As South Carolina considers giving early release to thousands of prison inmates to save money, possible budget cuts might get rid of more than 100 probation and parole workers to keep an eye on them. A $2 million cut to the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services was discussed during Tuesday's briefing to prepare House members for deliberations next week on the state's proposed $5 billion budget for July 1 to June 30, 2011.

The case involving the theft of $5 million in Medicaid money at the S.C. Department of Social Services has swollen to encompass enough alleged criminals - an estimated 350 at last count - to populate a small town.

Whether South Carolina should give a mall developer $100 million in tax incentives could be debated as early as today in the state Senate.

A flood of people upset about arsenic pollution in Lower Richland blasted state regulators Tuesday night for loosening controls over the poisonous material at the request of the Columbia area's biggest power company.

The Democratic candidates for governor are tightly bunched with no clear leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll.

Career educator and Columbia Democrat Tom Thompson announced Tuesday he's entering the state superintendent of education race.

In Michigan, where many enterprises are struggling to survive, the renowned University of Michigan is in the midst of a construction boom and hiring spree. Michigan State University, on the other hand, plans to lay off faculty and cut programs, blaming state funding that is lower than it was a decade ago. Flagship universities in other states are also prospering, while their lesser-known counterparts suffer from vanishing state appropriations. 

So, why not change the arrangement and require big-name universities to take responsibility for their own financing, leaving more state money to support the other state schools? As legislatures face their toughest budget year since the recession began, the idea of giving a few universities autonomy to control their own finances has some appeal.

Whether The Citadel has an image problem depends on who's doing the talking. Since last week, the school on the banks of the Ashley River has received volumes of unwanted publicity, largely tied to the fact that former quarterback Miguel Starks stands charged in two violent home invasions.