TRAVIS BOLAND PROFILE

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

Columbia bars that stay open past 2 a.m. could be seeing a significant price increase for permits after City Council voted Tuesday to move forward on the reading of a proposal that would make several changes to the current ordinance. ... 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

Since 2010, Lexington County’s population has increased 9%, bringing the total population to almost 286,000 residents. With increased population growth comes business growth, and the Greater Lexington Chamber has announced 17 ne... Read More

Lexington Medical Center recently celebrated the next step of its newest addition with a “topping out” ceremony. The years-long expansion project saw its final beam, which was signed by hundreds of LMC employees, placed at... Read More

The Affordable Care Act enrollment period ends Friday, and there are a few changes health plan shoppers should know about before picking 2018 plans. South Carolina has become the fifth state to have a single insurer providing pla... Read More

Tuesday’s dedication of the Otarre Solar Park marked SCE&G’s achievement of a goal established in the 2014 South Carolina Distributed Resource Program Act, or Act 236, which sets a goal for utilities to produce 42 megawat... Read More

In January, local insurance industry and software services provider TCube Solutions announced its investment of $1.7 million to move into 25,000 square feet of workspace at the First Base Building at the Commons at BullStreet development... Read More

Black Friday has quickly become the United States’ newest tradition as shoppers take to the streets in the wee hours of the morning looking for bargains. Many of these shoppers head to the big-box stores for items such as televi... Read More

Former U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett wants to see South Carolina’s state government out of the energy business. While introducing the Palmetto Energy Coalition Tuesday at the Statehouse, Barrett emphasized that the group’s mai... Read More

Though still under construction, Samsung’s home appliance plant in Newberry is already working to put together its washing machines. Samsung announced Thursday it has hired 350 people to begin working at the 450,000-square-foot ... Read More

Gov. Henry McMaster announced today the unemployment insurance tax rate will be going down again starting next year. It is the fifth consecutive year the rate has been reduced. “It’s a reduction of 10.2% in the tax, which ... Read More

Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, envisions a packed and perhaps contentious calendar when the Senate begins its new session in January. “The Base Load Review Act is going to be a fight in the Senate,” Massey told a gro... Read More

Students at the University of South Carolina received a crash course in the evolution of the insurance business and how it is being marketed to the public during a recent seminar. Terrence Williams, chief marketing officer and preside... Read More

After hearing testimony Wednesday from the Office of Regulatory Staff, Sen. Shane Massey concluded that the watchdog organization never had a chance to protect the public interest with regard to the failed V.C. Summer Nuclear Project. ... Read More

Restoration efforts continue in the transformation of the Columbia Central Fire Station located at 1001 Senate St. in the Vista.  The two-story, 20,800-square-foot project will feature restaurant, office and retail space. Chris S... Read More

If you think coffee plus cats equals purr-fection, you’re in luck: A cat cafe will be opening soon in West Columbia. Catitude Cat Cafe will open at 118 State St. in the next few weeks. Patrons can have a cup ... Read More

Talks of a sale of public utility Santee Cooper heated up Wednesday before the V.C. Summer Nuclear Project Review Committee. Retiring Santee Cooper CEO Lonnie Carter gave a presentation to a group of state senators outlining the compa... Read More

Superintendents from Lexington and Richland County school districts met with business leaders at Tuesday’s monthly Columbia Chamber of Commerce meeting, outlining the challenges they face in retaining teachers and meeting students&... Read More

Since its opening in 2004, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center has become the centerpiece in the revitalization of downtown Columbia, center officials said. The estimated economic impact from the Columbia Metropolitan Conventi... Read More

A report comprised by Colliers International forecasts a continued growth in the Columbia area known as the Golden Triangle. The area spans two retail corridors at Forest Drive and Garner’s Ferry/Devine Street. At the end of ... Read More

S.C. Electric and Gas ratepayers spoke out Tuesday at a legislative committee meeting as part of an ongoing probe into the failed reactor project at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. The ratepayers called for accountability during the ... Read More

A job fair held Thursday at the USC Alumni Center focused on getting veterans back into the workforce. Disabled American Veterans, a nonprofit charity that assists veterans, and veteran hiring company RecruitMilitary org... Read More

Gov. Henry McMaster, along with a number of state agency leaders, addressed the news media today in hopes of better preparing South Carolinians for the likely arrival of Hurricane Irma. McMaster echoed his sentiments from Wednesday, u... Read More

Gov. Henry McMaster today declared a state of emergency, asking South Carolinians to prepare for Hurricane Irma. According to the executive order, the National Hurricane Center has determined from forecast models that the state of Sou... Read More

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey and the mass flooding in Texas, city and county officials are seeing a chance to pay it forward. Richland County is just two years removed from historic rain and flooding that dumped over 20 inches of r... Read More

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin made it official Thursday, filing for a third term as leader of the capital city. “I am thankful for the last seven years of serving Columbia,” Benjamin said. “In that time, we have been... Read More

In July, the Trump administration released a 17-page document that listed the goals it hoped to achieve while renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. One of those goals called for new rules to govern the trade of servic... Read More

Gov. Henry McMaster calls South Carolina the center of the new industrial revolution. The state currently ranks in the top five in manufacturing in the United States, and McMaster says companies are lining up to do business. Helping l... Read More

For the first time in 99 years a total solar eclipse will cross the United States, and Columbia will be the event’s epicenter. With national attention, the Midlands has become one of the top places to see the natural wonder, cau... Read More

It truly is a seller’s market when it comes to homes according to South Carolina Realtors. In a recent report, the trade group said there is anecdotal evidence that indicates its becoming tougher to find a home to buy. “Wi... Read More

One of the first things companies rave about when moving to South Carolina is the ready-made, skilled workforce that can quickly come in and do the job that is needed. With jobs and skills continually being molded and shaped, it&rsquo... Read More

University of South Carolina trustees today approved the hiring of Mark Kingston to lead the USC baseball team. Kingston spent the last three seasons as head coach at the University of South Florida. He compiled a 100-78-1 r... Read More

President Donald Trump called cybertheft “the fastest growing crime in the United States by far,” and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down. It is predicted that cybercrime global damage costs could hit $6 trillion a... Read More

The crowd gathered in Newberry’s Memorial Park Wednesday cheered the announcement of Samsung choosing the Newberry County to set up its newest manufacturing plant. Newberry County Council Chairman Buddy Livingston reminisced abo... Read More

The New York Mets announced Sunday Tim Tebow would be promoted to its Advanced-A affiliate in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Tebow is the fourth member of the Columbia Fireflies to be called up this week. When it was announced Tebow would join ... Read More

Welcome to Brainpower, U.S.A. That was the nickname Gov. Henry McMaster dubbed the state this morning after the announcement of a partnership between Siemens and the University of South Carolina. The company will be providing a $628 m... Read More

Columbia Metropolitan Airport is looking to make the “famously hot” Columbia sun work in its favor after today’s launch of its solar array. The airport partnered with Con Edison Solutions to construct the farm on fiv... Read More