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🌱 Patch AM: See where Dutch Bros is opening next in West Columbia

Make time for The Mothers Improv Comedy Show on the Columbia Patch calendar

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Good day Columbia! We're here again with what you need to know today. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • See where Dutch Bros is opening next in West Columbia
  • How a Columbia church is turning unwanted guns into tools and art
  • How new rural health funding could shorten your drive to care

Also on today's calendar: The South Carolina Black Film Festival with Queens (NY) Underground International Film Festival and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What are the two favorite words for a shark to hear? 🤔 (Answer below!)

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Weather forecast:

  • Sunday: Partly sunny and delightful, with a high of 83 and low of 53 degrees.
  • Monday: Plenty of sunshine, temps: high: 85, low: 55.
  • Tuesday: Plenty of sunshine, with a high of 86 and low of 62 degrees. 🌶 Hot!

📰 News we're reading

1. 'Dutch' invasion continues: New coffee shop coming to busy West Columbia area (thestate.com) — A new Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru is under construction on Sunset Boulevard in West Columbia, adding another option for Columbia-area caffeine runs in a high-traffic corridor near Lexington Medical Center and I-26. It joins several recently opened or converted Dutch Bros locations across Columbia, Lexington, and Irmo, signaling the chain's rapid expansion around the Midlands.
   

2. In Columbia, guns are being turned into garden tools and works of art (thestate.com) — At McGregor Presbyterian Church in Columbia, residents recently joined a Guns to Gardens event where surrendered firearms were melted down and transformed into garden tools, jewelry, and art. Supported by the Richland County Sheriff's Department, the gathering promoted safe gun disposal, secure storage, and nonviolent conflict resolution while turning symbols of harm into objects meant to nurture life and peace.
   

3. More than $167M in federal funds heads to 228 South Carolina groups for rural health care (wltx.com) — Columbia-area residents may soon see better access to care as more than $167 million in federal rural health funds flow to 228 South Carolina organizations, including several in the Midlands. Newberry Health's $9.5 million award and Able SC's tech-access project aim to cut long drives to Columbia or Greenville by expanding local services and digital health tools for rural patients.
   

4. Rare open discipline hearing to put spotlight on actions of an SC judge (thestate.com) — A rare public judicial discipline hearing will take place Tuesday in Columbia, examining whether Judge Carmen Mullen misused her position during a 2017 incident involving a mentally troubled acquaintance. The Commission on Judicial Conduct panel will hear evidence and then recommend possible sanctions to the S.C. Supreme Court, which will decide if any punishment is warranted.
   

📸 Around Columbia

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Highly recommend KJ Does It All!
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I booked them for a backyard cut and they did an amazing job - professional, on time, and very reasonable on price. They were also willing to… (Nextdoor Oakbrook Village)
  • Found a lost young tabby cat.
    Hiding under a car near Walker Solomon Way and Slighs Avenue. It was meowing and followed me back inside. He has food and water. Please share if you… (Nextdoor Columbia)
  • Government Jobs posted a job opening for Eligibility Specialist II, Team Lead (MAGI) / 60018431RP in Columbia. Apply here.
  • CarMax posted a job opening for Flow Inventory Associate in Columbia. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Columbia here.

Ok Columbia! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "MAN OVERBOARD!" (Thank you M J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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