As South Carolinians settle in for a long winter's nap this Christmas Eve, they should do so knowing that the Airmen of the South Carolina Air National Guard will be on the job at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, ensuring their presents arrive safely.

As the Midlands mother of two siblings who died in a fire prepares to bury her children, another mother who lost a son to suicide offers advice on coping with grief during the holiday season.

Firefighters say faulty wiring and a Christmas tree started a fire that killed two small children.

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department say they've arrested a West Columbia man wanted in the fatal shooting of a man whose home he'd broken into.

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say they've found the body of a Lexington County man who had been missing for two years.

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Lexington County sheriff's deputies are investigating the shooting death of a man in the Dixiana community.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A legislative panel has dismissed allegations that Republican Rep. Bill Chumley of Woodruff inappropriately used state aircraft.

NEWBERRY, S.C. (AP) — Authorities in Newberry County are investigating the death of a woman found over the weekend.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Richland County officials say a 51-year-old Chapin man has died after he was thrown from his motorcycle and hit by another vehicle.

BISHOPVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A 14-month-old boy has died after he was backed over by a car in a driveway in Lee County.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) — A resident of a South Carolina assisted living center is staying in jail after his arrest for firing his gun while at the facility and then shooting at arriving law officers.

SUMTER, S.C. (AP) — Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis says he fired one of his deputies after she fired several shots while she was drunk and off duty, nearly wounding a man.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Department of Transportation says removing trees from part of Interstate 385 has reduced the number of crashes and deaths along a stretch of the highway in Laurens County.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The man who kidnapped and killed a 15-year-old Columbia girl orchestrated almost every part of the crime, including a final attempt to frame someone else through the victim's cellphone that likely sealed his fate.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina's unemployment rate dropped yet again last month, falling to 7.1 percent in November.

IRMO, S.C. (AP) — Investigators say an electrical problem ignited a Christmas tree, causing a fire that killed a 5-year-old boy and his 18-month-old sister in their suburban Columbia apartment.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The winner of this week's $1 million prize in South Carolina from the Mega Millions lottery says his wife fainted when she found out they won.

BISHOPVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Two Lee County sheriff's deputies have been shot and wounded during a struggle following a traffic stop.