Confederate flag flies in Fort Sumter
In the midst of the Confederate flag debate, Fort Sumter — Charleston’s own sea fort owned by U.S. National Park Service — will fly it’s Confederate flag inside the fort’s walls, according to The State. After the killing of nine at Emanuel AME Church, Fort Sumter decided to lower it’s flag on top of the outer walls.
Back on June 29, the Associated Press reported that the National Park Service ordered all Confederate flags and merchandise to be removed from all parks, which Fort Sumter complied to. The Confederate flag in front of the Statehouse was taken down July 10 after the South Carolina House voted to remove it from the building.
Fort Sumter National Monument Superintendent Tim Stone said the flags will be a part of a monument to commemorate where the Civil War began. The monument will have two Union and two Confederate flags.
New Columbia minor league team named
As a new year rolls around, a new sports team will come to Columbia. Columbia asked its citizens what the name of the new minor league team should be via a ballot, and the people have spoken. The capital city will be home to the Columbia Fireflies.
“The ‘Fireflies’ identity fits perfectly with what we are looking to accomplish in Columbia,” principal owner Jason Freier told WLTX. "The firefly will become a symbol of the unity of the Capital City and Spirit Communications Park will be a year-round gathering pace for families, friends and co-workers to create lasting memories together and a place where major community events and milestones are celebrated."
A new $37 million stadium for the team is currently being built on Bull Street for the Fireflies to call home. The capacity should max out around 8,000, and tickets for opening day, April 14, go on sale this week.
South Carolina to pay $135,000 in legal fees in gay marriage case
After the Supreme Court ruled a gay marriage ban on the state level unconstitutional, all but one of the states dropped their gay marriage ban: South Carolina. Now a federal judge has mandated that South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson to pay more than $135,000 to seven attorneys for 390 hours of work and court costs.
While Wilson calls the 390 hours put into the case excessive, Judge Richard Gergel reported that the number were very reasonable.
"If that is so, one might reasonably ask why the state filed a 57-page brief raising a broad array of procedural and substantive issues, including a methodical attack on recent Fourth Circuit precedent," Gergel wrote.
Wilson has 28 days to figure out a plan of action.
Shooter in Martha Childress case rejects plea deal
Michael Juan Smith was offered a plea deal by the Circuit Judge Robert Hood for the alleged shooting of Martha Childress, but it seems as though he will not take the 25 years in jail as he did not accept the offer, Smith’s attorney Aimee Zmroczek announced Monday.
Smith already will be spending 10 years in prison for a federal weapons charge. He has been in state custody leading up to the trial.
A jury will be selected Monday for Smith’s trial where he is charged with attempted murder of USC student Childress back in 2013 in Five Points.
Main Street student complex on hold for now
After a “save the horseshoe” campaign caught fire over summer, EdR — the developer building the student apartment complex — are still in talks with USC over the building. The potentially 15-story complex will supposedly cast a shadow over the Horseshoe during certain hours of the day. As a result, USC has criticized the plans.
According to The State, EdR was scheduled to take blueprints and designs to the Columbia Design/Development Review Commission Thursday, but they have hit a roadblock with certain aspects of their proposal, like the height and density of their building. The building will allegedly be where the Sandy’s Famous Hot Dogs and Baptist Collegiate Ministry are now on Main Street. If the plans stay the same, the private student dormitory will house 704 beds.
The project already got the thumbs up from the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals, yet they have to wait at least another month before their plans can be looked at by the DDRC.
Boeing set to join the USC community
President Harris Pastides and Boeing Chief Technology Officer John Tracy announced Thursday that the two institutions will be pairing together for a long-term research agreement. The agreement will produce new and innovative technologies for the aerospace industry, said the Associated Press.
Boeing will invest upwards of $5 million for up to two dozen research projects conducted by the university. These projects will center around things such as new ways to use carbon fiber composite material, finding improved techniques for fusing aircraft parts and improving the efficiency of structures through automated manufacturing.
Pastides believes this new agreement will brighten a path for new aerospace attraction to South Carolina.
"Together with Boeing, the McNair Center will work not only to innovate, but also educate future aerospace engineers and makes South Carolina a choice destination for the aerospace industry," the president said.
Senator Thurmond will step away from politics
Paul Thurmond, the youngest child of famed senator Strom Thurmond, announced Tuesday that he will not be up for re-election next year. He claims that family matters have taken precedent in his life, and balancing that with politics was deemed unbalancing, The State reports. He and his wife will be expecting a fifth child in December.
“The events of the last few months, especially the tragedy that occurred in Charleston, have resulted in a considerable amount of thoughtful contemplation,” Thurmond said. “I have concluded that, at this time, I must look past my own desires and personal calling to public service and focus on the needs of my young family and my wife.”
Senator Thurmond has been representing Dorchester and Charleston counties since 2013. Because he is only 39 years old, he believe he can return to public service sometime in the future.
Lexington leaders divided on meal tax
With the state road budget on dwindling each year, Lexington officials have decided to try to take matters into their own hands. According to The State, a food tax could be introduced to help finance Lexington county road improvements. The food tax would be 2 cents on the dollar for restaurant meals, take-out food and some snacks.
Councilwomen Hazel Livingston and Kathy Maness support adopting the tax while Councilman Ted Stambolitis remains opposed.
“If it wasn’t for these projects, I’d probably say no,” Livingston said. “But we’ve got to do something about roads.”
The perspective projects deals with fixing traffic in certain areas of high traffic. They include adding traffic circles, building side streets and making some streets one way roads instead of two way.
Texas dog treks to Florida barefoot and alone
A Texas man, Matt Turner, noticed his new, 11-month old miniature Australian Sheppard went missing last week and looked all around his home town near Houston, Texas, First Coast News reports. Just when he was about to throw in the towel, he got a call saying his beloved Bell was in Orange Park, Florida, three states and almost 900 miles away from Houston.
Bell was brought in as a stray into a Humane Society in Orange Park, and when the vets there tracked the microchip implanted in her, they were lead back to Houston.
"There is so much we don’t know about her getting here, but she is in fantastic shape," tells Dr. Christian Broadhurst, the senior vet at Clay Humane.
Turner and his son flew out to Orange Park on Monday, retrieved the Sheppard and took her home to Houston.