Criminal Defense Lawyer in Spartanburg, SC

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

Health officials in South Carolina are reporting possible measles exposure at Costco, Spartanburg Community College, as well as additional churches.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is reporting 11 new cases of measles in the state since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in South Carolina related to the Upstate outbreak to 973.

(Video above: Greenville woman vaccinated at birth receives negative measles immunity test, SCDPH responds)

There are currently 105 people in quarantine and seven in isolation. The latest end of quarantine for these is March 15.

Based on the new cases, DPH has identified public exposures at Mabry Middle School (number of individuals in quarantine to be determined). Additionally, individuals remain in quarantine from Libertas Academy (17 individuals in quarantine) and Inman Intermediate (fewer than 5 individuals in quarantine).

DPH has identified multiple locations where exposures to infectious measles have occurred. DPH has defined the times of potential exposure at the following locations:

The risk of exposure in the locations is limited to the specific dates and times announced. Once that time frame has passed, the location is not an ongoing risk for measles exposure. Exposures occurred only when an infectious person was present during the defined time. These locations are not a source of ongoing exposure, and businesses and locations identified are not responsible for a person with measles having been present.

People who were exposed at Spartanburg Community College and Costco, especially those without immunity through vaccination or previous disease, should monitor for symptoms through March 10. Those exposed at Tabernacle of Salvation should monitor for symptoms through March 8, and those exposed at Westgate Baptist Church should monitor for symptoms through March 4.

Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent measles and stop this outbreak. Vaccines are available at many primary care provider offices and pharmacies, as well as DPH Health Departments.

In response to the ongoing measles outbreak in the Upstate, DPH will activate its Mobile Health Unit to offer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination to the public at no cost on Friday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church, 570 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg.

To stay up-to-date on the latest measles outbreak information, visit our dedicated webpage here. For additional data related to the outbreak, visit our Measles Dashboard.

SPARTANBURG — Ahead of a 3 p.m. press conference by local and state leaders that likely scuttled TigerDC’s proposed data center, the company pitched its power plan and made the case that it won’t pressure the power grid or cause rate increases.

Two members of County Council confirmed at the Feb. 26 press conference that the body plans to deny tax incentives to the data center, known as Project Spero. The company says the data center will go elsewhere without those property tax breaks.

TigerDC, which already owns a bitcoin mining operation in the area, said in a press release it will fund all grid upgrades necessary for the project. The company said it expects to use 100 megawatts of electricity during the first phase buildout, scheduled to be complete by the end of 2027.

Of that, half will come from Lockhart Power and the other will come from on-site natural gas generators, the company said. In an email, spokesperson Sarah Curran said the project may actually prevent a rate increase by funding necessary grid upgrades.

“Project Spero will pay any and all costs of enhancing the grid as needed to serve its load, as well as all costs to provide electric service to the project,” Lockhart Power President Bryan Stone said in a press release. “Furthermore, the project’s rates will include a component that benefits the rest of Lockhart Power’s customers, for example by offsetting costs to replace older lines and other power infrastructure.”

It plans to use a closed-loop water cooling method with an initial water fill of 500,000 gallons.

A possible expansion in 2028 would call for 150 megawatts of electricity use, with 100 megawatts generated on site, and 750,000 gallons of water. Curran said in an email that the company would “fund 100% of all power capacity expansions.”

The data center could ultimately use 250 megawatts of power on the existing site, using its own gas-generated power and grid power. A full buildout of the data center campus — which would require additional land — would result in a 400 megawatt load, Curran said.

During his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, President Donald Trump said he’d planned an executive order requiring data centers to generate their own energy.

“Major technology companies building large-scale AI data centers will be required to provide their own power. They will build their own power plants,” Trump said. “We are not going to let these facilities drain our public grid and drive up residential rates. In some cases, surrounding communities may even see lower electricity costs.”

In a press release, the company said it was committed to living up to the spirit of Trump’s proposal.

“As an American entrepreneur and a proud U.S. citizen, I believe we have a responsibility to build the infrastructure that powers our country’s future without placing additional burdens on American families,” TigerDC CEO Jerry Tang said in a press release. “From day one, Project Spero was designed to expand energy supply, invest in dedicated infrastructure, and protect local ratepayers while strengthening America’s leadership in artificial intelligence.”

Federal regulators in December nixed a proposed 200 megawatt Duke Energy transmission line — an upgrade that would allow Lockhart Power to service the data center. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reasoned that because Duke wasn’t charging Lockhart enough money for the project, existing customers could have had to bear some of the cost. The Commission stressed that Duke and Lockhart provided too little information on how it would pay for the project.

There are concerns the company hasn’t addressed, however.

For example, closed-loop water cooling systems have to be flushed on occasion, and the used water is often highly contaminated. It’s unclear whether the company will monitor the water quality or take steps to safely dispose of used water, and Curran didn’t offer any details in response to a question.

It’s also unclear how loud the on-site generators will be and what steps the company is taking to mitigate noise pollution.

Perhaps the biggest hurdles are County Council and state legislators. Council voted 5-2 on second reading to approve a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement for the company, which would lower its property tax rate from 10.5 percent to 4 percent.

But Council Chairperson Manning Lynch — who had had already said he would vote against the tax breaks on third reading — said council will meet Feb. 27 and formally deny the project’s FILOT request. Curran said without the tax abatement, the company wouldn’t come to Spartanburg, although it would be open to looking at other places in South Carolina.

There are two bills in the state Legislature designed to regulate data centers, and a resolution was filed on Feb. 25 to ban all new data centers until January 2028.

Grant DeShields, a county councilmember who voted against the project on second reading, said he had a lot of concerns about the project’s finances, environmental impact and how it would affect the power grid. He said he doesn't plan to change his vote.

“I voted my conscience and what I thought my constituents wanted,” he said.

New community expands Spartanburg-area offerings from online homebuying leader

SPARTANBURG, S.C. , Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS)—a top national homebuilder, industry leader in online home sales, and featured on America's Most Trustworthy Companies and World's Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek—revealed that its Century Complete brand will soon be selling at the Company's newest Spartanburg community, Ellison Townhomes.

In addition to quality and affordable new construction, this modern townhome community is designed for low-maintenance living. Future residents will also love amenities like community walking trails, a playground, a dog park, access to open space, and convenient proximity to the Daniel Morgan Trail System (known as "The Dan") and Downtown Spartanburg.

Join the Interest List for Grand Opening updates and more: www.CenturyCommunities.com/EllisonTownhomesSC

"Featuring quality, affordable, and low-maintenance townhomes in a prime Spartanburg location, this new community has a lot to offer," said Cliff Niederpruem, Regional President. "Sales will start soon and opportunities are limited, so it's an ideal time to join our interest list and ensure you're the first to know about available homes and special offers."

ELLISON TOWNHOMES | SPARTANBURG, SC Coming soon from the low $200s

Community Location 4010 Chessgrove Way Spartanburg, SC 29307864.509.9195

VISIT OUR SALES STUDIO

While our state-of-the-art online homebuying process allows you to buy on your terms—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year—we also offer in-person assistance from local experts at our Upstate Sales Studio.

Upstate Studio 1401 Woodruff Road, Suite BGreenville, SC 29615864.509.9195

THE FREEDOM OF ONLINE HOMEBUYING

Century Complete is proud to feature its industry-first online homebuying experience on all available homes in South Carolina, allowing homebuyers to easily find their best fit and purchase when they're ready—all while continuing to work with their local real estate agent of choice. Homebuyers can further streamline the homebuying process by financing online with Century Complete's affiliate lender, Inspire Home Loans®.

How it works:

Learn more about the Buy Online experience at www.CenturyCommunities.com/online-homebuying.

About Century Communities Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is one of the nation's largest homebuilders and a recognized industry leader in online home sales. Newsweek has named the Company one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies for three consecutive years. Century Communities has also been designated as one of U.S. News & World Report's Best Companies to Work For (2025–2026). Through its Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century's mission is to build attractive, high-quality homes at affordable prices to provide its valued customers with A HOME FOR EVERY DREAM®. Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding — including the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Company operates in 16 states and over 45 markets across the U.S., and also offers mortgage, title, insurance brokerage, and escrow services in select markets through its Inspire Home Loans, Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and IHL Escrow subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/century-complete-announces-new-townhomes-coming-soon-to-spartanburg-sc-community-302697310.html

SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is reporting six new cases of measles in the state since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in South Carolina related to the Upstate outbreak to 985.

There are currently 61 people in quarantine and two in isolation. The latest end of quarantine for these is March 20.

Based on the new cases, DPH has identified public exposures at Sugar Ridge Elementary (fewer than five individuals in quarantine). Additionally, individuals remain in quarantine from Libertas Academy (17 individuals in quarantine), Willow Creek Gathers Homeschool Co-op (17 individuals in quarantine) and Mabry Middle School (fewer than five individuals in quarantine).

DPH has identified a new public location where exposures to infectious measles have occurred. DPH has defined the time of potential exposure at the following location:

The risk of exposure in these locations is limited to the specific dates and times announced. Once that time frame has passed, the location is not an ongoing risk for measles exposure. Exposures occurred only when an infectious person was present during the defined time. These locations are not a source of ongoing exposure, and businesses and locations identified are not responsible for a person with measles having been present.

People who were exposed at Costco, especially those without immunity through vaccination or previous disease, should monitor for symptoms through March 15.

Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent measles and stop this outbreak. Vaccines are available at many primary care provider offices and pharmacies, as well as DPH Health Departments.

DPH has received requests for Mobile Health Unit services to offer measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination and has scheduled an event provide MMR vaccines to the public at no cost on Tuesday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church, 570 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg.

To stay up-to-date on the latest measles outbreak information, visit our dedicated webpage here. For additional data related to the outbreak, visit our Measles Dashboard.

Outbreak Data PointsAge breakdown of 985 cases:Under 5: 2585-17: 63318+: 85Unknown: 9

Vaccination status:919 unvaccinated, 19 partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two-dose MMR sequence, 26 vaccinated with the two-dose MMR sequence, and 21 unknown.

SPARTANBURG — In the wake of local officials pulling support for steep property tax cuts amid a public uproar, TigerDC has decided not to build a $3 billion data center in Spartanburg County.

“Project Spero remains appreciative of the time and engagement shown by County Council, staff, and community members during this review,” the company stated in a Feb. 27 press release. “Major infrastructure investments require alignment among stakeholders, and Project Spero recognizes that alignment ultimately has not been achieved.”

The announcement came two hours before a Feb. 27 county council vote against offering a property tax abatement to the company.

“We’re thrilled with this no vote by our County Council,” said Eric Allison, a retired Spartanburg native who started the No Data Centers in Spartanburg Facebook page to give a voice to folks concerned about Spero and other projects.

“That’s what we wanted all along, was for our elected representatives to hear the voices of the people that elected them and then vote accordingly to the residents’ wishes,” Allison said.

Councilmember Monier Abusaft, who voted to approve the deal on second reading, said he was personally comfortable with the data center and didn’t believe it would have any adverse effects.

But he said the community opposition and the state’s ongoing debate over data center regulations were the determining factors that caused County Council back off from the project. He said the statewide debate would give people a chance to get more information on data centers from trustworthy sources.

“Obviously, they’re safe because we’ve already approved some,” Abusaft said. “Nobody’s walking around here with two heads. The water’s going to be clean. But when people are distrustful, sometimes, local government just needs to say ‘Let’s stop and let them get as comfortable as we are.’ ”

Spartanburg County Council in November passed the first of three readings of an ordinance to give the company a fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement that would lower its property tax rate from 10.5 percent down to 4 percent for the next 40 years.

On Jan. 8 and 9, members of the council’s economic development committee met with TigerDC CEO Jerry Tang and his project team, county spokesperson Scottie Kay Blackwell said. They also formally pledged to Spartanburg County Council that the project would comply with any state or federal data center regulations.

Council tabled a planned second reading over community concerns, but on Jan. 27, TigerDC announced in a news release that it was coming to Spartanburg. That announcement tried to ease worries about power and water usage.

As it announced its withdrawal, TigerDC said its team had “worked diligently and in good faith” to provide extensive documentation and public clarification regarding the facility’s design — stressing that Project Spero uses a closed-loop cooling system with negligible water impact and a self-contained power strategy they said was designed to avoid strain on the local residential grid.

Council Chair Manning Lynch said he met with Tang once for about 45 minutes as part of the vetting process.

At county leadership’s request, the developer also publicly launched the TigerDC brand and identified the company well in advance of final FILOT approval — an unusual move during a confidential economic development process.

“TigerDC has operated responsibly in Spartanburg County since 2022 and remains proud of our existing presence here,” the press release stated. “Project Spero represented a significant private investment that would have generated substantial long-term tax revenue while strengthening America’s leadership in AI and advanced computing. TigerDC will now focus our efforts on communities that are ready to move forward with this type of infrastructure.”

On Feb. 16, in the face of raucous opposition from the community, environmental advocates and local power player The Johnson Group, council passed second reading of the ordinance anyway, with Paul Abbott and Grant DeShields voting no.

A week later — as the Facebook groups swelled, the petition signatures increased and a website called stopprojectspero.com went live — the fractures deepened.

Lynch and Abusaft, who’d both voted yes on second reading, announced they would vote no on third reading, resulting in a hypothetical 4-3 vote against the FILOT. Without the deal, county officials said, the company wouldn’t set up shop.

On Feb. 26, councilmembers held a news conference flanked by state legislators where they announced their intention to vote against the FILOT and let the state take the lead in regulating data centers.

As it announced the project’s end, the company said it was “deeply grateful to the local business leaders, community partners, technical experts, and residents who engaged thoughtfully throughout this process.”

“Our commitment to building secure, responsible digital infrastructure that supports American innovation and national competitiveness remains unchanged,” TigerDC said.