Agente Hipotecario en Columbia, SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - As the nation remembers 9/11, some also remember the acts of love in the days following the tragedy. Middle schoolers in Lexington made a large donation 25 years ago, and one student reflects on the gift and what it means then and now.

Maurice Hallman was a White Knoll Middle School student in 2001.

“I mean, we never had anything like that happen in America before, especially at 11 years old,” Hallman said.

Hallman remembers the day in detail.

“I remember like just being in the classroom for homeroom and, of course, when you hear Dr. Turner come over the intercom,” Hallman said.

Hallman remembers how everything changed.

“Yeah, it’s truly surreal,” Hallman said.

When the shock passed, Hallman and his classmates felt called to lend a hand to a Brooklyn fire company that lost seven firefighters at Ground Zero.

The class raised over $500k that helped buy a new fire truck as a way to say thanks.

“It was a blessing and an honor. I’m thankful to truly be a part of something that I still think about daily, you know?” Hallman said.

Maurice, his teacher, and classmates traveled to New York City to hand over their gift.

“Just to be able to go there, shake their hand shortly after some tragic events occurred, that actually kind of warms my heart,” Hallman said.

Twenty-five years have passed. Kids have grown up, and people have moved on. But Maurice Hallman is back home in the Midlands to mark the day, the half-million-dollar gift and the outpouring of love.

“Truly, we just came together to think about different ways we can put together our efforts to give back,” Hallman said.

Hallman will also participate in a forum titled “South Carolina Remembers 9/11: 25 Years Later.” The special presentation will take place at 12:30 p.m. at the South Carolina State Museum.

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It gained 100 jobs in July 2026. Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ state and local employment report, which tracks monthly job changes. Job numbers can swing month to month as local economies expand or contract, but over the past five years the Columbia, SC Metro Area has averaged about 648 new jobs per month. These figures are often revised in later months as more complete data rolls in.

+100

month to month change in number of jobs (July 2026)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Columbia, SC area job growth of 100 in July 2026 was larger than the 100 jobs gained in June 2026.

During the latest five-year period (August 2021 to July 2026), the Columbia, SC area gained jobs in 45 out of 60 months. July 2026 had the 15th-lowest job growth during this period. The highest gains during this period occurred in October 2021 (+5,000) while job growth was weakest in January 2025 (-1,700).

Monthly change in nonfarm employment in the Columbia, SC area

How has the Columbia, SC area's job growth changed over time?

In 2025, the Columbia, SC area has gained an average of 125 jobs every month. That's lower than the 2024 average monthly increase of 792. The 2025 average ranks as 14th-highest in job growth since 2007.

When excluding the two pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, job growth ranged from a loss of 1,400 every month in 2009 to a gain of 1,000 every month in 2015.

Average monthly change in the number of jobs in the Columbia, SC area, seasonally adjusted

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.

The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom. Read more on our AI policy here.

The NWS Columbia SC issued a weather alert at 8:41 p.m. on Saturday for strong thunderstorms until 9:30 p.m. The alert is for Lexington, Richland, Aiken and Calhoun counties.

Residents can anticipate wind gusts of up to 50 mph.

"At 8:40 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm 10 miles west of Gaston, or 10 miles south of Red Bank, moving northeast at 25 mph," says the NWS. "Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects."

Locations impacted by the alert include Columbia, Lexington, West Columbia, Cayce, Forest Acres, St. Andrews, Red Bank, Oak Grove, South Congaree, Pine Ridge, Gaston, Hopkins, Columbia International University, Riverbanks Zoo, SC State Farmer's Market, Columbia Metro Airport, SC State Fair Grounds, West Columbia Riverwalk, Five Points and Swansea. This includes the following highways: Interstate 126 between mile markers 0 and 3. Interstate 20 in South Carolina between mile markers 53 and 68. Interstate 26 between mile markers 105 and 125. Interstate 77 between mile markers 0 and 10.

According to the NWS, "If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building."

This alert is in effect until 9:30 p.m.

Around 25 million lightning strikes occur in the United States every year, with most taking place during the summer months. The NWS reports that these strikes result in about 20 fatalities annually. The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above. As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.

Here are tips on how to stay safe during a thunderstorm:

If finding indoor shelter is not an option:

What is hydroplaning?

Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.

This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle's weight can push water out of the way. The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control. Hydroplaning is most commonly attributed to three factors:

In the event of your vehicle hydroplaning, here's what to know:

Source: The National Weather Service

United Robots South Carolina

Allow me to quote myself from 2020: “No, the news didn’t make me happy.”

I wrote those words when I was the editor of Free Times, the scrappy alternative newspaper nipping at the heels of the big, bad State, the daily newspaper covering Columbia since 1891.

I was responding to news that McClatchy, the newspaper chain that owns The State and about 30 others across the country, had declared bankruptcy and was about to be scooped up by the hedge fund Chatham Asset Management. The kind of day many of us feared when that news became known finally happened last week.

On Sept. 10, McClatchy laid off more than 90 staff, slashing newsrooms at some papers by upwards of 40 percent, according to Poynter. At least 13 papers in eight states lost staff, including The State, which lost at least five journalists.

I’m back working in The Post and Courier’s Columbia newsroom, overseeing news efforts that still include Free Times but also include more robust news coverage of the Midlands, which puts us in constant competition with The State.

In the four years between my stints here, I spent two years as a reporter and editor at that other paper. I know intimately how vital a force it is in the Columbia news market

The battle for scoop supremacy between two longstanding news brands, The Post and Courier and The State, has made us both sharper. And readers have benefited in the form of more thorough coverage of the Midlands.

I stand by what I said in 2020: “I want to keep doing our dance — trying to beat each other to stories, pushing each other each day to be better with our coverage — forever.”

Our dance partner took a hit this week. So did local journalism in the U.S.

Beyond the sheer number of jobs lost, the journalists that were cut raise more than a little alarm about McClatchy’s commitment to supporting well-rounded local news outlets.

“Some of the cuts have raised questions about what types of journalism the company values,” Poynter’s Angela Fu wrote. “The Charlotte Observer’s only data reporter shared on Bluesky that she was cut. The Fresno Bee, which had seven layoffs, lost multiple accountability reporters, according to Pacific Media Workers Guild executive officer Michael Applegate. The Miami Herald, which had 20 layoffs and eliminated 10 vacant positions, lost its city of Miami and city of Miami Beach beats, said deputy investigations editor Carol Marbin Miller.”

Ariane Lange, an investigative reporter at company flagship The Sacramento Bee, called it ‘the bloodiest round of layoffs in quite some time at McClatchy.’"

I’ll let The State News Guild, the union that represents the paper’s newsroom, sing the praises of the journalists we know are losing their jobs in Columbia:

I worked beside all five of them. They’re great. If you’re an editor with an opening, you should hire them.

Democracy, as it’s repeatedly been said, dies in darkness. McClatchy’s cuts made the light a little dimmer, shrinking the number of journalists holding governments and institutions to account in spots across the nation.

But there are still good journalists in Columbia, fighting fiercely to provide our readers with important information about the place we call home. We’re keeping up the fight here at the Post and Courier Columbia and Free Times.

And there are still talented journalists keeping up the fight at The State.

I’ll keep rooting for them even as I keep trying to beat them. You should, too.

A wildly popular chicken sandwich chain is planning a new location in the Columbia area, per public documents.

Chick-fil-A, which has stores across the U.S. and the Midlands, is planning a location at 575 Spears Creek Church Road in the northeast Columbia and Elgin area, per a draft agenda for the September meeting the city of Columbia’s Planning Commission. The commission will consider the site plan for the Chick-fil-A at its Sept. 10 meeting at 4 p.m. at Columbia City Hall.

The planned Chick-fil-A would be along a busy stretch of road just north of Interstate 20. There are a number of businesses along that stretch, including a Bojangles, a Burger King, a Firehouse Subs, Breakfast at Ruiz brunch spot, Carolina Fish & Wings, Scoop of Heaven Ice Cream and others. Pontiac Elementary School also is located along that part of Spears Creek Church Road.

It is an increasingly high-traffic area. About 16,000 cars per day travel down Spears Creek Church Road, per state Department of Transportation statistics, which is a big jump up from 2024, when about 10,000 cars per day traveled down that road. About 70,000 cars per day traverse Interstate 20 nearby, per state stats.

There are more than 3,400 Chick-fil-A locations in the United States, per data website ScrapeHero. The company has continued to make moves in the Midlands, opening new units and renovating existing locations.

For instance, the Lexington location at Saluda Pointe reopened in 2025 after being closed while it expanded its drive-thru capacity. The company’s location inside the Columbiana Centre mall also was extensively remodeled in 2025. A new Chick-fil-A opened in August 2025 at the Gateway 737 development on Gadsden Street next to the Colonial Life Arena. The company opened a new store at 425 Bush River Road in 2025, replacing an older unit that was just down the road, and it is currently in the process of building a new store in the 4600 block of Hard Scrabble Road.

Also, the Chick-fil-A on Harden Street in Columbia’s famed Five Points recently made $1 million in renovations.