Several months ago, I heard a rumor that the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine was looking at the old Spartan Mills site as a possible location for their proposed Spartanburg Campus. At the time, I didn’t realize exactly what that meant, at least beyond a simple understanding that a new college campus was likely... »

Earlier today, Google Maps launched a new feature which allows users to get road directions and route suggestions specifically intended for bicycles. These routes take a variety of bike-related factors into account, such as the slope of the road, the traffic volume on the roads in question and the existence of bike lanes. For... »

Spartanburg City Council heard from several nonprofit groups that have applied for Community Development Block Grants and HOME funds. The groups have requested a combined $130,944 in CDBG funds and $75,000 in HOME Funding. The public hearing was purely for informational purposes, and council took no action on the requests. Council also voted unanimously... »

I was asked recently when I was going to write about politics here on The Spark. The answer was when I found the right topic. The other day I read a news article that quite frankly upset me even more highly then the budget woes that our state’s education system is undergoing. Currently under proposal... »

Local blogger and occasional Spark contributor David Smith recently decided to start a new online media project, tentatively titled HubCast. Smith has been talking about the idea of putting together a local podcast for at least several months, and it’s fantastic to see him finally start the ball rolling on it without having to... »

Back in January, HubCulture (the parent organization of the Hub City Writers Project and the HUB-BUB) announced it would be opening a new downtown bookstore in the ground floor of the Masonic Temple on Morgan Square. Since that initial announcement, progress on the site has clipped along, and the current plan now includes an... »

What’s the greatest challenge facing Spartanburg? Ask 100 people that question, and you’re likely to get 100 answers. Some would talk about development issues. Some would talk about education issues. Some would talk about spending priorities and taxes. Every issue under the sun in our little corner of South... »

I’m not sure if it’s our repeated appeals for more local video blogs, a result of my not having scanned the local video scene in a few months (thanks Chris!) or just the video zeitgeist of our day, but there appears to be a much more robust collection of local vlogs and videos online... »

Do you want to know the secret to having a popular mommyblog? Whatever happens in the world around you, find a way to get a photo of your kids in it. OK, that only works with stuff like a rare South Carolina snowfall, and not so good with something like the national health care... »

As many of you may know, we’re slowly trying to incorporate more and more video into what we do here at the Spark. When it comes to local music, however, we’re in a weird position. You see, as long as we’re reviewing local music, and stick to short clips rather than entire songs, we’re... »

If there’s one thing Spartanburg has more than enough of, it’s large, empty storefronts. Few things make a city look as desperate and run-down as a wealth of hollowed-out shells where businesses once lived. So, it’s hard to see the recent announcement that local non-profit Piedmont Community Actions Inc. has acquired the former Bi-Lo... »

While many people in the Spartanburg area are at least aware of the HUB-BUB as local arts organization, relatively few people seem to realize just how rare and unique the project and its goals actually are. Not only is the HUB-BUB a rare thing for Spartanburg — or even South Carolina — it’s actually... »

For this week’s beer review, we’ve got RJ Rockers Buckwheat After Dark. It’s an American dark wheat ale, which is basically an Americanized version of the German dunkel weisse. It’s darker, with a more complex malty flavor than RJ’s regular Buckwheat Ale, and is a very good example of the style. ... »

After my last incursion to Ground Zero, I received many different takes on the venue from others. People that held Ground Zero close to their hearts remarked on the venue’s ability to bring in a variety of acts, while others said they steer clear of what they consider a “seedy” area. I found Ground... »

By the time you read this, I may or may not have a fully operational computer. The reason for that is that my son installed an evaluation copy of Windows 7, and that copy expired March 1. “No biggie,” I thought. “I’ve installed hardware and software before. I’ve reformatted my hard drive on several... »

If you’ve been dilly-dallying about sending in an application to be part of the 2010 ArtCycle sculpture program, you’d better get in gear. The deadline for the Spartanburg-based outdoor sculpture program that turns used bicycle parts into art is today. With a fairly forgiving set of rules — you have to send in an... »

Despite what you may have heard before, nobody hates saying “I told you so.” One of the few universal truths about people is that we all love being right. Some of us may love it more than others, but nobody hates it. Needless to say, I’ve never hated being right. In fact,... »

After weeks of begging and pleading for the citizens of Spartanburg to get their vlog on. I’m pleased to announce that we’ve had someone answer the call. Local musician, blogger, Photoshop aficionado, and all-around renaissance man Bryan “ChAng” Teague posted this cool video critiquing a jam night event at Blues Blvd. Speaking... »

When it comes to local blogs featuring artists whose work is inspired by nature, Middlewood Journal (literally) stands alone. This week artist Helen posted a cool looking drawing of some sun-bleached deer bones, and as always, she posted a nice description of how she came to create this particular drawing. Then, as I crossed... »

In sticking with the Spark’s recent appeal for more people to participate in local video-making and video blogging, this week we’re highlighting a few local musicians who have already made the leap to video. If you think about it for a moment, online videos are actually a big leap forward for local talent in... »