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

Today at 5:09 PM  The annual South Carolina Book Festival continued Saturday.

Yesterday at 1:40 PM  South Carolina's unemployment has dropped to its lowest rate in five years.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013  A planned $2 million upgrade at the Hilton Head Island Airport will address a problem that's been affecting passengers for the past decade.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013  Pentagon poised to trim number of civilian furlough days, expand pool of exempt workers

Monday, May 13, 2013  Columbia mayor Steve Benjamin announced Monday that he is running for a second term.

Monday, May 13, 2013  The Senate's 2013-14 budget could buy $15 million worth of new school buses for South Carolina's aging fleet.

Monday, May 13, 2013  Charleston County authorities have released the name of a man who died in a backhoe accident in North Charleston.

Friday, May 10, 2013  Four days after being rescued, the three women who were kidnapped for 10 years are starting a difficult transition back to a normal life.

Friday, May 10, 2013  A New York collector and seller of historic maps and natural history art work is donating $30 million worth of materials to the University of South Carolina.

Thursday, May 09, 2013  Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Veteran Affairs Medical Center has two remaining town hall meetings with Veterans to discuss VA health care, explain about VA programs and services, and to gain valuable feedback to help continuously improve our programs.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013  South Carolina's law enforcement officers and firefighters will again be required to put a higher percentage of their salaries toward their retirement benefits than other public workers.

Tuesday, May 07, 2013  Officials at the Savannah River Site say an employee improperly accessed the personal information of thousands of workers.

Monday, May 06, 2013  South Carolina's interim unemployment director says the agency is overpaying less and recouping more of the excess benefits that are doled out.

Monday, May 06, 2013  Supporters of the immigration bill brought forward last month by a group of four Republican and four Democratic senators have been cautiously optimistic.

Friday, May 03, 2013  The Senate Finance Committee has approved a budget proposal that expands full-day 4-year-old kindergarten, gives state workers a slight raise, and puts more troopers on the highways.