Across South Carolina

Law allows Clemson, USC to borrow more

COLUMBIA - South Carolina's two largest universities can borrow more money to renovate and build new athletic facilities under a new state law.

The law increases the limit of athletic revenue bonds for Clemson and the University of South Carolina from $60 million to $200 million each.

Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed the bill last week, saying it would increase the state's outstanding debt and could result in increased student fees. But the House and the Senate easily overrode the veto. The Senate voted 32-4 on Thursday, and the House followed with a 98-7 vote Tuesday.

Drug maker pays state for overprescriptions

HARTFORD, CONN. - Drug maker Purdue Pharma L.P. has agreed to pay $19.5 million to South Carolina, 25 other states and the District of Columbia to settle complaints that it encouraged physicians to overprescribe its powerful painkiller OxyContin.

State attorneys general complained that the Stamford-based company urged doctors to prescribe OxyContin every eight hours instead of the 12-hour dose approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The settlement requires Purdue to abide by warnings on a packaging insert, stop marketing the drug for use in ways other than those approved by the FDA, and improve internal controls.

Burgers pulled after metal found in patty

COLUMBIA - Cracker Barrel pulled hamburgers from hundreds of its restaurants after a patron in South Carolina reported she cut her mouth on a piece of metal embedded in a patty, authorities and the restaurant chain said Tuesday.

"We are putting out a wide net," said Julie Davis, spokeswoman for the Lebanon, Tenn.-based restaurants. "We are taking this very seriously."

Three hundred thirteen restaurants were told to remove burgers produced on and around the same date as those served in the Myrtle Beach restaurant where the woman was cut Saturday night, Ms. Davis said. Cracker Barrel has 19 restaurants in South Carolina.

Man gives no motive for stabbing death

ANDERSON - A man charged with stabbing an acquaintance to death told investigators he had "anger management issues," an Anderson police spokeswoman said.

Donnie Joe Baskins, 39, didn't give police a motive for Saturday night's slaying, spokeswoman Linda Dudley said.

Officers found the body of 36-year-old Mark Donta Powell in his home Sunday afternoon after his mother called police because she hadn't heard from him, authorities said.

Mr. Powell was stabbed several times, Anderson County Chief Deputy Coroner Charlie Boseman said.

- Edited from wire reports