Junk Removal in Columbia, SC

Developer Core Spaces plans to build two high-rise towers on Columbia's Main Street, adding 725 residential units and a large parking garage.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Developer Core Spaces is planning to build two high-rise towers on Columbia’s Main Street.

The proposed project includes a 27-story residential building and a 22-story student housing tower. Together, the towers would provide around 725 units and a parking garage with up to 1,600 spaces for residents and guests.

Increased residential density along Main Street is expected to bring more vehicle traffic, especially during morning and evening rush hours.

The full traffic plan for the project is still under review by the South Carolina Department of Transportation.

“Everything's moving forward pretty much by the book so there's not a lot of there's no variances, there's nothing crazy being asked for. We have the traffic study under review with Department of Transportation,” said Mark DeSouza with Thomas Hutton.

Developers say their proposal includes multiple driveway access points along Main Street to help distribute traffic and reduce congestion.

The Department of Transportation has already completed upgrades in other sections of the city aimed at improving traffic flow for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. These improvements are part of a broader effort to support growing downtown traffic demands.

Core Spaces has submitted its traffic plan to the City of Columbia. City engineers will review the proposal and determine if additional lane or traffic signal changes are needed to manage the increased volume.

Planners say downtown Columbia is experiencing a shift in its skyline, with more high-rise multifamily developments being supported by large parking structures. That combination of added housing and expanded parking is expected to alter travel patterns across the downtown core.

COLUMBIA — A Columbia writer and journalist's new book pulls from her lived experiences — and takes place in a fictional S.C. town.

Author Jessica Brodie recently released her first Christian contemporary novel, published on May 6, though she has previously published devotional books and nonfiction compilations.

The book, "The Memory Garden," is the first installment in "The Dehlia Series."

The book follows a woman who runs the fictional town's local newspaper. Brodie said her desire for the book was to portray authentic relationships and how they can shape you.

"No one's ever too far gone for a turnaround and ... sometimes the most unlikely people in our lives can be the very people we need to know that can bring us healing," Brodie said.

Brodie grew up in Miami — "my favorite toys were books" — but has lived in the Columbia area for 15 years.

A love of reading led Brodie to try her hand at writing and storytelling, which resulted in a lifelong career in journalism. She is the current editor of South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, a religious newspaper based in Columbia.

Writing "The Memory Garden" has been a blessing, Brodie said.

"It's made me very aware," she said. "I don't think I really knew how much South Carolina and its people and all the different experiences of people from all walks of life really shaped me as a person and made me a better person."

Book two of the series, "Tangled Roots," will be released this fall, with book three, "Hidden Seeds," coming next spring.

Readers can expect the other two books to take place in the same fictional small town in S.C.

Each book will follow a different set of main characters, but characters from the other books will reappear in some aspect throughout the series.

You can find the book on Amazon or at any major book retailer.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A decade ago, South Carolina made international headlines when the Confederate battle flag was permanently removed from State House grounds.

The move came following a deadly, racially-motivated mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Lawmakers decided that it would stay in Columbia, where it now sits at the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.

Despite it resting quietly in a case just blocks from where it once stood - it remains controversial even today.

“There’s all sorts of sides, some not very pretty about the Confederate flag,” said Allen Roberson, Executive Director of the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.

Roberson explained how to display the flag and how much context to provide was another hurdle after the 2015 state law ordering it to be taken down.

“We had several proposals, none were funded,” he said. “We had several feasibility studies for a proposal to display the flag, to interpret the flag.”

One of the ideas was a comprehensive exhibit, telling the flag’s entire history. From its origins as a battlefield marker to how it was viewed during Reconstruction and how it’s been viewed as a symbol of white supremacy.

“I think the best proposal we could’ve really explained all the significance on all sides of that battle flag,” said Roberson. “Why it meant so much to some people, why so many people hated it. And we were equipped to tell that story.”

Without state funding, however, the flag sat in storage for years. That was until the museum decided to mount it behind glass next to a small plaque.

“We just decided the easiest thing was to put it on the wall and let you bring your own interpretation to it,” said Roberson.

Roberson also acknowledged the flag is more of a political and social artifact, and a representation of South Carolina’s evolving identity.

“It’s a reproduction flag. But that doesn’t decrease the symbolism of that flag for all South Carolinians,” he said. “For African-Americans [and] for heritage groups.”

Robersoin also said attendance at the museum dropped when they took in the flag, but has since rebounded. He also believes the museum’s name should be changed to better represent its mission to honor the service of all in South Carolina who have fought for our country throughout history.

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Columbia residents will see an increase in their monthly water bills starting in July, as the city implements a 5% rate hike for both water and sewer services.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Columbia residents will see a slight increase in their monthly water bills starting this month, as the city implements a 5% rate hike for both water and sewer services.

The increase was passed as part of Columbia's new budget for FY 2025-2026, in order to generate money to offset inflation costs and invest in improvement projects.

Incremental rate increases to avoid 'rate shock'

The increase, which took effect July 1, affects both the base meter fee and the volumetric charge. Clint Shealy, assistant city manager over Columbia Water, said the change will amount to an average increase of $3.74 per month for a family of four using about 6,000 gallons of water. That combines both the water increase, which is expected to be over $1 and the sewer increase, expected to be a little over $2.

Shealy said the city aims to make small, steady increases each year to avoid larger “rate shocks.”

“If we waited every five years to do a rate study, it would be very painful to make those adjustments,” he said. “But if you make slow adjustments annually and smaller, more incremental adjustments. I think it's more palatable for our customers,.”

Shealy said the city evaluates rates annually using a cost-of-service model and works with financial consultants to project revenue needs. Inflation, rising costs for treatment chemicals, and aging infrastructure all contributed to this year’s adjustment.

“We look at our main cost components: people, power and treatment chemicals," Shealy said. “We try to be good stewards of every penny that our ratepayers pay and be responsible when we do come forward with these rate increase requests.”

"I actually don't really pay attention to my water bill. It's one of those things that I just pay," said Tyrone Bethea, a Columbia water customer. "We all use, you know, the water system and any improvements are definitely warranted and welcomed."

Aging infrastructure calls for new investments

About $93 million in capital investments are planned for the current fiscal year, including ongoing work required under a federal consent decree to reduce sanitary sewer overflows. Projects include sewer upgrades in the East Rocky Branch area, which serves Five Points and the University of South Carolina.

The city is also investing in water treatment improvements, including modernizing filter systems and pump equipment at the Lake Murray and Canal treatment plants. In the Rosewood community, phase two of a water main replacement project will address frequent complaints of discolored water.

Roughly two-thirds of the $93 million budget will go toward wastewater improvements, with the remaining one-third focused on drinking water distribution and treatment.

The rate hike was approved as part of the city’s fiscal year budgets. Shealy said the city hopes future rate increases will level off as major federally mandated projects are completed.

Rate increases will be reflected in July power bills.

South Carolina's new budget reduces the top income tax rate from 6.2% to 6%, aiming to boost economic competitiveness.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina’s new state budget has taken effect, bringing with it a tax break for those in the highest income bracket.

The budget lowers the state’s top individual income tax rate from 6.2% to 6%. Just a few years ago, the rate was as high as 7%. Lawmakers say the continued push to reduce the top rate is part of a broader effort to make the state more competitive and stimulate economic growth.

“I'll take any tax cuts there are, because, you know, anything helps,” said Tommy Rollins, a South Carolina resident who noticed an increase in taxes when he moved to the state.

The new tax rate would save a South Carolinina around $20 on $10,000 of taxable income, according to Donny Burkett, a certified public accountant at Burkett, Burkett, and Burkett. Income tax payments vary greatly based on the individual because of the various deductions and credits.

South Carolina uses a graduated income tax system with three tiers, meaning residents with the lowest taxable income pay nothing. But experts say the higher marginal rates have put the state at a disadvantage compared to others in the Southeast.

“Many small businesses in South Carolina, depending on how they're organized, tend to file taxes using the individual rates,” said Joseph Von Nessen, a research economist at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business. “So this can actually help make the small business environment more competitive in South Carolina relative to the Southeast.”

Von Nessen says the change is unlikely to have an immediate economic impact, but the long-term goal is to make the state more attractive for businesses and individuals.

“South Carolina has done very well over the past 15 years or so in terms of its economic momentum. We have population growth as well as employment growth. It's been among the fastest in the country,” Von Nessen said.

According to the Department of Revenue, taxpayers in the top tier can adjust their estimated tax payments for the rest of the year to reflect the new rate.

Another proposal to overhaul the state’s tax structure starting is still in play. That plan would restructure all income tax tiers, with the goal of gradually reducing the rate to 0%. Lawmakers are expected to consider it when they return to Columbia in January, and it would begin to go into effect in the July 2026 fiscal year.