The year seemed like it was a difficult one for all South Carolinians.

Whether it was someone losing a loved one in the war with Iraq or losing a job they worked all their life, many in South Carolina were in one way or another affected by a particularly tough 2003.

The Palmetto State mourned the loss of its most prominent political figure of the past century, and it wept when more than 10 servicemen from South Carolina died in the war on terrorism.

Thousands lost their lifetime earnings when a popular investment group collapsed, filed for bankruptcy and told many they would see little, if any, of their hard-earned money. Thousands more lost their jobs as manufacturing and textile plants closed.

State government continued battling its largest budget crisis in memory, a situation that may have had a trickle-down effect on everything from schools failing federal standards to state employees being laid off. When talk ventured away from money, state and national politics dominated the news.

These were the top S.C. news stories of the year as chosen by members of The Associated Press.

Strom Thurmond's death was easily the top story in South Carolina this year, but what surprised many was the end-of-the-year revelation that he fathered an illegitimate daughter when he was 22.

Thurmond, who was the nation's oldest and longest-serving senator, died June 26 at 100 in a newly renovated wing of a hospital in his hometown of Edgefield.

Thurmond's physical and political endurance were legendary. The one-time Democratic segregationist, who later helped fuel the rise of the modern conservative Republican Party in the South, holds the record for solo Senate filibustering.

In recent years, he scaled back his duties as his health declined. Before his January retirement, he was guided through the Capitol in a wheelchair, yet he wielded political power virtually to the end.

That power likely kept the secret about his biracial daughter quiet.

But just months after Thurmond was eulogized by Vice President Dick Cheney and other dignitaries, 78-year-old Essie Mae Washington-Williams came forward to tell the world Thurmond actually had five children instead of four. Williams said she waited to come forward because she didn't want to harm Thurmond's political career.

Her story, which had long been rumored but never confirmed, was first reported by The Washington Post. Four days later, Williams came to Columbia to make her announcement. Her voice quivering, Williams said "a great weight has been lifted."

"My father's name was James Strom Thurmond," she said. "I am Essie Mae Washington-Williams, and at last I feel completely free."

Williams said Thurmond had "an affair" with his family's 16-year-old black maid.

The public affirmation won't be Williams' final words. Her attorney has said she is already in discussions about her story rights for a book and maybe a film.

The Thurmond family "acknowledged" Williams' claim and said they would like to meet with her. Williams, too, said she would like to meet with them.

As Thurmond's family grew, other families in South Carolina endured news that many from South Carolina, or at least those stationed here, were needed overseas. Hundreds of reservists and Guard members were mobilized for the war in Iraq, and at least 11 servicemen from South Carolina died in the conflict, garnering the No. 2 story for the year.

Many of the men who were killed hailed from small towns. Arguably the hardest hit city was Orangeburg, where three graduates of a local high school died in the war. Army Spc. Darius Jennings was one of the three Orangeburg-Wilkinson graduates who died.

"This is a very unique community," said Marilyn Wilson, who was Jennings' guidance counselor at the high school. "It's almost like a village; you get to know each person."

When the war in Iraq wasn't dominating the news, people were talking politics.

About two months after Thurmond's death, the state's new senior senator, Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, announced plans to retire. That was the third biggest story in the state.

Known for his deep Southern drawl and sharp tongue, Hollings was a consistent critic of large federal deficits and supporter of defense -- and dogged defender of his state's interests. He also is one of only three Democrats currently holding a statewide job.

Hollings acknowledged the state's changing political landscape played a role in his decision not to run. In recent years, the state has been voting increasingly Republican. The state House, Senate and governor's office all are controlled by the GOP, something that didn't become official until Mark Sanford was sworn into office in January.

That event, which gained the No. 4 rank, marked the first time since Reconstruction that the GOP has controlled both sides of the legislature and the governor's seat.

Democratic presidential candidates, meanwhile began touring the state to take back the White House, coming in at No. 6 among top stories.

The state Democratic party moved its primary to Feb. 3, 2004, making it the first-in-the-South, but the earlier primary has increased pressure on the party to raise money to foot the bill.

South Carolina's cash-strapped Democratic Party is trying to figure out how to raise the money for the primary but has been tightlipped about how close it is to the estimated $500,000 needed. The party will rely on volunteers and possibly use paper ballots.

Democrats weren't the only ones reeling from a lack of money.

South Carolina's unemployment rate for the month of October was the highest level since March 1994, the South Carolina Employment Security Commission reported. The jobless rate jumped from 6.4 percent in September to 7.1 percent in October, and AP members voted that story No. 5 for the year.

The news was disturbing, but experts said it wasn't all bad.

The state actually created 3,700 jobs during October, the third month in a row South Carolina had more jobs, according to economic figures.

"There's simply more people looking for a job who were not in the labor force before," University of South Carolina economist Don Schunk said.

State government continued one of its worst budget crises ever. Agency spending was slashed, and many state employees' jobs were cut.

The state also faces a multimillion-dollar deficit.

More than 1,100 state workers have lost permanent full-time jobs since the beginning of 2001, according to the State Budget and Control Board. And recent reports suggest the state will be in for another tough budget year in 2004.

Money also was on the mind of about 8,000 investors who lost roughly $275 million when Carolina Investors announced that it was following its parent company Homegold Financial into bankruptcy last spring.

Carolina Investors closed its doors in March, and state Attorney General Henry McMaster announced in June the state grand jury was investigating the collapse of Pickens-based company.

In November, the former president of Carolina Investors, Larry Owen, was indicted on 23 counts of securities fraud by the state grand jury. That story came in eighth.

While thousands of South Carolinians were suffering from the financial fallout, the state's Education Department reported in September that more than three-fourths of South Carolina's schools did not meet standards under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The story was ranked ninth.

It was the first year the state rated schools on the federal standards. Of the state's 858 elementary and middle schools, only 201, or 23.4 percent, met the targets for progress.

The state's final top story was the ongoing debate over whether Greenville County should observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The County Council let employees vote on holidays for 2004, but workers rejected MLK Day.

Despite efforts by Greenville native Jesse Jackson, Greenville County is the only county in the state that doesn't observe the holiday.

AP Top 10 Stories

Here are the Top 10 South Carolina stories of 2003 as voted on by AP members statewide:

No. 1: Strom Thurmond dies at 100. Six months later, Essie Mae Washington-Williams reveals she is his illegitimate daughter.

No. 2: Hundreds of reservists and Guard members are mobilized for the war in Iraq, and at least 11 servicemen from South Carolina die during the conflict. Three of the fallen soldiers alone were graduates of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.

No. 3: Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings says he will not seek re-election.

No. 4: The Republican Party controls the governor's office as well as the state House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction as Mark Sanford is sworn into office.

No. 5: Jobless rate hits nine-year high as the state continues to suffer the loss of manufacturing and textile jobs.

No. 6: Democratic presidential candidates crisscross the state as South Carolina prepares to host the first-in-the-South primary Feb. 3, 2004.

No. 7: The state continues to deal with a budget crisis and a multimillion-dollar deficit, forcing many state employees out of work.

No. 8: South Carolinians lose $275 million when Carolina Investors collapses and files for bankruptcy along with parent company HomeGold Financial.

No. 9: Three-fourths of South Carolina schools fail to meet new federal standards.

No. 10: The Rev. Jesse Jackson leads protests in Greenville as the County Council votes against observing a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Eventually, the council lets employees vote on holidays, and MLK Day is rejected for 2004.