By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler We all have teachers who have touched our lives, and a few weeks ago, I had the privilege of talking with my former fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Judy Bedenbaugh. Mrs. Judy was an only child and a “lint head” because she grew up in a mill village. HerContinue Reading
By: Lisa Hostetler Brown, Managing Attorney, LawyerLisa Expert Answer: (Hint: It might not be Johnny!)Setting up an irrevocable trust is often a smart and effective way to protect your assets from long-term care costs, especially when pre-planning for Medicaid eligibility. However, this strategy works only if you choose the right TrusteeContinue Reading
By Tom Poland, A Southern WriterTomPoland.net Besides the solitary confinement of writing, I cut myself off from the world in two places. Hard-to-reach wilderness areas and forgotten churches where a haunting takes over when I see pews, a pulpit, and the occasional piano. A hymnal now and then too. MyContinue Reading
By Robin All, PGA Life Member When’s the last time you practiced a bunker shot—or tried that high, soft flop over the trap to a tight pin? Maybe never. But somehow, we still expect to post a low score! Let’s face it: bunkers are designed to penalize you for missingContinue Reading
By Jennifer Tardy, Certified Holistic Nutritionist & Integrative Health Coach With so much conflicting health information out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But wellness doesn’t have to be complicated—it should feel empowering. Each season offers us simple ways to support the body naturally. Here’s what’s new in the worldContinue Reading
The Maker’s Mark I can’t remember who I signed the first book for but I’ll hazard a guess it was a woman. Not many men turn out for book signings. For sure I remember where I was. At Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina. Thus began signings for thirty-six yearsContinue Reading
July 4, 2025, marked the 249th anniversary of our nation. I have always celebrated Independence Day with fireworks, cookouts, and time with family. As an educator, I try to find a teaching moment in every interaction, so this Independence Day, I quizzed my children about the Declaration of Independence. TheyContinue Reading
By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler Mrs. Margaret and Mrs. Millie have truly enjoyed life. Mille was an accomplished runner and ran marathons. She began running at the age of 50 to accompany her son, who had also started running. Amazing. I cannot imagine running marathons, let alone starting at age 50. SheContinue Reading
By Eileen Renders Sometimes, we are unsure whether we are overweight or our weight is in the right range for our sex, height, and body weight. We all have learned that being overweight, and especially obese, we are at a higher risk for certain types of cancer, heart disease, hypertension,Continue Reading
By Sarah Ostergaard More school districts across South Carolina are changing to year-round modified school calendars. This summer, start dates range across the state from July 21 to August 18, with ending dates May 21 through June 4. The name “year-round modified school schedule” is sort of a misnomer –Continue Reading
By Tom Poland, A Southern WriterTomPoland.net A blade-like katydid poses by a bison cuff of bronze. Nature blessed my boyhood summers with music. Cicadas’ rising-falling singsong gave days rhythm. Katydids chimed in evenings with a nightshift song backed by cricket twitter. The call of a whip-poor-will drifted through the night.Continue Reading
By Leisha Wessinger-Huffstetler It is beautiful when the past and present intersect to create current history. I sat with two beautiful, elegant, spunky ladies last week, Margaret Gates Robinson and Millie Courtney. The two best friends met in 2014 in an elevator at Mt. Horeb Lutheran Church. Mrs. Margaret wasContinue Reading
By Eileen Renders Can Stress Cause Cancer? According to City of Hope, and their medical and editorial guidelines, and I quote, “Studies suggest that chemical changes within the body due to stress increase the risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes and the growth and spread of cancer.” ForContinue Reading
By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler The Higher Ground Char House has new owners, Andrew and Kim Babcock. Let us as a community support our restaurants and welcome the new owners. The Chapin Town Hall meeting is July 15, at 6 pm 157 NW Columbia Avenue. What else is new in Chapin? McAllister’sContinue Reading
By Liesha Wessinger-Huffstetler Who owned the land in the town of Chapin in the 1750’s? Great question. It was not Martin Chapin. John Bigham, in a Chapin Times article, interviewed Mrs. Llewellyn Pearce, granddaughter of Martin Chapin. She said that Martin Chapin first moved to Columbia from New York inContinue Reading
By Tom Poland, A Southern WriterTomPoland.net There was a time carriers arrived like clockwork, were friendly, and lost mail was never a problem. Today’s USPS is unionized, bloated, arrogant, and inefficient. It even steals your checks. U.S. law, specifically the Private Express Statutes, grants the USPS a legal monopoly overContinue Reading