Hollywild Animal Park kicks off the holiday season this Saturday, with its 22^nd annual Holiday Lights Safari Benefit.

The event will run nightly, including holidays from Nov. 17 through Saturday, January 5. Admission hours are 6-9PM, with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays.

Admission is $6 per person. There are no per car rates. Discounted rates are available for groups of 15 or more.

The Holiday Lights Safari Benefit raises funds to care for the park's animals and has become an Upstate tradition.

Each year's event offers something for newcomers and those who make Hollywild a holiday tradition year after year.

“Each year the experience is new on multiple levels, from the changes we make in the color and patterns of our light displays, to new features like additional silhouettes, and the interaction with new animals in Santa’s Village,” said Mary Lee Rollins, Hollywild’s Assistant Director. “But the biggest new element to the event is our Holiday Lights Safari parties. We’ve had so many requests for group holiday parties and birthday parties during this season that we’ve created special packages we know people will enjoy.”

During the Safari, you'll drive through an area featuring millions of lights decorating trees and pathways, lighted shapes including Noah's Ark, castles, and of course, animals.

Admission will also get you into the Enchanted Forest area, where visitors drive gently through herds of deer and safari animals while feeding the animals from their car windows.

You'll also visit “Santa's Village,” where you can park and walk around visiting with some of Hollywild's animals. Chilly? Warm yourself by a bonfire and enjoy hot cocoa. For additional fees, you can enjoy snacks, take a pony ride through the lighted forest and have pictures taken with Santa.

When it's time to go, serene nativity scenes and additional light displays guide you out of the park.

For additional information, please call the park office at (864)472-2038 or visit us online at www.hollywild.org

The South Carolina Department of Revenue and the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs have partnered with the South Carolina State Library to offer educational webinars designed to inform the public on how to enroll in credit monitoring and learn more about how to minimize the effects of a security breach. 

Attend this free Credit Monitoring webinar at the Main and Greer branches of the Greenville County Library System this week.

SCDOR Credit Monitoring webinars 

- 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Nov. 15., Greer Branch 

- 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Nov. 16, Greer Branch

- 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Nov. 16 Main Branch, Meeting Room 

As part of Patch's continuing effort to provide our readers with consistent coverage of crime in our area, we're happy to provide you with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office's daily activity report. 

A number of incidents were reported in the Golden Strip area between Nov. 13-14. They include:

• Possession of drug paraphernalia, Donaldson Road/Ace Drive — Gantt/Conestee area
• Assault and battery, 26 Kay Drive — Maudin area
• Missing person, 6630 Frontage Road — Gantt
• Obtaining money by false pretenses, 3235 Augusta Road — Mauldin area
• Petit larceny, 135 Fedex Way — Mauldin area
• Petit larceny, 100 Walden Creek Way — Mauldin area
• Assault and battery, 45 Appian Way — Simpsonville
• Mental papers served, 415 Putnam Rod — Fountain Inn

To view the full activity report, click on the attached PDF.

An 18-year-old Clemson student is charged with the burglary of a dorm room.

Clemson University police said that Avery Tanner Boone of Greer, a freshman engineering major, is charged with burglary and public disorderly conduct after he allegedly took cash and food from a dorm room in Johnstone Hall.

University police said the incident happened Nov. 11.

Boone was released on a $10,262.50 personal recognizance bond.

Police referred the case to the university’s Office of Community and Ethical Standards.

Thanksgiving means lots of cooking. And lots of cooking means there's more opportunity for a fire.

According to State Farm, more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year, according to State Farm.

South Carolina comes in at No. 10 on the top 10 states for grease and cooking-related claims on Thanksgiving Day for the past five years.

Other states named to the list: Texas, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Florida, California, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

One of the biggest culprits: Frying Turkey.

Again, State Farm has teamed up with William Shatner to spread the word about turkey frying safety. In this year's video, Captain Kirk sings about how to stay safe while cooking a "moister, tastier turkey" in “Eat, Fry, Love: A Cautionary Tale.”

Here are some tips from State Farm:

• More than one-third of fires involving a fryer start in a garage or patio. Cook outdoors at a safe distance from any buildings or trees and keep the fryer off any wooden structures, such as a deck or patio.
• Avoid a hot oil spill over by first filling the pot with cold oil and then lower the thawed turkey into the pot to determine how much oil should be either added or removed.
• Shut off the fuel source or flame when adding the turkey to the hot oil to prevent a dangerous flare-up if oil does spill over the rim.
• Make sure your turkey is properly thawed before lowering it slowly into the pot.
• Never leave a hot turkey fryer unattended.
• Do not use ice or water to cool down oil or extinguish an oil fire.
• Keep an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fire nearby.

What happened to family gatherings at grandma's, watching The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and slipping into a tryptophan-induced coma in front of the nearest TV while watching a football game?

The retailers got a little greedier. This year, the holiday creep has begun.

Instead of enjoying a nap and nice chat with Aunt Mary, who only visits twice a year, you'll scarf down that plate of food in a frenzy to get to the nearest mall.

Thanksgiving has become another day to rake in sales. Last year, the National Retail Federation said that stores that opened earlier saw a significant boost in sales.

In 2011, the National Retail Federation released results from a shopping survey and found that 28.7 million people shopped online and at stores on Thanksgiving Day — up from 22.2 million in 2010. More people than ever before also shopped online and in stores on Black Friday, as 86.3 million shoppers braved the crowds that day alone, according to the results.

But one retail employee said she's had enough.

Casey St. Clair, a Target employee for six years, has started an online petition to stop Target from opening on Thanksgiving. So far, the petition has garned more than 200,000 and is starting to gain support from some Target investors. St. Clair said she would like to spend the day with family and to rest.

Have retailers taken Black Friday sales too far? Is the holiday creep ruining  your family gathering? Sound off in the comments section below.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel has upheld the South Carolina law allowing police to check the immigration status of residents during traffic stops.

The law had been scheduled to go into effect earlier this year, but was put on hold while Arizona's immigration law, which is similar to South Carolina's, was challenged in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the portion of the law allowing for immigration status to be checked when police pull over a resident, but struck down other aspects of the law.

Gergel, a federal judge, said other parts of South Carolina's law were still prohibited.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has scheduled a public hearing in Greenville County tonight (Thursday, Nov. 15), concerning the preliminary plans for the proposed I-85/I-385 interchange improvement project.

The hearing will be between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Beck Academy, 901 Woodruff Road, Greenville.

The purpose of the hearing is to provide an opportunity to review and discuss individually with representatives from SCDOT the preliminary plans for the proposed I-85/I-385 improvement project. The project includes the re-configuration and improvement of the existing I-85/I-385 interchange.

Another purpose of the meeting is to gather information from the public or any interested organization on historic or cultural resources in the area.From 5 p.m. until 6 p.m., the hearing format will be informal. Large aerial displays of the entire project will be available for viewing, and project team members from SCDOT will be present to discuss the project with interested citizens on an individual basis.

At 6 p.m., SCDOT will make a brief, formal presentation about the project purpose and need, schedule, and potential natural and human impacts to the community. Immediately following the presentation, citizens will have the option to make formal, verbal comments regarding the proposed project. 

Anyone who wishes to verbally comment must sign up between 5 p.m. and 5:55 p.m. when entering the public hearing. Each comment will be limited to two minutes and may not be transferred.  The informal portion of the public hearing will continue during this time.

Related maps and/or drawings, environmental assessment, and other pertinent data are available for public review at least 15 days prior to the public hearing at SCDOT's District 3 Office at 252 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville.  

Project information, including meeting materials and comment forms will also be available on the SCDOT website www.scdot.org. Click on “Public Hearings” under “Quicklinks.” Additional information concerning the project may be obtained by contacting Tommy Elrod, SCDOT Program Manager, at (864) 241-1010 in Greenville, or at elrodjt@scdot.org.

In a move she's been promising for some time, Gov. Nikki Haley informed officials with the federal government that South Carolina "should not and will not set up a state-based health care exchange.

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secetary Kathleen Sebelius, Haley said that the state-based exchange exists in "name only" and that instead it makes mandates on the state through the creation of a new bureaucracy.

The letter is attached to this article.

The governor also said that the state has not received clear instructions on how the exchanges will work and requested a delay in implementation.

“The amount of uncertainty in our economy is growing given the lack of information available from the federal government at a time when we can hardly afford it,” the governor wrote.

Sen. Jim DeMint released the following statement upon hearing of Haley's decision:

“Governor Haley should be applauded for standing up for South Carolina patients, doctors, and taxpayers by opposing the creation of an Obamacare exchange in our state,” said Senator DeMint. “Her decision will help shield South Carolina from job destroying tax increases on state businesses, save taxpayers millions of dollars in set up costs, and allow our state to fight for health care solutions that don’t limit choices of families and doctors. Obamacare is already failing, forcing businesses across the country to cut back wages and hours while increasing health care costs and things will only get worse. We must continue to fight for full repeal of this government takeover and for commonsense solutions that expand health care freedom.”

Investigators are trying to determine how two different barrels containing human remains ended up in an Upstate lake.

The Anderson County Sheriff's Office said the first barrel was found on Wednesday near the Interstate 85 bridge Wednesday. Deputies removed the barrel from the water at Asbury Park boat ramp, according to WYFF news.

The second barrel was found around 3 p.m. Thursday near the Centerville Road Bridge, the station reported.

The deceased woman whose body was found in the first barrel has been identified, according to the Anderson County Coroner's Office. Her name will not be released until relatives have been notified.

An autopsy will be performed Friday to determine the identity of the second body.

Read more of this story.

A J.L. Mann High Academy science teacher has been arrested on charges she sent lewd texts and photos of herself to two male students.

Michelle Stabach Jensen, 40, of 605 Neely Farm Drive, Simpsonville, has been charged by Greenville Police with two felony counts of unlawful dissemination of obscene materials to persons under 18 years of age, and two counts of contributing to delinquency of a minor.

Arrest warrants allege that Jensen “sent text messages and photographs of herself to a … male student of hers at J.L. Mann High School. The text messages and photographs were sexually explicit in nature,” according to a report by the Greenville News.

Jensen was being held at the Greenville County Detention Center on Thursday awaiting a bond hearing.

In an email to the media Thursday afternoon, Greenville County Schools spokesman Oby Lyles said J.L. Mann Principal Charles Mayfield was informed on Friday, November 9 of allegations of inappropriate texts to students after a teacher reported an alleged conversation overheard between students.  

"The administration immediately began its investigation and contacted the school’s Resource Office with the Greenville City Police," Lyles said via email. "The principal met with the teacher that day and she resigned while the investigation continued. The charges will be communicated to the State Department of Education, which determines revocation of teaching certificates." 

This is Jensen’s first year with Greenville County Schools. She has been employed since August 15 as a science teacher at the school, initially as a certified sub and then as a full-time teacher effective October 15, Lyles added. 

Stay tuned to Patch for more details.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Here are 5 suggestions within easy driving distance in the Golden Strip.

Friday, Nov. 16:
1. Pinocchio, the classic Disney tale, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday night. It also will be performed Saturday and Sunday afternoon this weekend at 3 p.m. at the Fountain Inn Center for the Visual & Performing Arts, 315 North Main Street, Fountain Inn. Tix are $18, $15, and $10. Visit ftinnarts.org, or call 864-409-1050 for info.

2. Hey parents, need a date night? You're in luck. The Mauldin Sports Center is holding a Parent's Night Out tonight from 6-10 p.m. at the center, located at 10 Center Drive (off East Butler Road). The cost is $10 for one child; $8 for a second child; and, $6 for each additional child. Trained and CPR-certified staff will watch the kids while you go out and have some adult fun. For more info, contact center director Jennifer Edwins at jedwins@mauldinrecreation.com, or call 864-335-4875.

Saturday, Nov. 17:
3. More than 100 vendors will be on hand for the Greater Simpsonville Holiday Fair, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Simpsonville Activity & Senior Center, 310 West Curtis Street. The free event is sponsored by Simpsonville Parks & Recreation and the Upstate Women's Club. Proceeds benefit Generations Group Home and the S.C. Ovarian Cancer Foundation. The James Monroe Mission House also will be accepting canned food donations. For more info, call 864-476-3399, or 967-9533.

4. Greenville in Harmony presents "A Tribute to Laff-In," at 3 p.m. at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, 200 Buncombe Street in Greenville. The show will include the top five finalists in the annual Sing for Scholarship contest, with the audience voting for the winner — who will receive a $300 cash scholarship. Tix are $15 for adults in advance, $20 at the door. Tickets for kids under 12 are $5. 

5. Need an afternoon diversion the kids will enjoy? The Magic Tree House Scavenger Hunt will be held at 3 p.m. at the Kerry Ann Younts Culp Library Branch, 311 North Main Street, Fountain Inn. The event is targeted at kids age 6-9, who will get to explore lands from the Magic Tree House series. To register, call 864-862-2576.   

Have an event to add? Tell us about it, with the pertinent details, in the comments below. Have a great weekend, from Patch!

As part of Patch's continuing effort to provide our readers with consistent coverage of crime in our area, we're happy to provide you with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office's daily activity report. 

A number of incidents were reported in the Golden Strip area between Nov. 14-15. They include:

• Forgery, 2 Camino Lane — Simpsonville
• Burglary, 436 Scuffletown Road — Simpsonville
• Malicious damage, 12 Impact Drive — Mauldin area
• Trespassing, 5 Jonas Court — Simpsonville
• Trespass notice served, 220 Willow Lane — Simpsonville
• Fire call, 2012 Brookforest Drive — Mauldin area
• Burglary, 2 James Drive — Mauldin area

To view the full activity report, click on the attached PDF.

The public got a closeup view Thursday night of a $245 million project that aims to improve the congested Interstate 85/385 interchange.

About 75 people came out to a SCDOT public hearing in Greenville to hear more about the proposed improvements, which should begin in mid-2014 andtake an estimated three years to complete.

Many raised concerns about the noise, confusion, and gridlock the construction will create, but agreed that something needs to be done to correct one of the state's busiest highway junctions, according to a report by the Greenville News.

In an effort to ease congestion and improve safety at the interchange, which sees an average of 200,000 cars a day, SCDOT is proposing to replace two steeply curving loop ramps with straighter ones, and add two more elevated levels of traffic.

A roadway would be built along I-385 north to help distribute traffic to I-85 and Woodruff Road. A fourth lane would be added onto I-85 in both directions between Woodruff and Pelham roads, the newspaper reported.

Once construction commences, SCDOT hopes to do most of the work at night, a SCDOT official told WSPA.  

The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has charged a former J.L. Mann High teacher with sexual battery against a student, just a day after she was arrested by city police on obscenity charges.

The GCSO said Friday morning that Michelle Stabach Jensen, 40, of 605 Neely Farm Drive, Simpsonville, has been charged with one count each of sexual battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old male student.

According to arrest warrants, the alleged victim stated Jensen touched the student's penis with her hand. In addition, the warrant alleged, Jensen allowed the student to touch her breast and penetrate her with his finger.

According to Greenville Police spokesman Johnathan Bragg, the 17-year-old student is one of two male students who allegedly received lewd texts and photos from Jensen, who was in her first year as a teacher at the high school before resigning last week when allegations against her first surfaced.

City police yesterday charged Jensen with two counts each of unlawful dissemination of obscene materials to persons under 18 years of age, and delinquency of a minor. Both charges are felonies.

Greenville police arrest warrants alleged that Jensen “sent text messages and photographs of herself to a … male student of hers at J.L. Mann High School. The text messages and photographs were sexually explicit in nature.”

Greenville County Schools spokesman Oby Lyles said J.L. Mann Principal Charles Mayfield was informed on Friday, Nov. 9 of allegations of inappropriate texts to students after a teacher reported an alleged conversation overheard between students.  

"The administration immediately began its investigation and contacted the school’s Resource Office with the Greenville City Police," Lyles said via email Thursday. "The principal met with the teacher that day and she resigned while the investigation continued. The charges will be communicated to the State Department of Education, which determines revocation of teaching certificates." 

This is Jensen’s first year with Greenville County Schools. She has been employed since Aug. 15 as a science teacher at the school, initially as a certified sub and then as a full-time teacher effective Oct. 15, Lyles added.

Jensen was being held Friday at the Greenville County Detention Center on $13,000 bond, authorities said.

Could this be the end of Twinkies?

After 82 years, Hostess Brands announced Friday that, on the heels of a nationwide worker strike, it will be going out of business, closing its production plants and laying off about 18,500 employees nationwide.

The brand itself is expected to be sold.

Hostess, based in Irving, Texas, has stopped operations at its 33 factories and said its stores will remain open for several days to sell already packaged products, The Huffington Post reported.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January.

Thousands of members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union went on strike last week after rejecting in September a contract offer that cut their wages and their benefits. The bakers union makes up about 30 percent of the company's workforce.

The company had warned employees that it would file a motion with U.S. Bankruptcy Court Friday seeking permission to shutter its operations and sell its brands if plants hadn't resumed normal operations by a Thursday evening deadline.

Should Hostess shut down because of the labor dispute? Are union workers right to stand their ground? And, what should happen to Hostess and the many brands they own? Tells us in the comments section below.

After months of anticipation, Airwolf Aviation Services, a flight school located at the Greenville Downtown and Spartanburg Downtown Airports has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the only public Part 141 certified flight school in the Upstate.

“The accreditation recognizes the excellence of Airwolf’s training program and the quality of graduates they produce” said Adam Lockamy, Assistant Chief Flight Instructor of the school.  

The school received the accreditation after 5 years of success in aviation education, including a 93% pass rate, which is well above the national average.

"The FAA regularly overviews the curriculum and training to ensure students receive the best education possible” said Director of Operations and Founder of the school, Michele Rash.  

“By earning this certification, the students becoming pilots through Airwolf Aviation’s program will be prepared to excel in their chosen aviation career path,” said Chief Flight Instructor, Cynthia Hollman.  

Through this certification students are eligible to receive financing and may utilize veteran’s benefits for career training. This can save students thousands of dollars in their training as compared to training at a non-approved flight school.  

Airwolf Aviation Services is a flight training school with several locations in South Carolina.

For more information, please visit http://www.flyairwolf.com or contact Adam Lockamy at airwolfaviation@gmail.com or 877-335-9464. 

Search warrants have been issued for an Anderson County home that deputies said is linked to two barrels containing the bodies of two women found floating in Lake Hartwell.

Anderson County Sheriff's deputies are searching a Centerville Road home in Anderson County, according to WYFF.

The first barrel with a woman’s body inside was found Wednesday. The coroner has identified the victim as 37-year-old Andrea Kellie Mitchell. Deputies are still working to find out more about Mitchell.

A second barrel would found Thursday. An autopsy is planned for Friday.

No arrests have been made.

With the Clemson/USC game just over a week away, some fans without tickets are scrambling to get some.

Clemson officials are urging fans who purchase tickets from secondary sources (online ticket resellers and ticket scalpers) to use caution to avoid being ripped offed.

The Clemson Athletic Ticket Office warns that the technology in place to make buying tickets easy can be used by scammers looking to make a profit.

Tickets are still available for the sold-out Nov. 24 rivalry game, thanks to the Clemson Athletic Ticket Office's partnership with StubHub. StubHub is the official ticket marketplace for the Clemson Tigers.

Buy tickets to the big game from StubHub by clicking here.

As of this writing, more than 800 tickets to the Clemson/USC game were available.

But if you are going to go to a third party for you tickets, here's some things to keep in mind.

The Clemson Athletic Ticket Office is not responsible for tickets purchased through an unauthorized third party.

Tickets cannot be replaced if lost or stolen.

Ticket legitimacy cannot be guaranteed.

Admittance into the stadium cannot be guaranteed. Barcodes will be scanned at the gate and only valid barcodes will be allowed entrance.

Ticket prices may far exceed face value.

Miracle Hill of Beans Fundraiser for Shepherd’s Gate— Langston is participating in a fundraiser to benefit Shepherd’s Gate, a Miracle Hill shelter for women and children. Cost is $10 per bag with proceeds going to support Shepherd’s Gate. Go to www.springling.org/fundraiser/shepherds-gate to order. Contact Greg Abel with any questions at 864-286-9700.   

Art for a Wish Art Show— Langston eighth grader, Meg McKinley, is coordinating a Make A Wish fundraiser to benefit Tillman, a four year old boy with a life threatening illness. The Art for a Wish Art Show will be held in the Langston gym Friday, November 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Langston students may enter artwork in the show for a $5 entry fee if turned in by the deadline of November 27. First place, second place, and Student’s Choice awards will be given and those attending the show will have a chance to bid on and win the original art pieces. Contact Meg Mckinley megamckinley@gmail.com with any questions and for complete rules for artwork entry. 

Yearbooks— Yearbooks are on sale for $45 until January 1. Order online at www.jostens.com and indicate your child’s homeroom teacher. Please direct any questions to Rachel Hamilton — rhamilton@langstoncharter.org 

Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night— Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night is Thursday, November 29 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Chick-Fil-A on Woodruff Road. Mention Langston when you order at the drive-thru or inside the dining room and 20% percent of the sales go back to the school. The homeroom class with the most participation wins an ice cream party.

— Submitted by Elaine Avila