Wedding & Event Venue Near Newberry, SC.

Two Newberry County daycare workers were arrested Thursday after allegedly allowing children to beat each other up, according to the Newberry County Sheriff’s Department.

Ericka Sherai’ Jones and Serena Caldwell, who were both employees at the Kids Unlimited of Prosperity daycare, turned themselves in Thursday at the Newberry County Detention Center after allegations emerged the pair allowed and even encouraged children to be violent each, according to reports.

Caldwell, 56, was charged with 15 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor unlawful conduct toward a child. Jones, 27, was charged with 14 counts of the same offense.

Kids Unlimited in Prosperity is a daycare center located near CR Koon Highway in Prosperity, South Carolina. The center has a capacity for 146 children, according to the Department of Social Services.

TV station WIS reported that Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said Jones and Caldwell reportedly told to the children slap, push, shove and hit other kids at the daycare as a “means of punishment or to entice them to follow rules.”

“It was a situation where they were participating in it by encouraging the kids, and they kind of looked at it as something maybe almost equivalent to a sporting event where they were kind of trying to motivate the kids into participating in that,” Foster told the television station.

Caldwell is accused of striking one of the young children with a box of baby wipes, according to the incident report. The report also indicated that Jones may have filmed the incident, according to WIS.

Jones and Caldwell were “rogue employees,” Foster told WIS. The center said that Jones and Caldwell were fired after staff reviewed surveillance video of the incidents. The center then reported the workers to the sheriff’s office and the Department of Social Services.

The center currently has a “B” rating from the social services department. An Oct. 25 inspection arising from a complaint noted four “high severity” deficiencies. The center was not providing “positive and non-abusive discipline practice” or “adequate supervision throughout the facility. The center was also dinged for “ratios adequate in all classrooms and on the playground” and “proper diaper changing practices,” according to the inspection report.

While the deficiencies in staff ratios, diapering and center definitions were noted as having been resolved “On Site,” the resolution of the discipline and behavior management was listed as “pending.”

On Thursday afternoon, a magistrate judge in Newberry granted Jones a $56,000 surety bond and Caldwell a $60,000 bond.

This story was originally published November 11, 2023, 3:14 PM.

LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. — Railroad authorities have released new details regarding upcoming repairs that may significantly impact commuters throughout the South Carolina Midlands.

CSX is set to undertake extensive upgrades on dozens of train tracks spanning from Columbia to Newberry County, beginning with tracks along Harbison and Lake Murray boulevards on Monday, Feb. 5.

For many drivers in Little Mountain, in Newberry County, navigating the railroad crossings near downtown has become a notably bumpy experience.

"It just seems like it's getting worse and worse; you have to go slower and slower because it feels like it's going to jar your car," resident Melinda Gibson said.

She's growing tired of the bumpy ride.

"I always come to a stop first, then I go over it from there - nowhere near full speed, you know, very slowly," Gibson added.

"I can definitely tell a huge difference over the last year or two; I've had to come to a complete stop to go over them," said Abby Albergotti.

In response to the growing dissatisfaction, CSX, in collaboration with Southern Commercial Development, has announced plans to address the issue.

The repairs are scheduled to commence in Richland County on January 29 and progress through Lexington County towards Newberry County, concluding on March 8.

Notably, each railroad crossing will undergo a total closure during the repair process, with teams working on them one by one rather than simultaneously. The closures are anticipated to last three to five days, with special consideration for one-way in or out crossings with residents behind them, aiming for completion within 12 hours.

"I'd say this crossing has been in terrible disrepair for a year or more. It's gotten to that point it's totally deteriorated; there's hardly any crossing left there," Little Mountain Councilmember Marty Frick said.

"If it takes a couple of days closure to accomplish that, I think we all can live with that," Gibson said.

Officials reminded the community that as the project continues, dates may change due to weather conditions.

The town currently has several restaurants, a hotel, and two housing developments in the works.

NEWBERRY, S.C. — According to 2022 U.S. Census numbers, the City of Newberry has a population of nearly 10,500 people. Local leaders are expecting more people with some new businesses, including a hotel and several restaurants.

Residents can expect to see a new hotel, Home2 Suites, and a Cookout restaurant, according to Mayor Foster Senn’s Twitter.

Wayne Redfern, Newberry’s director of planning and development said there’s much more in the works.

“A local restaurant, Many Moons, their specialty is pizza, salad charcuterie boards, opened, it’s been a big hit so far," Redfern said. "Two other small restaurants are under construction right now. One should finish in August and the other in the fall. We have two others that are actually in design to start later in the year."

Aside from restaurants, Redfern said there are some community developments on the way, like athletic and nursing facilities for Newberry College and a new amphitheater that was funded by the penny sales tax.

“The more the college grows, the more the population grows with it," Redfern said. "They hit their all time high last year and we expect a high this year.”

Redfern said he also expects the new businesses to attract more people to Newberry.

“We’re looking at what we hope will be a 5, maybe 10 percent population growth that tends to lag a little bit," Redfern said. "We have one developer that hopes to start sometime late summer, early fall with about 95 homes and another developer with about 200 homes that’ll start a little bit later. That would add about 300 to the population, which is just over 10."

Brandon Robertson is one of Newberry's 10,000 residents. He said he expects good things to come with the new projects.

“I’m liking all the new developments and everything," Robertson said. "We have a Cookout coming. The Cookout may not be located in the area for a drive-through, however, it’s gonna attract a lot of business. Cookout is a good restaurant," Robertson said.

With growth comes some growing pains. Faye Morris also lives in Newberry and she's looking for a different type of business to come to Newberry.

“There’s plenty of new developments but it pretty much seems to be all restaurants, fast foods and we need another grocery store in here," Morris said. "The only ones we’ve got are Food Lion and Walmart, just not enough competition."

Redfern said the new hotel is expected to open on July 1st, the Cookout in September, and the new amphitheater will start the design process later this year.

The plan is based on feedback from 400 residents and 200 survey responses.

NEWBERRY, S.C. — For the first time, Newberry County has released its first economic development strategic plan.

It aims to guide the county as it grows over the next five years, helping create more jobs and businesses.

A stroll down Main Street shows downtown Newberry is open for business.

"We've got an eclectic group of businesses from antique stores to hair studios and salons to retail and art. We've got a good mix for everyone downtown," said lifelong Newberry resident Kristina Long.

Long opened Berry Patch Boutique on Main Street in 2021. She said there's even more potential for growth.

"The opera house has gone a really long way and when people come and see a show, they want to eat and shop and have an entire experience while they're here," said Long. "Creating a wholesome conclusive package when they visit Newberry is important."

That growth is the focus of the county's economic development plan.

"We've been really successful with economic development. There's no reason why we can't be better at it," said Newberry County Economic Development Director Rick Farmer.

The plan outlines five goals:

1. Attracting, retaining, and growing businesses

2. Expanding the talent pipeline

3. Investing in the Community

4. Make Newberry County a Choice Location for Businesses, Citizens, and Visitors

5. Be a Leading Economic Development Organization in South Carolina

"We've been very successful at recruiting industries over the years now we need to find a way to improve the skills of our people so that can compete for those better jobs," said Farmer.

Farmer said the 100-page report is based on input from more than 400 residents and 200 survey responses taken over a year.

"The greatest thing about this plan: it's not my plan; it's not the county administrator's plan; it's the community's plan," said Farmer.

Farmer added that the county misses many opportunities because it has no vacant buildings. However, the report includes a plan to develop new speculative buildings so they will be "prepared when companies come knocking."

The plan also creates a "State of the County" event, which Farmer said will be great for accountability.

"You got to stand up there and say, 'Here's what we did last year and here's where we're going next year.' So it's going to force us to be a lot more communicative with the public," said Farmer.

At Figaro Dining Room, manager Chris Campos said he welcomes more competition.

"Another restaurant or two would be great, 'cause when the opera house comes, we fill up, and I have to tell people no, and I hate doing that," said Campos.

The county council is expected to approve this five-year plan next month.

Farmer said the county has already begun implementing some of the recommendations.

The city says at least 3 projects are in the works to bring more homes for college students.

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NEWBERRY, S.C. — The City of Newberry is experiencing significant growth, prompting a proactive effort to address the rising demand for housing, especially for the expanding college population.

"Over the next four years, we hope to add about 400 or so new rooftops. We hope it will be a great boom for the economy, and will bring stores and more," said Newberry Director of Planning and Development Wayne Redfern.

The city welcomes change as developers plan to convert a 2.5-acre site at First and College Street.

"Not used for a number of years, they've become run down and aren't used. They are going to redevelop this into about 24 town home-type units and save the older building, the antique store, for hopefully a food service," Redfern said.

"The intent of it is to help serve the college as the freshman class continues to grow but also develop in a way it becomes that type of starter home so a lower-cost way of getting someone into a starter home market," Redfern said.

This initial project is just the beginning of a broader transformation, with blueprints underway for housing projects across the city to address affordable housing and the growing college's housing needs.

"The second is over on Radio Road. They are going to do nine duplexes there, Redfern said. "Those would be mostly sold, but I'm sure some will be rented. The college is actually developing six town home-type developments down the road on property they have, and they are trying to get another couple of duplexes done this year."

Cheryl Harrington lives just feet from the proposed development on Radio Road and thinks any new roof will help those struggling for an affordable place to live.

"I looked here about six years ago and I had a terrible time finding something within my price range," Harrington said. "I'm sure that there's a lot of kids and adults that need housing."

Newberry College said they had their largest enrollment this past fall and their most significant fall graduating class.

The college is building a new residence hall with 104 beds, which is expected to open as soon as next fall.

The goal is to complete all three developments by the end of July before students return.