#YeahTHATAgenda: Peace Center Plans on Hold, Home Prices Drop, Wildlife Director Retires, The Impossible Burger

S.C. Wildlife Federation Executive Director Ben Gregg Retires After Decades Of Effort To Protect Wildlife And Habitats: The Wildlife Federation is focused on conservation, not environmentalism, he says, an important distinction since many associate environmentalism with more radical measures. “We’re more inclusive. It’s about habitat protection.”It’s a business-friendly stance that has earned the support of many large industries statewide, including BMW, Fuji, Michelin, and Westinghouse, which seek the organization’s expertise through WAIT. “We believe that business and conservation have a lot in common,” Gregg says. “There might be points where we disagree, but overall, there is a lot of common ground.” (Columbia Business Journal)The median home sales price dropped in the Charleston, Greenville, and Spartanburg metros from Q2 2018-Q3 2018, according to the February Housing Reports from the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond. The Columbia area saw an increase of 1.57 percent. According the National Association of Realtors, the average home price in Columbia was $174,000 (+5.57% YoY), $286,000 in Charleston (+7.19%, YoY), $216,000 in Greenville (+8.32% YoY), and $174,000 in Spartanburg (+10.62% YoY).Across the state, the number of new private housing permits is down -0.38% YoY, although there was a month-to-month increase from September to October of 9.01%. In Greenville the number of new permits dropped -21.44% in October, while Charleston (+15.4%), Columbia (+13.68), and Spartanburg (+48,2%) saw increases. Year over year, all four metros have seen growth: Greenville, +25.07%; Charleston, +0.37%; Columbia, 1.01%; and Spartanburg, 12.17%.Plans to enclose the Peace Center's historic Wyche Pavilion have been put on hold (Greenville News)Major apartment, retail, hotel, restaurant developments planned near Upward Star Center (Spartanburg Herald-Journal)ScanSource board chairman retires (GSA Business)6 restaurant openings to look forward to in the Midlands (The State) FEI is dropping World Equestrian Games for 2022 (EquNews)Impossible Foods Accelerates Switch to Impossible Burger 2.0 as Demand Surges Across America (Manufacturing.Net)Volvo’s SC-built sedan selling well but automaker warns of profit crunch (Post and Courier)AAA: Cold Weather Can Cut Electric Car Range Over 40 Percent (Manufacturing.Net)The Wire