Latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Midlands

Today at 11:25 AM  Spartanburg County's coroner is planning an autopsy after a man was killed by a shotgun blast to his chest.

Today at 10:55 AM  Gov. Nikki Haley is calling on legislators to get a bill strengthening the state's weak ethics laws to her desk.

Today at 6:00 AM  High crop prices entice farmers to expand planting into old golf courses, wildlife preserves

Yesterday at 6:15 PM  South Carolina's attorney general is soliciting calls from conservative groups that believe they were wrongfully targeted by the Internal Revenue Service.

Yesterday at 1:55 PM  Newly installed U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford is out doing the business of a congressman, meeting and greeting constituents in his South Carolina district.

Yesterday at 1:50 PM  A 50-year-old man fishing in a Greenwood pond has drowned after he fell out of a boat.

Yesterday at 12:05 PM  AT&T is hiring 120 people across South Carolina as it expands its wired and wireless network nationwide.

Yesterday at 12:00 PM  Lexington County Senator Katrina Shealy hosted a luncheon Monday for seven of South Carolina's soliders who gave their lives while serving our country.

Friday, May 17, 2013  Former Brookland-Cayce Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Abby Bray passed away Thursday night after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Friday, May 17, 2013  South Carolina's own Candice Glover was crowned the new "American Idol" on Thursday after defeating country singer Kree Harrison.

Friday, May 17, 2013  South Carolina's unemployment has dropped to its lowest rate in five years.

Friday, May 17, 2013  The commission working to preserve the culture of slave descendants on the Southeast coast is holding its quarterly meeting. The Gullah-Geechee Heritage Corridor Commission meets in Conway.

Friday, May 17, 2013  The Columbia Police Department will be conducting a joint training exercise with Hammond School, on Galway Lane, Friday from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 16, 2013  Dozens of children will benefit from the fundraising efforts of a Midlands high school.

Thursday, May 16, 2013  State Rep. Ted Vick told an officer arresting him for driving under the influence that he was not intoxicated and couldn't believe he was being put in handcuffs in the Statehouse garage.