STATE NEWS IN BRIEF

COLUMBIA

Sanford: Two to be interim chiefs of staff

Gov. Mark Sanford tapped a top campaign adviser and his general counsel to oversee his office on an interim basis as Fred Carter steps down as chief of staff.

Tom Davis worked on Sanford's campaign last year and joined the governor's staff in August as a senior policy adviser. Davis has known Sanford since college and worked on his U.S. House campaigns. Henry White is Sanford's chief legal counsel, a position he's held since just after Sanford's inauguration in January.

Sanford said in a statement that he continues to search for a new chief, but he's not going to fill the job "just to say it's been filled." He says there are "a couple of folks I'm looking at as we continue to narrow the search for this position, but, in the short-term, I've got a tremendous amount of confidence in Tom and Henry to fill that gap until we name a full-time chief of staff."

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

Priest who misused funds quits church

A priest has resigned from his position at St. Francis by the Sea Catholic Church several months after church officials determined he had misappropriated funds.

No criminal charges will be filed against the Rev. Michael McCafferty, officials of the Catholic Diocese of Charleston said.

The diocese audited the church's finances after a church member filed a complaint in July.

Church officials said "thousands of dollars" were taken from a Hispanic ministry fund over an unspecified period of time. Officials would not say how much money was taken but said McCafferty has made full restitution.

"The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the diocese," said the Most Rev. Bishop Robert J. Baker.

McCafferty, who had served as pastor of the parish for seven years, said he made no secret of borrowing money from the church over time and sometimes forgot to pay back loans.

The Rev. Martin Laughlin has been appointed to take over administrative responsibilities for St. Francis until a replacement is named.

COLUMBIA

Man crashes small plane in back yard

A Massachusetts man who crashed his single-engine plane into a residential area was on his way to Aiken to spend Thanksgiving with his family, his brother said.

Frank Donovan's plane crashed over the weekend into a back yard after it was apparently running low on fuel, Donovan's brother Jim said.

Donovan, who was the only one aboard, suffered minor injuries during the crash Saturday.

Donovan has been flying since 1962 and served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, his brother said.

Donovan's plane glided into the back yard of 75-year-old Geneve Hyman, who said neighbors continued to stop by Sunday to see the crumpled Piper PA-28R-200.

COLUMBIA

Governor, family pick out Christmas tree

As the holidays approach, many S.C. families spend their weekends at cut-your-own tree lots around the state, hiking through rows of trees to find just the right pine, cedar or cypress to saw down and haul back to their car. Others go for the precut Douglas firs, mostly imported from North Carolina.

Gov. Mark Sanford, his wife, Jenny, and their four sons headed to a Gilbert tree farm Monday to cut down their own Christmas tree for the Governor's Mansion.

This year's Christmas season is something to behold, says Dale Taylor, president of the S.C. Christmas Tree Association.

"The drought has eased up, and the trees have grown more this year than in previous years," Taylor said. "It's going to be a good season."

Right now, the biggest threat to Christmas tree growers isn't the weather, Taylor said. It's plastic trees in boxes.

GREENVILLE

Interchange named after state's U.S. marshal

An interchange near Interstate 385 in Simpsonville has been named in honor of former Greenville County Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown.

A $42 million project at the interchange has widened the road from two lanes to five and replaced the bridge over I-385.

Brown, who became the state's U.S. marshal last November, served six terms as sheriff from 1977 to 2001. Sheriff Steve Loftis said Brown started a 62-acre training center with a driving track and shooting range and a program that helped the county clear 70 percent of its cases.

CHARLESTON

Foundation looks to sell 1678 plantation

It's been a decade since McLeod Plantation on James Island was acquired by the Historic Charleston Foundation, but in the intervening years, the grounds have rarely been seen by the public.

The plantation, which dates to 1678 and holds a 19th century house that was used as a hospital during the Civil War, is empty except for a caretaker who lives in the house.

The Historic Charleston Foundation acquired a third of the property when William Ellis McLeod died in 1990 and bought the rest three years later.

But the foundation doesn't have money to work on the house and develop a museum to attract visitors, said Kitty Robinson, the foundation's executive director.

The foundation has discussed having Charleston County buy the property. But that plan was abandoned when the courts ruled a recent half-cent sales tax increase was invalid.

The foundation also has talked about selling to the county Park and Recreation Commission and a local group called the Sea Island Historical Society.

"It's a treasure," said Robinson, who said the foundation has money to maintain the house until a buyer is found.