🌱 Children's Home Gives Back + White Claw Brewery Plants Trees

Good morning, Columbia! Like many of you, the Patch team is taking some time off to enjoy the holidays, so there will not be a newsletter in your inbox tomorrow. We appreciate your understanding of this slight pause in our schedule, and I will be back on Monday with the next edition of the Columbia Daily! Now, here's everything happening around town today.

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 62 Low: 49.

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Here are the top three stories in Columbia today:

1. Christmas is a special time of year for Epworth Children's Home, which has been serving the community for 125 years. However, the organization needs donations to help make Christmas special as well as help foster families every day of the year. Hundreds of kids are served by Epworth Children's Home. Around 76 of them at a time are in residential services, living in one of the nine cottages on campus. (Abccolumbia.com)
2. On the site of its third and largest U.S. production facility, Mark Anthony Brewing has also planted 200 trees and set aside 40 acres as a park for employees, complete with walking trails, a gazebo, and horseshoe pits. Reforestation is just one of a number of environmental measures being taken by the brewers of White Claw hard seltzer at its new, 1 million-square-foot plant south of Columbia. (Charleston Post Courier)
3. Columbia police are investigating after a man crossing West Beltline Boulevard late Wednesday night was struck by a vehicle and killed. Police say the man was crossing Beltline near Edison Street when the collision occurred around 11:30 p.m. That's about a block north of W.A. Perry Middle School, T.S. Martin Park, and Crescent Hill Cemetery. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after arrival. (The State)

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Today's Columbia Daily is brought to you in part by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Columbia!

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Today in Columbia:

• Holiday Lights On The River At Saluda Shoals Park (6:00 PM)

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From my notebook:

• On Dec. 22, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the first orally administered antiviral pill from Pfizer for home use to treat the effects of COVID-19 infections. (Facebook)
• Spend a night at Carolina Lights! Enjoy Christmas lights, cookies, and your favorite holiday tunes from 6 - 10 pm tonight! Don't forget to purchase car passes online or at the gate! 🎄 (Facebook)
• Need a last-minute gift? Ho, ho, ho, no problem! Future Scholar can help you with the gift of college savings, something every family can appreciate. Send your gift now: https://futurescholar.com/gifts/" (Instagram)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday! I'll see you soon.

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.