Spartanburg City News

As you've probably read in the news (informed citizen that you are), Converse College announced yesterday a huge 43 percent cut to its tuition, making national headlines in the process. Also this week, Spartanburg School District 7 started distributing Macbook Air laptops to its high school students, following a decision made in April to put laptops in the hands of all middle and high school stude...

Earlier this year, we had City Community Services Director Mitch Kennedy on the podcast to talk about the Northside Initiative, a truly massive effort on the part of both public and private entities to redevelop of one of our city's most impoverished areas. Today on the podcast, we're focusing in on one element of that effort, the Healthy Food Hub. With construction set to begin shortly on the pro...

Spartanburg is a bicycle friendly community, and has been since 2007 according to the League of American Bicyclists. Why does that matter for our community, and why does it matter that we continue to improve bicycle access throughout our city? This week on the podcast, we sit down with Ned Barrett and Anne Piacentino of Partners for Active Living to hash it out. Listen below and enjoy!

If you've lived in Spartanburg for anything longer than a few years, you don't need anyone to tell you how different our city's downtown looks now compared with its not-so-distant past. Decisions made years ago, from the renovation of Morgan Square, to the construction of new parking garages to accommodate new class A office space downtown, have influenced the shape of everything that has come sin...

It might just be the coolest thing to ever come completely out of left field in Downtown Spartanburg's history. Yes, the rumors (and the slightly incorrect piece in the local newspaper) are true. Thanks to the generosity of a private donor, for 12 days starting August 14, a 90 ft. ferris wheel named WOLI (Wheel of Lights and Illuminations) will dominate the Morgan Square skyline from its position...

As another July gets ready to pass by in Spartanburg, and another August is set to plow into us with all its usual brow-wiping, humidity-cursing charm, it's important to remember that autumn isn't as far away as it may seem. To help you get in that sweater weather spirit, the City's dynamic podcasting duo wholeheartedly recommends a trip to Wofford College's Gibbs Stadium to visit the Carolina Pan...

Back in February when we first sat down with Kate McCarthy, Program Director for The Iron Yard in the Spartanburg, renovation had just started on their future space beside Hub Bub's Showroom in the Grain District. Even then, the idea of a business accelerator and coworking space in Downtown Spartanburg was enough to make local boosters like us giddy at the potential. Fast-forward a few months, and...

Sunday afternoon generally isn't the busiest time in Downtown Spartanburg. Sure you can grab a little lunch, take a little walk, and enjoy the sunshine (assuming we still get sunshine in the afternoon anymore). But what if you wanted a little more? What if you'd like to hear a little live music, or maybe take in a few cultural offerings, or what if you're looking to take home a cool piece of local...

Earlier this week, City Council got an overview of options for downtown streetscaping projects that could be undertaken over the next year. Enough funding exists to allow the City to take on one of three possible "big" streetscaping projects (with a couple of the smaller projects possibly in the mix as well) over the next 18 months. Always looking for ways to better engage with our city's resident...

Impossible to miss on the drive up South Church Street into Downtown, the 13-story Schuyler Apartment builidng has been a fixture in the Spartanburg skyline since 1950. Now, thanks to a massive renovation effort, a building that was originally constructed to provide housing for a post-World War II boom will get another chance to serve the same purpose for a rapidly redeveloping Downtown Spartanbur...

June. Temperatures soar. Vacations are taken. Children roam free and unencumbered by school, books, and teacher's dirty looks. And of course, no June would be complete without...a new City budget. Today on the podcast, we break down that most wonkish of all City documents, the fiscal year 2014 budget. You'll learn what fancy terms like property reassessment actually mean, and how that process (whi...

As many of you have heard, the City and the Commission of Public Works reached an agreement earlier this week to continue the transfer payment to the City through 2028. The agreement, which is expected to be approved by both bodies based on staff recommendation, will: ° Provide for the transfer of $1.2 million to City Council in FY 2014, $1.1 million in FY 2015, and $1 million in FYs 2016-2018. St...

Last week, we announced the three winners of our Main Street Challenge to a packed house at The Showroom. The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans and unique concepts, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be receiving $...

Last week, we announced the three winners of our Main Street Challenge to a packed house at The Showroom. The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans and unique concepts, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be receiving $...

In case you missed the news, the three winners of our Main Street Challenge were announced last night to a packed house at The Showroom. The Local Hiker, Haute Mama, and Motte & Sons Bootlegging Co. will all be coming to Downtown Spartanburg later this year. Thanks to their amazing business plans, and no small measure of hard work to win over the judges, each of these great new businesses will be...

This week on the podcast, we're talking about what most everybody in Downtown Spartanburg is talking about these days: the Main Street Challenge. Last week, after our selection committee had whittled down the original pool of nearly 60 applicants, we announced the seven finalists for this unique competition to bring three new businesses to Main Street. To put it plainly, we (being Spartanburg-boos...

If you've been staying up to date on Spartanburg city news lately, you've probably heard at least something about the the dispute between Spartanburg Water and the City over the $1.4 million annual dividend payment made by the city resident-owned utility (if not, follow this link to learn more). Discussions have continued, and while progress has been made, a resolution to the dispute still hasn't...

There are cycling races, and then there's "The Crit." On Friday, May 3 cyclists will race around a half-mile loop of Downtown at speeds fast enough to literally make your head spin as you try to keep up with the action in the Spartanburg Regional Classic. If you've never seen this exciting event, you've been missing out. This week on the podcast our special guest Anne Piacentino from Partners for...

New B-Cycle Stations at Wofford and Converse Colleges. Joint agreements allowing the public to use school playgrounds in the City. Spring is here, and the options for getting outside just keep growing. This week on the roundtable with Hub-Bub Executive Director Cate Ryba and Showroom Director Stephen Long, we talk active living in Spartanburg, and look forward to some great events coming up for Bi...

Unless you're new to Spartanburg, you've most likely, at some point in the past few years or so, heard of an organzation called Hub-Bub. But what is Hub-Bub? If you're not "in the know," you might not have any idea, but after today it'll be safe to officially call yourself an expert. On this podcast, we sit down with the organization's Executive Director, Cate Ryba (also member of City Council) an...

When most people think about tourism, they likely think of pristine beaches or majestic mountainous landscapes, but when Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Chris Jennings things about tourism, he thinks about sporting events like the Carolina Panthers Training Camp, held annually at Wofford College, and about a historical downtown walking tour for Spartanburg, and about...

It's been 20 years since Music on Main first got going down at Denny's Plaza on East Main, and while some things never change, like the great music and family-friendly atmosphere, the location for Spartanburg's favorite after-work social gathering is changing, moving to the heart of downtown at 175 West Main Street in the grassy area beside the iconic Downtown Clock tower. Additionally, the start...

On parts one and two of our conversation with Council member Linda Dogan, we learned about her history growing up in Spartanburg and about her hopes for the future for our city's Northside. We round things out on this week's episode with a discussion about the history behind the recently closed T.K. Gregg Recreation Center, and the City's plans to build a replacement. Council member Dogan shares h...

Last week, on part one of our conversation with District 6 City Council member Linda Dogan, we learned about her experiences growing up during turbulent times in Spartanburg, and how that shaped a desire within her for social justice, ultimately leading to a life of public service. On part two of our conversation, we talk with Dogan more about the Northside in a broader sense, focusing on her pers...

This week on the podcast we sit down for part one of an extended onversation with District 6 Council member Linda Dogan. This week, we learn about what drives Spartanburg's longest serving City Council member to serve. As a lifelong resident of the City's north side Dogan's story is a Spartanburg story, through and through, and tells of a time when the legacy of segregation was still very much ali...