16 SC events we were talking about in 2016

It’s been a busy year, with much to talk about.

A presidential election. A new USC football coach. A hurricane. And more.

Here, we’ve rounded up 16 of the most talked about stories of the year – some serious, some offbeat.

Presidential politics

The event: South Carolina’s first-in-the-South presidential primaries have long been viewed as a crucial benchmark for nominees of both major parties. The GOP primary has a near-sterling record of picking the eventual GOP nominee, in part because of its broad and diverse Republican electorate.

The result: The Palmetto State reclaimed its role this year as a Republican kingmaker, giving wild-card candidate Donald Trump a crucial primary victory in February, along with eventual Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. South Carolinians then stuck with Trump through his myriad of political stumbles, all the way to November. Trump handily defeated Clinton to claim South Carolina’s nine electoral votes.

Haley nominated as U.N. ambassador

The event: S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley was no fan of Donald Trump during presidential primary season, giving her endorsement to Republican candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Her early criticisms of Trump prompted him to fire back. But it was all water under the bridge after the election, as rumors flew that Haley was a contender for Secretary of State. The president-elect eventually announced her as his nominee for United Nations ambassador.

The result: Haley will have to go through the confirmation process with the U.S. Senate. If she is confirmed, S.C. Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster will rise to the governor’s spot. That has left confusion about whether President Pro Tempore Hugh Leatherman will rise to lieutenant governor or if he will resign and let another senator take his place. Some also argue that McMaster can appoint who he wants, and a state senator has asked the Supreme Court to clarify.

Hurricane Matthew hits S.C.

The event: Hurricane Matthew sent coastal residents fleeing as it approached South Carolina, leaving many areas of the coast shut down when it blasted the state in early October.

The result: Matthew wrecked pool decks, knocked down a few houses, broke at least 25 dams and eroded beaches, overwashing nearly 60 percent of the sand dunes in South Carolina. Flooding from rain-swollen rivers swamped communities well inland, such as Nichols. State lawmakers now are looking for ways to pay for all or parts of the $64 million tab the state incurred preparing for and responding to the storm.

Year 1 of South Carolina's Will Muschamp era

The event: When Steve Spurrier resigned after 10 1/2 seasons as the Gamecocks’ football coach, Will Muschamp was not one of the first names folks thought of as a replacement. However, during a marathon interview session with South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner, Muschamp won over Tanner and was named the University of South Carolina’s 34th head football coach.

The result: Muschamp won over a skeptical fan base with an energetic and optimistic approach during the off-season, but his first season started slowly. South Carolina was 2-4 at the midpoint of the season but won four of its final six games to earn bowl eligibility. The Gamecocks won twice as many games in the regular season (six) than they had won during Spurrier’s final season (three). The Gamecocks will meet Southern Florida in the Birmingham Bowl Thursday.

Jake Bentley emerges as USC quarterback

The event: Four-star freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain was supposed to be the season’s savior, but after McIlwain and senior Perry Orth each started three of the first six games of the season with limited effectiveness, South Carolina turned to another four-star freshman. Jake Bentley, the son of running backs coach Bobby Bentley, skipped his senior year of high school to enroll at USC during the summer but was expected to redshirt this season until he was inserted as the starter against UMass.

The result: Bentley led the Gamecocks to four wins in the final six games and finished the regular season as the team’s leading passer. He passed for 1,030 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions and looked like one of the best first-year quarterbacks in the country in limited action. Bentley now looks like a fixture at the position for the next two or three seasons.

Public corruption

The event: Corruption tainted some ranks of county and state leadership. In Richland County, then-Councilman Kelvin Washington admitted to not filing federal income tax returns for 2012, 2013 and 2014 for a total $426,000 in alleged unreported income. A month after he pleaded guilty, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley removed Washington from County Council for being convicted of “a crime involving moral turpitude.” Meanwhile, the Richland County Recreation Commission came under a storm of complaints and lawsuits alleging its director, James Brown III, had sexually harassed employees, hired relatives and created a threatening work environment. He decided to retire from his $151,800-per-year job in October, just as the board that hired him was being scrutinized for poor supervision of Brown and the Commission.

Meanwhile, State Attorney General Alan Wilson had tried to stop special prosecutor David Pascoe from investigating Wilson’s fellow Republicans in the S.C. Legislature on public corruption charges. After Wilson failed to stop Pascoe, the special prosecutor and SLED kept on investigating.

The result: In Richland County, Washington’s mother-in-law, Bernice Scott, ran again for the council seat she had held for 20 years before Washington but was defeated. Following Brown’s resignation from the Recreation Commission, Richland County state legislators and the Haley went after the commission’s board members for neglecting their duties. Five of them resigned, two were fired by Haley, and only one board member remains. The Richland delegation will recommend new members for appointment. The full board will eventually be responsible for hiring Brown’s replacement.

And, at the state level, Pascoe earlier this month indicted a top S.C. House Republican on misconduct in office charges. More lawmakers may be indicted.

Dylann Roof trial

The event: In December, federal jurors in Charleston found Dylann Roof guilty of federal hate crimes resulting in death in the 2015 killings of nine African-Americans in a Bible study at Charleston’s historic Emanuel AME Church.

The result: The same jurors on Jan. 3 will begin to hear evidence about whether to give the death penalty or life without parole to the 22-year-old self-avowed white supremacist from Columbia. Roof could go on trial on state charges in the crimes as soon as next year.

Donnie Myers

The event: Veteran Lexington County prosecutor Donnie Myers was arrested in February for his third alcohol-related traffic offense in nearly 11 years, leading even close allies to suggest it was time for him to step down and get help.

The result: Myers didn’t seek re-election after a state record 40 years in office, attributing retirement to his age of 71 without mentioning the furor over his arrest. That led to a ballot showdown among Republicans to become his successor, with protege Rick Hubbard set to take charge in January. A magistrate court jury found Myers guilty of DUI, leading to a $1,017 fine.

North Main revival

The event: When Columbia restaurateur Kristian Niemi announced in September a new restaurant at 2510 N. Main St., he joined a growing movement to revitalize the area known as North Main that lies between Elmwood Avenue and the railroad trestle at Earlewood Park. In fact, Niemi is naming his restaurant Revival.

The result: Niemi – who also has opened popular restaurants including Gervais & Vine, Solstice Kitchen, Rosso Trattoria and Bourbon – plans a multiuse complex that will include a restaurant, beer garden, bocce courts and concert hall. It will join other businesses announced or recently opened in the North Main area. The War Mouth restaurant opened last year in one of several empty 1950s and 1960s industrial buildings clustered on Franklin Street in Cottontown, just off North Main. And the Cotton Town Brew Lab – two planned craft beer breweries and a super-sized tasting room – is being built in a former garage complex just down the street. Those two businesses joined vegan restaurant Lamb’s Bread, the wine and craft beer retailer Vino Garage, North Main Bakery and others.

Costco opens

The event: The clamor for a Costco store in Columbia stretches back for years but seemed to grow stronger in recent years as card-holding members increasingly expressed frustration with the drive to nearby Augusta, Georgia to reap the privileges of membership. After some bumps in the roads on its plans in 2015, the store was finally built.

The result: Customers turned out in droves when Costco opened its doors in the summer at 507 Piney Grove Road, jamming the spacious, 148,000-square-feet warehouse store first in a members-only preview party days before the grand opening. When the store – known for its bulk merchandise packaging, attentive customer service and discounted prices to members – initially opened its doors more than 350 members streamed in and more than 7,000 new memberships were pre-sold, store officials said. Local developers have speculated that Costco could open another store in bustling Northeast Richland.

Clemson heads back to the playoffs

The event: Clemson won back-to-back ACC titles for the first time in 28 years on its way to its second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Deshaun Watson led the way for the Tigers with 4,443 total yards and 43 total touchdowns and was named a Heisman finalist for the second consecutive season.

The result: The Tigers will face Ohio State Dec. 31 in Phoenix; a win would send Clemson back to the national title game for the second year in a row. If Clemson beats the Buckeyes it will face the winner of Alabama and Washington on Jan. 9 in Tampa. Clemson is trying to win its first national championship since 1981.

Fireflies play ball

The event: The Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team made its long-awaited debut in the sparkling new Spirit Communications Park, the anchor of the future BullStreet Commons district.

The result: Hundreds of thousands of fans watched the Fireflies play, setting a record for professional baseball in the Capital City with more than 181,000 in attendance throughout the inaugural season. The ballpark was named the nation’s best by “Baseball Digest” and was chosen to host the 2017 South Atlantic All-Star game. And something else to look forward to in 2017: Recent Mets signee Tim Tebow likely could see some playing time in Columbia.

No NCAA bid for USC men

The event: South Carolina had one of the best regular seasons in its history in 2015-16, soaring to a 15-0 start and the first Top 25 ranking in a dozen years, and the first NCAA tournament berth since 2004 seemed imminent. But Selection Sunday came and went without the Gamecocks being summoned, a 24-8 record deemed not good enough. Critics pointed to USC’s soft non-conference schedule as the reason, but USC had a better RPI than Syracuse, Michigan and Vanderbilt, who each got in. The Gamecocks tied Vanderbilt with an 11-7 SEC finish, but won the head-to-head matchup.

The result: Coach Frank Martin loaded his schedule with “name” schools this year, including Michigan and Syracuse. The Gamecocks stormed to an 8-0 start and again leaped into the Top 25, with an RPI and strength of schedule among the country’s best. The return of suspended star Sindarius Thornwell for SEC play could give USC what it barely missed last season.

Sea Lion Landing opens at Riverbanks

The event: Riverbanks Zoo’s flippered tenants made a splash on their Memorial Day weekend debut. The four sea lions and one harbor seal inhabit a 250,000-gallon saltwater habitat called Sea Lion Landing, which is modeled to look like Pier 39 in San Francisco. The attraction marked the final phase of Destination Riverbanks – the zoo’s $36-million expansion and development project.

Related: Sea Lion Landing at Riverbanks Zoo

The result: Since the opening, Baja, Maverick, P.J. and Gambit have become some of the most popular animals at the zoo. Riverbanks had its highest attendance on record for the 2015-16 fiscal year, with more than 1.2 million visitors.

Pokemon GO craze

The event: In July, developer Niantic released its augmented reality game Pokemon GO, allowing users to search for and catch the animated critters on their mobile phone’s camera feature.

The result: Streets were quickly filled with players walking with their eyes firmly glued to the Pikachus and Jigglypuffs on their phones. For a while, Pokemon GO passed Twitter in the number of individual daily users, and pokestops appeared around the Columbia area. Niantic was later pressured to remove some locations like the U.S. Holocaust Museum from the game, but when several popular pokestops in late July disappeared from the S.C. State House at the height of the craze, it sparked outrage from legions of dedicated players, and disrupted at least one planned promotional event on the State House grounds. The pokestops returned to the State House a month later.

USC students behaving badly

The event: 2016 was not a banner year for student behavior at the University of South Carolina. Fraternities set records for misconduct violations despite pointed warnings from USC officials. Compared with last year, twice as many students were hospitalized this fall for drinking too much. Two freshman basketball players were kicked off the team after their arrests on charges related to a string of BB-gun related incidents. Female USC students woke up in various states of undress in neighborhoods around Five Points one weekend this fall.

The result: USC says the uptick in incidents indicates better reporting and the success of student accountability initiatives, such as Stand Up Carolina. Still, the university has put fraternities on a short leash and continued to work with neighbors to curb off-campus student behavioral problems. The school even gave Athletics Director Ray Tanner an additional role as a student mentor.

This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 11:00 AM.