Contributed by Denise Lane The National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims, Upstate Branch presented a lineage book to the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Pictured are Denise Lane and Lynda Smith (chapter members) and Wade Dorsey, supervisor of the Reference Room. The post National Society Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims presents lineage book to S.C. Department of Archives first appeared on Columbia Star ..read more

The Columbia Chamber’s Leadership Columbia Class of 2024 (LC24), in partnership with Serve & Connect, held a block party to celebrate the opening of Serve & Connect’s new headquarters at 8131 Brookfield Road. As part of the Leadership Columbia program, each class selects a project that positively impacts the Midlands community. This year, LC24 chose to enhance Serve & Connect’s new headquarters, which serves as a hub for community-driven initiatives aimed at fostering collaboration between law enforcement and local residents to address communal challenges. Enhancements to the commu ..read more

USC students participate in “Greek Day of Service 2024” Olympia Mill Village Museum and Community Place welcomed a bevy of young men and women from the USC campus sororities and fraternities for a volunteer clean-up event Saturday, April 13. In various Columbia locations, about 200 young people took part in the “Greek Day of Service 2024.” One of the event organizers was Bari Klarberg who said plans are in the works to make this an annual part of its Greek Society service component. About 35 volunteers gathered on the corner by Olympia Avenue at the Mill Village Museum early that day. After ..read more

Richland Council has been meeting with stakeholders for over a year to discuss potential changes to the Richland County Animal and Fowl Ordinance. The purpose of the proposed amendments to the ordinance was “to clarify and educate citizens and enforcement officers regarding acceptable and safe methods of tethering.” One of the major changes to the ordinance was the addition of a section dedicated to the laws concerning the tethering of pets to ensure more humane treatment and to prevent pets being tethered using methods that cause injury and abuse to the animals. The goal is to bring the count ..read more

Photo by Josh Cruse Councilman Will Brennan; co-owner Jacob Kirby; co-owner Zack Kirby; Jennifer Suber, Devine Street District; and Greg Williams, City of Columbia Economic Development hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony at Piecewise Coffee, 2824 Devine Street April 24. The post Piecewise Coffee holds ribbon cutting first appeared on Columbia Star ..read more

Contributed by City of Columbia Councilwoman Tina Herbert and the City of Columbia Office of Violent Crime Prevention hosted a successful Youth Game Night April 18 as part of Youth Violence Prevention Week. The goal was to offer youths in the community an opportunity to come together and spend their free time by participating in positive activities. This event was attended by over 50 youth and adults. Councilwoman Hebert and Trevon Fordham, director of the Office of Violent Crime Prevention, gave remarks on the importance of giving youths in our community a safe place to spend their time. Yo ..read more

  The City of Columbia unveiled a new brand identity to instill a better sense of community pride and optimism. Prior to now, Columbia had used the city seal, first created in 1912, as its logo. Last year, Columbia officials recognized the need to better showcase Soda City attributes to move the city forward. They embarked on a nine-month journey to define the city in a more significant way for both current residents and future development. South Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the nation, thanks to its warm weather and hot economic climate. Employment is projected to g ..read more

The Columbia City Council conducted a meeting Tuesday, April 16. Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson made a presentation about the City of Columbia Rebranding and Logo Reveal. Dr. John H. Dozier Day Proclamation, Second Chance Month Proclamation, and National Small Business Week 2024 Proclamation were received. Diane Sumpter, president and chief executive officer of DESA, Inc., gave a South Carolina Minority Business Development Agency Report . Council approved the purchase of Asbestos Surveys and Air Monitoring Services for the Code Enforcement Division. Council approved the purchase of eight ..read more

Representatives of each Charter Anniversary Grant recipient (l-r): Jeffrey Armstrong, executive director of Family Promise of the Midlands; Joey Huggins, executive director of Home Works of America; Jon Hethcox, president of the Kiwanis Club of Columbia; Julie Miller, chief clinical officer of Mirci; and Nettie Reaties, program manager of Power in Changing. The Kiwanis Club of Columbia proudly commemorated its 104th anniversary, marking over a century of serving the community. As the club celebrated this milestone, it announced the recipients of annual grants, totaling $11,000, which were aw ..read more

The Columbia Airport has recently launched a new virtual wayfinding tool with UnDelay. Passengers typically struggle with navigating through the airport. To help the everyday traveler, an innovation was created. Travelers typically go to Google Maps or their respective airline apps to help with airport navigation; however, the lack of visibility of places and integration issues have forced airports to invest more in wayfinding to reduce customer route confusion. Typically, Google Maps sources pictures from the public or uses the Google Street View car to take images and integrate them in its m ..read more