The news about South Carolina’s budget continues to get worse: cuts this summer, cuts this fall, and now, more cuts expected next month. Educators say they’re seeing those budget cuts hit home on the local level. Count on Joy Howe for more.

Residents in the Silver Bluff Road area in Aiken say they’re happy with a new compromise from the county. A year ago, there was talk of widening that road from two lanes…to five. Count on Joy Howe to tell us what route officials are taking now.

The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office is searching for two teenagers, who fired shots as they robbed the Broadwater Convenience Store in Aiken Thursday night.  The sheriff’s office says the robbery happened at 10:00 p.m. when the two teens, one armed with a sawed-off shotgun and the other with a revolver, ran into the store. They demanded and received an amount of money from the clerk.

South Carolina’s jobless rate hit 8 percent in October - the highest in 25 years.  The state Employment Security Commission said Friday that 16,000 people joined the ranks of the unemployed in October. That’s a big increase from the September jobless rate of 7.3 percent. The head of the Employment Commission says the state added 4100 jobs, but the number of people filing for unemployment exceeded that. 

Three years ago, former Aiken County Councilman Russ Ferrara turned himself into authorities, after being accused of fondling a 13-year-old girl. Then a year later, Ferrara had a second accusation leveled against him…this time, a 23-year-old woman accused him of sexual assault. Thursday, we learned prosecutors have dropped all the charges. Joy Howe explains why.

Two North Augusta neighbors say they haven’t quite ‘dried out’ from Friday’s rains. There are still some water problems bogging down their lives. Count on Joy Howe for the story.

Two people are in custody in Aiken County, accused of making meth. They were busted Monday afternoon after being pulled over for making an improper turn. Police say the it was an active lab. Authorities tell us the two were near the end of the manufacturing process. Now, they are in jail and their alleged drug kitchen, their Cadillac, will likely be destroyed because of the dangerous chemicals found inside. WJBF News Channel 6’s Paige Tucker has more.

Gas budgets for school buses were in jeopardy this time two months ago. That’s what officials in Columbia, at the South Carolina Department of Education say. This dip in prices might not save money, but it just might keep buses rolling. Count on Joy Howe for this story.

The Savannah River Site is a fixture around these parts…but many people remember it as a place that housed nuclear materials and dealt with bombs during the Cold War. But these days, the site is all about clean-up…and they’re doing so much more for you and your future. Count on Joy Howe with this special report.

It’s not often a local school board gets four new members in one night…but that’s what Tuesday’s election brought to Aiken County. And those new board members have some new ideas, including one about how to handle discipline. Count on Joy Howe to show what’s at stake.

Across the river, several South Carolina races were closely watched as the night wore on. The state senate District 25 race was one of those. Count on Joy Howe to bring you the results.

WJBF News Channel 6 has confirmed that Shane Massey has retained his Soouth Carolina Senate Seat

We hear about the gloom and doom of the economy and the busy rush of the presidential race. But here’s a story that helps slow things down a bit. It’s about a local man who put his own life in danger, to save a child. He’s being called a hero, and WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe tells us why.

An accident in Aiken County has left one person dead. Coroner Tim Carlton says 42-year-old Paula Phillips was pronounced dead at her home, at approximately 4:15 p.m., on Wednesday afternoon. Witnesses say that Phillips’ 13-year-old son was moving a car in the family’s driveway, so he and some friends could play basketball, when he stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake, as his mother was standing in front of the vehicle guiding the son.

South Carolina lawmakers are once again trying to cut the budget, and to do that, they’re looking at cutting lines at the DMV. It’s still in the works, but soon there may be no more Saturday hours at South Carolina DMV’s. WJBF News Channel 6’s Joy Howe has the story.