Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark will make his first appearance in South Carolina as a Democratic presidential candidate on Monday when he speaks at The Citadel in Charleston.

Clark, former NATO supreme allied commander, will address cadets at 12:45 p.m. at the Mark Clark Auditorium on campus, school spokeswoman Patricia McArver said.

Clark announced his candidacy this week. The speech is open to the public, McArver said, but there is no parking on campus.

Clark is not the only Democratic candidate in the state Monday. Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun will be in Columbia speaking at Benedict College.

Also, Hadassah Lieberman, wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, will speak at Columbia College on Monday.

Usc Freshmen Set Record For Sat Scores

The average SAT score of new students at the University of South Carolina increased by 15 points to 1145, the highest of any freshman class, school officials said Thursday.

The class of 3,432 freshmen also was selected from the largest-ever applicant pool, officials said. USC received 12,666 applications this year.

Fifty-seven percent of this year's freshman class is female, and 43 percent is male. Three-fourths of the freshmen are from South Carolina.

USC continues to attract stronger classes for several reasons, including its nationally ranked University 101 program, which helps students make the transition from high school to college, said president Andrew Sorensen.

Sorensen also credited USC's top-ranked academic programs, such as its undergraduate international business program, and new facilities, such as the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center.

Man drowns after sailboat capsizes

Dr. Allen Jeter of Forest Acres drowned in Lake Murray Thursday after his sailboat capsized.

The 77-year-old retired family doctor was sailing with his wife Thursday afternoon near the Columbia Sailing Club when their 18-foot racing sailboat capsized.

He was not wearing a life jacket, Department of Natural Resources spokesman Robert McCullough said.

Jeter's body was pulled from the lake about 10 p.m. Thursday. The Lexington County coroner's office ruled the death a drowning.

Before retiring, Jeter practiced family medicine and obstetrics in Winnsboro in Fairfield County, said Kristen Martin, a spokeswoman for Providence Hospital in Columbia, where Jeter's wife works.

Batesburg-Leesville assistant chief resigns

Assistant Batesburg-Leesville Police Chief Fred Hamer has resigned, town officials said Friday.

Town manager Joan Taylor confirmed the resignation but declined further comment. Hamer, 39, who held the post for three years, could not be reached. He is a former Lexington County deputy.

Sgt. Steve Clare is in command of the 15-officer town police force pending the return of Police Chief Wallace Oswald from military duty in Iraq.

Man charged with murder in July death

A Fort Lawn man has been charged with murder in connection with the July beating of a woman whose body was found near some train tracks, Columbia police said Friday.

James Lewis Williams, 45, became a suspect when investigators found personal items from the victim in his possession when he was arrested on unrelated charges in Lancaster County on Aug. 19, Columbia police say.

Williams has since been brought to the Richland County jail.

A passer-by found the body of Lisa Denise Smith, 40, near some train tracks on July 21. Authorities said she was beaten to death. She had just moved to Columbia.

Man sentenced to life in shooting death

A Columbia man was sentenced Thursday to life in prison after a Richland County jury found him guilty of an April 2002 fatal shooting in Eau Claire.

Sylvester Wilder, 40, was convicted of murder and first-degree lynching in the shooting of Charles Delon Wilson, said David Pascoe, 5th Circuit first assistant solicitor .

Wilson, 24, was shot to death in the yard at his girlfriend's home on Elliot Avenue in Eau Claire.

Wilder already had served four years on an eight-year sentence for a 1988 conviction for voluntary manslaughter, Pascoe said.

This second conviction meant that Wilder was given an automatic life sentence and is not eligible for parole under the state's "two-strikes" law, Pascoe said.

Come meet, question city manager finalists

Residents can meet and question the three finalists for Columbia city manager Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Clarion Town House on Gervais Street.

The finalists are Wayne Bowers, city manager of Gainesville, Fla.; Kathy Rice, the former manager of Waco, Texas; and Charles Austin, Columbia's interim manager.

The candidates will be rotating through three different rooms during the first three hours. The last hour will be a reception.

City Council will then conduct closed-door interviews with the candidates at 6 p.m. Council will discuss and possibly decide who will be the next manager at its Sept. 24 meeting.