Today’s Forecast

66º | Heavy thunderstorms | 90% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. | Sunset 5:32 p.m.

It’s electric, boogie woogie woogie

Cirba Solutions is coming to Richland County

Electric vehicle charging | Photo by Kindel Media

Cirba Solutions — an electric vehicle battery materials facility — is investing $323 million to establish operations in Richland County and has been referred to as “Project Viper.”

The new state-of-the-art, world-class lithium-ion battery recycling + materials facility will be ~400,000-sqft and located at Pineview Industrial Park, which is less than 1.5 miles from I-77 via Shop Road and home to Mark Anthony Brewing.

Why does this matter?

The plant will take old batteries (from hybrids + electric vehicles) and other scrap materials and put them through a process that extracts materials — think: nickel, cobalt, and lithium. This extraction process will provide enough premium recycled battery-grade metal salts to power over 500,000 electric vehicle batteries annually. Watch this video to get the rundown on the project.

Timeline

The company expects to begin operations in 2024 after breaking ground on the plant sometime this year creating ~300 jobs in the process.

Zooming out

The term “electric vehicle” has been a buzzword recently in Columbia as this news follows the Scout Motors announcement made earlier this month. Economic developments like Cirba Solutions and Scout Motors are changing the industry landscape in the Midlands.

Following the announcement of Cirba Solutions coming to Richland County, Gov. Henry McMaster said, “South Carolina has worked hard to create a business environment where the electric vehicle industry can thrive, and with announcements like this it is most certainly paying off. We are proud to have Cirba Solutions as a partner as we continue to grow our already booming electric vehicle industry.”

Richland County Council gave its final approval on a 40-year fee-in-lieu-of-tax agreement with Cirba Solutions on Tuesday during its County Council meeting.

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Events

Thursday, March 23

The Runout, Say Femme, Kimberly Walsh | Thursday, Mar. 23 | 7 p.m. | New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St., West Columbia | $10 | For fans of Americana music, check out three great locals performing together.
Garden Asana - Grass Roots Yoga | Thursday, Mar. 23, Thursday, Apr. 6 | 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Gardener’s Outpost, 1211 Franklin St., Columbia | $15 | This class is for everyone, focuses on breath, and there will be opportunities for alignment guidance.
The ART of Real Estate Karma Keg Social | Thursday, Mar. 23 | 4:30-7 p.m. | Craft and Draft, 2706 Devine St., Columbia | Free | The ART of Real Estate provides the beer while you supply a donation and enjoy local community.

Friday, March 24

COLAughs Comedy at Femme X with Lace Larrabee | Friday, Mar. 24 | 8 p.m. | Femme X Columbia, 1501 Richland St., Columbia | $18.50 | Lace Larrabee is an Atlanta-based actor and nationally touring stand-up comic.
USC Gamecock Baseball vs. University of Missouri Tigers Baseball | Friday, Mar. 24-Sunday, Mar. 26 | 7 p.m. | Founders Park, 431 Williams St., Columbia | $15-$20 | Root root root for the home team as USC faces the Missouri tigers in Founders Park on Friday night.

Saturday, March 25

Plant Exchange | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 10 a.m. | Parking Lot of Talbots in Forest Acres, 4809 Forest Dr., Columbia | Free | Come to exchange annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs, house plants, bulbs, and rootings.
Soiree on State | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 2-8 p.m. | State St., Cayce | Free | Enjoy art everywhere, local food, vendors, a kids’ area, and live music from Prettier than Matt, Tokyo Joe, and more.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

Click here to have your event featured.

100+ more events

Travel and Outdoors

🍓 3 u-pick farms to check out this spring

3 u-pick farms to check out this spring 🍓

Presented by a COLAtoday Partner

A bucket of freshly picked strawberries from Bush-n-Vine, a u-pick farm in the Olde English District.

The Olde English District (Chester, Chesterfield, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Union, and York counties) has plenty of farms to explore — perfect for a springtime day trip. | Photo by Visit York County

Did you know? Our agriculture-driven state has nearly 25,000 farms and 4.8 million acres of farmland.

If you’d like to get hands-on by picking your favorite fruits and veggies this spring, plan an outing to these agritourism destinations in the Olde English District:

Cotton Hills Farm and Market | 2575 Lowrys Hwy, Chester (~1 hour from Columbia) | This family-owned farm offers u-pick strawberries April-June with the chance to pick your own peaches, tomatoes, flowers, sweet corn, okra, and more in June through the end of summer. Head back in the fall for pumpkins and collards during the winter months.
Bush-N-Vine Farm | 1650 Filbert Hwy, York (~1 hour from Columbia) | What started as a peach farm has turned into much more. Guests can pick their own strawberries, blueberries, peaches, blackberries, sunflowers, and pumpkins, all depending on the season. Pro tip: Check out the Farm Cafe before you leave for fresh donuts, ice cream, slushies, hotdogs + more.
McLeod Farms | 29247 Hwy 151, McBee | (~1 hour from Columbia) | Since 1916, this farm has been growing delicious peaches and other produce. Starting in April, the farm invites guests to fill their buckets full of juicy strawberries. With 800+ acres of peaches, 60 acres of strawberries, 10 acres of blackberries, and more, McLeod Farms has a lot to explore.*

See the full list of farms

News Notes

Weather

84º | Sunny | 10% chance of rain

Plan Ahead

The SC State Fair is bringing back its annual Spring Fair Food Drive-Thru event April 16-22. Grub on traditional fair food and drinks. This year, the fair will host a walk-in Kickoff Day event on Sat., April 15, from 3-9 p.m. Enjoy picnic table seating and free movie nights April 21 + 22.

Festival

After a three-year hiatus, the South Carolina Cornbread Festival is back. The festival, that’s dedicated to the love of cornbread, will take place on Sunday, April 30, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at 2847 N. Main St. Enjoy cornhole, a cornbread cook-off, the cornbread eating competition, and more. Tickets are $10.

Award

Gamecock women’s basketball head coach, Dawn Staley, has been named USBWA Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. This is the second consecutive season + the third time in four years that Coach Staley has been awarded this honor. Congrats, Coach! (Gamecocks Online)

Sports

Speaking of Gamecock basketball, the team will advance in the NCAA tournament and face UCLA this Fri., March 25 at 2 p.m. in the Bon Secures Wellness Arena in Greenville. If they win, they will play in the Elite Eight game on Monday evening.

State

A handful of singers from around SC are headed to Hollywood to compete on American Idol. Check out the full list of contestants on The State to see which cities they are from, some of which, are right around the corner from Columbia.

Today Is

National Puppy Day. This is your sign to support Columbia Animal Services, and maybe consider adopting a furry family member. If you already have a pup in your life, why not treat them to a new floofy bed?

Shop

It’s that time of year to freshen up your home’s aroma, and our online shop (Six & Main) has the perfect candles. Drift away to scents such as woods + berries by The Rustic House or ripe juniper in a reusable vessel by Plant Based Candles. That smells just about right.

Health

Do you know the early signs of a heart attack? How about how these differ for men and women? This info could save your life or the life of someone you love — learn about risk factors and more.*

Drink

Looking for a refreshing spring cocktail? This Ultra Seltzer Hollywood Highball features fresh lime and cilantro — and looks perfect for porch sipping.*

FOOD + DRINK

Tupelo Honey is coming

Tupelo Honey is coming to the BullStreet District

Tupelo Honey was founded in Asheville in 2000. | Photo provided by Tupelo Honey

Tupelo Honey Cafe is set to open its first Cola location at the new Bennet Building at BullStreet early next year.

The new location will be a 5,800 sqft space serving its popular scratch-made southern food and handmade cocktails.

Fun Fact: Tupelo Honey was founded in Asheville in 2000 and now has 20 restaurants in 13 states.

The BullStreet District has seen major growth over the last few years. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and #throwbackthursday to when we first announced the construction of the Bennet Building in 2021.

The Wrap

Samantha Robertson in a white shirt and grey vest

Today’s Edition By:
Sam

From the Editor

Does your white car look a pale shade of yellow? Mine too. Good thing Big Dan’s Car Wash recently opened its first SC location on Elmwood Ave. Read more about the car wash in The Post and Courier and drive by sometime this week for a cleaning.

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