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

Wednesday, May 22, 2013  Federal nuclear regulators are visiting Hartsville to discuss safety at a power plant.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013  The National Republican Congressional Committee says it's not spending any additional money to support Mark Sanford's bid for a congressional seat in South Carolina.

Thursday, November 15, 2012  Engineers are working to seal cracks at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Fairfield County.

Friday, October 12, 2012  Federal regulators say they will increase oversight of a South Carolina nuclear plant after it lost power in April.

Monday, July 02, 2012  Regulators have chosen two new resident inspectors at a South Carolina nuclear plant where two new reactors will soon be constructed.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012  Officials with South Carolina Electric & Gas and the state-owned utility Santee Cooper are celebrating the licenses that will allow them to build two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County.  However, opponents say the reactors are not necessary and the design has not been properly reviewed since last March's Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster in Japan.

Friday, September 30, 2011  In a 7-2 vote, Florida moved to set its primary voting date for January 31.  The early voting announcement breaks national party rules preserving a typical primary calendar, taking away half of the state's nominating delegates as punishment.

Friday, September 09, 2011  A divided Nuclear Regulatory Commission has allowed the Obama administration to continue plans to close the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump in Nevada.

Thursday, September 08, 2011  Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Roger Hannah says a letter about the federal inspection in July was sent Wednesday to Duke Energy. He says Duke will be offered a chance to talk with NRC about the matter. A call to the utility wasn't immediately returned.

Friday, July 29, 2011  President George W. Bush's administration submitted the application in 2008 to send the nation's spent nuclear fuel to Nevada's Yucca Mountain. But the Obama administration says it will not consider the site because of concerns about contamination.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011  A taskforce examining the lessons learned from a nuclear accident in Japan says that a reactor proposed for use in the South would be safer than existing models in some accident scenarios.  The report Wednesday from a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission task force says that Westinghouse Electric Co.'s AP1000 and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's ESBWR have emergency cooling systems that could run for 72 hours. Those cooling systems are powered by natural forces such as gravity and convection that do not require electrical power.

Friday, May 20, 2011  Federal officials say Westinghouse Electric Co. must fix problems with a new nuclear reactor design before a decision can be made on whether to approve it.  Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said Friday that a review of the AP1000 reactor design has uncovered problems.

Wednesday, January 05, 2011  The NRC says there apparently were problems with a filter at the plant last July. The filter is supposed to make sure material in waste waters is removed before the water is discharged.

Monday, December 27, 2010  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in the report released Monday that plans for the mixed oxide fuel facility at the Savannah River Site near Aiken have adequate safeguards.

Thursday, August 26, 2010  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said in a report released Wednesday that plans for the mixed oxide fuel facility at the Savannah River Site near Aiken seem safe and would not pose undue risks to workers or the public.