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

Yesterday at 3:50 PM  A state audit of South Carolina First Steps says lawmakers need to define "school readiness" and implement pre-school testing to better determine which children most need help and how to boost chances for success.

Yesterday at 7:11 AM  Legislators are returning to Columbia to consider a budget compromise that provides more money for highways and schools.

Monday, June 17, 2013  Richland County Deputies are looking for the culprits in the mob beating of a young woman.

Saturday, June 15, 2013  Summer time is here and that means area pools are beginning to fill up with more than water.

Friday, June 14, 2013  A missing Kershaw County teen has been found dead, according to Kershaw County Sheriff Jim Matthews.

Friday, June 14, 2013  A second Spartanburg man has been sentenced in what authorities have called a plot to randomly shoot at and kill people.

Friday, June 14, 2013  The University of South Carolina is marking the renovation of Booker T. Washington High School, once the largest public high school for blacks in the state.

Thursday, June 13, 2013  An investigation by Citadel campus police finds no evidence of a crime in the case of a female cadet who complained she was strip searched.

Thursday, June 13, 2013  Several lawsuits have been filed against education officials and the Department of Health and Environmental Control over a tuberculosis outbreak at a Greenwood County school.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013  Ten more people have tested positive for exposure to tuberculosis in an outbreak focused around a Greenwood County school.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013  School districts will have follow a new set of guidelines developed by DHEC and the Department of Education intended to curb the effects of concussions on student athletes

Saturday, June 08, 2013  An 18-year old Columbia man accused of having sex with a 15- year old girl has been arrested.

Friday, June 07, 2013  A committee state senators and representatives is sitting down to iron out differences on South Carolina's $6.3 billion state budget.

Thursday, June 06, 2013  Tropical Storm Andrea is forcing students in Beaufort County to wait until next week for the last day of school.

Thursday, June 06, 2013  The original patient to whom health officials say dozens of South Carolina tuberculosis cases can be traced has been ordered to a medical lockdown facility until the infection passes.