View the slideshow COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina's "First in the South" primary has almost mythic importance for the Republican Party. Every Republican nominee for president since 1980 has won in the state. Yet even the night before the big show some South Carolina residents remained blissfully unaware of the political battle being waged.
CHARLESTON, S.C., Sunday - A little straight talk can take you down a long, convoluted road. "What's eight years among friends?" Ariz. Sen. John McCain asked during his Saturday night victory celebration, relishing a win in the state that doomed his chances of gaining the Republican nomination for president eight years ago. Although McCain touted the fact that every Republican nominee since 1980 has won South Carolina, Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee's concession speech reminded supporters that the race is far from over.
The writing is on the wall at many N.C. factories, and it's no secret that the message scrawled amid the rust signals an end to the traditional manufacturing that is all many plant workers have ever known. With the closure of many traditional manufacturing plants in once-strong N.C. industries such as textiles, some workers are facing a difficult transition. But N.C. workers aren't left alone to face the whims of the global economy. The N.C. Commerce Department coordinates efforts to help employees even before the factory doors actually close.
