News
News
Wanted: Local Bike Routes For Google Maps
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... »
Video: Spartanburg City Council, Monday, March 8, 2010
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... »
Podcast Uprising! HubCast Pops Onto The Spartanburg Scene
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... »
Sparkle City Headlines: City Council Weighs Bookstore-Cafe Grant
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... »
Sparkle City Headlines: Former Bi-Lo To Become New Piedmont Community Actions Project
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... »
HUB-BUB’s Refshauge Wins National Arts Leadership Award
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... »
Sparkle City Headlines: JournalWatchdog.com Gets A Makeover
Several months ago, I reached out to Community Journals, the regional publisher behind the Spartanburg Journal, offering to help them turn their then-terrible website into something people might actually want to visit on a regular basis. Initially, there was some interest in the possible collaboration, but after I sent a list of simple, common-sense... »
Video: Spartanburg City Council Feb. 22, 2010
At Monday’s meeting, Spartanburg City Council gave final approval to two rezoning requests. 700 Wofford Street was originally designated B-1 (Neighborhood Shopping District) and will now be designated R-8 (General Residential District) to allow for the construction of new Habitat for Humanity Homes. 778 South Church Street was rezoned from B-1 to... »
Sparkle City Headlines: Kimbrell’s Furniture to re-open as downtown nightclub
According to a story in the Feb. 17th edition of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, a new nightclub called Rome will soon be coming to downtown Spartanburg. Local businessman Josey Wells recently signed a lease on the 28,000-square-foot building, which formerly housed Kimbrell’s Furniture. According to journalist Trevor Anderson, plans for the “upscale” club include “extravagant... »
Video: Spartanburg City Council Feb. 9, 2010
Video from the Spartanburg City Council meeting on February 9, 2010. »
Reader Soapbox: Hub City Co-op Ownership Meeting
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... »
Video: Spartanburg City Council, Jan. 25, 2010
Video from the Spartanburg City Council meeting on Jan. 25, 2010. »
Sparkle City Headlines: ‘Grain District’ Coming Soon?
If you want to cite an example of Spartanburg’s progress in the last few years, particularly in the area of downtown renewal, the western part of downtown is perhaps the best example you’ll find. Now a group of residents and business owners from that area have a new idea, naming the newly bustling... »
Video: Spartanburg City Council, Jan. 11, 2010
If you’d like to know what happened at the meeting before you commit to watching these videos, the Spark’s coverage (which, unlike the videos, was actually timely) can be found here. In brief: Election of 2010 Mayor Pro Tem; appointments to Appalachian Council of Governments (ACOG) Board; ratification of Neighborhood Stabilization acquisitions; second reading of... »
City Council: Brownfields Grant and a New Mayor Pro Tem
“I feel like a husband on his honeymoon,” Mayor Junie White said as he presided over his first council meeting. “I know what I’m supposed to do and how to do it, but it’s going to take a little time and practice for me to get used to it.” The meeting was... »
Calendar
- Hover pointer over event to see description. Click here to see the full calendar.
- Mar 12: Boutique Wine Evening on Oakland
- Mar 12: Motorama 2010 Classic Car Show & Auction
- Mar 13: Mobile Meals Land Cruise
- Mar 13: Motorama 2010 Classic Car Show & Auction
- Mar 14: Drag Show with Mr. Charlie Brown
- Mar 14: Motorama 2010 Classic Car Show & Auction
- Mar 16: Wine 101 Symposium Class
- Mar 17: IMPROVOKE
- Mar 18: High School Open Mic
- Mar 20: Ballet Spartanburg Presents Hansel & Gretel