The best local reporting on Woodruff, SC, in one place. Each story is summarized in our own words and credited to the newsroom that reported it. Tap through to read the whole thing there. Follow by RSS.
Asked on Facebook what new event or activity they'd like to see, residents called for Main Street festivals, more for kids and teens, historic preservation and better recreation, and debated growth.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Duke Energy began upgrading and building overhead power lines in Woodruff in early 2025, from the new Woodruff High School on Highway 101 to the new BMW facility, to improve reliability and add capacity.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)With Spartanburg skipping its Spring Fling in 2025, the City of Woodruff planned its own downtown spring festival for March 15, 2025, with food trucks, carnival rides and a Touch-a-Truck display.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Council approved a Woodruff Police tactical unit for high-risk warrants and hired Goodwyn Mills Cawood to manage FEMA Hurricane Helene funds.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)A resident asked council to revive the Parks & Recreation Tourism Committee. The City Manager's 2024 recap cited $188M+ in investment and 500+ building permits.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)At its December 2024 meeting a resident asked Woodruff City Council to revive a Parks & Recreation Tourism Committee; the council also approved sewer funding, a rezoning and police policy updates.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)The District Four board unanimously chose Dr. Aaron Fulmer, a 27-year educator and former Woodruff High principal, as superintendent.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)The independent audit gave Woodruff a clean, unmodified opinion, the best possible result, and reported a fund balance of about $12.5 million.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)In November 2024 Woodruff City Council gave final approval to annexing and zoning about 175 acres near Hwy 221 and Fortenberry Road, and heard an update on Hurricane Helene recovery.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Woodruff City Council approved first readings to annex and zone nearly 175 acres just north of town: about 144 acres off Fortenberry Road for housing, and about 30.5 acres on Highway 221 near Peanut Road for a mixed commercial and residential planned development.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)A local committee chaired by Police Chief Greg Ryan presented plans to City Council for a Woodruff Veterans Memorial in McKinney Park. The design has a yardarm flagpole, a memorial wall and an oculus honoring the service branches. It is estimated at just over $400,000, raised privately.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Council approved annexing more than 88 acres on East Georgia Road, the former junkyard site, and zoning it R-2 single family at the owners' request. City Manager Lee Bailey said there is no current development plan; the owners sought it for a possible future sale or development.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Woodruff City Council unanimously gave final approval to a roughly $6.1 million general fund budget for 2024-25. It adds a police officer, buys new McKinney Park playground equipment and raises the trash fee by $3, with no tax increase.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)The Woodruff Times reviews a school year that included a two-point-conversion football win, state wrestling and bass fishing titles, back-to-back region championships and a deep softball playoff run.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)With Waste Connections leaving residential service, Council approved a four-year trash contract with Kirby Sanitation. Service and cans stay the same, but the $10 monthly fee, unchanged since 2003, will rise toward $13. A $6.1M budget with no tax increase passed first reading.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Council gave final approval to annex and zone just under 35 acres at Highway 101 and Hart Road for single-family homes, and rezoned a former dentist office on S.J. Workman Highway back to commercial. Staff said the first St. Patrick's Day event drew more than 600 people.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)In March 2024 the Post and Courier reported that Maverick Biscuit (breakfast and brunch) and Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar would share a renovated early-1900s building at 135 S. Main St., next to Conner Flynn's.
Read at The Post and Courier (opens the original story in a new tab)Council gave first-reading approval to annex and zone just over 280 acres on Allendale Road near the new high school for future housing. It also approved a Woodruff Police detective unit staffed by reassigning a current officer, with no new hires.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Background from the Upstate Business Journal: Woodruff's roots as a farm and textile town, its schools, and the housing and BMW investment driving its growth.
Read at Upstate Business Journal (opens the original story in a new tab)The Woodruff Times reported that the city received an unmodified audit opinion with a fund balance above $4.4 million, and council unanimously approved a nearly $150,000 contract to pave a vacant lot behind Arthur State Bank on Main Street for public parking.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)The 2019 mayoral race drew about 445 votes in a city of roughly 4,200, and one 2022 council race drew 20. Residents asked about 2023 priorities pointed to Main Street traffic, homelessness, the mix of businesses and infrastructure for growth.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)At its September 2023 meeting, council passed first readings to merge peddler license categories per new state rules, set the 2023-24 tax millage pending county reassessment, and certify the old Mill Street ballfield as former mill property for redevelopment tax benefits.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)BMW, City of Woodruff and Spartanburg County representatives signed the first steel beam on Oct. 5, 2023, as building construction began.
Read at BMW Group (opens the original story in a new tab)Ahead of the Nov 7, 2023 election, The Woodruff Times asked both mayoral candidates about their experience. Incumbent Kenneth Gist and former mayor Brad Burnett have each led the city before.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)At Police Chief Greg Ryan's request, council created a ministerial recorder post so warrants and subpoenas can be signed locally, appointed Clerk of Court Christy Snow to it, and approved two county-nominated residents to the Housing Authority board.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)Council gave final approval to a 2023-24 budget the paper put at $7M, with a 3% COLA for all city employees and no tax increase. OneSpartanburg presented PowerUp Spartanburg, including a $2M loan and grant fund for small and minority businesses.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)At the June 2023 groundbreaking, grandchildren of Woodruff peach grower S.J. Workman said selling the 315-acre family farm to BMW was bittersweet, but that their grandfather would be proud.
Read at The Post and Courier (opens the original story in a new tab)BMW broke ground on "Plant Woodruff," a $700 million battery assembly plant on 315 acres near the city, with more than 300 jobs planned.
Read at BMW Group (opens the original story in a new tab)At its May 30, 2023 meeting, council passed the first reading of a proposed $5.3M budget with a 3% raise for employees and no tax increase, and backed renewing Spartanburg County's penny sales tax for road work.
Read at The Woodruff Times (opens the original story in a new tab)In April 2023 the Post and Courier looked at how a town of about 4,500 was getting ready for thousands of new homes, a BMW battery plant, a new high school and a busier Main Street.
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