City Snippets

Sonoco program honored

Hartsville-based Sonoco, one of the largest global diversified packaging companies, has been selected for Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies in the packaging sector. Sonoco ranked first in Financial Soundness and second in Innovation, People, Social Responsibility, and Quality of Products/Services. Sonoco ranked second overall in the packaging sector.

Alford to lead Terra

Terra, the upscale restaurant at the corner of State and Meeting Streets, has a new general manager, James Alford. Alford previously held positions at Motor Supply Co. Bistro, Grassroots Wine Wholesalers, and most recently served as wine buyer at Morganelli’s Party Store.

Popcorn shop opening

Carolina Kernels, a gourmet popcorn shop with over 60 flavors, is opening at 2720 Main Street. Offerings include: Cookies ’N Cream, Key Lime, Chocolate Drizzle, and Toffee. Carolina Kernels has also been selected as the Office of Business Opportunities’ Business Spotlight for the month of February.

S.C. foreclosures rising

Nationally, the foreclosure rate was trending downward in January, hitting the lowest level since June 2006. But foreclosures were on the rise in South Carolina, according to real estate data company RealtyTrac. In January, 1,805 S.C. properties had foreclosure filings, up 9 percent from December and up almost 2 percent from January 2015. Across the United States, 95,186 properties had foreclosure filings in January, a drop of about 8 percent from December and down nearly 11 percent from January 2015, the report said.

Pain Specialists now in Columbia

Pain Specialists of Charleston is opening a Columbia office at 15 Monckton Boulevard in Forest Acres. Drs. Edward M. Tavel Jr. and Walter Schuyler say they offer comprehensive and convenient pain care at lower costs than surgery centers and hospitals. They say their physicians are experts in the field of pain medicine and treat a variety of conditions including. Call 803-252-4900 or go to paincolumbiasc.com to schedule an appointment.

Uncle Bob’s joins U-Haul

Uncle Bob’s Self Storage at 6000 Garners Ferry Road has signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer to serve the Columbia community. The business near the Southeast Branch of the Richland Library, will offer U-Haul trucks, towing equipment, support rental items, and in-store pickup for boxes. Hours of operation for U-Haul rentals are 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon- 4 p.m. Sunday. Call 803- 695-6156 or visit uhaul.com/Locations/Truck-Rentals-near-Columbia-SC-29209/053749/.

Peach crop developing nicely

Good weather signals an excellent crop of peaches this spring, says Matt Forrest, president of the S.C. Peach Council and co-owner of Dixie Belle Peaches in Ward. “After a late start to winter, we now expect to accumulate more than enough of the necessary chill hours and are anticipating a normal bloom date in a few weeks,” he said. South Carolina is the top peach producing state on the East Coast and second in the nation only to California.

Harvest Hope gala March 11

Harvest Hope will celebrate its 35th Anniversary Gala at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center at 6 p.m. Friday, March 11. Tickets are $150 per person and can be purchased online at bidr.co/events/harvesthope. The gala also will feature an auction, a concert by Blues Traveler, and a presentation of the Michael J. Mungo Humanitarian Award to Gov. Nikki Haley.

Columbia housing market surveyed

New York financial technology company SmartAsset released the rankings from its second annual Healthiest Housing Markets Study, and Columbia made the list at number 7 in South Carolina, up from its rank of 26 in 2015. Columbia figures for the study reveal Columbians spent an average 11.6 years in homes, with 21.5 percent of homes showing a negative equity, 3 percent of homes decreasing in value, and 79 days spent on the sale market.

District 3 gets Montessori grant

Lexington School District Three has received a $216,000 federal grant to launch a 4-year-old and 5-year-old Montessori kindergarten program in August. The district is one of eight in the state chosen by the state Education Oversight Committee for a pilot program

Columbia home sales rise

Home sales in the Columbia market rose in January by 1.6 percent compared with the same month in 2015, the South Carolina Association of Realtors reports. Overall, 685 residential homes, condos, and villas were sold in January compared with 674 for January 2015. The trade group also reported the median price climbed 11.2 percent to $149,900 in January compared with the same month in 2015. Meanwhile, the average number of days a home was on the market dropped to 90 days in January, down from 117 days for the same month in 2015.

Resource: http://www.thecolumbiastar.com