Latest South Carolina news, sports, business and entertainment

SC BUDGET

SC senator attempting to remove items from budget

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) A South Carolina Republican senator says state taxes should not go to private charities or local projects.

Sen. Shane Massey of Edgefield is proposing an amendment to the 2012-13 budget plan that would remove roughly $4 million worth of items. Those include money for a North Myrtle Beach museum, a fire station in tiny Andrews, and African-American historical sites in Charleston.

Massey's amendment is up for debate Tuesday as senators resume discussions on the $6.6 billion spending plan for state taxes. He acknowledges his amendment deals with a tiny fraction of the overall budget. But he says it's a matter of principle.

Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman says the items were inserted after local senators requested them, and he's not sure if they'll survive the budget process.

TROPICAL WEATHER

Alberto weakens to tropical depression in Atlantic

MIAMI (AP) Alberto has weakened to a tropical depression as it spins off the coast of the Carolinas.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Alberto's maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) Monday evening.

The storm is centered about 245 miles (390 kilometers) east-southeast of Charleston, S.C. Alberto is moving east-northeast near 13 mph (20 kph) but is expected to turn northeastward sometime in the next two days before fizzling out.

Alberto is expected to stay offshore of the Carolinas.

Meanwhile in the Pacific, a tropical depression far south of Mexico's coast is expected to strengthen to a tropical storm Tuesday. The depression's maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph). It's centered about 505 miles (815 kilometers) south-southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.

NRC CHAIRMAN-SC

NRC chairman visits expanding SC nuclear plant

JENKINSVILLE, S.C. (AP) The outgoing chairman of the country's nuclear regulatory agency is making a stop to check on progress at a South Carolina facility.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says Chairman Gregory Jaczko is scheduled to make a visit Tuesday at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Jenkinsville.

Earlier this year, the NRC approved a request by South Carolina Electric & Gas to build two new 1,100-megawatt reactors at V.C. Summer. The project was only the second to receive federal approval in a generation.

Jaczko's stop comes a day after he announced he would step down from the agency that oversees safety at the nation's 104 commercial nuclear reactors.

Officials say Jaczko's V.C. Summer visit was planned before his resignation announcement.

CUTTER TRANSFER

Charleston-based Coast Guard cutter heading to Philippines

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) A decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter that was based in Charleston is heading for the Philippines.

The Dallas is being turned over to the Philippine Navy during a ceremony Tuesday at the old Charleston Navy Base. The cutter was decommissioned at the end of March.

The 378-foot cutter Dallas has patrolled off the Vietnam coast and in the Pacific to the Mediterranean during the 45 years since it was commissioned in 1967.

SPRINKLER SAFETY

SC firefighters encouraging safe sprinkler use

IRMO, S.C. (AP) Firefighters from across South Carolina are kicking off an effort to educate people about fire protection sprinkler systems.

The SC State Firefighters Association says firefighters are gathering Tuesday at the Irmo Fire Department to launch a statewide campaign that includes billboards, media releases and events.

The campaign focuses on standards requiring people to have sprinkler systems inside their homes.

Speakers at the event will focus on the benefits of such systems, and organizers say they will host a demonstration showing how the sprinklers work during a fire.

RESTAURANT SHOOTING

Man kills girlfriend, then self in SC restaurant

BATESBURG-LEESVILLE, S.C. (AP) Authorities say a man shot and killed his girlfriend at a Batesburg-Leesville restaurant, then turned the gun on himself.

Police say 30-year-old Shaquanah Jones-Brannon reported her boyfriend was harassing her just hours before the shooting around 11 a.m. Monday. Officers were looking for 27-year-old Jamael Goodman, but he was driving a different car and hid his dreadlocks under a hat.

Investigators say Goodman killed his girlfriend in the kitchen of the China 1 restaurant before committing suicide in the front of the business.

Police say no one else was injured in the shooting.

SC STATE PRESIDENT

SC State names 3 finalists for interim president

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) Two of South Carolina State University's three candidates to be interim president are from outside the school.

The university says the are Cheyney University vice president Ivan W. Banks; South Carolina State associate professor Leonard McIntyre; and Howard University School of Pharmacy senior fellow Cynthia Warrick.

The three finalists will be interviewed by university trustees at their next meeting Wednesday.

The school is looking for an interim president after George Cooper stepped down in March after firing eight administrators, accusing them of failing to follow university rules and procedures.

Interim vice president for academic affairs Rita Teal is currently the university's acting president.