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

Yesterday at 3:12 PM  A lawyer says a state Court of Appeals ruling clears the way for gamblers to sue for money they lose by playing illegal gambling machines.

Saturday, May 18, 2013  The annual South Carolina Book Festival continued Saturday.

Saturday, May 18, 2013  The 16th annual Black Expo of Columbia gave the community a chance to show their contributions.

Friday, May 17, 2013  What is it about mail carriers that gets dogs so riled up? The number of postal workers bitten by dogs so far this year in the state is inching very close to the total number of attacks last year.

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  Friday, the Chief Medical Examiner for Richland County continued his testimony about the autopsies he performed on Tammy Jo Parker and Bryan Capnerhurst, who were shot to death in April 2012.

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  About 1,500 members of the South Carolina Army National Guard are taking part in five days of training involving potential responses to a natural disaster.

Friday, May 17, 2013  Veterans of the World War II-era aircraft carrier USS Franklin are scheduled to hold their final reunion in South Carolina.

Friday, May 17, 2013  A Laurens County jury has found a Gray Court man guilty of murder in the shooting death of his estranged wife.

Friday, May 17, 2013  Australian politician sorry he accidentally 'liked' Facebook photo of prankster exposing self

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

Thursday, May 16, 2013  Democrats accuse Gov. Nikki Haley of misusing the state's planes by taking her campaign-paid videographer with her on flights around South Carolina.

Thursday, May 16, 2013  A woman who authorities say killed her two young children and seriously injured her husband crashed her pickup into a tree so hard the roots came out of the ground.