Seven Oaks
Seven Oaks, SC · Municipal
The Post and Courier
Columbia threatened to halt fire aid to Irmo amid wrongful death lawsuit, lawyers say
COLUMBIA — In the middle of an open court hearing in the wrongful death lawsuit for former Irmo firefighter J Muller, the city of Columbia threatened to stop providing assistance to Irmo’s fire department if they did not comply with the city’s demands, new legal filings allege. The documents, included in an Oct. 16 filing by lawyers representing Muller’s widow, claim that Columbia threatened it “may stop providing mutual aid assistance for fires in Irmo, South Carolina.” The comment allegedly came during a hearing on Dec. 10, 2025, in which Columbia sought to name Irmo as a third-party defenda...
coladaily.com
Columbia to reveal draft plans for Congaree Riverfront District at Nov. 2 meeting
The City of Columbia will hold a public information session to provide residents, business leaders, and community stakeholders with a first look at the proposed elements and amenities included in the Congaree Riverfront District Draft Master Plan on Monday, Nov. 2, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Senate's End, 316 Senate St., in Columbia.
WLTX.com
USC Gamecock
Lexington County Chronicle
District 5 breaks ground on new Dutch Fork Elementary
Lexington-Richland School District Five officially broke ground Friday, Oct. 30, on the new Dutch Fork Elementary School Academy of Environmental Sciences in Irmo, marking a milestone in the district’s ongoing investment in its schools. The groundbreaking ceremony was held at 9 a.m. at Hope Lutheran Church, located at 1400...
The Post and Courier
New Lowcountry state forest will offer 2,800 acres of recreational opportunities
YEMASSEE — A newly established state forest just outside of Yemassee in the Lowcountry will offer 2,821 acres of public access to recreational opportunities, while protecting natural resources. The land making up the Pocotaligo Station State Forest was recently acquired by the S.C. Forestry Commission, making it the seventh in the state’s network of managed forests. “This is another major milestone for conservation in the Lowcountry,” said Nate Berry, chief land protection officer with the Open Space Institute. A national conservation organization, OSI worked with a number of state agencies, l...
Myrtle Beach Sun-News
The State
What prosecutors say a Saluda wastewater manager hid from regulators
A former senior manager of the Saluda Commission of Public Works pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act after investigators said he allowed untreated sewage to enter the Little Saluda River and falsified water-quality records. John Lorick, 45, of Ninety-Six, oversaw the Town of Saluda’s wastewater treatment plant, which was permitted to discharge treated wastewater into the river, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina. Prosecutors said the plant’s chlorination system was not working, but Lorick did not repair it or notify regulators. Without chlorination, the plant could discharge E. coli above permitted limits, the release said. From about 2022 through March 2025, the plant disposed of sludge primarily by discharging raw sewage into the river, according to evidence described by prosecutors in the release. The plant also used bypasses about 10 to 12 times a year beginning in or before 2023, they said. Lorick knew about the bypasses and did not report them to the state, the release said. Lorick diluted compliance samples with tap water and falsified test results to conceal elevated E. coli levels, according to the release. A bypass in July 2025 killed about 1,529 fish found roughly a