Author: Dick Mangrum

Larger Oconee towns have basically closed their doors, but one of the smallest is still open for some in-person business. It’s the town of Salem. At Town Hall, Marti Jennings says, “The town, as of now, is under normal operation hours, which is 8 to 5. We are closed from noon to 1 for lunch. We are restricting people to […]

A 22-year old woman is under arrest in Oconee County, charged in a death case. According to the booking report from the county Detention Center, Molly Morgan Spivey of Westminster was arrested last evening and charged with homicide by child abuse. The arrest was made by the Oconee Sheriff’s Office. An announcement is expected.

At a meeting tomorrow, the head of the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority will address a “notice of Alleged Violation and Enforcement Conference from SC DHEC.”  At last report, that conference was supposed to take place Thursday at the Columbia offices of the Department of Health and Environmental Control.  Other parts of tomorrow’s JRSA operations and planning committee meeting will […]

Unless electric power is restored this evening, it appears that tonight’s Westminster City Council meeting is in jeopardy. The meeting has been shaping up as a high-stakes meeting because of a pronouncement that some kind of “declaration” will be made tonight about the issue of the mayor’s cabin on city property.

As of this writing (9:30 am,) the entire Westminster electric power service area is without.  We are being told that Westminster has been told that it could be as late as this afternoon before service is restored.  The outage affects all customers, both within the corporate limits and in the rural part of the city’s service area.  According to Mayor […]

The city administrator in Westminster gave a hint last week where he might re-surface after he leaves the city in a couple of months. In a remark he made to fellow members of a Joint Regional Service Authority committee, Chris Carter said he’d like to obtain a job somewhere as an interim administrator. He explained that what appeals to him […]

“Oconee History Museum & the General Store Museum will be CLOSED to the public through March 31, 2020. Room rentals, field trips, group tours, and public programs are canceled until after April 15. We are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation and will make adjustments to these dates as recommendations become available. Staff will continue to work behind the scenes […]

Essential duties provided by the city of Seneca are continuing, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the city is operating. According to announcement by Scott Moulder, city administrator, the following rules are in place through March 31: “Access to all City public buildings will be restricted. Beginning immediately, all City buildings will be closed to walk-in service. Drive-in […]

As concerns about COVID-19 continue to rise, Americans are seeing pump prices plummet across the country. On the week, gas price averages in 35 states decreased by double-digits, pushing the national average to $2.25, the cheapest price point of the year. “During this uncertain time of COVID-19, gas prices are declining despite increasing gasoline demand and decreasing U.S. stock levels,” […]

The following announcement was made by Amanda Brock, Oconee County administrator:  “In order to continue to provide essential services to our citizens and protect the health and well-being of both citizens and staff, Oconee County will be reducing certain non-essential operations and services, as needed. At this time, the County will continue to remain open, however, changes in operations due […]