on at the Chapman Cultural Center. Today we're sitting down with Chapman's President and CEO, Jennifer Evins to talk about some of the great offerings coming up this month. From a Cultural Arts Festival on October 26, to a performance of Dial "M" for Murder by the Spartanburg Little Theatre running from November 8-17, to a wonderful...

You may have never heard of the Spartanburg Area Conservancy (SPACE), but you've almost certainly heard of their work. Dedicated to preserving natural habitat and greenspace throughout Spartanburg County, the organization owns and maintains The Cottonwood Trail, a 115-acre urban preserve and trail system on our city's east side, as well as other preserves in Spartanburg County such as the Chinquap...

As you may have already heard, at their meeting on Monday, City Council gave approval to a plan that calls for $2.58 million in new parks and recreation investment throughout the city. Plans include improving and up to a number of City facilities such as an overflow parking lot and athletic field for the CC Woodson Community Center, a new activity center for Stewart Park, and a new neighborhood pa...

As you may have already heard, last night's City Council meeting was an importantant one, as Council gave approval to a plan that calls for $2.58 million in new parks and recreation investment throughout the city. Plans include improving and up to a number of City facilities such as an overflow parking lot and athletic field for the CC Woodson Community Center, a new activity center for Stewart Pa...

It has been a while since we had Assistant City Manager Chris Story on the podcast, and this week we rectify that situation. On the agenda is news that Spartanburg Community College recently opened their downtown campus and has already exceeded its expected enrollment with around 750 new students taking classes in their freshly renovated historic location. What does it mean to have hundreds of new...

A new series of six community walks, led by City Council members and planned for various neighborhoods throughout the City, will kick off on Tuesday, October 15. The series of walks, which have been organized by the City of Spartanburg’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission, are open to all citizens. The walks, which will take place in each of the six City Council districts, will start from various l...

A couple of weeks ago, Converse College announced that it would slash tuition by 43 percent starting in the fall of 2014, making huge waves in the education community. On this week's podcast, we sit down with Converse President Betsy Fleming to get an in-depth look at what prompted the decision to cut tuiton and how Converse plans to maintain its celebrated high education standards while positioni...

October is nearly upon us, and as the mercury falls down into that autumnal sweet spot, our local arts organizations here in Spartanburg are gearing up for the season with some excellent offerings. On this podcast special, we sit down with folks from Hub-Bub, the Chapman Cultural Center, and the Hub City Writers Project to get the rundown on some of the excellent arts and cultural events they have...