Personal Injury Attorney in Simpsonville, SC.

SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. —

Discovery School at Simpsonville, a charter school, could go up on Woodruff Road between Advent United Methodist Church and the Stonehaven community, pending a slew of approvals.

Neighbors in the Stonehaven community said they received this news in February through a text message that went out to a select few homeowners alerting them about an informational meeting about the project. Those homeowners then shared it with the rest of the community.

Residents said they left the meeting with lots of unanswered questions.

"It was the most poorly planned meeting. They didn't have the statistics that we wanted. They didn't know whether they were going to build a berm or put a wall up or put a wall of greenery up between their area and our homes on English Oak Road and Spring Haven Court," Stonehaven homeowner Mary Ann Coleman said.

Coleman also said she felt this development would bring the community further away from its goal to reduce traffic on Woodruff Road, which was part of the Five Forks Area Plan that the county agreed on back in 2021.

We reached out to the development company Red Apple Development about this, which said it is way too early on in the process to provide finalized renderings or details.

It gave us this statement:

"We are very excited to bring another high-quality educational option for the growing population in Simpsonville. The Greenville-Spartanburg region is one of the fastest growing areas in the United States and as new families continue to settle in this beautiful area, we look forward to fulfilling our mission, a relentless commitment to student greatness in school and in life. We will collaborate with the community to ensure our school enhances the experience of living here while we work toward our promise of building strong minds and good hearts," Colleen Reynolds, spokesperson for Red Apple Education, said.

On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, there is a zoning public hearing for the project in front of the Greenville County Board of Zoning Appeals.

That meeting will take place at 3 p.m. at Greenville County Square.

Coleman and other residents said they plan on attending that meeting to voice their concerns.

Reynolds also said Red Apple will provide other opportunities in the future for public comment and input.

We will update you as we learn more.

A Greenville restaurant voluntarily closed in February after inspectors found numerous health violations, including live and dead roaches, black growth, food at improper temperature and too much trash on the floor where garbage cans are located.

Epic Buffet of East Bank on Grandview Drive in Simpsonville scored 59. Anything lower than 70 is to be closed.

The inspection report says the restaurant can reopen upon a satisfactory review.

Among the deficiencies were numerous employee closed drinks in the kitchen, personal belongings stored above food contact surfaces, employee foods stored intermingled in multiple cold holding units and employee medications stored in the kitchen.

A food handler did not take off gloves to wash hands.

Multiple cutting boards were soiled with food debris and were in disrepair. The ice machine had black microbial growth.

The sushi station temperature was too low as was the case that held honey baked ham, chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp and fried fish. The food was thrown out and the violation cited as consecutive.

A cold holding and Hibatchi area had noodles, garlic in oil, chicken, egg roll at improper temperatures.

Multiple buckets of food contained sauces and beef stew in the walk-in cooler without dates. Chicken was thawing on a countertop. Containers of various sauces and marinades were stored on floors and in the walk-in cooler. Cardboard boxes of food stored on the floor in the freezer.

Chemicals and cleaners were not labeled with their common names, a screen door had large gaps.

Roaches were seen on the floor of food prep areas and dead roaches were on floors, shelving and light fixtures throughout the kitchen.

Wet wiping cloths were not stored in sanitizer throughout the kitchen, and utensils were in too-cool standing water.

A chest freezer in a walk-in freezer was in severe disrepair and held together with duct tape.

Sewage and wastewater was improperly disposed of, oil/grease was on ground outside of an oil recycling container, Dumpster lids did not function properly.

A large drill used for outdoor repairs was inside the food prep area.

The soda room had heavily soiled syrup residue and the ceiling air vents throughout the kitchen customer was soiled with dust and debris as were ventilation hoods and floors in the main cook line.

Other Greenville County restaurants inspected in February included:

Miyabi Japanese Steakhouse on Congaree Road in Greenville scored 70.

Among the concerns were no vomit/diarrhea clean up procedure and a food handler touched raw meat, dish machine and raw meat without changing gloves.

A pitcher was submerged in ready-to-eat sauce, with a soiled paper towel wrapped around the handle. The sushi kitchen did not have shell stock tags for shucked oysters and raw shelled eggs over ready-to-eat sauces.

Cutlery and dishes, rice cooker and soup dispenser stored as clean had food debris and microbial growth, debris, and rust in the ice machine.

Raid pest spray was in the kitchen / sushi area, and multiple live and dead roaches throughout the facility with dead roaches inside microwave time display.

Grease was pooled on floors and by the receiving door.

Tiles were in disrepair under a high-temperature dish machine and a large hole was seen under a three-compartment sink where plumbing exits the wall.

Walls/ceilings throughout the kitchen were soiled with grease and dust, floors sticky and the sides of the ice machine were dirty.

There were also multiple bottles of employee medications in the sushi area.

Ingles #74 Deli Bakery on White Horse Road in Greenville scored 73 based on incorrect employee handwashing, cleaning of pans and meat slicer, and deli sandwich bar at too-low temperatures that included fried chicken and rotisserie chicken.

Date markings were not indicated on various foods. A can of pesticide was in the bakery.

A large piece of broken glass was in the cold display case and excessive ice build up was on the floor and ceiling in a walk-in freezer.

Organic buildup was seen on floors and surrounding each walk-in freezer.

OJ’S Diner on Pendleton Street in Greenville scored 72.

It was cited for employee drinks being stored on food contact surfaces during food prep, an employee eating when coming into the kitchen and not washing hands before touching dishes and no paper towels.

Large cans were dented and food was stored at improper temperature. The inspector called it a “danger zone.”

Dates were not marked properly and a large container of cooked pasta measuring was cooling at ambient temperature. Rodent droppings were scattered across dry storage, on shelving and paper goods. A wooden pallet in a walk-in cooler stored eggs.

The dish machine had food debris, and shelving in a walk-in cooler was heavily soiled with dust and debris. Also, painted walls in the main cook line were distressed and not smooth/easily cleanable.

Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99

#ReadLocal

A woman told South Carolina Education Lottery officials that she wasn’t feeling especially lucky when she bought a scratch-off ticket. It turned out fortune was smiling on the Upstate woman, as she won the game’s $500,000 grand prize, officials said Thursday in a news release.

The six-figure winning scratch-off ticket was sold at the Mit Food Mart on West Georgia Road in Simpsonville, according to the release.

“It was the biggest, greatest surprise ever,” the woman said in the release about her $10 purchase turning into a half-a-million dollar jackpot.

She overcame 1,440,000-to-1 odds to win the Grand Stacks game’s grand prize, officials said.

The winner will be allowed to retain some privacy, as South Carolina is one of 11 states — along with Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and Virginia — that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The woman did not reveal any plans for how she might spend her newfound windfall.

This was the last of the Grand Stacks game’s grand prizes to be claimed, and the scratch-off ticket is no longer available for purchase, according to the release.

The Simpsonville store received a commission of $5,000 for selling the claimed ticket.

MORE

This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 12:33 PM.

An awesome arcade that has the best games from the 80s and 90s is located in Simpsonville, SC and we just had to try it out! Thanks to the Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum for having us come by to do this review.

When I see an old-school Pac-Man machine, I immediately think of my mom and how much fun we used to have to play it (and constantly getting eaten by ghosts). Super Mario Brothers bring back memories I had of my friends and me playing it together in middle school. Yes, I’m dating myself but I don’t even care because there’s a place in Simpsonville where I can now go and play all these retro games and share my own great memories with my kids and make new ones as well.

About the Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum

The Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum, located at the Warehouse at Vaughn’s and near the Ice Cream Station, has more than 50 games for guests to play, including classics like pinball, Pac-Man, Paper Boy, tons of Nintendo video games, ice hockey foosball, and even Frogger.

This isn’t a regular museum; it’s a cool museum. It does have vintage games on display at the counter and you can read about the history of many of the games, but you can play nearly every game at the arcade. The place started because the owner, Mike, really loved pinball and had quite the collection. So, what do you do with a collection? Play with them, of course! Mike, being the cool guy he is, decided to share his passion and hence, opened the Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum.

We found the place to be super clean and the games in great working order. I can’t wait to go back honestly.

Birthday Parties & Special Events

One of my first questions to Mike was if people could have birthday parties there and the answer was a resounding “yes!” When we posted to our Facebook page about the museum, a reader commented that she recently had a birthday party there for her son and it was awesome. I was actually thinking it could be really fun for an adult birthday party – think of all the great memories you could reminisce about!

The Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum also hosts special events and corporate parties. So, if you want to do something nice for your employees, bring them here and let them challenge each other to play Super Mario Brothers 3 and make it through the castle without dying.

The cost for two hours of free play for up to 15 guests is $225 plus tax. Extra guests are $10 each and parties must be booked during non-operating hours. Tables and chairs can be set up per request.

Food is Right Next Door

The Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum is located adjacent to the Warehouse at Vaughn’s, where there are multiple dining options and areas to eat both indoors and out. There’s also an ice cream place right next door to the arcade or you can walk across the street to the Ice Cream Station next to the train tracks.

If you want a fun date night with food and arcade entertainment, this is it. And the arcade is really for any age. I went with my two kids (ages 11 and 7) and their grandmother and all of us had a blast.

Play Time and Hours

No coins are needed at the Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum! The cost for unlimited play is $10/person and that includes all day. So if you want to play for a bit, go have dinner next door and then come back, your admission includes all of that time.

Operating hours are Wednesday – Thursday from 4-9 pm, Friday 4-11 pm, and Saturday from Noon – 11 pm. They are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Upstate Pinball and Arcade Museum109A West Trade Street, Simpsonville, SC 864.881.1876