High-speed chase attorney in Greer, SC

Members of the state Department of Health (DPH) and the South Carolina Immunization Coalition met in Cayce Thursday to talk about the factors that influence childhood vaccinations.

Brandon Traxler, acting director of DPH, encouraged families to talk with trusted doctors about which immunizations are right, and about when is the right time to administer them.

Health officials also touted the importance of access, mainly through DPH’s Mobile Health Unit program. The department says these traveling vaccination and health centers have improved vaccination numbers and general healthcare access in many of the state’s more remote and rural areas, for children and adults.

“Through our Mobile Unit program, we’ve been able to see firsthand the positive effect, of increasing access,” said Immunization Coalition Board Member Melanie Slan.

Because the units can get to patients and communities where they are, Slan said, state health officials have been able to protect more children from resurging diseases like measles -- which cropped up in a big way in South Carolina last year, after decades of being deemed eradicated -- and polio, which made its way to New York earlier this year.

The push to champion immunizations comes as this week show a notable rise in children being exempted from vaccinations for religious reasons in the US; and as show a similar trend in several South Carolina counties.

Forty-five of 46 counties in South Carolina maintained or reached at least 90% of students having required immunizations by the end of the 2025-6 school year. The exception, Spartanburg County, where last year’s measles outbreak concentrated, fell just shy of 89%.

However, apart from the Upstate, every region of South Carolina showed an uptick in the rate of childhood immunizations through last school year.

The four regions -- also including Lowcountry, Midlands, and Pee Dee -- saw vaccination rates overall rise in the 2025-6 school year for the first time since records began in 2021. About 94% of children in the state overall closed last school year with required vaccinations. The Upstate finished the year at about 92%.

GREER, S.C. —

Eight families are without a home after a massive apartment fire in Greer, as the Boiling Springs Fire Department says a quick response is what kept this fire from being any worse.

"Within about three minutes, we had units on scene actively putting out fire. At this time, we have eight apartments affected. An indeterminate amount of people affected. But, as of now, the fire is under control, and we are currently investigating," said Capt. Chris Camacho, with the Boiling Springs Fire Department.

He says fire crews were on scene shortly after 2 p.m. Friday to respond to this massive apartment fire at the Halcyon apartment complex.

"As of right now, it was just a standard apartment fire; we made a really aggressive attack, and it worked out well," said Camacho.

He says 8 units were impacted, but no official word on the number of people displaced.

"We were lucky. No injuries for fire service personnel or from residents. So as of right now, we're at a total of zero injuries for the incident," Camacho said. "All eight apartments are untenable, either from water, smoke or heat."

"The cause is under investigation. We are following promising leads. And it does appear that the fire started on the exterior of that apartment building. But as of right now, we're still investigating and waiting for the insurance investigators as well," said Camacho.

This all happened as air temperatures Friday neared the 90s in the upstate.

"In this profession, wearing the equipment that we have to wear and carrying the loads we have to carry, it's a very serious issue. So we make sure that we limit how many times a crew can go in before they have to come out and either recycle or rehab. We make sure that there's plenty of fluids on board and we make sure that we're taking those things very seriously so we can avoid any unnecessary injuries," said Camacho.

Camacho says this incident can serve as a reminder — if you see something, say something.

"The biggest thing is if you see an issue, call 911. The reason that we were able to have such a successful outcome is we had early notification, and we had a fast response," he said.

This is a developing story, and Camacho says an investigation still needs to happen.

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GREER, S.C. —

A massive sports and event center in Greer is under construction and hard to miss.

Tuesday, Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital's CEO, Todd Walker, announced a $3 million investment into the site, now called the Prisma Health Performance Center. Walker said it's an investment in the health of people in the Upstate starting long before they need to seek medical attention.

"It creates opportunities for young athletes to develop their skills, for families to spend time together, for older adults to stay active, and for people of all ages to pursue healthier lifestyles," he said.

The space will host a venue for tournaments and concerts alongside basketball courts, volleyball courts, a fitness center, walking track, wrestling room, and a cafe.

Walker says Prisma Health will also offer orthopedic and rehabilitation services within the facility, which is slated to open at the beginning of 2027. The building is located south of the S. Highway 14/South Buncombe Road intersection.

Mayor Rick Danner says it'll offer lots of activities for those who live and work in Greer and draw in tourists.

"Including basketball, volleyball, wrestling, camps, senior programming, and community events while maintaining programming for Greer citizens. This facility has already drawn interest from regional and national tournament organizer," Danner said.

That last part is key.

"It generates heads and bids; it generates revenue from restaurants and from stores," Danner said. "And from our from a local perspective, that helps subsidize this building. So, it's built on a model that doesn't place a burden on our citizens."

In its first year open, a study commissioned by the city estimates the Prisma Health Performance Center will have a more than $7 million impact on the local economy from out-of-town visitors alone.

Anestis Kalatges owns the A&P Restaurant across the street.

"You know, we have front row seats to it, and the construction over there is great for us, too. And the team's excited for it. So yeah, I hope it's good for the community," he said.

The sports and event center is potentially bringing economic opportunities, better quality of life, and more to do to one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.

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