Best Moving Company in Columbia

It’s a “Honey” of a date.

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen and Bar, which has locations across the U.S., will open its first Columbia restaurant on Feb. 3, the company said in a release. It will be located at 2138 Pickens St. in the BullStreet District. The Tupelo Honey will be on the ground floor of the Bennet at BullStreet apartment development, next door to Segra Park.

“Being a Southern brand, it’s always a thrill when we can expand our presence to more friends in the South,” Tupelo Honey chief operating officer Caroline Skinner said in a statement. “We are equally as excited to be part of the incredibly unique BullStreet District that reflects the spirit of downtown Columbia in a fresh, exciting way.

“We know we’re joining what is not only a great culinary community but a thriving business district in the heart of the city that’s helping put Columbia on the map.”

Beyond the Feb. 3 opening, Tupelo Honey will have a ribbon cutting celebration at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 13, with the first 50 guests that day getting free entrees. There also will be free biscuits all day on Feb. 13.

Tupelo Honey has a strong presence in the Southeast, and currently has South Carolina locations in Greenville and Myrtle Beach. The restaurant is known for its brunch and dinner offerings, as well as cocktails and more. It’s menu features everything from fluffy biscuits with blueberry jam and whipped butter to avocado toast and eggs to chicken and waffles to burgers and beyond.

The company describes itself in a release as “a revival and celebration of Southern food and Appalachian traditions rooted in the Carolina Mountains.”

The BullStreet location will be the 24th Tupelo Honey nationwide. The Columbia restaurant will occupy more than 6,300 square feet and will have indoor and outdoor dining space. More than 100 people are being hired to work at the restaurant.

The State

Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 20 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of numerous South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.

A tornado watch was issued Sunday for the Columbia area and much of South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.

The tornado watch, which went into effect early Sunday, is scheduled to run through 1 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

Both Richland and Lexington counties were included in the tornado watch. Other Midlands counties listed in the tornado watch were Kershaw, Newberry, Lee, Calhoun, Clarendon, Fairfield, Orangeburg, Saluda and Sumter — among other areas in across South Carolina.

Columbia, Lexington, West Columbia and Irmo were also areas in the Midlands where a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, according to the National Weather Service. The warning for Lexington and Irmo is active through 9 a.m., while it’s in effect until 9:45 a.m. for Columbia and West Columbia.

The greatest threat of severe thunderstorms in the Columbia area is between 9 and 11 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologists said in a morning briefing. A limited threat of severe weather remains in the afternoon, but is forecast to dissipate after 6 p.m., according to the briefing.

In addition to tornadoes, the thunderstorms could include other severe weather effects, such as damaging wind gusts, hail and some street flooding, according to the briefing. Significant flash flooding is not expected, the National Weather Service said.

A lake wind advisory was also issued and will run through 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Winds from 10-15 mph are expected, while some gusts could reach 30 mph, the National Weather Service said.

Powerful winds and tornadoes could cause considerable damage to trees and branches, in addition to mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings. Vehicles would also be under siege in the case of a tornado.

Damage to trees and branches creates the possibility of downed power lines and outages.

There is a 100% chance of rain in the Columbia area, and up to 2 inches of precipitation could be recorded, according to the forecast. Localized amounts in other areas could be higher.

Temperatures could reach the high 60s, where they could return on Monday and Tuesday, when conditions are expected to be mostly sunny, with only a slight chance of afternoon showers, the forecast shows.

For those looking to celebrate New Year’s Eve, a low temperature of 43 degrees is forecast for Tuesday night. New Year’s Day is expected to be cool, with a high temperature of 59 degrees, but sunny, according to the forecast.

In a breaking news situation, facts can be unclear and the situation may still be developing. The State is trying to get important information to the public as quickly and accurately as possible. This story will be updated as more information becomes available, and some information in this story may change as the facts become clearer. Refresh this page later for more updated information.

This story was originally published December 29, 2024, 8:48 AM.

We’ve shared holiday markets, pop-up bars, where to see festive lights, and where to enjoy the holiday season around town. As 2024’s days continue to dwindle, we’re sharing several New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Columbia’s Comedy Countdown | The Corley Mill House will host some of the best comedians in the southeast to celebrate 2025. Enjoy comedy shows — including headliner Sean Finnerty, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Comedy Central, and more — drinks, food from Shealy’s BBQ, free parking, champagne at midnight, party favors, and more. Doors open at 9 p.m. + tickets start at $100.

The Drop on Main | Ring in 2025 on the 1600 block of Main Street. From exclusive ticketed events to a lively free block party, this will be the ultimate destination for New Year’s Eve celebrations. See a lineup of events.

German New Year | Be home before bedtime and celebrate 2025 at 6 p.m. — midnight in Germany — at Bierkeller Columbia. For $99, grub on a four-course German meal, two drinks, and a Sekt toast (German sparkling wine) at “midnight.”

New Year’s Eve at Market on Main | Treat yourself to a three-course dinner, live entertainment, and watch the ball drop live on the jumbotron. Enjoy a complimentary champagne toast, sparklers, an open bar, and more. Tickets are limited + start at $150.

Night of Noir and Neon at Savage Craft Ale Works | Savage Craft Ale Works is celebrate the building’s illustrious 100-year Obsidian Anniversary in grand style. Think black tie meets bold electric hues, sleek suits, gowns, and pops of neon accessories. Dance the night away with four DJs, a 360° photobooth, dance floors, UV lighting, and more.

NYE 2024 at Transmission Arcade | This limited-ticket event includes a multi-course buffet, specialty cocktails, a champagne toast at midnight, free play arcade games all night, and a skee-ball tournament with prizes.

Columbia just got a windfall of federal dollars that should finally cover most, if not all, of the costs to reroute trains away from vehicle traffic around downtown.

The long-wished-for project will get $204 million from the Federal Railroad Administration, Congressman James Clyburn announced Friday while joined by members of Columbia City Council and South Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Justin Powell.

Columbia officials have dreamed of separating the railroads from the roadways for more than a century. They’ve been raising money for the work since the early 1990s.

“What is going to happen when all of this is done, we will have cured that problem that has been there forever,” Clyburn said. “Getting trains to move as they should.”

There are more than a dozen railroad crossings in around downtown Columbia, mostly focused down Assembly Street where seemingly unending freight trains roll through with little warning, causing major traffic backups in one of the city’s busiest areas.

Previously, officials estimated the project would cost upwards of $200 million. Now, that estimate ranges from $265 to $305 million, depending on exactly how the trains are rerouted.

In total, the transportation department has $279 million for the work, including some other federal dollars, $35 million from South Carolina, $25 million from the next iteration of the Richland County penny tax fund and $5 million from the city of Columbia’s general fund.

The news of the federal money comes as the state Department of Transportation is about to finalize its choice for the best way to reroute that train traffic away from vehicles.

In early December, the department showed residents the final three options for rerouting that traffic would look like. All of the plans call for a dramatic reshaping of a portion of downtown, including building new bridges and relocating homes and bridges.

The department has been collecting public input on those plans for the last month. In March, it will host a public hearing to unveil the final plan. Whatever plan they pick will mean major construction once work begins.

“We are talking about a monumental project,” Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said at the Friday press conference, adding that the construction will certainly have some impact on residents but that it will ultimately transform Columbia.

“This is a game changer for Columbia,” Rickenmann said. “It opens up the gateway, it opens up the whole realm of our downtown city, It makes us an urban center.”

But just because the money to cover at least most of the work is now on the table doesn’t mean residents will see construction any time soon.

Rickenmann said he and other city officials will be having conversations with the transportation department and project leaders to find ways to minimize the impacts the project construction is sure to have. For example, one of the rerouting plans involves building a bridge either for vehicles or for railroad tracks. Rickenmann said there’s a potential that bridge would be built off-site and then transported to its final site.

But residents have a few years before they need to worry about that, he added.

The Department of Transportation will still need to get some federal approvals, including complying with the National Environmental Policy Act, and then it will begin designing the work in earnest.

The State

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Morgan Hughes covers Columbia news for The State. She previously reported on health, education and local governments in Wyoming. She has won awards in Wyoming and Wisconsin for feature writing and investigative journalism. Her work has also been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association.

COLUMBIA, SC

While officials warned of power outages later into Friday evening, as of 2 p.m. only around 1,400 homes, or less than 1% of the state, were without power. The largest amount of homes without power, at over 500 homes, was concentrated in Lexington County. Only one home was without power in Richland.

Meanwhile, Prisma Health, which operates hospitals and doctors’ practices across the Midlands, has closed all of its medical practices as of noon, Prisma Health said in a news release. Its hospitals remain open.

Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency for South Carolina Friday afternoon.

”Our state’s emergency teams are fully prepared, and this State of Emergency will provide them additional support to respond to the winter weather moving across our state,” McMaster said in a statement.

The state’s public safety department urged people to avoid unnecessary travel. The S.C. Department of Transportation began preparing roads and highways for the winter weather Wednesday and will have staff and equipment set up around the state, the governor’s office said in a press release Friday.

”We’ve faced snow and ice storms in the past, and we are fully prepared to respond to any requests for assistance from our local emergency managers,” Kim Stenson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, said.

At an 11 a.m. briefing, the National Weather Service gave an update to conditions expected along parts of the Interstate 20 corridor and further north, as meteorologists anticipate roads in those areas could exceed a quarter inch of ice.

The initial sleet and snowfall in Columbia and surrounding areas was more than NWS initially predicted.

“We knew we were going to have an impactful winter weather event. This initial batch earlier this morning wasn’t expected to be quite as intense as it is,” John Quagliariello, a meterologist for NWS in Columbia, said at a briefing Friday morning.

The change in the forecast was due to two main factors: higher amounts of precipitation than expected and below freezing temperatures, Quagilariello explained.

As anticipated, road conditions are expected to worsen throughout Friday afternoon and into the evening as a wintry mix continues to fall. Meterologists predict the sleet will turn to rain as temperatures warm above freezing Saturday morning. As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, most of the sleet and snowfall for the Aiken and Augusta area had already occurred and was set to move into the Columbia area in the afternoon.

The COMET bus system has announced it will suspend transit operations by 4 p.m. due to the winter weather.

The bus service will stop running its routes including the USC transit system at that time because of expected poor conditions, the COMET said in a news release.

Routes will continue to operate as normal until that time. Pickups for the inclement weather center will begin at 2 p.m. at Main and Calhoun. The last outbound trips will leave the COMET’s downtown hub at 4 p.m.

COMET services will also operate on a two-hour delay on Saturday, with a projected start time of 7 a.m.

In addition to local school districts, other closings are rolling in across the Midlands.

Government offices in Richland and Lexington counties are closing at noon Friday by order of S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster. The University of South Carolina will also close its Columbia campus at noon.

The Richland Library closed all its locations at 10:30 a.m. Friday and says it will remain closed until 2 p.m. Saturday. The State Museum is also closed Friday and will reopen at noon Saturday.

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport is operating as normal Friday, but encourages flyers to check the status of their flight in case it changes.

A winter storm warning has gone into effect for 15 Midlands counties as low temperatures and frosty weather roll over South Carolina.

The warning, issued by the National Weather Service, will be in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday. It covers Aiken, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda and Sumter counties.

Sleeting has already begun in parts of Richland County, and snow was reported in Lexington County early Friday.

Icing on roads and power outages are possible as the storm is expected to pick up in intensity throughout the day Friday and last into the early hours of Saturday morning. The National Weather Service urged extreme caution if you are traveling north of Interstate 20, including Interstates 26 and 77.

Midlands schools districts have moved up their departure times for Friday, with schools in Richland County dismissing all students by noon. Lexington 1 school district sent a text to parents Friday that its dismissal times would move up 30 minutes earlier than previously expected, with all schools now out by 12:15 p.m.

Pleasant Hill Elementary School posted video Friday morning of students playing in the snow as it fell in Lexington.

This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 10:27 AM.

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