The jury was informed that the meeting was held only a few days after property owners had rejected an offer to buy coming from the "Hughes brothers."
The minutes read in part: "Bob Hughes, Hughes Corporation, presented renderings of the River Place Development Project and gave an overview of the project. Mr. Hughes stated that the proposal was based on City’s Reedy River Master Plan and would require the City’s acquisition of surrounding properties. Mr. Hughes stated that he was ready to sign agreements with other partners involved but first needed the City’s commitment to the project.
"After discussion, it was the consensus of Council to place on the agenda a resolution to acquire properties along the Reedy River as part of the Reedy River and River Place developments."
The jury was provided documents that proved that five days later, on November 25, 2002, City officials condemned the property belonging to Billy Mitchell and Jeanette Surratt on South Main Street.
Mitchell and Surratt were awarded $1,825,000 and $975,000 respectively. Two weeks earlier another jury awarded Verne Cassaday $2,600,000 for property taken from him by the City.
The second leading story reported by The Times Examiner during 2006 was the media attack on the Phoenix Center and the Greenville County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.
Allegations, many alleged to be unfounded, in the print media by Commissioner Thomas Inman and in the County Council by Councilwoman Lottie Gibson resulted in massive resignations of key personnel at the center including the Executive Director Kat Rice. Numerous changes on the commission were made by County Council, leaving the center and commission floundering without a permanent director as the year ends eleven months later.
At the same time, the Center received a grant of $6 million for a new youth treatment center.
There are behind-the-scenes indications that a group of insiders are working a plan with the new council leadership to take over the Center and gain access to large grants available for drug and alcohol treatment.
The third leading story published by The Times Examiner was pushing of Agenda 21 by Non Government Organizations in the Upstate. A group of environmentalists calling themselves "Friends of Lake Robinson" surfaced at a public meeting that ended in a physical confrontation between the leader of Friends of Lake Robinson and a local resident. Individuals who signed up to be invited to future meetings have never been invited, although the organization continues to surface in the media.
Other stories in the top ten include: demonstrations at the Greenville office of Sen. Lindsey Graham protesting his stand on illegal immigrants.
The election of 2006 in South Carolina and the Upstate resulted in Republicans retaining control of the Governor’s office and both houses of the legislature. Only the nonpartisan Greenville County School Board has a majority of Democrats elected and unchallenged in the 2006 election.
State Senator J. Verne Smith resigned his office in July and endorsed a Democrat for governor of South Carolina. Rep. Lewis Vaughn decided not to seek reelection to the House and was elected to replace Smith in the Senate.
With the replacement of three conservative members of Greenville County Council in 2004, Democrats have a voting majority on Greenville County Council. Councilman Tony Trout of Greer voted against the Democrat coalition on two key votes but has apparently been brought back in line by handlers and will reverse one or more of his conservative votes in the new year.
Greenville County held its first Highland Festival in 2006 and plans are in place to make it an annual event.
An outdoor restaurant and bar now operates where one of the businesses on South Main Street that was taken through eminent domain previously sat.
