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James Earl Reed had been scheduled to die at 6 p.m. Friday. A federal judge in Columbia issued the stay at 5:40 p.m. after a defense attorney's last-minute request for the execution to be halted.

Prisons spokesman Josh Gelinas said state lawyers then filed a motion with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., to vacate the stay and also filed the same motion with the U.S. Supreme Court in case they were successful at the lower level and challenged again.

"We are at the mercy of the courts," Gelinas said.

Even if state attorneys got the stay lifted Friday night, the state might have to reschedule the execution because it must be carried out by midnight.

The State Law Enforcement Division opened the case last week at the request of public safety officials, who wanted a more thorough look, said SLED spokeswoman Kathryn Richardson and Public Safety Department spokesman Sid Gaulden.

In January, a Highway Patrol captain asked for an internal investigation into drunken driving arrests made by a trooper. In the request, Capt. C.N. Williamson said he was suspicious of tickets a trooper faxed to him that were "signed off not guilty." He noted Sen. Brad Hutto was the lawyer in each, according to documents provided by the Department of Public Safety.

"This type of action by a trooper, finding Driving Under the Influence tickets not guilty without a trial is improper," Williamson wrote.

However, each ticket was certified by the same Orangeburg magistrate and showed a trial date of Oct. 29, 2007. And Hutto said all the cases were handled normally.

Investigators say 21-year-old Crystal Kirk called 911 on Sunday and said she found the boy unconscious with his head between a bunk bed and a wall.

Woodruff Police Chief Darrell Dawkins says the boy died from asphyxiation. Kirk was charged Thursday night with homicide by child abuse.

Dawkins says officers responding to the 911 call found human waste all over the boy's bedroom and a bottle of bleach in the room.

Kirk's mother told WYFF-TV that her daughter is talking to an attorney and police only have circumstantial evidence.

Edwin Lee Cornelius pleaed guilty to murder Friday at the Horry County Courthouse in Conway. He told the judge he loved 18-year-old Natalia Holmes and hadn't planned to kill her.

Witnesses say Holmes was stabbed while students were arriving for class in May 2006 at Carolina Forest High School near Myrtle Beach.

Prosecutor Fran Humphries said Friday that Cornelius stabbed Holmes 15 times. Humphries says witnesses tried to stop Cornelius, but he only paused for a minute and then continued stabbing her.

Cornelius had been charged with voluntary manslaughter in 2003 in the death of a man who was attacking his mother. Prosecutors dropped the charge after deciding it was in self-defense.

"We have more and more seniors with more and more needs, and the federal government won't be able to meet those needs. State government will have to be creative," Bauer told about 50 people at the first presentation of the state's latest proposal for addressing seniors' needs. Hearings will be held next month in Greenville and Rock Hill.

The state Office on Aging is seeking the public's input on its 2009-2012 plan for using federal money designated for the elderly - a blueprint for how South Carolina will provide services such as transportation, home-delivered meals, and in-home care that keep seniors living independently. Federal money accounts for 60 percent of the agency's budget.

Keeping seniors healthy and at home, or with family, not only preserves their dignity and quality of life, it saves the state the cost of nursing homes and emergency room visits, Bauer said.

The agency assists more than 30,000 residents ages 60 and above, with priority given to minorities and seniors living in poverty.

Three suspects came into the Dillard's department store at the mall around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday. Two of the three are accused of hiding a pair of shorts and two shirts in their clothing and leaving, the Columbia Police Department said. The officer pursued them into the parking lot, where they joined a fourth suspect in a car.

A responding police officer stopped the car and all four were arrested. But as officers searched the car, they found $10,000 worth of stolen items, the department said. The stolen merchandise came from stores at the Columbiana Mall and possibly the Columbia Place Mall on Two Notch Road, the department said.

Arrested were Dreama Denise Miller, 32, Latresha Renee Hughes, 28, and Jennifer Young, 43, all of Wellford; and Ken Suduan Proctor, 29, of Spartanburg.

Miller, Hughes and Young have been charged with shoplifting, receiving stolen goods and conspiracy. Proctor has been charged with shoplifting. All four suspects are being held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center today.

A collaborative program between the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and the city of Columbia, Housing First helps people who have been chronically homeless. The program is funded by a grant from the City of Columbia to the university's medical school.

"We connect people with employment, medical care, mental health and substance-abuse treatment," said David Parker, director of Supportive Housing Services at the university's School of Medicine. "We work with people interested in helping themselves end the cycle of homelessness by housing them first.

"Housing should be a right, not a luxury — especially for the disabled in our community. This is our philosophy," Parker said.

Items needed include single beds with frames, dinette sets, end tables and night stands, chests of drawers, sofas or love seats and chairs.

Click here to e-mail your story to reporter Kristy Eppley Rupon. Be sure to leave your contact information.

The state Employment Security Commission said today the rate jumped from 5.9 percent in April because rising prices for gas and groceries led people to look for work again. Officials also say an expected increase in nonfarm workers in May was the lowest in seven years.

The national unemployment rate also rose sharply in the same period — from 5 percent in April to 5.5 percent in May.

Allendale County had the highest rate in South Carolina at 14.5 percent. Beaufort and Lexington counties were the lowest at 4.4 percent.

Richland County's jobless rate rose a percentage point from April to reach 5.8 percent in May.

The man, 23, whose name was not immediately available, was shot multiple times and was found inside a vehicle parked outside of an apartment on Rice Meadow Circle. Officers were responding to reports of shots fired at about 1 a.m. when they found the man.

Authorities are following leads in the case this morning. Details will be posted as soon as they become available.

From staff reports

The wreck happened at about 11:15 a.m. on Springhill Road in Kershaw County, about 9.3 miles west of Camden, according to state Highway Patrol reports.

Officers say a Rembert man, driving a 2005 Mercury four-door car, was traveling south on Seagars Mill Road, disregarded a stop sign and struck a 1995 Ford F-250 that was headed west on Springhill Road.

The driver of the pickup was airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland hospital. A condition was not immediately available this morning.

Neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing a seatbelt and were both ejected from the truck.

LEGEND:

• : Collision or other hazard without injuries
• : Collision with injuries
• : Disabled vehicle

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Information in this traffic report was supplied in some cases by WTCB 106.7 and its listeners. If you have traffic problems to report, please inform the station at
(803) 796-B106 when it is safe to do so.

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The board announced that Beaufort County Master-In-Equity Marvin Dukes III will rule on the school district and insurance companies' separate requests for partial summary judgment, which could end the suit and avoid a costly trial.

"After the court order is filed, I believe the school board will move quickly to bring it to a favorable conclusion," board Vice Chairman Bob Arundell said after an emergency executive session during a special board meeting.

Board members said they could not discuss details of the order until it was filed. A summary judgment is issued during civil litigation to quickly end a lawsuit without a full trial and determine, essentially, whether a party has sufficient evidence to win in court. It is granted when there is no dispute over facts of a case. Dukes, however, could reject both motions and send the suit to trial.

The district sued the S.C. School Boards Insurance Trust and United National Insurance in the Court of Common Pleas in June 2007 after the district agreed to pay about $4.6 million to six of seven victims.

Authorities told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach that firefighters found Peggy Carter's body after putting out the blaze around midnight Wednesday.

Officials say preliminary autopsy results show Carter died from smoke inhalation.

State investigators are trying to determine what caused the blaze.

Carter's son says she was a hairdresser, but suffered seizures in recent years that kept her mostly at home.

Defense attorney Harry Collins tells The Herald of Rock Hill that his clients are innocent and only violated school policy by shouting after students' names were called instead of waiting to cheer at the end of the ceremony.

The people were charged with disorderly conduct, and Collins says that only involves someone using foul language, being grossly intoxicated in public or exhibiting obscene behavior.

Rock Hill Police spokesman Lt. Jerry Waldrop says officers stand by the arrests and will leave what happens next to the courts.

The Coast Guard said Yonpae Park, Chito Lapers and Jay Song, all of Tybee Island, called the guard by cell phone to report their 18-foot boat had overturned.

The three used a flashlight to guide Coast Guard crews to their location about 10:45 p.m. Thursday. The Coast Guard said all three were wearing lifejackets.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports that after eight months of construction, the new home for the Charleston Harbor Pilots Association is nearing completion. The old building was moved in December 2007, and since then, the harbor pilot team has worked from a trailer on Concord Street.

Other features in the new building include a kitchen, laundry facilities and a conference room. Walter Prause, port manager for the Charleston Navigation Co., said he expects a fully operational pilot house on the day the team moves in.

Prause said he and the rest of his team hope to be in the new building by the end of October, but will definitely be in it by the end of the year.

The Christian Action Council says it will have signs available for anyone wishing to participate today before the 6 p.m. execution of James Earl Reed.

Reed has been on South Carolina's death row since 1996 for the murders of his ex-girlfriend's parents. Reed represented himself during his trial, denying the killings despite a confession and arguing that no physical evidence placed him at the scene.

Jurors found him guilty and decided he should die.

Reed would be the first person electrocuted in South Carolina in more than four years. Most executions have been carried out by lethal injection.

Bauer has called a news conference Friday to discuss progress made by his office's task force on senior fraud. The state Office on Aging says hundreds of scam victims have called an 800 number since the announcement last month.

Callers are directed to agencies that can help them. The partnership includes prosecutors, the AARP, banks, law enforcement, and the state Revenue and Consumer Affairs departments.

Lexington resident Sarah Cooper will share her family's experience. Her elderly father suffering from Alzheimer's was scammed out of thousands of dollars over several months.

DeMint’s endorsement follows that of Gov. Mark Sanford. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson has appeared in television commercials endorsing Knotts, while U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham told House and Senate incumbents earlier this year that he would support their campaigns.

DeMint, who lives in Greenville, said Shealy stands for many of the same ideas he supports.

“We’re tackling some of the same problems in Congress that need to be handled in Columbia,” DeMint said in a written statement. “Over-spending, high taxes and a broken immigration system are just a few.”

Knotts and Shealy will compete in a runoff Tuesday. The race is among the most competitive in the state, with both sides taking to the airwaves.

Former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt on Thursday hailed the historic Bethel Church cultural arts center project as a way to strengthen Columbia’s vitality, both as a place to live and a destination for tourists.

“Cities can’t be great by tearing down old buildings,” he said. “The great cities of the world reflect the people who inhabit those places.”

Gantt spoke to several hundred civic leaders at a unity breakfast sponsored by the Renaissance Foundation, the not-for-profit organization that is trying to raise $5.7 million to restore the Romanesque structure at Sumter and Taylor streets.

The 1921 church, built by one of America’s first black architects, John Anderson Lankford, was home to Bethel AME Church until the mid-1990s, when the congregation moved to a larger property in Old Shandon.

“All our efforts in redevelopment with the river at its center could be in jeopardy,” he said. “We need to do everything we can to change the problem.”

Coble is asking the state Department of Health and Environmental Control for advice on what, if anything, local officials can do to reduce the bacteria.

But DHEC officials say decreasing the contamination could take a while.

State health officials put up caution signs this spring at two sites on the popular Three Rivers Greenway after tests showed the river had enough coliform contamination to potentially sicken people playing in its water.

It could happen — and some say that would have a siginificant impact on their livelihoods.

Myrtle Beach faces the prospect of terrible business in May for years to come if the city succeeds in driving away the bike rallies that have become synonymous with May, business owners and business representatives predicted.

Still, even some who said they would suffer financially said they welcomed the action City Council took Tuesday when it voted to raise taxes to pay for as-yet-unspecified strategies to get rid of the bikers — and to outlaw vendors within city limits during May.

Many said the move came as a surprise; some said they would fight it.

Transportation Department data released late Wednesday show that drivers logged 30 billion fewer miles from November through April than during the same period in 2006-2007, the biggest such drop since the Iranian revolution led to gasoline supply shortages in 1979-80.

Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles in April compared with the same month last year, and 400 million fewer miles in March, according to the report.

The numbers might reflect more than a temporary change in consumers’ attitudes toward high gas prices, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. Previously, she said, “People might change their pattern for a short period of time, but it almost always bounced back very quickly. We’re not seeing that now.”

With Americans driving less and opting for more fuel-efficient vehicles, gasoline demand will likely decline in 2008 for the first time in 17 years, energy consulting firm Cambridge Energy Research Associates said Thursday.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court on behalf of the clergy members and Hindus by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, contends the Legislature’s creation of the tags “improperly advances and endorses religion” while also discriminating against citizens of other faiths.

The specialty plate features the words “I Believe” and a cross, a symbol of Christianity, on a background of a stained-glass window.

“The South Carolina Legislature’s decision to align itself with a single religion — Christianity — runs afoul of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit states, and also violates the right of free speech.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who drafted the license plate legislation, defended the license plates.

Bush arrived in Cedar Rapids Thursday with FEMA administrator R. David Paulison to begin examining the damage, and he also planned to visit Iowa City.

In Illinois and Missouri, volunteers joined sandbagging operations in the frantic effort to contain the Mississippi. Forecasters predicted near-record crests from Quincy, Ill., to Winfield, Mo.

Midwesterners are resilient, said Don Giltner, mayor of Louisiana, Mo., a picturesque river town north of St. Louis where 40 square blocks were under water by Wednesday.

Nevertheless, “We’re all worn out,” he said. “We’ve put in a lot of long days.”

“It was really exciting, but I really didn’t get that high. It was taller than my house,” said Andrew Britt, 10, as he sat with his snack of apples and water.

“If you look down, it won’t do much for your climbing.”

Camp Sea Breeze is a week-long day camp, paid for by the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation, for children 6-11 with asthma. Children are referred to the camp, now in its 11th summer, by pediatricians or hospitals after repeated trips to the emergency room for asthma-related problems. The foundation generally foots the $25 cost.

The camp incorporates physical activity and education. Sea Breeze schedules at least four hours of outdoor activities so children will have an idea of how much exertion they can handle with many asthma triggers such as dust, pollen and heat, said Bill Chapman, Beaufort Memorial’s supervisor of the cardiopulmonary department.

The man pointed a large revolver at a teller, demanded money and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash at about 5:12 p.m., police said.

He is described as 19 to 21 years old, about 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. He was wearing a white hat with “NY” on the front, blue jeans and a brown bandanna across his face.

Anyone with information can call Columbia police at (803) 545-3500 or CrimeStoppers at (888) CRIME-SC.

Out-of-state tuition will increase by $1,500 — to $18,090 for the 2008-09 academic year.

The tuition changes were approved in a $92.8 million operational budget for 2008-09.

Nearly two-thirds of the tuition funds will pay for bond debt approved by the board in February for campus construction and maintenance, a statement from the board said. About one-third will go toward operations. Room and board fees will increase $400 for 2008-09, to $7,080 annually.

Ninety minutes earlier, firefighters and Piedmont Natural Gas had been called to another home on the street, five houses down, after someone reported a strong odor of gas, said Charlotte Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mark Basnight.

Crews used meters around that house, but didn’t detect any gas and left, Basnight said.

Then, around 7:45 p.m., the house exploded, hurling wood, bricks and insulation across Wellingford Street and shattering the windows of several houses nearby. The front door landed in a yard across the street.

Afterward, all that was left of the house was a pile of splintered wood. A mattress leaned on what used to be a wall; a 6-foot flame shot out of a severed natural-gas pipe.

Family Court Judge Leslie K. Riddle, 49, was named National Judge of the Year this week by CASA — The National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association.

The nonprofit organization’s volunteers represent abused and neglected children in court through 948 programs nationwide.

Riddle’s “exceptional leadership” made her a standout among more than 40 nominees, said Jim Clune, CASA’s national spokesman. The decision, made by a committee, was unanimous.

“We saw her as wholeheartedly embracing diversity,” Clune said. “That’s one thing we look for. There was a clear passion for the children in her court.”

Duncan Court: Fourth block: A woman called police at 10 p.m. Tuesday to report that someone was harassing her with loud music. The 69-year-old woman told deputies that someone was repeatedly driving past her home playing music so loud it woke her from her sleep. She believed the loud music was purposely directed at her.

Manorwood Court, 100 block: A woman called police at noon Wednesday after she returned home from a trip to discover her car had been stolen. After she made the report, police found the vehicle on the side of a road with major damage and all of the windows shattered. Repairs were estimated at $3,000.

FOREST ACRESPOLICE

Forest Drive, 3400 block: Police were called to a department store at a mall at 10 p.m. Tuesday after an employee was discovered to have been locked inside. The employee had somehow set off the store alarm and summoned police as well as mall security. A key holder was found and brought to the scene to let the employee out.

Werner has been the party’s executive director for the past year. Party chairwoman Carol Fowler said Jay Parmley will take over Saturday.

All money collected goes to operate the Jeffrey Vaden Chavis House and the Southeastern Firefighters’ Burn Foundation.

Volunteers will collect money in firefighter’s boots 5-9 p.m. today and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Lexington and Richland Wal-Mart stores. They also will collect money between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday at intersections across Lexington County.

Contributing: Staff writers James T. Hammond, Lee Higgins, Ishmael Tate and John O’Connor; The Associated Press

A suspect presented a note and demanded money at the bank around 10 a.m., the sheriff’s department said. No one was injured and no weapon was seen.

Anyone with information about the identity of the suspect(s) or the stolen items can call Crime Stoppers at (888) CRIME-SC or go to sccrimestoppers.com.

A cash reward might be available for information that leads to arrests and recovery of the stolen items, the department said.

Afghani officials will tour Broad River and Camille Griffin Graham correctional institutions, Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center and other facilities, the Corrections Department said.

They will learn about inmate housing, rehabilitation, infrastructure, visitation processes and vocational training.

Officials last came to the state in September, when they learned about inmate classification and visitation procedures, some of which they implemented in Afghanistan, the department said.

“Had James not represented himself, he would not be on Death Row today — that’s for certain,” said Columbia attorney Joe Savitz, who represented Reed during his appeals.

Reed, 49, will be the first person electrocuted in South Carolina in more than four years. He has been on Death Row since 1996, when he was convicted of murdering Joseph and Barbara Lafayette in their Charleston County home two years earlier. Prosecutors said he was looking for an ex-girlfriend.

During his trial, Reed fired his attorney and represented himself, denying the killings despite a confession and arguing that no physical evidence placed him at the scene. Jurors found him guilty and recommended he should die.

The attorney Reed fired, Ashley Pennington, stayed on as his legal adviser. He said his former client panicked and tried to rehire him for the penalty phase — a request the trial judge denied.

And with that, the Vacation Bible School season will be kicking into high gear.

From megachurches in the city to the tiniest congregations in rural communities, staffers are gearing up for sessions with engaging themes and services, reliable Christian curricula — and fun.

And, in this time of tight family budgets because of rising costs for just about everything, church officials say offering the free events is a Christian duty.

“Everything there’s a cost to — I know, I have three grandchildren,” said Rose Hollister, who leads Vacation Bible School at Park Street Baptist in Columbia.

In the year since he lost nine of his brothers in a furniture store fire, he has witnessed a flurry of lawsuits, shouting matches at City Hall and a host of reports attacking his beloved fire department.

But Wednesday, in the shadows of the back row of the Galliard Auditorium, Hollins watched politicians remain quiet and remember his brothers.

“It was less talking and more to the point,” Hollins said about the memorial service marking the one year anniversary of their deaths, the greatest loss of firefighters since the 9/11 attacks. “On a day like today, it’s beautiful.”

Jimmy Gallant, a city councilman who resigned from a safety panel in protest of the fire department’s management, opened the service with a prayer for the firefighters, saying, “Perhaps God has made them ... angels.”

It’s the season of silly songs, new friends and the only time of the year where some of them feel they can truly be who — or what — they want to be.

And, for many, it’s the season of summer camps.

Today’s camp themes can be as flashy as the video games kids so like to play: design your own outfit, create a sculpture, discover the stars, even learn about the circus. But the old-fashioned camps of years past are as popular as ever, too.

Camp Congaree Girl Scout has stayed true to its mission of building confidence and reinforcing leadership skills.

The latest plan calls for a 20,000-square-foot facility on 3½ acres at Mitchell Street and Highland Avenue.

“It’s probably the most ideal location in the center of town,” Mayor James Wiszowaty said.

The new site is near the town recreation center, library and armory. It has plenty of room for expansion later.

Town Council last week accepted donation of the site from Lexington County recreation officials.

Irick, a father of two, won the June 10 primary for Seat 7, which includes the Camden and Lugoff areas.

Over the next several months, Irick said he’ll be a familiar face at board meetings so he can be ready to hit the ground running after being sworn in.

Here, a Q&A with Irick:

What is the biggest issue facing the Kershaw County School District in Camden and how should the board solve it?

Irick, a father of two, won the June 10 primary for Seat 7, which includes the Camden and Lugoff areas.

Over the next several months, Irick said he’ll be a familiar face at board meetings so he can be ready to hit the ground running after being sworn in.

Here, a Q&A with Irick:

What is the biggest issue facing the Kershaw County School District in Camden and how should the board solve it?

WEST COLUMBIA RESIDENTS in need of a fan or air conditioning unit to cope with the summer heat are encouraged to call (803) 794-0721, ext. 221 or 222. The West Columbia Police Officers Foundation is sponsoring the program for the elderly and others who have no way to stay cool during the summer; last year, 120 residents received fans or air conditioners.

VOLUNTEERS

THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION is seeking camp counselors and volunteer nurses for its summer camp for children with neuromuscular diseases. The one-week session, which features swimming, arts and crafts, a softball game and fishing, is held at Camp Bob Cooper in Summerton. Counselors may be male or female, ages 18 and older, able to lift and care for a camper ages 6-21. Each counselor will serve as a camper’s daily companion and help them with daily living and recreational activities. Volunteer nurses attend group activities, are responsible for dispensing medication and providing general first aid. Krista Wingard, (803) 799-7435 or go to www.mda.org.

ROAD TO RECOVERY is a program that provides cancer patients with transportation to and from treatments. Training is scheduled weekly at the American Cancer Society office, 128 Stonemark Lane. Volunteers must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record and a reliable vehicle. Lang Hunt, (803) 759-1693.

PROPERTY TRANSFERS

218 Dawsons Creek, Blythewood, from Jose Carrasquillo to Yolanda Garner, $138,000

ZIP CODE 29033

CAYCE PUBLIC SAFETY

WARD ONE FAMILIES REUNION ORGANIZATION: 4 p.m. Saturday at Union Baptist Church, 1800 Germany St. (803) 774-7188, (803) 783-4002

PALMETTO PADDLERS INC.: Canoe and kayak club meets 7 p.m. the last Tuesday monthly at the Luther Lee Building, Lincoln Street in the Vista. Visitors welcome. (803) 345-2002 or www.palmettopaddlers.org

IRMO DEMOCRATIC CLUB: 6:30 tonight at Carolina Wings and Ribs, 7587 St. Andrews Road. Guest speaker will be Dick Harpootlian. Dinner at 7 p.m., followed by a business meeting and socializing. $5 for guests, IDS members, free. Annual memberships available at the door, individual, $25; family, $40. (803) 798-6893 or e-mail billsalter@earthlink.net

RETIRED ENLISTED ASSOCIATION, CHAPTER 38: 5:30 p.m. Friday, in the third floor staff room at Moncrief Hospital, Fort Jackson. All retired military, guard and reserves are encouraged to attend. (803) 740-2319; jrodgers11@sc.rr.com

DISTRICT NEWS

RICHLAND 1 honored its top employees and retirees at a May 8 recognition banquet. Dywanna Smith of Hand Middle School was named the district’s Teacher of the Year; Marv Ward, producer/director with Richland One TV, was named Classified Employee of the Year; Austin Jeffries of Hopkins Middle School was named the Substitute Teacher of the Year. Smith and Ward received plaques and $500 checks and Jeffries received a $250 check and a plaque. Smith will represent the district in the State Teacher of the Year competition. Robert Wilson of Maintenance Services was honored as the employee retiring with the most years of service to the district; he has worked in Richland 1 for 41 years.

RICHLAND 2

RICHLAND NORTHEAST HIGH

The Sun News of Myrtle Beach reports the board voted Thursday to raise tuition by $525 per semester starting this fall. In-state undergraduate students will pay $4,325 per semester, up from $3,800 currently.

For out-of-state undergraduate students, tuition will go up $750 per semester. The increase will go from $8,295 per semester currently to $9,045 starting in the fall.

The action came as the board approved the Conway's schools budget of nearly $93 million.

The University of South Carolina’s trustee executive committee on Wednesday approved a 5.9 percent increase in undergraduate in-state tuition at the flagship Columbia campus — to $8,838.

That would be a $492 increase from the $8,346 sticker price for the just-completed 2007-08 academic year.

“We are in a period of rising costs,” said USC president Andrew Sorensen. “Our utility bill alone rose $1 million.”

Tuition for out-of-state students also would rise next year.