From his pickup on a rise above the Current River, Bill Smith scanned the wild horses grazing below to see if all were members in good standing.

That's not always the case these days with Missouri's only wild horse herd, which descends from animals set free in the Great Depression by farmers who couldn't afford to feed them. » read more

The majority of South Carolinians think their financial situation is fair to good and getting better, according to the latest Winthrop Poll released today. » read more

The McClatchy Co. reported sharply higher fourth-quarter profits Tuesday, thanks to cost cutting and an easing of the newspaper chain's revenue downturn. » read more

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would speed the disposal of surplus federal property, a mundane-sounding but potentially significant money saver that's also a notable freshman-year success for its California author. The current surplus property list includes 1,151 federal properties in California. Many are in national parks or forests, including Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks. » read more

When Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" discovered her salary was a mere 7 percent of what the network was paying co-host Joe Scarborough, she thought it was only fair that she got a raise. But her overtures to network executives to get a raise failed. What finally worked was asking in a confident, straightforward way and being ready to walk. » read more