Mortgage Broker Near Me Richland, SC

At Tuesday's meeting, board members discussed $17 million in capital projects scheduled for the 2025-2026 school year.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tuesday evening, Richland County School District One commissioners had quite a bit on their plate, including reviewing millions of dollar's worth of expenditures and what the future of the district's failed early learning center’s property would be.

Commissioners also spent quite a bit of time crunching numbers and discussing the budget for the 2025-2026 school year.

Early on in the meeting, the board agreed to renew the district’s contract with a division of EdBlox, inc. The company provides teachers who remotely lead classes via video conferencing. The approved contract will see the district spend $797,500 on the virtual teachers for middle and high school students during the next school year.

Board members spent a majority of the evening discussing upcoming capital projects that totaled $17 million dollars. $4.4 million of that would go toward replacing laptops and computers district-wide. Some commissioners asked for more details on the projects and suggested that a final vote on the projects should be postponed.

Dr. Ericka Hursey proposed just approving the purchase of the computers.

"There is additional information I think should be a part of asking us to approve spending such large amounts of money," she said.

In the end, commissioners voted to approve most of the expenditures on their list, except for some vehicles, furniture and security components. Those will be voted on at a future meeting.

Near the end of the meeting, Chairman Robert Lominack announced that the district would be working with Richland County to remove any structures at the site of the failed early learning center on Caughman Road and would work with a contractor to ensure the property’s compliance with drainage and retention policies.

Lominack also announced that the district hopes to be able to announce the finalists for the search for a new superintendent by Friday, May 16th. The public would then have a chance to meet the candidates at a special meet-and-greet event.

Richland School District 1 has a new superintendent.

Todd Anthony Walker, the chief curriculum and instruction officer for Columbus City Schools in Columbus, Ohio, will replace current Superintendent Craig Witherspoon.

The school board voted unanimously on the hire. Contract negotiations are pending, but Walker is set to begin a three-year term on July 1 and will be paid an annual salary of $235,000.

Walker, who holds three degrees from The Ohio State University, has 25 years of experience in Ohio schools. He began as an English teacher in 2000 and previously served as a campus director and principal of the Columbus Africentric Early College PK-12 campus. He also previously taught at college level, according to his resume. He also has a law degree.

“On behalf of this Board, I would like to thank our entire community for the engagement they have provided to us throughout this process,” board chair Robert Lominack said in a news release. “It has been invaluable and has demonstrated how much our stakeholders care about this district. I am proud of this Board and how we arrived at this decision, and I know this entire Board is excited to get to work with our next superintendent.”

At a community meet-and-greet May 19, Walker said that if he were chosen as the district’s next leader, he would create a context-specific vision for Richland 1 that included all stakeholders.

“We’ve all heard the phrase, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats,’” Walker said. “I believe that that rising tide is leadership.”

Richland 1 received 42 applications for the superintendency from candidates in 12 states, according to a news release. Seven were selected for interviews.

The district decided to part ways with current Superintendent Craig Witherspoon last fall. He has served the district for 10 years.

The school board voted unanimously on a mutual separation agreement in November following school board elections. As part of the agreement, Witherspoon will receive a full year’s pay — his last contract extension raised his salary to $258,121 — plus accrued compensation for annual leave and six months of health insurance coverage. His last day is June 30.

The new leader will enter a district that has faced scrutiny from community members and state officials for some time, particularly in the last 18 months.

Richland 1 was placed on “fiscal watch” by the state Department of Education, the least severe financial warning, after a state-ordered audit revealed faults with the district’s procurement card policy in late 2022.

In October 2023, Witherspoon and the district administration came under fire after 11 teachers were abruptly reassigned nine weeks into the school year. Richland 1 officials were adamant that such transfers were “not uncommon,” and were made to maintain ideal student-teacher ratios in each district school. The reassignments were condemned by several Richland County legislators.

The district’s efforts to build a $31 million early learning center in Lower Richland have also been heavily criticized.

The state Department of Education refused to issue a permit for the center in December 2023 because the building was intended to serve children as young as infants. The age range meant the building could not be considered a school, the Education Department said. The district kept building anyway.

In January 2024, the district announced that it would stop construction. Reporting by The State revealed that it was due to a stop work order issued by Richland County, rather than of the district’s own accord. Education Department officials called the project a “massive failure” and the district “downright dishonest,” according to emails obtained by The State last year.

The controversy led to an investigation by the state Inspector General, which condemned the district’s work on the center and its procurement practices. Richland 1 had broken state law and wasted taxpayer money, the Inspector General said. Weeks after the July report, state education Superintendent Ellen Weaver placed Richland 1 on “fiscal caution,” the second most severe level of concern by her department.

The district was required to submit a recovery plan. But the state Education Department rejected the plan and ordered another audit. More than six months later, the audit’s current status is unclear.

In March, the new school board decided to terminate the early learning center project, and in April, it voted to demolish the partially-built structure on Caughman Road. To date, at least $7 million has been spent on the center.

It’s National Public Works Week, and this year’s theme is “People, Purpose, Presence.” The City of Columbia wanted to join in on a trend + honor the public works professionals to serve in their communities every day in style.

If there are any citizens out there curious about how Public Works works in Richland County, we’re here to help — and so are they. The Public Works Department performs daily tasks that support the infrastructural maintenance, repairs, and improvement of 836 miles of the County Road Maintenance System.

Road Maintenance and Repair | Think: filling in potholes, smaller paving jobs, curb and gutter maintenance, sidewalk repairs, and more.

Drainage Maintenance | Think: clearing of pipes, reinforcing concrete in pipes, installation of drainage pipes, and more.

Traffic Control and Traffic Safety | Think: installing stop signs, speed humps, road painting, and other traffic operations.

Vegetation Maintenance | Think: trimming trees back so you can see road signs, unclogging drains, and various mowing needs.

Emergency Maintenance and Road Hazards | Think: time-sensitive requests, like removing any obstacles that block the flow of traffic.

Roads + Drainage – Projects Section | Think: complex, lengthy infrastructure projects that exceed repair maintenance, like addressing flooding concerns.

Capital Improvement Projects | Think: smaller sidewalk construction or road paving.

The City of Columbia’s Public Works is available to citizens who need help with or are curious about:

For Richland County — citizens are encouraged to call the Ombudsman’s Office at (803) 929-6000 or stop by in person at 2020 Hampton St. and head to the third floor.

For Columbia — if you need street or sidewalk maintenance, you may submit a request or contact Street Maintenance at (803) 545-3790.

After you submit a request, Street Maintenance will determine who maintains the street or sidewalk. If the City maintains it, your request will be added to the maintenance list. If not, Street Maintenance will notify SCDOT of your request, and you can contact SCDOT directly at (803) 786-0128.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A popular grocery store chain is opening a new location in the greater Columbia area where the Richland Mall once stood.

The City of Forest Acres and Southeastern Development announced Thursday that Kroger will be building a 120,000-square-foot Kroger Marketplace on the property.

The new store will include a drive-thru pharmacy, fuel center, order pickup and an in-store Starbucks.

“We are excited to be a part of the team bringing our new Kroger Marketplace to the community. As an employer, food processor, retailer, healthcare provider, and more, we have a responsibility to create positive change and deliver on our purpose to feed the human spirit,” said Victor Smith, President of Kroger’s Atlanta Division.

The City of Forest Acres has also released an updated plan for the new development.

The new plan includes multi-family apartments, multiple restaurants, retail spaces and extra spaces for various shops along with Kroger.

The plan also includes a potential six-acre public park to be built along with the new development.

Southeastern Development Associates is currently removing the million-foot structure and clearing debris from the site so construction can begin.

The company hopes that debris will be completely cleared, and they will have the necessary permits to start building the apartments by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

The new Kroger building is currently the second structure scheduled to be built.

Meanwhile, officials said the current Kroger located at 3403 Forest Drive will remain open while the new Kroger Marketplace is under construction. It’s expected that the location will close once the new Kroger opens.

“The Kroger announcement sets this public/private redevelopment project up for success and will create a place that Forest Acres and the entire Columbia area can enjoy and be proud of,” said Jason Long, Vice President of Southeastern Development Associates.

The current goal is to have some businesses ready to open their doors in 2027.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS News 10 for updates.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2025 WIS. All rights reserved.

A man was arrested on multiple charges after a series of home invasions in South Carolina early Monday morning, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

After failing to force his way into one Richland County home, 37-year-old Jerome Reed kicked in the door of another house on the same street, the sheriff’s department said Tuesday in a news release.

At about 3 a.m. Monday, deputies responded to reports of two home invasions on Sky Lane Drive, according to the release. That’s in Hopkins, in the area between Lower Richland Boulevard and Leesburg Road.

Deputies arrived at a home in the 700 block of Sky Lane Drive where they found an open door and began to search the property, the sheriff’s department said. While clearing the house, deputies discovered Reed with items from the home in-hand, according to the release.

Reed was taken into custody, but while he was being removed from the home he tried grabbing a deputy’s gun, the sheriff’s department said. Reed did not get the gun and was restrained by deputies, according to the release.

An investigation showed that Reed first attempted to break into a home in the 800 block of Sky Lane Drive by kicking the front door, but he was unsuccessful, the sheriff’s department said. Reed then moved to the home in the 700 block where he ripped off the doorbell camera and began kicking the front door, according to the release.

The noise woke the homeowner and her small child, the sheriff’s department said. The mother and child left their home and hid before Reed entered, according to the release.

No injuries were reported by the sheriff’s department.

Reed was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he was charged with first-degree attempted burglary, first-degree burglary, attempted taking firearm or other weapon from law enforcement officer in addition to malicious Injury to real property, according to the release.

Bond was set at $9,625 on the combined charges, but Reed remains behind bars, jail records show.

The Hopkins resident is scheduled to appear in court again on July 25, according to Richland County judicial records.

When he was taken into custody Monday, Reed was out on bond from March 19 and April 14 arrests on trespassing charges, and he has been arrested more than a dozen other times in the past decade, Richland County court records show.