The chairman of the S.C. House’s budget writing committee has asked for a review of spending by a state agency created to attract research jobs.

Rep. Bobby Harrell, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has asked the Legislative Audit Council to review travel, pay and fees charged by the S.C. Research Authority.

Harrell, a Charleston Republican, said his office reviews agencies regularly, but the authority, with a $60 million budget last year, was too large and complex for his staff to handle.

Larry Druffel, president of the authority, said the agency will cooperate. He said the authority is regularly audited by the federal government. “We’ve always had clean audits,” Druffel said.

The Columbia-based state agency owns the Carolina Research Park off Interstate 77, as well as research parks near Clemson and Charleston. It also manages federal research contracts and grants.

• Newberry company receives federal fine

A Newberry company was fined $4,500 and received three years of federal probation last week, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Animune Inc. did not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in 1999 when it injected cattle with human viruses in hopes of creating a product to treat the viruses.

The company must kill the cattle, which have been quarantined since June 1999, and destroy the product it tried to create.

• IRS tax workshop set for Thursday

The Internal Revenue Service is holding a tax workshop for small-business owners Thursday. The cost is $25.

The morning part of the daylong workshop deals with federal tax obligations. The afternoon session deals with state taxes and employment security rules.

The session is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Midlands Technical College’s Northeast Campus, CT 217.

For more information or to register, call (803) 732-0432.

• Low-carb diets giving peach farmers a scare

ROCK HILL — S.C.’s peach crop will be one of the best in years. But farmers, who spend their days worried about heat and rain, have a new worry: low-carb diets.

Low demand in Chicago, New York and other major markets has farmers nervous, said Martin Eubanks of the state Department of Agriculture. He said low-carb diets and cooler weather have kept some buyers away.

Peaches are lower in carbohydrates than many other fruits, he said.

The state, the nation’s second largest peach producer behind California, is expected to produce 120 million pounds of peaches on 16,000 acres.

• Quarterly profits rise for Southcoast

MOUNT PLEASANT — Southcoast Financial Corp. reported sharply higher profits for the quarter ending June 30 compared with a year ago.

The per-share profits were nearly the same, however, after the company issued 1.1 million new shares in the last quarter of 2002. It stock closed Monday at $21.75, up 35 cents a share.

Southcoast Financial Corp. Quarter ending June 30

Traded: NASDAQ; Symbol: SOCB

From Staff and Wire Reports