Fed up with petty crime, the all-night racket of beating drums, the smell of human waste and the sight of trampled flowers and grass, police and neighbors are losing patience with some of the anti-Wall Street protests around the U.S.In Oakland, Calif., police in riot gear fired tear gas and bean bags before daybreak Tuesday to disperse about 170 protesters who had been camping in front of City Hal...

Gov. Nikki Haley is in fundraising mode, raising more than $223,000 during the third quarter, much of it from out-of-state donors during fundraisers. The amount raised is more than four times the amount Haley raised the previous quarter while the General Assembly was still in session.The donations, from donors in 20 states, including Bridgestone Americas who cut Haley a $3,500 check the week after...

Several environmental groups are suing Carnival Cruise Lines over its service to Charleston.The complaint filed in state court Monday by the South Carolina Coastal Conversation League alleges that the company does not comply with city regulations on hotel locations. The complaint says the line's Carnival Fantasy docks in an area where no hotels are allowed.The environmentalists want a judge to dec...

An American Airlines flight to Washington, D.C., from Miami was diverted to South Carolina after electrical fumes were reported in a lavatory on the plane.Airline spokesman Ed Martelle (MAR-tell) said the flight attendants smelled a hot ozone odor as if wires might be overheating. He said the pilot followed standard procedures and landed the plane as quickly as possible.Charleston County Aviation ...

Relatives flew over Gulf of Mexico waters on Wednesday where 11 oil rig workers died a year ago, residents gathered in quiet prayer vigils onshore and President Barack Obama vowed to hold BP and others accountable for "the painful losses that they've caused."Somber remembrances marked the one-year anniversary of the rig explosion that caused the worst offshore oil spill in American history. But al...

If a big hurricane blasts Myrtle Beach and wrecks oceanfront property, many seawalls that protect high-rise hotels might have to be removed — and that’s a problem, members of a state coastal study commission said today.Under S.C. law, seawalls that sustain more than 50 percent damage must be taken out and cannot be replaced. So even if the big hotels survive a storm, they could lose seaw...

A listless year for construction in Richland County, along with slow sales in the commercial and high-end home markets, means property-tax revenues won’t grow as much as usual this year, Assessor John Cloyd said.Add in tax appeals on some of the county’s most expensive properties and county budget writers won’t have much new revenue to work with, Cloyd said.“I donȁ...

South Carolina's lieutenant governor improperly used thousands of dollars in campaign donations for things such as meals at restaurants, a family vacation to Washington, computer equipment and a gown for his wife, state ethics investigators alleged Friday.In all, Lt. Gov. Ken Ard faces 106 civil charges claiming he spent campaign money for personal purchases and filed incorrect campaign reports. T...

A popular live tribute show where performers portray famous singers is opening in a new venue in Myrtle Beach.The first shows for Legends in Concert are Friday at a theater at Broadway at the Beach. The 600-seat theater has recently undergone a $1 million renovation.The tribute show has moved from its old location in Surfside Beach, where performances were held for 15 years.Legends in Concert has ...

It won't just be North Carolina businesses profiting when the Democratic National Convention comes to Charlotte, N.C., in September 2012.Plenty of hotels and businesses in South Carolina could make money as well.South Carolina Hospitality Association President Tom Sponseller says hotels in Rock Hill and other towns in York County just over the state line should fill up with the tens of thousands o...

The leading professional association for electrical engineers has picked Greenville as host of its first electric vehicle conference next year, an event expected to draw up to 2,000 attendees from around the world and boost the city's reputation as a center for automotive technology.In addition, Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research is bringing two other international c...

When Angela Madsen was pulled off her plane and her wheelchair stayed on board, she knew she was in for a rough night. The paraplegic athlete struggled to get into the bathrooms at Kennedy Airport. Turning the wheels on her borrowed wheelchair strained her shoulders. Sleeping was impossible."I actually got out of it and laid on the floor," Madsen said.It was, she said, a miserable time - one that ...

Web-savvy consumers use online rating services to review restaurants, rant about hairdressers, praise carpenters and even assess their college professors.So why shouldn’t patients rate their doctors?While more than 30 online services now grade doctors, assessing a doctor’s skills has turned out to be much more complicated and controversial than ranking hotels or restaurants. Critics ...

Broadway stars, famous composers and world-renown musicians have come through the doors of Converse College in Spartanburg.Some were students who went on to stardom, such as Lily Strickland, a 1904 graduate and female composer whose music was performed by legendary artists Paul Robeson and Burl Ives.The tradition continues today with graduates Kimilee Bryant, who has performed on Broadway in Andre...

Myrtle Beach hoteliers who have to keep their pools running all winter long for snowbirds are having to replace their glass enclosures with safer ones.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Sunday that a federal ban on certain pool enclosures will be enforced starting Nov. 1. The enclosures help keep outdoor pools warm enough to be used year-round.Federal law prohibits communities in the National F...

Concerned that South Carolina's tourism agency may have to close or reduce operations at its welcome centers because of state budget cuts, one local visitors bureau and its member hotels picked up the funding slack.A year later, with its budget in even worse shape, the state Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department is hoping others will do the same and help fund the $1.9 million cost of operating ...

A last major piece of South Carolina's anti-illegal immigration law took effect Thursday as all small businesses became subject to fines and potential shutdowns for employing illegal workers.All businesses in the state must now check their new hires' legal status and fire any existing workers known to be in the country illegally. The law is one of the toughest in the nation and had been applied fo...

South Carolina authorities have arrested a Clinton High School teacher and charged him with having a sexual relationship with two female students.Darren Clark Atkins, 32, of Greenwood, is charged with two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.Arrests warrants state that Atkins is suspected of having sex and engaging in other inappropriate sexual activities with two 16-year-old femal...

One of South Carolina's biggest tourist attractions is celebrating its 15th birthday with a 10-day celebration.The party at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach begins Thursday with a concert by the New Orleans-based group Cowboy Mouth. On Saturday there's a concert by Everclear.Then on June 26th - a week from Saturday - the celebration winds up with party featuring a parade, concerts, fireworks ...

A group of robbers holding up local hotels begins the stickup with one man asking about room rates.He pretends to dig through his pockets looking for identification and then pulls out a handgun, according to a Columbia Police Department report. Columbia police and the Lexington County Sheriff's Department said three hotels have been robbed this way in the past week, and they are asking for help in...

A Taliban suicide car bomber struck a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital Tuesday, killing six troops - five Americans and one Canadian, officials said. Twelve Afghan civilians also died - many of them on a public bus in rush-hour traffic.The powerful blast occurred on a major Kabul thoroughfare that runs by the ruins of a one-time royal palace and government ministries. It wrecked nearly 20 vehicle...

Students are getting their shot at redesigning a valuable piece of real estate near the South Carolina coast.Six groups of students in the resort planning class at Coastal Carolina University will present their ideas Thursday for a tract just west of the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach.The director of the college's Center for Resort Tourism says the students have developed ideas for the area...

Whether it's Tiger Woods' return to golf or a slight improvement in the economy, Columbia's hotel rooms are filling up fast as the Masters golf tournament in Augusta approaches.And people are paying about $20 more per room this year than in the depths of the recession last year, local hoteliers say.Even though Augusta is 80 miles from the capital city, hotels generally fill up here with golf-lover...

South Carolina's lieutenant governor is publicly launching his bid for governor with a statewide tour.Republican Andre Bauer says he's traveling around the state to hear what's on residents' minds. His 24-hour fly around began Monday morning at a restaurant in Spartanburg. Bauer plans eight more stops Monday, including his home in Greer.He plans five stops Tuesday before going to Columbia to presi...