Car Accident Attorney inGreenville, SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. —

The state of South Carolina will hold its first execution in over 13 years, and it will be for a Greenville County man named Freddie Owens on Sept. 20, 2024.

Owens will have the choice of his method of execution between lethal injection, electric chair or firing squad.

The last execution before this was of 36-year-old Jeffrey Brian Motts, another Greenville County man, on May 6, 2011.

Motts was serving a life sentence for murdering his great aunt and her brother-in-law in 1995. He was placed on death row in 2007 after strangling his cellmate at the Perry Correctional Institute in Greenville County in 2005.

Between lethal injection and the electric chair, Motts chose lethal injection. His last meal consisted of pizza, fried fish, popcorn shrimp, french fries, cherry cheesecake and sweet tea, officials said.

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Only three South Carolina reporters were allowed to watch Motts take his last breath.

Jeffrey Collins from the Associated Press said, "He blinked one time, and you could see his breathing was getting very shallow. He opened his eyes, blinked one more time, and then you noticed that his breathing stopped."

In a written statement, Motts apologized to his victim's family and his own family before his execution. He also wrote a warning to kids about the destructive nature of drugs, claiming narcotics destroyed his life.

"Finally to my mom and grandma 'Happy Mother's Day.' I know this is a sad one but let us remember the good times. I am finally free and peace in Heaven," Motts wrote.

Although the state was once one of the busiest for executions, South Carolina struggled for years to obtain the lethal injection drugs needed due to pharmaceutical companies' concerns that they would have to disclose the purchase of the drugs by officials.

In 2017, Brian Stirling with the South Carolina Department of Corrections said lethal injection may still be possible if state lawmakers passed a shield law, protecting the identity of companies that make lethal injection drugs.

(Video below: Senate panel held in 2017 regarding death row inmates)

Executions have remained on hold for 13 years before state legislation passed the shield law in May 2023, and in July of this year, the state Supreme Court cleared the way to restart executions, revising the policy for a one-drug protocol.

(Video below: Death penalty legalized July 31, 2024)

This led to the execution date being set in September 2024 for the first time since 2011. This makes Owens the 44th person to be executed since South Carolina reinstated the death penalty in 1977.

(Video below: Execution date set for Freddie Owens)

GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. —

Greenville County Schools is pausing all in-person book fairs for this school year due to a new South Carolina Department of Education policy.

District spokesperson Tim Waller said the decision to pause the events was not taken lightly. However, he said it was done so out of an abundance of caution amid the passage of SC Regulation 43-170, which oversees the selection and reconsideration of instructional materials.

"It requires us to scan each book and more or less keep it in a database to where it is publicly visible to parents," Waller said.

A South Carolina Department of Education spokesperson released the following statement:

"The department commends the district on its vigilance. The SCDE will offer its support for finding vendors that can give schools and families peace of mind that they are providing age-appropriate materials to our students."

District officials said that part of the reason for the pause was to protect their employees.

"With a traveling book fair, if you will, there's not enough time to go through, look at each book," Waller said. "What is the content? Determine if it meets the criteria of 43-170."

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Patrick Kelly of the Palmetto State Teachers Association said the district's decision is disappointing but doesn't blame the district for being cautious.

"Book fairs are such a formative experience for students," Kelly said. "It's also concerning because book fairs are a significant fundraiser for schools in South Carolina, especially at the elementary school and at many of our Title I schools."

Officials said the pause allows the district to come up with a process to eventually bring book fairs back, but teachers said students are the ones most affected.

"The last thing we need to be doing in an environment where you are trying to improve literacy rates for students in South Carolina is removing their access to books," Kelly said.

Spartanburg School District 5 officials said they have not paused book fairs for this school year.

A School District of Pickens County spokesperson released the following statement:

"The School District of Pickens County (SDPC) recognizes the importance of book fairs as both a valuable educational resource and a significant source of funding for our elementary and middle schools. We have not paused our practice of hosting book fairs at this time.

"Our schools have been diligent in closely monitoring the selection of books featured at our book fairs. This proactive approach ensures that the titles offered align with the values and standards of our community. Additionally, we have expanded our range of vendors to further ensure that the books available at our fairs meet our high expectations for quality and appropriateness. Our commitment is to provide age-appropriate, high-quality reading materials for our students."

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GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Greenville County Schools will not host in-person book fairs this school year.

(Video above: Morning headlines from WYFF News 4)

District Spokesman Tim Waller released the following statement about the pause:

"First, we recognize the value in school-sponsored book fairs as a way to promote reading with students while also engaging parents and the community in support of literacy. Additionally, book fairs provide a fundraising opportunity for schools that have a positive impact on students and the community.

"Effective August 1, 2024, South Carolina’s State Board of Education passed SC Regulation 43-170, which outlines new requirements for how instructional materials provided by schools or made available to students in school are selected. As a result, Greenville County Schools finds it necessary to pause all book fairs for this school year while it works with vendors to find a solution that ensures compliance and avoids a circumstance that may place employees in jeopardy of violating provisions of the regulation. The logistics of book fairs involve large containers of books and other material being delivered to schools, set out, packed up, picked up, restocked, and sent to the next school on a short turnaround time. It is not possible for school personnel to vet all book fair content after it arrives, nor can vendors provide accurate content information far enough in advance for it to be vetted through the District prior to the start of fall book fairs.

"The District’s Academics team is actively working with schools and individual book fair vendors to explore ways to continue offering book fairs in the future. During the time needed to ensure full compliance with the new regulation, there are alternatives, such as book clubs and online book fairs, for schools to consider. We will share more information once we have evaluated those other options for this year.

"Greenville County Schools understands the importance of book fairs as a way to promote reading while also raising funds for the schools. Please know that the District is committed to finding alternative solutions in the future that comply with Regulation 43-170 and allow us to continue engaging parents and the community in support of literacy within our schools and at home."

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When considering a trip to South Carolina, most people think of the food, the southern culture, and the Lowlands. But, there's so much to this unique state. In fact, there are certainly quite a few surprises around every corner. For instance, while there may not be many Amish churches or communities, there is one that's worth exploring. Although the entire small town of Blackville isn't Amish, there is a strong community of Amish people and businesses here. If you love everything Amish, a day trip to Blackville is certainly in order. Take a look at a few of the things to see and do in this tiny town.

Blackville is a small, close-knit, community located approximately 45 minutes northeast of Augusta, GA.

Although Blackville contains other churches, it is also home to one of the few Mennonite churches in the state.

The members of Calvary Fellowship Mennonite Church have never met a stranger they didn't welcome. The church was formed in the 1960s and is certainly just as friendly as the very first day it opened the doors.

Additionally, the Mennonite community in Blackville also has a private Mennonite School.

Right in the middle of town on Main Street, Miller's Bread Basket is an Amish-Mennonite restaurant and bakery you'll want to visit (we recommend lunchtime!).

Their Amish buffet is filled with delicious food and paired with fresh bread that is baked on-site at Miller's. Treat yourself to a delicious South Carolina Amish community meal.

Over on Healing Spring Road sits the Healing Springs Country Store.

It's operated by the local Mennonites and is filled to the brim with dry goods, fresh preserves, canned items, and some locally-made crafts. They also serve some of the best local food you'll ever eat.

Look forward to browsing their homemade remedies, including this signature lye soap created to keep the no-see-ums and mosquitoes at bay.

Speaking of home remedies, it's not Amish-related, but the South's famous God's Acre Healing Springs is worthy of a visit during any trip to Blackville or even if just passing through; although, we think it's one of the best day trips you could take in South Carolina.

The spring has been the source of water for healing whatever ails you for quite a long time. Upon the death of the last owner, it was deeded to God so that it would always be available to everyone (for free!) to partake in the healing properties of the water from this spring.

Bring containers and fill them all!

There are undoubtedly so many things to love about Blackville, one of the coolest small towns in SC to explore. Come for a day and take in all it has to offer! Or you could make it a weekend getaway. Barnwell State Park in Blackville offers both cabin rentals and campsites. Check RVShare.com for information on RV rentals if needed!

Have you ever visited this Amish community in SC, or are you from this small town? If so, we'd love to hear what you think visitors should see! Let us know in the comments. Additionally, we'd love to see your pictures if you have any to share.

And, for another charming tiny town to visit in the Palmetto State, check out Cope, South Carolina.

Anticipation began to build for luxury pop-up Bal Harbour Shops in late July when the city of Greenville announced its impending arrival.

The installation at Haywood Mall includes 32 shipping containers housing roughly 10 luxury-brand shops, as well as a fine dining eatery called The Whitman. It opened Aug. 24 and will remain in Greenville for eight weeks.

It follows a model set by shopping center Bal Harbour Shops which first formed by Stanley Whitman in 1965 at the site of a former World War II Army barracks in Bal Harbour, Florida. The Whitman family still owns the lifestyle conglomerate, led by Stanley’s grandson Matthew Whitman-Lazenby.

“The big idea here – other than creating a shopping center out of shipping containers – was trying to bring [high-fashion products] to markets where we could substantiate to the participating retailers that their customer was clearly there but didn’t have access to their product,” Whitman-Lazenby said.

Other locations for the pop-ups include Raleigh, North Carolina and Sarasota, Florida.

Midway through its stay, the brands will switch, offering visitors an opportunity to experience other shops.

Participating designers include:

Whitman-Lazenby said part of the appeal for the brands has been a movement of wealth since the 2020 pandemic, creating an opportunity for high-end brands in new locations.

“There’s been this this reallocation and distribution of wealth,” Whitman-Lazenby said. “Lots of brands want to tap into that and find those folks that that are in these markets.”

The business offers a personal shopping team that can facilitate purchase of items available at any of its roughly 110 stores, including those not available at the pop-up.

The flagship store in Florida includes food and beverage concepts like Avenue 31 or Makoto. The pop-up brings a taste of that experience with The Whitman.

The team partnered with Constellation Culinary for a 250-seat restaurant will have both indoor-outdoor dining components.

Haywood Mall is located at 700 Haywood Road, east of downtown Greenville near Interstate 385.

Aesthetics

Bal Harbour Shops brought palm trees, koi ponds, fountains and foliage or Greenville to evoke the tropical atmosphere found in the South Florida location.