The SC Community Development Association elected its 2026 – 2027 board of directors. They are President Jessi Shuler, Town of Summerville; Vice President Kim Ethridge, Pee Dee Council of Governments; Kimberly Varn, community and economic development deputy director, Lowcountry Council of Governments; Members at Large Nate Foutch, SC Rural Infrastructure Authority; Sydney Kinard, Lower Savannah Council of Governments; Charlene Carter, City of Simpsonville; Kirk Wilson, Town of Blythewood; Brenda Kelley, City of Hartsville; Jill Francisco, Appalachian Council of Governments; Jack Suber, SC Housing Trust Fund SC State Housing Finance and Development Authority; and Past President Angela Kirkpatrick, Catawba Regional Council of Governments.
The National Recreation and Park Association awarded its 2026 Innovation in Park Design Award to the City of Columbia for Finlay Park. Columbia reopened the park in November 2025 after two years of construction and $25 million of revitalization work.
The USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards named the City of Greenville’s Falls Park on the Reedy the No. 8 Best City Park in the nation. Falls Park is home to the Liberty Bridge, a pedestrian bridge offering views the waterfall on the Reedy River which was concealed below a vehicle bridge prior to the park’s 2004 opening, as well as public art installations.
The SC Research Authority launched a statewide network of “Information Hubs” to serve as central locations for resource sharing and support for startup tech companies, with grant funding available for entrepreneurial support. The SCRA’s Information Hubs are located in the cities of Aiken, Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Greenville and Rock Hill.