Personal Injury Attorney in Columbia, SC.

COLUMBIA — A new action-packed indoor recreation area is coming to Columbia with options for go-karts, indoor slides, climbing walls and more.

Urban Air Adventure Park Columbia is opening at 4 p.m. on Sept. 2, according to social media posts by the business. It’s located at 1120 Bower Pkwy #1A in the Harbison area and neighbors Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“Open SEVEN days a week beginning TODAY!” the business said on Facebook. “Surprise the kids after school and be the FIRST to play! Be the fun mom that makes a regular school day SO AWESOME!”

What is Urban Air?

There’s a long list of attractions “for all ages” at Urban Air Adventure Park, including go-karts, indoor slides, a zip line-like experience called Sky Rider, climbing walls and more. The business will also have an Urban Café offering food made fresh on-site, its website says, including pizza, ICEE and other snacks such as chicken tenders.

The indoor park is open seven days a week, the business said online, and its hours are as follows:

Urban Air is a chain with over 350 locations open nationwide. The business has one other South Carolina location in North Charleston, according to its online locator. Each adventure park location has different activities offered, so it’s not yet clear how the Harbison park will differ.

Guests will also be able to schedule birthday parties at the park following the soft opening, the business said online. The park offers packages for memberships, school field trips, team building events, youth team sports parties and private rentals.

Ticket prices are not yet available for the Columbia location, but there are several options listed for the North Charleston location — a one-day unlimited pay pass goes for $29.99, and passes for shorter children who don’t qualify for all attractions are offered for $14.99.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Families, advocates, doctors and lawmakers joined at the South Carolina State House Tuesday morning for a prayer of hope as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Aubree Cerutti, an 8-year-old leukemia patient, shared her testimony of faith during the Prayer of Joy portion of the event.

Cerutti was treated at Prisma Health Midlands Children’s Hospital in Columbia and is an ambassador for Camp Happy Days.

Educator Sylvia Wright, of Berkeley County, shared encouragement before attendees sang “This Little Light of Mine” to honor the children and their families.

With September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the South Carolina Cancer Alliance and the South Carolina Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the South Carolina Children’s Hospital Collaborative, released the state’s inaugural pediatric cancer plan, a component of the state’s broader cancer plan.

The South Carolina Pediatric Cancer Plan will serve as the pediatrics section of the 2027-2031 South Carolina State Cancer Plan, marking the first time the statewide plan will feature a section dedicated to pediatric cancer.

The 2027-2031 State Comprehensive Cancer Plan will be released in full in February.

The mission of the pediatric plan is to improve childhood cancer survival, optimize clinical outcomes, strengthen quality of life and well-being for patients and families, and broaden access to high-quality care for all patients.

“This inaugural section represents what is possible when pediatric oncologists, cancer registry experts, parent advocates, and health systems across South Carolina come together around a shared mission,” Nicole Echols, South Carolina Cancer Alliance chief executive officer, said.

“The Pediatric Workgroup did exceptional work assessing the real needs of survivors and their families, and we hope this plan honors every child and family who has been touched by childhood cancer in our state.

The SC Cancer Alliance is proud to elevate pediatric cancer and make sure children are reflected as part of the broader state cancer plan.”

The plan was developed through a consensus-driven process led by the South Carolina Pediatric Cancer Workgroup, including pediatric oncologists from the state’s three pediatric cancer treatment centers, leadership from the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, Department of Public Health staff, parent advocates, and a pediatric neurocognitive educator.

To view the plan and more details, click or tap here.

More students are enrolled at the University of South Carolina’s Columbia campus this fall than at any point in the university’s 225-year history, school officials announced Tuesday.

The state’s flagship institution is now serving 41,650 undergraduate and graduate students in Columbia — about 2.5% more than last fall — after welcoming approximately 7,800 first-year students earlier this month, according to a university news release.

The latest bump in students has pushed USC’s systemwide enrollment — which includes students at its two-year and four-year institutions — to more than 60,000.

“Record-setting numbers indicate that students and their families recognize the value of a USC degree,” President Michael Amiridis said in a statement. “We are providing what our students need and want — accessible, affordable and high-quality education, focused degree-to-career pathways and the best student experience in the country.”

USC Columbia’s enrollment has grown nearly 18% in the past five years, bolstered by a flood of prospective student applications, according to the university’s online enrollment dashboard.

The 69,000 applications the school received this year represented a 64% increase from fall 2021, officials said.

While the majority of those applicants lived outside South Carolina, USC strives to admit a relatively even balance of in-state and out-of-state students.

To achieve that balance, the university accepts in-state applicants at much higher rates.

Only about 10% of resident applicants are flat-out denied admission, compared to about half of those who apply from out of state, officials said. Non-resident students also pay about three times as much in tuition.

Roughly 53% of USC’s new freshman class hails from the Palmetto State — including at least one student from each of South Carolina’s 46 counties — and more than a quarter of in-state freshmen finished in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, university officials said.

“Drawing students from all 46 counties in South Carolina is a powerful reflection of USC’s role as the state’s flagship university and our commitment to serving students and families in every corner of the Palmetto State,” Scott Veryzl, USC’s vice president for enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions, said in a statement. “At the same time, more and more students from across the country and around the world are choosing USC because they recognize the exceptional academic opportunities, student experience and sense of belonging we offer.”

The roughly 3,700 out-of-state freshmen who enrolled at USC Columbia this fall came from 44 states and 41 countries, officials said.

File photo of scratch-off lottery tickets Tracy Glantz tglantz@thestate.com

A Michigan woman is in a South Carolina jail after she recently cashed in winning lottery tickets, according to the state Law Enforcement Division.

In August, Keaysha Sincere Warren — a 23-year-old from Flint, Michigan — was charged with three counts of intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, SLED said Tuesday in a news release. There was no word why the Michigan woman was in South Carolina.

The crimes occurred in two separate Midlands counties, according to the release.

On Monday, Warren was booked into the Orangeburg-Calhoun Regional Detention Center on one of the counts, SLED said. Later that same day, Warren was transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Richland County where she was charged with the two remaining counts, according to the release.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Warren remained behind bars in the Columbia jail after bond was set at a combined $50,000 on the two Richland County charges, records show.

The crimes happened June 22, according to arrest warrants. On that day, Warren redeemed multiple stolen scratch-off lottery tickets at the Pilot Travel Center (at 1300 Burke Road in St. Matthews), as well as the Spinx gas station/convenience store (at 7232 Garners Ferry Road in Columbia) and again about 2 miles away at the Food Lion grocery store (at 7830 Garners Ferry Road), arrest warrants show.

Warren and several co-defendants are accused of stealing the lottery tickets, also on June 22, from the Hot Spot (at 553 John C. Calhoun Drive in Orangeburg) and Pitt Stop (2022 Bluff Road in Columbia) gas stations, according to arrest warrants. Information about the identity, and number, of co-defendants was not available.

Both the stealing and cashing in of lottery tickets was recorded by surveillance cameras, arrest warrants said.

Information about the number of tickets that were passed and the amount of prize money that was received for the stolen games was not available.

Because the crimes happened in separate Midlands counties Warren will be prosecuted by both the 1st and 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Offices, according to SLED.

If convicted on the felony charges, Warren faces a maximum punishment of 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine for each count, according to South Carolina law.

The SLED investigation was requested by South Carolina Education Lottery.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Temperatures climb into the mid to upper 90s and it will feel like 100 to 105 for the rest of the week.

First Alert Headlines:

First Alert Summary

Highs pressure and a ridge in the jet stream is the name of the game for the next several days. This leads to dry conditions and hot temperatures each day. Tuesday is in the mid 90s with mostly sunny skies.

Wednesday and Thursday is in the upper 90s and it feels like around 105 in the afternoon hours. Expect mostly sunny skies Wednesday and partly cloudy skies Thursday.

Friday we have mid 90s with mostly sunny skies. It will feel like around 104. High pressure continues to sit over the region.

We start to see more of a southern flow with more humidity for Saturday and Sunday. This increases our chances of rain and storms to 40% for both days. Saturday is still rather hot with mid 90s, but we see a cool down to the upper 80s Sunday.

First Alert Forecast:

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows in the low-70s.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid-90s.

Wednesday: A few passing clouds. Highs in the upper-90s.

Thursday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid and upper-90s.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid and upper-90s.

Saturday: Mid 90s with a 40% chance of showers and storms.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our , and . Have feedback that can help us improve? .