December 25, 2009 RSS feed / Front Page

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Businesses pay it forward

Every child should have the opportunity to visit Santa.
By Cathy Cobbs
Eleven years ago, Sabrina Odom of North Main Deli became motivated by the conviction that every child should have the opportunity to visit with Santa, not just the ones who had money to pay for a picture. More...

Columbia Star Security Guard wishes all a Merry Christmas

Deuce Montbee More...

Opinion/Crime

Let’s take a hard look at what can be done about our homeless children

Letter to the editor

As 2009 comes to a close, Family Shelter is wrapping up its 30th year providing emergency food and shelter, transitional housing, and counseling to Columbia’s homeless families with children. More...

Cartoon

Full Story

It’s not a criticism; It’s an observation

Estelle knew best
By Mike Cox

My maternal grandmother forbade the use of that word in her presence. She was known to her children’s children by her given name, Estelle. My siblings and I thought she was the coolest person we’d ever met. More...

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Education

Emily Douglas Amphitheater grand opening celebrated

By Pamela Edwards

A Grand Opening was held at Emily Douglas Park on Wheat Street to celebrate the opening of the Emily Douglas Amphitheater, Thursday, December 17. More...

Blythewood Middle School holds character awards breakfast

Blythewood Middle School held its Character Awards Breakfast Friday December 11. Twenty– four students were honored for consistently demonstrating good character and positive life skills. More...

Art night at Bridge Creek Elementary School

Bridge Creek Elementary art teacher, Meredith A’Hern, hosted the First Family Arts Night last month. More...

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Sports

Aldridge takes SV reigns

Contributed by Spring Valley High School

Miles Aldridge has accepted the position of head football coach and PE teacher at Spring Valley High School. The search lasted for more than five weeks and over 65 applied for the position. More...

Blue Devils sweep Flora

By Mark Lawrence

The Dreher boys basketball team claimed one holiday gift a little early. The Blue Devils earned bragging rights for the year against their neighborhood rivals, A. C. Flora, with a 71–61 road victory on Dec. 18. More...

Skyhawks’ expectations high

By Cathy Cobbs

With only five players returning to Hammond’s basketball team, one would think expectations for the season might be pretty low. More...

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Events

Trashy Art

Assemblages by Kirkland Smith
By Natasha Derrick

From a distance one of Kirkland Smith’s assemblages looks like a large oil painting of a famous blonde bombshell. More...

Sertoma’s “signing” Santa

The Richland Sertoma Club gave its annual gift, a Santa Claus who “speaks” their language, to the speech and hearing impaired children at Brennan Elementary School Wednesday December 16. More...

Birmingham to roll out red carpet for South Carolina fans

Gamecock fans should have more to do than watch football at PapaJohns.com Bowl January 2.
Contributed by Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau

BIRMINGHAM – Gamecock fans headed to Birmingham for the Papa- Johns.com Bowl can look forward to more than just great action on the field. The city has plenty to see and do before and after the game. About the City… More...

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Falcons’ last second heroics against Dreher give Moore her 300th career victory

By Mark Lawrence

The cake was about two seconds away from the freezer. A.C. Flora, in anticipation of girls basketball coach Patti Moore’s 300th career victory, had a sheet cake waiting in the wings for a postgame presentation and celebration. More...

Lt. Gov. discusses business possibilities with Chinese Embassy minister

By John Temple Ligon thecolumbiastar.com

Around one o’clock on Thursday afternoon, December 17, S.C. Lt. Gov. More...

Watch Jean’s Journal

This story contains a video Many kids are heading to malls to get their pictures taken with Santa, but Sabrina Odom says not every child can afford a picture with Santa. More...

News

Heart ’n Soul honors Ron Barrett

Photos and story by Mimi M. Maddock

A jam session two and a half years ago was the beginning of a band that has raised over $500,000 for charities in the Midlands. More...

Ron Allen Barrett

Ron Barrett graduated from A.C. Flora High School in 1964. He played guitar with “The Swingin, Singin, Counts,” a local Columbia band. Ron received a law degree from USC and was admitted to the Bar in 1971. More...

Heart ’n Soul’s contributions to the Midlands

Contributed by Doug Neal

Heart ’n Soul has performed in the Midlands since March, 2008, resulting in over $500,000 being contributed to local charities. The following is a list of their accomplishments. More...

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Business

Briefs

by John Temple Ligon

Houses More...

Marshall Kibler of Grubb & Ellis/Wilson–Kibler

Star Profile
By John Temple Ligon temple@thecolumbiastar.com

For his first six months after college, Columbia’s Marshall Kibler rode the rails of Europe. He was pretty much contained to Central and Western Europe in that the Iron Curtain was still hanging. More...

Folks about town

The following people were honored at Sistercare’s 22nd Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon: Courtney Lowe – Allstate, Community Outreach Volunteer of the Year; Fred Kotoske – Taco Bell franchisee, Outstanding Volunteer of the Year More...

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Society

Assembly holds 121st ball

The Assembly, established in 1889, held its 121st annual Ball Friday, December 18, 2009, at seven thirty o’clock in the evening in the Columbia Ballroom of the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Guests were received by Mrs. More...

Colonial Ball held in Charleston

The South Carolina Sons of the American Revolution held its Nineteenth Colonial Ball with Debutante Presentation on Saturday, December 19, 2009, at the Charleston Place Hotel. More...

How to take photos like a pro

Contributed by the SC State Museum

Photographs of friends and family go with the holidays like fruit cake and sugar cookies, and the South Carolina State Museum will offer tips on taking great holiday pictures in a program Tuesday, December 29 at 1:30 pm. More...

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Travel

An Interlude in France

Part 5: Orangerie & Orsay Museums
By Warner M. Montgomery Warner@TheColumbiaStar.com

My wife Linda loves museums, especially those with art of the masters. That meant that while in Paris we had to see the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay, which I will refer to as the Orangerie Museum and the Orsay Museum. More...

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Public Notices

Public Notices

PUBLIC NOTICE Shonda M. Asaad, M.D. shall transfer and sale all patient records related to her medical practice with Lexington Oncology Associates, LLC (“LOA”) to Steven A. Madden, N.D. on or about January 1, 2010. More...

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Two Hours From Home

Goodwill Plantation, A Living History

Part 9: The Slave Houses
By Grover Rye

There were originally three rows of slave houses at Goodwill Plantation consisting of ten houses each. One row near the main had a well site in front of the house. More...

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Beauty in the Backyard

Wreaths from the Garden

Stopping to smell the flowers
By Arlene Marturano marturanoa@yahoo.com

Gardeners celebrate the beauty and bounty of plants year–round with wreaths for the wall, table, or door. In winter, plants provide decorative evergreen leaves, berries, pods, seed heads, nuts, bark, and cones for making wreaths. More...

Star Chefs

Easy Paninis Contributed by Pam Clark 1 jar pesto or dried tomato sauce (found on top shelf in spaghetti aisle) For each sandwich: 2 slices rye, pumpernickle or hearty grain bread 1 or 2 slices deli smoked turkey or other favorite meat 2 slice mu More...

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