State

• SC Farm Bureau president backs corn-based ethanol
  Fourteen-year South Carolina Farm Bureau President David Winkles says despite the food-vs.-fuel controversy raging globally and nationally, he remains bullish on corn-based ethanol.

• Lockdown at Benedict College lifted
  Officials with Benedict College say a lockdown there has been lifted.

• Horry County authorities fight brush fire
  A brush fire in Horry County has burned 15 acres, and crews expect more land to burn before they can extinguish the blaze.

• Fiance of missing Mount Pleasant woman found dead
  The fiance of a missing Mount Pleasant woman has been found dead, although police say the investigation is active and they're not certain the death and the disappearance are linked.

• SC's ex-top cop among those defending video gaming
  The man once tasked with hunting down illegal gaming machines in South Carolina is now among those defending the use of new devices whose legality is yet to be determined.

• SC, NC almost finished with work on new border
  Officials in North Carolina and South Carolina will know later this year where the two states separate as they finish 18 years of work to re-establish the boundary.

• 100 gather to honor black Confederate soldier
  In a Craig family portrait, a man to the right sits in the back row. He wears a black suit and hat, his hand resting on a woman's shoulder.

• Called threat leads to lockdown at Benedict
  Officials put Benedict College in Columbia on lockdown after someone called the school switchboard and threatened a massacre.

• Fiance of missing Mount Pleasant woman found dead
  The fiance of a missing Mount Pleasant woman has been found dead, although police say the investigation is active and they're not certain the death and the disappearance are linked.

• DHEC doesn't know about SC medical waste shipment
  South Carolina health officials say they haven't been notified about a shipment of medical waste that a Latin American news website reported was on its way to Charleston.

• Ex-Mullins coach admits he sent porn pics to teens
  A 29-year-old former football coach at Mullins High School will have to register as a sex offender the rest of his life after pleading guilty to showing pictures of his genitals to two teen girls.

• Police: GPS device linked man to Loris shooting
  Authorities say a man charged with murder in a Loris shooting was tracked to the crime scene with a GPS monitoring bracelet he was wearing as he awaiting trial in a different shooting.

• Liberal, civil rights groups meet for big NC rally
  Thousands attending the largest annual gathering of left-leaning and civil rights groups in North Carolina on Saturday heard NAACP leaders urge unity ahead of big elections this year, citing the early American motto that out of many, the country became one.

• SC garden collects ancient camellia varieties
  A South Carolina garden's goal of creating the world's largest collection of ancient camellias is a bit closer with the addition of about 200 ancient varieties in recent years, including about 100 brought from Europe in recent months.

• SC offering pre-Valentine's Day Farmers Market
  As Valentine's Day draws closer, the Department of Agriculture says everything needed to make a special dinner can be found at the State Farmers Market.

• SC teams compete in Energy Department science bowl
  America's next generation of scientists and engineers are putting their knowledge to the test

• Locals visit Charles Towne Landing for half price
  Charleston-area residents are getting a chance to see where South Carolina took shape for a reduced price this weekend.

• Aiken man sells drives that can keep medical info
  When John Decker's wife, Karen, was transported to the Aiken emergency room about a year ago, doctors relied on Decker to provide medical information that his wife was unable to provide for herself.

• SC State has new police boss; still mum on firings
  South Carolina State University has named an interim police chief, but still hasn't announced what happened to the man who used to hold the position.

• USC trustees approve raises for Spurrier, Tanner
  South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier and baseball coach Ray Tanner each received six-figure raises Friday after leading their teams where they had never been before.

• SC Forestry Commission issues red flag alert
  The South Carolina Forestry Commission has issued a red flag fire alert for more than half of the state's counties.

• NHTSA: BMW fined $3M for untimely 2010 recalls
  German automaker BMW has agreed to pay $3 million for delays in reporting safety defects and recalls to the federal regulators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday.

• South Carolina's week of legislative action
  The fifth week of the legislative session:

• Charter schools worry proposal could hurt pensions
  Charter school advocates worry a proposed federal rule could force South Carolina and other states to dump charter school employees from state retirement systems.

• Ga., SC governors meet quietly on stalled port
  The governors of Georgia and South Carolina met privately and far from their statehouse offices Friday to discuss disagreements that have left years of cooperation toward building a shared seaport on the Savannah River in limbo. They left without saying if they were any closer to a resolution.