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Dairy-O in Orangeburg won’t be torn down for the new courthouse after officials find alternate land, following months of public concern.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — A community favorite in Orangeburg is safe from demolition after months of public outcry and uncertainty surrounding its future.

Dairy-O, a small-town staple for generations, will not be torn down to make room for a new county courthouse. The announcement comes after residents expressed concern that the iconic restaurant might be lost in the development process.

For months, the fate of Dairy-O remained uncertain as county officials weighed plans for a new Orangeburg County Courthouse. However, leaders now say the restaurant will remain.

Tommy Robinson, the owner of Dairy-O, said he is grateful for the support the restaurant has received.

“I think the community really, really stood by us and I think it made a good impression on the county,” Robinson said. “I think the county also realized the importance of the area, and we're hopefully we're saved on this, and we can keep moving on. You know, after 75 years, I think we deserve to be here. And I really, really thank our loyal customers have been a great contribution to us so I'm really thankful.”

To avoid using eminent domain, the Orangeburg County Council approved the purchase of two nearby parcels of land for under $300,000. The purchase includes a yellow building with a parking lot and a strip of parking behind Dairy-O. Officials say this will allow construction of the new courthouse to move forward without impacting the restaurant.

Orangeburg County Probate Judge Pandora Jones stressed the need for additional courthouse space.

“We have two new judges that don't have meeting spaces, so it's difficult to get all of the cases adjudicated in a timely manner, so it's important that we have spaces to have our cases adjudicated,” Jones said. "Another reason is because the courthouse is really old. Space is an issue, for security reasons we need a new courthouse. Again, we want to keep our judges safe. We want to be able to move cases to the docket expeditiously.”

Robinson said the paperwork to sell a portion of the back parking lot to the county is expected to be signed by next week.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - Lawmakers are set to consider a proposal that would bring the state’s first casino to Orangeburg County and, as leaders in Columbia debate the idea, it is getting a mixed reception among community members.

Orangeburg County Councilmember Johnny Ravenell says they’re excited about the hotel and casino proposal in Santee. The project could generate thousands of jobs and millions in revenue.

“Santee is set up as a kind of retirement community,” Ravenell said. “We are having a lot of housing developments, and those people are going to need jobs. These houses need to be paid for, so we need good jobs to pay for these houses.”

In order to get a casino approved, House Bill 4176 would create a South Carolina Gaming Commission that would deal out licenses and regulate gambling in the state. However, the bill only allows casinos to be built in very specific areas along Interstate 95 that meet certain economic guidelines, those that are underdeveloped and considered low income.

Dubbed the “I-95 Economic and Education Stimulus Act,” the bill is designed to bring economic development to these areas to help pay for underfunded schools.

Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young says the development would be a game changer for the area.

“Orangeburg County is open to new development,” Young said. “The establishment of the Santee development project would enhance our local economic growth and provide recreational growth to our citizens and increase the number of visitors that come into our community.

Meanwhile, Ravenell says they’ll need to be prepared if the casino does materialize.

“If the casino does come, I know we are going to need more EMS, more fire protection, water, sewer. Things of that sort, because the building that they’re planning is a two- or three-story high-rise of hotels. We are just going to need more of those amenities,” Ravenell said.

While the promise of jobs, economic development and tax revenue is enticing, Ravenell says the people he has spoken to are also wary of the potential downsides of having a casino in their backyards.

“You have two groups of people. You have the local people that are really enthused about it,” Ravenell said. “Then you have the faith-based people who are a little leery of what a casino or gaming could bring to the area. I am prayerful that no crimes will come with it.”

The bill also has its detractors in the statehouse. Republican Representative Jordan Pace from Berkeley County says the proposal is philosophically and legally questionable.

“It’s geographically limited, which is questionable constitutionally whether the legislature can even do this,” Pace said. “It is not anybody can start a casino. It’s not a free market thing. It’s very much a crony-ist idea.”

He is also not convinced that the economic benefits outweigh the potential harm.

“According to a Baylor University study on casinos where they popped up in Mississippi, New Jersey, places like this. Same idea. Poor impoverished areas where they put a casino in to raise the economy. It turns out, every dollar they bring in as revenue, the state had to pay four dollars on law enforcement, welfare, interdictions and prisons,” Pace said, citing the Baylor study. “So, it is actually a net loss according to that study for the state.”

One such study links the cost of gambling to as much as $9,393 of taxpayer and social burden per pathological gambler.

Governor Henry McMaster is against introducing gambling to South Carolina. He says there are other ways to increase tax revenues.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Charlotte, NC (April 14, 2025) — The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is proud to announce that the 2025 CIAA Softball Championship will be held in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and hosted by Claflin University. The championship tournament is set to take place May 1 – May 3, 2025, at the Orangeburg Recreation Center.

The City of Orangeburg has been selected to host the CIAA Softball Championship through 2027, solidifying its role as a key partner in the continued growth and visibility of CIAA softball.

“We’re thrilled to bring the excitement of the CIAA Softball Championship to Orangeburg and Claflin University,” said CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams Parker. “This multi-year partnership is a testament to the city’s commitment to supporting student-athletes and providing a first-class championship experience.”

About the CIAA

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 13 member institutions: Bowie State University, Bluefield State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University.

SANTEE, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina could be getting its first and only casino in the small town of Santee in Orangeburg County.

Santee Development Corporation’s impact study shows it could bring an economic boom to the small, underdeveloped community.

Santee Development Corporation estimates the development of the casino and resort to bring over 4 million annual visitors from in and out of state. Mega donor Wallace Cheves plans to fund the project off of I-95.

Right now, abandoned buildings that used to be a part of the Santee Outlet Mall in Orangeburg County are where the development would go. They have been sitting for more than a decade.

A recent economic development study shows that the investment in the Santee area would support the underdeveloped Orangeburg community. The study found it would generate over $75 million in annual tax revenue according to Santee Development Corporation. The same study says it would create a total of 4,618 jobs in the state annually.

College of Charleston Professor of Economics Frank Hefner says with a town that small he thinks they’d need to bring in others from outside the community for some of those jobs.

“In that community of that size, where are the people going to come from? And that again could change the dynamics of the community, but that’s true for every community. Growth changes things in a community and that’s going to happen. To a large extent, that corridor has been left behind on economic growth for quite some time and so they need it,” Hefner said.

“In addition to the $1 billion construction cost, independent economic projections estimate an $8 billion impact on South Carolina’s economy within the first 10 years, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, driving tourism and expanding business opportunities for local communities,” Cheves said in a statement.

The Santee Development Corporation said not a dime of public money would be used. There are not any state or county incentives and it would all be privately funded.

In order to make this happen, the group is working with legislators to get a bill passed to amend the South Carolina Code of Laws. Representative Chris Murphy is the lead sponsor. It aims to establish the ‘South Carolina Gaming Commission’ to award casino licenses in certain counties.

If you want to take a closer look at that bill, click here.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - Thousands of people have been posting on social media to save a restaurant in Orangeburg County.

The Dairy-O restaurant has been in Orangeburg for more than 75 years. It’s one of the few locally-owned fast food restaurants left in the county.

Community members made a social media campaign to save the restaurant after its owner, Tommy Robinson, said the restaurant could be lost due to plans to build a new courthouse right next door.

Robinson’s restaurant could be bought through eminent domain laws, so construction of the courthouse will be in compliance with state regulations for driveway spacing and easements around public buildings.

“They’d made an offer a couple years back,” said Robinson. “I didn’t take the offer. About four months ago, I had a letter of possible eminent domain come in.”

If that happens — the county can purchase the land from the owner at fair market value, but the owner would not get money for the business.

County officials said they originally hoped the courthouse being closer would bring more people to the Dairy-O and added they are now trying to find a solution so this institution can stay.

“At the end of the day, we’re just trying to work this out,” said Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young. “We’ve been in contact with the business owner and council and we’re trying to see if we can come up with a solution. Don’t need any backlash, we’re just trying to do what’s right for the citizens.”

Michael Butler, the mayor of Orangeburg, said the city’s zoning board could issue a variance that would make recommendations for repositioning current plans for the new courthouse.

So far, the mayor says the city has not gotten involved.

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Copyright 2025 WIS. All rights reserved.