Julie Rose

South Carolina's Republican governor paints an optimistic picture of the state's economy. But with a higher-than-average unemployment rate, voters are focused on economic issues when it comes to the 2012 presidential election.

One county sterilized more people than any other, partially because the head of welfare believed it was a good option for women at a time when abortion was illegal and the birth control pill didn't yet exist. But in the context of an ugly eugenics campaign, serious questions remain over whether consent was forced.

Every family seems to have a holiday food tradition. Occasionally, it's a dish unusual enough to make guests at the table recoil in disgust. That's the first response reporter Julie Rose gets when she tells people she can't wait to eat sauerkraut — a nod to her Czech heritage — with her turkey.

Unionized businesses in Charlotte, N.C., have traditionally had to keep a low profile in this right-to-work state. But with the Democratic National Convention headed to town in 2012, having union ties could now be something to flaunt — and cash in on.