By Thomas Grant Jr. The difficulty of beating a team three times in a season kept Irmo boys’ basketball coach Alex Quillen uneasy for Monday’s home playoff opener against Chapin. The Yellow Jackets’ 10-game winning streak against their Lexington/Richland School District Five rival only made him further concerned about aContinue Reading
International intelligence collection, countering human-trafficking, mine-clearing efforts in Eastern Europe, expansion into Africa, and a South Carolina connection By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The board of directors of U.S.-based CRIME STOPPERS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (CSGS) gathered for a quarterly Zoom meeting, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, to discuss ongoing projects on severalContinue Reading
A minor earthquake shook the Irmo area around 6:45 p.m. on Friday the 13th, triggering a surge of 911 calls and prompting questions about the safety of the Dreher Shoals Dam. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the quake registered a magnitude 2.8 and occurred approximately twoContinue Reading
By Jennifer Tardy A woman recently shared that she had eaten the same lunch every day for three months: Spinach.Grilled chicken.Cucumbers.Balsamic vinaigrette. On the surface, it checks all the “healthy” boxes. Yet she had gained six pounds. She was tracking her macros. She was consistent. She was disciplined. So insteadContinue Reading
A lawsuit filed by former Lexington Richland District Five Superintendent Stephen Hefner(2011-2018) was resolved last week and will benefit the district’s students and teachers through the D5 Foundation. The settlement monies will be split between the district’s snack-pack program, that provides low-income students in the district with take home foodContinue Reading
Fresh on the Menu has launched its 2026 People’s Choice Awards, inviting diners statewide to vote for their favorite restaurants that support South Carolina farmers by sourcing local ingredients. Fresh on the Menu is a sister program of Certified South Carolina and recognizes restaurants that commit to sourcing at leastContinue Reading
Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving the Midlands and beyond, is marking 90 years of service in 2026. Founded in 1936 as the Columbia Teachers Credit Union, the organization has grown into one of South Carolina’s most recognized credit unions while maintaining its core missionContinue Reading
By Robin All, PGA Life Member When analyzing the major components of the backswing — body rotation, arm structure, and wrist hinge — the most common technical fault among senior golfers is improper arm motion. The arms should function primarily in a vertical (up-and-down) plane, not excessively around the body.Continue Reading
The annual Black History Month Scavenger Hunt launched February 1 and is now underway across the Midlands. The free, self-guided experience invites residents, families, students, and visitors to explore Columbia and surrounding communities while learning about local Black history, culture, and community impact through a digital platform on the SodaContinue Reading
The Northwest YMCA now features a new 9-hole disc golf course thanks to Dutch Fork High School student Pearl Owens, who completed the project as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award. As a dedicated Girl Scout, Owens led the design and installation of the course to create a funContinue Reading
IRMO – Dutch Fork High School student Lydia Jones has been selected by the American Association of German Teachers to participate in the prestigious German Summer Study Program for High School Students. Sponsored in cooperation with the German government’s Pedagogical Exchange Service, the highly competitive program selects students from hundredsContinue Reading