Renovated Wilson home to reopen in February
After eight years and $3.6 million in renovations, President Woodrow Wilson’s former home in Columbia will reopen in February, The Associated Press reported.
The Historic Columbia Foundation has restored the home, where Wilson lived as a teenager for about four years in the early 1870s. It will reopen as a museum with exhibits about Wilson’s life and life in Columbia during Reconstruction.
The Hampton Street home was supposed to be demolished in 1928 to make room for an auditorium to be built, but locals rallied to save it. It has served as a museum since 1933. The house closed for renovation in 2005 due to structural issues.
Wilson, the nation’s 28th president in office from 1913-1921, moved to Columbia at age 13, according to AP. His father taught at Presbyterian Theological Seminary and was the minister at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, where he is buried along with Wilson’s mother and sister.
WVU president tapped as new Clemson leader
Clemson University’s new president will earn more than 1 1/2 times as much as his predecessor when he takes office in January.
Jim Clements was chosen Monday by Clemson trustees to succeed Jim Barker, who is retiring after 14 years as the university’s president, The State reported.
Clements, who currently serves as president of West Virginia University, will earn $775,000 a year, the same as his current salary, according to The State. Outgoing president Jim Barker makes $471,200.
By comparison, USC President Harris Pastides earns $681,200 a year.
Clemson trustees chairman David Wilkins called Clements a “distinguished scholar, a nationally recognized voice in higher education and a proven leader” in a statement.
Clements’ tenure at WVU saw record-setting private fundraising, enrollment and research funding, according to a Clemson news release.
Gang member charged after weekend shooting
A 16-year-old validated gang member is charged in connection with a Sunday night shooting that has left a teenage girl paralyzed.
The male suspect is charged with unlawful carrying of a pistol and unlawful carrying of a pistol by a person under the age of 18, according to a release from the Columbia Police Department.
The shooting occurred at the Latimer Manor apartments on Lorick Circle in north Columbia. The suspect and victim are acquaintances, police say. Neither are residents at the apartments, according to police.
Police say the shooting was “unintentional rather than accidental” and that the suspect acted in a reckless manor by showing a handgun before the shooting.
The 14-year-old victim was shot in the chest and was listed in critical but stable condition at a local hospital, according to the release.