Mobile Home Sales in Hopkins, SC

HOPKINS, S.C. (WACH) — Monday night, WACH FOX News told you about a wheelchair-bound Hopkins man who was trapped inside his home by heavy rains from the weekend.

Tuesday afternoon, we went back to his home and the flooding has gone down. The problem still exists, but the question remains, how can this be stopped from happening again?

Officials have told WACH FOX that when this area receives heavy rain, many residents could see flooding.

The people who live here say the same thing, and Monday it prevented a home healthcare aide from helping 72-year-old Willie Dwight.

Around noon on Tuesday, Willie Dwight’s front yard was still still surrounded by at least a foot of water.

He couldn’t get out, and his caregiver couldn’t get in to help him with meals and medication for a second straight day.

"She came, but said there was too much water around the house. She came but couldn’t get out and come in the house," said Willie Dwight, disabled elderly man stranded.

While WACH FOX News was at the house reaching out to Richland County officials to see if they could help clear the area, debris finally gave way in a drainage pipe.

The water levels started to drop, but the potential of this happening again is still there.

So, we called state lawmaker Jermaine Johnson, who represents the area of Richland County where Dwight lives.

When someone’s already suffering from the aliment he already has, you know we can not leave that person out there in s situation that could make his situation much worse," said state Rep. Jermaine Johnson.

Johnson, like the people who live here, said something needs to change from now on so Dwight and his neighbors don’t have a problem every time there is heavy rain.

"You know, we have to make sure we change the mindset, and actually change our approach. We show these people we do care about them, that they are not out there by themselves, and we will make sure that they are safe, and there safety is a priority," said Johnson.

Johnson says he plans to call county officials to make this area a priority.

Luckily, the water has drained enough on its own, and Dwight said his caregiver will return on Wednesday.

The pickleball craze is not slowing down anytime soon, and as the popular sport continues to grow, a free-spirited alternative approach to pickleball is also gaining popularity.

According to pickleheads.com, nude pickleball is becoming more popular than one might think. The website list 40 clothing-optional resorts across the country that currently offer members the opportunity to play the sport in the nude. Carolina Foothills Resort, an Upstate private club facility, is listed on the website and is currently offering the nude sport to its members.

As spring and summer approach, Hopkins-based naturism lifestyle retreat, Travelites Nudist Retreat is also considering offering its members nude pickleball as a recreational sport.

For those wondering why someone would want to take it all off and play pickleball in the nude, Sherry Dawson, founder and administrator at Travelites Nudist Retreat, said, "because it feels better. You don't have perspiration lagging on you, and nudism is about distressing, relaxing, and returning to innocence."

Dawson and her husband founded Travelites Nudist Retreat in Hopkins, South Carolina, in 1987 and are looking to add nude pickleball in the future. Unlike most nudist retreats, Dawson said the nudist retreat offers a 'G-rated' family-friendly environment for adults and children, adding they have two volleyball courts, and everyone enjoys playing outside.

"We offer all-over Wi-Fi on our eight acres, we have 37 flower gardens, and we have a clubhouse," said Dawson. I mean, you can be stressed after a day's work; when I was working, I'm now retired, to destress, take your shoes off, that's a start. But nudism, when you're totally nude, relaxing in the sun or just in a chair, it does relieve the stress, and it does lower blood pressure."

Brandon Mackie, the co-founder of pickleheads.com, spoke with Cola Daily and gave the impression that the nude pickleball trend might be around for a while.

"Courts are being added and folks are playing. And you know, Florida has the most number of these resorts; we count six; however, South Carolina also does have one," he said. "I personally haven't played nude pickleball myself. But they swear by just the freeing feeling. You just have less to inhibit you when you're out on the court, you move more freely, and it's just a more enjoyable activity, so they say. So it is real, and it is growing."

Whether you play pickleball with clothes on or in the nude, the health benefits are worth it. In an article, MUSC health experts stated that playing pickleball and other racket sports helps with hand-eye coordination. The caloric burn of pickleball for those trying to lose weight with exercise is between badminton and tennis. The racket sport is also popular among seniors as it boosts the cardiovascular system, which helps prevent many unwanted problems of older age like hypertension, stroke, and heart attack. Aside from the good aerobic workout, it is less stressful on joints and muscles.

So, anyone interested in taking it all off and enjoying a game of pickleball should know that the only disadvantage to playing in the nude is the extra sunblock needed for all-over protection.

To learn more about regular or nude pickleball, visit www.pickleheads.com.

Water officials said that the lower pressures may be partially the result of higher use as customers leave faucets running to prevent freezing.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — An important practice to prevent pipes from bursting during freezing weather may also be exacerbating water outages and low pressure in the Lower Richland area. Now, some residents are under a boil water advisory.

Crews are in the area attempting to solve the issue that is behind the outages and pressure drops. According to Columbia Water, these crews have managed to identify and repair some significant leaks in the area that were caused by the extreme temperatures and others are also working to assist water customers with emergency shut-off requests.

However, a contributing factor may be making the situation worse. According to Columbia Water, the region of Richland County is seeing higher-than-normal water use as customers let their faucets run to avoid their pipes freezing.

"While one running faucet does not create a challenge, tens of thousands of running faucets can create a critical situation for any water system," a spokesperson said in a statement provided late Monday.

Water officials said that residents only need to have a slow drip running to help keep plumbing protected from freezing.

Due to the current pressure issues, Columbia Water said it is already taking several calls and staff is working to address them. The water provider apologized for any inconvenience caused.

Anyone with emergency issues is still urged to call 803-545-3300.

"If you get a busy signal when calling the after-hours emergency line to report an emergency please wait a few minutes and try your call again as all lines may be tied up due to the increase in call volumes," Columbia Water said in its statement.

Boil water advisory

Since the pressure issues were first announced, a boil water advisory has been issued for a portion of Ridge Road in the 1100 and 1200 blocks as well as Penn Road and Swandale Estates in the Hopkins area.

Customers are urged to boil their water for at least one minute before using it for drinking or cooking. Anyone who lost water or water pressure and isn't on the streets mentioned should also boil water for one minute.

Columbia's Lower Richland community joins those in disaster response pilot program to strengthen coordination in emergencies.

HOPKINS, S.C. — Robert Reese has called Hopkins home for as long as he can remember.

"Went away to [Morehouse College] thinking I was going to find something better than Hopkins," Reese said, "but what I realized was that growing up in this neighborhood, growing up in this community, was the best thing that ever happened to me."

He now joins a group of state and local leaders working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to protect Columbia's Lower Richland Community.

DHEC received a grant from the federal government for environmental justice projects that benefit low-income and minority communities in South Carolina.

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The $200,000 grant will go toward helping the neighborhood prepare to respond to and recover from disasters like hurricanes, floods, chemical releases, and pandemics.

Keisha Long presented the news to Lower Richland residents by Zoom Thursday.

"What do you do, and who's in charge, and what are the plans?" Long said. "The intent of this project is to have that partnership and collaboration so everybody's seeing from the same page."

RELATED: Columbia Canal Project preparing to start bidding stage early next year

Reese advocated for the study to come to Lower Richland after it was conducted in North Charleston.

"...because we have the potential for manmade disasters," Reese said. "We've got military installations in our community, and we've got the propensity for natural disasters, flooding, earthquakes, and we know hurricanes, it was important for me to then have our community be one of the ones in which we could do some disaster planning."

The study will be conducted on Nov. 4 and 5.

"We all have a stake in risk reduction measures," Long said. "The intent is to have this process, take it, and have it used throughout the country."

Lower Richland residents interested in participating in the study can contact Reese at 803-312-3086.

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — A Richland County facility that manufactures nuclear fuel assemblies used in power plants could be getting a 40-year license renewal.

The possibility follows the recent release by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of its final environmental impact statement regarding Westinghouse Electric Co.'s Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (CFFF). The facility is located off Bluff Road in Hopkins.

Westinghouse had applied for the license renewal in December 2014 and, in the application, did not propose changes to their current licensed processes or construction of new buildings or structures. The application was renewed twice -- once in March 2019 and again in 2021 -- based on NRC's requests for additional information.

In its statement, NRC staff recommend renewing the company's license based on the review and subject to determinations made in the staff's safety review of the application.

CFFF manufactures fuel rods from enriched uranium for commercial nuclear plants in the U.S. and around the world. The company's first license was issued in 1969 by the Atomic Energy Commission and was last renewed by the NRC for 20 years in 2007.

In addition to an option of non-renewal, NRC staff also considered a 20-year lease renewal but, according to the report, "concluded the impacts (of a 20-year lease) would be similar to those of a 40-year renewal but over a shorter timeframe."

If the license is not renewed, CFFF would continue to operate under its current license until it expires on September 30, 2027. After that date, if the license is not renewed, CFFF would begin a decommissioning process that would include any site remediation required.

The proposed renewal has already met pushback from Savannah River Site Watch (SRS Watch).

“The 40-year license extension guarantees the risk of accidents and releases that will impact the environment and possibly human health over 40 years," SRS Watch director Tom Clements said in a release. "The NRC should reconsider its 40-year license recommendation and in the formal decision on the license period that is soon to come a 20-year license, at most, should be issued.”

In July 2018, CFFF reported a leak where uranyl nitrate and hydrofluoric acid seeped into the soil under the nuclear fuel facility. Westinghouse officials said at the time no groundwater was contaminated at the site.

In August 2021, Westinghouse agreed to contribute $21.25 million to South Carolina's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program after federal charges were filed against the company for its involvement in the failed expansion of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant in Jenkinsville, South Carolina. Westinghouse eventually paid $2.168 billion in settlements after abandoning construction at the site.

In December 2021, Richland County Council voted unanimously to approve a $131 million agreement for the expansion and upgrade to Westinghouse Electric Company. The money is funding upgrades to equipment to enhance the facility's pollution prevention systems and controls, and expansion of automation and digitalization, which will improve inspection capabilities and product quality.

The 40-year renewal option is an ongoing process. The NRC must still provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a final environmental impact statement. After the EPA publishes a notice it has received the statement in the Federal Register, the NRC must wait at least 30 days before issuing a license decision. The NRC will then publish its final safety evaluation report detailing its technical review of the Westinghouse license renewal application.