Author: Dick Mangrum

Their style of laid-back dress and the happy go lucky nature of the group attracted attention yesterday during the lunch hour at a Seneca restaurant.  A Parrot Head club has organized in Oconee County, and its members enjoy the county’s lake lifestyle, but with a bent to help fellow man.  This club of fun people also has designated Seneca’s Golden […]

Paul Cain and Annie Caggiano recently got together for a talk about economic development and what Cain, as an Oconee County councilman, would like to see county government accomplish in the next year.  Cain also serves as the chairman of council’s economic and development committee.  Caggiano is the president/CEO of the public-private Oconee Economic Alliance that works to bolster economic […]

The public information officer for the Oconee public schools is doing exactly what a PIO should do, in the estimation of her boss.  Dr. Michael Thorsland, district superintendent, bragged last night on how clear a picture that Jennifer Dodd is showing of the true impact of the COVID-19 virus within the county public schools.  You simply have to go to […]

As much as anyone, Michael Thorsland watches the case numbers reported by the state health agency.  Last night the Oconee superintendent told the county trustees that, in recent days, he sees a downward trend in the daily number of COVID-19 cases recorded by the state DHEC.  It gives him hope that if a trend such as this continues, Oconee will […]

Dr. Michael Thorsland, superintendent, expressed pride tonight that, in his view, the Oconee County public schools have since the arrival of COVID-19 been able to educate their students “as close to normal” as any other school district.  At tonight’s meeting, the superintendent referred to the combination of in-class and virtual learning conducted during the last few months of last year […]

There appears little likelihood that the Oconee school trustees tonight will make any change to the rules that do not require students to wear masks in the classrooms and school buildings.  But the controversial topic got a lot of comment during the public’s part of the meeting when it is permissible to address the trustees directly.  Unlike last month’s meeting […]

Utility crews in Seneca were attempting late this morning to determine the source of water that poured through the Bountyland traffic intersection.  Bob Faires, utilities director, said the immediate suspicion was a broken water line at or in the vicinity of nearby apartment units on SC 188.  The pouring water quickly turned to muddy water, an unusual spectacle considering today was […]

With fall approaching and the height of summer in our rearview, motorists in the Carolinas are starting to see slight relief at the pump as gas price averages dropped lower by a penny on the week. “Even though supply has tightened after slow recovery from Hurricane Ida, we’ve also reached the point when gasoline demand starts its seasonal decline,” said […]

Hannah Crain brings previous banking experience to her new job as a teller at Blue Ridge Bank’s North John Street office in Walhalla.  The bank president/CEO, Kyle Thomas, says Crain’s past experience will make her a great addition to Blue Ridge’s staff.

Mayor Dan Alexander of Seneca affixed his John Hancock to a proclamation to create awareness and recognize an observance of a relatively rare genetic disorder, Usher syndrome.  It is a genetic disorder caused by a mutation in any one of at least 11 genes that results in a combination of hearing loss and visual impairment and is a leading cause […]