Wedding & Event Venue Near Columbia, SC.

COLUMBIA – There's no mercy rule in the NCAA Tournament.

Maybe there should be.

It was the most runs by the Gamecocks in an NCAA Tournament game since 23 against Rhode Island in 2016.

South Carolina baseball scored 11 times in the bottom of the fourth inning Friday night to go up by 16 and was not even halfway through a demolition of Central Connecticut State, 19-1, in the opening round of the Columbia Regional at Founders Park.

South Carolina (40-19) will play a winners bracket game Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN+) against NC State (36-19), which beat Campbell, 5-1. Central Connecticut State (36-13) and Campbell (44-14) will play a noon elimination game.

The Gamecocks sent 17 batters to the plate in the fourth. Michael Braswell was 2-for-2 in the inning.

Ethan Petry hit his 23rd home run for South Carolina. Gavin Casas was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored. The Gamecocks finished with 16 hits and 14 walks.

South Carolina played host to a Regional in 2021 but lost out to Virginia. The Gamecocks didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last season. They won national championships in 2010 and 2011.

Will McGillis made triumphant return to lineup

GREENVILLE'S DEAL:Greg Sankey praises Greenville as SEC women's basketball tournament host, but contract ends in 2025

LEGISLATION WANTED:Why Ray Tanner, SEC athletic directors will lobby for federal NIL legislation after spring meetings

SCHEDULE FORMAT:SEC votes for 8-game conference football schedule beginning in 2024, will reevaluate in 2025

South Carolina fifth-year player Will McGillis, whose career seemed in jeopardy because of a broken arm, returned to the lineup for just the second time since March.

McGillis batted leadoff as the designated hitter and went 2-for-2 with a homer and a walk in his first three times up.

He missed all of April and had a couple of pinch-hit appearances in the middle of May, started in left field on May 16, but had not appeared in a game since.

McGillis in 77 at-bats had 10 home runs and 22 RBIs. He is a transfer from Southern Miss and helped the Golden Eagles reach the super regional round last year.

South Carolina pitcher James Hicks just keeps winning

Gamecocks junior right-hander James Hicks was making just his fifth start of the season, including a mid-week game as a one-inning opener.

In three innings, Hicks (8-1) had already matched a season-high of six strikeouts, including his last start, 6.2 shutout innings against Georgia in the SEC Tournament. In this one, he went five innings and allowed just one hit.

Authorities say a tattoo of the word “DAD” in all uppercase letters was found on an upper arm/bicep area, with possibly another word or picture tattooed above.

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Warning: This story contains graphic information and photos that some may find disturbing.

The Lexington County Coroner's Office is asking for the public's help to identify remains found last week on Lockner Road in Columbia.

According to officials, a citizen called on May 25 around 6:37 a.m. to report finding human remains in a small creek behind several homes in the 900 block of Lockner Road in the Columbia area of Lexington County.

The Lexington County Coroner’s Office responded and verified that the remains were, in fact, human remains. Coroner's Office representatives say they believe approximately 90% of the person's skeletal remains were recovered.

Authorities say they believe the remains are those of a white or Hispanic male, possibly between 30 to 45 years old, who was between 6 feet and 6 feet 3 inches tall.

The remains revealed that the man had healed injuries, including a past broken nose, past fractured right clavicle, and past rib fractures. The man also had dental fillings within the last 5 to 10 years in at least two upper molars. Teeth were found to be in fairly good general condition with two molars possibly missing from the lower jaw.

The only clothing recovered at the scene was one black “Brahma” work-type boot that was a size 12. There was no sock.

Credit: Lexington County Coroner's Office

Authorities say a tattoo of the word “DAD” in all uppercase letters was found on an upper arm/bicep area, and there was possibly another word or picture tattooed above.

Credit: Lexington County Coroner's Office

Officials say the scene location is fairly close to Target in the Harbison area of Columbia, and there are several homeless camps in very close proximity to where the remains were located.

If you have any information that may help authorities identify the man, you are asked to call the Lexington County Coroner’s Office at (803) 359-8439 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously in any of the following ways:

The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR) was chartered in 1827 and began constructing a line from Charleston to Hamburg in 1830. The railroad was built on piles, as that was less expensive than embanking. That 136-mile road was completed in 1833, with stops in Summerville, Blackville, Branchville and Aiken. As the company looked to expand, it was clear that piling was not effective, and the entire road had to be embanked.

Around the time that the SCC&RR was chartered, E.S. Thomas of Cincinnati (and formerly of Charleston) began to promote a rail line from Cincinnati to Charleston. The directors of the SCC&RR, along with the citizens of Cincinnati, were enthusiastic supporters of the idea of connecting Charleston to the Ohio River Valley. In 1836, the Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Railroad was chartered and the former governor of South Carolina, Robert Y. Hayne, was its first president.

In the late 1830s, the Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Railroad Company gained control of the Charleston to Hamburg line and the new company was called the South Carolina Railroad Company. The company struggled financially but did complete a line to Columbia. The road split from the Charleston-Hamburg line at Branchville and traveled 66.3 miles through Orangeburg, St. Matthews, and Hopkins. The first train from Charleston pulled into Columbia on June 20, 1842. The locomotive was named after Robert Hayne, who passed away in 1839.

In 1848, the South Carolina Railroad added a line that split from the Columbia railroad at Kingsville and travelled to Camden. In 1853, a connection to Augusta, Georgia, was completed. Five years later, permission was granted to connect the South Carolina Railroad to the Georgia Railroad in Augusta, and Charleston finally obtained the much-anticipated rail connection to the west. Unfortunately, all of the track, trains, and buildings that belonged to the South Carolina Railroad were destroyed during the Civil War.

After the Civil War ended, the company began to rebuild and the rail connection between Charleston and Columbia was completed in early 1866. The South Carolina Railroad struggled financially until 1881, when it was sold to a group of financiers in New York. Still plagued by debt, it passed into receivership in 1889. In 1894, The South Carolina Railroad Company changed hands again and was operated as the South Carolina and Georgia Railroad. Southern Railway leased the road in 1899 and in 1904 that company consolidated it into the Southern Railway – Carolina division.

“This Month in South Carolina History” is brought to you by the South Carolina Historical Society.

COLUMBIA — Two high school students in South Carolina were honored May 10 as U.S. Presidential Scholars, joining 159 other students across the country recognized by the federal government for their achievements in academics, arts and technical education.

Cathy Tang, a senior at Spring Valley High School near Columbia, and Cam Srivastava, a senior at Spartanburg Day School, were selected for the award by the White House’s Commission on Presidential Scholars.

Each is a leader in their school’s student government, with Tang serving as president of Spring Valley’s senior class and Srivastava as Spartanburg Day’s student body president. Both are also musicians, with Srivastava playing the French horn and piano and Tang serving as the principal flutist of her school’s symphonic band.

But the two newly named Presidential Scholars also racked up a list of other titles and accomplishments in their campuses and communities.

Srivastava wrote for Spartanburg Day’s newspaper, edited one of the school’s magazine publications and led his school’s track and field, cross-country and golf teams, and Tang was president of Spring Valley’s National Honor Society chapter and a part of the school’s magnet program.

But despite those accomplishments, Tang said she was still in disbelief when she got word that she’d been named a Presidential Scholar, which came as she was about to sit for her AP Biology exam.

“After that initial wave of emotions ... it was very fulfilling to know that all the hard work that I’ve done in the past four years was recognized,” she said.

Srivastava said he sees the recognition as motivation to continue his community-focused work, which started when he was a freshman working on a science project about heart disease, a health issue that severely impacted his grandfather.

He started by looking at some of the risk factors for heart disease but began to find that there were disparities in access to health treatment within Spartanburg.

That project inspired him to start a nonprofit, Equity Starts from the Heart, that strives to broaden access to innovative heart treatments and raise awareness of disparities in health treatments in South Carolina.

“I think that (the Presidential Scholar award) will inspire me to continue enacting change in my community,” he said.

Srivastava has spoken about his nonprofit at churches, community centers and barbershops to raise awareness about cardiovascular health, transcatheter aortic valve replacement and disparities within the medical system, and partners with Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and various local churches.

“I think he’s made more impact on his community in his first 17 or 18 years than most of us do in a lifetime,” Spartanburg Day’s Assistant Director of College Counseling Ann Marie Wesneski said.

Tang also emphasized the importance of family, and wrote about her grandmother for one of her Presidential Scholar application essays, explaining how she’s “honored to be her granddaughter.”

After their high school graduations, the two Palmetto State honorees will both be heading to the Ivy League, with Tang set to study economics and natural science at the University of Pennsylvania, while Srivastava looks forward to a broad liberal arts education at Harvard University but is undecided on his major.

Those next steps are exciting, Tang said, but also bittersweet.

“Part of me is ... kind of sad, because this has been my home for the past four years, and I’ve done so much and met so many amazing friends and teachers,” she said.

One of them was Stephanie Thomas, a calculus teacher and National Honor Society advisor at Spring Valley who called Tang a “phenomenal student.”

“She would never leave anything to chance,” Thomas said. “She could have worked a lot less hard than she did, and she would have been an excellent student.”

U.S. students can qualify for the Presidential Scholar awards based on their ACT and SAT exam performances and nominations from state education officials. More than 5,000 candidates qualified for the 2023 awards, according to the U.S. Department of Education, but only 161 made the final cut.

Nestled in the heart of South Carolina, Columbia offers a unique blend of historic charm and modern amenities. As the state capital, it’s a bustling city that’s home to several colleges and universities, making it a vibrant and diverse community. But, like any place, there are pros and cons to living in Columbia. Whether you’re a resident or a visitor looking into the Columbia housing market, this city has a whole heap of perks that more than make up for any downsides.

In this Redfin article, we’ll weigh the advantages against the disadvantages to calling South Carolina’s capital your new home.

Pros of living in Columbia

Columbia’s affordability is a significant advantage, whether you’re buying a house or renting an apartment in the heart of the city. The cost of living in Columbia is lower than the national average and significantly lower than other major U.S. cities. Housing costs, in particular, are very reasonable. The median home price in Columbia is around $244K, which is substantially less than the median home price in other major cities such as New York or Los Angeles.

Additionally, Columbia has a variety of options for budget-friendly entertainment, such as free concerts and festivals throughout the year which can really reduce the cost of living there. There are also many parks and outdoor spaces to explore, and many of them are free to the public. Dining out in Columbia can also be relatively inexpensive, with plenty of affordable restaurants and cafes to choose from.

Columbia is known for its welcoming and friendly atmosphere, which is a significant draw for many residents. The city has a strong sense of community, with residents taking pride in their hometown and working together to make it a great place to live. An excellent example of this is the Soda City Market, which takes place every Saturday morning in downtown Columbia. It’s a farmers market, craft fair, and community gathering all in one, where locals come together to shop for fresh produce, handmade crafts, and unique gifts, and to catch up with their neighbors. The market is a great way to experience Columbia’s Southern charm firsthand, and it’s a beloved local tradition.

Columbia’s climate is another advantage for those looking to live in a comfortable year-round environment. The city has a humid subtropical climate, which means hot summers and cool winters. However, the temperatures rarely reach extreme levels, with the hottest month, July, averaging a high of around 92 degrees Fahrenheit and the coldest month, January, averaging a low of around 36 degrees Fahrenheit. This mild climate allows residents to enjoy outdoor activities throughout the year, from hiking and biking in the spring and fall to boating and swimming in the summer.

Columbia has a rich and fascinating history, with many landmarks and sites to explore. The South Carolina State House is a magnificent building that has been the seat of the state government since 1786. It’s open to the public for tours, and visitors can see historic documents, paintings, and sculptures. The Columbia Museum of Art is another great example of the city’s history, with a collection that spans centuries of European and American art, as well as modern and contemporary works. Finally, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a must-visit for anyone interested in the natural history of the area, featuring over 2,000 animals from around the world, including rare and endangered species.

Columbia is known for its delicious Southern cuisine, which is a highlight for foodies and casual diners alike. Barbecue is a particular specialty, with local spots like Southern Belly BBQ and Doc’s Barbecue serving up mouth-watering pulled pork and brisket. Seafood is another popular option, with restaurants like Blue Marlin and Pearlz Oyster Bar offering fresh and flavorful dishes. For something sweet, Kiki’s Chicken and Waffles is a local favorite, with its famous chicken and waffles combo and delicious sweet potato pie. Overall, there’s no shortage of fantastic dining options in Columbia, and residents can easily explore a variety of cuisines and styles.

Cons of living in Columbia

While the mild climate in Columbia is generally a plus, there is one major downside: the sticky, humid summers. For some folks, the humidity is no big deal, and they can handle a little bit of sweat and frizzy hair. But for others, the humidity can be downright unbearable, turning a leisurely stroll through the park into a sauna-like experience. Locals have all sorts of tips and tricks for surviving the summer months, from carrying a personal fan to avoiding outdoor activities during the hottest parts of the day. And let’s not forget about the dreaded “humidity hair” – that puffy, frizzy look that seems to defy all attempts at taming. So, if you’re planning to make Columbia your home, just be prepared for a little extra moisture in the air and maybe invest in a good leave-in conditioner.

Before you move to Columbia just know you’ll be in a constant battle with the state bird: the mosquito. While these pesky insects are not unique to Columbia, they do seem to have a particular affinity for the area’s warm and humid climate. As a result, locals have become experts at mosquito avoidance techniques, from slathering on bug spray to strategically positioning citronella candles around their yards. If there is any relief, mosquitos there tend to come swarming in seasons, so no worries because it won’t last forever. Be prepared to make friends with some itchy bumps and invest in plenty of insect repellent.

While there are certainly bars and clubs in the area, the scene may not be as extensive or diverse. Some visitors or new residents may find that the options for after-hours entertainment can feel limited, especially if they are used to a more vibrant nightlife. Part of the reason for this may be the size of the city.

That being said, Columbia still has plenty to offer for those looking to enjoy a night out on the town. The city has a number of popular bars and nightclubs, and there are also plenty of restaurants and cafes that stay open late, as well as outdoor parks and venues that host events and concerts throughout the year. While it may not offer the same level of nightlife options as some larger cities, Columbia can still be a fun and enjoyable place to spend an evening with friends or loved ones.

Columbia’s transportation options can be a challenge for those without access to a car, with a Walk Score of 35 out of 100, a Transit Score of 0 out of 100, and a Bike Score of 35 out of 100. While the city does have some public transportation options, such as buses and shuttles, the system may not be as comprehensive or efficient as in other cities, making it difficult for those who rely on public transportation to get around the city. Additionally, Finding parking in certain parts of Columbia can be challenging because the infrastructure may not be as developed or extensive as in other areas.

One potential drawback to living in Columbia is the risk of hurricanes during the Atlantic hurricane season, which typically runs from June to November. While Columbia is not located directly on the coast, it’s still vulnerable to the effects of hurricanes, such as heavy rainfall, strong winds, and power outages. In the past, the city has experienced damage from hurricanes and tropical storms, such as Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Tropical Storm Michael in 2018. While residents can take precautions to prepare for a hurricane, the risk of property damage and potential evacuation can be a concern for some.

If you are represented by an agent, this is not a solicitation of your business. This article is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice from a medical provider, licensed attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional. Consumers should independently verify any agency or service mentioned will meet their needs. Learn more about our Editorial Guidelines here.