Pictured from left to right: Senator Carlisle Kennedy, Representative Paula Rawl Calhoon, Senator Tameika Isaac Devine, Gettys Brannon, Vickie Davis, Jennifer Donley, Andrew Baumgartner, Madison Thompson, Senator Ronnie Cromer, Justin Hancock, Kelly Hughes, Amy Hoffman, Joanie Hess, Norman Agnew, and Representative Nathan Ballentine. The Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional TourismContinue Reading

Welding students at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies (The Center) recently participated in the annual Arclabs Welding Competition at the Arclabs Columbia campus and earned numerous awards. Chloe Coleman (Spring Hill High School) earned first place and a $22,500 scholarship. Boone Pinkstaff (Dutch Fork High School) placed fourth, andContinue Reading

District Five student Jayden Won has earned a National Merit Scholarship. Jayden Won (Dutch Fork High, Boeing Scholarship) was named a winner of this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships. These scholarships were financed by about 115 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Also included in this category are awardsContinue Reading

School District Five has named finalists for its 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are: Anna Maria Hinson, a Spring Hill High School English teacher; Kathryn Meetze, a Reading Interventionist at H. E. Corley Elementary School; and Patrick Smallwood, a Biomedical Technology teacher at the Center for AdvancedContinue Reading

District Five has named finalists for its 2026-2027 Support Employee of the Year award. The finalists are: Jessica Catalano, a special education assistant at H. E. Corley Elementary School; Jeanette Farr, a literacy lab assistant at CrossRoads Intermediate School; and Dina LaBarca, a school secretary/bookkeeper at Ballentine Elementary School. CatalanoContinue Reading

School business partners, mentors, volunteers, and parent-teacher organizations gathered at Seven Oaks Park April 2 to be honored and celebrated as an integral part of the success of Lexington-Richland School District Five. “Our volunteers are an instrumental part of our success story,” Superintendent Dr. Akil Ross said. “The strength ofContinue Reading

Wingard’s Market has announced they received the most votes across the country and have been named the winner for the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards for #1 Best Plant Nursery; earning national recognition as one of the top garden centers in the United States. The honor follows a processContinue Reading

J. Kenneth “Kenny” Mullis Jr., chairman of the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District, has received the 2025 Hugh Hammond Bennett Southeast Regional Producer Award from the National Conservation Planning Partnership. The award recognizes Mullis’ leadership and commitment to the development and implementation of effective conservation practices. Mullis owns andContinue Reading

One Columbia for Arts and Culture has announced Larry Andrew Hembree as the 2026 recipient of the Stephen G. Morrison Visionary Award, recognizing his leadership, creativity, and lasting contributions to the region’s arts community. The award ceremony will take place March 20 from 6:30–8 p.m. at the Koger Center forContinue Reading