[jameshart]

So, in South Carolina, The State reports that the state estimates that there are between 10,000 and 20,000 dams in the state which are not regulated by the state.

You'd think that a publication called 'The State' would be a lot more careful about throwing that term around, but within that article, it talks about "the state" meaning South Carolina as a geographical area, "the state" meaning the SC government as a regulatory authority, "the state" meaning government actors in general, and "the state" as a newspaper (though they do refer to themselves as "The State newspaper". Presumably they aren't claiming to be the official state newspaper, just a newspaper called 'The State').