State budget cuts that have already occurred and future cuts next year could start affecting your safety on South Carolina’s roads and highways.

Most of South Carolina’s top state budget officers expect at least 2 percent in cuts next week.

The South Carolina Election Commission has rejected former Charleston Rep. Wallace Scarborough’s appeal of his
election loss last month. The decision on Wednesday confirms the victory of Democrat Anne Peterson Hutto in a district that covers James Island and Folly Beach.

Gov. Mark Sanford says a new $6 million security system at the Statehouse is a “colossal waste” and has ordered state police away from some checkpoints.

A state lawmaker says South Carolina needs to act quickly on a proposal that could expand wireless high-speed Internet access. Rep. Dwight Loftis introduced
a bill to use educational television towers to provide an Internet network around each public school.

Eight of the Senate’s nine new members are getting acquainted with how they’ll do their legislative jobs in January. Senate Clerk Jeff Gossett on Thursday briefed the freshmen on parking, ethics, choosing committees and the rules that control how legislation is handled.

House Republican leaders are pushing plans to put more power in the hands of House Speaker Bobby Harrell.

Gov. Mark Sanford has asked the U.S. Treasury Secretary to investigate Greenville-based Carolina First bank to see whether it’s “gaming the system” to get federal bailout money.

Economists have told the state’s Board of Economic Advisors that the state may slog through a recession through mid-2009.

As lawmakers prepare to return to the Statehouse this week to patch holes a slumping economy has torn in South Carolina’s $7 billion spending plan, they want voters to know taxes aren’t going up and school week’s will not be shortened.

Gov. Mark Sanford and Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom are wrapping up a two-day tour calling for spending limits and government restructuring.

With so much chaos in the economy, soaring gas prices and the war in Iraq continuing, there’s a lot more attention than usual on congress. And one of South Carolina’s two US Senators is up for re-election this year, Senator Lindsey Graham.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is threatening to force legislators back to Columbia to deal with the sputtering economy.

Gov. Mark Sanford was scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention Monday night, but that night’s agenda was cut short and his speech was postponed because of Hurricane Gustav’s landfall in Louisiana.

Nearly 2.4 million people are registered to vote in South Carolina. But Election Commission officials say more than 800,000 eligible voters aren’t registered.