MCAS BEAUFORT - An F/A-18D Hornet jet crashed into the ocean Wednesday evening about 30 miles off the coast, according to the Marines.

Both of the Marine pilot and the weapons system officer (WSO) ejected safely and were rescued about 30 miles off the coast of St. Helena Island by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen, an air station spokesman.

The jet impacted the ocean about 5:25 p.m.

The jet was attached to the Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224.

COLUMBIA - The S.C. Senate is expected to resume debate on a divisive tax-credit bill Thursday, after lawmakers on both sides of the incentive deal aired initial positions Wednesday over whether to grant The Sembler Company a controversial rebate to build Okatie Crossing in Jasper County.
"When a family is out of work and they can't put food on the table, whether it's a retail job or a manufacturing job, it's a job to feed the family," said Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland.
"The No. 1 industry in our state is not manufacturing. It's tourism," he said.

COLUMBIA -- An unlikely coalition of limited government groups and the S.C. Coastal Conservation League argued against the tax-incentive bill for the Okatie Crossing developer Tuesday during a press conference in the capitol rotunda.
"In the best economy there is no good reason to spend public money on a retail mall," said Ashley Landess, the head of the S.C. Policy Council, a free-market group.

The Jasper County School District held a recruitment event recently at the Palmetto Electric building in Hardeeville to attract a new crop of teachers to the area.
The event, which was the second for the district, was started by director of personnel Rebecca Cooper and is used as an informational session for potential employees, allowing them one-on-one time with many of the district's administrators.
It also provides a welcoming effect, says Cooper.

Two people died as a result of a motorcycle crash around 11:15 last Thursday morning on Interstate 95, according to the Ridgeland Police Department. The driver, Alex Lynn Raley of Bishopville, was pronounced dead on the scene as a result of injuries from the crash. Raley, 50, was traveling south when he lost control of a 2001 Harley-Davidson about 60 feet north of the Juanita White Crosswalk, between exits 21 and 18 in Ridgeland.

All throughout Jasper County, officials are preparing for the 2010 U.S. Census.
Being called the most important Census to date, the county and its two municipalities (Hardeeville and Ridgeland) are aiming to do whatever they can to ensure every resident is counted.
The importance of this Census stems from two separate issues - the rapid growth that the county as a whole has seen since 2000 (the last Census) and what that means to the area financially when government funds are issued.

Before Dr. Vashti Washington decided to be the Jasper County School District's superintendent-elect, she had to think about what life would be like in Little Rock, Ark.
Washington was one of two finalists for the Pulaski County Special School District's superintendent position. There were almost 20 candidates and since she withdrew from consideration on Feb. 26, the PCSSD school board has decided to re-open the job search. There are 17,700 students in the district.
Tim Clark, the PCSSD school board president, said Washington was the leading candidate for the position.

The Jasper County Council approved a request for $75,000 of A-tax funds to help pay for the development of a veterans memorial park in the triangle between Ridgeland Town Hall and the Jasper County Courthouse.
The idea, which was formulated by Ridgeland Mayor Gary Hodges and a Veterans Committee, is aimed to honor anyone that has honorably served in the armed forces and at one point lived in what is now current Jasper County.

Just after 10 a.m. Sunday morning, Ridgeland Police Department officers responded to the area of mile marker 21 Northbound in reference to a traffic collision. Officers arrived to find a 2004 Honda CR-V overturned in the ditch, with the driver, 68-year-old Maureen Medema of Illinois, trapped inside. Three Illinois passengers - 73-year-old John Medema, 71-year -old Geraldine Schwind and 73-year-old Harold Schwind - had been ejected.

Martin "Marty" Sauls IV said last Tuesday he plans to run for the Coosawhatchie seat on the Jasper County Council.
The seat is currently filled by Jasper County Council Chairman George Hood.
This will be the Jasper County native's first run at public office.
"I have been home from college for about 15 years now and working and I want to be able to serve the people of the county where I was born and raised," he said.
Sauls said he wants to focus on job creation and protecting the environment.