Put us to work

All of December, we pushed things off until the New Year – including meetings + ideas. We realized that it was probably for the best to hold off on our ideas for this year until we asked you for some of your own.

So, tell us –

What can we help find out for you?
What do you want us to cover this year?
Want to know how something works?
What can we help you understand?
What about upcoming developments or construction you’ve seen around town?
What don’t you know that you’d like us to investigate?

In the future, we hope to be more conversational to find out what you guys want to know. We want to hang out in places just to observe + listen (not with our noses in our phones doing Insta stories).

Let us help bring your curiosities to light + find some answers.

Here are some of your ideas:

"Happy New Year! The invitation to submit ideas is exciting! If the following idea has not yet been covered, I'd be interested in knowing of all of the "Kids Eat for Free" Restaurants in town (and the days on which that occurs)." –Candace

“First, I’d like to say that I love, love, love this daily newsletter! Y’all are extremely helpful in finding things to do around town and I enjoy reading about the changes coming to Columbia. Not too long ago there was a section about weekend getaway deals from Airbnb and it sparked my travel bug. I would like to see a travel section with deals like that. Maybe you could contact places and charge them to list their places in the ColaToday newsletter since you guys do reach a large portion of the Columbia population. Keep up the good work!” –Katrina
"More Lexington dining culture and experiences! Also, concert and movie reviews would be greatly appreciated. Thanks" –Kc

"What are the young professionals of COLA doing? Who are they and how are they impacting the community?
Stories behind local businesses and their owners.
More coverage on our local government, interviewing those on the inside, understanding what's working and not working, encouraging us as a community to be more educated and involved.
I'd like to know more about the racial and religious diversity in COLA, the pockets of community we don't normally see.
I will be a part of the opening of Riley Rose in March, and I'm so excited for it! Working in the cosmetic industry and living in COLA, it'll be interesting to see how so many new cosmetic retail stores will compete in the next year. In the last few years we've acquired Sephora, POUT, ULTA Cross Hill, and this year we will add ULTA Lexington and Riley Rose. The Riley Rose in COLA will be one of only 15-20 in the United States. Does this reflect a healthy economy in COLA or the growth of the cosmetic industry or both? What other industries in COLA are experiencing this kind of growth and competition? Will the growth continue or is it happening too fast?
I want to know more people in COLA. Can residents submit their own work to COLAtoday? Seeing a relevant article submitted by a COLA resident once or twice a month would be really special." (COLAtoday answer: Yes. See the guidelines for Voices submissions here.) –Madison

"So (since you're looking for ideas,) I have been on the ClassPass list for a while, waiting & hoping that they choose Columbia next. They're in Atlanta & Charlotte! Yes, our fitness options are ok, but each one is fairly limited. I LOVE the idea of a subscription that gets you into various spaces to try different things. I honestly think if Classpass doesn't do it, it's an opportunity for someone to create a subscription here around the same price point so that people like me can go to one or two classes of choice every week without tying ourselves into a membership like Muv or the Y." –Chantelle

“Hi – Since you asked, I would like to know why Finlay Park is so dilapidated and are there any plans to address the fact that it is little more than a homeless shelter? It is a shell of its former self and an embarrassment to the city. Thanks" –Concerned Soda Citizen

“....the dictatorship of HOA’s and the lack of legislation to curb their excesses.”

“Learning to appreciate your daily. Thank you. 2018?

How about keeping us updated on new restaurant and grocery store openings. In particular, when is the Lowe’s in Forest Acres opening? (COLAtoday answer: Summer 2018)
What about the Greenway/Riverwalk hiking/biking trails. Anything new? Any other worthy hiking/biking trails within a short drive of the Great Columbia Area?
What about a profile on ALL the fitness/ work out/yoga clubs in the Greater Columbia Area.
What about all the possibilities for group activities in the Greater Columbia Area? Hiking Clubs? Ballroom Dancing Classes? Cooking Classes? Beer Making Classes? Rafting Trips? Guided fishing trips?, etc, etc. The Backpacker used to set up hiking/camping trips.
Why not profile ALL the “new” downtown churches. I hear there are at least 15 in the Columbia area.
How about a weekly list of how Columbia’s residents can actually help out and serve the less fortunate in the Greater Columbia Area.

I guess that’s a start. Happy New Year” –Pierce

“About how local farms are and aren’t getting their products into area restaurants, schools, hospitals, and grocers. Happy to help!” –@welbornkatie

"Weekend events - healthy food options - community member spotlight/advice (smalls biz owners, bloggers, influencers, etc.)" –@baileefralick

“We always love hearing about pet-friendly things to do! OH and the best happy hours/specials by day!” –@beanieweenie012

“All local news. Obits. Columbia and state happenings. Thank you!” –Pat

“Grill local politicians and the train companies every issue until the train problem is fixed.” –Rock

“Evolution of Columbia’s beer scene.” –Jen

"I’d love for you to cover a story on PASOs (www.scpasos.org) and the Latino population in Columbia!" –Julie

"Hello Cola Today, and Happy New Year! We would really like to have a bicycle path like North Augusta or Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail! We have small areas to ride here in Columbia, and have heard of plans to connect all of the areas into one smooth bike riding path. Will you please investigate this and let us know what’s up? Thank you!" –Tina (COLAtoday answer: We think you're talking about the master greenway plan, a Richland Penny Project. See details here.)

"I saw your story asking for ideas of what to look into in 2018. Here are a few that popped in my head:
-Water quality and treatment. Things like, why is our water fluoridated? How pure is it? How is it treated? What chemicals are in it?
-Avenues and ways for us citizens to talk and engage with government reps more and more easily
-Minority issues and events
-What is up with that big abandoned, old factory-looking thing on Harden St, near the Department of Mental Health buildings? It's got the wall around the whole property, lots of grass. Any plans for that thing?
-International traffic in our city. What countries are represented here? Why do people come? What are they doing? Where do they live and why?
-Business and government abuses and/or corruption, accountability.
I really enjoy y'all's publications. Thanks for your work!" –Robert

We're excited to start looking into these ideas in the coming weeks. Thanks for sending them.

Happy back-to-work, Soda Citizens. Take a long lunch break.

–COLAtoday team