LINDA SAuLS & ChuCk MCCurry

West Columbia now has access to free bus services. The Soda Cap Connector runs Sunday through Wednesday from 9 am – 6 pm, and Thursday through Saturday from 9 am – midnight. The new bus stops are:

• 100, 400, and 800 Blocks of State Street

• Alexander Road in front of the Village at Riverwalk

• West Columbia Riverwalk Amphitheater The routes run every 30 minutes between West Columbia and Cayce via Gervais Street and Lincoln Street to the Main Street District. Find more information about the Soda Cap Connector at www.CatchThe-COMET.org .

Welcome to the Chronicle family

Casey Clark has joined the Lexington County Chronicle sales staff. Casey is a lifetime resident of Swansea, SC. Her family has lived there for many generations. She graduated from Columbia College in 2016, and is very involved in her community through The Remnant Ministry and the Swansea Lions Club. In her spare time, she enjoys finding adventure with her boyfriend Troy, restoring their century-old home, and playing with their two dogs, Sadie and Louie. For amazing advertising opportunities, call Casey at 803-445-5358.

Lexington farmer completes training

Travis Baxter of Clayton Rawl Farms, Inc.in Lexington, SC, recently completed the Executive Farm Management program. Participants learned aspects of management needed to successfully manage today’s large, commercial, family-owned farms across the southeast. 28 individual participants representing 21 unique operations and organizations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia participated. EFM is in its second year. It is offered by NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in partnership with Clemson Cooperative Extension.

DSS employee of the month

Brianne Perry, Human Resources Liaison for Lexington County DSS, was named as one of four December Employees of the Month. Besides serving as the HR liaison for her county assisting 17 supervisors, Perry also handles the HR and personnel needs for 7 other counties – Chester, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Richland, Union and York counties.

DJ opens Lexington venue

A new event venue has opened in Lexington County. Twelve Oak Estate is the antebellum-style former home of Russell Spence. It sits on 100 acres of woods at 125 Kittal Rd., Lexington. The property offers the two-story home, a barn space, and a 5,000 square-foot airplane hangar with a runway. The venue can host up to 5,000 guests. Columbia DJ Kevin Snow purchased the property. Find more information at www.facebook.com/twelveoakestate/ .

Lexington man new Commissioner of Banking

Richards H. Green has been promoted to serve as SC Commissioner of Banking . Green lives in Lexington with his wife Hope and their 3 children. Treasurer Curtis Loftis of West Columbia, Chairman of the State Board of Financial Institutions, announced Green’s promotion.

Who’s new

EdVenture has named Lisa W. Hailey as its new President and CEO. Hailey joined the EdVenture staff in April 2017 as Chief Operating Officer. She has been serving as Interim President and CEO following the resignation of former CEO, Karen Coltrane in July 2018. Prior to joining EdVenture, Hailey worked at the Children’s Museum of Richmond in Virginia for 11 years.

$1.3 million W. Columbia land sold

NAI Columbia has announced the sale of 62.95 acres of land. It sold for $1,340,400 to Mungo Homes. The property is located between Jessamine Road and Leaphart Road in West Columbia, off of Mineral Springs Road. Senior brokers Patrick Chambers and Ben Kelly represented the seller in the transaction, according to a release from NAI Columbia.

Lose your military ID?

Veterans without an official military ID can still have the veteran designation added to their drivers licenses or IDs. Applicants can provide a United States Department of Defense discharge certificate, also known as a DD Form 214, Form 4, that shows a characterization of service, or discharge status of “honorable” or “general under honorable conditions.” There is no fee for adding the designation, but there may be a fee for purchasing or renewing the license/ID itself.

SC tourism is way up

Tourism is now a $22.6 billion industry in South Carolina. It has increased $1.4 billion over the previous year with a 50% increase since 2010, according to estimates by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism. The figures mark the sixth consecutive year of tourism growth in South Carolina. There has been a 63% increase in hotel revenue per available room since 2010 in South Carolina. RevPAR is a key indicator of visitation levels and tourism strength.

Martial arts teaches respect

Andrew Black is the owner and instructor at Black Tiger Taekwondo. Black Tiger Taekwondo has been in business for going on 7 years and has extensive experience in training kids. Taekwondo teaches character, confidence, discipline, and respect. It provides instant positive feedback. Black Tiger Taekwondo is located at 728 A West Main Street in Lexington. Reach them at 803 553-0351.

Publix to open market in Lexington

Super market chain Publix will open a new clean-eating grocery store in Lexington. GreenWise Market is a specialty natural and organic store. The store will offer prepared meals from organic and antibiotic-free ingredients. It will also have a beverage bar featuring kombucha, locally-roasted coffee, wine, local beer and smoothies. The opening date and location of the market have not yet been released. For additional information, visit https://greenwisemarket.com/.

Two Lexington County Bi-Lo Grocery Stores to close

Southeastern Grocers will close 2 Bi-Lo stores in Lexington County next month that are “underperforming.” Southeastern Grocers said it is closing the Bi-Lo stores at 421 Columbia Avenue in Lexington and 2916 Emanuel Church Road in West Columbia. “We do not take these decisions lightly, and only make this tough choice after careful consideration of its impact on our associates and our customers has been made,” said Senior Manager of Corporate Communications Joe Caldwell.

Connected Communities grants

Central Carolina Community Foundation awarded $327,000 to 14 Connected Communities grant recipients. Lexington County recipients include:

• City of Cayce, “Art Lot”

• EdVenture’s, “Community Enrichment Initiative”

• River Alliance will improve the “12,000 Year History Park,” located on Congaree Creek in Cayce.

• The Courage Center’s “A Place of Hope” in Lexington. For more information about Connected Communities grants, visit www.yourfoundation.org/community-impact/connected-communities or call 803-254-5601.