When Ellerslie McCue was mucking out stables at 4 a.m. out west last summer, she could never have imagined the juxtaposition she would experience as South Carolina’s Rose of Tralee contestant. “I really had to pinch myself this was happening,” Columbia resident McCue, a Hammond School graduate and sophomore at Clemson University said. “I spent two amazing weeks with some […]
K-9 officers gather for annual holiday party
Seated (l) Barbara Harrell and Annette Boette gather for a photo at their annual holiday party with the Columbia Police Department K-Unit before the women pass out treats for the K-9 officers. The two women have been instrumental in making sure all K-9 officers have protective vests. At this event, dogs receiving vests were K-9 Officer Nika with partner Ivan […]
Local musician records first album
When West Columbia native Mitch Manis started playing music for his church youth group in the 1980s, he just thought he was making the meetings a little more fun. At the time, he wasn’t really trying to pursue any sort of musical career. “I never was a Kum Ba Yah” kind of guy,” Manis said. “I just sat down and […]
Roll through Lower Richland with Historic Columbia
Join Historic Columbia for a Second Sunday Roll, a guided bus tour of Lower Richland on December 10 from 2–3:30 p.m. This tour will depart from the Robert Mills Carriage House and travel past notable sites in this historic portion of Richland County including Wavering Place Plantation, the Barber House, Congaree Baptist Church, and other historic sites that date to […]
Quirky Crimes in the Capital City
Forest Acres Wheeler Road: Police were called to a home at 12: 30 p. m. Tuesday after the resident said his wife called him to tell him their dog had been shot with a pellet rifle. The dog, a black and white Pit Bull mix was in its own backyard when someone shot him multiple times. One of the pellets […]
No bar in Wales Garden
An application seeking zoning changes to place a bar and restaurant on the old Masters Cleaners site at Blossom Street and Saluda Avenue needlessly jeopardizes a historic neighborhood, likely ruins one of the city’s most picturesque thoroughfares, creates a major safety hazard, and inflicts a law enforcement headache. Although the applicant says Macado’s is a restaurant, it has more hurricanes, […]
ASK US AT THE STAR
What are urban greyfields?A greyfield is a term used to describe a formerly thriving retail area adversely affected by newer commercial developments that have leap-frogged over it to more outlying areas. The Great Columbia area has been affected by these urban trends like other parts of the country. The Decker Boulevard area in the Northeast area and the Broad River area in Northwest […]
A Traditional Thanksgiving
It’s not a criticism; It’s an observationI read an article last week that told uninformed readers the traditional Thanksgiving foods one should avoid in order to have a pleasurable holiday experience. I’m not sure if the writer was championing healthy eating, ease of preparation, or personal preference, but, like a lot of information these days, the focus was on what one person had learned in a […]
Reasons for the Seasons
I’m just saying...I can’t believe it’s Thanksgiving of 2017! This year has completely flown by! But apparently it’s just not fast enough for the retail world. I thought it was a little odd that back in July there were holiday movies playing and summer “Christmas” sales, but when I went to look at Halloween decorations in late September, and they were practically […]
Death and Gravy Boats
40–SomethingWe have “executive meetings” occasionally here at The Star. Our meetings are a bit of a family reunion because the executive staff is made up of my aunt and uncle, my mom, and me. This is truly a family business, but that’s not the focus of this column. My mom and her brother are getting a bit up there in […]
