Author: Dick Mangrum

Data gathered and analyzed by Matthew Durham indicate, in the view of  Oconee’s new council chairman, show county appropriations since 2016 have grown at an alarming rate.  Sustainable budgeting practices are what are needed, Durham writes in his latest newsletter.  Durham says, “The county administrator’s initial recommended budget for FY 23/24 was $67,072,222.  During the Finance Committee meeting last Tuesday […]

A crash occurred late Saturday night in Walhalla, on N. Broad and Katherine streets.  The fire department reported no one hurt, but only one vehicle remained at the scene, a sedan.  Although the fire department is just a short distance from the accident scene, the fire fighters did not hear the crash.  They were made aware only when they were […]

Oconee high school seniors who make the grade can look forward to Saturday, May 27–Graduation Day for the Class of 2023.  Separate 8:30 am ceremonies will be staged at the high schools:  Seneca High at Tom Bass Field; Walhalla High, Razorback Field; and West-Oak, Warrior Field.  Gates open at all three at 7:30. The following will apply:  All ceremonies will […]

Victory is reported from the effort Saturday on Earth Day in a countywide volunteer effort to eradicate one of Oconee County’s most embarrassing problems:  careless littering along the county’s roadways.  Great progress took place in the Salem area.  Along three miles of Salem roads, according to Mayor Lynn Towe, 15 bags were filled.  And on the steep SC 130 from […]

A newly-arrived resident of Oconee County lost her life yesterday in a s. highway 11 accident near Fair Play.  Coroner Addis said the victim was Judy Cravens, 76, of Seneca, most recently a Greenville resident.  She died at 1:15 pm in the emergency department at the Prisma Health Oconee hospital of blunt force injuries, Addis said.  The accident, involving two […]

A first next week for Oconee County.  The Consulate General of Mexico on Wheels will pay a visit to Oconee to help Mexican nationals who live in the area. Ed Halbig of Seneca says one of the services the consulate can provide is corrections to or replacement of documents required by the government.  The visit will come next week around […]

In 2022, the South Carolina General Assembly passed a Criminal Justice Reform Bill, which was signed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. As part of the Legislation, the age at which a woman or man could be hired as a Detention Officer was dropped from 21 years of age to 18 years of age. The change in state law has […]

Brian Ramey of Westminster, the chairman of the Joint Regional Sewer Authority, acknowledges the likelihood the commission board will soon make an up or down vote on whether to accept a Texas developer’s proposal for him to help pay for the necessary line extensions to sewer two large student housing complexes in Oconee County.  Developer Brent Little’s request of county […]