Home Care In Columbia, SC

COLUMBIA — South Main Street is now home to South Carolina's first separated bicycle track, a part of a $25 million pedestrian infrastructure and utility undergrounding upgrade.

South Carolina Department of Transportation leaders and legislators gathered in front of the Statehouse July 10 to celebrate the project's completion.

The South Main corridor is lined with businesses and runs through the University of South Carolina's campus. Its proximity from the Statehouse and core USC campus makes it a popular commercial district for legislators, state government workers and college students.

"This is a busy corridor for folks working and visiting the Statehouse and for thousands of university students that cross these streets every day," said Justin Powell, the secretary of SCDOT. "This project improves pedestrian safety, widens sidewalks and makes this area even safer for our visitors and our residents here while keeping it beautiful."

Workers broke ground on the $25.5 million project in 2022. The street has been transformed from a concrete eyesore into a tree-lined and narrowed roadway with bright green biking and walking infrastructure.

It's the site of the state's first cycle track, a bicycle lane separated from the roadway by physical infrastructure. On South Main, the cycle track is separated from the road by curbs and shrubs.

There's also large patches of green at intersections meant only for cyclists, with signage indicating its intended use for cyclists only — not vehicles.

The project also included a road diet (removing lanes to slow drivers down and prioritize pedestrian safety), wider sidewalks, landscaping and irrigation upgrades, added street lighting, buried utilities and created pavement markings for pedestrians.

"You shouldn't have to necessarily own a car to get around Columbia," said Sen. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews. "If you want to be able to bike, or if you want to vote, you should have that opportunity."

David Hicks, a local walk-bike advocate and business owner in Five Points, said the project is nice, but South Main is nowhere near the list of most dangerous roadways in the city he'd like to see transformed.

That's mostly because South Main is not as highly traveled or dangerous as other areas like Millwood Avenue, a heavily traveled stretch of roadway where drivers often disregard speed limits and pedestrians.

Regan Freeman, development director at the Cola Town Bike Collective, said he was excited about the project's completion. He said he's already seen some increased usage based on Strava data, a popular GPS-tracking app used by runners and cyclists.

Harden Street improvements

Transportation officials and state legislators also celebrated $12 million pedestrian safety upgrades on Harden Street in Five Points, one of the most dangerous areas in the state for pedestrians.

That project included new crosswalks, a road diet, landscaping and other safety upgrades. It comes after SCDOT conducted a road audit of this stretch of roadway, which sticks out as a hotspot for fatal pedestrian crashes.

"This is a special place, not just for our city, but the entire state," said Rep. Seth Rose, D-Columbia. "It was unacceptable that this was ranked as the No. 1 most dangerous stretch of blocks in all of South Carolina, and there (have) been tragedies with pedestrians going back decades."

Rose said the improvements will give neighbors, business owners and Five Points patrons peace of mind.

"I want to send my 14-year-old on his bike to The Baked Bear to get ice cream, and not feel like he's going to play 'Frogger' against the most dangerous stretch of blocks in the state for pedestrians," he said.

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.

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.

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.

For the Midlands, the impacts are expected to be mild, with a chance of gusty winds and some light to moderate rain.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tropical Depression Chantal has weakened since making landfall along the South Carolina coast but is still bringing gusty winds and periods of heavy rain to parts of the Midlands and surrounding regions as it slowly moves inland.

For the latest weather forecasts and live radar, watch us on WLTX+, available to download right now for free on your TV.

Current Conditions

The now Tropical Depression has winds of 35 mph, gusts 45 mph moving to the north at 8 mph. It made landfall around a little before 5 a.m. near Litchfield Beach, about three miles north of Pawleys Island in Georgetown County.

What to expect this afternoon into the work week

Coastal impacts and rip currents

Along the coast, there still remains a threat of rough surfs. Winds may gust over 45 mph, and the risk for dangerous rip currents is expected to stick around for parts of the coast near Myrtle Beach. Beachgoers are urged to use caution and stay out of the water if warnings are issued.

Prepare and stay informed

Residents are encouraged to stay alert and be prepared.

News19 will continue to monitor the system. You can get the latest updates on-air and on the WLTX+ app available for download on your TV.