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

Tuesday, April 23, 2013  Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is blocking a Senate vote on President Barack Obama's energy secretary nominee to protest proposed budget cuts to a nuclear processing facility in Graham's home state.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013  Federal regulators say a project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into commercial nuclear reactor fuel is making good progress despite being billions of dollars over its original projected price tag.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013  The Obama administration's budget slashes funding for a plutonium reprocessing project in South Carolina and questions the viability of the multi-billion-dollar effort.

Thursday, April 04, 2013  The president of a company hired to build a South Carolina facility to turn weapons-grade plutonium into nuclear reactor fuel says he's worried the project won't be adequately funded.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013  The price tag for a South Carolina project intended to turn weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear reactors has risen by nearly $3 billion.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013  Federal authorities are investigating a security breach that compromised personal information of thousands of workers at the Savannah River Site near Aiken.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013  Federal regulators have given good marks to progress at a South Carolina project to turn weapons-grade plutonium into nuclear reactor fuel.

Thursday, February 14, 2013  The price tag on a South Carolina project intended to turn weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear reactors has gone up.

Monday, September 03, 2012  Federal officials are meeting to discuss mixed-oxide fuel at an old nuclear weapons site in South Carolina

Tuesday, July 24, 2012  Federal regulators are holding a public meeting to discuss a plant will be used to convert weapons grade plutonium into fuel that will be sold to run commercial power reactors.

Monday, December 12, 2011  South Carolina's former nuclear weapons complex is again offering the public an opportunity to tour the facility.

Monday, October 31, 2011  The federal government is going to use a facility at the Savannah River site near Aiken to produce tons of plutonium oxide for the complex's future mixed-oxide fuel plant.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011  Officials say a Savannah River Site worker contaminated with plutonium after his finger was punctured in an accident last year will fully recover.

Thursday, June 16, 2011  A congressional committee is expressing concern over rising costs and potential delays at the U.S. Energy Department's mixed oxide fuel project at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Thursday, February 03, 2011  The government says the fuel could produce energy while disposing of plutonium from abandoned nuclear weapons. The Energy Department is building a plant in South Carolina to make the fuel.