Author: Dick Mangrum

After a lightning strike that damaged equipment, repairs have been made and Oconee County is back in the business of crushing rock and selling its products to those in the business of hauling rock.  Amanda Brock, county administrator, said the crusher was returned to service late Friday afternoon and today has been a regular day of business at the quarry […]

An old county building has a new look.  Amanda Brock, Oconee County administrator, says the Clemson University Joseph F. Sullivan health services gave a facelift to the former state health department building facing Booker Drive in Walhalla.  Brock says it’s part of an expansion of health services available there to Oconee County residents.

Clemson University researchers say new evidence that an ancient river system flowed from Canada’s western mountains to the Labrador Sea raises questions about the impact it may have had on Earth’s climate millions of years ago.  It could hold clues to what future climate might be like.  Scientists have hypothesized that the now-extinct Bell River and its tributaries flowed east […]

In a report this afternoon, South Carolina DHEC noted 362 new COVID-19 cases.  Sixteen of the cases are Oconee residents.  Statewide, the death toll increased by two persons.  Of 13,206 test results, the latest positivity is 3.7%.  The numbers reflect the 24-hour count effective at 11:59 Saturday night.

Qualifying government agencies and non-profits are invited to apply for Duke Energy funds from the utility’s Keowee-Toxaway Habitat Enhancement Program.  The program funds projects that create, enhance and protect fish and wildlife habitats along the shores of the lakes Keowee and Jocassee, along with their watersheds.  Among projects eligible:  planting native shoreline vegetation, constructing osprey platforms and wood duck boxes, […]

The FAA has released the following statement:  “A single-engine Kitfox crashed into trees and came to rest in a creek near Mountain Rest, SC at 11:07 am local time yesterday.  There were two people on board.”  The men injured in the two-seater craft were identified to 101.7/WGOG NEWS as an 18 year old and a 45-year old.  A spokeswoman for […]

The Facebook page of the Oconee Republican Party announces plans for a “Back the Blue” event tonight in Walhalla.  It’s planned as a mobile rally starting at 6:30, with a 5:30 meet-up in the parking lot of the sheriff’s office.  The purpose:  to show support for the county deputies.  Participants are asked to wear Thin Blue Line gear and display […]

For those who will enjoy the experience this summer at Oconee’s three county parks, a parking fee increase will greet park users.  Starting Saturday, May 1, the parking fee increases to $3 dollars a vehicle.  That increase was made part of the county’s current general government budget, but delayed by the pandemic.  Annual park passes for Oconee County residents remain […]

Hearings are set at the Seneca City Hall this evening on requests for certificates of appropriateness for projects within the district regulated by the city’s board of architectural review.  Projects proposed are painting the brick commercial building at 106 N. Walnut; replacing the roof at 300 WS 1st Street; and renovating a 1940s home at 501 S. Fairplay Street.  The […]

In Westminster, there’s talk of three new businesses in the pipeline:  a coffee shop in a former gas station building; a sushi bar in a former eye care building; and an ice cream shop adjacent to Anderson Park.