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A statue of Dawn Staley will officially be unveiled Wednesday afternoon, the University of South Carolina announced Monday — but it won’t be located at its originally announced location.

The statue of Staley will be at the intersection of Senate and Lincoln streets right next to the university’s Pastides Alumni Center. That’s in the city’s Vista district, across from the Columbia Convention Center and a few blocks away from where the statue was first thought to be destined.

Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann told The State in February 2023 that the planned location for Staley’s statue was on the corner of Main and Gervais streets across from the S.C. State House.

“We still count that as downtown,” Payton Lang, spokesperson for the mayor, told The State on Monday of the new location.

As it turns out, the statue of Staley will be located closer to Colonial Life Arena. The unveiling ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Staley, according to Lang, requested that her statue not be by the arena because she just wanted her players to get that honor. A statue of Gamecock great A’ja Wilson went up in January 2021 outside of Colonial Life Arena.

“Coach Staley had one request, that when you’re looking at the statue you can see the State House behind it,” Lang said.

The city credits public works employees who came up with the location and pitched it to the mayor as accomplishing Staley’s goal of the State House being in view in the background.

The project was first announced in February 2023 and the 11-foot, 1,000-pound statue arrived in Columbia in August 2024, Lang told The State in February.

The statue, which was projected to cost $140,000, will be erected via a partnership with the City of Columbia, Statues for Equality and local business people.

“This tribute celebrates not only her championship legacy as a coach and player, but also her unwavering commitment to leadership, community empowerment, and uplifting future generations,” the city said Monday in a press release. “Dawn Staley’s influence continues to inspire both on and off the court, and this statue stands as a lasting symbol of excellence, resilience, and pride for Columbia and the entire state of South Carolina.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM.

COLUMBIA — A family-owned burger joint has closed its second location in Columbia after less than a year in operation.

Chubby's Burgers has closed its 106 Percival Rd. location, according to an April 24 post on the restaurant’s Facebook.

“After much deliberation, we have decided to close our Forest Acres location permanently,” the post read. “Thank you for all the patrons since our opening. Our location in Blythewood will continue to operate.”

April 24 was the location’s last day, according to a comment made by the restaurant under the post.

The Percival Road store opened in August 2024, branded as a Forest Acres location but was addressed in Columbia.

“It was a combination of business and personal reasons but the Blythewood location is doing very well,” the Chubby’s account posted in a response to a comment under the post announcing the closure.

Chubby’s originated as a food truck in Summer 2020, after owner Chris Sarant lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Post and Courier previously reported.

The original Blythewood brick-and-mortar restaurant opened in February 2022. The restaurant caught fire and was forced to close down for a few weeks shortly after opening.

Our Daily Bread SC taught a hands-on bread-making class as a part of this year’s Columbia Food and Wine Festival.

The Wednesday event let attendees spend time with homemade pizza dough experts Tracey and Danny Katsikis of Our Daily Bread SC. Participants got to make the dough, craft and decorate their pizzas, watch them bake and enjoy the product. Guests could sip on wine while enjoying the atmosphere.

Our Daily Bread SC is a Columbia-based husband-and-wife team passionate about providing clean, honest food.

“We try and stay as organic and natural as possible,” Tracey Katsikis said. “We stay away from additives and preservatives, food colorings, artificial flavors and such. It is a passion for us. We want to give people healthy, clean food.”

The breadmaking class was the first time Our Daily Bread SC has taught a hands-on experience.

“It is definitely a learning experience for myself, because I never really had to teach anyone to make anything like that,” Tracey said. “It is great just seeing everybody super happy with everything, enjoying having a great time.”

Columbia local Erika Wyar came to the event to learn as a beginner baker.

“The experience has been incredible,” Wyar said. “The people hosting have been very helpful. It has been a very unique and fun experience to do in our backyard.”

Knead to Know: Breadmaking 101 was just one event offered through the Columbia Food and Wine Festival. The festival is a five-day long experience, spanning April 22-27, dedicated to highlighting the culinary excellence of Columbia.

“It just brings such a great level of diversity and is so supportive of all the small businesses in the area,” Tracey said.

Other festival offerings:

The Vino & Vinyl experience, sponsored by Main Street District, is on tap Thursday. The event blends food, wine and music at Lula Drake Wine Parlor. Guests will enjoy Mission Grape wine and a four-course meal. Local DJ Preach Jacobs will provide music to set the intimate mood.

The week continues with Soul of the South, A Gullah Experience on Friday at The Farm 1780. The dinner will celebrate the influence of Gullah on Southern cooking with the help of S.C. Chef Ambassador Chris Williams, Foodways Expert Amethyst Ganaway and Chef Instructor Kevin Mitchell from the Culinary Institute of Charleston. The experience will connect attendees to the rich Gullah culture and the history of the South.

Ping Pong & Pasta at St. Andrews Park is next up, on April 26. Guests can participate in a ping pong tournament or cheer their friends on while enjoying pasta from Villa Tronco. The top three players will be awarded prizes.

The whole week leads up to The Grand Tasting on Sunday at the Robert Mills Estate and Hampton Preston Mansion. More than 100 of Columbia’s restaurants, breweries and more come together to present a wide variety of food and drinks. The event also will feature live music throughout the day.

Tables at The Proof were adorned with finished pizzas and wine glasses by the end of the night.

Danny Katsikis of Our Daily Bread SC assisted guests in baking their pizzas.

Abundant Graze provided a charcuterie spread for the event guests.

Participants chose from a variety of pizza toppings to decorate their personal pizzas.

COLUMBIA — A nuclear energy developer has opened an engineering and construction office in downtown Columbia, planning to create more than 100 jobs, according to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster's office.

The April 24 announcement of the Lady Street office comes as the developer, The Nuclear Company, assesses sites for its first 6-gigawatt group of nuclear reactors. The firm touts a "design-once, build-many" method it says will cut costs and lessen delays, avoiding "previous industry pitfalls," according to McMaster's office. Its approach includes using artificial intelligence to choose sites, the office said.

According to the company, which told The Post and Courier by email the office is among “several others throughout the country including in Washington, D.C.,” the Columbia location will be its largest.

In a statement, the company's CEO Jonathan Webb pointed to nuclear reactor construction in China as a threat to "America's longstanding leadership in nuclear power."

As of spring 2024, China had 55 reactors operating and 23 more under construction, according to a U.S. Department of Energy report. Meanwhile, the U.S. had the largest fleet with 94 reactors, but the report noted it took nearly 40 years to add the same capacity China added in the past decade.

Webb added that artificial intelligence and electrification depend on a steady and clean supply of nuclear power.

"We can’t stand to lose nuclear and its technology development like we lost manufacturing and all of its jobs," Webb said. "The Nuclear Company is coming to South Carolina to show how we can meet these challenges and continue to grow both employment and the American economy at large."

McMaster called nuclear power critical to meeting South Carolina's growing energy needs amid population growth and technological advances.

"When South Carolina attracts businesses like The Nuclear Company, it strengthens our economy, creates new opportunities for our people, and reinforces our position as a leader in energy innovation," McMaster said in a statement. "Reliable, affordable energy is essential for our future prosperity, and this investment marks another step toward securing a bright future for our state."

COLUMBIA — When Annette Flavel opened Lucky Rabbit Publishing, she committed to sourcing half her list locally. Since its official launch in March, the company is set to release its first six titles this year — hardback copies of which will be exclusively available at independent bookstores for their first three months of life.

Three titles will launch this spring, with the second batch to follow in the fall. While picture books are the primary focus of the brand, one title each season will be dedicated to promoting foundational literacy skills in young readers.

Although Flavel has hired freelancers to help with edits and marketing (playfully dubbed “Associate Rabbits”), creating the company has predominantly been a one-woman-show.

After over two decades of working in educational publishing, Flavel decided she wanted something more local. Following Lucky Rabbit’s launch, her primary goals include establishing partnerships with booksellers and schools.

“I know I’m just one person, but I want to put the focus back on independent bookstores,” Flavel said.

While Lucky Rabbit has its next two years of titles lined up, Flavel is preparing to be flexible.

Because children’s books are predominantly published in China, rising tariffs have raised concerns for the company. According to Flavel, the increased costs could mean the end of children’s publishing or higher costs to the consumer — as much as $40 a book.

“Is Lucky Rabbit going to be dead before it’s alive?” Flavel wondered. “Am I going to have to pivot away from children’s books into some other segment?”

Right now, however, the company is full steam ahead. Its commitment to sourcing locally has, in part, turned Columbia resident Ansley Whiteside into a first-time author. Working with Flavel not only helped shape her story, but also connected her to the publishing process from start to finish.

Her book, “Turner B. Goes to NYC,” will launch in May at All Good Books — just steps away from her own store, Turner & Moss.

“I think there’s so much untapped talent in our community,” Whiteside said. “I think it’s really just a cool thing to help promote the Carolinas.”

Lucky Rabbit’s first two picture books, “The Little Lion with the Little Roar” and “Turner B. Goes to NYC,” are both rhyming stories. As a former children’s librarian, Associate Rabbit Anna Brannin feels this style of writing is particularly captivating for young kids.

“I can’t wait for us to read them out loud at storytimes,” Brannin said.

While Lucky Rabbit is partnering with All Good Books for both readings and distribution, it will also be offering storytime lessons and bulk sales of paperbacks to schools directly. Ultimately, Flavel wants to make books available for purchase on the Lucky Rabbit website.

“I want to start locally. I want to be successful locally, to gain traction locally and to be listening to the needs of local readers and local markets,” Flavel said. “I believe you have to be successful with what’s right in front of you and then expand that out.”

Moving forward, Flavel knows what she’s looking for in any title she accepts. Always on the lookout for a great story, the company openly accepts submissions through the Lucky Rabbit website.

“This is going to sound very strange, but it has to make me tingle,” she said of submissions. “I can tell within the first couple of lines whether it’s a good story, and as I continue to read it — yeah, I get the tingles.”