Author: Dick Mangrum

How the next school year unfolds in Oconee County likely will be decided in a vote by the board of trustees on the night of Monday, July 20.  The July 20 meeting is the only scheduled meeting of the month.  And Jerry Lee, the chairman, indicates that’ll be the night he will entertain a motion, based on recommendations of the […]

A domestic violence investigation in Walhalla led to the jailing of a young rural Oconee man.  Chief of Police Sean Brinson says the crime scene around 1 am Friday was a home on WS Broad Street.  Three charges were filed against Nicholas Michael Ungaro of Old Hill Top Drive, Westminster:  malicious injury to real property, ill treatment of an animal, […]

The outdoor warning sirens around Oconee Nuclear Station will be tested at approximately 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8. The 65 sirens within 10 miles of the Oconee Nuclear Station will sound for three minutes. To ensure they are functioning properly, it may be necessary to test some sirens more than once. Testing is performed in cooperation with emergency officials […]

Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital has begun expanded hours for COVID-19 testing.  The new hours are 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday-Friday.  The testing site has been moved to an area adjacent to the patient tower at Oconee Memorial Hospital. For these tests, patients must have a provider order for the COVID-19 test and provide name, birthdate, and confirmation of […]

If your favorite places to do business are missing the familiar faces of certain employees, it may well be they are not there because they continue to receive a combination of the state and federal jobless benefits designed to cushion the economic blows of COVID-19. And now some of those who’ve been furloughed can become eligible to receive 10 more […]

Here’s an announcement from Libby Imbody, Walhalla Main Street director:  “After careful consideration of increasing COVID-19 cases in our area, and consultation with health and school officials, we are adjusting our annual Summer Nights on Short Street series. We are now preparing for “Summer Nights at Home!”, a series of activity kits that families will pick up from local shops. […]

After years of planning and working, the Foothills Farmstead this Saturday, July 11 will open its “doors” to the public.  “We want everyone to come and see the beginning and follow our journey as we build the farmstead,” says Nick Gambrell, Director of the Foothills Farmstead. “We received a Bridge Grant from SC Humanities that is allowing us to open […]

An Englishman drowned Friday evening near the Cliffs Boat Ramp at Lake Keowee in Pickens County.  The deputy coroner, Gary Duncan, says the victim was Derrick Andrew Otin, 24-year old resident of Nottingham, England and a 2020 graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati.  Otin was visiting friends at the Cliffs.  An autopsy was conducted Saturday at Prisma Health Greenville.  The […]

Most parents who’ve responded to an Oconee School District survey want their children to be allowed to return to face-to-face learning, and the public schools are setting out to comply with those wishes.  At the same time, Superintendent Dr. Michael Thorsland, says there are a number of parents who are uneasy over the idea of sending their kids back to […]