The Celebrate Freedom Foundation has initiated drone pilot training for students the Lexington-Richland School District Five. The CFF course of instruction provides in-classroom hands-on training, every two weeks through the current school year. The course content is provided by CFF, FAA, and licensed drone pilots. Career opportunities for drone pilotsContinue Reading
Lexington-Richland School District Five is hosting a Community Input Meeting May 18 to discuss the facilities upgrades to Irmo High School International School for the Arts. The architect, LS3P, will provide 3D renderings of the potential outcome of the new East Wing. The architect will also be to hand toContinue Reading
The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) has partnered with the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance (SCAA) to provide up to $14.5 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding to expand summer and after-school programs to address COVID-19 related learning loss in disadvantaged communities. The SCDE will provideContinue Reading
The Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority (The COMET) has announced the rollout of a service plan aimed at improving on-time performance of its fixed route system. Beginning May 8, new schedules and route maps will reflect bus arrivals with updated time points so that riders can better plan their trips.Continue Reading
Open Letter Over the weekend I had a chance to read Ms. Hammond’s response to her ethics violations in the Irmo News (April 28 edition). In her letter Ms. Hammond appears to take every opportunity to minimize the seriousness of her violations and make excuses for them. We know herContinue Reading
The deadline for teachers across South Carolina to sign or reject their annual contacts to teach in the same district next year is May 10 at 11:59 pm. At the time of this writing, it is not known how many current teachers in School District Five have decided to renewContinue Reading
The public will soon have the chance to give feedback on Richland County’s operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023. An in-person public hearing is scheduled for 6 pm May 19 in Council Chambers at the Richland County Administrative Building,Continue Reading
State Rep. RJ May endorses Kilmartin A capacity crowd packed into Alodia’s Cucina Italiana of Irmo to kickoff Conservative Republican Businessman Jay Kilmartin’s campaign for State House District 85 to replace retiring Rep. Chip Huggins. The event took place on Monday night, May 9th. Kilmartin was introduced by his wifeContinue Reading
Open Letter I am one of the two community members who filed an ethics complaint against Jan Hammond with the SC Ethics Commission. Thus, I am responding to Ms. Hammond’s letter to this paper, dated April 27. My complaint pointed out the seven times Ms. Hammond misreported her family incomeContinue Reading
Four mayors, others, gather at Riverfront Canal Park to announce month-long trek across the Palmetto State By W. Thomas Smith Jr. COLUMBIA, S.C. – The mayors of Columbia, Cayce, West Columbia, and Camden met with South Carolina 7 (SC7) officials and sponsors, Monday, May 2, at Columbia’s Riverfront Canal ParkContinue Reading
RCSD becomes first law enforcement agency nationwide to make peace officer promise By W. Thomas Smith Jr. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) publicly pledged “to do no harm” to the communities they serve during a press conference held at the Law Enforcement MemorialContinue Reading