A defining vote for Gresham Barrett

U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett said his vote against the $700 billion financial rescue plan was the biggest he has ever cast in his career.

He was the only one of South Carolina's six congressmen to oppose the bailout, and he said today he is confident that Congress will get back to work and pass something different — and better — soon.

School board election feud simmers

Campaigning on school property is the latest source of fingerpointing and contention in the Dorchester District 2 school board election.

It started last month with a complaint from an unidentified parent. Teacher Barbara Crosby, one of five candidates for three open seats on the school board, was handing campaign cards to parents while registering her granddaughter at Summerville High School. A parent complained to the state ethics commission.

Charleston educator wins national award

Ruth Truluck, dean of Wando High's School of Health Sciences, Human and Public Services, was awarded the 2008 American Start of Teaching award Tuesday.

One teacher in every state and the District of Columbia will receive the federal Department of Education honor this fall.

Women honored by MOJA Festival

Twenty-one African-American women were honored Tuesday for their contributions to the quality of life in the community. Read More

Arthritis Foundation re-energizes Lowcountry presence

p>Rose Guess remembers mornings when her hands ached so badly that she couldn't fix her little girl's hair. She was in her 20s, and "rheumatoid arthritis" were not words that crossed her mind.

Guess, 55, worries that other young adults may delay seeking help.

Governor wants Legislature back in session now

Gov. Mark Sanford said that if legislators don't call themselves back in session prior to Election Day, it is "most probable" that he will.

His announcement came days after the Board of Economic Advisors put the state on notice that revenue collections are lower than forecast, and the situation is expected to get worse before it gets better.

Berkeley planner fired

One of the new guys in Berkeley County Supervisor Dan Davis' shuffled administration is gone. Planning director Jeff Tyndall was fired in a dispute with Davis. Read More

Five family members arrested in connection with Sunday stabbing

Five members of the same West Ashley family have been arrested in Sunday's stabbing of a father and son for an attack that a sheriff's spokesman described as a feud that got out of hand.

Officials aren't sure what prompted the stabbing, but it appears the quarrel escalated to the point that all the members of the family Â-- including three juveniles, one as young as age 12 - were involved by jumping out a vehicle and taking part in the attack.

Civil rights violation trial starts for SC trooper

Lance Cpl. Steve Garren goes on trial Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Greenville on a charge of using unreasonable force and depriving a suspect he was chasing of his civil rights. A dashboard video camera caught the incident and Garren later bragging he meant to hit the man. Read More

Man arrested in North Charleston shooting

North Charleston Police are investigating an early morning shooting that happened in the 2200 block of Fillmore Street.

According to initial reports, two men were involved in a verbal altercation that ended in shots being fired.

New Ellenton mayor fined for violating state ethics laws

The state Ethics Commission has fined the mayor of New Ellenton for moving the city's bank account to his wife's employer. The commission found Mayor Vernon Dunbar guilty of using his office for personal gain, fined him $100 and issued a written warning. Read More

Lawsuit seeks to void new anti-motorcycle laws

Two motorcycle owners are challenging Myrtle Beach's new laws meant to curtail motorcycle rallies. Read More

Governor to give budget update this afternoon

Gov. Mark Sanford will hold a news conference this afternoon to discuss the possibility of calling the Legislature back into session to deal with targeted budget cuts if lawmakers do not commit to an expedited timeline for doing so. Read More

Judge says Hard Rock Park can borrow, spend

Libertarian presidential candidate visits Charleston, SC

It's not John McCain or Barack Obama, but a presidential candidate is campaigning in South Carolina. Read More

Google celebrates S.C. data center

Google is having a party to mark the completion of its new data center near Moncks Corner. Read More

Deaths Summary

Ask Elsa

Exercise decreases insulin resistance

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A little exercise can go a long way in overweight patients who are insulin sensitive. Complications from obesity, such as diabetes, are associated with an abnormal fat metabolism in the muscle. This causes the accumulated fat by-products inside the muscle to impact ... Read More

Patience rewarded at Easterns

CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. — For most people, patience is a virtue. For a competitive surfer, patience is everything. After almost a solid week of blustery weather and blown-out surf along North Carolina's Outer Banks, the 41st Annual ESA Eastern Surfing Championships came to a close over t... Read More

Ex-Blink-182 drummer gets out of hospital

AUGUSTA — Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker has been released from a Georgia hospital after suffering severe burns in a fiery plane crash more than a week ago. Barker was released Monday morning, said Beth Frits, spokeswoman for the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital. Read More

Less Armanti would suit the Bulldogs

Terrence Reese shakes his head at the memory. "I was wondering how he kept breaking all those long runs," The Citadel's junior nose tackle says. "It seemed like we had everything contained, everyone in the right spot. And somehow, he still made those long runs for 40 or 50 yards." Th... Read More

Abandoned housing developments

Bank's sale big blow to Charlotte

City was becoming hub of nation's financial system

CHARLOTTE — It was only days ago that Wachovia Corp. appeared headed toward a deal with Morgan Stanley, a merger that would have moved a piece of staggering old Wall Street south and further established the Queen City as a new hub of the American financial system. Instead, only Wall ... Read More

How they voted

How South Carolina's congressmen voted on the bailout bill in the House: Yes (in favor of the bill): Henry Brown (R), Jim Clyburn (D), Bob Inglis (R), John Spratt (D), Joe Wilson (R) No (against the bill): Gresham Barrett (R) ... Read More

Business Briefs

Judge gets proposed settlement

Includes stipulation that Hynie was Brown's wife at time of death, James Brown II is biological child

AIKEN — A proposed settlement to the legal battle surrounding the estate of James Brown includes a stipulation that Tomi Rae Hynie was the late soul singer's fourth wife, a newspaper and an attorney said Monday. Read More

Bowden not ready to panic

CLEMSON — A disappointing 3-2 start and a devastating, come-from-ahead home defeat to Maryland don't necessitate fundamental changes in Clemson's football program, coach Tommy Bowden said Monday. Bowden expressed little alarm about the state of his program two days after a 20-17 upse... Read More

Wellman plant may be rescued

Folks in the tiny Pee Dee town of Johnsonville are feeling a bit better about their economic future after word that an investor group might save its largest industry from shutting down. Wellman Inc. has entered into a letter of intent to sell its engineering resins business and other assets at its 170-employee plant near the Lynches River to an investor group that specializes in turnarounds and renewable energy businesses, Wellman announced over the weekend. Read More

Spurrier sending mixed messages on quarterback

COLUMBIA — Good luck interpreting signals about South Carolina's starting quarterback this week. Steve Spurrier is saying one thing verbally. And another thing with his self-endorsed Web site. Spurrier told Todd Ellis after Saturday's game tha... Read More

Letters to the Editor

Slaying suspect sought

LADSON — Berkeley County sheriff's detectives have obtained a murder warrant for a man who lived near the site of Thursday night's fatal shooting along a road here. Thirty-four-year-old Ronald Webster's last known address was in Christie's Mobile Home Park at 1029 Royle Road, lot No. 10, the Sheriff's Office said in a release.. Read More

Band festival set

The Wando High School Band Boosters will host the annual Lowcountry Invitational Marching Band Festival on Saturday at the football stadium on Mathis Ferry Road. Sixteen Lowcountry bands will participate. Read More

Incumbent facing newcomer

JAMES ISLAND — Republican state Rep. Wallace Scarborough said his support of the Morris Island lighthouse project, the James Island Charter High School and parts of Gov. Mark Sanford's agenda illustrate why he deserves a fifth term in Columbia. Democratic newcomer Anne Peterson Hutto said that after Scarborough's eight years in office, the problems facing House District 115 covering James Island and Folly Beach remain much the same, including local growth and traffic woes, along with various statewide problems as well. Read More

Creative costumes

It might seem as though Halloween is far off, but if you're planning to make costumes for your kids this year, you'd better get on the ball. Read More

Not-so-distant history

The Charleston area abounds in reminders of wars past. Fort Moultrie, known as Fort Sullivan when a plucky band of patriots turned back a mighty British fleet a mere week before the Declaration of Independence, remains a sentinel at the southern end of Sullivan's Island. Read More

Consolidation of banks could lead to higher fees

But analysts also say regional banks could act as brake on increased charges

NEW YORK — The sale of Wachovia's deposits and other assets to Citigroup on Monday leaves the nation with three superbanks, reshaping the U.S. banking landscape in the midst of unprecedented financial upheaval. For customers of those institutions — Bank of America, Citigroup an... Read More

Man shot at Line, Nassau streets

Shots again were fired at Line and Nassau streets on Charleston's East Side. Read More

DHEC wrapping up Kinder Morgan permit

After more than two years of fine-tuning, state health officials are putting final touches on a permit that would grant Kinder Morgan Energy Partners permission to expand its North Charleston coal terminal. The state Department of Health and Environmental Control will go over a draft of th... Read More

Shortage fuels frustrations

Consumers rising early to get gas, staying close to home, taking bus

ATLANTA — Motorists are rising before dawn so they can be at the filling station when the delivery truck arrives. Some are skipping work or telecommuting. Others are taking the extreme step — for Atlanta — of switching to public transportation. Read More

Financial Meltdown

Bailout back on drawing board

WASHINGTON — In a vote that shook the government, Wall Street and markets around the world, the House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation's financial system, leaving both parties and the Bush administration scrambling to pick up the pieces. The Dow Jones industrials plunged 777.68 points, the most ever for a single day. Read More

Suspect out of jail in felony DUI case

SPARTANBURG — A Spartanburg County man is out of jail a day after authorities charged him with running over his 2-year-old son in his driveway. Read More

Carr chosen for helm

Montgomery County, Md., fire chief would be returning to roots

A city native who runs a fire department 10 times the size of Charleston's was nominated to become the next fire chief Monday by Mayor Joe Riley and was warmly received by city firefighters and elected officials alike. If confirmed by City Council, as expected, 54-year-old Thomas Carr Jr. will leave a department with a $195 million annual budget in order to take the helm in Charleston. Read More

The greatest workout on Earth

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

Nearly half of us say we exercise on a regular basis. But those old workout routines can get boring. Stars like Jodie Foster and Jeff Goldblum, and a lot of regular folks, have found a new kind of workout -- and it's like a trip to the circus. The circus has been called the greatest show... Read More

Candidates' debates to air

Lowcountry voters wishing to hear from 1st Congressional District candidates Henry Brown and Linda Ketner may tune in at 7 p.m. Wednesday on ETV — or on C-SPAN — to see them debate. Also, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican incumbent, will debate Democratic challenger Bob Conley on the same networks at 8 p.m. Oct. 11. Read More

Blood-thinning drug dangers

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A common blood-thinning drug may have deadly side effects. A new report from the University of Cincinnati finds warfarin may cause more bleeding in the brain and increase the risk of death in patients who have a hemorrhagic stroke. Warfarin is commonly pres... Read More

Loose holsters at gun agency

You'd think that the federal agencies in charge of enforcing firearms regulations would have a great record of gun management. But a recent Justice Department probe of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found its rate of lost weapons to be almost double that of the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Read More

Parenting book offers sage advice

'Self-discipline may be more responsible for differences in achievement than any other factor.' — From 'Raising a Self-Disciplined Child' by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein. The book was written to 'help your child (grandchild, student) become more responsible, confident and resilient.' Read More

Islands to share water for a while

Sullivan's will use IOP supplies after Charleston underwater main breaks

A broken water main beneath Charleston Harbor has forced Sullivan's Island to tap into the Isle of Palms system. The two islands could be sharing drinks for about a month. Engineers with the Charleston Water System discovered the leak after a surge in flow through the 20-inch line that runs from Fort Johnson to Fort Moultrie near the mouth of the harbor. Read More

Long drive time stressful for young children

EX-ETIQUETTE FOR PARENTS

My ex-husband and I have shared 50-50 custody of our 5-year-old daughter since she was 2. Last year, we amended the court order to say our daughter will go to kindergarten in my area and live with me during weekdays and with him on weekends — just during the school year. He lives more than an hour from the school. But now he's changed his mind and does not want to honor the court order. Read More

Bailey's resume again questioned

State House candidate says he 'just made a mistake,' opponents are 'rehashing old stuff'

Republican state House candidate George Bailey just can't seem to get his educational record straight. For years, his resume has been overstated with an assertion that he graduated from high school at Richmond Academy, a misstatement he let stand as recently as last week in an interview with The Post and Courier. Read More

McCain says rival refuses to oppose party on key issues

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lagging in the polls, Republican presidential candidate John McCain unleashed a blistering attack Monday on his Democratic rival, saying the race comes down to a simple question: "Country first or Obama first?" Read More

Getting motivated

Finding right challenge that allows a child to succeed can be elusive

While senior year for some high school students is about late "ins" and early "outs," for Katie Hilleke, it's all about advanced placement. Instead of trying to make her last year of high school as easy as possible, the Academic Magnet High School senior is taking seven AP classes: physics, calculus BC, statistics, English literature, Spanish and two semester courses, government and economics. Read More

Barr set to attend 5 events

Libertarian presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr will make five campaign stops in Charleston today as he tries to drum up support for his long-shot bid. He also likely will talk a lot about the failure of the financial rescue bill — a bill that he opposed. Read More

Early drinking predicts problematic future

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Drinking before the age of 15 significantly increases one's risk of developing an alcohol-related disorder later in life, new research shows. Researchers looked at the relationship between age at first drink (AFD) and the risk of developing alcohol-use disorders (AU... Read More

It's Tampa or bust for Bowden's 3-2 Tigers

FACEOFF: Who's in more trouble, Clemson or USC?

Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Urban Meyer, Mike Shanahan and Jim Grobe lost their most recent football games to inferior foes. Those guys, however, own what Tommy Bowden hasn't won at Clemson, a large first-place trophy. Read More

Single-car wreck claims man's life

WALTERBORO — A man died after being ejected from a sport utility vehicle near Lowcountry Regional Airport early Sunday, authorities said. Read More

USC gains 2 commitments

South Carolina has added two more commitments to its 2009 football recruiting class pushing the total to 17. Offensive lineman Johnnie Farms (6-3, 306) of Perry, Ga., chose the Gamecocks over Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Central Florida when he committed Monday night. Farms said he was rec... Read More

Obama takes aim at McCain's support of deregulation

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Democrat Barack Obama said Republican John McCain's long advocacy of deregulation contributed to the current financial crisis and letting his GOP rival continue those policies as president would be a gamble "we can't afford." Read More

T.O.'s 'me-first' attitude may spell doom for Cowboys

Terrell Owens' love affair with Tony Romo and the rest of his Dallas teammates may be turning down the rocky path that his relationships with Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia followed. At least it seemed that way after the Cowboys lost Sunday for the first time this season. "I'm a competito... Read More

HSM look-alikes

Can it possibly be true that it's almost time to graduate? My, how time flies! On Oct. 24, Troy Bolton and pals will be back on the screen, this time, the big screen, when "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," the latest installment of Disney's mega-hit trilogy, hits the theaters. Read More

Experts give tips to combat disorganization

PARENT TO PARENT

'My 11-year-old son will not take responsibility for anything he does. He can forget part of his baseball uniform or homework, and yet it is never his fault. After he lost his school agenda and glasses recently, I was fed up and grounded him.' — a mother in Huntersville, N.C. Read More

Charter school skating on thin ice

Greg Mathis was almost closed 2 years ago and still has numerous problems to solve to stay open

It's been a rough five years for Greg Mathis Charter High School. The North Charleston school has seen at least five directors during that time, and its test scores have been among the worst in Charleston County. The school board almost shut the school down in 2006 after it couldn't pay its bills, and the school's ties with the national YouthBuild organization no longer exist. Read More

30 people facing charges in prostitution investigation

The flesh trade was the only common bond. About 30 people are facing prostitution-related charges after Charleston County vice officers spent a month prowling everywhere from city streets to cyberspace. Suspects included men and women. Read More

New safety chief stressing ethics

COLUMBIA — The head of the state Department of Public Safety says he has been meeting with Highway Patrol troopers to instill ethics standards during his first 90 days on the job in the wake of videos showing troopers running down suspects with their cruisers or kicking them when they're down. Read More

Lowcountry braces for fallout from bank's sale

Weakened financial giant Wachovia Corp., reeling from losses in its mortgage business, was forced Monday to sell its entire banking operation to Citigroup Inc. for $2.1 billion in a deal that likely will have broad implications for the Charleston region. The sale, which was brokered by federal regulators, marks a dramatic slide for the Charlotte-based company, once known for its conservative lending practices and its taste for acquisitions. Read More

On Wall St., fear takes over

As federal bailout failed in Congress, wave of selling washed over markets

NEW YORK — Wall Street's worst fears came to pass Monday when the government's financial rescue plan failed in Congress and stocks plunged precipitously, pushing the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 7 percent. The nearly 780-point decline was the largest one-day point drop ever for the ind... Read More

Looking for Palin frames

When the nation turns its eyes on Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden for Thursday's vice-presidential campaign debate, some TV viewers might be watching and wishing they had a pair of those trendy rimless glasses that Palin wears. Her spectacles are known in the optical biz as Kawasaki frames, and there's been something of a run on them and look-alikes since Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain picked the Alaska governor as his running mate. Read More

Father, son wounded in stabbing

Both expected to survive after father intervened in incident in front of house

A father was stabbed several times after he tried to step between his son and a group of people who came to their West Ashley home Sunday afternoon, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office said. Dennis Preston Redick, 45, suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, sheriff's Maj. John Clark said. His son, John Redick, 18, a senior at West Ashley High School, also was stabbed, though his wounds were not as serious. Read More

Deaths and Funerals

Rally bikers required to keep it down

MYRTLE BEACH — Motorcyclists will need to muffle their mufflers during the fall rally that kicks off later this week in Myrtle Beach. The rally will serve as a rehearsal for the new rules passed by City Council last week meant to clamp down on beach motorcycle rallies. Read More

Main Street will hurt; it's a matter of just how bad

ANALYSIS

WASHINGTON — The economy has endured hurricanes, soaring fuel and food prices, falling home values and a growing credit crisis. Can it now survive Congress? The House's stunning defeat Monday of a $700 billion package urgently championed by President Bush, sent shock waves through Capitol Hill, the trading floors on Wall Street and the Oval Office. Read More

Man robbed while making delivery

A man was robbed Monday morning at Ernie's Restaurant on Spring Street in Charleston. Read More

Spurrier's reputation, USC season on the line

FACEOFF: Who's in more trouble, Clemson or USC?

Could this Gamecocks squad be one of the worst teams Steve Spurrier has been associated with since 1976 when he quarterbacked the 0-14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers? It has potential. Read More

Commerce Dept. honors CSO's Stahl

Charleston Symphony Orchestra Music Director David Stahl was honored by the S.C. Department of Commerce on Saturday. Read More

Most S.C. lawmakers vote 'yes'

Five of South Carolina's six congressmen voted in favor of the emergency rescue bill, with Upstate Republican Gresham Barrett, a potential candidate for governor in two years, voting against it. Read More

Explosive kills S.C. soldier in Iraq

CONWAY — Staff Sgt. Ronald Phillips Jr., 33, of Conway, died Thursday in Bahbahani, Iraq, after his vehicle was hit with an improvised explosive device, the Defense Department said Monday. Read More

Pregnant women and clinical trials

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For years, being pregnant meant you probably would not be enrolled in a clinical trial. Now, bioethicists at Duke University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities, say it's time to change that because pregnant women are being excluded not just fr... Read More

Police seeking car that struck man

Charleston police were searching for a blue Ford sedan thought to have struck and killed a man Saturday evening on Savannah Highway in West Ashley. Read More

The greatest workout on Earth? - Research summary

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

BACKGROUND: A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals about half of men and women in the United States report exercising regularly. Sticking with a workout plan is important, but many people get tired of the same old cardio and strength t... Read More

Cholesterol-lowering drugs harm muscles?

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Taking higher doses of the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins may cause dangerous side effects. New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham finds high doses of statins may hinder how the skeletal muscles repair and regenerate themselves. Read More

Pelosi's blunder derails bailout; House must reconsider its vote

Monday's House vote rejecting the "bipartisan" bailout bill was a good demonstration why this Congress, at 15 percent, has the lowest public approval rating ever recorded. On Monday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., failed to get her own party to fully support the bill she advertised as critical, and she clearly alienated House Republicans who did not agree with her (or President Bush) on the seriousness of the situation facing the nation. Read More

Pilot uninjured in small-plane crash

MOUNT PLEASANT — A pilot escaped injury after an airplane lost power and crashed on takeoff at East Cooper Regional Airport on Sunday afternoon, authorities said. Read More

Untangling tricky genealogical web

KINSHIP

There's a recurring genealogical question that I've grown weary of sidestepping, and cluster genealogy is going to help me resolve it. The research process could be a long one, but I'm excited about applying the method to my problem. The recurring question is about a man named Peter Watson who lived on St. Helena Island more than a century ago. He was black. He had the same last name as some of my ancestors. He owned land near theirs. Read More

Forums scheduled in local races

Most state House, Charleston County Council and other local candidates will participate in one of several forums next month, but there won't be a forum in two local races. Read More

Moods that age your heart

Even if you try to keep your emotions hidden, they often show somewhere. In one study, people who had the symptoms of mild to moderate depression - specifically physical ones such as loss of sleep and lack of appetite - showed more signs of artery thickness than their sunnier peers. Read More

Man shot at Line, Nassau streets

Shots again were fired at Line and Nassau streets on Charleston's East Side. Neighbors heard shots about 8:35 tonight. Read More

30 people facing charges in prostitution investigation

The flesh trade was the only common bond. About 30 people are facing prostitution-related charges after Charleston County vice officers spent a month prowling everywhere from city streets to cyberspace. Read More

Looking for Palin frames

When the nation turns its eyes on Sarah Palin and Joe Biden for Thursday's vice-presidential campaign debate, some TV viewers may be watching and wishing they had a pair of those trendy rimless glasses that Palin wears. Read More

Sullivan's, IOP residents asked to conserve water

Residents of Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms are being asked to conserve water while Charleston Water System makes repairs to a water line serving both islands. The repair work is estimated to take four weeks. Read More

Charter school skates on thin ice

It's been a rough five years for Greg Mathis Charter High School. The North Charleston charter school has had at least five directors during that time, and its test scores have been among the worst in Charleston County. Still, the school board decided to give the school for at-risk students another chance by giving probationary approval to its charter renewal request this summer. Read More

Barr campaigning here Tuesday

Libertarian presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr will make five campaign stops in Charleston Tuesday as he tries to drum up support for his long shot bid. He is also likely to talk a lot about the failure of the financial rescue bill — a bill that he opposed.

Man sought in fatal Berkeley County shooting; two others wanted for questioning

Berkeley County sheriff's detectives have obtained a murder warrant for a man who lived near the site of Thursday night's fatal shooting along a road here.

Thirty-four-year-old Ronald Webster's last known address was in Christie's Mobile Home Park on 1029 Royle Road, lot No. 10, the Sheriff's Office said in a release. Webster is 6 feet tall and weighs 205 pounds. Authorities said he has ties to Massachusetts.

Wellman plant might be saved from closing

Wellman Inc. has entered into a letter of intent to sell its engineering resins business and other assets at its 170-employee plant near the Lynches River to an investor group that specializes in turnarounds and renewable energy businesses, the company announced over the weekend. Read More

Wachovia sale has major implications for Charleston area

The sale, which was engineered by federal regulators, marks a dramatic slide for the Charlotte-based company, once know for its conservative lending practices.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. asserted Monday that Wachovia did not fail, and that all depositors are protected and there will be no cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund. Read More

House defeats $700B financial markets bailout

The House on Monday defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue package, ignoring urgent pleas from President Bush and bipartisan congressional leaders to quickly bail out the staggering financial industry. Stocks plummeting on Wall Street even before the 228-205 vote to reject the bill was announced on the House floor. Read More

House District 97 candidate's resume challenged

George Bailey, who is trying to regain his House District 97 seat, said Monday he made a mistake when he said he graduated from a high school in Georgia. A 2006 deposition reveals that he left high school during his senior year after his father died of cancer and never graduated. Read More

Bikers coming to Myrtle Beach must keep noise down

Motorcyclists will need to muffle their mufflers during the fall rally that kicks off later this week in Myrtle Beach. The rally will serve as a rehearsal for the new rules passed by City Council last week meant to clamp down on beach motorcycle rallies. Read More

Parts of SC still suffer from gas shortages

AAA Carolinas spokesman Tom Crosby said Monday drivers in Greenville still had to drive to a few stations to find fuel. He said other major cities, including Columbia and Charleston, had patches of gas shortages.

Public Safety director says attitudes changing

The head of South Carolina's Public Safety Department says he spent his first three months on the job revamping attitudes and policies.

Public Safety Director Mark Keel said that came after videos showed Highway Patrol troopers running down suspects with their cruisers or kicking them when they're down.

Keys to keeping kids motivated

Some kids are real go-getters while others are content to sit on the couch, playing video games.

What makes some kids so motivated?

Riley selects Carr to be new Charleston Fire Chief

Mayor Joe Riley on Monday selected Maryland Fire Chief Thomas Carr to lead the Charleston Fire Department as it attempts to rebuild and modernize in the wake of last year's deadly Sofa Super Store blaze. Riley chose Carr, 54, from a field of seven candidates, all veteran firefighters from across the Southeast. Read More

Downtown business robbed

A man with a gun robbed Ernie's Restaurant in downtown Charleston this morning, police said. Read More

Police seek blue Ford Crown Victoria sedan in fatal hit-and-run

Charleston police were searching for a blue Ford sedan thought to have struck and killed a man on Savannah Highway in West Ashley on Saturday evening. Read More

What's up with lights out?

What's up with lights out?

An alert East Side resident recently saw a police cruiser drive down his street with its lights off around midnight and wondered, "is that legal?"

Two wounded in West Ashley stabbing

A father and son were stabbed on Parsonage Road in West Ashley on Sunday afternoon, the Charleston County Sheriff's Office said. Read More

Man dies in wreck near Walterboro

WALTERBORO - A man died after being ejected from the sport utility vehicle he was driving near Lowcountry Regional Airport early Sunday, authorities said.

USC Report Card

Spurrier lightens up on criticism of Gamecocks

A day after saying he doesn't understand how some of South Carolina's players look at themselves in the mirror, Steve Spurrier went a little easier on his team. Read More

Congress to vote on bailout today

Paulson praises lawmakers' efforts; Pelosi calls proposal Wall Street buy-in, not bailout

WASHINGTON - After a tumultuous week of round-the-clock negotiations, Congress prepared for a vote today on a sweeping $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan to stave off a possible global financial meltdown. Racing a self-imposed 6 p.m. deadline Sunday night ahead of the opening of Asian financial markets, bleary-eyed Democrats in control of Congress released the text of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The plan had GOP support in the Senate but less Republican support in the House of Representatives. Read More

Panthers deflate Falcons

CHARLOTTE — Steve Smith celebrated his first touchdown of the season with an emphatic spike that sent the ball into the stands. His Carolina Panthers teammates then watched as he frantically tried to retrieve the ball from a fan. "I was trying to tell him, 'Hey, don't, just give it... Read More

Small businesses feeling pinch

Small business owners were bracing for tough times even before this month's economic upheaval, according to a new survey. Read More

Exercise can help moms-to-be stop smoking

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Here's a healthy way for pregnant women to stop smoking -- start moving. Two new studies from the University of London find exercise can help pregnant women kick the habit. In both trials, researchers looked at women 12 to 20 weeks into their pregnancy who were over... Read More

TECH Q and A

I foolishly responded to a pop-up ad that promised I had won a free laptop. But after I gave away my e-mail address, I discovered there was no laptop. For a few months I just deleted the few dozen unwanted messages about everything from tea to debt relief, but now I'm getting hundreds of these a day, many of them duplicates. Is there a simple fix other than changing my e-mail address? (It's a company address, and changing it would be difficult.) Read More

U.S. needs unity on Iran

The recent performance at the United Nations by Iran's bizarre President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad didn't disappoint connoisseurs of his Israel-hating, U.S.-baiting, humbug rhetoric about Iran's "peaceful" nuclear program. But it did beg the question: How should the United States respond to him and his regime's noxious policies? Read More

D gives boost to body

Studies find vitamin helps fight off disease

You drink fortified milk. You walk outside for 30 minutes a day. And you take a multivitamin. So you've got vitamin D covered, right? Read More

Letters to the Editor

How the credit card has changed America

SAN JOSE, Calif. - They called it the Fresno Drop. Fifty years ago, in Septmeber 1958, Bank of America mass-mailed to nearly every home in Fresno, Calif., a small piece of plastic called the Bank-Americard. The credit card had arrived, a shiny corkscrew for each recipient to unbottle thousands of dollars in spending money that hadn't existed before they ripped open those envelopes. Read More

Stroke risk doesn't always mean surgery

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Many people who are at risk for stroke may be able to take medication to prevent one instead of having surgery. New research from the University of Western Ontario shows more intensive medical therapy has lowered the risk of stroke so much that at least 95 percent o... Read More

Deaths and Funerals

Fitness goes to the dogs

Canines help humans drop some excess weight by offering motivation to take a walk

Forget the disappointing diets, costly health clubs and pricey personal trainers. Patti Lawson had gone that route and discovered a simpler solution. She got a dog. By walking with her dog, Sadie, twice a day, Lawson lost 30 pounds (and kept it off), started eating healthier and got off the roller coaster of fitness that millions of Americans ride on a daily basis. Read More

Panthers deflate Falcons

CHARLOTTE — Steve Smith celebrated his first touchdown of the season with an emphatic spike that sent the ball into the stands. His Carolina Panthers teammates then watched as he frantically tried to retrieve the ball from a fan. "I was trying to tell him, 'Hey, don't, just give it... Read More

Changing portfolio has impact on tax filings

The turbulent financial market is causing people to shake up their financial portfolios, dump underperforming stocks, adjust retirement funds and sell homes and investment properties. The moves have tax consequences that, if ignored until the end of the year, could cause headaches. Read More

Stingers of autumn — caterpillars out in force

Aah, cool autumn. They're all going away - all the stinging skeeters, chiggers, no-see-ums, deerflies, horseflies, bees, yellow jackets, wasps, hornets, ticks, fire ants, spiders and fleas. Owwwwwww! What's that? Read More

Force Protection future on meeting agenda

The future strategy of Force Protection Inc. will be among the items up for discussion when the maker of mine-resistant armored military vehicles holds it annual meeting of shareholders in North Charleston on Nov. 21. The setting for the 10 a.m. investor event is the Embassy Suites Hotel next to the Charleston Area Convention Center. The agenda calls for stockholders to elect two directors and ratify an independent public accounting firm. Read More

Going Business Class

Educators learn workplace needs

Chemistry teacher Helen Fanning knows that few of her students at Stratford High School will grow up to become chemists. A year ago, she thought of herself as an educator who was preparing pupils for higher-level science classes, helping some get into college while trying to convey basic skills such as solving problems and meeting deadlines. Read More

Police team's goal to prevent gangs

City has not experienced gang-related violence

North Charleston's Gang Intervention Team went to Los Angeles in 2006 to witness for themselves the street-level gang violence that frequently is depicted in fiction on the big screen. So far, they haven't seen anything like that in North Charleston, and they plan to keep it that way. Read More

Bailout blues: 'The Economic Madness of George XLIII'

"It's a perfect storm. It started with Congress encouraging lending to lower income people. You went from subprime loans being 2 percent of total loans in 2002 to 30 percent of total loans in 2006. That kind of enormous increase swept into the net people who shouldn't have been borrowing." - Blackstone Group Chairman Stephen Schwarzman, Wall Street Journal, Sept. 25 Read More

COMING UP

Gilmore has visit with USC

USC hosted one of the top prospects in the state for an official visit over the weekend in defensive back Stephon Gilmore (6-2, 195) of South Pointe. Gilmore spent time with head coach Steve Spurrier, defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and cornerbacks coach Shane Beamer. The message he got from Spurrier was there is a place for him with the Gamecocks. Read More

Reporter Wise joins business news staff

Veteran Post and Courier government reporter Warren Wise has moved to the business news department. Read More

Work e-mail creeping into employees' off hours

NEW YORK - Joe Soto, general manager of an advertising firm in Philadelphia, has a complicated relationship with his BlackBerry e-mail phone. He felt "awful" and out of touch when he was without a BlackBerry for two days because his unit fell overboard when he was sailing on the Chesapeake. Read More

Inn clears planning hurdle

Some Legend Oaks residents oppose bed-and-breakfast in neighborhood

SUMMERVILLE - Residents of Legend Oaks, a golf-course community on S.C. Highway 61, are embroiled in another feud that's heading for Dorchester County Council. Council had to intervene earlier this year after Legend Oaks residents clashed over parents parking along the streets to pick up kids from the school across the highway. Read More

Woodlands has new GM, top chef

Flat-screen televisions are the least of it. Woodlands Resort & Inn in Summerville, one of the area's most acclaimed luxury lodgings, isn't just getting a new look. Beginning this month it has a new general manager and a new executive chef. Read More

Reversing Alzheimer's disease?

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

Two-and-a-half years ago, 56-year-old Fred Ruekert was diagnosed with Alzheimer's; a disease that took his father in his 60s and his brother at age 57. Fred's wife of more than 30 years says she saw the warning signs. "There definitely was a shift in his personality that made it recognizable." Read More

RadioShack outlets to be given makeovers

RadioShack is getting a face-lift for Christmas. As part of a turn-around effort at the consumer-electronics retailer, two-thirds of its 6,000 stores, including seven in the Charleston area, will begin changing their in-store look next month. Read More

DISTINCTIONS

End your day refreshed

Plenty of what you see on the Internet can be eyebrow-raising ('vicious umbrella attacks woman,' 'celeb gives baby normal name'), but chances are, most of the time you're on your computer, you're not widening your eyes. You're actually squinting, consciously or not. Read More

MEMOS

What can Clemson do to turn jeers into cheers?

CLEMSON - Five games into a season that began with bountiful promise, Tommy Bowden finds himself being booed off his own field after a loss to what was, by all accounts, an inferior team that didn't play particularly well. Five games into a season Clemson entered in the top 10, Clemson has won three games and lost two. The Tigers are 1-1 in the ACC, a league they were forecast to own this year. Read More

Executive Items

High risk, high reward

Last Thursday in St. Louis, Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks became the first big-leaguer to strike out 200 times in a single season. Read More

Cases show offenders often people we know

We teach children about stranger danger. But locals arrested in sex-crime cases have included teachers, pastors and other seemingly upstanding members of the community. National statistics say that this pattern isn't unusual. In fact, most offenders are non-relatives whom the victim or the victim's family knows and trusts. "They used to teach us stranger danger, but nowadays, that's not usually the case," said Rita Avila, a Charleston County Sheriff's detective who has investigated many such crimes in this area. Read More

Officials outline plans for 'innovation center'

It's an idle eyesore now, but an old mattress factory in Charleston's East Central neighborhood could be humming in the next year or two with cutting-edge medical research firms and other startup technology businesses. City and state officials Wednesday unveiled plans to transform the long-vacant factory into an "innovation center" with offices and laboratories at 645 Meeting St. Read More

Deaths Summary

A waste issue states can solve

Now that South Carolina's low-level radioactive waste landfill has finally been closed to all but three states, those without a place to dump are calling it a national problem. It's a problem, all right, but one which states should be able to address under existing law. Read More

Don't assume pain is carpal tunnel

Doctor can diagnose syndrome or other hand ailments that have symptoms such as tingling, numbness, weakness, pain

Recently, I've had pain and tingling in my fingers, making it harder for me to do routine tasks. Do I have carpal tunnel syndrome? What can I do to ease the pain? Read More

Owner of Stock Building Supply evaluating options

The U.S. housing slump is creating financial ripples across the pond. The British owner of a struggling building supply and installation chain with 32 South Carolina locations - including three in the Charleston region - is mulling what to do with the business to counter plunging sales and deep losses. Read More

Exercises target different areas of body

ATLANTA - Six years ago, Rhoda Freer did not know a plank from a saw, and a Cadillac was just a car. In fact, she could not pronounce the name of the unfamiliar exercise regimen that used those terms: Pilates. "I thought it was pie-lates," said the former dancer-turned-actress. Read More

Transparency key to bailout success

NEW YORK - If the U.S. government wants to use taxpayer dollars to get financial markets functioning smoothly again, then it better be prepared to let Americans see exactly how this effort is going to work. At the center of the mega-bailout presented by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve is a proposal to buy $700 billion of toxic mortgage debt and other risky assets , which is considered the root cause of the current credit storm. Read More

Spouse's illness not issue in job search

Market turmoil raises questions

DALLAS - The turmoil in the financial markets has triggered a slew of questions from consumers worried about the safety of their money in financial services and investment companies. Here are some answers to the most common questions: Read More

A good time to catch up with Apple's iPod

When Apple released the iPod in October 2001, it cost $399 and held just 5GB of music, or about 1,000 songs. The new line of iPods that Apple introduced last week range in price from $49 to $399, can hold up to 120GB of music (30,000 songs), videos and photos, play games, surf the Internet, access e-mail or download music. Read More

Age and breast cancer recurrence

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Having early stage breast cancer at a young age does not necessarily raise your chances of having it come back. Read More

BRAGGIN RIGHTS BAROMETER

South Carolina 20, Clemson 17

The tradition-rich BRB predicts what to expect from a mythical South Carolina-Clemson clash this Saturday, and every week leading to the real game on Nov. 29, this year accounting for the Tigers' home-field advantage. Read More

Reversing Alzheimer's disease? - Research summary

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

The possibility of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a scary thought for many. Read More

Determining treatment for prostate cancer

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It may take more than a man's age to determine whether hormones should be used to treat his prostate cancer. A new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center finds men over age 70 with high-risk prostate cancer lived longer and had increases in PSA less frequently when they... Read More

What can Clemson do to turn jeers into cheers?

CLEMSON — Five games into a season that began with bountiful promise, Tommy Bowden finds himself being booed off his own field after a loss to what was, by all accounts, an inferior team that didn't play particularly well. Five games into a season Clemson entered in the top 10, Clems... Read More

Technological lifesaver

Daughter's treatment led woman to learn to treat others' children

About 15 years separate patients Lauren Hatchell and newborn Abbie Barron. Both are alive today thanks to a lifesaving device called extra- corporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. A dramatic effort to save lives, ECMO literally turns patients inside out. Lauren's mother was so touched by her daughter's brush with death that she went on to become a registered nurse and one of 21 ECMO specialists at the Medical University of South Carolina. Read More

Mayor seeks to uncover city's hidden history

GOOSE CREEK - Michael Heitzler turns off Old Highway 52 onto Avanti Lane to show his passenger a historic site that most people - even those who grew up in southern Berkeley County - have never even heard of. As he slowly winds his vehicle down the lane, which resembles more of a driveway than a road, some gravestones can be seen through the woods. Read More

World War II artifacts slowly rusting away

Barriers to German submarines were strung across mouth of harbor, creeks

Tube worms and rust eat away at the last pieces of one of the eerier secrets of the Lowcountry estuaries - anti-submarine nets. The nets were strung across the mouth of Charleston Harbor and deeper inlet streams during World War II. For years after, boaters on waters like Conch Creek behind Sullivan's Island would duck under the top cable and glimpse a horror in the gleaming waves. Read More

C of C sailors place first to qualify for nationals

The College of Charleston women's sailing team earned second and third at the SAISA Women's Single-Handed Championships while the coed team placed first and second in the Coed Single-Handed Championships to earn spots at nationals coming up in late October. Read More

Soldier laid to rest

Family, friends remember Staff Sgt. Matthew Taylor as a man who led through service

Summerville native Matthew J. Taylor, who enlisted in the Army the day after Sept. 11, 2001, received a hero's farewell Sunday with full military honors and was remembered as an exemplary soldier, loving husband and father. Staff Sgt. Taylor, 25, was killed by hostile small arms fire Sept. 21 while on patrol in Baghdad. Read More

Victory not enough as Battery's run ends

The Charleston Battery won the game Sunday night against the Rochester Rhinos, but lost the series. Osvaldo Alsono scored the game's only goal as Charleston defeated Rochester, 1-0, Sunday night in Game 2 of the USL First Division quarterfinal series before a crowd of 1,435 at Blackbaud Stadium. But the Battery's one-goal win wasn't enough in the two-game aggregate scoring series as Rochester beat Charleston, 2-0, Friday night and won the overall series, 2-1. Read More

When things just don't add up

The following information is provided by a third party and has not been edited by The Post and Courier for content or accuracy.

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- If you struggle with math, you've probably decided that you're just not "left-brained" -- but new research offers a fresh look at a syndrome that may be crippling your math skills. Read More

South Carolina Report Card

Clemson Report Card

New job may not be good fit

After many years of caring for patients, I had to take a desk job due to an injury. Because of my medical background, I accepted a position processing insurance claims. The work is totally different from what I was doing before. I was told that I would have time to learn and "fit into the job comfortably," so I didn't worry about this change. However, at the end of my 90-day probation, I received a terrible evaluation for the first time in my career. Read More

Small businesses deal with even more worker stress

NEW YORK - Robert Fellman can see it on his employees' faces: the fear, stress and discomfort that come from a difficult, even scary economic climate. "There's panic in their eyes," said Fellman, director of PC Professor, a computer training company with offices in Boca Raton and West Palm Beach, Fla. Read More

PSA screenings

Sorry for the late notice, but if you can make it to North Charleston today, you may want to take advantage of a free prostate cancer screening. Read More

Product recalls

Product recalls announced last week. Details are available at www.cpsc.gov and other Web sites or telephone numbers as listed. Read More

Braggin Rights

The way it works: The tradition-rich BRB predicts what to expect from a mythical South Carolina-Clemson clash this Saturday, and every week leading to the real game on Nov. 29, this year accounting for the Tigers' home-field advantage. Read More

Finding Goose Creek's invisible past

The Strawberry Chapel of Ease was constructed here a few years after a critical battle.

In many ways, the site also is symbolic of Goose Creek's history. It's rich, stretching back three centuries. It's highly textured, as the site is at once a battleground, a site of a former Anglican chapel of ease and also the site of a later Baptist Church that is also gone.

And it's also invisible.

Proposal sparks another feud in Legend Oaks

The residents of Legend Oaks, a golf course community on S.C. Highway 61 west of Charleston, are embroiled in another feud that's heading for Dorchester County Council.

This one concerns whether to allow a house — which residents agree is a showcase — to become a bed and breakfast. Read More

Cleveland Sellers slideshow

Sex offenders often people we know and trust, as local cases illustrate

Detectives and children's advocates want parents to recognize the dangers, but not to panic. Read More

Exercise with your dog

By walking with her dog Sadie twice a day, Patti Lawson lost 30 pounds (and kept it off), started eating healthier and got off the roller coaster ride of fitness that millions of Americans struggle with on a daily basis. Read More

A technology of last resort spans generations

ECMO is network of small machines, tubes and pumps that is a last resort for patients whose lungs and hearts are failing. Thick catheters divert blue blood from the body into an artificial lung, where the blood blossoms red with oxygen. The blood is then warmed and pumped back into the body. Read More

High Schools

Cougars shut down Stetson in Classic

MOUNT PLEASANT - The College of Charleston men rode two second-half goals to a 2-0 win over Stetson (3-3-1) in the finale of the Saturn of Charleston/Nike Soccer Classic at Patriots Point on Saturday. The Cougars (6-3) won both their games for the tournament title. Read More

DuPont's incoming CEO sees green in science

The company has been grooming Ellen Kullman for several years, and her rise to the top job was no surprise, one analyst says. Read More

Market turmoil scares youthful investors

Declining stock prices actually favor young workers, because the shares they buy have more time to grow in the decades before they hit retirement. Read More

Hawaii hanging on to sugar heritage

Many of the challenges facing the dying island sugar industry today are the same as those a century ago - thin margins, competition, pests, disease, labor shortages, rising costs, trade barriers and drought. Read More

Quiet trip reveals invaders

I'm a football fan. I sit on the couch Sunday afternoons, rain or shine, nervously twiddling my fingers as my football team flushes another game down the toilet. Then I'm grumpy. It used to be worse. When my team lost (and they often do), I'd be in a foul mood for days. I'm happy to say th... Read More

STATE GAMES

Essays offer glimpse into Great War

THE SUMMER THE ARCHDUKE DIED: Essays on Wars and Warriors. By Louis D. Rubin Jr. University of Missouri Press. 167 pages. $24.95. The astonishing literary gifts of author and Charleston native Louis D. Rubin are evident in this collection of nine essays that examine a spe... Read More

Rose aims to return to South Carolina Senate

SUMMERVILLE - Republican Mike Rose hopes state Senate District 38 voters decide to return him to Columbia so he can work to ensure growth doesn't harm schools, to reform the magistrate system and to curtail state spending. "I want lots of growth, but I want to manage it so our infrastructure keeps up," he said. "We need impact fees for schools." Read More

Trio takes two giant Santee gators

Anyone who has ever spent any time on the Santee Cooper lakes knows the water bodies support a robust alligator population. With the opening of the public alligator season this fall, lucky permit holders are getting an up-close-and-personal look at some the giant reptiles. Read More

Religious leaders push for ban

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of pastors have called on their congregations to fast and pray for passage of a ballot measure in November that would put an end to gay marriage in California. The collective act of piety, starting Wednesday and culminating three days before the election in a... Read More

Book's randomness damages development

BABYLON ROLLING. By Amanda Boyden. Pantheon. 320 pages. $23.95. Amanda Boyden follows her debut novel, "Pretty Little Dirty," a sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll story that drew comparisons to Bret Easton Ellis, with a book about her adopted hometown of New Orleans, one that h... Read More

The Life and Works of Cleveland Sellers: Chapter 4

Activist and educator finally home

The University of South Carolina is among the state institutions commonly referred to as "the establishment." Chartered in 1801, it offers 350 degree programs, training people to become active participants in the intellectual, cultural, economic and political pursuits of their communities. Into this establishment walked Dr. Cleveland Louis Sellers Jr., 38 years after Emmett Till was slain in Mississippi, 33 years after the Greensboro sit-ins, 25 years after the campus shootings at S.C. State College in Orangeburg. Joining this establishment in 1993 was a man who for years was marginalized, who had been vilified by white society, a man who fought the status quo, who worked toward a day when all people might join together in common purpose. Read More

Cream cheese for creative appetizers

An 8-ounce block of cream cheese is pure heaven for a cook. It adds substance to desserts and creamy flavor to entrees, but best of all, it's the base for thousands of appetizers. Read More

Coming-of-age novel deeply satisfying, fun

THE BIBLE SALESMAN. By Clyde Edgerton. Little, Brown. 238 pages. $23.99. Clyde Edgerton's storytelling is sublime. In "The Bible Salesman," his ninth novel, Edgerton tells the tale of Henry Dampier, "a 20-year-old Bible salesman whose aunt raised him to be a Christ... Read More

Citadel's victory sets up SoCon showdown with Appalachian State

The Citadel has approved daily naps for sleep-deprived cadets this year. But football coach Kevin Higgins would rather his Bulldogs not snooze after kickoff. After dozing through the first half of a win over Princeton last week, the Bulldogs were wide awake from the start against Western Carolina on Saturday. Read More

Put legislators on the record

"Trust us." That's what the Legislature is saying, in effect, by keeping most of its votes off the record. But the legislative record isn't spotless. Just look at the current difficulties in funding essential services, like public education and prisons, and compare it to the Legislature's Competitive Grants program, which pays out millions for balloon festivals and other fluff. Read More

Breaking Through

After three straight losses to open the season, all on the road, the Charleston Southern Buccaneers took some frustration out on visiting North Greenville in a convincing 27-0 win at Buccaneer Field on Saturday. CSU quarterback Tribble Reese completed 17 of 27 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns and freshman running back Antwan Ivey added 70 yards rushing and a touchdown to spark CSU to 372 total yards. Read More

Report clears authorities in '02 riots

AHMADABAD, India - An investigation into one of India's worst outbursts of violence between Hindus and Muslims cleared the Hindu nationalist state government Thursday of any involvement in the riots. Opposition politicians branded the report a whitewash. Read More

Disney birthday

Planning a trip to a Disney theme park next year? If you go on your birthday, you can get in free. Visitors will have to show valid identification and proof of birth date to qualify. Details are available at www.disneyparks.com, where birthday visits can be registered in advance. Read More

Theme park can be fun for whole family

Blowing Rock, N.C. - It's a heap of trouble - six, seven hours - to even make it up High Country way. But near those hills, where the horse thieves still thieve and the wranglers still wrangle, there's a train. Steam-engine locomotive, matter of fact. I know, I know, Slim. Now don't go gettin' excited and squattin' with your spurs on. Read More

Notes & events

Small kitchen, small budget yield big returns

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. - An intriguing trend has emerged from the wreckage of the real estate market: The brave souls taking the plunge into home- ownership are increasingly turning to studio apartments and smaller homes. Their logic is rooted in efficiency. They really want to own a home - and afford one at the same time - and are willing to sacrifice space to accomplish that goal. Read More

Antique inkwells sell in wide range of prices

Writing a letter? You're probably using a ballpoint pen or a computer. But our ancestors used other writing instruments. Read More

Ford-Altman 'ticket' hails GOP VP pick

Bret Maverick, the TV Western rascal, was a gambler. So is political maverick John McCain. And while the election-year dice McCain rolled by almost delaying Friday night's debate are still tumbling, growing ranks of national experts, across a wide ideological range, are pegging his long-shot VP pick as a loser. Kathleen Parker, in the next-door column, even calls Sarah Palin "Clearly Out Of Her League." Read More

Gamecocks' contributions come from unlikely sources

COLUMBIA -You assumed South Carolina had a shot to roll up some rushing yardage on Alabama-Birmingham. The chief contributors you might not have guessed. Read More

French Quarter Art Walk to feature 4 days of events

Often called "the largest traveling cocktail party in Charleston," the French Quarter Art Walk this week will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the tradition of galleries opening their doors in the evening so the public can enjoy a multitude of genres of art as well as wine and hors d'oeuvres. Read More

'Out Loud' author leaves his writing comfort zone

A novel may be pregnant with promise, but with the short story, you're already in the delivery room. "The short story makes a smaller claim on the reader's time," says Anthony Varallo, assistant professor of English at the College of Charleston. "It offers in its opening lines a promise that the novel doesn't: This will all be over soon, 'The end is near.' For me there is a certain satisfaction in that." Read More

7 simple steps to update style

Spending money on optional home improvements is hard to justify in this tough economic climate. Yet it's not necessary to wait until food prices stabilize, gas prices drop and the financial sector becomes healthy before making a few needed changes. There are plenty of simple things you can do to ensure that the time you spend at home is more enjoyable. Read More

Middleton view of tradition preserved in new collection

Climate and, in some cases, neglect are among the prime forces that place priceless old documents at risk. Add to this the decline of the art of correspondence in an electronic age, and you have a perfect storm of factors that support decay and disappearance, even in a place of so preservationist an impulse as Charleston. Read More

GARDEN CALENDAR

Elderly, strapped families targeted

Declining economy prime time for scams

A clerk claiming to be from the county voter office wants your Social Security number to verify you're registered for the November elections. An angry, threatening voice says you'll be arrested if you don't hand over personal information needed for jury duty. Read More

Despite USC's victory, Spurrier disappointed in overall effort

COLUMBIA - Steve Spurrier promised changes this week with his offense. Unfortunately for South Carolina, the change was only evident on the depth chart and not on the field. Despite continuing offensive woes, the Gamecocks still had no real trouble with an undermanned UAB team that simply could not move the ball in a 26-13 USC victory in front of 78,286 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium. Read More

Terps expose paper Tigers

CLEMSON - What Alabama started, Maryland finished. That would be the exposure of Clemson as a fraudulent favorite to win a national or even a conference championship. In the season opener against Alabama, they proved to be paper Tigers. Against the Terps here Saturday, they cut themselves to shreds. Read More

Martin headlines Senior Azalea field

Walt Martin, who won last year's Senior Azalea at the Country Club of Charleston, will be back to participate in this year's event but won't be defending his title in the tournament, which will be played Wednesday through Friday. Martin was eligible to compete in the Super Seniors division last year but elected to compete for the overall title. He matched his age of 67 in the final round and won the title with a 54-hole total of 211. This year, Martin has elected to compete in the Super Seniors division, for players 65 and older. Read More

Sheen's message uplifting

2 of archbishop's books being reissued

This year, two classics in the American religious tradition are being republished by Random House. The books, "Treasure in Clay" ($15.95) and "Life of Christ" ($17.95), were written by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who died in 1979. Read More

SCSU's Long, Ford too much for Rams

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Malcolm Long threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns to lead South Carolina State to a 43-17 victory against Winston-Salem on Saturday night. Long completed 13 of 21 passes with no interceptions for the Bulldogs (3-2). "I just came out and played hard," s... Read More

Obama run sparks racism discussion

Some see renewed debate about racial tensions as a positive of candidacy

Spurred by the presidential candidacy of Barack Obama, we are finally, inevitably, talking about race - a conversation full of pain, anger, guilt and retribution that America has been sidestepping forever. This time, the dialogue isn't addressing the aftermath of a murder, riot or hurricane. It's not distorted by crime, welfare, immigration or affirmative action. Read More

Struggling with poverty

Area fights uphill battle against dwindling economy

ALLENDALE - The evening light faded in wisps of pink and purple as 16 weary workers stepped from a chrome-lined charter bus and shuffled over to a line of idling cars waiting to ferry them home. Few among the group offered a wave or a nod of farewell to their fellow travelers. They'd be seeing each other again soon enough. Read More

Stags' Ellington turns in special effort in rout

Berkeley's Bruce Ellington had one of the most memorable performances in Friday night's 51-14 Region 7-AAAA football victory over the James Island Trojans. Ellington caught six passes for 153 yards and a touchdown, but what gets your attention was his special team's play. He returned one kickoff for 85 yards and a touchdown and another kickoff 86 yards for a score. Ellington finished with 332 all-purpose yards. Read More

Changing states of mind

In "Our Town," Thornton Wilder presented the archetype of a small American town with its close-knit social ties and conscientious conservative values. Grover's Corners was modeled on villages in New Hampshire a century ago. But today, according to a fascinating new study by British researchers, you'd have to go to North Dakota to find those values. That sturdy old Yankee character, it seems, is now hard to find in New England. Read More

The rocky road to reform in S.C. has even more ruts

"Didn't Sanford know what he was getting into?" That rhetorical question from a former legislator who left the Statehouse more than 40 years ago came up recently during a wide-ranging, group discussion at the home of a friend. For sure, the Legislature has historically resisted putting any real power in the governor's office. But it's also important to recognize and be concerned that the road to reform has gotten even rougher. Read More

New sacred texts available in hotels

Latest trend in hospitality industry to appeal to diverse cultures and backgrounds by offering spiritual options to guests

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Leave your Bhagavad-Gita at home while traveling out of town? If you're staying at the Hotel Preston, you can get a copy of the ancient Hindu text for your room from a "spiritual menu" that includes the Quran, the Bible and other religious texts. Read More

Discarded items turned into exhibits at Halsey

The upstairs of the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art resembles a consignment shop - an unusually dreamy, otherworldly consignment shop. Clothing is meticulously folded and stacked, the layers of jeans, T-shirts, pants and polos rising and falling like waves. Read More

Many faiths to come together

Choirs, poets, clergy to celebrate at free event

Local choirs and musicians will gather Oct. 5 at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul for the third annual Hymnfest, a free interfaith celebration of religious pluralism as expressed through music. Organized by Bill Schlitt and wife Maida Libkin, co-founders of The Company Company, a nonprofit theater production group, the event honors Charleston's "rich history as a safe haven for people of all faiths and backgrounds," Schlitt said. Its subtitle, "Shall We Gather," is meant to emphasize that which the faithful have in common, he said. Read More

Collins offers Dist. 38 voters another choice

SUMMERVILLE - When Bill Collins retired as editor of the Summerville Journal Scene last year, he had no plans to run for public office. But when friends and neighbors urged him to launch an independent bid for the state Senate District 38 seat - and promised to do much of the work - he said yes. "It was pretty wild," he said. "I did not intend to do this. I had just left my job and was retired and was playing golf." Read More

Broadway's 'Blonde' to end its run in October

NEW YORK - Elle Woods, Broadway's prime example of girl power, is leaving Broadway next month. Read More

Happenings

Rosh Hashana begins Monday

New year, Yom Kippur a time of prayer, reflection, repentance

Jews begin a new year this week. The shofar, or ram's horn, is sounded in synagogues during Rosh Hashana, calling Jews to prayer and repentance. A special prayer book is used for the holiday, and symbolism abounds. Apples and honey are eaten, signifying a sweet new year. Pockets are emptied into flowing water, signifying the casting off of sin. Read More

Ex-addict confronts his past

THE NIGHT OF THE GUN: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life. His Own. By David Carr. Simon and Schuster. 389 pages. $26. "Job? Gone. Girlfriend? History. Dignity? Please. Money? As if. Children? Orphans." So goes the short inventory of David Carr's l... Read More

Injury hinders Spiller

CLEMSON - C.J. Spiller had tried to play through a foot injury he suffered in a Sept. 13 victory over North Carolina State. He couldn't hide it any longer in Saturday's 20-17 loss to Maryland. Spiller rushed for 98 yards 14 carries and battled hard on a 17-yard reception late, but he said his production would've been better had his foot not been bothering him. Read More

'Waiter' dishes up juicy tales

WAITER RANT: Thanks for the Tip — Confessions of a Cynical Waiter. By The Waiter. HarperCollins. 302 pages. $24.95. "When you work at a restaurant, there's never a shortage of interesting stories." The Waiter ("anonymity has shielded me from customer retributi... Read More

Pool sharks get sporting chance

Amateurs take their cue and step up to the table for a chance to win $1.8 million in Las Vegas

At 11 a.m. on a sunny Saturday, 61-year-old Paul Christo stood tall in a North Charleston bar and grill. He wore a denim shirt, denim pants, cowboy boots and a ball cap that read "Semper Fi." He carried a thin leather case with gold rivets. He was ready to play in the American Poolplayers Association. Read More

Book looks at Sherman's march

SOUTHERN STORM: Sherman's March to the Sea. By Noah Andre Trudeau, Harper/Collins. 671 pages. $35. Surgically removing a critical year or battle within a great war and carefully analyzing it with colorful detail is a wonderful approach to history, notably executed this de... Read More

Microchip allows sheltie's rescue after long journey

It all started with a phone call from Muncie, Ind. Mark Monaghan, senior vice president of Human Resources at JK Harris, received a call from a woman named Mary asking if he knew Charlie Monaghan. He told her that was his grandfather's name. Read More