Governor's Cup to see route changes, additional races
The Governor’s Cup Road Race will undergo a number of changes to its track layout and distances, as well as moving the event to the spring, according to announcements by the Columbia Regional Sports Council and Carolina Marathon Association made Tuesday.
Beginning next year in 2016, the race will be held on the weekend after Mother’s Day.
The new track layout will “connect major sites in downtown Columbia, as well as across the Congaree River with a finish line located near the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center in the Congaree Vista,” according to the announcement.
Though the 13.1 half-marathon race will remain the same distance, one of the smaller 8K races will be replaced by a 5K with further plans to add an additional 5K walk and a childrens' race.
Officials say that track changes were influenced by where the majority of activities are taking place in Columbia, in an effort to assist with tourism.
—James Stewart, News Editor
Black bear spotted along I-26 near Chapin
A black bear has been spotted multiple times along I-26 in the vicinity of Chapin, according to WLTX.
Several people confirmed seeing the bear, including a police officer with most reports citing the area near Columbia Avenue.
Although black bears are a common animal along the Eastern seaboard, they are more often found in the upstate, closer to the mountains.
In fact, there have been almost no sightings of bears in the Midlands last year.
Most black bears weigh about 350 or 250 lbs. male and female, respectively. The heaviest black bear found in the area weighed 609 lbs.
—James Stewart, News Editor
SC Senate concludes session with still much to do
South Carolina’s current legislative session is drawing to a close, with many wondering what exactly the statehouse has accomplished.
Both the state budget and many of the action items lawmakers have left on the floor will end up going unanswered, as a three-day session scheduled on June 16 will be limited to only budgeting and bills that can be handled in six-man committees.
Most of the floored efforts involve fixing SC road infrastructure. Additionally, a bill was passed in the House to raise $400 million in funds.
—James Stewart, News Editor