As part of its relocation to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in West Columbia, the 169th Fighter Wing of the S.C. Air National Guard began conducting night training with its F-16s this week.

The night training was scheduled for July 18-21, according to a Facebook post from the SCANG.

“Anyone working or living near Columbia Metropolitan Airport in Lexington County, S.C. may see and hear F-16 fighter jets taking off or landing after normal business hours until approximately 12:00 a.m.,” the post notes.

“Military training flights are normally conducted during daylight hours. However, SCANG pilots and maintenance personnel are required to conduct periodic nighttime operations as part of their overall readiness. Pilots will follow flight paths designed to minimize noise to citizens who live and work near the airport.”

The wing has relocated to West Columbia from McEntire Joint National Guard Base while its runway there is resurfaced. The McEntire renovations are expected to be complete “on or about” Oct. 31, the post notes.

“We have taken every possible measure in our flight profiles to minimize noise generated from our training operations,” Col. Quaid Quadri, commander of the 169th Fighter Wing, is quoted. “We understand the impact to our neighbors and appreciate their support. We stand on the shoulders of giants in our community.”

Lexington School District 5 Board Member Faces Ethics Charges

Ken Loveless, vice chair of the Lexington-Richland School District 5 board, faces formal charges from the state Ethics Commission.

“Loveless is accused of failing to recuse himself from decisions made by Lexington-Richland 5 regarding Contract Construction, the company that built Chapin’s new Piney Woods Elementary School that opened last year,” The State’s Bristow Merchant reports. “Contract Construction also used Loveless’s company, Loveless Commercial Contracting, as a subcontractor for construction work on a new laboratory for the State Law Enforcement Division, for which Loveless was awarded a $1 million contract.”

Loveless response to the charges is included on page A5 as a letter to the editor.

The vice chair has announced he will seek re-election in November. He is scheduled for a formal ethics hearing on Feb. 16.

In other District 5 news, Merchant reports that Andrea White, the district’s attorney, resigned citing concern for her reputation.

“[T]he Board is, at the present time, operating in a matter that is dysfunctional and not conducive to the well-functioning of the District,” The State quotes from her letter, sent June 13. “As an attorney, I am bound to provide advice and counsel I believe is in the client’s best interest. That legal advice is necessarily based on the facts with which I am presented.”

Lexington Has State’s Lowest Gas Prices

As of July 19, Lexington County had the lowest gas price of any county in the state.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.812 in the county. Lexington is one of six counties in the state with a price of $3.865 or lower. Lexington neighbor Saluda also is among the lowest at $3.863.

A week earlier, the average price in Lexington County was $4.001.

The average gas price in the state was $3.998 (down from $4.164). The national average was $4.495 (down from $4.644).

The website GasBuddy, which ranks gas prices according to user input, listed these as the places with the lowest prices as of July 19:

Energy Fuels (2498 Charleston Hwy. in Cayce) — $3.49

Marathon (426 Columbia Ave. in Lexington) — $3.54

Murphy USA (5579 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington) — $3.55

Circle K (5372 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington) — $3.57

Speedway (815 N Lake Dr. in Lexington) — $3.57

Murphy Express (108 Knoll Station Dr. in Lexington) — $3.57

Murphy Express (2925 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia) — $3.57

Shell & Circle K (746 W Main St. in Lexington) — $3.57

Murphy Express (4448 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington) — $3.57

BP & Circle K (889 S Lake Dr.) — $3.57

Richland County Council Denies $80M for Riverbanks Zoo Expansion

Richland County Council denied $80 million in funds to expand Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, which straddles the counties of Richland and Lexington along the Saluda River in Columbia and West Columbia.

“The zoo’s expansion would have been funded with a property tax increase,” The Post and Courier’s Skylar Laird writes. “It included several new animal exhibits, including a Primate Forest with orangutans, a nature preserve with black bears and red wolves, and an African lion exhibit.”

Laird reports that the zoo will pause its expansion plans for the time being, citing Riverbanks Zoo spokesperson Susan O’Cain.

West Columbia Brewery Renovation Awarded

Savage Craft Ale Works, which opened just off State Street in West Columbia in 2021, was recently awarded a 2022 Preservation Award by the state Department of Archives and History for its renovation of its home, formerly a Brookland fire and police station.

“As you walk through, you’ll notice pieces of history throughout the modern space, like old photographs on the walls and tables constructed of the old fire station doors,” the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board notes in its online listing for the brewery.