COLUMBIA, S.C. - Helen Harvey has missed reading the newspaper since her sight deteriorated some four years ago.

Without a daily dose of legislative news, she was left feeling "caught in a vacuum," said Harvey, wife of former Lt. Gov. Brantley Harvey.

Then about 6 months ago, the 72-year-old Beaufort resident was given a special radio receiver that allows her to tune into the Commission for the Blind's Radio Reading program and listen to news read from papers across the state and region.

"It just has made my year to be able to listen to the statewide programs," Harvey said. "The reading of the papers has been my biggest joy because I'm such a news junkie. I've always kept up with what's happening in the Statehouse."

But her radio - along with about 4,600 others - could go silent if lawmakers agree to cut funding for the program.

The House will debate whether to fund the program when it takes up the state's $5.8 billion spending plan this week.

Gov. Mark Sanford said the state should divert the $105,000 from the Radio Reading program to other blindness prevention programs. The House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the budget, agreed to the cut.

In his executive budget released in January, Sanford said the reading program duplicates the Talking Book Services program at the State Library.

"It boils down to identifying programs that are duplicative and trying to consolidate resources in a way that meets the needs that are out there and protects the taxpayers," said Sanford spokesman Will Folks. "These were difficult decisions made after detailed, intensive prioritization of government function."

But Beth Jones, the radio program's manager, said the Radio Reading program offers local news and in-depth analysis pieces, while the Talking Book program offers books and magazines on tape.

Jones said her program goes beyond the news and allows listeners to follow newspaper staples such as obituaries, Dear Abby columns, editorials and grocery ads. She also includes topical programs - such as health stories.

They're items that sighted readers take for granted, Jones said. But the blind have no other source for obtaining these standards - local television stations don't cover them - aside from asking someone else to read to them each day, she said.

Jones is one of two full-time employees of the program, which broadcasts 24 hours a day. After suffering other budget cuts over the years, the program relies heavily on volunteers.

Randi Olafson has volunteered with the Radio Reading program for 25 years. She says the cost of running the program is a value compared with the service it provides.

"It helps them stay truly connected and feel not so isolated," which is especially important for listeners who suffer late-onset impairment and are trying to adjust to a new life, Olafson said.

"The radio ... has been very, very helpful," Harvey said. "Those of us who are more shut-in and don't read are able to keep up with what's going on in the state."

Folks said that during the governor's public budget hearings, officials from the Commission for the Blind were asked to prioritize their programs. Commissioner Nell Carney testified the Radio Reading program was at the bottom of the list, the governor's spokesman said.

Carney said that listeners could find similar access to stories from other sources, such as the Internet. But she says the Radio Reader program is highly valuable to the elderly who don't have access to a computer or are not technologically adept.

The Radio Reading program is not the only program for the blind that faces changes in the upcoming budget.

Sanford proposed cutting the $230,000 in state funding from the Business Enterprise Program, which helps blind vendors run concession businesses set up by the state.

House budget writers restored that funding, but added a proviso that would set up a fee on the net earnings from vendors. Carney said all but 11 states have a similar fee on vendors that pays for repairs to buildings and equipment.

Parnell Diggs, a Myrtle Beach attorney and president of the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina, said he's been disappointed in some of the financial decisions made regarding the Commission for the Blind.

"This is cold, hard, budget-crunching analysis they're engaging in, but it's disappointing because it will affect the quality of life," for so many blind South Carolinians, Diggs said.

Diggs was a member of the governing board of the Commission for the Blind until he was removed by Sanford last month. Diggs thinks he was removed because of his outspoken views against agency cuts and vendor fees.

"I decided not to quiet down because I think these programs are important," Diggs said. "I'm just not in tune, or on board with, his agenda."

Folks said Diggs was not asked to leave the board because of these specific budget issues.

"It was a general philosophical disconnect on the larger note of government restructuring and efficiency at the Commission," Folks said.

Sanford seeks board members who are open to new ideas and look out for the best interest of the taxpayer, Folks said. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for Mr. Diggs, but he wasn't a willing participant on those fronts."