South Carolina Focus

Over 100 soldiers from South Carolina are still missing and unaccounted for from the Korean War. July 27 marks the 65 th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war. The war started in June of 1950 and over the span of three years, more than 36,000 American soldiers were killed. Friday, remains believed to be of 55 US troops killed during the War, were returned to the United States by North Korea. Conrad Nowak is president of the Foothills Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association in

The Department of Veterans Affairs has identified legal services as one of the the most significant unmet needs of homeless and poor veterans. The University of South Carolina's School of Law recently opened a free, veterans legal clinic to address this demand. The clinic is located on the third floor of the law school, open from 9am to 5pm weekdays and follows the university's holiday schedule. Walk-ins are welcome, but director Clyde Gore Jr. recommends making an appointment. “We always tell

Chris Crolley wears a long, grey, shirt only those who work in the sun instinctively know to wear. His blue eyes reflect some of the button-up’s hue, as he looks out beneath his worn, woven hat with a small, winged pin. He knows what makes tourists and locals alike go “ahhh”. He’s been giving tours of Mount Pleasant’s Shem Creek for 30 years. “That’s the Atlantic, bottle nosed dolphin,” he says. The president of Coastal Expeditions knows the wildlife; dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, as well as

Columbia has a rich history of being a cotton/textile mill town. The Olympia and Granby Mills are located just outside of the downtown area, next to the Congaree river. Like many places in Columbia, this historic area is growing. The Olympia-Granby Historical Foundation was created in 2014 to promote activities within the Olympia and Granby Mill Villages. Since then, the group has also worked to bring new life to the building that served as the one-room, Olympia School. Foundation members Sherry

At the University of South Carolina, the Moving Image Research Collection has established a reputation as one of the top film archives in the country. Curator Greg Wilsbacher, says Newsfilm Collections at USC has received some notable donations over the years— including footage from the United States Marine Corps. But it all started with a donation in 1980 from the Fox Corporation, containing countless hours of newsreels and outtakes from the turn of the 20 th Century. As Wilsbacher and his

Snoring can ruin the sleep of millions of South Carolinians, and it doesn’t do the snorer any good, either. Sleep expert Dr. Robert Puchalski says vibrations in the throat cause snoring, and by the passing of air through a tight space in the upper airway, in the way that wind instruments create sound. At least half of people snore, according to USC sleep specialist Dr. Antoinette Rutherford. That includes 10 percent of children, who manifest the effects of snoring differently than adults: they

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is planning a major change to its gun background check system in an effort to keep more weapons out of the wrong hands. Examiners will be given access to a large, previously untapped database of more than 400 million records as they determine when gun purchases can go through nationwide. But for the survivors and victims’ families in a Charleston, South Carolina church massacre, the change did not come soon enough. “It’s amazing it’s taken more than three

Of the various superstitions people are subject to, one only manifests itself up to three times a year: Friday the 13th. University of South Carolina sociologist Barry Markovsky says beliefs in things like Friday the 13th - the fear of the day even has a fancy title: friggatriskaidekaphobia (say that three times quickly if you can) - give the superstitious an illusion that they can have some control over events by doing things like staying home or not doing certain things in order to avoid the

Small scale brewing operations like River Rat and Hunter Gatherer in Columbia are representative of the growing craft beer industry in South Carolina and nationwide. For this story we spoke with Kevin Varner, founder of Hunter Gatherer Brewing, about the laws he helped pass back in 1995 that gave brewers more freedom to run their operations. We also sat down with River Rat brewmaster Drew Walker, who talked about how brewers work to stay on top of such a rapidly changing industry. Despite the

57 years ago, nine young African-American students of Friendship Junior College in Rock Hill were arrested for attempting to desegregate the all-white lunch counter at the McCrory's variety store. One of those students was James Wells. He died Sunday, July 8th in his hometown of Rock Hill. The decision Wells and the other young protesters made, following their arrests, would help shape the civil rights movement throughout the South. In 2007, historical markers were placed on Main Street in Rock