Personal Injury Attorney in Union, SC

Jasmine Mae Humphries says she is "just a small town girl chasing her big dreams."

The "American" Idol Season 23 contestant, who hails from Union County, South Carolina, auditioned for the hit television show on her 20th birthday.

Her day was filled with surprises, with many more to come.

Last week, the Greenville News reported that 19-year-old Freddie McClendon from Greenwood, S.C., was also competing in the show, his song "You Never Loved Him" paving the way for him to enter Hollywood's Arena Round. Show host Ryan Seacrest called the singer's audition his favorite of the season.

Read on to find out how both contestants are faring in the show.

Who is Jazzy Mae?

Jazzy Mae is Humphries' stage name that she uses across her social media platforms. Back in August 2024, the artist had her first in a series of Zoom calls with American Idol casting producers. But her 20th birthday would become what she calls "the most monumental moment" of both her career and life.

"I have been singing ever since I was a little girl and NEVER thought this opportunity would happen to me." she gushed on Facebook. "I can remember singing in church behind the pulpit, singing in the Sims choir, playing gigs for years, and finally writing and playing my own music to the world."

On Oct. 2, 2024, Humphries flew to New York City, where she auditioned for the show and sang "Cause of Her," an original song dedicated to her mother. With her mother in the room, she performed in front of musicians Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, who each approved of her audition.

"They even sang Happy Birthday to me." she posted. Ryan Seacrest also autographed her birthday sign.

From there, Humphries was off to Hollywood.

Did Humphries pass Hollywood's Arena Round?

Although Humphries' American Idol auditions have yet to be aired, the singer confirmed via social media she made it through the show's Arena Round in Hollywood. For the audition, she sang Chris Stapleton's "Parachute."

"Idol Arena Round in HOLLYWOOD!" she said on Facebook. "This was such a special, emotional, stressful, but incredible experience. I had the BEST time in Hollywood meeting SO many talented people that I'm so proud to call my friends. I'm just blessed to be among them."

Did McClendon pass Hollywood's Arena Round?

In an Instagram post from Monday, McClendon shared that he did not pass through the Arena Round. However, the young singer is grateful and far from discouraged, viewing the opportunity as a time for growth.

"This isn't the end ― it's just the beginning." he posted. "Keep believing in your own journey, your voice, and the legacy you're building."

Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com

For the first time in club history, Philadelphia Union are 3-0, and they have a chance to extend that win streak at Subaru park on Sunday, March 16th against Nashville SC.

"I think there's growing hunger, growing appetite, and ambition," Head Coach Bradley Carnell said in his Friday press conference.

"This group's got a level head about them, a very business mind-like attitude. It's very positive around the camp at the moment, and the boys are full of energy and full of fun right now. Winning helps do that."

The match marks the side from Music City's first visit to the Delaware Riverfront since BJ Callaghan took over as their new Head Coach last summer, and while they haven't fared quite as well as the Union have under new leadership, they've created some momentum as of late.

Nashville started their season starting the year with a draw against New England and a loss to New York Red Bulls, but last week, Nashville earned their first win of the season against Portland Timbers, finishing with a 2-0 scoreline by way of a pair of goals came from two of their newest signings in 31-year-old right back Andy Najar and 21-year-old Swedish midfielder Ahmed Qasem.

“They have really good breakaway players, and they've been getting better with every game. I've been following their team for quite a while now, and their new acquisitions have really hit the ground running, and they're a real threat to be to be reckoned with,” Carnell said.

Though Nashville’s offseason additions have been the difference makers on the scoreboard, Carnell’s brief scouting report during his pressser focused on team veterans like Hany Muhktar, Sam Surridge, and Walker Zimmerman.

“I just think them in transitional space is really dangerous. I think when [Hany] Muhktar gets on the ball and he's able to turn and now face you and challenge you, running at your back line, he has the ability to go on a dribble and find the final pass. I think [Surridge] always gets in and around the box. He always finds space in the box and gets shots off. So, limiting time and space, especially in transition,” Carnell said.

“Set pieces as well. I think that's a big one. We've all seen Walker Zimmerman, and over the years, he’s been really dangerous at set pieces. That's going to be a tough challenge for us on that day too.”

Philadelphia Union have scored 10 goals to Nashville’s two, with five different players hitting the back of the net since the start of the season. Carnell’s used the same first xi for three straight games, but the lineup for the match ahead is an important one in particular because it precedes an international window that'll leave the Union without some starters due to multiple call-ups.

In his press conference, Carnell commented on what that means for his side as they prepare for rotation in the weeks to come.

“The assessment started already through preseason, and then we got a starting group out there. But that's not to say that the other group isn't ready. We've been playing scrimmages behind closed doors. We've been challenging each other. We've been getting guys Union II minutes. So, I do feel that we're in a good space here with the guys that do leave, but then in a great space with players who will step up to the plate.”

It all goes down on Sunday afternoon – to see the Boys in Blue in action, click here for tickets!

A company owned by Charleston investor and philanthropist Ben Navarro will pay $250 million to buy Union Pier Terminal along the peninsula's waterfront, with a mortgage this week sealing the deal.

Navarro's Marti Holdings LLC and the S.C. State Ports Authority filed the document with the county Register of Deeds on March 4. It capped more than a year of negotiating the sale terms and working with local governments to form a special tax district that would pay for costly public infrastructure upgrades at the roughly 65-acre industrial site between Concord Street and Charleston Harbor.

The mortgage doesn't state a purchase price but references a $250 million deposit that Marti Holdings has placed on the property. The SPA confirmed Wednesday that figure matches the sale price.

Other details of the deal are included in a purchase agreement that was cited in the mortgage but not publicly filed. That document was signed a year ago, about the same time the SPA announced the sale to Navarro.

"The purchase and sale agreement are not public until the deal closes and the transfer deed is recorded," the SPA said in a written statement. "We do not release terms of the sale of an ongoing real estate transaction."

The $250 million also matches the assumed price cited in a footnote in a document outlining the special tax-district that Charleston City Council approved on Nov. 5.

The notation included another key detail — that the deal is expected to close in 2027.

A spokesperson for Beemok Capital, the "family office" that oversees Navarro's investments, said the company is "excited to proceed with closing this transaction with the Ports Authority."

At $250 million, the purchase price is well below the $400 million or so that some real estate analysts expected the prime property to fetch when the SPA announced in 2020 that it was putting Union Pier up for sale. The maritime agency has said it plans to use the proceeds for general operating expenses.

The effort to sell Union Pier has been tortured at times. The SPA initially hired Los Angeles-based developer Lowe to get the permits in place for a sale. It also offered the real estate firm an option to buy the site.

Lowe had previously purchased the ports authority's old headquarters just south of Union Pier, with the aim of replacing the outdated office building with a high-end waterfront hotel. That 191-room project has been taken over by Navarro's Beemok Hospitality Collection, which expects to open The Cooper later this year.

Conservationists and preservation groups opposed the original Union Pier redevelopment plan that Lowe proposed as too dense and out-of-character with the city's Historic District. The SPA ultimately paid $9.9 million to sever its ties with the California developer.

The authority also agreed to a new process that involved dozens of community groups that would form a plan for Union Pier's redevelopment during months of public meetings.

Navarro and the SPA started talking about a deal in late 2023. The agency's board unanimously approved the partnership in March 2024.

Bill Stern, the port's chairman, said at the time that the agency wanted to find a local buyer to redevelop the former cargo terminal that in recent years has been used mostly as a parking lot and as a cruise ship berth.

When it decided to sell Union Pier, the SPA let lapse its home-port agreement with the operator of the Carnival Sunshine, which left Charleston in January. The special tax-district agreement with the city calls for an eventual removal of the existing passenger building.

Navarro, a Rhode Island native who quickly rose to vice president of Citigroup early in his career, founded the investment firm Sherman Financial Group in 1998 and later bought a small bank he renamed Credit One Bank.

He moved his business to Charleston more than 20 years ago.

Credit One, the sponsor of an annual professional women's tennis tournament on Daniel Island, is now one of the nation's largest credit card issuers.

The centerpiece of Navarro's local hospitality holdings is The Charleston Place, just a few blocks inland from Union Pier. He bought the 434-room hotel and shopping complex for $350 million in late 2021 and is in the throes of a $150 million multiyear renovation project.

Navarro's other investments include the Riviera Theater on King Street; Sorrelle, an Italian restaurant, and the adjoining Mercato market on Broad Street; and the American Gardens urban park under construction at 141 Meeting St.

All online and mobile banking functions will be unavailable this weekend for the 175,000 members of South Carolina Federal Credit Union, one of the largest nonprofit loan cooperatives in state.

Officials said the temporary service disruption is necessary for a long-planned technology system upgrade.

Starting Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. until March 4 at 8 a.m., members of the North Charleston-based won't be unable to log into online or mobile banking, make ATM deposits or mobile check deposits, check account balances or send or receive transactions through Zelle. Transfers and payments scheduled for the weekend will also not process until the system upgrade is complete.

ATM withdrawals will still be available, and debit and credit cards will work as usual.

Customers are being asked to note their account balances Friday before the changeover begins.

Direct deposit payments made March 1 should not be impacted, as those are generally processed the day before and should hit accounts before the system goes down, said Maggie Nichols, vice president of marketing and communication with S.C. Federal.

The system upgrade will additionally affect the operations of the credit union's 30 brick-and-mortar locations, which stretch from the coast to the Upstate.

All financial centers will be closed to customers all day March 3. Services are expected to return to normal operations March 4.

Nichols said the credit union has been working on the systems update for two years, adding that there is “never an ideal time" to complete it.

“For the timing, we think of employee staffing during the summer and holidays are always a busy shopping time," she said. "Doing this at the end of the month was cleaner for us as we move from our current system to the new system.”

When the system is back online, customers will have restructured account numbers, but will not need to order more checks or take any other action, Nichols said. Routing numbers will stay the same.

Nichols said the only task some credit union members will need to do after the system upgrade will be to reestablish scheduled automated payments within the S.C. Federal system, such as automatic payments from a checking account to a mortgage or credit card issued by the credit union.

With the upgrade, accountholders will find a new useful feature that allows them to view joint account information, Nichols said.

Currently, only the primary account holder is able to view joint account information online and in mobile banking.

CEO Scott Woods said the simplified account structure and other new features that will provide "a better banking experience now and in the future."

The credit union has been rolling out alerts about the changes through social media, on its website and other methods of communications, including a detailed booklet explaining the changes. It will make its customer service hotline available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday during the upgrade.