How To Know What’s Going On Locally

Written By Alex Reynolds

One of the questions I get asked most often is simple: "How do you know what's going on around here?"

It's a fair question. I think a defining characteristic of our current moment is that there is no longer a single culture, but multiple parallel sources people can get information from. There are no more gatekeepers.


Local news isn't dead, but it's scattered. You have to go looking for it.


Over the years, I've built a loose system for staying informed. It's not perfect, and I'm always adding to it. But if you're trying to figure out what's happening in your community, here's where I'd start—and more importantly, how I actually use these sources without drowning in information.


My System

I'm listing many sources here, but I want to be clear: I'm not reading everything every day. The key is strategic skimming—letting some things come to you, setting aside time for others, and knowing what to check when you want to go deeper.


Daily Emails

Three email newsletters land in my inbox daily, and together they cover most of the bases:

  • GVL Today is my first stop most mornings. It's a free daily newsletter that covers Greenville in quick, digestible chunks—new businesses, events, development news, and more. It won't tell you everything, but it's a great way to stay on top of developments without a major time commitment. You can subscribe on their site or follow them on Instagram (@gvltoday).

  • The Post and Courier Greenville expanded into the Upstate a few years ago and now has a dedicated Greenville newsroom. Their daily email digest is solid—more investigative and in-depth than what you'll find elsewhere. The subscription is worth it, in my opinion, if you want serious local journalism.

  • The Greenville News email alerts round things out. It's part of the USA Today Network, and while the coverage can be uneven, it's useful for breaking news.


Between these three, most mornings I have a decent picture of what's going on without having to hunt for it.


Weekly Reads

  • For deeper coverage, I set aside time each week to skim The Greenville Journal and the Upstate Business Journal. These are local publications that cover city and county government, business developments, and community news with more depth than daily outlets can offer. The Greenville Journal is especially good for tracking local government decisions—zoning changes, council votes, planning commission meetings—the kinds of things that directly affect what gets built (or doesn't) in your neighborhood.

  • I also enjoy Benton Blount's weekly newsletter on Substack. As the chair of Greenville County Council, he brings a helpful perspective on local happenings.


State-Level News That Matters Locally

A lot of what happens at the State House in Columbia ends up affecting us here in ways that aren't always obvious. School funding, road projects, how local governments can (or can't) operate—these are all shaped by decisions made in the legislature.

  • To keep up, I follow a list on X that Maayan Schechter maintains of South Carolina Statehouse reporters. It's a running feed of coverage from journalists who are actually in the building, watching what's happening. A weekly scroll through this list keeps me aware of state-level issues that trickle down to Greenville County.


Podcasts Worth Your Time

Podcasts fit into the margins—drive time, yard work, washing dishes. I rotate through a few that consistently deliver:

  • Simple Civics: Greenville County is probably the best resource available for understanding how local government actually works. It's produced by Greater Good Greenville and covers everything from county council decisions to school board issues to how zoning actually functions. If you've ever wondered why something is the way it is around here, there's probably an episode about it.

  • The SC Lede, from South Carolina Public Radio, offers a broader look at state news and politics—useful for understanding the context behind local issues.

  • Bourbon in the Backroom is hosted by two former state senators. It's an inside look at South Carolina politics with guests ranging from current legislators to journalists. If you want to understand how things work in Colombia, this is a good window.


Instagram (Passive Intake)

I'm already scrolling through Instagram, so I've added a few accounts that put useful local information into a feed I'm checking anyway:

  • @gvltoday – Quick visual feed of what's happening around town

  • @greenvillecounty – Official county account, useful for announcements and updates

  • @tenatthetop – Ten at the Top covers regional collaboration across the Upstate's ten counties

  • @kidaroundsc – Kidding Around Greenville, great for family events and kid-friendly happenings

  • @arielhturner – Ariel Blanchard covers food and culture in Greenville and is generally a good in-the-know person.


Facebook Groups (For Vibes)

I don't post much in Facebook groups, but I keep a skim on several of them for what's getting people's attention. These aren't news sources exactly—they're more like a temperature check on what the community is talking about, worried about, or excited about.


A few I follow:


Other Sources Worth Exploring

If you want to go deeper, here are a few more resources.


For Events:

For Government Meetings and Calendars:

For Hyper-Local Coverage:

  • Travelers Rest Here – This newsletter and site focus specifically on Travelers Rest. It's a good model for what localized community coverage can look like.

  • GreerNews.com – Hyper-local coverage of Greer and surrounding areas.


A Final Thought

Staying informed locally is harder than it should be, but it's not impossible. The sources are out there—they require a bit of effort to find and follow. And the payoff is real: when you understand what's happening in your community, you're better positioned to shape it.


The system I've described here isn't about reading everything. It's about letting the right things come to you, setting aside focused time for others, and knowing where to look when you need to dig deeper. Start with the emails. Add a podcast or two. Follow a few accounts. You'll be surprised how quickly the picture comes into focus.


If you have other sources you rely on, I'd love to hear about them. As always, thank you for reading along with us.


See you next month.

Alex Reynolds https://alexreynolds.com
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