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The South Carolina High School League released its finalized classification plan, with four Lexington County schools changing classes and one being placed for the first time.

Gray Collegiate will jump two classifications from 2A to 4A, Irmo will be bumped to 5A from 4A, and Brookland-Cayce and Gilbert will go from 3A to 4A, according to a release from the SCHSL sent to the Chronicle.

The new alignment will take effect during the 2024-25 school year. Schools who disagree with their placement have the opportunity to appeal and present their case.

Realignment in the state happens every two years and is based on the 45-day enrollment total for grades 9-11. This year’s process drew much more attention than previous ones.

These changes come off the heels of the SCHSL’s proposal to address competitive balance amongst public, private and charter schools. This is the first wave of realignment with the new 3.0x multiplier out-of-zone attendance multiplier in place.

The multiplier is why schools like Gray are jumping multiple classifications.

The total 8-12 enrollment at Gray is 870, according to a report by U.S. News and World Report. With the 3.0x multiplier applied to all out-of-zone students, the enrollment for 9-11 alone jumps to 1,296, which is the seventh highest in all of future 4A, according to the SCHSL release.

American Leadership Academy is an at-large member of the SCHSL right now, meaning they have no region or class. The school was put into class 3A for next year and will have the highest enrollment of any 3A school, with 934 after the multiplier according to the league release.

Irmo will move up, becoming the sixth 5A school in the county, joining the five schools that presently make up the Region 4 conference. The SCHSL Reclassification/Realignment Guidelines Committee also recommended 5A be split and crown two champions in every sport.

Gilbert and Brookland-Cayce will go from 3A to 4A, joining Airport. Pelion, Batesburg-Leesville and Swansea all remain in their current classification.

The next step in the alignment process is the call for appeals from member schools who disagree with the league’s decision. The schools have until Jan. 9 to file an appeal, and the league’s executive committee will meet Jan. 18-19 to discuss it.

After this schools will be placed into regions based on location, followed by another appeal process for this.

Potential property damage and miscommunication are just some of the fears residents say they're having.

LEXINGTON, S.C. — For many residents in Lexington, the last week has been more confusing than helpful after a surprise announcement that fiber optic installation would be happening in their yards.

Julia Head says she's had a stressful week after the announcement of a planned fiber optic installation in her Lexington neighborhood. Just a week ago, she found a yellow door hanger letting her know Ripple Fiber Optics would begin installing cable in her area.

"People have things like sprinkler systems in their yards, invisible fences. I think the majority of the concern is from neighbors not feeling like we were adequately prepared," Head explains," "You would think for such a large scale project like this, we would've known months in advance. It almost seems like some things are trying to fly under the radar."

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Her fears were felt by other neighbors we spoke to on Wednesday, so we began looking for answers. The Town of Lexington posted information on Facebook saying the company will be installing fiber optics to 19 different neighborhoods in town, utilizing the right-of-way.

To town administrator Rachelle Gleaton, the company has all the legal permits and permission to start work but did not give the town a timeline for the project.

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"We first heard from them about a week ago, and we heard from them at about the same time that they showed up and started installing the fiber in the right of way." She adds, "A variety of staff across multiple departments have been in touch with the company trying to understand their plans, how long they're going to be on the ground, etc. Like I said, just yesterday I had a phone call their government affairs manager, to better understand the project, that way I could educate our council people, that we could educate our residents."

We reached out to Ripple who sent us a statement that reads, "Ripple Fiber has been made aware of the concerns from residents regarding the current project in the town of Lexington. We have obtained local permits as required and are actively working with town administration to address issues related to resident notification. Ripple Fiber takes the concerns of the community seriously and strives for transparency and minimal disruption throughout the construction process as we invest to bring world-class internet to the residents of Lexington."

Head tells us she'll be following the developments closely and paying close attention once construction crews make it to her home.

"I welcome new business here, I want a competitive market, but I just want them to do it the right way," she says.

The Town of Lexington says if you still have concerns, you should reach out to Ripple directly. their contact page can be found here.

A brewing company and restaurant that has locations across the U.S. is headed to the heart of downtown Lexington.

Voodoo Brewing Company is planning a location at 102 W. Main St. in Lexington, according to a news release from commercial real estate firm Trinity Partners, which handled the lease of the property. The location will be at a prominent spot downtown, at the northeast corner of Main and Church streets, across the road from Alodia’s Italian restaurant.

With the announcement, there are now three restaurants planned for the site 102 W. Main. Voodoo will occupy nearly 4,500 square feet in the main building at the corner of the property. Molto Vino wine bar has plans to open in the 2,100-square-foot building at the center of the property, and Takosushi, a restaurant that offers Asian and Mexican flavors, has signed a lease for the 2,100-square-foot building at the rear of the site.

Voodoo Brewing Company has locations nationwide, including South Carolina spots in Murrells Inlet and Fountain Inn. The locations have a number of Voodoo craft beer options, including year-around offerings, seasonal brews and more exclusive spontaneous releases.

One of the regular beer offerings is the Voodoo Love Child, “our unique interpretation of an old-world classic,” the company says on its website. “We take our Belgian Tripel and delicately age it on cherries, raspberries, and passion fruit to produce moderately sweet fruit notes on top of our traditional Belgian yeast character.”

Food menus at Voodoo locations typically include pizza, burgers, appetizers and more.

The site at the corner of West Main and Church streets in Lexington was in 2021 part of a contentious debate between the then-planned Navy Yard Biergarten and neighboring St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. The beer garden would have been a multi-faceted facility that would have occupied 11,000 square feet of outdoor dining and 8,000 square feet for indoor dining, with weekend brunches and an outdoor stage.

St. Stephen’s formally protested the alcohol licenses for the beer garden, and the issue was heard in administrative law court. Judge Shirley Robinson eventually ruled in December 2021 that the beer garden could get its alcohol licenses. However, in April 2022, officials with the Navy Yard called off the project at the Main Street location, citing inflation, rising costs and supply chain issues.

The Main Street corridor through the heart of downtown Lexington continues to be a draw for restaurants and bars. Offerings in the area include O’Hara’s Public House, Keg Cowboy, Nicky’s Pizzeria, Alodia’s, Barrio Tacos + Tequila, Craft Axe Throwing and Bodhi Thai Dining, among others.

LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS) - Voters in Lexington made history last November when they elected former town council member Hazel Livingston as the town’s first female mayor. On Monday, she was officially sworn in.

“I felt like it was the right time for me to step in and run for Mayor,” Livingston said.

Livingston is no stranger to implementing change in Lexington, having served on the town council for the last 25 years. She also has served as Mayor Pro Tem since 2004.

She hopes continuing to serve her community in this new role inspires younger generations to follow in her footsteps.

“They are our future generations; they are what tomorrow holds for us,” Livingston said adding, “I think it’s important they’re involved in the beginning (and) learning the processes we go through at Town Hall.”

While working on the town council, Livingston watched the town grow more than triple in size. She first plans to focus on traffic control and managing the growth of Lexington.

“It was about 7,000 people here (before), and now we’re at about 25,000, so growth is something we have got to manage properly,” Livingston said, adding, “With growth comes traffic issues (and) we’ve got to find solutions, money, and ways to fund the traffic.”

Mayor Livingston says another priority she has started to work on is building a strong foundation for communication between her and the town council. She says she’s already asked for their input on what to address first as they head into the new year.

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A new grocery option is headed to a fast-growing area of Lexington County.

Lowes Foods, the North Carolina-based grocery chain that has stores across the South and the Midlands, will open a new location in the Red Bank area, according to a news release from the company.

The store will be located near the northeast corner of South Lake Drive and Platt Springs Road. It will be the anchor of the under-development Platt Springs Crossing mixed-use retail project, according to a release from NAI Columbia.

A construction timeline for the new Lexington County location hasn’t been determined, Lowes said.

There already are several Lowes locations in the Midlands, including on Augusta Highway near Lexington High School, on Sunset Boulevard in Lexington, on Chapin Road in Chapin, on Forest Drive in Forest Acres and on Forum Drive in northeast Columbia. Aside from their staple grocery offerings, Lowes Foods stores are known for their Boxcar Coffee Co. coffee shops, Beer Den craft beer bars, and Smokehouse meat counters, among other options.

The South Lake Drive and Platt Springs Road areas have continued to see commercial growth in Red Bank.

For instance, on Tuesday a new Lizard’s Thicket restaurant opened at 1772 South Lake Drive, right next to a Walmart store and a PopShelf location.

And there’s the aforementioned Platt Springs Crossing project that is being developed at Platt Springs Road and Old Orangeburg Road. Announced in 2023, that project encompasses nearly 60 acres in Red Bank. It will ultimately include a host of commercial businesses, as well as a residential component, developers have said. Among other things, a Whataburger has plans to go on the Platt Springs Crossing site, as does a Tidal Wave Auto Spa car wash and a Panda Express Chinese restaurant.

The coming development is across the street from a Publix grocery store, as well as a Chick-fil-A that opened in 2022 and a Wendy’s that opened in August 2023.

This story was originally published January 18, 2024, 8:53 AM.

Where’s the beef?

In Red Bank, actually.

A new Wendy’s restaurant recently opened its doors in the Red Bank area of Lexington County. The latest location of the well-known chain — where you can pick up burgers, breakfast and, of course, a Frosty — is located at 5419 Platt Springs Road. The restaurant has a modern design and a covered outdoor patio for dining.

The Platt Springs Road Wendy’s is open from 6:30 a.m. to midnight, according to a message on its roadside sign Tuesday morning.

There are more than 6,500 Wendy’s stores in operation across the globe, according to the company’s website. With the newest addition in the Red Bank area, there are now 19 Wendy’s locations in the Midlands area.

The new Wendy’s on Platt Springs Road is the latest example of growth in that corridor. A new Chick-fil-A restaurant opened last year at 5465 Platt Springs, directly in front of a Publix grocery store. In June, an Express Oil and Tire Engineers location opened right beside the Chick-fil-A, at 5449 Platt Springs. And, earlier this year, developers announced plans for a more than 60-acre mixed-use development directly across the road from the Publix shopping center, at the intersection of Platt Springs Road and Old Orangeburg Road.

Lexington County has continued to see growth across several decades. Census statistics show the county’s population has swelled from 167,000 in 1990 to 300,000 in 2021.