Americans? income rose in December by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign for the economy after a year of weak wage gains. But consumers didn?t spend any more…Click to Continue »

South Carolina's jobless rate plunged to its lowest rate in three years in December as an improving economy had employers putting more people to work making, moving and selling goods.Click to Continue »

Christopher Walker, 27, and Nicole Goodwin, 24, were taken into custody Friday morning in Richland County on information developed after authorities busted a meth lab January 13 at the Economy…Click to Continue »

Christopher Walker, 27, and Nicole Goodwin, 24, were taken into custody Friday morning in Richland County on information developed after authorities busted a meth lab January 13 at the Economy…Click to Continue »

A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011.The Labor Department said Friday that employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest

The Charleston-area furniture chain which owned a store where nine firefighters died four years ago is going out of business.The Post and Courier of Charleston reports the Sofa Super Store chain announced Thursday that its two remaining stores in North Charleston and Mount Pleasant will close their doors next week ahead of a liquidation sale.In a statement, the company said the depressed housing m...

Folly Beach will be feeling the effects of Hurricane Irene well into 2012 if U.S. Rep. Tim Scott's prediction comes true.The Post and Courier of Charleston reports ( http://bit.ly/tdIq3P) that Scott inspected widespread erosion on Folly Beach Saturday. Although the damage was caused by Hurricane Irene, South Carolina wasn't eligible for federal disaster funds, and Scott told local officials they s...

Asian stock markets rose Friday in thin holiday trading on signs the U.S. economy is improving.China's benchmark in Shanghai gained 1.5 percent to 2,218.01 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.1 percent to 18,576.06. Japan's financial markets are closed for a public holiday.Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 jumped

The U.S. economy grew more slowly in the summer than previously thought because consumers spent less than the government had first estimated. But economists expect growth in the current October-December quarter to be stronger.The Commerce Department says the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8

Ever since Richard Nixon's 1973 promise to attain energy independence, successive U.S. presidents all have pledged the same goal, even as foreign supplies composed a larger and larger share of the U.S. energy mix. Now, almost 40 years later, a measure of independence is within reach. But as this booming mountain town in northeastern Pennsylvania shows, the quest for independence involves both ...

Unveiling a historic rule, the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced the first national requirement for the nation's coal-fired power plants to reduce emissions of mercury, arsenic, cyanide and other toxic pollutants. The landmark ruling took more than 20 years for the EPA to finish. Under the Clean Air Act, many other sources of air pollution have been cleaned up, but power p...

South Carolina’s economy got an early Christmas present on Tuesday, as the unemployment rate dropped under 10 percent for the first time since April. The plunge came as retailers beefed up sales staff for an unexpectedly good holiday shopping season and others dropped out of the job

What was the best gift you’ve ever received that didn’t cost a penny?Shoppers statewide and across the nation are making their last-minute runs to malls and department stores to make their final purchases before Christmas. But a tighter economy has caused some to reflect

Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Mitt Romney for president, according to a news release from Romney’s campaign. “He is a conservative businessman who has spent his life working in the economy, and he understands exactly how jobs are created,” Haley said in a news release. “

Democrats and Republicans alike are accusing Mitt Romney of being out of touch after he said during this weekend's debate that he would make a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry even as millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet in a troubled economy.Romney shrugged off the comment Sunday - but says he's been reminded he's not a good gambler."After the debate was over, Ann came up and gave me a kis...

More workers will find jobs, employees will get raises and modest homes should increase slightly in value in South Carolina next year, USC economists predicted today.But the economic recovery will remain fragile, according to Darla Moore School of Business economists Doug Woodward and Joey Von Nessen, who spoke at the University of South Carolina’s annual economic outlook conference.“...

Four of Gov. Nikki Haley’s staff members will testify about a state agency’s controversial decision to allow a Georgia port to expand after a state Senate panel took the unprecedented step Friday of subpoenaing them.“Yes, we will testify,” Rob Godfrey, Haley’s spokesman, said Friday. “And these senators will confirm, again, what they already know to be tru...

The Senate on Thursday sidetracked rival plans to extend a Social Security payroll tax cut, in dueling votes that pave the way for negotiations on a compromise on a core component of President Barack Obama's jobs program.First, Republicans defeated Obama's plan to extend the payroll tax cut through the end of next year while also making it more generous for workers.Minutes later, in a vote that ex...

Two Democrat representatives don't think much of Republican Gov. Nikki Haley's instructions for state employees to answer the phone by saying, "It's a great day in South Carolina."The Post and Courier of Charleston reported (http://bit.ly/vZ7Gb6 ) that Charleston Rep. Wendell Gilliard and Rock Hill Rep. John King have introduced a bill to block the use of the phone greeting.Gilliard says it makes ...

Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts does not intend to seek re-election in 2012, his office said Monday, closing out a career of more than three decades in Congress capped by last year's passage of legislation imposing new regulations on Wall Street.Frank, 71 and a lifelong liberal, won a House seat in 1980 was one of the first lawmakers to announce that he is gay.He scheduled an early a...

Democrats are using humor to try to undermine Republican Mitt Romney, pushing a movie trailer-style ad that portrays his candidacy as a "the story of two men trapped in one body."The new ad released Monday is part of an aggressive effort by Democrats to portray Romney as being inconsistent on a number of issues important to conservative voters as he seeks to challenge President Barack Obama next y...

Asian stocks fell Wednesday after the U.S. lowered its economic growth estimate for the third quarter and climbing yields on Spanish bonds magnified worries over Europe's debt load.Benchmark oil fell below $97 a barrel while the dollar strengthened against the euro and the yen.Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 1.9 percent to 17,913.47. South Korea's Kospi lost 2.3 percent to 1,783.22 and Australia's S&P/...

the rest by 2015.“The economy is tough, but the need is profound,” said USC President Harris ...

Atlanta's mayor and the Georgia governor have announced plans to tour the Port of Savannah as state leaders continue pushing for an expansion project they say is critical to the region's economy.Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will tour the port with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Tuesday, the mayor said in a statement Friday.This week, Georgia's long-sought p...

South Carolina's Christian conservatives, personified by Bob Jones University presidents and alums, have both made and broken presidential campaigns.GOP candidates have for decades turned to the right to woo them after coming out of relatively moderate New Hampshire, and no Republican candidate since 1980 has become the nominee without winning South Carolina and its Bible-driven voters for whom a ...

ROCHESTER, Mich. — Republican presidential candidates will debate Wednesday night for the first time since Herman Cain became controversial, Rick Perry unveiled his optional flat-tax plan and Mitt Romney explained in detail how he'd reduce budget deficits. Cain, who scheduled a news conference Tuesday to defend himself against accusations of aggressive sexual behavior by several women, w...

With Iran angrily defiant about a U.N. report accusing it of developing nuclear weapons, Western powers and allies faced complicated questions Wednesday on how to further tighten pressure on the oil giant without shaking the fragile world economy.The path toward possible new sanctions also quickly confronted a huge roadblock as Iranian ally Russia said it would oppose any new measures in the U.N. ...

Trouble on two fronts in the European debt crisis sent American stocks tumbling Wednesday to their biggest loss since the rocky trading of last summer. The Dow Jones industrial average fell almost 400 points.Stocks were down from the opening bell after borrowing costs in Italy spiked to dangerous levels, a sign that investors are losing faith in Italy's ability to repay its national debt."Italy is...

South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott is scheduled to discuss jobs and the economy with students on South Carolina's Grand Strand.Scott appears in Conway on Wednesday for a forum on jobs at the Conway campus of Horry-Georgetown Tech. He discusses the importance of an education to getting a job

Embracing veterans, President Barack Obama on Monday urged Republicans in Congress to “put country before party” and support new ways of helping former members of the military find jobs in a sluggish economy. “Our veterans did their jobs. It’s time for Congress