Author: Dick Mangrum

Sen. Lindsey Graham applauds the killing by a U-S military operation of an ISIS leader in Syria.  “I really appreciate the counterterrorism operation authorized by President Biden and conducted in northwest Syria to kill Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi,” Graham said in a statement from Washington.  The senator said, “It is imperative we hit them before they hit us.” While Republican […]

A flood watch is in effect from 6 o’clock this evening through 1 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.  Periods of heavy rain are possible across western Upstate South Carolina, especially from this evening through tomorrow morning.  The rain is liable to create areas for excessive runoff including poor drainage areas, greenways, parks, farmland, boat access areas, campgrounds, and low water crossings.

According to Seneca Police Department, a pickup truck in motion late at night Tuesday without displayed headlights or tail lights caught a patrol officer’s attention on WS 1st Street.  The police say that after stopping the pickup on ES 3rd Street the following charges were placed against driver Jerry Bernard Lawrence Jr:  possession of a weapon during a violent crime […]

In general, one of Walhalla’s newest councilmen believes the city can become more transparent with its business by posting important messages on a sign placed strategically where most people could see it.  Grant Keehn made his feelings known during this week’s city hall meeting, and supplemented those feelings with his hope that a more transparent city government can have the […]

The Columbia office of the FBI is warning the public about bad actors using romance scams ahead of Valentine’s Day.  This kind of scam occurs when criminals deceive their victims into believing they are engaging in a trusting relationship.  They use that information to persuade victims to send money, provide personal and financial information, or purchase items for them.  One […]

Oconee deputies say they cleared a car at Utica of nearly 47 grams of methamphetamine on Tuesday when they went to Padgett Street to check out word that a drug offender suspect might be there.  The result:  the arrests of a man and a woman.  The sheriff’s office reports trafficking in methamphetamine charges against Steve Allen Broach, 48 years old, […]

A scheduled performance in Walhalla by Gaelic Storm, a California-founded group that specializes in Irish music, has been cancelled….and the reason is one of the group members has tested positive for COVID-19 and must quarantine at home.  A communication received locally indicates Gaelic Storm’s Walhalla appearance at the Center for the Performing Arts will be re-scheduled.  An announcement is to […]

South Carolina’s latest percentage of eligible state residents (those 5 years of age and older) who’ve taken COVID-19 vaccine is 53.1%.  And the state health director, Dr. Traxler of DHEC, conceded yesterday that there has been “a slow decline” in the numbers of South Carolinians taking the vaccine.  Once again, she encourages those who haven’t taken the vaccine, designed to […]

New numbers from the state health agency suggest that one out of three South Carolinians who are being tested are COVID-19 positive.  DHEC’s Monday numbers show a new percent positivity of 33.9.  For that 24-hour period, three thousand state residents were confirmed to have the virus—49 of them in Oconee County.