Top 10 Stories of 2020 for Laurens County
December 30, 2020
The year 2020 has been a year like no other. As it comes to a close let’s take a look at the top 10 stories for Laurens County. Counting down from 10 to the top they are:
- City of Clinton breaks ground on Recreation Complex
In September of 2020 the City of Clinton broke ground on a 170-acre state-of-the-art outdoor recreation complex. After proper planning, development and coordination with appropriate state agencies, the City launched the project with a groundbreaking ceremony on the complex.
The park is more than ball fields for various team sports. It will include 2.6 miles of walking paths, multiple playgrounds, 2 miles of bike trails, a mountain bike trail, a gazebo for family events, and a 3,000-seat outdoor amphitheater capable of drawing major artists for outdoor entertainment.
For the full story as reported by the BUZZ click here.
- 7-Eleven Opens in Laurens and QT coming to Clinton
7-Eleven Store #41219 located at 21420 Highway 221 N. in Laurens opened in October bringing new jobs and all the conveniences the brand is known for providing. The new location includes among its liquid beverage offerings the famous Slurpees, frozen lemonade and coffee.
Earlier this year QT broke ground on a convenience store/gas/trucking center located just off Interstate 26 at Exit 54. According to the QT 
website, QuikTrip Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1958, QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion company with 850 stores in eleven states. With over 24,000 employees, Fortune has ranked QuikTrip on the list of “Best Companies to Work For” for fourteen years. QuikTrip also gives back to the communities it serves, donating 5% of net profits to charitable organizations. QT currently has 56 locations in South Carolina. The new location in Clinton is expected to open in the spring of 2021.
- Announcement of Two BI-LO stores closing in 2021
Buyers are still being sought for the county’s two BI-LO stores, which are among the last dozen or so Southeastern Grocers’ BI-LO stores which remain unsold following the first and second rounds of divestitures earlier this year. 
In June of 2020, Southeastern Grocers, a Jacksonville Florida based company, announced it was selling all of BI-LO and Harveys Supermarket grocery stores in the Carolinas and Georgia. About half of the BI-LO stores were purchased by Food Lion.
To-date, buyers have not been found for the Laurens and Clinton BI-LO stores and there is some question as to when the stores will close.
City officials in Laurens and Clinton are working to learn more about the situation and facilitate a solution. Stay tuned on this one.
- Laurens County Strong – Community rallies in support of Dec. 20th fire victims
One of the most recent stories and certainly the most tragic. On December 20th there were two fires in Laurens County.
Nine adults and 11 children were displaced, and four-year-old Madison Olivia Jeter died.
If there is a silver lining to this story (maybe even this year), it would be how the community responded. Volunteers made Christmas happen for the children and donations of items and money have been tremendous.
To see more about the event of December 23rd click here to read the article and access the recorded video.
For more information on the Landau Fire Fund click here.
- City of Laurens Announces major new housing project
In October of 2020 the City of Laurens announced a project to bring new housing to the area.
The planned neighborhood will feature houses in the $200,000 – $300,000 price range with generous lot sizes and other community amenities including a fishing pond, common green space, and a trail system.
The site for this new residential development is adjacent to The City of Laurens recreational facility, known as “The Ridge,” and will occupy the sixty-six-acre tract between The Ridge and Fleming Street Extension.
For more information read the full story as reported by the BUZZ here.
- Laurens County loses a legend in the Passing of King Dixon
On July 6, 2020 Laurens County lost a longtime community leader with passing of Albert “King” Dixon II at the age of 83 from cancer.
Dixon, a loyal family man, was also known for his commitment to the community, his athleticism and involvement and leadership in the Boy Scouts of America. His personal mantra of faith, family and service could be seen in all aspects of his life. 
Dixon was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Laurens High School, a football standout at the University of South Carolina, and player/coach of the United States Marine Corps football team. He later served at USC as the Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs, Athletics Director during which time USC joined the Southeastern Conference, and most recently, as a member of the Board of Trustees.
A Vietnam veteran, Dixon retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years of service to his country, having earned a number of military citations for heroic service.
He also served as the Executive Director of the Laurens YMCA and an executive with The Palmetto Bank.
Dixon loved being with and helping other people and it showed in his lifelong service to many organizations in various leadership roles. Some of them included: Elder and Sunday School teacher in the Presbyterian Church, Scoutmaster and local council President of the Boy Scouts of America (with all three sons and both grandsons earning the rank of Eagle Scout), coach of youth sports teams, Dixie Youth Baseball, District Governor of Rotary, Straight Street, Senior Laurens, Touchdown Club, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation, Upper Savannah Council of Government, and South Carolina Association of Regional Councils, among others.
Sadly, his wife Augusta Mason Dixon, passed away the following month, on August 17 at age 83 of cancer.
- Connexial Center – Phase I, Gray Court
Phase I of the Connexial Center was completed in 2020 with work continuing on development of the industrial park. The 150K+ sq ft speculative building was recently completed and has drummed up tremendous prospect interest already, as well as other parcels in the park.
The Connexial Center is a Class A Industrial Park and is strategically located on I-385 between Exit 19/SC-14 and Exit 16/SC-101. It’s also in close proximity to ZF Transmissions, Owings Industrial Park, Woodfield Industrial Park, and Southchase Industrial Park.
For more information about the Connexial Center, the spec building and other parcels available in the park click here. Follow along with photo images of development within the industrial park here.
- Election Results – the Voters Spoke
The primary election in June was a big one. The Sheriff race was a five-way primary, and Sheriff Don Reynolds won with strong support making a run-off unnecessary. Luke Rankin also unseated longtime County Councilman Joe Wood.
In November Councilman David Pitts was defeated by David Tribble and three seats on Laurens School District 55 changed over. New LCSD 55 board members include James Bubba Rawl, William Neal Patterson, and Todd Varner. Laurens School District 56 changed two seats with the election of Rhonda Gary and Charles Stinson.
- Laurens County Voters Said Yes to Invest!
On November 3rd the voters of Laurens County overwhelmingly came out in favor of the Capital Project Sales Tax (CPST) Referendum that was on the ballot.
A total of 24,736 votes were cast with 14,370 (58.09%) in favor and 10,366 (41.91%).
The “penny sales tax” will provide funding for 16 projects. The list of 16 projects was approved and ranked in order of importance by a six-person commission and presented to council earlier in the year.
To see a full list of the projects included click here to read the article from the BUZZ.
- COVID-19 Pandemic
Undeniably the top story of 2020 is COVID-19. The virus has had an impact worldwide, but the impact locally has also been harsh.
Health care workers and first responders have faced many challenges and endured long hours under extreme conditions to treat the sick. Many have lost loved ones; others have gone months without seeing elderly family members in nursing homes and other facilities.
Businesses have struggled to remain open and some individuals have lost their jobs.
Schools have modified the teaching model to include remote learning. Parents and children have struggled with these challenges.
Whew! What a list.
2020 has been a challenging year for so many but with some good sprinkled in along the way. What are your predictions for 2021? Send your predictions to the BUZZ by email to [email protected]. We will publish a list in a future article.
