According to a release from the South Carolina Department of Public safety, a preliminary number of eleven people were killed on South Carolina highways over the Fourth of July weekend which ran from Thursday, July 2, at 6 p.m. until Sunday, July 5, at midnight.

The state Department of Public Safety says 19 people have died in Georgia traffic accidents during the July 4 holiday weekend.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer have left the state and are spending their holiday weekend in Florida.

It’s hot, it’s windy, and this weekend, people will play with fire. Basically, fire crews tell us, it’s a recipe for a disaster. So they’re asking that you use caution this year, and try to keep the fireworks from getting out of hand. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe is hot on the story.

Mount Pleasant’s Waterfront Park, the newest park in South Carolina located at the base of the Ravenel Bridge, opens Friday. The new $14 million park officially opens to the public at 4 pm on Friday, kicking off a three-day July 4th celebration.

Washington, Georgia invites everyone to come there this weekend for their annual July 4th Parade and Fireworks Show.

Fireworks are synonymous with the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, so are fireworks-related injuries. Melissa Long has some tips on staying safe…in a WJBF News Channel 6 Consumer Alert.

National Museum of Patriotism will mark its fifth anniversary this Independence Day.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol has created a new team of troopers to crack down on drunken driving just in time for the long holiday weekend.

You can celebrate the holiday with us…the annual Independence Day celebration at Patriots Park begins at 4:00 p.m.on the Fourth of July.

Celebrate your independence a little early, at Fort Gordon. An event on post Thursday will start at 5:00 p.m., and continue until 11:00 p.m.

AAA Carolinas says it expects fewer people in South Carolina and North Carolina to travel by road for the July 4th holiday, in part because of the economy, high unemployment and financial uncertainty.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the crown of the Statue of Liberty will reopen July 4. Salazar made the announcement Friday morning from in the statue’s crown on NBC’s “Today.“