Sniper in Iraq kills soldier from Columbia

COLUMBIA - A soldier from Columbia serving in Iraq has died after he was hit by a sniper bullet, his family says.

Sgt. Joseph Derrick, 25, was patrolling with Iraqi police Friday night when two grenades exploded nearby, said his stepfather, Carey Shealy.

Mr. Shealy said the Army told him Sgt. Derrick was helping block off the area so the bomb squad could dispose of a live grenade when a sniper from an eight-story building shot him in the neck.

Sgt. Derrick is the 34th member of the armed forces with ties to South Carolina to die in Iraq since the war began in March 2003.

Revolution figure, senator will join hall

MYRTLE BEACH - Retired U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C., and the Revolutionary War-era patriot William Henry Drayton will be inducted into South Carolina's Hall of Fame early next year.

Mr. Hollings, who retired in 2004, was elected lieutenant governor in 1954 and governor four years later at age 37. He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1966 to fill the unexpired term of Olin D. Johnston and was re-elected six times to the post.

Drayton, who was born in 1742 at Drayton Hall plantation near Charleston, was a member of the South Carolina Colony's rebel government. He became chief justice of the state Supreme Court in 1776. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1778 and 1779 and helped frame the Articles of Confederation, the new nation's first constitution.

Katrina evacuees leave Palmetto Center

GREENVILLE - Hurricane Katrina evacuees have left the Palmetto Expo Center, but officials say they could handle people fleeing Hurricane Rita if needed.

All of the about 240 evacuees at the center have moved out, some to hotels and private homes, others to permanent housing or elsewhere with relatives. Greenville is on standby for people affected by Rita, City Manager Jim Bourey said.

Union members end their 5-week walkout

HARLEYVILLE - Union employees have ended their five-week walkout at Giant Cement after the company began hiring replacement workers.

The 138 members of the United Steelworkers Union walked off the job Aug. 20 after working without a contract for two years. The workers said the company took retirement and insurance benefits away.

Workers began returning Monday, but not all were allowed to resume their jobs.