Following Tuesday's election results Gov. Nikki Haley released the following statement:

“First, Michael and I want to offer our congratulations to Mitt and Ann Romney – two wonderful people filled with grace, strength and love of country, and two people we are proud to call our friends. They ran a campaign that offered a vision of America that is strong, prosperous and free, and inspired millions of Americans in the process. We all owe them a debt of gratitude for their service.

“Second, we congratulate President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their hard-fought and hard-earned re-election. Since the day he was sworn into office back in 2009, we have hoped and prayed for President Obama’s success as, more than anything, we want to raise our children in an America that’s thriving and that offers our children the same blessings and opportunities it has offered the generations that preceded them. Those hopes and prayers continue today.

“Although South Carolina cast a majority of its votes in the other direction, our country has spoken. As Americans, we must respect this outcome, and, as governor, I will work together with President Obama wherever I can for the betterment of our state and country.”

Even while votes were still pouring in across the Midwest, West and Richland County, the pundits were already asking:

What's next for the Republican Party.

The "experts" on both Fox News and NBC were asking guests and other "experts" to predict what would happen to the GOP in the wake of a looming loss by Mitt Romney. One that ended up occuring in a rout.

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina was already questioning the party's "hard-ass" stance before the election, in an article in Politico earlier this week that was posing tough questions for the future of the Republican Party.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said it was time for a Republican Party "recalibration."

What do you think? 

Should the party get softer? Or harder?

Who is the face of the GOP? Who should it be?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

In Greenville County, 192,751 ballots were cast in the 2012 general election, more than 67.3 percent of registered users participated in this year's presidential election.

The turnout was greatly helped by more than 20,000 absentee ballots filed prior to the election.

In total votes, 883 additional people voted in 2012 than in 2008.

But in terms of voter turnout, 2012 was down from more than 76.5 percent in 2008, when there were 35,792 fewer registered voters, to 67.3 percent.

The top three precincts for voter turnout were Greenville 18, Graze Branch and Sugar Creek.

The precinct with the lowest turnout was Greenville 24.

Greenville County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a shooting death in the Berea area that occurred during a home invasion. 

At approximately 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office received a call from 28 Lora Lane stating that shots had been fired at apartment A.  

When deputies arrived, they found 28-year-old Alali Shakoor Perkins Sr. in the driveway of the home. The incident reportedly began when two unidentified black males, approximately 30-years-old, armed with guns arrived at the Berea home. One of the suspects dressed in all dark clothing and a ski mask forced his way into the residence as the second suspect held another victim at gunpoint in the driveway. 

Perkins struggled with one of the suspects as he was being held at gunpoint outside of the home, and was shot and killed during the confrontation. Both suspects fled the incident location and have not been located at this time.  

The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes Unit is currently investigating the case and based onpreliminary information believe that the incident was not a random crime and the public is not believed to be at risk.  Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers at 23-CRIME.

A 19-year-old Mauldin man charged with the rapes of three Lander University women in March has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 23 years in prison, Greenwood Today reported.

Cameren Keaton Jones pled guilty to three counts of 1st degree criminal sexual conduct, three counts of kidnapping and one count of 1st degree burglary for his role in the March 21 incident. Jones received 23 years for each of the charges to be served concurrently as part of a plea deal which included no reduction of his charges.

Jones and an accomplice forcibly a dorm at the university at gunpoint and sexually assaulted three coeds. The accomplice, Bobby Charles Henderson III, has yet to be prosecuted. Both men were attending nearby Presbyterian College on football scholarships at the the time of the rapes.

Read the complete story here.

The most daunting of holiday tasks is cooking the big bird.

From the buying to the thawing and then from the stuffing to the actual cooking, it's almost too much for one person to handle.

So let's talk turkey!

How big of a turkey do you need?

No matter how big or small your family may be, Butterball has a calculator that will help you decided just how large of a turkey you will need. Simply punch in the number of adults, the number of children, if your family has big eaters and if you want leftovers. Try it!

How long do you need to thaw a turkey?

Thawing a turkey in the refrigerator is the safest method, according to turkey experts. It takes some time, so you'll want to make sure you plan ahead.

For instance, The Food Network said it takes approximately three days to thaw a 20 pound turkey. That's certainly not something you want to find out the day before the big feast!

A good rule of thumb is to allow one day of thawing for every four pounds of turkey. You can also use the the turkey calculator for that task, too!

What do you need to do to prepare the bird?

Remove the turkey from the bag, wash the turkey warm water and remove the pouch containing the giblets and neck.

Coat the turkey with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Turkey recipes that will make them waddle away from the table?

You'll find basic recipes and seasonings on various websites, but Food Network, Butterball, Paula Deen and Martha Stewart had these yummy ideas.

Roasted turkey with herbs

Roasted turkey with wild rice, sausage and apple stuffing

Spice-rubbed turkey with garlic-pear puree

Roasted turkey with maple cranberry glaze

Bacon roasted turkey

If you are planning to fry a turkey, you can check out these tasty recipes. You may also find some others to try here.

How long do you need to cook a turkey?

Turkey experts recommend cooking turkey at 350 degrees. Cook times will vary, but plan to cook the turkey 20 minutes for every pound.

Here's a helpful chart for cooking times and temperatures.

If you are frying a turkey, you'll find more here.

How to carve a turkey?

This breaks down carving step by step.

Need more turkey tips?

Check out Food Network's Top 10 Turkey Tips

Butterball

Have any tips of your own or a great recipe? Share them in the comments section below.

The Mauldin Police and Fire departments will square off tonight in a benefit basketball game to honor and help one of their own.

Admission is free to tonight's game, but donations will be accepted — and are encouraged — to help deputy fire marshal Gordon McDonald defray the massive medical costs incurred by a massive stroke McDonald suffered while vacationing earlier this year in Mexico.

The game begins at 7 p.m. at the Maudlin Sports Center at 10 City Drive.

McDonald is a well-known and beloved figure in the Mauldin community and throughout the Golden Strip, having served for years with the Fire Department as an EMT and deputy fire marshal, and giving countless hours in area schools to teach children fire safety as a lecturer and puppeteer.

To learn more about McDonald's plight and his ongoing battle to recover, check out this special Facebook page, and head out to the game tonight to lend a hand.

The following information consists of the most noteworthy incidents reported to the Mauldin Police Department from Nov. 5-7:

• Shoplifting — 129 West Butler Road
• Theft from motor vehicle — 114 West Butler Road
• Theft from motor vehicle — 114 West Butler Road
• Theft from motor vehicle — 114 West Butler Road
• Petit larceny — 122 South Main Street (Salvation Army Thrift Store)
• Vandalism of property — 299 Miller Road, Apt. 98
• Vandalism of property — 312 Surrywood Drive
• Vandalism of property — 207 Keenan Orchard Drive
• Vandalism of property — 205 laurel Meadows Parkway
• Vandalism of property — 601 Stolls Alley
• Possession of methamphetamine/drug paraphernalia — 122 South Main Street
• Harassing phone calls — 5 East Butler Road
• Littering — 128 Appleton Lane
• Hit & run — Bridges Road
• Hit & run — Bumble Circle
• Criminal domestic violence — 299 Miller Road, Apt. 98
• Criminal domestic violence/simple assault — 330 Miller Road, Apt. 203

Mauldin chiropractor, Dr. Jared Sargent, along with thousands of pounds of supplies were set to take off Thursday morning to the Northeast to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, WYFF reports.

Born and raised in Point Pleasant, N.J., Sargent contacted people though social media asking for items to help hurricane victims.

Sargent told the station more than 4,500 pounds of food and bottled water came from the Harvest Hope Food Bank. The Knights of Columbus, an organization Sargent participates in, also helped, gathering boxes of personal hygiene supplies. Sargent added local companies, even strangers also contributed. Some also donated money; close to $1600, the station reported.

"People in the Upstate should be really proud of themselves and the community they've created there's no question about that,” Sargent told the station.

Read the entire article HERE.

Walmart is hoping to cash in a little earlier on Black Friday sales this holiday season.

The world's largest retailer announced it would begin sales at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving.

Walmart's offers will include deals on video games starting at $10 and home appliances such as a slow cooker and coffee maker for as low as $9.44 each, according to Business Insider.

Customers in line between 10 and 11 p.m. also get special deals on electronics, however, some of them are not the hottest gadgets of the year, such as the Apple iPad 2, a 32-inch Emerson LCD TV or a Blu-ray player, the article said.

Read more.

Simpsonville Police are investigating a bank robbery Thursday morning at First Citizens Bank on Fairview Road.

Police said the robbery happened about 9:14 a.m. when a black male entered the bank located at 636 Fairview Road and demanded money from a teller.

The suspect did not use a weapon and left the area on foot with an undisclosed amount of money, according to police.

Police said the suspect was last seen wearing baggy cargo pants with side pockets and a dark colored leather jacket.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Simpsonville Police Department (864) 967-9536, the FBI (864) 232-3807, or Crime Stoppers (23-CRIME).

Marcus Lattimore, a star junior running back for the South Carolina Gamecocks, is now rehabilitating his injured knee after he underwent surgery on Nov. 2. 

Lattimore, a 212-pound back who forged a name for himself at Byrnes High School in Duncan, suffered a "significant impact" to his right knee during the Oct. 27 game against Tennnessee, according to a release from the USC Athletic Department. 

Lattimore's surgery, a collaborative effort between Dr. Jeffrey Guy, Dr. Lyle Cain and Dr. James Andrews, repaired multiple ligaments in the injured knee that were damaged when the knee hyperextended as a Tennessee defender dove at his legs. 

The surgery was performed in Birmingham, Ala., and was deemed a success by the athletics department. No further surgery is planned. 

It is the second time Lattimore has suffered a season-ending knee injury, as his 2011 campaign was cut short in the seventh game of the year against Mississippi State, when his left knee was injured. 

The ramp signage at Williams-Brice Stadium recognizing Lattimore’s school record 38 rushing touchdowns will be unveiled during Saturday’s game against Arkansas, but Lattimore will not attend, as the star running back's doctors have agreed it is not in his best interest to attend.

Every mother and baby deserve a baby shower — even giraffes.

Kiko the giraffe, who was born Oct. 22 at The Greenville Zoo, and his mother, Autumn, will be given a "baby shower" this Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at the zoo.

Read more on Kiko here, and view our photo gallery of Kiko and his proud parents.

According to the Zoo's Facebook page, the zoo will treat patrons to free cake, prizes from MY102.5-FM (whose listeners helped pick Kiko's name), and will announce the winners of its San Diego trip contest.

Bi-Lo Bakeries is supplying cakes and cupcakes, and Pet Dairy is providing TruMoo Chocolate Milk for the festivities, according to the zoo.

Because the interest in seeing baby Kiko has been so great since his birth, the zoo also said a third ticket booth is being erected to help with the new crowds and help move lines a little quicker. 

"With the Baby Shower scheduled for this Saturday from 10 till noon, we are expecting a lot of Kiko fans to show up for the celebration," according to the zoo. 

Haven't seen Kiko yet in person? Weather permitting, the zoo is displaying its hottest celebrity each day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more info on times and pricing at the zoo, click here.

Mauldin police officers and firefighters discarded put aside their service uniforms for gym clothes Thursday night and took to the hardwood at the Mauldin Sports Center for their annual basketball game.

While the game might not have been the greatest showcase of roundball skills, the men's hearts certainly were in the right place. More than just a game, the event was also a benefit for one of their own — stricken Mauldin deputy fire marshal Gordon McDonald, who is recovering from a massive stroke he suffered earlier this year while on vacation in Mexico.

Money raised last night will be donated to defray McDonald's extensive medical expenses as he valiantly continues to battle back in an effort to regain his health.

Patch was there and put together a photo gallery of the event (see above).

While appearing in the Lowcountry in Thursday Gov. Nikki Haley said the investigation into the hacking of the millions of Department of Revenue records is nearly complete.

The number of residents originally affected by the breach was thought to be 3.6 million. But WLTX reported that that number has been revised upward to 3.8 million.

The Charleston Post & Courierreported that the hacker used two vulnerabilities to access the data. But experts disagreed about what the state could have done to protect the data.

The state also is expected to pay public relations firm Chernoff Newman $150,000 to prepare press packets and buy newspaper advertisements related to the data theft

See full coverage of the security breach HERE.

Are you one of those crazy parents who has brought the Elf on the Shelf into your Christmas celebration?

If you haven't heard of this tradition, it has its own website. And, elves are now available in both English and Spanish. Last year, the company reported $10 million in sales, and landed No. 1,322 on Inc. 5000's 2011 list.

So here's the short version...

Santa can't be everywhere trying to determine who is on the naughty list and who is on the nice list. So these scout elves, brought home by willing parents and named by children, report back each night to the North Pole about the day's events and the behavior of the child or children in the household. And when the elf returns, it's usually not in the same spot where the family last saw him. In fact, the elf can be pretty good at hide-and-seek or in creating a little mischief, if he's allowed.

Trane the elf, arrived two years ago, at the Smith household packaged in brightly-colored wrappings from the North Pole. He was dropped off at the back door just in time for a 4-year-old to arrive back home from preschool.

But Trane didn't have his magic until he had a name and the book, "The Elf on the Shelf," was read.

The book gives the rules for bringing such a tradition into your home — two biggest being 1. Your child can't touch him or he'll lose his magic. 2. On Christmas Eve, the elf returns to Santa.

So in two years, Trane has had marshmellow fights with other stuffed animals, hung from ceiling fans, taken a ride on a T-Rex, peeked out of bookcases, brought small gifts, left notes and traveled to Ohio to visit Grandma.

But it's not all fun and games. He leaves the occasional lump of coal and at times a note of warning from the "big man in red."

It's all fun and games for the parents and children alike, until the moment you realize your child is out of bed and you didn't move the elf!

But are you running out of ideas for this crazy elf?

Check out Blossom Bunkhouse, which has at least 101 ideas from turning milk a different color to mismatched school clothes for the kids.

Fun ideas, 25 total, can be found on Living Locurto. You'll find ideas for clever messages to leave on the bathroom mirror or creating a crepe paper door to their room.

There's more to be found on Pinterest.

Oh, and if you're curious there are some parents, moms in particular, who have way too much time on their hands! Minus the language, this blog post pretty much sums up life after a week with the elf at most houses.

Dr. Ronald Wilson and his dental practice, Greenville Smiles Family Dentistry, is helping to end hunger for Upstate families in need. 

For every new patient scheduled between now and December 31, Greenville Smiles will donate $15 to the Harvest Hope Food Bank.  In addition, Dr. Wilson will match canned food donations can for can for patients and other members of the community that want to donate in-kind to Harvest Hope by bringing canned goods to his office.

According to Harvest Hope's website, 98 cents out of every dollar they receive goes directly toward programs and services to benefit hungry people in your community.

Some of the most needed items include canned vegetables, meats and fish, peanut butter, dry goods, and beans. Toiletries, diapers, and other personal care items are also needed.

“We were so pleased with the great response we had with last year’s food drive that we have been looking forward to helping Harvest Hope again this year,” Wilson said. "We want to do our part to make sure everyone has something to smile about."

Greenville Smiles is located at 140 Mall Connector Road in Greenville. 

While appearing in the Lowcountry on Thursday, Gov. Nikki Haley said the investigation into the hacking of millions of Department of Revenue records is nearly complete.

The number of residents originally affected by the massive breach was thought to be 3.6 million. But WLTX reported that number has been revised upward to 3.8 million.

The Charleston Post & Courierreported that the hacker used two vulnerabilities to access the data. But experts disagreed about what the state could have done to protect the data.

The state also is expected to pay public relations firm Chernoff Newman $150,000 to prepare press packets and buy newspaper advertisements related to the data theft

See full coverage of the security breach HERE.

The following information consists of the most noteworthy incidents reported to the Mauldin Police Department from Nov. 7-8:

• Burglary 2nd degree — 208 Miller Road, Apt. 1
• Larceny — 128 Willow Forks Drive
• Possession with intent to distribute marijuana — 4 Fire Island Way
• Simple possession of marijuana — Forrester Drive/US Highway 276
• Possession of drug paraphernalia — 4 Fire Island Way
• Possession of drug paraphernalia — Forrester Drive/US Highway 276
• Trespass notices issued — 815 East Butler Road
• Operating without business license — 815 East Butler Road

Turkey, dressing/stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings...

You just added an inch to your waistline thinking about it.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and many households are already starting to plan their menus. And, there's good news for those shopping for the food.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says that the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner has increased less than one percent.

The average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.48, a 28-cent price increase from last year’s average of $49.20, according to the findings of this year's survey by the AFBF.

The survey's shopping list included turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and beverages of coffee and milk, to serve a family of 10. Oh, and don't worry there's plenty for leftovers!

Need recipes? Click here.

The big expense — a 16-pound turkey —  costs $22.23 this year, the survey reported.

Need tips on cooking a turkey? Click here.

Each year, Farm Bureau shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices at area stores, without using special promotional discounts or coupons, so that's good news for those who are clipping coupons and use store discount cards!

Where are you finding the best deals on turkey and all the trimmings? Tell us in the comments section below.