MYRTLE BEACH -- AVX Corp., the source of toxic groundwater contamination throughout a Myrtle Beach neighborhood, has filed court papers that could force property owners in the polluted area to help pay for the costs of environmental testing and cleanup. The electronics manufacturer filed a proposed amended complaint last week in federal court that would make those property owners subject to federal laws that require shared liability for environmental contamination.

Read more at The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News...

GREENVILLE -- Executives, sales representatives, construction laborers and truck drivers are among the workers businesses say they most need, but even with unemployment rates in Greenville and the state on the rise, companies could see long-term personnel shortages. Jobs in a variety of industries are opening up as baby boomers retire, some employees move to training that requires analytical thinking skills, and sometimes the problem is a lack of "qualified" candidates rather than a lack of candidates.

Read more at The Greenville News...

COLUMBIA -- USC’s Nanocenter is taking shape in ways its creators did not anticipate, but director Tom Vogt says that’s a sign of academic flexibility that is not often found on research university campuses. Colleges and departments within USC are working together to craft common research objectives, bringing wide-ranging disciplines to bear on tough scientific problems such as creating lighter, more-powerful power sources in the form of fuel cells.

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COLUMBIA -- Economist Don Schunk of Coastal Carolina University said he wasn’t worried by the size of December’s increase in unemployment, but by the trend it reinforced. Since last summer, the state’s jobless rate has been rising, and job growth slowing. Nevertheless, Schunk and economist Doug Woodward of USC were not convinced a recession was coming. For example, new unemployment claims in December was 14 percent lower than in 2006.

Read more at The (Columbia) State...