Author: Dick Mangrum

In a county experiencing a building boom, Oconee’s codes department is described severely under-manned, for which appreciation and understanding were given during last night’s county council meeting.  Home builder Chuck Pinion was complimentary of the codes department employees considering their busy work schedule, but he brought to the attention of last night’s meeting that delays in getting the codes department […]

Oconee’s chief recruiter for economic development, Jamie Gilbert of the Oconee Economic Alliance, requested the county fathers last night to OK changes in the inducement terms that are to help bring a new manufacturer to the county’s Information and Technology Park on highway 11.  The company is Meyn America, a distributor of poultry processing equipment.  Meyn is set to occupy […]

More than two dozen Oconeeans were in the audience last night in Seneca to learn what can be done to ensure personal safety in the event of an active shooter incident.  John Hester of West Union and family were among those there to learn best practices for self-defense and how to comport themselves following an incident.  The Oconee School District’s […]

In spite of a few questions generated from the audience, Oconee County Council gave the second of three required readings last night to an ordinance to authorize up to $25 million dollars in general obligation (taxpayer-backed) bonds for sewer purposes.  The heading of Ordinance 2023-13 reads:  “….for the purpose of designing, acquiring, constructing, installing, equipping, or rehabilitating various capital projects, […]

Two months into a new government year, Oconee County is on its way to an amended budget.  The county council last night gave its approval to financial changes, explained in detail by Amanda Brock, the county administrator, during a late afternoon meeting of the council’s budget committee, attended by three council members.  Brock explained a shuffling of dedicated tax millage […]

A new filing by Duke Energy with the South Carolina Public Service Commission contains a range of generation options to reflect what the utility calls an “all of the above” approach to power the needs of a growing region.  And the Duke Integrated Resource Plan includes doubling peak hour capacity of Oconee’s Bad Creek pumped storage facility near the North […]

Salem’s mayor willing to put his name in front of the voters once again.  A town official says, since qualifying opened yesterday, Lynn Towe signed up to run for a new term as mayor.  Salem voters in November also fill two council seats.

“A Deputy from the Uniform Patrol Bureau of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, while on routine patrol early this morning along Highway 123, observed a South Carolina Highway Patrol Trooper attempt to initiate a traffic stop on a motorcycle being operated by an adult male. The driver of the motorcycle did not pull over and drove past The Deputy as […]