GAINSWave® Treatment In Fort Mill, SC

The new year got off to a great start for a woman who literally hit the jackpot at a South Carolina gas station. According to WBTV, the woman purchased a Giant Jumbo Bucks scratch-off lottery ticket on January 2 at a RunX gas station in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and was blown away when she realized she was about to convert her 5 dollar ticket into a $250,000 prize.

Store surveillance footage captured the moment the woman discovered she’d bought a winning ticket. She can be seen jumping up and down and doing a happy dance before she hugs a store employee and a young man who we assume is her son. But in a moment that took us all the way out, the woman gets down on her knees and throws up her hands. There is no audio included with the clip, but we can only guess that she’s thanking God for her New Year’s blessing because of course, she is!

Watch her reaction here:

According to WSOC TV, the gas station owner says the woman buys lottery tickets several times a week adding that he was glad one of his regular customers could walk away with the prize.

“I’m glad it was her,” he said. “I see her every day and I’m glad to see her finally win something big.”

The now-viral video has received nearly 600,000 views on YouTube and plenty of comments from people who were happy to see someone receive some good news for a change.

“This is actually really cool to watch. I am so happy for her. Awesome,” wrote one person in the comments.

But other commenters warned the woman to keep her winnings under wraps for fear of long-lost friends and relatives coming to hit her up for a loan.

“She is about to discover her entire family tree...” wrote someone in the comment section.

The panel says there’s nothing wrong with an English textbook but asks for details about 2 other novels

COLUMBIA — High school students in South Carolina should be allowed to continue checking out a novel about a woman addicted to meth from their public school libraries, as long as their parents agree, a state committee decided Thursday.

The review of three other books on the panel’s agenda Thursday stemmed from the complaints of one parent in Fort Mill.

Responding to her objections, the State Board of Education committee voted to keep an eighth grade English textbook in classrooms but postponed decisions on two novels: “Bronx Masquerade” by Nikki Grimes and “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros.

The full board will take up the committee’s recommendations on “Crank” and the textbook at its Dec. 3 meeting.

“Crank” was a holdover from a list of books the five-person committee decided to preemptively review Oct. 31 under a new regulation prohibiting books with “sexual conduct” from public K-12 schools.

Days later, the full Board of Education voted unanimously to require the removal of seven books from public schools for what board members decided were explicit descriptions of sex. Three classic novels can stay, board members determined.

Decisions on the first 11 books were meant to help clear up confusion about the rule, committee members said.

Some teachers have criticized the regulation for not defining “sexual conduct,” instead referencing a portion of the state’s obscenity law. Thursday was the first time the committee heard actual challenges from a parent under the new regulation.

‘Crank’

When “Crank” came up for review in October, committee members faced a conundrum.

Department of Education staff who reviewed the book found descriptions of sexual activity, which seemed to violate the regulation.

But committee Chairman Christian Hanley received a letter ahead of the meeting from someone saying the book was helpful in dealing with drug use in their own family, giving him and other committee members pause, he said at the time.

Sex is not the only factor in whether a book can be banned under the regulation, department policy and legal advisor Robert Cathcart told the committee Thursday. Committee members can decide to remove a book from the shelves for anything they deem to not be age appropriate.

“Crank” would qualify for that, department staff wrote in a report provided to the committee.

Public K-12 schools must remove 7 books but can keep 3 classics, SC board says

“While the book does not intentionally glorify drug use, in the 544 pages of poetry, drugs are omnipresent, and getting high is often seen as either pleasurable or an escape from the drudgery of life,” the department report reads. “Drugs, sex, rape, pregnancy, and depression pervade the book.”

The committee decided the descriptions of sex were not graphic enough to remove the book completely. Because of its heavy themes, the committee instead decided to require parental permission to check out the book from school libraries.

Parents whose children want to read the book should receive the entire five-page list of problematic excerpts the committee reviewed before signing off, Hanley said. The book is available in high schools only, department staff wrote in a memo.

“This is a poor compromise,” author Ellen Hopkins wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

She added that she would have preferred the board allow parents to opt out of having their children read the book instead of opting in.

“But at least it’s still there and semi-available,” Hopkins continued.

Hopkins loosely based the book on her own daughter’s experience with methamphetamine addiction, she said in a statement provided by the state’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter. The novel follows a straight-A, high-achieving high schooler who gets addicted to the drug and watches her life fall apart as a result.

“I was determined to turn other teens away from that path if I could,” Hopkins wrote in the statement. “I also wanted those who’d already chosen that direction to believe there was a way out, support, someone who cared, and urge them to speak up sooner rather than later. And I wanted people who’d never made that choice to develop understanding and empathy for those who had.”

Parent complaints

One parent requested reviews for all three new books the committee considered Thursday.

Emily Clement, who said she has two children in the Fort Mill School District, contested an eighth-grade literature textbook, along with two novels that English teachers in the York County district either assign or recommend to students.

Because all three books were part of school curriculums as opposed to simply being available in the school library, the committee allowed them to skip the normal appeals process. The complaint came to the state directly, bypassing the Fort Mill school board, Cathcart said.

State panel votes to pull 7 books from SC schools, delays decision on ‘Crank’

Clement pointed to short stories in the textbook that deal with themes of violence, sexuality, racism and other heavy topics as reasons she believed the book should be removed.

“The parents of this school district should be very concerned about what their child’s hearts and minds are being filled with every day in school,” Clement wrote in her complaint. “Parents put their trust in this school board, the administrators, and the teachers of Fort Mill schools to protect their children from evil, not to encourage them to follow the darkness.”

The textbook already went through a state vetting process before it was approved for classrooms statewide, committee members said. For that reason, they unanimously agreed to allow it to remain.

“I have no objection to some of the materials, the ones that I have taught, that did not contain anything that justifies going against our regulation,” said Board Member Joyce Crimminger, who taught English in Lancaster County.

“Bronx Masquerade” by Nikki Grimes and “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, the two novels Clements raised for review, included scenes discussing sex, domestic violence, guns, suicide and drug use, she told committee members.

Her complaints did not include quotes from specific scenes, so board members voted unanimously to defer any decision until they have more information.

The exact quotes could make or break whether a book is banned or not.

Books in which characters kiss or have romantic relationships are fine under the regulation. As are mentions of sex and sexual assault that happened off the page, or on-page sex scenes that don’t give details, board members have said in previously discussing books.

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One of Fort Mill’s most iconic businesses will close in February, but only for a month.

The Peach Stand at 1325 Hwy. 160 West will shut down Feb. 2 and won’t reopen until March 1. The popular grocery store, filling station and fresh fruit purveyor posted the decision Saturday on its Facebook page.

“After nearly 50 years of service, our building will be undergoing some necessary updates to help us continue to run efficiently and safely,” the post read.

The Peach Stand is one of the town’s oldest and most identifiable businesses.

Generations of Fort Mill residents have counted the seasons in part by the availability of spring strawberries or summer peaches from Springs Farms. The store at the intersection of S.C. 160 and U.S. 21 has grown to include a restaurant, butcher shop and bakery.

On Monday morning, store manager Sherri McMurray offered details on what will change and what won’t. Some people, McMurray said, took the post to mean the store would get a full remodel.

“That’s not happening,” she said. “What we’re doing is back of house type things. We’re upgrading our entire electrical system, upgrading plumbing, rebuilding a freezer in the back.”

McMurray doesn’t know the total investment amount for the upgrades. The building has been there since the late 1970s. McMurray arrived in 1998.

Some people who read the initial post may be disappointed, she said, to find out most of the changes are internal.

“It’s a lot of work,” McMurray said. “It’s work that we can’t do and remain open at the same time, but it’s not something that’s going to be immediately noticeable when people walk in the door.”

Others, though, may be relieved.

Some of the many dozens of people who posted comments on The Peach Stand post didn’t want too much to change. Others did a double take when they saw “closure” in a Peach Stand post.

“I just let out the biggest gasp and my husband was like what’s wrong?” Shannon King commented. “Then I kept reading. So glad it’s just renovations.”

Jan Rogers stated that the store will be missed, even for a month.

“I value The Peach Stand, and go there several times a week,” Rogers wrote. “This hits home with me. I will definitely welcome the month of March, 2025 when you re-open for business!”

Comments called The Peach Stand a go-to place for raw milk, Amish butter, fresh meat cuts and, recently, Christmas shopping.

All the same local produce and products will be available in March, McMurray said. The February closing was strategic, since it fits in between busy seasons.

“That was exactly our thinking,” McMurray said. “We got through the holidays which is a real busy season. It slows a bit in January and February before we get ready for strawberries. We definitely wanted things to be done prior to strawberry season.”

McMurray considered leaving the gas station open, but opted not to since there will be periodic power outages due to the upgrades. Also, it might have confused customers if they could use the gas pumps but not come inside the store.

The main way customers can support the store is to stop by this month to shop, then again in March.

“It feels like a big deal, closing for a month,” McMurray said. “It’s big to us. It’s things that we need to do to ensure that our building is going to last a long, long time.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 11:16 AM.

Morningstar Fellowship Church and York County reached an agreement, ending the yearslong legal battle over Heritage Tower.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — MorningStar Fellowship Church and York County reached a settlement resolving a long-standing legal dispute over the controversial 21-story Heritage Tower, according to court documents obtained by WCNC Charlotte.

The empty tower sits on the grounds of what was once Heritage USA, a Christian theme park launched by televangelist Jim Bakker of PTL fame.

The agreement, which stemmed from lawsuits filed in South Carolina and federal courts, provides a clear roadmap for the project's future. MorningStar must submit a building permit application within 18 months, proving the structure can be completed under current building codes. If the church fails to secure a permit, it will be required to demolish the tower within nine months. Should MorningStar fail to comply with the demolition requirements, York County will demolish the building at the church's expense.

RELATED: 'We basically had a Christian Disneyland in our backyard' | Hollywood shines a light on PTL Ministries

History of Heritage Tower

Heritage Tower was initially part of Heritage USA, a Christian theme park launched by Bakker and his wife, Tammy. At one point, the Fort Mill theme park billed itself as the country’s third-largest theme park during its run from 1978 through 1989 according to the Washington Post. The park itself eventually closed as Bakker faced a sexual misconduct scandal and the park faced Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the late 1980s. Bakker resigned from PTL and was later convicted on federal fraud charges.

While Bakker only publicly confessed to having an affair with a woman -- claims brought forward by former church secretary Jessica Hahn -- he was found guilty on two dozen federal fraud counts and faced a federal prison sentence. He was originally sentenced to a 45-year prison term but saw his sentence reduced to eight years in 1992. He was released on parole in 1993. While he was still in prison, his first wife Tammy Faye Messner divorced him.

The tower, which was under construction at the time, was never completed and has never been lived in. By 1990, the Bakker's empire had crumbled, and the tower has been crumbling for the last three decades, too.

MorningStar, which is helmed by Rick and Julie Joyner, bought part of the Heritage USA site in 2004. The site was then made into MorningStar's ministry headquarters, renamed Heritage International Ministries Conference Center.

In 2009, Rick Joyner discussed plans for the tower with WCNC Charlotte, which included the possibility for it to become a retirement home, complete with in-house services and amenities like dental care, a pool, and a health club.

Joyner told us at the time it would be aimed at seniors seeking to further their own faith-based missions later in life.

But the tower, already crumbling and in poor condition, had already dodged a date with the wrecking ball. In 2012, WCNC Charlotte reported MorningStar planned to file a lawsuit against York County if repair plans weren't accepted. The county claimed MorningStar violated a 5-year-old development agreement requiring MorningStar to fix the tower or use their own money to tear it down.

In 2018, the fate of the tower moved to federal court. In their lawsuit, MorningStar Ministries said religious discrimination from York County was part of the issues they faced. MorningStar said emails from county leaders painted them as the "old PTL" and made claims the ministry was trying to bilk investors of their money.

In August 2020, both parties reached a mutual agreement to dismiss all the legal back and forth.

In June of 2021, MorningStar said the tower would be renovated and transformed into a Christian retirement community. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in June 2021, but WCNC Charlotte learned from York County no building permits had been filed. A month later the county filed a new lawsuit.

Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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BURLINGTON, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Silfab Solar Inc. (“Silfab”), North America’s leading photo-voltaic (“PV”) module manufacturer, today announced that it has closed on $100 million of new financing to scale its state-of-the-art solar cell manufacturing plant. The $50 million equity investment was led by funds advised by ARC Financial Corp. (“ARC”) and includes investment from their existing co-investors. The company additionally raised a $50 million senior secured financing (the “Green Loan”) led by Breakwall Capital, an energy-focused asset manager and employee-owned firm committed to supporting the growth and improvement of conventional, renewable, and next generation energy companies, and includes an investment from SR Alternative Credit LLC (“SRAC”).

The Green Loan and equity financing will advance the overall capacity of Silfab’s cell production and PV module manufacturing within its new facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and to reshore US-made solar products that are in high demand by the company’s customers. Silfab’s newest US facility is scheduled to be operational by the end of this year.

Sustainable Fitch provided a second-party opinion on the Green Loan and considers the transaction to be structured in line with the Loan Market Association, Loan Syndications and Trading Association and Asia Pacific Loan Market Association Green Loan Principles. Sustainable Fitch’s view is that the Green Loan’s alignment with these principles is “Excellent.”

“American-made clean energy is and will remain in huge demand. We are thankful for the continued support of both existing and new investors in our mission to lead the reshoring of the PV supply chain – ensuring a sustainable supply of US-made PV modules,” said Paolo Maccario, Silfab President and CEO. “Silfab’s growing US footprint and increase in domestic content means more jobs for Americans and a lower carbon footprint compared to imported panels.”

Daniel Flannery, President and Managing Partner of Breakwall Capital, said “We are thrilled to partner with Silfab as they expand their existing manufacturing capabilities, and integrate a unique operation of high quality, made-in-America solar cells and PV modules. As the largest private manufacturer of PV modules in North America with over a decade of successful operating experience, this capacity expansion is critical to meet the domestic content demand from its customer base. We could not be more excited to play a part in helping Silfab be a first mover with respect to domestic cell production while furthering the broader reshoring objectives of the entire solar manufacturing ecosystem in the United States.”

Norton Rose Fulbright LLP acted as legal counsel to Silfab. Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Breakwall Capital. Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as legal counsel to ARC Financial. RCT Solutions acted as the independent engineer for Breakwall.

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About Silfab Solar Silfab Solar is the North American leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-efficiency, premium quality PV modules. Silfab leverages more than 40 years of solar experience and best-in-class technologies to produce the highest- rated solar modules. Silfab operates state-of-the-art facilities in the state of Washington and Toronto, Canada and will soon be manufacturing solar cells and PV modules in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Each operating facility features multiple automated production lines, certified to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System standard, and just-in-time manufacturing to deliver Buy American approved PV modules specifically designed for and dedicated to the North American market. www.silfabsolar.com

About ARC Financial Corp. Founded in 1989, ARC Financial Corp. is committed to building high-performing businesses that address the world’s energy and sustainability needs. To date, ARC has raised C$6.4 billion across eleven energy-focused funds since the launch of its private equity business in 1997, having invested capital in more than 180 companies across the energy landscape. ARC’s newest fund, ARC Energy Fund 10, is focused on infrastructure development and energy services & manufacturing opportunities in energy transition. For more information, please visit www.arcfinancial.com

About Breakwall Capital Breakwall Capital is a leading energy specialist focused on direct lending capital solutions to middle-market and developing energy companies. As an independent asset manager and employee-owned firm, Breakwall seeks to fill the gap that other financing providers appear reluctant to service. Breakwall is led by Christopher Abbate, Jamie Brodsky, and Daniel Flannery and since 2014, the Breakwall team has built a credit investment franchise that focuses exclusively on energy credit. During its 10-year history, the team has committed $4.8 billion in energy and energy-related companies or projects across more than 60 transactions. Breakwall is headquartered in New York with offices in Texas and Rhode Island. For more information, please visit Breakwall’s website at www.breakwallcap.com.

About SRAC SR Alternative Credit LLC is a boutique SEC registered investment management firm based in Darien, CT. SR Alternative Credit manages multiple funds invested in senior-secured lower-middle market asset-backed loans. For more information, please visit www.sraltcredit.com.

Contacts

Media Contact: Geoff Atkins Email: g.atkins@silfabsolar.com Tel: +1-905-255-2501 Ext. 737