WHNS Greenville (South Carolina) is increasing its local output, including extending its 6 p.m. news to an hour Sept. 12. Justin Dougherty and Tori Carmen are the anchors on that newscast and Kendra Kent the meteorologist. Known as Fox Carolina, WHNS is a Fox affiliate owned by Gray Television.

“When other stations in the market go to national newscasts at 6:30, Fox Carolina will remain focused on the Carolinas,” WHNS said.

Also on Sept. 12, Fox Carolina debuts Access Carolina in the 10 a.m. slot. Margaret Burnquist hosts the show about food and drink, activities and travel in the Carolinas. Ava Braatz offers live reports.

“We provide the most local news in this area, and this is another example of Fox Carolina leading the way,” news director Marybeth Jacoby said. “We have also added to our team at a time when many stations are shrinking. That shows our commitment to doing this right. Along with Gray Television we are determined to continue serving our community in more ways.”

WHNS is based in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson market, which is DMA No. 35. The market is near the border shared by South and North Carolina.

Fox Carolina launches the market’s only 11 a.m. news in January. Fox Carolina The Midday News will be anchored by Hayley Spitler. “Every weekday Fox Carolina will be 100% local from 4:30 a.m. all the way until noon,” said General Manager Bryce Caldwell. “No other station in the market makes that kind of community commitment. Delivering local breaking news, First Alert Weather and insider information on the Carolinas’ best sports teams is our top priority. It’s what the people we serve expect from Fox Carolina.”

WHNS will also replay the 10 p.m. news at 3 a.m.

All of these newscasts will be streamed on the Fox Carolina News and First Alert Weather apps, along with apps for Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV.

WHNS has also launched Fox Carolina Tailgate at 11 p.m. on Fridays. Sports director Beth Hoole and sports reporter Mitchel Summers host the show, which focuses on local sports. NFL alumni Patrick Sapp and Corey Miller offer insights.

WHNS mentioned a 10% gain in its workforce but did not say how many new employees that translates to. ?

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

A civil lawsuit was filed Tuesday against the late Scott Foster and Rockstar Cheer and Dance, according to a filing in the Greenville County court system.

Attorneys James C. Sproat of Columbia and James W. Bannister, of Greenville, filed the lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous plaintiff from Greenville.

Foster was found dead in his vehicle the night of Aug. 22 at Paris Mountain State Park from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

The lawsuit also names Varsity Spirit, the United States All Star Federation, and The National Center for Safety Initiatives as defendants.

The lawsuit states, "Over the course of over a year, beginning in early 2020, Foster began to take an interest in Plaintiff upon her promotion to the top tier team within Rockstar. Over the next 6 months, Foster had multiple communications with Plaintiff, primarily through Snapchat, that included messages of a sexual nature, nude pictures of himself and requests for nude pictures of Plaintiff. Plaintiff provided nude pictures to Foster via Snapchat. Over the following year on at least ten occasions, Plaintiff was persuaded into performing various sexual acts including oral and penetrative sex with Foster. These acts occurred at Foster’s home, in Foster’s vehicle, Rockstar’s facility, at hotels during competitions, and in both South Carolina and Florida. During multiple of these occasions, Plaintiff was provided alcohol by Foster in an effort to further persuade Plaintiff to perform sexual acts with him."

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The announcement came on the same day another group of South Carolina attorneys announced their intention to file a lawsuit against Rockstar Cheer in Greenville County, alleging sexual abuse by late owner Scott Foster. See video of that story above.

One of the named organizations in the suit. USASF, lists on its website people who have been known to participate in the sport, through a Rockstar Cheer school, AllStar, or Rec/Youth organization, and are considered ineligible, either permanently or temporarily, for membership privileges in the USASF.

According to the USASF website, 59 people are temporarily ineligible for membership privileges.

The website lists 152 people who are considered permanently ineligible for membership. The USASF cites different allegations or charges of various sex crimes for almost all of those people.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday by James C. Sproat and James W. Bannister claims, at the time of the alleged abuse, Foster and Rockstar Cheer were members of USASF and Varsity Spirit.

The organization states on its site that it has the right to deny, suspend or revoke membership for:

The proposed Roberts Farm subdivision near Pebble Creek has been the subject of lengthy debate among Greenville County Planning Commissioners, scrutiny from area residents and a year-long legal appeal process.

Here is a timeline of the fight over the neighborhood that appears to be headed toward final approval:

February 2021: Residents sign petition opposing Roberts Farm

On Feb. 24, 2021, the Roberts Farm subdivision application was up for a vote by Planning Commission. Commissioners ultimately decided to hold the application for at least 30 days citing traffic concerns and the now defunct Article 3.1 of the county's Land Development Regulations. Before the meeting, hundreds of area residents signed a petition raising their concerns about the proposed subdivision.

Roberts Farm Application Paused:Greenville County planners put decision on proposed Pebble Creek development on hold

March 24, 2021: Planning Commission denies subdivision

A divided Planning Commission voted 5-4 to deny the Roberts Farm subdivision application after much debate. Commissioners discussed ongoing traffic concerns and disputed who should be responsible for installing a traffic light at a busy intersection near subdivision site.

April 29, 2021: Property owner asks court to overturn Planning Commission

Landowner Jo Ellen Johnson filed an appeal with the 13th Circuit Court seeking to reverse the Planning Commission's denial of Roberts Farm. The appeal cited the subdivision's Traffic Impact Study as a reason why it should be approved. It also claimed that Article 3.1 did not apply to the Roberts Farm due to the land's zoning designation.

Roberts Farm Heads to Court:Landowner goes to court seeking to reverse rejection of subdivision near Pebble Creek

Article 3.1 Poses Challenges:County Council members delay action on development rule after judge urges them to 'fix' it

Aug. 18, 2021: County revises development rules

County Council revised its land development rules after five months of debate surrounding contentious Article 3.1. The article led to multiple lawsuits and was criticized for being too vague.

Article 3.1 Revised:Hasty passage of development rule unleashes acrimony at Greenville County Council meeting

Sept. 21, 2021: Court reverses county decision on Roberts Farm

On Sept. 21, 2021, 13th Circuit court judge Letitia Verdin reversed the county's denial of Roberts Farm, ordering the Planning Commission to further review the subdivision application.

Oct. 26, 2021: Planning commission denies neighborhood again

Planning Commissioners again denied Roberts Farm, prompting Johnson to file a second appeal in the 13th Circuit Court a month later.

Roberts Farm Denied Again:Roberts Farm subdivision denied again following court reversal

June 3, 2022: Judge again rules in favor of Roberts Farm

Verdin again ruled in favor of Johnson's appeal, sending the Roberts Farm application back to Planning Commission for further review. Lawyers for the Planning Commission submitted a

July 27, 2022: County approves plan, but more votes ahead

Verdin's June 21 ruling prompted the Planning Commission to approve the Roberts Farm final development plan at its July 27 meeting. But the title of final development plan is deceiving, as the subdivision's preliminary plat is now undergoing the approval process and must be voted on by the Planning Commission before construction can begin.

– Tim Carlin covers county government, growth and development for The Greenville News. Follow him on Twitter @timcarlin_, and get in touch with him at [email protected]. You can support his work by subscribing to The Greenville News at greenvillenews.com/subscribe.

GREENVILLE CO., S.C. (FOX Carolina) - The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a dog was found abandoned on the side of a Greenville Co. road.

Surveillance video shared with FOX Carolina appears to show a white SUV stopping along a road off of New Easley Hwy, let a dog out of the car, and then drive away. That dog can be seen running after the car.

“We ended up playing back some video and figured out that yes the pup was actually dumped,” said Rod Hodgson.

The incident happened on Aug. 19 right outside of Hodgson’s home.

“This pup was loyal to somebody because it was chasing the vehicle and then it stopped right here after being a little bit exhausted and said okay I’m going to wait here and it did,” he said.

Hodgson says the dog was skittish at first but eventually, he and his wife were able to get close enough.

The couple took the dog to the vet to check for a microchip, then to the Humane Society for a medical checkup when they couldn’t find a microchip.

Hodgson eventually posted the surveillance video on social media in hopes somebody would recognize the dog or the car.

“Anger. Yeah, anger, disgust on how somebody could do that to a helpless animal,” said Ken and Vicki DiPrete.

The DiPrete’s saw the post on Facebook and one week later adopted the dog, now named Lucky, into their family.

“He adapted well with our dog Blue, they’re inseparable now. They’re out in the backyard playing. With our two cats, he just goes up and checks them out, and leaves them alone. He just fits right into the family, like it was meant to be,” explained Ken.

Hodgson says this isn’t the first time a dog, or something else, was dumped near his home.

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirms they are looking for the car in the video, referenced as a Jeep Liberty in the incident report.

Hodgson wants people to know even if you’re in a tough spot, this isn’t the answer.

“There are places, there are rescues that will take these animals and put them into good homes,” he said.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office at 864-271-5210 or CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Copyright 2022 WHNS. All rights reserved.

GREENVILLE, S.C. —

There is no doubt that Greenville, South Carolina is on the map and gaining attention across the world.

We told you last week about CNN ranking Greenville as one of the best places in the world to go for fall.

The city has had its share of celebrity visits through the years and they continued this week.

Steve Martin decided to enjoy lunch at Cantinflas, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Greenville.

He was in town for his comedy show at the Peace Center on Friday night.

The restaurant posted a picture with Martin and employees on Facebook with the caption, "Thank you @SteveMartin for choosing us to have lunch during your recent visit to Greenville. All our staff, from different countries and different generations admire your work. Many blessings in your continue success."

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On Wednesday South Carolina's own Darius Rucker was spotted around town.

Folks started posting pictures on social media of Rucker at Camperdown and then in Falls Park.

Stephanie Patterson Stokes said she and some coworkers, who work near Falls Park, were headed to lunch and stopped to get a picture with Rucker.

Stokes said Rucker was super cool and humble.

Rucker was in town for a project with the South Carolina Department of Tourism.

He is the official tourism ambassador for South Carolina and has been since 2020.

The front page of the Discover South Carolina website features a new series with Rucker in which he talks about his favorite adventures in the Palmetto State.

For more on that project, click here.

Adriana Brooks said she was hired as an extra for the project.

"It was so fun being in front of the camera and BTS Darius was super nice and down to earth!" said in a Facebook post about the experience.

Chuck Connolly and his four-legged friend Piper Princess were in Falls Park when they spotted Rucker.

They grabbed some quick shots of Rucker at work.

Rucker plays the Night in the Country Carolinas this week at the Tryon Resort.