Author: Dick Mangrum

A man down on the middle of a road near Seneca is the latest victim of gunfire.  However, word from Oconee Sheriff’s Office is that last night’s case is one in which, it’s believed, there’s no danger to the public.  In this case, sheriff’s office received a report of a male in the middle of Mormon Church Road with a […]

86 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Carolina. Two in Oconee. Added to the death toll were an additional two South Carolinians. Of 4,318 test results received, 2.7% positivity. (These numbers are the data that reflect the 24-hour count at the end of the day Monday, June 14).

An Anderson man at the scene of an Oconee home burglary was wounded by gunfire and required hospital treatment before being arrested.  The Oconee Sheriff’s Office announces three charges against Chauncey Demetrius Williams:  petty larceny, first degree burglary, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.  The sheriff’s office identified the crime scene as a home […]

Block parties are being planned this summer in Walhalla as gestures to create goodwill among city residents and to promote good causes.  Amy Welch and Lorelai Swanson, representing the city’s diversity and inclusion committee, filled in the mayor and council on the plans that call for the next block party to be an evening of fun Friday, June 25 at […]

The body of Terry Hawkins has arrived at the Davenport Funeral Home, which is handling arrangements for the former Seneca man who enjoyed a notable career at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.  The mission of that lab is solving national security challenges through scientific excellence.  Not long after the start of the 21st century, Hawkins became a […]

Here’s a short question-answer interview that 101.7/WGOG NEWS held with Billy Birdwell, spokesman for the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, about the corps’ managed Lake Hartwell: “Please tell me how many public comments received on the update to the Hartwell Lake master plan.” A1:   We have received 13 comments regarding the Hartwell Lake Master Plan Update. Q2:   “And can you […]

In the anticipation of money to arrive locally from the American Rescue Plan, Oconee County Council has voted to commit up to $3.3 million of that money to two of the county’s municipalities for water infrastructure work.  On the receiving end are to be Westminster, to the tune of $1.3 million, and Salem, for $2 million.  In Salem’s case, the […]

Oconee’s second largest municipality is no longer a sleepy, quiet town.  At least, new developments suggest that is the case.  Brandon Burton, interim city administrator, says, of late, there’s enough new development for the city to begin to consider ending its arrangement with Oconee County in which the county permits new construction.  According to Burton, Walhalla is missing out on […]

A new company will take operating control of the approximate 255-mile Oconee County-owned fiber optic network.  County Council last night approved Upcountry Fiber, subsidiary of the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, to take over the county’s long-term lease with OneTone Telecom.  Seneca-based One Tone has operated the network since January 2017.  The Blue Ridge entity seeks to extend fiber optic access […]

At a home near the Shiloh Road, a group of individuals committed burglary and, according to the Oconee Sheriff’s Office, the homeowner shot at his intruders, apparently wounding one of them.  The incident was reported shortly before 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon on Timber Ridge Lane in the vicinity of Nebo Church Road.  The sheriff’s office released this account:  “After being […]