When six-year-old Brandon Wagster, a West Columbia native, got his first magic kit, he had no idea how it was going to change his life. While playing with his magical bits and pieces and learning to do the simple tricks, young Wagster fell in love with the unexplained enchantment of magic and by the ripe old age of 11, he […]
Until the laws change, the monsters will win
S.C. dog fighting laws are no deterrentSheriff Leon Lott announced the arrest of Stanley Taylor (DOB: 12/ 09/ 87) charged with two counts of felony dog fighting, Jolisa Cole (DOB: 01/ 28/ 91) charged with knowingly attending a dog fight, and Santerrio Smith (DOB: 07/ 19/ 88) charged with two counts of attempted murder. Every day innocent dogs die because the humans they tried to love […]
Heart ’n Soul helps raise more than $1 million for charities
Heart ’n Soul, a Columbia-area band performing R&B and Doo Wop music of the ’50s and ’60s, has helped charities raise money by performing for a variety of charitable events and galas over the past three years. During that time, the band has helped charitable organizations raise more than $1.1 million in total donations. Heart ’n Soul is, itself, registered […]
Afghan War is a mess
I have just returned from eight weeks in Afghanistan on a U.S. government development project. I offer this personal, not official, report on my experience. While there are micro successes, both militarily and developmentally, the macro picture is still pretty bleak. The Afghan government is weak and disorganized. Corruption continues and just gets worse. The Taliban can still do most […]
Sexual Trauma of the Midlands serves survivors
When I was in high school in the early 1980s, no one talked with us about sexual assault and yet, just among friends, many of us experienced it. When I started college in the mid-1980s, sexual harassment and assault were not part of the orientation topics. We knew where to buy our books and register for classes but had no […]
Quirky Crimes in the Capital City
West Columbia tInview Drive, 100 block: Police were called to a home at 4 p. m. Tuesday after neighbors complained of a man and woman arguing. As officers approached the house, they heard screaming and yelling and a male voice said, “I’m going to jail today.” The man then began walking toward the officers where he was escorted outside. He […]
Pay It Forward: A Docu-drama played by friends of St. John’s Episcopal Church Congaree
Cast of characters (in order of appearance): Mother Nature, John Taylor, Van Lott, Al Burnett, Mark Seely, Les Antley, Bill Brown, Fran Burnett, Kenneth Mullins, Bill Singley, Earl Johnson III (Offstage: Mrs. Sarah Clarkson Moore) Our story begins with Mother Nature’s demonstration of power: a violent windstorm plunging through the Lower Richland area of the Midlands in early June, 2011. […]
Sheriff begins blog
Sheriff Leon Lott is proud to announce the latest communication tool to be used by the department as a way to converse oneon one with the community. The Sheriff is hosting a blog as a way to chat about what’s happening at the department and beyond. Sheriff Leon Lott has been in the forefront of communicating with citizens and personnel […]
Local appliance officials investigate a Thanksgiving incident in the Forest Acres area that residents are calling a murder-suicide
By guest columnist Cathy CobbsCertified experts confirmed the deaths of both the 1987 Amana almondcolored top freezer model and the 2007 JennAir Side by Side refrigerators on the same day, November 26, but dispute that the two incidents are related. “It’s certainly unusual that one appliance could fail, and two at the same time is even more curious, but it’s hard to swallow the […]
