Costco receives go-ahead from Richland County for Columbia-area store.
Richland County officials have approved popular wholesale retailer Costco to continue with their plans to establish a store near Columbia, according to The State.
However, the Issaquah, Washington-based corporation is still awaiting the green light from the state Department of Transportation regarding necessary traffic upgrades to ensure safety for the area.
The company plans to locate the store near Harbison Boulevard on Piney Grove Road. In order to receive approval from the county, the company had to adjust their plans to account for necessary construction issues at the location.
There are over 450 membership-only stores nationwide, including four in South Carolina, but this store will be the first in the Midlands area and will offer customers bulk merchandise at discount prices.
State education department speaks out against bullying in light of elementary school stabbing
WLTX reports that officials from the state Department of Education are continuing their efforts to prevent bullying in schools after a student stabbed a classmate in the foot as the result of an ongoing struggle between the two on Monday.
Education department representatives say the stabbing incident could have been prevented if the students had spoken up to an adult they could trust, like a teacher or parent, to let them know of any issues.
Officials also mentioned that in the past 10 years the total number of students who are reporting bullying has decreased, and that studies indicate schools that have bullying prevention programs are more effective at reducing the number of incidents.
Local man pleads guilty to owning and operating illegal gambling business
After years of conflict with law enforcement at both local and state level, Larry W. Flynn of Columbia pled guilty in federal court to operating a gambling business and tax evasion, The State reported.
Magic Minutes, Flynn’s company, distributed gaming machines to convenience stores that offered blackjack, poker and other games for purchase, which is against state law in South Carolina.
Flynn didn’t pay taxes for the income made by the machines for several years by living almost solely on cash. Flynn served 15 years as a special investigator for the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Columbia.