Author: Dick Mangrum

At election time next month, Wayne McCall is standing down from his service as an Oconee County councilman.  After three terms, he’s leaving office.  There are two men competing to succeed him.  What might life be like for him as a private citizen?  It likely won’t look a lot different from how he has comported himself the last 12 years.  […]

If a federal grant application is approved, Oconee County will have up to $600,000 to help fight the opioid addiction crisis.   The County Council Tuesday approved a grant application for Bureau of Justice Assistance program funding targeted on the opioid problem.   Any funding awarded will go toward an ongoing collaborative effort between the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and […]

Reduced airport traffic due to the Covid-19 pandemic has blown a hole in the revenues of the Oconee County Regional Airport, but county officials hope a federal relief grant will help offset the loss.   Tuesday the County Council approved authorization for the county administrator and county staff to apply for a CARES Act grant for $69,000, the maximum relief […]

A further loosening of the hold that COVID-19 has taken was made last night with an announcement by a Walhalla city council member.  Sarai Melendez, chairwoman of the city’s recreation committee, announced that city pool on W. Main Street will open for the season Monday, June 1.  Typically, the pool operates through the summer months, until it’s time for public […]

During a meeting last night, the Walhalla mayor made clear that, as the city’s new budget stands, there will be no fee required of the owners of vehicles registered to Walhallans.  News of an option given the city leaders to help generate monies to pay for transportation and infra-structure projects apparently has already struck a nerve among some of the […]

As storms approached northern Oconee last evening, the Salem Rescue Squad took action to warn a group of Lake Jocassee paddle boarders of potential imminent danger.  Scott Krein of Oconee Emergency Services says the rescuers were successful in carrying out their warning and clearing the lake of the adventurers to avoid a possible tragedy.

Westminster’s Steve McGuffin retires this week as one of the area’s longest serving law enforcement officers.  In recent times, Senior Deputy McGuffin carried out his assignment with the security detail provided by the Oconee Sheriff’s Office at the county courthouse.  And, for anyone frequenting, the courtrooms, the hallways, and the front desk, McGuffin was a familiar figure.  In all, he […]

Sassafras Mountain observation tower in Pickens County and Bald Rock Heritage Preserve in Greenville County, two of the Southern Appalachians’ most popular and iconic tourist destinations in South Carolina, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, May 20. Both natural areas have been closed since Mar. 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision was made to close both areas initially […]

An infusion of $2 million into the public schools as the result of action from a Duke tax appeal is going to help the Oconee public schools with their deficit spending, but it won’t be enough to cover the shortfalls that the trustees are anticipating for the rest of this year and next year. Jerry Lee, the chairman of the […]

The numbers of Oconeeans taking advantage of the permission to vote absentee in next month’s primary elections are growing, as concerns remain over the potential for the COVID-19 virus to spread.  Many who make up the senior citizen segment of the county electorate already routinely swell the absentee voting numbers, but many others are opting to avoid the election day […]