South-Carolina
Greenville, Spartanburg among top 5 friendliest cities, towns in the South, says Southern Living
![Greenville, Spartanburg among top 5 friendliest cities, towns in the South, says Southern Living Greenville, Spartanburg among top 5 friendliest cities, towns in the South, says Southern Living](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/images/10BEST/2023/03/17/USAT/70022257007-10BEST-401365-GettyImages-1222684435.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=990,557,x0,y52&format=pjpg&width=1200)
VIDEO: Spartanburg Soup Kitchen prepares Easter baskets for local children
This Easter at the Spartanburg Soup Kitchen will be full of Easter baskets for local children. Volunteers prepared more than 300 baskets for local children.
When it comes to living in the South, most southerners would bet on their town being the friendliest.
This is due to the tradition of southern hospitality being passed on from friends and family to neighbor and stranger. Down in these parts, you can expect to make friends while running your daily errands. Southerners love to meet new people, and they are not afraid to chat up a storm, whether it’s while waiting in line at the grocery store or walking your dog around the neighborhood.
While there are many charming cities and towns in the South that keep up with the tradition of southern hospitality, there are only a few that made Southern Living’s recent list.
SC cities on Southern Living’s friendliest list
South Carolina dominates the top of Southern Living’s 15 Friendliest Cities in the South analysis. Charleston ranks No. 1, while Greenville is No. 3. Here’s what Southern Living had to say about these cities.
No. 1 Charleston
Charleston is a favorite among Southern Living readers, and the magazine says it has topped the annual list “for more years in a row than we can count on one hand.” It cites the city’s dining, waterfront views and architecture as standout features. But what about friendliness? One reader was quoted in the article: “I was walking down King Street with my family, and it started pouring rain. A perfect stranger stopped in his car, handed us an umbrella, said ‘Welcome to Charleston,’ and drove away.”
No. 3 Greenville
One thing Southern Living said it liked about Greenville is that it still feels like a small town with its walkable downtown. It singles out Falls Park on the Reedy River as a distinguishing feature of the city. Southern Living also mentions the Swamp Rabbit Trail: “Time in the great outdoors is good for the soul, so maybe that’s what makes Greenville locals so sunny? A leisurely bike ride along the Swamp Rabbit Trail … could turn even the deepest of frowns upside down.”
∎ No. 1: Charleston, South Carolina
∎ No. 2: Savannah, Georgia
∎ No. 3: Greenville, South Carolina
∎ No. 4: New Orleans, Louisiana
∎ No. 5: Nashville, Tennessee
∎ No. 6: Wilmington, North Carolina
∎ No. 7: Asheville, North Carolina
∎ No. 8: Franklin, Tennessee
∎ No. 9: Lexington, Kentucky
∎ No. 10: Lafayette, Louisiana
∎ No. 11: Chattanooga, Tennessee
∎ No. 12: San Antonio, Texas
∎ No. 13: Austin, Texas
∎ No. 14: Bentonville, Arkansas
∎ No. 15: Cary, North Carolina
SC towns on Southern Living’s friendliest list
Beaufort and Spartanburg are two S.C. towns that made appearances; Beaufort ranked No. 2 out of 20 Friendliest Towns in the South, while Spartanburg came in at No. 4. Here’s why the magazine recognized these towns as some of the friendliest.
No. 2 Beaufort
The city of Beaufort, located on Port Royal Island, is mostly known for its beaches and antebellum style mansions such as the John Mark Verdier House Museum. It is also known for the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront, which looks over the Beaufort River and Woods Memorial Bridge. Southern Living has listed the city on its South Best Awards several times throughout the years. But what is it that makes the city a friendly place?
“I’d prefer to keep it a secret, but y’all have let that cat out of the bag. The city itself is like a warm hug, her people are icing on the cake,” said one Southern Living reader. “Folks greet each other on the street, share stories over ice cream cones on benches, kids play and engage in the riverfront park, folks will scooch over a seat or two to make room for others. It’s just a lovely corner of home in this crazy world.”
No. 4 Spartanburg
Earlier this year, Spartanburg made Southern Living’s Best Cities on the Rise list due to its population growth and upcoming development projects. Readers of the magazine enjoy living in the Upstate city and appreciate the well managed city service and helpful employees.
One reader said: “They have great shopping downtown and friendly staff. The library is fantastic and worth visiting to look around. The staff there is also helpful with local history. Everybody says hello on their walking trail, families stop to chat and let their kids play on the trail. All around great experience.”
Another reader shared they have been “warmly welcomed at every turn” since retiring to the city.
Southern Living’s 20 Friendliest Towns in the South
∎ No. 1: Covington, Louisiana
∎ No. 2: Beaufort, South Carolina
∎ No. 3: Fairhope, Alabama
∎ No. 4: Spartanburg, South Carolina
∎ No. 5: Oxford, Mississippi
∎ No. 6: Southport, North Carolina
∎ No. 7: Round Top, Texas
∎ No. 8: St. Augustine, Florida
∎ No. 9: Fredericksburg, Texas
∎ No. 10: Laurel, Mississippi
∎ No. 11: Carolina Beach, North Carolina
∎ No. 12: Eureka Springs, Arkanas
∎ No. 13: Gatlinburg, Tennessee
∎ No. 14: Hendersonville, North Carolina
∎ No. 15: Williamsburg, Virginia
∎ No. 16: Ocean Springs, Mississippi
∎ No. 17: Auburn, Alabama
∎ No. 18: Paducah, Kentucky
∎ No. 19: Henderson, Kentucky
∎ No. 20: Fernandina Beach, Florida
Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com
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South-Carolina
Isuzu To Build New $280M Plant In South Carolina | Carscoops
![Isuzu To Build New 0M Plant In South Carolina | Carscoops Isuzu To Build New 0M Plant In South Carolina | Carscoops](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Isuzu-Factory-USA-4.jpg)
The site will employ more than 700 people and be able to produce ICE and EV models
9 hours ago
![Isuzu To Build New $280M Plant In South Carolina](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Isuzu-Factory-USA-4-1024x576.jpg)
- The factory will produce Isuzu’s N-series and F-series commercial trucks.
- Isuzu sold 44,000 commercial vehicles in North America throughout 2024.
- The facility sits on a 750,000-square-meter site in Greenville County.
Japanese manufacturer Isuzu Motors has committed $280 million to establish a new production facility in South Carolina. It says the site will begin operations in 2027 and will ultimately have the ability to produce 50,000 vehicles annually. The factory will also play an important role in reducing Isuzu’s exposure to widespread tariffs being introduced by the Trump administration.
The new factory will incorporate a variable-model, variable-volume production system to allow it to respond to changing demand for combustion-powered vehicles, while remaining flexible enough to include electric commercial vehicles in the medium to long term.
Read: Isuzu D-Max And MU-X Gain New Engine And Gearbox
In addition, this will be the first Isuzu factory to have a production line that doesn’t use conveyors or pits, improving flexibility and scalability. The company also said it will “automate inspections to eliminate operational errors, ensure traceability of parts, and introduce image inspections and other methods to prevent any outflow of defective products.”
Vehicles initially scheduled to be built at the plant will include Isuzu’s N-series models, smaller trucks rated at between 7.5 tonnes and 9.3 tonnes. The plant will also be responsible for building F-series trucks with gross vehicle weights of 15 tonnes.
The plant is located in South Carolina’s Greenville County and sits on a 750,000-square-meter site. It will employ more than 700 people by 2028.
![Isuzu To Build New $280M Plant In South Carolina](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Isuzu-Factory-USA-1024x576.jpg)
While Isuzu doesn’t sell its consumer-focused models like the D-Max pickup and MUX SUV in the US like it does in other markets, America is still an important market for the company’s commercial division. In the last fiscal year, it sold 44,000 commercial vehicles across North America and is wanting to “further expand its business,” in the region.
President Donald Trump has yet to announce specific tariffs targeting Japanese vehicles that are imported into the United States. However, he did recently order 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports effective from March 12, and this could impact Japan. Shortly after the tariffs were announced, Japan asked for an exemption from the new tariffs.
![Isuzu To Build New $280M Plant In South Carolina](https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Isuzu-D-Max-Blade-Australia-3-1024x563.jpg)
South-Carolina
Louisiana, Arizona end pauses on capital punishment as 3 executions set for March
![Louisiana, Arizona end pauses on capital punishment as 3 executions set for March Louisiana, Arizona end pauses on capital punishment as 3 executions set for March](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/fdeec2d6eebacdc4aac4f1a493f0d8e70a348be3/c=0-748-1449-1567/local/-/media/2017/06/05/Phoenix/Phoenix/636322855149145211-PNIBrd2-03-26-2017-Republic-1-E002--2017-03-24-IMG-Death-Chamber1-1-1-1THRIT58-L999145752-IMG-Death-Chamber1-1-1-1THRIT58.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Three states have scheduled executions in March, including one eyeing a controversial nitrogen gas method in order to carry it out and another state that struggled to insert IVs into three separate inmates during their lethal injections.
Louisiana’s execution of Christopher Sepulvado on March 17 would mark the end of a 15-year break in executions in the state, which plans to use nitrogen gas. Arizona’s execution of Aaron Gunches on March 19 would be the first in the state since 2022, when the state struggled to carry out three executions.
Meanwhile South Carolina is set to execute its fourth inmate since September, when the state reinstated the practice after a 13-year pause.
“The resumption of executions in states which have not killed prisoners in over a decade is a troubling last gasp for the death penalty in the United States,” Abraham Bonowitz, executive director of Death Penalty Action, told USA TODAY on Wednesday. “Killing old men decades after their crimes does not make us safer, nor does it bring back the victims in these cases.”
Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement Monday that “justice will be dispensed.”
“For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our State’s most violent crimes,” he said. “I anticipate the national press will embellish on the feelings and interests of the violent death row murderers, we will continue to advocate for the innocent victims and the loved ones left behind.”
So far this year, the U.S. has executed three inmates, with two more scheduled to die and on Thursday and at least 12 more by the end of the year. Here’s what to know about the newly scheduled executions.
Louisiana ends prohibition on death penalty
A De Soto Parish judge granted a death warrant Tuesday for 81-year-old Christopher Sepulvado to be executed on March 17 for the murder of his 6-year-old stepson in 1993.
Attorney General Liz Murrill told The Associated Press that the state will use nitrogen gas and expects to execute four inmates this year.
The Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor for Death Row inmates and anti-death penalty activist, was a witness to the first nitrogen gas execution in the United States − that of Kenny Eugene Smith on Jan. 25, 2024 − and described it as being “horrific.”
“Kenny was shaking the entire gurney. I had never seen something so violent,” Hood wrote in a column for USA TODAY following the execution of Kenneth Smith. “There was nothing in his body that was calm. Everything was going everywhere all at once, over and over.”
Sepulvado’s attorney, Shawn Nolan, told KTBS-TV that the inmate is in poor health and confined to a wheelchair.
“Chris Sepulvado is a debilitated old man suffering from serious medical ailments,” he said. “There is no conceivable reason why ‘justice’ might be served by executing Chris instead of letting him live out his few remaining days in prison.”
Arizona to restart executions after review
The Arizona State Supreme Court granted a warrant of execution for Aaron Gunches on Tuesday, setting the first execution in the state in more than two years for March 19, reported The Arizona Republic − a part of the USA TODAY Network.
Gunches was sentenced to death for the 2002 murder of Ted Price, a former longtime boyfriend of Gunches’ girlfriend. Gunches has advocated for his execution, and the state’s Supreme Court previously granted a death warrant for him in 2023 that was not completed when Democratic state leadership paused executions upon taking office.
Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes suspended capital punishment pending a review of Arizona’s death penalty process because the state struggled to insert IVs for three lethal injection executions in 2022: those of Clarence Dixon, Frank Atwood and Murray Hooper.
Dixon’s attorneys said it took 40 minutes to insert IVs. Dixon’s execution team resorted to inserting an IV line into his femoral vein, which caused him to experience pain and resulted in a “fair amount of blood,” according to Associated Press reporter Paul Davenport, who witnessed the execution.
The execution team for Atwood also struggled to insert IVs, prompting technicians to consider the femoral vein, as well. However, Atwood asked the team to try his arms again, eventually guiding them to insert the line into one of his hands successfully.
During Hooper’s execution, he turned and asked the viewing gallery, “Can you believe this?” as the execution team tried and failed repeatedly to insert IVs into his arms before inserting a catheter into his femoral vein.
Hobbs ended the review process late last year, and Mayes announced she was pursuing the execution of Gunches.
State officials have said there will now be additional members on the execution team, including a phlebotomist. During previous executions, the IV team was sometimes staffed with corrections officers.
South Carolina to execute fourth person in five months
Meanwhile the South Carolina Supreme Court on Friday scheduled a March 7 execution date for Brad Sigmon for the 2001 murder of a couple and the kidnapping of their daughter, according to the Greenville News − a part of the USA TODAY Network.
Sigmon would be the fourth man executed by the state since September if the execution is completed, following Freddie “Khalil” Owens, Richard Moore and Marion Bowman last month.
Lawyers representing Sigmon, 67, filed a motion last week to stay Sigmon’s executionafter reviewing Moore’s autopsy.
According to the motion, the previous three men remained alive for 20 minutes after receiving a dose of pentobarbital, and Moore had to be injected a second time.
“This raises grave concerns: that during all three of SCDC’s recent executions, the drugs were either not properly administered, not reliable and effective, or all of the above,” according to the motion.
USA TODAY reached out to the South Carolina Department of Corrections for a response.
South-Carolina
Soggy days prompt flash flood risk across parts of South Carolina; more to come
![Soggy days prompt flash flood risk across parts of South Carolina; more to come Soggy days prompt flash flood risk across parts of South Carolina; more to come](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7d57cb0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/739x388+0+13/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fca%2F98%2Fa438265c42edb8c861f9e000ee12%2Fsnip20250212-4.png)
Showers will continue across much of South Carolina on Wednesday and for many on Thursday. We have been sandwiched between systems, so we can expect plenty of rain and a few thunderstorms to pass through the region as the final cold front pushes through the Palmetto state on Thursday. Flash floods are a risk, especially across the Upstate and the northern fringe of the Midlands.
Wednesday was a wet day across South Carolina. The showers arrived in the morning across the Midlands as a cold front pushed through the region. This cold front was weak and quickly followed by a low-pressure system moving over the Lowcountry. As a system slowly drags to the east, a warm front will arrive in the state from the southwest, bringing instability and plenty of moisture from the Gulf. This warm front is attached to the next low-pressure system, traveling over the state on Thursday. This system drags the final cold front of this series, which will put the icing on the cake regarding showers and isolated storms moving through on Thursday.
Between Wednesday and Friday night, up to 4 inches of rainfall is possible across Upstate South Carolina. The Midlands could receive between 1 and 2 inches, with some isolated spots, especially across the northern tier, around 3 inches. Up to 1.5 inches could fall in the Lowcountry, while the Pee Dee will likely get less than one inch.
This wet and slow-moving setup has prompted excessive rain alerts across parts of the southeast. The western half of South Carolina is either under a marginal risk or a slight risk of experiencing flash floods. The slight risk is about a 15% chance of experiencing flash floods within a 25-mile distance of a point extent through the deep south. The marginal risk, at least a 5% chance of experiencing flash floods within 25 miles of a point, extends around the slight risk area and to the Mid-Atlantic region, where Wednesday was a busy day when they experienced dangerous winter weather conditions.
Keep paying attention to the weather pattern because more will come this weekend. Although we will get a break between Thursday and Friday, the soggy and active weather will return to South Carolina on Saturday and likely on Sunday as the next system arrives in the area. This system will likely provide a similar setup that brings plenty of rain and will not likely move out until late Sunday night or early Monday morning. Rainfall totals could be very close to those we receive between Wednesday and Thursday. So remember that the totals mentioned above could repeat over the weekend. Still, they will be repeating over already saturated soils, which could rapidly increase the risk of flash floods once again as the ground is already fragile. We will bring you updates later this week.
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