Associated Press     2/12/2012 12:33 AM   

NEW YORK (AP) -- The actor who played a son of ranch owner Barbara Stanwyck on the 1960s Western "The Big Valley," has died. Peter Breck was 82. Breck died Monday in Vancouver, British Columbia, after a long illness, his wife, Diane, announced on the ...

By ROB NOVIT   Senior writer   2/12/2012 12:33 AM   

Between two South Aiken High Science Bowl teams and one from North Augusta High, just one player had previous experience, yet the teams made a good showing in a regional meet at USC Aiken on Saturday. Following a series of round-robin matches in the ...

By SUZANNE R. STONE   Staff writer   2/12/2012 12:33 AM   

The Family and Marriage Coalition of Aiken Inc. set the stage for romance Friday night with a special Date Night event for married couples on the occasion of National Marriage Week USA. FAMCO provided a special dinner catered by chef Charles Foster o ...

By ANNA DOLIANITIS   Staff writer   2/12/2012 12:33 AM   

Les Paul Morgan, a certified peer supporter with Walton Options for Independent Living, has dedicated his life to raising awareness about domestic violence, particularly against males and those with disabilities, to help prevent experiences like the ...

By BETH DUFF-BROWN   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:32 AM   

NICASIO, Calif. -- Luke Skywalker would be proud. A rebel alliance has formed in the hills north of San Francisco to fight a perceived Evil Empire. The alliance is a group of Marin County homeowners. Their phantom menace is George Lucas, the world- ...

By LEANNE ITALIE   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:32 AM   

NEW YORK -- Barbie threw open the sparkly, pink doors of her dream closet to rock a party she hosted for her fellow fashionistas. She (well, actually the Mattel marketing machine that has kept Barbie dolls a bestselling toy for more than a half-cen ...

By PAUL ELIAS   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:32 AM   

SAN FRANCISCO -- Human remains uncovered in Northern California with the help of a convicted serial killer have been preliminarily identified as one of his victims, and authorities continued to search another site for the remains of as many as 10 peo ...

By RACHEL LA CORTE   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:32 AM   

TACOMA, Wash. -- The family of missing Utah woman Susan Powell thanked police, social workers, teachers and everyone who cared about her two sons at a funeral Saturday for the boys who were killed by their father in a gas-fueled blaze. The boys' g ...

Associated Press     2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

COLUMBIA -- The fifth week of the legislative session: Pension reform: Public workers would have to work two years longer, but they won't have to turn 62 to retire with full benefits under tweaks made to a House panel's draft for shoring up the ...

By RYAN PEARSON   ASsociated Press   2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

ANGELES -- Douglas Trumbull is nearly 70, but the special effects whiz behind space classics like "2001: A Space Odyssey" said he's launching a new phase in his filmmaking career. Trumbull is being honored with a special achievement Oscar at the A ...

    2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

"Two thousand dollars won't cover my moving costs." -- Brian Duncan, evicted from his Tempe, Ariz., home last April, who received a check for $2,000 as part of a $25 billion government settlement with the nation's top mortgage lenders for victims ...

By MELISSA HANNA   Multimedia development director   2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

In addition to the Aiken Standard newspaper and website, Aiken Standard Television has been a growing effort to bring you, the reader, another avenue to stay on top of local news and events, many live, as they happen. From Dancing with the Aiken Star ...

    2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

6. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam Adult) 7. "Home Front" by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Press) 8. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 9. "Private: Number 1 Suspect" by James Patters ...

By MICHELLE WIENER   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

"Tribulations of the Shortcut Man" (Scribner), by p.g. sturges: At the start of p.g. sturges' follow-up to last year's "Shortcut Man," Dick Henry - the guy people call to fix things when legal recourse is either exhausted or out of the question - is ...

By JEFF AYERS   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

"Catch Me" (Dutton), by Lisa Gardner: If you knew the exact date and time of your death, what would you do? "Everyone has to die sometime. Be brave." In Lisa Gardner's latest D.D. Warren thriller, "Catch Me," Charlene Grant is terrified that her de ...

By K. MICHAEL CUMMINGS, PhD, MPH MATT CARPENTER, PhD     2/12/2012 12:31 AM   

The American Lung Association's 2012 report ranking states on tobacco control efforts brought a bad report card for South Carolina. In nearly every category, we earned failing marks. But this isn't the whole picture. South Carolina has made notable p ...

Associated Press     2/12/2012 12:16 AM   

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Tanner Smith had 20 points and five assists to help Clemson pull away for a 78-58 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. Smith hit 8-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, and the Tigers (12-12, 4-6 Atlanti ...

By KURT VOIGT   Associated Press   2/12/2012 12:16 AM   

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas always seems to look its best at home, no matter how bad it has looked on the road. The Jekyll-and-Hyde Razorbacks continued that trend Saturday, with BJ Young scoring 27 points in a 76-65 victory over South Carolina. ...

By DARRYL SLATER   Post and Courier   2/12/2012 12:16 AM   

COLUMBIA -- It was 8:45 on Thursday night, and South Carolina baseball coach Ray Tanner was still holding the black marker between his fingers. He scribbled his signature on a hat and passed it across the table to a little kid. "There ya go, my man," ...

By GENE SAPAKOFF   gsapakoff@postandcourier.com   2/12/2012 12:16 AM   

The source of the river of Gamecock baseball glory has been found. Traced tributaries include back-to-back College World Series championships, late-inning magic, sellout crowds at Carolina Stadium and "Roth Star" - King Michael himself - on the cov ...