United Way begins work with Columbia homeless
United Way of the Midlands is now responsible for coordinating services for the homeless in Columbia, The State reported.
City Council and United Way signed a $130,000 contract for United Way to hire an affordable housing coordinator.
Also in the contract, the city and United Way will split the cost of the coordinator. The coordinator with be added to the organization that is already working to solve the homeless problem.
United Way will coordinate homeless services; however will not be handling the winter shelter. With colder temperatures approaching, the city is still working on ways to solve the problem during the winter months.
There was one proposal to turn city parks into shelters overnight, however that plan was rejected. No final decision has been made for the state.
Richland, Charleston County accepting applications for same-sex marriages
Richland County made history in South Carolina by taking some of the first same-sex marriage applications in the state's history Wednesday, WLTX reported.
Beginning Wednesday morning, the county's probate court began taking applications, and as of mid-Wednesday, 13 same-sex couples filed for their marriage licenses.
While Richland County has only been accepting applications, the court in Charleston County has been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Couples receiving licenses will have to wait the standard 24 hours for their marriage licenses to be approved.
Currently, the state is appealing the Supreme Court's ruling about same-sex marriages and Attorney General Alan Wilson and Governor Nikki Haley are looking to uphold the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
First US Ebola death reported
The first person diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. died Wednesday, WIS reported.
Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, was admitted to the hospital Sept. 28 in Dallas, Texas after he was turned away from the hospital a few days before.
Duncan was traveling to the U.S. from Liberia with the disease. According to authorities, Duncan had come into contact between 12 and 18 people, five of which were children.
The hospital first reported that Duncan never told staffers he was traveling from Liberia, but later admitted that a nurse was informed.
An investigation is ongoing as to how the fact was not communicated better.
Over the weekend, Duncan's condition worsened, and he was downgraded from serious to critical condition before he died Wednesday.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, said Ebola is still not a threat to the general public.