TRAVIS BOLAND PROFILE

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2017 homeless assessment report to Congress showed 173 unaccompanied homeless youth in South Carolina. The Mental Illness Recovery Center Inc. of South Carolina, along with ... Read More

John Lettieri’s message was simple: Get ready. Lettieri, co-founder and president of the Economic Innovation Group, encouraged mayors from around the country to start strategizing on how to recruit diverse businesses to their de... Read More

Downtown Columbia now has a place to buy groceries. The Local Yocal at 1712 Main St. held its official opening Thursday. Plans for the store, a rare option for grocery shopping in Columbia’s Central Business District, were annou... Read More

A Google search for “pizza places in Columbia, S.C.” yields dozens of different options. Chicago-style deep dish and New York style-thin crust can be found mere miles apart from each other. Two new pizzerias in downtown Co... Read More

The S.C. Public Service Commission heard testimony on S.C. Electric & Gas rates and a possible business combination between parent company SCANA Corp. and Dominion Energy on Monday in Columbia at the first of three public h... Read More

Bob Novinger watched as butterflies danced around the Statehouse steps. It’s been almost two years since Novinger’s wife, Cathy Novinger, died of ovarian cancer. Cathy Novinger started the butterfly release 13 years ago... Read More

Television manufacturer Element Electronics has won its appeal to be removed from a tariffs list and says it will not have to close its Winnsboro plant. Sen. Mike Fanning, D-Great Falls, was part of an ongoing S.C. legislative effort ... Read More

According to a recent survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America, 80% of construction firms are struggling to fill hourly craft positions that make up the bulk of the industry workforce. Ken Simonson, AGC’... Read More

A recent article in Forbes Magazine estimated that by 2025, more than 2 million U.S. jobs could be unfilled because of a skills gap between available jobs and workers qualified to fill them. That national statistic has state-level ram... Read More

Sandra Kelly, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina, said the state and the nation need to better educate students in the STEM fields, and a new agreement aims to meet that challenge. On Fr... Read More

Some of Drew Painter’s earliest memories involve banking. Painter, who grew up in Spartanburg, remembers helping his father, William Painter, at the community bank where his dad worked. “Banking is something I have done... Read More

The S.C. African American Chamber of Commerce is partnering with financial technology start-up Mobility Capital Finance and MasterCard to better reach South Carolina’s unbanked population, with an emphasis on helping small business... Read More

EB Development still has plans to build an outlet mall along the 12th Street Extension and Saxe Gotha Drive in Cayce and is continuing to show the property, the company said. The company contracted the land two years ago. The project,... Read More

Jonathan Lopes takes pride in having been a part of all BrickUniverse’s Lego conventions. Lopes displayed nearly 30 pieces of his collection at the Lego fan convention held Saturday and Sunday at the Columbia Metropolitan Conven... Read More

Element Electronics is appealing the inclusion of parts it assembles in making televisions on a recent tariff list and hopes to avoid the closure of its Winnsboro plant. “We have started an appeal process, but there is currently... Read More

Talks are ongoing between Richland County Council and the S.C. Department of Revenue regarding a dispute over Transportation Penny Tax program spending. Richland County councilwoman Dalhi Myers, speaking at Tuesday’s monthly mee... Read More

Residents of a Richland County neighborhood recently received letters explaining their property is located on a World War II bombing site, but officials say they have nothing to worry about. The Summit community, near Clemson and Hard... Read More

Dining al fresco on Lake Murray may take on a whole new look next year. After seeing the success of the Gervais Street Bridge Dinner, the Greater Lexington Chamber began developing a plan to host its own dinner atop the Dreher Shoals ... Read More

Funeral directors in Richland and Lexington County are joining a nationwide effort to help give homeless veterans a proper burial. Dignity Memorial, a network of funeral directors across the country, began a homeless veterans burial p... Read More

Three short story dispensers are now up and running at the Richland Library Main location at 1431 Assembly St. The dispensers were provided to the library through a grant from the Knight Foundation. In May, Columbia was announced as o... Read More

Editor's note: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information. BMW has disputed national news reports that it is moving some of its manufacturing efforts out of the country in response to rising costs brought on by ... Read More

Summer temperatures are one of the driving forces for buyers and sellers when it comes to property on Lake Murray. Dezirae Burnett, media relations coordinator for LakeHomes.com, recently released the 2018 Summer Lake Market Report. A... Read More

Vino Garage will be moving from its current location at 2327 Main St. in a little more than a week. Owner Doug Aylard decided not to renew his lease in order to find a bigger space for his boutique beer and wine shop. “The main ... Read More

Columbia stores are being stocked with pints of an ice cream that date back to the Great Depression in an effort to raise money for a charitable cause. Dave Mackey, president of Epworth Ice Cream Co., is taking a decades-old recipe an... Read More

Pioneering. That’s the way local developer Frank Cason described the opportunity to breathe life into a defunct part of the North Main corridor. When Cason was approached by local businessmen Porter Barron and Rhett Elliott a... Read More

Jerry Melnick, president and CEO of SIOS Technology, raised his glass as he gave a toast to the new public-private partnership his company has formed with the University of South Carolina. He celebrated as SIOS officially opened the d... Read More

Cottontown Brew Lab is creating a buzz in Columbia, and fans may soon have a place to enjoy the popular product straight from the source. The production-only microbrewery is planning an expansion of its 1223 Franklin St. building to i... Read More

June marks the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting up to 16 named storms. Daniel Skinner, director of safety, quality assurance and quality control for Colu... Read More

North Columbia’s retail growth continued Friday with the grand opening of S&A Seafood, owned by Blythewood residents Delilah and Davant Jenkins, at 1212 Sunset Drive. Delilah Jenkins said she and her husband wanted to expand... Read More

With a record number of South Carolinians working, the state’s unemployment rate dropping to 4.2% in April and an aging baby boomer population rapidly retiring, some companies are finding it harder to recruit and retain t... Read More

In an attempt to stem the tide of rising opioid abuse in the United States, health care organizations have begun providing medication disposal kiosks in retail pharmacies. On Monday, Walgreens, in partnership with AmerisourceBergen, P... Read More

Columbia College is looking to strengthen its relationship with the local community and spur women's entrepreneurship statewide with the opening of the Women’s Business Center of South Carolina. At a ribbon cutting Thursday,... Read More

Annie Dillard decided to go back to college because, at age 92, she wasn’t through learning. “I can’t just stay at home and not do anything,” she said. “I learned you can look at a newspaper or watch tele... Read More

Columbia International University broke ground Thursday on the William H. Jones Global Business and IT Center, located at its entrance on Monticello Road. The $20 million facility will help educate students for business and IT jobs in... Read More

In front of bright lights and television cameras, members of various nonprofit organizations cheered their groups and the start of the fifth annual Midlands Gives campaign in the lobby of the S.C. State Museum. Beginning at 4:30 a.m.,... Read More

Thousands of people will donate their time and resources to the fifth annual Midland Gives event on Tuesday. Last year, the event raised approximately $1.7 million for 337 participating nonprofits. One of those groups was Dream Riders... Read More

Ben Johnson, director of research at the S.C. Department of Commerce, advised investors to begin planning for a federal community development program aimed at revitalizing low-income areas known as opportunity zones. Johnson told a me... Read More

The newest additions to the booming Cottontown neighborhood are certainly eye-catching. A pair of robot-shaped cisterns outside the building of architecture and design firm Studio 2LR will serve both an aesthetic and a practical funct... Read More

A majority of S.C. senators voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would temporarily cut S.C. Electric & Gas customers’ rates by 13%, further complicating a proposed merger between SCE&G parent company SCANA and ... Read More

Editor's note: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information. Marty Dreesen is the owner of Bar None. Bar None serves food until 4:30 a.m., and Dreesen said its food and alcohol sales are split 50-50 between 2 a.m.... Read More

Community members expressed concerns and asked questions about the Richland Renaissance project on Thursday in the first public forum on the subject since former County Administrator Gerald Seals was fired on April 3. Richland County ... Read More

When you see your doctor about an illness, you trust they are using the best information possible to come up with a diagnosis on how to treat you. Ellen Mandinach wants to use that same model when it comes to education in the United Stat... Read More

Columbia Fireflies fans will soon have a place to enjoy a few cold beverages before the first pitch or grab a meal after the final out. Announced in April 2017, Bone-In Barbeque is putting the finishing touches on its first restaurant... Read More

Judith Spry woke up on an October morning in 2015 to find the roof of her home caving in. She knew she didn’t have much time. “I was able to gather up some family photos and some clothes,” Spry said. “My daught... Read More

The Columbia Art Center on Taylor Street was the site for the beginning of National Community Development Week in the city. The week helps bring awareness of the impact Community Building Development Grants (CBDG) have on cities around t... Read More

Calling Santee Cooper a “rogue agency,” S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster urged the S.C. Legislature to move the process of selling the state-owned utility forward during its current session. “We’ve had l... Read More

Healthier lifestyles, better health care services and technological advances in medicine are allowing U.S. citizens to live longer lives. With these additional years comes a need for extra income, as many retirees are finding the need... Read More

Presidents of the eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the state met at Benedict College Monday to develop a strategy of competitiveness and collaboration. The meeting came on the heels of an economic impact repor... Read More

Imagine having a loved one need emergency surgery but wondering if you could afford the proper care. Insurance provides protection against that frightening possibility, but for nearly 180 million pet owners, that protection is often o... Read More

After nearly two hours in executive session, Richland County Council responded to the S.C. Supreme Court’s ruling that some revenue from its Transportation Penny Tax program has been spent improperly. In a specially called March... Read More

Continued growth in the Midlands has been a concern for regional mayors during the last year, and that trend doesn’t look to be slowing heading into 2018. Blythewood Mayor Mike Ross said his town’s growth is geared toward ... Read More

Mayor Steve Benjamin welcomed mayors, business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the country to Columbia during an Accelerator for America Advisory Council gathering this week. Accelerator for America provides strategic support to... Read More

While nearly 100 people voiced their displeasure with proposed offshore drilling and testing on the steps of the Statehouse this week, another rally concerning energy took place inside. A coalition led by Florence-headquartered New Al... Read More

Before a crowd of about 100 people, representatives from the S.C. House and Senate shared their thoughts on a proposal that would allow drilling and seismic testing off South Carolina’s coastline. Frank Knapp, president and ... Read More

Seth Gibson is an ordained Lutheran minister with two passions, and he wants to share them with the rest of Columbia. Gibson’s love of people and of craft beer led him to found Ex Gratia Brewing Co., which he hopes will be the f... Read More

Columbia may still be getting a new Zaxby’s, but it won’t be at the former Harper’s restaurant located at 700 Harden St. Franchisee Britt Poston of Florence said Monday that debate about a potential drive-thru for th... Read More

  North Columbia’s recent growth has not been by chance, but rather by choice, according to Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin. “The unprecedented North Columbia renaissance hasn’t happened by accident,” Ben... Read More

Monday was a day of celebration as local business leaders and dignitaries officially opened the newest business park in Lexington County. The Chapin Business and Technology Park at Brighton is the third park in Lexington County built ... Read More

The S.C. Chamber of Commerce unveiled its 2018 Competitiveness Agenda earlier this week at the Statehouse, with an emphasis on workforce development and tax reform. Chamber President Ted Pitts presented issues he said the busines... Read More

Business leaders and dignitaries celebrated Friday’s grand opening of the Samsung home appliance manufacturing plant in Newberry, expressing optimism about the future of both the company and the state of South Carolina. The ... Read More

Eric Bedingfield knows firsthand the pain of the opioid crisis facing the state. Bedingfield, a Republican state representative from Greenville, lost his 26-year-old son to opioid abuse in 2016. He turned grief into action when he was... Read More

Gov. Henry McMaster calls the opioid epidemic a “silent hurricane,” because people rarely hear it, but it causes just as much damage when it comes to human life. Today, McMaster and Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abu... Read More