Editor’s note: The following article is comprised of talking points from Mayor Steve Benjamin’s State of the City Address. In 2016, the City of Columbia was awarded more than $13 million in federal, state, and private grants. Which we owe to city staff and our grants professional Chris Segars! Keep the Midlands Beautiful, City of Columbia Parks and Recreation and […]
Dreams can come true
Note: This story is part of an ongoing series that chronicles people with a Columbia connection who are living their dreams, despite adversity and roadblocks. It started as a joke. It turned into a dream. And now the dream has become a reality. When Emily Raush and Hudson Crider started dating seven years ago, they joked about visiting every state […]
Why is it about chili?
What is it about chili that causes temperatures to rise and elicits such passionate responses? Why do Americans from generation to generation have such a steadfast belief in what is the right and true way to make a proper chili? People throughout history have made their mark on the culinary evolution of this simple dish— from Lyndon B. Johnson claiming […]
Quirky Crimes in the Capital City
Forest Acres Forest Drive: A man called police at 10 a.m. Monday after he was alerted by his security company that his house had been compromised. Once he and the officers met at the home, he told them he had hired a moving company to help him January 28, and three men had shown up for that move. He said […]
ASK US AT THE STAR
Please tell me more about SCE&G’s tree-trimming policy.Although we’ve had our share of balmy temperatures lately, winter is by no means over, and we’re bound to have our share of wintry weather before spring. While tree lovers are protective of limbs and growth, SCE&G helps ensure the power stays on with its tree-trimming program. “We regularly maintain vegetation along power lines for two reasons—safety and service reliability,” […]
The Cute Problem
It’s not a criticism; It’s an observationWhile waiting for my doctor to drop in and explain my most recent health puzzle, I picked up a copy of a nature magazine among the religious, medical symptoms, and old people specific periodicals scattered about the examining room. A story caught my eye. The subject matter was perhaps the most invasive species in the world. This killing machine has […]
Shopping Space Succinctly
I’m just saying...I fervently hope when the aliens from outer space want to meet us they don’t choose to do it while we’re grocery shopping. Can you imagine what they would think if they did? I can hear them trying to explain our shopping habits to their leaders now. “Well, Sir,” the Soldier Alien begins. “From my research, the earthlings seem to […]
The Genius of Rebooting
40–SomethingI am—by default— the technology guru at both my home and office. I did not ask for this job, nor am I remotely qualified. When confronted with technology problems, my go-to move—my fix all solution—is to reboot. Yes, I turn the computer off, and I turn it back on. Miraculously, this technique works nine times out of ten, and that […]
Sherman protects his friend
Part II: Sherman chats with Mary Catherine Poyas Walker, February 17, 1865Editor’s note: Beginning last week, The Columbia Star began a series based on the book Eyewitnesses to General William T. Sherman’s Atrocities by Patricia G. McNeely to acknowledge the anniversary of the burning of Columbia February 17. As the Federal army approached Columbia, Mary Catherine Poyas Walker still did not know whether the general who was devastating the state was […]