Lake Murray saw two major boating accidents over the Memorial weekend as thousands took to the water taking advantage of the mild temperatures and blue skies. A collision occurred around 10:30 pm Friday night near Suzy Ebert Island that sent five people to the hospital.    A pontoon boat andContinue Reading

Koon’s Watch You’ve read it before in this space: Seat belts save lives. But let me give that statement some weight: Between 2015 and 2019, seat belts saved more than 69,000 lives. That means 69,000 seat belts prevented families from grieving the loss of their loved ones for decades toContinue Reading

By Al Dozier Businesses in Irmo did well throughout the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Irmo Chamber of Commerce, the town of Irmo and the Irmo Future Growth Corporation. Irmo Mayor Barry Walker was pleased with the survey, which showed some businesses actually reporting growth during theContinue Reading

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has created a special Restaurant Revitalization Fund to provide assistance for eligible restaurants, bars, and other food service businesses impacted by COVID-19. To check if your business is eligible and for more guidance on applying for these funds please visit the site at: www.sba.gov/funding-programs/.Continue Reading

Lexington-Richland School District Five celebrated its sixth year of the student-initiative Project SEARCH, graduating students from the program at Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge. The five students graduating in the class of 2021 include: Keontre’ Dawson (Irmo High), Jedaiah Gillings (Dutch Fork High), Hannah Knight (Dutch Fork High), Jermaine Simmons (IrmoContinue Reading

Koon’s Watch As the temperature continues to rise, traffic at Lake Murray is ramping up. The lake is a large part of the high quality of life we enjoy here in Lexington County. With more than 650 miles of shoreline, thousands of boaters, skiers and campers visit the water duringContinue Reading

The mayors of the lakeside towns of Chapin, Irmo, and Lexington, as well as the City of Columbia, have issued proclamations in support of National Safe Boating Week, May 22-28, to help promote the official launch of the 2021 Safe Boating Campaign. This yearlong campaign promotes the value of voluntary,Continue Reading

Two local baseball standouts have signed with the Florence RedWolves of the collegiate Coastal Plain League. Gunnar Erickson, a former Lexington P27 Baseball Academy standout from the Chapin area, played this past spring at Division I NJCAA Region 10 USC Lancaster. As a freshman, Erickson finished 3rd in the RegionContinue Reading

Dr. David Jenkins spoke at the St. Andrews Optimists’ most recent meeting. Jenkins is the Forest Health Coordinator for the state Forestry Commission. He is an expert in the field of forestry and he holds a doctorate in entomology. It was in the intersection of forestry and insects that JenkinsContinue Reading