Columbia City Council approved the following at its meeting held Tuesday, May 21: •May 7 Budget Workshop; •Professional Services Contract for the Columbia Historic Black Business District Juneteenth Premiere; •Professional Services Contract for Business Licensing Software Management; •Purchase of a Pierce Enforcer Rescue Truck for the Columbia Fire Department; •Professional Services Contract for Project SC117006; Design Services for the Beltline Boulevard Community Enhancement Project; •Contract Amendment No. 2 for SS7619; Construction Administration and Observation Services for Annual Pipe Re ..read more

The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area offers a nonpartisan online election information resource at the website VOTE411.org. VOTE411 is a “one-stop shop” source of election information including up to date absentee voting procedures, early voting dates and rules, and polling location information. In addition, the League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area provides candidate contact information and candidate responses to pertinent interview questions. The 2024 Party Primary Elections will be held Tuesday, June 11. To find a personalized voter guide on VOTE411, visit the website and en ..read more

The Richland County Council met May 14. The second reading of the “Ordinance authorizing the imposition of a one percent Transportation Sales and Use Tax within Richland County pursuant to Section 4-37-30 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976, as amended; determining (I) the categories of projects to be funded with the tax, (II) the maximum time for imposition of the tax, and (III) the estimated capital costs of the projects; directing the Board of Voter Registration and Election of Richland County to conduct a county-wide referendum on the imposition of the tax and the issuance of Genera ..read more

The Unumb Center, a non-profit organization focused on help­ing individuals with autism, is work­ing to create a state-of-the-art resi­dential community for adults with autism that will provide support and accessible living arrangements with socialization opportunities, recre­ational and vocational spaces, and best practices for residents, non-res­idents, and their families in Lexing­ton County. The Unumb Center exists to make life better for individ­uals with autism and their families. The Unumb Center has pur­chased the property at 201 Duffie Road and is going to convert it into a campus for ..read more

Richland County Council met May 7. The following Resolutions were approved and presented by council: •A resolution honoring “National Public Works Week” May 19–25; •A resolution recognizing Robin Waites, executive director of Historic Columbia; •A resolution honoring Rich­land County Correctional Officers Week, May 5–11. Leonardo Brown, county administrator, shared a letter received by the county from the South Carolina Department of Cor­rections (SCDC) Division Director of Jails Inspections commending the county for improvements made at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Brown also shared t ..read more

With 84 percent of youth around the world reporting they are worried climate change threat­ens people and the planet, Mayor Daniel Rickenmann has announced the City of Columbia will join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Youth Climate Action Fund, which will provide technical assistance and funding for 100 mayors to acti­vate tens of thousands of young people ages of 15–24 years to design, produce, and govern urgent climate solutions in cities across the globe. Columbia joins the fund alongside other cities from around the world, which together spans 38 countries across six continents, rep­resenti ..read more

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