2025 in review

Review of key events of  2025.

Downtown streets to be reconfigured to accommodate more traffic.

A new sickle cell disease clinic is reaching more patients with enhanced treatment.

The Hispanic Alliance helps feed more people than ever and supports education and skill development.

The Greenville Zoo welcomed a giraffe calf and two painted African dogs.

GSP continues its run as the best airport in the nation and added a new playground for children, new restaurants, a parking garage, a new carrier, and new staff.

Greenville Mayor Knox White was honored for his vision of a trendy downtown that is the city's crown jewel.

Prisma Health added a new medical discipline to its repertoire, emphasizing physical exercise as a form of treatment.

The Urban League of the upstate added a film training and coaching hub to its battery of programs.

Nicholtown Community Center launched a major remodel, which is making solid progress.

SC announced new laws to regulate the rapid rise of golf carts on public streets.

Greenville native, Reggie McKnight, won the Humanitarian Award from the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation. He was also recognized as one of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida’s twelve Good Men 2025.

Novant Health opened an Emergency room in Greenville, with construction underway for a new hospital.

Many parks, homes, highways, and roads have been restored in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Social activities have rebounded following the pandemic.

The children of the Phillis Wheatley Community Center put on a smashing rendition of The Lion King under the professional guidance of Antoinette Hall.

A gaggle of eager young tourists from the Phillis Wheatley Community Center visited the historic sights of Washington, DC.

A heat wave tested the mettle of outdoor workers in the greater Greenville area, but most survived with flying colors.

Former CEO Randy Jackson passed the baton to the incoming CEO of the Phillis Wheatley Community Center, Dr. Mae Jones.

David Summers took the helm of the Northside Development Group in Spartanburg.  The Group spearheads housing, economic, and educational development of a poor section of the city’s Northside.

Following the government closure, more than half a million South Carolinians lost their SNP benefits. Local charities and food pantries doubled their applicant numbers, with an average of $190 per person. State officials scrambled to use state funds to fill the gap, but federal rules complicated the mixing of state and federal funds.

Limestone College closed its doors, leaving students to find other colleges to complete their education.

Spartanburg sheriff Chuck Wright resigned from office and confessed to wrongs committed in office.

The new sheriff in Spartanburg is Bill Rhyne, a republican. He was sworn in on November 7, becoming the first new sheriff in two decades.

The long-awaited completion of the widening of I-85 near Pelham Road was met with reviews ranging from mild criticism to toxic dissatisfaction.

Bon Secours reimagined care to a more holistic approach.

Mauldin is building a new soccer field.

The Greenville Police Department moved into its new building, a serious upgrade with consolidated departments.

Unity Park additions completed

The Thomas and Vivian A. Wong Honor Tower officially opened to the public in November.

In August, the city also cut the ribbon on Mayberry Park, a new Little League baseball field in Unity Park. The baseball field honors the legacy of the city’s only park for Black children during segregation.

City Hall to be renovated

Photo by Megan Fitzgerald

Greenville City Hall at 206 S. Main St. is set to undergo extensive renovations to its interior and exterior.

Bridge to connect Greenville to Mauldin

The planning process for a Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail connector through the North Main neighborhood began this past year.

The city also started a multiphase design process for the wheelsports park project in June. The park will feature a skatepark, a pump track, and a bicycle playground.

Mini Bi-Lo to morph into a plaza

The site of the upcoming Baby Bi-Lo development. Photo by Megan Fitzgerald

Several development projects are planned or underway north of downtown Greenville. A redevelopment project of the former “Baby Bi-Lo” shopping center at 505 N. Main St. was approved by the city’s Design Review Board in October.