Some of the biggest stories in local sports don’t occur during the game. Case in point, every local football aficionado had been waiting with baited breath to hear Byrnes’ star running-back Marcus Lattimore’s decision on whee he was planning to spend his college days. SEC analyst Jay Holgate posted this video, where... »

Ahh, the joys of moving back in with the parents. Version 2.0 is never the same as 1.0, and the spawn, now used to coming and going without outside influence, must adjust to the different expectations of the parents. Blogger Dave Smith, over at iamdave, has an interesting first-hand take on the... »

Earlier in the week, I found myself listening to SC ETV radio’s Clemson-produced radio show Your Day, which is a sort of general interest “radio magazine” about South Carolina. I was really just wanting some noise to occupy me while I made a slightly complicated lunch, and didn’t really expect to hear anything that... »

So, after the epic, ice-related fail that was last weekend, I’m sure everybody is chomping at the bit to get out and have some fun this weekend. Nothing can stop the awesome train of weekend delight this time! Sure there’s some precipitation coming, and whether we’re looking at freezing rain or just... »

From Diogenes to George Carlin, cynics have been looking society square in the eye and telling the rest of us why it all sucks for thousands of years. Am I a member of that club? Well…without being nearly as famous or smart, yes I am. As far as I’m concerned, cynicism... »

This week the Hub City Brew Review takes on RJ Rockers Bell Ringer Ale. This is RJ Rockers’ high gravity offering, and it’s a winner in our book. It’s got big malts, big hops, and well-masked alcohol for a potent beer. In our estimation, this should be RJ Rockers’ signature beer. We... »

While the entire Upstate prepared for a cold snap that would (apparently) cause havoc and the apocalypse, I was waiting patiently, and warmly, within the confines of Hub-Bub’s Showroom for another Friday evening of music. This past Friday’s choices of live music were Spartanburg’s own Pharma Sutra (great name), and Cotton Jones from Cumberland, Maryland. As usual, I’ll give... »

It takes a special breed of people to take it upon themselves to open their homes permanently to a stranger. They spend a great deal of money, jump through legal an bureaucratic hoops and sometimes wait for years before that new stranger/family member becomes a resident in their home. Such however is the norm... »

“On Union Street, there’s an empty lot that used to be home to a welding supply company.” It’s not exactly William Faulkner I know, but that humble little line was the first sentence of the first “Flying Oskar” column I ever wrote for the Spark. That piece was posted on Monday, February... »

You might expect that on an icy weekend where everyone in town was stuck inside, YouTube would be inundated with quality videos of winter weather activities, people sledding, having sleet-ball fights, making sleet angels, and generally entertaining those of us who take it upon ourselves to look at local videos.  If you did expect... »

If you’re anything like me today, you’re stuck at home whether you want to be or not.  Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom, has decided to visit some frozen precipitation on us–not the fun fluffy kind either.  As is the custom in the South, we are huddled up inside enjoying the view from the... »

As most of you probably know by now, the meteorologists are expecting a nice, long blast of wet, cold weather to come swooping into Spartanburg like some kind of cartoon supervillain with an improbable plot for world domination centered around the price of heating oil. While this is bad news for pretty much everyone... »

What happens when it’s time to write the weekend post, but you don’t have any weekend plans? Well, that’s the position I find myself in this week. I’ve got nothing, literally nothing. Let me lay it out for you. Thursday: We usually don’t do a lot on Thursday nights and this one... »

Soapbox contributor: Lydia Anthony To write your own Reader Soapbox, visit our Reader Soapbox submission page. Last night was the first ownership meeting of the Hub-City Co-op, and as a proud member of the vanguard of co-op owners, I can hardly wait to tell you all about it. But before I launch into the details of the meeting, you... »

Now that we have a spiffy new logo (courtesy of local designer Stephen Long), it’s high time we starting showing it off. And what better way to do that than to suggest you buy some stuff with the logo on it from our online store. Although we’ve had an online store for a year... »

Writing about South Carolina’s idiotic public officials has become something of a cottage industry for me lately. But what if I told you I didn’t want to do it anymore? Well I don’t, but more than that, I don’t want to have to. Is there hope on the horizon? I... »

This week on for our brew review we’re taking on RJ Rockers First Snow Ale. This is RJ Rockers’ Winter seasonal brew, and unfortunately, we weren’t all that impressed. We felt that the ale didn’t have enough character on its own to combat the overwhelming spice notes. We’re not really fans... »

Video from the Spartanburg City Council meeting on Jan. 25, 2010. »

Miss Mom goes video. Every so often Miss Mom will tame her hair, glob on some mascara and plop herself in front of her webcam to present her column in a non-written format. The rest of the time, she will be writing her column in her jammies, using liberal doses of coffee to reduce... »

Dear Lt. Governor Bauer, My name is Christopher George. I’m a resident of Spartanburg County, and I’m writing to you today to tell you how happy I was to read your recent statements regarding government assistance to the poor. I think it’s important that people understand your positions as clearly as possible, and... »