Gov. Mark Sanford has yet to name an interim state commissioner of agriculture, and no set timetable for an appointment exists, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Sanford suspended commissioner Charles Sharpe last month, after the Aiken Republican was indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts of extortion, money laundering and lying to police in an attempt to protect a cockfighting ring.

The governor is considering several candidates, spokesman Will Folks said, but he does not have a goal for naming an interim replacement.

If convicted, Sharpe would permanently lose his office.

• DeMint supports health care accounts

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Jim DeMint on Tuesday backed health care savings accounts, calling them “powerful tools” that allow people to save tax-free to meet health care expenses.

To qualify for an account, an individual or family must be covered by a high-deductible insurance plan. Democrats have said the plan benefits primarily upper income Americans because of the higher deductibles.

The campaign of Democratic nominee Inez Tenenbaum, the state superintendent of education, said the savings accounts don’t address the problem of the 500,000 uninsured people in South Carolina.

• METROUSC Law School dean to be NAACP speaker

Burnele V. Powell, dean of the University of South Carolina School of Law, will be guest speaker for the Columbia branch of the NAACP’s 18th Annual Membership Appreciation Celebration on Aug. 26.

Powell will address the theme “Brown Fifty Years Later: Promise and Progress” at the program, which starts at 6:30 p.m. in the David H. Swinton Center of Benedict College.

The event will salute life memberships, applaud recruitment efforts and highlight outstanding service contributions. Ticket donations are $30 for adults and $15 for youths 17 and younger. Call (803) 779-2597 or (803) 779-4241 for more information.

• STATECharley’s damage estimated at $4.6 million

Hurricane Charley caused an estimated $4.6 million in damage when it crashed into the South Carolina coast near McClellanville last weekend, causing street flooding, snapping power lines and ripping down signs.

About 2,000 insurance claims had been filed by midday Tuesday, according to the South Carolina Insurance News Service.

Allison Dean Love, the service’s executive director, said the damage figure was compiled from a survey of 20 insurance companies that do business in the state.

Most of the damage claims came from the Grand Strand where the storm hit hardest as it quickly passed through the state last Saturday.

Contributing: Aaron Sheinin, staff reports, Associated Press