Daniel Prince
WBCU News airs 6:30, 7:30, 8:35, 12:35, and 5:40 Monday through Friday
3-18-2025
Union City Council will meet tonight at City Hall, located at 101 Sharpe Avenue. At 6 p.m., they will hold a joint public hearing with the Planning Commission to receive comments on a request to rezone property at 818 South Duncan Bypass from A-2 Highway Commercial to R-10 Residential. The 1.27-acre property, located across the street from Union County Fire and Rescue, was most recently used as a hair salon and martial arts studio, but they hope to turn it into a duplex apartment to house two families.
After the public hearing, the regular meeting of Union City Council will begin at 6:30 p.m. Three city employees are celebrating work anniversaries in March. Council will hold 2nd reading of an ordinance to rezone property at 312 Wilbur Street. The property owner wants it rezoned from A-2 Highway Commercial to R-6 Residential. Council will then hold first reading on an ordinance to rezone the property at 818 South Duncan Bypass from A-2 Highway Commercial to R-10 Residential.
The Catawba Regional Council of Governments will then present the 2025 City of Union Needs Assessment. This annual process allows the city to review and set priorities for the coming year. The top priorities are generally ones for which the city is seeking grant funding. The process is required in each municipality and in the county in order for the entities to be eligible to receive Community Development Block Grants from the SC Department of Commerce.
After that, New Kingdom Dispatch and Logistics Warehouse will present a funding proposal for a commercial warehouse.
Following any announcements by the mayor and council members, City Administrator Joe Nichols will present his update to council. A time for public comment will follow. After that, the meeting will adjourn. The public is invited to attend.
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Union County First Steps is helping to prepare young children for kindergarten with their annual Kits for Kids events. The event is for children aged 3-5 and their families. Each family will receive a learning kit filled with different activities to help prepare them for kindergarten. At the event, First Steps will demonstrate how the materials can be used to help get your child ready for school. Only two events remain, as they have already held them in Buffalo, Carlisle, and Jonesville. The next Kits for Kids event will be today at the Lockhart Town Hall from 11-noon. The final planned event will be held at the Union County Carnegie Library on Tuesday, March 25, from 11-noon. For more information, contact Union County First Steps at 864-426-2519.
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The Union County Community Foundation recently gave the Union County Library System a $3000 grant to support Union Cancer Services. The service has operated out of the library since its renovation in 2018. Following Lou Stackhouse’s retirement in August 2021, the Union Cancer Services board voted to dissolve the organization and pass its assets along to the Union County Library System to continue providing the resources to the county. All grant funds and donations have been used for cancer services in Union County, continuing the organization’s 50+ year history of serving those living with cancer diagnoses in Union County. They help provide everything from nutritional supplements to transportation and fuel reimbursement for out-of-county medical appointments, aiming to support Union’s cancer patients throughout their battle. For more information on Union Cancer Services or to find out how to donate, call the library at 864-427-7140 or email resources@unionlibrary.org. At the recent grant presentation, Union County Community Foundation Chair Kathy Jo Lancaster gave the check to Union County Library System Social Services Coordinator Robin Rodgers.
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Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site will explore the African American historical experience with its popular program, Forging a Life: The Journey from Slavery to Freedom. The program follows the journey of the hundreds of enslaved people on the plantation, some of whom left after gaining freedom, while others stayed on as tenant farmers. In slavery and freedom, they worked hard to forge a life for themselves and their families at Rose Hill.
Forging a Life will take place on Saturday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The drop-in event will feature several interactive activities throughout the day, including cooking demonstrations by living historian Oriana Gilmore, brickmaking demonstrations by living historian Tyrie Rowell, an exploration of the life of African American soldiers by living historian Bobby Harley, and an exploration of the life of seamstresses by living historian Jai’Lyn Lowe. The Union County Community Remembrance Project will be present, as well. The mansion’s first floor will be open for self-guided tours. A ranger-led walk to the remains of a 19th-century tenant farmer home will take place during the event. There will also be historic games, arts, and crafts. Cash-only lunch and dessert vendors will be on-site for the event.
Admission to Forging a Life is $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-15. Cash is preferred. Children 5 and under are free. For more information, call 864-427-5966 or email rosehill@scprt.com.
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According to the latest report to County Council by Supervisor Phillip Russell, the Buffalo Mill Pond project is still on hold pending Army Corps of Engineers approval. All approved county gateway signs have been installed. They are waiting on batteries for the solar lights to come in, as they are currently on backorder. The contractor is being cooperative on some quality issues that have come up with the signs. The Carlisle Fire Department substation, referred to as the Goldville Fire Station or the Goshen Hill Fire Station, is 95% complete. Pending department approval, an open house could be scheduled sometime next month. Repairs to the county’s disc golf course are planned, which was nearly complete when Helene came through and devastated the area. The county is seeking FEMA reimbursement for all repairs.
The former Union Medical Center site has now been shown to three different entities potentially interested in the property. County Council has heard one presentation already from Amanda Gallman with TrueCare, who wants to turn the property into a facility that addresses substance abuse and mental health challenges. The State Department of Mental Health has also shown interest in the building, and a corporate developer has looked at it, as well. They would like to turn it into student housing. No decisions have been made on the property, which still has to go through the bankruptcy court proceedings before the county can market it. The bankruptcy committee did provide the county with $100,000 to maintain power in the buildings and to pay insurance through April. Attorneys are preparing a short-term lease agreement for Union County, so the county can protect its investment. Additional funds could be available in April if the property hasn’t yet been removed from bankruptcy. We’ll have more from the supervisor’s report in future newscasts.
3-17-2025
In a press release, the Union County Sheriff’s Office announced the results of this year’s “Operation Spring Clean” in Union County. This year, the sheriff’s office worked with the SC Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services to conduct a warrant sweep. In all, they arrested seven people on 20 outstanding warrants.
Sheriff Jeff Bailey said, “Our goal is to conduct proactive measures in attempt to apprehend individuals with outstanding warrants in order to create a safer environment for the public. I would encourage those with warrants to address these matters voluntarily or contact our office before causing unwanted disruption to their lives.”
Those arrested are: Michael Chad Thompson, arrested on five general sessions bench warrants; Jennifer Miranda Inman, arrested on five general sessions bench warrants and a family court bench warrant and charged with theft of electric current; Mark Levi Lawter, charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, 2nd offense; Brent Austin, charged with forgery and obtaining property under false pretenses; Cecil O. Coats, arrested on a family court bench warrant; Bradley Russell Clark, arrested on a SC Department Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services violation; and Johnny Melton Gregory, arrested on two magistrate court bench warrants and also charged with trafficking more than 10 grams of meth.
All these individuals remain in the Union County Detention Center.
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The storm system that produced everything from blizzard conditions to a major dust storm to a deadly tornado outbreak was not nearly as strong as expected by the time it reached our area early Sunday morning, to the relief of many. The Union County Airport reported its strongest wind gust of about 24 mph at around 10 p.m. Saturday. They also reported around 0.6 inches of rain.
There has only been one confirmed tornado in South Carolina as a result of this system. That occurred in Lexington County near Lake Murray in the Chapin area. The National Weather Service will be checking an area in Barnwell County that had reported damage to see if that might have been a tornado, as well.
There are no severe weather threats in our forecast over the next seven days. There is only a small chance of rain in the forecast for Thursday morning.
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A 15-day comment period on the Buffalo Mill Site clearance and cleanup begins tomorrow and runs through April 2nd. The city is acquiring the property from the county in order to be eligible for grants to clean up the property. Activities will include demolition of the remaining aboveground structures except for the former mill administration building, which is not part of the project. The two towers would be demolished, as they were found last year to have asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paint throughout. Other activities concern excavation of underground structures and buride debris; repair or replacement of infrastructure such as water and sewer lines; and cleanup, improvements, and environmental remediation required by the SC Department of Environmental Services.
Additional project information and the Citizens Participation Plan are available for review in the City of Union Administrator’s Office at City Hall from 8:30-5 Monday-Friday. Citizens may mail their comments to Catawba Regional COG, Attn: Christine Schwartz, PO Box 450, Rock Hill, SC 29731. You can also email comments to cschwartz@catawbacog.org.
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Rose Hill is bringing back a popular evening program this weekend. Titled “In the Dark of Night”, the experience promises to bring together astronomy, history, nature, and recreation. The evening will feature a twilight hike along Rose Hill’s half-mile loop trail to see what night life was like in the 1800s. Gaze at the sky while learning about the constellations and how enslaved individuals used the stars to navigate their way to freedom. If the weather allows, the Midlands Astronomy Club will be on hand and will let the public use their telescopes to view planets and stars. There will also be a bonfire, s’mores, and a complementary beverage.
The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. behind the kitchen at the rear of the Gist Mansion. Attendees are asked to dress for the weather and wear comfortable clothing with hiking boots or sneakers. Bring a flashlight (preferably red light), bug spray, and a blanket and/or chair. Please be aware that lighting will be limited, and the ground is slightly uneven. Cost is $10 per person, and reservations are required by Thursday, March 20th. Call 864-427-5966 or email rosehill@scprt.com. In the event of inclement weather, the program may not be held.
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SC Works Greater Upstate will present a job fair at Union’s Main Street Junction on Tuesday, April 1st, from 10-1. The event will feature multiple employers and is presented by USC, City of Union, Goodwill, SC Works Greater Upstate, Milliken, Timken, OpSource, SC Highway Patrol, and SC Vocational Rehabilitation.