The Clinton County Zoning Board of Appeals was met with applause on the evening of Nov. 7 when it denied a special use permit to SolarStone Partners LLC, a Minnesota company that wanted to build a solar farm on property in the 10000 block of Joliff Bridge Road. The plot of land, currently zoned agricultural, is owned by Gerald and Joyce Huelsmann of Trenton.
The 5-0 vote in favor of denying the permit came after many citizens residing near the proposed solar farm spoke out against the project following a presentation by SolarStone vice president of business development Gordon Simanton. The boardroom itself was packed full, with many people standing and spilling out into the hallway.
The solar farm would have been in operation for 30-35 years, after which the land would return to agricultural. The nearly 23-acre farm would have had a chain-link fence around it and contained panels that track and move along with the sun. According to Simanton, the key benefits would have included, “clean, safe, renewable energy, power to about 500 homes and a diversified revenue stream for agricultural landowners.”
One meeting attendee asked what the presence of a solar farm does to surrounding property values. Simanton provided data from the county assessor of a city in Minnesota with a 1,000-acre solar farm, who performed a study using 12 test homes adjacent to the solar farm and 126 control homes in the vicinity. According to Simanton, the assessor’s findings determined a less than 1-percent variance in selling price of the homes near the farm.
One of those opposed to the project was Denise Robinson, who lives with her husband Gary on Joliff Bridge Road, south of the proposed solar farm. After confirming with Simanton that his solar panels are imported from China, Robinson said there’s a “mad dash” for solar energy companies to obtain land quickly in order to lock in prices before President Donald Trump’s tariffs kick into effect next year.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE USC-UPSTATE SPORTS DEPT.
Dual threat — University of South Carolina-Upstate setter Madison Haake (Mater Dei) will start postseason play this Friday in North Carolina. Haake has 18 double-doubles this season and 66 for her career. They play UNC-Asheville on Friday at 7 p.m. Mater Dei High School graduate and current University of South Carolina-Upstate senior Madison Haake enters her final postseason run this Friday against the University of North Carolina-Asheville at 7 p.m.
Haake is scattered all over the career record book in Spartanburg including fourth all time in assists with 3,345. She is 72 behind former teammate Lexi Gober.
She is sixth all time in assists per set with 7.40 and seventh in sets played with 452. Haake sits ninth all time in digs with 1,346 along with 15th all time in both 114 service aces and 2.98 digs per set.
“She will go down as one of the best athletes to grace our court,” said USC-Upstate head coach Jennifer Calloway. “She is the smartest volleyball IQ player I’ve ever coached. Absolutely love this kid. She’s such a competitor, yet easygoing with a great sense of humor. She will graduate early in December with a 3.89 grade-point average.”
RADFORD, VA — Mackenzie Lauer and Lauren Phillips each set new career-highs in kills last Friday evening as the University of South Carolina-Upstate volleyball team concluded its regular season with a 3-1 loss to the Radford University Highlanders at the Dedmon Center.
USC Upstate fell to 13-18 overall and 8-8 in the Big South while Radford improves to 20-4 overall and 12-3 in conference play.
The Highlanders won the match by scores of 25-20, 25-27, 25-13 and 36-34.
Lauer and Emily Russell led the Spartans offensively with 16 and 15 kills, respectively. Russell hit a team-high .389 while Lauer added a .306 hitting percentage.
The 15 kills compiled by Lauer are a career-high during her time at USC Upstate.
Madison Haake (Mater Dei) recorded her 18th double-double of the season, and 66th of her career, on 40 assists and 15 digs.
Phillips tallied her first career double-double with a career-high 10 kills and 13 digs.
Santa Run participants start off the race in front of Breese City Hall. The 5k running course stretched down Main Street and onto South Broadway for the majority of the course before turning around and finishing by City Hall. Santa visited Clinton County Saturday afternoon for the Breese Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Santa Run. 125 festive participants lined up at the starting line outside Breese City Hall for the holiday-themed 5k, clad in red suits and donning hats and beards.
Medals were given to the first, second and third place males and females in each age category, but coming in first overall was Mater Dei High School’s Alexander Detmer.
Medal winners for each age category are as follows:
Age 0 to 13: First Place — Ava Millard, Kayla Kalmer, Blake Heimann. Second Place — Lucah Lyons, Evan Kreke. Third Place — Marlie Haag, Beckett Wade.
Age 14 to 19: First Place — Mya Albers, Alexander Detmer. Second Place — Quinn Tebbe, Ryan Clancy. Third Place — Shyann Pierce, Nicholas Wolden.
Age 20 to 29: First Place —Sarah Pollmann, Jacob Koch. Second Place — Taylor Kampwerth, Alex Robben. Third Place — Olivia Koch, Joseph Shaffer.
Age 30-39: First Place —Melissa Winkeler, Scott Wobbe. Second Place — Kelley Haag, Jason Davis. Third Place — Courtney Mahlandt, Galen Mahle.
Age 40-49: First Place — Abby Clark, Nathaniel Shubert. Second Place — Jami Richter, Keith Poettker. Third Place —Sarah Lyons, Nick Haag.
Age 50-59: First Place — Nancy Tebbe, Ed Faust. Second Place — Jill Timmermann, Michelle Menkhaus.
Age 60+: First Place — Shanon Kauling, John Kalmer. Second Place —Barb McNamara, Bill Schmaltz. Third Place — Mary Jean Benhoff, Joe McNamara.
The Breese Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the following businesses for donating to the run: The Design Studio; Breese Nursing Home; Theresa Richards-Country Financial; Logos & More; Carlyle Lake – Army Corp of Engineers; First Bank – Anne Marie Toeben; Einstein Consultants; Dairy King; Community Link.
| Fri., Nov. 9 |
446.19 |
| Sun., Nov. 11 |
444.05 |
| Tues., Nov. 13 |
445.97 |
| Nov. 7 | .02 |
| Nov. 8 | .00 |
| Nov. 9 |
.04 |
| Nov. 10 | .01 |
| Nov. 11 | .00 |
| Nov. 12 |
.01 |
| Nov. 13 | .02 |
