By Matthew Hensley  | mhensley@postandcourier
Local Editor, The Post and Courier Spartanburg

Good afternoon.

Helene is expected to make landfall tomorrow morning as a major hurricane — that's at least a Category 3 — and while it will impact Spartanburg and the rest of the Upstate, its path has shifted westward, which should lessen what we're expected to see.

Like any forecast, this is subject to change, and the 6-8 inches of rain we could see means the risk of flash flooding. That's right, it's time to brush off "Turn around, don't drown."

Should you stock up on bread and milk ahead of potential power outages? Well, if you want to, but powerless refrigerators won't keep that milk cold. Anyway, here's a checklist of what might help in case of an emergency.

Regardless of how you prepare, be careful out there.

Unexpected charges?

If you saw Christian Boschult's newsletter yesterday or are otherwise an avid reader of Post and Courier Spartanburg, you no doubt saw his reporting on how Sheriff Chuck Wright spends your tax dollars with his Spartanburg County charge card.

(If you did miss his story, you can read it here. And for those who want to see all of the more than $53,000 in transactions, you can find them here.)

Here's something that didn't quite fit into Christian's story, which topped 2,000 words: This spending didn't happen in a vacuum.

There's been a real struggle to recruit new officers, in part from pay that hasn't kept up with other professions and the public's increasing apprehension of law enforcement.

And it's coming at a time with a lot of need because of rampant retirements among Baby Boomers, and for us in the Spartanburg area, rapid population growth (Note: See Woodruff).

Everyone's feeling this pinch.

It's why Greenville PD had to explain why it could fill more than a dozen new positions earlier this year. It's why North Charleston PD is offering a $7,000 signing bonus. It's why some North Carolina departments are using hiring bonuses to attract South Carolina officers within a reasonable commute. (And yes, Spartanburg County adopted sign-on bonuses too.)

That's the backdrop for Sheriff Wright's spending on Fuddruckers and Amazon Prime. With those recruiting woes, you have to wonder what rank-and-file deputies think about how he's using his taxpayer-funded charge card. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during those conversations.

One more quick thing about this story:

While we were able to track down some things, such as linking hotel stays to a sheriff's conference, there were a few details we weren't quite able to suss out. For instance, why did the county pay for someone to stay at the Hilton in Memphis, Tenn.? And what about the more than $8,000 in meals, mostly in Spartanburg?

There don't seem to be any receipts or invoices. Without Sheriff Wright telling us why this money was spent, we don't know. But maybe you do. If you have insight into why some of this money was spent as it was, let us know. I can be reached at mhensley@postandcourier.com or 910-373-1279.

Side note: This story came from a news tip. If you have your own tip, feel free to reach out. We keep our sources confidential. And don't forget that you can support this kind of reporting with a subscription.

Meet Carleigh McVay

We have a fifth person in our Spartanburg office, but don't expect to see her byline. She works on the advertising side.

Here's a brief bio of her:

As the New Business Development Account Executive for The Post and Courier in Spartanburg, Carleigh is committed to helping local businesses thrive with tailored media solutions. She focuses on building lasting partnerships and creating impactful advertising strategies that support Spartanburg’s growth. Based in Greer, her priority is to foster community connections and ensure exceptional results.
 
You can reach her at CMcVay@postandcourier.com.

Thank you for reading, and be safe out there!

— Matt H.

Here are five pieces of our journalism you should know about this week.

1. Fall for Spartanburg Festival returns with more than 60 vendors, live music
   Don't worry. The rains should clear before the festival cranks up Saturday in downtown Spartanburg. (Read the story.)
    
2. Printing company will bring 150 jobs and nearly $10M investment to Spartanburg County
   Smartpress, a commercial online printing company, is opening a facility in Duncan and bringing 150 new jobs and $9.6 million to Spartanburg County. (Read the story.)
    
3.  A $36 million industrial project is on deck in Spartanburg
   The Upstate industrial hub of Spartanburg is poised to add nearly 900,000 new square feet of space as part of a two-phase development project. (Read the story.)
    
4. Parents of autistic kids demand action. School board adjourns without comment
   The Greenville County School Board had its first regular meeting since the death of Leo Cervantes, an autistic boy who ran away from school and was later found drowned. (Read the story.)
    
5. Thousands without power in Greenville. Forecasters say worst is still to come.

   After a severe thunderstorm overnight left at peak roughly 12,000 in Greenville without power, forecasters say the worst could be yet to come. (Read the story.)

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