News International says it is shutting down the News of the World tabloid that is at the center of Britain's phone hacking scandal.James Murdoch, who heads the newspaper's European operations, says the 168-year-old newspaper will publish its last edition Sunday. The scandal has cost the paper prestige and prompted dozens of companies to pull their ads.The Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid is accused of...

Hundreds of people have paid their final respects to a Marine sergeant from South Carolina who was killed in Afghanistan.Gunnery Sgt. Ralph "E.J." Pate Jr. died June 26 while fighting in Helmand province. He was an explosive ordnance disposal technician assigned to Second EOD Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Second Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C....

Taylor Swift is postponing a show for the first time in her career.Swift had to postpone Saturday night's sold-out show at the Yum Center in Louisville under doctor's orders because of an illness.She tweeted the bad news to fans: "This is my first time having to do this. I'm so, so sorry."Within 20 minutes hundreds of followers had responded with get-well wishes, which were already among the most ...

A 63-year-old Lugoff man was arrested Monday by federal and Kershaw County authorities after allegedly receiving 199 counterfeit checks in the mail. Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews said in a news release that the counterfeit checks mailed to Norman Richard Elliott from Nigeria were worth more than $554,000. The shipment was discovered by customs agents when it entered the United States. Toge...

An outside police agency has been called to investigate allegations of financial misconduct with a federal loan program managed by the city of Columbia.Earlier this week, former staff member Scott Blackmon, who was hired to fix the loan programs, raised questions about the program and complained that he was impeded in his efforts to fix problems with the loans. Poor record keeping also is a proble...

Thousands of fans watching a College World Series game evacuated an Omaha stadium when tornado sirens blared and ominous black clouds roiled above, as violent thunderstorms tore across the region.The National Weather Service did not issue a tornado warning as the storm barreled toward TD Ameritrade Park on Monday night. Nevertheless, officials halted the Florida-Vanderbilt game and ushered fans on...

A 21-year-old auburn-haired California model won the Miss USA crown Sunday night and will represent the nation in this year's Miss Universe pageant.Alyssa Campanella of Los Angeles topped a field of 51 beauty queens to take the title at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. She strutted across the stage in a blue bikini with white polka dots and a dark turquoise Sherri Hill ...

The Royal Bank of Canada will become the new sponsor of the Heritage golf tournament at Harbour Town Golf Links, according to several websites, including golfcanada.ca. A news conference has been scheduled for this afternoon. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem and Gov. Nikki Haley are scheduled to attend.According to golfcanada.ca, RBC will be the sponsor for the next five years. RBC also sponsors ...

There are two new millionaires in South Carolina this month, in Aiken and possibly in Anderson. A man who made the local news in Aiken as an emblem of S.C. Education Lottery players when the lottery was brand new won $2 in one of the very first scratch-off tickets. On Monday, Calvin Bonham scratched again and won $1 million.In Aiken, Bonham told the lottery he couldn't breathe when he realized he ...

A former North Myrtle Beach police officer has filed a lawsuit saying he was forced to resign after his bosses accused him of leaking confidential information about the 2009 Horry County wildfire.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Tuesday that Randy Fisher is seeking an unspecified judgment that would include lost wages, benefits and attorney's fees. No trial date has been scheduledFisher says ...

Appearing on a national TV panel this morning, Gov. Nikki Haley predicted it will take “deep spending cuts and spending caps going forward” for the GOP-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate and President Barack Obama, a Democrat, to reach an agreement to raise the federal debt limit.Haley appeared on a town hall meeting as part of CBS News ...

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...

A man and a woman have been found guilty in connection with the shooting death of a man three years ago just off Coastal Carolina University's campus.Prosecutors told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that a jury Saturday found 30-year-old Quentin Gause guilty of murder and armed robbery and 24-year-old LaDorrean Collington guilty of accessory before the fact of armed robbery.Gause was sentenced to 42 ...

Anna Wisniewska may not like Rep. Anthony Weiner's raunchy online behavior, but she thinks he should keep his job."You cannot judge anyone," said Wisniewska, 35, who was born in Poland, but is now a U.S. citizen and lives in the congressman's district. "He did what he did and he apologized. It's only between him and his wife."Weiner told a newspaper Thursday he would not resign, but instead would ...

A local group is pushing efforts to make the center of South Carolina's $18 billion tourism industry a smoke-free area.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports that the nonprofit Smoke Free Horry cites survey figures showing that an overwhelming majority of the county's residents believe secondhand smoke causes health problems. Organization spokesman George DuRant wants visitors to see a progressive c...

North Myrtle Beach city council has given initial approval to an agreement to expand the city by about 1,800 acres west of the intracoastal waterway.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported the council voted Monday to approve an agreement with several landowning firms that would zone more than 1,400 of the acres for single-family homes, multi-family homes and commercial units. The city would also buy...

Really, incredibly, stunningly stupid.Voters in Rep. Anthony Weiner's home district in Brooklyn and Queens shook their heads in disbelief about the news that Weiner tearfully admitted to posting lewd photos of himself to women online. But most said Monday he would - and should - politically survive, saying they had voted for him before and would again. The seven-term congressman may have done some...

After days of denials, a choked-up Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed Monday that he tweeted a photo of his bulging underpants to a young woman, and he also admitted to "inappropriate" exchanges with six women before and after he got married. He apologized for lying but said he would not resign."This was me doing a dumb thing and doing it repeatedly and lying about it," the 46-year-old New York Democra...

Williamsburg County officials say a woman and her son have been shot to death at their home.The Morning News of Florence reported the victims were found dead in their home in Salters early Sunday morning.Deputy Coroner Vernell Fulton says the victims were 89-year-old Rosa Lee McCray and her son, Seward McCray.Fulton says Rosa Lee McCray died at her home. Seward McCray was taken to the Medical Univ...

Sarah Palin insisted Sunday that history was on her side when she claimed that Paul Revere's famous ride was intended to warn both British soldiers and his fellow colonists."You realize that you messed up about Paul Revere, don't you?" "Fox News Sunday" anchor Chris Wallace asked the potential 2012 presidential candidate."I didn't mess up about Paul Revere," replied Palin, a paid contributor to th...

News last week that an arm of the World Health Organization said cellphones might raise the risk of brain cancer has been greeted by Americans mostly with a shrug of the shoulder - one that's pinning a cellphone to the ear.Google searches for "cancer" and "cellphones" spiked this week. And some people vowed to get headsets to shield themselves from radiation. But most seemed to either dismiss the ...

A grand jury has indicted a 15-year-old on charges he shot at a resource officer at Socastee High School and took pipe bombs to the school.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reported Wednesday that court records show a Horry County grand jury indicted the teen on charges of attempted murder and three counts of transporting or possessing components of a destructive device. If convicted, the teen faces up...

Lawyers for the South Carolina Republican Party want a federal judge to reconsider her ruling that voters should not have to register with a party before voting in a primary.Court papers obtained by The Greenville News show GOP attorney's asked U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs to clarify whether state law allowing open voting in primaries might be unconstitutional if applied in the specific cas...

Organizers expect as many as 300,000 people this weekend for the annual Atlantic Beach Bikefest on the South Carolina coast.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports the black biker rally continues through Memorial Day in the predominantly black beach community on the Grand Strand. .The NAACP says it is again organizing Operation Bike Week Justice to monitor how police handle the rally.The civil rights...

Hector the bull terrier has a new life as a college "spokesdog."The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports the dog has appeared in broadcast ads and on billboards during the past month promoting programs at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.Apparently plain old Hector didn't seem snappy enough to college officials so they gave him the stage name of Gizmo, which seems more in keeping with what the colle...

A former State Law Enforcement Division agent has been ticketed for a wreck that killed a man in Pickens County last month.The Greenville News reported Thursday that Justin Cheeks was fined $150 for driving left of the center line of the highway.Authorities say Cheeks was driving a state-owned car on state Highway 183 near Easley in April when he collided head-on with a car driven by 61-year-old J...

The U.S. Justice Department has given prosecutors the go-ahead to seek an indictment against former U.S. Sen. and two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, according to reports from ABC and NBC.ABC News, which broke the story late Tuesday night, says Edwards, of North Carolina, has been informed of the development.Edwards reportedly is considering whether to defend himself in a trial, or accep...

Another big-name Republican is coming to South Carolina but this time it's not for politics.The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports John McCain will visit Myrtle Beach this weekend to serve as the grand marshal for the city's Military Appreciation Days parade as the Memorial Day weekend gets under way.The former GOP presidential nominee joins U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and state Adjutant General Bob Li...

A festival honoring slain civil rights activist Malcolm X will be held in Greenville's Cleveland Park.The Greenville News reports that Sunday's festival will include African dance, poetry readings, a step show and live musical performances featuring hip-hop, gospel, jazz and blues.Event co-coordinator Tawana Dirton says the family oriented event is to honor the legacy of Malcolm X and to educate t...

Lance Armstrong's former teammate, Tyler Hamilton, says Armstrong and other team leaders encouraged, promoted and took part in a doping program in an effort to win the Tour de France in 1999 and beyond, according to a report aired Sunday night on "60 Minutes."Hamilton said he saw Armstrong take performance-enhancing drugs, EPO and testosterone and also saw him receive a banned blood transfusion in...