News

Walhalla band group takes first

02/06/2012

The Walhalla Winterguard captured first place in competition Saturday at Blue Ridge High School in Greenville County.  The Walhalla entrant received a score of 63.7, good enough to have bested six other competitors.  Next competition for the Walhalla Winterguard will be this Saturday at Rock Hill.

Sheriff's candidates receiving new invitation

02/06/2012

Another sign today of the highly-anticipated campaign this year to become the new Sheriff of Oconee County.  The five men who have declared their intent to file for Sheriff in the Republicans June primary are getting invitations to take part in an April 12 event sponsored by the Stamp Creek Republican Precinct.  According to Chuck Rau, precinct president, the candidates will get the chance to make presentations and answer questions from members of the audience.  On Friday an officer of the Seneca Woman's Club said the club's Ballenger House clubhouse will be the scene next month of an outdoor event to which all five candidates have committed.  

West Union candidate twists

02/06/2012

A pair of candidate twists for the April 3 election in West Union.  The field of five candidates for the town's four council seats features an incumbent and his wife, who is a challenger.  The husband and wife candidates are Missy and Danny Cappelen.  Others running are challenger Dawson Alexander and incumbents Bethany Peay and Sharon Zimmerman.  Linda Oliver remained the only ballot candidate for mayor.  After Friday's noon hour deadline, Dutch Fork resident Jeff Duncan announced as a write-in candidate for council.  

Black History Month Event

02/06/2012

An interview and discussion with the first African-American from Oconee County to graduate from Clemson University takes place 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 23 at the Seneca Library.  Phillip Martin, the director of information systems security at Greenville Hospital System, will discuss his experiences at Clemson in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a few years after South Carolina's colleges were integrated.  The interview and question-answer session will be followed by light refreshments.

Walhalla students send books to Africa

02/03/2012

Three student classes at the Walhalla Middle School, as part of a global service learning project, are sending books to a secondary school in Tanzania, Africa.

Husband and wife are candidates

02/03/2012

At West Union's noon hour deadline, a husband and his wife emerged as candidates for the town's April 3 council election.  Missy Cappelen is a challenger.  Her husband, Danny Cappelen, is a member of the current four-member council seeking re-election.  For the four seats available, they are joined by challenger Dawson Alexander and incumbents Bethany Peay and Sharon Zimmerman.  By the deadline, Mayor Linda Oliver wound up the lone candidate for re-election to her office.  

New jail not needed, Mahn says

02/03/2012

One of the five Oconee sheriff's hopefuls says if it were his call, the county would not spend between $15 and $20 million to build a new jail, but would go at the problem of jail over-crowding by rebuilding the county Work Camp in Five Forks community between Walhalla and Westminster.  David Mahn says he wants prisoners who are not a danger to the public to work the fields surrounding the Work Camp for the food to feed them and the rest of their fellow inmates. The candidate says he wants prisoners convicted of less serious offenses to wash county cars and pick up litter.  Mahn makes clear he is not calling for a return to the days of chain gangs, with guards watching over prisoners shotguns at the ready.

Woman's Club invites Sheriff's candidates

02/03/2012

An event in Seneca featuring the five men who've declared their intent to run this year for Oconee Sheriff has been confirmed by members of the Seneca Woman's Club.  Candidate James Bartee announced the March 4 event here this morning at 96.3/WGOG NEWS . . . and we have since confirmed it with Jean Anne Cooper, club vice president.  Cooper says all five candidates have confirmed they'll take part from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, March 4 on the grounds of the Seneca Woman Club's Ballenger House, 212 E.S. 3rd Street to present their platforms.  According to a letter of invitation that went to candidates Bartee, Mike Crenshaw, Donnie Fricks, David Mahn, and Terry Wilson, each candidate will be afforded a banquet-sized table with white tablecloths underneath a tent to meet and greet voters.  

West Union to learn about annexation

02/03/2012

Oconee's second smallest town is going to be all ears this month about growing its corporate limits.  Mayor Linda Oliver says her town has arranged a workshop February 23 with an official of the state Municipal Association to impart information about annexation.  Oliver describes the workshop as a fact-finding exercise.  She says, at present, the town has no specific annexation proposal.

Second, 300-acre burn today

02/03/2012

A second, 300-acre burn is planned starting at 10 this morning in the Andrew Pickens district of the Sumter National Forest in Oconee County.  Today's wind currents, according to the USFS's Greg Borgen, should blow the smoke through Mountain Rest, to Rabun County, Georgia, specifically the Dillard area.  When weather conditions allow, burns of this kind are common in the country's national forests.  And Borgen says he's confident they'll have the desired effect of renourishing the forests and reducing chances for future wildfires.  

Truck fire in Westminster

02/03/2012

A truck fire has been reported in Westminster.  And, according to one caller, the truck fire has resulted in some delays for traffic in the vicinity of the Bountyland Quik Stop on S.C. 183/the Westminster-Walhalla Highway.  

Golf raises $ for OMC Foundation

02/03/2012

A golf tournament last fall raised more than $50 thousand for the Oconee Medical Center Foundation.  The foundation board last month distributed the proceeds to three hospital and hospital affiliated groups.  The Volunteer Auxiliary received a check for $25 thousand to help pay for LifeLine units for the elderly and disabled.  A check for $14 thousand will help Oconee EMS pay for a new responder vehicle.  And Safe Kids of Oconee gets a check for $14 thousand to provide safety education and devices for Oconee County children.

Police say texting not involved

02/03/2012

Contrary to rumors, the Walhalla police chief says, texting was not involved in yesterday's accident that injured a student walking to the high school.  Chief Tim Chastain says his department's investigation showed that no one was texting--neither the student, nor the driver.  While the 10th grader was being evaluated at the hospital for multiple injuries, the police were investigating whether anyone was at fault for the 7:10 a.m. accident at the traffic lights at S.C. 183 and Razorback Lane.

New student housing planned at CU

02/03/2012

Clemson University trustees have given concept approval to plans for a new housing complex to serve Clemson students and those enrolled in the Bridge to Clemson transfer collaboration with nearby Tri-County Technical College.  Using funds from auxiliary revenues, the plan is to spend $123.5 million for retail and student housing at the east entrance to campus at the spot of the former Douthit Hills housing development.  Student housing is a self-supporting auxiliary operation that receives no state or tuition funding.  According to the Clemson announcement, Tech President Ronnie Booth has endorsed the idea of housing Bridge students on the Clemson campus.