South-Carolina

A Little North Carolina Town’s Big Green Heart

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

A Little North Carolina Town’s Big Green Heart

The first time I saw Valle Crucis, in 2015, I was speechless, which had nothing to do with not knowing how to pronounce the name. My wife and I were riding with a friend down the twisting ribbon of Highway 194 out of Banner Elk, North Carolina, when a sweep of green opened below us. “This,” our friend told us, “is the loveliest part of the High Country.”

I read the sign as we passed.

“Vail Crucis?”

“You say it ‘valley.’ No idea why they spell it like that.”

I would later learn that it was Latin for “Vale of the Cross,” named, according to legend, nearly two hundred years ago by the North Carolina bishop Levi Silliman Ives for the three streams that converged and brought to mind a Saint Andrew’s cross. My friend didn’t know that at the time, but he was right about Valle Crucis being the loveliest part of the High Country, and by the time 194 intersected Broadstone Road, I was smitten.

photo: Lauren Bell / Getty Images

The community in the early 1970s.

An unincorporated community of fewer than five hundred souls, Valle Crucis spreads over a gentle shelf of bottomland threaded by the swift waters of the Watauga River. It looks like a postcard from another era, and what it lacks in population it makes up for in character. Here is the original Mast General Store, the elegant Mast Farm Inn, and chef Andy Long’s dazzling Over Yonder restaurant. It’s also—and this would come to matter a great deal to us—home to the Valle Crucis Community Park.

My wife and I grew up in the mountains of South Carolina but had spent the last two decades moving. We’d lived in Charleston and Connecticut and done stints in Europe and Mexico. We were living in Florida at the time and eager to get closer to family, to the white pines, to the mountains. The way the slopes appear as velvet in the hazy distance—we were hungry for that, and bought a house two ridges over from Valle Crucis, in Sugar Grove. As soon as we’d settled, we drove our children to the park and promptly fell in love.

The community park consists of twenty-eight acres of playgrounds, walking trails, and open spaces that stretch along the Watauga, mostly supported by donations and the generosity of the Friends of the Park. During the summer, children squeal on swing sets and drift in inner tubes, and folks fly fish or swish by, power walking in teal wind suits.

Wednesday mornings, the High Country Audubon Society holds a bird walk there. Our son was and remains an avid bird-watcher, so we began taking him when he was seven for what I came to think of as “birding with the elderly.” I’d shunt him into the herd and then jog around the paved track, each time encountering the group staring into some treetop, having hardly advanced since my last lap. Occasionally, I’d even find my son with a pair of two-thousand-dollar binoculars strung around his neck, courtesy of a generous older birder, something that always got my heart racing more than the running. He’d bird while our daughter rode her bike, my hand hovering near the seat. We went nearly every day, and I thought I couldn’t possibly love the park more.

Then I heard about Music in the Valle. My friend Jimmy Davidson, a local musician, told me that every Friday from late May to early September, the park puts on a concert from six till dusk. It’s free and you don’t need a ticket. (A donation is appreciated but not required.) The music ranges from bluegrass to reggae, and pretty much everyone comes.

We went that first May evening and never stopped, seeing for ourselves the beauty of spring turning to summer in the mountains. The sky begins eggshell blue and then, around late afternoon, the day softens, goldens. Come evening the light goes gauzy, and then the fireflies start to wink and shudder, not in the woolly humidity of so much of the South, but in the airiness of elevation, the lazy sureness of a climate that has nothing to prove.

Those Fridays quickly became my favorite part of summer. I thought at first it was because Music in the Valle is what we might call “a doing.” Appalachian State students in sandals and bathing suits stand beside women dressed for a mountain cocktail party, barefoot and Empire-waisted on the greenest grass. Everywhere dogs. Everywhere children on bicycles, helmeted and laughing and waving as they wheel past. Folks spread quilts or fight with complex folding tables, then lay out cheese and prosciutto and wine in stainless-steel canteens. I like to bring a small cooler and visit the food trucks near the stage—the double burger from the Cardinal, a hot dog from Doggin’ It—while the music drifts by.

It took me a while to realize that for all that, I love Valle Crucis for a deeper reason: My wife and I have measured our lives in that park, on those Fridays. That seven-year-old I kept nervously checking on while he glassed eastern bluebirds now fills in and leads birding walks himself. That daughter who needed me to hold the back of her bicycle has long since pedaled away.

One September evening not too long ago, I sat beside a friend as a V of Canada geese squawked overhead, flying south. It was the last concert of the season, and he nudged me.

“There goes our summer,” he said.

I looked for my children to point it out to them. When I realized they were off with friends, it came to me like a blow that summer wasn’t the only thing passing. But my God, how lucky we were, to sit in so beautiful a place, to mark time in the evening cool and the first blush of dark, on a blanket surrounded by people we love.

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South-Carolina

A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews

Published

2 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews

“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”

by NATHAN BALLENTINE

***

For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.

That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.

When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.

***

The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.

***

“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”

***

A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.

Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.

Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.

***

RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT

***

As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.

Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.

A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.

***

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South-Carolina

LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

Published

14 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.

Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

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South-Carolina

2026 Football Schedule Unveiled

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

The University of South Carolina’s 2026 football schedule has been unveiled, it was announced tonight on the SEC Network.

The Gamecocks’ 2026 schedule features nine regular-season SEC contests, with five games at home and four on the road. The schedule also includes non-conference games versus Kent State and Towson as part of the seven-game home slate, and a non-conference road contest at Clemson.

After opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since 2014, the Gamecocks will alternate home and road contests throughout the remainder of the schedule. The 2026 schedule features just one open date which will come on week 7 (October 17).

As announced on Monday, the Gamecocks will open the season on Sept. 5 by hosting Kent State. Carolina drubbed the Golden Flashes in its only previous encounter, a 77-14 decision in 1995. Kent State finished the 2025 season with a 5-7 mark overall and a 4-4 record in the Mid-American Conference.

Week 2 will see the Towson Tigers make their first trip to Williams-Brice Stadium. The Tigers compete in the FCS Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and posted a 6-6 record in 2025 under head coach Pete Shinnick.

The Gamecocks begin their nine-game SEC gauntlet on Sept. 19 when Mississippi State visits Columbia. Carolina has won eight of the last nine meeting with the Bulldogs including a 37-30 win in 2023, the only contest played between the two schools since 2016. The Gamecocks lead the all-time series by a 10-7 margin. Mississippi State is one of seven teams on Carolina’s 2026 schedule that is playing in a post-season game this year.

The Gamecocks first road trip of the 2026 season takes them to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 26 for a date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, one of four teams on South Carolina’s 2026 slate that will appear in this year’s College Football Playoffs. It will mark the third-consecutive season that Carolina and Alabama have squared off, with the Tide narrowly winning the previous two – 27-25 in Tuscaloosa in 2024 and 29-22 in Columbia in 2025.

The Gamecocks and Kentucky Wildcats will meet in Columbia on Oct. 3. The teams met in Williams-Brice Stadium on Sept. 27, 2025, with Carolina prevailing by a 35-13 score, its fourth-straight win in a series they lead 22-14-1.

Carolina wraps up the first half of the season at Florida on Oct. 10. The Gamecocks and Gators met every year on the gridiron from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Florida holds a commanding 31-10-3 lead in the all-time series including a 17-2 advantage when playing in The Swamp. Carolina’s last win in Gainesville came in overtime the 2014 season.

After an open date on Oct. 17, the Gamecocks will return to action at home on Oct. 24 against the Tennessee Volunteers. Like Florida, the Gamecocks and Vols met every year from 1992-2023 but have not played in either of the last two seasons. Tennessee leads the all-time series by a 29-13-2 count including a narrow 10-8-2 advantage when the game has been played in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will spend Halloween in Norman playing the Oklahoma Sooners. The teams had never met prior to OU joining the SEC but have played each of the past two seasons with each team winning on the others’ home field.

The Bonham Trophy will be at stake on Nov. 7 when Texas A&M visits Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks and Aggies have met every year since A&M joined the SEC in 2014. The Aggies hold a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Gamecocks have won each of the last two meetings in Columbia.

The Gamecocks will travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for just the second time since 2013 when they tangle with the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 14. South Carolina has won three of the last four games with the Hogs, but Arkansas clings to a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.

The second-longest running series in school history behind only Carolina-Clemson, the Carolina-Georgia rivalry gets renewed on Nov. 21 when the Bulldogs make their way to Columbia from Athens. Georgia has won 55 of the previous 76 meetings between the flagship schools from neighboring states, with the Gamecocks last win coming in 2019.

The 2026 regular season comes to an end on Nov. 28 when the Gamecocks and Clemson Tigers meet in the annual Palmetto Bowl. The 2026 meeting will take place in the Upstate, where the Gamecocks have won each of their last two visits.

SEASON TICKETS
Whether you’ve been attending games for years or want to experience the magic for the first time, it’s not too early to secure your season tickets for the 2026 season. Season tickets are available for as low as $65 per game with a 10-month payment plan option available. Fans interested in purchasing season tickets for the first time, can place a season ticket deposit today for only $50 plus fees or fill out our season ticket interest form to receive more information. Current season ticket holders will receive information soon on how to renew their tickets for the 2026 season and can contact their Gamecock Club Account Representative today to enroll in the 10-month payment plan. For more information on ticket options for the 2026 season, visit 2026 Football Hub.

2026 SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 5                  vs Kent State
Sept. 12 vs Towson
Sept. 19 vs Mississippi State*
Sept. 26 at Alabama*
Oct. 3 vs Kentucky*
Oct. 10 at Florida*
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24                 vs Tennessee*
Oct. 31 at Oklahoma*
Nov. 7 vs Texas A&M*
Nov. 14                 at Arkansas*
Nov. 21                 vs Georgia*
Nov. 28 at Clemson

*-SEC game

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