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Friday's ceremony celebrated the 15th cohort of CIU's Prison Initiative program

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A group of South Carolina inmates now have a college degree. They graduated Friday from a prison initiative program in partnership with Columbia International University (CIU).

Family and friends filled the Kirkland Campus at the South Carolina Department of Corrections to celebrate graduates.

“Emotional, overwhelmed, excited, very grateful for what I've been given,” graduate Rusty said.

Eighteen graduates received their associate's and bachelor's degrees. Rusty is one of the oldest students the program has seen. After applying four times, he was accepted and couldn’t turn down the offer.

“This opportunity at my age, at 74 years old, being able to attend college and seek out an associate of arts degree was a blessing that I did not deserve, but I take it, I don't take it for granted," he said. "I appreciate it very much. I'm very grateful to the donors and the people who are in support of this ministry,” he said.

“They seize opportunity to better themselves, to grow, to learn, and they're so grateful and appreciative of our program and of our faculty coming in and sharing life with them," Dr. Andre Melvin, the program director, said.

After graduation, they are relocated to prisons throughout South Carolina, becoming missionaries and ministers in various facilities.

“We encourage them as much as we can. We tell them they can do it. They can accomplish it," Dr. Melvin said. "We also, of course, an institution of faith, believe that God will help them, and it's challenging, because, again, a lot of them aren't sure that they can get a college degree and so we encourage them, and they encourage each other to stick with it.”

The program started in 2007. Friday's ceremony celebrated the 15th cohort of this program.

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The success is attributed to the prison initiative organized by CIU. Every year, eligible inmates are chosen via an application and interview process to participate in the two-year program led by CIU professors.

“They seize opportunity to better themselves, to grow, to learn, and they're so grateful and appreciative of our program and of our faculty coming in and sharing life with them," Dr. Andre Melvin, the program director, said.

After graduation, they are relocated to prisons throughout South Carolina, becoming missionaries and ministers in various facilities.

“We encourage them as much as we can. We tell them they can do it. They can accomplish it," Dr. Melvin said. "We also, of course, an institution of faith, believe that God will help them, and it's challenging, because, again, a lot of them aren't sure that they can get a college degree and so we encourage them, and they encourage each other to stick with it.”

The program started in 2007. Friday's ceremony celebrated the 15th cohort of this program.

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Columbia leaders have for years dreamed of removing the dozen-plus railroad crossings on Assembly Street and through the Olympia neighborhood.

Trains come through the crossings with little warning, stopping traffic at the tracks while the often long line of box cars rolls past. State and local leaders have talked for decades about fixing this problem, which can cause major traffic disruptions that ripple across town.

Now, the plan is as close as it’s ever been to reality. After decades of conversation, the South Carolina Department of Transportation is presenting three options for what Columbia might look like if the train tracks were rerouted.

The plans call for a dramatic reshaping of a portion of Columbia, including building new bridges and relocating homes and businesses. But project leaders say they are taking public feedback seriously and will be collecting input from residents until Jan. 11 with hopes of creating the least disruption.

The S.C. Department of Transportation has spent years narrowing down options for how to execute the plan, going from more than 25 possible new traffic patterns down to the three options presented at a public information meeting Wednesday evening, explained Department of Transportation engineer Joey McIntyre.

The plans call for either building rail bridges over Assembly Street and lowering the roadway, or building roadway bridges for vehicles to move above the tracks.

The work has previously been estimated to cost around $200 million. The Department of Transportation is looking at federal grants to pay for the bulk of the work. The project has also received $35 million in state earmarks over the last three budget cycles, with help from former Rep. Kirkman Finlay, current Rep. Seth Rose and Rep. Todd Rutherford.

The city of Columbia and Richland County have also previously pledged to contribute $15 million between the two governments.

The specifics of the three plans are:

Plan A and Plan A-1, as DOT is referring to them, both call for building rail bridges over Assembly Street, as well as consolidating and abandoning a portion of CSX track. Both plans would also require Assembly Street to be lowered 18 feet to accommodate the new bridges.

The plans differ slightly in how they would affect residential and arterial streets. For example, Plan A would close 11 street-level railroad crossings, whereas Plan A-1 would close 15.

Both projects anticipate needing to relocate five residences and 15 and 17 businesses, respectively.

Plan B would leave most of the railroad tracks alone, instead opting to build the roadways over and around the tracks. New roadway bridges would be built to raise Assembly over the tracks near the former Capital City Ballpark, and another bridge over Catawba and Whaley streets. This plan would impact one residence and 15 businesses or institutions, according to the DOT. Plan B would also be the most expensive.

Right now, the department is in the planning and design phase of the project, construction is still a long ways off, said Katie Curry, a DOT consultant with the engineering firm STA who is leading the work, explained.

Residents in the area had been concerned about previous plans, particularly one that would have rerouted traffic on Huger Street to Catawba Street. But now, most of those concerns have been resolved, said Vi Hendley, who sits on the Mill Village District board.

“We’re in a much better place,” she said, but added the neighborhoods still have a few concerns about ensuring the neighborhood grid is protected. Their preference would be Plan A-1, she said, but with an amendment to keep Lincoln Street open.

Residents can comment on the plans at scdotgis.online/assemblystreetrail, by emailing McIntyreJD@scdot.org or by calling 803-737-1842,

This story was originally published December 12, 2024, 1:02 PM.

The State

(803) 771-8330

Morgan Hughes covers Columbia news for The State. She previously reported on health, education and local governments in Wyoming. She has won awards in Wyoming and Wisconsin for feature writing and investigative journalism. Her work has also been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association.

The South Carolina High School League’s football state championships for 2024 are Thursday through Saturday at S.C. State’s Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

——Saturday——

Class 3A: Oceanside Collegiate vs. Belton-Honea Path, 12:06 p.m.

Class 5A Division II: Irmo vs. Northwestern, 6:06 p.m.

——Thursday’s final scores——

Class 2A: Clinton 35, Barnwell 6 — FINAL | Quarterback Tushawan Richardson threw a TD and rushed for a score as the Red Devils won their ninth state title and first since 2009. Rhett Gilliam added two TDs on the ground for Clinton, which rushed for 312 yards in the game. Richardson led the team with 106 yards rushing and Javen Cook added 93.

Jaquan Peeples had Barnwell’s lone TD, a 77-yard kickoff return in the first quarter to cut Clinton’s lead to 8-6.

Class A: Abbeville 58, Cross 20 — FINAL | The Panthers won their 13th state title in dominating fashion. Quarterback Demarcus Leach had almost 200 yards of offense and three total touchdowns.

Jha’Louis Hadden also added two TDs on the ground for the Panthers, who rushed for 429 yards in the game.

——Friday’s final scores——

Class 5A Division I: Dutch Fork 35 Summerville 21 Final | The Silver Foxes won their ninth state championship and third in a row.

Quarterback Ethan Offing threw two touchdowns and Maurice Anderson ran for three in the Silver Foxes’ victory.

Quarterback Jaden Cummings had a TD pass for Summerville but left the game in the first half with an apparent knee injury.

Class 4A: South Florence 42, Westside 41 Final | South Florence stopped Westside on a two-point conversion with 1:52 left to win their second championship in three seasons.

The game was tied at 35-35 but South Florence took the lead on Tre Leonard’s 4-yard run with 2:12 left. Westside answered with Cutter Woods’ 50-yard touchdown pass to Chamarryus Bomar with 1:52 left. But the Rams’ pass attempt fell short.

Woods finished 11-of-19 passing for 411 yards and six touchdowns. Bomar had four catches for 211 yards and four TDs.

Messiah Jackson threw three TD passes to Jayden Sellers, who finished with seven catches for 121 yards. Jackson also ran for two scores.

Leonard rushed for 191 yards and Zion Gilbert had 114 yards.

Saturday scores

Oceanside Collegiate 35, Belton-Honea Path 17 Final | Quarterback Aiden Manavian threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns as the Landsharks won their second straight title.

Oceanside won the 2A title last year and was moved up to Class 3A because of realignment.

Gavin Gaspar had two touchdown catches. Terrence Johnson had one and also ran in a TD.

BHP running back Marquise Henderson rushed for 188 yards and a TD. Henderson was moved from running back to quarterback in the second half after starter Noah Thomas went out with an injury.

Henderson finished with a career high 42 carries.

? THE ADDRESS: S.C. State’s Oliver C Dawson Stadium is located at 300 College Ave, Orangeburg, SC 29115

? TICKETS: $15 and can be purchased at gofan.co. The stadium will be cleared after each game. Fans must have a ticket for each game, and no re-entry is allowed. Gates will open for fans no earlier than one hour prior to the posted game time. Home fans will enter through Gate 1. Visiting fans will enter through Gates 1 and 2 and walk across behind the end zone. Lower State champions are the home teams.

? PARKING: Parking lots open 1.5 hours prior to the first game time of the day. It is $10 per car and parking passes are available through Gofan.co. Vehicles with trailers, pull behind grills and RVs will cost $50. Tailgating is allowed when lots are open.

? TV: All six games will be carried on Sinclair Broadcasting stations across South Carolina. Affiliates are WMYA (My40 Asheville-Greenville), WACH Fox digital channel (57.2/1250/Columbia), WCIV (MyTV Charleston) and WWMB (CW21, Florence/Myrtle Beach).

The Dutch Fork-Summerville game will be carried on WACH Fox’s main channel in Columbia area.

? INTERNET: All six games also will be streamed on www.nfhsnetwork.com. A subscription ($11.99) is required but is good for all of the games and monthly subscription.

? RADIO: The Abbeville-Cross game will be on and streamed on radio station 92.1 WZLA FM

The Irmo-Northwestern game will be on and streamed on radio station WRHI 100.1 FM and the WRHI mobile app

? WEATHER: According to weather.com, sunny and 53 degrees at kickoff for first game Thursday and 40 degrees at kickoff Thursday night. Sunny and high of 59 and low of 39 for Friday. Sunny with a high of 61 and low of 45 for Saturday. There’s no rain in the forecast for all three days.

This story was originally published December 12, 2024, 1:00 PM.

Columbia’s first micro-brewery restaurant will close its doors later this month after nearly three decades in business.

Hunter-Gatherer Brewery & Alehouse is shuttering its location at 900 Main St., according to a Friday morning Facebook post from the business. The Main Street spot will remain open until Dec. 28, the post said.

“It is with a sad and heavy heart that we announce the closing of our Main Street location,” said the Hunter-Gatherer post, which was signed by business founder Kevin Varner. “It has been an incredible privilege and a pleasure to host you over these 29+ years, but our lease is coming to a end. We thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives over the years. It’s been a great run.”

Meanwhile, the Hunter-Gatherer Hangar location, which is at 1402 Jim Hamilton Blvd. near the Jim Hamilton - LB Owens Airport, will remain open.

“While we are sad to see this chapter of the original HG come to a close, please know that the Hangar location is still going strong,” Varner wrote.

Varner established Hunter-Gatherer in 1995 as Columbia’s first micro-brewery, as noted on the H-G website.

“[Varner’s] love for English and American-style ales as well has his experience overseas has made Hunter-Gatherer Brewery a well-known staple in the Midlands,” the website boasts.

The Main Street Hunter-Gatherer has been known for its in-house beers, including a Hazy IPA, a pale ale, the Gravity IPA and several others. With its dark woods and cozy feel, it has been a date night favorite in Columbia, with food items including shrimp and grits, burgers with hand-cut fries, and goat cheese salads, among other offerings.

The Hunter-Gatherer announcement that the spot at 900 Main will soon close drew an immediate reaction on Facebook, garnering more than 325 reactions, more than 120 comments and nearly 70 shares in the first hour after it posted. Many customers and fans lamented the coming shuttering.

“This place has been my extended living room for decades, and where I learned to appreciate craft beer,” one commenter noted, while another said, “This will be a huge loss for all of us who love high quality food and beer in a casual, friendly setting.”

Columbia mainstay Tracie Broom, who co-founded local public relations firm Flock and Rally, summed up the feelings of many in a comment on Hunter-Gatherer’s closing post, saying she has cherished it as a place to meet friends for many years.

“It’s an institution and will be very missed,” Broom posted.

This story was originally published December 6, 2024, 11:36 AM.

We had a reader write in sharing a love for our historic marker map — which you should add to if you haven’t already — and asked if we would consider doing something similar for local holiday lights. Reader Stanton shared, “Every year we go driving around looking at Christmas lights. It would be nice to have suggestions for all those neighborhoods that decorate at level 10.”

So, we’re looking for you to inform us on this one. Readers and we alike are looking to grab hot cocoa, turn on the seat warmers, crank up the holiday music + go for a drive to explore festive displays right in our neighborhoods.

You’re in the driver’s seat. Where are some of Cola’s best (level 10) holiday light displays? Think: neighborhood, public, or residential displays. Submit your favorite place to see holiday lights in Cola to our local map by Thursday, Dec. 5.

We added the first points on the map, featuring three light displays around the Midlands you shouldn’t miss.

Fireflies Holiday Lights | Friday, Nov. 15 to Saturday, Jan. 4 — exclusion dates apply | Segra Park, 1640 Freed St., Columbia | $10+ | Read about what you can expect at this year’s holiday light show. Spoiler alert — it will feature more lights + entertainment for the whole family.

Holiday Lights on the River | Wednesday, Nov. 27-Tuesday, Dec. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Saluda Shoals Park | $25+ | Journey through more than three miles of lights featuring colorful, animated light displays of all shapes and sizes

Riverbanks Zoo & Garden - Lights Before Christmas | Select nights Friday, Nov. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 12 | 5-9 p.m. | Riverbanks Zoo and Garden | $20+ | Take your photo with Santa, roast marshmallows at the Jingle Bell Bonfire, and be sure to wear your hat. Pro tip: it snows nightly at Riverbanks during the Lights Before Christmas.

Ready to add your own? Submit here.