SUMTER

Republican Dickie Jones is asking election officials for a second shot at unseating state Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter.

Jones filed a protest with the State Election Commission Wednesday, claiming irregularities at the polls Nov. 2 could have cost him the race. He says hundreds of ballots were counted improperly or not at all.

Jones’ campaign spokesman J. Cabot Seth said there is no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.

An automatic recount in Sumter and Lee counties Friday put Leventis ahead by 86 votes out of more than 30,000 cast.

The election commission has not set a date to hear the protest.

COLUMBIA

• DJJ report card shows success, but high youth recidivism

The state Department of Juvenile Justice released a report Wednesday with the latest statistics about South Carolina youths who commit crimes and spend time in state programs.

The agency’s first report card doesn’t give grades, but director Bill Byars said programs such as arbitration are doing great while the state is falling short in keeping juveniles from committing new crimes after they are released.

South Carolina is the only state that won a federal grant to produce the report card.

Over time, it will allow the public and policy-makers to see whether the agency is doing a better or worse job. That has been a problem in the past because the agency had not been tracked in a while, Byars said.