Today is your last day to sign up to be a vendor at a health fair created by two local business owners. Kimberly Beasley, the owner of Curvitude Boutique, which sells women’s athletic wear, and Jamilah Dukes, owner of The S.O.U.L Market, which offers a variety of wellness services, including yoga classes, have planned the first-ever Columbia County Health, Wellness, & Fitness Expo. The free event will be held on Saturday, March 25, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. at the Liberty Park Community Center located at 1040 Newmantown Road

Need to lose weight? Need to exercise more? Those may sound like New Year’s resolutions, but the fact is many of us fall into that category and most are in the southeast, including Georgia and South Carolina. More than 42 percent of adults in the United States are currently obese, while nearly three-quarters are overweight, according to the CDC. Some who are obese turn to bariatric surgery which involves making changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight when diet and exercise haven’t worked. The good news is

South Carolina is among five states projected to have the biggest nursing shortage in the U.S. by 2030 and will need more than 10,000 new nurses to fill the gap. As ABD has reported, Aiken Regional is offering $25,000 sign-on bonuses for qualified nurses. Now, Aiken Tech School of Nursing will take a step to address the demand for nurses in the CSRA by offering evening classes. The new program creates another path for licensed practical nurses (LPN) to become registered nurses (RN). Aiken Tech’s nursing school has seen success