Author: Dick Mangrum

The new president of the South Carolina Senate, Thomas Alexander of Oconee-Pickens, likes what Governor McMaster said in the governor’s state of the state.  Said Alexander: “Governor McMaster did a great job tonight outlining a bright future for our state by making us more competitive in a number of areas including education funding, income tax, infrastructure, and workforce development.  I […]

The sound of sirens on 183/the Westminster Highway just before 7 this morning.  Emergency responders were alerted to a nearby accident that has left 183 blocked to traffic at the Mountain Road crossing.

In their official reaction to the vote by the Oconee Joint Regional Sewer Authority to implement a mid-year rate increase, the Westminster City Council voted 4-0 to pass the increase onto its water and sewer customers.  The increase is to show up on customers’ bills in March to reflect February usage.  The decision is prompted by Westminster concerns that the […]

At last night’s meeting the Westminster city administrator took the prerogative of reading aloud the last paragraph of a 7-page letter from the city’s outside law firm to a Seneca-employed lawyer who is helping that city pursue a potential lawsuit challenging the board make-up of the Joint Regional Sewer Authority.  Kevin Bronson called attention to the following paragraph written by […]

In a rare Wednesday night meeting, the Westminster City Council approved a number of personnel changes.  What’s left of the council accepted the resignations from the council of Brad Chastain and Danny Duncan and informed that Rusty Cater’s resignation is timed for January 31.  Further, in the figuring given by the city attorney, Westminster voters will be asked to go […]

“After evaluation of the roads and the fact that temperatures are not due to be below freezing tonight, SDOC will operate on a normal schedule tomorrow.” That statement this afternoon from the spokeswoman for Oconee public schools.

Personnel at low state Santee Cooper, one of the suppliers for the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, are preparing for the anticipated effects that forecast winter weather, including freezing rain, may have on customers in the next two or three days.  About two million South Carolinians depend on the state-owned electric and water utility as their power source, either directly or […]

The motor club AAA warns that gas prices in the Carolinas are being elevated even higher by the rising cost of crude oil, as the U-S price for crude last week increased 6%.  Global supplies are struggling to meet demand.  As AAA sees it, the potential increase in oil demand, coupled with lagging crude production, will only increase prices.

Dean Bare of Tamassee is not in jeopardy of losing his District One seat on the Oconee School Board of Trustees.  Matthew Durham, the District Two county councilman, points out to 101.7/WGOG NEWS that the re-districting plan that received preliminary county council’s approval last night does not move Bare’s addressing to District One.  101.7/WGOG NEWS regrets the error.  It has […]

The motor club AAA